Harry Potter: Keeper of the Hallows

by DracoxEmperor (orphan_account)

Chapter 1

(Prologue)

 

Laying in a pool of blood was a young man with smooth brown hair and green eyes who stared at the person above him. A faded but yet permanent lightning bolt scar on his forehead was ever present. Standing above him was a young man with red hair, a freckled face wearing a hoodie, red shirt and blue jeans with sneakers. Coughing up blood as in his chest was a large snake fang. A basilisk fang that still possessed the poison from within it, a girl with a light complexion, milk chocolate eyes and long bushy brown hair. She covered her mouth and had tears, real tears in her eyes. 

As a small red haired girl with her back turned had her at wand point with a hard vengeful look on her face. The young man with his broken glasses beside him reached for the brown haired girl before going limp. But standing up his body that no one can see was said dying boy who looked transparent as he noticed the world froze around him, he then heard: “It is said to see something of this to happen."

Turning he looked to see a figure sitting on a throne made of shadows as they wore a black full body open robe with a Victorian era styled jack with a black. T-shirt and jean pants with boots on. The boy then asked: “Who are you?”

The figure then said: " You should know lad, you bore three of my items recently.”

The young man’s: “Your death?!"

The figure nodded and he noticed a pair of glared glowing eyes in the darkness of the hood and a skull like jaw but the upper portion of the person's face looked very sickly pale with white hair. Death then said: “Your story was never meant to be over this early. Originally you were supposed to face Tom in battle and win while Nagini was killed by Neville. Though that won't happen and countless others will pay for your ex-best friend's stupidity. But I am not, but fair. I can offer you a deal, a deal that will change the course of your life.”

He then asked death: " What is it?”

Death then asked: " But first, let me ask you this, has it ever occured to you that you may have had more family out there. Why would Dumbledore have you live with people who abused you both physically, mentally and emotionally? Why did he not come to Sirius aid knowing he was not the traitor? Why were you kept in the dark of so many things of your culture and still hardly know anything? Why was it you blindly followed the first person you met and yet fell.-in-love with his sister? Tell me while the school has always been endangered yet Dumbledore was never around yet when he was he ignored it?There are other similar questions but I'll tell you why Dumbledore wanted to control your movements and actions like a toy. Your life, every move, every action you made was all by his design, his and his alone. Though your name in the goblet was not his doing so he had to modify his skims and yet Severus was completely against this wanting you to always be trained properly to stand up to Tom. Because you wonder why he wanted that?”

Shaking his head Death replied: " Because Severus was your mom’s oldest childhood friend and lived her so much that your father before he changed was a massive dick and caused a massive rift between them and yet he still loved your mother and could do nothing as Severus called her something he could never take back.”

Harry was shocked but he felt death’s hand on his shoulder and he said: " This may be a lot to process, but enough about that. For now we must get you to your destination. The proposition I have for you is simple, travel back in time to your fourth year before your school year began. Before the Quidditch World Cup you will have no restrictions, but you must act. Though in the process of you traversing through time your soul will become unstable, thus you will need a strong spiritual aura and to do that another soul is required, that fully I have the perfect candidate.”

Just then emerging from the floor was a ghost he had rarely seen ever in Hogwarts. It was a man with a comb over haircut wearing a RavenClaw uniform of the nineteenth century unique design as on the back of the blue robe was a large raven rising up. Death then said: “This is Alexander, he is a descendant of the Salazar Slytherin and the House of Black founder firstborn and Abraham Potter one the twelve original aurora in America but as well as your mother's ancestors.”

This surprised Harry as Alexander walked up and placed his hand on his shoulder and said: " Nice to see the apple doesn't fall far from the family tree into doing what is right. Listen grandson, I may pass on to be with my wife Anne and my family when I transfer some of my spiritual essence to you, you may even gain my knowledge on many things in the process, but you must be ready for anything.”

Harry nodded dumbfounded and Alexander said: "Harry even though I am sometimes your great grandfather but I am proud of the man you are. Blood does not define who you are, you do. But Harry when you return to Hogwarts and things do play out with everyone turning your back on them there are a few places you can find solace and they are…” hearing this Harry nodded and Death said: " Are you both ready?"

Alexander nodded and Harry nodded looking ever more determined and Death grabbed both of them as a vortex of power condensed around them and then nothing. 

 

(Chapter One)

 

Harry groaned awake as he felt sore and felt the pain of someone stabbing him in the chest. Groaning he looked around and found himself back in the Weasley’s House and looked to see it was dark out. Looking to his right he saw the sleeping form of Ronald Wesley, remembered being killed by him during then he felt it a massive power load of a headache, holding his throbbing skull as he felt like puking as he felt tones of knowledge rushing through his mind from spells he was never taught or the school didn't teach anyone to Ancient Magic, a powerful form of magic so old that Alexander has called it Nature Magic as it can manipulate nature to a mastery extent. He has a cast arsenal some of them were already known spells, but various combos he could use for other spells in combat, he nodded. But he then turned to Ron, how easy it would be to kill him, no he was Tom, he was above him and thus he wanted to take something from the weasel before him. It's dark. Thought of his own crept into his mind as he thought: “You were always so stubborn around Hermione and ridiculed her and when she did give you the time, you fucking brushed her aside for your own interest. And when I had a chance, I didn't take it because you were my friend, but now… hehe, she's mine. Though I can do more…  Maybe I should enjoy myself. It's my life, no one else's.’

Imagining Hermione and him making out before a bound Ron after he was publicly humiliated and scared sounded pleasing. Getting up and out looked at a pocket watch he had used his own money to get and saw he had a few minutes before Hermione was up. He remembered how Ginny acted in his final moments as if she was under a jinx, perhaps her actions were not her own. Getting dressed he exited the room and headed downstairs arriving at the first floor and saw Hermione up and said: “Morning Mione, looking well as always."

He really couldn't say what we wanted to say because there is no privacy outside the bedrooms. Hermione then said: “Hey Harry, you're up early I see…* he nodded and said: “I had… a dream, I'll tell you alone about it, I don't want to worry about the others with it. Is Ginny awake?”

She nodded and said: " Yes, last I saw she started changing. Mrs. Weasley asked me to. Come get you two up.”

He nodded and said: " Okay, if you get to Ron try dumping some water on his head for me, he kicked me in his sleep.*

She nodded a little confusingly, not sure what to make of what was going on with Harry as he was acting strange, maybe the dream really scared him. He smiled and walked to Ginny’s room and saw it open and saw Ginny wearing a simple plaid bra and panties. Gently sneaking in and closing the door he remembered something death had given him, saying to have any kind of fun with it. In Death's words he said: “The Magic Eyes of Geass, I got this idea…  as a primordial force I can do things no one else can do as death is part of life, life is part of death so I have limited power to create things of non-destructive nature. Alone these eyes can allow one to read-minds, track individuals, dominate weaker willed individuals minds and give foresight into the brief future ahead. Though Legilmancy can actually enhance the power of domination and reading minds power as to bypass mental barriers.”

Ginny was humming to herself and hacking her hips. Harry’s eyes had a look of lust remembering the beauty she becomes, his eye around him pupils turned magenta as a strange V-shape with a curved indent at the base reminding anyone of a puzzle piece with two thin lines spiral forming in his right eye as the lines looked to be sparking with magic. He grabbed her shoulder and whipped around and froze seeing Harry. She went stiff and her eyes became dull and he leaned in and nipped her neck and licked it. She moaned he raised his hand and trailed it along her crotch and up to her bust and whispered into her ear: “My precious Ginerva, you're mine and mine alone. Even second a thought about me or am I in your presence you will learn for my touch and sexual ache it, but you will try to ignore it only for it to grow and grow till it reaches a breaking point and when it does you will seek me out in moment of freedom from school and work and beg for release. Not even masturbation can relieve you of the tension.”

She moaned and he continued: " Your breast, ass, and pussy in my touch will always be sensitive as no other man can make you like this and yet you do not care about other woman wanting me…” he remembered one of the fantasies he accidentally saw in Ginny diary before he went off to find the Horcruxes, it was her being tied and frustrated as she watched while being sexual teased Harry dominating was there woman.

She moaned as she felt Harry hand slipped under her bra and tweaked her nipples and found they were inverted. She whispered in excitement and nervous: “Do they please you Harry.*

He smiled and her sincere nervousness about her body, he kissed her lips and whispered normally: “Yes Ginny, you're beautiful. In privacy you will refer to me as Master and you will always be comfortable being undressed or nude around me.*

He was glad he had a built-in guide on how to use his new eye, but Geass sounded like something from an animation or a muggle show. Though it sounded cool. Ending it, he saw Ginny's eyes return to their normal Carmel color. She blushed a bit and asked: “Harry, do you like me?"

Smiling, he kissed her lips making her freeze before becoming excited and shaking her hips as he pulled away and said: “Of course Ginny as a friend and more as I will ruin you for another man… , but I best head down the stairs quickly.”

She nodded and fidgeted feeling herself getting wet and noticed her entire crotch was damp. Pulling her panties away to see red peach fuzz pubic hair and the state of her cooch as she heard her door close. She mentally skilled as he let them go and the waistband snapped back as she put her chins to her face and felt extremely happy as a schoolgirl in love. Outside Harry smiled and joined Mrs. Weasley after seeing Mione entering Ron's room from below. Mrs. Weasley said: “Morning Harry dear, nice to see one of you boys other than Percy is up.”

Harry smiled and helped set the table. Smiling as he looked up and noticed everyone else coming down and saw Ginny who was smilingly at him bashfully and looked like she was being felt up. She yawned remembering how early it was.

"Why do we have to be up so early?" Ginny said, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table.

"We've got a bit of a walk," said Mr. Weasley.

"We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup…” said Mr. Weasley and Harry replied taking a seat beside Ginny and across from Hermione and: “A portkey likely.*"

Fred, one of the twin older Weasley's then said: " Oh Harrykins, been reading up on different things have you.”

George, his twin, replied: " I believe he has Fred.*

Harry then replied: “I've been having some free time before coming here and doing some digging hoping to help Sirius out. But I came across the name of a Relative of mine in the colonization period of America named Abraham Potter, one of the first Twelve Auroras of MACUSA. So I kept digging, and discovered something, turns out I'm not actually related to My Aunt and Uncle outside of adoption.”

This threw everyone off. Blinking Harry then said: “I kept digging and I couldn't find much, could be a diary of my mother's might shed some light on it. I did see a few in my family's vault. Maybe she kept one, but all I found on the subject was an adaptation paper for a Lily Jessica Blackwood and when I checked my mother's name I saw Lily Jessica Evans with the same birthdate and everything. So I checked the records of my aunt's family and found the birth certificate.”

Arthur  the patriarch of the family then said: “Quite the conundrum, but we best eat to gain our strength for the hike.

But just then “George!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply, and they all jumped.

"What?" said George, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody.

"What is that in your pocket?" She said with a scowl. 

"Nothing!" He replied nervously. 

"Don't you lie to me!" She replied not buying it.

Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket and said, "Accio!"

Several small, brightly colored objects zoomed out of George's pocket; he made a grab for them but missed, and they sped right into Mrs. Weasley's outstretched hand.

"We told you to destroy them!" said Mrs. Weasley furiously, holding up what were unmistakably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. "We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!"

It was an unpleasant scene; the twins had evidently been trying to smuggle as many toffees out of the house as possible, and it was only by using her Summoning Charm that Mrs. Weasley managed to find them all.

"Accio! Accio! Accio!" she shouted, and toffees zoomed from all sorts of unlikely places, including the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans.

"We spent six months developing those!" Fred shouted at his mother as she threw the toffees away.

"Oh a fine way to spend six months!" she shrieked. "No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s!”

Harry chuckled and later they were ready. All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they took their departure. Mrs. Weasley was still glowering as she kissed Mr. Weasley on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her. "Well, have a lovely time," said Mrs. Weasley, "and behave yourselves," she called after the twins' retreating backs, but they did not look back or answer. "I'll send Bill, Charlie, and Percy along around midday," Mrs. Weasley said to Mr. Weasley, as he, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny set off across the dark yard after Fred and George. It was chilly and the moon was still out. Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Harry, having been thinking about thousands of wizards speeding toward the Quidditch World Cup, sped up to walk with Mr. Weasley. Harry once they were encumbered by the shadows, he caught up with the twins as he had convinced Mrs. Weasley that he would get rid of them, and he will, get rid of them back to twins. He tossed them the large bag of toffees and both looked to Harry who gave a two finger salute and said: “I kinda wanna see where your joke shop takes guys."

He loves their Joke shop in his six years, everyone came and just the short time it was open the money they made shocked Mrs. Weasley she was quiet for three days. Chuckling he saw Ron was trying to nod off while walking and saw Mr. Weasley telling Hermione about the World Cup and Ginny was walking by herself. Catching up to her he said: “You okay."

She blushed and nodded and asked in a whisper: “Did you mean it?”

Smirking, he said: " Yes I did, we can talk more later.”

She nodded and yawned and nearly tripped, he caught and helped her up and they kept walking. Mr. Weasley pointed ahead of them, where a large black mass rose beyond the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. That was where the Portkey was. As they trudged down the dark, dank lane toward the village, the silence was broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Harry's hands and feet were freezing. 

Mr. Weasley kept checking his watch as Harry guided Ginny through it to avoid bumping into something. Fred and George smiled seeing this knowing how more obsessed Ginny got of Harry after the incident event catching her making out with picture of him from the schools paper. Although they didn't have breath to spare for talking as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tufts of grass. Each breath Harry took was sharp in his chest and his legs were starting to seize up when, at last, his feet found level ground and Ron nearly rolled back if Fred hadn't caught him and George helped pull them up and Harry helps Hermione and Ginny as well. 

“Whew," painted Mr. Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time - we've got ten minutes."

Hermione, Ginny and Harry  came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch on the  side for the girls and Harry was taking calming breaths. 

"Now we just need the Portkey," said Mr. Weasley, replacing his glasses and squinting around on the ground. "It won't be big....Come on…”

With no rest for the wicked as they spread out, searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, however, when a shout rent the still air: "Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it." 

Two tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop.

"Amos!" said Mr. Weasley, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed. Mr. Weasley was shaking hands with a ruddy-faced wizard with a scrubby brown beard, who was holding a moldy-looking old boot in his other hand.

"This is Amos Diggory, everyone," said Mr. Weasley. "He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his son, Cedric?"

Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen. He was Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff House Quidditch team at Hogwarts.

"Hi," said Cedric, looking around at them all.

Everybody said hi back except Fred and George, who merely nodded. They had never quite forgiven Cedric for beating their team, Gryffindor, in the first Quidditch match of the previous year.

"Long walk, Arthur?" Cedric's father asked. "Not too bad," said Mr. Weasley. "We live just on the other side of the village there. You?"

"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced? I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still...not complaining...Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons - and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, it looks like I got off easy...." Amos Diggory peered good-naturedly around at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. "All these yours, Arthur?"

"Oh no, only the redheads," said Mr. Weasley, pointing out his children. "This is Hermione, friend of Ron - and Harry, another friend -"

"Merlin's beard," said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?"

"Yes sir, your son is a skilled Quidditch Player. Just wish those Dementors didn't interrupt our game so we could have had a great game" said Harry.

Cedric nodded and said: " I know, still we both know you would have won. You never lost a game. “

Harry shrugged and said: "Yes, but all of those games never had that kind of weather we had during ours. Plus outside intruders, hopefully this year we have that rematch.”

Harry extended his hand to Cedric and both shook acknowledging it. 

"Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos Diggory. "Told us all about playing against you last year...I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will....You beat Harry Potter!”

Harry remained silent with a slight frown. But Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed and apologetic. 

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," he muttered. I told you...it was an accident...."

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman...but the best man won, I'm sure Harry's say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!”

“Must be nearly time," said Mr. Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch again. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?”

“No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets," said Mr. Diggory. "There aren't any more of us in this area, are there?”

Hearing about Luna, he forgot she was at the world cup but never got to see her unlike everyone else. Harry then remembered about certain things he heard about during the tournament, how a few atrocities were committed in the chaos and had been reported, but the Ministry in the previous time hardly wanted to investigate it. Remembering Lucius was amongst those in the chaos he was guessing, in the shadows covering his mother a cruel smirk graced his face. Following everyone as the nine of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory.They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Harry how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now...nine people, two of them grown men, clutching this manky old boot in the semidarkness, waiting…

"Three..." muttered Mr. Weasley, one eye still on his watch, two...one..."

It happened immediately: Harry felt as though a hook just behind his navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. His feet left the ground; he could feel Ron and Hermione on either side of him, their shoulders banging into his; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color; his forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling him magnetically onward and then - he hated travel like this, it as sickening feeling. Whoever designed this should've tweaked it to make everyone not feel like they were being ripped apart to the stomach. His feet slammed into the ground; Ron staggered into him and he fell over; the Portkey hit his head with a heavy thud making him cry out. 

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice.

Meanwhile watching all of his Death and he laughed. Certainly Harry was making progress, turning his head to see a man in old European robes of the medieval period that looked a bit like hair with a more angular chiseled face. Death said: “Ah, Ignotus glad you could come. “Your descendant has taken his first steps.”

Ignotus, the Ignotus Peverell looked to Death an said: *Indeed old, but you mentioned he has a magic eye. Even with that he will not be ready for what is to come. He will need all the help he can get for the challenges ahead.”

Frowning he pondered on this and looked to a brazier in the distance that had an hourglass in it surrounded by dying flames as the hourglass was running out of sand. The flames revealed a severely emaciated - man who was a frail skeletal figure with a skull-like face, great sunken eyes, wrinkled cheeks, and most of his teeth were gone. Standing up he went and touched the flames and his eyes soon burst into flames and he gained a sinister smile. 

Chapter 2: (Chapter Two)

Summary:

The Quidditch World Cup. A new sight to see for some, for Harry it was the signal for the return of his enemy. Now he must brave what is to come.

(Chapter Two)

As everyone got to their feet and noticed they arrived at what looked to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho. Harry then said: “You guys look way out of place."

It was true, he was surprised by it the first time. Here they were in the twenty-first century and the wizards practically tried to disguise themselves as muggles or no-maj as he grew to like the term better as it wasn't insulting. The two adult wizards ignored Harry. Mr. Weasley came over and said: “Morning, Basil, “ Mr. Weasley picked up the boot and handed it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Harry could see an old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football. Simple pieces of litter, yeah trash services would never pick that up unless they were charmed to be ignored.

"Hello there, Arthur," said Basil wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some....We've been here all night....You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite....Weasley...Weasley...." He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory...second field...ask for Mr. Payne.”

Harry then asked: “Mr. Weasley, I had wondered, why doesn't the Ministry employ Squibs to handle such events like these to find and monitor locations. It would be much better than just mind wiping no magic folk."

Everyone froze and the Ministry wizards turned to him and Mr.Weasley then said: " You make a good point Harry, it would save the Ministry much effort and paperwork shoved through the departments around the world cup. But thanks, Basil," thus Mr. Weasley then beckoned everyone to follow him.

They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Harry could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They said good-bye to the Diggory's and approached the cottage door.  Seeing the tents he knew while everyone else was off helping around the camp, he would run off and try to find the one person who may be able to help Sirius. He then thought determined: ‘You will be a free man Sirius, this I swear and Bellatrix will surely pay!”

A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Harry knew at a glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.

"Morning!" said Mr. Weasley brightly.

"Morning," said the Muggle.

"Would you be Mr. Roberts?" Asked Mr. Weasley with a raised brow. 

"Aye, I would," said Mr. Roberts. "And who're you?"

"Weasley - two tents, booked a couple of days ago?” said Mr. Weasley.

"Aye," said Mr. Roberts, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You've got a space up by the wood there. Just one night?"

"That's it," said Mr. Weasley.

"You'll be paying now, then?" said Mr. Roberts.

"Ah - right - certainly -" said Mr. Weasley. He retreated a short distance from the cottage and beckoned Harry toward him. "Help me, Harry," he muttered, pulling a roll of Muggle money from his pocket and starting to peel the notes apart.

But Harry handed the man the exact money and even a large tip and said: “Here you are sir, have a good day." 

Seeing the generous tip he smiled and said: " You as well lad. Enjoy your stay.”

As Mr. Roberts handed Mr. Weasley the map, a company of wizards in plus-fours accompanied them toward the gate to the campsite. He looked exhausted: His chin was blue with stubble and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Once out of earshot of Mr. Roberts, he muttered to Mr. Weasley, "Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Arthur.”

Harry then said: “That can't be good for anyone's mentality, constant use can have prolonged damaging effects on the mind."

But the wizard then disappeared and Ginny rushed up to Harry’s side and began to put her two cents in.

"I thought Mr. Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports," said Ginny, looking surprised. "He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, shouldn't he?"

"He should," said Mr. Weasley, smiling, and leading them through the gates into the campsite, "but Ludo's always been a bit...well...lax about security. You couldn't wish for a more enthusiastic head of the sports department though. He played Quidditch for England himself, you know. And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had.”

Harry then said: “But one too many hits to the damage leaves permanent damage."

They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Hermione could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance. A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a front garden attached, complete with birdbath, sundial, and fountain. Harry sighed and said: “Habits die hard, everyone."

"Always the same," said Mr. Weasley, smiling. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us."

They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, and there was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read WEEZLEY. Harry shook his head and said: “Someone needs to relearn Grammer."

" Indeed, but couldn't have a better spot!" said Mr. Weasley happily. "The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be." He hoisted his backpack from his shoulders. "Right," he said excitedly, "no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on Muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult....Muggles do it all the time....Here, Harry, where do you reckon we should start?”

Rolling up his sleeves he began leading the group on how to pitch a tent with Hermione pitching in inputs easily. Once the last stake was driven into the ground Harry said: " Pretty simple, though with magic you won't be able to make sure everything is fastened properly as something needs manual labor to get it done.”

Mr. Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and entered the first tent.

"We'll be a bit cramped," he called, "but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."

Harry bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt his jaw drop. He had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Mrs. Figg's house: There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats. But Harry sighed and pulled out a candle and lit it with a match before setting it on the table and everyone started to smell Carmel apple and vanilla. Rubbing his nose he replied: “The odor was horrible."

"Well, it's not for long," said Mr. Weasley, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief and peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. Thus he continued saying: “I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago."

He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water...."

"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us," said Ron, who had followed Harry inside the tent and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. "It's on the other side of the field.”

Snapping his fingers Harry went to his baby and said: " Before I received your letter Ron, I picked up a few things.”

He tossed Hermione a family bag of white soft cylinder treats and pulled out a chocolate bar and gram crackers and Hermione asked: “S’mores?"

The Weasley's looked utterly confused, most muggle delicacies hardly ever been seen. Most commonly edible food has, but one thing most of the British Wizardry society didn't have was various things, not even pizza. Ginny then asked: “S’mores?"

Hermione then said: “You roast a marshmallow over a fire till it turns a nice shade of brown then put it on a piece of chocolate between two gram crackers and dig in, it is messy most of the time."

"Well, why don't you, Harry, and Hermione go and get us some water then -" Mr. Weasley handed over the kettle and a couple of saucepans "- and the rest of us will get some wood for a fire?"

"But we've got an oven," said Ron. "Why can't we just -” but he received the answer "Ron, anti-Muggle security!" said Mr. Weasley, his face shining with anticipation. "When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!”

Shaking his head he then walked outside with Hermione after a quick tour of the girls tent. Ron and his siblings went out and chopped wood, one of the only non-magical things they knew how to do. Harry and Hermione walked across the campsite with a kettle and sauce pans, thankfully Harry was glad no Ron this timeNow, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, they could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around. It was still hard to believe for a split second on how many witches and wizards there must be in the world; he had never really thought much about those in other countries.Their fellow campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children; Harry had never seen witches and wizards this young before. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a wand and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami. As they drew level with him, his mother came hurrying out of the tent. Ignoring it as they kept onward they saw two little witches, who were riding toy broomsticks that rose only high enough for the girls' toes to skim the dewy grass. A Ministry wizard had already spotted them; as he hurried past Harry and Hermione he muttered distractedly, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose -”

Here and there adult wizards and witches were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fires with their wands; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure this couldn't work. Three African wizards sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing long white robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit on a bright purple fire, while a group of middle-aged American witches sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE. Harry caught snatches of conversation in strange languages from the inside of tents they passed, and though he couldn't understand a word, the tone of every single voice was excited. Blinking her eyes Hermione tilted her head and said: “"Er - is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?”

Harry then said: “Obviously we are with Irish fans Hermione. Encase you forget even no magical decor things with their favorite team colors."

She opened her mouth to speak and she closed it and nodded her head. Thus they heard a familiar Irish male say: “Harry, Hermione!"

They turned to see Seamus Finnigan, their fellow Gryffindor fourth year. He was sitting in front of his own shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy-haired woman who had to be his mother, and his best friend, Dean Thomas, also of Gryffindor. 

"Like the decorations?" said Seamus, grinning. "The Ministry's not too happy."

"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" said Mrs. Finnigan. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" she added, eyeing Harry, Hermione beadily. When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Ireland, they set off again, though, as Ron said, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot. Oh where is Ron?”

Harry then said: “Back at camp, we are out fetching water.”

“Though I do wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?" said Hermione.

He then replied: " Probably posters of their poster boy. Honestly not really much of a guess. But come on Mione, we will get back before Ron goes nuts.”

Nodding her head they continued onward. Arriving at the watering source, they set everything down and began filling them up. As they waited he then said: “So Mione, what's been new with you exactly. Other than looking like an angel."

She froze and looked at him and noticed the look in his eyes seemed different and she asked: “Are you okay, Harry?"

Sighing he scratched the back of his head and said: “Not really, I got some letters from Sirius from Dobby, the house elf I tricked Lucius into feeding… I mentioned to him once about trying to get him a trial and he told me to stop thinking about it but I can't.”

Hermione frowned even though she too wanted to help, but he then said: “He even teased me about how me and you reminded him of my parents. And said we would make a cute couple."

She froze blushing even harder and stuttered out brushing a lock of hair behind her: “He said that?*

Harry nodded and said: " Yeah, now come on, we've got enough water.”

Grabbing most of it and was glad he had lids on them that could be secured they carried them back to the tent. Along the way as they walked slowly but not as slow as they should as Harry put on some good muscle. They saw more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old captain of Harry's House Quidditch team, who had just left Hogwarts, dragged Harry over to his parents' tent to introduce him, and told him excitedly that he had just been signed to the Puddlemere United reserve team. Harry convinced him if he could come and support the team and give them some inspiration and Wood promised and shook his hand and said he hoped to see Harry with his own new tricks. Next they were hailed by Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff fourth year, and a little farther on they saw Cho Chang, a very pretty girl who played Seeker on the Ravenclaw team. She waved and smiled at Harry, he gave a two finger wave she could see and a flirty wink making her blush and giggled. 

Hermione saw this and looked upset. Hermione pointed at a large group of teenagers whom she had never seen before. Harry mentioned they were most likely from other wizarding schools since every country has their own, but few had more than others as Hogwarts seemed to be the United Kingdom's only remaining school left. Returning back to camp and setting the water down they looked to the others who were still bringing logs and George came out of the tent. 

"You've been ages," said George when they finally got back to the Weasleys' tents.

"Met a few people," said Hermione, setting the water down. "You've not got that fire started yet?”

"Dad's having fun with the matches," said Fred.

Mr. Weasley was having no success at all in lighting the fire, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Splintered matches littered the ground around him, but he looked as though he was having the time of his life. As Mr. Weasley struggled, Harry walked over and pulled out a Zippo lighter with a symbol of the Deathly Hallows on the front and tore it. Piece of paper in his pocket and ignited it before tossing it into the burn spot. Hermione then asked: “Since when did you get a Zippo lighter Harry."

Closing it with the sound of a clink: “Before arriving at the Burrow. Anyway, I am going to have a look around to see if I can't find anyone else and try to locate Malfoy if he is here and mark the area to avoid.”

Ron then said: " You do that Harry.”

Following the tents, he smirked seeing a familiar head of strawberry blonde and a plum but curious figure wearing a plaid skirt, a blue sweater vest and a white shirt underneath it. She had her hand stuck in a jar and he walked over and said: “Here let me help you.”

She looked and saw Harry and said: " Harry Potter?”

He then said, helping her free her hand: " That's my name, don't wear it out. Nice to see you again Susan.”

She then asked: " You know my name?”

He nodded and said: " Kinda hard not to remember a cute girl.”

A slight blush adorned her cheeks and she looked away and her hand was freed. He looked at her and asked: "Is your aunt here, I heard she is Head of Magical Law Enforcement."

She nodded and said: “Yes, why?"

He replied with a kind smile: “It's just some things I want to clear up that happened last year."

She nodded her head since it was no secret the Dementors and Black had constantly targeted him. Susan then said: *Okay… by the way you seem different?”

He nodded and said: "Having to take my responsibilities as Heir to my family name early, due to circumstances as my parents wishes had been violated. Your aunt is already aware, but I was just here to clear up last year.”

Susan nodded and said: " Did you say I was cute because of…" she motioned to her breast that was already a D-cup and he said: " Well that's like the fourth thing. I called you cute because you are smart, you're nice and…” he leans in and whispers huskily, making her shudder: " You have been on my mind lately. Your plumpness drives me crazy sometimes.”

Her face turned bright neon red and she turned around and placed her hands on her cheek. He smiled and leaned down and kissed her temple which sent her over and she squeezed and he whispered huskily again: “While most guys see a girl for her outward beauty, yours is dwarfed by the goddess on the inside."

That sent her off as she collapsed and he chuckled and knocked on the wooden post and entered as he heard: “Come in.*

He saw the square-jawed witch with close-cropped gray blonde hair wearing a sundress and he bowed lightly and said: “Good morning Madame Bones, I am sorry to bother you on your time off but I felt it must be the utmost urgency.”

She then said: " So what can I do for you, Harry Potter?”

He then replied: " Are you aware of the issue with the Dementors last year?”

She nodded her head and he continued: “And that I had close encounters with Sirius Black."

She then asked: “I do, so Mr. Potter, why are you saying this when I read the reports."

He then replied: “Did you read the part of me and Hermione mentioned Peter Pettigrew was alive and was the rat bastard who was the traitorous bastard who ratted out my parents to Voldemort and framed Sirius." 

Amelia blinked and she said: " Continue.”

Harry explained everything, even to him breaking Sirius out after the Minister refused to hear him out, as well as Hermione and Ron. She frowned and said: " Mr. Potter, are you familiar that I could extract your memories and see this?"

He nodded and said: “Yes ma’am with a Pensieve, I would even agree to use Veritaserum if it would help prove a man’s innocence.”

She nodded and pulled out a small vial and put her wand tip to his head and extracted a replica of the memory and said: "I will review this back at the Ministry Mr. Potter, you have my word.”

He smiled and bowed before leaving, walking out, he saw a still downed Susan. Picking her up and putting her in a chair he caught a glimpse of her dark blue plain panties underneath and smirked before walking away. Returning back to camp he heard: “That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office....Here comes Gilbert Wimple; he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now...Hello, Arnie...Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator - member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know...and that's Bode and Croaker...they're Unspeakables....” Hermione then asked: "They're what?"

Mr.weasley replied simply: "From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to...."

At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie, and Percy came strolling out of the woods toward them. "Just Apparated, Dad," said Percy loudly. "Ah, excellent, lunch!”

Charlie then asked: " Hey Harry, where have you been?”

He replied: " Trying to see if Malfoy is nearby, thankfully the ferret is not. Though I did run into the Bones and decided to talk to her about Sirius.”

Ron and Hermione looked at him knowing what he meant and the others were confused and Mr. Weasley asked: " Why so my boy?”

Harry then replied: " Sirius is my godfather and since he accepted and took the vow which means…” Bill answered: " Then he couldn't have been the one that betrayed your parents.”

Harry nodded and said: " And Peter Pettigrew was alive hiding as Scabbards since he is an unregistered Animagus along with my old man and Sirius.”

Hermione then said: "It's true, and before you say that is a lie. Rats and other vermin have low life spans, even magical vermin. Scabbards should have been dead after a while.”

The older Weasley members and Ginny froze and let that all sink in and Harry said “I don't blame none of you for it, Peter is after all a rat bastard. But next time, he won't escape with his legs.*

He used a stick to prove the flames to keep it alive and everyone looked to him in worry. Prolonged exposure to the Dementors must have done something, Hermione knew they saw Sirius die and for him to see it twice might have damaged her friend. Later as they were halfway through their plates of eggs and sausages when Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding toward them. "Aha!" he said. "The man of the moment! Ludo!”

Ludo was easy to spot out of everyone that passed by wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. An enormous picture of a wasp was splashed across his chest. He had the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes were stretched tightly across a large belly he surely had not had in the days when he had played Quidditch for England. His nose was squashed from being hit so many times, but his round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion made him look like a very overgrown schoolboy. 

“Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking as though he had springs attached to the balls of his feet and was plainly in a state of wild excitement.

"Arthur, old man," he puffed as he reached the campfire, "what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming...and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements....Not much for me to do!”

Harry remained silent knowing what was coming, he noticed Ginny and Hermione talking and the others were stuffing their faces. Behind Ludo was a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rushed past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of a magical fire that was sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air. Shaking his head Harry scoffed, couldn't they put the groundskeeper under a do not notice spell, oh right that doesn't exist. If it did…  he'd make a fortune from it. Pondering, he smirked and he saw Percy hurried forward with his hand outstretched. Apparently his disapproval of the way Ludo Bagman ran his department did not prevent him from wanting to make a good impression.

“Ah - yes," said Mr. Weasley, grinning, "this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry - and this is Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron - my daughter, Ginny and Ron's friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.”

Bagman did the smallest of double takes when he heard Harry's name, and his eyes performed the familiar flick upward to the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Everyone," Mr. Weasley continued, "this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets -"

Bagman beamed and waved his hand as if to say it had been nothing.

"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" he said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes. "I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first - I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years - and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a weeklong match.”

Harry smirked and rubbed his palms slightly and said: “A bet, is there a betting booth, I'd like to make a wagger."

Everyone looked at Harry and he said: “What, not like  it's anything illegal.”

Mr. Bagman then said: "Okay Mr. Potter, what would you bet?”

He then replied: "Is there a category on how the game will play out?”

Mr. Bagman nodded and Harry then said how he knows it will be played out and wagered a hundred gallons as the betting pool for how the game would go was a high risk game and no more than ten and above galleons. The pool had just reached a thousand gallons and only ten people were participating. Harry heard what the others had said and oh man they made the wrong calls, the only way to win the pool is to get a hundred percent accuracy, if no one wins then the closest one would win. Good thing Harry kept some Galleons on him, handing the money off to Ludo and the man said to Me. Weasley: “I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first - I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years - and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a weeklong match.”

Harry winced and said: "Yeah, that's a bad idea on her part. Never bet your portion of a business as my so-called Uncle said. 

“Oh...go on then," said Mr. Weasley. "Let's see...a Galleon in Ireland to win?"

"A Galleon?" Ludo Bagman looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. "Very well, very well...any other takers?"

"They're a bit young to be gambling," said Mr. Weasley. "Molly wouldn't like -"

"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts," said Fred as he and George quickly pooled all their money, "that Ireland wins - but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch. Oh and we'll throw in a fake wand."

Harry smirked and said: " Taking a page from my book, nice.”

"You don't want to go showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that," Percy hissed, but Bagman didn't seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; on the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took it from Fred, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter. And said: “Excellent! I haven't seen one that is convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!"

Percy froze in an attitude of stunned disapproval.

"Boys," said Mr. Weasley under his breath, "I don't want you betting....That's all your savings....Your mother -"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" boomed Ludo Bagman, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum Will get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance....I'll give you excellent odds on that one....We'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we...."

Mr. Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and began jotting down the twins' names.

"Cheers," said George, taking the slip of parchment Bagman handed him and tucking it away into the front of his robes. Bagman turned most cheerfully back to Mr. Weasley.

"Couldn't you make me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barty'll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."

"Mr. Crouch?" said Percy, suddenly abandoning his look of poker-stiff disapproval and positively writhing with excitement. "He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll...."

"Anyone can speak Troll," said Fred dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt."

Percy threw Fred an extremely nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to the boil.

"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley asked as Bagman settled himself down on the grass beside them all.

"Not a dicky bird," said Bagman comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha...memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July.”

Harry frowned remembering what he knew about her fate at the hands of Voldemort. Though he did wonder, this time, will Junior still replace Moody or his father before him. They continued chatting till around noon as Ludo told them they'd be in the top box and the Weasley kids asked what had happened when Hogwarts was mentioned. Harry’s eyes narrowed and he frowned; he hoped he could save Cedric, if not, he will damn well avenge him and kill the rat.

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Summary:

The world cup is ending and yet a darkness has been seen within the night sky and the war has truly begun.

(Chapter Three)

After everyone bought souvenirs except Harry as he didn't feel like it. He watched with a smirk as Ginny walked past him last with a sway of her hips and light smacked her left cheek. He then thought with a grin: ‘Oh, you'll get it Missy. You'll get it.’

Once back to the tents Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes too, and Mr. Weasley was carrying an Irish flag. Fred and George had no souvenirs as they had given Bagman all their gold. And Harry had bought them the Omniculars for Ginny, Ron and Hermione to enjoy replays. He still had loads in his coin purse from last year as he really didn't spend it on junk like he did the first year. Harry leaned back and felt the weight shift from his bed as the Weasley Males went out to explore for a bit being cooped up at camp and Hermione went to get some reading down. Seeing Ginny beside him he then pulled her up into his lap and she smiled before rubbing herself against it and he said: “Little minx, trying to get me worked up."

She giggled and leaned forward and said: “Of course Master, you left me. All hot and bothered this morning."

He sat up on his left arm and reached into her pants and unzipped them and undid the button and said: “How do you feel about other women in our little circle? Be honest with me as Ginny herself.*

She then leaned forward as her shirt began showing cleavage from her budding breast: " It bothers me you even suggest it, but yet… It excites me. I know other girls desire you because you're the boy-who-lived or because you are the kindest person, the most reliable, but it still hurts even the thought.”

He smiled and leaned forward and kissed her as a love and pulled away as a trail of saliva was made: " You will always be my girl Ginny, no one can replace you. Besides…” he let a finger trail down into her waistband and teased her peach fuzz and her clitoris slightly and finished saying: "I do love you Ginny.”

She moaned slightly and began increasing the friction and whispered: " Master…" she went to grab the hem of her shirt and they heard a knock and said: “Harry are you awake?"

Ginny paled and fixed herself before getting off and Harry said: “Yeah Mione, what's wrong."

Hermione stepped inside and asked: " Are you doing, alright”

Nodding his head he then asked: " Yeah, why? Are you okay?”

She nodded and said: " Ever since this morning you seem quite distant. Not to mention always on edge, I noticed your hand twitching ever so slightly.”

He sighed and explained his dreams and the recent one of seeing Voldemort kill someone again. Both girls were stunned and Hermione then asked: “Harry l, you must tell someone. Maybe Professor Dumbledore…” he then rebutted: " That's the thing Mione, when has the Headmaster ever been there when we needed him. He knew Sirius was innocent, he was. The headmaster with tons of knowledge and. Experience and could have identified the Basilisk a lot sooner and not to mention he let me, you and Ron consent Voldemort on a first year and nearly sent the Slytherin house to there death if the troll was still in the dungeons.”

Both Ginny and Hermione stood there frozen. He was right, why didn't the headmaster… he then continued onward and said: “Not to mention… he placed me with my adoptive relatives and had my vault key Hermione which no wizard outside my legal guardian or Gringotts are supposed to have till I come claim the key. What else has the professor done that we don't know about or what he ignores.”

Hermione wanted to rebut, but the way he said it made tons of sense. He sighed and said: “Are the World Cup? I'm heading to Gringotts and see if they can not investigate this as well as do some digging about my mother's biological family.”

Later as everyone else returned an hour passed and soon a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"It's time!" said Mr. Weasley, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!”

Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the woods, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Ginny couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the woods for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Ginny could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, Harry knew ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it. Ginny grasped his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and he returned the gesture and whispered: “If we had a private booth, I would have some fun with you. But for now let's enjoy tonight with everyone else."

She nodded with a smile. "Seats a hundred thousand," said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. 

"Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have gotten anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again...bless them," he added fondly, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards.

"Prime seats!" said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go.”

The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Weasley's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and Harry, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined. A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. 

The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Harry's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again; watching it, Harry saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field. The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family - safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burglar Buzzer...Mrs. Shower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!...Gladrags Wizardwear - London, Paris, Hogsmeade… He chuckled and said: “Just like every other sporting event, no. Difference between non-magicals and us as any sporting events advertisements are always seen." 

Harry tore his eyes away from the sign and looked over his shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears were oddly familiar to him at first, but he knew which elf this was, Winky. Remembering her and how she was seen on Dobby made him smile, remembering his friend's death saddened him, but he then said: *Excuse me Miss. Do you know who Dobby is?”

The elf squeaked and said: “I know Dobby, sir. My name is Winky, sir - and you, sir -" Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry's scar. "You are surely Harry Potter!”

"Yeah, I am," said Harry.

"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!" she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck.

"How is he?" said Harry. “How's freedom suiting him?"

"Ah, sir," said Winky, shaking her head, "ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I am not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you are setting him free."

"Why?" said Harry, taken aback. "What's wrong with him?"

"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir, " said Winky sadly. "Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir."

"Why not?" said Harry.

Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, "He is wanting to pay for his work, sir.”

"Paying?" said Harry blankly. "Well - why shouldn't he be paid?"

Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again.

"House-elves are not paid, sir!" she said in a muffled squeak. "No, no, no. I say to Dobby, I say, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You go racketing around like this, Dobby, I say, and next thing I hear you up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin.”

Already remembering how this conversation is heading but just played along to keep up the charade. 

“Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun," said Harry.

"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter," said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. "House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter" - she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped - "but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir."

"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" said Harry, frowning.

"Master - master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy," said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. "Winky is wishing she is back in the master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf."

She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Harry turned back to the others. 

"So that's a house-elf?" Ron muttered. "Weird things, aren't they?"

"Dobby was weirder when I first met him," said Harry fervently.

Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium.

"Wild!" he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again...and again...and again..."

Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvet covered, tasseled program.

"'A display from the team mascots will precede the match,"' she read aloud.

"Oh that's always worth watching," said Mr. Weasley. "National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show."

The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like an old friend. They had met before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him.

"Harry Potter, you know," he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. "Harry Potter...oh come on now, you know who he is...the boy who survived You-Know-Who...you do know who he is -"

The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Fudge wearily to Harry. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat....Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places...ah, and here's Lucius!”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and a woman Harry supposed must be Draco's mother. She was Narcissa Malfoy née Black, his second cousin on his father's side. 

Harry and Draco Malfoy had been enemies ever since their very first journey to Hogwarts. A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembles his father. His mother was blonde too; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose.

"Ah, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?”

"How do you do, how do you do?" said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk - Obalonsk - Mr. - well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else - you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?”

It was a tense moment. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy looked at each other and Harry vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight. Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row.

"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, "Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest.”

Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but started determinedly back at him. Harry grabbed his friends hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and he knew exactly what was making Mr. Malfoy's lip curl like that. The Malfoys prided themselves on being purebloods; in other words, they considered anyone of Muggle descent, like Hermione, second-class. However, under the gaze of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy didn't dare say anything. He nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father.

"Slimy gits," Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione turned to face the field again. Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box.

"Everyone ready?" he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister - ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, Ludo," said Fudge comfortably.

Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said "Sonorus!" and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen...welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!”

Tuning out the speech he sat comfortably between the girls with Ron on the other side of Ginny and both he and Harry gave a nod about the match. Once the speech ended and the mascots moved on and off the field to get the morale up, the match began after the teams were announced. Ron who was still blushing as well as the other males in the seats but he gave Ginny thigh a slight rub assuring he was not them. Watching the match with intensity, Hermione saw how his eyes were watching the game and he nudged them and said: “Snitch north western northern side. The Seekers are not even focusing on the outer fields."

Everyone looked to where he pointed and they saw the snitch fluttering. Draco snarled, remembering how Harry only lost one time due to outer interference and hoped to get him back this year. As they saw Keum and Lynch race for the snitch a second time Harry then said: “Krum is about to…” Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry veela.

"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?" bellowed Charlie, along the row.

"He's got it - Krum's got it - it's all over!" shouted Harry.

Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. He then shouted: "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH - BUT IRELAND WINS - good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!”

“What did he catch the Snitch for?" Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. "He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!”

"He knew they were never going to catch up!" Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. "The Irish Chasers were too good...He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all....”

"He was very brave, wasn't he?" Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of medi wizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and veela to get to him. "He looks a terrible mess...." Dusting his hands he got up and said: “About time I collect the pot.”

"Vell, ve fought bravely," said a gloomy voice behind Harry. He looked around; it was the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.

"You can speak English!" said Fudge, sounding outraged. "And you've been letting me mime everything all day!"

"Veil, it's very funny," said the Bulgarian minister, shrugging.

Harry snorted and chuckled at this before walking off to the collection booth.

"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" roared Bagman.

Harry's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, he saw two panting wizards carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Cornelius Fudge, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing.

"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers - Bulgaria!" Bagman shouted.

And up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Harry could see thousands and thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction.

One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch. Harry noticed that he seemed much less coordinated on the ground. He was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered. But when Krum's name was announced, the whole stadium gave him a resounding, earsplitting roar.

That much later Fred, George and Harry with winnings in hand high fives one another but Arthur shook his head seeing the boys made quick money easily. 

"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling," Mr. Weasley implored Fred and George as they all made their way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs.

"Don't worry, Dad," said Fred gleefully, "we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated.”

Harry then tossed them a sixth of his toward the twins and said: “Consider this me investing guy and having a share in the company.*

Mr. Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know. They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Mr. Weasley agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in. They were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley got drawn into a disagreement about cobbing with Charlie, and it was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Mr. Weasley called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. 

Hermione and Ginny went into the next tent, and Harry and the rest of the Weasleys changed into pajamas and clambered into their bunks. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang. Finishing counting he had over five thousand gallons and gave the twins nearly five hundred he still had tons of money left over. Storing it in his sack he received from Gringotts finally slept lightly knowing in the next moment all was about to hit the fan. An hour later Mr. Weasley came running in: "Get up! Ron - Harry - come on now, get up, this is urgent!"

Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head nearly hit the canvas. Ron groaned and asked: “S’matter”

Dimly, he could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running. He slipped down from the bunk and reached for his clothes, but Mr. Weasley, who had pulled on his jeans over his own pajamas, said, "No time, boys - just grab a jacket and get outside - quickly!”

Jumping down and grabbed his coat and his wand, but grabbed one of the twin's fake wands to be in place of when he lost his. Harry rushed out with Ron on his heels. By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them....They didn't seem to have faces....Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. 

High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. 

Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder. Harry disappeared amongst the crowd out of everyone and headed off into the grounds knowing what was going to happen. Bobbing and weaving he stopped and heard someone shout: “Somebody, anyone please help me!*

Hearing the voice his eyes bulged and shouted: " SUSAN!”

rushing to her tent he found it surrounded by flames, raising his wand as the laws allowed one underage to use magic in life or death situations. He then pointed his real wand and said: “Aqua Eructo!"

As a jet stream of water burst from his wand and dampened the flames, he rushed in and found Susan pinned underneath a beam. Using Leviosa to raise it he pulled her out and rushed out of the tent with her in his arms as it collapsed. Just then they heard the stamping march of the wizards and or witches as spells flew nearby. Grabbing her hand after noticing she only wore an oversized green shirt with the Irish team symbol on it he said: “Let's go."

She nodded and held his hand as they ran for it as spells flew past them. Bobbing and weaving through the burning tents both were blasted into the air by a spell and Harry quickly used himself to cushion her. Unfortunately they both got knocked out as they're heads bounced. As darkness claimed Harry once more a tent collapsed onto them shielding them as the marchers walked past them. As the chaos ended someone was staggering toward their clearing. Coming around Harry pushed the tent off him and Susan and he noticed her shirt was pulled up and her bare pale ass was visible as it seemed the Bone heiress sleeps in the nude in his opinion. Shaking her gently he whispered: “Susan, Susan come we need to get out of here."

She groaned and started getting to her knees and muttered: " What happened?”

He then said: " We got knocked out by the after blast of a spell, thankfully a tent shielded us from being spotted.”

She nodded and asked: “Who's that?*

He looked and saw the shadow figure staggering closer, he grabbed her hand and led her behind some remains of a tent that was burned down, but still usable as cover. It was too dark to see very far, but he could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of his vision. But the silhouette was visible as day, Susan grabbed his hand tightly and whimpered he then squeezed it giving her sign that we would protect her. Her whimpering lessened and they saw the man pointed a wand up and said: “MORSMORDRE!”

And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the shadows before them into the dark sky. Susan gasped as she saw a large mark of a colossal skull, composed of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Susan screamed in fear and turned around and covered herself. The silhouette in the distance heard them and began coming toward them. Grabbing Susan he began to make a break for it, but then he grabbed her as the silhouette ran off as various apparitions surrounded them and voices all rang out: “STUPEFY!"

As the bolts and series of flashes and Harry felt the hair on his head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. As he kept shielding Susan who whimpered, but he still held her hand. "Stop!" yelled a voice he recognized. "STOP!"

Another voice he barely recognized shouted: “I DO NOT WANT TO SEE ANOTHER SPELL FIRED AGAIN, IF SO HELP ME I DO YOU WILL PUT ON DESK DUTY FOR THE REST OF YOUR CAREERS!"

Harry's hair stopped blowing about. He raised his head a little higher as Susan looked up as both saw Arthur Weasley and Amelia Bones rushing over to them as Amelia wore a white nightgown and a coat. Arthur came over and said: “Harry, are you alright."

Harry nodded and said: “I'm fine sure, I got separated from everyone else and heard Susan cry out for help as she was surrounded by intense flames and trapped under debris. So I did what I had to do in order to save her as it was all because of the law."

Amelia then said: “Indeed you have Mr. Potter, I thank you for saving my niece. The house of bones owes you greatly.*

"Out of the way, Arthur, Amelia" said a cold, curt voice.

It was Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them. Harry got to his feet to face them. Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage.

"Which of you did it?" he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't do that!" said Harry, gesturing up at the skull.

"We didn't do anything!" said Susan in nervousness as she hugged her aunt and Harry said bitterly: “You would honestly think I would dare use Voldemort's insignia, the man who ruined my life and many others, who is the biggest bigot in history and accuse Susan of it when she is deathly terrified of that hypocrite. I heard about you in more ways Mr. Crouch, especially your record of sending many to Azkaban without proper evidence or an investigation to see if they've done any crime. You're just as much of a hypocrite as Voldemort is, but you would rather see anyone suffer and not give them justice. Justice is fair and blind, not cruel and dismissive.”

Everyone looked at Harry as he said his name several times. Amelia then asked: “Harry, where did that Mark come from?”

Harry and Susan pointed to the shadow of the trees and he said: " Over there, but I noticed the human size silhouette that casted it had something bound after he threw it on the ground and ran off just after cashing the spell.”

Everyone looked to the trees and went toward them and they saw Winky laying on the ground with a wand in hand as she was hit with stunners. Mr. Crouch did not move or speak as Mr. Diggory, who was amongst the wizards, deposited his elf on the ground at his feet. The other Ministry wizards were all staring at Mr. Crouch. For a few seconds Crouch remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in his white face as he stared down at Winky. Then he appeared to come to life again.

"This - cannot - be," he said jerkily. "No -"

He moved quickly around Mr. Diggory and strode off toward the place where he had found Winky.

"No point, Mr. Crouch," Mr. Diggory called after him. "There's no one else there."

But Mr. Crouch did not seem prepared to take his word for it. They could hear him moving around and the rustling of leaves as he pushed the bushes aside, searching.

"Bit embarrassing," Mr. Diggory said grimly, looking down at Winky's unconscious form. "Barty Crouch's house-elf....I mean to say..."

"Come off it, Amos," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "you don't seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. It requires a wand."

"Yeah," said Mr. Diggory, "and she had a wand."

"What?" said Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Diggory waved it and to everyone's surprise it turned into a swarm of butterflies and Harry said: " She had one of Fred and George's joke wands. Most likely the person who left her here tried using it like a normal wand and realized it was a fake before using a real wand and fled.”

Amelia nodded and said: "Correct Mr. Potter.”

Just then Ludo appeared next to them and stared in horror seeing the mark itself. The Dark Mark!" he panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. "Who did it? Did you get them? Barry! What's going on?"

Mr. Crouch had returned empty-handed. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush mustache were both twitching.

"Where have you been, Barty?" said Bagman. "Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too - gulping gargoyles!" Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at his feet. "What happened to her?"

"I have been busy, Ludo," said Mr. Crouch, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. "And my elf has been stunned.”

"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why -?"

Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr. Crouch.

"No!" he said. "Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!”

Harry snarled and said: “What are you on about, she didn't do anything. And besides, how would she even know how to conjure it in the first place. The only way she would have known or knew the spell was to have been taught by a death eater and did it under her family's orders."

Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr. Diggory, but Mr. Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent. He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, "Ennervate!”

Amo, Arthur, Ludo, Amelia and the other Aurora watched and knew Harry was right, but they watched as Mr. Crouch released Winky from his services and she cried and balled her eyes out and Harry shouted: "DOBBY!”

Just then a house elf wearing a rough sack gown with socks appeared and said: “The Great Harry Potter has summoned Dobby, how delightful."

He kneeled down and handed him some money and said: “Take this and take Winky someplace where she can get some rest, Dobby."

Dobby nodded and grabbed Winky’s hand and both vanished. Sighing, Harry felt even more exhausted. Looking at the sky seeing

Susan trembling he then said: “This will be chaotic."

Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Summary:

Harry had to Gringotts after the World Cup and discovers something completely blown out of proportion. Yet it is also time to pack for school

(Chapter Four)

After the whole mess Mr. Weasley took everyone home the next morning, thankfully they're things remained unharmed and once fully dressed they headed back to the burrow. Upon arrival a cry echoed along the lane.
"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!"
Mrs. Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard, came running toward them, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained, a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hand. She then said with tears in her eyes "Arthur - I've been so worried - so worried -"
She flung her arms around Mr. Weasley's neck, and the Daily Prophet fell out of her limp hand onto the ground. Looking down, Harry saw the headline: SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP, complete with a twinkling black-and-white photograph of the Dark Mark over the treetops.
“You're all right," Mrs. Weasley muttered distractedly, releasing Mr. Weasley and staring around at them all with red eyes, "you're alive....Oh boys..."
And to everybody's surprise, she seized Fred and George and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together.
"Ouch! Mum - you're strangling us -"
"I shouted at you before you left!" Mrs. Weasley said, starting to sob. "That's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough OWLs? Oh Fred...George…” Harry then said: " Where fine Mrs. Weasley, though exhausted, we are fine. Though the headache I have feels like I got swung at by a troll again.”
"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," said Mr. Weasley soothingly, prising her off the twins and leading her back toward the house. "Bill," he added in an undertone, "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says..."
When they were all crammed into the tiny kitchen, Hermione had made Mrs. Weasley a cup of very strong tea, into which Mr. Weasley insisted on pouring a shot of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, and Bill handed his father the newspaper. Mr. Weasley scanned the front page while Percy looked over his shoulder.
"I knew it," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Ministry blunders...culprits not apprehended...lax security...Dark wizards running unchecked...national disgrace....Who wrote this? Ah...of course...Rita Skeeter.”
Harry knowingly how she gets this information asked tiredly as they all only have had four hours of actual sleep: “Does anyone wanna know how she obtains ever but of secret information that no one should blabber about."
"That woman's got it in for the Ministry of Magic!" said Percy furiously. "Last week she was saying we're wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn't specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans -” Bill then said bitterly as everyone was exhausted: "Do us all a favor Percy, and shut up."
Mrs. Weasley saw that everyone had bags under their eyes and barely any strength. Collapsing into his spot in Ron’s room he had fallen asleep once more. As dawn rose the next day, the entire group gathered to look at the paper as one the front page covered the story about the dark mark, but on page three it covered him rescuing Susan. Mr. Weasley then said: “Listen to this: 'If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.'.Oh really," said Mr. Weasley in exasperation, handing the paper to Percy. "Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say? Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods...well, there certainly will be rumors now she's printed that."
He heaved a deep sigh. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office; this is going to take some smoothing over."
"I'll come with you, Father," said Percy importantly. "Mr. Crouch will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my cauldron report in person."
He bustled out of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley looked most upset.
"Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday! This hasn't got anything to do with your office; surely they can handle this without you?"
"I've got to go, Molly," said Mr. Weasley. "I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off...."
"Mrs. Weasley," said Harry suddenly, unable to contain himself, "Hedwig hasn't arrived with a letter for me, has she?”
Shaking her head, he frowned and she asked: “No...no, there hasn't been any post at all. Why dear.”
Sighing he then said: " I beat be off to Gringotts to make a deposit and try to get my school supplies. Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, I'll cover this one for you all, save your money for importance. I noticed some things need desperate repairs.”
Grabbing the flu powder he said Gringotts and threw down the powder and burst into flames and was gone. Mrs. Weasley looked completely befuddled by this, she was about to go fetch their supplies today, but Harry was offering to cover it, she would have said otherwise, but it would be rude to not accept a gift and he was right, they could use the money for repairs around the burrow. Emerging into a fireplace in Gringotts Bank, he walked out of it and headed for the main desk where various Goblins were hard at work. Arriving at the teller he then said: “Mr. Potter here to see the Potter Account Manager.”
The Goblin looked up and said: “Ah, Mr. Potter, how nice to see you again. Someone will escort you to your family's manager.”
He noticed it was Griphook leading him and said: " Good to see you again Griphook, how is life treating you?”
The Goblin replied: " Very bland Mr. Potter, but thank you for asking.”
As they headed down a corridor to the main offices and stood before the office of Ragnok. Griphook knocked on the door and said: “Sir Ragnok, Mr. Potter is here to speak with you.”
A goblin then said: " Send him in.”
As Harry entered the office he saw a bald goblin with scars littering his head and his ears were damaged and he wore an eye patch. The Goblin looked down at his quill and said: “Mr. Potter, how nice of you to come. I take it you are finally answering our mail?"
Harry looked confused and said: “What mail sir, I never received any mail. Hedwig has only ever brought me mail from my friends at Hogwarts and I only saw their owls deliver them and no one else's."
Ragnok's eyes turned hardened and he said: “You have not received a letter discussing about vital things about your family such as the importance of your family's stock, removing curses on some of your family's items that someone had placed or anything?"
Shaking his head he replied: “No sir, but I would very much like to hear about that later. For now I have several things. The first one is an immediate deposit of galleons into my vault. I won the largest betting pool at the world cup."
“Ah, yes… nasty business that was with the dark mark re-emerging, although Ludo Bagman seems to owe us money and tried to use fake goblin gold and ran.* Said the goblin stroking his chin
Harry nodded and placed the large bag of coin and the goblin checked it and nodded his head in impressment seeing the coins and said: “Anything else Mr. Potter?"
Harry nodded and said: “Yes, a blood test… I understand that I am a parselmouth and yet I don't know much about my family except bits and pieces. Second is an examination because I think someone has tampered with my body as I am starting to notice I don't have as much magic usage as others my age, it's difficult for me to cast spells or focus on said spells as well as unnatural malnourishment.”
Ragnok scowled and nodded his head, the Potter family has always had been kind to the intellectual magic creatures of the world and helped end the war between the Veela and Mermaids long ago, though they admit they should've tried harder. Four hours later as it had just passed midday, Harry after being examined out back on his shirt as Ragnok came back with the results after the test had to be done with him unconscious. Ragnok had the most savage snarl and said: “You are right Mr. Potter, compulsion charm and potions to the Dursleys, a binding on your magic, mental and physical growth, but we also discovered something in your scar, something foul and dangerous, we can remove it and fix you right up for a few of course. But you will have to take a potion and not cast magic for two weeks, we will have our physician hand you a note to give to your teachers at Hogwarts. But your tests have come back from your father's side of the family. You are the heir of three houses as the only heir of the main line it falls into you and by being named to another from your godfather making you his heir and your great-great-great-great grandmother Dorea Black.”
Nodding his head he then said: "Okay, and my mother."
The Goblin took a seat and motioned for Harry to do the same, taking his seat he then said: “While many believed your mother to be muggle born, but that was far the case. It seems your mother is a long, very distant relative of the black family from the lead that led us to Alexander Blackwood this ultimately solidifying you as the one true heir of black after Sirius Black. Next we were surprised by the names of the Steward family of America who hold ties to the Sayre family and the Gaunt family, the Sayre were Master craftsmen for many items of wood and stone that amassed them a fortune. But they had to flee with what little. Money they sent to America was William Sayre who had fallen in love with Rionach Gaunt who healed non-magicals and livestock for diseases, that is when they met and fell in love, some say. But the one of the closest names we were surprised is this one…” turning the list over he froze seeing the name, his biological grandfather was a descendant of the house of Black and Salazar, but then his biological grandmother was blood adopted, a magic ritual to turn one person into a blood related ve, she was adopted by Gerald Grindwald.
Grindelwald was a more feared dark lord than Voldemort who only had the British isles on edge, while Grindelwald had the whole world on edge. Covering his mouth he then said: “Holy shit…” Ragnok. Nodded and said: " Indeed Mr. Potter, you are a very dangerous person. The blood of the Slayer of Ranrok my great-grand uncle for that I hold no blood ill, Ranrok killed my grand-father and many of our people who found war to be pointless and lacking profits for us. But also the blood of Geralt Grindelwald. But that was something we hardly cared about, the final name. Should be what interests you.”
Yes there he saw Perverell, the name of the Hallow brothers coming from both sides of his family. Harry then jokingly asked: “Guess this makes me royalty then."
Random then replied with a dry chuckle: “Hardly, most of your family have been in-active in the Wizardry community and taking upon the title of lord when you become of age will make you a high Lord, High Lords are not just simple Lords of a family, in non-magical society they would actual be seen as the highest of nobles. Most lord on the wealth and power like the Weasley's are considered Viscounts and those of the average family's are considered to be Baron’s or Marquess depending on their influence and what they bring, the wealthiest and more political figures like the Malfoy’s would be considered Earl or Counts similar to the average families but with more wealth, political hold and ties across the world or in the counts case sometimes is to carry one more then one name. But for the Dukes it's the same for the Earl and Counts, but with more ancient history and their servitude as your family has always been defenders, general aid and much more to the community. But you Mr. Potter are considered to be the rare case of an Arch-duke with it all, though as a High Lord your votes for the family names you hold will be multiplied by three, thus having more political favor for yourself on any occasion, as well as political protection against some of the ministry idiocy laws that I advise to look into. But such a law is that until you're an adult you can not cast magic which holds little meaning to you now.”
Harry blinked and thought: ‘Holy crap! But I guess I should.’
“What of that thing that was inside me?" He asked knowing it was part of Voldemort’s soul.
Ragnok nodded and pulled out a crystal like vial with a black wisp that moved around showing a screaming human face and said: “This, the Horcruxes that was inside your scar has been removed and seemed to also be the problem with your magic other than the bindings. Which will now properly grow, but our physician will send over some medicine and said no magic for two weeks. As for this, I suggest you destroy it Mr. Potter, and fast some of our newer workers said they heard whispers, dark whispers.”
Harry then said: "Underneath Hogwarts there is the chamber of secrets, lying in that chamber is a basilisk circus, I don't know if it decayed fully yet or not, but its fangs should destroy this. Not too far from Hogwarts is a chasm that leads directly to a cave system leading to the chambers. Lock this in the Potter family and retrieve it and will take you to the corpse and destroy it.”
Ragnok nodded and mentioned they could also collect the corpse of the basilisk and he could seek it as it would take four extra months before it would start decaying as Basilisk are one of the few whose bodies really don't start decaying till a while. Returning to the barrow late evening, he saw everyone sitting down and he waved and said: “Sorry I'm late, turns out I had more business with the goblins then I thought. Apparentlymade someone has been illegally intercepting my mail from them about several family endeavors such as stock and what not… though good news our supplies will be delivered first thing… now, by Dobby.”
A shuffling was heard upstairs as everyone looked up, Mrs. Weasley then said: “It's alright deary, you must be starving."
He nodded and took a seat and Ginny said: " Harry, you look a bit different.”
Everyone looked and noticed he had gained a healthier skin tone and some muscles had grown and he said: " My Business with the goblins ended up being seen as an attack on myself as they seemed to have thought that I was curse as I was not looking well while in the meeting, so they had the physician and curse breakers go over means found out someone was trying to lock my magic core and did a piss poor job, but they also noticed that I had been secretly given positions and such most of my life, so after a while I am forbidden from using magic even at school tile my core grows into a stable condition.”
Ron then said: " Bloody hell mate, sounds brutal.”
He nodded and said: " I got lucky, if the person messed up further I would have been a vegetable. Makes me wonder if I was ever truly safe at my fake aunt and uncle, or that some of the death eaters had hired someone to do it? Would make sense.”
Percy and Arthur nodded, Harry was considered an icon and hero. As they are, Bill then asks: “So Harry what else happened at Gringotts, I am so curious.*
He then said: "Well after I was fixed up, they had run a blood heritage test on me. And let's just say it's confidential on the subject, it's something I'd rather not get around. But thankfully I have access to my extended family vaults from my heritage that had died out and the items have remained in the vaults so I had them transferred to the Potter vault, and the process will not be complete till halfway in the first month of school”
Fred then said: “Anything else we should know, Harry-kins."
He chuckled and smiled before saying: “Don't become too shocked when it comes out. So what are you all on about?”
Mrs Weasley then said: “They're working my husband far too hard. His dinner's going to be ruined if he doesn't come home soon.”
"Well, Father feels he's got to make up for his mistake at the match, doesn't he?" said Percy. "If truth be told, he was a tad unwise to make a public statement without clearing it with his Head of Department first -” but Harry interrupted and said: “Honestly he did the right thing. If the public waited for anything the after effects of the report may become too much of an issue. Still, I have to agree with Mrs. Weasley about your dad being worked to death.”
“Harry is right, and don't you dare blame your father for what that wretched Skeeter woman wrote!" said Mrs. Weasley, flaring up at once. "If Dad hadn't said anything, old Rita would just have said it was disgraceful that nobody from the Ministry had commented," said Bill, who was playing chess with Ron. "Rita Skeeter never makes anyone look good. Remember, she interviewed all the Gringotts' Charm Breakers once, and called me 'a long-haired pillock'?"
"Well, it is a bit long, dear," said Mrs. Weasley gently. "If you'd just let me -” he then hastily replied: " No mum.”
Rain lashed against the living room window. Hermione was immersed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, copies of which Mrs. Weasley had bought for her, Harry, and Ron in Diagon Alley. Charlie was darning a fireproof balaclava. Harry was polishing his Firebolt, the broomstick servicing kit Hermione had given him for his thirteenth birthday open at his feet. Fred and George were sitting in a far corner, quilling out, talking in whispers, their heads bent over a piece of parchment.
"What are you two up to?" said Mrs. Weasley sharply, her eyes on the twins.
Both twins hastily looked upon there mother
"Homework," said Fred vaguely.
"Don't be ridiculous, you're still on holiday," said Mrs. Weasley.
"Yeah, we've left it a bit late," said George.
"You're not by any chance writing out a new order form, are you?" said Mrs. Weasley shrewdly. "You wouldn't be thinking of restarting Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, by any chance?"
"Now, Mum," said Fred, looking up at her, a pained look on his face. "If the Hogwarts Express crashed tomorrow, and George and I died, how would you feel to know that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?"
Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh your father's coming!" she said suddenly, looking up at the clock again.
Mr. Weasley's hand had suddenly spun from "work" to "traveling"; a second later it had shuddered to a halt on "home" with the others, and they heard him calling from the kitchen.
"Coming, Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, hurrying out of the room.
A few moments later, Mr. Weasley came into the warm living room carrying his dinner on a tray. He looked completely exhausted. "Well, the fat's really in the fire now," he told Mrs. Weasley as he sat down in an armchair near the hearth and toyed unenthusiastically with his somewhat shriveled cauliflower. "Rita Skeeter's been ferreting around all week, looking for more Ministry mess-ups to report. And now she's found out about poor old Bertha going missing, so that'll be the headline in the Prophet tomorrow. I told Bagman he should have sent someone to look for her ages ago."
"Mr. Crouch has been saying it for weeks and weeks," said Percy swiftly.
"Crouch is very lucky Rita hasn't found out about Winky," said Mr. Weasley irritably. "There'd be a week's worth of headlines in his house-elf being caught holding the wand that conjured the Dark Mark."
Harry rubbed his chin and said: " Maybe I should give a public statement. If people still fear him, maybe I should start inserting spines into them.”
Mr. Weasley then said: "And how would you do that?”
Harry smiled and said: "Good old fashioned Potter mischief as Professor Snape calls it.”
Fred and George perked up and smiled and both said: "Need any help.”
"Why yes, I need you two to make sure she doesn't skim any details and have a copy of what I tell her and tell the Prophet if I see one word out of context I would consider plagiarism on myself and my house. The prophet knows not to do that when threatening a house is involved.”
Percy nodded and said: "So you want to be interviewed by Rita Skeever?”
Harry busted out laughing and said: " As if, though I'm surprised, many of the Ministry never asked how she could have found so many hidden secrets when they were under lock and key.”
Arthur and Percy hummed to this. "I thought we all agreed that that elf, while irresponsible, did not conjure the Mark?" said Percy hotly.
"If you ask me, Mr. Crouch is very lucky no one at the Daily Prophet knows how mean he is to elves!" said Hermione angrily.
"Now look here, Hermione!" said Percy. "A high-ranking Ministry official like Mr. Crouch deserves unswerving obedience from his servants -” Harry barked out: “Enough! Hermione you need to read up on why the house elves are like this and Percy you need to learn so bloody compassion mate. Both of you are stepping out of line on this subject. Weather old Moldeywort followers got a sign that he is somehow returning or reliving their glory days in midlife crisis moments doesn't matter, what matter is the here and now.``
Everyone looked at them and Ginny rubbed her thighs together and Arthur smirked seeing the leadership Harry’s father had in him and Molly smiled seeing the sternness of Lily within him and Percy walked away and Hermione remained silent. “Now I think you'd all better go upstairs and check that you've packed properly!" said Mrs. Weasley, breaking up the argument. "Come on now, all of you....” Harry immediately packed away his gear as he smiled before heading upstairs behind Ginny and when no one was looking, smacked her ass lightly making her jump, but smiled and gave it a shake before his face and rushed into her room behind Hermione.
As the rain sounded even louder at the top of the house, accompanied by loud whistlings and moans from the wind, not to mention sporadic howls from the ghoul who lived in the attic. Pigwidgeon began twittering and zooming around his cage when they entered. The sight of the half-packed trunks seemed to have sent him into a frenzy of excitement.
"Bung him some Owl Treats," said Ron, throwing a packet across to Harry. "It might shut him up."
Harry poked a few Owl Treats through the bars of Pigwidgeon's cage, then turned to his trunk. Hedwig's cage stood next to it, still empty.
"It's been over a week," Harry said, looking at Hedwig's deserted perch. "Ron, you don't reckon Sirius has been caught, do you?"
"Nah, it would've been in the Daily Prophet," said Ron. "The Ministry would want to show they'd caught someone, wouldn't they?"
"Yeah, I suppose.... Good thing our order arrived as well. Glad I had a Dobby rush to make the order down and he even brought it here, must have separated it amongst everyone else.”
Ron heaved a pile of parcels onto Harry's camp bed and a load of socks next to it. Harry started unwrapping the shopping. Apart from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, by Miranda Goshawk, he had a handful of new quills, a dozen rolls of parchment, and refills for his potion-making kit - he had been running low on the spine of lionfish and essence of belladonna. He was just piling underwear into his cauldron when Ron made a loud noise of disgust behind him.
"What is that supposed to be?"
He was holding up something that looked to Harry like a long, maroon velvet dress. It had a moldy-looking lace frill at the collar and matching lace cuffs. There was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Weasley entered, carrying an armful of freshly laundered Hogwarts robes.
"Here you are," she said, sorting them into two piles. "Now, mind you pack them properly so they don't crease."
"Mum, you've given me Ginny's new dress," said Ron, handing it out to her.
"Of course I haven't," said Mrs. Weasley. "That's for you. Dress robes."
"What?" said Ron, looking horror-struck.
"Dress robes!" repeated Mrs. Weasley. "It says on your school list that you're supposed to have dress robes this year...robes for formal occasions."
"You've got to be kidding," said Ron in disbelief. "I'm not wearing that, no way."
"Everyone wears them, Ron!" said Mrs. Weasley crossly. "They're all like that! Your father's got some for smart parties!"
"I'll go starkers before I put that on," said Ron stubbornly.
"Don't be so silly," said Mrs. Weasley. "You've got to have dress robes, they're on your list! I got some for Harry to...show him, Harry...."
In some trepidation, Harry opened the last parcel on his camp bed. It wasn't as bad as he had expected, however; his dress robes didn't have any lace on them at all - in fact, they were more or less the same as his school ones, except that they were bottle green instead of black."I thought they'd bring out the color of your eyes, dear," said Mrs. Weasley fondly.
"Well, they're okay!" said Ron angrily, looking at Harry's robes. "Why couldn't I have some like that?"
"Because...well, I had to get yours secondhand, and there wasn't a lot of choice!" said Mrs. Weasley, flushing.
Harry looked away. He would willingly have split all the money in his Gringotts vault with the Weasleys, but he knew they would never take it.
"I'm never wearing them," Ron was saying stubbornly. "Never.”
"Fine," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Go naked. And, Harry, make sure you get a picture of him. Goodness knows I could do it with a laugh."
She left the room, slamming the door behind her. There was a funny sputtering noise from behind them. Pigwidgeon was choking on an overly large Owl Treat.
"Why is everything I own rubbish?" said Ron furiously, striding across the room to unstick Pigwidgeon's beak.
Harry tossed him a parcel and he nodded to Ron who opened it and saw the contents as it was a proper set of dress robes and he looked to Harry and he said: “Saw the list as well, decided you might want to be more respectable looking then a museum piece."
Harry had to admit, those robes had been atrocious, even Fleur last time called them an eyesore. Unlike his robes, Ron’s was a maroon color of the school robes. Seeing that Ron and him shared a high five, Harry was still hoping Ron didn't do it on his own free will that day he died, he hoped maybe it was a fluke. As they packed the robes away Harry even slid him some dress shoes as well and Ron packed them and the boy-who-lived said: “Welp, definitely going to be a Ball this year?"
Ron asked: “How can you tell?"
Harry then said: “Balls at Hogwarts usually happen and send a notification to all students before school starts about dress robes. Quick question though, something about Draco has been bothering me?"
Ron asked: “What about him?"
Harry replied: “Draco always looked uncomfortable when Lucius called him, his ‘son’ like he despised it. Do you know why?"
Ron rubbed his chin and shrugged. “Actually, my dad mentioned one time that Malfoy's father had been celebrating the news before I was born. Turns out Malfoy had twins, but one of them didn't make it, the daughter I believe or a second son. I'm not sure, I wasn't really interested. Why?"
“It just seemed odd, and nothing odd like that has occurred around Malfoy before.” He replied.
Ron could only remain silent and the continued to gather their effects, knowing that the trip will be a doozy as in the Weasley household, nearly missing the train was an unspoken tradition.

Chapter 5: (Chapter Five

Summary:

Heading back to Hogwarts and things have yet to be determined as to what is and isn't.

(Chapter Five)

 

There was a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when Harry awoke next morning. Heavy rain was still splattering against the window as he got dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt; they would change into their school robes on the Hogwarts Express. He, Ron, Fred, and George had just reached the first-floor landing on their way down to breakfast, when Mrs. Weasley appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking harassed.

“Arthur!" she called up the staircase. "Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!"

Harry flattened himself against the wall as Mr. Weasley came clattering past with his robes on back-to-front and hurtled out of sight. When Harry and the others entered the kitchen, they saw Mrs. Weasley rummaging anxiously in the drawers - "I've got a quill here somewhere!" - and Mr. Weasley bent over the fire, talking to Amos Diggory who was using the floor network to make calls as the message went: “...Muggle neighbors heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems - please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there -"

"Here!" said Mrs. Weasley breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a crumpled quill into Mr. Weasley's hands.

"- it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it," said Mr. Diggory's head. "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off - if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur -"

"What does Mad-Eye say happened?" asked Mr. Weasley, unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up his quill, and preparing to take notes.

Mr. Diggory's head rolled its eyes. "Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says he was creeping toward the house, but was ambushed by his dustbins.”

“What did the dustbins do?" asked Mr. Weasley, scribbling frantically.

"Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell," said Mr. Diggory. "Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please-men turned up -"

Mr. Weasley groaned and asked him "And what about the intruder?"

"Arthur, you know Mad-Eye," said Mr. Diggory's head, rolling its eyes again. "Someone creeping into his yard in the dead of night? More likely there's a very shell-shocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it - think of his record - we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department - what are exploding dustbins worth?”

"Might be a caution," said Mr. Weasley, still writing very fast, his brow furrowed. "Mad-Eye didn't use his wand? He didn't actually attack anyone?"

"I'll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window," said Mr. Diggory, "but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties."

"All right, I'm off," Mr. Weasley said, and he stuffed the parchment with his notes on it into his pocket and dashed out of the kitchen again. Mr. Diggory's head looked around at Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry about this, Molly," it said, more calmly, "bothering you so early and everything...but Arthur's the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and Mad-Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today. Why did he have to choose last night..."

"Never mind, Amos," said Mrs. Weasley. "Sure you won't have a bit of toast or anything before you go?”

"Oh go on, then," said Mr. Diggory.

Mrs. Weasley took a piece of buttered toast from a stack on the kitchen table, put it into the fire tongs, and transferred it into Mr. Diggory's mouth.

"Fanks," he said in a muffled voice, and then, with a small pop, vanished.

Harry, arriving on the base floor said: “I think Mr. Moody may have had someone in his yard last night, Mr. Weasley."

Mr. Weasley turned and asked: “Oh, what makes you so sure Harry."

Harry raised a finger and said: “One death eaters attacked the world cup, two the dark mark appears after so many years, maybe the death eaters who ruled captured are starting up their activities again and this time on their own terms.”

Mr. Weasley hummed and said: “Perhaps you are on to something , my boy. I'll be off now.”

He bid farewell to everyone. Within five minutes, he was back in the kitchen, his robes on the right way now, dragging a comb through his hair.

"I'd better hurry - you have a good term, boys” said Mr. Weasley to Harry, Ron, and the twins, fastening a cloak over his shoulders and preparing to Disapparate. "Molly, are you going to be alright taking the kids to King's Cross?"

"Of course I will," she said. "You just look after Mad-Eye, we'll be fine."

As Mr. Weasley vanished, Bill and Charlie entered the kitchen. 

“Did someone say Mad-Eye?" Bill asked. "What's he been up to now?"

"He says someone tried to break into his house last night," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mad-Eye Moody?" said George thoughtfully, spreading marmalade on his toast. "Isn't he that nutter -"

"Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody," said Mrs. Weasley sternly.

"Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn't he?" said Fred quietly as Mrs. Weasley left the room. "Birds of a feather...."

"Moody was a great wizard in his time," said Bill.

"He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, isn't he?" said Charlie.

"Dumbledore's not what you'd call normal, though, is he?" said Fred. "I mean, I know he's a genius and everything...."

"Well he’s retired, and used to work at the Ministry," said Charlie. "I met him once when Dad took me to work with him. He was an Auror - one of the best...a Dark wizard catcher," he added, seeing Harry's blank look but mistook it for a curious look rather than a boss look. "Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him. He made himself loads of enemies, though...the families of people he caught, mainly...and I heard he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore. Sees Dark wizards everywhere.”

“Still, I don't like this." Said Harry as they ate breakfast before leaving for the station.

Bill and Charlie decided to come and see everyone off at King's Cross station, but Percy, apologizing most profusely, said that he really needed to get to work.

"I just can't justify taking more time off at the moment," he told them. "Mr. Crouch is really starting to rely on me."

"Yeah, you know what, Percy?" said George seriously. "I reckon he'll know your name soon."

Mrs. Weasley had braved the telephone in the village post office to order three ordinary Muggle taxis to take them into London.

"Arthur tried to borrow Ministry cars for us," Mrs. Weasley whispered to Harry as they stood in the rain-washed yard, watching the taxi drivers heaving six heavy Hogwarts trunks into their cars. "But there weren't any to spare....Oh dear, they don't look happy, do they?"

Harry didn't like to tell Mrs. Weasley that Muggle taxi drivers rarely transported overexcited owls, and Pigwidgeon was making an ear splitting racket. Nor did it help that a number of Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat, Wet-Start Fireworks went off unexpectedly when Fred's trunk sprang open, causing the driver carrying it to yell with fright and pain as Crookshanks clawed his way up the man's leg.

The journey was uncomfortable, owing to the fact that they were jammed in the back of the taxis with their trunks. Crookshanks took quite a while to recover from the fireworks, and by the time they entered London, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all severely scratched. They were very relieved to get out at King's Cross, even though the rain was coming down harder than ever, and they got soaked carrying their trunks across the busy road and into the station.

Harry was used to getting onto platform nine and three-quarters by now. It was a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part was doing this in an unobtrusive way, so as to avoid attracting Muggle attention. They did it in groups today; Harry, Ron, and Hermione (the most conspicuous, since they were accompanied by Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks) went first; they leaned casually against the barrier, chatting unconcernedly, and slid sideways through it...and as they did so, platform nine and three-quarters materialized in front of them.

The Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, was already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appeared like dark ghosts. Pigwidgeon became noisier than ever in response to the hooting of many owls through the mist. Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to find seats, and were soon stowing their luggage in a compartment halfway along the train. They then hopped back down onto the platform to say good-bye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie.

"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," said Charlie, grinning, as he hugged Ginny good-bye.

"Why?" said Fred keenly.

"You'll see," said Charlie. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it...it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all."

"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year," said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train. 

"Why?" said George impatiently.

"You're going to have an interesting year," said Bill, his eyes twinkling. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it.”

Harry frowned knowing what he meant. 

A bit of what?" said Ron.

But at that moment, the whistle blew, and Mrs. Weasley chivvied them toward the train doors.

"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione as they climbed on board, closed the door, and leaned out of the window to talk to her.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry.

"Oh it was my pleasure, dears," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but...well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with...one thing and another."

"Mum!" said Ron irritably. "What d'you three know that we don't?"

"You'll find out this evening, I expect," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling. "It's going to be very exciting - mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -"

"What rules?" said Harry, Ron, Fred, and George together.

Mrs. Weasley then said: "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you....Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"

The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.

"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out of the window as Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie sped away from them. "What rules are they changing?"

But Mrs. Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train had rounded the corner, she, Bill, and Charlie had Disapparated. When he boarded the Hogwarts Express he mentally went over the trials and things he had to endure all over again, but then it slowly dawned on him. He has gaps in his memories, little details that actually mattered to larger events. But one detail he never forgot was this year, Hermione also turned on him. In his previous life he read up on magical contracts for Hermione and her S.P.E.W., a life debt. It was a magical binding contract for when someone saved someone else from certain death. The contract was so indebted that one could commit the repayment without acknowledging it, or even against their will. Only three ways to release it, bother or either parties of the contract must be dead and do not have immediate family such as children for it to pass onto. Which would mean why Snape always came to his defense outside of loving his mother. He then remembered something odd, he didn't know why but… back at the world cup he saw Draco become unnerved when Lucius called him, his son as did his wife, then all the times he saw by chance Draco looking nervous going into the boys' lavatory and then… now it all showed Draco being uneasy about anything private at being boys, then he remembered how Nacrissa looked and remembered his second year leaving Hogwarts he saw a miniature version of Draco’s mom running off the train into her awaiting arms and he froze and his mouth opened into a shock oh face and then he muttered: “Is Draco, a girl?"

Then he gained a dark smile on his face, entering a cabin as Ron ran off to talk with Seamus and Dean about the world cup and wouldn't be back for an hour and Hermione was with Neville and some of the others talking about the subjects they would be taking. Though a memory of his that he originally didn't own popped into his mind, it was a similar sensation like when he spoke back at the Weasley's about those things he never did before, he dropped divination for runes this year. Noticing Ginny in the cabin with Ron and Hermione's things that didn't go into the luggage car, he entered and locked on the door and closed the blinds. Ginny looked at him and whispered: “Master? What's wrong?"

He smiled and kissed her lips and cupped her cheeks and she brought her hands to his cheeks and pulled him in deepening it. He pulled away and said: “Just want a taste of my lovely mare.”

She blushed a bit and said: "Mare?”

He chuckled and said: "You're a hard worker, beautiful, strong and amazing like a mare Ginny. How about at school I can teach you the patronus charm, I know you can pull it off”

Perking up hearing this she nodded and he sat beside her and spread his legs open and pulled her into him and she sighed before getting comfortable. Ginny felt some giddy and happy being like this, she had “Harry Potter" to herself right now and he said that she was his and his alone. His hands reached up and grasped her breast and felt they were a A-cup borderline B-cup and noticed then he smiled and said: “No bra…” she nodded and said: " I want you to feel them with a little blockage Master.”

He smiled and gently rubbed and dropped them before kissing the top of her head and she sighed in bliss."Ginny, who do you think I should go after next in our little activities?” He asked her with a raised brow as he began twerking her left nipple through her shirt.

She moaned and said: “Hermione Master, she is a stuck up part, I don't know why you or my foolish older brother or my mother put up with her. Put her in her place, have her nude on her hands and knees bowing as she watches you ravishing me.”

Chuckling he then said: " Sounds delightful, but not yet. I'll claim her later. Who else do you suggest?”

He then slid his right hand under her shirt and began pulling her right nipple roughly. “Master." She said and he replied kissing her temple: “Sshh my lovely mare, just enjoy this."

Hearing the door jiggle he frowned and stopped and said: “Sleep."

Waving his wand he summoned Ginny fell asleep and he waved it and the doors unlocked and in stepped Ron and Hermione and he put a finger to his mouth and both saw a sleeping Ginny and they nodded and took a seat across from him. 

"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts," he said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry. "At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Wonder what -"

"Shh!" Hermione whispered suddenly, pressing her finger to her lips and pointing toward the compartment next to theirs. Harry and Ron listened, and heard a familiar drawling voice drifting in through the open door. All three remained silent but they heard a familiar voice. 

"...Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do....” Said the voice of Malfoy.

Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy's voice. “So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?" she said angrily. "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him.”

Harry shrugged very stiffly and said: “Eh, what can you do Mione. Malfoy’s mother has always had it with Hogwarts as she was a member of the Black family.”

Ron turned to him and said: " Doesn't that make you two cousins.”

He then replied: " Distant relation but yes. Still the rivalry for the three schools sounds stupid."

"There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets," said Hermione matter-of-factly.

"Come off it," said Ron, starting to laugh. "Durmstrang has to be about the same size as Hogwarts - how are you going to hide a great big castle?”

Harry then asked with a smirk: “Down my knowledge, how do we hide the ministry or Hogwarts, by in plain sight Ron. But the school's names should give you all a hint of where they are from. Dumstrang is Bulgarian and Beauxbatons is French so that's your answer.”

Hermione opened and closed her mouth like a fish making Ron laugh. Ginny muttered in her sleep and got more comfortable in Harry's body. Outside it was still raining and it grew even heavier and heavier as the train moved farther north. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lanterns were lit by midday. The lunch trolley came rattling along the corridor, and Harry bought a large stack of Cauldron Cakes for them to share.

Several of their friends looked in on them as the afternoon progressed, including Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, extremely forgetful boy who had been brought up by his formidable witch of a grandmother. Seamus was still wearing his Ireland rosette. Some of its magic seemed to be wearing off now; it was still squeaking "Troy - Mullet - Moran!" but in a very feeble and exhausted sort of way. After half an hour or so, Hermione, growing tired of the endless Quidditch talk, buried herself once more in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, and started trying to learn a Summoning Charm. Neville listened with jealousy to the others' conversation as they relived the Cup match.

"Gran didn't want to go," he said miserably. "Wouldn't buy tickets. It sounded amazing though."

"It was," said Ron. "Look at this, Neville..."

He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum.

"Oh wow," said Neville enviously as Ron tipped Krum onto his pudgy hand.

"We saw him right up close, as well," said Ron. "We were in the Top Box -"

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley." Said "Draco” Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar.

"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy," said Harry coolly.

"He” looked at Harry sharply and said: " Watch it Potter, my father said he saw you at Gringotts the other day, something about seeing your family's banker was it.”

Harry then replied: "House of Potter business Malfoy, but… So...going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know...you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won...."

"What are you talking about?" snapped Ron.

"Are you going to enter?" Malfoy repeated. "I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"

"Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy," said Hermione testily, over the top of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4.

A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face "Don't tell me you don't know?" he said delightedly. "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago...heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry....Maybe your father's too junior to know about it, Weasley...yes...they probably don't talk about important stuff in front of him....” Ginny mumbled loudly and Harry said: “Fuck off you pampered pick, without your precious daddy sucking on the Minister tit, you and your family outside of your mother has no proper backbone or balls to make a stand to anything."

Malfoy's pale face turned pink in rage and embarrassment as Seamus, Ron, Dean and Neville snickered hearing this and Hermione looked at him morbidly. Malfoy soon stormed off with their posse behind them and had slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass shattered. Pulling out his wand Harry then aimed it at the door and said: “Reparo”

The glass shards flew back into a single pane and back into the door.

"Well...making it look like he knows everything and we don't...." Ron snarled. "'Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry'...Dad could've got a promotion any time...he just likes it where he is...."

"Of course he does," said Hermione quietly. "Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron -"

"Him! Get to me!? As if!" said Ron, picking up one of the remaining Cauldron Cakes and squashing it into a pulp.

“She's right Ron, Malfoy is a pampered prat, if his father ever did something that would jeopardize anything his family name. Would be dishonored and hardly anyone would trust them again unless they cut ties with the dishonored." 

But yet, Ron's bad mood continued for the rest of the journey. He didn't talk much as they changed into their school robes, and was still glowering when the Hogwarts Express slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station.As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Hermione bundled up Crookshanks in her cloak and with their heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry yelled, seeing a gigantic silhouette at the far end of the platform.

"All right, Harry?" Hagrid bellowed back, waving. "See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!"

First years traditionally reached Hogwarts Castle by sailing across the lake with Hagrid.

"Oooh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather," said Hermione fervently, shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle. Looking at what's pulling the carriages, Harry then said: “Have you wondered how the carriages are pulled?"

Hermione then said: “Yes, by enchantments Harry."

Shaking his head he replied: “Not really, by Threstral a breed of winged horse with a skeletal body, a face with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resembled a bat's. Unlike most horses they are carnivorous and can only be seen by those who had witnessed death and accepted its reality. The four of them frowned, Harry was always placed before death and he could only smile at the creatures and Harry said: “Hagrid was the one who also discovered they could work well with other species given time and training.”

Hermione then asked: “When was this?"

Harry pulled out a copy of the Prophet that was dated back at the start of the summer and they blinked in surprise by this. Harry snickered at his friends. As they went through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. They braced themselves on the inside and Harry said: “Just be glad they are not having the Threstrals fly us, don't think no one wants to do that anymore." 

 

Chapter 6: (Chapter Six)

Summary:

A new year has started and soon comes the beginning of a warzone.

(Chapter Six)

 

As the wind grew harder, leaning against the window, Harry could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many lighted windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky as their carriage came to a halt before the great oak front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. People who had occupied the carriages in front were already hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville jumped down from their carriage and dashed up the steps too, looking up only when they were safely inside the cavernous, torch-lit entrance hall, with its magnificent marble staircase.

"Blimey," said Ron, shaking his head and sending water everywhere, "if that keeps up the lake's going to overflow. I'm soaking wet…”

As a large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling heading for Ron’s head, Harry pulled them away and shouted: “Move, Peeves is dropping ballins! Mione cast Lumos and sent him packing!"

She nodded and casted the spell and Peeves squealed before flying off. As the floor was covered in water, Ms. McGongall came marching out and saw the mess and said while shaking her head: “Peeves. But good job Mr. Potter for thinking away to get him to stop. Five points for Gryffindor.”

Hermione smiled at Harry and thus, "Well, move along, then!" said Professor McGonagall sharply to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Great Hall, come on!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped and slid across the entrance hall and through the double doors on the right, Ron muttering furiously under his breath as he pushed his sopping hair off his face.

The Great Hall looked its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast. Golden plates and goblets gleamed by the light of hundreds and hundreds of candles, floating over the tables in midair. The four longHouse tables were packed with chattering students; at the top of the Hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their pupils. It was much warmer here. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked past the Slytherins, the Ravenclaws, and the Hufflepuffs, and sat down with the rest of the Gryffindors at the far side of the Hall, next to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. Pearly white and semitransparent, Nick was dressed tonight in his usual doublet, but with a particularly large ruff, which served the dual purpose of looking extra-festive, and ensuring that his head didn't wobble too much on his partially severed neck.

"Good evening," he said, beaming at them.

"Who?" said Harry, taking off his sneakers and emptying them of water. "Hope they hurry up with the Sorting. I'm starving.”

The Sorting of the new students into Houses took place at the start of every school year, but by an unlucky combination of circumstances, Harry hadn't been present at one since his own. He was quite looking forward to it. Just then, a highly excited, breathless voice called down the table.

"Hiya, Harry!" It was Colin Creevey, a third year student to whom Harry was something of a hero.

"Hi, Colin," said Harry warily.

"Harry, guess what? Guess what, Harry? My brother's starting! My brother Dennis!" Said Colin with excitement.

"Er - good," said Harry.

"He's really excited!" said Colin, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. "I just hope he's in Gryffindor! Keep your fingers crossed, eh, Harry?"

"Er - yeah, all right," said Harry. He turned back to Hermione, Ron, and Nearly Headless Nick. "Brothers and sisters usually go in the same Houses, don't they?" he said. He was judged by the Weasleys, all seven of whom had been put into Gryffindor.

“Oh no, not necessarily," said Hermione. "Parvati Patil's twin in Ravenclaw, and they're identical. You'd think they'd be together, wouldn't you?”

Harry patted Colin on the shoulder and said: "As long as you still love your brother Colin, the house will not matter”

Colin nodded and some of the Grydfindors all smiled at his words Harry looked up at the staff table. There seemed to be rather more empty seats there than usual. Hagrid, of course, was still fighting his way across the lake with the first years; Professor McGonagall was presumably supervising the drying of the entrance hall floor, but there was another empty chair too, and Harry couldn't think who else was missing.

"Where's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Hermione, who was also looking up at the teachers.

They had never yet had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who had lasted more than three terms. Harry's favorite by far had been Professor Lupin, who had resigned last year. He looked up and down the staff table. There was definitely no new face there.

"Maybe they couldn't get anyone!" said Hermione, looking anxious.

Harry scanned the table more carefully. Tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was sitting on a large pile of cushions beside Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, whose hat was askew over her flyaway gray hair. She was talking to Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department. On Professor Sinistra's other side was the sallow-faced, hook-nosed, greasy-haired Potions master, Snape - Harry's least favorite person at Hogwarts. Harry's loathing of Snape was matched only by Snape's hatred of him, a hatred which had, if possible, intensified last year, when Harry had helped Sirius escape right under Snape's overly large nose - Snape and Sirius had been enemies since their own school days. He knew it was mostly his old man’s fault for starting the whole pranking issue against Snape, speaking of which he had to get that book back, he only made it a quarter away before Ginny swiped it from him as he was also studying the spells within it. Seeing on Most worthy of admission;

A thousand years or more ago,

 

When I was newly sewn,There lived four wizards of renown,

 

Whose names are still well known:

 

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

 

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

 

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

 

Shrewd Slytherin, from fin.

 

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,

 

They hatched a daring plan

 

To educate young sorcerers

 

Thus Hogwarts School began.

 

Now each of these four founders

 

Formed their own house, for each

 

Did value different virtues

 

In the ones they had to teach.

 

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

 

Prized far beyond the rest;

 

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

 

Would always be the best;

 

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

 

Most worthy of admission;

 

And power-hungry Slytherin

 

Loved those of great ambition.

 

While still alive they did divide

 

Their favorites from the throng,

 

Yet how to pick the worthy ones

 

When they were dead and gone?

 

Twas Gryffindor who found the way,

 

He whipped me off his head

 

The founders put some brains in me

 

So I could choose instead!

 

Now slip me snug about your ears,

 

I've never yet been wrong,

 

I'll have a look inside your mind

 

And tell where you belong!

The Great Hall rang with applause as the Sorting Hat finished. Shaking his head against the hat's newest song, oddly enough he realized that every year the hat had always sung about what members of the house would do that year. 

“That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us," said Harry, clapping along with everyone else as he acted to hide suspicion. 

"Sings a different one every year," said Ron. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one."

Professor McGonagall was now unrolling a large scroll of parchment. 

"When I call out your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool," she told the first years. "When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table.”

As the names were being called, soon Colin’s brother joined in at the table. As it continued to reach the L’s, “Oh hurry up," Ron moaned, massaging his stomach.

"Now, Ron, the Sorting is much more important than food," said Nearly Headless Nick as "Madley, Laura!" became a Hufflepuff.

"Course it is, if you're dead," snapped Ron.

"I do hope this year's batch of Gryffindors are up to scratch," said Nearly Headless Nick, applauding as "McDonald, Natalie!" joined the Gryffindor table. "We don't want to break our winning streak, do we?"

Gryffindor had won the Inter-House Championship for the last three years in a row.

"Pritchard, Graham!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Quirke, Orla!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And finally, with "Whitby, Kevin!" ("HUFFLEPUFF!"), the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and the stool and carried them away.

“About time," said Ron, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his golden plate.

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

"Hear, hear!" said Harry and Ron loudly as the empty dishes filled magically before their eyes.

Nearly Headless Nick watched mournfully as Harry, Ron, and Hermione loaded their own plates.

"Aaah, 'at's be'er," said Ron, with his mouth full of mashed potato.

"You're lucky there's a feast at all tonight, you know," said Nearly Headless Nick. "There was trouble in the kitchens earlier.”

Wiping his mouth Harry then replied: “Let me guess, Peeves being Peeves.”

Sir Nicholas nodded his head and said: “The usual argument, you know. He wanted to attend the feast - well, it's quite out of the question, you know what he's like, utterly uncivilized, can't see a plate of food without throwing it. We held a ghost's council - the Fat Friar was all for giving him the chance - but most wisely, in my opinion, the Bloody Baron put his foot down.”

The Bloody Baron was the Slytherin ghost, a gaunt and silent specter covered in silver bloodstains. He was the only person at Hogwarts who could really control Peeves.

"Yeah, we thought Peeves seemed hacked off about something," said Ron darkly. "So what did he do in the kitchens?"

"Oh the usual," said Nearly Headless Nick, shrugging. "Wreaked havoc and mayhem. Pots and pans everywhere. Place swimming in soup. Terrified the house-elves out of their wits -"

Clang. Hermione had knocked over her golden goblet. Pumpkin juice spread steadily over the tablecloth, staining several feet of white linen orange, but Hermione paid no attention.

"There are house-elves here?" she said, staring, horror-struck, at Nearly Headless Nick. "Here at Hogwarts?”

Sighing, Harry then said: “Hermione, did you read that book about House-Elves I bought for you like I asked?"

She froze and remained silent and he said: “Here is a cliff note Mione, House Elves all though powerful really don't have a strong supply of their own magic. Thus they formed a pact with the wizards to gain access to more usable magic so long as the elves served them as butlers and maids. Although there are laws against mistreatment, they are hardly enforced so no one has seen anyone physically abuse a house elf." 

Remaining silent she continued to eat and Harry then said: "Look I know you find it revolting, but try to focus on making their lives easier in servitude then it already is.”

As the food had been devoured and the last crumbs had faded off the plates, leaving them sparkling clean, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again. The buzz of chatter filling the Hall ceased almost at once, so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard.

"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and watered,”

Hermione remained silent as Dumbledore continued: “I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it.”

As the corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. He continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year.”

Acting his part “What?" Harry gasped. 

He looked around at Fred and George, his fellow members of the Quidditch team. They were mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore, apparently too appalled to speak. Dumbhedore went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -” just then the great Hall does opened and Harry looked to the sky noticing nothing change as last time the ceiling had a series of flashes of lightning to warn them about “Moody" or Crouch Jr. but not this time and he thought: ‘Could Junior not have… seeing no given clue. 

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, the being lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table. A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. The person's face is unlike anything most would have seen; it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. 

The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightened. One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness. The stranger reached Dumbledore. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbhedore shook it, muttering words Harry couldn't hear. 

He seemed to be making some inquiry of the stranger, who shook his head unsmiling and replied in an undertone. Dumbledore nodded and gestured to the empty seat on his right-hand side. The stranger sat down, shook his mane of dark gray hair out of his face, pulled a plate of sausages toward him, raised it to what was left of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, speared a sausage on the end of it, and began to eat. His normal eye was fixed upon the sausages, but the blue eye was still dating restlessly around in its socket, taking in the Hall and the students. “May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody.”

It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff or students chapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sound echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.

"Moody?" Harry muttered to Ron. "Mad-Eye Moody? The one your dad went to help this morning?"

"Must be," said Ron in a low, awed voice.

"What happened to him?" Hermione whispered. "What happened to his face?"

"Dunno," Ron whispered back, watching Moody with fascination.

Harry then replied: “Most likely from every battle he had to fight through, most likely left permanent scarring that even the greatest of healers can't undo."

Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his traveling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long draught from it. As he lifted his arm to drink, his cloak was pulled a few inches from the ground, and Harry saw, below the table, several inches of carved wooden leg, ending in a clawed foot. Not seeing the shack of the head or the tongue, he then thought: ‘Not Junior, so where is he?’

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly.

The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively. 

“I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er - but maybe this is not the time...no..." said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued.” 

Everyone was on the edge of their seat and Hermione whispered: "Death toll?”

But her anxiety did not seem to be shared by the majority of students in the Hall; many of them were whispering excitedly to one another, and Harry played the part of  himself that was far more interested in hearing about the tournament than in worrying about deaths that had happened hundreds of years ago.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money.”

The twins looked like fat kids in a candy store and Harry shook his head, he didn't need that wealth or the glory. Ron, Harry and Hermione heard, “I'm going for it!" Fred Weasley hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches. He was not the only person who seemed to be visualizing himself as the Hogwarts champion. At every House table, Harry could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore, or else whispering fervently to their neighbors. But then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more "Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This -" Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious - "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts Champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.”

Seeing everyone highly interested he continued to say: “The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!”

Harry then said: " You guys go on ahead, I've got a note to hand in.”

They nodded and he rushed the teachers to the table and began explaining the note. Hermione looked back and saw the hard questioning displeased look of the Headmaster and most of the other teachers looked at Harry with sympathy and nodded in acknowledgement.  Rushing back to join the others Harry then looked to Ron and said: “I take it well?"

Nodding his head and said: “As well as it can be. Let me guess the twins decided to enter?”

Hermione nodded and said: " Yes they did, I don't know why? It's totally barbaric.”

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George set off for the entrance hall, Fred and George debating the ways in which Dumbledore might stop those who were under seventeen from entering the tournament.

"Who's this impartial judge who's going to decide who the champions are?" said Ginny as she joined them. 

"Dunno," said Fred, "but it's them we'll have to fool. I reckon a couple of drops of Aging Potion might do it, George..."

"Dumbledore knows you're not of age, though," said Ron.

"Yeah, but he's not the one who decides who the champion is, is he?" said Fred shrewdly. "Sounds to me like once this judge knows who wants to enter, he'll choose the best from each school and never mind how old they are. Dumbledore's trying to stop us giving our names."

"People have died, though!" said Hermione in a worried voice as they walked through a door concealed behind a tapestry and started up another, narrower staircase.

"Yeah," said Fred airily, "but that was years ago, wasn't it? Anyway, where's the fun without a bit of risk? Hey, Ron, what if we find out how to get 'round Dumbledore? Fancy entering?"

"What d'you reckon?" Ron asked Harry. "It would be cool to enter, wouldn't it? But I s'pose they might want someone older....Dunno if we've learned enough..."

"I definitely haven't," came Neville's gloomy voice from behind Fred and George.

Harry nodded and said: “Yeah, no thanks I already got all the glory crap from the boy-who-lived shit. Don't need anymore thank you very much."

"I expect my gran's want me to try, though. She's always going on about how I should be upholding the family honor. I'll just have to - oops..."

Neville's foot had sunk right through a step halfway up the staircase, but Harry easily grabbed his arm. There were many of these trick stairs at Hogwarts; it was second nature to most of the older students to jump this particular step, but Neville's memory was notoriously poor. Harry and Ron seized him under the armpits and pulled him out, while a suit of armor at the top of the stairs creaked and clanked, laughing wheezily. But Harry's leg sweeped the suit and it began tumbling down the stairs and some students laughed. They made their way up to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was concealed behind a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said as they approached.

"Balderdash," said George, "a prefect downstairs told me."

The portrait swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall through which they all climbed. A crackling fire warmed the circular common room, which was full of squashy armchairs and tables. Hermione cast the merrily dancing flames a dark look, and Harry distinctly heard her mutter "Slave labor" before bidding them good night and disappearing through the doorway to the girls' dormitory. Shaking his head he hoped Hermione wouldn't ignore his advice. Harry, Ron, and Neville climbed up the last, spiral staircase until they reached their own dormitory, which was situated at the top of the tower. Five four-poster beds with deep crimson hangings stood against the walls, each with its owner's trunk at the foot. 

Dean and Seamus were already getting into bed; Seamus had pinned his Ireland rosette to his headboard, and Dean had tacked up a poster of Viktor Krum over his bedside table. His old poster of the West Ham football team was pinned right next to it.

"Mental," Ron sighed, shaking his head at the completely stationary soccer players.

Harry, Ron, and Neville got into their pajamas and into bed. Someone - a house-elf, no doubt - had placed warming pans between the sheets. It was extremely comfortable, lying there in bed and listening to the storm raging outside.

"I might go in for it, you know," Ron said sleepily through the darkness, "if Fred and George find out how to...the tournament....you never know, do you?"

"S'pose not....” He replied to his friend, taking off his glasses he rolled over and had fallen into dream land and soon his eyes fluttered open and saw his surrounding void of color and pushing up from his bed he saw his body lying still and he heard a whistle and saw Death who waved and said: “Not bad kid, not bad. Snagged the red head, nice. Though you beat get your head in the game soon enough once you can use magic."

Harry then asked: “Quick question, how come some of the things I originally knew don't add up like Malfoy being a girl"

Death scratched the back of his head and said: “Okay, you know the time turner correct?"

Nodding his head, Death continued and said and ended saying the last bit rapidly: “Well think of that as like a bridge without support for crossing a ravine. And without one in the past the the bridge will shack, shutter and move about without proper support meaning that you time traveling without that kind of support caused some fluctuation within linear time to be overwritten like Malfoy being a girl, your heritage being what it is and maybe, just maybe that Voldemort and Bellatrix had a daughter and she is coming to Hogwarts.”

Harry blinked and asked: “Say what now?"

Death nodded and said: “Ya heard me kid, old Moldywort has a daughter, although she should've appeared after her father's death, but not so much now as she was born on the day you lived a year before that night."

Groaning he then said: “Is she after me and wants me dead and joining her father?"

Death then said: “In the original timeline yes, but not this time. Sure she was raised at the Malfoy Manor and sent off to Beauxbatons. Though she has a grudge against you for humiliating her family. I suggest using the eye amigo and take the necessary lessons to advance it.”

Chapter 7: (Chapter Seven

Summary:

First day of classes and things seem normal, but peace is only before a storm.

(Chapter Seven)

Eyes flutter opened as Harry sat up remembering the conversation he had last night with death and he rubbed his temples already feeling the chaos of a headache he will have. Thankfully he has some serenity knowing that a wicked idea formed in his head as he gained an evil sadistic happy smile. Turning the daughter of his greatest enemy into his personal toy, but he stopped and rubbed his chin and the idea of turning Bellatrix, no her and her sisters into his toys. Might as well throw in Nymphadora in the mix. Inside his mind he let out a dark maniac laugh that reminded anyone of a truly dark madman. Later the storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Harry, Ron, and Hermione examined their new course schedules at breakfast. A few seats along, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament.

"Today's not bad...outside all morning," said Ron, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures...damn it, we're still with the Slytherins....” shrugging to Ron’s displeasure and said: “Sorry mate, seems I have double runes this afternoon.”

He was so glad this timeline version of himself yeet'd divination, he didn't like hearing someone saying he'll die every day. "You should have given it up like me, shouldn't you?" said Hermione briskly to him, buttering herself some toast. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy and Harry with Runes, speaking of which, why Runes Harry? That's very advanced even though I am having difficulty with it.”

Shrugging he then said: "My mom was a master of charms and my dad with alteration, outside of potions none of the other subjects fitted to me properly other than care. So I wanted to try Runes. Besides I heard about some runes having magical properties and abilities if done correctly. Plus how Mr. Weasley's car had me puzzled, despite its issues and how many try to enchant technology, none have ever used runes to do it.”

Hermione looked interested in this and Ron looked at him completely lost. There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap - Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. 

Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn't even got his letter? Just then an owl of Gringotts flew in and dropped something off into Harry’s lap and he saw it was a parcel and a letter attached to it. Opening the letter he read allowed: “Dear Mr. Potter, We of Gringotts like to inform you that all of your family's possession has been confirmed to be shifted into your vault. Originally it would have taken a lot longer, but one of the workers had the genius idea to use the storage trunks with a near bottomless pit to haul the items in and dispersed them into your vault. We also like to inform you that we found the chalice that you had suspected was sealed within the Lestrange vault as per marriage contract between Bellatrix Black to the Lestrange family, that any member of the Black family may have a betroth vault inspected for stolen property. The chalice is in the parcel upon the delivery alongside a book of cure and remedies found within one of your family's vaults. We thank you for your patronage and donation, sign Ragnok.”

Opening the parcel Harry smiled seeing the Golden chalice with the image of a badger amongst the grass image. Seeing the engraved chalice Hermione asked: “What's that Harry?"

He smiled and said: “Helga Hufflepuff’s chalice, one of the memories I seen in Tom Riddle’s diary of him killing Hepzibah Smith after he graduated from Hogwarts and stole this along the Locket of Salazar Slytherin from her after poisoning her. And now it's back where it belongs.”

Going to the book he opened it and Hermione noticed how ghastly and darkly the book cover was as it frightened her. Running through the pages Harry then said: “Here it is, the damage of both to the mind and the body, few believe there was a way to mend the mind back to a more stable state. One such method is to mind wipe the subject to a black state with Obliviate and with a pensive of happier memories could restore the subject.”

Neville froze hearing this as he became heavily interested and Harry continued and said: " Another way is by using Phoenix tears and and the saliva of a Wampus cat with diluted venom of a swooping evil can have a stronger effect. Both cases have been theorized that the subjects may have PTSD and have shouting episodes. Seems the concoction is a mix of a calming drought, dragon claw powder… extremely difficult to brew and the potion must be struck with a natural bolt of lightning. Who comes up with this…” Neville then asked him: " Do you think it's possible…  possible to help my parents."

Harry looked at his fellow Gryffindor who had suffered just as much as he had and said: “Yes Neville, I believe so, but we are going to need a hell lot of luck for this to work. Though we need to consult with Professor Snape and the Headmaster for this.”

Neville had hope filled his eyes. And as everyone began to leave Harry grabbed the chalice and book and headed to the teachers table alongside Neville. Once there he then said: “Excuse me Headmaster, I believe this belonged to the school."

Harry placed the chalice before them and Professor Sprout gasped seeing it and snatched it and said: “Where did you get this Mr. Potter?"

He then replied: “From the Lestrange’s vault, one of the memories of Tom Riddle’s diary I saw of him stealing this and a locket from Mrs. Smith.”

The teachers all remembered the tale of that and Harry brought up the book and said: " Another thing I wish to discuss is this…” showing them the potion and as they read it, Professor McGonagall said: " You wish to help Neville's parents, Mr. Potter.”

He nodded his head and said perfectly solemnly: " Yes ma’am, Neville still has his, unlike me he is lucky to have them but they are not fully there. I wish to help with that.”

Many of the teachers smiled, even Snape who was intrigued by the potion and said: " Simplicity to brew, but a natural bolt of lightning is difficult. But yet this is all theory, why would you waste time on a theory Potter.”

Harry replied: " A theory is better than nothing sir. And it's all we got. I believe this could work.”

Dumbledore examined the recipe and said: " Many of the items do help and assist with the mind itself. With the Phoenix tears…  ah, I saw this should work, but we need a subject.”

Harry then said: " As heir to the house of Black and accordance to the laws do to I am the only closest member of the house besides Malfoy who has rights to the Lord ship according to Gringotts, I am legal allowed to offer a member of any person of the Black family as test subject as long as they are a criminal. And I see no better person than the one who did this to the Longbottom family.”

Everyone froze hearing this, Harry just practically gave Bellatrix Lestrange as a test dummy. Even Snape was surprised, that was savagery, but even he admits that she has gone too far at times. Harry then said: " And with her already being a complete madwoman, there is no better opportunity to see if it works.”

Dumbledore hummed to this, if this works then that would be one of Voldemort's most dangerous witches was off the table for good. Mrs. Sprout then said: " Mr. Potter, still just where on earth did you get this?”

She raised she chalice and said: " From Gringotts, and I was well within the law to have the goblins search through the vaults that have ties with my family and the Lestrange being one of them they had sent this back saying that it was a stain to have stolen property of someone respected in the midst. Now. If you all will excuse us we have your class to get to Professor Sprout. Professor Snape, I'll write down the recipe if you desire to take the challenge and sign the appropriate document for the trial to be done with."

Harry and Neville walked away, and passed by an elf who came staggering with cleaning supplies and placed them in a broom closet and Harry asked the elf to take the book to his room and place it in his trunk. Later arriving in the third greenhouse, Professor Sprout was before them showing the ugliest plant some have ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid.

"Bubotubers," Professor Sprout told them briskly. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -"

"The what?" said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted.

She then spoke again saying: "Pus, Finnigan, pus, and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus.”

Adjusting his gloves and helping Neville secure his as he stood beside him and Ron. They all watched the squeezing of the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints. Harry then said: “Disgusting, but oddly satisfying I'd say."

Everyone nodded to this, "This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy," said Professor Sprout, stopping the last bottle with a cork. "An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples."

"Like poor Eloise Midgen," said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. "She tried to curse hers off.”

Few of the girls winced and Harry shook his head and noticed Habbot looked at Neville in fluster. Smirking at this he whispered to Ron and Seamus with Dean beside them: " Seems Hannah has the hots for Neville boys.”

"Silly girl," said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. "But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end."

A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid's small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Behind Harry he heard Seamus, Dean and Ron teasing Neville about Hannah causing the taller boy to blush and some of them to laugh. As Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Be'er wait fer the Slytherins, they won' want ter miss this - Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

"Come again?" said Ron.

Hagrid pointed down into the crates.

"Eurgh!" squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward and bumping into Ron.

"Eurgh '' just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in everyone's opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches. Examining them already knowing what they are, Harry said: “I'm guessing a crab and scorpion hybrid?"

Hagrid chuckled and said: “Close ‘arey, but best we be waiting for the Slytherins. They On'y jus' hatched, so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"

"And why would we want to raise them?" said a cold voice.

The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words.

Hagrid looked stumped at the question.

"I mean, what do they do?" asked Malfoy. "What is the point of them?"

Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds' pause, then he said roughly, "That's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things - I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer - I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake - just try 'em out with a bit of each.”

“First pus and now this," muttered Seamus.

Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Ron couldn't suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn't seem to have mouths.

"Ouch!" yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. "It got me."

Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious.

"Its end exploded!" said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand.

"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off," said Hagrid, nodding.

"Eurgh!" said Lavender Brown again. "Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?"

"Ah, some of 'em have got stings,' ' said Hagrid enthusiastically. Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box. "I reckon they're the males....The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies....I think they might be ter suck blood.” He finished saying as he looked at all of them. 

Just as though as last time the rest of the class went about as normal as it did the first time. Later they sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her.

"Er - is this the new stand on elf rights?" said Ron. "You're going to make yourself puke instead?"

"No," said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. "I just want to get to the library."

"What?" said Ron in disbelief. "Hermione - it's the first day back! We haven't even got homework yet!"

Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days as Harry was also chowing down. Then she leapt to her feet, said, "See you at dinner!" and departed at high speed.

Harry nodded and said: " I also have some things I need to check on, I'll catch ya later Ron.”

Finishing his food he stormed off, but pulled out his invisibility cloak and vanished from sight. Making his way down into the dungeons using the secret passageways that he memorized from the map he then stood before the door to the Scriptorium of Salazar Slytherin. Standing before the hidden door as he was glad he's something great grandfather and his friends disabled the traps for anyone of his legacy to freely bypass them as he began speaking in parsel saying: “Open this door for the keeper and an heir of slytherin.”

Pricking his finger and smearing the blood on the wall, a blood rune emerged resembling the emblem of a keeper being coiled by a snake. The wall shifted and turned to reveal a door. Pushing the door open he came face to face with the personal study and chambers of Salazar Slytherin. Entering the room Harry saw it, bending itself back together was none other than the book of Salazar Slytherin, his spell book. Seemed it had a repairing spell, charm, ward or rune on the book. Noticing a familiar dark artifact he frowned seeing the Infernus Relic and it was repaired fully. Rushing toward it he grabbed it and snarled, it must've been incapable of being destroyed for long periods of time, going up the stairs with it, he pushed on a brick when a portion of the wall opened to reveal bedchambers and he went inside before going to another wall and pushing a brick and it opened to reveal a small vault and he placed it inside and closed it before exiting the chambers and closing it. 

Going back down to the lectern before the stone carving of Salazar he grabbed the spell book and saw the last of the ash and torn, burned piece of paper reattached and he grabbed it before putting it on a shelf and headed outside and locked the Scriptorium. Putting his cloak back on he saw he had half an hour left and headed straight for the classroom with Runes. Arriving at the class Harry, looking around he noticed mostly Raven claws while taking this class and saw a few other students he recognized. One being Tracey Davis, Susan Bones, the Parvati Twins, Daphne Greengrass and noticed the secret, Ms. Malfoy. Taking his seat beside Susan they waited for class to start, and to say that Harry was highly into the subject was lacking, he was grasping runes faster then most fourth years and those above. Ms. Babble smiled seeing one of her students despite his first time in class, showing signs of being a prodigy.  Susan looked astounded as Harry seemed to have answers to questions they hadn't gone over as he was able to break them down and decipher them by quick glance. During a short moment of breathing time in-between sessions Susan then asked him: “How did you understand any of that?"

He shrugged and said: “Honestly no clue, guess I'm in my element. So how have you been Susan… I haven't heard from your aunt yet.”

She perked up and reached into her robe and said: " Oh here, she sent this to me asking for you to get it.”

Harry nodded and opened it and it said: "Dr. Mr. Potter, This Amelia Bones the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I have news regarding Sirius Black, for one it has been proven that he indeed took the oath and was not the one responsible as you already told me. Secondly the department combed over the entire records and have not found anything of the sorts of an arrest or trial case thus making this seem like foul play and under the rules all those involved are being investigated. A trial is being set in order to come this winter. The Minister has been directly notified by myself and swore under secrecy as this could have been a massive breach under law and ang mention of this outside his office is a high offense. Please if you can notify Sirius Black to meet me in Hogsmeade.”

A shit eating grin plastered on his face and he smiled at this, but then he thought about how he could truly turn this case around. Most likely Sirius would be under house arrest for a while or something, but he will be set free. Looking at her and giving her a look and said: " Thanks. Susan, you are just as kind as you are beautiful. any boy would be lucky to have you.”

The shy bones entire face turned bright red and looked away as class began again. Susan remained silent and took a side glanced at Harry. Inwardly he smirked he had an internal list, Ginny was the first, though if he played his cards right he could get this mysterious Malfoy and then Susan, possibly Daphne and Voldemot’s daughter and go from there. Once class ended he packed up his things and walked out giving Susan a wink causing her to look away with a blush and the twins came over to her and giggled. Meanwhile rushing to meet his friends he heard: “Miserable old bat," said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."

"Lots of homework?" said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"

"Well, bully for Professor Vector," said Ron moodily.

Harry came up and said: " Sorry about swapping classes Ron, I think I found my element in Runes.”

Ron then asked: " What about you?. Did you get Homework?”

Harry chuckled and said: " I did half of that in class, once I finished up the other half I'll be done with that.*

Hermione then said: “How, even I have trouble with runes."

Shrugging he then said: “Don know, but guess I feel more comfortable in runes. I also saw Malfoy in that class, it's mostly Ravenclaw in there other than the Parvati twins, Susan and both Davis and Greengrass."

Ron then said: “Damn mate, you can't shack Malfoy can you."

“Oddly enough Malfoh never even bothered me, which is way out of character for ‘em." Replied Harry, surprising the two. 

Both looked astounded by this and looked upon one another and back to him.  As they reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something.

"What?" said Ron shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

Malfoy looked up.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" he crowed.

Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house - if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. Harry snatched the paper and said: “Oh look at this Malfoy, you daddy dearest caught in a sex scandal."

Malfoy's laugh halted and he rushed to snatch the paper and on page two, it showed an image of Lucius Malfoy leaving a whore house fluttered by reporters and Harry said: “Now how could that happen. And it seems it was a dominatrix whore house as well. Boy that's embarrassing.*

Many of the girls began to hush and whisper while laughter at Malfoy ranged out and Harry smirked seeing the Slytherin prick and goons storm off and Hermione then said: “How vulgar and disturbing.*

Ron then said: " How do you think they found out?”

Harry chuckled and said: "Well I did find out about some of the House of Black funds being taken and used at that place so I had an owl post sent as an anonymous tip. Boy did Lucius screw the pooch, he is never coming back from that easily.”

Him and Ron bumped knuckles as they took their seats and as Hermione ate a beef casserole and Harry said: “You know what would have been funny, seeing Malfoy turned into a ferret and bounced around."

Ron snorted and began laughing at this and said: “That would be funny mate."

Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" said Harry, watching her.

"Got to," said Hermione thickly. "Loads to do."

"But you told us Professor Vector -"

"It's not schoolwork," she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley.

"Moody!" he said. "How cool is he?"

"Beyond cool," said George, sitting down opposite Fred.

"Supercool," said the twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. "We had him this afternoon," he told Harry and Ron.

"What was it like?" said Harry eagerly.

Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning.

"Never had a lesson like it," said Fred.

"He knows, man," said Lee.

"Knows what?" said Ron, leaning forward.

"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it," said George impressively.

"Doing what?" said Harry.

"Fighting the Dark Arts," said Fred.

"He's seen it all," said George.

"'Mazing," said Lee.

Ron dived into his bag for his schedule.

"We haven't got him till Thursday!" he said in a disappointed voice.

As they are, Harry hummed and then looked at Ron, noticed Lavender blushing at his friend and said: " Hey Ron, a triple dog dare ya to ask Lavender out mate.”

Checking on some food Ron said: " Wha…" Fred and George looked to Harry's line of sight and saw said girl looking at their baby brother they saw their mum give to their dad and made oh expressions. Ron stuttered out saying: “Oh, yeah, I triple dog dare ya to take my sister so she stops pestering me about ya.”

Harry snickered and shook Ron on it. 

Chapter 8: (Chapter Eight

Summary:

Classes once again, but Harry uncovered the truth about Malfoy in a way no one would expect and new from Amelia just might bring a chapter to a close.

(Chapter Eight)

The next two days passed without great incident, even Neville almost melted his other cauldron thankfully Harry stopped it in time and gave Neville some words of encouragement. Professor Snape watched this closely and snarled at them, but Neville felt relieved he didn't have detention with the man. As class ended he told Ron he would catch up and headed to Snape and said: “Professor might I have a word. It's something I found in that book Gringotts sent me, this was in it. It was addressed to you."

It was an envelope with a Lily on it, saying on it: “To my dearest and oldest friend, Severus Snape.”

He nearly went slack seeing it, he snatched it and said: " Dismissed.”

Harry nodded and left. Opening the letter it said: " Dear. Severus, I don't know how many times I've written this very letter and tried these very words. Your friendship with me was one of the happiest things in my life and yet I was a bad friend. In my time hiding with James and Harry I reflected on my life and remembered how I barely came to your defense and I know I deserve every harsh thing said from you now. I am truly sorry Severus…” he saw the tear stains and his lips trembled and the letter continued: " I know you wanted to be there for me and yet I was such a horrible person to cause you to follow this path. But I am genuinely sorry. I know I may not survive this but I hope this letter reaches you, if not I hope I still am the brave girl you knew to have admitted this before you. Thank you for everything, Severus. And if I do not survive please watch over Harry while at Hogwarts. Even James wanted to apologize to you so many times, it was one of the reasons why he tried so hard with you during the war. I hope you are happy and doing well. Love, Lily J Potter-Evans.”

For once in a long time Severus Snape began to cry. Outside the classroom Harry smiled and whispered: “I had already forgiven you Professor, now you just need to forgive yourself."

Reaching his other dorm mates, they were all looking forward to Moody's first lesson so much that they arrived early on Thursday lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.

"Been in the -", "Library." Harry finished her sentence for her. "C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."

They hurried into three chairs right in front of the teacher's desk, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes. "You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, "those books. You won't need them.”

They returned the books to their bags, Ron looking excited. Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered.

"Right then," he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures - you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?”

There was a general murmur of assent.

"But you're behind - very behind - on dealing with curses," said Moody. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -"

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron; Ron looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody smiled - the first time Harry had seen him do so. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile. Ron looked deeply relieved.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago....Yeah, I'm staying just one year. Special favor to Dumbledor....One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."

He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his gnarled hands together. "So - straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking.”

Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head. Harry silently snickered and nudged his friend who looked away embarrassed. 

“So...do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?" Moody asked.

Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron's and Hermione's. Moody pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender.

"Er," said Ron tentatively, "my dad told me about one....Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse.”

Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. Harry felt Ron recoil slightly next to him - Ron hated spiders. Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a backflip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance. Everyone was laughing - everyone except Moody.

"Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died away almost instantly.

"Total control," said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats..."

Ron gave an involuntary shudder.

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," said Moody, and Harry knew he was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will.”

Harry then said: " True, but most of them probably lied and paid off to not get the truth out to save their own skins for political favors.”

Moody smiled at that and said: "Many would say you're wrong Potter, but to me and few others you're absolutely correct.”

He then continued the lesson, “The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, and everyone jumped, but Harry who smiled.

Despite last time being false, this was most likely the real deal. Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar and asked: "Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

Hermione's hand flew into the air again and so, to Harry's slight surprise, did Neville's. The only class in which Neville usually volunteered information was Herbology which was easily his best subject. Neville looked surprised at his own daring. Harry frowned seeing Neville, the one curse that drove his parents to the brink of psychosis. 

"Yes?" said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix Neville.

"There's one - the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville in a small but distinct voice.

Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes.

"Your name's Longbottom?" he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again.

Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move.

"The Cruciatus Curse," said Moody. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider. "Engorgio!"

The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretense, Ron pushed his chair backward, as far away from Moody's desk as possible. Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, "Crucio!”

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently - Harry then called out seeing Neville having a flashback of that night and said: " PROFESSOR!*

 Moody had stopped and looked to see Neville trembling with his eyes tearing up but he looked to Harry with thankfulness of being drawn out of it. Hermione smiled at her friend for stopping this and sent a thank you expression. Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.

"Reducio," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar.

"Pain," said Moody softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse....That one was very popular once too.

"Right...does anyone know any others?"

Harry looked around. From the looks on everyone's faces, he guessed they were all wondering what was going to happen to the last spider. Hermione's hand shook slightly as, for the third time, she raised it into the air.

"Yes?" said Moody, looking at her.

"Avada Kedavra," Hermione whispered.

Several people looked uneasily around at her, including Ron. But everyone looked at Harry as his hand violently twitches after hearing that spell and he thought: ‘Guess I can never truly give up on that.’

"Ah," said Moody, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra....the Killing Curse."

He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface.

Moody raised his wand, and Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding.

"Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him.

Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor.

"Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me. The luckiest boy we have, tell me Potter does this spell haunt you.”

Harry snarled and said: " Every damn night, a few times I keep hearing that spell and remembering that blasted night over and over since it happened. A recurring nightmare that never goes away and I don't want it. Because it reminds me of the only two people who I want to be at the end of that spell, the man who took my parents and the rat bastard who betrayed my parents and his friends, who called him brother. Both are cowards and deserve to die like dogs.”

Moody frowned hearing this, many looked to him with sorrow and pity, but Hermione was surprised Harry would see that. Ron was also surprised. The way Harry sounded frightened people, many feared Voldemort and yet Harry did not, no, he was outraged by the monster. Soon Moody continued to say: “Avada Kedavra, a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it. Now, if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”

Harry then said: " But there is a way to block it sir, the spell can freely travel through the air because there's nothing to stop, but behind some cover or an object will stop the spell.”

Moody then said: " Correct Potter, ten points for Gryffindor. Now...those three curses - Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus - are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need to prepare. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills...copy this down....” As everyone does, they all spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one spoke until the bell rang - but when Moody had dismissed them and they had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices - "Did you see it twitch?" "- and when he killed it - just like that!”

They were talking about the lesson, Harry thought, as though it had been some sort of spectacular show, but he hadn't found it very entertaining - and nor, it seemed, had Hermione.

"Hurry up," she said tensely to Harry and Ron.

"Not the ruddy library again?" said Ron.

"No," said Hermione curtly, pointing up a side passage. "Neville."

Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse.

"Neville?" Hermione said gently.

Neville looked around.

"Oh hello," he said, his voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm - I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you all right?" said Hermione.

Harry shook his head and said: " No he isn't ‘Mione. Anyone who sees those spells first hand on a person and the damage it causes never leaves a person's mind even at a young age.”

As an odd clunking noise sounded behind them, they turned to see Professor Moody limping toward them. All four of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler growl than they had yet heard.

"It's all right, sonny," he said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on...we can have a cup of tea...."

Neville looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody. He neither moved nor spoke. Moody turned his magical eye upon Harry.

"You all right, are you, Potter?" He asked. 

"Yes, sir. I'm more worried about Neville.” Said Harry, almost defiantly.

Moody's blue eye quivered slightly in its socket as it surveyed Harry. Then he said, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know. No point pretending...well...come on, Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you.”

Neville looked pleadingly at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but they didn't say anything, so Neville had no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, one of Moody's gnarled hands on his shoulder.

"What was that about?" said Ron, watching Neville and Moody turn the corner.

"I don't know," said Hermione, looking pensive.

"Some lesson, though, eh?" said Ron to Harry as they set off for the Great Hall. "Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right -"

But Ron fell suddenly silent at the look on Harry's face and didn't speak again until they reached the Great Hall. Ron had better make a start on Professor Trelawney's predictions tonight, since that would take hours and Harry had to decipher some basic runes. Hermione did not join in with Harry and Ron's conversation during dinner, but ate furiously fast, and then left for the library again and Harry went to join her saying he needed some material for his assignment and told Ron they could play chess tomorrow. Ron appreciated that. Walking to the library he then asked her: “Still studying about the elves."

She nodded and said: “Yes, it's barbaric."

He sighed and patted her head and said: " No different than how bosses treat their workers Hermione on an emotional level. But…” pondering, he stopped and noticed Malfoy heading to Myrtle's bathroom and he said: " I'll meet you there. I just want to check something.”

She nodded and rushed off and he went after Malfoy and rounded the halls and saw the Slytherin heir enter the bathroom. Pulling out his cloak from his small pouch bag he kept in person he put his cloak on and snuck into the bathroom. What he saw was Crabbe, Goyle, Pike, Graham all in the bathroom surrounding Malfoy who looked nervous. Sitting on the sink was Pansy  Parkison who had a deep sneer and she said: “Grab ‘em."

Crabbe and Goyle grabbed Draco who barked out: " What is this, release me now!*

Pansy then said: “Or what Draky, or what. Not so tough are you little men, actually you are not man at all."

With various waves of her wand draco pants fell to the floor and the robes, shirt  flung off to reveal chest bindings. Draco was only in very tight boxers that soon with a wave of the wand were torn off and Draco let out a girlish scream as some padding it the floor. To reveal draco with B-cup breast and a peach with a pink size dick and marble size balls and the Slytherin males looked grossed out by it and Pansy got up and waved her wand before Draco’s face and it revealed to be more feminine as Harry noticed almost resemble Nymphadora’s but a bit of Narcissa in the mix with pink lips and her hair reached her shoulders now and Pansy reared her leg back and drove it into “Draco'' crotch hard as she squeaked out and tried to close her legs but Pansy signaled the others to pull them apart.  Pansy began driving her foot by the toe dead in Malfoys crotch and she couldn't hold or defend herself no matter how hard she struggled. Unknowingly, Harry got to the bathroom’s closet and saw a pipe inside and heard Malfoy cry out and looked to see they had her on her back and Pansy was digging the sole of her foot on Malfoy’s large clit by grinding into it as well as hitting her balls with hexes, hearing her cries and screams of pain infuriated him. Grasping the pipe he lunged dropping the cloak and smacked her and the others hard upside the head making the drop Malfoy and quickly grabbed her and tossed on his cloak to clean her the exposed Slytherin girl and bolted out of there running to Madam Pomfrey’s as none of the tormentors knew who did that malfoy looked up as she held her crotch and saw the man she don't want to find out and felt he was holding her like a princess and blushed.

Bursting into the nurse's office he saw no one but Madam Pomfrey and he said: “Madam Pomfret, we have someone who needs you."

Tossing off the cloak he showed the form of female Draco, and Pomfret already knew this and motioned for him to bring her over and sat her down and pulled the privacy cover and he sat on the other bed and waited. A house elf came in and brought some ointments and bandages. Just then storming in was Professor Snape, the Headmaster and Professor McGongall and the Head of Gryffindor asked: “What happened Mr. Potter?"

He then replied: “I was on my way to the library with Hermione to finish up my homework when I noticed Malfoy heading to the bathroom where that entrance is and noticed the look of fear."

Hearing the feminine cries of pain behind him he continued: “Thankfully I kept my cloak in this storage pouch similar to our trunks on me lately and swapped my books for the cloak and entered the bathroom and saw My cornered by her own friends and they started to…  abuse her, tore of her clothes and started beating and hexing her in the crotch. I went to a closet and grabbed a pipe and just knocked them all aside and ran out the bathroom and covered her with my cloak and came here.”

Hearing Malfoy whimper the privacy was pulled aside and they saw her in a gown and and Madam Pomfrey came over and said: “There was severe damage, if Mr. Potter hadn't brought her in time the damage would have been irreversible. But the damage don't to her male bits left permanent nerve damage and will be unable to produce functioning semen for in pregnancy."

Snape eyes turned into a raging inferno soon after the former Malfoy gang walked in and they all saw the teachers and paled. But Harry noticed something, Pansy looked even more loopy than the others. Professor Snape then shouted: "Get over here now!”

He turned to look to Harry and said: " You may go Mr. Potter, Ms. Malfoy will be safe with us.”

Taking his leave and heading to the library and finishing his homework while being pestered by Hermione on where he was and he explained he had to take someone to the Nurse for an injury. As the Fat Lady swung forward to reveal the entrance hole, they climbed into the Gryffindor common room, which was crowded and noisy, but not as noisy as normal. Entering his room and not seeing Ron or Seamus he saw Neville there alone, sitting on his bed, reading. He looked a good deal calmer than at the end of Moody's lesson, though still not entirely normal. His eyes were rather red.

"You all right, Neville?" Harry asked him.

"Oh yes," said Neville, "I'm fine, thanks. Just reading this book Professor Moody lent me…” He held up the book: Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean.

"Apparently, Professor Sprout told Professor Moody I'm really good at Herbology," Neville said. There was a faint note of pride in his voice that Harry had rarely heard there before. "He thought I'd like this."

Telling Neville what Professor Sprout had said, Harry thought, had been a very tactful way of cheering Neville up, for Neville very rarely heard that he was good at anything. It was the sort of thing Professor Lupin would have done. Noticing a snowy owl perched on the windowsill.

"Hedwig!" he shouted, and he launched himself out of his chair and across the room to pull open the window.

Hedwig flew inside, soared across the room, and landed on the table on top of Harry's predictions.

Noticing a grubby piece of parchment tied to Hedwig's leg he hastily untied it and sat down to read, whereupon Hedwig fluttered onto his knee, hooting softly. Reading the note as it said: “Harry - I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore - they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is. I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry. Sirius. 

Frowning he then said: “I need you to deliver something to him again girl, after you get some rest.

She hooted as he rubbed her head with his finger and began writing the letter that said: " Dear Sirius, At the World Cup I have come into contact with Amelia Bones about what has happened to you and your case. She had discovered all of your records are missing and with the memory I gave her you will be given a fair trial. She wishes to meet with you at Hogsmeade, please trust in her Sirius I’d rather see you a free man then wondering about like a fugitive. Signed, Harry. P.S. - I wish to discuss something more in private on your arrival and please have Professor Lupin come with you, he'll need to hear this as well.”

Nodding his head and sealing the envelope and handing Hedgwig some food and treats along with some vitamin water she 'd happily. Smiling at her with sadness as the memory of watching her fall out of the sky lifeless played in his mind and a tear rolled from his eyes and he quickly whipped them. Clenching his fist he then thought: ‘NO, I MEAN NO ONE WILL DIE FOR ME THIS TIME!’

In the medical office the boys of Draco crew being dragged off by suits of armor with their wands in Snape's possession as Pansy was laying on the further bed as she as coming out of the effects of an Obedience Potion given to her my Graham and Pike as it has been forced upon her. Snape looked at the female Malfoy and said: “Draca, everything will be okay.”

Hearing a sniffle and then saying: " No it won't, mother is trying to divorce father, but without a head of the black family she can't. Father embarrassed my entire family, Potter had found out and will most likely tell everyone.”

Snape sighed and said: " I don't think so, despite our dislike of Potter he is too much like his mother to always keep things close to the chest. Get some rest Draca, I have some letters to send out and don't worry about them, they will be severely punished.”

Back at the dorm of Harry, he heard Ron come up into the dormitory a short while later, but did not speak to him. For a long time, Harry lay staring up at the dark canopy of his bed. The dormitory was completely silent, and, had he been less preoccupied, Harry would have realized that the absence of Neville's usual snores meant that he was not the only one lying awake. 

Chapter 9: (Chapter Nine)

Summary:

Classes are becoming even more smoothly and Harry fights of Crucio, but yet who has arrived before everyone else?

(Chapter Nine)

Early next morning, Harry woke with a plan fully formed in his mind, as though his sleeping brain had been working on it all night. He got up, dressed in the pale dawn light, left the dormitory without waking Ron, and went back down to the deserted common room after sending Hedwig off with the letter. Hopefully this time the response was shorter. Climbing out of portrait hole, up through the silent castle and headed for the seventh floor corridor heading for the room of Requirement and walked back and forth thinking about his forefathers private room the door revealed itself and as he entered he saw the room was large connecting to other rooms with the main room housing various stations for various subjects, in one of the rooms was a common like room connected to a bedroom, a greenhouse room he added, a private kitchen and the Vivarium.  But he noticed it, on a stand in a glass case of a wand made from Elder Wood with goblin silver or mithril etched into it for an accent spiraling along the wand. Having his forefather's memories as the wand was the only known to have three wand cores, first binding the other two cores was a Thestral tail hair, the second was a horn serpent horn and the last was a Phoenix feather.

Feeling the wand pulsed in his hand and he began hearing whispers in  tongue as well as the cold chill of death and the fiery embrace of a fire. Gasping he smiled and and felt the numbing sensation go away and his wand within his robes. But as he waited for a reply, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"But - but you said it's illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainty as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. "You said - to use it against another human was -” Harry then said: “Plus our guardians all signed a form permitting this Mione so long as it's done under proper care and supervision."

Just as he said that the door opened and in stepped a young woman who looked to be six years older than them. She was a young witch with a pale heart-shaped face and dark twinkling eyes that reminded him of Malfoy a bit, as her hair was short and spiky, and was bubblegum pink. She wore a long coat of a white button up blouse and tight blue jeans with black boots on. She then said: “Hello everyone, I'll be your assistant for this exercise."

She looked around after going Moody’s side and saw several faces and noticed Draca and said: " Well Draca, finally ignoring your dike of an old man are ye, good on ya.”

Ron, Hermione and everyone looked at the female Draco who shrank in her seat and Ron whispered: “Bloody hell mate, you were right."

Harry snickered before saying: " Yeah, well saved her from a pickle. She must be still sore from the beating the other Slytherins gave her.”

Ron and Hermione looked at him and Moody then said: "Tonks, surprise you're here."

She smiled and said: “Come on moody, I was already going to be stationed here for the tournament so I volunteered to get here early. Now shall we begin.”

Moody then nodded and said to everyone, "Now, Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Harry and Ron grinned at each other. They knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson. Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Harry watched as, one by one, his classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. 

Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

"Potter," Moody growled, "you next.”

Shrugging with this as a battle of will he yawned and rolled his neck and said: " Shall we."

Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, "Imperio!"

It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him. And then he heard Mad-Eye Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: Jump onto the desk...jump onto the desk… but as he being his knees he winked at Tonk and he lunged at Moody and took out his legs from under him surprising him, Tonks and everyone. Once Moody hit the floor he began laughing at this, "Now, that's more like it!" growled Moody's voice, and suddenly, Harry felt the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappear. He remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in his knees seemed to double from the last time he had done this.

"Look at that, you lot...Potter fought! He fought it, and beat it as well as attacked the caster! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention - watch his eyes, that's where you see it - very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!”

“The way he talks," Harry muttered as he hobbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class an hour later as how Moody had insisted on putting Harry through his paces four times in a row, until Harry could throw off the curse entirely, “you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second."

"Yeah, I know," said Ron, who was skipping on every alternate step. He had had much more difficulty with the curse than Harry, though Moody assured him the effects would wear off by lunchtime. "Talk about paranoia..." Ron glanced nervously over his shoulder to check that Moody was definitely out of earshot and went on. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?”

Harry chuckled weakly and rolled his shoulders and said: “Still, I was surprised I literally kept attacking him. All I just wanted to do was resist, guess my resistance went into offensive."

Tonks came on by and said: " I'll say Potter, you did good. Not even some of the rookie auroras I've seen did as well as you and you Potter outshines them all. Keep up the work, as it will only get harder.”

She then walked off, and she was right as all the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned.

"You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -"

"We don't take O.W.L.s till fifth year!" said Dean Thomas indignantly.

"Maybe not, Thomas, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get! Miss Granger remains the only person in this class who has managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I might remind you that your pincushion, Thomas, still curls up in fright if anyone approaches it with a pin! As Mr.Potter can not use magic till a certain time.” Replied Ms. McGonagall. 

Though Hermione, who had turned rather pink again, seemed to be trying not to look too pleased with herself. Though Ron had been deeply amused when Professor Trelawney told them that they had received top marks for his homework in Divination. She read out large portions of their predictions, commending them for his unflinching acceptance of the horrors in store for him - but he was less amused when she asked them to do the same thing for the month after next; so he was  running out of ideas for catastrophes and began asking Harry and Ron some ideas. Although Harry was having a blast in Runes and excelled and had talked more and more with Susan about things and she was blushing as he made the slightest compliments toward her. But Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century. 

Professor Snape was forcing them to research antidotes. They took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked. Professor Flitwick had asked them to read three extra books in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Charms. Even Hagrid was adding to their workload. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace given that nobody had yet discovered what they ate. Hagrid was delighted, and as part of their "project," suggested that they come down to his hut on alternate evenings to observe them  and make notes on their extraordinary behavior. Which very few had done. 

“I  will not," said Draca Malfoy flatly when Hagrid had proposed this with the air of Father Christmas pulling an extra-large toy out of her sack. "I see enough of these foul things during lessons, thanks.”

Hagrid's smile faded off his face.

"He'll do what you're told," he growled, "or I'll be taking a leaf outta Professor Moody's book....I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy.”

Yeah they all had heard an hour ago that Malfoy had crossed Moody complaining about being used for the curse and was humiliated and the result turned into a ferret and Ron was dying of laughter hearing about it as did the other Gryffindors. Malfoy flushed with anger, but apparently the memory of Moody's punishment was still sufficiently painful to stop her from reporting and as she bent over she winced. Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the castle at the end of the lesson in high spirits; seeing Hagrid put down Malfoy was particularly satisfying, especially because Malfoy had done her very best to get Hagrid sacked the previous year. When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregating there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

 

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY-

"Brilliant!" said Harry. "It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"

 

STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.

 

"Only a week away!" said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him...."

"Cedric?" said Ron blankly as Ernie hurried off.

"Diggory," said Harry. "He must be entering the tournament."

"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" said Ron as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase.

"He's not an idiot. You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at Quidditch," said Hermione. "I've heard he's a really good student - and he's a prefect.”

Harry chuckled and said: “Yeah, at least now I can finally do magic again, man did it suck. Though that accident with my wand I did on the train kinda set me back till now.”

Raising his old wand he flicked it as a stream of bubbles emerged and he smiled feeling unweighted like he was for the past few days. "You only like him because he's handsome," said Ron scathingly.

"Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!" said Hermione indignantly.

Ron gave a loud false cough, which sounded oddly like "Lockhart!”

Hermione blushes and humphed as she looked away and Harry snickered and noticed Malfoy hobbling away with Tonks behind her trying to start a conversation, Harry walked over and noticed everyone was to invested into the notice and chatting and asked Draca: " How's the injury?"

She snapped her head toward him and said bitterly: “Why do you care Potter, come to gloat."

Shaking his head and saying: “No, whether you like it or not Draca, we are members of h Black family and I am concerned about you."

She turned away harshly and hobbled away and he said: “I'll try to end the humiliation your father has stained our family Draca, and tell your mother as well as yours Tonks they are always welcomed in the House of Black."

This surprised them and Harry walked to his table and noticed he nearly bumped into Susan and he said: “Oh hi, Susan, off to tell Cedric about the time stamp?"

She nodded and said: “Yeah, anyone in Gryffindor you are going to tell?*

Shaking his head and saying: “Gossip travels fast in Gryffindor so this will reach the seventh year before I can tell them. You do look stunning this evening."

The strawberry blonde girl blushed and whispered: “Thank you.*

She stormed off and he chuckled before taking his seat and saw Hermione and Ron looking at him and Hermione asked, sounding a little peeved: "What was that about?”

He then replied: "Don't know, but she did tell me more about her aunt wishing to meet Sirius, nothing major. You are ready for the weekend Ron you have a date with Lavender you know.”

He sputtered and Hermione looked at them and Ron hopped him on the shoulder and he laughed. As they sat, the appearance of the sign in the entrance hall had a marked effect upon the inhabitants of the castle. During the following week, there seemed to be only one topic of conversation, no matter where Harry went: the Triwizard Tournament. Rumors were flying from student to student like highly contagious germs: who was going to try for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves. Harry noticed too that the castle seemed to be undergoing an extra-thorough cleaning. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw pink faces. The suits of armor were suddenly gleaming and moving without squeaking, and Argus Filch, the caretaker, was behaving so ferociously to any students who forgot to wipe their shoes that he terrified a pair of first-year girls into hysterics. Other members seemed oddly tense too. 

"Longbottom, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple Switching Spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!" Professor McGonagall barked at the end of one particularly difficult lesson, during which Neville had accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus. 

But Harry had helped him focus and mentioned that his wand didn't seem compatible and pointed it out and word was sent back to his grandmother Alice. Though that was not the only good news Professor Snape has agreed to take on the task of making the potion, although it was brewed and there was no fear of it becoming spoiled of the sort to concoction reminded the Professors of Honey and Citrus that lasted a while. But it was the weekend before the week the schools arrived and is when Lavender had accepted the date to Hogsmeade with Ron and Harry and Ginny were already in Hogsmeade taking one of the passageways down to the town and using the cloak. Walking the streets of the town Harry then said: “You excited for next Friday?*

She nodded and said: " I wonder what the other schools will be like?”

Harry chuckled and said: "Hopefully not like Malfoy…" he grabbed her hand and pulled her down an alleyway and behind a building and shoved her against the wall of the building and whispered: “Though, now knowing Malfoy is a cheek, makes me want to. Put her beneath my feet and show her, her very place. Like yourself a skirt that only goes past your thighs and flutters loosely in the wind, and don't think I didn't notice your bare arse underneath it my lovely mare.”

She blushed and moaned as he began nipping at her neck and said in a gasp: " Master.”

He smiled and dropped to a squat and raised her skirt and said: " I won't go further than I want to, but I need to try this peach.”

+ Lime +

Ginerva Weasley gasped as Harry sucked on her clit and flicked his tongue on it in a licking motion as both his hands began playing with her ass. She moaned as his tongue swirled around her clitoris and his lips suck on it and her vaginal lips that seem to be an outie as she gasped and squirmed within his hands. He smirked as he kept this up and she shuddered and smacked and bit her index finger as one his fingers began teasing her backdoor and whimpered feeling it grazing her rose bud. He stood up and whispered hotly in her ear: “Such a beautiful strong girl you are…” finger trailed around her outer thigh and toward her clitorises and began grazing it as he said: "Yes a very strong girl… I wonder if I should strip you nude down now and have you parade around in only a harness like a real horse."

She moaned as he gently pushed a finger inside of her folds but not all the way and he continued as he gently slid it in: “Then I would have everyone watch as I breed your pussy with my heiress and.”

She moaned into her finger as his finger up to the second joint as inside and he began moving it around

She began rocking her hips trying to fuck herself in his finger. He began slowly pumping his finger and she grabbed his wrist keeping it in place. Smiling he kept on whispering vulgar things he would do to her causing her hips to move faster and harder trying to get that release. He then slid his aggressive finger inside of her causing her to casp but didn't stop her movement. He smiled and took his free hand and pulled up her shirt to show off her bare breast and began sucking and licking her nipples one at a time. She moaned out: “Master!"

Just then her peach quenched around his fingertips and began to gush on his hand and she moaned out still thrusting into his hand before letting it go and collapsed onto the ground breathing. 

+ Lime Ended +

Looking down upon her seeing she cummed with little effort made him displeased, placing a foot on her exposed crotch and lightly ground into it he said: “Now who gave you permission to cum. I'll figure you this one time my precious mare, but don't let it happen again."

She moaned in moan and ecstasy and got his foot off of her and she got up and used some charms to fix themselves before going about hogsmeade enjoying their date and saw Ron and Lavender in the Tavern, as Ron was being dragged off into the bathroom and Ginny was utterly surprised by this. Succumbing in a acceptance to this he and Ginny headed back to the castle and saw the twins chatting with some students about order and Ginny walked up to the two of them and she told them what she saw and the twins were surprised before gaining mischievous grins on their faces and began laughing. That night Neville, Dean and Seamus waited and saw Ron hobbled back into their room and suckered seeing his face covered in lipstick marks and Ron heard Dean say: “You good mate, Lavender must have pounced like a starved animal.”

Ron could only speak garble and they all laughed. But as the day they went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October, they found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffiindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H. Harry took his seat and sipped his cup of juice as Ginny was beside Hermione and across from him. Joining them was Fred and George, 

“It's a bummer, all right," George was saying gloomily to Fred. "But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forever."

"Who's avoiding you?" said Ron, sitting down next to them.

"Wish you would," said Fred, looking irritated at the interruption.

"What's a bummer?" Ron asked George.

"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," said George.

"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"

"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," said George bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon.”

Harry bit down on a piece of bread and said: “Could be a magical selection at random for those who are about to graduate. Though I wished they had some other things for those not the champions to partake in, if this is a tournament between the schools shouldn't there be other things?"

Few of them all nodded in agreement to this, "Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" said Ron thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before...."

"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," said Fred. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks."

"Who are the judges?" Harry asked, but he already knew.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," said Hermione, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage."

She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, "It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School.”

"What are you on about?" said Ron, though Harry thought he knew what was coming.

"House-elves!" said Hermione, her eyes flashing. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"

Harry shook his head and applied himself to his scrambled eggs. His and Ron's lack of enthusiasm had done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione's determination to pursue justice for house-elves. True, both of them had paid two Sickles for a S.P.E.W. badge, but they had only done it to keep her quiet. Their Sickles had been wasted, however; if anything, they seemed to have made Hermione more vociferous. She had been badgering Harry and Ron ever since, first to wear the badges, then to persuade others to do the same, and she had also taken to rattling around the Gryffindor common room every evening, cornering people and shaking the collecting tin under their noses and thus Harry could only face palm at Hermione not grasping the symbiosis between the wizards and the elves. Before she could speak more, hearing the cries of an owl, Harry looked up in surprise hearing Hedgwig come flying in with a small note on his right leg.

Landing beside him as he fed her a piece of meat he grabbed the note and said in a very low whisper: “Sirius is here and is hiding out in the Creaking Shack.”

Getting up he headed over to Susan and asked: " Susan, has your aunt arrived yet?”

She shook her head and said: " No, she'll be here on Halloween, why?”

He sighed and flashed her the note and she glanced at it and understood and he walked away and returned to his seat and said: " Sirius is finally getting his trial after Halloween.”

Chapter 10: (Chapter Ten)

Summary:

The delegations are arriving and the tournament is about to begin. Sirius has been handed to the right proper authorities and his trial is on the horizon. Yet we all know things are never simple with Harry.

(Chapter Ten)

For the rest of that day, there was a pleasant feeling of anticipation in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall. The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines.

“Weasley, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Ron. "Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair."

Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.

"Follow me, please," said Professor McGonagall. "First years in front...no pushing....” Thus they had descended the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years. 

“Nearly six," said Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?”

Hermione shook her head and replied: “I doubt it.”

Harry adjusting his sleeve replied: " Only two other ways they can arrive and as I've seen Haired with flags meaning someone is coming by air, most likely an enchanted carriage and the other by sea sees Bulgaria is from the mainland and far south near Italy.”

Ms. McGonagall looked at him and said: " Mr. Potter, how did you…" he replied: “Seems logical Professor."

She nodded accepting the answer and everyone looked at Harry in surprise and he gave a shrug. As everyone scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving; everything was still, silent, and quite as usual. Harry was starting to feel cold. He wished they'd hurry up....Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance....He remembered what Mr. Weasley had said back at the campsite before the Quidditch World Cup: "always the same - we can't resist showing off when we get together....” and thus, Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!”

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid...it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey.

Dennis's guess was closer… As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. Harvid’s flags began glowing as he signaled the carriage on where to land. As the front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.on the side of the carriage was a coat of arms of two golden wands, each emitting three stars. A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage as the door of it opened, he bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. 

He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped. Ron and Hermione gaped seeing someone larger than Hagrid as Harry saw Hagrid madly blushing at the giant woman coming out and he snickered seeing his friend acting shy. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. 

She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers. Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely bent to kiss it. 

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dort," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'hope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

Harry, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Harry could see of them, they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, as Hagrid was petting the horses who were eased by the giant man, surprising the French. 

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong....” 

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing.

"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

"How big d'you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?" Seamus Finnigan said, leaning around Lavender and Parvati to address Harry and Ron.

"Well, if they're any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won't be able to handle them," Replied Lavender. They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky.

For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then -

"Can you hear something?" said Ron suddenly.

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks -and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor.... What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool...and then Harry saw the rigging....

"It's a mast!" he said to Ron and Hermione.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle...but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee that curled at the end did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own. 

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good....Viktor, come along, into the warmth...you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile and he said: "Harry - it's Krum!”

Those who were at the world cup were shocked to see such a celebrity here and Harry shook his head and knew the storm was upon him. 

“I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts students filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," said Hermione.

"Only a Quidditch player?" Ron said, looking at her as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Hermione - he's one of the best Seekers in the world! I had no idea he was still at school!"

As they recrossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, Harry saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked - "Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me -", "D'you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?"

"Really," Hermione said softly as they passed the girls, now squabbling over the lipstick.

"I'm getting his autograph if I can," said Ron. "You haven't got a quill, have you, Harry?”

Harry slid him a quill and the two fist bumped. As they walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron took care to sit on the side facing the doorway, because Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around it, apparently unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads.

"It's not that cold," said Hermione defensively. "Why didn't they bring cloaks?”

Harry then said: "Warmer climates Mione, they most likely only wore hoodies on cold days for them. Also Ron, do not act like a goof, let them choose, trust me.”

Both nodded and watched as Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table. Harry could see some of the Slytherin looking smug, including Draca. But noticed the rest of Draca's old crew except for Pansy not in the hall. They were in school suspended confined to their room during late hours and had to have someone monitoring them at all times outside the dorm. 

“Yeah, that's right, smarm up to him, Malfoy," said Ron scathingly. "I bet Krum can see right through him, though...bet he gets people fawning over him all the time....Where d'you reckon they're going to sleep? We could offer him a space in our dormitory, Harry...I wouldn't mind giving him my bed, I could kip on a camp bed.”

He then replied: “Most likely somewhere in the castle, they're some places that have living quarters that could have been for teachers or guests who came to stay during its founding. But They look a lot happier than the Beauxbatons. “

He was right, as the Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed. Up at the staff table, Filch, the caretaker, was adding chairs. He was wearing his moldy old tailcoat in honor of the occasion. Hermione was surprised to see that he added four chairs, two on either side of Dumbledore's.

“But there are only two extra people," Hermione said. "Why's Filch putting out four chairs, who else is coming?"

"Eh?" said Ron vaguely. He was still staring avidly at Krum.

Harry then replied: “Problem for someone else, like the Minister?"

When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall. Shaking his head he said: “Most likely a rule at their Academy that they must stand till the Headmistress or Master has taken their seat."

Hermione pounded on this and thus they all heard,"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh.

"No one's making you stay!" Hermione whispered, bristling at her.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down, and Harry saw Karkaroff lean forward at once and engage him in conversation.

The plates in front of them were filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Harry had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign.

"What's that?" said Ron, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding.

"Bouillabaisse," said Hermione.

"Bless you," said Ron.

"It's French," said Hermione, "I had it on holiday last summer before last. It's very nice."

"I'll take your word for it," said Ron, helping himself to black pudding.

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep blood red. Hagrid sidled into the Hall through a door behind the staff table twenty minutes after the start of the feast. He slid into his seat at the end and waved at Harry, Ron, and Hermione who waved back at him. Many of Beauxbaton were surprised to notice how large the man was.

"Skrewts doing all right, Hagrid?" Harry called.

"Thrivin'," Hagrid called back happily as he continued onward. 

At that moment, a voice said, "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?"

It was the girl from Beauxbatons who had laughed during Dumbledore's speech. She had finally removed her muffler. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth. Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise.

"Yeah, have it," said Harry, pushing the dish toward the girl.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?" Replied the girl. 

"Yeah," Ron said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent.”

Lavender looked at the girl as she took the bowl back to her table and Harry said: " Relax Lavender, your boy toy had been hit with a Veepa allure. He'll be fine, and before you say anything Hermione, look behind us and at the Hufflepuff.”

Hermione looked and saw a few of the Slytherins not chatting with the Bulgarians and some of the Gryffindors, most of the male Hufflepuffs and a small amount of the Raven claws all going gaga over that girl. Hermione then asked as Harry looked at her as if he was puzzled and asked: “And why not you?"

He shrugged and said: “Don't know, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if someone or something didn't try to kill me for once as the mess always happens after Halloween.”

Just then Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime. Harry shrugged and said: “Close enough…” he then focused on Crouch and noticed anything for Junior, but nothing. 

“What are they doing here?" said Ron in surprise and just then Mr. Filch came back with one last chair to set it by Severus and just walked in, Amelia Bones.

"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they?" said Hermione. "I suppose they wanted to be here to see it start. But why is the Head of the DMLE here?”

Harry replied: "Remember…  Sirius, also because she may be here to oversee the security for the whole thing and the school as some of the foreign students could be children of their countries highest officials." 

When the second course arrived they noticed a number of unfamiliar desserts too. Ron examined an odd sort of pale blancmange closely, then moved it carefully a few inches to his right, so that it would be clearly visible from the Ravenclaw table. The girl who looked like a veela appeared to have eaten enough, however, and did not come over to get it. But Harry casually enjoyed them. Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. Harry felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming. Several seats down from them, Fred and George were leaning forward, staring at Dumbledore with great concentration.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket -"

"The what?" Hermione muttered.

Ron shrugged.

"- just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. Remembering him in his neat suit at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry thought he looked strange in wizard's robes. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts.”

At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Dennis Creevey actually stood on his chair to see it properly, but, being so tiny, his head hardly rose above anyone else's.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways.. their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire.”

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. As it shall also be guarded to prevent tampering and each guard has memorized the faces and ages of everyone of you.”

The twin made deep growing faces as any and all plans went dead and out the window. 

But to ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Before we all head to bed tonight, a demonstration shall be presented, a duel between two students.”

This surprised Harry this was a complete game changer and wondered if he would even be in the tournament itself. 

A dueling platform appeared in the center of the great hall and Dumbledore then said: “Ms. Malfoy, Mr. Potter if you'd please."

Both were surprised but got on the stage and Harry asked: “Rules Headmaster."

He then said: “First to disarm only wins, all spells. Taught at Hogwarts are acceptable and no spells aim to morally wound one another. Wanda at the read."

Both brought up their wands and she asked bitterly: “This I'll be so sweet Potter."

He smirked and said: “Bring it on Princess."

She lightly blushed and they walked away getting a good hen feet from the center and Dumbledore then said: “Begin!"

Soon sparks began to fly as Harry bobbed and waved before he flung torrent of water across the stage covering it and Draca fired off more stunners and less dangerous spells. But Harry bobbed and weaved between them before jamming his wand down, casting Glacius turning Draca's side into a sheet of ice, surprising everyone  and Moody smiled and laughed. Draca nearly kept losing her footing, but she had to duck and Harry then raised his wand back as a white ball formed upon it and he shouted: “Expecto Patronum."

It was beautiful large stag with large antlers that were well-branched with wings bursting forth from its sides and yet resembled nature in itself, the stag rushed at Draca who ducked under it as the stag rushed into the air and Harry came sliding a Ross the ice and pinned her down with his knee in her wand arm and the stag standing over the wand. Soon enough clapping and whistling was heard even the Beauxbaton students were surprised by the beautiful patronus spirit as it. Harry got off of her and helped her up as his Patronus vanished. Everyone stunned before Hagrid stood and began clapping at this and everyone followed suit and Moody had a mad shit eating smile on his face and nodded in approval. Helping her up as his patronus vanished and Harry helped her to her feet and Dumbledore said: “Well done Mr. Potter and Ms. Malfoy. Well done. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all.”

Most if not all of the students couldn't believe that a fourth year had a corporeal Patronus and while it was a stag, it was Peryton. Five rank classified beasts, though rare it was impossible to stop as one would only see a shadow of a man before they died and were gone in a second with no trace. Once the stage vanished as Harry and Draca dropped down he went to the others as he heard Ron say: “Dumbledore didn't say where the Durmstrang people are sleeping, did he?"

But this query was answered almost instantly; they were level with the Slytherin table now, and Karkaroff had just bustled up to his students.

"Back to the ship, then," he was saying. "Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"

Harry saw Krum shake his head as he pulled his furs back on. "Professor, Ivood like some vine," said one of the other Durmstrang boys hopefully.

"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliakoff," snapped Karkaroff, his warmly paternal air vanishing in an instant. "I notice you have dribbled food all down the front of your robes again, disgusting boy -” Karkaroff turned and led his students toward the doors, reaching them at exactly the same moment as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry stopped to let him walk through first.

"Thank you," said Karkaroff carelessly, glancing at him.

And then Karkaroff froze. He turned his head back to Harry and stared at him as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Behind their headmaster, the students from Durmstrang came to a halt too. Karkaroff's eyes moved slowly up Harry's face and fixed upon his scar. The Durmstrang students were staring curiously at Harry too. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw comprehension dawn on a few of their faces. The boy with food all down his front nudged the girl next to him and pointed openly at Harry's forehead.

"Yeah, that's Harry Potter, what you thought he was muggle born do to Potter being a common name among muggles" said a growling voice from behind them.

Professor Karkaroff spun around. Mad-Eye Moody was standing there, leaning heavily on his staff, his magical eye glaring unblinkingly at the Durmstrang headmaster.

The color drained from Karkaroff's face as Harry watched. A terrible look of mingled fury and fear came over him.

“You!" he said, staring at Moody as though unsure he was really seeing him.

"Me," said Moody grimly. "And unless you've got anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff, you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."

It was true; half the students in the Hall were now waiting behind them, looking over one another's shoulders to see what was causing the holdup. Without another word, Professor Karkaroff swept his students away with him. Moody watched him until he was out of sight, his magical eye fixed upon his back, a look of intense dislike upon his mutilated face. As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfast late. Ron and Hermione however, were not alone in rising much earlier than they usually did on weekends. But Harry was already out of the hall and meeting Amelia Bones and to his surprise Susan, Nymphadora and Moody were waiting for him at the side entrance where he asked Amelia to meet him. Moody then said: “Ah, Potter you've arrived. Care to explain why we are not heading to Hogsmeade?"

Harry then replied: “Sirius is holes up in the shrieking shack and there is a shortcut at the base of the whomping willow tree. There is a small knot near the base. Pressing the knot caused the tree to become immobilized similar to a pressure point.”

Harry raised his wand and headed outside and casted the immobilus and led the way through the tunnel and out at the shack upon they saw lying on the floor was a large black dog resembling a Grim making Susan become on edge as did Moody and Amelia. Harry sighed and said: “Enough jokes Padfoot."

The dog began transforming while the sound of laughing could be heard and standing before them was Sirius Black garbed in a black silk like shirt, dark blue pants and sneakers while smiling. Harry rushed and embraced the man into a hug. Sirius looked at the others and said: “Amelia, Moody pleasure seeing you both. And is that lil’ Nym geeze you've grown."

Nymphadora frowned with blushing cheeks and Harry gave a horse snicker and Amelia then said: “A pleasure to see you well Sirius, an illegal Animagus. Though you would be arrested, but given the circumstances of the unjust I'll let it slide. Thankfully your trial is prepared and without Malfoy and his cohorts who had pulled their image and are currently patching it up, we have little to no resistance now."

Sirius smiled and said: “Well then, I'd say when can we start?"

Amelia then said: “Two days from now. Would have been today, but final preparations for the Tournament are being done with."

Sirius quirked a brow at this and Harry said: *Triwizard Tournament, Padfoot.”

Sirius scowled hearing this but sighs and asks: "Are there restrictions."

Amelia nodded and said: “The Goblet is being closely monitored and no one under the age of seventeen may enter the tournament.”

"Harry, I know that look. Your father had it when he had a bad feeling?” Said Sirius as they all turned to Harry and he said: "Just a bad feeling Sirius, in the past three years one way or another someone had tried to kill, and I have a gut instinct this year will be no different. And I swear on my magic I do not want to enter this tournament.”

The witches and wizard froze, as they heard this, swearing on one's magic was the same as taking the unbreakable bow, but at the cost of one's magic. Amelia then said: “Well then, Sirius I believe it's time for us to go. Nymphadora, Moody I can trust you two to escort them out of here and Susan be good okay.”

Susan smiled and hugged the woman and said: " Okay, auntie.”

With that Sirius and Amelia appeared and they were escorted back through the tunnels and onto school grounds and the two fourth years headed for breakfast and Susan looked at him and said: “We you serious Harry, did you mean someone  may be trying to kill you?"

He nodded and said: “First year the troll and a dark wizard who broke.into.the school to steal something,  the second year was the heir who I had to face and had some. Vendetta against me and the Dementors who would not leave me alone. So I accept that someone wants me dead every year.”

Turning a corner he then had her against the wall as they nearly slipped on the wet floor probably caused by Peeve and as Susan blushed he smiled and said: “The more I look at you the more stunning you are, and not just looks. But your inner beauty, your mind and your personality."

She was blushing even deeper as she looked dizzy and he leaned down and caught her soft pink lips in a kiss and pulled her chin up surprising her even further. She shuddered and as he pulled away he then used his eye and whispered into her ear: “Do keep this to yourself Susie, I'd hate to think if someone were to use you against me.”

She nodded and he asked her: " Tell me, do you dream of me?”, nodding to his words she replied: " Yes, I dreamed of you owning me like a cow, milking my breast and giving birth to our children yearly like a breeding cow.”

He froze, it seemed she and Ginny would get along. Ending the eye she then turned Ruby red and she stuttered out: " Wh…  why…  why did I tell you that?"

Shrugging feigning innocence he replied: “Don't know, but I like that idea…” he then leaned in and captured her lips once more and whispered: " You in a cow lingerie with your udders hanging out and a bell around your neck so I can drink from these.”

He grabbed her left breast and fondled it making her moan and she said in embarrassment l: " H-Harry please.”

He smiled and kissed her again and said: " You are suck a maiden who is a closet pervert, don't worry m’lady your secrets are safe with me. Let's get something to eat, I need my prize Betsy looking healthy.”

Stream almost erupted as her face looked to have every ounce of blood within it and she felt him lead her to the great hall by the hand and her fingers locked with his and internally she was screaming like a happy fangirl.

Chapter 11: (Chapter Eleven)

Summary:

The time for the champions to be chosen is here and yet dark forces have risen and made there move. Now Harry must fly through the tournament of a storm and triumph over it once more.

(Chapter Eleven)

Upon coming into the entrance hall, the duo saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

"Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed," said Seamus. "I would've if it had been me...wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if the goblet just gobbed you right back out again?”

Someone laughed behind Harry. Turning, he saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.

"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Just take it."

"What?" said Ron.

"The Aging Potion, dung brains," said Fred.

"One drop each," said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," said Lee, grinning broadly.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," said Hermione warningly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

Fred, George, and Lee ignored her.

"Ready?" Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first -"

Harry watched, fascinated, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley - Hogwarts. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line. For a split second Harry thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Fred - but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards. The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours.”

Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Harry,who joined Hermione and Ron’s side as Susan went off with some of her friends into the Great Hall also chortling, went into breakfast. The decorations in the Great Hall had changed this morning. As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner. Harry led the way over to Dean and Seamus, who were discussing those Hogwarts students of seventeen or over who might be entering. "There's a rumor going around that Warrington got up early and put his name in," Dean told Harry. "That big bloke from Slytherin who looks like a sloth.”

Harry, who had played Quidditch against Warrington, shook his head and replied: “Moron is a fool and an idiot, he hardly ever was good at Quidditch, no way he and the other Slytherin can be champions.”

“Listen!" said Hermione suddenly.

People were cheering out in the entrance hall. They all swiveled around in their seats and saw Angelina Johnson coming into the Hall, grinning in an embarrassed sort of way. A tall black girl who played Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina came over to them, sat down, and said, "Well, I've done it! Just put my name in!"

"You're kidding!" said Ron, looking impressed.

"Are you seventeen, then?" asked Harry.

"Course she is, can't see a beard, can you?" said Ron.

"I had my birthday last week," said Angelina.

"Well, I'm glad someone from Gryffindor's entering," said Hermione. "I really hope you get it, Angelina!"

"Thanks, Hermione," said Angelina, smiling at her.

" Yeah, better you than Pretty-Boy Diggory, " said Seamus, causing several Hufflepuffs passing their table to scowl heavily at him.

"What're we going to do today, then?" Ron asked Harry and Hermione when they had finished breakfast and were leaving the Great Hall.

"We haven't been down to visit Hagrid yet," said Harry.

"Okay," said Ron, "just as long as he doesn't ask us to donate a few fingers to the skrewts."

A look of great excitement suddenly dawned on Hermione's face. Harry snickered at his friend's words and Hermione then said: “I've just realized - I haven't asked Hagrid to join S.P.E.W. yet!”"

She then began running off and called out to them: “Wait for me, will you, while I nip upstairs and get the badges?"

"What is it with her?" said Ron, exasperated, as Hermione ran away up the marble staircase.

Just then the students from Beauxbatons were coming through the front doors from the grounds, among them, the Veela-girl. Those gathered around the Goblet of Fire stood back to let them pass, watching eagerly.

Madame Maxime entered the hall behind her students and organized them into a line. One by one, the Beauxbatons students stepped across the Age Line and dropped their slips of parchment into the blue-white flames. As each name entered the fire, it turned briefly red and emitted sparks.

"What d'you reckon will happen to the ones who aren't chosen?" Ron muttered to Harry as the Veela-girl dropped her parchment into the Goblet of Fire. "Reckon they'll go back to school, or hang around to watch the tournament?”

Shrugging to this, “Dunno, but they'll hang around, I suppose....Madame Maxime's staying to judge, isn't she?"

When all the Beauxbatons students had submitted their names, Madame Maxime led them back out of the hall and out onto the grounds again.

"Where are they sleeping, then?" said Ron, moving toward the front doors and staring after them.

He then replied: “Their carriage could be enchanted like the gents were."

Ron nodded and accepted that answer and they heard a loud rattling noise behind them announcing Hermione's reappearance with the box of S. P. E.W. badges.

"Oh good, hurry up," said Ron, and he jumped down the stone steps, keeping his eyes on the back of the Veela-girl, who was now halfway across the lawn with Madame Maxime.

As they neared Hagrid's cabin on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the mystery of the Beauxbatons' sleeping quarters was solved. The gigantic powder-blue carriage in which they had arrived had been parked two hundred yards from Hagrid's front door, and the students were climbing back inside it. The elephantine flying horses that had pulled the carriage were now grazing in a makeshift paddock alongside it. Harry walked over and patted the horses and some of the Beauxbatons students saw the horses ease into Harry’s touch surprising them. Even Madame Maxime saw this and how the horses looked pleased by this. "'Bout time!" said Hagrid, when he'd flung open the door. "Thought you 'd forgotten where I live!"

"We've been really busy, Hag -" Hermione started to say, but then she stopped dead, looking up at Hagrid, apparently lost for words.

Harry and Ron looked at him with quirked brows and saw Hagrid wearing his best, yet very ugly hairy brown suit, plus a checked yellow-and-orange tie. This wasn't the worst of it, though; he had evidently tried to tame his hair, using large quantities of what appeared to be axle grease. It was now slicked down into two bunches - perhaps he had tried a ponytail like Bill's, but found he had too much hair. The look didn't really suit Hagrid at all. For a moment, Hermione goggled at him, then, obviously deciding not to comment, she said, "Erm - where are the skrewts.”

"Out by the pumpkin patch," said Hagrid happily. "They're gettin' massive, must' be nearly three feet long now. Only trouble is, they've started killing' each other."

"Oh no, really?" said Hermione, shooting a repressive look at Ron, who, staring at Hagrid's odd hairstyle, had just opened his mouth to say something about it.

Harry then said: “Maybe they act like scorpions as some scorpions do act territorial Hagrid, so maybe don't have them all clumped together."

He nodded and said: “Good idea ‘arry. S' okay, though, I've got 'em in separate boxes now. Still got abou' twenty."

"Well, that's lucky," said Ron. Hagrid missed the sarcasm.

Hagrid's cabin comprised a single room, in one corner of which was a gigantic bed covered in a patchwork quilt. A similarly enormous wooden table and chairs stood in front of the fire beneath the quantity of cured hams and dead birds hanging from the ceiling. They sat down at the table while Hagrid started to make tea, and were soon immersed in yet more discussion of the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid seemed quite as excited about it as they were.

"You wait," he said, grinning. "You jus' wait. Yer going ter see some stuff yeh've never seen before. Firs' task...ah, but I'm not supposed ter say.”

Harry then asked: “So Hagrid, any news about Norbert from Charlie yet?"

Hagrid replied: “Last I heard, Norbert was healthy as can be and I can come and visit on my next holiday."

The trio smiled seeing Hagrid looked extremely excited, as thy chatted and eventual had lunch with Hagrid, though they didn't eat much - Hagrid had made what he said was a beef casserole, but after Hermione unearthed a large talon in hers, she, Harry, and Ron rather lost their appetites. However, they enjoyed themselves trying to make Hagrid tell them what the tasks in the tournament were going to be, speculating which of the entrants were likely to be selected as champions, and wondering whether Fred and George were beardless yet. A light rain had started to fall by mid afternoon; it was very cozy sitting by the fire, listening to the gentle patter of the drops on the window, watching Hagrid darning his socks and arguing with Hermione about house-elves - for he flatly refused to join S.P.E.W. when she showed him her badges.

"It'd be doin' 'em an unkindness, Hermione," he said gravely, threading a massive bone needle with thick yellow yarn. "It's in their nature ter look after humans, that's what they like, see? Yeh'd be makin' 'em unhappy ter take away their work, an' insutin' 'em if yeh tried ter pay 'em."

"But Harry set Dobby free, and he was over the moon about it!" said Hermione. "And we heard he's asking for wages now!"

"Yeah, well, yeh get weirdos in every breed. I'm not sayin' there isn't the odd elf who'd take freedom, but yeh'll never persuade most of 'em ter do it - no, nothin' doin', Hermione.” He replied and Harry then added: “Plus, he was the Malfoy’s of course I did what I did. Hermione as I said it is a symbolic relation, to them it's like a lung or a heart, they need this. As for Dobby, he can be a bit crazy. But I'm afraid the signs of without something to do may show.”

Hermione looked very cross indeed and stuffed her box of badges back into her cloak pocket. By half past five it was growing dark, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione decided it was time to get back up to the castle for the Halloween feast - and, more important, the announcement of the school champions.

"I'll come with yeh," said Hagrid, putting away his darning. "Jus' give us a sec."

Hagrid got up, went across to the chest of drawers beside his bed, and began searching for something inside it. They didn't pay too much attention until a truly horrible smell reached their nostrils. Coughing, Ron said, "Hagrid, what's that?"

"Eh?" said Hagrid, turning around with a large bottle in his hand. "Don' yeh like it?"

"Is that aftershave?" said Hermione in a slightly choked voice.

"Er - eau de cologne," Hagrid muttered. He was blushing.

"Maybe it's a bit much," he said gruffly. "I'll go take it off, hang on…” but Harry said: " Don't use too much Hagrid, just enough will do.”

"And what's with the hair and the suit?" said Harry in an undertone.

"Look!" said Ron suddenly, pointing out of the window. Hagrid had just straightened up and turned 'round. If he had been blushing before, it was nothing to what he was doing now. Getting to their feet very cautiously, so that Hagrid wouldn't spot them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione peered through the window and saw that Madame Maxime and the Beauxbatons students had just emerged from their carriage, clearly about to set off for the feast too. They couldn't hear what Hagrid was saying, but he was talking to Madame Maxime with a rapt, misty-eyed expression Harry had only ever seen him wear once before - when he had been looking at the baby dragon, Norbert.

"He's going up to the castle with her!" said Hermione indignantly. "I thought he was waiting for us!”

Harry then said with a teasing look: " He fancies her, let's not ruin this, but help when we can.”

Without so much as a backward glance at his cabin, Hagrid was trudging off up the grounds with Madame Maxime, the Beauxbatons students following in their wake, jogging to keep up with their enormous strides. Ron then said with a quivering brow as the trio walked away: “Well, if they end up having children, they'll be setting a world record - bet any baby of theirs would weigh about a ton.”

They let themselves out of the cabin and shut the door behind them. It was surprisingly dark outside. Drawing their cloaks more closely around themselves, they set off up the sloping lawns.

"Ooh it's them, look!" Hermione whispered.

The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff, and the other Durmstrang students were struggling along behind them. Ron watched Krum excitedly, but Krum did not look around as he reached the front doors a little ahead of Hermione, Ron, and Harry and proceeded through them. When they entered the candlelit Great Hall it was almost full. The Goblet of Fire had been moved; it was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teachers' table. Fred and George - clean-shaven again - seemed to have taken their disappointment fairly well. "Hope it's Angelina," said Fred as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down.

"So do I!" said Hermione breathlessly. "Well, we'll soon know!"

The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps because it was their second feast in two days, Harry didn't seem to fancy the extravagantly prepared food as much as he would have normally, and by normally hardly any as today was his parents death and although the first year he pigged out do to he hardly ever ate at the Dursleys though unlike everyone else in the Hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating yet, Harry simply wanted the plates to clear, and to hear who had been selected as champions. At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions.”

Harry then noticed something, Crouch senior, his tongue flicked as he turned his head and he smiled finding the bastard. Seeing the man drink from a flask as he saw it was cold medicine to some of the staff members Harry thought: ‘Most likely keeping his old man alive and came to the diner to see his work and his father is asleep somewhere or under the Crucio curse.”

As Dumbledore took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting....A few people kept checking their watches… “Any second," Lee Jordan whispered, two seats away from Harry.

The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum.”

Dumstrang and Slytherin roared out in union, “No surprises there!" yelled Ron as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall. Harry saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore; he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!”

The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted as the girl who so resembled a veela got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party. "Disappointed" was a bit of an understatement, Harry thought. 

Two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms, but the smallest of the girls who sat with Fleur who looked like a miniature version of her looked on in worry. Harry recognized her as Gabrielle Decalour, their father was the head of international affairs for the French Ministry. When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next… and the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

"No! " said Ron loudly, but nobody heard him except Harry; the uproar from the next table was too great. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. 

And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out - "Harry Potter.”

Harry groaned then roared out: " Fucking god damn called it!”

Everyone who fell into silence heard this and everyone looked confused. Susan looked at him with concern as did Ginny, even Draca looked at him with a hint of concern under her scowl of annoyance as she sat beside Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis and Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's sister Harry had a scowl on his face and walked by, everyone saw the hard deep look in his eyes as if he didn't want this, as there was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he walked by. Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly. He turned back and saw the blank looks of betrayal he first saw on his friends the last time. It felt like an immensely long walk; the top table didn't seem to be getting any nearer at all, and he could feel hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon him, as though each were a searchlight. 

The buzzing grew louder and louder. After what seemed like an hour, he was right in front of Dumbledore, feeling the stares of all the teachers upon him.

"Well...through the door, Harry," said Dumbledore. 

He wasn't smiling, no he was outright furious and the look he gave Dumbledore reminded him of the same look both Gerald and Tom had given him, a look of annoyance and displeasure. As he moved off along the teachers' table. Hagrid was seated right at the end. He did not wink at Harry, or wave, or give any of his usual signs of greeting. He looked completely astonished and stared at Harry as he passed like everyone else. Harry went through the door out of the Great Hall and found himself in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite him.

Chapter 12: (Chapter Twelve)

Summary:

The selection has passed and Harry finds himself once more within the tournament itself and yet he does not fear it but welcomes it and is out for blood. But Sirius trial draws near and he began doing necessary research for what he must know that he didn't know.

(Chapter Twelve)

Within the room were the other champions gathered as the faces in the portraits turned to look at him as he entered. He saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache. The wizened witch started whispering in his ear. Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour were grouped around the fire. They looked strangely impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Krum, hunched-up and brooding, was leaning against the mantelpiece, slightly apart from the other two. Cedric was standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the fire, but Fleur Delacour looked around when Harry walked in and threw back her sheet of long, silvery hair.

"What is it?" she said. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

She thought he had come to deliver a message. Harry didn't know how to explain what had just happened. He just stood there, looking at the three champions. It struck him how very tall all of them were. He roared out kicking over a table and shouted: “Fucking hell, just one goddamn year, just one fucking goddamn year I'd like. To not be dragged into a life and death scenario, just one fucking year. And now I am forced into the tournament because some jackass threw my name in the Goblet!”

Cedric frowned hearing this and whispered: “Past three years there have been instances that Harry ended up being a target as someone has been trying to kill him. Last few played it off as an accident by the Dementors, but they were ordered to not be anywhere near the school."

Fleur and Krum looked at him, seeing him passing in Harry’s mind he knew he shouldn't act like this, but guess time travel unfortunately didn't cover most of his maturity. There was a sound of scurrying feet behind him, and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He took Harry by the arm and led him forward.

"Extraordinary!" he muttered, squeezing Harry's arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen...lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce - incredible though it may seem - the fourth Triwizard champion?"

Viktor Krum straightened up. His surly face darkened as he surveyed Harry. Cedric looked nonplussed. He looked from Bagman to Harry and back again as though sure he must have misheard what Bagman had said. Fleur Delacour, however, tossed her hair, smiling, and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

Krum's thick eyebrows contracted slightly. Cedric was still looking politely bewildered. Fleur frowned.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," she said contemptuously to Bagman. "'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."

"Well...it is amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as his name's come out of the goblet...I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage....It's down in the rules, you're obliged...Harry will just have to do the best he -"

The door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Professor Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Harry heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall, before Professor McGonagall closed the door.

"Madame Maxime!" said Fleur at once, striding over to her headmistress. "Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!”

Madame Maxime had drawn herself up to her full, and considerable, height. The top of her handsome head brushed the candle-filled chandelier, and her gigantic black-satin bosom swelled.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" she said imperiously.

"I'd rather like to know about myself, Dumbledore," said Professor Karkaroff. He was wearing a steely smile, and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions - or have I not read the rules carefully enough?"

He gave a short and nasty laugh.

"C'est impossible," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."

"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, his steely smile still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever. "Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools.”

"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," said Snape softly. His black eyes were alight with malice. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here -"

"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore firmly, and Snape went quiet, though his eyes still glinted malevolently through his curtain of greasy black hair.

Just then the door slammed and in came Amelia who said: “Mr. Potter, is what Susan said is true."

He nodded and said: “Yes ma’am and like I swore on my magic I had no desire to join this foolishness."

She nodded and said: “It's obvious that his name was put in by someone else as if he had asked someone else or had done it he would have been killed as he had taken a vow on his magic

This stopped everyone as Professor McGongall then asked: “Is that true, Mr. Potter?"

He nodded and said: “Yes ma’am, in my paranoia because my last three years here were nothing but a survival I decided to make sure that if my name did end up in the Goblet I wouldn't be claimed as a cheater, but rather showing I was a victim. Think about my first two years someone tried to still Nicholas Flamel stone guarded by professor Dumbledore and wanted to kill me to gain fame among dark witches and wizards, again second year someone tries to kill me again and lure me them after petrifying my friend and kidnapping another and both times the Headmaster is nowhere and none of the teachers could do a thing. Last year I was constantly tormented by Dementors on school grounds, so excuse me for not suspecting the rest of. My education is a noose for me.*

The Hogwarts staff flinched and Harry took a seat and crossed his arms. Professor Dumbledore was now looking down at Harry, who looked right back at him, trying to discern the expression of the eyes behind the half-moon spectacles. Moody wobbled in and said: “If the kid is correct, another Dark wizard or witch wants him dead, any of Voldemort's followers could be seeking revenge and using the tournament to do it or trying to make a name for themselves.”

Harry scoffed at the name and said: "Followers of a coward, who had no real stones to face someone at their strongest. You can bet, if I ever found out who did this, they just started a blood feud and you beat have a body bag for them.”

“Mr. Crouch...Mr. Bagman," said Karkaroff, his voice unctuous once more, "you are our - er - objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of the firelight, his face half hidden in shadow. He looked slightly eerie, the half darkness making him look much older, giving him an almost skull-like appearance. When he spoke, however, it was in his usual curt voice.

"We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," said Bagman, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed.

"I insist upon submitting the names of the rest of my students," said Karkaroff. He had dropped his unctuous tone and his smile now. His face wore a very ugly look indeed. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," said Bagman. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out - it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament -"

"- in which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" exploded Karkaroff. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!”

Harry then said: “It's magic binding, if the contracts are dire consequences would fall onto all even the officials. The tournament will have to be seen through and through."

Crouch then said: “Mr. Potter is correct, until the tournament is complete those participating must follow through."

Moody had just entered the room. He limped toward the fire, and with every right step he took, there was a loud clunk and said: " All too, Convenient.”

"Convenient?" said Karkaroff. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."

Harry could tell he was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Moody was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they had balled themselves into fists.

"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" said Madame Maxime.

Harry shook his head and said: " No, I won't be representing Hogwarts, that's Cedric…  as for me, I'll be representing my family.”

“Good choice lad, as anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter," growled Moody, "but...funny thing… is why did the guards not stop anyone fron placing his name into the goblet, obvious the person who did was doing it while everyone was asleep and with the age line, all adults here are liable suspects.”

“Why should 'e complain?" burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. "'E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money - zis is a chance many would die for!"

"True, but Potter is correct saying someone is hoping he is going to die for it," said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl.

Harry's eyes hardened as he stood and said: “Then I have one thing to say…  bring it!”

Moody had a savage smile as an extremely tense silence followed these words. Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, "Moody, old man...what a thing to say!"

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons.

Harry scoffed and said: “Please, if anything, him coming was the best solution, out of everyone I broke the Crucio curse and tackled him to the ground."

This surprised everyone as Moody laughed and said:”Boy that was a shocker, kid has a will of a dragon I'll give him that. But it was a skilled witch or wizard who put the boy's name in that goblet..."

"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" said Madame Maxime, throwing up her huge hands.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" said Moody. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament....I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category...."

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody," said Karkaroff coldly, "and a very ingenious theory it is - though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised basilisk egg, and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously...."

"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage," Moody retorted in a menacing voice. "It's my job to think the way Dark wizards do, Karkaroff - as you ought to remember...

"Alastor!" said Dumbledore warningly. Harry wondered for a moment whom he was speaking to, but then realized "Mad-Eye" could hardly be Moody's real first name. Moody fell silent, though still surveying Karkaroff with satisfaction - Karkaroff's face was burning.

"How this situation arose, we do not know," said Dumbledore, speaking to everyone gathered in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament. Therefore, they will do...."

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr -" Maxime started, but Dumbledore said to her: "My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

Dumbledore waited, but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. She wasn't the only one either. Snape looked furious; Karkaroff livid; Bagman, however, looked rather excited.

"Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie.

"Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes...the first task..."

He moved forward into the firelight. Close up, Harry thought he looked ill. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a thin, papery look about his wrinkled skin that had not been there at the Quidditch World Cup.

“The first task is designed to test your daring," he told Harry, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, "so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard...very important.... The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."

Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore and said: "I think that's all, is it Albus?"

"I think so," said Dumbledore, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?”

“No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," said Mr. Crouch. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment....I've left young Weatherby in charge....Very enthusiastic...a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told..."

"You'll come and have a drink before you go, at least?" said Dumbledore.

"Come on, Barry, I'm staying!" said Bagman brightly. "It's all happening at Hogwarts now, you know, much more exciting here than at the office!"

"I think not, Ludo," said Crouch with a touch of his old impatience.

"Professor Karkaroff - Madame Maxime - a nightcap?" said Dumbledore.

But Madame Maxime had already put her arm around Fleur's shoulders and was leading her swiftly out of the room. Harry could hear them both talking very fast in French as they went off into the Great Hall. Karkaroff beckoned to Krum, and they, too, exited, though in silence. Harry soon followed suit and said: “Don't worry Professor, I have my own game plan forming."

Exiting the room he saw the Great Hall was deserted now; the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins an eerie, flickering quality.

"So," said Cedric, with a slight smile. "We're playing against each other again!"

"I s'pose," said Harry. He really couldn't think of anything to say. The inside of his head seemed to be in complete disarray, as though his brain had been ransacked.

"So...tell me..." said Cedric as they reached the entrance hall, which was now lit only by torches in the absence of the Goblet of Fire. "How did you get your name in?"

He shook his head and replied: “I didn't, wouldn't put it past Lucius Malfoy since I was the one who ratted him out of his habit and hoodwinked him into freeing his elf."

"Ah...okay," said Cedric. Harry could tell Cedric didn't believe him. "Well...see you, then."

Instead of going up the marble staircase, Cedric headed for a door to its right. Harry stood listening to him going down the stone steps beyond it, then, slowly, he started to climb the marble ones. Harry then said: “Dobby"

Dobby appeared and said: “Yes Harry Potter, how can Dobby be of assistance.*

He then said: "Be prepared to have my things taken out of Gryffindor tomorrow, I have a feeling that I won't be welcomed like in my second year again."

Dobby nodded his head and frowned a bit And Harry asked: “But, I do think I can help Winky out. I know sooner or later your magic will start to lose strength and yet you'll have to find a new family again."

Dobby nodded and said: “Yes sir, Dobby has already begun to feel its effect.*

Harry knelt down and said: " Why don't you both work for me, you both have just as much right to say to your own personal being and you know. I would listen to them.”

Dobby smiled and had to vanish as they heard Filch nearby and Harry headed up to Gryffindor tower. As he soon found himself facing the Fat Lady already. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbor's painting when he had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him with the keen interest.

"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"

"Balderdash," said Harry dully.

"It most certainly isn't!" said the pale witch indignantly.

"No, no, Vi, it's the password," said the Fat Lady soothingly, and she swung forward on her hinges to let Harry into the common room.

The blast of noise that met Harry's ears when the portrait opened almost knocked him backward. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were looking at him with indifference or few with pride.

"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.

Harry then said: " I didn't, Moody figured out that someone had used a powerful confusion charm. On the relic I think four schools were qualifying this year. Seems he was right.*

He raised the slip he swiped and it showed: “Harry James Potter, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” he then said: " Tomorrow I'll be looking up the restrictions of the Goblet, hoping I can find some loopholes to use for the tournament.”

Entering his dorm room, he saw Ron laying on his bed with a deep hard look. "So," he said, and continued seeing Harry collapse onto his bed: "Congratulations.”

"What d'you mean, congratulations?" said Harry, staring at Ron. There was definitely something wrong with the way Ron was smiling: It was more like a grimace.

"Well...no one else got across the Age Line," said Ron. "Not even Fred and George. What did you use - the Invisibility Cloak?"

"The Invisibility Cloak wouldn't have got me over that line," said Harry slowly.

"Oh right," said Ron. "I thought you might've told me if it was the cloak...because it would've covered both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you?"

"Listen," said Harry, "I didn't put my name in that goblet. Someone else must've done it."

Ron raised his eyebrows.

"What would they do that for?"

"I dunno," said Harry. He felt it would sound very melodramatic to say, "To kill me."

Ron's eyebrows rose so high that they were in danger of disappearing into his hair.

"It's okay, you know, you can tell me the truth," he said. "If you don't want everyone else to know, fine, but I don't know why you're bothering to lie, you didn't get into trouble for it, did you? That friend of the Fat Lady's, that Violet, she's already told us all Dumbledore's letting you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money, eh? And you don't have to do end-of-year tests either...."

"I didn't put my name in that goblet! Okay, I didn't want any of this nonsense, hell I didn't even asked for the fame I original had.yet, by some sick twisted fucking fate, I am thrown into this mess." said Harry, starting to feel angry.

"Yeah, okay," said Ron, in exactly the same skeptical tone as Cedric.

"You're doing a really good impression of it," Harry snapped.

"Yeah?" said Ron, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on his face now. "You want to get to bed, Harry. I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something."

He wrenched the hangings shut around his four-poster, leaving Harry standing there by the door, staring at the dark red velvet curtains, now hiding one of the few people he had been sure would believe him. Scowling he he looked to the ceiling of his bed and rubbed his face, by early dawn he had awaken and had Dobby pack his things and led him down to the dungeons and opened the Scriptorium before Winky soon joined them and helped set his things aside and he rushed to the Library and dug for any information he could find anything. Doing some research about the binding contract with the Goblet, he discovered five things. One he couldn't leave England, Scotland and Wales area meaning he could go to Sirius trial, second was the he could come and go as he pleased within in reason during classes, thirdly was private quarters as he already had a place in mind to have some silence as the Scriptorium, fourthly he could not bring any enchanted item other than his wand into the challenges, but could summon them and lastly was the most crucial one, none of the other  champions or the headmaster or Mistresses are allowed to sabotage the other.

Nodding his head he packed everything away and said: “Welp, shouldn't act like this wasn't coming."

Exiting the library he stopped and looked to see he nearly bumped into Professor Snape and he said: “Mr. Potter, doing some early reading, have we?"

He replied calmly: “Just checking the rules sir, how is the potion?"

Snape only replied: “It is finished, just need the clearance from the Minister."

Harry nodded and walked away leaving Snape to watch him. Rounding the corner and heading for breakfast he rubbed his face and knew whatever happens, happens. 

Chapter 13: (Chapter Thirteen)

Summary:

Harry is going through about his daily life and now comes across a familiar blonde raven claw and now the wand weighing ceremony.

(Chapter Thirteen)

Heading to the Great Hall, Harry had rushed and grabbed the time he had earlier and found something. Though the book had many ideas, hardly any of them were put into practice and if they did…  they were incomplete. Though it was a small time the size of a notebook, it still had uses. But as he noticed he came face-to-face with Hermione. She looked at him and said: “Hello," she said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. "I brought you this....Want to go for a walk?"

"Good idea," said Harry gratefully.

They went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, reflected blackley in the water. It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching their toast, as Harry told Hermione exactly what had happened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before. To his immense relief, Hermione accepted his story without question.

"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself," she said when he'd finished telling her about the scene in the chamber off the Hall. "The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry...I don't think any student could have done it...they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's -"

"Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted.

Hermione hesitated, "Erm...yes...he was at breakfast," she said.

"Does he still think I entered myself?" He asked her as he bit down on the toast which thankfully had melted cheese on it.

"Well...no, I don't think so...not really," said Hermione awkwardly.

He then asked her: " Be honest with me, do you actually think so? I enter my name in the Goblet, do you honestly think out of everyone the one person who just wants an average day wants excitement and glory to be in this mess?”

She remained silent and looked away, finishing his toast he then said: “Can't believe it, you do, you honestly do believe it. Hermione we've known each other for nearly four years and when have I ever sought glory, when have I ever?"

She remained silent and looked down and he said: “Answer me."

She clenched her fists and said: “Yes I do, Harry you may be the thickest, yet kindest and generous person here. But you sometimes go chasing after the problems instead of letting others deal with them. So I am not sorry for thinking you went out of your way of doing this."

He snarled and said: “Does our trust between each other mean that little to you to not trust me enough to not do something that I truly don't want, I never asked to find the chamber of secrets. All I wanted was to discover the source, tell the teachers and be done with it, but no, I had to go avenge my closest friend and rescue my best friend's sister, not to mention the year before that on that Halloween night I wanted nothing more than to make sure you were okay. Every time you were hurt, every time you were in pain I was always there for you more times than Ron. I guess I see my friends are nothing more than bigots who believe what they believe then what they know.”

He got up and pulled out his badge he kept and tossed it on the ground and walked away, Hermione picked it up and clutched it and tried to call out to him only to find he was gone. Apparition outside the room of requirement he shuddered, hating the sensation and soon the room appeared as the massive storage space and he ventured inside and he began searching. Soon he found the small chest and opened it to see the Diadem, finding a piece of parchment and quill with ink he began writing it and said: “Dear, Ragnok. I have found another piece of Voldemort that has been tainted, I did some research and thinking and found a strange room created by Rowena Ravenclaw and found this, her Diadem and I can feel the phantom sting from my scar acting around it. I believe that another item of the founders may have become one of them. I trust you know what to do with this and to cover the cost take it from my vault at most haste. Though please send some of the Goblins to immediately begin harvesting the Basilisk in two days, I shall open the chamber of secrets by then. Signed, High Lord Harry Potter."

Heading to the owlery he got the largest owl and sent it off to Gringotts. Nodding his head as he watched it fly off he grabbed his book and headed off about his day. Unlike a select few of Gryffindor, the rest of the school such as the Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of them. One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate this. It was plain that the Hufflepuffs felt that Harry had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch. Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finchfletchley, with whom Harry normally got on very well, did not talk to him even though they were repotting Bouncing Bulbs at the same tray - though they did laugh rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face. 

Ron wasn't talking to Harry either. Hermione sat between them, making very forced conversation, but though both answered her normally, they avoided making eye contact with each other. Harry thought even Professor Sprout seemed distant with him - but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House. The only Hufflepuff who believed him was Susan who tried her best to cheer him up. He would have been looking forward to seeing Hagrid under normal circumstances, but Care of Magical Creatures meant seeing the Slytherins too - the first time he would come face-to-face with them since becoming champion. Though the usual feeling from the Slytherin was even more, but Draca remained quiet alongside her new group of Tracey, Daphne and Astoria as Pansy only scoffed at him. As class was drawing near Hagrid came over and then said: “So - yer competin', Harry. In the tournament. School champion."

"One of the champions, but not the schools." Harry corrected him.

Hagrid's beetle-black eyes looked very anxious under his wild eyebrows.

"No idea who put yeh in fer it, Harry?"

"You believe I didn't do it, then?" said Harry, concealing with difficulty the rush of gratitude he felt at Hagrid's words.

"Course I do," Hagrid grunted. "Yeh say it wasn' you, an' I believe yeh - an' Dumbledore believes yer, an' all.”

Wish I knew who did do it," said Harry bitterly.

The pair of them looked out over the lawn; the class was widely scattered now, and all in great difficulty. The skrewts were now over three feet long, and extremely powerful. No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny armor. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs- but still without recognizable heads or eyes. They had become immensely strong and very hard to control.

"Look like they're havin' fun, don' they?" Hagrid said happily. Harry assumed he was talking about the skrewts, because his classmates certainly weren't; every now and then, with an alarming bang, one of the skrewts' ends would explode, causing it to shoot forward several yards, and more than one person was being dragged along on their stomach, trying desperately to get back on their feet.

"Ah, I don' know, Harry," Hagrid sighed suddenly, looking back down at him with a worried expression on his face. "School champion...everythin' seems ter happen ter you, doesn' it?"

Harry didn't answer. Yes, everything did seem to happen to him...that was more or less what Hermione had said as they had walked around the lake, and that was the reason, according to her, that Ron was no longer talking to him. The next few days were some of Harry's worst at Hogwarts. The closest he had ever come to feeling like this had been during those months, in his second year, when a large part of the school had suspected him of attacking his fellow students. But Ron had been on his side then. He thought he could have coped with the rest of the school's behavior if he could just have had Ron back as a friend, but he wasn't going to try and persuade Ron to talk to him if Ron didn't want to, neither did Hermione. 

Nevertheless, it was lonely with dislike pouring in on him from all sides, so on the weekend he began preparing. But several good news: he made what he had spent and ten times over from the Basilisk but kept the fangs for everything and told them to hold off on destroying the fragments after being given the Diadem as he wanted to wait till he made sure he found them all. Thus Harry stored the fragments in his great-grandfather's workshop in the room of requirement. Another good thing came, due to his classes and Dumbledore not allowing him to go to Sirius trial, Sirius was set to be on House Arrest and heavily compensated and when word reached the news of Sirius Black being an innocent man people looked at him with no difference. But when he told Dumbledore the morning of the trial, Dumbledore his a might displeased look and almost physically scowled to this, and with Sirius technically a free man no more secret letters. Having sent a letter off to Sirius to get in touch with Lupin to discuss something important, he was enjoying Rune class still and he and Susan sat in the back corner of the library and he noticed out of the corner of his eye, a stalker from Beauxbaton, she did resemble Narcissa and Bellatrix, but with a more pudgy feature.

She has long silver blonde hair with blue tips dark gray eyes as she gave him a hard look. Then he say Draca walking over and she said: “Delphini, can we talk."

The girl named Delphine looked to Draca as Nymphadora joins them and the three walked off most likely having a family discussion seeing the daughters of the black sisters gone he heard footsteps and looked to see a familiar wavy yet curly dirty blonde haired girl with silver eyes as she was bare footed. And he walked over to her as she was trying to reach for a book and he said: “Here, let me."

Reaching up, he grabbed the book and handed it to her. The girl has a dream like state in her eyes and said: “Hello Harry, or well an alternate Harry. Seems you e came to do some things.”

In the last timeline he figured that Luna may have been a seer of sorts or someone with a unique magic ability to see what others could not as a result of her mother's spell. He shakes his head and said: " Hello again Luna, I take it you know why I am here?”

She shakes her head and said: " No, just that you are not the same Harry I know, your more hardened, and yet you still have that light within you but it's sharpened and yet…  you desire what You've been denied and seek to take what you want.*

He then asked her: “Does that freighter you?"

Shaking her head, she replies: “No, if anything it excites me to see what you can do then the Harry I seen."

He leaned forward and hard her pressed against the book shelf and whispered huskily: “And what if I want my own person moon named Luna who believes there are things no one believes."

He let his hand glide up to her side and trailed a finger up and down it, she remained with that dream like state, but had a blush and shuddered to his touch. She then asked: “Will you use your eye on me."

He then said: “Only if I have to, you are special Luna, more special then you know." 

Luna trembled from nervousness from the first time and he patted her head and said: " If you need me, you know where to find me, my little moon.”

He walked back to his seat and continued on his studying and frowned. Come around his next set of classes as it was double potions was even more horrible than usual and not because of Snape this time. He was paired with Draca, sure they managed to get a perfect potion but being in either’s presence was unbearable. He noticed some of the Slytherin’s wearing badges, he knew they were not S.P.E.W. badges as they said on them: SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY- THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION! Then the formed his face and they said: Potter Stinks. As the Slytherins howled in laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry. 

He felt the heat rise in his face and neck. He then said: “Real mature y'all, how about stop embarrassing yourselves with your fetish for sniffing me since that's the message those badges say about me.”

Everyone not in Slytherin began to laugh and point as Draca scowled a bit m, but she had also a smirk on her face she then slid something into his hand as class ended. As he looked around he saw Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either. "Want one, Granger?" said Pansy, holding out a badge to Hermione. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up.”

Harry then noticed Crabbe, Goyle, Graham and Pike were with them. He had heard they had gotten out on “good behavior" bullshit they're parents must've called in political favors and paid off or Dumbledore felt pity and let them off with restrictions in place. Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in his chest. He had reached for his wand before he'd thought what he was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor. He then said bitterly with a cold hard killer demeanor: “Better watch it Parkinson, just because you've been portioned to do harm to Draca doesn't mean you off my shit list. And you four better watch it."

"Go on, then, Potter," Pike said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now - do it, if you've got the guts -”

For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted.

"Funnunculus!" Harry yelled.

"Densaugeo!" screamed Pike.

Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles - Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up - Pike, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.

Harry blinked an quickly rushed over and had his wand up and saw her teeth growing and said: “Reducio!”

A small spark hit her teeth and they began to shrink down till they were even. Hermione touched her teeth and felt they were even and he began walking away from her going about his day before locking the four in a binding spell and retook his place in potions. Minutes letter he undid the spell as Snape came in and soon Colin Creevey; edged into the beaming at Harry, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room.

"Yes?" said Snape curtly.

"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs." Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face.

"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete," said Snape coldly. "He will come upstairs when this class is finished."

Colin went pink,"Sir - sir, Mr. Bagman wants him," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs…”

Harry waved his wand and all his things were packed away and he said: “Sorry Professor, but rules of the tournament overwrite school rules for Champions concerning things for the tournament.”

"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. “Potter, we have the affirmation next this Sunday for the procedure with the Longbottoms."

Nodding his head he left the room. Once outside the room Colin says in excitement: "It's amazing, isn't it, Harry? Isn't it, though? You being champion?”

His eye flashes as Colin went stiff and then went quite till they would arrived at the photos. As Harry knocked on the door and entered, Colin left. He was in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch Harry had never seen before, who was wearing magenta robes. Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody. Cedric and Fleur were in conversation. Fleur looked a good deal happier than Harry had seen her so far; she kept throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. 

A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye. Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward.

"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come...nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -"

"Wand weighing?" Harry repeated nervously.

"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead," said Bagman. "The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter," he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet....”

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," said Rita Skeeter, her eyes on Harry.

Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.

"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?" she said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry. "The youngest champion, you know...to add a bit of color?"

"Certainly!" cried Bagman. "That is - if Harry has no objection?”

He then said: " Partially, but better get this over with.”

Rita smiled and Harry hoped he could use his eye to gain her as a pawn for the media if the Minister trys to deface him. "Lovely," said Rita Skeeter, and in a second, her scarlet-taloned fingers had Harry's upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering him out of the room again and opening a nearby door.

"We don't want to be in there with all that noise," she said. "Let's see...ah, yes, this is nice and cozy."

It was a broom cupboard. Harry stared at her.

"Come along, dear - that's right - lovely," said Rita Skeeter again, perching herself precariously upon an upturned bucket, pushing Harry down onto a cardboard box, and closing the door, throwing them into darkness. "Let's see now..."

She unsnapped her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out a handful of candles, which she lit with a wave of her wand and magicked into midair, so that they could see what they were doing.

"You won't mind, Harry, if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill? It leaves me free to talk to you normally..."

"I dont mind.” He replied and then his eye morphed an he had that haze look and smirked seeing she was under his power and he said: "Okay Rita, I want the firm truth to come out of our private conversations and to not deface me for the public amusement got that?”

She nodded in a drunken haze and it ended, she blinked and coughed into her hand before saying: "Testing...my name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter."

Harry hooked down quickly at the quill. The moment Rita Skeeter had spoken, the green quill had started to scribble, skidding across the parchment: Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, who's savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations - "Lovely," said Rita Skeeter, yet again, and she ripped the top piece of parchment off, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into her handbag. Now she leaned toward Harry and said, "So, Harry...what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?”

He sighed and said: “I did not as I swore on my very own magic that I desired to not be part of this very competition when it was announced before we knew about the age limit."

Seeing the quill writing this down he continued explaining how Amelia Bones also knew his oath and they had speculated even Moot agreed that a dark itch or wizard is trying to kill him to gain fame among others. Rita nodded and said: “How do you feel about the tasks ahead? Excited? Nervous?”

"Honestly, pretty much going off of instinct from my last three years. Last year the Ministry had sent Dementors to our school and I had not only been attacked by them not once but various times and I was not the only student who had been attacked and the Ministry had swept all that under the rug saying the students had been too close. Those students were in school grounds where the Dementors order by the Ministry to stay away from that and Hogsmeade in a radius equivalent from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade meaning they shouldn't have been anywhere near us. My second year a dark wizard broke in and had release Salazar Slytherin’s pet, a Basilisk that was meant to protect the school from Witches and Wizards who would sell out other witches and wizards for profit twitch hunters and such. They were no pure-blood purest in his words, no it was ignorant pure bloods who believed none would ever sell one another out even though they did.”

She nodded and he then said: " In my first year was I had to rescue a friend of mine from a troll that had gotten loose inside the school and secondly another dark wizard broke in to steal the Philosopher stone of Nicholas Flamel who he had entrusted to the Headmaster.”

She nodded as the quill kept going as this story was going to be a heavy liner. “Mr. Potter, thank you for your history here. But you do know Champions have died in the past, haven't they? Have you thought about that at all?”

Harry shrugged and replied: “They said it should be safe, but I am no stranger than to stare in the face of death as an old friend."

Before Rita Skeeter could say a word, the door of the broom cupboard was pulled open. Harry looked around, blinking in the bright light. Albus Dumbledore stood there, looking down at both of them, squashed into the cupboard.

"Dumbledore!" cried Rita Skeeter, with every appearance of delight - but Harry noticed that her quill and the parchment had suddenly vanished from the box of Magical Mess Remover, and Rita's clawed fingers were hastily snapping shut the clasp of her crocodile-skin bag. "How are you?" she said, standing up and holding out one of her large, mannish hands to Dumbledore. "I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?"

"Enchantingly nasty," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat."

Rita Skeeter didn't look remotely abashed and said: "I was just making the point that some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned, Dumbledore, and that many wizards in the street -"

"I will be delighted to hear the reasoning behind the rudeness, Rita," said Dumbledore, with a courteous bow and a smile, "but I'm afraid we will have to discuss the matter later. The Weighing of the Wands is about to start, and it cannot take place if one of our champions is hidden in a broom cupboard.”

Very glad to get away from Rita Skeeter, Harry hurried back into the room. The other champions were now sitting in chairs near the door, and he sat down quickly next to Cedric, hooking up at the velvet-covered table, where four of the five judges were now sitting - Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. Rita Skeeter settled herself down in a corner; Harry saw her slip the parchment out of her bag again, spread it on her knee, suck the end of the Quick-Quotes Quill, and place it once more on the parchment. 

“May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

Harry hooked around, and with a jolt of surprise saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing quietly by the window. Harry had met Mr. Ollivander before - he was the wand-maker from whom Harry had bought his own wand over three years ago in Diagon Alley.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.

Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Olhivander and handed him her wand.

"Hmm..." he said.

He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it chose to his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches...inflexible...rosewood...and containing...dear me..."

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a veela," said Fleur. "One of my grandmuzzer's.”

Harry had read all though documented that Fleur would be labeled part Veela, but in biological and culture terms, she was a full Veela as only males could be biologically either full if both parents are pure blood veela as male Veela are a diamond in a thousand or partial Veela. 

"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander, "yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands...however, to each his own, and if this suits you..."

Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, "Orchideous!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.

"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next."

Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her.

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn...must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches...ash...pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition...You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," said Cedric, grinning.

Harry hooked down at his own wand. He could see finger marks all over it. He gathered a fistful of robe from his knee and tried to rub it clean surreptitiously. Several gold sparks shot out of the end of it. Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look, and he desisted.

Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Mr. Krum, if you please."

Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Hmm," said Mr. Ollivander, "this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I...however..."

He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes.

"Yes...hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees...quite rigid...ten and a quarter inches...Avis!"

The hornbeam wand let off a blast hike a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.

"Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Which leaves...Mr. Potter.”

Harry walked up and handed him the Keeper’s wand and said: " I am using this wand Mr. Ollivander, I still have the wand you gave me. But it no longer feels like it is attuned with me as I nice before. But this wand is a family relic, crafted by your grandfather when the shop was right in Hogsmeade, once of his last wands and a master piece he called that is closely equal to the Elder Wand.”

Everyone saw the goblin silver etched into the wood and he said: " Yes… this is of my family work… ancient and powerful, yet I sense it also has a higher purpose and not like other wands. Elder Wood, ten and half inches, nice and supple. But your wand…  it's different three cores I sense a Phoenix feather, but not just any Phoenix feather from a sunbird Phoenix of Egypt who are the most powerful of the phoenixes who's flames can even snuff out fiendfyre and heal the sick, cure the cursed and bless the innocent and said it's ashes could even revive the recently deceased. A horned serpent horn, responds to you parseltongue and can sing a low musical tone to warn it's wielder of danger as the two are wrapped and bound by a strand of threstral tail hair, the most tricky and most potent with all forms of magic as only someone who was capable of accepting death could master it. Mr. Potter, I knew you would do great things, and with this wand…  no doubt even. Greater things wait beyond you. For this very wand defeated Ranrok and ended the war. Though this wand may never follow normal wand lore as it can not be own it's allegiance it must be earn by character for those who failed will die by burning to ash from a poison that will emerge from within the body.”

Taking the wand back everyone stared at the wand as if it was something they all should fear but not Harry.

"Thank you all," said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. "You may go back to your lessons now - or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end -"

Feeling that at last something had gone right today, Harry got up to leave, but the man with the black camera jumped up and cleared his throat.

"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" cried Bagman excitedly. "All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?"

"Er - yes, let's do those first," said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry again. "And then perhaps some individual shots."

The photographs took a long time. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl; Krum, whom Harry would have thought would have been used to this sort of thing, skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Rita Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, they were free to go and he was glad he no longer had to deal with that.

Chapter 14: (Chapter Fourteen)

Summary:

Time for the house of Black to be reformed and the potion to works it's magic. But yet the first task is ahead and Harry is in for a chaotic storm.

(Chapter Fourteen)

As he walked to dinner, Harry pulled out the note Draca handed him and it told him to tell her, Nymphadora, Delphini with their mother's except Bellatrix in hogsmeade as they contacted Sirius and would meet this Saturday. Arriving into the Grand Hall he noticed Hermione wasn't there - he supposed she was in the library. Taking a seat beside Ginny she smiled and asked how he was doing and he explained the wand weighing ceremony and showed her the Keeper’s wand and said he'd be using it. As they talked Harry told her he met her best friend Luna and they chatted and mentioned about her oddness, but said he thought her oddness might be from a magical ability like a seer. Ginny pondered and tried to strike that out but couldn't find a way to not prove his theory. He then talked to her about Luna’s issue with the other Ravenclaws and how they should talk to Cho and Mr. Flitwick as both are respected by the Ravenclaws.

Though life for the next few days till the weekend had somewhat improved as it wasn't as bad this time when Rita Skeeter had published her piece about the Triwizard Tournament, and it had turned out for him to make a stand upon issues he has faced and defacing Dumbledore for what has happened. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry; the article going for three pages and yet still the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions had not been misspelled again, but squashed into the last line of the article, and Cedric hadn't been mentioned at all. Seems his story became a hit and people demanded answers from Dumbledore. Arriving at Hogsmeade the meeting was set up in the room he had overheard the Minister talk about Sirius as tomorrow would be when Bellatrix would be the rest dummy and Neville’s parents healed. Sighing he sat at the table with everyone gathered. Seeing Tonks mother that resembled an older Nymphadora he then heard: “Something is on your mind Harry?"

He nodded and said: “Another reason I wanted this meeting between us all, is to admit…  I don't trust Dumbledore and for damn good reason. Truth be told, I only trust him as an educator, but beyond that I had more questions about the so-called Light Lord the public thinks then there should be.”

Remus, who looked as grizzled as before, asked: " Why say this Harry, last year you trusted the man.”

He nodded and then he pulled out vials and everyone saw screaming black faces of Voldemort. They all jumped and Narcissa asked: " What are those?!”

Harry then said: "Essences of Horcruxes created by Voldemort.”

Everyone froze and Narcissa then said: " Heppo the foul…" Harry then said: “Was on to something, but this was atrocious, severing is nea soul while killing with no remorse and imprinting that fragment onto an object making them. Indestructible by normal means of magic.”

Remus then said: " This must be…" Harry then barked out and said: “No! I will not tell the very bastard who rigged this from the start!"

Sirius, Draca and Remus were taken back while Nymphadora, Delphini, Andromeda, Narcissa all looked confused by this. Harry then said: “I don't trust Albus Dumbledore anymore and for good reasons. I did some digging and…” soon Delphini and Harry heard in parseltongue as a snake slithered into the room: " Master, I have returned and I brought what you asked.”

Harry reached down to the conjured black snake and picked it up, surprising everyone saw the snake begin coughing up something and out dropped into his hand was a ring. It was a ring that had two deer with antlers forming the body of the ring with a deer skull above a shield with a pot having the emblem of the Deathly Hallows and various deer on them. Harry then said: “Ragnok contacted me while he searched through some relics of mine finding out what had been missing for weeks after they learned Dumbledore was not my guardian and the Potter family ring and my parents' wills were missing as were the copies.”

Sirius and Remus froze and trembled and Harry then said: “Though once I become of age, Dumbledore titles would mean nothing to them. During my visit after the world cup, I had discovered the goblins had dug up records as to my mother believing Petunia was not her sister and she was right, my mother had no blood relation with her as she was an orphaned girl given to the Evans. She was a descendant of Alexander Blackwood, the squib eldest daughter of the ancestors to the Block family as well having blood ties to the Giant and Sayre family from William Sayre and Rionach Gauntlet whose family founded Ilvermorny, funny the school my name was used in the Goblet was the school my ancestors founded.”

Everyone was stumped and Delphini then said: “Then that means…” Harry nodded and said: " Seems me and Voldemort have a family feud going on.”

Sirius snorted at this and Remus sighs and Harry said: "But tell me Delphini, why is the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix willing to listen to her father's greatest enemy?”

Nymphadora, Remus, Sirius, Andromeda stared in horror and Narcissa, Draca and Delphini froze and the Beauxbatons students asked in fear: “How…” Harry pulled out the diary of Tom Riddle and said:;" You have a few features of your father that I was able to recognize through this horcrux, it's destroyed now as I stabbed it with Basilisk fang, but if Dumbledore ever found out, you obvious know how that would play out. As my lips are sealed upon this, this is a family secret and no one else's. Right Sirius.”

Sirius nodded and Harry asked: " Another that has been bothering me, has Bellatrix always been unhinged growing up? Or did this just pop out of the god damn blue?”

Sirius, Narcissa and Andromeda all began thinking bath then Bellatrix was the eldest and was violent, yet stubborn and a fanatic for true love, but the more they went into it, they knew she had a norm displeasure for half-bloods and muggle things in general. But after her sixth year of Hogwarts she showed signs of becoming unhinged and angry. It was around that time she was given to the heir of the Lestrange family as a wife. And after her seventh year started till she was married she started to become what she is now. Harry then said: “Does it mean she was a different person?"

Andromeda nodded and said: “She was the nicest person and wouldn't dare to sacrifice anyone in her family, why bring this up Harry."

Bringing up the book that had the optional about to be used he flipped it and showed a twisted variant of the love potion and said: “I read this from time to time, one of the pages to the end cake from a potion all the way from Japan called a Yandere-love potion, in Japan means sweet, caring, and innocent before switching into someone who displays an extreme, often violent or psychotic, level of devotion to a love interest. Seems if possible she was constantly given this potion non stop as the potion only lasts an hour but can become an addicted drug, and we all know the Crucio is her signature spell.”

Delphini snarled and said: " Out with it Potter!”

Harry looked at her and he laughed and said: " Oh man, that is a top notch Draca impression bravo. But if Bellatrix was different before her marriage, and her favorite spell is Crucio, what if she has been trying to call for help with what little sanity she has and she has been trying and no one's listening. When the potion does take in effect and she becomes “sane" and she acts like she doesn't recognize any of that is possible then we know for sure Bellatrix was tormented with Crucio and forced to take the potion and when it was no longer needed she was tortured to never take it again, but the potion is highly addictive and dangerous for the mind and starts deteriorating it. If this is the case, who would have done this?”

Sirius froze and yelled out: “That heartless wench, damn you mother!"

Remus looked at him and said: " Your mother?”

Harry then said: "What about her?”

Narcissa then said: "Aunt Walburga although believed in you-know-who, she as very controlling and allowed Sirius to hang around James as he Black family and the Potter family had been brother-in-arms for years an even more son from Uncle Orion and Uncle Charlus tore through Grindelwald forces and forces Grindelwald to flee from Ireland and took most of them out during the end of the war. She did push for arranged marriages and got many members to agree to Bellatrix going to Lestrange while, our mother Druella wanted her to find our own husband before she died a month after I was born. as our father told us, that was all our mother's final wish was for us.”

Harry nodded and said: "And Walpurga most likely tormented her out of eyes and and forced her to drink the potion as its highly illegal in most Asian countries except Japan. But who else publicly supported Tom in the black family?”

Sirius replied: " My brother, Regulas Arcturus Black."

Harry blinked and then said: “If Tom entrusted two of his Horcruxes to his most trusted followers, why not a third?"

Everyone blinked and Nymphadora asked: “Witcher saying Harry?"

“If Regulus was in Tom’s highest circle like Bellatrix and Lucius, wouldn't he also had been entrusted for being a true loyalist to him?" He replied, he was edging on to find the Locket of Salazar.

The gathered Black family and Remus all blinked and Narcissa said: “He was, but just vanished one day during the final days of the war and he looked nervous the day before he vanished and had Kreacher with him, the family's last House Elf.”

Andromeda then said: “Well then, let's ask that blood elf."

Sirius called out: “KREACHER HERE NOW!"

Just then and old jumped droopy looking elf emerged and said: “The traitorous Master has called for Preacher, oh the Mistress should have let Kreacher kill you."

Kreacher noticed the gathered people and said: “And the traitorous Master called Preacher before the cowardly and traitorous daughter of the house of Black as well as before Half-bloods."

Harry then said: “Sirius, demand Kreacher to hand over the item he was sworn to keep. He must have been told to his it.”

Kreacher looked to Harry and said: " Filthy half-blood…" Sirius then said: “He is pure-blood Preacher, now hand over whatever Regulus had entrusted to you now!"

Kreacher gave a snarl look and huffed and began fidgeting, Harry looked at him seeing the issue of internal struggle. Placing a hand on the elf’s shoulder he asked: “He had a request for you didn't he, when he vanished."

Kreacher nodded and said: “Master Regulus had asked Kreacher to assist with the dark lord defenses against one of the dark lords anchors and the dark lord forced Preacher to drank a horrible potion and left him to die by the swarm of Inferno surrounding the anchor. But Kreacher escaped and told Master Regulus who had been losing faith in the dark lord as did Mistress and had asked Kreacher to take him to where it was after he made a duplicate of the locket and wrote a note for the dark lord to find… but after Master Regulus drank the potion and proceed to drink the water surrounding the isle where the dark anchor was, Inferno grabbed him ans tossed Kreacher the real locket and told Kreacher to not tell anyone till it was destroyed. Kreacher is a failure!”

Seeing the locket in Kreacher’s hand, he trembled and Harry placed his hands gently on Kreacher shoulder and said: “No you succeeded Kreacher, you succeeded, the goblins will remove the fragment of Voldemort from the locket and the fragment will be destroyed, you have my word. You can rest knowing you succeeded and made Regulus proud.”

Kreacher paused and Harry looked amongst them and said: “But another reason why I wanted the entire last generation of our family together is to reunite the House of Black, as you all are aware do to our family divided nothing but misfortune had followed us, Bellatrix loosing her mind, Narcissa thrown into a marriage with a prick who nearly cost their own child's life multiple times…” Andromeda then said faintly: " My husband being butchered… " Sirius then said: “I thrown into Azkaban and you being thrown to the Dursleys.*

Harry then said: " Sirius, you are my legal guardian, but the choice is yours. You have the authority to do this, and I can already tell you already agreed to this.”

Nodding his head Sirius had welcomed Nymphadora and Andromeda into the Black family and wanted to restore Grimmauld Place, but Harry had offered up Winky and Dobby who entered a contract with him to help Preacher restore the house in working order as if it was just built. But by the next day, at St. Mungo’s Harry, Neville, Augusta, Sirius, Andromeda, Nymphadora, Narcissa all stood between two padded rooms with a glass window into them, one containing Neville's parents and the one across from it have the deranged Bellatrix. Upon the Longbottoms arrival Harry told them about the potion and the crucio that the family had found evidence that Bellatrix had been forced into since her younger year, at first Augusta didn't want to her anything from it, but as Harry went on, Neville and her began to come around with an inkling of sympathy, and if it was true then who knows. The party watched as Severus Snape entered as various Aurors had the second-in-command of the death eaters bound and ready. Bella smiled sadistically and said: “Snappier, snappie, snappie, have you come to see little oh me. How kind of you.*

Snape remained silent and nodded his head and an Aurora aimed their wand and a spell was fired and thus the death eater was forced to open her mouth wide and Snape poured the contents down her throat and forced her to swallow it all. She coughed and hacked up, a minute later nothing, but then she began to sweat, quiver and shake violently and she started to scream bloody murder and began vomiting a black ooze as electricity coursed across her hair, skin and body general. The armed wizards and Snape backed away and they saw this go on for ten minutes and saw Bellatrix collapsed. Everyone waited and saw she stirred and began pushing herself up as the wizards all aimed their Wanda and she looked up heavily groggy and drowsy with a healthier complexion and appearance as she said: “I'm going to be late…  for the train… I best make sure I have Dorothy.” She then passed out and Harry asked: “Who's Dorothy?"

Narcissa then said trembling: " Her cat she had during her time at Hogwarts it died the next day she came home…” everyone rushed in as Andromeda who was a doctor scanned her as Snape gathered the black ooze and Mrs. Tonks said: " She is extremely healthy, just as healthy as anyone could be, before they enter Azkaban.”

Nymphadora then asked: " What about her memories?”

Snape turned around and aimed his wand and said: "Legilimens!"

After a brief period Snape eyes blinked and he said: “Just as you believed Potter, the trauma memories are badly damaged and will not be easily to remember from the time the potions and her being tormented into being a puppet to the day she joined the dark lord.”

Harry then said: "And the ooze?”

Snape helped the vial and said: "the potion she was administrated essence mixed with what ever vial things such as diseases she contracted. Well done Potter you truly brought a cure to light. Ms. Longbottom I believe it's time.”

Augusta nodded her head and Harry patted Neville’s shoulder and said: " I'll see you back at school Neville, the first thing your parents need to see is you.”

Walking out of the area, Harry and the black relatives began to leave with Narcissa slowly but surely coming to tears. He then said: "How do we get her out of custody, once she comes to she will be emotionally unstable.”

Sirius then said: " I suggest speaking with Amelia again Harry, even though I am only allowed to come see you, official house Buisness or Ministry Buisness, that is far as I can do and Bella will be put on indoor house arrest.”

He nodded and he looked to the youngest Black sisters and Andromeda asked: " Cissa, you okay?”

She sniffled and said: " Yes, Dromeda…  we have our big sister, Bella back."

She pulled out a handkerchief and whipped away her tears and Dromeda Tonks smiled and hugged her sister and Sirius then said: “Still, in order to solidify Cissa for rejoining the black family, Lucius has to either be dead, or the marriage contract has to have been breached three times."

Harry rubbed his chin and replied: “Send me a copy Sirius, I'll look it over with Susan, she knows a bit about rules and laws because of her aunt. Plus I can get a message to her faster."

Nymphadora smiled and said: “Well Harry we beat get you back to Hogwarts, champion. Your first challenge is coming.*

He nodded and both he and Tonks vanished leaving the cousins remaining. Arriving back at Hogwarts, Harry watched Nymphadora stumble and fall flat on her face and noticed her nicely shaped ass and he whistled and said: “I didn't know I get to see the moon this early."

He snickered and she shot up and punched his cheek hard and said: “Witcher saying, saying I got a fat arse!"

He smirked and said: “The good kinda fat ass my dear sweet nympha…” patting her cheek as a very weak blush appeara he then says: "Any healthh man would agree with me, that you are a beautiful woman Nym.”

She frowned and said: " Don't call me Nym! And it suits you, your sexy, you make people laugh. But your not an air head.”

She looked away with a pout and her cheeks slightly darkened and he smirked before smacking her ass getting her to help and he said: " I'll see you and the others next Hogsmeade visit my lovely Nym, let's spend some quality time together.”

Heading down to Hogsmeade and used his cloak to get to the broomsticks he saw Hermione with Ron and he went off to a private booth in the back where he could see everything. He spotted Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot were swapping Chocolate Frog cards at a nearby table; as Hannah wondered how Neville was doing. Right over by the door he saw Cho and a large group of her Ravenclaw friends. She wasn't wearing a Cedric badge though.... Shaking his head he sighed. Noticing the back of Hagrid's enormous shaggy head - he had mercifully abandoned his bunches - emerged over the crowd and was leaning low, talking to Professor Moody. Hagrid had his usual enormous tankard in front of him, but Moody was drinking from his hip flask. Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady, didn't seem to think much of this; she was looking askance at Moody as she collected glasses from tables around them. 

Perhaps she thought it was an insult to her mulled mead, but Harry knew better. Moody had told them all during their last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he preferred to prepare his own food and drink at all times, as it was so easy for Dark wizards to poison an unattended cup. Getting his own drink and food, he ate and drank in silence, he saw Hagrid and Moody coming his way and Hagrid said loudly: “All right, Harry.”

Harry just replied: " I'm good Hagrid, just returned from St. Mungo’s. It's just as I thought, Bellatrix didn't become insane by natural cause, she was twisted and tormented to being insane.”

"How did you figure that Potter?” Replied Moody as his eye scanned the room.

"The potion would have killed her, Andromeda has said she was physically as healthy when she went into Azkaban." He replied calmly sipping his drink.

Hagrid then said: "Also Harry…" he leaned and whispered: “Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak. Also thank you for the gift.”

He smiled as he remembered he order Hagrid a proper suit, and a fur-lined coat with some proper things to tidy himself up and he said: “Glad to help Hagrid, I am sure you can wine Maxime heart."

Hagrid blushed and he snickered and the two men left. Late that night, as the grounds were very dark. Harry walked down the lawn toward the lights shining in Hagrid's cabin. The inside of the enormous Beauxbatons carriage was also lit up; Harry could hear Madame Maxime talking inside it as he knocked on Hagrid's front door.

"You there, Harry?" Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around.

"Yeah," said Harry, slipping inside the cabin and pulling the cloak down off his head. "What's up?"

"Got summat ter show yeh," said Hagrid.

There was an air of enormous excitement about Hagrid. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke and the new suit with his beard and hair braided like a Viking. “Is this about the first challenge?" Harry asked an Hagrid nodded and followed Hagrid to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Shhh!" said Hagrid, and he knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands.

Madame Maxime opened it. She was wearing a silk shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders. She smiled when she saw Hagrid.

"Ah, 'Agrid...it is time?" She asked. 

"Bong-sewer," said Hagrid, beaming at her, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps.

Madame Maxime closed the door behind her, Hagrid offered her his arm, and they set off around the edge of the paddock containing Madame Maxime's giant winged horses, with Harry, totally bewildered, running to keep up with them. Had Hagrid wanted to show him Madame Maxime? He could see her any old time he wanted...she wasn't exactly hard to miss.... But it seemed that Madame Maxime was in the same situation as last time because after a while she said playfully, "Wair is it you are taking me, 'Agrid?"

"Yeh'll enjoy this," said Hagrid gruffly, "worth seein', trust me. On'y - don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know."

"Of course not," said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes.

Unlike last time till later, Harry saw actual genuine interest in Hagrid. Following them under his cloak he smirked till they reached a familiar spot within the forbidden forest. In the distance they saw four large cages with in them…  dragons and Harry spotted the Horntail roaring and spewing the most flames. "Keep back there, Hagrid!" yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"

"Is'n' it beautiful?" said Hagrid softly.

"It's no good!" yelled another wizard. "Stunning Spells, on the count of three!"

Harry saw each of the dragon keepers pull out his wand.

"Stupefy!" they shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons' scaly hides - which hardly did anything. 

Then a thought crossed his mind, as dragons are called fire breathing flying serpents, then couldn't they understand parseltongue. If the could why didn't he use it last time, well he would try this time, and better have a proper plan than last time. 

“Wan' a closer look?" Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. The pair of them moved right up to the fence, and Harry followed. The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, and Harry realized who it was: Charlie Weasley.

"All right, Hagrid?" he panted, coming over to talk. "They should be okay now - we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet - but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all -"

"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" said Hagrid, gazing at the closest dragon, the black one, with something chose to reverence. Its eyes were still just open. Harry could see a strip of gleaming yellow beneath its wrinkled black eyelid.

"This is a Hungarian Horntail," said Charlie. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one - a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray - and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red."

Charlie looked around; Madame Maxime was strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the stunned dragons.

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," Charlie said, frowning. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming - she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," shrugged Hagrid, still gazing, enraptured, at the dragons.

"Really romantic date, Hagrid," said Charlie, shaking his head.

"Four..." said Hagrid, "so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do - fight 'em?"

"Just get past them, I think," said Charlie. "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why...but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."

Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, and Harry saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches. Five of Charlie's fellow keepers staggered up to the Horntail at that moment, carrying a clutch of huge granite-gray eggs between them in a blanket. They placed them carefully at the Horntail's side. Hagrid let out a moan of longing. Walking up to Hagrid he whispered: “Compliment her and asked Charlie about Nobert, see you around Hagrid."

Harry wondered off returning to Salazar’s chambers after a quick bath from the small bathroom connected to the room and collapsed on the bed that had gold and green blankets and comforters and fell asleep. As he let the sandman do his charm he hoped that Alica and Frank where responsive. 

Chapter 15: (Chapter Fifteen)

Summary:

The tri-wizard no the quad wizard tournament is about to begin and things are running as Harry wants it to. But yet he has two ladies to make extremely happy.

(Chapter Fifteen)

Dawn rose the next day and Harry was already awake doing early morning research. Emerging from the scriptorium at his usual hour he froze as he spotted Draca, Delphini and Nymphadora looking at him as the door to the scriptorium shut behind him. Nymphadora then looked and pointed to the wall and asked: “What is in there."

Sighing he shook his head and said: “The private chambers of Salazar Slytherin, only accessible to someone of his blood can open it, originally the Crucio curse on a person was the only way to enter after a hundred years from Salazar death. But my mother's great grandfather of sorts changed it up for a blood sea and a parsel mouth to open it. Pretty nifty, now why are the three newest black beauties having me this morning.”

All three blushed and Delphini replied: " Draca said she saw you coming from here a few times so we wanted to see from where?”

He shrugged and said: “Okay, now if you excuse me, I've got to warn Cedric about the fist challenge."

Delphini asked: “What about it? Did you find something?"

He nodded and said: “Saw Hagrid, Madame Maxime and Kakaroff go to the forest last night and followed them and saw Hagrid talking to Charlie Weasley about the dragons we have to face."

All three cried out: “WHAT?!"

They saw Harry was already gone, but if he was just an average Harry Potter after warning Cedric during breakfast and mentioned how the champions would somehow choose the dragons in a way he noticed and decided to leave to find a way to be prepared. He also learned from Neville who came back that his parents will make a full recovery and a trial for Bellatrix Lestrange after getting an immediate reply as Amelia was on school grounds chewing out Dumbledore for interfering with the Wizengot and house family business during breakfast which got him to smile. She told them with the substance and testimonies from everyone, Bellatrix may be placed in house arrest and confined in the Manor of the Black family. But what surprised them was the death eater mark, it simplified burned away according to Professor Snape, it is as if the potion also removed damages to the body as well caused by magic. Hermione was walking up to him and he looked at her and asked: “What is it, Granger."

She winced and said: “I just came to see how you were doing lately, Ron said you've been seen with the Auror Tonks, Draca and the Beauxbaton girl Delphini."

Harry bit down on a donut and said: “House of Black business Granger, nothing to concern you or Ronald."

Hermione frowned and she said: “He also mentioned you haven't been in your bed at all, so where have you been. Professor McGonagall also wishes to know."

Wiping his mouth after taking a sip of juice he replied: “In a room no one but I and someone else can access Granger, now can we shop talking about it. What else do you want, come to constantly remind me that you believed I entered the blasted tournament.”

She scowled and said: “Harry this is unbecoming of you. The Harry Potter I knew… “ he interrupted her saying: "Was a naive boy who believed life is simple Ms. Granger which is not. Let me tell you something, since the start of my summer I have been grinding away to free an innocent man that we failed to bring in the rat bastard. Secondly I had constant near deaths years prior, thirdly I am in a tournament that someone wishes to use to kill me and finally I have two friends who are being gits who think that since they say they know me they don't believe me.”

She looked down and he stood up and said: “I could easily make you do things Hermione, you owe me a life debt and those last forever unless said person saved the one they owe the debt. I've already cleared mine by saving Ron from a giant spider. So next time you wish to defend anything from me, remember you're indebted to me, and that debt grew over the times I saved you from minor troubles and everything we faced." 

He stormed off leaving her to look down ashamed. As he headed to the greenhouse he heard clunking noise behind him. He turned around and saw Mad-Eye Moody emerging from a nearby classroom and he said: “Come with me, Potter.”

Nodding his head he followed the man and said: “I really need to get to the Herbology class, Professor."

"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please..." Said the one legged man and Harry followed him. He followed Moody into his office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one.

"That was a very decent thing you just did, Potter, not many in your shoes would aid a man in this situation." Moody said quietly.

Harry didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction he had expected at all.

"Sit down," said Moody, and Harry sat, looking around.

He had visited this office under two of its previous occupants. In Professor Lockhart's day, the walls had been plastered with beaming, winking pictures of Professor Lockhart himself. When Lupin had lived here, you were more likely to come across a specimen of some fascinating new Dark creature he had procured for them to study in class. Now, however, the office was full of a number of exceptionally odd objects that Harry supposed Moody had used in the days when he had been an Auror.

On his desk stood what looked like a large, cracked, glass spinning top; Harry recognized it at once as a Sneakoscope, because he owned one himself, though it was much smaller than Moody's. In the corner on a small table stood an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial. It was humming slightly. What appeared to be a mirror hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus.

"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?" said Moody, who was watching Harry closely.

"What's that?" Harry asked, pointing at the squiggly golden aerial, but it was all an act.

"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies...no use here, of course, too much interference - students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff," he added in a growl.

"And what's the mirror for?" He asked.

"Oh that's my Foe-Glass. See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I opened my trunk."

He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window. It was different from last time as it reminded him of a more secured basic trunk instead of the one he originally saw showing more and more this was the real Moody.

“So...found out about the dragons, have you?” He asked and Harry nodded and mentioned: “Kinda obvious they would have Hagrid assist with this."

"It's all right," said Moody, sitting down and stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been. But cheating and honesty is nearly impossible to find within the tournament. And I am not accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore from the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old Karkaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human.”

Harry nodded and said: "We are all human Professor, no matter what the blood bigots believe, we live, we breath and we die, we eat, sleep, use the loon, we laugh, we cry and we all have a soul there is no difference besides the magic.*

Moody nodded and said: “Right you are Harry and who would have thought that you permanently took out the Dark Lord’s entrusted Lieutenant. I only know about this as Dumbledore told me, though I suspect Rita may find out."

Harry then said: “Still bothers me how she comes about such secrets, she has to be doing something illegal to get them."

Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swiveled around so fast it made Harry feel queasy to watch it.

"So...got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?" said Moody.

Harry shrugged and said: " Parseltongue maybe, everyone calls them fire breathing serpents, so why not try speaking in the language of snakes.”

Moody laughed and said: " Only you Potter, but I am not going to tell you, I don't show favoritism, me. I'm just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is - play to your strengths.”

Harry then replied: " Stealth, combat and quidditch I guess. Though I wish to learn Occlumency to better my mind and try to easily overpower the Crucio curse or shrug it off like it's a mosquito bite.”

The man smiled and said: “I suggest trying Severus from time to time, I am skilled in blocking others out but not invading one's mind. I also suggest reading the books Protection Charm Your Mind, The practical guide and Living with Legilimens. They should give some resource material.”

He nodded and was dismissed after Moody told him to focus on his strengths for the first challenge. After Herbology he began heading for Runes and he heard: “Harry, hold up."

Looking he saw Ginny and he smiled and said: “Hey Ginny, sorry haven't been around you, been kinda busy with official business."

She waved him off and said: “It's fine, I am meeting up with Draca, her cousin Delphini from. beauxbaton and Tonks the Aurora this weekend for more house business, but Sunday I am free that day…” he leaned in and whispered: "So I can tend to my precious mare."

She blushed and noticed Hermione watching them and whispered: “What about Hermione?"

He then said: “If she continues this, I may have to do something I'll regret. I'll see you later Ginny at lunch."

At times Susan and Harry sat side by side and she said as they had finished the pop quiz well a full on test and Harry set up some privacy barrier around them so they could chat. He smiled and had his hand slithered into her robe and rubbed her back and whispered: “You look good today my Betsy, sorry hadn't seen you in a bit, busy with everything."

She blushed and said: “It's fine Harry, but can you…” he smiled as his hand trailed down her ribs and to her back waist and he whispered: "Answer me honestly, is the reason why you have been wanting to be my personal cow is because jour lactating?”

She nodded and put her head down and he smiled seeing everyone was struggling as their teacher was reading the profit and he whispered into her ear: "How, I thought…"

She said in a muffle tone: “It started happening after my first year, at first I was scarred till I told my aunty, but then she revealed it was a genetic curse from my mom's side of the family as they had been cursed to always be lactating and have, have…  have…  “ she then whispered with a serious muffle: " Sensitive nipples that we have an orgasm from after a while when the milk is being sucked out.*

Harry made the biggest oh face he could and was seriously surprised and he muttered turning to look at him: “You must think I'm a freak.*

He leaned down and rested his head next to hers and whispered: “Honestly, kinda hot and I want to taste.*

Steam erupted from her ears comically as she turned away with a deep red face and he chuckled and asked: "Do the leak?”

She nodded and said: "There is an absorption rune in all my bras, though they could only hold so much and, and…” she froze as the teacher got up and began walking about and Harry noticed it, the small damp mess on her showing on her vest. 

Deactivating the privacy field he replied: "We can talk more later Susan, I wish to help.”

She nodded and felt his pinky snaked to hers and licked them making her heart flutter. Inwardly Harry smirked, Susan was a die hard romantic kind of girl, the same as Hermione and Ginny from what he remembered. They'd go putty from genuine romantic gestures. After class ended he looked to Draca and saw how she looked upset about something and he shrugged going to figure that out later and now he needed to tend to his little Betsy. Rest of the day went normal and Harry had Susan in one of the old empty classrooms and saw the wetness grew larger and he saw how she looked to be in pain and uncomfort. Kissing her forehead he helped her out of her vest and shirt to reveal was a thin lace brown bra that had breast milk visible and she whimpered and he reached behind her and unclasped the bra and as it fell she gasped and caught it and said nervously: “H-H-Harry, please…” he pressed his head onto hers and whispered as he stroked her cheek with a finger: "Don't worry Susan, I'll be gentle, I would never hurt someone I care about especially to a beautiful divine beauty such as yourself.”

Her cheeks blushed and she felt him remove her hands and let her bra fall and hit the floor showing her large, very large areola that nearly took up the front of her breast and her inverted nipples. She whimpered as he tenderly grasped one of her breasts and she whispered: “I know, I'm a freak, my nipples are the size of bludgers."

He shook his head and said: “No, no, no my Susan they are amazing, they belong to a beautiful woman."

Just then she went stiff and a bit of her breast milk squirted out of her tits as she felt and saw Harry kissing her on the lips. She was blushing as he began kissing down her neck ever so slightly till he reached the top of her milk covered breast and began dragging his tongue across them making her moan and quickly covered her mouth. He smiled and grabbed her hand and gently placed it on his bulge and he leaned up to whisper as she cupped it unconsciously and froze: “You got me like this, I want nothing more than to go that route, but I want to help you."

Pecking her lips he lowered himself to her breast and began gently massaging both of them and Susan whispered: “H-Harry, please go easy, they are very tender and sensitive."

He nodded and began continuing needing her bosom and with every movement and tender touch of his hand she moaned and wanted more, more of his touch, more of him. Seeing this he then started licking her right nipple causing her to jolt and scream as a stream of breast milk burst from her now erect nipple into his mouth. He smirks and starts licking and sucking on them causing her to scream as she continues to shoot her milk within his mouth. Ten minutes later she laid on a desk painting with erect nipples and a streak of wetness coming down from her legs. Her skirt sucked so high up that Harry saw her drenched panties that could basically be ruined from her constant orgasm. Helping her sit up as she was still out of it and redressing her, using a drying, cleaning and repair charm he repaired her underwear and saw how she could stand. 

Picking her up like a princess he heard the soft sounds of her sleeping and he smiled and kissed her forehead and walked out of the room and bumped into Tonk outside the kitchen who looked at him seeing a sleeping Susan and she asked with a raised brow seeing her former junior like this: “What happened?"

Harry leaned in and said: “She lactates and unfortunately it was causing her great discomfort that she needed help and she was too embarrassed to ask Madam Pomfret and decided to ask me for some reason, I can trust you can get her to bed. I need to prepare for tomorrow."

Tonk looked at him with a saucy smirk and nodded before taking Susan as she said still out of it:  “Harry, milk me more…” Tonks snickered and he whispered to her: "Don't worry about that, my sexy nymph, I have something in mind.”

She yelped, feeling he smacked her ass, why she didn't call him out or do anything she wasn't sure, but she liked it.”

Grabbing a quick bite he headed back down to the Scriptorium and saw Draca outside the door waiting for him and he asked: "Draca, what can I do ya for?”

She looked nervous and said: " I never got the chance to properly thank you for that day, Potter.”

"Draca, where family now we don't need to act as bitter rivals anymore…  I'm here for you.” He said, as he placed a hand onto her shoulder making her blush.

She then said: “Can I stay with you tonight, I don't feel safe in the dorms anymore, Pansy…  she's…  “ he then asked: " What?”

" She's trying to act like what she did was nothing. She even snuck into my room and…  and…” as she whimpered Harry opened the room and escorted her inside and sat her by the fireplace and fixed her a cup of tea then said: " Either she is under a live potion or she is genuinely offering to be your servant for life as retribution.”

Taking it she then said: “Maybe, some of the other girls heard she got a yeller while I was in the infirmary and heard her parents nearly disowning her as she is limited to many things and she lost heirship to her baby brother who is five.”

Harry took a seat in the other chair and sipped his drink and said: " And have you talked to her about it, she was under potion effects and may be suffering from withdrawal outside of Hermione, Neville, and a few others and myself, we both know potions best.”

Nodding her head and said: “Do you think I am a freak for being what I am, having both bits?*

Shaking his head and saying: "No, honestly metamorphmagus can do the same thing from what I read. But how exactly do you have male bits anyway, is it a curse?"

She nodded her head and said: “My father's family as you know originated from France like the Lestranges unfortunately one of my fathers ancestors who was female pissed of a veela witch who was in the coven of Morgana herself and cursed the females of line that one generation after the next till a Malfoy fills the passion of a Veela will be plagued with having both bits. My father's family hid the fact of this, unfortunately previous females have always had slightly larger clits that resembled the bell end, but not me, it looked like a newborn boy's.”

Harry frowned and said: “Well that sucks… any way to remove it?”

Shaking her head and saying: " No, it's through all our time from what Morgan said. But my curse is not the worst in Slytherin.”

Knowing of the Greengrass family he said: " The Greengrass, I heard through the grapevine from chatty Slytherins about it. Perhaps I may be of some help, I did cure Bella and Neville’s parents, perhaps another dive into our family's archives might be of some use.”

"Harry, they'll owe a debt far beyond any normal life debt as you would remove something that has plagued the family for generations, they would be practically in service to you.” Said Draca knowing the family had a more tolerant world view on things. 

Nodding his head he then looked at the clock and extended his hand and said: “I'll show you to the lavatory so you can bathe and get dressed in your nightgown."

She nodded and he escorted her up the stairs and into the large bedroom where a very large bed with green and gold bed set was on it. Seeing the bed was bigger than a king size she saw the bathroom to her left and pulled out from her pocket was a shrunken trunk, enlarging it she pulled it into the bathroom and Harry went to the nearby desk and frowned as he sat down. An hour passed hearing the door open he froze and gaped seeing Draca in a transparent green floral design lace baby doll that showed off a pair of black mesh see through quarter cup strapless bra and crotchless cheeky panties with a matching garter belt and stockings. Her large clit was hanging freely and he noticed her balls were barely noticeable, most like all Madam Pomfrey could do to save what was left. She was blushing so red it would make Weasley 's hair green with envy. He could only say: “Am I seeing an angel."

Draca turned bright red and stuttered, Harry walked over and towered over her and he asked, still having an eternal battle of claiming her with no remorse: “Why?"

She looked away and said: “I wanted to show you how pretty I can be and instead of reminding you of "Deacon” or being Lucius' daughter Harry. I just want you to look at me as a woman."

Tilting her face up he then said: “But you always have been."

She then lunged locking lips with him and tackled him to the floor. All reason for stopping was gone and all that remained was the instinct to claim and dominate. She gasped feeling him tweak her nipples and he whispered: “Other risky having this my dear sweet dragons, did your mother send this as well as words of encouragement."

She nodded whimpering as her pale pink nipples were on full display and erect saying after gasping as he rugged on them: “Mom…  mom told me to claim you and make you mine. To claim the man I wanted for so long and can finally have him without regret.”

Smiling he then whispered huskily as his eye morphed and she looked into it with hunger and he whispered: " Well my lovely dragoness, I am here and you are mine. But I desire more, I will claim who I want and I want to claim, is you.”

Draca had already passed out from pleasure overload as she laid nude as the day she was born and Harry pulled out of her as the room was extremely dark with only a small fire within the fireplace to light the room. Dropping next to her and pulled her into his warmth causing her to turn over and curl into him and sighed in bliss feeling his gentle yet loving touch. They made out only and explored each other's body, all she could have done from him as he ate her out and finger her asshole and hit all her spots was a blowjob that was bad, but got him a release. Seeing her face he kissed her lips as she didn't have his spunk in her mouth as she pulled away and landed on her back forming a puddle and he cleaned it off of her he knew Draca was safe. Letting the sandman dust his eyes he too fell into the land of dreams as Draca was having a dream of her wearing a summer dress tending to a child with white hair and green eyes and an older Harry walked up behind her and kissed her and a satisfaction smile and serenity graced her face. Meanwhile Narcissa in the Malfoy manor as her husband was away was packing her things and felt a wave of pride fill her and she smiled and said: “That's my baby girl."

Notes:

Okay I am saying this as it is a common issue. I have this spell checked on Google then I had someone else run through it with spell checks and punctuation errors. Then he sends it back to me and half of the fixes and content for some reason disappears and will not allow me to fix it. So stop narcing about an issue I have no control over, it's ridiculous other content creators have the exact same issue, if you all want it to stop learn about something called dialects as something Hagrid has since you all are narcing about that, get some culture in you. And second if you constantly complain about such thing complain to the ones who make this buggy site.

Chapter 16: (Chapter Sixteen)

Summary:

The first task is nigh and Harry has a completely concocted plan to get the egg without trying and it's so logically stupid. But yet Tonks seems to have her doubts about Harry and confronts him at night.

(Chapter Sixteen)

Time for the first challenge and as Harry was being led by Professor McGongall after his meal on the cold November afternoon, Professor McGongall put her hand on his shoulder and looked to him and saw no ounce of fear. Only confidence and strength. "Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head....We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand....The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you....Are you all right?"

"Yes," Harry heard himself say. "Yes, I'm fine.”

She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view.

"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, "and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there...he'll be telling you the - the procedure.... Good luck.”

Harry smiled and said: " I don't need it, Professor.”

As Harry went inside he spotted Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Walking over to her he asked her: “Are you doing okay, Fleur?"

She looked at him and replied: " Thank you fair askéng, but you should be maire concairned abut yursélf.”

Shrugging he replied: " No need to not show concern for our fellow champions, this is all about unity, so why not show concerns for each other to prove we can beat them without handicaps.”Dah, a true champion shows compassion and confidence as well as concern for his fellow champions to show he or she can win when they are at their best and show great spirit.”

Cedric nodded as Harry noticed Krum. Stopped being surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves till he said: “We all must remain calm and keep a level head, one screw up is all it takes."

Going toward an open position as he was already in his champion attire, but instead of Gryffindor was the house of Potter emblem but had the Deathly Hallows emblem on his sleeves. Just then Bagman came in and looked around for a moment and made sure everyone was accountable before saying: “Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in! When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too...ah, yes...your task is to collect the golden egg!”

Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; but Harry remained silent having already done this before.  And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking…. But Harry blocked it all out and was meditating and becoming focused. And then - it seemed like about a second later to Harry - Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.

"Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.

She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck And Harry knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, that he had been right: Madame Maxime had told her what was coming. The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.

Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. Knowing what was left, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail, and the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs. “Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now...Harry...could I have a quick word? Outside?"

"Er...yes," said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face. "Feeling alright, Harry? Anything I can get you?” 

Shaking his head he replied: “No sir, but just be ready for anything sir, I may blow some people away."

"Got a plan?" said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here, Harry....Anything I can do to help…” he shook his head and Harry tapped his forehead and said: “Just be ready, sir.*

Just then a whistle had blown somewhere.

"Good lord, I've got to run!" said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off.

Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry tried to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt. Harry went back inside to Fleur and Krum. Seconds hater, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to-face with the living counterpart of his model… and Harry knew Cedric would succeed. Harry sighed and said: “I think after this, I'll head down to the pitch and race around it on my broom."

Krum looked at him and asked: “You play Quidditch?"

Harry nodded and smiled saying: “Gryffindor seeker and never had officially lost, would have won last year if the Dementors hadn't intervened. Cost me my Nimbus 2000, but my fire bolt is my favorite.*

Krum smiled and nodded his head and Harry then said: “Perhaps we can ask Madam Hooch to have a friendly game of Quidditch going, just finished r fun and to help take people's minds off the danger. When was the last time you played for fun instead of for fame or professionally." 

As they heard the crowd screamed...yelled...gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout. Krum was still staring at the ground. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent. And Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse....Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as he heard: "Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow"... "He's taking risks, this one!"..."Clever move - pity it didn't work!”

Harry then pulled out some tea and made the other two some and said: " Hear, this should help calm yourselves, just normal sweet tea, don't prefer other kinds, mostly prefer juice in reality.”

Fleur took the cup cautiously and Krum. Instantly downed his and felt a bit calmer and raised it to Harry in appreciation and Fleur soon drank hers and felt some of her jitters vanish. And then, after about fifteen minutes, they heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg. Harry was in the middle of practicing his wand movements in hand. 

"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"

But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Fleur was trembling from head to foot; Harry felt more warmly toward her than he had done so far as she hefted the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. He and Krum were left alone, at opposite sides of the tent, avoiding each other's gaze. The same process started again...."Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. "Oh...nearly! Careful now...good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"

Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupted into applause once more....Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown...more clapping...then, for the third time, the whistle.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry quite alone.

He felt much more aware of his body than usual; very aware of the way his heart was pumping fast, and his fingers tingling with fear...yet at the same time, he seemed to be outside himself, seeing the walls of the tent, and hearing the crowd, as though from far away. He still must part of that old mind set to make him this much nervous or he was just antsy.

"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"

Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished - it would be Harry's turn any moment. Getting up he began to leave as he reached the flap he heard his name. As he was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence. He saw everything in front of him as though it was a very highly colored dream. There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at him from stands that had been magicked there since he'd last stood on this spot. And there was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground to show it's territory.

The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what he had to do...to focus his mind, entirely and absolutely, upon the thing that was his only chance. Thus he began speaking in the language of serpents: “Be still might fire breather, I mean you no harm or your unborn. I seek the fake egg hidden amongst your children."

Everyone waited as silence followed before they began hearing hissing and growls from the dragon and Harry continued speaking to it like it was a sneak and everyone gaped seeing this: “It is true great one, I only desire the fake hiding amongst the young. I shall wait right here for you to hand over the golden color, as we know we can not lie to one another."

The dragon hissed and snarled before moving aside and looked to its young and spotted the golden egg and grabbed it in its mouth and walked to Harry as he remained silent and still. Extending his empty hands the dragon dropped the slimy egg into his hands and said in the language of serpents: " Leave wizarding, for my patience is ever so thin.”

Harry bowed and turned to walk away and leave as the Horntail walked back to its eggs and everyone couldn't believe what they saw. Sirius, Remus, Andromeda, Narcissa, Amelia, Nymphadora who were behind the judges all started even more dumbfounded before Sirius started laughing and clapping like a mad man.

“Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!”

Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid hurry to meet him, all of them waving him toward them, their smiles evident even from this distance, especially Sirius, Narcissa, Andromeda and Remus. As the seven gathered by Harry as he was safe McGongall came over and said: “That was excellent, Potter! Completely horrifying, and ridiculously stupid. But excellent.”

Moody nodded and said: " Indeed, how did you know that would work?”

Harry smirked and replied: " Common conception that people call dragons fire breathing “serpents" so I took it literally and here we are.”

"Yeh did it, Harry!" said Hagrid hoarsely. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the  -'' Harry smiled and said: “Thanks, Hagrid,” he had stopped him from revealing that he had shown Harry the dragons beforehand.

Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its socket.

"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," he growled, before smiling and said: "I'll make an Aurora out of you before this year ends.”

Entering the tent with his family, Sirius said: “Nice work pup, who knew just being diplomatic with a dragon would work."

Remus nodded and replied: " I'll say, never would have I ever done that. You take a lot after Lily in the bravery department, prongslet.”

Andromeda sighed and said: " You had us scared out of our wits, young man.”

Narcissa then said: “Yes Draca was clinging onto both Delphini and Nymphadora during that entire ordeal, young man."

Scratching the back of his head and said with nervousness: “Guess I'll talk to them later." 

But he noticed Madam Pomfrey tending to the other Champions as she then said angrily: “Dragons!”

Noticing four cubicles with the others inside he saw Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry with a glance and said: “This the one time I am surprised to not be tending you Mr. Potter, after all you have a history of accidents."

Harry snorted and said: “Yeah, but I had decided to play diplomat with a dragon and it worked. Thank you parselmouth."

She nodded and said: "Still, last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next?”

"Best not jinx it ma’am" Said Cedric.

She looked at him and asked: “How does it feel now, Diggory?”

Tuning the others out he walked away and waited for his score. Just then he heard footsteps as he noticed his family had to leave. Looking up he saw Ron and Hermione and he said tiredly: “Yeah?"

" Harry, that was completely irresponsible and senile!” Shouted Hermione in rage. 

He shrugged and replied: “It worked and I am alive and the person trying to kill me might be fuming who cares.*

“Harry," Ron said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet - I - I reckon they're trying to do you in!”

Face palming he then said: “Finally believing we have, we. I told everyone this on day one. Yet it took you all nearly three months to finally believe it. How long have we ever had someone not trying to either kill me, or do something else while in our school year?”

Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainty. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn't need to hear it. Raising his hand he then said: “Forget right now you guys beat leave before you get in trouble. And be vigilant as Moody says."

They nodded sadly and left, sighing loudly he walked out to go see the scores Ms notice the bandages and damaged outfits of the other champions. Looking to the five judges he saw the first Madame Maxime - raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight. Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number Ten into the air, which was one more than last time. Next, Dumbledore. 

He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever. Ludo Bagman gave him a ten like last time though he shrugged. And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too and gave him surprisingly a seven. Soon he heard the Gryffindor cheering in the crowd, but he ignored them. 

"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!" said Charlie Weasley, hurrying to meet them as they set off back toward the school. "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened - but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah - and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes....Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent.”

Nodding his head, he returned to the Champions tent. Upon entering he saw Fleur, Cedric, and Krum all came in together. One side of Cedric's face was covered in a thick orange paste, which was presumably mending his burn. He grinned at Harry when he saw him and said: "Good one, Harry."

"And you," said Harry, grinning back.

"Well done, all of you!" said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth - but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open...see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg - because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!”

As Bagman left, Harry cracked it open and all four cried out and covered their ears and he closed it and said: “Fucking hell, what kinda clue is that?"

"Dah, what creature could sound like that.” Said Krum as he examined his own egg. 

Fleur in her mind felt terror for some reason and she then said: “Whatevair eet eez, ai do not lik eet. Ai don't know why, but eet eez making me feel vairy afraid.”

Cedric then said: " I propose we make a pact to solve this mystery, I am sure with the four of us together we can surely solve it.”

Heading back to school, he spotted someone waiting for him, it was Rita Skeeter. She was wearing acid-green robes today; the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly against them.

"Congratulations, Harry!" she said, beaming at him. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How did you feel facing that dragon? How do you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?"

"Yeah, you can have a word," said Harry savagely as his hand snakes around and smacks her ass and whispers harshly with his eye a blaze: " Don't cross me and behave.*

She nodded and returned to the school and headed up to the Room of Requirement and his grandfather's workshop. Along the way he stopped as he passed by a classroom with a door ajar and he began backing up and looked inside and saw Pike smacking someone. He looked and saw a girl strapped down to a table. She had long wavy hair that was dirty blonde almost brown and hazel green eyes with fair skin. He recognized her as Daphne Greengrass, he saw the evident of fear in her eyes as Pike towered over her and he licked his lips and said: “Finally, Potter may have stopped me from enjoying to defile the Malfoy heiress, but no one is coming to save you ice queen, no one likes or wants you. Though, I'd say your sister is on my -back!"

Just then Pike collapsed and Daphne saw in the doorway was Harry James Potter staring at the man and he snarled and walked over to Pike and grabbed the teens wand and transfigured a chair into shackles and shackled him to the floor. Seeing Daphne in plain green panties that had torn and he saw the rest of her clothes on the ground had been turned to ash, he transfigure the shackles binding her and took of his shirt and handed it to her and a white ball grew on his original wand tip and with a flick toward the window three patronuses soared out the window to different places. Seeing Daphne try to pull his shirt down over her lap to give herself some coverage and with a wave of his wand the shirt became very baggy and she looked to him and said: “Thank you Potter, if you hadn't come I… I…, he…” walking over and hugging her as she trembled. As he stroked her hair and said: " Hey now, everything will be alright, I promise.”

Just then barging into the room was Madam Pomfret, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore. Seeing the badly burned clothing and Greengrass' state along with Harry's torso exposed, Pomfret rushed to the girl's side and McGonagall asked: “Mr. Potter can you explain" 

He nodded and said: “Seems this asshole refused to learn about how a woman should be treated Professor, he even admitted he wanted to rape Daphne’s sister after her" 

Daphne stood up and collapsed to her knees and Madam Pomfret said: " She has been sedated and given a potion and spell combination that would have made her into Mr. Pike’s person plaything if Mr. Potter hadn't moved in”

Harry then looked to the professor and said: " I believe this warrants an expulsion and a wand snapping Professor, he'll most likely do it again. There is no point of trying to stop it, I will personally go to Amelia herself for this”

The Headmaster frowned and said: " Very well then, Severus I believe you should notify Mr. Pike's family. Madam Pomfrey, Ms.Greengrass is in your care and Professor McGonagall I believe I should not say more”

Harry then turned over Pike's wand and walked out to leave the room. As he walked down toward his secret room as he was not in the mood.to.party he noticed Nymphadora outside the room and he quirked a brow and asked her: “You not handling the recent attempt at a rape I intervene" 

Look puzzled he sighed and she said: “Harry you had everyone completely freaked out by that stunt, I even saw Draca looking terrible afraid" 

“It's fine Nym, I knew exactly what I was doing. So why else are you here?" He asked her as he opened the room and they went on inside and it closed behind him noticing Delphini and Draca was already inside and both curled on the couch he had Dobby and Winky brought in that had long seats on.the ends for two people to lay across and both girls were sleeping Harry chuckled and motioned Nymphadora to follow.

Entering the bedroom he sat on the bed as she crossed her arms and she proceeded to scold him on his carelessness an risking moves.But he sighed and walked to her and asked huskily: “Why don't you say what you really feel, that you were more afraid about no seeing my handsome face. Especially since you don't rip on me for when I call you Nym or Nymph”

She froze and Harry smiled and reached around and grabbed her ass and said: " Nice and firm with a bit of a bounce and softness, nice. Tell me my beautiful Nymph, why do you really grill into me?”

She frowned and looked him dead in the eye and said: “You are acting like someone not your age, you are.completely acting like an adult on a warpath and it's got people worried about, thinking you'll go dark" 

Harry scoffed and said: “Tell me Nymphadora, what's the difference between light and dark? And I don't mean what society has labeled them, tell me what's the difference.”

She frowned even deeper hearing her use her full name and couldn't respond as the public always had the say and defined the line. Harry shook.his head and said: " There is hardly any difference except how others don't understand what it is. Sure there are things that are dark in nature but are not truly evil, just as there are things of light nature that are not truly good. Someone can be dark and a good person as someone can be.light and be an evil person, all that matters is the intent, the path, the goals and what they would do to get to that goal. Voldemort is completely mad and is an evil no longer should suffer from.”

Nymphadora remained silent, soaking in his words, they were heavily philosophical and yet the words are heavily true.

“Nymph, the world isn't black and white with just shades of gray, it's a colorful convince that can easily be changed by one bigots stupidity. Life and society are fragile like very weak glass and the minds of a cluster of people are dumber than a child, that is why nothing can get done.” He said as he stripped and he walked toward her as she kept looking at him in the eyes and he said: " What I say may not make sense to a common person. Sometimes a person must stand alone above others to show them there are better ways of doing everything then what a group of people say is the right thing."

She remained silent even longer and he climbed in bed and said before passing out: “If you're staying, get in, if not you can curl up with the girls. Either way I am exhausted." 

Looking to Harry, she began stripping removing her long black coat, her red and black striped tank top and black leggings revealing her black lace tights stockings and garter belt with a black transparent V-shape panties and a half cup transparent Bra and climbed into bed with him as her hair morphed into a pale brown and her studded earrings still in her ear 

Chapter 17: (Chapter Seventeen)

Summary:

The first task is over and now Harry is enjoying the break, but yet, Hermione comes to him and they have a private intimate chat.

(Chapter Seventeen)

Soon it was the start of December that brought wind and sleet to Hogwarts. Drafty though the castle always was in winter. Harry was glad of its fires and thick walls every time he passed the Durmstrang ship on the lake, which was pitching in the high winds, its black sails billowing against the dark skies. He thought the Beauxbatons caravan was likely to be pretty chilly too. Thankfully they had gotten the okay from Madam Hooch about using the pitch and Harry sent out letters to all teams inviting them to the pitch, even to the other schools. Krum was the first to arrive, but with so many people coming, they decided to double up, meaning the potions, players, bludgers were all doubled. 

The first weekend everyone showed up to watch the match and everyone saw Krum smiling like a child on Christmas Day as he nearly forgot what Quidditch felt like playing, just for.playing. No massive fans to impress, nothing major, just him and the pitch against others, but as both he and Harry got the snitch in sync due to Hogwarts having a small point lead they won and Krum laughed and admitted he nearly forgot what the rush of the game and Quidditch felt. The Professor and Headmasters even Bagman who showed up last were amazed by the match showing they were surprised and all except Kakaroff were pleased seeing everyone enjoying themselves even Beauxbatons were also enjoying themselves. Wood even showed up that weekend and seen the match and cheered, Charlie who stayed to make sure that everything of the dragons was sent back and had saw the team and noticed Ginny and Ron were used to substitute in and Ron was a good keeper and Ginny was an excellent chaser and he cheered happily for them. That afternoon Harry was down in Hogsmeade at the tavern enjoying some butter beer when he saw Luna walking to him and she said: “‘Ello Harry, nice game you played" 

He nodded and said: “Yeah…" noticing her bare feet as the snow hadn't begun to fall and asked: “Luna, where are your shoes" 

She then said: “Oh the wackspurts must've gotten them, I just had them yesterday" 

He sighed and brought her into his booth and began rubbing her feet as he noticed they were bright pink and said: “Luna, it couldn't have been them. Are you sure it was not your dorm? And be honest with me please, I want to help.”

Feeling warmth she remained silent and he sighed and said: " We'll talk to Professor Litwick later, for now we need to get you some shoes. Thankfully a clothing store that sells shoes is in Hogsmeade.”

Nodding her head and once he warmed up her feet, he carried her out to the clothes shop called Gladrags Wizard wear and bought her some leggings, socks and some boots for the upcoming snow since she didn't own a pair. As they headed back, Harry saw Susan with Hannah and Neville and he waved to them as they came out of Honey dukes and he said: “Hey guys" 

Susan blushed and said: " Hello Harry, great match today, I can't believe you won against Victor Krum”

Harry waved it off and said: " Not easily mind you, but how have you guys been? Oh Neville, Hannah your necks.”

Both turned bright red and adjusted their coats and scarves and Susan giggled at them and Hannah asked: " Harry, why are you with Loony Luna?”

"Hannah!” Chaste Susan and Harry ignored it and sighed before saying: " Well she's unique, but I found her at the pub barefooted, I think she's being bullied.”

The three blinked and noticed Luna had a dazed look and he leaned in and whispered: “I think she may be a seer, because from what I read, Luna had all the signs. But she is a prophecy seer, just a seer." 

Blinking like owls and Susan then said: “Oh, that makes sense due to her behavior. But Harry, are you sure?" 

Shaking his head in a yes motion he replied: “This isn't the first time. I even heard she has been caught wandering the halls near the Ravenclaw dormitories as she had been locked out by other students. Even her stuff was thrown out at one time.”

"That's not right, are you going to tell Professor Flitwick, Harry?” Asked Neville, receiving a nod and said: "Yeah, on my way now. Oh Susan, I need your help deciphering the egg tomorrow. I noticed some runes on it and wanted to get your opinion on them.” He asked her and she nodded and Hannah looked at her long time friend with a knowing smile and looked at her blushing friend.

That early evening Harry walked side by side with Luna as they stopped outside of Professor Flitwick’s charm class. Knocking on the door they heard a gentle: “Come in, come in." 

Entering the room, Luna looked nervous and Harry patted her head gently making her nuzzle into the pat for some odd reason. Flitwick saw the two and said: “Ah, Mr. Potter, Ms. Lovegood, what do I owe you this visit" 

Harry and Luna stood before him and Harry breathed in and out, knowing he was doing the right thing. He then said: "Professor, I'd like to report bullying conducted in your own house sir, against Luna here”

Mr. Flitwick, who stopped grading papers, looked up and said seriously: " And what makes you say that Mr. Potter?”

Harry continued saying: " I overheard many things as Luna was purposely locked or thrown out of the Ravenclaw dorms, her stuff thrown out, someone stealing her shoes and even some of her things being damaged. Luna seems to not believe it's her house mates, as honorable as that sounds sir, I've overheard some of the Raven laws admitting to doing it.”

Luna looked to him and Flitwick then said seriously: “Very well Mr. Potter, I will see to this at once. Ms. Live Good as kind of you not believing your house did none of these things. I had suspected it happening, so come along we will end this and Mr. Potter if it does not stop do come see me again.if you hear about it."

Harry nodded and left the class as Luna and Flitwick headed for the dorms. Harry heading to the room of requirement paused seeing Ron and Hermione blocking his way and Ron asked: " You missed the celebration again Harry, what is with you dodging your friends?”

He replied calmly: " I'm not dodging anyone, look I'm sorry but I have a lot of responsibilities tethering me right now. As soon as my schedule is cleared up we can hang, okay?”

Ron nodded, accepting that and Seamus and Dean called out to Ron to come on as they heard Filch had caught Crabbe and Goyle up to something. As he and Hermione remained she crossed her arms and he frowned and he asked tiredly: " Still don't believe me do you?”

Getting no response he grabbed her hand and dragged her into an empty classroom and locking the door he sighed and said: "You still think I am doing this for attention don't you.”

She then replied: " Honestly Harry… I… I… no, I… I don't know. You are acting completely different, acting more like a flirt to girls, getting into fights, the tournament, your duties as heir and future Lord and more. I just want my Harry back, the boy who means a lot to me… as a friend.”

He walked over and into her space causing her to back up and get pressed against a table and he said: " Oh no Mione, I knew exactly what you want, you want me… don't think I hadn't seen those looks of jealousy when I hang around with Susan, Ginny and my female teammates… you Mione Granger wants me. And you want me to hold you…” wrapping his arms around her waist, he nibbled her ear making her moan as he said: "Me to give you some affection." 

He began pecking his lips up her neck making her turn red till he reached the corner of her lips and he then said huskily: “Me to kiss and claim you." 

He then laid in a deep kiss as he hands grabbed her jean covered ass and fondle her cheeks making her moan, causing him to slip his tongue in and picked her up to put her on the desk and.she pushed him away while.blushing and said: “Harry this isn't right, this isn't you." 

He then said: “Yes it is.Mione, it always has been. The first time I saw you, I couldn't take my eyes off you. You were stunning, cute, smart and strong. And everyday I see you blossom more and more, my drive to want you grows. But I knew if I had asked earlier for.you to be my girlfriend the Dursleys would've made you feel even worse than when " Draco” hurt you. When I saw you petrified I felt a part of me dying Mione.”

As he lips trembled she missed his eye activating and fell under its control, but instead of becoming like Ginny and Susan, she would succumb to his gentle words like a lovestruck girl. He then said: " When you left my side, I felt like I lost something and part of me wants to take.it back by force and use the life debt you owe me to control you, but… I couldn't do that. I am not Voldemort, I couldn't do that to the beautiful woman before me.”

She blushed and reached to touch his cheeks as his eyes returned to normal and she said: “Oh Harry, I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't know, I should've believed you, part of me, the person l, the girl who stood by you wanted to, but another part of me…” putting a finger to her lips he shushed her and said: " Don't worry about it my lovely otter, the otter symbolizes your intelligence, loyalty, you fun loving side as well as your protectiveness. I want you by my side Mione, always.”

She moaned feeling his hand fondled her ass and he slid his tongue back in and tongue restless her as her mouth showed signs of their tongues wrestling from being pressed against her cheeks. Pulling away to catch her breathing as it went for a good five minutes she looked at him while looking down and asked: " Do you mean it, about everything you said?”

He nodded and lifted her chin up and said: " And more…" she gasped, feeling Harry unbuttoning her pants and said: “What are you doing Harry?" 

She was blushing madly and he kissed her lips and replied: “I want to see my Mione as beautiful as I know she is. My Mione is as beautiful as an angel in the garden of Eden.”

-(Lemon Now, turn away and skip, last warning)-

Her face was bright red and she covered in in embarrassment as he continued on and slowly pulling down her blue jeans and kissing her things as he pulled them down and saw she wore socks that came up to the calf's he untied her shoes and put them aside and looked up as his eyes traveled up her body as she pulled her sweater shirt down to hide her simple white panties with a pale blue lace outline and a red bow on the front as she was blushing and Harry kissed her foot as he brought it up and trailed kisses back.up to her lips and she said: “Harry please…” he shushed her and said: " I can't Hermione, I can't, I can't stop myself being in your presence. You're so beautiful it drives me wild, the young woman who I adore, the young woman who I respect and love so much I would die for sitting like.this I can't stop.”

She trembled hearing his words and gasped as he trailed back down to her navel and slowly lifted up her shirt. She wanted him to stop, she wanted it to end, she wanted the innocent Harry back, but she could not bring herself to see anything, only to.allow her top to come off. Lifting the sweater for ver head, he saw a.matching bra can bring her low b-cup breast and he kissed the top of.them.seeing freckles and he whispered: “Such perfection" 

Hermione stuttered and staggered on her words. She moaned, feeling his right hand began tracing her breast on the underside and he smiled. Hermione moaned feeling the movement of his hands and gasped as he whispered: “Accio: Hermione’s bra" this her bra came flying off and into his wand hand and he smiled and started kissing and licking the fair freckled skin of her exposed breast. Seeing her dark pink nipples he smiled and began tracing his tongue to outline them both switching back and forth as he sat her bra down and sat his wand aside and began rubbing her panty clad crotch feeling a massive wet spot forming. He then said: “My, my Mione, it seems you wanted this as much as I did. I wanted to.do.this.for so long but afraid of losing you. And with the thought of him returning, it makes me even more afraid to lose.You, let me protect you Hermione, let me.have you." 

She gasped and moaned feeling his fingers slipped into a leg hole and picked and probed and even teased her pussy lips that were an outie and had some fuzzy around it. Gasping, throwing her head back she said: “Harry… please… Harry…” coming to kiss her lips he then tossed his shirt aside and asked: " Please what?”

Just then she slammed her lips into his and began unzipping his pants and pulling away after five minutes with a trail of.saliva connecting their tongues she replied: " Please make me yours.”

He smiled and kissed her again and pressed his forehead to her making her all giddy and happy with a blush as the two locked eyes and he said: "Of course, I'll more.than.just make.you my girl…” grabbing her panties he ripped them.off of her getting her to gasp as he pinned her down after undoing his belt and button and letting his pants and boxers to fall exposing his six going onto seven inches cock out that bounced onto her snatch. She blushed as he saw she had more.freckles on her body and he leaned down and captured her lips as he slowly inserted into her and she gasped and moaned into the kiss l, but he wasn't letting up. Stopping when he hit a barrier they locked eyes and she nodded, and with one final push, he inserted himself into her and she gasped feeling his cock head kissing her womb entrance and he had an inch left. She whimpered and a tear fell, stroking her head with his hand as he had placed them both beside her. When she laid back he placed his forehead to hers and said: “I feel you Hermione, ever part of you. We are one." 

She nodded blushing like a schoolgirl and said: “You can start moving Harry.”

Kissing her once more he began slowly and gently pulling out and pushing back into her and started building up a rhythm that kept increasing and increasing. With every thrust Hermione gasped, and with every pull Hermione moaned. Lowering his head he began licking and sucking her breast and began fondling and squeezing them making the sounds louder and deeper. As he began picking up the pace, Hermione.began meeting his rhythm and she gasped, feeling her nipples being grinded by his teeth or pulled, even sucked on like she was breastfeeding. Hermione moaned and couldn't believe her mind was being flooded with pleasure like nothing she had ever done, sure she had read about masturbation and sexual experience but she barely touched herself or anything. Just then she felt some burst from inside and she cried out as her pussy gushed juices all over him as he inserted finger into her rosebud.

Harry continued his administration makes movements increasing the speed and.power of the thrust as his finger s began teasing her clit and rose bud and she gasped and squirmed and climaxed again and again after every eight minutes and soon Harry started picking up his pace and grunted out feeling her fifth one really constricting him and he said: “Hermione… gonna cum… where…. Do you…. Want it?”

To his surprise she wrapped her legs around him and pulled her in deeper and he roared out as his dick swelled and soon she gasped and felt jet streams causing her to cum a sixth tum this time even drenching his face. Hermione moaned and cried out in ecstasy feeling his seed pumping directly into her womb.

-(Lemon End)-

Pulling himself out he saw his cum ooze out of her causing her to twitch and spasm having a mini-orgasm and found his stomach and chest drenched as well as his face. He used a cleaning spell on himself and noticed Hermione was barely responsive and she then said in a daze with a slur: “Do you mean about what you said Harry, that you love me." 

He nodded and kissed her lips and said: “Yes I do, and my love for you wants me.to.have you more than just a girlfriend, I always felt a powerful bond with you Hermione, a special bond." 

Casting Reparo on her panties she then said: “Are you saying…” barely having the strength to push herself up she then asked him: “I… I do too… I.feel it…” touching over her heart before noticing her stomach bulged and saw she was still heavily filled she smiled and dipped her fingers inside and pulled them.out coached with his.spun and.licked them and said: " Tasty… you want me as your wife." 

He smiled and picked her lips and said: “Yes, Hermione after I graduated I will be placed in the high Lord's possession." 

She froze and he said: “I want to tell you, heck I wanted to tell the Weasley's but I was sworn into secrecy that I could only tell to a woman who I truly bonded with, and I bonded with you. But the high Lord possession is more than just a title and heavy responsibility. I have to rebuild various family lines within my family. I just don't want any girl, I wanted the girls who I love and trust and I trust you Hermione.”

She was touched and he sat beside her and rested her head on his shoulder and said: " Do you mean that”

He smiled and said: "Always and more.”

She smiled and staggered before nearly slipping in a puddle of their juices but he caught her and with her having no strength he dressed her and she wanted to keep the spunk within her and she told Harry that she had been on the pill since this year and taking the potion as instructed by Madam Pomfrey last year. Carrying Hermione fully dressed as was he to the Great Hall for dinner he smiled seeing the girl sighing within his arms and he snickered. Noticing Ginny who came around she saw them and she gave a knowing approval smirk and headed on inside. Kissing Hermione as she said: “Hermione Jean Potter, sounds nice… but who are the other girls you are thinking about and how many families?”

He smiled and said: " For now I just want to make sure you're happy and eating.”

Setting her down before they entered, they walked over to their seats.

"Want a jam tart, Hermione?" said Fred.

Hermione looked doubtful at the plate he was offering her. Fred grinned.

"It's all right," he said. "I haven't done anything to them." 

Hermione took a jam tart. Then she said, "Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?"

"Yep," said Fred, grinning at her. He put on a high-pitched squeak and imitated a house-elf. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful...get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish."

"How do you get in there?" Hermione said in an innocently casual sort of voice.

"Easy," said Fred, "concealed, door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and-" He stopped and looked suspiciously at her. "Why?"

"Nothing," said Hermione quickly.

"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" said George. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?"

Several people chortled. Hermione didn't answer.

"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries!" said Fred warningly. "You'll put them off their cooking!”

With the start of classes seemed normal as it came for creature care, the Skrewts were even less in numbers than before.There were now only ten skrewts left; apparently their desire to kill one another had not been exercised out of them. Each of them was now approaching six feet in length. Their thick gray armor; their powerful, scuttling legs; their fire-blasting ends; their stings and their suckers, combined to make the skrewts the most repulsive things Harry had ever seen. The class looked dispiritedly at the enormous boxes Hagrid had brought out, all lined with pillows and fluffy blankets.

"We'll jus' lead 'em in here," Hagrid said, "an' put the lids on, and we'll see what happens."

But the skrewts, it transpired, did not hibernate, and did not appreciate being forced into pillow-lined boxes and nailed in. Hagrid was soon yelling, "Don panic, now, don' panic!" while the skrewts rampaged around the pumpkin patch, now strewn with the smoldering wreckage of the boxes. Most of the class - Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in the lead - had fled into Hagrid's cabin through the back door and barricaded themselves in; Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were among those who remained outside trying to help Hagrid. Together they managed to restrain and tie up nine of the skrewts, though at the cost of numerous burns and cuts; finally, only one skrewt was left.

"Don' frighten him, now!" Hagrid shouted as Ron and Harry used their wands to shoot jets of fiery sparks at the skrewt, which was advancing menacingly on them, its sting arched, quivering, over its back. "Jus' try an slip the rope 'round his sting, so he won hurt any o' the others!”

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that!" Ron shouted angrily as he and Harry backed into the wall of Hagrid's cabin, still holding the skrewt off with their sparks.

"Well, well, well...this does look like fun." Said Rita Skeeter as she was leaning on Hagrid's garden fence, looking in at the mayhem. 

She was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar today, and her crocodile-skin handbag was over her arm. Hagrid launched himself forward on top of the skrewt that was cornering Harry and Ron and flattened it; a blast of fire shot out of its end, withering the pumpkin plants nearby.

"Who're you?" Hagrid asked Rita Skeeter as he slipped a loop of rope around the skrewt's sting and tightened it.

"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter," Rita replied, beaming at him. Her gold teeth glinted.

"Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school anymore," said Hagrid, frowning slightly as he got off the slightly squashed skrewt and started tugging it over to its fellows.

Rita acted as though she hadn't heard what Hagrid had said.

"What are these fascinating creatures called?" she asked, beaming still more widely.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts," grunted Hagrid.

"Really?" said Rita, apparently full of lively interest. "I've never heard of them before...where do they come from?"

Harry noticed a dull red flush rising up out of Hagrid's wild black beard, and his heart sank. Where had Hagrid got the skrewts from? Hermione, who seemed to be thinking along these lines, said quickly, "They're very interesting, aren't they? Aren't they. Harry?"

"What? Oh yeah...ouch...interesting," said Harry as she stepped on his foot and he frowned knowing he'll deal with her shortly.

"Ah, you're here. Harry!" said Rita Skeeter as she looked around. "So you like Care of Magical Creatures, do you? One of your favorite lessons?"

"Yes," said Harry stoutly. Hagrid beamed at him.

"Lovely," said Rita. "Really lovely. Been teaching long?" she added to Hagrid.

Harry noticed her eyes travel over Dean who had a nasty cut across one cheek. Lavender whose robes were badly singed causing Ron to check on her, Seamus who was nursing several burnt fingers and caught a tube of burn cream Harry handed to him, and then to the cabin windows, where most of the class stood, their noses pressed against the glass waiting to see if the coast was clear.

"This is o'ny me second year," said Hagrid.

"Lovely...I don't suppose you'd like to give an interview, would you? Share some of your experience of magical creatures? The Prophet does a zoological column every Wednesday, as I'm sure you know. We could feature these - er - Bang-Ended Scoots."

"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid said eagerly. "Er - yeah, why not?"

Harry had a very bad feeling about this, but there was no way of communicating it to Hagrid without Rita Skeeter seeing, so he had to stand and watch in silence as Hagrid and Rita Skeeter made arrangements to meet in the Three Broomsticks for a good long interview later that week. Then the bell rang up at the castle, signaling the end of the lesson.

"Well, good-bye, Harry!" Rita Skeeter called merrily to him as he set off with Ron and Hermione. "Until Friday night, then, Hagrid!"

"She'll twist everything he says," Harry said under his breath.

"Just as long as he didn't import those skrewts illegally or anything," said Hermione desperately. They looked at one another - it was exactly the sort of thing Hagrid might do.

"Hagrid's been in loads of trouble before, and Dumbledores never sacked him," said Ron consolingly. "Worst that can happen is Hagrid will have to get rid of the skrewts. Sorry...did I say worst? I meant best.”

Shaking his head Harry replied: “Ron, I think one burned a hole in the butt of Lavender's skirt." 

Ron whipped his head around and Lavender giggled and the guys laughed at Ron as Harry smiled and he whispered to Hermione: “Good thing they are perfect for each other like we are." 

She giggled and.locked his pinky with hers and smiled. Hermione was told she had to see Harry off, entering double runes, Daphne walked over to him before the class could begin as they were the first to arrive and she then said: “Potter, I must thank you for the assistance against that fool Pike." 

He then said: “Not a problem Greengrass, how's your sister, Draca mentioned she seemed better last week?" 

Remaining silent as she looked down and said: " Not doing so well, her illness is active again this time happened while she had broom practice and nearly had fallen to her death.”

Placing a hand on her, Harry then said: "He, ask Draca to take you to the Scriptorium and have her bring her cousin Delphini, she'll let you in and I'll be there shortly.”

Daphne looked confused and asked: “The Scriptorium where is that?" 

He chuckled and said: “Believe me, you'll know what it is upon entry."

Taking his seat as in a few minutes class would begin, Daphne looked to him seeing Draca came into the room and would ask her about this " Scriptorium” and hoped it was not a trap.

Chapter 18: (Chapter Eighteen)

Summary:

Further and further into the tea and now Yule approaches and more champion duties has arrived.

(Chapter Eighteen)

Harry had enjoyed double runes as today they were paired up to decipher a code each. He was with Susan and she fidgeted and he looked at her and rubbed her back soothing her knowing she was backed up. Susan mumbled a thanks and they focused on the lesson and Harry was scanning them as Susan called out what each time resembled and she groaned in pain and snuck her hand into her robe and rubbed her breast. Seeing the act he knew she must've been back up badly, very badly, then the thought that it grows even more painful till a certain point.he leaned in and whispered soothing words and pop promised her he would deal with it after class as an apology for ignoring her. She blushed and nodded with a soft thanks. Finishing the deciphering they presented the code to the class and Professor Babbling congratulated them on passing and Susan winced in pain and Harry asked: “Professor, Susan has been whispering to me about a ln ache in her chest. Can I escort her to Madam Pomfrey to get it sorted." 

The Professor nodded and said: “Of course Mr. Potter and ten points for Gryffindor for assisting someone in their hour of need." 

Packing their things Harry and Susan hurried out of class an old headed toward the infirmary and snuck into one of the classes and locked the door and Susan hurried and took of her robe, vest and button up blouse and cried out as she nearly tore of her pale pink bra with a dark pink outline that cloaked her into breasts and h whimpered as milk oozed and Harry rushed over and he said: “Has it gotten worse since…” she nodded and said: " Yes, I sent a letter to my aunt and she said she would be sending a pump and said it would arrive at Madam Pomfrey and I should go see her if it acts up.”

Harry nodded and began gently rubbing her areola and grasping her breast and.fondle them. She moaned and asked: " Harry, am I pretty?”

He looked at her and replied: " Of course you are, with or without these…” emphasizing he gently squeezed them, getting a slight spurt of milk and he continued: " Sudan you are an amazing woman any guy would be lucky to have you, I thought I told you this already.”

She moaned, feeling he brought her right breast up and began sucking on it and she whispered: " I… I forgot, but I don't want any other guy, I want you Harry… you are the one I want, I want you so much.”

He smiled and kept on sucking and began twerking her other nipple and started pulling on it and she gasped as milk began to spurt out in jets. Whimpering at the ministration of suction and tugging she then said: " Please make me.yours Harry, please…" He smiled and said: “Soon my precious heifer, his free hand, traveled to her skirt and undid the two buttons on the side letting it fall showing her matching panties and started administering a gentle rub to her crotch and she gasped.

He kept it up and said: “I'll always be here when you need me, no matter what." 

She moaned as the streams grew longer and she squeaked feeling his hand slip into the band of her panties leg hole and felt her deep fuzzy pussy hair and her outie pussy lips and her three times bigger clit and began rubbing her lower lips and brought her upper lips into a deep kiss. He kept these administrations till she squeaked and her pussy gushed and squirted as he had mushed her breast together as a torrent of milk pulsed out of her nipples and into his mouth and she cried out: “Harry!"

Susan laid against him and sighed as he licked his lips and brought his fingers to her and waved her clean them. Kissing her temple he helped her get dressed and took her to Madam Pomfrey and headed back as classes just ended. Harry pondered on many things, his future and much, much more. He had several names, although Potter, Black, Sayre, Gaunt, Steward and Fleamont all had six houses he was responsible for. Just then Hedgwig came flying in and landed on his shoulder and wood and dropped something in his hand, it was a letter from Gringotts he had sent to receive an update on matters opening but he scanned it and read the letter it said: “Dear Mr. Potter, this is an update upon your family's account and information and all things are in perfect flowing order as well as the return of Salazar Slytherin amulet should have reached you. But we are to inform you that the blood test seems not to have stopped as it looked even further into your ancestry without notifying us until last night. I shall be in Hogsmeade on the weekend before the Yule holidays. This matter should be discussed in person, Lord Black has also been notified and will be attending the meeting. Signed, Ragnok.”

Harry blinked, more ancestry he had thought was just the six families, could they have uncovered something as shocking as Gerald Grindewald. Rubbing his chin, he sent Hedwig off and continued on her merry way. Still tasting Susan milk he had to admit it had a thick texture and with a hint of vanilla and snow cream. Pondering on this he shrugged. Arriving at the great hall, he saw Hermione wasn't at dinner, nor was she in the library when they went to look for her afterward. The only person in there was Viktor Krum. Ron hovered behind the bookshelves for a while, watching Krum, debating in whispers with Harry whether he should ask for an autograph - but then Ron realized that six or seven girls were lurking in the next row of books, debating exactly the same thing, and he lost his enthusiasm for the idea.

"Wonder where she's got to?" Ron said as he and Harry went back to Gryffindor Tower. "Dunno...balderdash.”

But the Fat Lady had barely begun to swing forward when the sound of racing feet behind them announced Hermione's arrival.

"Harry!" she panted, skidding to a halt beside him, but as the Fat Lady stared down at her, eyebrows raised). "Harry, you've got to come - you've got to come, the most amazing thing happened - please -"

She seized Harry's arm and started to try to drag him back along the corridor.

"What's the matter?" Harry said.

"I'll show you when we get there - oh come on, quick -"

Harry looked around at Ron; he looked back at Harry, intrigued and Harry motioned for him to head on up

"Okay," Harry said, starting off back down the corridor with Hermione. 

“Hermione, where are we going?" Harry asked, after she had led them down through six floors, and started down the marble staircase into the entrance hall.

"You'll see, you'll see in a minute!" said Hermione excitedly.

She turned left at the bottom of the staircase and hurried toward the door through which Cedric Diggory had gone the night after the Goblet of Fire had regurgitated his and Harry's names. Harry had never been through here before. As he followed Hermione down a flight of stone steps, but instead of ending up in a gloomy underground passage like the one that led to Snape's dungeon, they found themselves in a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with torches, and decorated with cheerful paintings that were mainly of food.

"Oh hang on..." said Harry slowly, halfway down the corridor. "Wait a minute, Hermione...."

"What?" She turned around to look at him, anticipation all over her face.

"I know what this is about," said Harry as he rubbed his face and he then noticed Cedric and waved to him and he waved back.

Once inside Harry was Dobby amongst the other house elves and Harry asked: “Dobby, what're you doing here?”

Dobby looked at him and said: " Dobby has come to deliver a package from Lord Black to the Great Harry Potter." 

Dobby had a.shoulder bag on his small frame and pulled it out and it was the shape of a very large parcel and Harry took it before ripping it open and saw four relic house robes. Hermione looked at them and was memorized by them as she saw the patterns etched with magic shined and Harry smiled and wrapped the Gryffindor one around his own body and had taken off his robe and stored it away. Seeing the Golden Lion shimmered, Hermione smiled. Harry then asked: “How's Winky doing, is she feeling, alright" 

Dobby nodded and said: “Oh yes, much so now. At first she was heartbroken and drowning her woes in alcohol, but every day she has grown better since you accepted her Harry Potter." 

Harry smiled and Hermione then said: “Is he paying you?" 

Dobby nodded and said: “Oh yes, Harry Potter even suggested for.us to have a pet time job here at Hogwarts to help the other house elves as well as to make sure no one tampers with his food and drinks." 

Hermione saw Winky washing the dishes and smiled seeing the female elf looking a bit chipper. She hugged him and kissed his cheek and said: “You're a good person Harry” he chuckled and said: "Am I not always?" 

She swatted his chest and he left and Dobby asked: “Is Ms. Granger smitten with Harry Potter." 

Harry chuckled seeing her blush and he said: “You could say that, Mione came you head back to the dorms ahead. I'll catch up to you." 

She nodded and left, Harry then asked: “Has anyone shown up to the Scriptorium yet?" 

Dobby shook his head and said: “No sir, Ms. Delphini said she would be there this Friday along with Ms. Malfoy and Ms.Greengrass to discuss something with you.”

He smiled and said: " Thanks.dobby, have a good night and keep Winky happy. I think she is smitten with you.*

Dobby blushed and he laughed before leaving and saw Winky eyeing Dobby and.he chuckled. Sometimes later into the week, Harry and Ron were discussing something till, “Potter! Weasley! Will you pay attention?" Professor McGonagall's irritated voice cracked like a whip through the Transfiguration class on Thursday, and Harry and Ron both jumped and looked up.

It was the end of the lesson; they had finished their work; the guinea fowl they had been changing into guinea pigs had been shut away in a large cage on Professor McGonagall's desk, though Neville’s did have feathers just hardly noticeable ones, they had copied down their homework from the blackboard. Just then the bell was due to ring at any moment, and Harry and Ron, who had been discussing the Quidditch match they had against Krum and Ron, was still giddy as he couldn't believe he go to play against Krum. Just then the Professor said: "I have something to say to you all. The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish -" Lavender Brown let out a shrill giggle. Parvati Patil nudged her hard in the ribs, her face working furiously as she too fought not to giggle. They both looked around at Harry and Ron, Professor McGonagall ignored them, which Harry also ignored and gave Ron a look, as she had just told off him and Ron, when Ron notices the look.he knew Harry expected him as did Lavender to take her to the dance itself and he nodded and fist bumped Harry.

"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then -"

Professor McGonagall started deliberately around the class "The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to - er - let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.

Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. Ron could see what was funny this time: Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense. 

"But that does NOT mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way.”

Harry then muttered: “Might wanna run that by the twins…” remembering the last time someone snuck some heavy alcohol into the punch at the end of the ball.

The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter - a word, if you please."

Assuming this had something to do with his headless rubber haddock, Harry proceeded gloomily to the teacher's desk. Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "Potter, the champions and their partners -”

Harry nodded and said: “For the opening dance I know ma’am, Hermione had grilled that into me after the first challenge." 

She smiled and said: " Then I'll have to reward her later. Traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball.”

Punching the bridge of his nose he then said: "Okay ma’am." 

She smiled and said: “Excellent, as you  Hogwarts champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner, Potter.”

Like before never knew so many people to put their names down to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; he always did, of course, because the alternative was usually going back to Privet Drive, oh wait, that was no longer an option anymore which he cheered about. But he had always been very much in the minority before now. This year, however, everyone in the fourth year and above seemed to be staying, and they all seemed to Harry to be obsessed with the coming ball - or at least all the girls were, and it was amazing how many girls Hogwarts suddenly seemed to hold; he had never quite noticed that before. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter as boys passed them, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they were going to wear on Christmas night…. "Why do they have to move in packs?" Harry heard someone ask as he and Ron saw a dozen or so girls walking past them, sniggering and staring at Harry. Another boy then asked his friend: “How're you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?” 

Ignoring them Harry looked at Ron and asked: “You've already talked to Lavender?" 

He nodded and said: “She said she would make it even more.magical for me.later, whatever that means." 

Harry snickered and soon Ron asked him: "Got any idea who you're going to try?””

Not having an answer as Hermione, Ginny, Luna, but she was heading home, then mind went to Susan and a.few others and he needed to ask them later. Ron continued on saying: “Listen, you're not going to have any trouble. You're a champion. You've just beaten a Hungarian Horntail. I bet they'll be queuing up to go with you.”

He nodded his head sagely and said: "True but, you have to focus on Lavender for the time being mate, don't want her to feel like crap all night.”

Ron chuckled nervously and nodded his head. Later in History of Magic as it was Goblin Rebellions on the morning of friday with the Ravenclaws, Harry was excited as they discussed the rebellion of Ragnok and how he nearly succeeded in winning the war had it not been for one person who stopped him on Hogwarts ground along with various teachers to end the rebellion. Professor Binne then asked: “Now can anyone tell me why Ragnok came to Hogwarts? Hmm, can anyone tell me?" 

Harry raised his hand and Binn pointed to him and he said: “Yes Mr. Potter?" 

Harry then said: “While the books do not say, but various words and tales back hen spoke from.people.to.people aid he was looking for something as he had ransacked various places that Hogwarts had ties with such as Castle Rookwood and other such places that Charles Rookwood, Percival Rackham, Niahm Fitzgerald and San Bakar looking for power of sorts.”

Professor Binns nodded and said: " Correct Mr. Potter, while h books vaguely detail of what happened here as why it is the smallest Goblin War, but Alexander Steward whose family moved from the colonies to their homeland to Ireland and attended Hogwarts on his fifth year and was a prodigy despite being mostly homeschooled. From what I can tell Mr. Potter, you remarkably resembled Mr. Steward as did your mother.”

Harry shrugged and he said: "My grandfather of sorts, Professor, I had discovered that do to the Goblins at Gringotts.”

The man perked up and said: " Ah yes, from what I recall Mr. Alexander and the Potter family worked tirelessly to help mend the relationships after Ranrok failed rebellion.”

By the time it was soon Charms, and on the way he spotted Hermione talking to Lavendar and the Patil twins. Walking over to them Harry asked: “Hey girls, how are you?" 

Parvati smiled and said: " We are fine Harry, coming to check up on us?”

He chuckled and said: " A bi, hey Lavender heard Ron was looking for you after class according to Dean." 

The Brow heiress ran off and the twins giggled at her and the Patil twins bid Hermione farewell and he asked: “Harry… have you come to ask me?”

He nodded and said: " Yes, I saw Krum ignoring tons of girls even ones he said no, he asked you already.”

She nodded stiffly and he smiled and whispered: " Just enjoy the night Mione, but in the end of it all…” he leaned in and nipped her neck and said: "I have you and no one else. Just promise to have fun and I'll have a dance with you.*

She smiled and kissed his cheek before running off. Frowning he shook his head. He still had other date options. After Charms ended, it was time for Magical Care. Though the number of Skrewts seemed to be still only a small amount.

"She didn' seem very int'rested in magical creatures, ter tell yeh the truth," Hagrid said, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione asked him how his interview with Rita Skeeter had gone during the last Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the term. To their very great relief, Hagrid had given up on direct contact with the skrewts now, and they were merely sheltering behind his cabin today, sitting at a trestle table and preparing a fresh selection of food with which to tempt the skrewts.

"She jus' wanted me ter talk about you, Harry," Hagrid continued in a low voice. "Well, I told her we'd been friends since I went ter fetch yeh from the Dursleys. 'Never had to tell him off in four years?' she said. 'Never played you up in lessons, has he?' I told her no, an she didn' seem happy at all. Yeh'd think she wanted me to say yeh were horrible, Harry.”

"'Course she did," said Harry, throwing lumps of dragon liver into a large metal bowl and picking up his knife to cut some more. "She can't keep writing about what a tragic little hero I am, it'll get boring." 

He then thought: ‘Guess I have to discipline her…. Hehehe, oh yes, I will have to.’

"She wants a new angle, Hagrid," said Ron wisely as he shelled salamander eggs. "You were supposed to say Harry's a mad delinquent!"

"But he's not!" said Hagrid, looking genuinely shocked.

"She should've interviewed Snape," said Harry grimly. "He'd give her the goods on me any day. 'Potter has been crossing lines ever since he first arrived at this school....'"

"Said that, did he?" said Hagrid, while Ron and Hermione laughed. "Well, yeh might've bent a few rules. Harry, bu' yeh're all righ' really, aren' you?"

"Cheers, Hagrid," said Harry, grinning.

"You coming to this ball thing on Christmas Day, Hagrid?" said Ron.

"Though' I might look in on it, yeah," said Hagrid gruffly. "Should be a good job, I reckon. You'll be openin the dancin', won yeh, Harry? Who're you takin'?”

Harry pondered on this as he had asked Ginny after Charms, but she mentioned she was going with his fanboy out of pity for him. Luna was gone, so that left few and Harry then said: “Don't know yet, but it may shock everyone.”

Hagrid didn't pursue the subject. Walking to the Scriptorium as he never noticed Ginny and Hermione peeking out from the corner. Both girls looked to one another and followed him all the way down past the Slytherin common room entrance and to a dead end. He swiped the wall with a drop of blood and spoke in the language of snakes and the path opened and he ventured inside and the girls rushed and made it in just as the room closed. Both sighed in relief till they head a painful feminine voice of Draca that said: “What are you doing here Weasley, Granger?!"

Both turn to see Harry sitting in an armchair in front of Daphne, a Beauxbaton girl beside Draca who was sneering, Nymphadora behind Draca and the foreign girl and a small brown haired girl in Daphne's lap who looked sickly. Harry then said: “Most likely wondering we're I run off to during some days, anyway you two, welcome to Salazar's private chambers, the Scriptorium. Now find a seat off into the center we can talk later, I have business with the sisters.”

Both sat in the back.corner am Daphne then ai: " Okay Potter, I understand you wanted to help my family. It's our curse, but what is your gain? No one does nothing for free?”

"One, ow, and two honestly you are right about no one doing nothing for free, but that is the least on my mind. I am just as genuine concern about your sister, because it reminds me story my forefather of sorts Alexander Steward wrote in his journal about Sebastian Swallow who's sister had been cursed to suffer dire amount of pain , but he has gone to great lengths asking his friend a relative of mine, Ominis Gaunt who like us don't believe the dark side of our world was the only thing about our family's legacy as well, his aunt Noctua. The trio came here looking for answers as the Gaunts were a heavy dark family and descendants of Salazar Slytherin who had his personal student go out and collect dark artifacts and bring them here to study before removing them. Unfortunately Sebastian let his quest to save his sister Anne to nearly become a full pledge dark wizard and killed his own uncle who gave up on finding a way to cure her, it was not a disease that plagued her but a curse. A curse casted upon her by Victor Rookwood who was Ragnarok personal attack dog. Sebastian had located a dark relic, relic that required sacrifices and necromancy to remove curses and raise an army of Inferno, but when his uncle found out and tried to stop him, he killed him using the killing curse.” Replied Harry surprising everyone.

Harry then said: "Though never arrested as Alexander and Ominis refused to let their friend suffer even more as he began to regret killing his uncle and his sister cut off all connection from him. The artifact itself although it had repaired itself and stored here, seeing it I had the Goblins take it and stored away in my family's vault, I don't trust anyone t the Ministry besides Mr.Weasley and Amelia Bones to not use it.”

Daphne then asked: " Why telling me this Potter, you revealed a dark secret about you family that could ruin your image.”

He leaned forward and said seriously: "Because Daphne, you love your sister as much as my mother loved me so much she sacrificed herself to save me and as much as Sebastian loved Anne. You could go to great links to save her and yet, I could lead you to fall and break everyone if you continue to do it alone.”

Daphne remained silent and Harry got up and said: " I also invited you here so you can look through many things here…” going to a podium various books  to him, grabbing them he looked through them and noticed five trick him and said: "But start with these, Blood healing, Blood and Body anomalies, a book about creatures specializing in blood, potions book about blood remedies and poisons and here Salazar Slytherin personal spell book.”

Everyone froze hearing the last one and he said: "It contains information about ark artifacts, spells and what not, though this one is his dark spell book as he has one for creatures mostly reptilian and potions and other spells. The spellbook has a self repair rune on it so it can not be destroyed.”

Daphne blinked and said: " And in return?" 

He aided his hand and replied: “After we make a breakthrough for your sister, she is the important one right now." 

Daphne nodded and took the books and Tonks showed the sisters out and left herself. Delphini an Drace saw Harry motion to the two Gryffindor girls to it on the couch and the two Slytherin girls stood beside him and he said: “Now, exactly why you thought it would be brilliant idea to enter a snake pit, no offense Draca." 

She scoffed and said: “Yes I wonder why as well. Spill it Granger, I would use the normal insult to you, but…” her eyes shifted to Harry and Ginny replied: " We were just worried about why he was disappearing and some nights he came to.the common room very late.”

He then said: " Well now you both know" resting his hand on his palm, his eyes shifted and he said: “Now please don't utter a word about these girls. This is a family business area where I talk to Nymphadora, Draca and Delphini here on family matters." 

Both girls nodded and he sent them off and Delphini then said: “Should've oblivate them, no mudbl…” Draca clamped her cousin's mouth closed and said: " Anyway, I think this concludes everything.”

Harry then asked: " Do either of you have a date to the dance.”

Delphini nodded and said: " Yes, Draca's friend Blaise asked me an hour ago, but Draca…” The Malfoy heiress then said: "Crabbe and Goyle, those hog bastards, told everyone about it and no guy wants to come near me, but Pansy…” Harry then said: " I'll have a word with those two, Sunday coming up we can deal.with Pansy Draco.”

She nodded and they left behind Harry who soon ventured off to the Great Hall for supper.

Chapter 19: (Chapter Nineteen)

Summary:

The dance is upon everyone and Harry has more business to speak about, yet things remain the same in his mind.

(Chapter Nineteen)

The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumors about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere, though Harry didn't believe half of them - for instance, that Dumbledore had bought eight hundred barrels of mulled mead from Madam Rosmerta. It seemed to be a fact, however, that he had booked the Weird Sisters. Exactly who or what the Weird Sisters were Harry didn't know, never having had access to a wizard's wireless, but he deduced from the wild excitement of those who had grown up listening to the WWN that they were a very famous musical group. Though he didn't care for the wizarding music. Some of the teachers, like little Professor Flitwick, gave up trying to teach them much when their minds were so clearly elsewhere; he allowed them to play games in his lesson on Wednesday, and spent most of it talking to Harry about the perfect Summoning Charm Harry had used during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Other teachers were not so generous. 

Nothing would ever deflect Professor Binns, for example, from plowing on through his notes on goblin rebellions - as Binns hadn't let his own death stand in the way of continuing to teach, they supposed a small thing like Christmas wasn't going to put him off. It was amazing how he could make even bloody and vicious goblin riots sound as boring as Percy's cauldron-bottom report. Professors McGonagall and Moody kept them working until the very last second of their classes too, and Snape, of course, would no sooner let them play games in class than adopt Harry. Staring nastily around at them all, he informed them that he would be testing them on poison antidotes during the last lesson of the term.

"Evil, he is," Ron said bitterly that night in the Gryffindor common room. "Springing a test for us on the last day. Ruining the last bit of term with a whole load of studying.”

Harry nodded he had asked Susan to the dance, but she had accepted a from someone else and apologized, but Harry promised to dance with her. Part of him wanted to ruin the girls' dance, but he couldn't live with himself. Susan only came to him about her milk when it was too much or to help her use it and he downed it like always. So that left with one option, one option Draca guys wouldn't even approach her and him taking her, his rival and supposed enemy would be a blow to everyone. The Marauder gene within him was laughing at the prank idea and he smiled.

“Mmm...you're not exactly straining yourself, though, are you?" said Hermione, looking at him over the top of her Potions notes. Ron was busy building a card castle out of his Exploding Snap pack - a much more interesting pastime than with Muggle cards, because of the chance that the whole thing would blow up at any second.

"It's Christmas, Hermione," said Harry lazily; he was reading his family book he used to help Neville, hopefully finding something to lighten Astoria Greengrass' pain.

Nothing solid showed, but he was still looking. Draca mentioned Daphne was head deep into this and would be going home with Astoria because of her sister's help and would return the book before they would be leaving tomorrow. As Hermione looked severely over at him too. "I'd have thought you'd be doing something constructive, Harry, even if you don't want to learn your antidotes!"

"Like what?" Harry said and he blinked, turning to an incomplete matrix of sorts and reading it.

"That egg!" Hermione hissed, Harry blinked and waved his hand and said: “Oh, yeah Susan pointed out a rune on it resembling water so I opened it and accidentally dropped it in a bucket of water and heard singing the song was: " 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.” They are mermaids in the black lake. Hey Neville, did you do anything to help me?" 

The boy nodded and said: “Gillyweed actually, I just read about it this morning. Though in fresh water it's only an hour while in salt water it lasts for three hours or more depending how long it has been growing. But for fresh water it's always an hour.”

Hermione blinked and looked at Harry who was smiling and high fived Ron. "Leave him alone, Hermione, he's earned a bit of a break," said Ron, and he placed the last two cards on top of the castle and the whole lot blew up, raising his eyebrows.

"Nice look, Ron...go well with your dress robes, that will.” It was Fred and George. They sat down at the table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as Ron felt how much damage had been done.

"Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" George asked.

"No, he's off delivering a letter," said Ron. "Why?"

"Because George wants to invite him to the ball," said Fred sarcastically.

"Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat," said George.

"Who'd You two keep writing to, eh?" said Ron.

"Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too," said Fred, waving his wand threateningly. "So...you've got dates for the ball yet?”

Ron smiled and said: “Yes I do, and Harry already got me better dress robes." 

George then said: “By the way Harry, what is with your robe?" 

He then replied: “Relic house robes used to be in the old house chest till my family unlocked them since the contents of the chest would go into whoever opened them. I don't need Slytherin’s, Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs so I gave Hufflepuff away to Susan since I know it suits her." 

Fred then asked: “Oh, asking her to the ball." 

Neville shook his head and said: “No, she lost a bet to Hannah and had to take a younger year." 

Harry then said: “Who I am going with, well you better catch your jaws when you see who." 

Noticing Cedric walk by him and tapping his shoulder, Cedric motioned as he saw Fleur and Krum get up and Harry said: “Ex use me, I have to talk with my fellow Champions about the next task." 

Leaving the table.and heading out into the hall to the furthest wall Harry asked them: “You all cracked the clue yet?" 

Krum shook his head and said: “Nah, Kakaroff unfortunately does not know about the clue in the egg.*

Fleur shook her head as well and said: “Néivair does madame maxime, she said shé tried to gét meestair hagrid to speak about it, but 'e was also at a loss wiv ze egg. But 'é did sai le second task was with another magical creature.”

Cedric then replied: " I have an idea, but it seems offish, you Harry?”

Harry then said: " Me and Susan while in Runes noticed one of the runes symbolized as water, so I thought to put it in water and heard the screeching become singing.”

He saw Fleur turned stuff and he said: " The clue was, “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." We have to go into the black lake and find the mermaids to retrieve something. Problem is that breathing underwater is difficult, sure the bubble head charm is useful, but easy to break. I have another way but it's not as solid as it would be in salt water.”

Krum then replied: " Gillyweed, not bad.”

Cedric then said: " Thanks Harry, you've saved us a lot of time. Now we each should find a way to get to Mermaids.”

As Cedric and Krum left, he saw a frozen Fleur and he asked her: " You okay, Fleur?”

She trembled and he placed his hands on her shoulders and said: " Hey, it will be alright. If there is trouble I'll come. I know the Veela and Mermaids have a blood feud going, but you are not in this alone.”

She smiled very weakly at his words and replied: "Merci, Harry." 

Giving him a peck on his cheek she then said: “You are not like everyone élsé, you don't seem to drool at acting foolish teen mom presénce as ai seen victair and cedric try et showeng signs of failéng around me.”

Harry chuckled and said: " Maybe I am special, after all who would not act like a fool before a beautiful flaming angel like yourself.”

Kissing her knuckle he walked away leaving her lightly blushing which surprised her. Entering the great hall he saw Hermione storming out and he saw Draca walking out and he said: “Wanna go to the ball Draca…” she froze and looked at him and asked: " Are you out of your mind Potter?”

He shrugged and said: " Maybe, but I want to make sure you're happy, besides you are beautiful. Every male is a bigot and dumbass for listening to dumbasses one and two.”

She snorted and said: " Very well, you better wear something befitting Mister.”

Giving a mock salute he went to his seat and began eating. The Hogwarts staff, demonstrating a continued desire to impress the visitors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, seemed determined to show the castle at its best this Christmas. When the decorations went up. Harry noticed that they were the most stunning he had yet seen inside the school. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase; the usual twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were bedecked with everything from luminous holly berries to real, hooting, golden owls, and the suits of armor had all been bewitched to sing carols whenever anyone passed them. It was quite something to hear "O Come, All Ye Faithful" sung by an empty helmet that only knew half the words. 

Several times, Filch the caretaker had to extract Peeves from inside the armor, where he had taken to hiding, filling in the gaps in the songs with lyrics of his own invention, all of which were very rude, till Harry handed him a flashlight that a ultra violet bulb that had the same light frequency as lumos to scare off Peeves. Though he did get asked about his new robe from the teachers and he mentioned exactly where they came from and they accepted them as they were also School Regulation. But then his mind drifted back to the meeting with Ragnok and Sirius.

(Flashback)

Sitting in a private booth Ragnok, Sirius and Harry sat and Harry then asked: “So Mr.Ragnok, what else has been discovered about my family heritage." 

Ragnok then said: “Well, not much normality is in your family Mr. Potter, seems from your father sides traced back down all the way to a relative during the mid fifteenth century we found traces of a renowned family known to hunt and kill creatures and forces of darkness, the kept a massive trove of knowledge an secret thy collected that many even Voldemort himself sought after, rumors even spread how they could remove any curse.”

Blinking Sirius was stunned and said: "The Belmont's were a wizarding family of Romania and had gained political power during their peak, but many had no need for them so they secluded themselves till Dracula returned.”

Ragnok nodded and said: " Yes, the Belmont family had many allegations and political ties to Italy, France, Romania, Austria, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, India, Egypt and Scotland, Ireland and Britain. Third castle ruins are in Romania but many seek their vault which is supposedly hidden and only a Belmont could find it. But your mother discovered she had a magical creature in her bloodline from her grandmother's side that remained unaffected by Geralt’s blood ritual, Veela blood. Mr. Potter you are away that that male Veela are very are one is ever so born ever three centuries.”

Harry blinked and said: "Okay, that I did not know. Thought it would explain about the World Cup and being around Fleur the Beauxbaton Champion herself. What's so social about it?”

Sirius then said: “Harry to the Veela community you are national treasure and sought after, if any Veela would discover this they would try to claim and mate with you non-stop, though Veela being pregnant outside of their social one or a unique spell thy know.is rare, but a male Veela can impregnate any female, an counter agents to top it even spells and potions have the highest probability to fail, ninety percent of the time." 

Blinking owlishly he then said: “Oh fuck!" 

Good thing he had set up a privacy bubble and Sirius leaned in seeing the panic and said with mirth: “You already laid a little lady haven't you.”

Face palming he knew he had to speak to Hermione about that. The rest of the news went over a few other significant things about his family such as Godric Gryffindor being his distant uncle which his sword could also be summoned by his family from the sorting hat. So now he had Godric’s wealth that lay dormant for years added to his own making him even wealthier as it built up so much interest. Sirius even soon jokes about Ragnok going back o.Harry’s Veela heritage saying that it made some wonder why Lily punched every boy who made a perverted comment about her.

(Flashback End)

And so he did, but she wasn't pregnant at all. They had just been very much damn lucky by that, he explains to her about his Veela heritage to her and Hermione scolding him for being so careless even though she wanted it to happen again in her mind, but he apologized for it and promised to be more careful and gave her a lovers kiss to silence her. But back to his family, it wasn't uncommon for a Belmont according to history to take on more than one lover or spouse, well the females preferred one male spouse and female spouses. Sighing later he had trouble concentrating on Snape's Potions test, and nearly forgot key ingredients but passed with flying colors. After dinner Harry headed to the room of requirement, even though he hardly came to his forefather’s room, he knew it would be more useful against Umbridge next year. But for now he needed to unwind from the stress of workload and honestly he almost forgot about Voldemort, this summer he and his family would go retrieve the Gaunt family ring and take it.

But despite the very heavy load of homework that the fourth years had been given for the holidays. Harry was in no mood to work when term ended, and spent the week leading up to Christmas enjoying himself as fully as possible along with everyone else. Gryffindor Tower was hardly less crowded now than during term-time; it seemed to have shrunk slightly too, as its inhabitants were being so much rowdier than usual. Fred and George had had great success with their Canary Creams, and for the first couple of days of the holidays, people kept bursting into feathers all over the place. Before long, however, all the Gryffindor had learned to treat food anybody else offered them with extreme caution, in case it had a Canary Cream concealed in the center, and George confided to Harry that he and Fred were now working on developing something else. Harry made a mental note never to accept so much as a crisp from Fred and George in future. 

He still hadn't forgotten Dudley and the Ton-Tongue Toffee. Snow was falling thickly upon the castle and its grounds now. The pale blue Beauxbatons carriage looked like a large, chilly, frosted pumpkin next to the iced gingerbread house that was Hagrid's cabin, while the Durmstrang ship's portholes were glazed with ice, the rigging white with frost. The house-elves down in the kitchen were outdoing themselves with a series of rich, warming stews and savory puddings, and only Fleur Delacour seemed to be able to find anything to complain about.

“It is too 'heavy, all is 'Hogwarts food," they heard her saying grumpily as they left the Great Hall behind her one evening “I will not fit into my dress robes!”

Hermione frowned and Harry sighed and turned to her and said: “Fler have you been getting enough exercise for the next challenge, I'd rather not have to have an easy win. Besides dieting does more harm than good, the body needs every ounce of vitamin and nutrients to function." 

Hermione scoffed as Fleur didn't reply to his words and said: "She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?"

"Hermione - who are you going to the ball with?" said Ron.

Harry sipped his orange juice and said: "Best not to ask Ron, besides you have your girlfriend to focus on mate.”

Hermione then said: “Speaking of which, Harry, do you have a date?" 

He nodded and said: “Yes I do." 

"Hermione," said Ron, looking sideways at her, suddenly frowning, "your teeth…” Harry then said: " You just now noice their even mate, I did that when the spell mishap happened.”

Hermione smiled and said: " Thank you for that Harry, I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink them for ages, but they wanted me to carry on with my braces. You know, they're dentists, they just don't think teeth and magic should - look! Pigwidgeon and Hedwig are back!”

Harry reached out and caught the small hall as Hedwig landed beside Harry as he fed the snow owl.Some people passing him were pointing and laughing, and a group of third-year girls paused and said, "Oh look at the weeny owl! Isn't he cute?”

“Stupid little feathery git!" Ron hissed as he got the letter away from him as Harry fed the smaller owl a berry who hooted in appreciation as Hedwig took a piece of meat and both flew off.

Opening his own letter Harry looked at it and said: "Heh, it seems Lucius and Draca’s mother are finally divorced in a sense. Lucius as aught trying to illegally access the Black.Family vaults and try to vault Bellatrix trial which has been push back to the start of our summer break.”

Hermione then asked: " Why that far?" 

Harry pointed to the Headmaster and said: “Dumbledore and the Minister and Lucius who else. But now Draca’s mother and her are officially moving in with Sirius and me along with Nymphadora and her mother.”

Ron then said: " Really, you and her. Boy, have a nightmare that will be.”

Harry bickered and said: " Honestly, when was the last time she had been Draco?”

Ron opened and closed his mouth like a fish making Hermione giggled as Seamus and Dean laugh as Neville snickered. Continuing on reading he said: “Seems Bellatrix is doing much better and is talking to Neville's parents and they are not showing hostility which shows a healthy mindset." 

Neville smiled and said: “I know, Gran wrote to me yesterday, my parents are finally here and I can spend proper time with them." 

Returning to the tower Harry and Ron sat and played chess, Ron and Harry had gotten much better, but Ron showed signs of far more improving than last time and Harry mentioned he should go pro and tutor he'd make it big. By the day of the ball, Harry awoke very suddenly on Christmas Day. Wondering what had caused his abrupt return to consciousness, he opened his eyes, and saw something with very large, round, green eyes staring back at him in the darkness, so close they were almost nose to nose.

"Dobby!" Harry yelled, scrambling away from the elf so fast he almost fell out of bed. "Don't do that!"

"Dobby is sorry, sir!" squeaked Dobby anxiously, jumping backward with his long fingers over his mouth. "Dobby is only wanting to wish Harry Potter 'Merry Christmas' and bring him a present, Sir! Harry Potter did say Dobby could come and see him sometimes, sir! Also Sirius Black, Lady Narcissa, Mrs. Tonks and Ms. Tonk has tasked Dobby with bringing you gifts as Winky went back to the house and helped Kreacher." 

"It's okay," said Harry, still breathing rather faster than usual, while his heart rate returned to normal. "Just - just prod me or something in future, all right, don't bend over me like that...."

Harry pulled back the curtains around his four-poster, and was glad he only needed his glasses for reading now. Do by handed him the presents, the first was mirror that acted like a phone, he wanted to study it more into it and possibly go a step further, seconds was some assortment of exotic candies, next was a scarf, a scarf he recognized that was unfinished in the vault that his mother started to make for him now complete, and lastly was a card saying to meet on New Years at the Scriptorium. Do by left as Seamus, Ron, Neville, and Dean woke up and started opening their gifts. Seeing his other gifts he opened them and saw after receiving the red and green Quidditch socks Dobby got for him: Hermione had given Harry a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland; Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs; Sirius, a handy pen knife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot; and Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all Harry's favorites: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees. There was also, of course, Mrs. Weasley's usual package, including a new green sweater, with a picture of a dragon on it - Harry knew Charlie had told her all about the Horntail, and a large quantity of homemade mince pies he tossed one for his bunk mates who all took one and ate them. Harry and Ron met up with Hermione in the common room, and they went down to breakfast together. 

They spent most of the morning in Gryffindor Tower, where everyone was enjoying their presents, then returned to the Great Hall for a magnificent lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbage Wizarding Crackers. They went out onto the grounds in the afternoon; the snow was untouched except for the deep channels made by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students on their way up to the castle. Hermione and Ginny chose to watch Harry and the Weasleys' snowball fight rather than join in, and at five o'clock said she was going back upstairs to get ready for the ball. And before Ron could speak up, Ron's face had been smashed by a snowball and Harry said: “Ron, a lady must always look for her best mate. I just saw Lavender also heading inside you better as well, well we better.*

Ron spit out the snow and nodded his and both rushed inside after a warm out bath and scrubbed clean. Both got dressed and both wore their respected dress robes and Harry helped Ron with his bow tie and adjusted their suits respectively. Dean, Seamus and Neville soon joined them and Dean said: “Looking sharp guys, so you guys are nervous." 

“Bloody hell am I. I just hope nothing embarrassing happens." Said Ron nervously as he combed his hair and sprayed on cologne as did Harry.

Harry started to leave and said: “See you guys later and enjoy yourselves, also be careful of the punch at the end… heard someone from the older years may have planned on spiking it with alcohol.”

All four nodded and Harry was gone, he pulled out a Corsage and smirked before hiding it and heading to where he would meet Draca near the defense tower. Entering the Area seeing it was nearly void of life he went to the sides of the stairs and saw a door with a clock and opened it and entered the spacious undercroft, a hidden hall that was spacious and perfect for privacy. But he was taken back and stunned by what he saw, Draca Malfoy had her platinum blonde hair cascaded down past her shoulders, while a series of braids went across and wore a long green glittering dress that left her back all the way just above her tailbone exposed that cascaded like a ball gown but stopped above her heel and wore silver earrings with green emeralds and a necklace that was a serpent coiled around an emerald and matching earrings as she wore red lipstick and sparkling green. Her dress straps went around her neck and she wore high heels.she looked to him and asked: “What?" 

Shaking his head and teasingly said: “Sorry, I thought I saw Morgana herself." 

Walking over to her seeing she blushed so hard her pale cheeks turned red and she looked away. Feeling his arms enveloped her, they two stood like that for three minutes and she said: "Why ask me, you could have asked anyone else and yet… Why me?”

Stroking her cheek he kissed her temple and said: “Does a man need a reason to make a girl happy?”

She remained silent and he pulled out the white green corsage and slipped it onto her hand and he smiled and wrapped her hand and led her out. Draca couldn't stop her blushing as it grew intense and she hoped that tonight would be one she would remember forever. Reaching the entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Everyone noticed Fleur Delacour was passing, looking stunning in robes of silver-gray satin, and accompanied by the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies. Harry who was in the far back heard Ron who was with Lavender as well as Seamus, Dean and Neville with their dates as Seamus and Dean were with the Patil Twins. But for some reason he knew the twins would not have a pleasant time.noticing Pansy with Pansy Parkinson in very frilly robes of pale pink was looking around. Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing green; they resembled moss-colored boulders, and neither of them, Harry was pleased to see, had managed to find a partner. Harry leaned to Draca and said: “Looks like dumb and dumber are dateless." 

Draca saw the two and snickered.The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by a pretty girl in blue robes. Harry saw it was Hermione and he said: "Seems all four houses will be opening the dance.”

Draca saw the girl with Krum and curled a brow. Over their heads he saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights - meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rose bushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer. Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!”

Harry, Fleur, Cedric and Krum walked with their dates. And everyone was surprised seeing Hermione with Krum, but everyone both Gryffindor and Slytherin, were floored seeing Draca clinging to Harry’s arm like a lifeline. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim other hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric and Cho were close to Harry and soon Krum and Hermione joined them.

Draca looked at Hermione who hardly resembled the girl as Hermione did something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow - or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling - rather nervously, it was true - but the reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever. Hermione was surprised at his date and said: “Harry… you weren't kidding about it being a massive surprise.”

Harry had a look of.mirth that Ms. McGonagall recognized and said: " Seems Mr. Potter has inherited his father's prankster side in certain things. But I must say Mr. Potter even I am stunned.”

Harry then said: "You know me Professor, plus I didn't want her to feel alone especially as the two gargoyle idiots over there who practically caused a lot of damage.”

The transfiguration teacher nodded and smiled seeing Draca was by Harry's hip like a safety blanket and line. She then thought: ‘Guess Mr. Potter has had a lasting effect on her.’

Chapter 20: (Chapter Twenty)

Summary:

The Yule Ball kicks off and Harry shows he woman around him how chivalrous he can be and makes certain heiress night even more magical.

(Chapter Twenty)

 

As everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people. Harry was gliding Draca behind him as she looked.like a nervous wreck feeling all eyes on her and felt every girl's jealousy and aimed at him, but she was enjoying herself. He caught sight of Ron and Lavender and gave his friend a two finger salute and saw the stunned expression of the two and snickered. 

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff wore an expression remarkably like Ron's as he watched Krum and Hermione draw nearer. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry suddenly realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by Percy Weasley and he gave the third eldest a nod of acknowledgement and he nodded back, it was like last time. Seems Voldemort called the bastard for an update. When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. 

Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes and an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined.

"I've been promoted," Percy said before Harry could even ask, and from his tone, he might have been announcing his election as supreme ruler of the universe. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."

"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked. He wasn't looking forward to being lectured on cauldron bottoms all through dinner.

"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising - overwork. He's not as young as he was - though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehavior of that house-elf of his, Blinky, or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but - well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left. And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with - that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around - no, poor man, he's having a well earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place.” Harry wanted very much to ask whether Mr. Crouch had stopped calling Percy "Weatherby" yet, but resisted the temptation, but that was most likely not happening as Percy was still Percy.

There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Harry picked him up uncertainly and looked around - and saw Draca having the hardest time of choosing. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!”

And thus pork chops appeared on his plate and the Headmaster smiled in satisfaction. Going with The steak, he looked and glanced up at Hermione to see how she felt about this new and more complicated method of dining - surely it meant plenty of extra work for the house-elves? - but for once, Hermione didn't seem to be thinking about S.P.E.W. She was deep in talk with Viktor Krum and hardly seemed to notice what she was eating. Eating his steak he heard Krum say: “Veil, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking," he was telling Hermione. "Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger even than these - though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains -"

"Now, now, Viktor!" said Karkaroff with a laugh that didn't reach his cold eyes, "don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Igor, all this secrecy, one would almost think you didn't want visitors.”

"Well, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, displaying his yellowing teeth to their fullest extent, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"

"Oh I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor," said Dumbledore amicably. "Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turning on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished. But I must keep an eye out for it. Possibly it is only accessible at five-thirty in the morning. Or it may only appear at the quarter moon - or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder.”

Harry chuckled and Percy frowned, but Harry saw Dumbledore give him a wink and Harry then said: “Possible a room that I much like the stairs Headmaster Kakaroff, they do have a mind of their own after all." 

Meanwhile Fleur Delacour was criticizing the Hogwarts decorations to Roger Davies.

"Zis is nothing," she said dismissively, looking around at the sparkling walls of the Great Hall. "At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we 'ave ice sculptures all around ze dining chamber at Chreestmas. Zey do not melt, of course...zey are like 'uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place. And ze food is seemply superb. And we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs, 'oo serenade us as we eat. We 'ave none of zis ugly armor in ze 'alls, and eef a poltergeist ever entaired into Beauxbatons, 'e would be expelled like zat." She slapped her hand onto the table impatiently.

Roger Davies was watching her talk with a very dazed look on his face, and he kept missing his mouth with his fork. Harry had the impression that Davies was too busy staring at Fleur to take in a word she was saying.

"Absolutely right," he said quickly, slapping his own hand down on the table in imitation of Fleur. "Like that. Yeah.”

Noticing Hagrid with the other teachers well groomed an in the suit he got for the man as even Mr.Flitwicke was amazed by Hagrid being groomed like a gentleman. Harry saw him give a small wave, and looking around, saw Madame Maxime return it, her opals glittering in the candlelight. Hermione was now teaching Krum to say her name properly; he kept calling her "Hermy-own."

"Her-my-oh-nee," she said slowly and clearly.

"Herm-own-ninny." He said.

"Close enough," she said, catching Harry's eye and grinning at her as Krum was butchering her name.When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments, and Harry,  paid no heed to them and escorted Draca to the floor as the sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune; Harry walked onto the brightly lit dance floor, and Draca was a massive blushing mess. Seizing her hands and placed one around her waist he gently held her other and he then whispered: “Just remain calm, it's just us right now.”

As he scanned around watching people, and very soon many of them too had come onto the dance floor, so that the champions were no longer the center of attention. Seeing his friends and their dates dancing about as he and his fellow champions were dead center of it all, he spotted Hagrid and waltzing with Madame Maxime. He was so dwarfed by her that the top of his pointed hat barely tickled her chin; however, she moved very gracefully for a woman so large. Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg. As soon they all heard the final, quivering note from the bagpipe with relief. The Weird Sisters stopped playing, applause filled the hall once more, and Harry let go of Draca at once as she was shaking from anxiety. As the ball continued on and Draca was pulled aside by Pansy so they could chat about the Sunday coming up to speak, Harry noticed one by one after a few dances Susan, Ginny, Hermione, Delphini, Padma and Parvati dates went off with Krum. Seeing the girls alone he sighed as he stood by them and said: “You girls seemed to have been forgotten.”

They looked and Hermione then said: " Oh, Harry where's Draca?”

He pointed to Pansy and Draca talking with Professor Snape and the trio walked off and said: " Reconciliation I guess, I don't mind. Pansy was her childhood friend after all.”

Susan then said: "That's good for her, still it was quite a shocker seeing you bring her.”

Ginny nodded and said: "Fred and George even commented they had been one upped.”

Harry snickered and then offered each one a dance like he promised Susan, Ginny and Hermione, but when the three had their dance he danced with the twins and Delphini who was just as a nervous wreck as Draca was. Once he finished dancing he was drinking some water as Percy was next to him and says: “What do they think they're doing, annoying senior Ministry members?" Percy hissed, watching Fred and George suspiciously. "No respect..."

Ludo Bagman shook off Fred and George fairly quickly, however, and, spotting Harry, waved and came over to their table.

"I hope my brothers weren't bothering you, Mr. Bagman?" said Percy at once.

"What? Oh not at all, not at all!" said Bagman. "No, they were just telling me a bit more about those fake wands of theirs. Wondering if I could advise them on the marketing. I've promised to put them in touch with a couple of contacts of mine at Zonko's Joke Shop...."

Percy didn't look happy about this at all, and Harry was prepared to bet he would be rushing to tell Mrs. Weasley about this the moment he got home. Apparently Fred and George's plans had grown even more ambitious lately, if they were hoping to sell to the public. Bagman opened his mouth to ask Harry something, but Percy diverted him.

"How do you feel the tournament's going, Mr. Bagman? Our department's quite satisfied - the hitch with the Goblet of Fire" - he glanced at Harry - "was a little unfortunate, of course, but it seems to have gone very smoothly since, don't you think?” 

“Oh yes," Bagman said cheerfully, "it's all been enormous fun. How's old Barty doing? Shame he couldn't come."

"Oh I'm sure Mr. Crouch will be up and about in no time," said Percy importantly, "but in the meantime, I'm more than willing to take up the slack. Of course, it's not all attending balls" - he laughed airily - "oh no, I've had to deal with all sorts of things that have cropped up in his absence - you heard Ali Bashir was caught smuggling a consignment of flying carpets into the country? And then we've been trying to persuade the Transylvanians to sign the International Ban on Dueling. I've got a meeting with their Head of Magical Cooperation in the new year -” Harry then said: “It’s gonna fail Percy, many countries have used dueling to settle despites without the need of violence or dire actions, even the British Wizengamot have not fully agreed to it and is slowly going against it. Sirius and other major houses of both light and dark and most of the neutral family’s are saying no. Best not provoke anyone by pushing it mate.”

Leaving the table, he spotted Cho by herself and he walked over and asked: “Where's Cedric, Cho?" 

She looked up to him and had a tear and he wiped it away and saw the other girl had most likely turned in for the night and she said: “Went off to have a race with the other guys." 

Harry frowned, that didn't happen last time, extending his hand he said: “Wanna have the last dance." 

She smiled and took his hand as her silver chinese-styled robes fluttered as they danced and Cho rested her head on his shoulder and smiled happily. As he continued to dance with her he then, he was glad he sent the note to Hagrid to not mention about a lady’s origin or her appearance. As Cho left the hall, Harry went out and saw Snape and Igor talking and scaring off a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws, noticing Roger taking Fleur deeper into the bushes he followed them, as he noticed it was coming unto eleven. He found Roger and Fleur.as Fleur was pinned to a.tree face flush in a sweat and she was painting and Roger smiled and said: “Well my dear what has you all hot and bothered?" 

Pulling out his regular wand he waited to see where this went. Fleur tried to push him away and she staggered as she fell into the snow and asked: “What eez zis, what 'ave you doné?”

Roger smiled with with lust and said: " Just a simple hormonal powder into your drrink. Though it was slow, it's effective. But I must admit combined with the slipets of a escatsy as well, you can hardly move on your own.”

Licking his lips as he stared down onto the robes of silver-grey satin that exposed the tops of her breast and had thin shoulder straps and reached past her ankles. She struggled and as Roger grabbed her skirt the words: “Stupefy duo!" 

A orange flash hit the young man and he dropped into the snow and he rushed over to fleur and asked her: "Are you okay?”

She nodded and said: " Oui thank you, but... Why are you... Not affecténg by mon allure lik othairs.”

Shrugging he picked her up bridal style and began heading back down to the carriage and says: "You are just lucky, I don't think he did that on his own. Someone.could have slipped him a love potion against you as a prank but forgot how.ahrong to make it.”

She nodded and Fleur rested her head and as she took a better look into him, her magic sparked and did flips and she said in a hush whisper huskily: "A maile veela, aftair zo long, yét why did ai find you?" 

Blinking he then asked her: “How did you…” she then replied: " Veela can easi-lee sense when wé aré nair un anothair een diffairent parts of rhé whirld, its 'elps us find le nésts. But, you a veela why 'ad ai not noticed eet airliair?”

Harry reached the steps and began the descent and said: " Maybe because of the tournament and us not spending more than a moment together. Do female Veela even find male Veela easily? “

“Non, ai guéz zey must be vairy close een airdair to find zém.” She replied and she sighed and said: "Meestair pottair, ai just don't know... Why do ai crave maire of yur touch." 

Making it to the final step he replied: “Possibly the drug or our Veela nature, honestly I am fighting it myself right now." 

It was true for some reason he felt extremely, extremely warm as if the cold wasn't bothering him and he heard a screeching voice for him to claim the Veela in his arms. Standing before the carriage he then asked: “How do we get you inside, I don't even think I am permitted." 

Just then four girls came out and they spoke to Fleur in French and Fleur then said: “Thank yo Monsieur,” she kissed him on the lips as her friends took her inside. 

Noticing the shadows in Hagrid’s hut, two very large shadows he left and headed back to the castle. Returning to the entrance hall, he saw Draca and Delphini giggling and he said: “Hey girls." 

Draca put her hands on her waist and said: “And where have you been?" 

“Out for a walk and stopped another incident, seems Roger was about to do something stupid with Fleur, Delphini mind checking on her, she is back at y'all's carriage." He replied, asked her as she nodded and said: “Sure, I was heading to bed anyway.*

Looking to Draca he asked her if she wanted one more last dance, but she started dragging him down into the dungeons and toward the Scriptorium and he blinked as they stand before the wall and he opened it and she dragged him inside and toss him onto the couch. Blink she the climbed onto his lap as the door closed and started kissing him and nipping his lips while saying: "Still being a hero Potter, you can't help yourself, especially against girls.”

Chuckling he nipped her neck and replied: " Is it wrong to be chivalrous especially togair maidens I see.”

Draca slid down planting herself onto his crotch and began grinding again him and he noticed something, she went commando and then said: “Oh, a lil daring aren't we. No panties." 

She blushed and replied: “Better to finally do something." 

Before he could ask what it was, she smashed her lips into his and he soon pulled away, giving her low growl, he smacked her ass amd said: “Why dony you get into ohr room and get properly frsshened up." 

She cockily smirked and said: “Oh, our room?" 

He smiled and popped her again getting her to moan and said: “Yes, my lovely white snake… our room.”

She giggled with a blushing face and got off of him and had him watch her sway her hips side to side and venture up the stairs into the room. Harry smirked all was going his way, after tonight he'd have to focus on the next trial, surely things pan out like…  then it and on him as his face turned into a shock frown and he thought: ‘Fuck, she's going to the mermaids!’

Just then he heard a seductress voice that snapped him out of that thought: “Oh Potter…” he turned and saw Draca wearing the exact same transparent green floral design lace baby doll that showed off a pair of black mesh see through quarter cup strapless bra and crotchless cheeky panties with a matching garter belt and stockings. Her large clit was hanging freely and he noticed her balls were barely noticeable. Shooting up after she rushed back into h bedroom laughing and giggling.

Tackling he down onto the bed after tossing his clothing aside leaving on his pale green boxers he began kissing Draca as he pinned her hands above her head and slid his tongue deep inside her mouth as she snaked her legs around his waist and pulled his waist so their crotches can meet. She moaned feeling enlarged bulge out doing hers and he then said: “My precious viper seems to be backed up. If I don't know any better, I saw you ant our own kids by how much you are grinding.”

She blushed and the image of little boys n girls mix matched with their hair color and eye color playing and he smirked and began kissing down from her lips, to her neck and down her chest, around her breast and stopped just above the womb. As he kissed backed don an noticed  some juices he gave her lower lips a lick and flicked his tongue against her lower lips and said: “Does the image of our little Snakelets xcite you Draca, to knowing Daddy’s little girl was impregnated by his Master’s sworn enemy." 

She moaned and he noticed clear precum oozing from her tip and saw how it functions in a way just for probably pissing or he likes of it but nothing else. She whimpered and said: “Harry, please." 

 

(Lemon Ahead)

"Please what?” He asked and she began humping his crotch and said shyly: " Make me your woman, ruin me.”

Rolling over he then motioned, I think you need to prepare something. She nodded and got off the bed and got on her knees and kneeled before him as he sat up she began fishing out his cock and once pulled out she stared at how much bigger he was, she knew she seen it, but it still surprised her how much bigger he was. Sniffing it taking in his scent, his musky male scent that slowly made her mind go putty and numb she began sucking on the top as her tongue rubbed around the head and he grunted in satisfaction as she continued. Thus she began taking in more and and more sucking and licking as she went down before she could on take four inches and began bobbing her head back and forth and he grunted even louder. As she continued bucking her head back and forth tasting and sucking on his length she felt it grow harder and longer till she moaned loving the taste of it. Pulling away as a trail of saliva connected it to.her lip she kissed the base and took a hard sniff and said: “Please Harry, I need you." 

Smiling he bent down and kissed her crown and she squealed finding herself on all fours and bent downward into the bed and his boxers tossed onto her face as he began rubbing his cock head against her lower lips. She moaned feeling the warm and gasped feeling he began pushing inside of her and feeling him.stop after three inches hitting a barrier. She turned to look up and saw him looking at her for the okay and she nodded and she cried out feeling him pushed as she could only take half of him and her large clit bounced as a shot of precum.jetted from it. She gasped, moaned and screamed feeling him fucking her pussy causing her body to melt and spasmed  as he hit all the right spots as his dick scrapped her g-spot an he began smacking her ass with each thrust getting her to yelp and moan. Draca couldn't believe it, part of her wanted to deny it, but she was living this, living getting fucked like a toy and smacked in the ass by her rival. She moaned as he began drilling into her deeper with faster, harder and stronger thrust that started making her lose all strength within her body.

Just then she found herself lifted up by her knees and began being fucked upward and cried out as he smiled and her head leaned back and he began kissing her. As their tongues wrested she moaned in it as she began cumming, though no visible indication except for her overly large clit spasming small jets. She moaned and Harry tossed her back onto the bed and position into her ass and she paled and said: “Harry, please wait…” making shushing sounds he kissed her lips and slowly inserted himself into her and she cried out as a jet stream of piss shot out from her aiming toward the door and she shuddered before falling flat on her chest as he began fucking away into.her ass and doing the same procedure again and she moaned out feeling him pound into her ass even more since he took as seat and laid back and started fucking into her deeper and grunted loudly as she squeaked and cummed again while pissing as he jizzed inside her ass. This went on for a few more minutes till two o'clock as he only came three times and she cummed five times and pissed once more and passed out onto his chest.

(Lemon End)

 

Draca laid against his chest as his dick had nearly fallen out of her laving on her tip inside her ass and her eyes old back and her tongue out. He smiled and stroked her hair and says: " Your mine Draca and no one will have what is mine.”

She moaned as she unconsciously rocked her hips back and forth wanting more. Bringing the covers over them, he wrapped his arms around her as she closed her and entered the land of dreams. Draca shifted and circled up still connected to him and felt the happiest she has ever been and that night she dreamt she was in a wedding dress at an alter with Harry by her side.

Chapter 21: (Chapter Twenty-One)

Summary:

The Yule Ball is over and yet a storm of physic and emotions is coming to Hogwarts. Now Harry has to hatten down the hatches and prepare for battle.

---

(Chapter Twenty-One)

 

Dawn rose the next day and Draca felt bloated and yet felt wet and room up to her neck. Her eyes fluttered and found herself in the large bathtub of the Scriptorium bathroom and found herself resting against Harry who was gently washing her arms. She moaned out a good morning, and he captured her lips and said morning to her as well. It was Monday, boxing Day as on New Years they would speak to Pansy. Draca touched her bloated stomach and rubbed it imagining herself pregnant and sighed before laying deeper into his body making him chuckle and kissed her lips again. Getting out first and drying off he helped her out and dried her off as she as sore and he covered her with a bathrobe and she smiled and rubbed her bare bum against his crotch getting it to twitch and he smacked her ass and said: “Not now, if I did, we would never leave his room." 

Draca sighed in displeasure and asked: " Is it true, are you a high Lord?”

Freezing, he looked at her and his face palmed and muttered: " Damn mutt…" wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in the kissed the top of her forehead and said: “Yes… sorry I didn't tell you I go into detail about it. But yes, but the biggest news is that I am of the Belmont family.”

Raca froze and shuddered before saying: " No wonder you're an animal in the sheet Pot… no Harry, it was said witches were highly satisfied when bedded by a Belmont more ways than one, and Mom told me.about you Veela heritage. No wonder girls flock to you. Am I just a conquest or more.”

He heard her whimpering, cupping her chin he tilted her head up and gave her a deep kiss and pulling away he said: " More Draca, I always want you in my life more than ever. And I mean it, I want you at my side always.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him and hearing a pop, thy looked and saw Winky dropping off there uniform and took their dress robes away and he went back to kissing her and dropped down kissing his way till he kissed her inner thighs and grabbed her white and green striped panties and helped her into them and helped her put her bra on and slid on his black boxers and they continued getting dressed. At the Great Hall, he saw everyone else looking tired and Hermione's hair was bushy again; she confessed to Harry that she had used liberal amounts of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion on it for the ball.  Looking at Ron who was still in a daze and noticing hickey marks on his and Lavender's necks and how her hair was a bit busier than normal he whispered: “Had a good evening Ron." 

Said red-headed teen froze and looked at Harry and laughed nervously as Hermine looked to her other friend with calculative eyes. But around them he saw a few people rubbing their heads feeling rather flat now that Christmas was over - everybody except Harry who completed all the assignments at the staff of the break. As February the twenty-fourth looked a lot closer from this side of Christmas, and he still hadn't done anything about what was going to happen next as various things seemed different. But when they had a sub for Hagrid's class with it being about a Unicorn, an article by Rita Skeever about Dumbledore, Moody, Hagrid and how Hagrid was outed as a half-giant. Burning he paper, Harry got up, he warned this woman the last about writing articles before the ball and now wrote a letter to Rita asking for an interview on Saturday and asked Susan o write her aunt a letter about outing Rita Skeever as a illegal animagus as he had Rita turn into her beetle form when he acted like he was leaving and saw it an also have her acting like she was forcing herself onto him in the common room that evening Ron was reading the paper and says: “How did she find out?”

Harry came over with Ginny by his side and said: “Cause she is an animagus, an unregistered one as well. Once this hit the public her career would be ruined as she has also been probably using this to blackmail others." 

Hermione's friend said: " I hope so, his woman is a horrible person.”

By that Saturday, Harry sat at the Hogs Head Inn with Amelia there hiding. He had already met Rita early that morning and would meet him again at the Inn and would admit to everything and all he was blackmailing her and the lies she told the public. Once admitted to it, Amelia had taken her away once she revealed herself. But then it came to Sunday and Pansy, Harry and Draca stood before the entrance to the chamber of secrets. Harry then said: “Okay Parkinson, I understand you have to make things right with Draca for your family to remotely accept you back in.”

Pansy nodded and looked nervous and Draca looked to Harry as technically he was the next head of the Black family he had more, say in this, Harry then said: “I won't do anything drastic, because of Draca wanting to be your friend again." 

Pansy looked at Draca with a soft smile and he said: " Thus you will be Draca and my personal maid for any and all things she or I desire.”

This surprised the two, Pansy thought she would have to humiliate and suffer abuse, and Draca thought Harry would humiliate her. But Harry then said: "Till the damage is repaid you are our maid, you will be compensated. But cross any lines or cause damage, you will face punishment by either me or Draca and no one else. Now, if you go and send me your measurements, I have to send in an order for your outfit." 

Pansy nodded and hugged Draca quickly before leaving with a skip. Draca looked to her distant cousin and said: " Offly light on punishment there Harry.”

He shrugged and replied: “I said she had to do anything for us, that will come later. For now it's minor things.”

Heading to their classes Harry would await for things to progress. Later down the month of January there was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January. Hermione was very surprised that Harry was going to go, till she remembered he had already solved the egg. With five weeks left to prepare the trial underwater. Heading down to Hogsmeade with Hermione as Ron was paired with Lavender for a project in Divination they needed to complete.  As on Saturday and set off through the cold, wet grounds toward the gates. 

As they passed the Durmstrang ship moored in the lake, they saw Viktor Krum emerge onto the deck, dressed in nothing but swimming trunks. He was very skinny indeed, but apparently a lot tougher than he looked, because he climbed up onto the side of the ship, stretched out his arms, and dived right into the lake. In Hogsmeade Harry kept his eyes skinned for a sign of Hagrid all the way down the slushy High Street, and suggested a visit to the Three Broomsticks once he had ascertained that Hagrid was not in any of the shops. The pub was as crowded as ever, but one quick look around at all the tables told Harry that Hagrid wasn't there. Heart sinking, he went up to the bar with Hermione, ordered three butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta. 

"Doesn't he ever go into the office?" Hermione whispered suddenly. "Look!”

She points into the mirror behind the bar, and Harry sees Ludo Bagman reflected there, sitting in a shadowy corner with a bunch of goblins. Bagman was talking very fast in a low voice to the goblins, all of whom had their arms crossed and were looking rather menacing. Harry then muttered: "He owes people a lot of money, Hermione, he might be setting up payment plans.”

“In a moment, in a moment!" The duo heard him say brusquely to the goblins, and Bagman hurried through the pub toward Harry, his boyish grin back in place.

"Harry!" he said. "How are you? Been hoping to run into you! Everything going alright?"

"Fine, thanks," said Harry.

"Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Harry?" said Bagman eagerly. "You couldn't give us a moment, could you, Miss?”

Harry then said: “It's fine Mr. Bagman, I trust her. You have nothing to worry about.”"Well, I just thought I'd congratulate you again on your splendid performance against that Horntail, Harry," said Bagman. "Really superb."

"Thanks," said Harry. Bagman didn't seem in any particular rush to spill the beans, though. Harry saw him glance into the mirror over the bar at the goblins, who were all watching him and Harry in silence through their dark, slanting eyes.

"Absolute nightmare," said Bagman to Harry in an undertone, noticing Harry watching the goblins too. "Their English isn't too good...it's like being back with all the Bulgarians at the Quidditch World Cup...but at least they used sign language another human could recognize. This lot keep gabbling in Gobblede-gook...and I only know one word of Gobbledegook. Bladvak. It means 'pickax.' I don't like to use it in case they think I'm threatening them.”

He gave a short, booming laugh.

"What do they want?" Harry said, noticing how the goblins were still watching Bagman very closely.

"Er - well..." said Bagman, looking suddenly nervous. "They...er...they're looking for Barty Crouch.”

Blinking at this Hermione looked at the duo quietly. "Why are they looking for him here?" said Harry. "He's at the Ministry in London, isn't he?"

"Er...as a matter of fact, I've no idea where he is," said Bagman. "He's sort of...stopped coming to work. Been absent for a couple of weeks now. Young Percy, his assistant, says he's ill. Apparently he's just been sending instructions by owl. But would you mind not mentioning that to anyone? Harry, Miss? Even with Rita Skeever out of the picture anyone like her would work up Bartys illness into something sinister. Probably say he's gone missing like Bertha Jorkins.”

Hermione leaned over and asked: "Have you heard anything about Bertha Jorkins?”

"No," said Bagman, looking strained again. "I've got people looking, of course… and it's all very strange. She definitely arrived in Albania, because she met her second cousin there. And then she left the cousin's house to go south and see an aunt...and she seems to have vanished without trace en route. Blowed if I can see where she's got to...she doesn't seem the type to elope, for instance...but still....What are we doing, talking about goblins and Bertha Jorkins? I really wanted to ask you" - he lowered his voice - "how are you getting on with your golden egg?”

Taking a sip he replied: “Solved it, Mermaids in the Black lake, got to rescue what they had taken." 

Bagman smiled and but replied solemnly: " Listen, Harry, I feel very bad about all this...you were thrown into this tournament, you didn't volunteer for it...and if… if I can help at all...a prod in the right direction...I've taken a liking to you...the way you got past that dragon!...well, just say the word.”

Harry stared up into Bagman's round, rosy face and his wife, baby-blue eyes.

"We're supposed to work out the clues alone, aren't we?" he said, careful to keep his voice casual and not sound as though he was accusing the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports of breaking the rules.

"Well...well, yes," said Bagman impatiently, "but - come on. Harry - we all want a Hogwarts victory, don't we?"

"Have you offered Cedric help?" Harry said.

The smallest of frowns creased Bagman's smooth face. "No, I haven't," he said. "I - well, like I say, I've taken a liking to you. Just thought I'd offer..."

"Well, thanks, but I am fine.” said Harry already knew what he was asking, so he wanted to use Harry to help.pay off his debts.

Bagman looked almost affronted, but couldn't say much more as Fred and George turned up at that point.

"Hello, Mr. Bagman," said Fred brightly. "Can we buy you a drink?"

"Er...no," said Bagman, with a last disappointed glance at Harry, "no, thank you, boys..."

Fred and George looked quite as disappointed as Bagman, who was surveying Harry as though he had let him down badly.

"Well, I must dash," he said. "Nice seeing you all. Good luck, Harry.”

But Harry aved his wand and tripped the man and gave the twins nod and they gave Harry a nod and took Bagman away. As the goblins all slid off their chairs and exited after them. 

“He shouldn't be doing that!" said Hermione, looking very shocked. "He's one of the judges! And anyway, you've already worked it out.”

Nodding his head, he and Hermione headed to an open spot in the corner and she continued saying: “Well, I don't think Dumbledore would like it if he knew Bagman was trying to persuade you to cheat! But those goblins didn't look very friendly, and looking for Mr. Crouch?”

Shrugging he scooters closer to her and his left arm went to her hip and she squeaked and he smiled before kissing her temple and said: “Doesn't matter, I'm here with my favorite bushy haired girl." 

She blushed and leaned into him, soon someone sat down with them revealing it to be Tonks and she said: “Hey, Harry sorry I skipped out on our meeting, Amelia has been hounding me to end a case for her." 

He replied: “It's fine, we can talk tomorrow in the Scriptorium." 

Nymph smiled and said: “Heard you made Draca’s night magically, you sligh dog you." 

Harry blinked and said: “I'm not the horn dog, that's Sirius." 

Tonks.snickered and snorted and Hermione giggled at that. She then said: “So what Bagman wanted from ya?*

He then replied: " Most likely wanted to cheat so he can win a beating pool and make.loads of money and blackmail me into keeping it a secret to continue to exploit me. Why?”

Nymphadora scoffed and said: " Figures. So, have you seen Crouch at all?”

Shaking his head he replied: " Nope, just Percy showing up. But Nymph, I would suggest sticking by me after the second task, I am beginning to suspect that something will happen.”

She nodded and said: " Okay, see ya tomorrow and enjoy your date, Harry.”

She gave a seductive wink and walked away. Hermione was blushing and looked nervous and gasped feeling Harry’s hand on her thigh and muttered: "A skirt with leggings and no undergarments, Hermione.if.I.didnt know any better Id say you wanted what I gave to you in that classroom out in the snow.”

Her face turned a deep red and she sputtered nonsense and coughed as he laughed and asked: " Harry, since you know… am I.really hat important to be one of them?" 

He nodded and whispered in her ear: " Oh yes, Hermione Jean Potter sounds lovely doesn't it. You as my bride, always by my side and having hot steamy fuck successions like we had.”

She blushed even deeper and he chuckled before kissing the corner of her lips and she then said: "What about Ginny?”

Frowning he then said: " I'll talk to her when I can, for now you matter. But seems Draca and is also connected, though her taking one of the names is impossible as do to her father, she has to lead the Malfoy name. But let's just say their was a way for her to be by mysjde like you are. Got a homework assignment I know you'll enjoy tracking, look up anything you can about a family known as Belmont, apparently I hold the family name. Fin what you can and report it back to me when you finish Mione.”

She hummed and said: " Belmont, I've never heard of them.”

Harry nodded and said: "The killed Dracula along with Helsing himself during the nineteenth century if I remember correctly. Start with that and look for family’s heavily tied to Romania.”

Hermione then said: “Well I beat get going…” and with that she downed her drink in her neck gulp and ran.out causing him to laugh.

Soon enough he spotted the twins Padma and Parvati waltzing in and he waved to them both and both walked over to him and Padma said: “Hello Harry, you said you wanted to meet us?" 

Parvati then asked: “And thank you for that dance by the, sorry we.could not tell you sooner." 

He smiled and said: “It's fine, so how.are you two doing?" 

Padma then said: “Oh, we are fine…" Harry saw there fake.smiles and he said: “Girls, you're lying to me, come on tell me whats wrong.”

Both looked at him and saw the concerned in his eyes and felt the drawn and need to tell him. He then noticed the girls gained a dreamy look in there eyes and he chocked it up is that his Veela allure was starting to show. Parvati sighed and said: “Our father is pushing for us to be marry after our sixth year at Hogwarts." 

“Our family owns many plantations in India and one in Britain. Our family basically grows much produce, but specializes in alchemical ingredient that can be grown and harvested from plants.” Said Padma.

Parvati then said: "Unfortunately we didn't know our entire family got together over the holidays and named our baby brother the next head of the family her in Britain and we are to become someone's wives. Thankfully we can find someone suitable before the summer of our seventh year, but after that…” nodding his head, he replied: " Im sorry girls, I wish I could help, but… although, maybe I can.”

Both looked to him, and he covered his hands acting as he was in deep thought, seeing they were effected by his allure, his eye shifted and both entered a deeper state. He wouldn't go to far… yet, he just set them up to agree with his idea and go through with it.

“Why not me? It's already known I am the heir of two houses possibly more, not only would it be better suited for you to be with someone who you know you can trust. But you two can remain as close to each as long as you want, no issues.” He replied as the snapped to it and came to tems with his words as their drinks arrived and they both began whispering to one another before it started to become heated as he got a refill and drank his beer.

Padma looked to him and asked: “And who is?. Is it because we are the hottest twins in school?" 

“That's actually five, the fourth reason is you both have great personalities, the third reason is you both look out for one another and care for each other, secondly I don't want you girls being stuck with a douche bag who would abuse you both, and the main reason, I already know how badly you two sang this, it's written all over you." 

Both blushed in embarrassment at being caught as they sipped their drinks and he chuckled and used magic to pull them to his sides and placed his arms around their hips making them squeak and he said: "Besides, seeing you both in those dresses I swore I was before heavenly royalty.”

Both looked away as their cheeks darkened and they looked down and noticed his bulge and both gaped seeing it. He chuckled and took their hands and placed it on the bulge and they both gaped feeling it was real and they squeaked feeling his hands slipped up their coats and fondle Padma’s left breast and Parvati’s right breast and he tweaked their respected nipples and asked leaning into the ears: “So my lovely dessert flowers, what will it be?" 

Both moaned and he said: "I'll give you girls Monday to decided…" kissing them on the lips he paid for the drinks and left leaving the two all hot and bothered and Padma loiked to her sister and asked: “Do we?" 

Parvati nodded and said: " Absolutely, and I know he is not finish growing that mandrake of his.”

Arriving before Hagrid's door, he banged on it and shouted: “Hagrid, "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess, Hagrid! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -” as the door opened it revealed Dumbledore and he said: “Ah, Mr. Potter… where are Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, I suspected they would come with you./?”

Harry replied smoothly: "They had assignments to complete sir, but I came to check on Hagrid." 

"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?”

Entering Harry went into the cabin; Fang launched himself upon Harry the moment he entered, barking madly and trying to lick his ears. Harry fended off Fang and looked around. Hagrid was sitting at his table, where there were two large mugs of tea. He looked a real mess. His face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and he had gone to the other extreme where his hair was concerned; far from trying to make it behave, it now looked like a wig of tangled wire.

"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry.

Hagrid looked up.

"'Lo," he said in a very hoarse voice.

"More tea, I think," said Dumbledore, closing the door behind Harry, drawing out his wand, and twiddling it; a revolving tea tray appeared in midair along with a plate of cakes. Dumbledore magicked the tray onto the table, and everybody sat down. There was a slight pause, and then Dumbledore said, "Did you by any chance hear what Mister Potter  was shouting, Hagrid? Harry still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door.”

Harry nodded and said: " It's not just me Hagrid, everyone wants you to stay. What Rita had written about you was completely foolish of her and now she not only lost her job, but is sentenced to a few years in Azkaban and is black listed from any and all news outlets across the globe.”

Two fat tears leaked out of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes and fell slowly into his tangled beard.

"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore, still looking carefully up at the ceiling. "I have shown you the letters from the countless parents who remember you from their own days here, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it -"

"Not all of 'em," said Hagrid hoarsely. "Not all of 'em wan me ter stay."

"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," said Dumbledore, now peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles. "Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?”

"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily.

Harry scoffed and said: " Big whoop Hagrid, sure something got spouted out, I'm part Veela do to my mother, people call me and I am technically the heir of Slytherin on my mother's side, and I ont care if that reaches public ears, cause you know why?”

Hargid looked to him and said: "No matter what they say, no.matter what they do, I suffered worse by the Dursleys hand alone. To them their words are nothing more then flys buzzing in my ear and the should be to you as well." 

"An excellent point," said Professor Dumbledore. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery....” Harry then said: “So get off your bum, and show them that not all giants or half gianys are what they believe show them that anyone can be proven wrong." 

Hagrid gulped. More tears leaked out down his cheeks and into his tangled beard.

Dumbledore stood up. "I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday," he said. "You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all."

Dumbledore left the cabin, pausing only to scratch Fangs ears. When the door had shut behind him, Hagrid began to sob into his dustbin-lid-sized hands. Hermione kept patting his arm, and at last, Hagrid looked up, his eyes very red indeed, and said, "Great man, Dumbledore...great man.... And ‘arry, need to hear that.”

Giving the giant man a hug he then said: “No problem Hagrid, so how was your night with Madame Maxime, as magical as it looked I take it.”

Hagrid spotted and spit in embarrassment and Harry laughed at his first real friend.

Harry went back to the castle later that late afternoon smiling as he had done a good deed. A thought crossed his mind, to sneak into the Prefects Bathroom and speak to Myrtle and enjoy himself. Nodding at this he headed for the Great Hall to get a bite to eat and then off to bed for he had to see Tonks tomorrow.