Harry Potter and the Magic of Life

By: Kate Carpenter

Fandom: harry potter

Summary: End of 3rd year. While Sirius is on trial to prove his innocence, Harry is abandoned by the Dursleys who, after the Marge incident, have enough of him. Luckily Harry's picked up by Bill Weasley. And ends up joining Bill on a Cursbreaking expedition to Cambodia. He gets far more than he asking for! Disturbing news, promises, trouble and danger keep following Harry's every step.

Status: Completed

Fic type: Books/Harry Potter

Pairings/Main char.: Harry P., Fleur D., Bill W., Daphne G.

Published: 2015-01-27

Last updated: 2018-04-01

Words count: 326,810

Chapters count: 69

Converted using www.FF2EBOOK.com
Date: 2020-11-30

1. Back to Surry Or not

AN: Hello! This is my first Harry Potter FF. I've been playing with this idea for a long time now and hope it will be something.

I was inspired by Mountain907's story 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Summer'. Check the story out, it was great!

I hope you will like it. As always: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. I only had an idea and was too lazy to make up my own characters.

Review on what you liked and disliked and if you liked it, I will write more.

Love, Kate

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Harry Potter and the Magic of life

Chapter One: Back to Surry. Or not.

With loud squealing noises came the Hogwarts Express to a stop at the platform of nine-and-three-quarters at Kings Cross Station.

As soon as the doors opened hundreds of students spilled from its inside onto the platform, talking, laughing, joking and shouting while searching for waiting parents and siblings.

Owls hooted in their cages, cats purred on their owner's arms, other animals rushed through their cages. A lonely toad jumped through the crowd, desperately trying to avoid being squashed under-foot.

The Students of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft were ecstatic to be home at last. The summer holidays had begun and for the next eight weeks they could happily forget everything school-related and enjoy their free-time.

A group of three people exited one of the last carriages. On girl and two boys.

The girl was slender with bushy brown hair, brown eyes and a big red cat in a cat-carrier on her arm. She wore casual jeans and a t-shirt. Over one shoulder she had a backpack slung and was laughing loudly.

The boys were very different form their outer appearance.

One was taller than the other by far and had a thick mob of red hair on his head, a crook grin while his greenish-blue eyes twinkled with amusement. His face was covered in freckles. He was grinning and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He wore old torn jeans and a flannel shirt that too had seen better days over a t-shirt. He carried a pack and a rolled up newspaper in the other hand.

The last boy was the girl's height with raven-colored hair, pale skin and deep emerald eyes. His black trousers were turn at the knees and his t-shirt was at least three sizes too big for him. Like the other boy he had his back slung over his right shoulder while a white snow-owl sat on his left one. The empty cage he carried with his left and.

He was talking excitedly with the others using his free hand to make wild gestures.

"And you should have seen Fudge's face when Sirius transformed back into his old self and just stood there in Dumbledore's office. It took McGonagall, Snape, Lupin, Flitwick, Professor Dumbledore and an Auror named Moody to shut him up, keep him there and keep him from ordering a whole squad of Aurors together with some Dementors right to Dumbledore's office. Who keep that Fudge was so obsessed?" Harry Potter told his friends.

They were listening eagerly, wanting to hear everything about the meeting they had not been allowed to attend even though they had played a significant role in its creation if you could phrase it like that.

It seemed unreal to each of them that only two weeks ago they had helped solving one of the greatest injustices of their society.

The unjust imprisonment of Sirius Black twelve years prior.

After the fall of Voldemort, Black had not only been accused to have betrayed Harry's parents to the Dark Lord bit also have caused the death of twelve Muggels and one wizard named Peter Pettigrew. Without a trial he's been sent to the Wizard-Prison Azkaban and left there to rot.

But Black, who was also Harry's godfather, had been innocent all Along. Peter Pettigrew had been the one to cause the explosion and then had faked his own death and framed Sirius.

Twelve long years the traitor had hidden in his animagus form of a rat at Ron Weasley's home before they had discovered his true identity and confronted him.

Sirius, who'd escaped Azkaban thanks to his animagus form showed up too and the truth was finally revealed.

The rat had been stunned, bound and brought up to the castle and handed to the Headmaster who had contacted the Ministry of Magic and its Minister.

Ten minutes later there had been a whole squad of Aurors who looked stunned when the prisoner was indeed identified as Peter Pettigrew.

Madam Bones of the Law Enforcement Department imminently ordered a clarification of the events.

So Sirius was brought to the castle after most of the Aurors had left.

Under the influence of a strong veritaserum both suspects had been questioned and their answers had been written down. Memories had been examined and statements been taken. With the binding promise of a fair and just trial by both Madam Bones and Cornelius Fudge, if unwillingly from the latter one, Sirius had accompanied them to the Ministry for safe-keeping and surveillance but not as a prisoner.

Since then Sirius had written Harry nearly every day, telling him how the trail was progressing and that it was looking more than good for him, seeing that he'd never gotten a trail in first place.

The last decision had yet to be made and even then Sirius would have to deal with a lot of other stuff like his Gringotts accounts and Black heritage, the press and reintegrating in the wizard society. But he had promised Harry that this would be the last summer he would have to send at the Dursley's. Permanently. After this summer Sirius would find them a house, formally adopt Harry and then Harry would move in with him. Permanently.

That promise made Harry happy enough that he was sure that he could manage the final weeks with his aunt, uncle and cousin just fine.

He was already anticipating their faces and reactions when he'd tell them the 'happy news'.

So that was the reason why Harry was happier than ever as he, Ron and Hermione left the platform through the gate and entered the real Kings-Cross while pulling their heavy trunks and small cauldrons and brooms and what not.

Hermione soon spotted her parents and after tight goodbye-hugs and getting them to promise to write her over the holidays she left.

Harry and Ron steered towards the big group of red-heads, Ron's big family.

Molly Weasley, Ron's mother greeted them both with tight hugs and Arthur shook Harry's hand.

"We heard from Dumbledore. Oh Harry I can't believe it. We're so happy to hear the Sirius is innocent." Mrs. Weasley whispered excitedly.

Harry smiled brightly at her.

Mr. Weasley smiled too and then said in a mock-scolding voice: "If I remember correctly, I asked you not to go after Black at the beginning of the year."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I know. I'd planned not too but…well it just didn't work." Arthur smiled. "Don't worry. I'm glad you did. We knew Sirius from earlier times. We could never quite believe he was guilty but the evidence pointed towards him. So we just went with it. We're sorry." He said.

Harry shrugged. "Its him you'll have to apologize to and honestly, I'm just glad it all worked out in the end."

"Still, something like this should never have happened. Sent to Azkaban without a trial…"

Harry turned to look at the young man that had spoken. He was tall, his skin was rough and tanned, his stereotypical Weasley-red hair long and in a ponytail and a fang-earring dangled from his ear. He wore sturdy pants and a waistcoat made from what looked like dragon-hide over a snugly fitting shirt with sleeves that went to his elbows.

"Charlie Weasley." He introduced himself to Harry. "I wanted to meet you personal for a long time now. Ron's told us a lot about you and I wanted to thank you personally what you did for Ginny last year." He said as they shook hands.

"Harry James Potter, its great meeting you Charlie. Ron said you work in Romania with dragons, right?"

"That's right." Charlie said with a smiled. He liked Harry already. The boy was polite and curious but not in an annoying way.

"He could have been the seeker for a professional Quidditch team. Instead he runs off chasing dragons." Fred said from behind his father.

Charlie rolled with his eyes. "What can I say, Quidditch wasn't dangerous enough for me I guess." Then he turned back to Harry. "I heard you are the house-teams seeker too? And that like your father you are quite the natural talent?" Harry grinned and nodded.

George snorted. "He's better than you in your prime time." He said and elbowed his older brother playfully in the ribs.

Charlie raised an eyebrow questioning.

"Oh really?" he asked amused "Well if that's so than I think we'll have to do a match about it, what do you say Potter?"

Harry laughed. "I would love too. When I first started playing Quidditch they told me that out team hadn't won since you left the school. You must be half decent then."

Charlie roared with laughter which attracted some irritated glances from passing Muggels.

"Only half-decent." Ron snorted. "He always outplays us when we play at home. We only let him enter the game after we got to play some balls or otherwise within ten minutes he's all like: "Oh look, I caught the Snitch, again!" It's bloody annoying."

The whole family shared a laugh, even Percy.

The Mrs. Weasley looked around and asked with a slightly concerned face: "Harry dear, where are your aunt and uncle?"

Now everybody looked around.

Harry shrugged. "Probably outside in the car waiting for me to come and look for them."

He tried to ignore Mrs. Weasley's angry expressions and the concerned looks the other Weasley's exchanged amongst each other.

"I should probably get going. It wouldn't surprise me if they decided to go home without me." He meant it as a joke but he could see it in their faces that they wouldn't like that.

"Are you sure we shouldn't wait until you're picked up?" Arthur asked.

Harry shook his head. He was no small child anymore.

"It's fine Mr. Weasley. They're always like this. Don't worry."

He shook Mr. Weasley's, Charlie's and Percy's hand, gave Ginny a hug, Fred and George a fist-bump and Ron a one-arm hug before he was pulled in a bone-crushing hug by Mrs. Weasley.

"Be careful Harry dear. Write this time."

"Yeah mate, if anything's the matter or wrong, send Hedwig to me and we'll get you out of there just like last time." Ron said.
"I will thanks." Harry promised before pushing his heavy cart towards the exit.

At the elevators he got a last quick glance at the wizard-family before they disappeared somewhere around the corner.

As Harry pushed his cart out of Kings Cross Station into the low evening air he couldn't hold back a sigh.

Eight weeks of the Dursleys wasn't much, not compared to the twelve years he already had spent with them but still the thought of 'home' depressed him slightly.

Not for the first time he wondered if he couldn't just spend the summer at the Leaky Cauldron like last summer after the Aunt-Marge-Incident.

Harry wasn't even sure if he was still welcome at Number Four Privet Drive.

Sure, the Ministry had tidied up after him, deleted his Aunts memory and everything but that didn't mean that his aunt and uncle would have forgotten the 'accident' over the past ten months.

And as the sky turned darker and darker and the street-lamps turned on and the echoes of Big Ben echoed through London Harry wondered if he was right.

When ten o'clock came and went and there was still no sign of the Dursleys Harry got up from his trunk on which he's at these last few hours and looked around.

There was a Policeman at the entrance of Kings Cross.

Not for the first time in his life Harry played with the idea to activate the Muggle police or child-services.

Over his years with the Dursleys he'd collected enough evidence that would win a case of child neglect in every court.

But on the other hand he didn't need more official institutes in his life.

But the shock it would cause Uncle Vernon if Harry came with the police to his home…

Harry shook his head.

No, it was no possibility.

He guessed he could always call the Knights Bus to get him to Surry or the Leaky Cauldron.

Deciding that that would be the best thing to do he collected his things from the pavement and went to search for a lonely street where he could call the magical bus.

.

Riding the Knights Bus was just like the last time. It hurt a lot. Harry tried desperately to hold onto his bed while Ernie drove through London like a maniac.

Stan just stood relaxed in the corner, reading the daily prophet.

The Knight Bus was also fuller than the last time.

Harry wasn't the only one who didn't like the bumpy ride.

Hedwig threw a tantrum until he let her out at one of the many stops along the way, leaving him alone.

The drive took forever. They seemed to stop every few meters to pick someone up or let someone out.

Across from his sat an old lady with a box full of slugs on her lap.

Harry loathed slugs since Ron cursed himself to barfing up some especially disgusting ones.

"Hogwarts dear?" she asked.

"Yes Miss." He said politely and smiled at her.

"Didn't your parents pick you up?" she asked.

"My guardians are very busy. They probably forgot." Harry said.

"Poor thing."

"It's alright Miss."

The bus came to an abrupt stop and Stan shouted bored: "Hobbelgook-Village." The old Lady got up, patted Harry on the head and said: "Well, enjoy your holidays anyway."

"Have a good time yourself." Harry said and smiled.

As soon as she was gone a new customer entered. He was clad in a long traveling cloak and had at least a dozen scrolls in his arms.

"I'll pay you in a moment Stan, just let me put this down." He said and unloaded the scrolls onto the just emptied bad in front of Harry. One fell from the bed and rolled towards Harry but the man didn't notice.

Harry picked it up and wanted to give it back to him but Stan beat him to it.

"Weasley! Back in the country at least? What happened to apparation?" the conductor asked grinningly.

"They don't let you if you're hurt. The risk that you splinch is bigger than apparently. And the only portkey they had only took me this far to home."

"Sucks mate. Ottery StCatchpole I take it?" "Yes please." "Sixteen sickles. That is if you don't want any hot coca." "No thanks. The last time I had any of your coca I had indigestion for a month."

Stand just laughed.

The man turned around and sat down on the bed, taking off the hood.

Familiar Weasley-red hair appeared, together with a handsome face and blue eyes. Under the cloak he wore simple black robes with golden embroidery on the left chest over jeans and a white shirt. The boots were slightly muddy and he had a home-made scarf wrapped around his throat and fingerless gloves on his hands. The only thing that didn't match him were the claw-marks on his face. They looked old yes, but they were still visible.

"Hi, I'm sorry, but you dropped this." Harry said and handed him the scroll.

The man looked up surprised.

"Thanks man. Would have been in big trouble if this one had gotten lost!" he said and put the scroll with the others.

When he looked back at Harry his eyes went wide.

"Bloody hell, you're Harry Potter." He muttered.

Harry grinned. "And I take you are William Weasley, the oldest of your siblings?"

"Call me Bill!" Bill said and extended his hands and shook Harry's with much gusto. "It's awesome to meet you." Bill said.

"And it's awesome to meet the person Ron has his 'Bloody hell' from." Harry greeted back.

Bill laughed. "Well, what can I say; oldest sibling is always a role model. Though I think my mom wouldn't agree with you on the 'bloody hell' part."

Harry laughed too. "No, she wouldn't."

"Are you on your way home?" Bill asked.

"Yeah."

"It's rather late." Bill said, looking out.

"My relatives forgot to pick me up and since I have no mobile I couldn't reach them."

Bill nodded.

Trying to change the topic, Harry nodded towards the scrolls.

"What are those? Ron said you were a Curse-Breaker. Is that art of your job?"

Bills eyes lit up like a Christmas-tree.

"Oh yes. They are spell-rolls. I have to decode them as a preparation for a mission in a few weeks."

"What exactly do you do as a Curse-Breaker?"

"Well there are a lot of old places all around the world like old tombs or temples or hidden caverns that are spiritually cursed. Not always bad cursed, more like protected. It's our job to de-curse them so they are safe, for Muggles and wizards alike. Usually these places have hidden treasures and stuff like that which we take back to Gringotts, our employers, and sell." Bill explained.

"That sounds really interesting. Is it dangerous?"

"Not if you know what you have to do." Bill said smilingly.

"And what kind or mission are you going on?"

"My team and I are out searching for an ancient heavily cursed in Cambodia. Our detectors have registered a lot of balled energy down there and informed us. Most likely and old temple or something alike."

"So you are basically treasure-hunters?"

Bill grinned. "Yeah, more or less."

"Then you're probably really good in Defense against the Dark Arts, right? I mean if you have to deal with cursed and things like that…"

"Yes, but DADA is only the second most important think. You have to be good in…"

Right there the Knight Bus came to another abrupt stop and Stan shouted: "Surry, Magnolia Drive."

"Sorry, that's my stop." Harry said apologetic and quickly collected his things.

"No problem Harry. I tell you another time we see each other. I'm sure that'll be soon. You're coming to the Burrow sometime in the near future, right?" Bill said.

"I hope so."

He and Bill shook hands.

"It was nice finally meeting you Harry, See you soon."

"You too Bill."

Harry watched as the Knights Bus disappeared with a loud crack, before he picked up the handle of his trunk onto which he'd bound his broom-stick and cauldron and picked Hedwig's cage up with the other hand while carrying the bag he had with him on the train diagonally over his back.

Packed like a donkey he started walking towards his 'home'.

The silent whooshing sound of wings cutting through the night informed him on Hedwig's arrival.

The owl landed gracefully on her master's shoulder and nibbled softly and affectionately on his ear.

"Hey girl." He muttered. She hooted softly.

"Yeah, not my favorite way of travelling either but I had no other option. It's not like I could fly with my broom." He reached into his pocket and produced some slightly flattened owl-treats he still had in there form the train-ride.

Hedwig took them happily.

Harry was relieved when he finally made his way to Privet Drive.

His things were so heavy he wasn't sure he could drag them any further. Only now he'd forgotten to put a feather-light charm on it back at Hogwarts. Then again his head had been so full and occupied with more important matters than his trunk.

Now he regretted it slights.

Just thinking of having to heave it up the Dursleys stairs with Aunt Petunia looking at him like a hawk so he wouldn't scratch the walls or stain the carpet while doing so, he had to suppress a groan.

Arriving at Nr. 4 he looked at Hedwig. "Come on girl. You know they don't like it if I let you out of your cage. Don't worry; I let you out as soon as I can."

With Hedwig in the cage he carefully rang the bell.

Although it was late the house was still alight and he could hear the television from the living room.

Then he could see the tall and thin outline of his aunt making her was towards the door.

When the door opened Harry sat on a polite smile and said: "Hello Aunt Petunia. How was your year? Mine was great."

Petunia Dursley just looked at her nephew with horror and disgust.

"You…you dare to come back here?" she hissed. "After everything you have done?"

"Well it is the place I live. I have nowhere else to go." Harry said slowly. But not for long anyway, he added in his head.

His aunt gritted her teeth.

"You little freak!" she hissed and pulled him harshly inside.

"Do you know what you have done? How far you've gone? Enough is enough."

She pulled herself up to her full height and said: "Why else do you think we didn't come to pick you up? We don't want you here anymore."

Although Harry had already guessed so and knew that the Dursleys hated him he still couldn't help the feeling of pain and hurt in his chest.

It was stupid to feel so but the harsh words still cut through him.

"I'm sorry. But she started it, she baited me. Accidental magic can't be controlled."

"You think that justifies anything?" his aunt shrieked.

"Honey? What's the matter?" Vernon Dursleys voice suddenly boomed from the living room.

"The freak dared to come here Vernon." Aunt Petunia called back.

It was nearly funny how fast the stomping sounds that were Uncle Vernon's foot-steps approached the hallway.

When his massive form appeared in the door to the living room, Harry flinched at the expression on his face.

It was more than angry.

It was murderous.

"You." He growled.

"Me." Harry said weakly. He couldn't muster eth strength for his usual cheek. He was tiered and emotionally drained.

The truth on how much his aunt and uncle actually hated him just sank in deeper.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Vernon asked, his giant moustache quivering.

He looked even more like a tusk-less walrus.

"Please. I'm sorry for what happened the last time I was here but it was not entirely my fault. But I have good news. This is the last summer I will spend here. My godfather turned up. He's agreed to adopt me. All I ask is for you to let me stay for a few weeks before I'm off to the Burrow."

Harry hated how weak he sounded.

Since when did he let what the Dursleys said go under his skin? Begging them to let him stay…

"Never. Enough is enough. There was a line. You crossed it and now you must face the consequences." Vernon said his eyes full of barely concealed glee.

"But…all my stuff…" Harry tried.

"I suppose you can get them. It's not like we want them or anything else that reminds us of you in our house." Petunia sneered, arms crossed before her chest.

"Thank you." Harry muttered.

"Well, go on then boy, you have two minutes. Then I don't want to have to see your face ever again." Vernon growled.

Harry hurried up the stairs into his room.

There wasn't much in the room that was his anyway.

In a spare backpack that he found under his bed he stuffed the pictured of his parents, the photo-album Hagrid had given him, his Gryffindor-flag and most of his cloths as well as the blanket he'd been wrapped din as a baby when he'd been left on the doorstep of this very house, which he was no being forced to leave. The blanket had grown with each year that Harry had grown. He guessed it was part of some magic that it had been exposed too.

"Hurry up boy!" came the shout from downstairs.

Harry flew down the steps.

This was ridicules. He was thirteen. They couldn't throw him out.

Should he contact Sirius?

But what could he do? He was at the Ministry and couldn't just leave yet. And besides, Harry didn't want to load this on him too. And he didn't want him to think that he couldn't take care of himself.

Back to the Leaky Cauldron? Probably the best idea in his current situation. Maybe he could contact Professor Lupin. The man was like his honorary uncle.

He thought about contacting Ron but threw the idea aside.

He didn't want to ruin their holidays.

The Weasley's had enough to do as it was with seven children at home, they couldn't just take care of him through the whole holidays!

He'd contact them in two or three weeks.

The Leaky Cauldron it was.

But that meant…

"Hedwig, you might as well fly there. I don't want you barfing up all over the bus." He said.

More of Ernie's mad driving. Which joy.

Sighing Harry summoned the Knights bus a second time in a few hours.

2. The Leaky Cauldron, Letters, Lupin, Bill

Chapter Two: The Leaky Cauldron, Letters, Lupin, Bill and a little bit of chaos

Harry was glade the Leaky Cauldron was a 24/7 pub. Otherwise he would have to spend the night on the street, which he didn't really fancy.

And he was glad that Stan only raised a questioning eyebrow when he'd boarded the bus a second time.

Tom was a different thing all-together.

He frowned when he saw Harry stumbling into the pub, clearly exhausted and miserable.

"Harry. I didn't expect to see you this soon. How was Hogwarts?" he asked the nearly-teen.

"Great as always." Harry said with a forced smiled.

"You don't happen to have a free room, do you Tom?" he asked as casual as possible.

"I happen to have a free room."

"Perfect. I'll take it." Harry produced his last Gallons. From his bag and handed them to Tom, not really noticing the slightly concerned look in the older man's eyes.

"This is only for tonight. Tomorrow when I've been to Gringotts I pay for the rest of the week. Is that okay?"

Tom sighed.

"Harry, you are still a minor. As sorry as I am to say this, you just can't book a room. You need a guardian's permission. Last time you were able to stay because the Minister had agreed but now is different. Why aren't you home anyway?" the wizard asked.

Harry contemplated.

Tom was a good man and he kept his guests secrets, he knew that. And Tom had always been honest with him and nice during Harry's stay.

"The Dursleys threw me out and until I can contact someone to help me with this mess I need somewhere to stay. Please Tom. I plan on writing Professor Dumbledore and Lupin first thing in the morning but I can't do that on the street and I can't check into a Muggle hotel! It's really just for a few days!" Harry begged.

The part about contacting Dumbledore was a lie but Harry knew it would probably sooth Tom.

But truth be told, Harry wasn't sure that Dumbledore was sooooo happy with the recent events. His happiness on Sirius innocence had been rather limited. As if it didn't play well with some plans of the old wizard.

Anyway.

He did plan on writing to Lupin and eventually Sirius.

They would be able to help him.

He looked pleadingly at Tom.

Tom sighed.
"Alright. A week."

"Thanks Tom, you are the best!" Harry said happily and wrote his name into the book Tom put in front of him and then took the keys.

"You you need help with you things?" Tom asked.

"That would be great. Thanks. Again."

"No problem Harry."

.

Bill smiled as he breathed the deep earthy scent of his home.

The Burrow rose only a few hundred meters down the path, brightly lit. Smoke curled out of the chimney and rose into the night sky.

He could see shadows moving inside.

It had been nearly two months since he'd seen his parents and even longer since he'd seen most of his siblings.

He'd been in Egypt most of the time and then in the States and then in Norway, always on a tight schedule.

That was why this was a surprise. No one knew he was coming.

It would be a nice surprise since it was his mother's birthday in a few days.

With the scrolls in his arms he hurried through the cold evening air.

Stars blinked above him and a crescent moon illuminated his path.

Outside the door he stopped a moment to straighten his cloth to look not like he'd slept on benches and in the Knight Bus for the fast two days.

Bad enough he wasn't shaved. Well, it mattered little now. He was home.

He knocked strongly on the door.

The sounds inside died down for a moment and he heard his mother exclaim: "Who could that be? At this time? Arthur if its Xenophilius again, you will have to send him away. I can't stand another story about nargels."

Bill suppressed a smile as he heard footsteps approaching the door.

It opened and he smiled down at his mother.

"Hey mom!"

Molly gave a loud shriek of happiness before embracing her oldest with all her might, crushing his middle.

"BILL!" a chorus of voices came from inside and then they all were there, pulling him inside, hugging him, clapping him on the shoulder, kissing his cheeks(that was Ginny) or boxing his upper arm.

He was extremely delighted to see his brother Charlie. He had to leave Egypt earlier so they hadn't been able to spend a lot of time together.

Molly being the mother-hen she was ushered him to the table and started pulling out whatever leftovers there had been from dinner and fixed them into a delicious supper.

The family gathered around the table, talking laughing and cherishing each other's company.

Feeling the love all around him, Bill couldn't help but think of Harry Potter and what he was doing right now and how he was.

It made him sad knowing that Harry was probably not surrounded by love like he was.

.

Indeed, Harry was alone. Hedwig had yet to come and otherwise it was the middle of the night.

Despite being utterly exhausted, he couldn't sleep and spent an hour turning form one side to the other, trying to find a comfortable position.

Merlin, this was all messed up.

For years Harry had wanted to escape the Dursleys and now that he was, the timing couldn't have been more unfitting.

Hopefully Lupin would be able to help him.

Breakfast the next morning was a pleasant thing. Since it was still early into the holidays the pub wasn't overloaded with people.

Harry had a nice English breakfast before he headed to Diagon Alley.

As he walked through the magical alley he thought about the letter he'd sent Lupin first thing in the morning.

He hadn't wanted to worry the werewolf unnecessary so he had phrased his problem as harmless as possible.

Dear Prof. Lupin

I'm sorry to bother you this early in the holidays but a little problem has risen up that can't be dealt with later.

When I returned home, the Dursleys were still very angry with me for blowing up Aunt Marge. So they threw me out of the house.

Don't worry. I'm at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom's taking good care of me. I have a bed and food and am well. I know that with Sirius trail and everything I can't bother him but I need help.

Please answer me soon,

Harry J. Potter.

A bit formal maybe but okay.

As he walked past Madam Malkin's All-Occasion-Robes he stopped and looked down at his cloth.

All Dudley's hand-me-downs, too big, to dirty, to torn.

He eyes the shop-window. Madam Malkin also sold regular cloths like jeans and shirts. New cloths would be a great thing.

Hurrying to Gringotts he withdrew some money and headed back.

Madam Malkin, the friendly patron of the shop greeted him enthusiastically.

"Bit early dear for new Hogwarts things, don't you think? Maybe I can help you with something else?" she asked.

Harry smiled at her.

"Yeah actually I'm looking more for casual everyday cloths, you know. These are my cousins but he's far bigger than I am."

"Of course dear." Madam Malkin taped at the measure band with her wand and it jumped into the air, ready for work.

"Let me take your measurements and then see if there is something in my shop that will fit you."

As the tape swirled around Harry, Madam Malkin chattered away in a pleasant way. She talked about the latest Quidditch results (the Cuddly Cannons had lost against the Storm Harpies, something Ron wouldn't like, especially since Ginny was a Harpies-Fan), then about something the Daily Prophet had written about an explosion in a wand-maker shop in Istanbul and then about the weather.

"Now than dear, what were you thinking of?" she asked as she let him through the rows of cloths.

"Just two or three jeans, some shirts and a jacket. I don't need robes right now." He said shrugging.

"Colors? Cut? Anything I should know?"

"Green and black is okay, red too I guess." He said, not really sure. He never had a say in what he could wear.

Madam Malkin nodded and made a wide movement with her wand and seconds later a small pile of cloths floated towards them.

She handed them to Harry.

"Go on and try these on while I look for some shoes."

"Yes, thank you Madam Malkin."

"It's not a problem dear."

So Harry ended up with three jeans, two blue, one black, about a dozen t-shirts, none of them really something special in mostly black, green, white and some red ones, a grey sweatshirt and a thin dark brown leather jacket and a new pair of shoes.

He changed into one of the blue jeans, a white t-shirt and put the jacket on top. The rest of the cloth went into a bag Madam Malkin handed him.

Most of his money went into her cash box but Harry didn't mind, she'd been very helpful offering advice and had been very friendly.

As he handed her the money she asked all of a sudden.

"Dear, don't get me wrong, but your glasses need to be replaced. They are out of fashion and really don't suit you. Ever thought of square glasses or contact-lenses?"

He took off his glasses and looked at them. It was true, it was an ugly thing but it had been part of him ever since he was little.

But Madam Malkin was right.

"Is there a shop near-by?" he asked.

"A little bit down the street next to the apothecary. Ask for Luis and he'll help you out just fine."

"Thanks Madam Malkin."

"Oh it's no problem hon. Enjoy your holidays."

"Thank you, I will!"

The optician was a small shop. It had everything from normal glasses to magic glasses to contacts to magical eyes like the one he'd seen on the Auror Moody.

Upon entering the shop a small man appeared behind the counter, smiling pleasantly.

"Good afternoon." He said in a low silky voice. "How can I help you young man? I am correct that you will want to exchange that horrible piece of thrash on your nose against something that suits you more?" he asked.

Harry looked at him for a moment affronted before sighing.

"Yeah. You said it."

"Great. Come along. My name is Luis and the first thing we will do is test your eyes."

The test was similar to what Harry had been through several year back when he'd first gotten his glasses after it became apparent to his teachers that he couldn't see.

Aunt Petunia had dragged him to the cheapest optician, had gotten him the cheapest glasses and hadn't been there with him ever since. Harry was sure that his eyes had gotten worse over the time but he could still see well enough that it wouldn't bother him.

During lessons or Quidditch he always used a spell that would improve is eyesight but only worked for an hour or two.

Luis asked him to read numbers and describe pictures and asked him when the picture was better while flicking with his wand and holding up glasses to his eyes.

He soon had the fitting dioptre and showed Harry glasses that he thought would fit him.

In the end Harry decided to get slightly nerdy looking square glasses with a black frame.

When he put them on he nearly stumbled.

It was like looking at the world for eth first time.

Luis smiled at him knowingly.

Harry left the shop after giving Luis a big tip as thanks.

Sitting now at the Ice-Cream-Parlor and enjoying the great ice in the blazing after-noon sun Harry felt a whole lot better than last night.

When he returned to the Leaky Cauldron, Hedwig was there, asleep on her perch and a letter lay on the desk.

Remus's answer was here.

.

Bill slandered down to breakfast, breathing in the deep aroma of beacon and scrambled eggs.

There was nothing like home-made food.

"Morning mom!" he said upon entering the kitchen and went to kiss his mothers cheek.

"Morning son. You're up early. I expected you to be asleep until noon after your long journey."

Bill shrugged.

"I feel rested enough." He said smilingly and with a wish of his wand charmed the cutlery to arrange itself neatly on the table.

"Your fathers already gone to work." Molly told him. "So only eight dishes dear." "Yes ma."

As the minutes ticked by more and more activity got into the house.

Bill heard doors open and close, muffled voices, louder voices, voices arguing whose turn it was to be first in the bathroom and who was the swine that had left his dirty cloth in front of Ginny's room and whose fault it was that the alarm had gone off so early.

Bill loved his family.

Breakfast was chaotic with the twins playing with their food, Percy being a snob, Ron complaining about getting the smallest sausages and Ginny exclaiming that she couldn't believe that she was related to them.

Normal family-chaos.

This reminded him…

"Mom, when can Harry come?" he asked.

Molly who was spooning herself some of the scrambled eggs onto her plate asked without looking up from her task: "Harry who?"

Bill rolled his eyes.

"You know which Harry I mean mom. Harry Potter."

His mother looked up, looking perplex.

"When did you meet Harry?" she asked at the same time as Ron asked: "You know Harry?"

Bill rolled with his eyes.

"Yes, I know Harry Potter."

"When did you ever meet?" Fred asked confused.

"Yesterday. On the Knights Bus." Bill said with a shrug and took another bite of his sausage.

Noticing the sudden silence around the table he looked up. "What?" he asked.

"What was Harry doing on the Knight Bus?" Molly asked.

"Driving home?" Bill said.

"But he told us his relatives would pick him up." Ron said.

"He said that they'd probably forgotten and since he couldn't reach them he decided to take the Knight Bus. He didn't really elaborate."

"The Knight Bus is no place for a thirteen year old boy!" Molly shouted.

"Those Muggles he lives with really are the worst kind there are!" George said.

"I'll write him, making sure he's okay." Ron said and got up.

"Do that Ron. I'll see if your father can do anything when he gets home."

Bill was slightly confused.

"What's the matter?" he asked, not really understanding what the fuss was about.

So Fred and George explained to him the rescue mission from the previous summer and what Ron they knew about the Dursleys.

.

As expected, Remus's answer was full of concern and worry and slight anger.

Dear Harry.

Thanks for writing me right away. You did the right think. And yes, you are right with Sirius being occupied but Harry that doesn't meant that you cannot notify him of what happened. If you want I can do that and explain it to him.

Let's meet up at the Leaky cauldron tomorrow for lunch. You tell me everything that happened and we'll see what we can do.

Seeing that you wrote me and Dumbledore is not yet up and about, I can safely assume you didn't write him and don't want him to know of the recent developments for now?

Don't worry; this is between you and me for now.

See you soon,

Remus

Thank Merlin was Harry's first thought. I can always depend on Lupin.

It wasn't like Harry distrusted Dumbledore, no quite the opposite. He trusted Dumbledore but his life had taught Harry early that it was better to not trust someone blindly.

He trusted Dumbledore to lead the light side against Voldemort, he trusted the man to have a plan and he trusted in the man's power.

But Harry knew Dumbledore was a man for the greater good. And in the name of the greater good even the best of men tended to do horrible things.

Dumbledore was no evil man. He had good intentions and wanted to do the right thing, wanted to help rid the world of this Dark Lord like had before. He knew what it meant to suffer and he knew that people suffered.

But that also meant that there was nearly nothing was unwilling to do.

Whatever happened that night ago in Godrics Hollow, it made Harry the center of this war. It made him important.

Harry was young but he was everything but stupid. He knew that sooner or later he would fight.

The year relatively quiet, aside from Trelawney's prophecy of servant and master being reunited. Harry was pretty certain that this servant was Pettigrew. But his was in aurors custody, right? It wasn't like he was going to get out of their cells anytime soon.

Everything would be fine. For now.

Still that didn't mean that it would stay like that.

Harry was a cautious person and he didn't like it if people withheld information from him.

Probably a result of always being left out on everything during his messed up childhood.

He didn't want to walk a path Dumbledore had laid out for him blindfolded. He wanted to know what he was going, what he should do or what he was supposed to do. He wanted to have a say in his life.

This was why he was so insistent that Madam Bones came along with Fudge. He wanted Outsiders to know the truth about Sirius, about the little game of power Fudge tried to play with Dumbledore, about the intrigues and what went on behind the scenes of the Ministry of Magic. He wanted to make the wizard-world aware of all the bad things that were going on. Not just for Sirius's sake or his own but also for theirs.

They were the ones being lied to and that were being deceived.

Harry knew from old history lessons about the French Revolution that to defeat a common foe you needed a united force of people that stood behind those demands.

Problem was most of the British Witches and Wizards believed Voldemort was dead, Fudge being one of them.

The truth hurt, oh yes, especially after most of them had suffered under Voldemort's reign of terror for years. But a lie would hurt more and kill even more.

Harry's train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Getting up he made sure his wand was within reach and walked over to the door.

"Who's there?" he asked through the closed door.

"It's me, Tom."

Confused Harry opened the door to see Tom standing there, looking quite concerned.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

Tom laughed hoarsely. "That's what I wanted to ask you."

Seeing Harry's confused look he added: "You've been in your room for ages Harry. You're already late for dinner."

A quick glance outside the window told Harry that to bartender was right. It was already semi-dark outside.

All along Diagon Alley lamps were lit and most shops started to close.

"Oh." Harry mumbled. "Thanks for telling me Tom, I'll be down in a sec."

As Tom set a bowl of stew in front of him the older wizard asked: "So, got a reply yet?" Harry nodded.

"Yes, Remus Lupin wrote me, said that he'll meet me here tomorrow for lunch to discuss my…situation." Harry said, with a side glance at the old witch two tables over.

Tom nodded, obviously relieved.

"That's good. Enjoy the meal Harry."

"Thanks Tom, I will."

.

Bill was working his way through another line of numbers and spells when Errol arrived with a letter.

He recognized the seal imminently and tore the letter open when he saw that it was addressed to him.

Dear Mr. William Weasley

As you have been informed three month prior this date you and a group of other selected Curse-Breaker have been given information upon your newest mission in Cambodia.

You have been given the usual spell-scrolls with the first scan.

As your departure is to be the 25th of July of this year, the first pre-mission meeting is upon the 10th of June at Gringotts Bank, London branch, at 11.30 am.

Please be punctual.

Yours sincerely,

Raknok, Master of the Curse-Breaker guild.

Well that were good news Bill thought as he folded the letter and gave Errol some of his toast.

Charlie came through the door, still in his PJs, hair a mess but with his earring in place.

Bill grinned at his younger brother.

"Mom will have a fit if she see's your hair like that." He said and ruffled Charlie's hair he sat down next to him.

"Knock it off. Merlin, you are insufferable." The Dragons-Master said and started buttering his toast.

"News?" he asked.

Charlie was not a morning person. Then again, who was?

"Not for you at least." Bill said. "Got a letter from work, concerning our newest target."

"Cambodia, right?" Charlie asked.

"Yes."

There were a few seconds of silence, then Charlie asked slowly: "Is it a dangerous one?"

Bill sighed.

One of his earliest missions had gone horrible wrong when one of his teammates had used a wrong counter-spell which had set off a chain of spells which had killed half of their team and had sent the rest to St. Mungos for two months. Bill knew he's nearly died and that it had terrified his family, especially his mother. She had wanted him to quit and get a desk-job.

There had been a lot of fighting, shouting, ignoring and tears before Bill got to keep his job and Molly started having more faith in him again.

But it had affected them all.

Ever since, whenever he went on a new mission to some exotic or faraway place, Charlie would ask him that same question.

Bill tried to be honest with him but you never knew until you were actually there.

"I don't know. We got clear readings but the energy at that place is very strong. It's heavily protected. It's amazing that no one stumbled across it until now. Something must have set it off."

Charlie frowned. "That doesn't sound too promising for me." He muttered into his mug of pumpkin juice.

Bill shrugged. He was no newbie on the job anymore. He was experienced and knew how to handle dangerous situations.

"It'll be fine Charlie. Don't get your pants in a twist."

"Shut up."

"Whatever."

.

The next late morning found Harry at a table in a far corner of the Leaky Cauldron, a book on Curse-Breakers in front of him.

His conversation with Bill on the Knight Bus had made him even more curious and so he'd gone to Flourish and Blots and had borrowed a book about basic Curse-Breaking, what it was, what they did, why it was needed and so important, what methods there were, what you had to be good at and career-options.

It was really interesting and to his surprise required huge background knowledge of Curses and Anti-curses but also mathematics and runes.

He was so absorbed in a passage about together weaved curses and how difficult it was to unlock them that he didn't notice the hesitantly approaching figure.

"Harry?" a familiar voice asked.

He looked up.

Remus Lupin stood in front of him, dressed in his usual clean but slightly ruff looking cloths, an amused and slightly disbelieving look on his face.

Harry smiled as he got up.

"Professor." He greeted.

Lupin waved it aside.

"Come on now Harry, this is not school and besides, I think we're long over the Professor. It's Remus or Uncle Remus if you want."

Harry smiled. "Alright…Remus."

They sat down and ordered two Butter-beers.

Once they got their drinks and were left alone Remus shook his head and said grinningly: "Look at you, three days out of school and you have new cloths that actually fit you and do not make you look like a boy form the street, new glasses and you've been to the barbers."

He was right. Just this morning harry had looked into the mirror and decided that he needed a haircut.

Now the hair was shortened on the sides of his head while still longer and thick on top of his head and with the little help of some hair gel styled into a slight unruly mess.

Harry shrugged.

"I didn't plan to. But after the new cloth Madam Malkin ushered me to the optician and he told me to get a hair-cut. Be glad I didn't listen to the barber. He told me I should get some earrings of a tattoo."

"Don't you dare. An earring I could probably live with but a tattoo? At your age? Never!" Remus scowled.

Harry laughed.

"Did you just give me permission to have my ear pierced?" he asked cheekily.

"No!" Remus said.

"Pity. I liked the fang-earring Charlie wears. Well, maybe when I'm older."

"Yes, like fifty." Remus said.

Then he became serious.

"I mean it Harry. You look good, yes but really, tell me what happened and how it came to this."

Harry sighed and explained everything to him from leaving the platform to his conversation with the Weasley's, his long waiting for the Dursleys, his ride on the Knights Bus and meeting Bill until he came to his encounter with Vernon and Petunia Dursley and how they threw him out.

He told him how he traveled back to London and then what had happened after his visit at Madam Malkin's to what he'd been doing before Remus arrived.

Remus shook his head in disbelieve.

"Muggles." He finally said. "Some of them are worse than Purebloods like Lucius Malfoy." He sighed. "Don't worry Harry; Dumbledore will talk sense into them."

"But why should he? I mean, I'm moving in with Sirius after this summer. Probably around Christmas if he's found something by then. I have enough money in my trust vault to stay here for the reminder of the summer. And even that won't be necessary seeing that I can visit Ron in a few weeks and stay with him until the new term starts. Why bother?"

Remus laughed dryly.

"Harry you and I both know Dumbledore's a great man but let's not forget that he was the man who didn't step in when Sirius awas having his trial denied and sent you to the Dursleys. The man has plans and he won't drop them so quickly. He can live with Sirius being free and cleared of all charges but he won't allow him to adopt you and, sorry for the phrase, 'keep you'."

"I don't say that I understand everything Dumbledore does but he had no say in this matter, even if it is for the greater good. "

"And I stand behind you Harry. I just beg you not to underestimate him and I don't want you to be enemies. You need each other. We all need each other. We can't afford to be more divided than we already are."

Harry nodded.

"So" he said, changing the topic "What's the word on Sirius's trial?"

Remus snorted and produced a copy of the Daily Prophet from his coat.

"The press has gotten wind on what's happening and speculations over speculations fill the newspapers. But since nobody who is working on the case is allowed to give a statement, it's all rather wish-washy. I know as much as Sirius can tell me, I am told by the Court and am able to put together myself."

"Did you tell Sirius about what happened?"

"Didn't see him yet."

"What am I supposed to do?"

Remus looked at him for a long time.

"Well, you are taking care of yourself as I see, you have not gotten in to any trouble yet, which I demand stays this way, and you have not pierced any body part yet so I guess you can stay here for now. I would offer you to stay at my place but it's no place for a teenager. We keep in touch and I come and visit now and then. And you write Ron and ask him when you can come to the Burrow. As soon as you know, you write me and everything will be fine."

Harry nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

They both got up.

"Stay out of trouble, write to me when something's wrong and if you have a pierced ear the next time I see you I will lock you up in my house." Remus said.

"I promise." Harry said gain.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Remus said with raised eyebrows and a smile on his lips.

"Mischief managed." Harry responded.

Remus pulled him into a brief but unexpected hug.

Then he left.

.

.

AN: Second Chapter. I know, there are some clichés from other stories like the cloths shopping and the glasses but I swear that's about all that's cliché like! No extreme shopping of books or wand-holsters and new wands or things like that.

And there won't be any Dumbledore-Bashing! I kow it looks like that but he's one of the good guys and he'll stay a good guys!

And I know things start a little slowly but you just can't start in the middle of the story I guess. I will try not make it too long. I hope.

Well, review, tell me what you think,

Love Kate

3. Back to the Burrow

Chapter Three: Back to the Burrow

Harry spent a nice and relaxed week in Diagon Alley. Most of the shop owners remembered him from last summer and greeted him happily when he strolled through their shops again.

Mrs. Ellicott who owned the apothecary invited him to a cup healthy herbal tea but one could never be sure what else was in herbal tea so Harry declined politely but promised to come by again.

He'd received his first letters from both Ron and Hermione, both asking how he was. He'd sent short replies, assuring them he was fine.

Otherwise Harry had read through three books on Curse-Breaking before he decided to have a look at arithmetic's.

He knew Hermione had taken that subject and said it was a lot about the theory behind spells and what spells actually were.

He borrowed the third-year book on the subject and skimmed through the first chapters hoping to be able to understand some of it on his own.

In theory, every spell you be written down in a row of numbers from 1 to 7. Each spell had its own 'code' as it was called.

When 'decoding' a place or thing one had to look at the numbers and find out which spell was behind it and which was spell was the right counter-curse.

For example was the combination 2316457 the expelliarmus-charm. It was easily countered by the 'protego'-spell.

These were the easy cases.

But in most cases spells were weaved into each other.

Whereas the jelly-leg-jinx ended with the combination 3617452, the stinging-hex started with these three numbers as thus the rest of the spell was just 'added' when weaved together, so you had 3617(first part of the jelly-legs-jinx)452(shared end/beginning)7631(Rest of the stinging-hex) making it a total of 36174527631.

(It reminded Harry of a letter-mash where you had to find words hidden in a mess of seemingly unordered letters. Sometimes the same letter belonged to more than one word.)

You had to decipher the numbers right or when de-cursing the place or the object something could go wrong and injure or even kill you.

Then there were rules, similar when brewing potions. In potions there were some ingredients that didn't mix.

Same thing with spells. Some spells couldn't be combined. Some had reasons, like the Killing curse 'Avada Kedavra' couldn't be combined with reviving spell 'enervate' since they were complete opposites.

Others when combined neutralize each other or one neutralizes the other.

That was usually the case when both spells started and ended with the same number such as Petrifitus Totalus (7624315) and Lumos (7163425).

Spells that had the same middle-combination could strengthen each other when one or both were set off like Crucio (7612354) and Stupefy (6512347).

There were thousand more rules, important exceptions, special cases, circumstances why this and that wouldn't work or apply, like a random number thrown between to confuse the Cures-breaker for example, but the basics were very simple and Harry understood the principle.

That was when the runes were added.

If a rune was drawn before or after a spell it could mean that spell would do the exact opposite. Like a sleeping spell will give you an electric shock to wake you up, even though it looks like a sleeping spell, because of the numbers, and that all because of a small rune that stood before it.

And then the origin of the rune had to be considered and its three-thousand meanings and more…

By the end of the chapter Harry's head was hurting and he decided to take a break. There was a lot more to the job than adventures in exotic countries like he'd read about in some books.

Enjoying another fantastic ice-cream cup he scanned the passing crowed of wizards and witches of all ages.

With the new hair, sunglasses and new cloths he looked like every other teen-wizard and was blissfully ignored.

His eyes caught sight of familiar red hair, clearly recognizable scars and an arm full scrolls.

Bill Weasley was walking in a brisk pace across the Alley towards the imposing building of Gringotts Bank.

Harry had read that most Curse-Breakers were employed by Gringotts rather than the Ministry because of all the riches they could usually find in old temples and sacred places. It was likely that Bill as too and he had said that he would be going on a new mission soon. Maybe this had something to do with it.

He decided to wait for the oldest Weasley child, so they could continue their conversation from a few nights ago. Maybe he could ask Bill when he could come to the Burrow anytime soon.

No matter how nice it was to stay at the Leaky Cauldron, he still missed his friends and he had promised Charlie a seekers-match.

Bill emerged nearly two hours later.

Harry had finished another chapter about detecting curses when he saw the familiar mane of red hair exiting Gringotts.

He got up from his table and stepped out on the street to intercept Bill on his way.

When Bill as in shouting distance Harry waved and shouted: "Bill!"

Bills head snapped around and located Harry.

A frown appeared on his forehead.

Harry suppressed a grin. Bill didn't recognize him.

Bill slowly made his way across to him.

"Ahm…hello?" he asked uncertainly.

Harry rolled with his eyes though Bill couldn't see that because of the sunglasses.

"Really Bill, it's only been a week. Have you already forgotten about me?" he asked while exchanging the sunglasses for his regular glasses.

"Harry?" Bill asked slightly stunned.

"The one and only." Harry said as he held out his hand. Still slightly overwhelmed Bill shook it.

"Do you have a minute?" Harry asked. "Or are you needed somewhere?"

Bill finally got a grip on himself and grinned.

"I got time. Nice hair by the way."

"What can I say, they forced me." Harry said dramatically.

"All you're missing is an earring."

"You're the third person telling me this. Three's the charm they say. You think I should?" Harry joked as they sat down at his table.

Bill grinned. "I know Charlie would make you one for free."

"Did he make his?"

"Oh yes. He went into his room, came back out two hours later with a freshly pierced ear. When Fred and George saw, they wanted to do it too but Mom threw a fit so bad they didn't dare. And Charlie was grounded for three month. But no matter what spell mom tried, she couldn't remove the hole. Charlie made sure of that."

Harry laughed loudly. "Your poor mother." He said.

Bill shrugged.

"What are you reading?" he asked when he saw the book on the table. He picked it up and looked at Harry inquiring when he read the title.

Harry shrugged. "What can I say; you made me really curious about Curse-Breaking. It's really interesting and I want to know more your job. I worked through a few books but it's all very theoretically. Do you really have to decipher every number and spell? Isn't that boring? I thought it was no desk-job."

Bill smiled.

"Yeah well, it's fifty-fifty. First you have to analyze what you're dealing with, that's the whole theory and mathematic and arithmetic part, and then you get to the fun part, the de-cursing part. That's always great. Camping in strange deserted places where no human has ever been before, seeing cool, really old stuff from ancient times, sometimes you get to keep a souvenir. A lot of mock-dueling, team-work, fun and much more. As for the desk-job part, it's partly true. Of course we have team decoding scrolls all the time but we have to do some of the work too. They do the simple and first analysis, we do the subtleties." Bill explained.

"That sounds great." Harry agreed.

"It is. I love it." Bill said honestly.

For a while they were silent, just thinking.

Then Bill leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees.

"How are you anyway?"

"I'm fine." Harry said with a smile.

"Did you already talk with your aunt and uncle about coming to the Burrow?"

Harry pulled a slight face.

"It's not that easy at the moment." He said vaguely.

"We could always come and get you."

Harry laughed. "I know you could. That's what I'm afraid off. I don't need you to destroy more windows."

"But honestly, when? Ron's already bitching around how bored he is without you around to cause trouble and Charlie really wants this match!"

Harry was slightly taken aback by the question. He hadn't expected the Weasley's to be so eager to have him over.

"Well" he said slowly "Whenever you're parents will have me over. I guess." he said.

"Great, where's your stuff? I'm taking you with me."

"Right now?" Harry asked irritated.

Bill laughed.

"Harry, if my mom could she would adopt you right away."

That was something Harry would never have believed.

But Bill said it in such a truthful way that he couldn't help but believe it.

"I don't want to be a burden." He said honestly.

Bill looked at him with a funny expression on his face.

"What gave you that idea? You're basically like a member of the family already. Come on, I take you to Surry and we'll get your stuff and we'll be off to the Burrow in no time. I mean, do you honestly want to spend seven more weeks in Diagon Alley? Because as amazing as this place is, after a while it does get boring and Knockturn Alley is not an alternative."

"Been there, done that, got a t-shirt." Harry muttered in agreement.

"Well then let's go!" Bill said brightly while getting up.

"I suppose we can apparate. Have you ever apparated before? Well, if not maybe we should take the bus. I don't suppose there is a chimney close to your house that is connected to the Floo-Network?"

Harry shook his head. "No, at least none that I know of. But don't worry. My things are not far. I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron as it is."

Bill frowned. He had assumed something was wrong when his family had reacted so concerned when he'd told them about his meeting with Harry on the Knights Bus but until now it hadn't made much sense to him.

"Why are you not with your family?"

Harry shrugged. "Not important."

Bill looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Harry." He said demandingly.

"Honestly, it's nothing, can we go?" Harry asked.

"It's either me or mum. And believe me, you rather confess to me than to my mother." Bill said seriously.

"Look, it doesn't matter now. I talked to Lupin and…"

"Remus Lupin?" Bill interrupted him frowning.

"He's like my honorary uncle." Harry explained. "Look, the point is, Remus knows, it's alright and now I'm coming with you. Everything's fine."

"You could have contacted Ron. You could have been with us as soon as…well as soon whatever happened that had you living here for the past week."

"It's not like I have been living on the street! Honestly, why is everyone so worried about my safety? I can take care of myself." Harry growled, slowly getting annoyed.

"After all the stunts you have told these past three years you ask that?" Bill asked.

"Oh what do you know? You don't know me!" Harry snapped, getting angrier and angrier.

"I've heard enough." Bill said calmly.

"Maybe I should stay here." Harry hissed.

"You could try. But I would tell mom and then the shit would definitely hit the fan."

Harry glared at him fiercely, his green eyes burning.

"Why are you prying like that? It's not like you know me or care for me. You're just pretending. Get lost."

But Bill stayed calm.

"Harry" he said "I have six younger siblings. You won't get me mad that fast and you certainly won't drive me away with your harmonic teenage-behavior. I've been through it a lot of times. You're harmless compared to Percy or the twins. Now get a grip and let's get your things. It's not like you want to stay here yourself."

Harry knew he had lost.

"I know how little space there is at your home and how uncomfortable it makes you mom and Ron if they can't offer me anything grand! At the same time you don't want to take the money I offer you. It's not charity, its thanks. It always makes things awkward." Harry tried one last time.

"I'll talk to them." Bill assured you. "Besides, how can I teach you curse-breaking when you're miles away, hm?"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure, why not? You can't spend the whole summer goofing off with Ron. You'll have to do some academic things too!" Bill said in a mock condescending sneer.

"Alright, you convinced me. Besides, I'd face a dragon over your mother's wrath."

"Amen to that little bro."

.

"MOM! RON! See what I brought at Diagon Alley!" Bill shouted as they entered the Burrow.

Harry rolled his eyes at the red-heads antics.

Then there was a shriek and Harry was pulled into a bone-crashing hug.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! What were you thinking? Riding the Knights Bus back? You could have been killed, lost, robbed! Why didn't you notify us? Arthur would have picked you up! Oh I'm so disappointed. Don't you know that we'd do anything for you?" Molly Weasley shouted hysterically and pressed Harry even further against her bosom.

"Mom, let him go, he'll snap like a twig!" Bill protested but he was grinning slyly at Harry behind his mothers back.

Molly finally let go but still held Harry at arm's length.

"Well" she demanded "What do you have to say for yourself young man?"

Harry's ears were burning.

Now he felt stupid for not telling the gentle woman that could be fierce as a lioness when it came to her pups.

He mumbled something unintelligently under his breath.

"What was that?" the older witch inquired sharply.

"He said he didn't want to be a burden. He know how tough it sometimes gets and you won't even take the only thing, his money, that he can offer as thanks for your kindness mom" Bill translated.

Harry shot him a murderous look that promised a slow and painful death.

Mrs. Weasley imminently got misty eyed.

"Oh Harry, you are no burden!" And again chocked him with another one of her famous hugs.

"We really don't care! So what if its crowded, we'll manage, we always have. What's one more mouth to feet, hm? No no love. It's fine, it really is." She sighed. "And if it means so much to you we can talk about…some kind of…involvement on your side. Maybe you can help Arthur with his Muggle stuff or…" she was struggling to find the right words.

"I could cook." Harry offered silently.

Molly beamed at him. "Yes, like that. Yu can pay off your…debt, as you call it, by cooking or things like that."

"But only if I get to pay the groceries." Harry said, ignoring her last words.

Molly spluttered.

Harry knew she was a proud witch from a proud family.

But he was offering no charity, he was offering his services.

Luckily Bill stepped between them, before they could argue about that point.

"Sounds great! So mom, where's the rest of the crew?"

While leading his mother into the living room he looked back at Harry and winked.

Harry grumbled but couldn't help but mouth a 'Thanks' back at the older boy.

.

Ron was ecstatic to see him, complimented his hair, told him his old glasses were horrible anyway and that he had always wanted to tell Harry but hadn't want to hurt his feelings and then demanded what had happened since their departure from Kings Cross.

Being his best friend, Harry told him everything.

Ron cursed the Dursleys to the moon and back, or at least he promised too.

After that Harry and Ron helped Fred and Ginny de-gnoming the garden, Harry gave Mrs. Weasley a hand with the dinner, despite her protests, and when Mr. Weasley came home he went with to the shed where he kept all his plucks and radios and washing machine parts as well as his old Ford Angelica and much more.

He explained more about electricity to the awed wizard, taught him how the Muggle currency worked and answered about a thousand questions.

When he lay down on his cot in Ron's room under the watchful eyes of the Cuddly Cannons and with the moon shining through the window, Harry felt strangely content and satisfied.

This was home. This was freedom. This was life.

.

That night was the first night Harry had the dream about an old creepy house, graveyards, old men walking through empty and dusty hallways, flashing green lights and high-pitched laughter.

Harry woke bathed in sweat with his heart beating wildly.

Just a dream. That was what he told himself.

.

"And the quaffle is passed by Weasley and Weasley catches. Weasley is hot on his heels but he's no match to Weasley and Weasley rushes past Weasley and SCOORS!" Fred shouted over his teammate's cheers and the other team's laughter.

Harry, perched his in the air, grinned at the twin's antics.

This was the third game of Quidditch they were playing that late morning.

Everyone except Molly was up in the air, even Percy though he was trying to referee the game. Trying being the important word.

Arthur, Fred, Charlie and Ginny were on the blue Team while Bill, Ron, George and Harry were on the red one.

Arthur and Ron were their respective team's keepers while Bill and Ginny were the Chasers, Fred and George the Beaters and Charlie and Harry the Seekers.

Though they were less people than usual took part in a Quidditch game it was great fun.

Even though Ginny was still young she showed immense promise in the Chaser's position. Ron was a good keeper but often not fast or agile enough for Ginny's mean played throws.

Fred and George were in their element, swatting at the bludger with all their might though they usually aimed at Percy than at the other players.

Arthur was playing just for fun and was very careful because Molly was not very thrilled with him flying. But he did hold quite a lot of balls and made a good figure on the broom.

Between Charlie and Harry there was war.

Charlie had won the first game making Harry determined to win the second which had happened within twenty minutes of Percy's whistle-blow.

Now it was all about the match-point. Whoever won this game would be the better seeker. For the reminder of the summer at least.

It was a matter of a man's honor and both wanted the title, ignoring Ginny's sarcastic jabs on 'stupid boys with their stupid need to proof themselves'.

They flew at breakneck speeds across the vast field behind the Burrow that functioned at the family's Quidditch pitch, trying to out-smart each other, shoving and keeping it other from getting the snitch.

They lost it often in their quarrels and the game dragged on and on with their tricks and stunts getting more reckless by the minute.

Finally Mrs. Weasley called them down for lunch, much to the relieve of the others, but to the disappointment of the two seekers.

They swore to continue their game after lunch.

However Mrs. Weasley didn't let them.

Chores were distributed and the game was pushed down on the priority list of everyone.

Harry helped Ginny and Bill renew the fence around the chicken hatch, help catching one of the wayward chickens and helped mowing the lawn in the backyard with one of the charmed grass-cutters Mr. Weasley had once purchased from an old Muggle down in the village.

As a last chore, Mrs. Weasley made him and Percy dust off the photo-frames in the whole house.

When Harry sat down exhausted in the living room, his nose still itch from the flying dust, he just wanted to sleep.

But Bill had other plans.

Sitting down next to Harry he unrolled a small scroll on the low table in front of them.

"You read and understood the basics of decoding, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, let's see how good you are." Bill said and pointed at the scroll of parchment.

Harry's eyes went wide.

It was covered in neat rows of small numbers.

Bill gave him a feather, books to look up spells and their code and a few rules and an empty piece of parchment. "You have thirty minutes. You don't need to do all. Just show me what you can and then I know where I have to start with teaching you."

Harry happily complied.

4. Dumbledore

AN: Hey there. To answer the fear of this being another 'Dumbledore-bashing' …IT'S NOT! Don't worry. Dumbledore is a good guy and will stay a good guy. I'm just saying that he as flaws, as do Harry and Remus for example because they don't know all about him. I'm not saying that Harry knows the whole truth either. He just makes his own assumptions and thinks they're right. Like every teenager.

Just keep reading if you're still interested.

And besides it's supposed to be a bit AU. Some things have been changed on purpose.

This is only the fourth chapter. Give it a chance.

Love Kate

Chapter Four: Dumbledore

Harry had been at the Burrow for only six days but was getting along so well it seemed he'd spent his whole life there.

His days were filled with chores like cooking for ten people and degnoming the garden or help feed the chickens. Other than that he and Ron explored the area around the Burrow with much gusto, played lots of Quidditch, did little pieces of homework in between and helped the twins with pranks on Percy.

Between those things and eating and sleeping there was not much time left. But what was left was put into studying the secrets and rules of decoding and learning about curse-breaking from Bill.

Bill was an amazing teacher. After the little test he had given Harry at one of his first evenings at the Burrow he had gotten a good grasp on what Harry already understood and continued how he thought was the right way and how he'd been taught. Okay, he'd been older than Harry and had more knowledge but that mattered little.

Harry was, when it came to spells and their theory, decoding and finding the right counter-spells, a natural and unbelievingly intelligent.

He seemed to know instinctively what was the right approach, where spells were hidden beneath other spells, where they were meanly weaved together.

Bill admitted that Harry was even far better than some of the initiates that entered the Curse-Breaker program at Gringotts every-year.

Harry had memorized most rules within hours of reading and using them on examples. The scrolls Bill gave him were his old study and training scrolls but he soon saw that they were no match for Harry.

The boy decoded faster than he had in his first year.

The topic really had grasped Harry which was strange.

Bill knew from what Ron had told him that Harry was a rather mediocre student, maybe slightly above the middle but not too bright like their friend Hermione Granger who was top of their year.

His best subjects were Charms and Transfiguration. DADA was not too bad either but based on what their teachers had been like that didn't really mean much. Only Remus had been able to teach them anything and what he'd teach them Harry had passed with flying colors.

But Harry hadn't even elected arithmetic or Ancient Runes.

Yet he picked up on both by just reading books quicker than most students in a whole year at Hogwarts.

Maybe he's a idiot savant, Bill thought slightly amused as he watch Harry struggle his Herbology-essay.

"Honestly" he told the raven-haired pre-teen "You fought this plant in your first year. You will be able to say something about it!"

Harry glared at him.

"Hermione was the one with the knowledge. I just told her to light a fire with her wand." He growled.

Bill went back to his musings as Harry and Ron discussed pros and cons about the Devils Snare.

Harry was talented, gifted even.

Bill would make sure it was supported from an early age on. Maybe Harry could become Curse-Breaker one day.

His thoughts were again interrupted by the sudden blaze of the fire-place.

From the emerald green flames a man appeared.

Bill, who'd drawn his wand instinctively (as had Harry he noticed) relaxed when he recognized Remus Lupin.

"Merlin, Lupin you scared us. A little word of warning would be good next time." Harry said while pocketing his wand.

Remus gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry Harry but I was rather in a hurry."

"What's the matter Lupin?" Bill asked concerned. Had something happened?

His parents weren't in at the moment.

Had something happened to them?

Bills heart started beating heavily.

Remus sighed.

"Sadly yes. Dumbledore found out about Harry not being at Privet Drive. To say he was not amused it like saying a Hippogriff is a harmless a as a kitty-cat."

Harry just nodded resigning. He knew he'd been a fool to think Dumbledore wouldn't notice. Bill noticed his slightly sad expression.

"Well, tough luck. They threw Harry out, now he's here and everything's fine. Honestly, I don't know what he's complaining about. Harry's better off here than anywhere else." He argued.

Remus shrugged. "I know that but Dumbledore apparently doesn't. He's coming over tomorrow. He told me to tell you to sit tight Harry."

Harry was clenching his fists.

"I don't want to go back to the Dursleys. Even if Dumbledore can somehow convince them to take me back, it's not my home anymore. It will be dreadful. They'll be mean and punish me for every little thing that goes even remotely wrong! Like Bird-dropping on the paintjob of their new car!" he whispered.

Remus looked sad. "I know Harry. Who knows, maybe he'll let you stay. He's probably just concerned."

"Then why would he come here?" Harry asked.

"Well, you didn't tell him, did you? You told me and I told Sirius." Remus said. "And I told you why." Harry said icily.

Bill somehow felt as if he was missing some information.

Remus nodded.

"Well, there's little you can do now." He said finally.

"I just wanted to tell you."

"Thanks Remus."

"No problem Harry. I'll be there tomorrow too if you want me too."

Harry shook his head.

"Stay with Sirius. The trail is coming to its end. He'll need you. I'll be fine."

Remus nodded.

"Alright but if he tries anything notify me."

"Sure."

With another roaring of the fire Remus vanished again as quickly as he'd appeared.

.

It was shortly after dinner the next evening.

The whole family sat in the living room and listened to the radio, waiting for Dumbledore.

Bill knew his parents were devoted to Dumbledore and his cause, maybe a little too much but he knew his parents had a backbone too. And the mere suggestion that Harry might have to go back to those 'horrid Muggles' had send Molly into overdrive and made her determined to keep her 'newest addition to the family'. Arthur stood behind it, as did all the others. Even Percy, though Bill suspected that the twins had threatened him with more hair-dye in his shampoo if he didn't support Harry.

So now they watched as the fire trued green and Albus Wulfirc Percival Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Mugwhup-Supreme and what not, stepped into their modest living room.

His eyes swept over the red-heads and stopped at the only raven-head in the room.

Harry sat between Ron and Bill on the couch with Ginny sitting on the ground before them playing a game of cards.

Molly and Arthur sat in old armchairs flanking the couch with Percy standing next to his father, talking about some things at the Ministry. Percy had applied there and gotten the job. Molly was reading the newest edition of 'Witch Weekly' and Charlie was leaning against the wall and Fred and George were standing next to him, arms folded as he listened to the twin best pranks of the last school year.

Everyone looked up as he arrived.

It was very silent for a second. Only the old clock ticked.

Dumbledore smiled widely.

"Good evening everybody. I hope you didn't wait long."

"Only a few minutes Albus. Please, do you want something to drink? A chair perhaps?" Arthur offered with a smile as he got up to shake Dumbledore's hand.

"A chair would be most appreciated, thank you!"

Arthur nodded at Fred and George.

"Get a chair for your Headmaster boys."

As the two of them disappeared in the adjoined kitchen to fetch one of the chairs, Molly took over the conversation.

"Remus said that you wanted to see us?"

Dumbledore's eyes twitched ever so slightly.

"Actually just with young Harry and about what happened these past two weeks. Alone if you wouldn't mind."

"No, not at all." Molly assured him with a smiled.

She shooed the rest of the family out of the living room, leaving Harry with his Headmaster alone.

Harry looked down at the cards in his hands.

"Harry what you did was foolish, you know that. Travelling the country like that. If someone had recognized you, you could have been in great danger."

"I know. I'm sorry Sire. But to my defense, I went back to Privet Drive. It was just that they threw me out. I didn't know where to go so I went to Diagon Alley. If I'd stayed against their will, things would've been ugly." Harry said silently.

Dumbledore smiled at him.

"And I'm glad that you left and that you are safe Harry, don't get me wrong! I'm just disappointed that you didn't tell me right away. What did you think I would do? Force you to go back?"

Harry looked up and nodded. Better be honest.

Dumbledore sighed.

"Harry, it is true that twelve years ago I thought the Dursleys would be the best solution for you. The Blood Wards around the house are strong. It is true that you'd be safest there but I've long since recognized that it's not the ideal home for you."

"Then why send me back there every summer?" Harry asked astonished about the revelation.

"I wanted you to have a normal childhood, to grow up away from all the fame and pressure. Never would I have imagined the Dursleys to treat you like a house-elf." The older wizard sighed.

"Harry I know you doubt me and you are right to do so. Only fools follow blindly. I always thought it would be best to keep you as innocent as possible but we both know that won't work."

Harry nodded mutely.

"I'm not going to sugar-coat it Harry. If you want me to be honest I will but you may not like it. I might as well because since you don't consider Privet Drive your home anymore, the Blood Wards will be useless."

"Then tell me." Harry whispered.

And Dumbledore did.

"Harry, you heard the prophecy Professor Trelawney, Sybille, told that afternoon in her classroom after class, right?"

Harry nodded.

"The servant she was speaking off was not Sirius as many thought. It is Pettigrew though I am sure you already know that. The master part is simple. Voldemort. No doubt Peter will crawl back to him. The Dark Lord may not have risen yet but it's only a matter of time. It's always been a matter of time. It's been since that night at Godirc's Hollow when your mother sacrificed herself for you. Which takes us to another big thing. You Harry. When Lily threw herself between you and Voldemort, giving her life willingly so you could life, it created the ultimate protection. Love is a magic much older and deeper and wilder than any dark curse. Voldemort couldn't touch you. The spell rebound and hit him. You know that. As you know that it didn't kill him, as many believe. A certain Minister for example."

Harry swallowed hard. "So the only reason I'm alive is my mother's death?" he asked hoarsely.

"I know how that must sound Harry. And believe me, I didn't intend for you to find out about these things for at least another three years! But it's better this way. You need to be prepared for all that will come. Please listen closely now. This is where it gets important."

Harry nodded, feeling numb.

"There's a reason Voldemort didn't die even though there is no known shield or counter-spell for the Killing-Curse. Voldemort is immortal. At least to an extent."

Harry frowned.

"You mean like Nicholas Flamel?"

"In a way. But Nicholas way was cleaner, better and without horrible side-effects. No Voldemort did something else. I don't take it you have stumbled across the word 'horcrux' before, have you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well, a horcrux is an object that can contain part of a human soul." Dumbledore said solemnly.

Harry's eyes bulged. "What?" he blurted.

"Basically Voldemort cut his soul into parts and bout those pieces to certain objects. As a consequence he couldn't die when his body was killed. The fragments of his soul that are somewhere out there, hidden, keep him alive. Painfully alive. It is very dark magic. It took me ages to find out but I think it's the only possible anwer."

"How…"

"How did I figure it out? I didn't at least not until your second year when you brought me his old diary after your fight in the Chamber of Secrets. There my suspicion seemed to be proofed."

"What, you mean that diary was one of these horcrux-things?" Harry asked shocked.

"Think about it Harry. He used Ginny's life-force to give himself a new body, a new form."

Harry swallowed hard, sinking back into the cushions on the couch.

Then a thought occurred to him.

"But it's destroyed, right? So now all we have to do is kill him and he would die, right?"

Dumbledore sighed.

"Right?" Harry asked again.

But the look in Dumbledore's eyes extinguished all sparks of hope.

"You mean to say he made more?" he asked horrified. "How?"

The old wizard sighed. "I don't know the correct answer to your first question. I know it must be at least two but I'm pretty sure there are more. As to how he split his soul…It can only be done by doing something really horrible. Something that will tear the soul apart."

"Like murder?"

"Exactly like murder. It's something unnatural. Something the human soul can't handle in most cases."

"But Voldemort killed so many people!"

"So you see why I'm worried about the actual number of horcruxes, do you?"

Harry nodded.

"Now to why you are so important Harry. It's not nice and I have no proof for my theory but it would make perfectly sense as to why you can speak with snakes, could escape him more than once these pats years and why you didn't die in first place."

Dumbledore sighed, took a deep breath and Harry had the feeling something big was about to come down.

"Lily's sacrifice gave you the ultimate shield and protected you. The spell backfired on Voldemort but because of the horcrux he couldn't really die. So something different happened when the spell hit him. It cut off yet another part of his soul. As he flew from your house that fragment of his soul fused with the only living thing in the room it could find."

Harry felt as if his throat was closing up. He couldn't breathe.

"You." Dumbledore said.

.

"Harry, clam down!" Dumbledore said soothingly when he noticed the teen's erratic breathing.

Harry looked at him with big round eyes and in these green eyes that were a copy of Lily's tears started gathering.

But when Harry spoke his voice was clear and void of any emotions.

"Do I have to die?"

Dumbledore reeled back and shook his head vehemently.

"No! No of course not!"

The truth was he didn't know.

He didn't know if he was right at all and if he was…well, things like this were unheard of. There had been horcruxes before, yes but never had they been hosted by another living being.

"I don't believe you." Harry said flatly. "But thank you for being honest with me Sir. I…I get it now, why you have been so secretive. And…" he swallowed hard "I'm not holding it against you. But I'd rather be alone now." He whispered.

Dumbledore sighed and nodded.

"You can go Harry. And I am sorry that things have been dumped on your shoulders. It is not fair but you are our most important weapon in this war and I need you prepared to do anything. But I am sorry."

Harry nodded, got up and with stiff movements he left the living room.

"Harry?"

The boy stopped but didn't turn his head.

"Don't do anything rash or stupid. Please."

"Me? Never." The boy muttered.

Dumbledore could hear some of the Weasley's jumping at him as soon as they saw him but Harry walked past them out on the porch in the back-yard, ignoring all questions thrown at him.

Then he heard a loud panicked: "Harry! Where are you going?" by Molly Weasley and loud protests following her exclamation.

Dumbledore closed his eyes as he listened to heavy footsteps sprinting towards.

To his surprise it was Bill Weasley who stormed in, closely followed by his mother.

"What did you tell him? What did you do?" Bill shouted angry.

"Albus, Harry just took off at an amazing speed into the woods! What did you do to upset the boy like that?" Molly shouted almost imminently afterwards.

Dumbledore got up and sighed.

"I told him what he wanted to hear. I told him he might be upset. Please, take good care of him. Make sure he's okay but give him a few minutes to cool off."

Mr. Weasley entered the room.

The usually happy man looked solemn and unhappy.

"Albus, what did you tell him?"

"Nothing he won't be able to deal with. Harry is stronger than most people give him credit for. But I suggest you try to take his mind off tonight's events somehow." He turned to Bill.

"Am I right in assuming that you're about to leave on a mission to Cambodia?"

Bill frowned. "What has that to do with anything of this?"

"I'm getting there. And am I right assuming that Harry has developed quite a love for the subject of curse-breaking and that you've been teaching him?"

"Yes." Bill said slowly.

"Excellent. I think that is just the right thing for Harry." Dumbledore said with a nod.

"What is?" Molly asked.

"I think it would be a good idea if Mr. Potter would accompany Mr. Weasley here on his trip. For one it will bestow many new experiences on him, valuable for later life and on the other hand it will be a great distraction and a nice holiday."

Molly Weasley's head looked like it was about to explode. The red of her skin put her hair to shame.

"A HOLIDAY? THAT IS NO HOLIDAY DUMBLEODRE! How can you suggest such things? Bill is going to a dangerous place that is most certainly not a place for a teenager!" she shouted outraged and Arthur had to grab her arm so she wouldn't punch the old man in the face!

Bill was totally stunned.

Taking Harry with him?

It was true the thought had crossed him once or twice while working with Harry.

Not was the boy especially talented in this profession but also was he a fairly powerful wizard for his age.

Many curse-breakers took helpers along on their travels, like apprentices, that were interested in the job. Working-experience they called it.

"Sounds good." He blurted out.

His mother looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"BILL! How can you stand with him in such ridicules matters? Harry could be killed by a curse or astray flying curse or while falling down an abyss or attacked by wild animals or…" she spluttered.

"No he won't. I will look out for him. He'll be fine." Bill said firmly and then turned back to Dumbledore.

"But you'll have to put your foot down to let the allow you to come with me. I don't know how Gringotts takes to apprentices this young. And I don't know if the leader of my group will have it." He reminded his former Headmaster.

"Don't you worry Mr. Weasley. That will be no problem. Best you write your team about the extra addition. And when Mr. Potter returns you can inform him as well. I'm pretty sure he'll be delighted. Especially in the light of the recent events. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to attend a rather important meeting. Bill, I'll take your word that Harry will be safe under your watch."

Bill nodded. "Don't worry Headmaster. I'll keep my eyes on him."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Arthur, Molly, it was nice seeing you again."

With that he stepped into the fire and was gone in a flash.

.

Harry ignored the concerned shouts that followed him as he shoved past the twins and into the cool evening night.

His heart was beating fast and the collar of his shirt felt as it was strangling him.

"Harry what…" he heard Fred behind him.

It was like a switch in his head had been switched.

This was too much. He felt as if the looming shadow of the Burrow above could collapse anytime on top of him. He felt the shadows reaching out for him and when he felt something touch his shoulder he lost it. He broke away from the grip and started running.

Upset shouts rose behind him.

He didn't care. He ran.

Growing up with Dudley and his gang playing 'Harry-Hunting' had made him not strong but fast.

And so he flew across the grass of the garden and into the wilder fields that surrounded the Burrow until he entered the forest.

There he came to a sudden stop.

He just stood there, panting and listened.

The forest was silent. Weak beams of moonlight floated through the crown of the trees and made everything strangely black and white and grey, void of all colors.

As if all happiness had been washed away, all live.

Just like Harry felt.

His still wildly beating hard seemed to be the only sound around for miles.

His breathing hurt slightly from the sudden sprint.

Drops of sweat rolled down his neck and the side of his face.

His shirts felt uncomfortably sticky.

With an angry and anguished yell he punched the nearest tree.

The sharp pain that cut through his skin and knuckles straight into his brain brought him back to reality.

Cursing he hold his injured hand to his chest, gritting the teeth at the stabbing pain.

This was so like him. Getting hurt while punching trees.

What a great hero he was.

The sound of twigs suddenly snapping behind him made him swirl around, wand ready.

"Bimley mate! I never knew you could run that fast!" Ron said with arms raised.

Puffing out his breath, Harry lowered his wand.

"Ron. What are you doing here?" He asked tiredly.

"What do you think?" Ron asked sarcastically. "Making sure you're alright. You just ran off like that. Moms totally freaked."

A brief moment of guilt washed over Harry.

"Sorry." He muttered. "It's just…" he stopped. He really didn't want to tell anyone yet.

Ron realizing that tried to change the topic.

"Bloody hell, why's your hand bleeding?" he asked when he spotted the injured limb Harry held pressed against his chest.

"Punched a tree." Harry confessed with heat of embarrassment rushing into his cheeks.

Ron looked at him incuriously as he inspected his hand.

"Hell mate, what did the tree do to deserve to be punched? And how hard did you punch it? You broke at least two knuckles by the size and the color of your hand!"

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"Doesn't matter now. Let's go back."

Ron eyes him critically.

"You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. Just tired."

"Alright if you say so."

"I do." Harry paused. Then he added. "Thanks Ron."

"What for?"
"Finding me. And for being such a good friend."

Ron grinned and punched Harry's upper arm playfully. Sadly that was the arm with the injured hand. "Someone has to look out for you."

Harry winced when new stabs of pain rushed through his nerves.

"Yeah. But right now you're going a fairly poor job at it."

Ron laughed loudly before throwing his arm around Harry's shoulder and said: "Come on, let's get you hand fixed by mom."

5. Telling Harry, preparations, an odd team

AN: First of all thank you for all the positive reviews. That was very nice. I know that there are (a lot) mistakes. I usually relay on my computer-program but as you can see… Anyway, I try to keep an eye out for mistakes.

Sirius trail is will be in the next chapter, probably, but important is it only later in the story.

Well, keep reading, I hope you like this chapter,

Love Kate

Chapter Five: Telling Harry, preparations and odd team-members

To say Harry was suspicious of the offer Bill, or initially Dumbledore, had made him was highly understated.

"And Dumbledore just said it was okay for me to go?" he asked at breakfast while his cereal drowned in the milk.

"Yep." Bill said as he ate his fifth toast.

"For years I'm not allowed to leave Privet Drive. When I do people panic all across the country and then suddenly they let me go to Cambodia?"

"What are you complaining about? I would love to go." Ron said.

"Besides Harry, you are really good at decoding." Ginny said silently next to him. "I'm sure will have a great time and will learn a lot."

"And it's okay for everybody in your team that I'm not even fourteen?"

"I'm still waiting for a response but honestly Harry, Dumbledore ordered them to take you in and you're Harry Potter. I'm sorry but I bet if you asked Fudge if you could go he would let you, just to be able to say that he and the boy-who-lived are best pals." Charlie snorted.

Harry frowned.

"Harry, just take it as it is. I mean, Cambodia? That is adventure pure!" Ron said.

Harry laughed bitterly. "Don't you think we have enough of the every year at Hogwarts?"

"I'd still go." Ron said with a shrug.

Harry sighed. "Alright. You're probably right."

"Of course we are." George said. "Am I right Gred?"

"Absolutely Forge." Fred agreed.

That was the moment Pig (the new owl of the family) decided to arrive with the morning post.

The hyperactive bird on energy-drink and sugar hooted a shrill greeting before flying like crazy through the room before finally settling down next to Ginny who took the many letters from him.

She distributed them to their addressors before letting the happy bird nibble at her toast.

Bill had a Gringotts Letter in hands and quickly opened it.

His eyes flew over the lines and a grin lit up his face.

"It's exactly like Charlie said. They agreed. Here, it says:

Dear Mr. Weasley.

We at Gringotts were surprisingly approached by Albus Dumbledore concerning your upcoming trip. Mr. Dumbledore told us about your desire to take along a certain Mr. Harry Potter as your apprentice.

Although your note arrives relatively late we were able to grant your wish. Your team has been informed and there will be meeting tomorrow at Gringotts.

Please meet us in the Entry-Hall at 11.30 pm sharp.

Sincerely

Raknok, Master of the Curse-Breaker guild

Congratulations Harry. It seems you're officially a part of the team now." Bill read and smiled at Harry widely.

"This is going to be awesome." He concluded.

.

Harry and Bill flooed to Diagon Alley two hours earlier than necessary the following day.

As they left the Leaky Cauldron Harry asked: "What are we doing her so early?"

Bill had an evil glint in his eyes.

"We're going on an expedition. To Cambodia. You need your equipment."

Harry looked at him bewildered.

"Equipment? What kind of equipment?" he asked still confused.

"Well, the first thing will be a tent. I would share mine but it's a one-person tent. Besides I've shared tents before and I always got paired with the one guy that snores like a pig with a cold. No, believe me; you'll want your own tent."

"Alright, I get the tent. What else?"

"Spell-proof and resistant cloths."

"I just bought new cloths." Harry argued.

"But are they fit for the jungle? Fit to protect you from flying spells? I don't think so. No, you'll need dragon-hide clothing, at least a waistcoat or something like that to protect your torso. Sturdy pants that will protect you from bug bites and that stuff but that are at the same time able to adjust to the climate so you won't sweat like a pig and won't freeze."

"Alright, new cloth, persuaded. What else?"

"A backpack with an expandable charm and a feather-light charm for you to keep your things in and carry around."

"Can't I take my trunk?"

"How will you wheel it through thick jungle foliage?"

"A new backpack it is."

"And then there are some other little things like stuff against mosquitoes, bugs, toiletries, potion supplies and more we have to get."

Harry sighed. "Then we better get some money from my faults. That doesn't sound cheap."

Bill laughed. "Don't worry, I know where to get everything and I know the shop-owners and how to get fair prizes." He assured him.

"Please."

.

The first shop was called: "Skins for every occasion".

"Is that like a sick joke directed to Madam Malkin?" Harry asked as they stood outside.

The windows of the shop were filled with regular and not so regular looking cloths made from the strangest looking materials.

Bill laughed. "No. But Andrew, the owner, is her grandson. The whole family does cloths, you know."

Harry smirked and followed Bill inside.

It was cool inside but clean and very tidy. Shelves upon shelves and rails filled with cloths varying from trousers to shirts to waistcoats to cloaks to whole suits and dresses. Sometimes they were made directly from the skin of some magical or enchanted material, other times they were sewed underneath normal cloth and so 'hidden' from view.

There were many colors, different patterns, cuts and details.

From the curtained archway behind the counter a man in his mid-forties, withered and covered in scars, appeared.

He was dressed in white trousers with many pockets along the legs, a grey shirt and a white dragon-hide waist-coat.

Tattoos covered his buff arms and he had a piece of ruby sticking out of his left ear.

A long leather necklace with some kind of pendant hung down to his belly.

"BILL!" he greeted with a voice that was so loud Harry winced.

"Andrew! Pleasure to see you again!" Bill greeted and they shook hands.

"Same here. What can I do for you today. Any who's your friend there?"

"Ah yes, Andrew, this is Harry. He's coming with me on a mission as my apprentice. He's very talented when it comes to curses and stuff. But we need cloths for him. And I thought you'd be the best to do so." Bill explained and gestured for Harry to step closer.

"Dan right I am." Andrew said as he eyed Harry critically.

"Thin this one. Are you feeding him at all?"

"We do but it doesn't seem to work." Bill said with fake regret.

Harry rolled with his eyes.

Andrew laughed.

"Right, let's have a look at you lad. Ah yes. Still growing, right?"

Harry nodded. "Yes Sir."

"'Yes Sir' I like this one Bill. Call me Andrew Harry."

Harry smiled. He could see why Bill liked the shop owner.

"Right" Andrew said. "Anything in particular you need?"

"Well, spell-proof to begin with. A tight fitting waist-coat is the first thing. Something that can be worn above other clothing or underneath for protection of the upper body. Dragon-hide. Something thick but easy to move around in. Should be air-conditioned. Pants, not necessarily dragon-hide but they should be laced with unicorn-hair in between. Should be tighter so it won't get caught everywhere. Boots, thick and sturdy please. I thought off dragon-skin soles and leather otherwise. Some long-arm shirts, plain and simple. Oh and a wand holster." Bill listed.

Andrew laughed and nudged Harry in the side. "His money or yours?" "Mine." Harry said. "I see." Andrew said amused.

"Well come long. Let's see what I have."

Andrew explained how each skin he had and every other fabric had its unique magical properties and what was best for what.

Dragon-hide could basically withstand anything. Except for things like killing curses and alike.

Mermaid-skin (yes there were mermaids though they were usually called differently) protected you mostly from getting wet but was also great help when swimming because it had little to no resistant against the water and made swimming nearly effortless.

Unicorn-hair could be weaved into anything and warded off against illnesses like colds or headaches for example but only to a certain extent.

Basilisk-skin (extreme rare and extreme expensive and something that woke unwanted memories inside Harry) was impenetrate-able, even against slashing-hexes and sever-curses.

There was much more than Harry could remember.

The first thing Andrew gave him to try on was a pair of trousers in standard protective mimicry with two large sets of pockets on the side of the legs.

It wasn't skin-tight but also not extremely wide. It stretched with Harry's movement and felt pleasantly on the skin. It was made from a sturdy cloth with unicorn hair between every sixth thread.

Andrew nodded. "Feels good?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. Here, try this on."

He handed him a simple white t-shirt that fit very snugly and a black dragon-hide waistcoat with leather buckles on the front and back so its size could be changed if necessary so it could be worn over a shirt like now or under a shirt.

It had no sleeves, a v-neck, went in the front and back down to his hips and seemed to fit him perfectly.

"Yes, this will do nicely." Andrew decided. "You go and look for boots over there while I'll fetch the wand holsters."

He disappeared in the back-room.

Bill went directly to the shoes and his hands quickly found a pair. They went mid-calf and were black with buckles and like all the other cloth charmed to always have the right temperature.

"Looking good." Andrew complimented when he returned. "Like a real Curse-breaker."

Harry couldn't help but blush. "Thanks."

Andrew handed him a try on which five different wand-holster lay.

"I don't have a big selection but they are all very well crafted. The wand can't be summoned while inside the holster and with a little charm you can make that when-ever you lose your wand, like in combat, it will always re-appear inside the holster after a few minutes. Except when it is won in a duel. Then it will stay with its new master until you get it back."

"Handy." Harry commented.

"It is." Andrew agreed. "They are also pretty much indestructible, water-and fireproof and can blend in with your cloth if you want."

Harry picked a simple dark grey holster form the tray and examined it.

Andrew showed him how they were worn.

They were won on the inside of the wand-arm and had a sling for the thumb that could change size and there was another buckle that was fastened on the lower half of the arm, a few inches below the crook of the elbow.

The wand could be pushed inside from both sides but it was important that the handle of the wand was pointing at the wizard's body and the tip away from him so that when the wand was summoned from the holster the wizard would catch it at the right end and should a spell go off from the wand it wouldn't hit any vital organs.

Harry nodded. That made sense.

As he pained the things he noted: "Not that I'm keen on spending even more money but is it wise to only buy one set of trousers and one waistcoat? I mean what if they are dirty and need to be washed? What if I wear normal cloth when I'm attacked?"

"Did I forget to mention? They are waterproof. At least against a usual rain shower. And if you get dirty they will always clean themselves over night when you're not wearing them and will be ready again in the morning for you to wear them." Andrew said with a grin.

"That is ingenious!" Harry whispered.

The older wizards laughed.

With a final goodbye they left "Skins for every occasion".

Luckily the rest of their errands went as fast as this one.

At 'Bags, trunks, backpacks and purses from A to Z' they got Harry a simple backpack with an expandable charm in which they put Harry's cloth as well as the tent that they purchased at 'Camping Equipment-Why leave your home behind when on a trip?'.

It was a one-person tent but not like the Muggle-tents.

Harry learned that they were charmed inside to be way bigger than they were from the outside.

His tent was equipped with a medium size sleeping area where a field-cot and a night-stand stood, as well as a chest where he could put personal stuff and a chair for cloths. There was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink and everything else you needed in a normal bathroom, a small storage area and the rest of the small room was occupied by an armchair in front of a fire-place and a table for two people at one side. Rugs covered the ground and oil-lamps hung from the ceiling.

Harry simply loved magic.

The tent's insides stayed like they were, even if the tent was folded up and packed away!

Since they would have a common-tent with kitchen and eating area, Bill told him, he didn't need extra features like a kitchen or an actual living room and stuff like that.

They added a sleeping bag and an air-mattress, potion-supplies and things against bugs and mosquitoes, a water-canteen with unlimited water-supply and much more stuff that Harry lost track off, to the pack.

He was very glad when the time was right to go to Gringotts to meet with the others of the team.

The atrium of the bank was as always filled with goblins, witches and wizards and security-personal.

One of the Goblins nodded at Bill as they approached and then pointed to his left. Bill nodded and led Harry away from the desks and down a hallway, past many doors and up some stairs, deeper into the bank.

"We're usually meeting in one of the conference rooms. No need in waiting in the atrium."

He pushed the two massive oak-doors to yet another room open and entered with confident steps. Harry followed.

He room beyond was wide with a high ceiling and a window-front that looked across Diagon Alley. A massive oval-shaped table with about two dozen chairs took in most of the space.

Five of these chairs were occupied.

As they approached the group Harry eyed them closely.

The first was in his mid-forties though it was hard to tell with wizards.

He had tick blond hair, was taller than Bill which meant he was truly gigantic. He had a handsome face that probably attracted a lot of woman. His eyes were steely grey and framed by little wrinkles which probably meant he laughed a lot.

He was dressed casually in pants a long-sleeved shirt though the sleeves were rolled up.

He had risen when they had entered and was now shaking Bills hand.

"Bill! Great to see you again. How are you mate?" He had a really deep voice and like Andrew he spoke very loudly.

"I'm fine Atticus. Thanks for coming on such a short notice."

Atticus waved it aside.

Then his eyes found Harry.

"Merlins beard, so it is true." He muttered before walking towards Harry. He loomed over him with a wide grin on his face.

"Harry Potter. It truly is great to meet you. I am Atticus Wood and the leader of our little gang here." Harry shook his hand.

"Any relation to a certain Oliver Wood?" he asked.

"My nephew. He told me about you." Atticus said. Harry suppressed a groan.

"Don't worry, just good things." Atticus assured him with a wink.

"So you're interested in Curse-Breaking?" he asked continued, clearly trying to get Harry to loosen up a bit, which he was grateful for. It was always slightly awkward when he met people for the first time and they knew all about him.

So he nodded eagerly. "Yes, very. I think it's fascinating and it really caught my interest."

Bill snorted. "He's being modest. He's a freaking genius, way better at decoding than some of our first-year-trainees. He cracked scrolls of third-years already and gave me a hand at decoding the scrolls from Cambodia. He may not know all the rules yet and runes are still a problem but I think with some proper training we could make a fine Curse-Breaker out of him."

Atticus smiled so wide, Harry feared his face could tear apart.

"That's good to hear, were always short on newbie's. Should you ever decide you want to make this your profession come to the Ministry or to Gringotts and ask for me and I'll do anything to get you a place on the program." Harry blushed at the offer. "Thank you." He muttered. Atticus just smiled. It was really creepy.

"Come on; let me introduce you to some of the team-members."

He led Harry towards the other four.

Three males, one female.

The first man was small and had a pointed face and tanned skin, small brown eyes and was nearly bald. He was wearing a Hawaiian-shirt with parrots and coconuts printed all across in horrible bright colors and khaki-shorts. He wasn't fat but he wasn't fit either.

"This is Eric Hook. His special talent is rune-decoding and warding."

Eric grunted a hello before returning to his magazine.

"He's always grumpy so don't take it personally." Atticus told Harry silently.

"Heard that." Eric growled from behind the paper. "I'm just not thrilled to have another brat with me."

Atticus rolled his eyes. "And I saw that." came another growl.

Atticus ignored him and moved on.

"This is Rashid. His last name is too long to be pronounced properly so we just call him by his first name. He's familiar with all sorts of injuries and illnesses that can occur. He's our medic for the trip and also a decent cook. I guess making potions and making soup is not so different but I wouldn't know. I'm bad at doing both. When I cook I always scallop everything with cheese." Atticus introduced him.

Rashid had a dark skin and long black hair that curled tightly and was held back by a bandana. He wore simple brown robes. His golden eyes were intelligent and his hand-shake warm and firm.

"Hey, good to meet you. You should probably know that I'm prone to accidents." Harry said. Rashid laughed slightly. "Good to know indeed. I'll make sure to keep all my supplies stocked when you're around." He said with a smile.

"He can't be worse than Tonks." Bill said.

For some reasons that made all chuckle.

"This is Thomas Greengrass. He's a Curse-Breaker, no real specialties." Atticus introduced the last male of the group.

"That's because I'm good at everything." Thomas said with a grin.

"Keep dreaming Blondie." Atticus said.

Harry and Thomas shook hands.

He was medium height with blond hair and pale greenish-blue eyes. He was wearing normal wizard-robes in a deep grey with dark-blue embroidery along the seam of the robe.

"Please. And call me Tom, everybody does. And if you think Bill has taught you everything he knows, you can always come to me." Tom said with a wink as he shook Harry's hand.

Bill rolled with his eyes but Harry laughed too.

"Ah yes, and this is Daphne Greengrass, Thomas's niece and Rashid's apprentice on this trip." Atticus introduced the last member.

Harry turned towards the girl with surprise.

"Hello Daphne!" he greeted the Slytherin-Girl with a smile. "We have potions together, right?" he asked.

She looked at him blankly for a moment and Harry could have kicked himself for the stupid greeting.

"That is correct." she finally said and then they shook hands.

He knew Daphne only from afar. She was quite beautiful and many boys in his year considered her quite 'the thing'.

She had waist-long silvery-blond hair that was usually braided into an exotic braid, light blue eyes framed by dark lashes and fair skin with a rosy blush. Today she wore a simple blue summer-dress and flat shoes. It was strange not seeing her in her usual school-robes.

"I didn't know you were interested in curse-breaking. You seemed more like the DADA-type." she continued.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah well, it's a new passion, you could say I, stumbled across. And what about you? I knew you were good at potions but otherwise…"

"Yeah well it's not like we share many classes so you wouldn't know." Daphne finished for him. "But to answer your question, I want to be a healer and potions are essential for being a healer. Tom thought this trip might give me some practical experiences and fun."

"That's cool."

There was an awkward pause.

"So…you know each other?" Bill asked.

"Not really. We have potions together and charms in the year before. But we're in different houses. She's in Slytherin and I'm Gryffindor so…" Harry explained.

"So we never get into contact with each other." Daphne finished.

"Yep, pretty much."

The awkward silence that followed again was luckily broken by the opening and closing of the doors to the meeting room.

Three people entered. Two of them were obviously father and daughter though Harry was stunned to see that she was even younger than Daphne and him.

Bother father and daughter had long and wavy nearly white blond hair and blue eyes.

The girls dressed looked like it was made out of sun-flowers and she had a dreamy expression on her face. Her father wore dark red robes with white designs on them. His long fingers were laced together as he walked towards them. His long face looked very serious.

The third person was a young woman in jeans and t-shirt, with brown shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes.

"Ah the rest is here" Bill said as the three approached "Harry these are the Lovegoods. They live one hill over from the Burrow. Mr. Lovegood is the publisher of the Quibbler. And that is his daughter Luna. She's a Ravenclaw in the year below you. Usually they are not part of our team but they asked to come along since they are conducting their own researches and offered assistance" he explained "And the lovely lady behind them is Alice Monticore. She's our expert on curses and how to counter them and she's also a trained duelist and good at all sorts of combat. You don't want to piss her off."

Addressing the others he said: "Guys, this is Harry Potter, the guy that was added to our team."

Alice shook Harry's hand with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you. You're supposed to be not too bad at DADA yourself. Can you really produce a corporal patronus?" she asked. Harry nodded. "You need to show me sometime soon." she said.

Then the Lovegoods stepped forward.

"Hallo Harry Potter. It looks like the Nargels are very happy in your head. You should do something against that." the girl, Luna, said in a dreamy voice.

Then she walked past him and sat down.

He father gave Harry his hand. "Xenophilius Lovegood. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter. And my daughter is right. You should really do something against them."

With that he followed his daughter.

Harry looked confused to Bill for help but Bill just shrugged and mouthed: "Just go along with it, I'll tell you later."

Harry nodded.

Once again the doors opened and a Goblin entered.

He looked like most Goblins, small with sharp features, claw like hands and a cloud of white hair on his head and gold-rimmed glasses on his crooked nose. His suit was exquisite and flawless. He held a thick file in one hand and walked at a brisk pace towards one of the chairs.

"Good afternoon team." He said.

"Good afternoon Master Raknok." Everyone greeted back politely and sat down. Harry sat down next to Bill and Alice.

Raknok looked around.

"We're missing one." He noticed.

"Fleur was already back in France be the time we got the note. She asks for forgiveness but she couldn't make it back so quickly. She'll join us on our day of departure again." Thomas said.

Raknok nodded.

"Well we all know why we're here. I take it you've all met Mr. Potter?"

There was a chorus of agreeing mutters.

"Good." Raknok turned to Harry and something similar to a smiled appeared on his face though his pointy little teeth made it look like a threat than a welcoming-smile.

"I welcome you Mr. Potter to this mission. Mr. Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley have informed me that you've shown promising talents in this profession. We're always happy to support exceptional talents. Have you been informed on what this mission is about?"

"A little bit. I know we're going to Cambodia and that first readings of the place detected a huge amount of power, making it hard to locate properly. When I had my own first look at the scrolls I noticed that most of the spells are offensive, not defensive as its usual the case with warded places."

Raknok nodded. With a small gesture of his hand a hologram picture of map of Cambodia appeared, the north eastern part marked red and inside the red, very central was a back spot marked with and 'X'.

"That is correct. This mission will take place in Ban Lung in the highlands of the Ratanakiri province. The jungle there is thick and wild and there have been no reports on ruins or temples so we're not quite sure what we're dealing with. The only lead we have is an earthquake that happened eight months ago in that region. Two months later we had first signs of activity and power coming from there on our radars. They have grown stronger since. We don't want the Muggles to find out so we have assembled this group. Your job is it to find the source of this magical bubble and neutralize it. Whatever riches there are, are to be checked and if possible brought here."

Harry nodded.

"You should know that the jungle there is as wildly as it was ten-thousand years ago. Few humans have set foot in those regions you are about to travel too. Wild animals are there at home and once there you are pretty much on your own. The closer you get to this magical source the more you will be cut off from the civilization. This bubble is impenetrable, we tried from afar. Like a dome it overshadows a huge area. We don't know what may be beyond."

Harry nodded again.

"Since it's the time of the monsoon rain expect to get wet. A lot. Otherwise you'll be brought to the outskirts of the zone by a field worker and from there you're on your own. I wish we had more trained Curse-Breaker on this group but no one else volunteered."

"Wonder why." Tom snorted amused. The others chuckled too.

"They probably heard you would be part of the team." Bill teased.

"Or they didn't want to risk their lives, knowing you're the one watching their backs." Tom shot back. Bill just grinned.

Harry liked this friendly teasing. It reminded him a little of Ron and Hermione.

"Whatever the reason, we rely on you. The Ministry is already breathing down our necks. I told them I have a group of our best employees on the case. I expect this to be a success."

Harry raised his hand. He wasn't sure if e was allowed to just ask.

"Yes Mr. Potter?" Raknok asked.

"Excuse my stupid question, but why are we working the case and not the Cambodian Ministry for example. Or some Ministry closer to the place?" he asked.

Raknok gave him another of these toothy-creepy smiles.

"Why Mr. Potter, because of profit of course."

Noticing Harry's confused face Bill cleared his throat and explained: "See Harry, there are reasons why these places are heavily warded. Ancient wizards either wanted to hide or protect the things left there. Mostly treasures, like gold, old spell-scrolls and other kind of riches. We collect them and Gringotts sells them. And who gets there first gets the claim. These places are like a Pandora's Box. They can have anything there. Also a reason why they are so dangerous. Every ministry is in a constant contest with each other. As are the many Wizard banks. The bank with the best numbers earns the most respect and usually has the best customers."

Harry nodded.

Then a different thought occurred to him.

"Isn't it…a bit wrong to steal the riches of a country for ourselves?"

Bill sighed. "Moral questions are not asked in this job."

"But…"

"I'll explain it later to you, alright? When we're home again." Bill interrupted him.

Only then Harry noticed that everyone was looking at him and how strangely silent it was.

"Okay." He muttered.

He caught Daphne's eyes and…was it approval in her eyes? Apparently because she gave him a small smile and inclined her head ever so slightly.

What was that suppose to mean?

"Well if there are no more questions I'll be sending you on your way. Remember to be punctual and have everything you'll need. Good day." Raknok said and left the room.

The remaining members looked at each other and for a moment it was silent.

Then Rashid got up.

"Well, I'll better be going. There are supplies I still need that will time to get. Oh and Harry, any allergies or food preferences I should know about? You know, since I'll be responsible fore feeding the lot of you." Harry shook his head. "I eat everything." He said.

"Yes, I can see that every feast." Daphne snorted.

"I'm not as bad as Ron." Harry said defensively.

"Or Crab and Goyle." She said and shuddered. They shared a laugh and Harry was surprised how easy going she was.

For a Slytherin.

Rashid nodded and bid his farewell.

"Luna and I will be gone too. We too need special equipment for catching our fat-bellied fly-sludge. Have a good day." Mr. Lovegood said and he and his daughter floated out of the room.

There was a collective sigh when the door had closed behind them and their steps were fading down the hallway.

"Tell me why again they are part of our team." Eric whined.

"Because Mr. Lovegood knows everything about ancient civilizations, history and artifacts. Besides that is he a master of rituals and know stuff none of us even bothered to think about ever in our lives." Atticus said.

"Okay, I get him but why Loony?" Daphne asked exasperated. "My little sister is in her year and says the girl is nuts! As is her father if you ask me."

"They are both different." Atticus said lamely.

Bill put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry and I'll be off too. Mum will go ballistic if we don't come in time for lunch and we still have to grab a few things." He said.

Atticus nodded.

"Be off you two. Harry, it was nice meeting you. I'm glad to have you on the team. Apprentices always bring fresh air with them."

"And they always die first." Eric muttered.

Bill laughed nervously.

"Ha-ha, good one Hook."

"I wasn't joking."

Bill ushered Harry quickly out of the room.

6. The hardships of Sirius Orion Black

Chapter Six: The hardships of Sirius Orion Black

Remus walked down the corridor to the holding cells.

The one at the very end held his old friend.

Sirius Black.

Remus shook his head, asking himself again how they'd ended up here.

He nodded at the Auror on duty.

"Come to see him again?" he asked Remus as the werewolf drowned the small cup of blue liquid that would detect any spells or traces of Polyjuice Potion and eliminate them should he not the real Remus Lupin.

"Yes. I wanted to see him before the final hearing in an hour." Remus said casually. Of course he was going to tell Sirius much more.

Sirius was annoyed that the trial took so long and acted like a confined tiger. Well dog actually.

He worried about the trail, what the people would think, if they would believe him after so many years, if he'd be able to live a normal life after this but most of all he worried about Harry.

Remus had told him everything of course. Sirius always asked if he had news from Harry when he came to visit.

Sadly being under 'house-arrest' by the Ministry, Sirius couldn't send or receive any owls, letters or alike. He was allowed to have visitors but every conversation was recorded and the cell was bugged in many ways.

So it was hard to have a decent conversation about your godson and what was going on and what was wrong when every important official could be able to listen.

Remus and Sirius had tried to talk in the old code they had invented back during their school-years but both had forgotten most of it.

So their conversations were without any depth behind them, mostly they talked about the trail and the past. Remus told Sirius as much as was safe, which wasn't a lot.

They didn't need the Ministry to know that Harry Potter had left his home in Surry and was currently staying with the Weasley's and intended to go on a potentially dangerous Curse-Breaking experience.

Sadly that meant Remus had no way of telling Sirius either.

That would have to wait until after the trail.

This was in an hour.

But then it would be too late.

Sirius would walk away from the trail as a free man, Remus was sure of that.

Following the trail would be a press-conference where Sirius Black would be declared a free man and his name would be clean again. There would be many questions, interviews and Sirius would be compensated for his false imprisonment richly. Then they would present him a new wand and more questions and interviews would follow.

Even if they did it all as quick as possible, it would take at least another six hours.

When Sirius would finally be free to do and go as he pleased he would look for Harry. Remus had only been able to tell Sirius that due to some inconveniences Harry no longer resided at number four Privet Drive but with the Weasley's, but not how it came to that.

Sirius in his impatience wouldn't listen to what Remus had to say until he would arrive at the Burrow and would find no hair of his godson.

Because Harry's portkey to Cambodia would be leaving in three hours sharp.

Remus sighed and slowed his steps down as he approached the now all too familiar 'cell' of his best friend.

He knocked before he opened the door and stepped inside.

Sirius lay on his bed, hands tucked behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling. Remus could relate. It must've been so boring to spend day in day out in this plain and simple room, only able to leave for hearings.

On the table in the corner stood a tray with dirty dishes. A pile of dirty cloth hung from an armchair. The odor of the room was not the most pleasant thing for Remus's nose. He knew that the room cleaned itself and that house-elves took care of things like dirty cloths and dishes but that didn't bother Sirius from rebelling against it.

"Hey Padfoot." Remus greeted.

Sirius sat up. Despite being still 'imprisoned' he looked far better than he had two months ago.

He didn't look like a starved skeleton anymore, his hair had gotten a proper cut and he was shaved. The cloths were simple grey pants, a black shirt and grey slippers and a dark blue jumper but they were clean, whole and warm.

But he had still that haunted look in his dark eyes and the dark rings underneath them told Remus that the last night had, again, been filled with nightmares.

"Hey Moony." Sirius said and made room for his friend to sit down.

For a few minutes they just sat in silence.

"So, this is it. The big final trial. Afterwards you'll be a free man." Remus said.

Sirius snorted. "If Fudge and his disgusting little Under-Secretary Umbridge don't find a way to keep me locked up."

"They won't. The evidence is too heavy." Remus said. "You will be free."

"I'll never be free again." He said gloomily.

"Of course you will be."

"No. Moony, don't you see? People will look at me warily, will still not believe me, despite the proof there is. They will always sneer at my name, they will always follow my steps, and they will always keep talking about me. Everything I'll do will be judged. That's no freedom."

"Maybe you could go into hiding for a few years?" Remus suggested.

"Yeah because that's not suspicious at all. Besides, I can't do that to Harry. The boy needs me. I need him." Sirius muttered.

"You're right." Remus said. "Still, it's better than Azkaban."

"Yeah, no kidding." Sirius said.

Outside someone knocked on the door.

"Visiting time is over. I'm sorry but you'll have to go Lupin."

Remus sighed and got up, Sirius followed him.

At the door Remus turned to face his long-time friend.

"I'll be there for you. Don't worry."

Sirius managed a small smile.

"I know Moony."

.

The wooden high-chair was very uncomfortable but Sirius had sat in it so many times over the fats three weeks, he'd gotten used to it.

His eyes surfed over the gathered court and the many people sitting in the audition seats behind him.

He saw Madam Bones from the Law Enforcement Department next to the Minister Box, Amos Diggory with the jurors and Albus and Moony in the front row if the audition benches too his left.

He saw other familiar faces. Faces of people that had been his school-mates, his Quidditch-team, his friends, his foes and random people he had met.

Some looked at him with disgust, some with insecurity, some of their faces were voice of any emotions, some smiled at him, nodded a greeting. Others didn't look at him at all. One face stood out of the sea of faces.

That of Lucius Malfoy.

It took all of Sirius willpower to stay where he was. How could Malfoy still be out?

But he decided that that was a problem for later.

Finally Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic, banged his gavel and called for order.

What followed was a long speech on why they were here, a reminder what the would-be crime was, the cons and pros (which there were none of the latter one), witness-reports, reports on interrogations with different truth potions conducted by different people, evaluation of memories of two dozen witnesses for different occasions and so on.

Sirius who had heard most of this a hundred times before droned out on the conversation. Instead he started to look at the judges, the jurors and the audience.

Most were listening to the Minister, reporter took notes on their pads, some looked at him, and some looked around as if wondering what they were doing here.

Finally Fudge came to the important point.

"As we all assumed Sirius Orion black did not only betray the Potters to You-know-who but also killed Peter Pettigrew, a former class-mate and friend of his, as well as a dozen Muggles. Reason for us to believe this were eye-and ear-witnesses as well as the fact that we didn't find more of Pettigrew than his left pinky. But two months ago a man was captured on the Grounds of Hogwarts School for Magic and this man turned out to be Peter Pettigrew. Aurors would you please bring him inside, Mr. Black, would you please sit over there?" Fudge ordered and pointed at a small bench at the side.

Sirius nodded and sat down.

The doors opened and two Aurors dragged a whimpering, crying, struggling Peter Pettigrew inside.

The crowd took a collective gasp as the rat was put into the chair.

"Bring for the Veritaserum." Fudge ordered and an elderly man stepped forward and spilled three drops into Peter Pettigrew mouth. Which they had to pry open with force.

As soon as the potion started to work, Pettigrew relaxed and stopped struggling.

"State your name." Madam Bones said, taking over the hearing.

"Peter Pettigrew." The rat said in a monotone voice.

"Was Sirius Orion Black the Secret-Keeper for the Potters when they went into hiding?"

"No."

The crowd, who didn't know anything of this, gasped again.

"Who was the Secret-Keeper?" Madam Bones asked coldly.

"I was."

"Why?"

"They decided that Sirius was too obvious. So they decided to fool everyone, saying he was Secret-Keeper but secretly it was me. Because I was an unlikely candidate."

"So it was you who betrayed the Potters to the dark Lord?"

"It was me."

"Did they force you to tell them or did you tell them willingly?"

"I did it willingly."

More shocked gasps from the audience.

Sirius closed his eyes.

He had heard it before but it always hurt.

"So you are a Death-Eater?" Fudge asked.

"I'm a subject."

"Are there anymore questions for Mr. Pettigrew?" Madam Bones asked.

"Why did you do it?" Remus asked loudly.

Pettigrew didn't turn his head but he answered.

"Because they deserved it."

The silence that followed was long. Nobody moved.

Finally Madam Bones said in her icy voice: "Aurors, please, administer the anti-serum."

One of the two Aurors that had escorted Pettigrew nodded and forced the content of a small vial down his throat.

The effects were instantly there and Pettigrew started wailing again and threw himself against the robes that bound him.

"Silence him." Fudge ordered.

As soon as Pettigrew was escorted to the sidelines, Madam Bones gestured for Sirius to sit down in the chair again.

It disgusted him to sit somewhere the rat had sat but he would endure it for now.

"Mr. Black, please take the Veritaserum."

An assistant handed him a small cup with the clear tasteless serum.

He drowned it in one go and felt the familiar disinterest and casualness settle over him, calming him.

"State your name please." A nice voice asked.

Unable to resist he answered: "Sirius Orion Black. Head of House Black."

"Where you the Secret-Keeper for the Potters?"

"No."

"Who was?" the friendly voice asked.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Why not you?"

"I was James best friend since our first year at Hogwarts. When I was sixteen I moved in with him and his parents after my own mother disowned me. He was my brother in all but blood. But that was painfully obvious to everyone and not a secret. I was the logical choice. And while I would have died rather than say anything I agreed that changing Secret-Keeper secretly would be a good thing. We thought we'd outsmart the Death-Eaters like this." He answered truthfully.

"Tell us what happened after you found the bodies of the Potters in their home in Godrics Hollow. Did you go after Peter Pettigrew?"

"I did. I knew that only he could have betrayed James and Lily. So I tracked the rat down and confronted him in a Muggle suburban street. Looking back at it I see that that wasn't the smartest thing to do and that I regret the Muggle's deaths. But I wanted to know why he'd done it so I cut off his path. But he started shouting how I could have betrayed Lily and James. He caused such uproar, it drew out the Muggles. Only too late I realized what he was doing. He cut off his finger, let go of the explosion-charm and transformed into a rat and was gone. When I realized that I had been outsmarted by a rat, by Peter Pettigrew of all people, I lost it and started laughing in disbelieve. That was when the Aurors arrived. You know the rest." He told the nice voice.

"Thank you." The voice said.

Then he felt something in his mouth and instinctively swallowed.

The feeling of wool in his head left and he could think clear again.

Madam Bones rose but before she could say anything the toad-woman, also known as Dolores Umbridge, interrupted her with her disgustingly sweet voice: "Excuse me interruption. There is one last thing I would like to ask Mr. Black. No need for Veritaserum though." Fudge nodded.

And suddenly cold sweat started pooling down Sirius's neck.

What would she do?

"Mr. Black, would you swear on your life and magic that you did not do what you are accused off?"

There was a sharp intact of breath, again, but this time also from the witches and wizards in the court.

"Why?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

She smiled that overly-sweet smile at him.

"Just to be sure. I mean, you have nothing to hide, right?"

She still thought he was guilty. Well, he would proof her wrong.

So he smiled back at her, as brightly as he could.

"Of course not Madam Under-Secretary." And he laughed inside his head loudly as the smug smile vanished from her face.

Sirius got up and put his right hand over his heart and raise the left one in the air and said with a loud and clear voice: "I Sirius Orion Black from the House of Black, first of my name and Lord of the House of Black swear on my magic, my life and soul that I have not betrayed Lily and James Potter to the Dark Lord, also known as Lord Voldemort" here many flinched "and that it was Peter Pettigrew."

There was another long silence.

Then Victor Greengrass cleared his throat form his place on the court-benches.

"Well, he's still standing and breathing and the vow was rightfully spoken so it must be true."

Sirius nodded at him respectfully and was surprised to get a nod in return.

When eh looked back at Umbridge and saw the slightly red tinge in her cheeks he couldn't help but add: "I would take any vow necessary. Even the unbreakable. Because it wasn't me."

The uproar that followed was indescribable.

People began to talk to each other, others shouted for Pettigrew's head; again others (though they were few) called him a liar and that he somehow managed to trick them.

But Madam Bones quickly took charge of the situation and once silence had settled again she spoke in her stern voice:

"I think we can all see that the evidence is quite heavy and points in one direction. Sirius Black is innocent of the crime. Peter Pettigrew is the real culprit. I demand a vote. All in favor of clearing Sirius Black of all the charges against him and convicting Peter Pettigrew shall raise their hand."

This was it.

Sirius felt his heart skip a beat.

For a second no one moved.

Them Madam Bones raised her hand, followed by Dumbledore's, followed by that of Victor Greengrass, followed by that of Amos Diggory, followed by the hand of Frederic Goldenstein and Augusta Longbottom, he saw Katelyn Abbott raise her hand high.

More and more hands rose upwards until more than three quarters were up in the air.

Fudge looked around and then raised his hand too, slowly.

For a moment nothing happened then the Minister of Magic took his gavel with the one hand that was not in the air and banged it on the table.

"Cleared of all charges, he announced."

.

Sirius couldn't hear the applause over the deafening sound of his own heart-beat in his ears.

And suddenly someone was grabbing him and hugging him.

Waking from his stupor he saw that it was Remus and threw his arms around the werewolf and hugged him tightly while tears fell from his eyes.

Despite his gloomy mood earlier he had never felt such relieve in a long time.

So for a few minutes the two friends just stood there and hugged each other as people started to swarm in on them from all sides to congratulate Sirius, to pat him on the shoulder, to ask him questions, to take pictures and comments or to just clap.

It was overwhelming.

Over the overall noise, Madam Bones' voice echoed.

"Please back away from Mister Black. A conference will be conducted in ten minutes a few rooms down the hall. There you'll be able to ask Mr. Black all sorts of questions." She shouted.

To Sirius's relief the crowd listened to her and backed away slightly but there was still the flashing of cameras and the excited talking of many people.

Remus squeezed his shoulder.

"You did it." He said silently.

"We did it. Without you and Harry and Hermione and Ronald… without you I wouldn't be here." Sirius said. "Thank you, old friend."

Remus smiled and threw an arm around Sirius shoulder. "Come on, let's answer all those questions. And I bet by the end of the week you'll have at least half a dozen letters on your desk asking for an alliance between your houses."

Sirius laughed loudly.

"Oh politics. How I didn't miss them." He sighed.

But then the happy atmosphere that had started to seep through the whole room was pierced by a shrill shriek and heaps turned faster than lightning towards the source.

Peter Pettigrew was on his feet, struggling against his guards.

He was creaming like a maniac and his eyes glowed with madness.

The two Aurors had problems holding him.

Silence settled over the room.

"NOOOOO! YOU! YOU WORM. YOU BLOODTRAITOR." Pettigrew shouted. "YOU THINK TIS WILL CHANGE ANYTHING! WELL IT WON'T. HE'S RISING AND NOTHING YOU WILL DO WILL STOP HIM. HE'LL DESTROY OYU ALL, STARTING WITH YOUR GODSON BLACK. BEFORE THE YEAR IS OVER HE WILL HAVE HIM AND HE WILL KILL HIM. AND NOT JUST HIM. YOU TOO BLACK! OH YES, YOU AND THAT POTTER-BASTARD, LILY AND JAME'S LITTLE MUDBLOOD-FREAK. THE DARK LORD WILL KILL THE BOY! MARK MY WORDS. HE WILL KILL HIM AND YOU AND I WILL WATCH AND YOU WILL BREAK AND I WILL ENJOY SEEING YOU IN PAIN. AND HE WILL RISE TO POWER AGAIN YOU WILL ALL BE DEAD…"

A well placed stunner between his eyes by Mad-Eye Moody shut him up.

But his words still echoed through the silence.

Sirius was shaking.

Because of anger, of fear, of disbelieve, of helplessness.

"Get him out." Madam Bones ordered but Sirius saw the concerned look she shot him.

Fudge nodded at the Aurors. "Take him to Azkaban. There he'll stay until his trial. Though that'll be a short one."

Dumbledore stepped forward.

"Better keep a close eye on him Cornelius. It took twelve years to capture him. Do not let him escape again."

"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job Dumbledore?" Cornelius growled back.

"Of course not. I am merely saying that it's better to be safe than sorry." Dumbledore replied with a smile.

"Come on" Remus said as he led Sirius out of the room "Don't worry. Harry will be fine. Everything will be fine."

7. Cambodia

Chapter Seven: Cambodia

Harry was nervous.

No, scratch that. He was down-right terrified!

Bill walked next to him, calm and collected as they weaved through the crowds of central London.

It was four pm and the streets where bristling with activity.

They had said goodbye to their friends and family over an hour ago and had made their way to London where they would meet the others of their team at the IPT, the International-Portkey-Terminal.

They were going to Cambodia today.

That thought sounded so alien in his head, Harry shuddered.

He was going to see another country!

The farthest Harry had ever traveled was to Hogwarts and back.

Now he was leaving the British Island and even this continent.

He was going to a totally alien country to look for cursed places and riches to bring back home.

He had to think of one of the many books Dudley had gotten but never read.

It was called 'Indiana Jones' or something and had been about and archeologist and adventurer with a whip who went to all sort of exotic and mysterious a well as cursed places and solved riddles and survived all sorts of danger and excitement.

Harry was too old to pretend he was some hero form a book but he couldn't help but feel excited about and scared at the same time.

How did Dr. Jones feel whenever he traveled through thick rain-forests? Had he been afraid too? Excited? Nervous? Sick to the stomach with anxiety?

Harry and Bill were already dressed for the tropes.

Harry wore the trousers he'd bought at Diagon Alley, together with a white shirt with sleeves that went to the mid upper arm and the dragon-skin-waistcoat above, as well as his new boots and the wand-holster strapped to the inside of his right arm, invisible for everyone but him. He wore a thin rain-coat on top of everything so the Muggles wouldn't notice the strange material his waist-coat was made of.

His backpack was on his back and filled with all the essentials he'd need.

They were both glad they had been able to keep Molly from stuffing their bags full with dried meat and other non-perishable food. Otherwise Harry wasn't sure the feather-light charm would have worked.

Molly had cried when they had said goodbye. Everybody else had been okay-ish. Ron had given him a manly-one-armed hug, Fred and George had squashed him between them and shouted dramatically: "Oh Harry, oh dearest Harry! We'll miss you so much!" He'd shaken hands with Mr. Weasley and Percy whereas Ginny had given him a sisterly hug and Charlie ruffled his hair and said: "Well, look out for yourself, you hear kid?"

But Molly had cried. Bitterly and without shame.

Harry tried not to feel too guilty for making her worry about him. He'd been really touched and at the same time it had felt strange, awkward and uncomfortable.

She and Sirius could be such mother-hens…

Harry gasped and stopped dead in his tracks.

Bill turned around and asked: "Harry? What's it?"

Harry looked at him with big eyes.

"I didn't tell Sirius where I'm going!" he said.

He'd told Bill a few days ago the truth about Sirius, Pettigrew and the murder of his parents. Bill had nodded and believed him.

Especially since the media was going crazy about if for weeks now.

But in the heat of the moments and Sirius isolation and Harry's own problems, he had totally forgotten about his godfather.

Okay totally was exaggerated. He'd given Lupin messages to pass on but since it wasn't known what was safe to say and what not, their messages had been very short and dull, usually limited to 'How are you?" "How's the trail coming along?" "How far are you with your homework?"

Especially the last one, coming from a guy who hated homework, showed how bitter things were.

Their answers were just as depressing.

"Fine." "Good." "Just finished my potions essay, hope Snape won't be a git when he marks it."

Harry had tried to find out a few details about the trial but Remus only knew so much and he couldn't speak to Dumbledore, not because of what the old man had confessed to him but also because he couldn't reach Dumbledore.

Hedwig had always come back with his letter still attached to her leg.

And then the days till their departure had gotten less and less and the tension had risen.

He and Bill had spent hours of the remaining days and sometimes until late at night to decode scrolls, find the right spells, preparing for every possible situation and had consulted a thousand books at Flourish and Blots on potentially cursed places and objects.

Bill had taught him handy tricks when decoding and had forced Harry to learn the basic of runes, something that took you at Hogwarts six months to learn, in five days.

So yeah, Harry had been pretty occupied and Sirius had left his mind.

"I'm the worst godson in the world!" Harry groaned. "I forgot about the man that escaped Azkaban for me and risked his freedom and safety for me and offered me a home, in his greatest time of need! Bill! Today is judgment day for him! They're probably on it by now."

Bill paled slightly.

He looked at his watch. The trail had started at nine-thirty. It was eleven o'clock now. At eleven-thirty their portkey was due to leave.

Where they finished yet?

"You don't think we can fit in a quick visit to the Ministry, do you?" Harry asked dejected.

Bill looked sympathetic.

"Damn, I'm sorry Harry. If you want to back out, I'm sure the others would understand."

Harry chewed on his lower lip.

He really wanted to go. It was a kind of freedom he'd never been allowed to have. He could finally do something he enjoyed, something he loved.

But he couldn't just leave Sirius. He owed the man. Sirius had stayed sand for twelve years in Azkaban because of him. Because the thought of Harry and his own innocence had been powerful enough to keep him going.

Harry just couldn't back out of Sirius's live again.

He didn't want to look ungrateful to Sirius.

"How about you write him? Explain everything to him and that you are sorry. I'm sure he'll understand."

Harry could hear that Bill wasn't convinced by his own words.

Harry moved his hand through his hair, pulling it into all directions.

"I can't do anything right." He said miserably.

"Harry, stop it!" Bill said angrily.

"You must stop always putting others first. You have to think about yourself from time to time too! I don't know Sirius but from what you told me you must mean the world to that man. He will understand and he will not be angry at you. Hell, maybe he'll be glad. You said he still had to find a house, right? Well, he also has to get used to his new freedom and sort his businesses out. He'll have lot to do and he can do that quietly and quickly while you are away. And when you come back, you'll have years to come to spend together! Harry, it will be okay!"

Bill shook the boys shoulders to underline his seriousness.

Harry took a deep breath and looked into the oldest Weasley's eyes.

"Okay." He whispered.

"Alright?" Bill asked.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Good. 'cause there are two things we need to do before we get to the IPT." Bill said and pulled Harry into a side-street, away from the endless flow of people.

"First, give me your wand." Bill said, taking out his own too.

"Why?" Harry asked confused as he flicked his wrist and his wand jumped from its holster and into Harry's hand.

"I need to deactivate the tracking charm on it. We don't want you to get any letters about you using magic outside of school, right?"

Harry looked at him with huge eyes.

"You can do that?" he asked excitedly.

Bill grinned. "It's just for this special occasion. You have to clear it with some people. But thanks to Dumbledore meddling with it all it was no problem. Still, the charm will be back in place as soon as the new school year starts." He said.

He tipped with his wand against Harry's and mumbled a few words Harry didn't catch.

His holly-and-phoenix wand glowed shortly before puffing out a small column of steam form its tip then Bill gave it back to Harry.

Harry couldn't help but wave it and mumble: "Coloris." The daisies at his feet, growing from the cracks between the stones turned pink.

Harry laughed excitedly.

Bill grinned too.

"And now the other thing."

The older man reached into his coat-pocket and pulled out a small casket and gave it to Harry. Seeing that the younger wizard was about to protest he said firmly: "It's something every Curse-Breaker and Curse-Breaker-in-Training gets when they go on their first mission. Its tradition so don't bother arguing."

Grudgingly harry took the small box and opened it.

There on a thin cloth of velvet lay a dagger.

Blade and handle were nearly as long as Harry's lower arm.

The wood was dark and decorated with the carving of a phoenix in mid-flight. The blade was gleaming and looked wickedly sharp and reflected Harry's eyes.

As Harry looked up with wide eyes, Bill handed him a sheath with a hook-and-loop tape to put the beautiful weapon into.

"Bill what…"

"Curse-Breaking is an old profession. The first Curse-Breaker fought and defended with daggers and swords. They are good-luck charms. The blade is usually made from silver so it will kill nearly anything magical or supernatural. The wood is ebony. It's fabled to have healing and protecting abilities. To personalize it the handle is carved with something that represents the wielder. When Ginny told me how Fawkes healed you in the Chamber of Secrets I thought it was fitting. You're not really supposed to fight with it; it has more of a decorative use. To show where you belong too. See, I have one too."

Bill produced from nowhere a dagger not unlike Harry's but with a wider blade and jagged edges on one side. The handle was decorated with a silver wolf.

"Why a wolf?" Harry asked curiously.

"Because I survived Fenrir Greyback's attack without becoming a werewolf. It's my triumph and my burden. It makes me stronger but also wears me down sometimes." Bill explained.

Harry nodded. He didn't want to pry. He knew the topic of Greyback was a bitter one. For all Weasley's.

"Come on Harry. Let's hurry. I promise you, it will be fine in the end. And if it's not fine, then it's not the end yet."

.

They were the second-last to arrive with still fifteen minutes to go.

The IPT were just two square flat-roofed fabric halls. One for arrival and one for departure. They were both divided into six smaller sections, each guarded by two ministry-officials that checked on long lists who was due to come when and who was due to leave when.

The arrival hall was more active than the departure hall.

They were let into one of the six areas. On a small table lay a toothbrush.

Their portkey as Harry learned from Bill.

Bags and trunks and brooms and rolled up carpets were piled next to the table. In one corner stood a group of comfortable looking armchairs and couches on which most members of their team sat and either read or ate or talked to each other.

Atticus was there, naturally, as well as Rashid, Eric, Alice and the Lovegoods. Everyone was dressed according to their travels though the Lovegoods seemed to have over-done it a little bit. Harry thought the Safar-helmets and spy-glasses were a little bit too much but anyway…

The only ones missing were Daphne Greengrass and her brother Thomas.

"Bill, Harry! How are you?" Atticus said happily as they clasped hands.

"We're fine. Excited and nervous in his case but fine otherwise." Bill said while pointing at Harry.

Harry punched him playfully on the arm.

Atticus laughed heartily. "Don't worry Harry. We've all been there." He assured.

"Seems like we're only missing Thomas, his nice and their cousin." Bill noted said. Atticus nodded.

"Yeah, Fleur's portkey is due to arrive and second now in the other hall. They'll be over in a few minutes." Atticus said with a glance at his watch.

"Who's Fleur?" Harry asked, not able to remember another member of their company.

"Fleur Delacour. She's from a noble and prestigious family from France and a cousin to the Greengrass. Thomas mother and Fleur's father were half-siblings or cousins themselves. Fleur will be entering her last year in Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and she already has expressed her wish to work for Gringotts after school, probably in the sector of identifying the value of objects and riches and such things. That's why she's coming with us. Mr. Lovegood knows all about the history of objects but Ms. Delacour can tell us if they are worth any gallons." Atticus explained.

"And here they are." Bill said.

Harry noticed a strange little quiver in his voice and turned around.

He saw Thomas Greengrass first.

The young man was dressed in an open, long dark red leather trench coat that still left him enough room to move in, over tight dragon-hide pants and a long sleeved shirt and old fashioned jerkin, also from dragon-hide and decorated with delicate designs.

He was carrying a backpack and had his wand in his hand.

"Greetings!" he shouted and shook their heads.

"Good to see you to Tom. Everything alright? No problems whatsoever?" Atticus asked.

"Everything went as smooth as a baby's butt." Tom said. Then he added: "Hello harry! Nearly didn't recognize you there lad! Looking good."

Harry nodded his thanks before turning back to the other two approaching figures.

He imminently recognized Daphne's long silvery-blond hair.

She was dressed in a one-piece, made from a dark blue dragon-hide. You could still see the pattern of the scales that once had covered the skin and the light reflected from those lines and made it look as if scales were moving with each step Daphne made.

Around her hips she wore a heavy belt from where he could see the hilt of a dagger, her wand, various vials, a flask and strangely enough a flute.

She nodded at him with a little smile on her lips as she passed him and greeted Rashid, her mentor.

And then Harry saw Fleur Delacour.

His magic gave a tingling warning when he eyed her.

Something about her was…off.

She was easily the most beautiful girl Harry had ever seen and he could see the relation to the Greengrasses.

All three of them shared the pale blond hair but whereas Tom's and Daphne's were still blonde, Fleur's was a silvery waterfall that cascaded down her shoulder.

She had light green eyes like the grass in spring.

Her features were delicate and soft, pretty much like Daphne's but Daphne had a defiant chin and didn't look so much like a china-doll.

Otherwise Fleur was dressed in light trousers, a white blouse and a dragon-hide vest that looked like corset. Like Daphne she wore a belt with a dagger, her wand, a flask and chain around her neck with a very small magnifying glass.

She spotted him and frowned. She extended her hand in a greeting.

"I don't believe we hav' met?" she asked with a questioning eyebrow and a heavy French accent.

"No, I was spontaneously added to the group and you missed out the last meeting so we didn't meet there. I'm Harry Potter Ms. Pleased to meet you." Harry said calmly.

When the shook hands, his magic tingled again under his skin as if thousand of ants were walking under his skin.

Fleur gave him a radiant smile.

"Of course. I am Fleur Delacour. My great-nice told me about you."

Harry looked questioningly at Daphne, who was still talking to Rashid.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes. She told me about all those adventures you 'ad at your school. She thinks you are very brave."

Harry blushed. Never would he have imagined a Slytherin, much less Daphne Greengrass who he didn't even know, to think and talk about him like that.

"Well, I zee you later 'arry." Fleur said with one last smile and walked gracefully way but not without a last: " 'Ello William." to Bill.

When she was out of hearing distance Harry turned to Bill and Atticus to ask them if they felt the same tingle whenever Fleur was around but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Atticus drooling all over his chin and Bills barely hidden puppy-eyes.

"Hey." The latter one whispered silently even though the object of interest was long gone.

Harry frowned. "Bill? Atticus? Hello? Anyone in there?" he asked and waved his hand before their eyes.

That somehow seemed to snap them back to reality.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Harry asked, slightly concerned.

Atticus cursed. "Damn it. I swore myself I would try to control myself." He whipped drool off his chin.

Bill smiled weakly. "You know how hard that will be. Fleur is part veela. The allure is naturally strong within her. It's not her fault."

"Veela? What's a veela?" Harry asked.

"Creatures of Magic, descendants of the Sirens. They are good at seducing people with their good looks and charm and magic. Nearly every male, once he's seen a veela, has the desire to get near her and love her and such things. Really dangerous."

"And Fleur is such a veela?" Harry asked.

"Merlin no! No, her grandmother was. Not a rare thing for a veela to mate with a normal wizard. But Fleur carries only little veela-blood in her but its powerful. She too has the allure. And part of a veela's vicious temper." Atticus said.

Then he frowned.

"I wonder how you managed to struck up a conversation this long with her without melting to a puddle of drool and brainless comments like we all did when first meeting her."

"That's what I wanted to asked before I saw you two all spaced out on me. My magic was strangely tingling when I saw her. It's only done that before when I was in danger or to make me aware of something important."

Both Bill and Atticus looked at each other.

"Wow, Harry, that's rare. Your magic core picked up her veela magic and warned you of a potential threat. It was probably shielding you. That's why you were able to talk to her so calmly." Atticus muttered.

"Danger? She is dangerous?" Harry asked shocked.

"No. Fleur is not. But veelas are. When angered they can transform into Harpy-like creatures and spit fire. Don't worry about Fleur spitting fire but it's possible that when she gets angry or distressed that her own veela-magic acts up to protect her. Best not to anger her." Bill said quickly.

Harry nodded, understandingly.

"Well enough talking we need to get going." Atticus said before proclaiming loudly: "Alright everyone, suit up! We have time for extended greetings later; we have a Portkey to get and a mission to complete. Anyone wanting to back out, this is your last chance. Once we're in Cambodia, you won't be able to leave until the return-Portkey activates. Now grab your things and gather around the toothbrush!"

Harry hurried after Bill towards the table with the portkey.

"I've been meaning to ask. Why is it a toothbrush?" he asked. Bill shrugged. "I have no idea." he said grinningly.

The now stood around the table, Harry squished between Bill and Alice.

The a countdown appeared above the toothbrush going down from twenty.

"Everyone, grab hold on the toothbrush or a person holding the toothbrush." Atticus ordered and Harry grabbed Bills arm, who had one finger firmly pressed on the toothbrush.

Alice put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"Here we go." Atticus shouted as the numbers above the toothbrush turned from one to zero.

And Harry felt as if someone had put a hook somewhere behind his navel and was pulling him harshly towards their location.

It only lasted a few seconds but those were the worst second of his life Harry decided. Because one moment he was feeling suspended in mid-air and then in the next moment he was crashing painfully into the hard unyielding ground.

He groaned and rolled onto his back.

He could only see blurred lines for a few seconds.

As he searched for his glasses and couldn't find them on his face.

Great, he thought. If they got lost somewhere between here and England I'll never see them again.

Then a shape appeared above him.

He squinted his eyes.

The someone pressed something in his hand and said: "Here, you glasses Harry. I found them."

Hastily he put them on and saw Daphne smiling down at him.

She extended her hand and pulled him up.

She was surprisingly strong. "Thanks." He said a little breathlessly.

"First time portkey?" she asked.

"That obvious?" he asked.

"A little she admitted." Then she added.

"So, this is Cambodia then?"

8. On the back of a pachyderm through ()

Chapter Eight: On the back of a pachyderm through the jungle

"Is everybody alright?" Atticus asked as they all dusted off a little.

Harry nearly didn't hear him.

He was too much enchanted by his surroundings.

They had landed on a small clearing in the middle of the jungle.

Harry had seen pictures of the jungle and short movies about it in elementary school but seeing it for real was different.

The trees, so tall, the foliage, so thick, the air, so humid, the noises, so loud!

He could hear monkeys in the trees, cackling, hundreds of birds singing, frogs croaking, whims chirping, the trees and fern and bushes moving in the slight breeze.

He smelled wet earth, the aroma of thousand flowers, felt the water on his skin, the heat in his neck, the tickling of some plant on his arm.

It was overwhelming.

So overwhelming, Harry only noticed the elephants when something soft with bristles touched his neck.

Harry jumped and cursed silently.

He swirled around and came face to face with a trunk that was over one meter long and was exploring his face happily, going over his mouth, eyes and nose and then making its way through his hair.

It was a strange feeling and it certainly didn't smell so nice and Harry could feel something wet rolling down his cheek.

"Ahm…help?" he asked weakly.

Roaring laughter was all he got.

Then there was an unknown voice speaking in an unknown language and suddenly the trunk was gone.

Now that his field of view was free again Harry could see the rest of the elephant.

It was big.

Bigger than any animal he'd ever seen before! And no, the basilisk didn't count.

Harry was fascinated. Never before had he been this close to such a massive, living, breathing animal.

Big dark eyes with long eye-lashes looked at him.

Careful he extended one hand and put it on the animals face.

The thick wrinkled skin was warm.

It huffed and the trunk began exploring his torso, tickling his arms.

"Wow." Harry breathed.

"Alright you big girl, enough cuddling with the beast. Get to work." Eric barked at him.

Harry flinched again, and turned.

About a dozen elephants crowded the place.

Bill, Atticus, Alice and Thomas had already started levitating their equipment onto their backs and Eric was walking back to help them. The Lovegoods were bending over some plant at the side of the clearing, gushing about its color.

He felt a strange tingling in the back of his neck and saw Fleur and Daphne going through one of their backpacks but Daphne was looking at him with a small smile on her lips.

Harry felt hot embarrassment rising in his cheeks.

He hurried over to where Rashid was passing bed-rolls to Bill and helped him.

He was just bending down to grab another one when something was tugging at his shirt. He turned around to see what it was and again came face to face with an elephant. The very same elephant that had nuzzled his face moments before.

"Ahm…hey you…" he muttered and tried to push the trunk away that was again making its way across his face.

He could hear the others laugh at his helpless position.

"She likes you." A deep, unknown voice with a heavy accent Harry couldn't quite place anywhere, suddenly said next to him.

He looked to his right and saw a small thin man standing there with black hair pulled back in a long braided ponytail, a weatherworn face, deep brown eyes and a lanky body-build.

His cloths were torn and patched up again, a bit too big and consisted of khaki-knee-length trousers and a white T-Shirt that said in fading red and black letters: "Go Bulgaria- Quidditch World Cup 1959".

"Which is nothing special, she likes nearly everybody but she seems to like you especially. Do you have mangos somewhere? Because she loves mangos!" the guy said and scratched the elephant above the big round eyes.

"My name's Chao. I'm your guide." He introduced himself and grinned at Harry with big slightly yellow eyes.

"I live not far from here and I know this place like the back of my hand. Gringotts asked me to show you around."

"Are you a wizard?" Harry asked.

Chao shook his head. "No. I'm a squib. My parents were magic but not me. Mind you, they were both Muggle-born, first in their families ever, so no one really expected me to have any powers." He said with a shrug.

"Enough of the idle chit-chat let's get going." Eric interrupted again and pushed past them towards one of the elephants.

With practiced movements he climbed the big animal and made himself comfortable on its back.

Chao nodded and then he added: "I don't have enough elephants for all of us. Four of us have to share I'm afraid."

"Luna and I will share one." Xenophilius Lovegood said and led his dreaming daughter to one of the big animals.

Luna petted the gently mammal and said in a sing-song voice: "Hello my dear friend. How handsome you are." And surprisingly enough the animal wrapped its trunk around her waist and lifted her up and onto its back.

Atticus just nodded. Then he looked around, at Harry and then at Daphne.

"Harry, Daphne, you are the both the lightest and smallest among us. Do you mind sharing?"

Harry looked at Daphne. She pushed a lose strand of hair back and shrugged.

"I don't mind." She said. "Yeah, me neither." Harry said.

"Then you can take Nim here." Chao said and pointed at the elephant that was still ruffling through Harry's hair.

As soon as Chao had said those words, Nim grabbed Harry in a similar fashion like the other elephant had taken Luna and lifted him in one go onto her back.

A bit startled Harry tried to find anything to hold on to.

Luckily the boxes on the elephant-lady's back where arranged so that Harry could lead against them if he moved further down the length of her back.

Then a second later Daphne sat before him, pushed up by her uncle.

He looked at both of them and said with a mocking grin: "Behave you two!"

Harry couldn't help but blush again.

Stupid hormones.

But Daphne just rolled with her eyes and slid closer to the animals head and her legs dangled down the sides of Nim's neck.

"Everybody up?" Atticus shouted and looked around from his place at the front.

Everybody nodded.

How Fleur managed to look graceful on the back of her elephant would probably be a mystery forever to Harry. But they were all seated and ready to go.

"Good. We are currently a three hour ride away from the border of the magical force-field Gringotts detected months ago. Then we'll need another two hours until we are at the place Chao choose for us to act as HQ. So look out for low hanging branches. We at the top will cut them if we see them but none the less, don't let your guards down. Something is waiting for us in this jungle. Also keep an eye out for poisonous spiders and such things. I don't think anything bigger will dare to attack us but you never know what long-time magical influence can do with a place like this. Otherwise don't eat any berries without asking us if it's okay and anyone who has to take a leak, do it now because we won't hold until we reach our camp-side. And remember that will be in five hours top. So no complaining about being bored. If you don't know what to do, work! I'm sure there are still scrolls that haven't been finished yet." Atticus instructed with a stern look on his face.

"Sure boss." "Understood." "Whatever." came the confirmation from everyone.

"Then let's go!" Atticus said cheerfully and the elephants began to trot after their leader.

The strange movements of them cause Harry to lose hold and he slid down the soft curve of Nim's back and crash into Daphne's back.

She gave a startled grunt and turned around to glare at him.

"Sorry! I didn't expect them to move like…this." Harry said, blushing yet again.

The angry look on her face vanished and she smirked again.

"Sure Potter. Just don't forget my brothers warning." Then she turned back around, leaving an embarrassed Harry to his thoughts.

Things didn't get better for him.

Harry always tried to slide backwards so there would be some space between him and Daphne but the anatomy of the elephant made it impossible and so he kept sliding closer to her.

"Are you done?" She asked after the thousand time with an amused but also slightly exasperated voice.

"Sorry. But every time I move backwards I keep slipping forwards. I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable for you."

Daphne snorted and to his amazement got up, suddenly standing in a low crouch on the back of the still walking elephant and with two quick steps she was sitting behind him, her back now pressed against his.

"Better now?" she asked.

She was warm and her hair slightly tickled his cheek. It smelled like strawberries….

Argh….brain…stop thinking these things. Geez, what's wrong with you, Harry thought. Strawberries, his brain just replied.

"Ahm, yeah, sure. Much better."

Daphne laughed and it vibrated through his body.

"For someone who's best friend is a girl, you are pretty awkward right now." She remarked.

Harry was glad she couldn't see the heat rise in his cheeks.

"Well, yeah…but it's different with Hermione. She's like a sister… You are…" he stopped abruptly.

"Yes? I am what?" She asked.

"You are…different." Harry finally said after wracking his brain for something fitting to say.

"Different? That's a new one." She said with a slightly sarcastic undertone in her voice.

"I don't know. Forgive me if I'm rude but…well…I really don't know you. So I don't think I have any right to draw any conclusions if I don't know anything about you."

Daphne shifted her weight slightly and when Harry looked over his shoulder he saw that she was looking at him with a strange expression on her face.

"What?" he asked, uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Nothing. It's just that you are a very interesting wizard Harry Potter. Not many your age would realize such things."

He wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not so he just nodded.

"You are also not what I expected after all the stories I've heard about you and what I could see myself."

"What did you hear?" Harry asked uncomfortable.

The press had never published much about him. Well except for that thing about the Philosophers Stone and when Gilderoy Lockhart had forced him on the front page before second year. And his name had been mentioned along with that of Sirius when he'd just escaped Azkaban.

So the only stories Daphne probably knew where those they told at Hogwarts. And with Draco Malfoy in her house he wasn't sure if they were that flattering.

She shrugged and said: "Just the usual. The Golden-Boy. Gryffindor's mighty lion. Leader of the golden trio. It all made you look superficial to be honest. But now…now I'm not so sure." She said.

"Ahm…thanks….I guess."

"You're welcome."

.

AN: Sorry, I've been lacking both time and inspiration to write but now I'm back on track.

As usual I don't own anything but maybe the plot of this story and the OC's.

Leave behind a review or something. I apologize for mistakes.

Have a nice day,

Love Kate

9. The first minor hiccups

Chapter Nine: The first minor hiccups

"Daphne, can you pass me the rune-book? I don't recognize this rune. It looks like an Egyptian hieroglyph but I'm not quite sure…"

"Show me which one. Maybe I know."

"Here, this one."

"It's not Egyptian. Honestly Harry, that's the Norse rune for strength and power. It's been in this scroll at least half a dozen times. One would think you'd know it by now."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. But if it stands in front of a bone-crushing curse that's been weaved together with an organ-busting jinx then it strengthens only the one that begins with the higher number, right? That would be the organ-busting curse and that would mean to counter it you either use the protego-charm, or?"

"I think so. Honestly Harry, I'm the Healer her not the Curse-Breaker. It's your job to know this."

"But you had ancient runes last year."

"And we only worked on Egyptian hieroglyphs. We started with the Norse one's too but only in the last lessons."

.

Harry never had many friends growing up, Dudley made sure he didn't.

Then he had met Ron on the Hogwarts Express and had imminently bonded.

After saving Hermione form the troll, she had joined them and they had become the 'Golden Trio'.

With the boys in his dormitory he was good friends too. After all, sharing a room for ten months every year kinda made you like each other.

People from other house probably wouldn't count so much as friends since he didn't spend so much time with them but he was definitely friendly with a lot of them.

Daphne on the other hand was…different and yet within a few hours he'd come to like her like she was an old friend.

Harry had always been slightly critical about the whole 'sorting-people-after-a-character-trait'-thing but he could see why all the brave, all the smart ones, all the loyal and all the cunning people were put together.

Daphne was very intelligent but at the same time she had a dangerous humor and her thoughts went always ten steps ahead but not to solve a problem but to embarrass Harry or make a joke on his cost.

She didn't care about house-rivalries ("I have many friends in both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.") and though most Gryffindors were 'stupid reckless idiots' she like most of them and thought that the Weasley-twins prank on Professor Binns last year had been 'awesome'.

She was cunning and ambitious. She wanted to become a Healer and she wanted to be the best in her year. She planned to be a great witch, to save a lot of people with her powers later-on.

But she didn't sound snobbish like she already knew that she was going to be great because she already was but more like she was determined to become great.

How did he know?

After the slightly awkward beginning of their journey Harry had thought this would be it.

But after few minutes of silence Daphne asked: "I'm bored. Do you want to play Chess?"

Harry had nodded.

If you wonder how you can possibly play Chess on the back of an elephant that is trotting through the jungle, let's just say: if you are two creative wizard-students then nothing is really impossible.

Daphne jinxed the board-game to float in midair while Harry set the game up. They sat across from each other in cross-legged and stabilized bay balance-spells.

Daphne was surprisingly good and beat Harry in the first twenty games.

Harry, who was used being beaten by Ron didn't mind. But every game made him want to beat her even more. It was friendly competition and a lot of fun.

But if you are thirteen years old you only play so much Chess on a five-hour trip.

So after a while Daphne conjured her books from her bag and set up a flat and square plate of wood that acted as a makeshift table and together they worked on their homework and assignments for the trip, passing books between them, asking for advice, correcting each other, joking and bantering, asking some questions in between and generally bonding.

She read his potions essay and gave him helpful suggestions and corrections. In exchange he helped her with her transfiguration-paper. They exchanged notes for Charms and Harry explained a few things from Defense to her. She on the other hand decided to teach him all she knew from her Runes and Arithmetic-lessons.

Bill called them geeks for mining homework but honestly at least they hadn't deteriorated to talk about their best bed-experiences in different countries as Bill, Atticus and Eric had.

At some point Harry had taken out two of the scrolls that still needed to be translated.

He and Bill always shared work. Harry would do the first reading and Bill would correct or do the parts Harry couldn't figure out.

Daphne had taken out her healing books and the assignments Rashid had given her.

She had to learn all kinds of spells and ways to treat all kind of wounds and illnesses and what not.

What sounded easy was more difficult than he'd assumed.

Daphne told him that if she made one wrong movement with her wand while for example stopping a bleeding, she could cause an even worse bleeding or something like that.

Besides that she went through her potions-ingredients books and memorized every ingredient and how it reacted with others.

No wonder she was at the top of their class.

But there was another reason why he and Daphne got along so well.

Daphne loathed Draco Malfoy!

And talking about a common enemy is the best thing if you want to get each other.

"Honestly, just because he's the air to the Malfoy Family and is filthy rich doesn't mean he's Merlin's gift to mankind, you know?" she growled.

They had put their things away by now and sat across from each other on yet another game of chess.

"I know." Harry kicked of one of her knights off the board with one of his peasants. "You should have been there when I first met him at Madam Malkin's or when we met again on the Hogwarts Express. His stupid Pureblood obsession is getting on my nerves. I mean, why do you even care what blood you have? Many half-bloods and Muggleborn in our year are better than him. Hermione for example." Harry muttered.

Daphne nodded. "You're right. But form a family as old as the Malfoys you can't expect anything else. With all their inbreeding…" she shuddered. "I mean, I'm from an old Pureblood family. While we share certain values like the Malfoys we certainly are not obsessed with them as they are. We cherish our traditions and the values our family has hold up for hundreds of years."

"And what are those values?" Harry asked interested.

"Well one is loyalty. Another one is the importance of family and strength. Our family crest is that of a female wolf nursing a human baby and the ancient Norse rune for strength." She said with a smile.

"In our family everyone is welcome and we are a big family. We cherish each other's company and children are important to us. I'm one of five after all."

"Can you tell me about your family?" Harry asked.

Daphne smiled widely.

"Oh they are amazing but it's also hard at times. You know Thomas. He's my mother's youngest brother. I myself have two older brothers. Jonathan and then there is Alan. Jonathan is just out of school and travelling the world with his girlfriend and mom's other brother and his wife. Alan will be in his last year now. Then I have two younger sisters. Astoria will start at Hogwarts this year but Jessica is only eight so she won't be joining us so soon. Other than that there are two aunts on my mother side with their families and some uncle and aunts and cousins from my father's side but I really know only few of those."

"That's a lot of siblings. What is it like?" Harry asked excitedly. "Ron says it's horrible but when I'm with them it always looks like great fun."

Daphne smiled. "It is horrible. And at the same time it's not." She said. "I mean, two older overbearing brothers and two younger annoying sisters are nothing to joke about. Honestly, when I start dating it won't be just dad and Thomas who will try to kill the boy I choose but them also." She said rolling her eyes but her expression was fond otherwise.

"And Astoria and Jess look up to me. Its quiet sweet and flattering but sometimes it's annoying when they follow me around like lost puppies."

Harry smiled.

"I would've loved to have siblings growing up." He admitted.

"Didn't you grow up with your cousin?" Daphne asked, recalling what little he had told her.

Harry stiffened.

"That's a little complicated." He muttered. "Dudley and I never got along. You know accidental magic and all that. It didn't help that my aunt and uncle weren't so thrilled either with me showing up on their doorstep one morning. Dudley had his gang and didn't want to have anything to do with me."

That was putting it very mildly.

Daphne thought about that. "But you're related. I don't understand how you cannot like each other. I mean, sure we have black sheep in our family too but we still respect each other and everyone is welcome."

"I guess families should be like that but it's never so easy." Harry said. "My aunt hated my mother and my father. Until Hagrid came to tell me I was a wizard, I didn't know their names and was told that they were 'unemployed good for nothing drunks'."

Daphne shook her head.

"Muggels maybe ahead of us in technology and progress but when it comes to fundamental values they have fallen far behind." She said.

"Are families that important in our world? I mean, I've heard about different influential families and so on but I still don't get it." Harry admitted.

"Well, your family name means power. If we had a competent teacher for History of Magic everyone would learn that there were twenty-four families in the time even before Merlin that were blessed by the goddess of magic and thus got their powers which they passed on to their descendants.

The members of the original families posses great and strong magic and within their bloodline it remained string.

When their children married other members of the blessed families it would stay string but if they for example married non blessed/magical people, their children either had no magic or weakened magic.

As the families grew and expanded over the eons, the magic thinned out. Only few remain that have really pure blood. But those that do have a strong magical core. Most families of that time changed their names, others were extinct and again others spread their magic wide, many expanded over the whole world. Those twenty-four families were the founders of our society and sat in the first magical council. So yeah, families are important. Not just because of power but also because teaching magic has always been something you do inside your family, together with passing on traditions. You see those families used the blessing for many different purposes. Some became Healers, healing magical and non-magical alike. Some became protectors to defend human kind against the evils of those ancient times. Others became conquers and rulers to bring order to the world. Others just wanted to help. Today you can still find those original purposes in some families. Mine for example. The Greengrass-family was one of the blessed families. They were healers all along but with magic now helping them they were even better and saved many lives. Malfoy were conquerors that wanted to unite the whole world and make one community. Today they just want to conquer and rule I'm afraid. But still. Longbottoms were protector of the realm. Still are today. Notts are too but they were always a bit…more extreme in their methods to guarantee peace. And let's not forget your good friends the Weasleys. They always wanted to help those in need. Not just the sick but also the poor, the desperate, the lonely and the helpless.

There are more but I think you get the gist. The ancestor of the founders of Hogwarts were among the blessed too."

Harry swallowed. "Wow. I didn't know it went so deep. But I can see why many, even Draco, are so proud of their heritage."

Daphne nodded. "It's why many of our families are afraid that with more Muggleborn our history could be forgotten."

"Makes sense."

"Also it would mean less power for the Heads of the Houses and let's face it. Nobody really likes giving up his power."

"Head of House?" Harry asked. He still didn't really get the whole concept of pure-blood families and their Heads of Houses and who was the heir to what but that didn't mean that he didn't want to learn.

"I've heard of that. That the heir to the title and everything, right? Malfoy will inherit the title of his father one day. Lord Malfoy. Neville will too when he reaches majority. He told me that once."

Daphne nodded. "Many in our year or our school in general will inherit their family title and leadership of their house. Me too, I'm the sole heir to the Greengrass family." she said.

Harry frowned surprised.

"I thought…" he started, hoping not to ask a stupid question "That the oldest inherits the title? At least it's like that with the Weasley's. And the Malfoy's. And the Longbottom's."

Daphne nodded.

"Yeah usually it's like that. But you see, my family is structured a little different than most houses. We don't have a patriarch. Our house has always been led by women. We believe women are just as strong and brave as men. In our world women are still often seen as pretty things to keep by your side and to marry to secure alliances between houses or to keep blood pure. My house has always tried to change the view on women. That's why we have a matriarch. The title goes to the eldest daughter, even if she has older brothers. All though right now my father is leading our house."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"My mother was the last Head of House Greengrass but she died two years ago. My Grandmother Natalie just retired from everything and wants to enjoy her old age quietly. My mother was the oldest girl so none of her brothers or sisters can claim leadership. Only my mother's family can."

"And your father too, despite being…well…your father? A male I mean?"

"In my stead until I turn seventeen. Then I will inherit the title and most of our properties and money and responsibilities. That doesn't mean my siblings will be left with nothing. It's just that the main responsibility will be left to me."

Harry nodded, actually understanding it this time.

"I'm sorry about your mother." He said after a short break.

Daphne shrugged. "It's okay. It hurts but I've come to terms with her passing. None of the people we love are aver really gone my Nanny used to say when my grandfather passed away."

Harry nodded.

"This Head of House things is really big or?" he asked, feeling stupid as soon as the last word left his mouth.

Luckily Daphne took it with humor.

"Yes, it is. With all the old families it is. As head of House you sit on the Wizengamot and the Board of Governors if your family belongs to the really old ones. It grants you power over all the people in your house and gives you quite the reputation in society. There's often a lot of sibling rivalry and it's not uncommon to fight for the position. In earlier centuries younger siblings tried to kill their brothers or sisters. But not just siblings fought. Also aunts and uncles tried to gain power. Or people that married into a family for the same reasons. It has all happened."

Harry frowned. "That sounds a bit…harsh…"

"And it decreased with the years."

Daphne smiled. "My brothers actually came to me after I was explained what my position in the family was and assured me that I they had my back and would always support me and that I would do great. Alan even told me how glad he was that he wouldn't have to become all 'stiff and formal and speak like a stuck-up know it all'."

Harry laughed with her.

"And he's right. I have to go through so many lessons and learn so much about etiquette, more than already. My Dad teaches me politics and sometimes takes me to sessions of the Wizengamot to 'get a feeling what it will be like soon'."

She sighed. "Still, it is hard to find allies and respect among the old men that currently occupy the chairs. I try to make friends with many heirs that go to school with us. But being Slytherin and all that makes it hard."

"I'm sure you'll do great." Harry assured her and grinned.

"After all, you can always use your potion-skills to make people agree."

She giggled. "That is not a nice thing to say Mr. Potter. And rather Slytherin if I do say so."

Harry shrugged.

"Don't tell anyone but the Sorting hat wanted to put me into Slytherin during my sorting. But Malfoy had been sorted there before me and I didn't want to be in the same house as he was so I could convince the hat to put me with my friends."

Daphne looked at him with huge eyes.

"You're joking!" she shouted in disbelieve.

"I'm not. I swear." Harry said laughing.

"You? The vanquisher of you-know-who in SLYTHERIN? Your life would have been hell!"

"More than it already is?" he asked.

She nodded.

Then she looked down at the chess board and said with a triumphant smile: "Check mate."

.

The sun had traveled across the sky in a slow pace.

At least what Harry could see of the sun through the thick tree-tops.

Both he and Daphne lay on their backs, their knees barely touching whereas their legs still dangled down the side of Nim's big round belly and stared at the passing trees above them.

The rocking made Harry sleepy and not just him. Daphne yawned loudly. The muttering of the others around them, the soft cooling wind that blew around them and battles the heat, the singing of the birds, the thick smell of flowers, it all was intoxicating and relaxing.

They kept talking, asking about favorite subjects, most hated-teachers, favorite animal sand colors, which flavor was the worst of Bertie Bott's every flavour jelly belly beans that they ever ate, which their favorite Quidditch-team was and things like that.

But then after a while they both fell in a comfortable silence.

Until:

"Are we there yet?" Daphne asked loudly.

Heads turned.

The two teens at the end of their procession had been so occupied with each other these past few hours, they had put them aside.

It was better than whining teens or bored teens, they all agreed.

Bill grinned when he saw how they sat on the elephants back.

Thomas, who rode next to him quirked an eyebrow.

"And I told them to behave." He told him silently.

Bill had to suppress his laughter.

"Not much longer. We'll reach the borer in less than ten minutes I reckon.

From there on we'll have to be extra careful.

Just because it's been silent for so long doesn't mean it will stay like this once we cross over into magical territory." Atticus said.

"We'll also have to hurry. The sun won't be up for much longer and setting up camp in semi-darkness or at night is not good." Chao added.

Harry propped up on his elbows and looked up.

I didn't look like it was going to be dark this soon. The sun was still high in the sky.

"Don't be fooled. The sun goes down quicker than you think." Chao said.

Harry frowned.

"Sometimes I think you can read my thought." He said.

"No. It's just written all across your face." Chao laughed.

.

Harry wasn't sure what was different.

But something wasn't right.

His magic itched under his skin as if it wanted to make him aware of something.

He felt restless.

"Do you feel that?" he asked Daphne silently.

The young witch nodded.

"I'm feeling strangely…on edge. Like something will happen any moment." She whispered back.

They scanned their surroundings.

Just the same jungle that they had been passing through for nearly three hours now.

"But you can feel it too, right? This…" she tried to explain.

"This wrongness? Yes, I can feel it too." Harry said and unconsciously his hand moved to his wand.

He looked towards the others but strangely enough they were still talking among each other and joking and Eric looked like he was dozing on the back of his elephant.

Alice was reading.

The Lovegoods were prodding something Luna held in her hands. Harry thought it was some kind of colorful frog. Fleur and Bill were discussing something.

Daphne scooted closer to him.

"Harry, do you hear that?" she asked nervously.

He frowned, closed his eyes and listened.

"No. What is it Daphne?"

She looked around, worried.

"That's the thing Harry. There is nothing to hear. It's completely silent."

Then any things happened at once.

Understanding bloomed on Harry's face and his hand drew his wand.

At the same time the frog in Luna's hand croaked piercingly and jumped from her hands into the foliage and Chao turned around saying: "We're passing into the magical zone now. Better…" but he was interrupted by the sudden loud roaring of thunder and the crashing of clouds.

A strong wind rose from nowhere and forced them backwards.

The wind picked up leaves and small sticks and swirled them around like little harmful missiles.

"SHIELDS UP!" Atticus shouted before he conjured a shield around himself and Chao.

Harry's shield was up before he'd finished saying 'Protego'.

Daphne's shield joined his and together they pushed against the sudden force of nature and hurried Nim to keep walking, to follow the other elephants the too, protected in their riders shields, pressed forwards again.

"What is this?" Harry shouted over the roaring of the storm.

"Probably some sort of border-protection to keep people from entering and fining whatever is inside I'd say. Something or someone doesn't want visitors." Daphne shouted back as the outside-force pushed harder against their combined shield.

And then, all of a sudden the storm was gone.

The leaves and sticks dropped to the ground and the wind settled as if nothing had happened.

Still they all kept their shields up and looked suspiciously around.

"Well…that could have been worse." Atticus mumbled.

Just as behind them the earth erupted and monster-vines as big and wide as cars shot from the earth, moving wildly like whips and somehow reminded Harry of the Whomping Willow.

"RUN!" Atticus shouted. Chao cursed and shouted commands at the elephants in a different language.

The elephants started running but even Harry knew that they weren't that fats and especially not with people and equipment on their back.

Harry and Daphne tried to hold on as best as possible as Nim raced behind the others.

Harry only saw it from the corner of his eye but it was enough.

He swirled around and bellowed: "Reducto!" and the oncoming vine exploded. But another one took its place.

"HARRY, DAPHNE!" Harry could hear someone shout. He thought it was Bill.

"IMMOBILE!" Daphne shouted next to him. The vine stopped mid-strike but both didn't see the one coming from their side.

It hit them and catapulted them towards the raging vines.

The contact with the earth was hard and Harry's glasses flew elsewhere.

Great, he knew he should have taken the contact-lenses.

But he had no time to ponder on that.

Though blind as he was without his glasses that didn't mean that he didn't see a thing. Besides seeing vague shapes and form Harry could hear especially well. His hearing sense had developed strongly when his eyes had started to get worse when he was younger.

So he jumped to his feet, wan din his hand, ready. It was loud, all around him. He heard the other shouting spells and curses, the vines were roaring and slashing all around him and again this rumbling like thunder filled the air.

Yet he heard the 'whoosh' of an oncoming vine and was able to sidestep. It crashed into the ground next to him.

He dived aside again barely missed another one.

"Daphne! Where are you?" he shouted an looked around.

"Over here! Harry, help me!"

He swirled around and saw only Daphne's bright blond hair skidding across the dirty floor of the jungle.

Though he didn't like casting a spell in her direction without really knowing where to aim he still did it.

"Confringo!" he shouted the first spell that came to his mind.

Daphne shouted and for a horrible moment Harry thought he had hit her.

Bill had taught him the spell but also said that he should only use it in absolutely dangerous situations.

This counted as absolutely dangerous, right?

But then he saw Daphne jumping to her feet and shouting: "Harry look out!" before something hit him and wrapped around his legs, pulling him down.

He saw the same thing happening to her again but was forces to concentrate on his own dilemma.

Shrubbery, twigs, dirt and leaves were blasted in his face as the vines pulled him away from their group and towards where they had come from.

The grip was firm and hurt and Harry thought back to the incident with the Devils Snare.

Should he try keeping still?

Probably not a good idea.

"DEPRIMO!" he shouted and aimed his wand at his leg, hoping not to hit his own bones in the process.

The vines broke apart and Harry scrambled backwards but didn't get far.

Like the arms of a squid eight or more vines attacked him at once.

Blindly slashing at them with everything he got Harry tried to escape.

"Diffindo! Duro! Evanesco! Expulso..."

The words left his mouth on their own. He didn't even know half of them!

"HARRY!"

He swirled around and then someone with fire-red hair was at his side and more curses and jinx flew around them. It was Bill.

Harry noticed a vague shadow creeping across the floor towards him and Bill.

Without thinking shot a powerful: "Flipendo Duo!"

"Harry! We need to get out of here!" Bill shouted next to him as he blasted yet another vine away."

Harry just nodded. Bill grabbed his arm and dragged him along, both of them firing curses left and right.

"I think if we get enough distance between us and them we'll be fine!" Bill shouted.

"Alice, Fleur and the Lovegoods moved ahead with Chao and the elephants. The rest of us came to help you…DUCK! Thomas is with Daphne." The older man explained as send a blasting jinx over Harry's head at a vine that he tried to sneak up on him.

Harry just stumbled along his side.

"Impedimenta!" came from Harry's left and a vine exploded.

"Thanks Eric!" Bill shouted.

"Thank me later; we're not out of trouble yet. Just run!" the grumpy man shouted.

And just like before with the wind, it all was suddenly over.

The vines retreaded, stopped attacking them.

But they didn't disappear.

Instead they grew higher, thickened and began to fuse with each other until they had transformed into a twenty feet tall wall, thick with no obvious holes of spaces to crawl through.

But that was not all. The vines spread out to both sides, raising the wall farther down the jungle until it disappeared from view.

But they could still hear it.

Harry swallowed.

Okay….

Welcome to Cambodia.

Someone touched his arm.

He turned to see Daphne, handing him something that looked like…

"When did you have time to find my glasses?" he asked.

Daphne smiled as he took them and put them on.

He face was covered in cuts as where her hands but her suit had protected her body otherwise just fine.

Her hair was disheveled and full of twigs and dirt and leaves but she looked fine otherwise.

"You maybe know a lot of impressive offensive spells but at least I know how to keep my things together."

She laughed at his confused expression.

"It's a summoning charm called 'Accio'. Combine it with what you need and if it can be summoned then it will be."

"I'll remember that one." He vowed.

"Are you alright?" he added.

"She shrugged. "Cuts and bruises, no broken or sprained bones. I'll be sore tomorrow but that was to be expected. And you?"

"Same." He replied.

"Alright everybody, listen up." Atticus suddenly shouted from somewhere next to them.

They all turned to their expedition-leader.

"Is anyone seriously hurt and in imminent need of treatment? Because otherwise we really need to get going. This was probably just a taste of what could be expecting us." All eyes turned to Daphne and Harry.

"Just a bit shaken, nothing serious." Harry said and Daphne nodded.

"You sure?" Thomas asked concerned.

"Yes. Superficial cuts a few bruises, nothing that will kill us. We're good to go."

"Still. I want you to be checked up by Rashid once we have set up the camp or at least tomorrow morning." Atticus ordered. They nodded.

"And I want Harry to ride with me this time. I would have been able to help him earlier had we not been separated." Bill said firmly.

"Me too!" Thomas said. "Daphne will ride with me."

"But we're fine." Harry argued.

"Harry, I promised not just Dumbledore but also my mom I would bring you home in one piece. She'll have a fit if you come back with one hair out of place! And don't forget Padfoot and Moony. They'll skin me alive. No. For now you ride with me."

Harry's and Daphne's gazes met.

They knew they were both thinking the same.

'Overbearing older brothers.'

10. Settling down For now

AN: Hey there. Two people already told me that Bill was only attacked by Bill in Harry's sixth year. Of course that is true. And thanks for reminding me. But I have two reasons for why it's not like that in this story, which I probably should have mentioned. The first is, and I know that is no real reason, it's been a rather long time since I read the books and I thought that Bill had already been attacked by then. The second reason is or will be in this story. As I thought Bill already had been attacked, I have something planned with that somewhere along in the future.

I love the Harry Potter books but there are so many details and things I just always confuse. So I'm sorry for that.

Hope you'll still enjoy this,

Love Kate

Chapter Ten: Settling down. For now.

Harry didn't remember much of the last two hours they spend riding through the jungle. Only that it grew darker and darker and that insects swarmed around them and that he grew more tired with every step the elephant made.

He was leaning against Bill.

The adrenalin that had kept him up during the fight was now all but gone and left his arms and legs stiff and his back hurt.

He tried to stay awake by going through different rules while deciphering scrolls in his head but eventually he fell asleep on Bills shoulder.

.

But not for long.

Bill shook him gently awake not an hour later.

"Harry. Wake up, we arrived. Come on sleepy-head. Otherwise you won't be able to sleep tonight."

Harry sat up and stretched his arms and legs.

The joints popped but it felt good.

He looked around.

They had reached a huge flat oval shaped clearing in the middle of the jungle yet the top of the trees around them where so big, they hung like canopy above them, blocking the sky partly out.

He could hear the swooshing sound of a nearby stream.

The clearing itself was overgrew with grass and wild flowers. It was maybe the size of the soccer-pitch back in Little Whining.

As he carefully slid down the elephants back, he saw that most of the others had already started unloading, piling everything at one side of the clearing.

Once the elephants were free, Chao led them somewhere between the trees to take care of them.

The others gathered around in the middle of the clearing.

Although the sun was setting fast they still had enough light left to see clearly.

Atticus unfolded a blank piece of paper and with a pencil he drew a quick sketch of the clearing.

"Alright so the Dinner/Cooking/Meeting-Tent will be set up here" he pointed at the one end of the clearing "And we will arrange our tents in a horseshoe-shape left and right from it. Rashid, your tent and first aid tent are right next to the Common-Tent. The showers and toiletries tent shall be left of the Common tent. Next to them we put the pantry. I'll be sleeping next to Rashid. I don't care about the rest but I want Bill and Alice on either ends, understood?" The all nodded. "Good. Next I want a big fire-pit at the edges of our horseshoe. Mind you, we don't want Bill's and Alice's tent to catch fire so keep some distance.

Around the fire we'll put up the benches. I want torches between every tent to light up the place in the evening." Again everybody nodded. "Good. Eric, you, Fleur and Mr. Lovegood set up the perimeter. I want the full program of protection spells you can think of. Rashid, you and Daphne set up your healing tent first and make sure it's ready for use. The rest of us will set up the Common-Tent together. Then you can set up your own tents. Once everyone is finished you can go to bed. We'll talk tomorrow. No guard-shift tonight."

They all agreed and hurried to fulfill their tasks.

Daphne smiled shortly at him before following Rashid.

Harry smiled too.

The common tent was the biggest piece of equipment they had.

Folded up it was already three meters long and one wide.

Still it was an easy thing to set up.

Together they levitated it into the air before Atticus chanted: "Errecto." and it started to unfold and put itself together.

Once it was finished they carefully set it down.

"Good job everybody. The rest can be done tomorrow."

In the end their living arrangement looked pretty much like this: The Common-Tent (also called CT) formed the head of the horseshoe.

To its left stood Rashid's First Aid tent and then his own sleeping tent. Atticus had settled down next to him, then came Eric, then Thomas with Daphne next to him and Alice at the end.

At the right side stood the washing-room, then came the pantry (Harry had asked if it wasn't better to put the pantry right next to the CT since the kitchen was in there but Bill had replied with the honest answer that no one like to sleep right next to the toilets, which Harry had to agree with). Next came Chao, then the Lovegoods, Fleur, then Harry and finally Bill.

Putting up his tent was also no problem.

Harry just had to put it down, say: "Errecto." And like magic it unfolded itself and within a minute a small brown tent stood in its place.

All he wanted to go was crash in that bed of his and sleep.

Bill smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"Just one last thing. The fire-pit."

.

When Atticus had said that he wanted a fire-pit Harry had expected a hole of maybe one to two meters in diameter and maybe just as deep.

He wasn't prepared to help create a the five meter wide and three meter deep pit by using explosive spells and fill said pit with some strange bewitched wood that would always replenish itself and burn brightly and warm.

Once they had levitated the fallen tree-trunks they had found, and that would serve as seating arrangements, to their predestined places around the pit and had lit the torches between their tents, Atticus dismissed them.

Goodnights where mumbled before everybody disappeared in their respective tents.

At the entrance of his, Harry stopped for a moment and looked around, at the torched flaring in the slight breeze, the soft glow of the tents and the thin beams of moon-light that floated through the leaves above.

The sounds of the night filled his ears and everything seemed rather peaceful.

As he laid down in his cot, staring into the darkness of the room, calmness settled over him and he sank down into deep sleep.

.

"Rise and shine!"

Harry groaned at the sudden brightness that invaded his poor eyes.

"Nooo…" he groaned and pulled his blanket over his head.

"Oh no you don't!" the someone said and the comfortable coziness Harry was bathing was ripped from him when someone ripped his blanket away.

Red hair freckles and a wide grin appeared above.

"Bill…" Harry whined. "Let me sleep."

"I already did. Everybody did. But no it's nearly ten o'clock. Time to get up. Because you need a shower. And to brush your hair." Bill said, grabbing his shoulders, hoisting him up.

"Bill!"

"Urgh and you need to brush your teeth too! Morning breath! Come on Harry, up you get."

When Harry made no attempt to do so Bill picked the small teen up and dumped him unceremoniously on the cold ground.

"BILL!"

"Go and get showered. The come to the CT. Rashid has made a wonderful breakfast. And then we'll be planning our future steps."

Harry sighed.

"Alright, I'm up." He sighed and gathered the things he needed from his backpack before entering the small bath he had inside his tent. Why steal the others their warm water if he had his own? Besides Harry was a boy of privacy.

It was uncomfortable enough to shower with the other boys of his team after Quidditch practice, which was why he preferred to shower in his dorm but sometimes they made him stay.

When he was finished he put back on the cloths he'd worn yesterday and found that true to Andrew's word they had mended and cleaned themselves over night from the skirmish with the plants and looked like new and smelled freshly washed.

Checking everything was in its place and his wand in its holster he stepped outside.

He blinked into the sudden sunlight and looked around. It had been already dusk when they had arrived and dark night by the time he'd gone to bed so now he got his first real good impression of the place he'd be staying at for the next three to four weeks, give it or take.

The ground was grass that tickled his ankles.

The trees surrounding their camp and overshadowing it were huge and bloomed colorfully.

The sky was clear and the lightest blue Harry had ever seen. He was used to the usual grey of Britain. But this…this nearly looked unnatural.

Despite the early hour the air was already hot and humid.

Birds were flying around, so colorful and strange that Harry wanted to sit down and observe then for a few hours.

"Morning Harry." He turned and saw Alice coming from her tent towards him.

"Good morning Alice. Slept well?" he asked.

"Good. But after yesterday that was not surprising. And yourself?"

"Not bad either. I was dead to the world."

She laughed and together they walked towards the CT.

"Are we the last?" he asked.

Alice snorted.

"I doubt it. Thomas is probably still in a deep coma and Eric is no morning person. I don't know about the Lovegoods though. But I don't think they are long sleepers. But everybody else is up." She informed him.

He nodded and held the tent entrance open for her.

"Such a gentlemen." She noted with a grin that made him blush.

The CT was a cozy place.

The left side of it reminded Harry of the Gryffindor-Common room with its couches and bookshelves and work-tables and fireplace. The middle consisted mostly of a gigantic ash-table with two dozen chairs, pretty much like one of the house-table sin small.

The right side was a huge kitchen even his Aunt Petunia would have approved off.

It had a spare base with kitchen-counters lining it; two separated cooking isles with integrated bar-like surfaces and matching high-chairs, two enormous freezer, three oven and stoves, lots of working space, four sinks as well as overhead cupboards.

As Harry and Alice entered the first thing Harry noticed was the mouth-watering smell of pancakes and fruit-salad and porridge.

The huge table was laid and Atticus, Daphne, Fleur, Rashid, Bill, Luna and her father sat there, eating and talking silently.

"Ah, good morning Alice, morning Harry. Slept well I hope?" Atticus asked when eh noticed them.

"Very well." Alice said and sat down next to Bill. "Me too." Harry replied. "You too?" he asked around as he sat down on the chair next to Daphne she had pulled out for him.

"Like a baby." Atticus admitted and shoved half of his rolled up pancake into his mouth at once.

Being used to Ron's eating habits Harry overlooked it but Fleur looked scandalized.

"Atticus…zhat iz no way of eating!" she scolded him in her French accented voice.

Atticus opened his mouth to say something but Fleur beat him to it.

"And if you dare zay somezing now, I will lock you up in your room. Just becauze we are in ze wilderness doesn't mean we 'ave to act like uncivilized people."

Atticus swallowed and smiled at her. "Of courze Fleur." He imitated her.

She playfully slapped his arm and took another scoop of the fruit salad.

Harry looked at Daphne.

She had her hair fuller up in a simple pony-tail and was wearing grey pants, like his own, a long-sleeved white shirt and a red dragon-hide waistcoat.

"Morning." He said. "Morning she greeted back as she mixed some of the fruits in her porridge.

"Slept well?" "Is that everything you tend to ask in the morning?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…it seemed polite."

"It would be polite if you complimented me on my looks or compare my sheer beauty to the nature around us." She said grinning.

"Well then if you insist." Harry said and cleared his throat before saying in a fake deep voice: "Oh Lady Daphne. Your eyes are like the morning sky above us. How do you manage to look so fabulous that the flowers envy you when you walk by?" he asked, remembering something like that from a poem in elementary school.

Daphne laughed and shook her head.

"You know, that would have been a really nice compliment had I not known it came from you." She teased and sipped at her orange juice as Harry loaded his bowl with porridge.

Harry shrugged. "You just don't get my charm."

Daphne snorted very unladylike in her cup.

Fleur shot her a scolding look but it was still very soft. She seemed to have a soft spot for her younger cousin.

Harry took a careful spoon-full of the hot food and his eyes widened when he tasted the excellent porridge.

"Rashid, my compliments, this is really good!" he praised.

Rashid smiled. "The mare-milk is the secret."

Harry froze, the next spoon of porridge halfway down already. "The what?" he asked horrified.

"The mare-milk." Rashid said with a serious face.

Harry's expression must have been too much because Bill cracked up and Atticus soon joined his laughter.

"Told you he'd buy it." Bill snickered.

"Merlin's beard, your face Harry!" Atticus laughed.

"Don't worry Harry, it is normal milk." Rashid assured him.

Harry frowned and asked annoyed. "Is everything a joke to you?"

"Only funny things." Atticus admitted.

Bill leaned over the table and ruffled through Harry's hair.

"Lighten up dude. We're only messing with you." He said good-naturally.

Harry pointed his spoon at him and said mock-threatening: "Better hope I'm not telling your mother you're mean to me. She'll tear you a new one."

"Harry!" Fleur said scandalized. "You should not speak like that!"

She glared at Bill who was snickering.

"I blame you for zat William!" she scolded him.

Bills ears turned red which clashed horribly with his hair.

The tent flapped open and Eric marched inside. Behind him came a disheveled looking Thomas Greengrass.

"Morning team." Eric bellowed.

Everyone winced.

"Turn it down Hook." Bill growled. "It's still early."

"Didn't you say he was no morning person?" Harry asked Alice as Eric sat down.

Alice grimaced.

"Well, he is while he's still half-asleep but once he's awake he's the most active person you know."

"Besides, it's hardly morning." Daphne said.

"Ron would still be in a coma." Harry muttered.

"Not if he smelled food." Bill argued.

"True." Harry admitted and sipped at his water.

Otherwise breakfast was a relaxed affair once Thomas and Chao showed up and they enjoyed their first morning together.

Afterwards their dirty dishes were levitated into one of the sinks where they were magically scrubbed clean and sorted into their rightful place.

Harry simply loved magic.

"Alright folks, sit down." Atticus announced once the table was cleaned.

He unrolled a long rectangular map and with a swish of his wand it started glowing and seconds later a holographic image of it hovered above the table.

A red pulsing dot showed their location.

From the map Harry could see that they weren't far away from a long river that feed a huge lake a few miles away.

Otherwise the terrain was rockier beyond their camp. Still the jungle seemed to stretch on and on forever.

Atticus made moved his thumb and index finger apart thus zooming in on the map.

Then he clasped the hands behind his back and looked at each of them.

"I welcome you all to our official first day of work. It's an honor to work with a team like this; we have many experienced and talented people among us as well as some promising up- starters. I welcome old friends back and I welcome new ones. Talent and experience and knowledge will be some things we will need. Yesterday's incident has showed us that this place is no joke. Danger is real and we will have to be cautious. None of us really know what we're dealing with and none of us have ever been here." Atticus began and everybody nodded seriously.

"That is why the first point on my To-do-list is security." Atticus concluded and nodded at Eric who got up and took out his knife.

"Eric has warded the place last evening to the maximum extend of his power and knowledge. We have thrown in a few ideas ourselves but Eric has set up the main frame. We're as save as we can possibly be. To ensure that it will stay like that Eric has set up a little specialty Mr. Lovegood told us about. Would you be so kind to explain it to us?" he addressed the eccentric man. Mr. Lovegood nodded and his long silvery hair fell over his shoulders. "There are runes that are similar to Blood-Runes with which one can ward a place for example in the most powerful way known. The runes I am talking about are relatives you could say. They were used mostly by High-Priests of Northern Gods since they are slightly barbaric to some. When added a small amount of blood, the area the rune is supposed to ward will only be accessible by those that gave the blood. It works with more than one person. And nothing and nobody else will be able to penetrate the border." He explained.

"That's handy." Alice commented.

Atticus nodded. "It is. But in order for the rune to recognize you, you need the counter-part of the rune."

He gave Eric his hand and the Rune-Master took his knife and started cutting a symbol into the back of his hand.

Small rivers of blood started dwelling from the cuts but Atticus stayed calm.

Eric quickly finished the rune and Atticus wiped away the blood with a cloth to show them the delicate pattern of a triskelion in a circle with a miniature protection rune at all three peaks.

"I'm afraid we all will need this symbol carved into our skin and it'll have to heal naturally. But don' worry, it's completely save. Look at it like it's a ticket through the barrier."

Eric walked over to Bill who calmly put his hand on the table and let him do his work.

"Will it scar?" Daphne asked a little nervously.

Atticus smiled at her. "No. The cuts are shallow. But the lines will appear whenever you are near the barrier."

Harry watched fascinated as Eric carefully sliced through the skin on the back of Alice's hand next to him.

Alice flinched shortly but didn't move.

"You next Potter." Eric said.

Harry put his left hand flat on the table. How painful could this be? He had his arm pierced by the fang of a basilisk.

It really wasn't bad.

It burned a little and was uncomfortable but not overly painful.

He looked at his hand once the slight bleeding had subsided and starred at the pattern.

"Harry, put this antiseptic cream on your hand. It may have to heal naturally but we don't have to risk an infection." Rashid told him and handed him a small tube of cream. Harry recognized it instantly.

Aunt Petunia had always used it when Dudley would fall and skim his knees open.

"That a Muggle product." He said astonished.

Rashid shrugged.

"Some things Muggles make are good." Rashid said with a grin.

The cream was cool and took the stinging pain away.

Aunt Petunia had never 'wasted' such expensive things on him whenever he had skimmed his knees.

Harry shifted his weight uncomfortably on his chair.

Why did he keep referring to them as 'Aunt' Petunia or 'Uncle' Vernon? They had thrown him out, they hated him, and they had been mean to him. Harry had never liked them at all. They didn't deserve to be called 'uncle' or 'aunt' or 'cousin'. Family didn't hate each other.

A hand on his arm brought him back to the reality.

"You okay Harry? You had a funny expression on your face." Daphne asked next to him.

Harry shook his head.

"It was nothing." He assured her with a smile.

.

"Right" Atticus began after everyone had gotten the symbol carved into their hand "So that is that. A few basic rules. No wandering off alone. Always in pairs of two to three. No unnecessary wandering off. We'll explore this area together that's saver. Never leave without your wand. I think that one's self-explanatory. Breakfast will be from now on at seven o'clock every morning. Everyone is due to help Rashid with food preparation at least once. We'll work out a schedule later. Same goes for cleaning the bathroom. And no Eric, just because you have your own doesn't mean you don't have to clean."

Eric grumbled something Harry didn't catch over the chuckle of the others.

"Good. Anything I forgot to mention?" Atticus asked.

Nobody said anything so he moved on.

"Righty-ho. So, that being said I think we can move on to the part we are all anticipating and the reason why we're here in first place."

He pointed at the map.

"Over night the detector I had set up was able to locate the power source as exact as possible. That means the area we have to scout and examine is a lot smaller than usually thought."

The map zoomed out a bit and an area started pulsing in a faint blue light. Their camp lay at its outskirts.

"This area was never really explored, neither by Muggels nor be magicians. Most of its jungle is impenetrable and full of wild animals. Another thing we have to be wary of. There are no legends or lore passed down among the natives that has something to do with this place. It's a white spot on a map basically. And it would have continued so until the detectors first caught waves of strange strong magic from here a couple of months back. It came out of nowhere and we still can't say what kind of object or thing could radiate this kind of magic. All we know is that it's strong."

"So what's the plan?" Bill asked calmly.

"Today is already too late to get anything done. So tomorrow after breakfast we will saddle up and take a first glance around. Either on broom, elephant or in Rashid's case a flying carpet. In groups of two to three each checks out part of the area and later we will meet back here. I'll give you details tomorrow. Today I want you to prepare as best as possible. Those of you that have and apprentice take him or her and make them familiar with the usual processes. The bell will ring when it's time for tea-time. I think we can skip lunch today. Seeing that it's already noon." Atticus finished.

They all nodded.

"Great. Then you are dismissed."

Bill nodded for Harry to follow him and he hurried after the oldest Weasley-child.

"It's not too hot. Let's find a nice spot somewhere and let's go through our scrolls and I tell you some of the things that are most likely to happen tomorrow."

Harry nodded.

With their arms full books, scrolls and paper they settled down near the woods under a huge tree where the ground was flat and consisted mostly of soft earth. It was shaded form direct sunlight and comfortable to sit.

As Bill looked over the scrolls Harry had translated yesterday, Harry noticed something that made him frown.

"Bill?"

"Yes?"

"There is something that confused me. How can we not know where the place we're searching for is, when we have the scrolls with the spells and all the stuff the place is warded with?"

Bill put the scroll he was reading aside.

"Ah…yes, I see. You see, it's a bit like this: If there's a mosquito in the room, you can't necessarily see it. It flies around and around. But because of the sounds it makes you know that it is there. And you can always say where it roughly is. It's the same with this place. The magic this place emits is the same. The warding hasn't changed. We just can't locate where it is. But we know it is there."

Harry nodded understandingly.

Bill skimmed over the rest of the scroll and whistles lowly.

"Harry, this is really good." He said praising. Harry blushed and shrugged.

"No really, you should keep doing this. How are you coming along with your rune-study?"

Harry grimaced. "Daphne tried to teach me. She had it last year at Hogwarts. But I just don't get a grip on it. Most runes look the same to me anyway and then there are runes from different cultures and times that look alike but are nothing alike. I keep confusing them." Bill patted his shoulder. "You'll get it eventually. And you can always ask Eric or Mr. Lovegood for extra lessons."

"Hook doesn't look like the type to offer private lessons."

Bill nodded. "Yeah. But he is a master in his field. Don't let his hard annoyed and unfriendly shell scare you. Beneath he's…"

"Even harder?"

"I was about to say just stubborn but I guess that's the same."

Harry laughed and then eagerly asked: "So, tell me more about tomorrow."

Bill laughed but did as asked.

"You, I and probably someone else will fly off to search the exact location of the magic-spring, using Moonstones. The closer they get to a powerful magical source, the brighter they glow. Once we find it, we come back and report it. Then we go back as a team and start lifting the curses and spells. For that we'll need the maps."

"How do you do that anyway? I mean I know who to do the theoretical part and find out which spell needs to be countered with which counter-spell but how do you actually, practical do it?"

Bill smiled.

"That's a bit tricky. Basically by looking at the scrolls we get a general view how the protection on the place is put together. Are there a lot of offensive spells, or more defensive, is it more harmful or just suppose to keep someone away, things like that can be concluded. Which is important. You see, you have to imagine the warding of a place like a shield, right?"

"Right."

"Good. And this shield you have to know is filled to the brim with magic. Magic that has piled up over years. Unleashed at once it could probably annihilate the whole country. And we want under that shield. To prevent that we unleash a catastrophe we have to know how thick the shield is for example and where its weak points are. Once we do, we try to find the best spot to start from and from there on we unravel the shield. We want to slowly drain it of its power. Like air leaking form a tiny hole in a balloon.

We do that by neutralizing. So we start with first spell in the first row of the first scroll and read: "Oh…it's a stinging hex combined with a memory-loss charm. Since the memory-loss charm is the dominant one, I have to counter it first and then the stinging hex." And like that we work off our scrolls. You see, the first spell that was ever set in place is the first that has to be countered, then the second that was casted. If you were to start somewhere in the middle, that would be like taking a can from the middle of a pyramid of tin-cans. You would start a chain-reaction of curses going off.

Luckily when we cast our detecting spells to get the scrolls, they appear in the exact order they were cast."

"How come?" Harry asked.

"I think it has something to do with their magical energy. The oldest have the biggest about of power and thus are stringer and are first detected. But don't ask me details."

Harry nodded. He looked at their scrolls.

"Which number do our scrolls have? I mean which place are they in with the others?"

Bill looked through them. "I think fifth, sixth and seventh."

He rolled them back up. "Atticus has the first two and the last two. Eric has three and four and eight and Alice has four and nine. And I think that's it."

"So we'll go there, cast counter-spells until our scrolls are worked off and then the next one takes over."

"Basically. Two will always stand ready in case something goes wrong or the other one needs help."

"And what do we do once the shield is down?"

"We explore what's beyond is. Since magic can shield other magic we hardly know what to expect. So we'll have to be careful and improvise is necessary."

Harry grinned widely.

"I can't wait." He said happily.

11. Never praise the day before the evening

Chapter Eleven: Never praise the day before the evening

"I can't wait." Sirius said happily.

"I can't wait to see Harry. The kid must be dying of boredom without me. Man, I can't wait to tell him of the house I have my eye on and the things we'll be doing this summer. Remus, this will be the best summer ever! We'll go on holiday and we'll swim together in the sea. I bet he never got to do that with the Dursleys! And we'll eat ice and pizza all summer long and explore different magical and muggle cities. And I teach him my best pranks and answer all his questions and tell him embarrassing baby-stories and stories about Prongs and Lilly! And you can come over and maybe he can meet Dora and Andy."

.

The boat was cutting harshly through the waves.

Water sprayed into the occupants faces and the smallest man cowered from the cold and wet. The taller men just snorted.

.

"And when he gets back to Hogwarts he'll have so much to tell and report and I will give him my two-way-mirror so that when he ends up in detention we can talk. You know, like the good old times Remus."

.

The fog was thick and cold and the water was dark. It was staring to get late. But time hardly mattered here.

The sun was never seen in this part of the sea.

It had long forgotten what sunlight was.

Everything was dead here.

.

"Maybe I could teach him how to ride my bike. I mean the girls would find that so hot! That Granger-friend of his and he, they would be a cute couple."

"I don't think Hermione would like Harry risking his neck on your bike."

"To true. A well, I bet Harry has the girls standing in rows behind him, waiting. Just like his good old father and godfather."

.

The smallest men cowered deeper into his dark cloak.

The coldness that was creeping up inside him was unbearable.

Enviously he looked towards the taller men that were standing shrouded in silver-blue light inside the cabin-house; dry, warm and secure.

And then the screams started.

.

Remus couldn't, he just couldn't.

Sirius was so happy. How could he destroy this?

Ever since Sirius and he had finally been able to leave the Ministry of Magic (but only after answering a million questions from "Are you sure you are no murderer?" to "Can we see your Tattoos?" to "Are you single?" Unnecessary to say it was a long evening)

Now Sirius was nearly skipping next to him as they walked the long dirt road down to the Burrow.

.

Against the black sky the shadows moving at a very fast pace were hard to see. They weaved through the clouds, following the boat.

.

"You think he's already asleep? It is kinda late. And I know Molly. You think she lets me wake him?" Sirius contemplated.

Remus sighed.

He had to.

He stopped walking.

Sirius only realized he had when he was several meters ahead. He too stopped and turned, confused.

"Moony? Is something the matter?" he asked as he slowly walked back to his oldest remaining friend.

"Sirius, I…there is something I have to tell you."

"Okay."

"And you will not like it."

Sirius frowned.

"Okay." He said.

"It's about Harry."

Sirius paled.

"Is he alright?" he asked panicking.

"Yes, he's absolutely fine as far as I know. It's just a lot has happened during your trial. Harry found a lot of things out, about himself mostly, and it was…a bit difficult for him to cope with it. So Dumbledore had this idea…"

Sirius growled so loudly that it interrupted Remus would-be-explanation.

He was shaking badly.

"What kind of idea?" he growled. "We both know what kind of ideas Dumbledore has."

Remus nervously moved a hand through his thinning hair.

"You know Bill, right? Molly's and Arthur's oldest kid?"

Sirius nodded mutely.

"And you know he's a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts?"

Sirius nodded again.

"Well, he's on a mission to Cambodia to investigate in something there and…"

Sirius didn't like where this was going.

"And he and Harry have gotten rather close and from what I heard Harry has an unknown talent for decoding and spells and you know that he's good at defense and so he…"

"Remus, spit it out."

Remus looked unhappily down.

"And so Dumbledore suggested for Harry to take his mind off things for a while by going with Bill."

.

The taller man at the wheel frowned.

The smallest man on the deck was cowering close to the railing.

Not that he was able to jump and drown but it was uncommon behavior.

Above them thunder rumbled.

"Great, a storm is coming." His partner said with a scowl.

The taller man nodded and starred at the sky.

His neck was tingling.

A warning.

And with the next roll of thunder the sky broke apart.

.

For a second Sirius just stared at him.

"What?"

Remus flinched.

"Harry's not here. He's not even in England. Hell, I don't even know if he's on the same half of the world as we are."

Remus had expected a full blown out rage-tornado to go break down on him but instead Sirius eyes misted over.

"He doesn't want me." He whispered.

Remus shook his head vehemently.

"No Padfoot, you see this wrong. Merlin…this is all so complicated. Come on, Dumbledore gave me permission to tell you everything Harry told me. But don't you dare assume for a minute that Harry doesn't want you in his life! Okay?"

.

Black poured down from the sky.

Black shadows and they descended towards the boat.

The men cursed, the engine roared, speeding up.

If they made it over the perimeter then their attackers would not be able to follow.

But the tall men was a realistic person.

As the others cursed and tried to get the ancient ship to move faster he drew his wand and rushed out on deck where the prisoner, the smallest man, lay on deck.

He was starring amazed at the incoming shadows and a gleeful smile appeared on his face when he saw him approach.

"They're coming!" he screeched. "Told you I was important."

The tall man cursed.

The curse was already on his lips, ready to be fired when an explosion caught him in the side and flung him across the deck.

His vision blacked out for a moment and hot red pain ran through his body.

He groaned, trying to get up.

His sight cleared again.

A man had landed on deck next to their prisoner.

He was cloaked and had a hood over his head but it had to be a man because he could see a bearded chin.

He grabbed the smallest man harshly and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on you rat. There's still work for you do. Our Lord needs us." He heard the man growl.

He was in too much pain to register the words properly but he knew what they meant.

He got to his knees and shakily pointed his wand at the man.

The man saw him and raised his wand too.

No words got across his lips and he had to watch helplessly as a green bold of lightning drew closer and closer before it hit him and catapulted him across the deck once again.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

He didn't see the prisoner and men disappear. He didn't see how they killed his partners and friends and he never felt the flames they set consume his body.

He never saw the dark mark appear above the sea.

.

Molly had cooked Sirius favorite dinner to cheer him up and celebrate his freedom.

But it all tasted like cardboard to him.

And over dinner Remus and Arthur and Molly tried to explain everything that happened as best a possible.

Sirius had to admit that once he knew the whole story it all made more sense.

And he was horrified when Remus told them all what Harry had told him above himself.

"But we don't know that, do we? We don't know if he's a…horcrux, right?" he asked with tears in his eyes.

Remus shook his head. "No but it would certainly explain a lot. Harrys Parselmouth ability as well as his dreams and why Voldemort is always after him. They are connected. And it's only a matter of time until he notices too."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Sirius demanded hotly.

"Padfoot, your cell was bugged. And your letters were read. How you we tell you something confidential like this?"

Sirius leaned back in his chair, starring at his half-eaten plate.

"This is not fair." He whispered. "Harry lost his parents, was made famous against his will, grew up with horrible relatives, which by the way I still intend on killing" "Tell me if you need help." Remus muttered. "Then he has to deal with Voldemort two times in a row and now he finds out part of that monsters soul is probably inside him. I mean…how much more can we expect of the kid? This is going to break him and I'm not there for him! Damn the Ministry for making my trial lasting so long. This could have been done in an instant but no…."

Sirius was no positively pulling his hair.

"Harry would probably never have told me." He said miserably.

"What was I thinking? He doesn't know me. Why would he want to live with me or confide in me? Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Oh Sirius, that is not true!" Molly shouted horrified. "Harry talked to me about it. He's afraid you don't want him! He told me that it was stupid to assume that you would have time for him once you had regained your freedom. He was afraid at first that you would put him back to the Dursleys. Or that you only saw James in him and not himself. Or that you wouldn't like him after a while."

Sirius looked at her irritated. "That's stupid, I would never do such things!" he roared.

Arthur sighed. "We know. And we told him. And it took us a long time to get him to accept that. But I still think he has doubts. Besides Sirius, he is right. In the coming weeks you will be very busy."

"I will be?" Sirius asked confused.

"Of course you idiot. You will have meetings with Gringotts concerning your vaults, you have to claim your position as Head of House Black, you will have to socialize with others, sort out your houses affairs, attend to many dinners and parties no doubt, you will have to get that house you were walking about ready for you and Harry to move in, you will have to do y lot of things. Even if Harry was here, you would barely see him. Let him have his little time off and when he returns you two will have a long heart-to-heart talk and then you both will be very happy. Alright?" Remus explained and leaned over the table, looking Sirius straight in the eyes.

"Alright." He admitted silently.

Only moments later the fireplace roared and from the emerald green flames rose Albus Dumbledore himself.

"Gentleman, Molly, we have a problem."

"What is it Albus?" Arthur asked with a frown.

"The ship that was supposed to bring Peter Pettigrew to Azkaban was attacked, Pettigrew rescued, the crew killed and the boat set on fire. The dark mark hung above the place for hours. The Ministry is in an uproar. This is the first time in years that the dark mark was conjured."

Remus turned to Sirius.

"Maybe it is a good thing that Harry sis not here right now after all." He said dryly.

.

"…the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he has. Tonight…before midnight…the servant…will set out…to rejoin…his…master…"

The cold Albanian air didn't bother him as he rushed through the heather. Carefully Pettigrew lifted the bundle wrapped in dirty cloth. The thing they had been searching for.

"Master." He breathed in awe.

.

Harry dreamt he stood at the foot of a hill in the gigantic shadow of an old manor. Something dreadful was handing in the air. A foreboding that promised nothing good.

Harry woke with a start and a wild beating heart.

12. Danny und Ry

Chapter Twelve: Danny und Ry

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes."

"You sure? Do you have your wand?"

"It's in my holster."

"You knife?"

"In my belt."

"Food and water for the day?"

"Both in my backpack."

"Have you put the sun-cream on yet?"

"Yes."

"On your nose too?"

"Yes, there too."

"Have you been to the toilet?"

"BILL!"

"Just asking, we won't stop until we've reached our area."

"You are worse than your mother."

Harry shook his head and grumbling something about mother-hens he walked over to where Daphne knelt on the ground while finishing packing her bag.

"Honestly, how can you stand Thomas constant mothering?" he asked as he flopped down next to her.

"Practice. I've learned just to go with it. Fighting is hopeless." She said with a grin.

Harry shook his head.

Daphne tugged hard at the cords of her backpack and sighed.

"Harry can you help me? The stupid thing is somehow jammed." She mumbled.

"Sure."

As he helped her tying up the pack he felt her gaze on him.

"What is it?"

"You look tired Harry. Did you not sleep well?"

"Just woke up early."

"Why?"

"Strange dream."

"Nightmare?"

"I'm not sure. It wasn't really terrifying and at the same time it was somehow scary."

"What was it about?"

Harry blushed.

"Not important."

He was not going to talk about his bad dreams with Daphne Greengrass while on a Curse-Breaking mission.

"Here, all done." He declared.

She smiled at him. "Thanks Ry."

He frowned. "What's with the nickname?"

She shrugged and…was that a blush? ...just said: "Everyone has a nickname. I figured you'd need one too."

"What's yours then?" he asked amused but secretly he was touched. He never had nickname. Well, not if you counted 'Boy-who-Loved' or 'Golden-boy'.

She smiled. "I came up with one for you, now you have to do the same with me. Be creative!"

"You just shortened my name. That's hardly creative."

She just grinned and stood up. "We need to go. See you later Ry."

"Be careful Danny."

She swirled around.

"Come again?" she demanded.

"What? I think it fits perfectly if you name my Ry."

She looked like she wanted to say something in return but no word came over her lips. She closed and opened her mouth, then closed it again before opening it again and saying, with a threatening finger pointing at him: "It doesn't sound like my name at all!"

"And mine does?"

She glared at him. "Don't think this is over."

"Yeah yeah." he said.

"I will get you." Daphne replied.

"Sure." Harry said, crossing his arms.

"Yes." She said, crossing her arms too.

"Ahm…are two done flirting? We need to get going." Someone said behind them.

They swirled around to see Thomas and Bill standing there.

Thomas was looking sternly at them but Bill was cackling next to him.

Both teens blushed.

"We're ready." Daphne said with as much dignity as she could muster. "We weren't flirting." Harry said embarrassed at the same time.

"Whatever." Thomas said.

.

Harry enjoyed the cool wind as they flew in a fast pace above the tree-tops.

Bill was flying to his left and Fleur; the third member of their party, flew to Bill's other side.

Something seemed to startle a flock of birds somewhere because they erupted form the tree-tops with lots of noise a few meters ahead of them.

They were big and colorful and Harry was fascinated by their flight. It looked like a dance.

Cambodia was a fascinating country.

So wild, untouched and ancient at the same time.

Next to him Bill went into a slow dive and Harry and Fleur followed.

They had been flying for barely fifteen minutes now and it seemed like they were approaching their destination.

From this high up it looked spectacular.

Before them the earth broke into a steep and wide gorge. It looked like some crazy god had split the earth with a wedge. The rock was a dark reddish-brownish tone and trees had grown over the edges of the cliffs and their roots dangled free in the air.

At the bottom of the gorge ran a small river that got lost around a corner.

Beyond the floor of the canyon a wide flat area spread out to all sides before the terrain grew rockier again and rose and was swallowed by thick jungle.

They touched down on the cliffs and looked around.

"Right." Bill said and reached into his pocket. He pulled out three cords with a milky-white stone the size of a chicken egg at the end and handed each one.

"This is a Moonstone. It will start glowing brightly if you come close to a powerful magical source. I'd say we split up but stay in calling distance. That way we'll cover more ground.

Fleur, are you okay with checking up here?"

The part-Veela smiled at him. "Of courze William." She said and pulled into the air.

"I will check out the gorge. You will head down to the ground and up to the foothill of the gorge. Stay close."

Harry saluted before jumping into the air and diving down in a spectacular dive.

He could hear Bill curse behind him and thought he heard something that sounded suspiciously like: "I'll tell mom and Hermione that you did that again."

He pulled the broom back into the horizontal and slowed down as he reached the floor.

Flying above the river he felt reminded of his flight on Buckbeaks back.

Playfully he touched the surface of the water and watched it spray upwards.

Remembering that he had a job to do he steered the broom away from the water and flew in a huge circle, his eyes traveling over the ground while keeping one hand around the Moonstone.

Above him Bill searched the walls of the gorge for magical activity.

He couldn't see Fleur but she probably was close by.

He turned his broom and flew towards the opening of the gorge. Before him the veld grew closer and soon he flew past the foothills.

The area beyond was void of any trees of plants at all for the matter.

To his left and right rose rock-walls.

Harry didn't notice his Moonstone growing warmer in his hand until he flew to the left and it grew so hot in an instant he cried out and dropped it.

He brought his broom to a quick stop and dismounted, picked the stone up with the string that was attached to it and examined it.

It was glowing very brightly like a miniature sun and the heat it emanated was quite high.

Looking at his palm he saw that it was all read and swollen.

Looking up he examined where he was and immediately noticed the holes in the cliff walls on which he'd just stood moments before.

Like Swiss cheese, he thought.

It had to be caves.

Carefully he walked towards the rock-walls the hand that was holding the stone extended in front of him.

It started moving wildly and glowed so brightly he had to avert his eyes.

He didn't get far anyway.

With the next step he walked into something solid that gave him the electro shock of his life with a sound like rolling thunder.

He felt himself flung through the hair, wildly spinning and hardly connecting with the ground.

His ears were ringing and there was a huge dust-cloud.

Everything was blurry and he was seeing double.

He coughed painfully and tried to roll to his side.

"HARRY!"

He managed to roll onto his side and sluggishly raised his head.

Three Bills came running towards him. They fused back into one Bill and back into two Bills. Harry's head spun and groaning he let it fall back on the ground.

Then a shadow fell over him and big hands rolled him hastily on his back.

Harry groaned at the rough treatment. His whole body ached.

"Bill?" he asked faintly.

The older Curse-Breaker gathered the teen's upper body in his arms.

"Harry, are you hurt? Does it hurt anywhere? Can you move your feet? How does your head feel? How many fingers do you see? Can your wriggle with your fingers and toes? Is your back feeling strange? Is your neck stiff? Do you think your bleeding somewhere?"

"Ahm" Harry's brain had problems processing all the questions properly "Hurts everywhere…toes fine..ahm…what was the next question?"

Bill put his other arm under his knees and lifted him easily into the air.

"Bill…let me down." Harry protested weakly, his head rolling back.

Bill looked back at the rock-wall and muttered: "Of course it had to be caves and of course you had to find them and of course you had to hurt yourself in the process. I swear, you're an accident prone Harry."

Harry tried to laugh but it hurt so he stopped.

"OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED? HARRY!"

Harry flinched at Fleur's sudden scream form ahead of them.

He couldn't remember getting into the air but suddenly they were floating next to Fleur who was very pale, with him pressed against Bills massive chest.

"I heard ze thunder and waz zo worried! What happened?" the French girl shouted.

"Harry found our place but it wasn't to welcoming. It blasted him at least ten feet through the air and onto solid rock. I don't think he's badly hurt but he got a good knock to the head at least."

"I'm fine…" Harry argued sluggishly.

"Sure you are." Bill mumbled.

"Fleur inform the others that we need Rashid ASAP."

Fleur nodded and flew ahead.

"And me?" Harry asked.

"You stay awake for now. I'm not taking any risks until Rashid gave his okay."

Harry nestled against Bills chest.

"Alright." He said sleepily.

Bill looked down at him.

"Don't scare me like that kiddo. Ever again!"

"Hm." Harry muttered his eyes falling shut.

"Hey, eyes up front, didn't you hear what I said?" Bill said, shaking his shoulder.

"Sorry…only heard sleep. Thought it was okay."

Bill sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon."

.

Rashid stormed into camp, closely followed by Atticus and Eric.

Fleur stood next to the opening of the First-Aid tent.

"Oh thank ze gods. Bill's inside with him." She shouted with relieve and stepped aside to make way for the healer.

Atticus stopped shortly next to her and asked: "So you found it."

"Zhat is an understatement. Zhere was thunder rolling and I think ze ground shook. And it blasted poor 'arry through ze air!" the part-veela raged.

"Is he badly hurt?" Atticus asked concerned.

Fleur shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't zee for sure, Bill was shielding him. He waz awake and talking but I zhink he hit 'is head."

Atticus nodded.

"Go and rest Fleur, I will inform the others to come back."

Fleur nodded and walked towards her tent.

Atticus knew better than to disturb Rashid when he was working so he waited patiently outside the tent.

It didn't take long and the flaps parted and Bill walked outside with Rashid behind him.

"And?" he asked the two men.

"He'll be fine." Rashid said. "Bill was right, a minor hit to the head but no concussion. It was probably more shock than anything."

"He's asleep right now." Bill added.

"Did he tell you what happened?" Atticus asked curiously.

Bill nodded.

"Yeah, he said he was flying over the veld when the Moonstone suddenly grew hot enough to burn his hand. He stopped and looked around and saw the caves. Naturally he approached but ran into some sort of barrier that threw him back. Well, and the rest is history."

Atticus whistled lowly.

"He's lucky. That thing could have been bewitched with a killing curse."

"Very lucky indeed." Eric muttered as he joined them.

"The others will be here in ten minutes tops." He added.

"Thanks Eric."

.

Harry woke feeling absolutely fantastic.

Like when he and Ron had eaten too much sugar at that one Halloween in second year.

He felt awake and strong and ready to go.

So naturally he got up, put on his shoes and waistcoat before stepping outside.

From the point of the sun he judged it must have been late afternoon to early evening. Time was strange to judge here.

So not too much time must have passed from when he'd found the caves till now. Two hours, three maybe?

Yawning he walked towards the CT and entered casually.

"Morning." He mumbled as he saw Bill and Atticus at the table.

Both men looked up and both looked quiet stunned.

"HARRY! You're up!" Bill shouted happily and jumped up and pulled him into another bone crushing hug.

"Whoa, take it easy Bill!" he wheezed. "Gee! You're acting as if you haven't seen me in years."

"Harry, you've been asleep for sixteen hours straight." Atticus said.
"Yeah, Bill was starting got get worried." Someone said from their left. Rashid came from the kitchen towards them, eyeing Harry critically.

"How are you feeling Harry?" he asked as he cast a diagnosing-spell.

"Fantastic, what did you give me? I feel like I could wrestle a mountain troll." Rashid raised an eyebrow.

"We just let you sleep." He said.

"Really? I feel like I had twenty of Madam Pomfrey's Pepper-Up-Potions."

Atticus looked at Rashid questioningly.

But the healer just shook his head.

"I can't explain it. The bump on his head is already gone, he's clear; his memories seem to be intact. I've never seen such a speedy recovery without any spells or potions."

Harry waved it aside. "Oh don't you worry, I always heal quickly. Ask any teacher at school, they'll tell you the same."

Rashid shook his head. "That can't be normal."

Harry shrugged but before any of them could say something the tent-flaps opened and Daphne entered. Upon seeing Harry her eyes widened.

"Harry!" she exclaimed and fell around his neck.

"You absolute idiot! Didn't I tell you to be careful?" she hissed and punched his arm angrily.

"Ouch. Danny, leave me be!" Harry yelped and jumped backwards.

"Daphne, calm down. He's quite alright." Rashid said, stepping between them.

Daphne huffed, turned around and stormed out of the healing tent.

Harry stared at the others with wide and disbelieving eyes.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked in a perfect Ron-imitation.

Eric snorted and Atticus patted his shoulder while saying: "That was her expressing her worry for you wellbeing."

"More like she was doing something against my wellbeing!" Harry growled, rubbing his arm.

"Man, that girl can punch!"

.

During their team-meeting Daphne ignored him even though he sat right next to her.

"Alright folks, although there were minor hiccups, we found what we've been looking for." Atticus began, pointing at the holographic map.

"Harry, would you do us the honor?" he asked.

Harry nodded.

"At the end of this gorge is a wide and flat area, pretty much without anything on it, except for a small stream. But the cliff walls are interesting because they apparently have a lot of caves." Harry said, trying to sound confident.

He touched the cliff-walls and the map zoomed in on the holes in the stone.

"They are pretty nondescript. But about here…" he zoomed out and pointed at a perimeter about twenty meters away from the walls "is a force-field. I accidently touched it and it tossed me five…" "Ten!" Bill interrupted. "…feet through the air." Harry continued. "I admit, I was rather lucky and we probably should be careful. We don't know how far it stretches and how wide it is in other places." He concluded and sat down.

"Thanks Harry." Atticus said and nodded at him.

Alice whistled lowly. "Whoa, kid you were lucky." She muttered. "You could easily have touched a place that was warded with a killing curse."

"Believe me, I know." Harry muttered.

"I believe we should proceed like this: Tomorrow we go there, cast a detection charm, see if the magical signature of the shield matches our scrolls, if they do, we find our sections in the shield and start to de-curse the place as fast as possible. Once that is done we check out the caves. Since we can't pinpoint the exact location of the magical energy-source we have to assume that this is what we're looking for."

Harry frowned but it was Daphne that asked the question in his head.

"You mean there could be more than one magical or cursed place around here?"

Atticus nodded. "It's not uncommon. If this is for example some kind of old temple of some ancient and long forgotten culture they could easily have built dozens of these places."

"But we didn't find anything anywhere else." Daphne argued.

"We didn't search that long. It is possible." Eric said.

"Anyway, since the sun will set in two hours it makes no sense to go there now. Is every scroll de-cursed?"

"Yes." The others replied.

"Any problems?" Atticus dug deeper.

"All clear." Thomas said.

"If I may…" all heads turned to Xenophilius Lovegood. Harry had nearly forgotten the man was with them. He usually saw the Lovegoods only during dinner and even then they usually talked among themselves.

They weren't part of their team strictly speaking but they tagged along because they were searching for some magical animals they hoped to find here. And Mr. Lovegood was a Master of Rituals and knew a lot about ancient civilizations and cultures. He'd offered his knowledge should it be needed when classifying or naming whatever they would find.

"Yes Xenophilius?" Atticus asked. "Luna and I would like to use tomorrow to explore the river not far from here. It's the perfect nesting place for Blibbering Humdinger. If that is alright with you?"

Atticus nodded. "You had no scrolls and I think Eric has us covered concerning runes. You can be off."

Mr. Lovegood inclined his head and smiled at his daughter. Luna smiled faintly while fingering with a strange gem she wore on a long necklace and hummed silently under her breath.

"Good, then I would like to suggest something." Alice said and suddenly she looked very excited.

"Go on Alice." Atticus said.

Alice leaned forward, her arms propped up on the table.

"It's time for some practice. I want to duel. Tomorrow we need to be in top form for any astray flying spells or in case something doesn't work we have to be able to react quickly. So, everyone out and have your wands ready!"

Inside Harry, excitement grew.

He remembered the Dueling Club in second year. Granted it had ended in a catastrophe but he had liked the idea and he loved dueling.

Excited murmur spread among the others.

"But without me. One has to make dinner." Rashid said and got up.

"Oh come on Rashid! Please!" Alice begged.

"Oh no. You just want to get me for the last time I beat your little ass."

"You are no fun." She pouted.

Then her eyes widened and she looked at Harry.

'Oh-o' was all he could think of.

"Harry, you promised me you'd show me your patronus!" she said excitedly.

Harry shifted nervously under all the eyes.

"Sure." he said faintly.

"Perfect."

.

They all gathered at the free piece of clearing beyond their fire-place.

Atticus erected a protective circle for the two duelists so that none of the watcher could be hit by any spells.

Harry stood with Alice inside said circle.

"When you're ready." Alice said and smiled excitedly.

From beyond the circle-walls the others cheered and clapped.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

This was the first time since the incident at the lake that he was about to perform a patronus.

He went through his memories, searching for a really happy one, one that would quicken his soul and ignite his core.

The memory of Dumbledore telling him about the horcruxes suddenly appeared and dread filled him.

Forcefully he pushed it aside.

But seeing the Weasley's home he immediately felt warmth spread inside him and he remembered the Quidditch matches, the dinners, the games they had played, Ron and him talking until late in the night in Ron's room. He remembered his own room at the Burrow and how grateful and loved he felt there.

His hand rose on its own and with a strong and clear voice he chanted: "Expecto Patronum!"

The familiar silver light broke free from the tip of his wand and the familiar sight of the stag, his stag, his prongs, appeared before them.

He was a majestic animal.

His antlers were tall and he proudly held his head up. He danced around Harry, looked curiously towards Alice before jumping into the air and dancing around in the dome, dragging a tail of white and silver light behind him.

Finally he came back, nuzzled Harrys face and slowly dissolved.

Harry knew he had a stupid smile on his face but he didn't care.

Alice looked at him shocked.

"When you said he was corporal, I thought you were lying of he was only partly corporal, but nothing like this." She muttered. "He's beautiful." She added. He grinned. "Thanks."

They exited the dome and the others jumped at them, shouting how amazing that had been and how amazing Prongs was and asked where he'd learned to produce a patronus like this.

Harry felt his face grow tomato red.

But from the flood of questions and compliments only one question reached his ears.

"Hey a stag?" Eric asked curiously.

Harry blushed again.

"Ahm…"

"You don't have to answer it, it's rather a personal question." Eric quickly said. "But I was just wondering. Stags are very proud, sometimes egoistic and arrogant beings. And…well, you don't seem to be any of that."

Seeing Harrys confused face, Thomas added: "Usually a patronus represents something within us something that is dear to us."

Harry looked down.

"What you just saw was Prongs. It…he…my father's animagus form was a stag and his friends called him Prongs." He said quickly.

There was silence.

"Oh." Eric said, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sor…"

Harry shook his head. "You couldn't know." He muttered. Then he smiled. "My godfather cried when he saw Prongs. He was so overwhelmed to see him again."

Harry could swear Alice had tears in her eyes.

The melancholic atmosphere was interrupted by Atticus who clapped into his hands.

"Alright folks, enough sad eyes, let's get going, who wants to be the first?"

The first duel was between Thomas and Alice.

Excitedly Harry leaned against the dome and watched fascinated.

Alice was quick as a snake and nearly all her spells were non-verbal. It was very impressive.

But even more so the way she moved. It looked like she was dancing. She was dodging most of the spells and jumped and cart-wheeled out of the way. He twists and swirls were too fast to follow properly.

"Good Merlin" he muttered "that is amazing."

Next to him Bill laughed. "Told you she was a professional duelist. As you can see, there is more to dueling than to shout some spells."

Thomas wasn't bad either. Harry could see that he was experienced in the field. But he wasn't as offensive as Alice. Still he had some cool moves, like catching a spell of hers somehow and hurtling it back to her. Or absorbing her spells and creating a very thick shield.

But Alice won in the end.

Covered in sweat and dirt and grime they bowed one last time to each other before shaking hands and leaving the circle.

"That was amazing, you have to teach me that!" Harry shouted zealously.

"What of it?" Alice asked grinningly.

"Everything." Harry told her steadfast.

Alice laughed and ruffled her hand through his hair.

"Sure. Whatever you want."

"And especially how to do those none-verbal spells! That could come in so handy!"

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him. "When would that be?" she asked.

"When cursing Malfoy or Snape in class." He said grinningly.

She grinned back. "In that case I want to learn that too. But to use it on Binns!"

Harry frowned. "Can you even curse ghosts?"

"No, but you can throw things through then, and that annoys them greatly. If I can levitate things without anyone noticing he can't give me detention for it." She said happily.

"You were ever in detention?" Harry asked unbelievingly.

"I know, hard to believe but it's true." She said with a shrug.

They watched as Atticus and Eric entered the ring and started to duel.

It was far more aggressive and not as nice to watch.

But also very impressive.

"So" Harry said as Eric threw an extra vicious curse at Atticus "Does that mean to talk to me again?"

Daphne huffed.

"Come on, it's not like it was my fault."

"You could have been more careful."

"I was! How was I supposed to know that there was the barrier?"

"You could have told Bill and waited for him to check it out. Harry because of such mistakes people die on these expeditions. You need to be more careful." She said vehemently.

Harry was slightly taken aback. She sounded so…scared for a moment and yet so angry.

"Don't get this wrong" he said "But why do you care so much?"

Daphne looked at him from the corner of her eyes and then back at the duel.

"The question would be why not."

13. Luna Lovegood and getting started

Chapter Thirteen: Luna Lovegood and getting started

"Pass me the Hot-Sauce, will you Bill?" Fleur asked.

Bill nodded and leaned over to where Daphne had put the Hot-Sauce.

Harry grinned.

Bill was so done for it.

Even though he had fought it very hardly, Bill had fallen for the French part-veela.

Harry didn't know how it had happened only that it had.

And now Bill tried all he could to please the French witch.

But Harry was also certain it wasn't because of Fleur's allure.

Because she too seemed to try very hard to get Bill to like and notice her, without her powers reducing him to a drooling mess.

It was so cliché and Harry felt like transferred into one of these High-School movies were two people obviously like each other but don't tell each other because they are afraid and it all ends in a big mess but in the end they get together all the same.

Thinking about it didn't sound too bad but why couldn't they just get to the point?

Harry's strange musings where interrupted by a small ball of aluminum foil hitting his head.

He looked up confused but saw no one who looked like they could have done it.

Another ball hit his head and he looked in the direction from which it came.

And saw….

Another ball hit him between the eyes so that he fell backwards from the tree-trunk on which he sat.

Much to the roaring laughter of those around him.

Atticus helped him back up.

"Lost your balance there?" he asked with a grin.

"Not really."

Harry took his plate, got up and walked towards Daphne.

Maybe then he could find the culprit.

Halfway there another ball of foil hit him in the side of his face.

Annoyed he put his plate down.

"Alright, who's throwing with aluminum foil?" he asked, somewhat annoyed.

But everyone looked at him with confused looks on their faces.

"No one is…" Bill started but in that second another ball of foil hit Harry's chin.

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow at his friend.

Bill looked very confused now.

And then a serene voice from the shadows on the other side of the roaring camp-fire drifted across towards him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just the Wrackspurts like shiny things and I thought maybe they would leave your head if they saw the foil and take it as their new home."

He wasn't the only one looking at small Luna Lovegood with a bewildered expression. But his was more because of his lack of understanding.

"Excuse me, what?" he asked.

The second-year Ravenclaw hovered towards him, a wide smile on her lips and her eyes half-closed.

"Oh, you know, Wrackspurts. Your head is full of them."

She sat down next to Harry who still stood there with his pale in hands and aluminum foil in his hair.

He sat down.

"What are Wrackspurts?" he asked curiously.

The younger girl smiled which made her look slightly stoned.

"They are invisible creatures that nest in your head and make your brain go fuzzy and confuse you and make you think about bad and sad things."

Harry frowned.

"And…how do you get rid of them?" he asked carefully.

"You don't" Eric interrupted them, his mouth still full with Indian corn "Because they don't exist."

Luna shook her head.

"Says the men that the Nargles stole from." Then she turned back to Harry.

"You must think of positive things. They don't like that. Then they will leave you. But they can always come back. So when you feel inexplicably sad or angry, think of positive things. It will expel them again."

"Ahm…thanks?"

"You are very welcome." She said and handed him the roll of foil she held and said: "If you make yourself a helmet and wear it for one night they will be most likely be gone."

Uncertain what to do, he took the foil.

"Thanks."

He could hear Bill snigger from all way across the fire-pit.

"Wonderful. Now I will have to talk to daddy about tomorrow's expedition. I you will excuse me."

With that she walked back to her father.

Harry noticed that she wasn't wearing any shoes.

Shaking he head he sat down next to Daphne who looked at him with barely concealed amusement.

"I see you got your first real taste of Luna Lovegood." She said and stuffed a fork full of salad into her mouth.

"She…seems to be…"

"Crazy? Off her rockers? Totally stoned?" Daphne offered.

"I was about to say special. But I thought she looked stoned too. What's it with her? And her dad for the matter?"

Daphne shrugged.

"I don't know a lot. But apparently they have always been like this. And it doesn't go well with people. And they have a habit of being painfully truthful any seeing right through you. It's unnerving and awkward at times."

"How come she's in Ravenclaw then? I thought they were all facts and figures and knowledge only?" Harry asked.

Daphne sighed.
"Honestly Harry, we are sorted into our houses by a magical hat that thinks he sees some kind of trait in us that fits one of our houses. And I never said Luna is stupid. Quite the opposite actually. Knowing myths and stuff like that is never a bad thing and can help you greatly in later life. Also Luna reads a lot and occupies herself with all sorts of different topics. It's just her way of thinking that…keeps people away. And her imaginary monsters."

Harry nodded.

"The magical world is even stranger than I thought." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Daphne smiled.

"You have no idea."

.

.

.

"Here?" Atticus asked and looked around. His gaze swept over the far stretching planes behind him and then over the cliff-sides with the caves before him.

"Yeah somewhere here I landed and then walked like five steps before crashing into the magical barrier." Harry said and pointed vaguely in the direction.

Atticus nodded and let his backpack fall down.

"Alright people, set up the pavilion roof. We could use some shade in a few hours. Eric, you are with me for the preparations."

Harry shielded his eyes as he looked up.

Atticus was right. Even though it was barely ten in the morning, the sun was already high up and shining down on them with a strong intensity.

As he helped put up the spacious pavilion and enlarging the furniture they would need, he kept throwing glances at Atticus and Eric.

Eric was kneeling on the ground, knife in hand and seemed to carve something the ground every few meters in a wide circle around their base.

Once he was finished he and Atticus walked cautiously towards where they knew the barrier was and Atticus fired a spell.

The effect was instantly.

With the sound of a gun going lose the spell connected with the barrier and from where it hit the shield a dark purple color, like a nasty bruise, expanded in all directions.

It traveled until it had reached the cliff-side and encased it like a giant purple bubble.

It was pulsing like it had a heart-beat and the color shifted, concentrating in some areas.

"What is that?" Harry asked astonished.

Alice smiled knowingly. "Quite a sight to behold, right?" she asked and leaned against one of the four legs of the pavilion.

"The spell does two things. One it makes the shield visible, which is important of we'll all be tossed around like rag-dolls" Harry groaned, they would never let him live that down "And it concentrates in the places where potentially fatal curses are." She pointed at the shifting colors and darker spots he had noticed.

"And what is Eric doing?" Harry asked.

"He sets up runes that divide the shield into the parts each of us had to decipher as homework. It'll make working easier."

"I can't wait." Harry said with a grin.

Alice laughed.

"Don't get too excited. It can be pretty boring sometimes."

"Why do you have to de-curse the whole shield? Couldn't you just de-curse a part like an opening?"

"Have you ever taken the one or two tin-cans from the middle or bottom of a tin-can-pyramid? The effect would be the same. Everything would collapse on us and the energy of five-thousand years magic would destroy everything."

Harry nodded. "Right, Bill told me something similar."

"Come on, looks like they are about to begin. You don't want to miss this. It's your first time after all."

She pulled him towards the farthest part of the shield.

The pulsing somehow unnerved Harry but he concentrated on Atticus.

The Curse-breaker nodded at Eric and Bill who stepped up and took their places next to him.

"Eric and Bill will stand ready to defect and spells that could fly astray while Atticus casts his spells." Alice explained. Harry nodded. That was something Bill had already told him.

Atticus turned around to them.

"Ladies and Gents, this is it. This is what we have been working towards for weeks and months now."

With that he turned around and fired the first spell.

It connected with the purple shield and where it hid the barrier the purple color disappeared, leaving a white spot in the purple.

There was a sizzling noise filling the air.

Atticus next spell was already flying through the air, hitting the shield next to the white spot, turning it white too.

The sizzling noise grew louder. It hummed through Harry's whole body, vibrating inside him.

Concerned he asked Alice silently: "Alice, what is that noise?"

She looked at him confused.

"What noise?"

"This…sizzling noise…you know, like static charge…" he said, trying to explain what he was hearing.

With each spell Atticus fired at the shield it grew louder. His face was a mask of total concentration.

Alice looked puzzled.

"A sizzling noise you say? Is it coming from the barrier?"

"I think so. It started when Eric casted his first spell. Is it normal?"

She looked at him surprised.

"What you are hearing must be the leaking magical energy from beyond the shield. Usually you can't feel it until a lot f it has left eth shield and escaped into our surroundings."

"I can feel it going through me, humming and vibrating. It's a strange feeling but not bad. Actually it feels nice."

"You must be very sensitive to magic then Harry. Not many people have such a keen sense."

Harry frowned. "Is that something bad?"

Alice shook her head and smiled at him.

"No, it's something good actually. You own magic is responding to the magic of this place and they are harmonically combining each other. This place is connecting with you. Tell us if you feel anything strange or not normal, it could be a sign that something's wrong or dangerous."

"Ahm…okay…." Harry muttered. He felt kind of embarrassed.

He turned his attention back on the shield and saw how the white spots Atticus's spells had left expanded.

"Are they supposed to do that?" he asked.

"Oh yes, don't worry" Thomas said, joining their conversation "it's normal that the spells already cast, start affecting other curses around them too and dissolving them if they can. It makes the whole process a lot quicker. Like a ripple in the water that expands. Harry nodded understanding.

A loud: "Look out!" from Atticus startled them and they saw a brown bold of light flying through the air but before it could get anywhere it was intercepted by a light blue shield and sucked into it.

"As you can see there's not much going on, except when a spell gets loose or something like that. But it doesn't happen that often. But when it happens it can be that it set of a chain-reaction of spells. That's why we have two guards just in case and at least one more person staying as back-up. That's why we put up the base." Thomas explained and pointed with his thumb at the pavilion.

Harry nodded.

Then he asked: "How long will it take for Atticus to de-curse his first scroll?"

Thomas shrugged. "That depends but it's usually between three and four hours."

Harry's eyes widened. "Is he allowed to take a break?"

"Once he reaches the end of his first scroll Eric can put up a stabilizing rune and Atticus can take a break, eat something, drink something and then get to work on his second part. But it's important to not draw it out longer than necessary."

Harry's looked at the leader of their expedition with new-found respect. "That must be draining." He said.

"In the beginning it is but our magical core never stops growing, not really. It matures and get's used to the amount and kind of magic we use and adapts to that. Besides that we're all, or most of us, very experienced in our job and know how to get things done without using too much energy." Alice explained.

"Using too much of your magical energy isn't good either. For one you can get sick if you do it, for another it is possible to charge a magical place like this even further with your own magic and that can lead to nasty surprises." Thomas added.

"Usually shields are de-cursed in one go, that's the safest thing to do. But this one is so big, it would be foolish to not take some breaks and let the energy leave the place first. Otherwise the surrounding will charge itself with the energy we're draining form the shield and could rebound on us. Besides, we can't afford to make mistakes because we grow tired. Sloppiness will get you killed quicker than anything else." Alice explained further.

Harry shook his head.

"There is so much to this job that I didn't know and would have never imagined. It all sound so easy when you read or hear about it for the first time." He said.

Then he looked at Alice with a slight grin. "But I also get what you mean with 'that it can get boring at times'."

He nodded at the three Curse-breakers in front of the shield.

"There's not much for us to do, right? They got it covered."

Thomas nodded. "They got it covered."

"But that doesn't mean we can't use the time given to us." Daphne suddenly said next to him.

He flinched at her sudden appearance.

"Good heaven Danny, don't do that!" he swore.

"Do what?" she asked with a raised eyebrow before adding: "You still need to learn about runes and I have to recapitulate a few potions."

"Oh come on, you really know how to ruin someone's afternoon. Learning? Seriously? When we are in the middle of the most important and most dangerous and most interesting and most exciting part of the whole quest?" he whined.

"Oh stop exaggerating Ry. It's not like us two are doing anything other than watching."

"But more learning?" Harry asked.

"Come on. You'll thank me for it later. You, after all, never stop learning."

So she dragged him back to the pavilion.

Thomas looked at Alice and asked: "Danny?" "Ry?" she asked back.

.

.

.

And time did what it always did. It passed.

The sun traveled across the sky.

But Harry barely noticed it.

Daphne chased him through one chapter of runes and their meaning after another and made him answer dozens of questions.

She even made him pay attention to the basics of healing. "So you know how to help yourself if something happens to you and you're alone." Harry doubted that he had remembered anything of what she had read to him and told him.

Every now and then others of their team would sit down next to them, Atticus among them. They would interrupt their work, talk for a few minutes, and then go back to their work.

Otherwise nothing major happened.

Alice told them the de-cursing was going very smoothly and whenever they would look up, they would see the purple making way for the white.

The sky slowly turned purple and thick clouds hung above them.

But by now the magic sizzling was growing so loud it was hard for Harry to ignore.

They turned the small radio on they had with them and listened to the newest songs of the Weird Sisters and other bands.

He and Daphne sat in two of the bean-bags with blankets around their shoulders and each a cup of hot-chocolate in one hand, though Harry was sure Chao had spike it with something alcoholic, judging from the strange aftertaste and the knowing smirk of the native's face.

"So, tell me, do you think you'll manage one quiet year in Hogwarts this time?" Daphne asked lazily as they both watched Eric and Bill catch a few astray spells.

Harry snorted. "Now you jinxed it." He said and sighed. "It's not like I wan each year to end in a catastrophe. And I've been lucky so far. No one died yet. Except Qirrell but he doesn't count, he had hosted Voldemort in his head."

Harry immediately regretted what he had said.

Voldemort was a topic no one, for a good reason, liked to talk about.

The mere possibility that he could be returning was more than frightening, and send people quickly into denial.

Besides many believed he had died that night in Godrics Hollow.

How sad he hadn't.

His memory once again returned to his conversation with Dumbledore about those horcruxes.

No, don't think about such things, he scolded himself.

He threw a quick glance at Daphne.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He mumbled.

She shook her head. "No, you should have. It's alright."

He snorted. "You believe me?"

Daphne shrugged.

"It has always been a distinct possibility that he would return. No offence but his defeat was just too good to believe."

"My parents gave their lives for it." Harry mumbled.

Daphne flinched. "I know Harry. And it's horrible. But you survived."

"That doesn't make things better. Now it feels like the fate of the world is resting on my shoulder. When he returns people will turn to me. And…"

Daphne leaned forward and took his hands in hers. "Stop it Harry. We cross that bridge when we come to it." She asked pleadingly.

Harry looked at their hands.

Daphne blushed and pulled her hands back but he held her hands and said: "Thanks."

"What for?" she asked confused "I brought up the most horrible thing to talk about."

He shook his head. "No, you didn't. And thank you for…believing I guess. For understanding. Somewhere."

She smiled.

"Come on, I like this song. Do you know how to dance?" she asked, successfully changing the topic.

Harry listened to the song. He didn't know it, as he didn't know how to dance.

So he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I never learned how to dance. I never saw a reason to."

She looked at him with big eyes. "Harry, you are a wizard! Not to be able to dance in our society is like not being able to walk! Witches and Wizards are all about etiquette and formalities. Dancing is one of them! Come on, I'll teach you. You'll love it. It's great fun once you get the knack for it." She said and pulled him to his feet.

"Danny!" he protested as his hot spiked chocolate threatened to spill all over them.

"Don't be such a baby."

She pulled him into the open space outside the pavilion where they had enough space and could still hear the radio.

"Daphne…" he tried again but she had already placed her hand on his left shoulder and put his right hand on her left hip and clasped his other hand high in the air.

"Alright" she started and Harry realized how close they actually where "This is a Disco Fox. The basic step is very easy. You make two small steps forward while I go backwards and the third is no actual step but only a tap with the point of your foot. And then you go two steps backwards and I come forwards and the third step is again only a tap. And then we just repeat it for a while before we come to the turns." She explained and didn't leave him any time to protest, she just started dancing.

If Harry had to take the stock of his first dancing lessen he would say that he did even worse than Daphne probably had anticipated.

He had stepped every few steps on her feet, gotten the order of the steps wrong, never once took his eyes from their feet and blushed horribly whenever he did something wrong.

Finally Daphne called it a day.

"It wasn't that bad!" she assured him but he saw how she massaged her toes.

.

The sun was about to vanish behind the tree-line and they had lit the gas-lamps around the pavilion for more light, Atticus finally cast the last spell on his second scroll and Eric erected a runic-barrier to stabilize the shield so it wouldn't collapse.

Bill led the tired looking Atticus over to them and lowered him on one of the bean-bags.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Chao asked as Rashid handed him a Pepper-up-Potion.

"Coffee would be awesome!" Atticus said with a tired smiled.

"And I bet you five gallons it'll be spiked too." Harry muttered to Daphne. She giggled behind her hand.

Thomas cast them a suspicious look.

"You can get him hot milk with honey and then you will go to bed." Rashid decided.

"Hot milk with honey? I'm not ten, you know?" Atticus called behind him and then sank back inside his bean-bag.

Eric stepped up to them. "Fleur, Thomas, are you up for a night-shift? I need you to cover me. I rather not have to long periods between de-cursing different parts of the shield. It is so big; we would unnecessarily risk it collapsing. Shields this big can be unpredictable."

Thomas and Fleur nodded, putting on their cloaks and strange glasses that looked like the goggles Harry wore during Quidditch matches when it rained.

Like last year when he fell of his broom after the Dementors attack.

Only that the glass of the goggles was black.

"What are those?" he asked.

"With those you can see in the dark. They are bewitched." Daphne explained

"Ah!" Harry exclaimed. "That makes sense."

"Harry, Daphne you should go with the others. Catch a few hours of sleep and then come back." Bill told them.

"Alice will keep an eye on things." Thomas added.

"You sure?" Harry asked. "We can stay." He offered.

Bill smiled reassuringly. "We're sure. Go on. Good night. We'll see you tomorrow. And don't worry; tomorrow we'll let you do something too. It's just the first parts to de-curse are usually the most dangerous ones. Tomorrow we'll let you some parts too."

Daphne and Harry looked at each other. Then back at the older Curse-Breaker.

"Really?" they asked together. "Really." Bill said.

"Me too? I mean, I'm only a healer's apprentice. Not here for Curse-Breaking." Daphne said timidly.

"You too. You should know some basic things about this too." Thomas said. "And don't worry; we'll be with you in case something happens."

"Cool!" Harry muttered.

"And now off you go." Bill shooed them away.

From up in the air Harry cast one last glance back at the glowing purple and white shield.

It was too dark to see any details but he could see the different colored spells from Eric's wand, the light of the gas-lamps and…what was that?

On top of the other cliff, hidden in the shrubbery was another small light.

Like a…camp-fire…

Frowning Harry started to fly closer but Daphne called out to him: "Come on Harry!"

"Coming!" he called back and flew behind her but not without one last glance back.

14. Some bonding time

Chapter Fourteen: Some bonding time

Harry didn't sleep well that night.

When he woke early the next day shortly after dawn he couldn't remember any dreams but he was sweating and breathless, his heart was racing and he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He stumbled under a cool shower and cooled his overheated body under the spray.

He put on his usual trouser and a loose white shirt before heading over to the CT.

Rashid stood in the kitchen and was pressing the juice from an orange.

"Morning Harry." He greeted.

"Morning." Harry greeted back and filled a bowl with cereal and milk before adding a spoon full sugar before sitting down.

"Anyone else awake?" Harry asked between bites.

"Atticus left about ten minutes ago to see how the others are doing and how the night went, even though I advised against it. Merlin knows he needs his rest but that man is as stubborn as a mule. I think the Lovegoods are awake too but otherwise…don't know. It is still pretty early but I had to check up on some potions."

Harry nodded and put the bowl into the sink and cleaning it.

For a moment he just stood there before he turned and asked Rashid: "You think it would be alright if I headed out?"

Rashid frowned. "I don't know Harry. Why don't you just wait until someone else is up?"

"But I'm so bored." Harry whined.

"Then you can help me out. How's you potion making?"

Harry pulled a face.

"According to my teacher it is dreadful."

"That can't be. You're mom after all excelled in that subject."

Harry looked at him with big eyes.

"What?" he asked shakily.

Rashid looked at him confused. "Didn't you know? You're mother was an amazing potions brewer. I'm sure she would have been a Potions Master had she…" he stopped, looking awkwardly away.

"Had she lived." Harry finished for him.

"Yeah, well…so I don't think you can be that bad. Come on."

Eager to learn more about his mother Harry followed the Healer.

"Did you know my mother?" he asked

"I went to school with her but she was already in her fifth year when I enrolled Hogwarts. But she tutored younger years in many subjects, such as potions. That's how I got to know her a little bit."

"Wow." Harry muttered. "What was she like?"

Rashid looked at him for a moment before saying: "Patient. And understanding. She would have made a wonderful teacher. Very friendly to everyone. Except when your father dared to interrupt her lessons. Then she could be vicious. Scared me the first time she exploded in his face and called him a 'dimwitted god-for-nothing-arrogant-waste-of-space'. But your father just laughed, quickly pecked her on the cheek and ran for his life."

Harry was fascinated. Not even Lupin or Sirius had ever talked so much about his mother. It had always been about James and how much Harry was like him. But it was also nice to hear about his mother.

Rashid opened the opening to his tent and ushered Harry in.

It looked nothing like Hays tent.

A bed was cramped into one corner but the rest of the space was occupied by different cauldrons of various sizes and tables and shelves.

The heavy smell of different potion-fumes and ingredients hung heavy in the air and the sound of flames and boiling or simmering potions filled the air.

From the ceiling hung dried herbs, snake-skins and what-not.

The tables were covered with cut and pestled ingredients, knives, slats and other stuff.

"Here" Rashid shoved a book in his hands "grab that kettle, ingredients you find in the shelves, sorted alphabetically. You can use that fire-station. Show me how 'dreadful' you are."

Harry read the potions name.

'Itch-Relieve'.

He read carefully though the list of ingredients and collected them one after another on his table.

Twice he read the instructions before setting to work.

He sliced the Rattel-beans into squares, chopped the snake-skin and gathered everything else.

He increased the heat, reduced it, added everything in the correct order, stirred as he was supposed to and cooled the potion in ice-cold water in the end.

It wasn't a necessarily hard or demanding potion but Harry had seen more than enough how even the easiest potions could explode spectacularly if done wrong.

But even though he was sure he did as told and for once wasn't interrupted by Malfoys attempts to sabotage his potion, it didn't really have the mellow-color it was supposed to have and its consistence was too watery. It was supposed to be thicker.

Sighing with defeat he sat down, disappointed.

Rashid examined his result.

"Not bad."

"You don't have to be sugar-coat it. I know it isn't as it should be." Harry muttered.

Rashid laughed. "I didn't expect it to be. You see Harry, you brewed the whole thing in a brass-kettle. But brass and elder-berry-juices react badly with each other, resulting in an off-coloring."

Harry frowned and then glared at the man. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Instead of answering Rashid went on.

"You used normal fire but you need magnesium-induced-fire. The resulting fumes counteract the fusion of olive-bark-oil and frog-blood that makes the potion so watery."

Harry glared harder. "How was I supposed to know that, we never did things like that at school."

"Exactly. Harry, Professor Snape may be the centuries youngest Potions Master but he's not a good teacher. I have been teaching Daphne for years and she told me all about your school lessons. You don't really get a proper introduction, you don't really cover how the basic ingredients interact, what to pay attention too and other things. Snape tells you to brew and you do. You don't really learn what different effect the juice of a Shelly-bean has when you squeeze it out or when you just cut it and add it. Why female-nettle-snake-blood is so much more potent than male. You're education is lacking in its basics. That is not your fault. I just wanted to show you that you actually did pretty well. The potion might not be perfect but it is as close as it can be."

Harry nodded. "Thanks." He mumbled.

Rashid smiled. "Good. Now chop those herbs for me. I will see how the Blood-Replenish-Potion is coming along."

His unexpected potions-lesson was cut short by Daphne stumbling inside.

She froze when she saw them hovering above a simmering cauldron where Rashid just explained the phenomenon known as 'The Blood-Dance' to Harry.

They looked up.

"Oh, he Danny." Harry said cheerfully.

Daphne scowled. "I hope I'm not intruding. Have you already replaced me Rashid? I'm hurt."

Rashid grinned.

"And you" she said, addressing Harry "I've been looking all over the place for you. We got to get going. I want to see how the others are coming along. Bill left like an hour ago. And Alice just returned to catch a few hours of sleep."

Harry nodded and gathered his things.

"Thanks for the lesson Rashid. Maybe we can do this sometime soon again."

Rashid smiled. "Sure Harry. Now get going and don't stray from your path. Fly directly to the shield. I'll know if you don't." he said threateningly pointed his ladle at them.

"We will." The teens said and hurried out of the ten.

"And to think you complained to me yesterday about having to learn. You are such a hypocrite." Daphne snorted.

.

.

They chased each other out of the camp, heading towards the Base.

It was a beautiful morning once again and Harry enjoyed the sun on his face.

Beneath them monkeys jumped though the trees, colorful birds sang and they even discovered some wild elephants.

Finally the gorge and the plains beyond it came into view.

They veered downwards and turned left.

But they stopped mid-air to stare.

The shield was now more white than purple. It still pulsed like it had its own heartbeat and the air was charged with the crackling sound of escaping magic.

Harrys own magical core hummed and send out random spurts of magic at the alien power around them, testing it, checking it.

Harry felt queasy.

This magic was old and powerful. It was wild and protective. Not necessarily harmful but nothing to be taken lightly.

And beyond the shield, in the caves, Harry could feel more.

More magic, strong magic, magic that had been slumbering for hundreds for years and was now waking up.

It was calling out to him.

"Harry?"

He looked up.

Daphne hovered in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"I said if you were alright?" she repeated.

"I'm fine…it's just….this is nothing I've ever seen before. And can you feel the power in the air? It's overwhelming."

Daphne nodded. "Yeah, I can feel the magic too. It's going right through me. It's kinda unsettling. My magic doesn't like it. Come on, or the other will start wondering what the hell we are doing up here."

Down on the ground Bill was de-cursing his last part of the shield. Atticus and Fleur stood guard with him and caught astray spells.

The white spread further and further, pushing the purple away.

Thomas sat in one of the bean-bags under the pavilion, a blanket over his lap and a mug of coffee in his hand.

He looked tired but greeted them happily.

Eric sat at one of the tables, deeply absorbed in some scroll.

He grunted a greeting but didn't acknowledge them any further.

To their surprise the Lovegoods were there too.

Luna was dressed in bright pink trousers and a long sleeved shirt with a colorful flower pint on it.

She was carefully paling with a giant butterfly on her hand and humming

Xenophilius Lovegood was reading a book while walking in a small circle and every now and then he would mutter something and write something into his book.

"Good morning." Harry said politely.

"Oh, a very good morning to you too, Mr. Potter, Ms. Greengrass. And what a lovely day it is. Oh yes." M. Lovegood said.

Luna skipped over to them and carefully placed the butterfly on Harrys head.

Harry squinted nervously upwards. He knew that butterflies were harmless but it was a rather large one.

"Isn't he beautiful? He says he was an ugly prince once and everyone laughed at him because Princes were supposed to be handsome. He killed himself and was reborn as a butterfly, so that he could be beautiful in his next live." She said seriously.

Harry didn't know what to say.

"Ahm…that's great Luna." He finally managed.

"I think it's sad. People shouldn't judge you because of what you appear to be." Luna said sadly.

"Of course." Harry said quickly. "I totally agree."

Luna took the butterfly from him and went to sit on the couch.

"Smooth Harry, very smooth." Daphne muttered.

.

.

About an hour later Alice and Rashid joined the rest of the team.

Bill had finished his last scroll by then and Fleur was making quick work of hers.

The anticipation grew. After Fleur, Atticus and Eric would have the last parts of the shield to de-curse and then it would be done.

During one of the shot breaks between de-cursing the different sections of the shield Atticus gathered them around the biggest table in their Base-Camp and explained what would come afterwards the shield had been completely de-cursed.

"After we've taken it down we need to lie low. The stored magic that has been released from and beyond the shield into the direct environment needs to disappear.

That means we'll set up the basic alarms and protections around the caves but otherwise we give the place time to cool. Right?"

The others muttered in agreement.

"Alright. During that time we prepare everything for our expedition into the caves. We don't know what will expect us there. It could be anything. We need to be prepared for everything. It's up to everyone to prepare as best as they can but remember, we're a team. We work together. Once it's safe to go, into the caves it is. Any questions so far?"

Harry was sure a lot of questions would pop up sooner or later but right now he was too excited about the prospect of entering the caves so soon. And finding a treasure, probably.

Harry's inner kid did a little happy dance.

This was so exciting.

.

Atticus allowed Daphne, Luna and Harry to explore their surroundings a bit but not without placing several tracking charms on them while the others worked. Now, in the final stages of working the shield was very instable and any wrong move could result in setting it off and causing a magical avalanche of curses and jinxes.

The three shrugged and headed off. They had known that three wouldn't be a lot they could do other than observe and observe a bit more.

They made their way back up the gorge and headed in the direction of their camp.

But instead of going there they followed the stream nearby, past the grazing elephants and further inland.

The small brook was very clear and its banks were full of life.

It ended abruptly in a small waterfall that recharged a small lake with many small side-streams leaving it in all directions.

The shore was grassy and the water looked clear and deep. There were some big stones here and there.

Big dragonflies zoomed along the surface.

They stood atop the small waterfall, looking down.

It was hot and Harry immediately took of his waistcoat, shoes and shirt.

"Ahm, Harry, what are you doing?" Daphne asked as he started to strip.

"I'm taking a swim."

Seeing her disbelieving face he sighed and said: "Come on Danny. It's so hot!"

Daphne frowned but looked down again.

"Is it safe?" she asked. "We don't know what could be swimming down there."

"One way of finding out." Harry said with a grin and before the other girl what was happening Harry had given her a slight push and she went down.

Daphne shrieked and cursed and hit the water with a mighty 'SPLASH' but directly resurfaced and glared up at them.

Luna was giggling happily and Harry was openly laughing.

"I'm gonna kill you Harry Potter! Wait until I get out of here!"

"No need to wait!" Harry shouted, gave Luna a push and the younger girl's giggles turning into an indignant shriek as she fell, and jumped after her.

The water felt heavenly against Harry's skin and he resurfaced laughing next to Daphne.

She immediately threw herself at him and forced him back underwater with all her might.

When he could free himself and came back up again she grinned at her.

"What, are you mad at me?" and hastily dived aside as she threw himself at him again and splashed water in her direction.

An evil twinkle appeared in her eyes.

"WATERFIGHT!" she shouted and with a happy squeal she and Luna started hitting the water and sending it his way.

Harry laughed loudly and turned his head and blindly hit the water back.

"Come on Luna, let's show him that he can't just push us down a waterfall and not expect any consequences!" Daphne shouted.

"NO, Luna, don't listen to her! She's evil and manipulating you. Come over to my side! I have cookies." He shouted pleadingly.

"I don't think so!" Luna shouted back and grinned at him.

Her hair was all over the place and hung in her face but she didn't seem to care.

"Mercy, mercy!" Harry laughed as they both lunged at him.

.

From the high reed-banks the two dark figures watched silently.

Then the smaller one growled and raised a wand but the other one swatted the hand down.

"No!" he hissed. "That's one is for the Master!"

"He should never have lived this long." The other one argued.

"We need him. You know why!"

"He must die!"

"He will!"

.

Another hidden figure watched as the two dark men disappeared and then looked back at the lake where the children were enjoying themselves.

They didn't know what they had gotten themselves in.

He prayed for their lives.

Before he too left without ever being seen he threw one last glance back at the boy.

The boy.

And then he looked into the distance, where clouds gathered.

.

.

.

.

AN: Yes, I know, shame on my. But! I had a touch of genius and now I'm back on track. I hope….

Love Kate

15. Passing Time

Chapter Fifteen: Passing time

"What happened to you three?" Thomas asked horrified.

The three youngsters looked sheepishly at each other.

"Well, it started as a water fight but it somehow turned into a mud-fight later on." Harry confessed.

"Yes, we can see that!" Bill said irritated. "But how?"

"Ahm…we got carried away?" Daphne offered.

For some reason that had Harry and Luna snickering like crazy.

"Boyze, don't try to get any anzwers. I'm sure you were just like zem when you wer' zeir age." Fleur intervened and smiled at them.

Bill and Tom promptly forgot what they had been talking about.

"Now, go and get washed up mon chéries." She winked at the other three.

As they headed towards their tents Harry whispered: "Your cousin is awesome like that. Cruel but awesome and efficient at the same time."

"I know. See you later."

.

Harry nearly fell asleep during dinner.

Daphne and he sat next to each other leaning with their backs against one of the tree trunks.

They were both totally spent and Harry's eyes propped every few seconds.

Luna had curled up into her father's side and was already fast asleep.

The fire's warmth, the mumbled conversations and Daphne's body heat next to him made him even more sleepy.

"What a day." He mumbled, in a desperate attempt to stay awake.

"Hm." Daphne muttered and her head dropped on his shoulder.

"We should do that again. That was fun."

"Hm."

"Are you excited as to what might expect us in the caves?"

"Hm."

"I hope it will be a bit dangerous and very exciting. Like Indiana Jones…"

"Harry, shut up, I'm trying to sleep here." Daphne whispered and sighed contently into his shoulder.

Too tired to argue Harry rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Danny."

"Sleep well Ry."

.

From across the fire Bill and Thomas watched their young charges falling asleep on one another.

"Wanna bet that they get together before this trip is over?" Bill asked jokingly.

But instead of laughing Toms face darkened.

"She can't." he said.

Bill frowned. "What? Why? They like each other. Daphne especially. Harry is a bit awkward with girls maybe, but I'm positive he likes her too."

"They can be friends but nothing more." Thomas said sternly.

"Why?" Bill asked, still confused.

"Guess why. Daphne will be head of our House in a couple of years. She is expected to marry someone of good standing that will be a good addition to the house. We already have one or two possible matches for her. And she knows that."

Bill frowned. "You mean you arranged a marriage? With whom?"

"I don't think that is any of your business." Tom said coolly. The he sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that Daphne has shown great disdain about these possible matches and told us she wouldn't do it. But she must learn that being the heiress has also its not so pleasant sides."

"I thought our society has moved on from the Dark Ages. Making matches, arranging marriages…only the really fanatic old Pure-Blood-Families still do this."

Tom glared at him.

"Daphne can't marry anyone. This hasn't been decided yet but she should get used to the thought."

"Harry is not anyone. He's a Potter and 'The-boy-who-lived'. Give them a chance. And at the very least she should tell Harry about these 'possible' matches. I don't want him to get his hopes up only to fall onto his face later on." Bill said.

Tom stood up and Bill followed him as they approached the slumbering teens.

"I will talk to her." Tom promised as he gently pried Daphne away from Harry and gently picked her up.

Bill too picked Harry up and gently threw him over his shoulder.

Both didn't even stir. Proof on how exhausted they were.

"Let's take these two to bed." Bill suggested. "Tomorrow will be another exciting day."

As Tom carefully placed Daphne on her bed he sighed and pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Don't use him. Don't hurt him Daphne. And don't hurt yourself. It's not worth it." He whispered.

.

.

.

When Harry didn't wake up where he'd fallen asleep he was confused.

He was lying fully dressed in his cot and sunlight was falling through the thin cloth of the tent.

And something else irritated him.

There was a strange sound coming from outside.

The usual bird noises where gone, as was any other sound.

Instead there was a strange swooshing noise outside. A very loud swooshing that covered every other noise.

Confused he got up and walked form his small anteroom through the main-room and carefully poked his head through the entrance.

His brain needed a few seconds to process what was going on.

It was raining.

It was raining cats and dogs to be precise.

Never had Harry seen so long and so big drops of water. And never had he seen so much of it coming down!

Being British and living in Britain and going to school in the north of Scotland, Harry knew what rain was.

But this was…this couldn't count as rain, this was a deluge!

As if the heaves were throwing buckets of water down on earth.

Buckets of warm water.

And then he remembered the goblin guild-master of the Curse-Breaker saying something about them being there during the monsoon.

Ah…so this was said monsoon.

Awesome.

Their camp luckily was not totally flat and towards the fire-pit the ground narrowed and went down ever so slightly, which meant for them that the rain flew down that way and didn't set their camp under water.

Harry judged the distance between here and the CT, looked up at the pouring sky and weighed his options.

And came to the conclusion that even he couldn't run fast enough to avoid being drenched before he made it there.

And he had no idea what time it was.

Casting a quick tempus-charm he saw that it was barely eight o'clock in the morning.

He cringed when he remembered Atticus, Eric, Bill and Fleur who were working on the shield.

Hopefully they had some trick up their sleeve so they wouldn't be drowned.

Harry got dressed and went to face the deluge outside.

Running as fast as he could towards the CT and stormed inside.

His assumption was correct.

He was drenched.

He cast a drying charm and it worked well enough but his cloth, hair, and skin were still damp. He sighed. He never got it right. Either he was still damp of too dry.

"Morning." Thomas greeted him from the table. Daphne and he were having breakfast.

"Slept well?" he asked.

"Yeah. Was just irritated for a moment. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at the campfire last night."

"You did. Bill carried you to bed."

Daphne sniggered.

"Don't you laugh Daphne, I had to carry your heavy butt." Tom said.

Daphne blushed and hit his arm. "You don't know anything." She huffed.

Harry grinned and sat down opposite of her.

As he helped himself with some pancakes he muttered: "I hate flying in such weather. Reminds me of a certain Quidditch game."

Daphne grimaced and nodded.

"Oh, don't worry" Tom said "It's an off day for us today. Atticus sent us a message earlier that they would de-curse the last bits of the shield today and the final take down will be tomorrow, when the rain hopefully has lessened a bit. It's unlikely to stop soon but today is a bad day. The updrafts are too wild; it wouldn't be much of flying anyway. Luckily we're nearly done." He explained.

"Yes" Harry cheered "Day off. I like that."

"But what can we do? We're stuck inside." Daphne muttered disdainfully.

"How about a mud-fight?" Harry offered and wriggled his eyebrows.

Daphne shot him a dirty look.

"I blame you for that." She just said and attacked her strawberries with her fork.

"We could play scategory." He suggested. "Or chess. Or I could teach you a muggle card-board-game, like ludo! Or we could practice some magic. Or…"

"Or how about you go and see if Rashid need some help with preparing for our trip." Tom intervened.

Both looked at him.

"And Harry could wait until Bill gets back here and practice with him. You played yesterday. Today you will work."

It was more of a final decision than a suggestion.

"Yeah, sure." Both said. Though they didn't look quite so happy.

.

When Alice woke up she agreed to help Harry with his spell-work.

She cast two very handy shields above their heads that kept the rain away as they wandered deeper into the jungle around the camp.

"It's important to fight under different conditions. The rain will take a great part of your view but you need to adept to that."

The heavy rain still fell through the openings in the canopy of leaves above them.

Alice climbed into a tree and strategically placed a dozen tin-cans in the branches.

"Alright. I want you to blast the cans with a simple 'Expelliarmus' from the tree. Do not hit the tree!" she explained.

Harry snorted. "That's easy." He said.

Alice grinned, jumped from the tree and dragged him several meters back into the cover of the trees.

"Excuse me, I meant: You start from here." She said smugly.

"From here?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Of course. It's got to be a bit challenging. And realistic. The trees are your cover but they also hinder you in your aim so you first have to get close. That is your first challenge. The second is to blast them. My task is it to keep you from doing so. Now, when I say go, you can start."

She grinned at him before disappearing between the trees, leaving Harry standing between the trees.

"Alright, you can go!" he heard Alice shout after a few seconds.

Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped out of the cover of the trees to fire his first spell but was promptly hit in the chest by a mild stinging hex.

"Hey!" he shouted.

"Don't leave the cover of the trees Harry or you're dead!" Alice shouted from somewhere to him. It was impossible to say where she had hidden from him. The echo of her voice seemed to come from everywhere.

"Great." He muttered to himself.

He hid between the trees again and this time only peeked around the trunk.

The tin cans were suddenly very far away. But they glistened in the rain so he could see them fairly well.

Keeping himself hidden he aimed his wand at the first tin-can and said forcefully: "Expelliarmus!"

A jet of red light zoomed through the trees but hit the branch the can hung from, instead of the can.

Harry growled in frustration.

"Not bad for the first time, you came close. But that's not good enough. Try again. Try to get closer to the tree, it'll make aiming and hitting easier. Just try not to get stung."

Harry yelped when a stinging jinx hit him in the bottom.

He swirled around to see where Alice was hiding but saw nothing.

"Concentrate." Alice's voice said amused. He saw the next jet of light coming and quickly blocked it with a shield charm.

"Good. Now try again."

Again Harry took aim but the rain made everything blurry and his spell hit one of the trees in its path.

The stinging hex combined with the "Again!" were almost expected.

"Geez woman, I'm glad you're no teacher at Hogwarts! You're teaching methods are brutal!" he complained after the twentieth time.

By now he had only managed to hit two tin cans. It was frustrating.

"Oh, I wouldn't be sure. Pain is a good motivator."

Alice's voice floated through the threes towards him.

Harry's frustration grew with the passing of the time.

By the time Alice said it was time for lunch he had only blasted a total of four cans from the tree.

Whenever he tried to leave his hiding spot she spotted him and forced him backwards again.

The cans were farther than ever.

"We'll continue after lunch." Alice said as she appeared next to him.

"What good does that do, I'm horrible at this!" he complained.

"Oh stop it Harry. You just never done anything like this before. Just wait until after lunch. But you can't just give up now. Practice is the most important part of magic. Nobody is born with the perfect aim." She said and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"I'll show you a little trick after lunch, yes?"

"Sure." He muttered.

"What got your knickers in a twist?" Eric asked when he saw the sour expression on Harrys face as he sat down. Apparently the others had finally returned from de-cursing the rest of the shield.

"Alice training methods." He muttered.

Bill sniggered. "How many jinxes did you have to take?" he asked with no sympathy at all.

Harry growled at him.

"Oh leave him be Bill, I'm sure you didn't do better during your first time." Alice said.

"Baby I excelled at every first time." Bill said and wriggled with his eyebrows.

"Oh, gross, we didn't need to know that Bill!" Atticus choked.

Bill just laughed.

Harry wolfed down three plates of spaghettis and tomato-sauce and drowned at least six glasses of Orange-juice and two bowls of fruit-salad.

He was famished.

"I see you worked him good time." Eric muttered slightly distasteful as he watched Harry eat.

"Where do you put all of that?" Rashid asked slightly horrified.

"I'm a growing boy, I need my food." Harry just said with a full mouth.

"You are disgusting." Fleur declared dryly. Harry grinned at her with sauce dripping from his chin.

Alice just shrugged. "Oh, you know, just the usual. We'll continue after lunch."

Harry turned to Daphne who sat across him a few seats to his right.

"And what had Rashid you do?" he asked.

"Clean his cauldrons and chop Stinkfield-Roots. And they are called that for a reason." She muttered darkly.

Harry grimace slightly.

"And you Luna?" he asked the blonde who dreamily inspected a grape from her fruit-salad.

"I dance in the rain. The water-and wind-spirits where having a party and invited me along. But now my feet hurt. I'll sleep after lunch." She muttered, not looking at him.

Harry was taken aback for a moment.

"That's…great…" he finally said.

Tom just suppressed a laugh and Chao rolled with his eyes.

"Is the shield finally done?" Daphne asked.

"Yes. The curses are gone. We stabilized the remaining frame and will take it down tomorrow morning." Eric said.

"What frame?" Harry asked.

"When you shield an area like this you cast a basic shield-charm like the protego as a base. Into that shield the spells are woven to strengthen it. Now that we have taken out the curses only the original shield-charm remains. It's the white dome you've seen. That still needs to be cracked. Over eth years it has grown string and thick. The good thing is that like any other shield charm it can be broken by force." Bill explained.

"Which basically means that tomorrow you can let go of any aggressions you may have by throwing every curse and jinx you know at the shield until it breaks." Eric said gleefully.

"It's great fun." He added. "Definitely looking forward to it."

Fleur rolled her pretty eyes. "Men." She just said.

"Mr. Lovegood, do you have any idea what me might find in those caves? Considering what kind of ancient civilization lived here, what their traditions were and what they believed in." Tom asked.

Mr. Lovegood put his napkin aside and folded his hands.

"Well, that is a hard question to answer. People first settled down in Cambodia about 4200 years ago. But magic wasn't introduced into these parts of the world until the Khmer-Empire. Back then, in the time from the years 802 to 1431 AD, Cambodia was a blooming Empire, very stable in all aspects and thriving. Magical travelers settled down there. They where descendants of roman sorcerers. But when the Roman Empire began to fall around the beginning of the seventh century, many saw that it was the beginning of the end and fled. Many went east and ended after a few generations here. They integrated into the society but lay low. They worshiped the local Gods with the natives and developed new paths of magic. It is said that they went back to the magic of the elements and tried to live in harmony with their surroundings. That kind of magic stronger, wilder and more dangerous.

When around 1177 Cambodia was first invaded by their neighbors, the Cham from the Champa-Empire and then later on during the thirteenth and fourteenths century by different Thai-Clans it meant the downfall of this Empire too. But in that time the magic users had grown and cultivated a different society. It is said that they found the cure for all illnesses and a way for longevity. News leaked through and the Siam-Empire wracked secret wars against them through the land. The last king of the Khmer-Empire, who was a wizard himself, ordered that all secrets should be buried for all eternity until mankind would have learned to handle such powers and responsibilities, before he was given to the Siam-Empire as a prisoner. With that another civilization went down. It is very possible that ancient secrets and powerful objects such as these cures could lay hidden within these caves. It would explain the heavy warding and the old magic around here. The elements have been protecting this place harshly."

"What do you mean?" Fleur asked.

"Well, haven't you noticed that the rain only started now that you have deactivated the shield? Remember the vines that attacked us when we first stepped into this force-field of pent up magical powers? And there is little wildlife around here. Alone the fact that the whole surroundings is shrouded by magic so strong it cuts us off from the rest of the world is prove enough that someone or something doesn't want people to find whatever is hidden here. We must act cautiously. These caves will be booby-trapped. Someone who wasn't worthy of these ancient powers was not supposed to find them. Who knows what kind of security measurements they installed." Mr. Lovegood explained.

Silence reigned over the table as they all thought about his words.

It was true that magical bubble in the middle of the jungle was what had attracted Gringotts attention at first. And Mr. Lovegood was right. Nobody went through so much trouble and work if it wasn't important. Something was here and it was most likely dangerous. But nobody really knew what it was.

"Well, it is some information at least." Atticus said. "We take the shield down tomorrow and on Monday we make our first trip inside. Once we know what we're dealing with we go in deeper. Any questions?"

They all shook their heads.

"Then you're dismissed."

.

"Okay, just like this morning. But this time remember where you are and use it to your advantage. Like I do. Change your perspective." Alice said mysteriously.

Once she was gone Harry frowned. That was supposed to be a helpful tip?

Sighing he leaned against his cover-tree and waited for the signal.

"Begin!" Alice voice echoed through the trees towards him.

Harry breathed in deeply and wanted to turn around to face his targets when his gaze stopped at the tree opposite of him.

He looked left and right.

Trees. There were a lot of trees, standing very closely together.

Hm.

How had Alice managed to always hit him? How was it that she always saw him but he didn't see her?

Harry face-palmed himself.

Of course. She climbed through the trees.

Critically he eyed the trees.

Until now they had been more of an obstacle than a help.

But he wasn't the best climber.

He had no problem with heights but climbing?

But on the other hand…he would be better hidden from Alice between the leaves. On the other hand…wouldn't all the branches be now in his way?

It was worth a shot.

Lowering himself to all fours Harry hastily made his was over to the other tree and hid behind it.

The bark was rough and the many low hanging braches where string enough to hold his weight.

Harry pulled himself up and looked around.

He could see the tin-cans in the tree but he was too far away and too many branches where between him and his goal.

"Have you fallen asleep over there? I said you could begin!"

A curse hit where he'd been standing just minutes before.

Harry frowned. Hadn't Alice seen him change his position? Apparently not…

Harry grinned. He had to use that to his advantage.

Up here he could more easily determine where Alice's voice came from. Definitely to his fright this time. And lower than himself…

Having an idea he carefully reached for the next branch and balanced across it towards the next tree on his left.

The nearest branch of the other tree was too far away to reach out for it but if he jumped…

The wood was slippery but Harry was sure he could jump the distance.

He just wondered if that wouldn't disturb the branches too much and give away his position.

"Harry?" Alice sounded closer now.

Cursing he bend his knees and jumped, reaching out for the branches on front of him.

He landed but slipped.

But before he could fell to the ground he managed to wrap his arms around the branch and hold on.

The trees quivered but when after a few moments still no jinx hit him Harry carefully pulled himself up.

This tree was thinner and its braches more flexible.

Holding on to one, Harry jumped down on the other side while holding on to one branch. It slowly bent and Harry had a controlled descend downwards.

When he let go of the branch it flipped back upwards but before Alice might notice it, Harry was sprinting towards a thick tree.

Pressing himself against it he listened.

Sure enough footsteps approached and he peeked around.

Yeah, there was Alice, carefully approaching the tree he had jumped from and looking around.

Harry held his breath.

"I know you are here Harry." Alice said loud enough for him to hear it.

Looking around Harry spotted a half rotten branch on the ground. He carefully picked it up, peek around and when he saw that Alice was looking into the opposite directing he threw the branch as hard as he could to his right.

It sailed through the air and when it hit the bushed, it rustled loudly.

Alice swirled around and he saw her smile.

She walked towards the bush and Harry took it his opening to slip away between the trees.

He saw that he was now very close to the tree with the tin-cans.

He reeled back and pressed himself against a tree once again.

He thought about sprinting from his cover and running for it.

It wasn't the best thing to do since he'd be exposed. But on the other hand, he didn't know when Alice would be back.

He frowned.

Suddenly this exercise was so much more multidimensional, now that he understood what Alice really wanted from him.

She wanted strategies. She wanted him to think ten steps ahead. This wasn't about hitting the tin-cans. This was about getting there first. Blasting them was the easy part!

Harry chose to run for it. He was fast and could probably fire while running.

Nodding to himself he readied himself and turned around to run for it and…

…ran straight into Alice's body-bind-charm.

He fell like a stone.

Alice's face appeared above him. She was smiling

"Well done Harry. You have understood the exercise. But sadly not good enough. Let's try this again."

.

Alice dismissed him an hour before dinner.

Harry was battered and bruised from where he had tripped over stones, fallen from trees or had cut himself while climbing trees. He was sore, sweaty and dirty from climbing trees and crawling through the brake.

Above all he was soaked from the rain and shivering.

"You look like a mud-monster." Alice sniggered as they walked back towards the camp.

The dirt-repelling charm on his cloths had only worked so far. But after Harry had thrown himself into a small bog to escape Alice, even that one didn't work anymore.

The rain had found its ways through sleeves and other openings onto his body. And at some point Harry had put his jacket aside so that he could move his arms better and since his shirt was not waterproof he didn't stand a chance.

All in all, Harry looked how he felt.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"Ask Rashid for something against bruises, cuts and soreness. Tomorrow you'll feel just fine."

"I will." He muttered and yawned.

They stopped at his tent.

"Hey Harry?" Alice said warmly.

"Yes Alice?"

"You did well. Much better than this morning. You learn fast."

"You still kicked my butt." Harry said, slightly disbelieving.

She nodded cheerfully. "And I will continue to do so but you will get better too and one day we might kick each other's butt."

"I'll be looking forward to it." He said determinedly.

She laughed. "I know. See you at dinner."

The shower was so good, it must have been heaven.

Harry set his training cloths aside so that they would dry and clean themselves and instead put on jeans, a black T-Shirt and a red sweater.

With the rain-repelling-charm in place he hurried to the CT for dinner.

Most of the others were already inside.

Bill Fleur and Rashid were in the kitchen preparing the food; Alice was leaning against the other side of the counter and was talking to them. Eric and Atticus were sitting near the fireplace, talking with Thomas who was cleaning his broom on the floor. Luna was laying the table with Chao. The only person missing was her father and Daphne.

"Ah, there he is! The brave fighter. I already feared you drowned yourself in the shower to escape your misery." Bill greeted him.

"Shut up." Harry said, trying not to blush.

"I just told them about our training." Alice said casually.

Harry groaned. "Great, let the teasing begin."

Alice smiled. "Actually I told them how well you were doing."

"Yeah, I wish I could have seen that swan-dive into the bog. Will you do it tomorrow for me again?" Eric asked from across the room.

Harry buried his face in his hands.

"Merlin, you are impossible. What is it, pick on Harry-Potter-Day?" he asked.

"Just keeping you in place." Atticus assured him with a wide smile.

"Maybe next time I come to watch." Bill suggested.

Turning towards Alice Harry asked groaning: "I thought you said I did good."

She just grinned.

"And take some pictures for the family back in Britain! What do you say Harry? Maybe we could make some really big ones and put one in each Common-Room at Hogwarts." Bill went on.

Harrys wand was very quickly in his hand.

"Don't you dare! Your mother would scold me for hours for jumping into unknown waters. Who knows what kind of dangerous animals and germs might have been in there? She'll never let me leave the house again! And at school I'd be known as 'Harry-Potter-the-boy-who-dives-into-mud'. Malfoy would have a field day!"

They all erupted into roaring laughter.

"Nice to know you all care so much. Maybe I should leave and find a group of Curse-Breakers that appreciate having me there." Harry said as stuck up as he could.

Fleur walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him and with faux concern she wailed: "Oh but Harry! We do! Please forgive us!"

He groaned. "Oh Fleur, not you too! You were supposed to be on my side in this! I was relying on you for at least being neutral!"

More laughter

"What's going on here?" Harry turned his head and saw through a gap in Fleur's arms Daphne standing there.

"It's international 'Pick-on-Harry-Potter-Day' apparently. Mark it down in your calendar. Wanna join in?" he said.

"After dinner." Rashid interrupted.

Everyone quickly sat down.

Harry was squeezed between Alice and Bill. Bill ruffled trough his hair.

"I'm sure you did great today." He said silently. "Alice told me all about it. Really impressive. Not everyone would jump into a bog to hide. You have a clever brain up there."

Harry grinned widely. "Thanks."

16. Into the great beyond

Chapter Sixteen: Into the great beyond

"The shield is nothing more than an eggshell now. Hit it with all you've got until it breaks. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you." Bill told the three pre-teens of their team as they walked towards the great white dome.

"It will absorb most of our spells and at some point its capacity will be exhausted and it will break. Like a balloon when pumped up with too much air."

"And when it breaks" Daphne asked "What then?"

"You better close your eyes." Atticus advised as he passed them. "And cover your ears."

"And roll up in a tiny little ball on the ground." Thomas suggested.

Harry waited for Bill to tell them that they were just joking but Bill just rolled his eyes and said: "Yeah, and that. But don't worry. All that will probably happen is a loud 'BOOM' and a bright white light. Nothing dangerous."

He positioned them between the other older members of the team and gave them encouraging smiles.

"Let's bring this baby down guys. And girls." Atticus shouted and everyone cheered.

Harry watched as everyone around him started casting spells, aiming them at the white dome and watching how they exploded loudly.

Hesitantly he cast his own spell.

A mild Stinging Hex.

It was absorbed by the shield like water by a sponge.

"Come on Harry, not so hesitant!" shouted Alice.

"Yeah, what happened to the boy who battled living plants?" Bill cheered.

"Yeah, well, they were attacking me too!" Harry muttered. But his next jinx was a relatively strong blasting jinx that made a small dent into the shield for a second before it popped back into its original shape.

"Come on Harry, let off some steam. Sure there's gotta be something that you have some pent up aggression about!" Daphne said. "I sure have." She added with a sideways glare at her brother for whatever reason.

"Yeah man, let it out!" Chao said from where he was watching.

"This isn't some kind of therapy session." Eric growled.

"Whatever." Fleur dismissed him and smiled encouragingly at Harry. "Come on, you can do zis!"

As she smiled brightly at him, Harry could feel a strange wave of magic coming from her and washing over him but strangely enough it had no effect.

Instead something inside Harry reared up and battered it away.

"Sure." He muttered, ignoring the baffled look on Fleur's face.

He tried to think of something that frustrated him.

Well there were the Dursleys, but somehow Harry didn't want to waste energy on them.

Suddenly Sirius' face popped up in his mind.

The injustice that had befallen his godfather twelve years ago and how people still had tried to condemn him after he was proven innocent still made him angry.

Merlin…he hadn't thought about Sirius in a long time. That alone made him angry. Angry at himself.

Since they were cut off any means of communication, be it the Floo-Network or owls or magical mirrors (really, nothing worked in this god-damn place), Harry still didn't know if his godfather was a free man or not.

He doubted that Sirius had been imprisoned again but with Fudge you never knew…

"REDUCTO!"

The force of his own spell caught Harry by surprise and had him stumbling backwards.

"Nice one Harry." Atticus complimented.

Harry just stared at the dent he had made into the white dome.

It didn't pop back like the other one did.

"Baubilious!"

A streak of white light, like lightning, hit the dent in the dome and deepened it.

"Bombarda!"

The sound of explosions was loud all around Harry and the different colored bolts of light all around him hurt his eyes but there was a strange euphoric feeling and deep satisfaction coming from inside him as he continued firing spells.

From all sides the once so round shield was now dented and misshaped and deformed. In some places it had changed color and Harry could see it trembling.

He stopped his spell-casting and listened.

Listened for the hum of magic beyond.

And he heard it. It was like the very ground they stood on was shaking. Like a pulsing heart waves of magic started rippling along the surface of the shield and Harry held his breath.

He wasn't the only one that noticed it.

"Hold your fire!" Eric shouted.

The spell-fire ceased.

The shield was now positively shaking.

"Everyone step back!" Atticus ordered.

Only he remained standing where he was.

"Confringo!" Atticus said calmly and a single bolt of reddish-yellow light sailed through the air and hit the shield.

It was like watching ice break under heavy weight.

First small tears appeared, which zigzagged through the white dome in all directions.

Then the tears became cracks and the cracks widened and a sound like air leaving a balloon through a small hole filled the air, only ten-thousand times louder.

The dome shook.

As if the shield had solidified tiny splinters of it trickled down and once they touched the ground they dissolved into smoke.

Harry backed another step away.

"Does anyone else feel bad about this?" he asked silently.

Luna next to him looked nauseous. "I do. All the spirits have deserted this place. I don't feel good."

Harry grabbed his want tighter.

And then, all of a sudden, the shaking stopped.

Warily they watched as one single crack stared traveling randomly across the surface of the shield.

They followed it with their eyes and no one dared to move.

Until it finally came to a stop.

They watched as a single palm-size shred fell to the ground.

The whistling sound stop.

That was all the warning they got.

Before Atticus could even open his mouth to shout: "TAKE COVER!" Harry had erected the strongest shield charm he could manage.

Next to him Daphne and Luna did the same and their shields fused together, becoming even stronger.

Harry had no time to see if the others were doing the same because….

BOOM

The shield exploded.

.

.

.

.

.

.

In elementary school Harry had seen a movie about volcanoes.

There had been a footage of one exploding and it had been very impressive.

The shield exploding had been equally loud but not as impressive.

Still Harry could see the shockwave (or maybe it was a wave of magic?) rolling towards them a as the dome exploded into millions of white shreds, sending them flying in all directions and thousand of meters high into the air.

The shockwave (or magic-wave, whatever) knocked the three pre-teens off their feet but their shield stayed in place.

Clouds of dust gathered around them, taking their view of the other team-members.

Harry's ears were ringing sharply and he couldn't think straight.

The dust stung in his eyes.

Everything seemed upside down but he still managed to sit up.

Strangely the first thing that popped into his mind was Atticus telling them that taking down the shield would be totally harmless since all magic should have long drained from it.

'Newsflash, it didn't' Harry though and looked around.

Luna was to his right, slowly propping herself up.

"Are you alright?" he asked but his voice sounded strange to his own ears.

She nodded.

"Where is Daphne?" she asked and looked around.

Harry shook his head to get some clearance and looked around.

To his relieve Daphne sat just a few feet away from him, holding her left hand protectively to her chest.

"Daphne!" he called out and scrambled over to her, Luna behind him.

"Are you alright?"

Daphne grimaced. "I think I broke my wrist when I fell!" she muttered.

Harry looked up and shouted: "Deletrius!" at the heavy dust around them.

It dissolves and cleared their sight a little bit.

Good enough to see Thomas and Eric helping Atticus and Alice to their feet.

Behind Eric, Rashid appeared out of the dust-clouds.

"RASHID! Over here! Quick! Daphne is hurt!" Harry shouted and ran towards them.

Thomas' head snapped around and his eyes fixed on Daphne who was still sitting in the ground, cradling her injured wrist.

He, as well as Rashid came running towards them.

Harry, knowing Daphne would be fine with them, looked around.

"BILL? FLEUR? CHAO? MR. LOVEGOOD!" he shouted.

"We're over here!" came the distant voice of Chao and moments later the four missing members of their company appeared next to them.

Bill was supporting Fleur, who seemed to have twisted her left ankle.

"You alright?" the eldest Weasley asked him concerned as he gave him a once-over.

"Bit dizzy and my ears still hurt and ring but I'll live." Harry assured him. "But what the hell was that?" he added.

Bill snorted dryly. "I think we underestimated the power of this place. Someone really doesn't want what's in there to be found. I'm starting to think if we shouldn't just leave it be."

Towards the end his voice grew darker and he stared towards the cliffs and the caves.

"Too late now." Atticus said as he stepped up next to them. "But I swear this is the last time that we have underestimated this place."

He stalked off to Rashid an asked: "How are they" nodding at Fleur and Daphne.

Rashid shrugged.

"I fixed both of them but for at least another day they have to take it easy with their injured limbs." The healer told him as he wrapped Fleur's ankle with gauze he had dipped in some potion.

"Then take the two of them and Harry and Luna back to camp. The rest of us will take a first look at those caves."

Harry jumped to his feet from where he had knelt down next to Daphne.

"I want to come too!" he shouted. "Please." He added quickly when he saw Bill raise an eyebrow at him.

But Atticus shook his head. "No Harry. We don't know what to expect and we can't have someone inexperienced as you accidently setting off traps or something alike."

Harry tried not to pout. How was he supposed to learn anything about Curse-Breaking if he always got left out on the interesting parts?

"Besides, Rashid will need your help flying these two back to camp." Atticus added.

Harry looked at Bill for help but the older man just shook his head.

"Do as he says Harry. He's right. But don't worry. We all are going inside together to search for whatever is hidden in there." He said calmly.

Harry tried not to hide his disappointment.

"Fine." He muttered and turned back to Rashid and the others.

17. Luna worries about the snakes

Chapter Seventeen: Luna worries about the snakes

Harry paced the common tent up and down.

He was alone.

Rashid had taken care of Daphne and Fleur and had left to join the others back at the cliffs.

Luna was keeping the two girls company while their bones healed.

Harry would have done the same but he felt restless, like a trapped tiger.

His magic core tingled and filled him with uneasiness.

Something was wrong.

Something would happen.

He stretched and slightly twisted his neck to the side, trying to release some of the tension and forced his clenched fists to unclench.

Outside it had started to rain again.

Actually it had never stopped. It had just lessened before.

Now the all too familiar sound of rain hitting the ground and the canvas of the tent filled the air.

Harry knew he was being paranoid and it probably meant nothing but ever since he'd stumbled into the force-field-shield he felt tense, uneasy and felt as if he needed to do something urgently that he couldn't quite remember. The answer was there, just a millimeter out of reach. Something screamed: "WRONG", "DANGER", "BEWARE" and "DO IT" at the same time.

Harry rubbed his neck and sat down at the table. There at his place lay his journal.

It was a gift from Ginny when he had decided to go with Bill to Cambodia.

It was a great idea and Harry documented every day in it together with pictures Luna had taken with her magical camera that just seconds later spit out the finished moving picture. He had put sketches into it too as well as bewitched flowers and other keep-sakes so that they would never wither and stick to the pages.

But the journal also was there for him to write down his inner turmoil.

The journal also contained four letters to Sirius and some to his friends and others that he never been able to send. And didn't intend to send.

He grabbed his quill, dunked it in the ink-pot and continued writing the paragraph about his bad feelings.

He finished the entry with the words: "Maybe being cautious isn't so stupid. This place is unusual, everyone said so. But I don't understand why it makes me so nervous, so on edge. I feel as if big things have yet to happen. And I feel that their impact will be grave."

'I should become and author. I'm good at being dramatic and ominous' he thought as he read over the entry once again.

He closed the journal and walked to the tent-opening, planning on catching a few hours of sleep while he could.

He stopped at the infirmary and checked up on the girls.

They were talking merrily but not in English but in French.

It took Harry a few moments to understand that they were speaking in a different language.

When Fleur spotted him she smiled and waved him over.

"'arry! Comment vas-tu?" she asked him. The other two snickered.

Harry grinned and responded smoothly: "Ca va, et toi?"

All three looked at him baffled until Daphne asked: "You speak French?"

Harry shook his head ruefully. "Not really. But my old babysitter, our neighbor Mrs. Figg, spoke French and she taught me a little bit whenever I was forced to spend time with her but that's a few years ago now and I don't remember half of it." He admitted.

"And actually I wanted to see how you all are." He added.

"We're fine Harry." Daphne said with a smile. "Come, join us."

He sat down on one of Rashid's chairs with spools on the feet and started bobbing his left knee up and down, a tick he had developed over three years sitting in a very boring History-of-Magic-class.

"Are you alright Harry?" Luna asked with a frown. "You are so restless; the Nargles love it."

Harry smiled slightly. "It's nothing; I just wish I could have come with them."

Fleur scooted closer to him.

"Don't worry 'arry. Zey won't go without us. Zey just want to secure the place zo zat nobody else but us can enter."

"I know. But….I feel so useless on this trip." He sighed.

"Hey…you found the place, didn't you?!" Daphne said.

"And nearly got killed doing so. Anybody else would have found it sooner or later." Harry huffed.

"'arry, there has to be work done before the fun comes. And you are still a novice." Fleur explained gently.

"I know. Sorry. It's just…don't you feel uneasy as well?" he asked.

They looked at each other.

"Well…it is strange here. The magical dome that encloses this whole area, the attacking plants, the unbelievable force behind the shield…something big is here." Daphne admitted.

"I have spoken with the spirits and they are skittish. Ever since the earthquake a few months ago when Gringotts got first readings the animals have been slowly leaving this place, spirits hide. It's like a negative vibe is coming from this place."

Ignoring the 'talked to spirits'-part Harry had to admit he felt the same.

"But we saw wild elephants, there are lots of birds everywhere and so on…" Daphne said.

Luna shook her head. "I'm not talking about those animals. They have no connection to this place. I'm talking about the snakes."

All of them looked at Luna as if she had just announced she would be the next Minister of Magic.

"What?" Fleur asked confused.

"The snakes. Don't you think it's strange we haven't seen one yet? Here, in the middle of the jungle?"

"I thought we were just lucky. I don't like snakes so much." Daphne said.

Harry frowned. "But…you're a Slytherin."

"So what? They are still creeps. When you talked to that one in Second Year I nearly fainted then and there."

Harry just let it drop for the time being and turned back to Luna.

"What do snakes have to do with this all?"

"Well, whereas in many cultures snakes are viewed as dangerous and evil animals, like in the Bible for instance, the snakes are sacred animals to the indigenes here. Snakes are a symbol for wisdom and it is said that eating snakes doesn't just make you wise but also keeps you young and healthy. If you were bitten by a poisonous snake and survived you were viewed as a chosen one by them and earned a lot of respect amongst your people."

"And if you died?" Daphne asked.

"Then you gave your live in service to the Greta Snake."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"The Great Snake. Father of all snakes. He has different names. The Vikings called him Jormungandr, the Midgard-Serpent. The Egyptians call him Apophis, Chaos-snake. Here they just call him the Great Snake. They are sacred animals and when they flee a place t usually means danger. Snakes are no great fighters. They are good at stalking up on their prey and ambushing it, thus winning any fight. But they know when to preserve their lives.

And here is not one single snake. It worries me." Luna explained.

She really looked worried and spoke with such conviction that Harry couldn't contradict her. Daphne obviously felt the same but they exchanged looks.

"I am not crazy." Luna said calmly.

Harry blushed. "Sorry Luna. It's just hard for me, for us, to wrap our minds around such things."

"That's okay Harry."

They were all silent for a few seconds.

Then Fleur clapped her hands together, startling Harry.

"Enough doomsday-talk. Let's freshen up Harrys French a little bit."

Harry groaned.

18. Soon

Chapter Eighteen: Soon

The others returned shortly before dusk.

They were talking in hushed voices and discussing something.

Mr. Lovegood shook his head and said loudly as they walked towards the CT: "No…I will need my book to properly translate what the inscription says. I can make out the general information but I rather know exactly what it means so we can avoid nasty surprises."

Harry, glad for the distraction, rushed out of the infirmary and to Bill's side.

"What did you find? More curses? Did something happen? What are our next steps? Do we go inside? Will that be dangerous? What will be inside? Do we all get to go?" he asked.

Bill raised his arms and said: "Woo-ho…calm your horses Harry! Take a breath. We tell you over dinner alright? Together with the others, okay?"

Harry sighed. "Okay."

Bill smiled. "And how have things been here? Anything happen?"

Harry made a sour face. "Fleur is determined to teach me French."

Bill smiled. "It's never bad to know another language." He said.

"Still. I feel useless." He complained.

"I know it can get a little slow every now and them but now that we cracked the hard outer shell, the soft insides are ours." Bill tried to cheer him up.

"Okay."

"One more night. You'll see. Atticus will announce it over dinner."

Harry forced himself to smile. "Okay. Let's go."

Bill laughed. "Yeah, let's go."

.

.

.

"I think a toast is in order!" Atticus announced and got up.

Immediately all attention turned to him.

"We have successfully breached the outer wall; we have done the first step, in other words: we are one step closer to our goal. That is all thanks to this amazing team"

"Hear hear!" Eric muttered.

"The competence, the skill, the discipline and the stamina have made this possible. Hurray to that!"

Everyone raised their glasses and shouted: "HURRAY!"

"But it also means that now the world of the unknown lies before us. I'll be totally honest with you men" there was a cough from Fleur "and women" Atticus added quickly "This is new territory for all of us. A huge part of this land is clouded in ancient magic that cuts us off from any help. A shield, unusual and powerful guarded these caves. Finding this place was hard enough. The magic is strong here and we know not much about what could lie underneath those cliffs. I need my team on high alert and ready for everything."

He looked each of them in the eyes. "Can I count on you?"

As a response Bill started banging his cup on the table and soon everyone followed.

Atticus grinned.

"Great. We leave with the first light. Pack lightly. We don't know what we'll need."

And with those words they were dismissed.

Bill mentioned for Harry to follow him to his tent.

Harry had been inside Bills tent a few times before.

It was similar to his own but had more of a homey feeling to it thanks to the many years Bill had used it for his expeditions.

There were pictures on the wall, an Asian rug on the floor, the walls of his bed-room were covered with maps pictures and paintings, mostly of Egyptian origin and many more little details.

"This is it Harry, the great moment we have been working for. What happens next is why I love this job so much. Danger and mystery, adrenalin running through your body, magic all around you…It is what I was born to do and no matter how often I do it, it still feels amazing." Bill romanticized and sighed contently.

"People sometimes think that we are nothing but common thieves and tomb-raiders. But the truth is we find the things lost and make them available for everyone again."

"Then why does Gringotts get all the treasure?" Harry asked.

"They don't get everything and lots of the facts they get are sold again. They don't bunker it or sit on their money. And someone has to finance these trips and pay us after all." Bill said in a matter of fact.

"Anyway, this is your first mission. As a potential apprentice and future Curse-Breaker you must be warned by your master, that's me by the way, of the potential risk your getting yourself into."

Harry smirked. "Why don't they do that before one get's on the trip at all?" he asked.

Bill looked at him seriously. "Because many people don't know what they sign up for. They think its fun, a little bit of adventure. And sometimes only when they are confronted with the reality they realize what they have gotten in to. And by then it's usually too late. That is why I ask you again: Do you want to step down? Do you want to continue? Because once you've set foot into that cave, turning around could be impossible."

Harry stared back seriously and nodded. "I understand." He said.

"You have come face to face with dangers of this place already Harry. You were exposed to them. Do you think you can manage more of that?" Bill asked him seriously.

"I think I can." Harry said as calmly and evenly as he could.

"Good. Because more will come."

They were silent for a few moments, then Bill added with a slight smile: "You know, when this is over and was a success and Atticus puts in a good word for you or a recommendation, Gringotts might offer you a place in their Junior-Curse-Breaker-Program. It's were they specialize to promote promising talents from an early age on. It's worth thinking about it."

Harry smiled.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there." He said.

Bill nodded.

"Oh, that reminds me…You need to add this to your bag when you pack." he suddenly said and turned around and started rummaging through one of the drawers in his dresser.

He pulled out a cylindrical object, about the length of Harrys arm and about one inch thick.

It was a white tube and looked pretty none-descript.

Bill handed it to Harry.

"Wow…thanks." He said.

Bill looked at him. "You have no clue what that is, right?"

"Not the faintest." Harry said truthfully.

"This is Glow-Stick…and no…don't ask. It's not the real name but it sums up what the thing does…. We carry them for extra light. Just flex it strongly in the middle and shake it and it will start glowing. The glow stays for about two hours, then it needs to recharge itself for another hour and then you can use it again."

Harry took it. "No offence but we are wizards. Can't we just use 'Lumos'?"

"Of course we could. And we will. But what if we are attacked by mummies in a dark underground cavern? As soon as we use another spell the light is gone and casting in total darkens is stupid as well as useless. So we need an extra light-source in such events."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Mummies?" he asked.

"It all happened before." Bill just said and grinned.

"Thanks Bill."

"Go and pack. And sleep early. Who know when we get another full night of sleep in comfortable beds?"

.

.

.

"Harry?"

Harry stepped out of his small bathroom, already dressed for bed with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

In the tent-opening stood Daphne.

She blushed when she saw him.

"Sorry for intruding. Can I come in?"

"Sure." Harry said around his toothbrush. As a result saliva mixed with toothpaste ran from his mouth down his chin.

He held up his index finger as if to say 'One moment please' and disappeared in the bathroom to clean his face.

He returned to find her still standing in the tent opening, looking nervous and uncomfortable.

"Come in, sit down. What can I do for you?" he asked, pleasant surprised to see her.

She shook her head. "No I just…wanted to stop by really quickly."

"Okay." Harry said slowly.

Was Daphne Greengrass blushing?

"Ahm…Harry I just….What I meant to say for quite some time now is…You are a great friend…" she blurted out but didn't look at him.

"And…I'm really glad I got to know you so well. It's…it's like I have known you for longer than a few weeks."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. You are a great friend Daphne. You are different than all my other friends….in a good way of course!" he added quickly and blushed too.

"Yeah…friend…listen Harry….I….I really like you. As in….as in more than a friend."

Harry stood there as if struck by lightning.

What had she just said?

She blushed deeper.

"Look I know it seems ridicules but its true….and…. I'm scared of tomorrow and what the next days might bring so…so I just wanted to tell you."

She looked shyly at him from below her eyelashes.

Harry had no clue what to say because he was thirteen, going fourteen. Sure, he had hormones raging in his body and Daphne was very pretty and had and awesome character and he would be lying if he denied any attraction towards her but he had never been in love. The general concept of love was hard for him. He had never received love from eth Dursleys. Only when he got to Hogwarts he learned what it meant to have people that care for you and how that feels. But that was not love. Not that kind of love anyway.

So he just stared at Daphne like a simpleton.

"I hope I haven't made things awkward between us." She muttered.

Finally Harry got a grip on himself.

"No! No no! Not awkward. I'm just…surprised I guess. I…a girl never….I mean I…I'm honored…actually….but I….I mean I like you….I….really like you… It's just…new." He ended lamely.

"I just…wanted you to know." She muttered.

Then, really quickly she planted a small kiss on Harrys left cheek before leaving in a hurry.

Harry just stood there.

.

.

When Bill came to check if he was all packed and settled, Harry was still in a daze, rubbing his left cheek every so often.

Bill took one look at his glazed over eyes and asked concerned: "What happened?"

Harry looked at him and said silently: "Daphne just told me she likes me."

Bill snorted. "Of course she likes you; I don't think she would put up with you otherwise."

Harry shook his head. "No she likes me as in she likes me! Like you like Fleur –no don't deny it, it's obvious- and I….I mean…what do you say in such a situation?" Harry said in a quivering voice.

Bill gaped and then he grinned. "She likes you, eh?"

"Not funny Bill, concentrate!" Harry growled.

"What did you say?" Bill asked.

"A lot of stupid stuff probably. I can't remember."

Bill had a hard time suppressing his laughter. "You love. I remember my first crush. Anni Brixton, a Ravenclaw in my year. She was amazing but sadly she had no patience for stupid guys like me and didn't like dragons one bit." He sighed wistfully.

Harry snapped his fingers on front of the older many eyes.

"Bill I said concentrate! I need help! What do I do?"

Bill folded his arms and grinned. "Well, that depends" He said "Do you like her too in that way or not?"

"Yes…maybe…I think so…I don't know?" Harry squeaked.

Bill laughed again. "You do." He grinned. "Aw… they grow up so fast. Next thing we know you are getting married and have kids of your own."

"Can you please take this seriously? She kinda blindsided me with those news!"

Bill smiled again but this time it was kindly and he put his hand on Harrys shoulder.

"Let me give you the same brotherly advice I have given all my siblings. Try it. If it's good…great! If not…well…then that's fine too."

Harry just stared at him. "And how do I try it?"
"You'll know. Just promise me not to impregnate her. That would be really inappropriate and hard to explain and mum would kill you!"

"BILL!"

"Yes yes, shutting up. Now…have you packed?"

"YES!"

"Good. Want me to go away?"

"YES! PLEASE!"

"Okay. See you tomorrow lover-boy."

19. Underground

Chapter Nineteen: Underground

"Stay together!" Atticus ordered and lit up the tip of his wand. "Anything can happen. Keep your guard up at all times."

Harry clung to his wand, nervousness shaking his very core and sweat was running down his back.

The cave opening didn't seem so harmless anymore up close. The darkness ahead was like a mouth, ready to swallow them whole.

Harry immediately banished that image from his head.

The jagged edges around the cave opening already looked a lot like teeth.

Behind him the sun was just about to rise and Harry wondered when he would see it again.

Maybe never again, a small voice whispered in his head.

Shut up, said the other, bigger part.

Bill had shaken him awake at and ungodly hour; had checked his backpack, before under the light of torches the whole group had assembled in the middle of the camp.

As they left, Eric pulled up another protective barrier around it and that had been it.

They had said goodbye to Chao. He, as a squib, was for one not allowed to enter the caves and for another could, at least magically, not contribute anything to their group which was why Gringotts had forbidden him form coming with them. But that was fine.

He would look after the camp and his elephants. He had instructions that if they weren't back in one week he was to abandon camp and inform someone.

They had mounted their brooms and flown to the cliffs. And that had been it.

Eric and Atticus had dismantled the protective wards and put them back up again once they were inside the new perimeter.

From there on it had been only a short walk towards the cave opening the others had explored yesterday and now here they were, entering the darkness.

It had something final to it.

They walked straight ahead for about fifteen minutes before they finally neared a corner and beyond that corner lay an even more oppressing darkness.

"We walked until here yesterday." Bill muttered. "What is beyond is something even we don't know."

Harry paled ever so slightly but even in the gloom of their wands Bill saw it.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked silently.

"I don't know." Harry said, his voice higher than he would have liked.

"It'll be fine. I'm with you. I won't let anything happen to you. And neither will anyone else. You understand?"

Harry nodded.

"Try to relax." Bill suggested and smiled reassuringly.

Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright. Let's go find a treasure." He said determinedly.

.

As it turned out they didn't have to wander far for their first challenge.

At first Harry thought it was a dead end because in front of them rose a stone wall.

But then he saw the edges around the wall and the inscription in the stone.

Mr. Lovegood leant forward to read them.

"Heed careful stranger, for you are about to enter the caves of death." he said. "Be you of greedy heart and dishonest desires may you find your end in here and travel to hell's fires. But be you of good mind and worthy heart, you shall find what is hidden and in peace we let you depart."

"Sounds nice." Alice muttered and looked around warily.

"So this isn't just about keeping their secrets save but also determining who is worth of these riches, secrets, whatever." Eric muttered.

"We can expect challenges then." Atticus added.

"Lots of challenges." Bill corrected and sighed.

"What else does it say Xenophilius?" Atticus asked. "Andy clue on how to open is?"

"Indeed there is." Mr. Lovegood said and studied another inscription, further down the wall/door.

"The powers hidden in here are none for simple mortals to wield. For only those who already know power, know how tempting it is; know how it can devour with one single kiss. Our doors open for those who know but stay closed for those who don't." he read to them.

"A riddle? Oh goodie!" Tom groaned.

But Luna looked actually delighted. "It's just like the door to our common room. It only opens if you can answer the riddle it gives you." She squealed and skipped closer to the door and her father.

He smiled at her.

"And do you have the answer yet my dear?" he asked her.

She nodded brightly and pressed her flat hand on the wall.

"Only those who know magic understand the power and the responsibility that comes with it. Mere mortals do not understand that magic relies on the concept of balance. For every action there is an equal opposite reaction. A mortal, even if he used his power for good, would create a disturbance in the great balance. A wizard on the other hand knows in his very heart that he can't do that. It is our job to keep the balance between everything. Which is why only those of magical blood can enter these caves." She said dead seriously.

Upon her last word the wall/door quivered and slowly rose upwards!

Everyone, including Harry, stared at Luna flabbergasted.

But she just smiled serenely and said in her sweet voice: "After you." to Atticus.

Atticus composed himself nodded his thanks to Luna and stepped forward into the cave.

Everyone followed suit and stopped about ten meters into the corridor when behind them, with a low rumble the stone door closed again.

Harry's breath hitched.

"Is that supposed to happen?" he asked.

"Don't worry. In Egyptian tombs this happens all the time and hey, I'm still here." Bill said and grinned at him.

It helped Harry's nerves a little bit.

"Let's risk some more light." Eric muttered but before he could cast a spell a torch on the wall to their right emblazed and as if triggering a chain-reaction more followed suit, following the path down into the inside of the cliff and disappearing into the darkness.

The flames where green and cast ominous shadows on the walls.

Harry blinked and slowly his eyes adjusted to the new light.

"Wow." He heard Fleur breathe and only when Bill nudged him and pointed at it he understood.

Along the entire right wall was adorned with the most detailed carving Harry had ever seen in his life.

The colors had faded over the millennia but the details, the accuracy and the unique style made up for it.

Carefully Harry trailed a finger over the carving of a tree and thought he could actually hear the rusting of leaves in a soft breeze.

Mr. Lovegood studied it closer and nodded as if he'd been suspecting it.

"It's from the time of the last Kings, back when the wizards where fighting each other forcefully and the last King decided to hide all those secret weapons and treasures to keep them from their enemies hands. It tells the story of how it all came to be.

It begins with the first invasion of a wizard-village by muggles. Since the wizards had sworn to protect the muggles and keep their powers secret and safe the wizards resisted little thinking they could reason with the muggles. But they couldn't, which led to a separation inside the wizards ranks.

Some, tired of hiding and protecting the muggles without getting any recognition, were shouting for war, to show the muggles who held the real power.

The others, intent on keeping balance opposed that idea. But it still came to war. The angry wizards attacked the muggles who in turn attacked the wizards back. The remaining wizards tried to help the muggles, fighting their own brothers while the muggles saw no difference between them and continued slaughtering all of magic.

Then one day happened what the good wizards had always dreaded. The muggles found a magical weapon that helped them bring the demise over thousands of wizards in an instant.

Seeing the horror they were capable of the wizards reunited and battled to get the weapon back. They managed it and ended the war with the muggles but afterwards they descended into fights again when they tried to decide what to do with the weapon.

The 'good' wizards didn't want the others to have the weapon after they had lost it to the muggles once before. The muggles used their distraction to hunt them to the brink of extinction. The wizards went underground once again, leaving the muggles in believe they had been erased from the face of the earth. In reality the wizards lay in hiding, debating what to do. They had the weapon to kill all of the muggles but to what cost?

One night some rough magicians stole the weapon and wanted to use it against the muggles but in doing so also killed hundreds of their own. Seeing the slaughter and the destruction the magicians decided to bury it deep where no one would ever find it again.

The last King decided that nobody was ready for such powers yet but maybe in the future people would be able to harness such powers for the use of something good, rather than something bad."

Silence reigned in the cave.

"Wow… No wonder they didn't want muggles in here." Daphne muttered.

"Do you think this is where this weapon is buried?" Harry asked silently.

Atticus looked grim but it was Thomas who answered.

"It's more than likely. It would explain the energy of this place, the hostile surroundings, the strange occurrences and what not. If this weapon really is that powerful… It's unimaginable what it could do in the wrong hands. We need to recover it and keep it safe in one of Gringotts vaults."

Harry rubbed his sweaty hands along his pant-legs.

"Can you think of anything that could be remotely that powerful?" he asked.

"No." Rashid said and Harry knew he spoke for all of them.

.

The light of the green flames where nauseating for Harry. The color reminded him of the green flashes he had seen so often in his nightmares.

He wasn't the only uneasy person.

Everyone had their wands up and they moved in formation, Atticus leading them ahead while Thomas and Eric brought up the rear.

Harry, Daphne and Luna where herded in the middle of the group.

Not for the first time Harry wondered again why they allowed kids on these expeditions, even if they were future Curse-Breakers Even though he had enjoyed the trip so far he couldn't help but think of him as a liability. What good was he if things went south?

Would Alice training help him help the others? What if Bill hadn't taught him enough and he accidentally triggered a trap or something?

He silently voiced eth question to Daphne.

"Because it's tradition" she whispered back. "A few hundred years ago the two of us would have already been married and you would have a job. It's normal to integrate children form an early age on. Sure, it is dangerous but this is how you learn, how our society works. Astoria is hell-bend on Herbology and helps out in the apothecary and the green-houses in our surrounding neighborhood. It's normal. Not mandatory anymore, but still normal." She muttered.

Harry nodded.

This was the first words they had exchanged all day.

After her rather surprising declaration last night he hadn't known what to say. He had now nearly forgotten about the incident and talking to her, asking her questions just felt so natural.

.

They continued walking.

The walls to both sides continued showing the story of the fall of the last great wizard empire.

It showed the stories of Kings and Knights, of soldiers, of wizards, of heroes and of villains.

The ground was smooth and slightly uneven, the ceiling low and oppressing.

With every step they took a new torch came to live on the walls but that also meant that two behind them would die down.

There was an impenetrable darkens ahead as well as behind them.

They moved in a bubble of light.

Their steps disrupted the heavy dust on the ground, swirling it upward and tickling their noses.

There was little to no talking.

It was so eerily quiet.

"Where do you think this tunnel leads us?" Daphne asked loudly, startling Harry who was still musing on some deep thoughts.

There was little conversation all around them because everyone was wary of their surroundings, unsure what to expect.

"Hopefully to the weapon." Thomas said.

Daphne rolled with her eyes. "Yes, I got that. But I doubt after going through so much trouble with the shield they would just carve a tunnel and leave it lying somewhere inside."

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see. But the inscriptions at the door stated clearly that we would be tested to see if we are worthy."

"What if we fail a test?" Luna asked.

"Well, then we either can't move forward and this all was a waste of time or we…"

"…could all die." Eric finished for Atticus.

"Way to ruin the mood Eric." Alice said.

.

They had walked for over an hour when the path made a gentle curve to the left and Atticus faltered.

"What is it?" Rashid asked.

Harry peaked past Bill and saw that in front of them the cave walls had been carved to look like two columns supporting the roof of the cave.

The torches around them faded but before anyone could say 'Lumos' something else started to glow.

It started at the top left column and traveled down before it started at the right column, traveling down there too.

They were words, glowing like fluorescent algae.

Mr. Lovegood stepped forward, a book in hand and after consulting it and looking at the glowing words he nodded and read: "Left is right and right is left. Wrong is right and right is wrong. Up can be down, down can be sideways, and sideways is up. A circle with and end and to parallels that cross. Nothing is like it seems. Light is darkness and darkness stays darkness. Being fast won't get you far. Heed careful stranger and remember: Opposites come in pairs."

"Is it always going to be like this?" Rashid asked. "One mystery after another? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know but this must be the right way."

"Atticus, it's the only way." Eric growled.

Atticus stepped through between the columns and raised his wand.

"Lumos." He said.

Nothing happened.

"Lumos." He said again, a bit more forcefully.

Harry frowned. This was a very basic spell. Surely Atticus had no problems casting it!

Eric stepped next to him.

"Lumos." He said and Harry saw him wave his wand in the dim light of the glowing words.

Still nothing happened.

Harry frowned and raised his own wand where he stood.

"Lumos." He said.

The tip of his wand started to glow brightly.

All looked confused between form him to Atticus and Eric.

Suddenly Daphne took a sharp intake of breath and hurried over to the other two Curse-Breakers.

She raised her wand and said clearly: "Nox."

Immediately the tip of her wand exploded with light.

"What was that?" Bill asked confused.

Xenophilius Lovegood on the other hand seemed to have understood as well.

"Aguamenti." He stated clearly.

A column of fire shot from his wand.

"Incendio."

Water started dripping from the tip of his wand down onto the ground, forming a miniature stream.

"It seems, my dear colleagues that some spell here turned everything around. Just as the riddle said. We want light, we must ask for darkness. We want water, we ask for fire." He explained with a gesture at his wand.

"Like opposite day." Harry blurted out and then blushed when all looked at him confused.

"In elementary school we had this stupid game. Every third Wednesday was opposite day. When someone asked you: "How are you?" and you felt good you had to say: "I'm terrible." When the kitchen-lady asked if you wanted more you had to say yes for no and no for yes."

"Zhat sounds terrible confusing." Fleur said skeptically.

"It didn't always work out." Harry admitted.

"So…we have to do the exact opposite of what we would usually do?" Rashid asked.

"I don't know if every spell has an opposite." Eric said doubtfully.

"I don't think this is about spells. Not just at least." Bill said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked.

"I think this isn't only about magic, I think it's a question of thinking our way out of this."

"Don't use magic? But why? They didn't want muggles to get this weapon of whatever it is. So naturally they must have build traps that can only be overcome by magical means!" Alice protested. The others muttered confused.

But Harry, understanding where Bill went with that said: "Logic. They don't want us to laze around. They want us to think our way out. To prove our worth. They don't want us to rely on simple common magic. To appreciate something you first must live without it. This is supposed to teach magicians so that only those worthy of this weapon will have it" he hesitated "I agree with Bill" he continued "Hermione once said that wizards rely too much on magic and often lack simple logic. Sometimes just using magic won't get you any farther. This isn't about magic."

Atticus took a deep breath. "Sounds logically. I say we start walking and see what the way has planned for us."

They nodded and one after another they walked through the portal.

They must have walked half an hour.

Time was strange down here. Harry swatch had stopped shortly after entering the cave.

He didn't dare casting a tempus charm. Who knew what opposite reaction that would trigger.

They walked on through the blackness, their wands, now alight with light, raised high.

They walked and walked and nothing happened.

They just walked through blackness, walls passing them left and right but never once changed the way its direction, nor did anything else happen.

Suddenly Daphne stopped. "Has anyone else the feeling that we're walking on the spot?"

Harry stopped too.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The carvings in the wall. They started repeating after a while. And the floor, it never changes. I must have walked over the same bump at least a hundred times!" Daphne said.

"That just this place messing with your eyes." Rashid tried to explain.

"No it's not. Daphne is right. Turn around." Luna said.

They did.

There, about thirty meters behind them they could still make out the faintly glowing outline of the two stone columns.

"Impossible. We've walked for more than an hour." Fleur said.

"Must be the spell." Bill observed.

They fell silent, thinking about that.

"So we can't walk forward. What should we try?" Atticus asked.

"Run?" Alice suggested. She started running but she stayed on the same spot.

"No, that's not it." Eric said.

"Maybe crawl?" Rashid suggested.

Hesitantly they all dropped down but that as well wasn't the solution.

"Maybe we need to jump?" Daphne offered as she dusted off her clothes.

"I don't think so." Atticus said doubtfully.

"Maybe walk on our hands?" Mr. Lovegood suggested. "Seems fitting. Normally we walk on our feet. The opposite would be to use our hands."

"I can't walk on my hands." Bill protested. Luna dropped into a handstand and walked a few steps but too wasn't the solution.

Harry shook his head. What did they miss?

Luna next to him looked just as pensive.

"We want to move ahead." She said slowly. Suddenly she turned around and started walking backwards.

And she actually moved! Moved ahead.

"Luna! That's brilliant!" he exclaimed.

All heads turned and they watched as Luna slowly advanced with the back to the blackness, smiling at them.

She shrugged and said: "It just suddenly occurred to me we want to move forwards and the opposite of forwards is backwards. So I just turned around and…well…it worked." She said modestly.

"I take everything I've ever said and heard about that girl back. She's bloody brilliant. Maybe not in the academic sense but still brilliant." Daphne whispered in Harrys ear.

He jumped, surprised.

"Never thought to hear that kind of language form your mouth." He teased.

"Shut up. It's true." Daphne said and turned around and started walking backwards.

As they walked Harry could actually see the glowing columns disappear.

They moved awkwardly though the blackness.

Often some of them would bump into each other of a wall or stumble and fall.

It was a slow process but it was process.

Harry kept glancing over his shoulder but for one he couldn't see anything and for another he noticed that whenever he turned his head the feeling of walking on the spot overcame him again.

So he kept looking into the direction they had come from.

His heart was beating wildly. Anything could be in that darkens and attack their unprotected backs any time.

There was no obvious sign that the path was ending but Harry could feel it.

His magical core tingled.

Slowly he turned around.

In front of them was a chasm, about thirty feet wide with a bridge hanging across it.

It didn't look very stable and the footholds where a foot or two apart and the ropes looks as if they could snap any moment.

"Was that it?" Rashid asked surprised, looking back at the mouth of the tunnel where they had come from.

Atticus shrugged. "Maybe. Remember this is only the beginning. The tasks will probably grow more difficult the farther we get."

He put his left foot on the first wooden plank and his hands on the ropes and promptly tipped forward, hands flailing through the air and only Eric's and Thomas' quick reflexes kept him from falling.

"Bloody hell!" He exclaimed.

"What? Did the wood no hold your weight?" Alice asked concerned.

"No that's not it…look…the wood is still there."

Indeed it was.

Again, this time slower and with Eric and Thomas hovering next to him, Atticus put his foot on the wood again.

But it passed right through!

"There's nothing there." Alice said astonished and knelt down. Harry watched as her hand seemed to pass right through the wood!

"Zhe zame goes for zhe ropes. Zhey are illusions." Fleur announced.

Do the opposite of what we usually would do, Harry thought. Normally we would step on the wood and hold on to the ropes. If we do the opposite we need to step on…the air.

"Try the empty space between the wooden illusions." He suggested.

Daphne nodded. "That's what I thought." She agreed.

Hesitantly Atticus put his foot on the seemingly empty space between two wooden planks.

His face morphed into an expression of surprise.

"There is something there." He said and shifted more of his weight onto the something.

"And it seems to be quiet stable. But where do we hold on?"

"If I'd to guess…air?" Alice suggested.

Atticus started searching the air around the rope-illusions and quickly his hands brushed against something.

"Got it." He said and made the first step.

Harry held his breath but everything was fine.

The invisible bridge held.

Once Atticus was halfway across the chasm Eric followed, then Fleur, then Daphne, then Luna, then Alice, then Harry, then Bill, then Rashid and then Mr. Lovegood, quickly followed by Eric and lastly Thomas.

It was nerve-wracking walking on something invisible and holding on to something invisible.

Harry didn't want to look down but he had to.

Below him was just darkness and a long deep fall.

His knees shook when he finally reached the other side.

"You okay?" Bill asked in a hushed whisper once he made it over.

Harry nodded mutely.

Get a grip on you Potter, he told himself. It was just a bridge.

"So…was that it with this stupid spell?" Eric asked with his hands on his hips.

"I'm not sure. Let's keep going." Atticus mumbled.

.

They walked for another half an hour at least.

Harrys eyes, who had by now adapted to the low light they got, started to make out more and more details in the walls and in the darkness ahead.

He also noticed that the pictures on the walls changed their style. They became smoother and rounder, more detailed and realistic.

"Mr. Lovegood…What are these pictures about?" he asked when he spotted a picture that send chills down his spine for some reason.

It was the figure of a man standing on the top of a mountain holding what seemed to be a rock that glowed high above his head while at the feet of the mountain trees bowed their tops, animals fell to their knees and humans worshiped along their sides.

Mr. Lovegood studied the picture and the runes and hieroglyphs around it.

"It talks about the nature of the weapon." He said silently.

Everybody stopped.

"Does it say what it is?" Atticus asked eager.

"No. But it's described as a curse and as a blessing, a gift of the sky and hell, a force of good and evil. It says that it could heal and that it could destroy. It could give a man the powers of a god but just as fast it could drag him into the nothingness of the void." Mr. Lovegood explained.

That didn't improve the mood.

Harry walked on, next to Bill.

"You seem awfully quiet." Bill muttered after they had walked for a while in silence.

"I'm just thinking of what Luna said at the door and how it relates to what Mr. Lovegood read from the pictures. About balance and that we wizards and witches have our powers to keep the Great Balance and all that." He muttered.

Bill nodded. "You have questions?"

Harry nodded. "I can't help but feel that we're not doing a good job at it. I mean Death Eaters don't really balance things out, do they? And not just them, there are so many bad people out there….how do you keep balance? The reason wizards have power and fight about it and fought with muggles seems to show that we're not the ideal peace keepers, don't you agree? I feel like we are the disruptions."

Bill nodded.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it? But Harry live is not black and white, live is not Slytherin and Gryffindor. It's a world of shades of black and white and grey. For every bad person, you have at least one good person countering the bad person.

But every once and then the scales tip, like during the war with Grindelwald or when You-know-who first rose. It's the way of nature. If there is an overpopulation of bunnies, the foxes have enough to eat and reproduce a lot. When there are many foxes the numbers of the bunnies dwindle strongly and after a while there is not enough food for the foxes any more and many die and they don't reproduce so much again, giving the bunnies a chance to recover. Between those two extremes you have a golden balance, at least for some time, until fate decides in which direction it should fall again."

"Are you comparing us with rodents and Death-Eaters with bush-tailed predators?" he asked amused.

"Yes, and now listen, because it's not so different with magic. Every time the scales tip into one extreme, someone magical, powerful, tips the scales again back into balance. That way there is no stagnation in nature. There is movement and improvement, even if it doesn't seem like that at times. After the war with You-know-who security was tightened, certain areas for magic became forbidden or restricted, the whole Ministry was changed and improved" Harry suppressed a snort there "…More or less. You too are an example for tipping the scales back again."

"Me?"

"You stopped the Dark Lord, didn't you?"

Harrys face turned sour. He looked around but the others weren't listening as far as he could tell.

"I don't think it was anything I did Bill. I was a fifteen months old baby. I couldn't even talk. I couldn't really walk."

"And yet there was something about you that killed You-know-who."

"The Great Balance?" Harry asked.

Bill nodded. "Maybe it insured your protection." He guessed.

"Maybe." Harry muttered.

"But what I still don't get is why we must hide from the Muggels and still protect them? They are advanced enough to live without us." he added after a while.

"Many ask the same question. It is true that wizards do a lot for Muggles. Most of their medicine comes from us. Magicians were the first chemists in the world. We shared our knowledge of magical and none-magical plants with them.

We protected them in the early ages from all sorts of dangers like guardian angles. Today we keep their environment as clean and safe as we can, we predict earthquakes and tsunamis for them, and we live among them, like miracle workers. We are the voices of peace among them. Don't tell anyone but many of the muggles most famous singers, actors and politicians are magicians. They influence and move the people in the right directions."

"Isn't that manipulation?" Harry asked.

"We don't force them to do anything. They are not made to obey our commands. We show them what is right and most of the time they decide to follow that direction. But once we see they got it right we step back until we are needed again."

"Still sounds like manipulation to me. Better to be open about it." Harry mumbled dryly.

"Just think Harry. If we were to go out into the open once again, what do you think will happen?"

Bill didn't give him any time to respond.

"The same that happened between black and white people, between Christians and Jews, the same thing that led to us tracking right now through these caves. War. There would be those that would accept us. But most of the Muggels would be suspicious, frightened and would go for violence at some point. If magic would be used against them, even just as a defense mechanism, it would be frowned upon. We would be hunted, looked down at, hated, feared and controlled. Muggles would want magic to be the answer to all their problems. But we can't cure cancer, we can't cure AIDS, we can't make food out of nothing, we can't resurrect the dead… There are rules for magic too! They would turn on us eventually. And the many wizards and witches would call for a rebellion. There would be bloody wars and confrontations. We might be able to regain some sort of independence after a while. But there would always be barriers. There would always be fear and hate. The balance would be permanently ruptured. We tried so many times to reconnect with the Muggels. Every single time we burned. So we keep to ourselves and stay in the shadows. It has worked well for the past centuries. Why not for another few? The world is just not ready yet."

Harry thought about that.

"You are probably right." He admitted after a while.

Bill smiled and ruffled Harry's hair, something the teen still didn't like. Annoyed he swatted the older man's had away.

"Hey, lay off the hair!" he complained. Bill just laughed silently.

Just than Atticus who walked ahead of them raised his fist, signaling for all of them to stop.

"What is it?" Rashid asked.

"I'm not sure." Atticus said.

Harry peaked past him.

The path continued but it seemed to get thinner and narrower.

Then, suddenly his ears picked up a very faint bristling sound.

He looked around and saw the dust to Atticus feet move.

A thin line raced through the dust, running all the way around them and Harry could only think that the line was to precise to be natural before the ground under feet exploded and they went tumbling down.

Something hard banged against his head.

A rock maybe? Someone's foot?

All went dark around him and he could only faintly make out the hole above them.

Then nothing.

20. Death by water

Chapter Twenty: Death by water

Harry dreamt about his first year at Hogwarts.

But it was no smooth dream. It was a rapid session of pictures.

More often than anything he saw himself in the Mirror of Erised, pulling out the Philosophers stone, Voldemort's face on the back of Quirrele's head, then the back of his first chocolate-frog card, Hermione talking, he saw the dungeon where the Mirror had stood, he felt the heat of the flames around him, he felt something inside struggling, winding and moving, as if in pain of great discomfort.

He felt the familiar ache when he saw his parents faces in the mirror.

No spell can bring back the dead Harry.

Then came imagines he wasn't familiar with but still echoed deep within him, as if forgotten memories.

He saw a sprawling city below him as he stood in the crest of a hill. The scene shook and Harry saw the same city this time burning and in ruins.

The first, the first, the first, save the first, destroy the first!

The words echoed through his head as if spoken by hundreds of people at once and again he felt something squirm inside him.

He felt longing and dread inside him at once.

As the world around him dimmed once again he could feel something in his hand but couldn't see what it was. It felt heavy and smooth.

He ran a finger along its edges and an electric current ran through him.

Save me, it seemed to scream.

.

When Harry came too, he first got aware that he was lying on something wet and that his head was bedded in someone's lap.

His strange dreams were all but forgotten.

He had a splitting headache. His eyes felt as if glued shut.

Slowly his other senses returned.

He smelled water.

The rushing sound in his ears cleared into voices talking.

No…arguing.

"I don't care. Until he wakes up and if coherent and fine we're not moving from this spot!"

That was Bill. Were they talking about him?

"I have to back Bill up on that. Until I can be sure of the damage he'll have to stay here."

That was Rashid. He could feel the man's hand move over his head. Rashid's hands always smelled like potion-ingredients.

"It's probably not more than a bump to the head but we need to be sure. He should come around soon." Daphne's voice spoke up.

"We can spare these few minutes Eric. We all need to recover from this tumble." That was Atticus.

"We shouldn't linger. Who knows what traps we trigger otherwise." That was Eric's gruff voice.

Harry forced his eyes to open and blinked into the dim light of a Lumos-charm somewhere to his right. Or rather a reverse Nox-charm.

"Ow." He muttered when another blow of pain ran through his head.

"Harry?"

Bills face appeared upside down above him.

"Are you awake?"

"I can feel pain so I think yes." Harry coaxed.

Bills face became more worried.

"I'm fine through." Harry sat and tried to sit up. Bill looked ready to protest and tried to push him down but Rashid beat him to it.

He too appeared in Harrys line of sight.

"Harry! How many fingers do you see?"

He held up four fingers but they split into eight, then six and then morphed back into four.

"Something between four and eight?" he guessed.

He saw Bill pale. But Rashid stayed calm.

"Follow my wand only with your eyes."

"I'm fine." Harry said again.

"Follow it with your eyes."

Harry sighed and did.

"His eyes and pupils react normal." Rashid muttered. "That's good."

Bill looked relieved.

"What's your last name?" Rashid asked.

"You know that."

"Humor me."

"Potter."

"Your birthday?"

"July 31st."

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere wet and dark apparently."

"No I mean in general."

"Some underground cave-system in Cambodia looking for an ancient magical weapon."

"Who am I?"

"You are Rashid.

"What do I do?"

"Annoy the heck out of me."

Harry sighed.

"Honestly. It's just a bump to the head. I'll be fine. Give me a headache-potion or something like that and I'll be golden."

He pushed their hands away and sat up.

He didn't even feel very dizzy.

He climbed to his feet, swayed a little bit, found his balance, dusted himself off and looked around.

They were sitting at the shores of a vast underground lake.

It was at least a mile to the other side and other than that the lake expanded to his left and right into the endless darkness.

The water was deathly still and calm and pitch-black.

The sand on which they stood was black as well and the wall behind him had a hole about six feet above the ground.

Harry took it that was where they had come from when the ground had given out from under their feet.

He was sure it had been deliberate.

Also there was no other way out as far as he could see. And climbing back up probably wasn't possible.

He turned to face his team.

They were all up on their feet, a bit scratched and bruised, wet and dirty but otherwise fine.

"How long was I out?" he asked Bill.

"Not long. Fifteen minutes maybe since we fell and slid all the way until we landed here."

"And where is here?" Harry asked.

"No clue. But we have to keep going."

"Does our magic work normal again?" Harry asked next.

"No." Bill said darkly.

"Great." Harry muttered and stretched.

Despite his tumble and injury he felt…well…not rested per se but…different.

He wasn't calm. No…there was anticipation inside him but he felt strangely in control of it all.

"Do you feel well enough to keep going Harry?" Atticus asked as he approached him.

"Well, I don't see what else I could do anyway." Harry stated dryly. "But I feel fine. Really. Eric is right, we should keep going."

Eric grunted.

Charming.

"If you are sure." Atticus said.

"I am. Call it, what's our plan?" Harry said firmly.

The other stepped closer.

"Well, I guess we have to cross this lake."

"So…swimming?" Luna asked. "I'm not that good at swimming." She added.

Atticus shook his head firmly.

"No, no swimming. We don't know what could be in there. Swimming leaves us to exposed to threats from underneath.

Harry had to remember the trailer of one of those shark-movies he had seen on the TV the one time he had been allowed to stay at the Dursleys alone.

He wished he hadn't.

"So…what then?" Daphne asked. "Brooms?"

"It's worth a try." Atticus agreed.

He took out his broom and tipped it, unshrinking it in the process. He mounted it and kicked off but immediately dropped back down like a stone.

"Reverse magic, remember?" Mr. Lovegood said.

"I say we go for something that floats." Alice suggested.

"And what? A boat? I don't know any spells for that." Thomas asked.

"Not quite."

Alice moved to the shore and tipped the water surface with her wand.

Harry watched the ripples spread over the whole lake.

She said something Harry couldn't make out but he watched with childish glee as ice started to appear at Alice's feet and watch it spread for a good five feet.

Alice put on foot on the ice, testing it.

She nodded satisfied.

"I think we could build a bridge like that." She said.

"That is brilliant. What spell did you use?" Daphne asked.

"I asked for the water to melt and instead it froze. It's thick enough to hold us I think."

Harry remembered vividly the last winter when a Hufflepuff had went out onto the frozen Black Lake and to skate and had broken through the ice.

The poor girl had been in the infirmary for three days to recover from the shock and the cold.

The solution was brilliant but didn't instill confidence in Harry.

"This should do nicely. Good work Alice." Thomas said.

"Just doing my job." She replied with a blush.

Atticus took the lead after Alice told him which spell she had used and continued making the path.

They walked with about three meters distance between each other, not wanting to strain the ice too much at once.

Alice said it was thick enough but their magic was hemmed down here. Better safe than sorry.

.

Harry had nearly reached the middle when the water first rippled.

His progress was slow for ice was slippery and every so often he would nearly fall over. The bridge was only three feet wide and Harry was glad his boots had a strong profile under the sole and gave him a lot of hold in the ice. Still, it was not easy.

The rippling in the water came suddenly.

He first thought it came from their bridge and their movement on it but then he noticed at the rings started to far away to be their fault.

I knew it, he thought, there is some ruddy beast in here after all.

The others hadn't noticed.

And it was at least another forty meters to the other shore.

Harry gripped his wand tighter.

The strange feeling of something twisting and turning inside of his chest came back.

It was nearly painful had he had the strange urge to start casting hexes and curses into the water and run to the end of the bridge, jump and swim the last meters to the shore.

He felt scarily exposed on the bridge.

Again the water rippled, this time strong enough to send small waves splash into the bridge before Harrys feet.

He took a deep breath.

Panicking was not an option.

He wouldn't have noticed the swell of water if he hadn't been looking for it.

It came towards him and Harry braced himself.

But it disappeared under the water again and Harrys head whipped around to look at the water on the other side.

And indeed, there the swell appeared again, disappearing quickly in the gloom. It had dived right through under their feet. Harry shuddered.

He had to warn the others.

"Atticus?"

He didn't have to speak loudly. No one else was talking and his voice carried through the cave.

"What is it Harry?"

"I don't want to sound like a brat but could you hurry? We're not alone. Something's in the water."

"Are you sure?" Atticus asked, his voice now tight and concerned.

Harrys eyes scanned the water and he saw it again, the swell of water, only this time something actually broke the surface.

He couldn't make out much, only that it was something dark and probably huge and nasty.

"Yes, very sure. On your eight."

Everyone stopped and Harry would have loved to scream for them to keep walking.

"He's right I saw it too, something's moving in there." Eric's voice was just as tense as Atticus's.

"How big are the chances that it's just a friendly fish?" Bill asked.

"Not big." Alice said tonelessly.

"Atticus, please keep walking and casting the spell." Harry begged. "It's too far to swim. We keep an eye out for it but please don't stop moving!"

Atticus nodded.

He began to cast quicker and they all, though gently and without causing the bridge to move more than necessary, shortened the distance between each other.

Still, the thing in the water must have felt their intentions because it wasn't thirty seconds later that the swell returned, bigger now and heading right for the part of the bridge where Daphne and Rashid where walking close together.

It headed right for the bridge.

"RUN!" Harry shouted.

The swell bumped right into the ice.

Harry could feel the tremors and they made him loose his balance but they knocked Daphne and Rashid of the ice and into the water.

"DAPHNE!" Thomas shouted and Eric could only just keep him from jumping in after them.

"LET ME GO! YOU BASTARD SHE NEEDS ME! BOTH OF THEM!" Thomas yelled.

But Eric had seen what Thomas hadn't seen.

While Daphne and Rashid resurfaced, both dazed but unharmed, the swell in the water had changed directions and was now heading for Thomas himself.

Eric hauled the taller man just in time away so that when the thing bumped into the ice, keeping Thomas from falling backwards into the water and into the things path.

Daphne and Rashid meanwhile had swum back to the bridge but Harry detected the thing heading for them yet again.

"Get away from there!" he shouted. "It's coming back!"

They weren't fast enough.

This time the thing hit the ice with such a force the bridge burst and a seven feet gap separated the two halves.

The flying ice rained down upon Daphne and Rashid and Daphne screamed.

That was too much for Thomas and he jumped into the water.

Harry, forgetting the slippery ice, ran forward. He didn't know how he had ended up last on the bridge but it served him well now.

It gave him a good overview over the now very chaotic scene.

The thing turned back around and without thinking much further Harry cast a cushioning charm at it.

Instead of the soft yellow light that usually came with this smell an angry red bolt of lightning jagged through the air and struck the swell of water in the dead center.

It recoiled and stopped advancing on Daphne and Rashid who paddled back to the bridge, now with Thomas supporting Daphne.

Harry saw that Atticus had nearly finished the bridge. The last few meters he had not done yet but he still came sprinting back.

Not that they had to worry about the thing because it had decided that Harry's spell should not go unpunished.

Harry watched it approach, not sure where to run. Forwards or backwards?

He decided against backwards. He just would have to run fast enough before the thing collided with his part of the bridge and cut him off from the others.

Ignoring the shouts around him he started to sprint, losing his footing more than once but somehow still staying on his feet.

With rising panic he realized he wouldn't make it.

The thing would reach him quicker than anticipated.

He hurtled another charm at the water. He didn't know what his tickling charm was transformed into but he instantly knew that it had been a bad move.

Strange deep vibrations suddenly made the bridge sway and Harry collapsed to his knees.

Like a geyser the water exploded.

The beast emerged.

.

It looked like something only Hagrid would have been able to love.

It looked like an Alligator but instead of its usual four legs it had eight tentacles, four on each side. Very much like a squid.

It had spikes on its back and from its mouth darted a long three-forged tongue.

Harry could see bright red blood, much brighter than human blood, gush from a cut where, Harry guessed, used to be one of its eyes.

Ups.

It screeched like a banshee.

Harry felt adrenalin rushing through him, felt how most of his blood rushed into his legs and how his body changed into autopilot.

He ran before he realized what his body was doing.

He saw that Alice and Bill had managed to pull the other three back on the bridge and that Thomas was herding them to the other side while Bill, Atticus and Eric rushed towards Harry, curses already leaving their wands.

Harry had managed to run past the raging monster but now it was behind him, catching up quickly and destroying the ice while doing so.

The bridge shuddered and groaned and Harry didn't like those sounds.

Especially when he saw that ahead of him, between Bill and him, another huge gap had opened in the ice from one of the previous attacks. Six feet separated him from the others. Not much but still…jumping on ice? Never such a good idea…

"NOX!" he heard Atticus shout furiously and a blinding ball of light exploded form his wand, shooting up to the monster.

Its long snout snapped at the light but it was distracted long enough for Harry to gain a bit more distance.

"KEEP RUNNING HARRY!" Bill shouted.

Harry wanted to shout that he wasn't planning on doing anything else but he figured this wasn't the time for smart comments.

He could feel the monsters lingering gaze in the back of his neck.

He could feel the vengeance emitting from it.

Harry had taken its eye.

Harry would pay.

Harry was close to the gap the separated him from Bill and the others and got ready to jump when the monster crashed purposely on top of the remaining ice-bridge behind him.

He ice cracked and to Harry's horror the part of the bridge he was one was catapulted in the air and Harry went flying high up in the air.

The monster, now right under him opened its jaws wide.

Harry could think of no spell.

Luckily he didn't have to.

"ACENDIO!" he heard Daphne's high-pitched voice shout from the other side of the cavern.

The spell would normally have resolved in Harry shooting up in the air but with the reverse-magic-spell I had a similar effect like the Levi-Corpus-Spell.

Harry stopped falling, just out of reach of the jaws that clapped shut.

He felt himself be dragged back from the monster towards where he now saw Daphne.

She stood on the end of the ice bridge, Thomas next to her.

Alice, Rashid and the Lovegoods had made it already onto dry land, waiting anxiously for them.

There wasn't much they could do.

But Harry saw also that, in its rage, the monster started to follow Harrys floating body.

It passed under him, heading for Daphne and Thomas.

"DAPHNE! LOOK OUT, IT'S COMING FOR YOU!" he shouted. "CANCEL THE SPELL!"

"THEN YOU WILL CRAHS INTO THE WATER!"

"YOU NEED TO DEFEND YOURSELF. DO IT! I'LL BE FINE, I CAN SWIM!" Harry shouted furiously.

With a sudden jerk gravity took over gain and Harry shot towards the water, arms stretched in front so he drove smoothly into the black water.

He couldn't see his own hands, so black was it.

He started to paddle for the surface and broke the surface gasping for air.

"HARRY!" he heard Bill shout.

He, Atticus and Eric were now running to aid the Greengrass' but Bill had stopped on the part of the bridge closest to Harry.

"GO! Help them, I'll be fine." He shouted back.

Bill looked torn but then he nodded.

"Hurry up!" he commanded fore following his comrades.

With quick strokes Harry made it to the bridge and heaved himself on top.

His cloth hung heavy on his skinny frame.

So much for being water-proof. Then again, this didn't count as rain he guessed.

Despite his protesting body he pushed himself to start running. The sooner he got off the bridge onto real dry land, the sooner they could leave.

The battle ahead was intense.

Bolts of different colored light swarmed the beats and the Curse-Breakers didn't give it time to recover form the constant spell-fire.

"RUN FOR THE TUNNEL!" Atticus instructed them.

Harry looked ahead and saw that there was indeed a tunnel leaving further underground.

He grabbed Daphne's hand and together they raced towards Alice, Rashid and the Lovegoods, who waited impatiently in the opening of the tunnel while Thomas joined the other three in keeping the monster away.

Harry knew the monster couldn't pursue them from there on.

They reached the edge of the bridge. From here it was a ten meter swim to the shore and to safety.

Harry jumped first and when he resurfaced for the second time he heard Daphne hit the water behind him.

He turned his head mid-swim and looked back.

Daphne was only paces behind him and the other three men of their team where now retreading as well but not without maintaining their spell-fire.

They tried to keep the monster at bay but with a mighty roar it dived under the water again.

Very agitated now Harry began swimming quicker.

His knees suddenly scrapped over rock and he noticed that he had nearly made it.

He stumbled onto dry land, turning back around and extending his hand to Daphne, who stumbled through the shallow water behind him.

She reached out for his hand when behind her two tentacles shot from the water and wrapped around her waist and torso.

Harry's eyes widened in panic, his eyes caught Daphne's.

She was terrified.

Their fingertips touched briefly but before Harry could take a hold of her she was yanked back and disappeared underwater with a sharp yell.

"NO!" he shouted.

He saw Thomas starting running towards them and heard footsteps on the stone behind them.

But none of them could make it in time.

But he could.

His hand flew to the left side of his belt where the knife with the Phoenix-hilt was sheathed in its scabbard.

He drew it and dived in one motion under the water.

With his wand-tip alight he searched the darkness and caught a glance of Daphne's blond hair that shone like a beacon in the darkness beneath him.

He kicked wildly with his feet, diving behind her.

She must have seen him because she reached out for him, her eyes desperate. She must have been running out of air.

The monster hadn't noticed him, it kept diving, dragging Daphne behind it.

Like it was hauling in its prey.

Harry's ears hurt and popped over and over with the rising pressure.

He managed to gasp Daphne's hand and pulled himself closer.

Raising his knife high, he brought it down in one sweeping motion on the first tentacle. It cut clean through and the monster jerked violently.

A sound went through the water, high pitched and rattling.

The monster reeled around

Not wasting any time Harry cut the second tentacle, grabbed Daphne and shot a powerful cushioning charm at the monster.

The red light that hit the monster seemed to cut right through the water and pushed the monstrosity away.

Blood seeped through the water.

Harry didn't stay around to find out if it was dead or just badly wounded.

Daphne and he kicked with their feet, rising back towards the surface. He wasn't the strongest swimmer through and it felt as if they weren't moving at all.

His lungs burned and he was sure Daphne wasn't faring much better.

He thought he was staring to hallucinate from the low oxygen, when he saw two glowing points race through the water down towards them.

It took him a second to recognize Bill and Thomas, shooting like torpedoes through the water, coming for their rescue.

Bill gently pulled him close.

Harrys hand let go of Daphne's as he hung semi-limp in Bills embrace.

And then they were racing upwards and within a second they broke through the water and landed heavily on the stony beach.

Well, Bill landed heavily. He cushioned Harry's fall.

Harry coughed water and had trouble breathing through all the water he expelled from his lungs and stomach.

Bill patted him between his shoulder-blades, talking soothingly.

Once Harry was sure he could breath normally again and heart wasn't pounding like crazy anymore, he sat back on his hackles and breathed deeply.

Only to be then engulfed in a bone-crushing hug from Bill.

"DON'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!" he shouted in his ear and Harry winced.

"Sorry." he whispered, his voice rough.

His head hurt.

He peaked over Bills shoulder and saw Daphne in a similar position in Thomas arms.

She smiled weakly.

'Thanks' she mouthed. The gratitude in her eyes was undeniable.

'You'd do it too' he mouthed back with a tired smile.

.

Finally Bill let Harry get up and they stumbled into the new tunnel.

Both Daphne and he were ready to collapse and the other seemed to be in similar conditions.

They were all wet and hungry and shaken.

Finally when the tunnel widened and curved slightly Atticus stopped.

"Let's rest for a few hours. I think we all need it."

Not even Eric disagreed.

Rashid gave them all a quick check but nobody was gravely wounded.

They dried their cloths by using an incantation that was usually used to water plants.

The reverse magic was still active.

Harry wondered if it was everywhere.

Now dry and fed he put his head on his rucksack to take a quick nap.

He fell asleep to the sound of the hushed voices of his friends and team-mates around him.

21. Meanwhile in England

Chapter Twenty-One: Meanwhile in England

"You could have told me that getting out of prison would mean so much paper-work!" Sirius groaned and his head hit the desk-table with a loud 'THUD'.

Remus who was sitting in an armchair in front of the fireplace closed his book and smiled. "Does that mean you'd rather go back to prison?" he asked innocently.

"No…but this is nearly as bad as reliving all your bad memories. Merlin, have you read this letter from this Lord McGill? A total suck up, who asks for an alliance of our Houses. Says he has a daughter who he'd like to marry off and thought I might be interested. For starters the poof girl is fourteen. I could never do that! Second the old slim-bag is only after my money because I had my account manager look into this guy and he is broke as hell!" Sirius complained and waved a letter through the air.

Remus pretended to gag.

"And that's not the first one I got! And probably won't be that last!" Sirius whined.

"You poor thing." Remus agreed but his mouth was twisted in a smile.

"Don't mock me." Sirius grumbled his head still on the table-top. "I can hear you smile. Traitor."

He sat back up and leaned back in his high-back desk-chair.

"And all that drilling and hammering is giving me a head-ache!" he continued complaining.

"That's your fault. You told the workers if they finished the job in three weeks instead of six you'd pay them a juicy bonus. Should have known it would mean they'd work day and night to get it done."

"But do they have to be so loud? I placed three silencing charms over the office and my room. And they don't keep out all the noises!"

"Look on the bright side" Remus said completely ignoring the dirty look Sirius shot him "When Harry gets back you can't only present him with your freed ugly face but also with a home."

Sirius seemed to contemplate whether to say something to the 'ugly face' comment but decided against it and instead said, while picking up a new envelope.

"And hopefully with his guardianship assigned to me." he whispered and showed the sealed envelope to Remus.

The werewolf sat up straight in his armchair and asked breathlessly: "They replied?"

Sirius nodded and with shaking hands he broke the Gringotts-Seal and took out the letter.

Remus watched his friend as his eyes flew over the lines.

Sirius brow creased, then he looked angry, then shocked and then he looked up and asked: "What day is it?"

Remus, taken aback by the question answered: "Sunday. Why? Sirius, what do they say? Will you be granted the guardianship?"

"I don't know." Sirius said hollowly and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "The letter said that they recognize me as a potential guardian but apparently there are other interested parties that would like a claim in this matter. They have set a hearing for Tuesday at Gringotts to determine the matter."

"Other interested parties?" Remus asked confused and slightly worried. "Who?"

Sirius shrugged. "The Weasleys maybe?" he suggested.

"They would have told us if." Remus said, shaking his head. "They know how much Harry means to you. And that Harry would love to live with you."

"Then who else?" Sirius challenged "Nobody but us, the Weasleys and Dumbledore should know about the change in Harry's legal status. I never told anyone my plans considering Harry. Most people don't even know he's my godson!"

"Pettigrew told them, remember? At the end of the trial." Remus said silently.

Sirius face turned red.

"I know. But that doesn't explain why suddenly someone would be so interested in taking Harry in."

Remus got up and took the letter, scanning the lines himself.

"I think we'll find that out Tuesday morning at eight." He said grimly.

.

Tuesday came faster than Sirius would have liked.

Dressed in his newest set of robes with the Black family crest sprouting from the left chest he strolled calmly down Diagon Alley with Remus at his side.

The early morning crowd parted like the red sea before him and he had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.
Even after being announced innocent under eth sheer amount of prove the people still eyed him suspiciously.

'Go figure' he thought grimly 'Despite Poppy's potions and fast working diet and my visit at the barbers shop and Madam Malkin's I still look like a scare-crow, only dressed up now.'

It was true while he had gained a lot of weight in the short time since he'd gone into custody nearly a month ago; he was still thin, gaunt even. The bags under his eyes and the haunted look inside of them were slowly disappearing; his hair had been cut and his face shaven. The robes were meant to fit his skinny frame and he had a new wand.

He was still far from healthy.

He guessed it scared the people to see the actual effect Azkaban had.

The looming front of Gringotts appeared before him and he hurried the stairs up to the entrance.

This was the second time since his trial that he set foot in the bank and he still felt in awe of seeing it all again.

The polished stone floor and columns, the mahogany counters, the brass scales, the sound of quills scratching on paper, the giant chandelier hanging above, goblins everywhere, as well as customers and guards.

It was like seeing it again for the first time.

He stopped in the entrance and surveyed the entry hall.

"You ready?" Remus asked next to him.

"I think so. All I know is that I will fight with everything I have to get Harry to live with me. The kid needs and deserves it!"

"I'm just glad he is not here to witness this madness." Remus muttered agreeing with him.

Sirius nodded.

"It's been crazy these last weeks. The reporters are already suspecting his involvement in all of this. If they saw us together in public or got wind of the guardian ship thing he'd be targeted as well. We can't allow that." He said grimly.

Remus nodded mutely.

Swiftly Sirius approached the closest free goblin.

"Good day Master Goblin. I am here for a custody hearing with Master Frenjar. Could you tell me where I find him?" he asked as politely as possible. But truth be told, he didn't like goblins much. Most of them were to hell-bend on making profit for his liking and they were generally nasty to deal with.

Still, that didn't mean he had to provoke them unnecessarily.

The goblin hardly looked up from his book.

"Name?" he asked.

"Sirius Orion Black." Sirius said calmly.

He hoped it would get any reaction out of the creature but the goblin merely glanced up before taking the small bell that rested on his desk and shook it while calling: "Humboldt! Come here!"

A smaller, younger looking goblin appeared at his side.

"Yes Master Pinkry?" he asked with a bow.

"Take Lord Black and his friend to Master Frenjar on the sixth floor for the hearing." He said with a waving motion of his hand.

"Of course Master Pinkry." The younger goblin said and then addressed Sirius.

"If you'd follow me Lord Black, it's this way."

"Thank you Master Pinkry. Please, lead the way Master Humboldt." Sirius said and followed the goblin out of the foyer.

"It's just Humboldt sir. I am not a Master yet. I'm too young." The goblin said as he let them along.

"I apologize." Sirius said.

"No need. A common mistake. This way gentlemen."

They climbed many stairs, rode in an elevator and walked endlessly long corridors until they reached their destination.

Humboldt knocked on a door and waited until form inside a gruff voice asked: "What?"

"Master Frenjar, this is Humboldt. Master Pinkry sends me with Lord Black for a custody hearing, sir."

"Well, send them in already." The gruff voice said.

Humboldt opened the door and let them enter.

The office was fairly large with huge glass windows along one wall, overlooking Diagon Alley rather spectacularly.

There was a huge oak-desk behind which a goblin sat.

In front of the desk stood two separate tables with two chairs each.

In the back there was a fire-place with an assortment of armchairs around it as well as many cabinets and bookshelves.

The goblin in question had gotten up and held out his hand.

"Good morning Lord Black. Good morning Mr. Lupin. Please sit down. You are the first to arrive."

Sirius shook the goblins hand, careful to avoid the claw-like fingernails.

"Good morning Master Frenjar. Thank you for answering so quickly."

The goblin shrugged. "I just hope we have this cleared quickly."

"Me too." Sirius agreed.

.

They sat in silence for five minutes, then the door opened again and a goblin let in a familiar woman.

"Madam Bones." Sirius exclaimed surprised and bewildered.

He rose to shake the woman's hand.

"Lord Black, Mr. Lupin. A pleasure to see you again." she said.

"The pleasure is all ours but what are you doing here?" Sirius asked baffled.

"Madam Bones is here as a delegation from eth Ministry of Magic to aid in this matter." Master Frenjar said.

Sirius frowned but Madam Bones said: "It will be explained all in good time. My colleague should arrive any minute now."

She was right. Just moments after she had finished the door opened again and a pompous looking man with short oily hair and goatee entered.

"A good, Madam Bones you are here." He said in a voice just a pompous as his outer appearance.

All about his screamed 'Ministry Official that loves his job' and probably a pure-blood judging by his behavior.

To Sirius's delight he detected a scowl on the goblins face.

"Let's get this started then!" the man sat and sat down at the other table without a word of greeting.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Donavan, that we are still missing one member." Master Frenjar said with gritted teeth.

"It is almost eight. I do not like to be kept waiting." The newly baptized Mr. Donovan said irritated.

"Nearly eight means that my colleague has another two minutes to appear before he is late." The goblin said coolly.

Then he turned to Madam Bones and offered her a chair close to his desk.

Shortly after, the door opened and another goblin entered.

He was smaller than Master Frenjar but a lot more muscular and ha d a lot of scars ran over his face.

He was also not dressed in the finery of the bank officials but in goblin armor.

Sirius detected the sign of the Cure-Breakers on his breastplate.

He wondered what he was doing here.

"Good morning." He said gruffly.

"Good morning Master Raknok. Have a seat please." Master Frenjar said and pointed at a chair to his left.

The other goblin nodded curtly and sat down.

"Now that we are complete, we may begin." Frenjar said.

"We are here today to discuss the legal status of one Harry James Potter." he said calmly while scanning a few papers in front of him.

"He has been without a legal guardian for half a month now. Should this reach the one-month mark Mr. Potter will be made a ward to the Ministry of Magic. As potential candidates you have been gathered here today. Up until now Gringotts holds the guardianship over Mr. Potter."

"Why does Gringotts hold his guardianship in the first place?" Sirius asked.

"Gringotts is not only in charge of your finances Mr. Black. We handle successions, last wills, inheritances and other family businesses as such because they are keyed into the finances. As such the guardianship of underage customers also falls into our hands. The Ministry has never really bothered themselves with these matters and is quite happy to leave this up to us." The Goblin said briskly.

"When Mr. Potter's prior guardians forsake him his home and he cut his ties with them as well, his magical legal status changed and he became our ward. This cannot continue as such though, which is why Gringotts would have contacted you soon, had you not contacted us first." He continued explaining. Sirius nodded. It made some sort of sense.

"Because of potential money-claims Gringotts has a better overview over family-ties and relations and as thus can determine in cases like this any potential candidates for a guardianship. Until then the person in question is a ward to Gringotts Bank. Mr. Potter's current guardian is also his handler on the Curse-Breaking Program, Master Raknok here."

So that was why he was here.

Sirius studied the goblin closer.

"How is Harry?" he asked, hoping the Goblin had heard something from the mission.

The goblin shook his head. "I am not allowed to share any information with you. Should the guardianship be handed to you I will be able but for now I cannot tell you anything." He said.

But Sirius saw something in the creature's eyes.

Uneasiness.

He swallowed hardly.

But he was interrupted by Mr. Donovan who asked: "What are you talking about? What Curse-Breaking Program?"

"Mr. Potter has entered the Curse-Breaking Program for promising talents this summer that is sponsored by Gringotts." Master Frenjar explained shortly.

Donovan shook his head disapprovingly. "That will have to stop of course. We can't have a figure head like the Boy Who Lived running around with barbarians, raiding tombs and living like a lowlife servant." He stated.

All eyes were on him and not only Sirius was staring at him with disbelieve.

The goblins looked especially affronted.

Didn't the guy realize that he was shooting himself by stating such things in front of one of the creatures that would decided whether or not he would have custody of Harry?

But Frenjar collected himself and chose to ignore the man's comment for now.

"This" he continued "is this standard procedure. If Gringotts can't find a suitable guardian after a month the ward in question is given to the Ministry officials who take the case to their responsible department. Now, I, as Mr. Potter's case manger, have looked into this deeply and found Lord Black to be a potential candidate. I already explained my presence, Madam Bones is here to discuss and determine with me who will be granted the guardianship and Mr. Donovan is here as a represent of the Ministry of Magic who in turn have shown similar interests as Lord Black. Now, will that settle all questions for now?" he growled.

"I have one." Sirius said. "Why is the Ministry interested in my godson?"

He put the emphasis on 'my godson'.

Mr. Donovan lean back and said, with narrowed eyes:

"Not accounting the fact the Mr. Potter is the boy who lived and as such an important face of today's society? The boy is an heir of an ancient and noble family and one of great influence in the media and among the people. The boy has great potential. The Ministry would give him proper education and training early in life to ensure a great career with lots of profit and befitting someone of his standing. We can provide him with tutors and higher education after he has finished his studies at Hogwarts. We will be able to break him into his duties as the head of his house once he reaches majority and make him a fine member of our society." He explained though most it was more directed at Madam Bones and Frenjar than at Sirius.

Sirius snorted. "And what would you get from doing that? What do you demand in return?" he challenged.

"We want nothing in return! Harry Potter is a child to every wizard and witch in the magical world of Britain. It is the right thing to do in the eyes of the Ministry." Donovan said with a shrug but Sirius could see his true intentions. Or rather the Ministries true intentions. Donovan was just a pawn.

Twelve years in Azkaban hadn't made Sirius stupid. He knew politics and politicians. He knew they never did anything just 'because it was the right thing to do'. There was always a back-thought to everything they did and said.

"He'd be your puppet. Your puppet in the media, the Wizengamot and generally in our society." he growled back.

"We won't deny that havening the Boy-Who-Lived as an ally wouldn't hurt our image. But that's not what we're after." Donovan said.

Sirius turned to Madam Bones.

"Madam Bones! Do you hear that? They intend on using Harry!"

But Madam Bones stayed neutral, observing them all, making notes and not commenting.

Sirius turned back to the Ministry Official.

"What about his friends? Would he be able to grow up normally in your plan? Where would he live? And with whom?"

"All valid questions. To answer them: Of course will Mr. Potter be able to see his friends and to spend part of his holidays with them. Of course we will give him the necessary space and time he needs for himself. We will take care of him. As best as we can. As to answer your last two questions…Mr. Potter wouldn't be the only ward of the Ministry. We have a few more, one or two in his age and some older ones. He would live together with them under the supervision of someone who used to be a ward to us and is now bound in our services. He'd be surrounded by people in the same situation as he is and be able to learn what his future will look like. We are sure that he'd be very content."

Sirius snorted again. "Sound to me like you want to form him into your little pawn. Because I know for certain that one of Harrys fears is to be shipped off to an orphanage. What you describe sounds suspiciously like one."

"Well Mr. Black, what do you have to offer than?" the man asked in reply.

Where are you going with this you little bastard, Sirius thought.

"You may have been pardoned but you are still at the beginning of remerging with our society. You have no home to call your own or for Mr. Potter, you have no work, your name, although cleared, still attracts suspicion and your life will not settle in the next months. You must pick up your responsibilities as the Head of your own house. Much work is there for you to do and not much time of yours would be spend at home to look after your ward. Is that the right environment for a teenager?"

Sirius would have liked nothing more but to punch the slim-sacks smiling face.

A quick glance at Madam Bones showed him that she still wasn't giving any reactions.

Good, he thought.

He straightened up.

"You are wrong Mr. Donovan. I do have a house. I admit that we're still doing some final touches to the wallpapers but the company I hired assured my they'd be done within the next two weeks or so. Just in time when Harry gets home. As for the job problem you managed" here he scoffed "I do not mean to brag but even before the Ministry compensated me I was filthy rich. Money is not a problem and, as you so fitting mentioned, I already have a lot to do and sort out, a job just would take away my precious time. As for me being the head of my house I have to say that there isn't actually that much to do for me. My house nowadays mostly consists of me and an old house elf. My cousin Andromeda Black married and is as such no longer considered a primary member of the Black Family. My other cousin Narcissa Black is married as well, to Lucius Malfoy as you might very well know, so the same thing goes for her. Both of them are not my responsibility. Not at the moment at last and while their children could have a potential claim to enter my family should they not wish to be a member of theirs any longer, I sincerely doubt that will happen. As for my third cousin, well, Bellatrix is in Azkaban and hopefully will die there. But she too is married to that doesn't make her my responsibility either. My brother is dead, as are my parents and any other relation I might had once. I did my reading and research and came up quite empty handed. There are no people in my house that would need leading so I'm pretty free in that aspect. As to my responsibilities as a Head of House outside my family I must say that my seat in the Wizengamot has not been reinstated yet and won't be until the next election in six months. I am not on the board of Governors nor do I hold any other positions from prior my imprisonment. I was an Auror but on a junior one. Seeing that those are the major responsibilities of a Head of House, I don't see where you see the problems with my time. Also Harry will be returning to Hogwarts come fall so there wouldn't be need of me until Christmas. I dare say that, counting from today onwards, I will have dealt with all pressing matters by then, don't you agree?"

Sirius took a breath before continuing.

He quite liked how everybody was looking at him either angry of dumbfound.

"As for your comment about Harry's education and what you can offer him. Well, there is nothing money can't buy. I too can provide him with all the education he wants and needs. I am sure that Gringotts would love to keep Harry in their Junior-Program and could provide him with the necessary education in that aspect, as well as with a career should he decide for it. I think we'd be able to work out an agreement" he looked meaningfully at Master Raknok who smiled. Suddenly Sirius didn't mind Goblins as much as before. Turning back to Mr. Donovan he continued:

"Above all, I can offer him a loving home. I knew his parents; I grew up with his father. They made me his godfather for a reason. I can give Harry what he deserves. Living with me he will be able to find out what it feels like to be loved and wanted, he will be able to see his friends whenever he likes, I will take him on holidays and week-end-trips, I will help and be there for him like any parent. That is the environment a teenager needs! Harry wants to live with me that he's told me many times.

As for my name still attracting unwanted attention and anger…so what? I can protect Harry. I would lay down my life for him. And Harry can deal with that sort of thing. He got a lot of shit thrown at him last year! "

Sirius took deep breaths, trying to calm his heart down.

He'd gotten about more caught up in this than he'd wanted.

"And what about your metal stability Mr. Black?" Mr. Donovan asked innocently. "After all, twelve years in Azkaban are strenuous. Who can say that you are not damaged from your time. People have gone crazy after shorter amounts of time there. Who is to say that you won't snap some day? That you won't be a danger to Mr. Potter? That you are not just a ticking time-bomb waiting to get off? We think you might not be fit to raise a child."

It was a low blow to Sirius but a valid point.

He did have nightmares from his time there, of course. Yes, the years had taken its toll on him but he was fine.

Having Harry back gave him the purpose he needed to keep going, to get better.

"I'm fine." He growled.

He knew that wasn't very convincing.

"What do you say? Madam Bones? Mr. Frenjar?" Donavan asked.

The goblin scowled. "It's Master Frenjar to you wizard." He said.

Donavan looked as if he was going to make a comment but seeing the sharp weapons Raknok carried he decided against it.

Instead he turned to Madam Bones.

The woman considered both parties.

The eye behind her monocle twitched slightly.

"While you do mention an important point Aster" she said to Donavan "We had a psychological examination of Mr. Black ordered in the time he was in Ministry custody and while he does have a trauma from his experience at Azkaban as well as sleeping problems, his examination was surprisingly positive. I think" she looked at Frenjar "that the task of raising Mr. Potter would not be a problem for him. I think both parties could profit from it. Furthermore I knew James and Lily Potter, Mr. Potter's parents. Mr. Black was their first choice, together with Alice Longbottom. Since the latter is not able to perform her duties I don't think it is right to go against the Potters last will, don't you agree Aster?"

She gave him a sharp look.

"I only want what is the best for Mr. Potter and that is…" Donovan began but Frenjar interrupted him be continuing for him: "respecting his parent's, heroes to our world, last wish. Yes, I quite agree Madam Bones. I think there is no need to take this before the Ministry. I am the DMLF agrees with Gringotts decision if we hand Mr. Potters guardianship to Lord Black."

Sirius heart beat wildly.

Madam Bones smiled. "Though you don't need my approval, I will give it anyway." she said.

"Very well."

Frenjar dipped his Quill in the richly decorated inkpot and scribbled something on the papers in front of him.

"Lord Black, if you'd please come here and sign the papers to make it official." He asked Sirius, waving with the quill.

Sirius leapt to his feet and approached the desk but faltered mid-step when Donavan called out: "You cannot do this. Leaving the boy who lived with and ex-convict? The Minister will hear about this! And the media!"

"Of course I can do this." Frenjar said coolly. "This is Gringotts jurisdiction. We operate independently from the Ministry. The handling of guardianships and such things has been our field of work for hundreds of years now, not that of the Ministry. If you'd listened to what I said in the beginning then you'd know that we consult the Ministry after a month if there are no suitable matches. Since the month hasn't passed and we found a match, this is outside of the Ministers influence. So stop babbling like an inarticulate idiot." The goblins tone had grown icy cold.

"As you said, Lord Black is an ex-convict, meaning an innocent victim" Madam Bones piped up "I'm pretty sure the media would love the story of the caring godfather, who broke out of prison for his godson when he realized his godson was in danger and stopped caring for his own well-being. And now the two of them are reunited, just like it was the dead parents wish. With your consent I could owl the Prophet Sirius." She added.

He knew she didn't really mean it but he played along, rubbing his chin and saying: "I'll consider it. I'd need to talk to Harry first of course. It's his decision as well after all."

He pointedly looked at Donovan.

"Of course Sirius."

"Lord Black, your signature, if you please…" Frenjar said again.

Sirius quickly scribbled his name onto the dotted line that the goblin pointed at.

The ink glowed and Sirius felt the rush of magic go through as the magical binding contract activated itself.

"Congratulations Lord Black to your new member to the House of Black. I will give you a copy of the contract to read at home. Should there be any questions feel free to contact me. For now you are Mr. Potters Guardian until he reaches majority. Mr. Potter vaults will stay his and inaccessible by you unless the young heir wishes to change that. I think you can imagine your duties." The goblin said and gave him a slight predatory smile.

"I will leave you and Master Raknok to discuss whatever you want to discuss. I will bid my farewell, I have other matters to attend to."

"As do I. Good day gentlemen." Madam Bones said.

"Good day Madam Bones. And thank you." Sirius said, shaking her hand.

"I only did my job." she said and left the room.

"If you'd follow me Lord Black, I think my office will suffice for this meeting." Raknok said. Then with a side glance at Remus, who had sat through all this quietly, knowing he had no say in these things, the goblin added apologetic: "I'm afraid Mr. Lupin will have to wait outside. Though I know you will tell him everything I will tell you the house rules forbid him from attending."

Remus waved it aside. "It's no bother. I will wait at the Ice-Cream-Parlor for you Sirius." He said.

"Thank you Remus. It won't take long."

.

Raknok's office was littered with weapons, maps, scrolls and charts, books, treasures like amulets and gems and a lot of other stuff.

The desk nearly disappeared under all the papers.

From somewhere he produced a second chair for Sirius to sit in while he sat down behind his desk.

"Excuse the chaos but I'm afraid lately there has been so much going on with all the troops we have in the field that I'm a bit behind the paper-work."

Sirius nodded.

"Now…I can imagine that you have a lot of questions concerning your new ward." Raknok said.

"That's an understatement. When I got home from my trial I was expecting Harry to be there. Instead I learn he's halfway around the world on a Curse-Breaking-Mission with eth eldest Weasley-son. I've tried writing him but the birds always come back. The Weasleys as well haven't heard from their son. So we're all a bit worried." Sirius said.

"Well, I will tell you what I know. Mr. Potter has developed a sudden interest in Curse-Breaking and shown a great talent for it as well. Good enough for us to accept him as Mr. Weasleys novice and take him in on our summer-program for promising upstarts. When Mr. Dumbledore approached us if we could allow the boy to come with Weasley on the expedition we were skeptical at first but after Weasley sent in a report about the boy and we examined some of his work as well as school-records we deemed it acceptable to allow him to go along. We believe in learning on the job which is why we send many of our novices early out into the field to weed out those that can't deal with this job." The goblin explained matter-of-factly.

"Now…as for your godsons mission…He's left England with a big group of experienced Curse-Breakers and two other novices, though none of them are Gringotts apprentices. Anyway, a few months ago there was a massive earthquake in the deep jungle of Cambodia which resulted in a magical white-spot. That means that an entire area is shielded from powerful magic and that it doesn't allow us to pinpoint its source. We put a team together deal with this problem. Harry Potter among them."

Sirius shifted in his chair. "I sense a big 'But' coming." He said.

"But" the goblin said "because of this magical bubble they are cut off from the rest of the world. We have no way of contacting them and they have no way of reaching us. We monitor the area as bets as we can but the area is huge and we don' know where they are, what they found and how everything is going."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest but Raknok quickly continued.

"We do know though that they are alive. All of our people are submitted to monitor-charms. They are still intact."

He waved his hand and a holographic image appeared in front of Sirius.

In alphabetical order pictures and names together with medical information appeared in a neat table.

He quickly scanned the names and close to the bottom he found:

Potter; Harry James: Pulse: 60 b/min Blood-Pressure: 60/80 Body-Temperature: 37° Celsius Repertory: Normal Oxygen Levels: Stable Brain Activity: Low Current status: Asleep

There was more information, like age, height, weight, blood-type and allergy-information and there were diagrams and charts with each name.

Sirius stared at the picture that came with Harry's name.

Harrys hair was still messy but in a strange orderly sort of way.

His round classes were gone. Instead he had thicker square glasses that suited him much better.

He was smiling in the camera and since it was a magical picture he moved slightly, glanced beyond the camera before returning to smile again.

Sirius heart soared at the sight of the boy.

God, he missed the little prongslet.

"As you can see, the whole team is fine. None of them was majorly hurt or killed. I know this isn't much information but it is something." Raknok said, eyeing the table as well.

As they watched Sirius saw how Harrys pulse and blood-pressure, and not just his but those of the others too, slowly rose.

And suddenly the 'Current Status' switched from 'Asleep' to 'Awake'.

"Mr. Potter will be fine. He's in good company. There is nothing these men and woman haven't seen before."

Sirius nodded and sighed.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. Please keep me update if anything happens."

"I see what I can do."

Sirius nodded, stood up, shook the goblins hand and left.

.

Sirius met Remus in the back of the ice-Cream-Parlor.

Remus looked at him questioningly and Sirius told him what he'd learned from Raknok.

Remus frowned.

"Well at least he's fine so far. And Bill too, we can tell the Weasleys that, it will lessen their worry." He said though he sounded a bit distracted.

"What is it Remus?" Sirius asked.

"I…I don't know if I image to much or interpreted it all wrong but…the meeting we just had…I don't know Sirius but don't you think it was a bit…easy? Quick?"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought Harry's custody hearing would last longer and be far more complicated."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe because with Harry things are always a bit more complicated."

"I am worried as well that the Ministry wanted him. But…we won…so…its okay now." Sirius said.

"If they really wanted Harry then why send someone as incompetent as Donavan to represent them?"

"Maybe they don't know how bad he is."

"Or this was never about the custody."

Sirius frowned.

"What are you saying Remus?"

"Nothing per se. But something doesn't seem right about all of this." Remus answered seriously.

.

.

.

.

"You were right, they boy is not there."

"Then where is he?"

"On a Curse-Breaking-Mission operated by Gringotts."

"Where Donavan?"

"I…I don't know. The wards on the Goblins office where to strong."

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"I know…but they wouldn't tell me!"

"They you are no longer of use to us!"

"No please…"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

.

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Sirius and Remus were back in the study of Sirius new house.

The sound of working people and machines was still there.

With a tub of ice-cream each they settled down in the armchairs in front of the fireplace but Sirius didn't even have two spoonfuls of the delicious frozen food when the fire turned green and with a small cloud of sooth and ash Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace.

Sirius regretted giving the headmaster access to the house but it had been unavoidable.

The man looked grim and Sirius dreaded the upcoming conversation already.

"Albus? What is it?" Remus asked, getting up.

"I heard about you being made Harrys guardian Sirius. Congratulations but I had hoped you'd talk to me about it first."

"I don't need your permission. Lily and James wanted me as his godfather. It's my duty to care for him if they cannot." Sirius said stiffly.

"That's not what I meant Sirius. I could have helped."

"Yeah well, your help wasn't needed. Thanks though." Sirius muttered.

"Though that is not why you are here, or?" he asked and with a flick of his wand he conjured a chair for the Headmaster to sit down in.

"I'm afraid that it's not." Dumbledore said. "I have bad news."

"What happened?" Remus asked worried.

"I was just told that Peter Pettigrew escaped."

Silence.

"WHAT?" Sirius asked sharply, fury already rising in his chest.

"How did he escape?" Remus ask, also red-faced.

"Well, he never really reached Azkaban. The boat that transported him was raided. The crew as well as half of the prisoners on board were killed. The rest were taken. Pettigrew among them." The professor said darkly.

"You mean to tell me the rat has been free for a week and we only learn about it now?" Sirius hissed.

"I am as angry about this as you are Sirius, believe me."

"And what will they do about it?" Remus asked.

"Well, a handful of Aurors have been put on the case but I don't expect much. They have no leads what so ever."

"What could they possible want with Pettigrew? He's a failure in all aspects."

"He still betrayed Lily and James and framed you and managed to stay undetected for twelve years. We don't know what he was to the Dark Lords old circle but what Sybil saw was true and if the Death Eaters do get active again, I fear for the worst."

"But Voldemort is dead." Remus said, swallowing when he said the name.

"I'm afraid Remus that we do not know that hundred percent. In fact I have reason to believe that he's still alive. Not a full power yet but alive nonetheless."

Remus and Sirius paled.

Sirius sat down heavily.

"I am really happy Harry is not here at the moment." he whispered.

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.

.

In the dark of the jungle four spots of light hovered through the air, moved down the side of a gorge and traveled over flat ground.

"Fools!" a voice growled. "No guards, no alarms, no protection at all. Fools the lot of them!"

Three more voices murmured their consent.

"Well, the better for us!" a second raspy sounding voice said with a light laugh.

"Could it be a trap?" another vice asked. He didn't sound overly concerned.

The first voice snorted. "I doubt it very much." He said.

"And it's in there? You're sure?" asked the fourth voice.

"Where else could it be?" snarled the second voice impatiently.

"Well if we are wrong all of this will be for nothing and we will risk the master wrath." said the third voice.

"This is the place don't you worry. Now come on." Growled the first voice.

The four bulbs of light approached the cave entrance.

"They'll never know what hit them. Fools, they are all fools for thinking they'd ever be save."

22. Wandering through the dark

Chapter Twenty-Two: Wandering through the dark

Not for the first time since arriving in Cambodia were Harry's dreams troubled.

At first he saw that strange dark mansion on the top of a hill; far, far, far away from where he stood. He saw the outline of a small village at its feet.

Then the dream seemed to shatter into a million little pieces and he felt as if he was free-falling through space before another dream snatched him up.

This time he saw the face of a small stout man who had a great resemblance to a rat.

Wormtail. Or Peter Pettigrew as his birth-name was.

Harry couldn't quite comprehend what he saw but his scar was stinging slightly and uncomfortably.

Wormtail was…doing…something.

Then Harry saw faces of people he didn't know.

Grim, dark faces. Dirty faces with sneers and hateful expression on them.

They were all dressed in black.

A group of four flashed before his eyes and he saw them striding through lush greenery, their wands ready in their hands.

The entrance to the caves flashed before him and he flinched in his dream.

And then the strange voice echoed through his head again for the third time in just as many nights.

'Destroy the first. It's the only way! Destroy! Save us!'

There was a deafening bang inside his head and Harry bolted upwards, gasping for air.

He was back in the tunnel with the others.

It was dark except for some of the green torches that burned on the walls.

The even breathing of the others filled the silence around him.

And yet he felt as if the after-echoes of that explosion where lingering in the air around him. Was he imagining it or was the ground vibrating ever so slightly?

"Bad dreams?"

Harry nearly yelped and turned quick as a snake.

"Gods above Daphne" he whispered furiously and put one hand over his wildly beating heart "don't do that again. I nearly had a heart-attack."

She smiled. "Sorry. But you seemed to have some pretty nasty dreams there."

Harry shrugged. Then he froze.

"Where you watching me sleep Greengrass?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Daphne blushed and tried to hide it.

"Of course not. You disturbed me with your muttering and trashing. It's a miracle nobody else woke up." She snapped, still embarrassed.

Harry looked around concerned.

"Sorry for waking you." He said.

Daphne shook her head. "You didn't. You're not the only one having trouble sleeping." She said.

Wrapping his blanket around his shoulders Harry slowly got up and walked over to her.

He sat down next to her, leaning against the smooth stone, staring blankly at the sleeping forms of the others.

"Thinking about what happened today?" he asked silently.

She nodded.

They sat in silence for a while.

"It's not quite what you thought it would be, right?" he asked.

"No. I thought I knew what I was signing up for." She stated dryly.

Then she sighed heavily and stared moodily at the opposite wall.

"Why are healers-in-training required to come along on Curse-Breaking missions anyway?" Harry asked.

"Two reasons actually. One if field experience. All healers have to have some kind of work experience in different types of work or surroundings to learn to adapt and react quickly and precisely. The other reason is that my apprenticeship to Rashid is supervised by Gringotts. I want to be a healer for the Curse-Breaker Guild mainly once I am done. I'd love to travel the world and have some adventures. But my family frowns upon these plans. If I do it I will be a lot on the road, constantly moving from one mission to another. They think I might not fulfill my role as Head of House sufficiently enough. And now that I've gotten my first real taste of adventure I'm starting to doubt my decision too." She explained hesitantly.

Harry nodded. He could understand that.

"Yeah I know what you mean. When I first met Bill and talked with him about Curse-Breaking he told me that most people think of Curse-Breakers as irresponsible adventurers. But the job isn't all fun and games. It is dangerous and taxing and that people get injured or killed. Bill once said that we're messing with forces bigger than us and he's right. These places that we willing go to and explore are very dangerous but we do it anyway because we know it's a threat to our fellow people and we want to protect them from it. Most people though are ungrateful for what we do because they can see no real results.

We are a shield but we're only as strong as our weakest member. And that's where you Healers come in. You make sure that there will be people to uphold that shield. You are part of them. And aren't healing and protecting two principles that your family values? They should be proud that you want to do this. You are meant to be a healer in my eyes Daphne. You are not only good at it and passionate about it; it's also what you want. Don't let your family's opinion dishearten you."

"You really think so?" she asked.

"I know so. As for the adventure part…this is the first time in your life you have been stuck in a magical cave full of challenges and monsters, right? So it is for me. Most of the time I don't know what I am doing and usually just follow and try not to be in the way. But that's why we're here. To learn. You said healers need to know different work-situations. Here you have one. Take your fear and uncertainty, embrace them and turn them into something productive."

He smiled at her.

"How can you be so calm?" Daphne asked and studied his face.

"I'm not" Harry said with a smile "But these past three years have helped me learn to keep my cool and head leveled. Mostly. There is nothing like looking death into the eye to help clear your mind and sort out your priorities."

"You know, thirteen-year olds shouldn't say things like you so calmly and deadly serious." She stated.

Harry for some reason laughed slightly, and then he looked around, scooted a bit closer to her and whispered: "Fourteen."

"Excuse me?" she asked confused.

"Actually I'm fourteen. Don't tell anyone but my birthday was a few days ago."

Daphne's eyes widened.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" she hissed.

"Well to be honest I'd forgotten myself. I only noticed it a day later."

She shook her head. "Only you Harry! Happy Birthday. This must be…not the ideal birthday, I take it?"

"Are you kidding me? That was the best birthday I ever had! It still is!" he said happily

She looked at him funnily. "Your birthdays usually must really suck then." She concluded.

He scoffed. "You don't even know half of it."

Obviously noticing the change of tone Daphne went to change the topic.

"Do you mean to say that it's already August?" she asked.

"It was August first we entered the cave. Don't know how much time has passed. I wasn't able to cast a tempus-charm." Harry said with a shrug.

Daphne sighed.

"Still…it's crazy how fast time flies." She said.

The she added a bit saddened as she looked towards the ceiling: "I miss the sky. I know we haven't been here for long but…I really detest underground places."

"Me too." Harry confessed. "I love being up I the air on a broom. It's the most amazing feeling ever. But underground I feel trapped." 'Because it reminds me of the cupboard under the stairs back in Surry.' He added bitterly in his thoughts.

"I like flying but I like having both my feet on the ground more." She said lightly. "And I love swimming and sailing. Last summer my father took us on a trip to our family island in the Caribbean. It was amazing."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Your family owns an island?"

She smirked at him. "Yeah. Many old families own islands. Envious?" she asked slyly

He shook his head and replied dryly: "No…but it explains the posh behavior."

"I give you posh behavior." She told him and cuffed him in the side.

They laughed lowly and Harry asked: "Better?"

Her eyes were alight with new fire. "Yeah. A lot actually." She replied.

"Think you will be able to sleep a bit more?"

"Will you be?"

"Maybe."

She smiled.

"Good night Harry." She said warmly and put a hand on his shoulder. Then she stood up and walked back to her bed-roll.

"Good night Daphne." He whispered and he too returned to his bed.

.

.

.

Later that day, or night (nobody was really sure), Bill shook him awake and said: "Time to get up Harry. We're moving again."

Harry nodded, sat up, stretched and then went to pack his things together.

Breakfast was protein-bars and water.

They continued walking in the same fashion as before.

The glow sticks had recharged during their break and glowed brighter than ever in the oppressing darkness.

Harry walked close to the walls.

He wanted to see the pictures, the fainted colors, the details; he wanted to understand what had happened here.

What the reason was they were in here right now.

Fleur tried to distract Daphne, Luna and him with some French exercises but somehow Harry wasn't in the mood.

Fleur noticed this and stopped trying after a while.

There was again only little conversation and those who talked spoke silently.

Nobody knew what lay ahead. And nobody wanted to disturb what might lay ahead.

At some point, Daphne walked next to him.

"Did you sleep well after last night?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I did, thank you for asking. I was more exhausted than I had realized." She said.

"Me too. If Bill hadn't woken me I could have slept for another day."

The path got narrower and they had to walk in a single line to pass through.

He walked behind Daphne.

The ceiling was low too. Bill, Thomas, Atticus and Mr. Lovegood had to tuck in their heads.

"I'm just glad that there are no spiders here. Or bats." Harry muttered.

Daphne snorted. "But magical water-monsters are okay?" she asked.

"They at least can't crawl under your clothes or make disgusting sticky webs that you can run into!" Harry replied. "Or flap around your head unannounced."

"Someone has his priorities straight." She replied dryly.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you."

"But you?"

"Daphne. I am five feet four inches and weigh a bit more than a hundred pounds. Sarcasm is the only weapon I have!"

"I can't believe you are afraid of spiders and bats." Daphne whispered, shaking her head.

"I am not afraid of Bats. And I only strongly dislike spiders. You would too if you had been chased by hundreds of Acrumantulas through the Forbidden Forest." He whispered in her ear.

"When did that happen?" she asked.

"Second year."

"When people nearly got turned to stone because of a free roaming Basilisk?" she asked.

"Yes. Spiders fear Basilisks. Ron and I saw them leave the Castle in their thousands. And then Hagrid said that we should follow the spiders if we wanted answers. He couldn't explain what he meat with that because they were in the process of arresting him.

Ron and I still went and found a nest of these beasts. Their King was gigantic. At first we thought he was relatively friendly because we were friends of Hagrid's but then it told us we were food for his children. Luckily the Ron's family's car saved us"

"Oh I heard that story" Daphne interrupted him "You damaged the Whomping Willow. Professor Snape was livid that evening. Scared the First years senseless."

"Yeah, anyway, that's why I don't like spiders." Harry concluded.

Daphne shook her head but he couldn't see her face because he was still walking behind her.

"Unbelievable." She finally said. "You really get away with everything."

Harry spluttered indignantly.

"Tell that to the many detentions I had to serve." He said. "Scrubbing cauldron bottoms and the ceiling of the potions-classrooms. Or write autographs with Gilderoy Lockhart. Urgh…that was the worst! Or the many points we got deducted for smuggling a baby-dragon out of Hogwarts."

She turned. "You did what?" she asked disbelieving.

Harry blushed. "Nothing."

But Bill, who walked behind him piped up: "Oh Charlie told me about that. Someone at Hogwarts illegally hatched a dragon" Harry was glad Bill didn't mention Hagrid's name "and Harry, my brother Ron and their friend Hermione Granger found out about it. They knew it was forbidden so they contacted my brother Charlie. He's a Dragon Master in Rumania and he came with some friends in the middle of the night to pick up the dragon and take it to the Dragon Enclosure they work at. Ron told me in secret that they weren't caught at the actual exchange but afterwards when they went back to the Gryffindor Common Room."

Daphne was giggling and most of the others had either disbelieving or shook their heads smiling.

"Hogwarts seems to be a lot more interesting than it was at my time." Atticus said with a sad smiled.

"It's mostly Harrys fault. He attracts trouble like magnet." Daphne said.

"Guilty." Harry muttered.

"Beauxbatons iz nozing like zat! Everyzing is proper and in its place. No adventures." Fleur said.

"Yeah well, I haven't given up on a quiet year at Hogwarts yet." Harry sighed.
"And he jinxed it!" Rashid said dramatically."

"You are doomed!" Thomas laughed.

"Thanks, this is friendship." Harry muttered dryly, making everybody laugh.

"We have nothing if we don't believe in something." Luna said softly form somewhere behind Harry.

He smiled. "Thanks Luna. That's what I was thinking."

"You're welcome Harry."

.

.

.

Harry's feet were starting to hurt. How long had they been walking?

Five hours? Maybe six?

Nothing had happened.

Eric was the first to voice his discomfort.

"I don't like this." He growled. "This has to be a trick. So we let our guards down and then…BAM! Something strikes!"

"Are you sure you and Mad Eyes aren't related." Thomas breathed silently.

Eric gave him the one-finger-salute.

Alice spoke up. "Ahm guys…look at the walls."

All head turned to the walls and the carvings.

Except there were no carvings anymore.

"Hang on." Mr. Lovegood said and walked a few steps backwards.

"Here is the last picture." He exclaimed.

They gathered around him.

The carving was bigger than the others.

It showed a figure in long robes standing on a hill-top.

The left hand was raised high above the head and from the fist that seemed to hold something, came long rays of light.

And to the feet of the hill lay a town, half in ruins.

One of the rays of light from the figures raised fist was heading right towards the untouched part of the city.

The message was clear.

"It's destruction." Mr. Lovegood said with a sad look on his face.

"The walls are blank because afterwards…there was nothing there anymore."

"But…but what about when they build these caves and hid the weapon here?" Harry asked.

"That still happened. Why didn't they show it here?" he asked.

"A good question. Maybe we'll find out, maybe we won't." Mr. Lovegood said with a shrug.

"Does it give and hint as to what that weapon might be? A spell maybe?" Atticus asked.

"Something worse than the Killing Curse?" Daphne asked.

"There are a lot of things worse than the Killing Curse. The Killing Curse is quick and painless. It ends your life in a second. And although it is horrible to use, it is not the worst spell out there. The Cruciatus Curse for instance. Horrible that one. Drove many wizards insane. Or even killed them because their hearts couldn't take the stain." Eric muttered.

"Eric. Enough." Bill hissed.

Harry knew about the Killing Curse of course.

He was after all the only survivor.

The Cruciatus Curse though…he thought he remembered hearing about it. But he couldn't quite put it anywhere.

"Let's continue walking." Atticus said. "I have the strong feeling that we will have our fair share of trouble soon enough. Let's enjoy while we still can."

.

.

.

Harry, Daphne, Luna and Fleur were walking in the back of the group.

They weren't talking much but they were all closest in age to each other, more or less, and enjoyed each other's company.

"Look at this. Daddy!" Luna suddenly said and stopped.

Everyone turned around.

Luna had stopped and was looking up at the top of the left tunnel wall.

Harry thought at first it was a crack I the wall.

A very oddly shaped crack.

Then re realized it was a carving.

A tiny carving. Very fine and delicate.

Mr. Lovegood stood on tiptoes and examined it closer in the light of this green glow stick.

"Hm…interesting." He said.

"What does it say?" Atticus asked.

"The words are very old. But I think they say 'Destroy the First'."

Harry shivered violently.

But nobody noticed.

"And…and I think there is a Lightning-Rune next to it." Mr. Lovegood observed.

"Make way." Eric muttered and looked at the carving himself.

"That's a lightning bolt alright. And if it does say 'Destroy' then the analogy isn't so far off. Lightning stands for un-tamable energy that strikes down from the heavens. It's a force older than anything else and marks the end of something. Lightning is seen as the gods' favorite weapon of choice and is seen as a messenger from the gods at the same time. People struck by lightning used to be considered as blessed or enlightened. But it also stands for fertility. As life-giving."

Eric scratched his scruffy chin.

"So the rune is either supposed to underline the need to destroy this first thing, or it is meant as something that comes after the destruction. After everything is gone, lightning will strike down for new life."

Harry felt his throat closing up.

His lightning scar prickled.

His parents had been killed. His life virtually destroyed.

But he had lived through Voldemort's Killing Curse.

Life had followed destruction.

There could be no coincident that his scar was shaped like a lightning bolt.

"And how does that help us?" Rashid asked.

"I don't know. But we should keep it in mind I guess." Eric said gruffly.

'Yes, we defiantly should' Harry thought.

23. Hanging around

Chapter Twenty-Three: Hanging around

They only stopped for short breaks in which they would eat something or drink some water.

Harry's feet felt like they were one giant blister.

Rashid looked at them, murmured some spells and put a tincture on them and afterwards it was better but the general aching wouldn't leave his body.

The path had become more difficult.

It went up and down, sometimes they had to scale walls up and down to continue their path or rob on their bellies along the floor because it was so narrow.

Other times they walked through tunnels as big and wide as Hogwarts Great Hall.

All through the walls remained blank and only every few meters a torch burning with green fire would lighten their path.

Their magic still worked backwards.

They tried in regular intervals but so far nothing.

It was after their lunch break that Harry began to think something was off.

And only when they continued walking it became clearer and clearer that something wasn't right.

It only appeared to Harry when he turned to Daphne to ask her something and her braided plait hovered in the air above her head.

He stared at hit stunned.

"What is it Harry?" Daphne asked, noticing his look.

"Your hair…" Harry muttered.

"What about it? Please tell me there's nothing in it like a spider or a beetle." She asked horrified with a shudder.

"No…it's…its flying."

She stared at him.

"Come again?" she asked.

"It's flying. And it's not just yours! Look a Fleur's hair!"

Fleur, how had her hair in a simple pony-tail, hadn't noticed yet that it had taken on an independent life of itself and was happily flying through the air behind her.

And hair wasn't the only thing flying.

Hoods, strips, ropes, everything began to float gently upwards.

Harry looked down at himself and noticed that the ends of his shoe-ties were pointing straight upwards.

The straps of his backpack floated horizontally next to him and when he touched his hair it too pointed upwards as if electrified.

"Ahm guys" Daphne said loudly "Something's going on!"

The all turned to look and their eyes widened when they saw the floating elements.

"What the…" Bill breathed and looked down to see the arms of the jacket he had tied around his waist float happily in the air.

"Look, it's not just our stuff!" Alice called out and pointed at the ground.

Small pebbles and specks of dust hung centimeters above the ground and floated around, bumping into each other and knocking each other of course.

"Where did the gravity go?" Harry asked.

"It flew away?" Bill suggested with a grin.

"Let's go and find out." Atticus mumbled.

As they progressed, the more and more the gravity seemed to dwindle.

Soon enough they had to move flying stones out of their path as they walked and things really got tricky when Luna, the smallest and lightest person among them, suddenly lifted off the ground and rose giggling under the ceiling.

Luckily it was low so that they could grab her ankle and pull her back down.

But like a balloon filled with helium she kept drifting upwards.

And she wasn't the only one.

Harry felt that he had problems taking steps soon after her.

Once he jumped over a crevice in the ground and sailed at least five meters straight through the air before gently and slowly touching down again.

"Ahm…Bill? You might wanna hold on to me." Harry said a bit panicked when he started drifting upwards and there was absolutely nothing he could do to get back down.

In front of them the tunnel widened once again and Harry was afraid he might drift out of reach.

It was an unreal sensation drifting completely weightless in the air.

Bills reassuring grip on his shoulder was comforting but he now all but dragged Harry because walking in the air didn't get Harry forwards.

Soon Alice grabbed his other shoulder and pushed down. Thomas did the same with Luna.

Daphne who walked next to Alice kept eyeing Harry critically.

"Should I feel offended that apparently I am heavier than you?" she asked after a while.

"Hey, if you want we can switch places." Harry mumbled irritated.

She smirked.

"Naw, I think it's all fine the way it is."

"Heads up!" Eric called from ahead of them.

The tunnel stopped abruptly and they found themselves in the entrance to a dome like cavern. The entire Quidditch Stadium at Hogwarts would have fitted in here nicely Harry, thought as they walked on.

There was nothing in the dome-like cavern but smooth grey walls and floor.

At least so it seemed on the first gaze.

Daphne gave a sudden yelp and Harry turned his head to see what was wrong.

Daphne was rapidly gaining altitude.

Thomas reached out to grab her but in doing so he let go of Luna and Mr. Lovegood, who wasn't expecting that, lost hold of his daughter too!

Now both girls drifted rapidly upwards towards the tall ceiling.

Horrified they all stared after them, frozen.

And as Harry stared at the ceiling, he noticed that there seemed to float something underneath it.

Not just one something, lots of something.

They were long and heavy looking but they weren't rocks.

Harry swallowed when one of the things turned in mid-flight and he saw what it was.

It was a corpse.

Daphne and Luna, who were drifting closer to them recognized them too and started screaming.

That seemed to wake everyone up.

"Quickly, what do we do?" Alice shouted.

"I don't know, we can't really use magic, remember!" Thomas countered, still staring upwards to where his niece was disappearing.

"And our brooms don't work either." Rashid reminded them.

"Maybe we, if the reverse magic is still active, we could try a feather-light charm." Bill suggested.

"And what, aim it at the girls so they drop from up there to down here with now secure means of catching them?" Thomas asked. "No thanks." He added.

"Well we could use the 'Ascendio' or 'Alarte Ascendare'. "Bill suggested.

"On a hunch I'm not going to risk my niece's life and I doubt so would Xenophilius." Thomas growled.

Bill narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything else.

"How about I drift up there and grab them?" Harry asked.

"And how do we get you down again?" Atticus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Easy. Does anyone have a really log rope?" Harry asked.

.

Eric did indeed have his magical rope that grew more, the more you needed.

It was very strong and easy to handle.

They tied one end securely to Harry's feet, before huddling around to hold onto the rope together to form some sort of anchor, so nobody else would randomly start to drift off.

They would have loved to use magic but with the Reverse Spell still intact there was no way of knowing what consequences that might have or how their spells would turn out.

So once they were sure Harry was secure, they let him go off in the general direction of the girls.

As Harry slowly rose up, he tried to find out what the situation up there was.

.

The girls had been shouting in fright a lot as they had drifted upwards between the corpses.

They had reached the ceiling by the time Harry and the others had formulated their plan and now hung under the ceiling, trying to crawl it along, away from the lifeless bodies of maybe a dozen men and women.

What was so unnerving was that the bodies were decaying or skeletons but looked as if their former occupants only had died hours or maybe a few days ago!

Their faces were slack, their hair formed halos around their faces and their limbs were sprawled in all directions.

Daphne and Luna managed to grab hands and hold onto each other.

Whenever a corpse would drift too close they would kick it away or crawl away.

But it was difficult and exhausting.

The dead people around them were unsettling and send cold shivers down the girls' backs.

"This isn't right." Luna mumbled and clung to Daphne's arm, looking around with big round eyes.

"They shouldn't be here."

"You know else shouldn't be here?" Daphne whispered back. "Us!"

"They are trapped here. They can't move on." Luna said with remorse. "And we can't help them."

"What are you talking about?" Daphne asked in a slightly high pitched voice.

"Their souls. They are traveled inside their bodies. They can't move on!"

"I still don't get it." Daphne muttered.

"There is a reason why we burry or burn our dead. We set their soul free form their mortal bindings, so they can join the afterworld. But these souls…they are trapped. Something preserves their bodies. Keeps them trapped!" Luna was close to tears now.

"They are screaming in there." She whispered.

Daphne wasn't sure how to react to it so she grabbed Luna closer and softly turned the younger girl's head away.

Then she saw Harry slowly drifting up to them, tied to a rope like bait on a string and she smiled.

"Look Luna, Harry is coming to safe us!" she said excitedly.

Harry was now within easy talking-distance.

"Hey girls, what's up?" he asked with a cocky smile.

"Ah, you know, we're just hanging around." Daphne replied lightly.

Harry smiled back. "Sounds nice." He commented.

"It's pretty boring actually. I'd rather do more lucrative things with my time than stare holes in the air." Daphne admitted with a shrug.

"You seem pretty down to earth." Harry remarked.

"We can't all be such airheads like Draco Malfoy." Daphne said firmly.

"Yeah, that guy really has his head in the clouds."

"He so needs to come back down to earth." She agreed.

"Agreed." Harry said with a smirk.

"Okay, enough with the bad puns." Daphne said. "Get us down from here Potter. I assume you have a plan, right?"

"You assume too much." Harry said gravely. Then had added quickly: "But not today. We have a plan."

"Good." Daphne said. "I would have killed you otherwise. Or cut that rope so that you would hang here us!" she threatened.

"I don't have to save you, you know?" he answered somewhat piqued.

She smiled back at him. "We both know that's a lie." She said sweetly.

"Just get going so we can get back down." He said.

"Afraid of heights?" she teased.

"I wouldn't play Quidditch if that was the case."

"True."

Daphne concentrated and pushed herself and Luna off from the ceiling. They slowly sailed towards Harry, who had both hands outstretched, ready to catch them.

Luna got one hand, Daphne the other.

"I got them!" Harry shouted down.

Daphne saw how the rope on Harry's ankles slowly dragged them down but they had only gotten a few meters down when from downstairs came the loud shout from Atticus: "You guys are too heavy! You start dragging all of us up!"

"How is that possible?" Daphne asked.

"It shouldn't be." Luna said shakily.

"It's magic, not physics!" Harry muttered.

"Well, it doesn't change that fact that we are too heavy." Luna sighed.

"Well, it can't be my fault; Daphne is the heaviest of us three after all!" Harry immediately shouted.

Daphne sent him a murderous glare.

"What, you said it yourself!" he said defensively with a slight smirk.

"Just get Luna down. She can't stay up here any longer. The bodies upset her." She said.

"And they don't freak you out?" Harry asked as he took hold of Luna.

"Of course not."

"I recall two people screaming up here."

"Shut up and get her down."

"Yes Milady."

With that Daphne let go and drifted back up against the ceiling.

Harry tucked at the rope and shouted: "Try it how!"

This time they were able to pull them down.

Once Luna was safely down and secure, Harry went back up to collect Daphne.

"How's the air up here treating you?"

"A bit stale to be honest."

A corpse sailed by.

"I wonder how they got up here." she wondered.

"Probably the same way you did. Except they didn't have an awesome friend like me to pull them back down."

"You got a pretty high opinion of yourself!"

"At least I'm not the one dangling helplessly like balloon under the ceiling."

She rolled her eyes and reached out to grab his hand. "I swear Potter, once we get down there again and are out of here, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"You think you could do that?"

"Yes."

"Wow, you're quite the high-flyer, are you not?"

"What did I say about bad puns?"

Harry laughed and grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her closer.

Two corpses collided soundlessly a few meter away and then sat off in different directions again.

"Seriously though. Who are they? How did they get here? Is there maybe another way in?" Daphne asked silently.

"Don't know. Maybe." Harry replied.

"I don't like it." Daphne said darkly.

"Neither do I."

.

Back down with the others they found out that Luna had already told the others of the bodied drifting under the ceiling.

"Well, it is possible that they had heard the same legends as we have and found this place some other way. Maybe they were tomb-raiders. Or archeologists. Or adventurers. Whatever they were, they got carried up there and probably died of dehydration." Rashid reasoned.

"Do you think we will find more bodies in here?" Fleur asked.

"Maybe. I don't care as long as none of us gets added to their numbers." Eric growled.

Getting out of the dome was difficult as well.

They had to cross the entire cavern, even though they could start drifting upwards any second.

In the end they huddled close together around Atticus, Eric and Bill, they heaviest people on their team and all linked together so that they weighed down on the three men, who kept them all anchored and at the same time they kept them from taking off for a flight.

This arrangement required for them to move together as one and time everything correctly.

They all were exhausted when they finally reached the safety of the next tunnel and gravity came back in one blow.

Still Atticus made them walk another mile or two before letting them rest for a while.

24. Death by Fire

Chapter Twenty-Four: Death by fire

After their little space-adventure, the adults of their group kept a close eye on their young fledglings.

Through Eric kept muttering about how it's always the young and inexperienced that die first.

Harry tried to ignore him.

They ate while they walked on.

The incident had cost them time apparently.

Harry wasn't quite aware they were on a tight schedule but he wasn't going to ask about it.

The walls remained blank, the path uneven and tricky and Harry got bored.

He let him wind wander far away, back to Britain.

What the others might be doing right now?

Then again Harry had no clue what day it was or what time, so he could hardly imagine what might be going on in England.

Ron was probably avoiding any of his remaining school-work. He was probably playing Quidditch against Ginny in the backyard of the Burrow.

And Hermione was either on Holiday with her parents or working on some extra credits for her school-work.

No doubt she had long finished their homework.

Harry wondered if anyone had told her that he was on a mission and that that was the reason why he wasn't answering her letters. He was sure Ron would have told her at some point.

Sirius…well, Harry was sure that Sirius was by now a free man.

How could he not be.

The burden of proof was crushing.

Even the most stupid person must have seen that he was innocent.

So if Sirius was free that probably meant that he was adjusting back to his old life.

Harry wondered if he was looking for a place to life or a job.

He tried to imagine that job-interview.

Frankly he couldn't without grinning bitterly.

And the thought of Sirius looking for a place to live filled him with excitement.

Because any place Sirius chose would, hopefully, be the new home for him too!

Harry wondered if Sirius was very angry with him.

Sure, Remus Lupin would have explained everything, as would the Weasleys and Professor Dumbledore have but still…Sirius had a temper and could be quiet stubborn if he wanted too.

This summer was really messed up, Harry concluded.

A sudden hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.

To the reality of a dingy dark narrow tunnel deep underground somewhere in Cambodia.

Oh joy.

It was Fleur who had grabbed him.

The French witch was pointing at Bill who had been walking in front of the group.

Bill was holding one arm up and scanning the tunnel before them with a critical eye.

"What's wrong?" Atticus asked.

As an answer Bill rolled up the sleeves of his right arm and showed them a dark blue pulsing tattoo on the inside of his lower arm.

It was a Gaelic rune and it symbolized danger. It was a warning rune.

Harry was pleased with himself that he recognized it. Runes were hard!

"I didn't know you had a tattoo William." Fleur said and something was off about her voice Harry thought.

She spoke deeper and it sounded like a cat purring. What was up with that?

"It's not a tattoo." Bill said his ears a bit red around the edges.

"It's a rune I bewitched and the burned into my arm. It warns me if any potentially harmful warding is around."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Like a detector? Then why didn't it warn us when I ran into the shield?"

"Because I have to literally stand right in front of the warding for eth rune to detect it. I'm still working on its efficiency." Bill explained.

"So there is danger somewhere here?" Atticus asked.

"I don't see anything." Rashid mumbled.

"That's the point." Bill explained and knelt down. He carefully swept the dust away.

"Thought so." He said and continued swiping the dust away.

As he did lines suddenly appeared on the ground.

It took him a few minutes but by the time he had swept away most of the dust they all could see what it was.

Touching the walls on both sides, lay before them a perfect circle of tiny runes.

No…not a circle.

It was a spiral.

It began on the right cave-wall and continued in perfect circles until it ended in the exact center of the circle with one single word.

It was beautiful to look at but Harry felt also a chill of fear running down his spine.

"A Runic Circle. I can't believe my eyes." Eric muttered with big eyes.

"See that word in the middle? That's pyr, It's the Greek word for fire. It's an elemental circle." He added.

"What does that mean?" Atticus asked.

"It means that if we had set as much as one foot inside that circle we would have been burned to ashes." Bill muttered darkly.

"Oh." Alice muttered.

"Can't we jump across it?" Daphne asked.

"Stepping into or over it, it doesn't matter. The runes will register movement and activate. We'd still die." Bill said.

"Oh." Said Daphne.

"Can you disable it?" Atticus asked Bill and Eric.

Eric shook his head. "I know how to use its power but I never learned how to break its power. It's not part of a Rune-Masters curriculum."

"I can. I think." Bill said. "It has the similar structures of offensive protective warding. It shouldn't take long."

Bill set to work.

Harry watched as he carved the rune for 'power' before the spiral and tapped it.

Immediately the whole spiral started glowing in a deep orange light that reminded Harry of fire.

Figures, it is a fire-circle, Harry thought.

Bill then slowly and carefully started carving his own runes in strategic places around and inside the spiral.

Different sections of the long line of runes started glowing in different colors before it faded away.

Smoke curled up and something smelled burned.

He noticed that he wasn't the only one looking interested.

"Why can't you disable the circle? You had no problem de-cursing the shield." Harry asked Eric after a while.

"There is a significant difference between Curse-Breaking, what we did with the shield, warding, what Bill does for a living, and runic magic, what I do." Eric said gruffly.

"Warding is the use of runes, symbols, signs and words of power to ensure protection in all kinds of forms. It's about weaving their different powers together into one.

De-Cursing/ Curse-Breaking on the other hand follows warding. It's about undoing what you put up before. But it's a different kind of magic than weaving magic together. Now you have, in reverse order, undo the connections between the different sets of powers and drain the power form their sources, for example the runes. To drain them of their power we use counter-spells or runes, depending on what you have to counter." Eric explained slowly.

Harry nodded. That he'd known before.

"Runic magic, what I am a Master in, is different though. While I know the same runes as any man who has studied wards, I use them differently. I have learned to tap into a runes power and use it for my own. That means, if I paint a rune for strength for example and tap into its power, I can increase my own strength."

"Wow…that is seriously cool!" Harry said with wide eyes.

Eric nodded, looking somewhat pleased, pointed at Bill and continued: "Now, I know the significance of my runes and I can defuse simple warding and alone standing runes but things like a Runic Circle, the epitome of knowledge in warding and weaving magic together, is above my expertise. I had help with the de-cursing of the shield. Atticus and my wife, who does the translation of spell-rolls for Gringotts, helped me figure out what spells where used in my section of the shield and which counter spells would be most effective. Once I knew that it was only a matter of casting the right spells in the right order. That is something any idiot can do."

"Are you calling yourself an idiot?" Thomas asked amused.

Eric flipped him the finger and crossed his arms before his massive chest.

"Whatever the case, now you see why I don't destroy such epic works." He told Harry and pointed with his chin at Bill.

"Hey, I don't like this either but do you know what I like even less? Being turned to ashes." Bill growled.

"What could you do if you tip into the circles power?" Harry asked.

"Different things" Eric said with a shrug "I could harness the fire-power and wield and bend it the way I want to use it, I could make myself fireproof or simply absorb and save the power for later and transform it into a different kind of energy. There are different options as I said."

Harry nodded. "That sounds awesome."

"Yeah well, it's not easy and risky. Many wizards who have tapped into the power for runes and symbols have misjudged their power and as a result killed themselves." Eric said dryly.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Every symbol has power. They stand for something very realistic. Drawing, carving, saying it is like summoning it to you. It will be there and if done wrongly, it can unleash its powers in the most horrible ways know to the world. So you always have to be careful with what you draw and doodle and make sure you do not infuse your magic in it."

Harry nodded. "I see."

"Done!" Bill declared in that moment.

He stepped back and nodded. "That should do it."

"Should?" Alice asked.

"There is a way to test it. Anyone got a rock or something they're not too attached to?" Bill asked.

Mr. Lovegood handed him a handkerchief.

Bill threw it into the spiral.

They watched as it slowly floated towards the ground and gently touched down.

They held their breaths.

Nothing happened.

"There, you see, safe." Bill said proudly.

Eric raised a hand. "I vote Weasley goes first, just to ensure it really is safe!" he said.

Bill pulled a face at him and then stepped into the spiral…

…and through.

Nothing happened.

They cheered and one after another crossed the circle.

"Can you show me some of your runic magic?" Harry asked Eric as they continued their way.

"Maybe once we're out of here or if the reverse-magic things stops. I don't know if it affects runes too and I'd hate to die just because of a simple demonstration gone wrong." Eric muttered.

Harry nodded. "Later then." He said.

.

He found himself along Lunas and Daphne's sides.

"How are you Luna?" he asked her kindly. She had been pretty shaken after the whole 'floating-with-corpses-thing'.

"Better. Thank you for coming to our rescue." She said dreamily and squeezed his hand.

"Always. You're my friend Luna."

"Really? That's nice." She whispered, before her eyes seemed to get lost somewhere in a distance Harry couldn't see.

Daphne smiled. "A knight in shining armor. So Gryffindor." She said cheekily and threw her hair back.

Harry shrugged. "You're just jealous because you had to play the part of the damsel in distress."

She shoved him with her shoulder. "Whatever." She said.

.

"Guys, check this out!" Atticus called out joyfully some time later.

In front of them rose two stone columns, forming an arch inside the relatively straight tunnel.

The air inside the arch glimmered and glistened.

And as if written by an invisible hand, words appeared on eth ground before them.

"Welcome those that have wandered in fear but still managed to come here. Your bravery and skill shall be rewarded. But caution, for you are not yet at journeys end. Are you worthy, are you not, the trails shall decide if you are, or not." Mr. Lovegood read out.

"Poetry was not their strongest skill." Daphne remarked.

Harry suppressed a snort.

"You think it's safe to go through that?" Eric asked skeptically.

"I think so!" Luna piped up and skipped without any further word through the arch.

As she crossed the swell she seemed to glow for a second.

The she was on the other side and turned around with a bright smile on her face.

"Oh how wonderful! You have to feel this! I feel so alive suddenly! So much stronger!" she shouted happily.

Looking at each other and then shrugging, one by one followed her.

As Harry stepped through the arch, he gasped.

A dazzling light seemed to come from under his skin and he felt as if something was slowly and carefully caressing his magic.

It felt as if his core was joyfully jumping up and down inside of him and a voice seemed to whisper: "Welcome."

And then it was gone and Harry stepped through and onto the other side.

Bewildered he stared back at the arch.

"Did you feel that? Did you hear that?" he asked Daphne.

"What?" she asked confused.

"That prickling sensation inside of you, like when you are very happy. That…that feeling of safety…?" he asked, trying to find the right words.

She frowned.

"I feel different, yes, but nothing like that. This place still gives me the creeps and I feel anything but safe."

Harry shook his head. "It was strange!" he muttered, more to himself this time.

"Hey look!" came suddenly the joyous shout from Alice.

She held up hr wand and said: "Lumos."

And to everybody's amazement and relieve, the tip of her wand ignited.

"I think the reverse-magic is over." She said happily.

"Maybe that's the reward." Atticus suggested.

"I don't know about you, but I feel a lot better right now." Rashid said.

.

They continued walking but it was with a new sort of energy and purpose.

They had their magic back, they were one step closer to their goal, whatever it was, and they were all still alive.

Another surprise came a short while later, when suddenly Mr. Lovegood exclaimed: "I don't believe this."

"What is it Xeno?" Bill asked and stepped up to his neighbor.

"Look at this. This is truly amazing!" Mr. Lovegood said in awe.

It truly was.

The walls were once again covered in carvings and paintings!

It started all of a sudden in the middle of the blank walls!

Harry couldn't understand the meaning behind the pictures but he felt happy to see them again.

"What do they mean Xeno?" Bill asked. "I thought after the Destruction the only thing that happened was that they hid the weapon?" He asked.

"So I thought my dear friend and indeed, the Cambodian magical culture stood still for there were nearly now magic users left and the land was half destroyed and half of the muggles were dead too or had left like the wizards. In Cambodia there wasn't much going on.

But in other parts of the world the time didn't stand still.

The pictures show the fate of those that fled from the war in their homeland. Most of them landed in China but a lot ran on and got further until they reached Europe and Russia. These pictures my dear friends date back to the beginning of the late Middle Ages, around the year 1250!" the eccentric Wizards exclaimed delighted.

"Wow." The group exclaimed.

"But…how did they get here?" Alice asked.

"Good question. There should have been no one here to carve and paint them. How would they have? How could they have known in the first place about what happened on the other side of the world?" Mr. Lovegood suggested.

"Magic then?" Rashid said.

"That seems to be the answer and explanation to everything and yet it is not a very satisfying one. There is so much that we don't know yet about the power we can use." philosophized Mr. Lovegood thoughtfully.

"So this is going to be a stroll through history then?" Eric asked.

"I hate history." Harry muttered. "Binns is insufferable!"

"You shouldn't be too quick to judge Mr. Potter. History teaches us valuable lessons. It tells us what to do and what not to do." Mr. Lovegood said kindly.

Harry blushed.

"But in this case it is not the general history of what happened in the world, but rather the tale of the descendants of Cambodia and how they lived on." Mr. Lovegood continued as he tailed a few carvings with his right index finger.

"In the focus seems to be this family here" he pointed at five figures, painted from the front "They appear in almost every picture."

He pointed the five out in different sections of the wall.

"Any clue who they are?" Atticus asked.

"Magicians. They fled the war and after years on the road they found themselves in what today would be Germany. But from there on they split apart yet again. What their fates are I cannot tell at this point but I'm sure that if we continue we'll learn more."

The others continues moving but Harry remained a second longer to look at the five figures.

Although they were only painted from the front, Harry had to admit that it was done in great detail.

They all looked a lot alike with their dark hair and darkish skin and Asian faces.

There was only one woman though and she was holding a sword.

Harry shivered again.

What was wrong with him?

He quickly went to catch up with the others.

.

That night dinner was an entirely different matter.

Thanks to their now once again normal magic, they could prepare the magical food they had packed correctly and feast on the most delicious things.

Harry ate three pieces or Treacle Tart alone.

And he felt great afterwards.

.

His dreams weren't great though.

It was mostly dark and sometimes lightning would crack around him and wind would tear at his cloths.

He could feel his was holding something hard and smooth in his right hand and for some reason he felt remorse and grief.

He raised his arm and threw whatever he was holding down and down it went, deep, deep, deep down and even deeper to where no sunlight would ever reach it and to where no man should ever have access to it again.

He woke with a start and a wild beating heart.

25. Just another day at work

Chapter Twenty-Five: Just another day at work

Harry woke to Alice gently shaking his shoulder.

She was smiling at him broadly and said: "Morning sleepy-head. Get up. We leave in fifteen minutes."

Harry cursed and jumped to his feet.

"Why do you only wake me now?" he asked as he slipped into his waistcoat and fastened the buckles.

He put his glasses so with one hand while rushing a comb through his hair with the other hand.

He laced up his boots as quickly as he could and turned around again.

"Is there any breakfast left?"

He stopped abruptly when he saw that he was the only one up and standing and completely dressed.

Everybody else was either still in the process of getting up and getting dressed or where only staring to rise.

"Oh very funny Alice." He spat and folded hi arms.

"On the bright side, you can help me with breakfast since you are already ready." Alice giggled and waved him over to the portable fire-place Eric had brought along.

"You are so easily fooled." Eric sneered smugly.

Harry shot him his best 'shut-it'-glare and moved towards Alice.

Still grumbling he began to unfold the pots and pans they would need for breakfast.

They were magical and ingenious.

Every pot, plate, frying pan and other cooking utensil was jinxed so that it could be folded or rolled up to the size of Harry's palm.

Normally people would prefer shrinking charms but this was just as effective and amazed Harry every time again.

Alice dished up a typical English breakfast with Harrys help.

Scrambled eggs with beacon, beans, tomatoes and pickles. Peppermint tea and orange juice were served along with the food.

"Now that our magic is back to normal" Atticus began "Except for the brooms!" Bill interrupted him promptly "Except for the brooms" Atticus agreed with an exasperated look "I think we should try and see if we can anticipate any further challenges."

"How?" Luna asked.

"Well there is a spell that, when preformed, can detect paths and project them for the caster onto a map."

"Neat." Harry remarked while shoving another sausage down his throat.

"Ever heard of chewing?" Daphne asked slightly disgusted.

"I have. But it takes too much time away." Harry replied.

"Anyway" Eric continued "It's worth a try."

"If it works will we be able to see how much further it is?" Daphne asked.

"If it works, then yes." Atticus said confidently.

"Is it accurate?" Harry asked.

"Depends. It will show us the general outline and way of the path. If you mean to ask if it will warn us about challenges, then no…I doubt it will be able to do that." Eric replied this time.

"What day is it anyway?" Alice asked.

Bill cast a tempus-charm.
"It's the third of August and it's currently three a.m." he pronounced.

"Wow." Harry muttered.

"You can say that twice. It feels longer than three days." Thomas agreed.

"It doesn't matter. Pack up everybody and be ready in fifteen." Atticus ordered. And with a side glance at Harry he added: "For real this time."

.

As soon as they all had packed up and gathered around Atticus, Eric bend down and placed an empty sheet of parchment down on the ground.

Atticus, facing the tunnel the way they were going, started chanting lowly and concentrated while waving his wand in smaller turning circles. He then crossed through it with his wand and then jabbed his wand as if he was stabbing someone.

A stream of purple light left his wand and flew down the tunnel, disappearing in the tunnel.

There was silence for a few seconds and Harry was tempted to ask if the was all, when the purple light returned with a loud whistling noise.

With reflexes faster than any seeker, Atticus snatched the light with his bare hand, hastily knelt down and slammed the hand with the light flat down onto the parchment.

The parchment started glowing and when Atticus pulled back his hand, Harry could see how fine black lines started to spread over the paper and then took on different colors.

Lastly a small green dot appeared on the map.

"That's us." Atticus explained and pointed at the dot.

Looking closer at the dot Harry saw that it wasn't one but ten, all clustered together.

Harry had to think of The Marauders Map Fred and George had given him last winter.

"Which one is me?" he asked.

"How about the oddly shaped one right there?" Daphne suggested.

"Very funny." Harry said dryly.

"Knock it off you two." Thomas said.

The two teens shut up but still rolled their eyes at each other and then grinned.

"I said knock it off." Thomas said without looking at them.

They suppressed their snickers.

Thomas sighed and went to study the map with Atticus, Eric and Bill.

"Alright, so the path seems pretty continuously. There seem to be a lot of caves, along the way and all around us and there seems to be an underground river but other than that…seems pretty ordinary…" Atticus mumbled.

"Nonetheless. This quest is anything but ordinary." Eric growled.

"We keep both eyes open. As ususal. Now let's get going."

.

The map didn't turn out to be as accurate as they had hoped.

The tunnel they had been following for a while now opened up and they stepped out onto a small plateau that dangled so high up in the air that below them just like the deep black gullet of the earth itself.

Harry shivered. That thought was not particular comforting.

Above them the walls rose steep upwards like the insides of a volcano.

Just without a mouth at the top.

And about forty meters below them on the other side, approximately sixty meters away, was another plateau from where the tunnel continued.

But there was no way across.

"Seems like the map couldn't have warned us about that." Harry muttered.

"What would you have done if it had? Dug a new tunnel somewhere else?" Bill asked him with raised eyebrows.

"Just saying." Harry muttered.

Shaking his head, Bill truned away with a smile and instead addressed the others.

"Our magic works normal again, let's try and use brooms!" Bill suggested.

"You really think they work all of a sudden?" Alice asked him skeptically.

"No." Bill said with a smile.

He took out his Clean-Sweep Seven.

"But it's worth a try."

He jumped in the air but promptly came back down again.

"Okay, no brooms then." Fleur said dryly as Bill put the broom away again.

"I have an idea. I have my magical rope. Let's stick it to the walls with a strong sticking charm and skive it down to the other side." Eric suggested.

"The angle isn't too steep. Around Sixty degree I'd say. With enough momentum behind it, everyone of us should make it across."

Harry was impressed by the scientific approach Eric had chosen for he had come to the same conclusion.

"It might be a problem for Luna. She's pretty light and slim. She would have to go with someone across." He offered.

Eric looked a bit surprised but then nodded.

Fleur peaked over the edge.

"Across zat?" she asked and shuddered. "I feel safer with ze broom idea."

"It's the best idea we have." Atticus said. "And I can think of nothing else or better."

So Eric bewitched both ends of the magical rope and stuck one end to the inside of the tunnel, where it held strongly, and then propelled the rest of the rope with a short spell to the other side. The sticky end there latched onto the cave wall just above the tunnel entrance and then the rope went taut.

Bill skeptically plucked at the rope, now strong and hard as if made from steel and said: "I say Eric goes first. In case this doesn't hold."

Eric gave him the one-finger-salute and produced a second rope from the depth of his backpack.

"Not without safety, you idiot."

He attached one end of the rope too to the cave walls but wrapped the rest around him.

"That way, should I fall down, you can still pull me back up." He explained with a scowl.

"We could just use magic." Daphne suggested.

"And what if the cave suddenly decides that we can't use magic, again?" Eric growled back. "I'm not taking any chances missy."

With these last words he threw his belt over the rope, holding it with his hands on both sides and jumped off the ledge, gliding along the rope across the chasm and towards the other side.

They cheered as they saw that the rope was holding and followed Eric's rapid progress.

Sadly none of the people present was a real physics-genius.

The angel between the two platforms was relatively steep and caused Eric to pick up a lot of speed.

And nobody had thought about how to or when to slow down!

Eric was now heading directly for the tunnel in the wall and there was no way of stopping him!

Sure it was better than actually crashing into real solid rock but still…

They tried to cast spells to reduce his speed but it was too late.

Meanwhile, having seen his predicament, Eric had come to the only logical conclusion.

He let go of his belt as soon as he was above the platform and instead of crashing into the wall, he went flying down the tunnel and out of sight.

There were a couple of crashes and yells, more crashed and banging noises, before it went still.

The group winced collectively every time there was a crash.

But now they froze, listening and searching for a sign that their Rune-master was alright.

After a few seconds a hoarse: "I'm alright." came from the dark tunnel opening.

They began cheering again.

Eric emerged a few moments later, stiff and limping but otherwise fine.

He cast a few quick spells so that the entire platform was coated in soft thick air-mattresses to break the others fall.

"Good thing he went first." Bill grinned.

"I heard that Weasley!" Eric shouted from the other side.

Bill pouted.

"Okay, who is next?" Atticus asked with a smirk and turned around to face the gathered team.

"Oh! Me-me-me-me!" Harry shouted and raised his hand.

Bill looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Harry shrugged.

"What? It looks like fun!" he said and stepped up next to Atticus.

He grabbed the belt and took a deep breath, while bouncing slightly up and down on the balls of his feet.

Once Atticus had tightened the security rope around him, he went a few steps back to get a good start.

With three quick steps he was at the ledge and jumped off.

"WITNESS ME!" he shouted joyfully.

His hands clutching the leather belt as he dashed downwards.

He whooped with joy as the headwind tore at his hair and with the feeling of flying the adrenalin kicked in and everything seemed to slow down and become clearer.

He could feel his heart beat, his blood rushing through his veins and Harry had never felt more alive.

Below him there was nothing and above him was nothing.

It was amazing.

The actual ride only took a few seconds, if at all. But it felt longer.

Just above the platform Harry let go and his momentum carried him the rest of the way.

He made an unwilling somersault in the air before crashing heavily into the soft air-mattresses.

He bounced twice before lying still.

Blood rushed through his body and he felt light headed.

He giggled.

He could dimly hear the cheering and whistling from the others.

He gave them a 'thumbs-up' from where lay.

The laughter and cheers grew louder.

Eric appeared above him and extended one hand.

Harry grabbed it and the Rune-Master pulled him up.

"You got guts Potter. I gotta admit that." He said gruffly. "Now make room for the next one."

Harry staggered into the inside of the tunnel and waited.

The next one was Daphne.

She gave him a high-five once he helped her get to her feet after landing less than gracefully on her behind.

"We rock. That was awesome!" she declared.

"I know, right?" he agreed and smiled widely.

Rashid, how landed next to them that moment just looked at them and shook his head. "Teenagers. I will never understand them."

Luna and her father were next and they came together.

The landing was a bit awkward but they managed.

"Hu…that was fun." Luna said.

She said it with usual calm and dreamy voice but her cheeks were flushed and her eyes seemed brighter.

Mr. Lovegood brushed off his robes, a particular vivid purple today, and rearranged his long hair.

"Quiet the adventure. Not what I had expected when I offered my knowledge for this mission. No magical creatures down here. A pity, really. But we can't change that." He muttered.

Daphne and Harry exchanged short glances, unsure what or if at all to respond.

So instead they returned to await the others arrival.

Thomas jumped to his feet as they turned around and shouldered his backpack anew.

"You alright?" he asked.

They nodded.

"Alright then." He said and made way for Atticus.

Fleur was next.

Harry didn't know what she did or if it was something she had done but for some reason she suddenly stopped midway, dangling precautious from the rope, panic clear on her face.

Harry knew that she was secured by the second rope but none the less….if she did fall and hit the walls while swinging from the rope….

She cut get seriously hurt!

Bill was the only other person on the other side and to Harrys horror for some reason he was about to set off down the rope himself!

What was he thinking?

Fleur was quiet obviously hanging on the rope!

And Bill himself wasn't secured by a second rope!

So what was he doing?

The answer became quite obvious when Bill jumped off the ledge and skived down the rope towards the panicking Fleur.

Then everything went really fast.

"Fleur! Brace yourself!" Bill shouted.

Fleur had about a second to look up and understand, before Bill crashed into her.

His momentum was strong enough to knock her free send them both down the line.

Bill wrapped his legs around her, as she held on to him.

Above the platform Bill let go, wrapping his arms around Fleur, absorbing the impact with the mattresses and protecting her.

They rolled a few feet, coming to a stop at the tunnel entrance with Bill on top of Fleur.

Both were breathing heavily, their faces only inches apart.

"Are you alright?" Bill panted and Harry could hear his worry and panic.

Fleur could only nod and swallowed.

"Thank Merlin." Bill groaned.

"You saved me." Fleur whispered, slightly teary eyed.

Bill blushed to the tip of his ears.

"It was nothing." He mumbled humbly.

Fleur leaned upwards and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"It wasn't nothing." She disagreed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Bill said.

They stared at each other for a few more seconds wand would have continued to do so had Thomas not cleared his throat in amusement and asked slightly taunting: "If you two are done…"

Only then the two seemed to realize their slightly compromising position.

Now Fleur blushed too and Bill hastily got to his feet.

"Sorry, sorry…I didn't meant too….I mean….you…ahm…yes….I'm sorry!" Bill stammered.

Fleur too seemed slightly flustered. "It's alright…you…I mean I…you had too…"

Harry suppressed a laugh.

Finally the two of them had gotten to their feet.

"Onwards then." Atticus said.

"What about the ropes?" Harry asked, suddenly uneasy.

"What about them?" Atticus asked.

"Are we gonna leave them here?" Harry asked.

"I've got more." Eric supplied helpfully.

"No…I mean…should we really leave them here?"

"Why not? If this is our way back we save time if we leave them here. What could happen?"

"Someone else could cross the chasm?" Harry muttered.

Where had that thought come from. They were alone in here!

"Harry…we're alone. I doubt there is any human being in a ten kilometer radius!" Bill echoed his thoughts.

Harry's memory flashed back to when he thought he had seen the flickering of a campfire in the darkness a few days ago.

"Are we?" he whispered so silently nobody else heard it as they continued to follow the path.

He suddenly had a very nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach and with uneasiness he left the ropes behind.

26. Death by Stake

Chapter Twenty-Six: Death by Stake

Harry had thought that crossing the chasm had been the next challenge but apparently it wasn't difficult enough yet.

Not by large.

They kept walking down the seemingly endless tunnel and by late morning, according to their tempus charm, they reached the entrance to a new cavern.

It wasn't overly large.

To be honestly Harry wasn't quiet able to tell how big it was.

Why? Easy.

Hundreds of thousands of stalagmites and stalactites grew from all directions into their path.

Some were as thick as Harry, others only as wide as his pinky fingers.

But they all were extremely long, they grew all over the place and they had wickedly pointy tips.

Harry felt reminded of the fairytale of Princess Aurora and how Maleficent grew a wall of thorns around the sleeping kingdom to prevent anyone from entering and undoing the curse.

Just like that wall a domelike structure loomed and before them with the caverns ceiling somewhere dozens of meters above them.

He swallowed.

"We have to go through that?" he asked nervously.

There was a faint trail visible on the ground, sneaking through the maze of pointy needles and disappearing somewhere inside.

"Apparently." Rashid muttered, not sounding any happier than Harry.

"Don't sweat it!" Thomas said confidently and stepped forward. "I am sure we can just blast our way through."

He raised his wand to say 'Bombarda' but Mr. Lovegoods quick shout of: "Hold!" stopped him.

"Look up!" the news-paper-owner said. His voice echoed through the open space above them.

They all looked up.

From between the wildly growing stalagmites they could make out the ceiling of the cavern somewhat above them.

And form it hung hundreds of stalagmites more.

And they were moving!

"Loud noises can be enough to make those come lose. Imagine the disruption bombing would cause! You would bring down the whole ceiling on top of us and impale us! No! We have to find a different way through there!" Mr. Lovegood whispered while waving his hands around dramatically.

"Couldn't we hide out in the tunnel while bombing our way free?" Thomas asked while analyzing the cavern.

"And risk bringing the whole cavern down? Or make the way even more difficult to pass? Good Merlin, no!" Mr. Lovegood disagreed.

"Alright so no bombing." Thomas muttered disappointed.

Above the pointy stone needles trembled.

"Keep your voices down!" Mr. Lovegood hissed.

"If what you say is true Xeno, then I think we should make our way through there as quiet and as careful as we can do." Atticus whispered tensely.

"I say we shrink our backpacks. Looks tight in there." Eric muttered while peaking through the forest of spikes.

Said, done.

Harry's backpack was now safely in his trouser-pocket.

"Lose your jackets, anything that's too loose and could get caught somewhere. Rashid suggested.

It wasn't really cold down here so Harry put off his jacket but preferred to keep his dragon-hide waistcoat on. It would protect his torso should the need arise.

One by one, all now considerable lighter and easier underway, slipped between the stone-thorns, following the faint path on the ground.

.

For the first, and probably last time ever, Harry thanked the Dursleys for all the meals they had forsaken him and all the chores they had made him do.

He thanked Wood for the hard Quidditch training and that Hogwarts consisted of so many stairs.

Thanks to his small and rather thin body, he had less or a problem squeezing himself through along and past the pointy tips of the stone needles.

He had far less problems than other members of his team.

Where Luna, Daphne and he could squeeze past, the other usually had to crawl underneath or climb over the obstacle.

The three of them had more room to maneuver and in Lunas case were very flexible when it came to bending your body out of danger.

But even they had to tuck in their stomachs sometimes or drop low to avoid being pierced.

And yet still they didn't manage to go through the field of stalagmites without scratches.

Many times something pointy would poke Harry from more than one side and he had to move slowly, keep an eye out for any pointy tips he might have overlooked.

Twice he nearly ran head-first into one while turning around.

The grownups of the team had it much worse.

This space simply was too small and tight for them.

Harry winced when he saw the many deep scratches on their backs, arms, legs and faces.

Although they wore mostly protective gear, there were always some parts of your body that were left unprotected.

Also, if a spike pressed hard in your back it hurt, without breaking your skin and making you bleed.

Eric's face was deep red. Following the path was a difficult and taxing work, even though they moved slowly.

Bill was struggling too. He was tall as well as board.

Rashid's wild hair had gotten caught in a lot of tips already.

Harry shook his head and concentrated on the path again.

It was silent.

Nobody wanted to get distracted while climbing through his maze.

Also the slightest noises made the stalagmites under the ceiling move and clink.

Small ones already had come down.

Whenever that happened they all froze and waited until it was silent again.

Luna, who was walking in front of them, suddenly stopped.

The three teenager were a couple of meters ahead of everyone else and the others were to distracted to notice them hesitating.

"What is it Luna?" Daphne whispered.

"The path…it's gone…" Luna breathed back.

Harry's eyes widened. He hastily looked back to the others and then back at his two friends.

"Are you sure? Maybe you just missed it?"

Above them the stalagmite tingled. He quickly lowered his voice.

"Are you sure?"

Luna shook her head.

"I am sure. Look. Here is our path" she pointed down at their feet. Indeed, there was the slightly darker colored stone that had marked their path through this maze of spikes.

"But look…from there on….it's gone…" she continued while pointed a few feet ahead.

Indeed the ground there was eth same color as the rest of it.

"Damn it." Daphne cursed.

"What do we do?" Luna asked.

"Tell the others?" Harry suggested.

"Find the path ourselves?" Daphne added.

"How?" Harry asked.

Suddenly Lunas face lit up.

"I know how!" she whispered excitedly. "Professor Flitwick taught me this spell after my first few months at Hogwarts, when I kept getting lost in the castle after sleepwalking or between lessons."

She took out her wand, laid it flat in her palm and whispered: "Point me: the next exit."

The wand rose a few inches into the air and started spinning in circles until it slowed down and pointed ahead of them.

"Luna, that's brilliant!" Harry cheered silently.

"Let's go." Daphne said.

With Lunas wand floating slowly ahead they continued their climb.

Lunas spell turned out to be their life-saver because within minutes Harry could see through the forest of pointy stones a wall and in that wall a tunnel leading onwards.

"Daphne! Look!" he whispered.

"Oh thank Merlin!" she groaned and carefully leaned her upper body away from a nasty think stalagmite that grew right through their way.

The three of them managed to reach safety before the others.

They had nearly reached safety.

Harry was slowly squeezing his body through the final gap between two horizontally growing and rather thin looking stone needles, when he heard it.

It was a low rumble going through the entire room.

Everybody froze.

The stalagmites under the ceiling were jittering and trembling.

From his bend position between the two stalagmites, Harrys gaze was glued to the ceiling.

As was everybody else's.

Harry's seeker eyes quickly spotted it.

One tiny stalagmite, about the size of Harrys and not wider than two of his fingers, was moving quicker and wilder than its brothers and sisters.

Oh please, please whatever god or gods there are, please do not let that thing fall down, Harry prayed feverishly.

They didn't hear him, if they were out there, those gods and goddesses.

The stone-spear came loose and fell down.

The sound it made wasn't that loud. But it echoed through the hall, growing stronger each time it was thrown back.

The whole ceiling seemed to tremble.

There was a short moment of silence.

A short moment or stillness.

And then, one by one, the stalagmites started falling.

Like a deadly rain they fell upon the Curse-Breaker.

Instinctively Harry pulled himself out of the gap and stood up to his full height and had his wand in his hand and hissed: "Protego!"

The stalagmites that hit his shield turned to fine sand but those that fell down around them, hit the stone spears that grew crisscross in their way, starting a chain reaction with the small and fragile parts.

And Harry knew one thing for sure as he looked around him:

The louder it would get, they bigger were the pointy tips that would came loose.

And the bigger ones would cause even bigger ones to break.

It would be a vicious circle.

And then something strange happened.

He remembered his second year.

More specific he remembered his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that year with the fraud Gilderoy Lockhart.

He remembered the Cornish Pixies, flying wildly through the room, dragging Neville up to the chandelier and wrecking havoc in the classroom, destroying whatever got in their way.

And he remembered Hermione's spell.

"Immobulus!" he chanted, just as Daphne and Luna called out together: "Arresto Momentum/ Wingardium Leviosa!"

Harry recognized the first spell vaguely.

Hermione had mentioned that it was the one Dumbledore had used to catch him during the Quidditch game that the Dementors had interrupted last year.

Lunas spell was all to familiar.

All the falling stones froze or slowed down.

The remaining members of their team, who had hadn't had the chance to react, looked up in wonder as the impending doom was stopped. Or at least slowed it down.

Thomas, who was closest to the trio turned around and whispered as loudly as he dared: "It's the kids. They are holding the spell! Let's hurry!"

He was right.

Holding a spell, any spell over hundreds of different objects at once was unlike anything Harry had ever done.

Sure there had been other, more complex, spells he had preformed but this was a different kind of magic.

None of them could let their concentration waver for a second since each of them was keeping dozens of objects aloft at the same time was not easy.

Slowly, agonizingly slow the others fought their way towards them.

Sometimes their movements would cause more stalagmites to loosen.

They would fall onto the barrier of spells the three tens had erected and they knew that they added more weight and strain on them with each.

Thomas was the first out.

Harry nearly didn't notice.

So fixed was he on his spell.

He poured his magic into the shield.

His brow was covered in sweat and his arm trembled.

Can't let a single one get lose, he thought.

Not until they are all safe!

Atticus was the next.

He stared with amazement first at the floating stalagmites and then at the three teens, who all had their gazes fixed on the ceiling.

The magical energy around them sent shivers down his spine.

There was a lot of power in each of these children.

Harry's shirt was drenched in sweat by the time Mr. Lovegood made it out.

That left Eric, Bill, Rashid, Alice and Fleur!

He clenched his teeth.

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder.

His concentration nearly wavered.

And then Bills voice made its way through to him.

"You're doing great Harry! We can't aid you, we might disrupt your spells! But we can do this. Eric!"

There was a second hand on Harrys other shoulder and suddenly he felt as if he'd been given a short electric shock.

His nerves stood on end, his thoughts razed through his brain and his magical core gave a strong push and more energy flowed into his spell.

"There…that's enough." He heard Eric mutter and then move away.

"You're doing fantastic Harry! Rashid is almost out. That leaves Alice and Fleur." Bill said steadily next to him.

Only a small part of Harry's brain took the words in and processed their information.

He gave no sign of acknowledge but he didn't have too.

The spell Harry used to hold his part of the falling stalagmites felt as if Harrys hands were holding onto a giant pile of thin slippery sticks while standing at the edge of a cliff with wild winds pushing and pulling at him and he had to stay absolutely still because even a slight tremor form his side would result in making the pieces move and fall off the sides of his hands.

Like balancing a bowl of soup filled to the brim, while standing with one foot on a giant bouncing ball on top of a pole, while being careful not to spill anything on Aunt Petunias precious carpet.

It was hard work.

And then Harry felt something slip.

A single stalagmite, bigger and longer and sharper than most, was staring to slip from his grasp.

NO, he thought horrified.

The stalagmite in question was slowly, as if in slow motion falling.

Right towards where Fleur was crawling through the final part of the dangerous forest of stone needles!

Fear swelled up in Harry and with it came a push of magic, different than his usual magic.

He hadn't felt this sort of magic in a long time.

The last time he had felt it rear up, the glass of the Boa Constrictor terrarium had vanished and Dudley and Pierce nearly had fallen in and the snake that had inhabited said terrarium was released!

Accidental magic.

Fueled by Harrys fear for Fleur's life.

If she was to die because he couldn't hold a stupid stone aloft, he would never forgive himself.

This powerful emotion was enough.

Harry pushed his wand-free hand forward and yelled.

The others must have finally realized the danger because there were shouts all around him but before and of them could do something, a shockwave, coming from Harrys hand, hit the falling stone and upon impact it vaporized the stone.

Harry's concentration wavered.

But Bill saw it and reacted.

He dashed forward, grabbed Fleur and pulled her back into the tunnel.

Alice was dragging Harry, who then lost all control over his spell.

Hundreds of stalagmites crashed down and more followed as Daphne and Luna let go of their spells too!

The cavern, the tunnel, the ground, everything was shaking.

Stumbling they ran from the collapsing cavern and further into the darkness.

They ran into walls, didn't see upcoming turns, ran into each other, stumbled, were pulled back onto their feet by their friends and colleagues and kept running.

An especially vicious tremble sent them all to their knees and then a giant dust-cloud shot from the direction of the cave and towards them, covering them with a thin layer of white dust.

And then finally, the rumbling stopped.

And it was quiet again.

.

Coughing they got to their knees and feet again.

Around them the fine dust hung in the air and got into their lungs with every breath they took.

"Scourgify!" Rashid rasped and the dust vanished.

"Merlins beard" gasped Thomas "What the hell happened in there!"

All eyes turned to the three youngsters, of whom two in return looked at the third.

Harry looked down with uneasiness.

"Let's worry about that later. I need to attend to your wounds!" Rashid said, stepping up and between them.

Daphne nodded. "I help you. I know how to mend cuts."

Rashid nodded.

And so the rest of them were ordered to sit down and wait, as the Healer and his apprentice went around.

Harry leaned his head back against the wall.

He was exhausted.

When Daphne got to him she fixed his few cuts with low murmurs of "Episkey!"

When she was done she leaned back on her hackles and asked excitedly: "Was that wandless magic? I didn't know if bigger spells were possible to perform without a wand. I mean sure, I know smaller ones like putting a candle on and out are possible and even bigger ones like levitation. But an offensive spell like that? Did you say the incantation in your head? Harry that was so cool!"

Her talking had attracted the attention of everyone else.

"That couldn't have been wandless magic!" argued Eric. "It was way to advanced, even for him!"

"Why not?" Bill argued. "Harry is exceptionally powerful for his age. I could imagine that with the proper emotional backup he'd be able to pull off wandless magic!"

Harry sighed.

"Correct on the emotional part. Incorrect about the rest. It wasn't wandless magic. It was accidental magic." He said silently.

"But…accidental magic is supposed to stop as soon as we go to Hogwarts and learn to control our powers properly!" Daphne argued.

Harry shook his head. "I felt it. It felt like the time I set a Boa Constrictor loose and it nearly attacked my cousin" Harry argued and the adding at the questioning looks "Long story."

"I guess it is possible." Rashid said slowly.

"It certainly isn't unheard off! Rare but possible. In extreme situations wizards and witches, even grown ones, are known to sometimes let out spontaneous busts of magic." Atticus added.

"What triggered it for you Harry?" Luna asked curiously.

Harry blushed.

"Seeing Fleur about to be hit by the spike. I knew it would be my fault. I couldn't hold my spell. I was desperate I guess." He said.

Fleur let out a sob and went hug him.

"Merci! Merci 'arry! Merci beaucoup!" she whispered.

He patted her back awkwardly.

"No biggie." He muttered back.

Rashid finished patching up Mr. Lovegood.

"Speaking of spells, what you three did was amazing. All of you. They way you held those spells until the last of us was safe…that is something none of us will ever forget!" Atticus said seriously.

The others mumbled agreeing.

"You all make us proud and we are happy to have you with us." Bill added.

"I think all three of them could do with a bit of rest." Thomas said softly.

"Not here." Atticus said.

"Let's move a bit away from here."

.

As Harry shuffled through the semi-darkness next to Daphne, she muttered: "I have the feeling what can go wrong usually goes wrong."

"Well wouldn't be a challenge if it was easy right? And where would be the fun without Near Death Experiences. It's character building I once read!" he retorted.

She scowled. "I liked you more when you were less sarcastic."

"That version of me doesn't exist."

"Too bad."

"Not really."

.

.

AN: I'm on a roll!

Thanks for reading. Hope you still enjoy it!

Leave a review if you have the time

Love KC

27. More to it

Chapter Twenty-Seven: More to it

They rested for nearly three hours after the incident in the caves of stalagmites.

Harry ate four times of what he usually managed and still felt hungry and weak afterwards.

Rashid's prognosis was simple.

His magical core had overexerted itself while maintaining the Immobulus spell, as well as giving off the sprout of accidental magic.

"If Eric hadn't shared his energy with you, we would be carrying you around. You need to take it easy the next few hours!" Rashid said seriously.

"He what?" Harry asked interested.

"Didn't you feel the push of additional power?" Bill asked.

"You mean when you two put your hands on my shoulder?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Bill nodded. "Eric used a power-rune to increase his own strength and then transferred it onto you to help you hold the spell a bit longer." He explained.

Harry turned to Eric. "You mean you used your Rune-Magic and I didn't see it?" he asked disappointedly.

Eric rolled with his eyes. "Yes Potter, I have. Now get over it."

"Was it cool?" Harry asked Bill.

"Pretty cool." Bill admitted.

Harry sulked unhappily.

"Can you show me? Please!" he asked Eric with the best pleading eyes he could manage.

"Not working." The Rune-Mage growled.

"Please!" Harry whined.

"You don't always get what you want!"

"I know that! Pretty please!"

"I don't care what the please looks like."

"Just a tiny demonstration!" Harry pleaded.

"Will you leave me in peace if I do it?"

"Probably."

"Will you leave me in peace if I don't do it?"

"Probably not."

Bill patted Eric on the shoulder. "Just show the kid Hook and save us all from his whining."

Harry shot Bill a deeply despising look. Bill just laughed.

Eric sighed and walked over to the tunnel wall.

"Okay, so if I were to punch the wall with my bare fist, nothing much would happen to the wall. My hand on the other side could break." He told Harry and demonstrated it by lightly punching the wall.

Harry nodded.

"But if I do this…"

Eric took out his wand and started drawing in the air.

The tip of his wand left glowing lines in the air, until a perfectly drawn Ur-Rune, which kinda looked like and 'N', hovered in the air.

Eric then closed his fist around the rune and concentrated. His whole hand glowed and then the light traveled up his arm to his shoulder, he drew his arm back and crashed his fist into the solid rock wall, driving it past the wrist into the stone!

Slowly he pulled his hand out of the hole he had punched into the wall and smirked.

Harry looked at him gob smashed.

"I think you broke him." Bill said jokingly.

Eric laughed too.

He opened his hand and released the Ur-rune. It dissolved into nothingness.

"Bloody hell!" Harry swore.

Bill actually felt proud for a second but the hastily said: "Harry, language!"

Harry's eyes were alight with wonder and excitement.

"Forget being a Curse-breaker, I want to be able to do that! What do I have to do? Can you teach me?" he exclaimed rapidly.

Atticus laughed loudly. "Don't be too quick in your judgment Harry. This may look pretty cool but it is just as dangerous and hard to learn. It requires years of study and an exceptional control over your magic. You can't just start learning it. You're not ready for it. Physically as well as mentally you need to be stronger and more stable. Also… being a Rune Master is all well and so on but being a Curse-Breaker will get you farther in life." He said as he put and arm around Harrys shoulders.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eric growled.

"Admit it Eric, there are better paying jobs than yours. Curse-Breaker included."

Eric did what he loved doing the most. He flipped Atticus the finger in the one-finger salute and turned away.

Harry frowned. "I don't understand. I thought all of you were Curse-Breakers." He said.

"Well we are. But look at it as a kind of second job. First and foremost we all have learned something else. Bill is a professional Wardener. If he isn't on a Curse-Breaking Mission he could make money by warding people's houses and property or de-cursing Spell-Rolls. Alice is a Duelist. She works in private security and so on. Mr. Lovegood has his newspaper. Rashid is a healer, he can work anywhere. Eric can work as a teacher for Ancient Runes or train new Rune-Masters. Thomas used to work in the Ministry in the Wizard/Goblin-Liaison but converted to work for Gringotts when that got too boring. He used to work as an accountant . He does part of the bookkeeping for the human employees of Gringotts. I myself have a Charms Degree and offer my skills Gringotts for the Curse-Breaking missions. We all do. We don't run from one adventure to the other. Sometimes there are breaks between adventures but we still need to earn money in that time so Gringotts employs us in different sections for those times."

"Oh..." Harry muttered "Makes sense." He added then.

"For our missions a lot of expertise from different areas is required."

"So I would have to learn something useful for curse-breaking as well?" Harry asked.

Atticus nodded. "Yeah. But nearly everything useful because you seldom know what to expect and what you might need."

"Interesting." Harry muttered.

.

The next few hours were uneventful.

It involved lots of walking, wall-climbing and staring at their map, trying to anticipate upcoming challenges.

"What do you plan to do once we find this mysterious secret all-powerful weapon that is supposedly somewhere here? If we find it." Harry asked Atticus.

"Well if it really is here we bring it to Gringotts where it will be locked up safe and secure."

"Is that wise?" Harry asked.

"The Goblins would never use it Harry. They have no need for it."

"That's not what I meant. What if the Ministry or less friendly people come to know of its existence? What if they demand they hand it over? Or worse, try to steal it?"

"I like to see anyone trying to make the Goblins do anything they don't want to do." Atticus said with a slight smile.

"Still." Harry muttered.

"Gringotts is the safest place on earth. Nothing is more secure. Nobody steals from Gringotts." Eric said.

"I heard that before. And then someone did break into Gringotts and raided a vault." Harry pointed out.

"But it was empty." Eric said with a shrug.

"Because Hagrid and I emptied it hours before it happened. If they had succeeded we would be living in a different world right now." Harry mumbled silently before saying louder: "I'm just saying. Shouldn't things like that be kept away from everyone?"

"Well we can't leave it here for someone else to stumble upon either." Thomas said.

"It is or rather was pretty good protected." Harry said doubtfully.

"It's our job Harry. Making the world, in our own way, a bit more secure. That shield was dangerous and it affected the environment. It could have spread and it wouldn't take long until humans were affected as well. This way it's better and safer." Bill jumped in.

"I'm not saying it is. But I'm still not totally convinced it is the right thing to do. With power comes responsibility. And many people can't handle it well."

"Still, if we don't bring anything home we either don't get paid or only minimum wage." Atticus added.

"So this is about profit then?" Harry asked.

"That's how the world goes Harry. Money makes the world go round." Alice said silently.

"This is crazy." Harry said shaking his head.

"We don't live in an allopathic society Harry." Bill said.

"If you think so you should seriously reconsider your job-decisions." Eric added.

Harry shook his head.

He was starting to see new sides to this business.

But of course. It made sense. They needed to bring treasures home to finance themselves and at the same time their job-program and the Goblins as well.

Without any treasures to find there was, so to speak, no use in risking one's life like this.

And he knew that gold was important for Goblins.

But wasn't this also because you wanted to learn about the past? To help understand cultures better? To protect their heritage?

And to make dangerous places safer again?

That's what the books had said what Curse-Breaking was about.

But this was reality.

Find the treasure and get paid or don't get paid for no treasure. Or die while trying to find it.

Could that be his future?

Harry wondered what he had gotten into.

Why am I doing this?

"So Gringotts detects a heavily warded/cursed place and on the hunch that there could be treasures they send their teams in to haul these treasures back home?" Harry asked.

"Basically. Bu Harry understand that it is a vital part for our economy."

"Did it ever happen that there were no treasures and that it rally was just a place of bad luck? That people had warded it because it was dangerous for some reason and no other?"

Atticus shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah but we still get paid. Not as much but for the trouble of getting in. And sometimes, when we scholars with us or invite them there they find other treasures in form of writings on the walls and information they can gather from it and then Gringotts sells those."

"I thought there was more honor to this." Harry muttered.

"Those days are over Harry." Mr. Lovegood said silently.

.

.

.

.

"What do you look most forward too once you're back home?" Daphne asked as she cut her food in little pieces so it would cool down quicker.

"A real shower!" Harry said with a longing groan.

Luna hummed her agreement.

"And Mrs. Weasleys homemade food. And playing Quidditch. And seeing my friends and my godfather." Harry added wistfully.

Daphne smiled.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I miss my dad. And my uncle and my aunts and my siblings. Merlin, I can't believe it's only been...what, two weeks since I last saw them?" she asked and shook her head.

"It feels so much longer!" Luna agreed.

"To think I used to complain about my sister always clinging to me and now I miss them so much…" Daphne said with a shaking head.

Harry laughed and Daphne swatted at him. "Don't laugh!" she said. "And don't tell them I said that!"

Harry wanted to reply but a flash of light startled him.

He blinked the spots away and saw Luna shake a piece of paper in the air.

"Oh that's a good one!" she exclaimed and showed them the picture the Polaroid-camera had made.

It showed Harry laughing freely while Daphne was looking at him intently while waving one finger at him.

"That goes with the others. Do you want a copy?" Luna asked as she carefully opened a big book she had pulled from her backpack and glues it with a sticking charm to the page.

Above this newly added picture was a picture of the Daphne as she made her way through the forest of stalagmites and next to it, in Lunas neat cursive was a short report of what had happened.

Luna now started to write what had happened afterwards until now next to the picture of Harry and Daphne.

Harry remembered that she had told him that she was officially documenting the trip but he had totally forgotten about it.

"How do you find the time in all of this to take pictures, let along remember everything that happened and write it down." Harry asked a bit perplexed.

Luna shrugged. "I just find the time. It calms me down and helps we work through the happenings of each day."

She skimmed through the pages and Harry saw that she had pictures of everyone doing lots of different things.

She had managed to capture special moments like when the shield had exploded or Eric's sleeves had caught fire during one dinner back at the camp.

Pictures of time she hadn't even known she was around.

And next to the pictures were neat explanations and illustrations.

Sometimes even small drawings and anecdotes.

"Luna this is amazing." He muttered.

"Do you want a copy of this picture for your diary too?" she asked him.

"You have a diary?" Daphna asked laughingly.

"It's a journal!" Harry muttered, a bit embarrassed.

"Harry keeps his own records of the trip." Luna said.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

"The earth-spirits saw you write in it once and they told me." Luna said nonchalant.

"Right."

"So do you want a copy?"

"Yes please!"

Luna waved her wand and a copy of the picture appeared.

Harry pulled his journal out and put it between the pages. He would write another time.

"Can I read it?" Daphne asked.

"Over m dead body!" Harry laughed.

"Why, did you write in who you're crushing on and all your other deep and dark secrets?" she asked with a smirk.

"None of your business." Harry muttered, still embarrassed.

"You can read mine." Daphne offered.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked skeptically.

"If it existed of course." Daphne added.

"Of course." Harry agreed.

They cleaned their plates and sat back down.

"So…what do we do now? We don't move for another eight hours. But I'm not tired. Anyone want to play a game?" Daphne asked.

So they played many rounds of Wizard Chess, exploding Snap and other games. Harry introduced them to a simple muggle card game and Yathzee. They liked the last one especially."

Then they slept for a few hours but where awake quickly again.

"What day is it?" Daphne wondered suddenly.

"August third, August fourth?" Harry guessed.

"Why?" Luna asked interested as she re-plated her hair.

"On August fourth my parents always host a special event. It's called the Feast of Reaping and we celebrate the begin of Autumn and the reaping time. They collect donations for hospitals and stuff like that and hope for a good season."

"Sounds nice."

"I always liked the dancing most." Daphne said a bit wistfully. "This is the first time in my life I'm not there. Kind of strange."

Seeing her slightly sad face Harry didn't think long. He jumped to his feet and extended his hand.

"Well we can't have you mopping around like this. If you miss dancing you shall be dancing!" he announced and pulled her to her feet.

"What are you doing Harry?" she asked confused.

"Luna, do we have any music?"

Luna shrugged and searched her bag.

"I have a small radio. But I doubt we have good reception down here." She said.

She turned it on.

She was right, the reception was horrible. Lots of cracking and static noise interrupting the music and comments.

It wasn't nice for the ears but there were small pieces of music ever now and then.

"May I have this dance?" Harry asked with a sly smile.

Daphne smiled at him as if he just gave her the greatest thing in the world.

"You may." She said.

"I hope you do remember what kind of horrible dancer I am."

"Good thing I'm such a good teacher. Now stand up straight and relax your shoulders. This is a nice Disco Foxx. You remember the steps right? And one two three…"

They must have looked ridiculous dancing to no real music in a dimly lit tunnel somewhere underground in Cambodia's wilderness.

Harry's first dancing lessons with Daphne had been disastrous, okay maybe not so bad, and now it was only marginally better.

Luna still applauded when they were done and turned off the radio.

Harry was sure she'd taken a few pictures.

He didn't care.

Being so close to Daphne was suddenly…so different.

They had been close to each other before. They had shared the back of an elephant for hours while barely knowing each other.

She had often abused him as her human pillow and generally liked sitting close to him and he had never minded.

But somehow dancing here with her, so far away from everything that was normal…it still felt right.

He was reluctant to let her go in the end.

And so was she.

The prickling feeling in his stomach grew.

28. The crystal cave

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The crystal cave

Light as spare in the tunnels.

Sure, there were the handful of troches that always illuminated the part of their path they were currently walking along with their eerie green light but other than that they relied on their wands and glow sticks.

Still, it wasn't much.

So when the path ahead of them suddenly started to brighten up with each step they took, all of the gathered wizards and witches grew suspicious.

Although Harry had eaten and slept and relaxed after the incident with the stalagmites he still felt drained magically speaking.

He knew that if this glow heralded another challenge, he wouldn't be up to it.

He edged closer to Bill as they hesitantly approached the light.

It wasn't sunlight or the light of fire.

It was strange.

It was of a silvery-whitish color but somehow soft and pearly.

The way it grew towards them and shimmered and moved it reminded Harry of sunlight falling into a pool of water and breaking at the bottom.

They walked for another minutes before they heard it.

The sound was so familiar and yet so alien because Harry hadn't heard it in a long time.

"Is that…bird-singing?" Alice asked astonished.

"I think so." Atticus said back.

"Please don't let it be some kind of monstrous flesh-eating birds!" Daphne whispered.

"Now you just jinxed it." Harry said teasingly.

"Not funny Potter, I…"

Daphne stopped.

They had rounded a corner and now saw the source of the light.

It was a cave (surprise, surprise) but it was unlike all the others they had encountered.

There were no deep crevices, no bottomless pits, no wide gaps, and no mysterious bodies of water, no pointy things that could kill them or any other nasty things.

In fact there was nothing bad at all.

They stepped from solid rock onto soft green grass.

Harry wondered how it grew down here.

The answer was probably magic.

And from the patches of grass grew giant white crystals in all forms and shapes.

They were giving of the light in pulsing waves.

There was a sweet smell in the air but Harry couldn't detect where it came from.

And then there were the birds.

Hundreds, no…thousands of tiny globated golden colored birds with tiny red eyes and long thin beaks that reminded Harry of hummingbirds.

Their wings where, in proportion to their round bodies rather on the small side but rotated in 360 degrees and made them fly swiftly and agile through the air.

And they where chirping and singing and chattering and generally making a wonderful canopy of noise.

With awe written all over their faces they stepped into this fantastic sanctuary of peace and happiness.

"Are they what I think they are?" Thomas asked silently.

"Golden Snidgets. Bless my heart. I've never seen one, let alone thousands all gathered in one place!" breathed Mr. Lovegood overwhelmed.

Harry watched the creatures with big round eyes. For they were indeed Golden Snidgets.

"But I thought they were nearly extinct?" he asked.

"They supposedly are!" Eric said, equally baffled.

"There have been only two sightings in England last year." Alice said.

"And here are…so many…" Bill breathed.

"They are beautiful." Luna said wistfully.

Nobody disagreed.

"What are they doing here?" Harry wondered.

"That seems to be the question."Rashid said.

"Let's have a look around." Eric suggested.

"Yes, split up everyone and look what you find." Atticus said.

Luna, Daphne and Harry sat off, wandering through clouds of the little golden birds.

The birds didn't seem to mind them.

They flew around them, touched down on their heads and shoulders before immediately taking off again.

And all the while their singing followed them around.

Daphne yawned. "Merlin, it's so peaceful here…I could just roll up in a ball and sleep. I've never felt this relaxed before!"

Harry nodded.

They walked around a big cluster of pulsating and glowing rocks and stopped in their tracks.

There was a well in front of them.

About knee-high with a winch and a crank and a rope with a bucket attached to it.

Cautiously they approached it.

"What is a well doing here?" Harry wondered.

"Let's find out." Luan suggested and began to rotate the crank.

Quickly the rope and the bucket lowered themselves down.

They peered down the chute but it was too dark to make anything out down there.

The rope was slowly coming to an end.

There was a dull sound as the bucket apparently hit ground.

"Strange." Daphne said and yawned again.

"Do you smell this?" Luna asked.

"You mean this sweet smell?" Harry asked. "Yeah I noticed it the second we walked in here."

"It's…strange. I think this is where it is coming from." Luna said.

Daphne frowned and sniffed.

"Yeah, I think you're right." She said. "But what does that mean?"

She suppressed another yawn.

"Goodness woman, didn't you sleep last night?" Harry asked.

"I did. It's just…it's so nice here." Daphne said.

Watching her made Harry tired.

He too had to yawn.

"Look at this, now you infected me too." He said accusingly.

"Oh no!" Luna suddenly exclaimed and with surprising force she pulled them away from the well.

"I knew I recognized that smell! We need to find the others!" she exclaimed.

"What? Why?" Daphne asked.

"Because we're all in danger!" Luna called out, dragging each of them along with one hand.

"In danger? Why?" Harry asked now alarmed.

"What you smell? Those are poppy tears!" Luna explained as they weaved through the glowing rocks.

Was there now end to them?

Harrys head was spinning.

Suddenly the light coming off the crystals seemed to be more rainbow-colored and the pulsating movements it made hurt his eyes.

He squeezed his eyes together to concentrate.

Next to him Daphne gasped.

"What are poppy tears?" Harry asked.

"You may know it as Opium." Daphne suggested.

"What…you mean like the drug?" Harry asked.

"Yes!" Lunas said. "Exactly like the drug. That's why you're so tired Daphne! It's why we feel so save and peaceful! The drug, combined with the singing of the birds, the pulsating of the rocks…we've been drugged and hypnotized! We need to find the others! Before we breathe in too much of this stuff and overdose."

"If we do overdose, we can die, right?" Harry asked nervously.

The befuddlement in his brain now made more sense to him.

"Yes!" Luna said. "We need to get out of here!"

"Where are they?" Daphne wondered.

It didn't take them long to find the first members of their team.

Atticus and Fleur where lying next to each other, their eyes unevenly blown and breathing hard.

"Oh my gods!" exclaimed Harry and knelt down next to the quarter veela. "Fleur!"

She wasn't exactly responding.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked horrified as the French witch just rolled her head from one side to the other and made some weak clawing gestures with one hand.

"I'd say they are pretty far down the lane." Daphne muttered while checking their pulses.

"The good news is their pulse is strong as is their blood pressure. But we need to get them out of this toxic environment for them to get better."

"For that we need to find the others and stay awake ourselves." Harry muttered.

"I don't like the thought of leaving them here alone." Daphne said.

"They'll be fine. I can put up an air-cleansing charm around their mouth so that they don't keep breathing in this stuff. We find the others, do the same with them and then find the exit and get them out." Luna suggested.

"You know how to do that?" Daphne asked impressed.

"My mum used to do it all the time when she experimented with spells and potions. On more than one occasion it resulted in toxic gases and smoke. Mum used the spell to keep herself save" Luna explained and then looked down "Not that it helped din the end." He added silently.

Harry looked at Daphne questioningly.

She mouthed 'Later' to him.

"Then do that Luna. Please." He said instead.

Luna nodded and waved her wand over Fleur's face and muttered some words Harry didn't catch.

A silver sheen of misty air appeared and spread around her head.

Luna repeated the same thing with Atticus.

"There, that should do it."

"Then let's go and find the others." Daphne said.

The cave was bigger than expected and it took them some time to gather all of their teammates in one place.

They were all in different states.

Thomas and Bill seemed to be asleep whereas Eric was downright hallucinating. Rashid was the most lucid of them all but that didn't mean much considering that he couldn't walk straight or coordinate his arms and judge distances correctly. So they put a body-bind on him to keep him from hurting himself.

The rest of the team was much like Fleur and Atticus. Completely gone.

"What I don't get is why we're not affected. I mean, we stood right above the well and breathed this shit in." swore Harry.

"I wouldn't say it has no effect." Daphne said.

She was right.

They were all tired and the world was spinning slightly and Harry saw more colors then there should be but all things considering he had a clear mind and could think straight as well as walk and talk with no problems.

"Maybe it's because we're young?" Luna asked.

"I'm not familiar with drugs and how they work."

"So what next?" Harry asked and swept the sweat from his forehead. Was it getting warmer in here or was he just imagining that? Or was it the opium?

"Exit." Luna said.

"Alright." Daphne.

"Wait. I think, just in case, I should put the air-cleansing spell on us as well. To be safe." Luna suggested.

"Good idea. Why didn't we think of that sooner?" Harry said and smiled at her.

As soon as the spell took effect, Harry could feel the difference. Now it was like breathing in fresh mountain air.

"Alright, I'd say split up. If you find something, shout or use a fire-works spell." Harry outlined the plan.

The girls nodded and they split up.

As Harry wandered through the cave his mind was running at a hundred miles an hour.

This place just didn't make any sense to him.

He understood it was a trap but how did you get out of here, where was the challenge?

What was up with all these supposedly extinct birds? And then these crystals!

He stopped to examine one of these crystal rocks closer.

It was about as tall as he was and about a meter in diameter.

Although it grew ragged and uneven at the top and to the sides, it was rather smooth.

And…there seemed to be something inside of it!

Harry frowned. He hadn't noticed it before because the light the crystals emanated was rather distracting but their cores were rather dark.

He stepped close up to the rock, pressed his face against the surface of the rock and tried to look past the light.

It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust and another few seconds for his brain to realize what his eyes were seeing.

When he understood he yelped and jumped backwards.

Encased in the crystal was a human!

Only when his wild beating heart had calmed down again he approached the stone again.

This time he forced himself to look at the person in the rock.

It was a man in his early thirties or late twenties Harry guessed.

His skin was dark and his hair wild.

His cloths were torn and dirty but Harry could still see that they were rather old-fashioned. But what caught Harry's eye was the wand in his left hand.

A wizard, encased in a crystal.

Harry tried to see if he was breathing or moving but he couldn't see anything that looked like movement.

He stepped back again and looked around.

There was another crystal, this one a lot bigger and wider.

He sprinted towards it and pressed his face against this one.

This time he could only vaguely make out the person deep inside the center of this stone.

It was a woman. She was young and pretty from what Harry could see.

She was dressed in lengths of material wrapped around her body in a unique way.

Harry stepped back and shook his head.

If every crystal in here was housing a person…then they weren't the first to enter this place and go through the challenges.

A sudden burst of colors above him to his right drew his attention and he hastily ran towards it.

Daphne had found the exit.

But it was blocked.

"I think we need a key!" Daphne explained and pointed at a perfectly round shaped tiny hole in the middle of the blockade.

"And we need it now!" Harry said grimly.

He showed the girls what he had found.

Luna looked heartbroken at the sight of the trapped people.

"I think that is what happens to you here." Harry said. "You fall asleep and while you sleep these crystals grow around you and encase you. Eventually you die."

"But why?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know. Why does this place do anything it does?"

"They are not dead." Luna exclaimed, swirling around. "If they were, their souls would be trapped in here and I would be able to see and hear them. No, they are not dead. They are in a really deep sleep or coma."

Daphne and Harry exchanged glances. They knew this was just Luna talking nonsense but the way she spoke…

"Okay, but that still doesn't help us in finding the answer to getting out of here." Daphne said slowly.

"Can't you ask the birds instead? You have such a…unique connection to beasts after all… Maybe they can help us." she added.

"I can't talk to birds, don't be ridiculous." Luna said airily.

Harry and Daphne exchanged a brief glance.

"Look!" Luna said instead and pointed at the blockade in the tunnel.

Fine lines of writing had appeared around the tiny hole in the stone.

"Can you read it?" Daphne asked Luna anxiously.

"Not as good as father but I'll try."

The next few minutes were tense.

Luna was muttering to herself, her brow creased and her finger trailed the carving on the stone.

She shook her head.

"Either I've translated it wrong, what I doubt, or it simply isn't supposed to make sense." She concluded a bit confused.

"Why, what does it say?" Daphne asked.

"It says here: 'Look down'."

Harry blinked.

"That's all?" he asked. "Look down?"

They all looked down.

There was nothing but grass.

"Why do I feel we just fell for some stupid old joke? Like when someone tells you 'Your shoelaces are open' and are actually not?" Daphne asked.

"Because we just did." Harry agreed.

"Is that really all it says Luna?" Daphne asked.

Luna nodded. "It says right here 'Look down to find your problems solution.'"

"But there is nothing there!" Harry cried.

Clueless the three teens looked at each other.

"Can't you just make some medicine, something that will counter the effects of the opium so that they can help us?" Harry asked with a side-glance at their team-mates.

Bill was drooling on Fleur's hair.

Not very gentlemen-like.

Daphne shook her head. "I'm sorry but Opium is rarely used by wizards. Such mundane drugs generally aren't very common. Muggles use them as painkillers but we have different, less dangerous potions for that." She explained.

"Damn it."

"What if it doesn't say 'look' down but 'climb' down?" Luna suddenly suggested.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well there is one thing here that goes down…" Luna said.

"You mean the well?" Harry yelped.

"Yes!" Luna agreed.

"But that's where the Opium-gas comes from! Going down there…that's madness!" Daphne said.

"Which is exactly why the key would be down there" Concluded Harry "Damn it."

"It's the only option we have right now unless they want us to start digging." Luna reasoned.

"Down the well it is." Harry said gloomily.

.

They used the rope attached to the bucket and the crank to slowly slide it down.

The chute was too narrow for brooms.

Harry went first, then Luna, then Daphne.

As the round speck light grew smaller above them, Harry wondered if this was wise.

Probably not.

They passed into total darkness and Harry used his wand to give them some light.

The walls of the well were smooth and of some dark stone that so shiny that it reflected Harrys pale face.

Deeper they went.

Harry wondered how they would get back up.

Hm, should have thought of that before.

When his feet hit the ground it was unexpected.

There was a cloud of darkness around him that gave no indication how far it was.

"I've got ground." He called out and let go of the rope.

He waved with his hands to part this darkness around him and looked around.

The girls landed next to him.

"Look, there is a tunnel." Harry said.

They had to go down on their knees to fit in.

Luckily it was short and they found themselves in a small cave.

There was nothing but a small chimney that rose from the ground and was about three feet tall. A heavy shoulder sat on top but instead of blocking the white fumes from rising from the inside of said little chimney, a small and thin square metal pole sat in the middle, carrying the whole boulder and making a small gap left and right for the fumes to exit.

Harry coughed.

His head was spinning and there was an explosion of colors before his eyes.

"Guys, I think the air-cleansing spells aren't strong enough for so much gas!" he gagged.

Luna waved her wand but it brought only little relieve.

"Let's hurry then." Daphne said. She swayed slightly and yawned.

Harry made one step and nearly tripped over his own feet.

"I don't see a key." he said frowning while looking around. Though that might be because of his rapidly worsening view.

"But I do." Luna said silently.

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked. She was supporting herself on the wall with one hand.

Luna pointed at the metal rod that held the boulder up.

"You gotta be kidding me." Harry said.

"It has the right size."

"It's worth a shot." Daphne said with a cough. "We need to hurry. I don't know how much longer I can stay awake."

"It's too easy." Harry muttered, eyeing the contraption critically.

"Stop complaining." Daphne advised.

She pointed her wand at the boulder and said clearly: "Levi-Corpus!"

Nothing happened.

"Wow…don't overdo it!" Harry said dryly.

"Maybe it needs more than one casting the spell." She retorted.

"Everyone on three." Harry said.

They pointed their wands at the boulder.

"One…two…three…Levi Corpus."

Nothing.

"Do you think we can't use magic?" Luna asked.

"Like the reverse magic thing?" Daphne asked.

She was by now leaning against the boulder for support.

Harry stepped up to her and put and arm around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Let's see if we can try something different." She waved his worries aside.

"Like what?" Luna asked.

"Try to blow it up?" Harry suggested.

"And bring everything down around us because you can't aim? No thanks." Daphne said but her voice was so meek it didn't have the desired effect.

"Then let's do it the muggle way. Let's try lifting it. You and me Daphne and Luna, you pull it out, okay?" Harry offered.

"Alright." Luna said. Daphne just nodded

They gathered around the boulder, jamming their fingers into the small space underneath it.

"Okay, on three again and lift with your knees." Harry said.

They had to wait though because a coughing fit shook Harrys inside.

"One…two…th…three…" he wheezed and he and Daphne heaved.

The stone budged a bit but not enough for Luna to complete pull the metal rod out.

They let go, breathing heavily, what really wasn't so good, considering what they were breathing in, despite the protective spell.

"Luna, you need to help us lift. At least with one hand and try to full it out with the other!" Harry wheezed.

"You guys can barely stand!" Luna protested.

"No other choice."

"Why are you not affected?" Daphne asked breathlessly, her eyes dropping all the time.

"It affects me. Just not so much." Lunas said.

"Why? It's not fair." Daphne slurred.

"I'll tell you later." Luna promised.

"Let's get back to lifting." Harry muttered. "Come on girls, the others are counting on us. Our friends, our family members!" he said intently, grabbing the boulder securely.

The girls nodded determination on their faces.

"One…two…three!"

They managed to lift it again, enough for Luna to pull it nearly completely out.

And then things went wrong.

Daphne collapse and they all lost their grip.

Harry could narrowly avoid getting his fingers squashed.

"Daphne!" he shouted and fell down beside her.

Her skin was hot and clammy and she moaned.

"Harry! I don't feel good." She whispered.

"Don't worry, we'll be out in a second!" he promised and looked up at Luna.

"Did you get it?" he asked hopefully.

His head was hurting. His lungs were hurting.

Luna shook her head.

She pointed back at the small chimney and the boulder and the metal rod.

She had only managed to pull it out partly so that one side of the boulder was blocked by it and the rest sealed off the chimney and the fumes. It stuck out at a high angle and Harry knew that if they lifted the boulder again the rod could slip into the chimney!

But he needed Luna to help him lift the stone!

"Luna, grab that rod and don't let it go. I will try to lift the boulder far enough for you to pull it out, yes?"

She nodded, slightly pale to her face.

"Alright, here we go." Harry muttered and tore at the boulder, trying it to lift.

Luna pushed with one hand.

"Come one, come on, come on!" Harry whispered as he used all the strength he could muster.

The skin on his fingertips tore open and the blood made his fingers slippery.

The rod moved a bit.

"Come on, come ON!" he kept whispering.

He felt sick to the stomach and his head pounded.

Most of his vision was taken over by colorful circles.

Faintly he could her Luna mutter: "Come…come…come! Please!"

He saw her start push again the boulder with both hands and together they managed to raise it a bit higher but then happened what Harry had dreaded.

The metal rod started to slip inwards.

"No!" he croaked.

Suddenly there was a streak of gold and Luna let out a shout.

She let go and Harry had no choice but to follow.

He too collapsed to the ground.

He thought it was over.

He thought the key had plumaged into the chimney.

But then Luna was there, kneeling next to him.

"I got it Harry! I got it! They came! I'll get you out of here!"

Her voice was so far away!

His head rolled onto the hard ground floor.

Luna squeezed his hand and the last thing Harry saw was golden light.

Then he was dragged under into an abstract world of hallucinations and colors.

.

.

.

.

.

When he woke he was disorientated and weak.

The first thing he did was being violently sick on himself.

"Whoa! Careful there!" said someone and listed his head and rolled him onto his side so he could spit the rest of the sick out and didn't choke on it.

The movement didn't go with his stomach and it heaved up another load of vomit.

The someone that held him was rubbing soothing circles over his back and talking soft nonsense to help him calm down.

Harry groaned and could just barely keep another wave of his digested food inside when he smelled his own vomit on him and the floor.

"It's okay Harry, let it out. It's better that way."

"Rashid?" he asked feebly, recognizing the voice.

"Yes Harry. You're fine. Can you sit up?"

With the Healers help Harry managed to sit up.

Rashid banished the sick from his cloths and gave Harry a cup of water for cleansing his mouth.

Harry felt a lot better after that.

"Alright, let me check your vitals." Rashid said softly.

He shone a light in Harry's eyes, took his pulse and blood pressure and made him answer some simple questions.

Harry still felt sick and there was still the vertigo, combined with the wrong coloration of some things.

Also he was shaking though he didn't feel cold.

"It's alright Harry, what you're experiencing is withdrawal from the opium. A horrible feeling, I know but it'll be alright."

"I feel…so…strange." Harry groaned through chattering teeth.

"A bit of food and movement will do you good." Rashid assured him.

"Are the others alright then?" Harry asked.

"Everyone is fine." Assure Daphne's mentor him.

"So what happened? The last thing I remember is Luna saying she got the key and then there was…some kind of golden light…" he whispered.

"No golden light, Golden Snidgets."

Harry turned to see Luan approach him with a bowl of food.

She knelt down next to him and smiled at him.

"Turns out I can speak to birds. Daphne was right. I asked the Snidgets to come and they did. They carried me out of the chute. I opened the blockade by pushing the metal rod in the opening and twisting it. It opened almost instantly. Then I returned to the others. The spell I had put on them had helped. Most of them where awake by then and Rashid was strong enough to take care of them and recover you and Daphne from the well." She explained and handed him the bowl.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"So… the Snidgets helped? That's amazing." He said, sipping at the soup.

"It is. Alice says she's jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Harry asked.

Luna smiled and reached behind her back.

"Say hello to Pumpkin!" she said excitedly.

In her cupped palms sat one of the golden birds, blinking up at Harry with curious red eyes.

Harry stared at it.

"He pulled the key from underneath the stone when we were lifting it!" Luna explained excitedly.

"He hasn't been leaving her side ever since then." Said the chuckling voice of her father behind her.

Mr. Lovegood looked tired and a bit unsteady on his feet but he smiled at his daughter proudly.

"Mr. Lovegood. Good to see you."

"Good to see you too Harry." The historian said. "I thank you for saving us."

"It wasn't just me." Harry said quickly.

"I know but I still need to thank you." The tall man said calmly before walking off again.

Rashid propped Harry up against a wall and began mixing some draughts together for Harry to take.

"Where's the rest?" Harry asked. "How is Daphne?"

"Daphne, like you, has a bit of a hard time with the withdrawal because of the high dosage you both inhaled. By all means you should be dead but we're glad you're not. Thomas is looking after her" Rashid pointed over to Hiccups other side where, a bit hidden from view Harry could see Thomas's blond head, bend over someone on the ground "Everyone else is more or less up and walking" Rashid continued "I told them to give you some space and Luna told us everything already. If you want I can fetch Bill for you."

"Yes please."

Rashid got up and vanished.

"Daphne will be fine. She's a bit sick like you and has a fever but nothing bad." Luna answered his unasked question.

Harry nodded his thanks.

"Where are we anyway?" he asked Luna.

She was scratching Pumpkins head and smiled up at him.

"Rashid and I moved you all deeper into the tunnel and away from that cave. We found this alcove in the path and decided to rest here. The others are a bit farther down the tunnel around the corner."

True to her word Bill came around the corner.

He sagged with relieve when he saw Harry sitting upright.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Harry assured him. "How do you feel?" he asked back.

"Horrible but better already."

"That's good." Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

.

.

.

AN: I'm on a strange roll. Expect more soon! Hope you like it. The Snidgets, as you probably realize are also from J.K. Rowling. They are the birds they used to hunt for Quidditch before they invented the golden snitch!

Thanks for the reviews, I hope for more

Love Kate

29. Murphy's Law

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Murphy's Law

Walking was still a problem for Harry, even hours after breaking camp.

He was still walking like a new-born foal, teetering behind the group, just so managing to keep up.

Daphne was the same. Thomas hovered by her side constantly.

Harry had refused Bills offer for help because Harry could see clearly that Bill wasn't totally recovered either.

Alice had promised to keep an eye on him for Bill and walked slowly next to Harry.

She had offered her support a dozen times but Harry's teenage-pride didn't let him.

He could do this.

Luna was not far away, Pumpkin sitting on her head.

"I still don't get what the Snidgets were doing here." He wondered loudly.

Luna shrugged. "I guess they felt save here." She said scratching the tiny birds puffed up chest gently.

"Save? How? And how did they survive anyway?" Harry wondered.

"Well, here nobody was hunting them for the pleasure of it." Luna said with a shrug.

"Or for the profit of it." Alice piped in.

"Profit?" Harry asked.

"Didn't you know? Snidgets were somewhat of a status symbol back in the 13th century or so. Holding them as pets was something reserved for those of power and status. Also their feathers were sold for high prices. It was crazy. It's part of the reason they were, or are, nearly extinct in Europe." She explained.

"That's horrible." Harry agreed.

"But how did they survive? There was nothing in the cave that could explain it." Harry asked.

"Maybe they keep flying out to find food and water." Alice suggested.

"Yeah, maybe. But why is this one still with you? Why did he abandon his flock?" he wondered.

Luna smiled her brilliant, if somewhat serene, smile at him.

"I don't know. He says he likes me. I like him too. Plus, we have apple-juice. He likes it."

Harry made a mental note to sit down with Luna once this all was over and have a long talk with her about all these ghosts and spirits she could see and animals she apparently could talk to. Providing they made it out of here alive.

"So…how is our mission going?" Harry asked Alice.

The Duelist sighed.

"The good news is we have enough provisions to stay down here for two more months…"

"This isn't going to take two months, right? School starts in about a month!" Harry interrupted her.

Alice shrugged. "We thought it wouldn't take long at first. But now…There is no telling when we'll reach the end to this and what the end will look like. This is bigger than we thought. We thought it would be another cursed temple-side or something like that. We didn't expect to find the burial place of one of the most powerful and destructive weapons of all time and having to go through so many challenges and trials to get it. We're used to besting obstacles but usually we're not cut off from the world and even though it often is dangerous it can't compare to this. So, coming back to you question: the mission is going slowly."

Harry nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Alice asked him.

Harry shrugged. "Bodily I feel sore and exhausted but my magical core is almost completely recovered. Mentally I still feel like wrapped in cotton but Rashid said it should fade soon enough. I am hungry though."

"You just had a big breakfast." Alice said with a slight laugh.

"I'm a growing boy!" Harry protested. "I need my food. Besides, all the exhausting work we had to do while all of you took a nap was excruciatingly exhausting!" he moaned.

"'Nap' my ass." Alice replied and nudged him in the side.

"Yeah well at least you didn't have to lift a….three-hundred pound rock all by yourself!" Harry exaggerated.

"Hey, what am I? Invisible?" Luna asked.

"And I?" Daphne asked too.

"You don't get to talk; you fell asleep on the thing! Admit it; I did most of the heavy lifting!" Harry said grinningly.

"I'm sure a growing boy like you could handle it." Alice said comfortingly.

A bit more serious Harry asked: "Do you ever get used to it? These cursed places I mean? The challenges, the adrenalin, the uncertainty of what's ahead?"

Alice shook her head. "No you don't. It would take the fun out of the job. I remember a job I once did with Bill in Egypt a year or so ago. It was my first mission in Egypt and my first time inside a pyramid. It was totally new for me and I triggered all kind of booby traps on accident and nearly got us killed. You never get used to it but you learn to live with it and expect it."

"Always ready to expect the worst? Isn't that a bit paranoid? Murphy's law, everything that can go wrong will go wrong?" Harry asked skeptically with a slight smile.

She looked down, somberly.

"Murphy's Law is maybe bullshit to the muggles but wizards are dealing with supernatural forces that we do not control. We borrow part of this energy and bend it to our will but we do not control it and have to give it back eventually. Mistakes can happen. Murphy's Law states that everything that goes will go wrong, worst case scenario, but only will do so because of human failure and not because of some divine intervention. When we die on our job it's not because of rotten luck or mean priests who cursed their king's grave a billion years ago to protect it form robbers but because we weren't careful enough, didn't check something twice, misinterpreted something and so on. Because we weren't good enough."

"So it's about perfection?" Harry asked.

Alice shook her head.

"Nothing and nobody is perfect. If people could be perfect nobody would have come up with Murphy's Law in the first place. No, it's about something else."

Harry didn't know what to say.

Alice continued. "It's when the worst case occurs, when we are most terrified and on our own that it reveals to us who we are. When you are scared there are two possible reactions your body will decide between. Fight or Flight. I'm sure you heard that before."

Harry nodded.

"We all are the fight type. It's already anchored somewhere in our gens I guess. Once we realize that we train our bodies and minds further for the fight, because we know that we can, and will, make mistakes that can endanger not just our life but others as well."

Harry bit down on his lower lip, chewing it through.

Alice words made sense.

It wasn't paranoia, it were preventive measures.

Though the border to actual paranoia was a thin one.

He told Alice that in all honestly and she laughed.

"You should try to avoid meeting Mad Eye Moody."

Harry grinned. "CONSTANT VIGILLANCE!" he shouted so loudly the whole group jumped in fright.

"Merlin Harry, don't do that!" Atticus said, a hand pressed over his heart.

Harry laughed hysterically and only when he managed to calm down he said sniggering: "Too late. He was there when they took Sirius and Pettigrew into for questioning. Though I didn't get to speak to him. He shouted a bit at Fudge but that was it." He explained.

Alice shook her head amused.

"The point is: the reason we learn and the reason we take so many experts from different fields is to prevent the worst from happening."

"But you can't always do that, right?" Harry asked.

"No. But if we are trained and prepared, then maybe we can keep the damage to a minimum." Alice said.

"You mean a low body-count?" Luna asked.

"Depends on the situation." Alice admitted.

"Could you lighten up a bit back there?" Bill asked annoyed.

"Yeah, all your talking makes me anxious and uncomfortable!" Thomas added.

"What? Can't handle some deep philosophical thinking?" Alice asked challenging.

"I can handle it; I just don't want any pessimism around me." Thomas replied irritated.

"I keep thinking the ground will break any moment away or the roof will come down of an invisible monster jumps on us!" Bill added.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you." Alice assured him.

There was a collective laugh going through the group.

Harry shook his head.

He loved this about his friends. No matter how serious they were, they always managed to find a reason to laugh and that was probably what kept them all sane down here.

He made another step forward but stumbled and twisted his foot.

He just so managed not to fall.

"Oh man, what is it now?" he wondered annoyed.

Looking down he saw that he had just stepped into a small hole in a ground.

"Damn it." He muttered as he tried to pull his foot out of the hole.

"That was close. I could have broken my foot." he said to himself as he turned and wriggled with his foot, trying to get it out of the hole.

Luna who had stopped a step before him turned around and smiled.

"Maybe the worst case scenario really doesn't have to happen all the time." She said.

Alice, who had walked on ahead, turned mid-walk and said: "As I said, depends on the situation. But human failure is unavoidable."

"Help me out, will you?" Harry asked Luna.

He grabbed her shoulder to stabilize himself as he yanked at his foot.

Finally it came free.

"HA-HA!" Harry exclaimed gleefully.

"Congratulation, you managed to free yourself from a deadly hole, now could we please keep going?" Eric asked from where they had stopped to observe Harrys attempts on freeing himself.

"Yeah yeah grumpy, no need to rush it and yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking." Harry muttered.

Bill laughed loudly.

Harry grinned.

Daphne chuckled.

Next to him Luna frowned and tilted her head to the side.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Heard wha…" Harry asked but never finished his sentence because just then there was a loud crack and Harry had time to register the crack under and his astonishment about how the ground have disappeared so quickly from under his feet before he already felt gravity taking a hold of him and dragging him down.

"HARRY! … LUNA!" he could faintly hear Bill's horrified shout as they plunged into complete darkness.

.

.

.

.

AN: Poor Harry never catches a break. He really is unlucky! Also I just read up a bit about Murphy's Law so please don't come and give me ten pages long lectures about what the law actually means and what not, please! I just thought it fitted quite nice in the context.

Also thanks for the reviews and suggestions.

I don't really have a Beta and I try to find mistakes by reading and re-reading the chapters before putting them up but sometimes they just evade me, those nasty little buggers.

Love,

Kate

30. On our own

Chapter Thirty: On our own

The drop was a lot longer than Harry had anticipated.

He fell through darkness and there was only wind rushing past him.

He didn't dare move.

There could be cave walls very close to him.

He didn't want to smash into them!

There wasn't much time or space in Harrys head, for rational thinking but as he fell Harry knew that impact was unavoidable and he feared it.

He feared death.

Talk about worst-case-scenario.

He didn't know how he knew it but he knew when the end was near.

Maybe it was a shift in the air currents, a noise or a smell.

But he squeezed his eyes shut and hoped it would be quick and relatively painless.

The impact was very different from what he expected.

Instead of hitting hard ground and shattering his bones upon impact, he hit water.

That wasn't necessarily better since it hurt an awful lot too.

The water wasn't cold though neither was it really warm, but Harry had no time to register that because the strong current pulled him under and away.

There was total blackness around him again.

How was it possible to be so dark?

Harry couldn't see his own hands.

It was as if he'd gone blind.

He desperately clung to his wand.

His heavy backpack was dragging him down and without second thought he started wriggling out of the straps.

But it was difficult and the churning water that started to drag him along faster and faster didn't help.

He kept bumping into walls and rocks…

He didn't know where up and where down was.

Occasionally he would resurface for a few precious second, long enough to gulp down some air before he was dragged under again.

His hands searched for his dagger and with great effort and careful not to cut himself on the wickedly sharp blade, he cut through the straps.

The backpack got lost in the darkness.

Harry wasn't overly concerned.

The only things in there were some provisions, his sleeping stuff and some other things that could easily be replaced by money.

Other than his life, which was not so easy regained once it had been taken.

Free of the extra weight Harry attempted to swim.

But he was a weak swimmer in the best of times.

For the clashing water he was nothing more than a leave in a storm.

Harry, resigning to his fate, let the current take control and let it drag him away further and further form everything.

.

The first part of his journey through the underground cave system full of water was extremely short. But that didn't mean it was pleasant.

He was thrown around like a rag doll, hit walls and stones on his way down, was pushed under water, dragged up again, spun and flung around. There were sickening drops, turns and free-falls.

The depth of the water could change within a few meters from 'so deep Harry wasn't sure there was a bottom' to 'more like a water-slide'-deep.

Harry was sure he had left his stomach three drops behind him together with most of its contents.

The world spun around him like crazy.

He had water up his nose and a painful headache.

Even though it was pitch black strange flashes of light and colors would randomly flash before his eyes.

Probably not a good sign.

Harry tried to roll himself into a ball to be less of a target but he still kept hitting the walls and stones wherever the current dragged him along.

Most of his body had gone numb by the time the fast running river opened into a vast cave with a very low hanging ceiling.

There was no obvious light source, no cracks in the walls where light could filter through, nor anything else.

Harry was only able to vaguely make out his surroundings by touch and echo.

He was freezing and sore and just glad for the break.

The cave's ceiling was maybe half a meter or so above his head and he bumped against it every few feet he swam.

But at least the water was clam and he could stand in some places.

He was trembling.

Coughing he tried to catch his breath. Everything was spinning in fast circles, he had water up his nose and was pretty sure that if he could see, he would see double.

He felt exhausted.

His throat hurt from when he had thrown up a few times along the way.

He retched and tried to clear his throat to get the taste and the burning away.

Still, he was happy that he had managed to hold onto his wand throughout the whole ride.

"Lumos." He whispered and the harsh white light lit up the cave.

He was momentarily blinded and when he finally could see there were a lot of colorful circles dancing around before his eyes and it took some time for them to disappear.

Finally he was able to see.

Water stretched to his left and right, while ahead of him another wall rose with one ragged opening where the water cascaded down into a black tunnel and the roaring from beyond that black mouth told him that it was a fast ride down.

And also the only way down.

He turned to see if there was any possible way to go back the way he had come but there was no way in seven hells he was able to swim against that current! Not forgetting all the sudden drops and turns his path had taken.

No.

And he didn't know how far this lake stretched into the other two directions.

There was no going back.

There was only the way ahead.

The realization filled him with dread for the fear that was creeping up inside him was now undeniable.

For the first time on this trip he truly feared for his life.

He was alone.

There were no experienced Curse-Breakers or good friends at his side to help him and think of a way out.

He was on his own.

And all Harry could think about was that all this praise about him being clever and powerful had just been that…talk…!

He'd been able to help so far because the others had inspired and helped him.

But now here…there was no one to help or inspire him.

HE wasn't good enough.

Just like Alice had warned him.

It would be his demise!

Being alone was even worse than the water, the coldness and the darkness together…

A sudden coughing noise made him swirl around.

The light of his wand was not sufficient enough so with a silent curse he reached for the one foot-long and two inch wide florescent glow-stick Atticus had given him that still hung at his belt, together with his dagger.

Miraculously it had survived the ride as well. He quickly bent it sharply in the middle and then shook it so that the red light that expanded from the bend would travel faster up and down the stick and thus created more light to see.

The light fell upon a shadowy figure coming towards him. He raised his wand, ready to cast the first spell, when…

"Harry?" a weak voice asked.

"Luna?" he asked concerned and with three quick strokes he was by her side and dragged her to the place where he had stood before.

The younger girl was shivering badly and she clung to him.

"Shh…Shh… Luna, it is okay. I got you. Are you hurt?" he muttered.

The words left his mouth automatically.

She sobbed even worse.

Quickly checking her over came to the conclusion that she had not hit her head hard enough for permanent damage and otherwise she seemed to be in no obvious pain and only had a few scratches. But she was not far away from a panic-attack.

No wonder, he thought grimly. I myself am not so far away from that!

They were separated from the others, all on their own…

How could things have gone wrong so wrong?

There was no going back, that was for sure.

They didn't know where they were and where they were headed, for all he knew they would die here, drown or simply drop from exhaustion or freeze to death…

Stop it, he told himself, this isn't getting you anywhere.

He was somehow both happy and unhappy about Luna being there with him. Happy, because he wasn't alone anymore and unhappy, because she had to go through this as well.

"Luna, calm down. I promise you we'll make it out and back to the others, alright?"

"How can you know this? Don't lie to me Harry Potter, I can see it in your face. It's hopeless!" she wailed.

"It's never hopeless! Not if you try at least. If you don't try then you lose! We will try. It's just like Alice said! This is what we train and learn for. To survive something like this!" He said determined.

"But you have to pull yourself together right now. Can you do that? Be strong and brave just for a while? I know it sounds stupid giving our situation but we need to stay calm and figure out how to get out of here. Panic won't get us anywhere."

She looked at him. Maybe she saw something in his face because she nodded, took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Great!" he said faintly before slowly letting go of her.

He looked around again.

"I think our only way is through there" he said pointing at the tunnel ahead "But since we don't know what is going to be there we'll need to be careful. It might very well be the wrong way but I see no other choices to choose from. I will go first; you will follow me, okay?"

She nodded.

"Good. I think we should use a cushioning-charm on us. No need for us to break our bones hitting any more rocks, right?" he muttered in an attempt to joke.

"Yes." She whispered silently.

Quickly Harry waved his wand in the appropriate manner and a tickling sensation overcame him for a second.

"You don't happen to know any spells with which one can breathe underwater, right?" he asked hopefully.

"I heard of some but I can't perform any of them." She said silently.

"We'll make it do anyway. Do you still have your glow-stick?" he asked.

"It broke on impact with one of the cave walls on my way down." She said sadly.

"But you do still have your wand, right?" he asked.

She raised it affirmably.

"Good. Stay close to me and be ready for anything." He muttered and together they swam towards the tunnel-entrance.

It felt like swimming into the open mouth of a waiting predator.

Thanks to the glowing stick they could see a little of their surroundings.

And Harry immediately wished he hadn't.

Upon entering they stood on a small ledge where the water fell down two or three meters into another pool, from which long narrow winding tunnels sprouted, riddled with sharp turns, rocks everywhere and sudden drops and probably more nasty surprises.

He gave the pale looking Luna his hand.

"We have no choice. Together?"

"Together." She agreed.

Then they jumped.

Harry had underestimated the power of the water again. It pushed and pulled at him and wanted to drag him into ten different directions at the same time.

He kept a firm grip on Luna's hand but it wasn't always easy.

He didn't know in which of the many tunnels they were swept, he just hoped it was the right one.

The water pushed them under, smashed them against cave walls like leaves and there was absolutely nothing they could do against it but hold their breaths. The darkness was unnerving, the pressure eon their ears sometimes extremely painful. The glow of the stick only went so far and did nothing to chase the darkness away.

It seemed like forever until the water slowed down once again.

The good news was that they were able to resurface. The bad news was that they had to bend their heads sideways to keep their mouths overwater and breathe, so low was the ceiling above their heads. And they seemed to have run into a dead end.

"And now?" a shaking Luna asked him.

There was no blame or accusation in her voice just utter defeat. There was no way out. They wouldn't beat the current that had dragged them here but there was nothing anywhere around them!

Harry tried to think.

Had they missed the right turn in the tunnel? Had the water dragged them into a death-trap?

Was this the end?

"The water has to go somewhere from this point on. Otherwise the cave would fill over and the current would take a different path. So there was to be a place somewhere where the water flows down. Here, you take the stick and I my wand and then we dive and look, alright?" he tried to deduct as logically as he could.

He had no idea if water did behave like that, he just hoped it did.

Luna looked anything but thrilled but nodded.

It was their only way.

Better than to sit here and wait for death.

"Be careful." She whispered.

"You too sunshine."

Water had never been Harry's favorite element.

His first swimming experiences had been at Hogwarts during the summer and even then he'd taken to paddle in the shallow waters and never had a reason to dive under the surface.

While he had come to enjoy swimming a healthy respect remained for the element.

So this unnerved him greatly.

Carefully he swam with his hands stretched out in front of him.

The light of his wand bathed everything in a strange glow, making the rocks and passing particles it look unrealistic. The silence was maybe the worst.

Harry was beyond happy that there were no fish or other animals.

He searched the floor of the cave, and then the sides but found nothing.

Feeling his lungs burn he resurfaced, only to bang his head against the ceiling.

He frowned.

Was it his imagination or was the water-level rising?

But shouldn't that be impossible?

But he was sure that there was less space between his face and the ceiling.

He had to tilt his head all the way backwards so the back of his head was under water and only his face was in the air, only inches away from the stone ceiling, so he could breathe.

An uncomfortable feeling expanded in his chest.

Claustrophobia.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly. Do not panic, he told himself. Panic will get you killed.

Think!

He was distracted by Lunas face appearing next to him. She too realized that she had to turn her head to breath.

"I found another tunnel. It looks big enough for us to fit through and the currents seems to follow it but what if it gets smaller and we don't fit through anymore? What if it stops? We won't be able of turn around!" she told him fearfully.

"Then we'll have to blast our way through it, consequences be damned. If we stay here any longer we will die! That tunnel might be a chance for us."

His lips were now nearly touching the ceiling.

She nodded and grasped his hand. "There is no Try anymore. There is only Do." She whispered.

"I agree."

"Then follow me."

Together they dived under the water.

Luna surely led him down to one of the deeper parts of the underwater-cave and in the light of the glowing stick she pointed at a dark hole in the ground. They would fit in without much problems but Harry understood Lunas worry. The hole simply wasn't big and went almost straight down. Water pressure would be another possible problem.

The world ahead was simply unknown.

Harry threw a quick glance over at Luna.

Her hair was floating like a halo around her face.

Somewhere along one of their wild rides she must have lost her hair-band.

He dived down first.

The pressure on his ears was growing.

He felt sick from all the water he had swallowed.

The many bumps to his head made him feel sluggish and slow.

He felt Luna grab hold on one of his ankle. Her touch was reassuring. It told him that she was still there.

He carefully kicked with his legs so he wouldn't shake her off and grabbed the stones along the walls to pull him further down.

He tried to ignore the tightening feeling in his chest and the constant burning that grew worse with every inch he pulled himself forward.

In front of him the passage suddenly made a sharp turn and Harry had to squeeze himself through the smaller opening.

His back scrapped against the tunnel ceiling.

This was worst than any nightmare he ever had before.

The oppressing feeling of the walls and the water all around him made his heart throb and panic spread farther and farther.

He thought the walls were moving, closing in on him…

The horrible picture of being trapped alive down here and slowly drowning filled his head.

He prayed to all the gods that the tunnel would stay stable not become any smaller.

It didn't.

It was much worse actually.

His hand banged against stone.

The path was blocked.

No.

Panic, hot and consuming crept from his brain into his limbs, nearly paralyzing him completely.

His hands flew over the stones in front of him, searching for an exit!

NO! This couldn't be!

In the light of his wand he could see the flow of the water and the weaker current definitely didn't stop here.

But other than him and Luna, water could travel through the small crevices between the rocks.

The assuring grip on his ankle tightened and he remembered Luna.

She's just as much in pain and panic as I am, he thought. There has to be something I can do!

They wouldn't die here in the darkness, away from the people they loved. Not today!

Furrowing his brow he pointed his wand at the blockade. It was risky. He didn't know how stable the tunnel was. He didn't even know if the tunnel continued behind these stones and if they were just a blockade or if behind these stones, more stones were waiting.

He had to hope for the best.

It was the lesser of two evils.

Drowning or being crushed to death.

His desperation spiked his magic and as he thought of the spell his magic reacted.

'Bombarda Maxima'

The words echoed through his skull and a shockwave went through the water, hitting the stones.

All around him the water vibrated with the force of the incantation.

Pebbles began hitting Harry and he wondered if he had made a grave mistake.

His vision was blurry and the water turned murky.

The spell had evaporated many of the stones blocking his way or let them crumbled and disappear, consequently turning the water dirtier.

Harry reached out blindly, slightly panicking at first when he could feel that there were still many more blocking the narrow path.

The grip on his ankle was becoming more desperate.

He didn't want to imagine how Luna felt.

They had to get out of here.

'If we get out of here I will research ways to breathe underwater!' Harry thought angrily.

Involuntarily his thoughts wondered off to Daphne and Bill.

Were alright?

The tight feeling in his chest worsened and it had nothing to do with the lack of air.

He shook his head.

Don't think about it. Not now.

Concentrate!

Determined to see both of them again and to bring Luna back to her father, his hands flew over the stones and he nearly missed the opening in the stones.

His hands flew back to where he felt a gap in the stones. It was big enough for his arm to go through and he pushed it through, trying to feel what lay beyond.

He could feel…nothing…

There seemed to be no walls whatsoever anywhere around him.

Determinedly he pulled back his arm through the hole and smashed then smashed his fist into the stones that blocked his path.

Most of them were already loose and crumbled backwards and Harry was relieved to feel the open space behind then. He ignored the pain in his hand.

Instead he grabbed the edges of the tunnel and pulled himself and Luna behind him into a much bigger space.

He though it would be a much wider tunnel.

But it was much better.

It was open water.

Out.

Sweet Jesus.

They were out!

He managed to take Lunas hand and dragged her with him.

Above him he could see light shimmer through the water!

It seemed so far away.

The longing of his lungs for air grew worse.

Harry thought his lungs would burst.

Ho long had they been underwater and without air? Minutes?

It felt like an eternity and like a few seconds at the same time.

But how dreadful would it be to fail now, when the end was practically within reach!

His wand-hand raised itself, while the other still held Luna, and a weak: "Ascendio." dragged them upwards, towards the light and the surface.

With one final kick and his head burst through the surface, breathing in the slightly dusty and moldy but oh-so-wonderful air.

Next to him Luna gasped, swallowing as much air as possible.

Harry grimaced.

Never before had he experienced that breathing could hurt that much.

But it was air he tasted and there was nothing greater than air right now.

They were out.

There was no current dragging and pulling at them.

Instead they seemed to be in another wide cavern.

The water probably continued its path somewhere else from here on.

Not that Harry cared in particular.

For some long minutes they just floated their on their backs, breathing and calming their wild beating hearts.

His lungs were hurting painfully and every breath he drew was like breathing in sharp little knifes but the pain reminded him that he was still alive.

They actually had made it out…

What a miracle.

The wild spinning of his head reduced and slowly he went back into a vertical position.

Blood rushed through his body but he felt surprisingly okay.

He was littered with cuts and bruises and his hand was pulsing with enough pain to suspect a few broken or at least cracked bones but they were all minor injuries, compared to what could have happened.

Luna was similar off as him.

Curiously they looked around.

They were inside a dome-like structure with a ceiling like the inside of an oyster. The mother-of-pearl ceiling reflected the little light that seemed to come from nowhere a hundred times and illuminated the whole room.

Not too far away from them, a pebble-beach formed dry land and behind that a primitive set of stairs lead upwards.

Stairs.

Upwards.

Upwards was good.

Upwards was where the others were.

Hopefully.

Harry had no idea how far away and how far up and down again their wild voyage had taken them.

They could have been dragged for kilometers or it could be only couple of yards away from where they first had fallen down…

Who was to say the river had been flowing in a straight line and not in a circle or curves or even the opposite direction!

Let's think about that later. Let's first find the main corridor we've been following. If we manage that we'll be fine.

"Luna! Luna look!" he whispered hoarsely.

He pointed with a shaking hand at his discovery.

"Looks like paradise, don't you agree?" she asked shivering.

Her lips were blue and her skin ashen.

Harry reckoned he didn't look much better.

"Not where I want to spend my time after I died but yeah, I get what you mean."

He winced and gave her a shaky smile.

"Come on. I have a feeling we'll be out of here soon enough."

Luna nodded.

Harry's arms felt like lead but the prospect of dry land under his feet was so good he quickly pulled himself ashore and stood there, slightly swaying.

Luna rubbed her arms.

"Can you help me with the drying and heating charms?" she asked.

Harry nodded numbly.

"Better than to catch pneumonia." he agreed and waved his wand.

Blissful warmth enveloped him and he sighed, even though the drying charm was maybe a bit too weak since their cloths, hair and skin were still damp. But better than nothing.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

She sighed. "I'm exhausted." she admitted. "But I guess we have too. There is nothing to be gained standing here."

"We can rest a little bit more if you want." Harry offered.

"We can rest when we find the others. I think if I don't start moving soon I lose all my motivation." She sighed.

Harry smiled encouragingly. But he felt the same.

"Come on then Luna. They need us."

But Luna stood there silently and eyed the stairs that let up and into the ground.

"What a coincidence that we land right there, where there are stairs." Luna muttered strangely darkly.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Harry I don't think it was a coincidence that the floor broke beneath our feet. This was a trial, just like all the other challenges that we faced. Look." Luna said and pointed at a section of the wall next to the stairs.

There, carved into the stone were words.

Harry couldn't read them but Luna thanks to her father's teachings could read it more or less completely.

"To escape a watery grave you have to embrace death first. You have to overcome yourself and put others first. Only then can you face the River of the Undying without fear and only then your true worth can be clear."

The words send shivers down Harry's spine.

Getting Luna out of here, seeing the others again, wanting to survive for the others sakes, those had been the thoughts that had motivated, given him the necessary energy and the will to keep going.

It was creepy how this place seemed to read them and judge them and once again Harry realized that their lives were not in their own hands.

Such magic scared him.

This was beyond them all.

"Makes you feel small and insignificant, doesn't it?" Luna asked as if reading his thoughts.

He nodded mutely.

"I had faith in you." She said brightly.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"It'll be alright. We made it this far. We'll find the others. I know we will. Otherwise we wouldn't have landed here."

"Of course." He agreed.

And they started climbing

.

After swimming so long, climbing stairs was even harder. Especially since the steps were all different high and wide and had varying distances between them.

Some were so high they had to help each other up. Others again were like a normal flight of steps and the whole staircase, if you could call it that, coiled up through the mountain, making sharp turns and the going down again and then up again.

More than once they stumbled and had to pick themselves up again.

Harry felt strangely disconnected to his body and to make matters worse had to cough every now and again and every time was agony for him.

His hand throbbed with pain but his index-and-middle-finger had gone numb.

Not good.

He tried to hide his discomfort form Luna, but he needed more breaks and he could only helplessly press his hand against his chest to protect it.

And Luna would not be Luna if she didn't know what was going on.

"You'll be alright." She suddenly said.

They had been walking in relative silence for the last minutes, both too tired to say anything.

"Daphne will fix you. Rashid was right when he said she was good. It runs in her family."

"I'm fine Luna." He said automatically.

"You are not but it's okay if you don't want to admit it. I know anyway."

"How do you know so much?" he asked curiously.

That question had been bugging him for weeks now.

Luna sighed.

Suddenly she seemed very serious, something he didn't know from her.

It seemed she had come to an important and heavy decision all of a sudden.

"Daphne told you about the ancient families, right?" she asked her pale blue eyes fixating his green ones.

"Yeah." He agreed.

"Well, my family is one of these families. The ancestors of those first wizards and witches came from ancient Greece. One of them was a descendant of the famous Cassandra." She whispered.

Harry frowned.

"Who was Cassandra?" he asked, feeling slightly stupid.

"She was a famous seer in ancient Greece." Luna explained softly.

"You mean…she could see the future?"

"As well as the past. You need to see the past to understand the future. All her descendants have had the gift of sight. Some more and some less strong and with variations to it. I have a strong connection to the spiritually world of creatures and gods of the Otherworld that normal mortals can't see. But I can. I catch glimpses of past happenings and future events. Sometimes they whisper into my ear or show me things before my inner eye."

Harry frowned again.

"Who is 'they'?" he asked.

"Gods, spirits, creatures, the dead, the ones that have yet to life, souls…all of them."

Harry was speechless.

Did that mean that all those fantastic beasts she always talked about and seemed to see at every corner actually existed?

"Wow. Does anyone know?" he finally asked.

"Only few. We've always kept it secret because so people would surely abuse such powers. Our family line has thinned out. There are only few of us left."

"Wow…Luna…I don't know what to say. I didn't know…"

Luna shrugged. "Nobody ever does. To them we are Nutters and stupid. You must understand that Cassandra, although she was a famous seer, was cursed. Her predictions where clear and not riddled like they used to be with other oracles. They were clear instructions of what would happen. She predicted the Trojan War you must know. But her predictions confused the people, since they weren't used to clear visions and waved them off as fake. Cassandra desperately tried to convince them but nobody would listen. They didn't. They wrote her off as crazy and worthless. Clearly the gift of sight must have left her. And so the Trojan War came to happen. Till today it is one of the bloodiest battles ever fought by human kind. And to think it could have been averted if they had listened" Luna shook her head "This curse has followed my family ever since. My great-aunts seconds cousin's sister, Professor Trelawney, is a good example. People write her off as a fraud but she actually is a seer. She just can't control her gift and only sometimes has real visions. But she usually never remembers them. I myself…I see two worlds at once. The one you see and are in and the one only I can see. They overlap in many places. In both so many things happen at once and it often distracts me and makes me zoon out. The people and creatures I talk to are so interesting, it's hard to focus on the real world. That's why people like to call me loopy or Loony. But I don't really care." Luna explained airily and shrugged her small shoulders.

Harrys had to pick up his jaw from the floor.

He had had his suspicions about Professor Trelawney ever since the day Hermione had quit divination and he had been there when she had ushered her strange and somewhat horrible prophecy.

But this was a new world indeed.

He stopped and took Lunas hands in his.

"Thank you for sharing this with me. I promise your secret is save with me."

She smiled brilliantly at him.

"I know." She said confidently.

With that she started humming a happy tune and kept walking.

.

Their path stopped suddenly in front of a wall.

"A dead end. But how can that be?" Harry asked, already feeling panic inside of him.

"It can't be." Luna said, equally baffled.

"But then how…" Harry began but stopped when the surface of the wall in front of them started to ripple.

Four painted pictures appeared in front of them on said walls.

The first showed a summer-field with lots of wild colorful flowers under an afternoon sun. The sky was blue and birds flew through the air.

It awoke a feeling of longing inside Harry. How long since he'd last seen the sun? The sky or had heard the sound of birds singing? He felt as if he'd already forgotten what they all looked, felt and smelled and felt like.

The second picture was that of a mountain gleaming in hundred different colors in the late sunlight of the day. It looked so real, as if they were looking through a window at it. Harry could nearly taste the fresh and clear mountain air and the cold biting winds. Oh how he longed for even the slightest breezes to caress him!

The third picture was that of a slowly flowing river at night. The moon reflected in its clam waters and a deer stood in the flat water, drinking from the stream. The trees threw shadows all around but it didn't look frightening for there were many fireflies swirling through the night, giving the picture something magical and peaceful. It filled Harrys with calm and serenity, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

The last picture was that of a brisling city, full of people and animals, life and laughter. It looked ancient judging by the buildings and the people but Harry thought he could hear their faint voices coming from beyond the wall the city was painted on. It made him miss home, London, Diagon Ally or Hogsmead!

As they studied the pictures closely, flaming words suddenly appeared on the floor before them as if a giant invisible hand wrote them with fire.

Slowly Luna read it out: "The final voyage is at hand. Here, were we once made our last stand. If you do not want this to be your grave, remember the words we gave. Chose your path but chose it wisely and consider these words precisely. What runs all day, but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed, but never sleeps, has a mouth, but never eats? Answer this and your path will reveal itself to you."

Harry frowned. "What does that mean? We solve the riddle and a path will magically appear before us?"

"That was my guess too." Luna said.

Harry shook his head. He was tired of riddles and just wanted to get it all over with!

"Runs all day…never sleeps…eats…hm…" he muttered, trying to think like Hermione to solve it.

Suddenly Luna next to him smiled.

"Oh how ingenious. The answer is so obvious. Especially after all we've just been through."

He looked at her questioningly, then back at the riddle and smiled when he understood.

"That's just cruel." Harry muttered before he sighed.

"A river!" they said together.

Nothing happened.

They looked around.

"Wasn't the path supposed to reveal itself to us?" Harry asked.

"Harry look!" Luna exclaimed.

In front of them three of the pictures slowly dissolved until only the one with the moonlit river remained.

Its edges started to glow and pulse.

"What do you think this means?" Harry asked nervously.

"I think that our path has just revealed itself to us." Luna answered and carefully stepped closer to the picture. She lifted her hand to touch it but her hand went right through the wall!

Harry gaped at her disappearing arm.

"Let's go." she said.

"How do we know it's not another trap?" he asked.

"You got to have faith." Luna said simply and stepped right through the wall, disappearing completely.

Praying to all the gods that this wasn't the greatest mistake of his life yet, Harry followed.

And found himself standing inside a wide corridor! He nearly squealed with delight when he recognized the familiar structure of the main-tunnel.

The carvings in the wall, the torches burning with the green fire, the thick layer of dust on the ground, it was a nearly familiar and welcomed sight.

"We're back on the path!" he said excitedly and jumped up and down.

Luna too was grinning widely and then they where hugging each other and jumping together and just generally celebrating their incredible luck.

"We made it out!" Luna whispered. "Thank you Harry."

"It is as much thanks to you as it is to me." he disagreed and smiled widely at her.

Then he looked past her down the corridor.

"Now we only have to catch up with the others."

"Then let's go!" Luna agreed, a new energy burning in her eyes.

They looked down at the ground.

The thick layer of dust was disturbed, as if a group of people had come this way.

"And let's hurry. Who knows what happened to then while we went for a swim!" Harry said worriedly.

31. Why one should pay attention in Herbolog

AN: The use of the different times might seem confusing in some places but they were chosen on purpose. Of course they can still be wrong!

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-One: Why one should pay attention in Herbology

Bill was numb.

Completely and utterly numb.

Bill couldn't feel a thing.

His feet shuffled along the ground, his eyes staring ahead without really seeing.

Turn left, turn right, walk without bumping into walls…he was functioning on autopilot as his brain kept replaying the happenings again and again.

Harry was annoyed tugging at his foot while Eric teased him about stepping into a hole, then he frowned at the sudden horrible cracking noise that disturbed the relaxed atmosphere and he looked down.

Bill watched as an alarmed expression appeared on his face and how Harry looked up to him, his mouth opening to shout something, but it was already too late!

The floor under Harrys and Lunas feet just broke away and the two fell down into darkness…

It took the whole team to restrain Bill and Mr. Lovegood from jumping in after them.

For a few seconds they could hear screams and then there had been just silence.

No echoes, no whispers, no nothing, nada…

They shouted, they all had, but no response came from the dark hole.

They casted spells to see…something, anything!

But all they could find out was that there is water at the bottom.

Fast forward moving water.

It was then that Bill collapsed.

Sure, it isn't unheard that magical children who fell down from somewhere high up got saved by through and act of accidental magic.

But what if the two children hit water…. if they survived the actual fall and the impact, could they still make it? It was water after all.

And where does this particular stream lead? Are they any ways for them to breathe?

Or will they just drown in the rapid tides and turns?

No one knows and so they can only assume the worst.

Atticus urged them to keep going, saying it is not safe to stay and liger. The ground could break away under their feet too.

Let it, was all Bill managed to think.

And if Bill was in pain and on the verge of giving up, Mr. Lovegood is in agony.

When the man screamed no sound left his throat. But his crunched up face and the clawing gesture of his hands and desperate, agonized and helpless expression showed just how much the man was suffering.

He actually tore out great chunks of his long hair, pounding on the floor with his fists but through all of this not a single sound left his mouth.

Bill couldn't get himself to get back up on his feet.

Fleur knelt down next to him. She put one hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort but he barely registered it.

Harry is…he's dead…

Bills brain has troubles processing these words and the order they appear in.

The message is…impossible.

Yet so true.

They can't be dead.

Nobody said anything.

For a long time they just sat or stood there, where Atticus had ushered them too, looking back to where they had come from.

They had wanted to keep walking but at some point they just had to stop. The shock was still too fresh.

They only remained there until Eric grumbled softly something into Atticus ear and the man nodded.

"We have to get going again. We can't stay." he said softly but it was a command nonetheless.

"I'm sorry. But there is nothing we can do. We need to keep going."

They all knew he is right.

But that didn't make it any easier or less painful.

"Come on Bill. Get up, please." Fleur said silently next to him.

"I was responsible for the kid." He whispers and looks at her.

He wasn't crying but the tears were there. Still are.

"I was responsible for him! He's fourteen! I should never have…"

"Don't say that!" Fleur interrupts him. "How could you have known? This could have happened to any of us!"

Bill burrowed his face in his hands.

This situation is just so absurd.

He wished he could wake up and find out it was just a horrible nightmare, an aftereffect of the drug-exposure.

Suddenly all he wanted is to get out of this cursed place.

"I killed him." He whispered.

"No Bill! Don't say that! Don't think that! I know it's hard to accept but it's not your fault."

Fleur had tears in her eyes as well.

As he looked at her it is as if her Veela-allure was suddenly gone, all of a sudden, and it is as if he sees her for the first time for real.

Messy hair, puffy red eyes and all.

She grabbed his arm, pulling at him to get him up.

She was surprisingly strong for such a petite young woman.

So he got to his feet eventually.

The others were already moving.

Rashid and Alice were guiding a shell-shocked Xenophilius Lovegood away from the hole.

Thomas had an arm slung around Daphne who was silently sobbing into his chest as they shuffled along.

.

That had been maybe half an hour ago.

It felt longer.

And nobody had said anything since then.

They should rest.

It is dangerous to continue like this. Nobody is really concentrated or paying attention to their surroundings.

They could run straight into the next trap and die and none of them would notice.

Bill felt as if his lungs were seizing up with each step and he had trouble breathing.

"We need to stop. Just for a bit." He heard Fleur say to Atticus.

"I know. Let's look for a suitable place." their leader said with a heavy voice.

The tunnel widened again and it was there they stopped and sat down.

Eric got a fire going.

Rashid cooked something to eat.

Fleur handed him a bowl but Bill just stared at it as if he didn't know what to do with it.

"You need to eat Bill." Fleur whispered.

"I am not hungry." He said tonelessly.

She started chewing on her lower lip, clearly unhappy.

He looked away.

Fleur left him alone after that for which he was both grateful and a bit guilty.

"We need to turn around." he overheard Rashid mutter to Atticus after a while.

"And abandon the quest? We can't do that." Eric hissed back.

"This isn't about the job anymore Eric! Two children died!"

"That won't change by going back and giving up everything we have archived so far." Eric spat back.

"Then pray tell me what it is have we archived. Nothing so far if you ask me!" Rashid growled.

"I didn't!"

"Gentlemen, let's all calm down. This is a heavy situation we got. But Eric is right, we can't stop now." Atticus said.

"Atticus, you can't seriously…" Thomas started but Atticus interrupted him.

"Not because of the job, I couldn't care less about that, no it's because of Luna and Harry. They would have died in vain if we turn around now. We set out to rid the world of something dangerous. I know for certain that Harry wouldn't want us to just give up now and leave it here. And Luna wouldn't want all her little monster friends endangered. You've seen the bodies and skeletons we've encountered! This body-count will only rise if we don't do this." Atticus explained softly.

Bill turned away.

He couldn't keep listening.

They moved on after roughly half an hour.

Bill put one foot before the next but his body was still on autopilot.

Before his inner eye he saw Harrys drowned body drifting aimlessly through the darkness, Luna by his side.

These caves become their graves and they are lost forever.

Bill then saw himself returning home alone and having to explain everything to not just his family but also to Harry's friends and family, to Professor Dumbledore and then the Minister and everybody else in Britain.

He saw himself telling them that their hero, the Boy-Who-Lived, drowned on a Curse-Breaker expedition in Cambodia and that the body is lost so that they can even say goodbye.

Bill felt a sob building up in his throat and he tried to swallow it down.

It's been years since he last cried. Really cried.

Eric's gruff voice pulled him out of his deep and dark thoughts into the present.

"Bill, concentrate!"

He looked up to see that the next challenge had appeared before them.

Bill felt angry about that.

They had just lost two people!

And now they had to risk their lives again?

What for?

A stupid weapon?

He wondered if they were even supposed to find it.

Maybe the inscriptions on the front entrance were just a false lead, letting them believe in the impossible, when this was actually just a death sentence.

Angrily his gaze swept over the sight before him. Not with him. Not today.

Once again they were at the edge of a chasm.

This one though had a thick stone bridge going over it.

The bridge though had no railing and giant holes all over it.

The space between the holes though was little. There were more holes than bridge. Sometimes there was only enough room to put one foot on the stone patches between them.

It looked ready to collapse any second.

One of these holes was in front of Bill and as he stepped forward, peaking down and saw eight feet tall spikes at the bottom and the skeleton of some unfortunate soul pierced by one of them.

Charming.

Another hole not too far away was smoking ominously.

Great.

From another further down the bridge grew a strange tentacle-plant that kept searching the space around its hole for anything to grab.

One hole to Bills left seemed to be filled to the brim with a tar like substance. Bubbles kept appearing at it surface only to burst seconds later.

Intriguing.

Bill would bet his Chocolate-Frog-Card-Collection that each hole held something nasty inside them.

Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

Not.

Bill felt nothing at the sight of the next danger.

No that was wrong.

He felt anger.

He wanted to strangle whoever had created this place, strangle whoever had hid this dumb weapon here and longed to destroy that weapon for all the grief it caused, even after all this time.

"Right" he growled, surprising everyone around him "What do we do?"

He saw the glances they exchanged but nobody said anything.

Mr. Lovegood was clutching his daughter's backpack that he had for some reason carried for her, before she….before she fell.

The Golden Snidget that had taken a liking to the Lovegood-girl was sitting on top of it, sadly chirping at the inconsolable man.

Seeing the man like this made Bill even angrier.

Expectantly he looked around for suggestions.

"I'd say it's at least thirty meters long. Can't be sure though." Eric said estimating the length of the bridge.

The bridge was curved slightly upwards before going down again.

"Wanna try brooms again?" Alice asked. "I myself don't fancy walking there!"

"I doubt it will work." Atticus muttered.

"But you are welcome to try." Eric said.

Alice took out her broom, mounted it, kicked off the ground and…stayed in the air!

Amazed they stared as she hovered a fee feet above them.

Then Thomas cheered slightly and said: "We were bound to have some luck! Everyone to your brooms!"

Their excitement only stayed for a couple of more seconds.

Because when they tried to cross the chasm, a strong wind suddenly came out of nowhere and pushed them back!

As soon as they were back on the plateau in front of the bridge, the wind disappeared, as if nothing had happened.

They tried it several times but nothing worked!

Frustrated they sat down.

"What good is a broom if you can't use it?" Thomas growled.

Bill eyed their surroundings critically.

Then he had an idea and swiftly mounted his broom again.

"Bill?" Atticus asked. "What are you doing?"

"I think I know how to cross this." Bill simply said and steered towards the bridge.

In all their previous attempts they had never tried to cross the pit while flying above the bridge!

They hadn't deemed it necessary.

Now he was almost above the bridge, only few feet in the air and yet there was no sign that there was wind anywhere.

Bill crossed onto the bridge and kept going.

At least until he flew across the pit with the stakes in it.

He was lucky his reflexes where so sharp or he would have been turned into shish-kebab by a dozen or so stone stakes, which had shot up from inside the hole; straight up into the air, magically extending and growing.

The only warning he got was a slight movement he caught from the corner of his eye.

He sharply pulled his broom to the left and had to pull it to the right again when a geyser of the tar-like substance he had spotted earlier erupted from that hole.

He pulled back completely and landed next to his team-mates. As soon as he was out of reach, the spikes shrunk back until they disappeared in the pit again and the geyser of tar fell back down as well.

So they could cross over to the other side as long as they remained above the bridge!

But crossing the pits meant triggering whatever was inside to come and attack them.

It was both good and bad.

"Have you lost it?" Atticus shouted as he touched down.

"What? I found us a way across!" Bill growled. "We can fly if we keep above the bridge."

"Yes, only whenever we cross one of the holes something nasty erupts form its inside like some sort of surprise volcano." Atticus said dryly.

"So we fly around it, no biggie!" Bill muttered.

"Yes, we could see that." Eric spat.

"It's our only way." Bill spat back.

"Bill is right." Thomas said, stepping between them.

"But I think we should go one at a time or at least with enough distance between us. That way we don't set off to many traps at once." Rashid suggested.

"That thing is like a field of landmines. The slightest movement and 'BOOM' they go up. We gotta be careful." Eric muttered.

Bill looked to Fleur, who hadn't said a word at all.

Her face was white as chalk and her eyes big and round.

As the others went to talk on how to best cross this damn bridge, Bill pulled her aside.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just…I'm not a strong flyer!" she admitted.

"It'll be fine! Just follow my lead, alright?"

She nodded but still looked afraid.

So one by one each of them set out to cross the bridge.

Atticus was the first.

As he crossed onto the bridge the spikes came shooting up and he swayed aside, casting a strong 'Bombarda'. Half of the stakes crumbled and they retreaded but when it was Eric's turn to cross this particular hole, they shot back up again and were completely renewed as well.

Both Atticus and Eric managed to cross the bridge quiet well.

Atticus was nearly tossed off his broom when he crossed a hole filled with water and it shot up and caught him underneath, propelling him upwards in an uncontrolled fashion but he caught himself just in time.

Luckily he managed to hold onto his broom and fly out of the danger zone.

There was one really close call for Eric at a fire-pit when a stream of green fire shot up and singed his jacket.

"Whoa! That was Greek Fire! If he had caught fire we wouldn't have been able to put it out!" Rashid exclaimed.

"I thought the formula for real Greek Fire was lost eons ago." Daphne said silently.

"It was, but maybe it was still around when this place was made." Rashid said. "But that was definitely the real one. It had the right color and the right color gradient and, from what I can tell, the smell is right too." Rashid sniffed the air.

Thomas and Daphne went next.

They shared a broom.

It was risky since the added weight could make maneuvering harder but Bill understood that after what happened to Luna and Harry Thomas was reluctant to let Daphne leave his side.

While Thomas flew Daphne cast spells to protect them.

It got close for them too when a stone stake pierced her shield-charm and grazed Thomas's calf.

Despite his injury Thomas flew on and got them out alright.

Bill also found out that flying high wasn't an option to evade the dangers of the pits. For one they could only fly so high before the wind pushed them back down again, for another the stakes and the fires and the geysers of substances could instantly rise just as high as they could fly.

It was annoying.

Rashid went next to he could treat Thomas immediately since he had all the healing supplies.

He managed to pull through with some singed and wet robes.

Bill was worried when Mr. Lovegood flew towards the bridge.

The man was stricken with grieve over the loss of his only daughter.

But Alice went with him, flying close to him and somehow without major injuries, got them over the bridge as well.

Now it was only Fleur and him.

He turned to her.

"Just follow my lead and you'll be fine." He said and pushed himself up into the air.

Now that he knew what to expect and after having observed the others going across the bridge Bill felt fairly confident about this.

It was like a strange obstacle run.

He could do that.

With the only difference being that these obstacles could kill.

Bill weaved through the geysers of water, tar, fire and what not, curved past stone stakes and ducked down under a giant Venus fly-trap.

Its jaws clapped shut just inches above him.

He avoided a rock-spitting pit and haltered shortly before a fire-pit that was still spitting fire.

He waited until the flames had gone down before zooming across it as fast as possible.

And then he was on the other side.

Now it was only Fleur.

And she did well until she got to the tentacle like plant Bill had spotted earlier.

Most of them had managed to avoid triggering that one so Bill wasn't quite sure what it did though he could guess judging from the tentacles.

Fleur was still meters away when the thing came to life.

Bill didn't know how or what might have triggered it but Fleur didn't see it and flew straight into the slimy tentacles that shot up from the hole.

There was no way anyone could have avoided that!

It knocked Fleur off her broom and she fell, screaming.

The vines caught her and pulled her back up sharply.

Bill was on his broom before he knew it.

He wouldn't lose another member of his team! Not now, not just hours after losing Harry and Luna.

Not on this trip! Not ever again!

The plant must have felt him approach because all of a sudden it seemed to explode in all directions, growing more and more tentacles until it formed a living and coiling and moving wall all across the bridge, blocking the view of the other side from where they had come.

Bill, in his desperateness to get to Fleur, had forgotten about the other traps.

A rock collided with his shoulder, fire singed his back and water hit him on the chest.

But he kept flying. He ignored the pain and now narrowly he avoided certain death.

He pulverized stone stakes in his path and finally managed to reach the plant-barrier.

There wasn't much light, there had never been much light in their journey underground. But their eyes had adapted to it so Bill was able to see alright.

Now he was glad that he couldn't see this thing in all its deadly glory.

The plant was leashing out and he swatted them away with spells but it didn't let him get any closer.

'What is this thing?' He wondered as he dived aside and a tentacle smashed into the ground instead of him.

The bridge shook.

Next time we're bringing someone along who knows something about plants!

Fleur's desperate cries distracted him again.

The plant had a couple of tentacles wrapped around her and was swinging and tossing her around like a rag-doll, squeezing the life out of her.

Bill noticed that Thomas and Eric and Atticus where by his side and Alice was making her away across towards them as well.

"What do we do?" Thomas yelled as he sliced a tentacle away.

A new one took its place.

"Get Fleur out of there and make a run for it!" Bill shouted and shot upwards.

A long thick vine slammed sideways into him and forcefully swatted him aside like a bothersome fly, broom and all.

It took him some seconds to catch himself.

His chest hurt.

From his position a bit further away he could see just how hopeless their situation was.

There was no way they could get Fleur out of there!

'What is this plant? Why does nothing we do work against it?'

He joined the other again though Bill could tell that all of them were tiring quickly.

The plant on the other hand was doing great.

It was holding Fleur like some sort of trophy high above it and destroyed every attempt of them to reach her.

Bill was sure that if the plant had a face and a mouth it would be laughing mockingly.

Like those third-year bullies who had tossed his books over his head to one another when Bill had been a tiny first-year at Hogwarts, so that he never reached his books and kept being late for classes. That had only changed when he had hit a growth spurt over the summer before third year and, at the beginning of the new term had been bigger than the now sixth-year bullies.

Concentrate Weasley!

He was about to lead another, useless, wave of attack when suddenly from high above Fleur someone shouted: "LUMEN SOLEM!" and the brightest explosion of sun-light Bill had ever seen blinded them.

When the spots cleared from his eyes he saw to his amazement how the plant withered away before his eyes, watched how it retreated into the hole it had come from and his gaze shot up to Fleur who was still hanging dangerously high up in the air.

To his horror he saw how the vines slipped and lost their grip on her.

As she started to fall he knew he would never reach her in time.

But he didn't have too.

A broom appeared above Fleur and suddenly there was someone grabbing her wrist just in the nick of time!

Bill wasn't the only one staring at her rescuers with amazement.

Yes, rescuers.

For perched on top of a broom were none others than Luna Lovegood, who was steering the broom and Harry Potter, who had grabbed Fleur with one hand and was holding on to Luna with his arm wrapped around her middle.

"Need a hand?" he asked the stunned looking Fleur, as Luna quickly flew them towards safety.

.

.

.

.

Bill was crying.

This made no sense.

He hadn't cried when he thought Harry was dead.

He hadn't cried when desperation had nearly swallowed him.

He hadn't cried even though the past hour or so had probably been the worst of his life.

But how he was crying like a baby, hugging Harry to his chest, not giving him room to move even a little bit.

Harry was letting him, awkwardly patting his back and saying things like: "There there…I'm here…I'm fine. All is well…"

Bill couldn't help himself.

The relief he had felt when he saw Harry zoom overhead with Luna on the broom and holding Fleur with one hand, it all had been too much.

The second he had ground under his feet he had lunged himself at Harry and hadn't let go of him since then, with tears just rolling down his cheeks.

"I knew you couldn't be dead!" he whispered.

"You're the Boy-Who-Lived after all."

He didn't see it but he could feel Harry grimace.

Luna was held captive in a similar embrace by her father with Pumpkin flying happy little circles around them.

Finally Bill let go to take in Harry's appearance.

Both he and Luna looked horrible.

Their cloths were damp and torn in many places.

Bill knew they would repair themselves over night but still…

They were littered with cuts and bruises and Harry was holding his right hand protectively against his chest. It was swollen and purple and there were at least a couple of broken bones in there.

Also they looked ready to drop dead on the spot.

These kids could really never catch a break.

Harrys backpack was also gone but his wand was in his hand, his dagger in his belt, together with a still slightly red glowing glow-stick.

But what was the worst about their appearance and injuries where their blue tinged lips.

They had almost drowned.

They had had to go without oxygen for a long period, maybe even more than once.

They walked unsteady and their breathing sounded heavy, as if it hurt them.

Bill immediately pushed Harry down.

"Rashid! Harry's inured!" he shouted.

The others, who had been just as stunned about the two children's return, had stood silently aside until now.

Now they all started speaking at once, shouting questions and exclamations, rushing forward, laughing, and cheering or, in Eric's case, didn't manage to utter one complete sentence.

But Rashid pushed them aside and sat down next to Harry.

"Let me see."

He shone a light in Harry's eyes. "Do your head or neck or back hurt anywhere in particular?"

"I got a few bumps to the head. It was unavoidable. So yeah, I got a bit of a headache and I feel soar as hell but I guess I'm okay otherwise."

Bill snorted. "You have a nice definition of 'okay'." He muttered.

Harry shrugged.

"Please extend your arm and then put your index finger on your nose." Rashid said.

Harry's aim was spot on.

"Okay, now please press first your thumb and index finger together, then your thumb and middle finger, then your thumb and ring-finger and then your thumb and pinky. Repeat as fast as you can."

Harry did as he was told and Rashid was apparently satisfied with the result.

"Okay and now with both hands."

Harry winced. "Sorry, can't do that. I think I broke my hand."

"Show me." Rashid demanded. Harry raised his right hand and Rashid gently took it.

Harry hissed in pain at the slightest movement and pressure.

"Oh yes, it's broken alright. I don't need a spell to see that. Goodness, what happened? You broke your middle and index-finger in at least two places as well as at least one middle hand bone! What happened?"

"I think that's what we'd all like to know!" Atticus said but his voice was full of happiness and excitement.

"He broke his hand when he punched a wall." Luna piped up.

"Why did you have to punch a wall?" Alice asked.

Harry and Luna shared a long look.

"Not now!" Bill barked. "They need medical attention, some food and water and plenty of rest! There is time for talking later!" he growled.

"Alright papa bear, take it easy." Atticus said grinningly.

Bill just growled more. This wasn't a joke!

Mr. Lovegood sat Luna down next to Harry and then sat down behind her, pulling her in an embrace while they waited.

Bill sat down behind Harry as well but he just put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

The others went to put up a camp, again!

"Daphne, please fetch my Skele-Grow, I need to repair the bones. And some bandages. And a sling for him to keep his arm in while the bone heals." Rashid ordered.

Bill watched as Harrys head flipped upwards and he looked at Daphne for the first time since returning.

The young lady was staring back but then hurriedly went to fetch her mentor's things.

She knelt down next to him, handing him the bottle.

"Hey." Harry said with a meager voice.

"Hey." She breathed back.

"You're alive." She added after a break in which Rashid measured the amount of Skele-Grow he would need.

"Yeah. I'm surprised myself." Harry answered.

Daphne suddenly lunged herself forward and kissed Harry on the lips.

It wasn't along kiss or a passionate one but certainly was one.

"Don't ever do that again!" she hissed angrily, jumped to her feet and hurried away.

Harry stared blankly behind her.

Bill let out his best wolf-whistle.

"She…just…kissed me." Harry finally said.

"Yeah Captain Obvious, she did." Bill replied.

"She just kissed me." Harry repeated.

"Yes I know Harry, I was there, I saw!" Bill said while rolling with his eyes.

"No, you don't understand! SHE kissed me!"

Harry put different emphasizes on each word to underline whatever he wanted to say.

"You knew she liked you! It was only a matter of time before…something would happen." Bill tried to explain.

"Why did she do it?" Harry wondered.

"She was probably just relieved to see you."

"So were you but you didn't kiss me."

"Harry, women are not easy things to understand! Just go with it and enjoy it!"

"You'll have enough time trying to figure that out later. Right now I need you to drink this!" Rashid interfered and handed Harry the small cup with Skele-Grow.

Harry grimaced.

"I hate this stuff." Harry grumbled.

"You had to take Skele-Grow before?" Rashid asked.

"Yeah. In my second year I broke my arm and my incompetent teacher vanished all of them instead of repairing the damage. Madam Pomfrey had to re-grow them over night. She wasn't happy at all!" Harry told him.

Rashid shook his head. "How can you accidently vanish all the bones in someone's arm?" he asked.

"Lockhart was an idiot. No other explanation needed." Harry offered.

"True." Rashid agreed. Then he added, with a pointed look at the cup: "Bottoms up Harry."

Harry managed to down the revolting potion together with a potion against pain.

Rashid bandaged his hand tightly so the bones could set correctly without Harry risking any more damage through movement.

Then the healer performed at least a hundred 'Episkey'-Spells to seal the cuts and gave Harry a small pot of bruise-salve.

"You will know better where it hurts. Put it on, rub it in and it should do the magic." He said with a wink.

He was given some potions to warm his insides up and get his metabolism up again and Rashid be-spelled the air in front of his nose and mouth to contain and support him with more oxygen to make his breathing easier and get his oxygen levels back up.

With a last reminder to take it easy, Rashid declared him finished.

"Thanks Rashid. I appreciate it." Harry said.

"Come to me if anything hurts or feel strange. The bones should have repaired themselves tomorrow the latest. Still, refrain from lifting heavy stuff with it for another day."

"I see what I can do." Harry agreed.

Rashid went on to check Luna.

She was similar off as Harry.

He gave her the same potions and closed her cuts quickly.

She had a small bump on her head that would go away in a few days but other than being exhausted from all the adrenalin and stress she too was fine.

Bill and Mr. Lovegood herded them over to the fire to warm up a bit more and to eat something.

Harry still felt a bit full from all the water he had swallowed but he was extremely hungry at the same time.

While they ate, he could feel the restlessness in the group and their stares on their faces.

Everyone wanted to bombard them with questions but knew better than to just start shouting again.

Instead Atticus handed everyone a small glass and produced a bottle of Fire-Whiskey from his backpack.

"This was supposed to be for when we had finished the job but I guess now is a good time to open it as well. It's not every day two crew-members return from certain death!" he announced as he went around, pouring each of them a shot of the amber liquid, even the three teens.

"Atticus!" Thomas said disapprovingly. "They're children! They are not allowed to drink Fire-Whiskey. Besides, Harry and Luna have just taken potions. They don't mix well with Fire-Whiskey!"

"Believe me sometimes this is the best and only medicine you need!" Atticus said and drowned his shot. As did most of the others.

"If you're an alcoholic!" Bill growled.

While he was distracted Harry sipped at his small cup but nearly spat it out again.

What was this?

Liquid fire from the river Phlegethon?

He sat the glass down and quickly tried to cover the burning it had left in his mouth with some of his stew.

When Luna and he finally put their plates aside and looked up at the others, silence fell over the group.

"Now…tell us everything." Atticus said excitedly.

Harry and Luna exchanged glances again.

Luna shuddered and nestled herself deeper into her father's arms.

"Or we can do it tomorrow if you don't want to talk about it." Alice offered sympathetically.

Harry shook his head.

"It's fine. It's just…We spend most of our time either being dragged around by the river and nearly drowning or climbing a really long set of stairs."

He told them what had happened with occasional inputs form Luna.

He also explained how they didn't think it had been an accident when the floor had broken away under their feet.

"It could have happened to anyone. It was just bad luck Luna and I were there. It was another challenge."

The others looked at each other grimly.

"Well, we're glad you two made it out there alive. You kept your nerves and didn't panic. That is more then what most adults would have been capable of in your situation." Atticus praised them.

Harry smiled weakly.

"Well there was a lot of panicking involved actually." He admitted.

"But if you had let that panic control you, you wouldn't be here." Alice reminded him. "I'm so proud. All of my hard work seems to have paid off." She added.

"Hey! What about me? I taught the kid at least half of what he knows!" Bill said indignantly.

They shared a relaxed laugh.

"Seriously though. Both of you used your brains and not just your power to get out of there. Respect!" Alice said, ruffling Harry's hair.

There was agreeing murmur.

Harry's face burned and he tried to play his blush down.

"I still don't get what the purpose of these challenges is anyway. Everything is a contradiction" Eric growled, speaking up for the first time "I mean, from what we gathered there is an ancient weapon down here. The reason people hid it here is because they eventually realized just how powerful it was and came to their sense. So far so good. They put it here and put these traps and obstacles to keep everyone out and away all those others who might try to claim this weapon form him-or-herself. I get that too. What I don't get is why they write on the front door that they actually want this weapon to be found again and that these traps and obstacles are supposed to determine who is worthy of having said super-weapon. I thought the reason they hid the weapon in the first place was because they saw how terrible its power was and that nobody should have such powers! This doesn't make sense!" he pointed out.

"And what do you proof by overcoming these traps? What qualities you use to survive make you worthy? Is it your smartness with which you manage to get through? Or your strength? Your cunningness? The team you have? What makes any of us worthy of such responsibility? Providing this weapon exists in the first place." He added.

They looked silently at each other.

Eric had a point.

Mr. Lovegood spoke up. "You wonder why they didn't simply destroy this weapon."

Eric nodded. "Where is the point in all of this? Even with the traps and monsters and whatnot this isn't the safest solution. I mean, look at us and all those before us that managed to get this far. Granted, they are dead but that's not my point. How could they know back then that not a group of mercenaries with a similar set of skills like us wouldn't get just as far?"

"Maybe ze people back zhen didn't zhink it through enough?" Fleur suggested.

"I think we will find out about that soon enough." Mr. Lovegood said.

"Why?" Atticus asked.

"Harry told us that the inscription on the floor said 'The final voyage is at hand' so I would assume with we are coming closer to the end of our journey."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. But I agree with Eric. The more I think about it, the more things don't seem to fit together."

32. Courage means besting fear It also help

Chapter Thirty-Two: Courage means besting fear. It also helps when in danger

Harry had slept like a rock for the next hours after returning to his team.

Once the food had settled in his stomach and all the blood went there for digestion he felt the exhaustion creeping upon him faster and faster.

He had been running on fumes and adrenalin after running to catch up with the others and after saving Fleur from the Devils Snare and reuniting with the others he'd been too exhilarated to calm down.

But that had only lasted so long and soon enough he was asleep on the ground, head pillowed on Bill thigh.

When he'd woken again most of the others had been asleep, including Bill.

The only one awake was Atticus.

He was reading in the light of his wand.

His eyes swiftly moved over the paper and the only sounds he made where when he was turning the pages.

Harry carefully sat up.

Bill snored on, rolling onto his side.

He carefully walked over to their leader and sat down next to him.

Atticus didn't even flinch at his sudden appearance.

"How are you feeling?" the older man asked silently.

Harry shrugged.

"I'm fine. My hand doesn't even hurt anymore."

"That's good."

Harry nodded and his gaze swept over the page Atticus was reading.

It was written in a strange format.

"We know what we are but not what we may be?" he read interested. "What is this?"

"It's called Hamlet. It was written by William Shakespeare."

"Oh I know him. My teacher in elementary school was a big fan. My cousin was supposed to collect information about him once as a home work but he never did." Harry muttered, remembering it clearly.

"Well, he was a genius. I love his works."

"I never read anything he wrote." Harry admitted.

"Well it's no wonder. He was a muggle. He's not very well known in our world."

"How come you know about him?"

"Well for one Muggles have always fascinated me but also my nanny, when I was growing up was the sister of a muggle-born friend of my mothers. She taught me a lot about muggles, because she didn't know much about wizards. She introduced me to muggle literature. It's so much diverse than anything our writers have ever published." Atticus said slightly wistfully.

"What is the Hamlet about?" Harry asked curiously.

He knew who Shakespeare was and how important he was but…that was it…

It was more a name to him than anything else.

"It's about the prince of Denmark, Hamlet, who, after returning to his home, is told his father was murdered and that father's brother, his uncle, married his mother in his absence. Hamlet is of course very sad about that. One night his father's ghost appears to him and tells him that his uncle murdered him and now he wants Hamlet to avenge him. But Hamlet isn't so sure about this so he pretends to be a bit…ahm…bonkers you could say but soon enough he lures friends and enemies into his traps. But things worsen when he kills his…girlfriends…father because Ophelia, that's his girlfriend, commits suicide afterwards. Her brother, angry at Hamlet, challenges him to a duel. At the same time Hamlets uncle, his father's murderer, knows that Hamlet is on to him so he an Ophelia's brother, Laertes, plan to kill Hamlet together and put poison on the blade of Laertes sword and into the wine for the winner. Hamlet arrives for the duel but they accidently swap swords. As they fight they both wound each other gravely and as they are close to death Hamlet tells Laertes he forgives him. Hamlet's mother, the Queen, then goes and drinks form the poisonous wine the uncle had originally planned for Hamlet. Hamlet sees his mother die and forces his uncle to drink the poison as well. By the end almost everyone in the play is dead." Atticus summarized the play.

Harry arched an eyebrow.

"So you know it already? Why do you read it again?"

"Because it's the only book I brought along." Atticus said with a shrug.

"Tell you what! Let's swap books. I have one that you will like. It's called Indiana Jones! It's about an archeologist who goes treasure hunting."

"Kind of like a Curse Breaker?" Atticus asked interested.

"Yeah, kind of. With curses and treasures and enemies and booby-trapped graves and stuff like that. I'm sure you'll like it. It isn't written in rhymes though." Harry offered with a smile.

"You mean iambic pentameter." Atticus said with a grin.

"Whatever. But the books are really cool. He has this awesome whip and he always goes back for his hat!"

Atticus smirked. "Alright then. Let's swap books!"

They read in silence for a long time.

Harry found his book hard to read because he wasn't used to 16th century English or iambic pentameters.

He often found himself asking Atticus for the meaning of words and expressions.

He had barely made it through the first act of the play when Atticus, already halfway through his book, put it down and said: "This Mr. Jones is a very brave man. He'd make an excellent Curse-Breaker. His know-how and adventure spirit are refreshing and inspiring."

Harry nodded and smiled slightly.

Then with a smile he added: "He reminds me of you and Eric sometimes."

"Really?" Atticus asked.

"Well, you more than Mr. Grouchy over there. But you share many qualities. Like you're never afraid, you do it your way, you both have a lot of knowledge and you are good leaders. At the same time you trust your team and in the end it somehow always works out."

Atticus laughed.

"Why thank you Harry. But I must return the compliment. For a thirteen year old you are very level headed and fearless."

Harry blushed. "I'm not fearless. I spend half of the time here being terrified" the a bit curious he added: "How come you are never afraid?" steering the conversation away from him.

Atticus smiled calmly.

"I can only answer that question with a quote from my nephew Oliver's favorite book: 'Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the insight that there is something more important than fear.' That's what I believe in. Everyone can be afraid. But besting your fear when everyone around you is afraid is the bravest thing you can do. Anything is possible. You just have to believe in it."

Harry contemplated those words.

"That is very deep" he finally said "Did Shakespeare say that too?"

Atticus laughed. "No. This is a quote by Princess Amelia Thermopolis from the Princess Diaries books."

Harry stared at him.

"Oliver Wood…reads books about Princesses and their diaries?"

"Yep."

"Are we talking about the same Oliver? This tall, short hair, obsessed with Quidditch?" Harry asked, gesturing with one hand vaguely in the air.

Atticus smiled. "Don't tell him I told you this but…he's a big softie!"

Harry laughed slightly, shaking his head.

"I don't believe you."

"They are good books! Although they are meant to be humorous and supposed to be entertaining they hold a lot of moral advice and important words of wisdom about growing up, taking responsibility, what to do if you feel like a fish out of water and how to follow your heart and how hard it can be to live up to expectations and how to find your own path." Atticus said a bit more seriously.

Harry nodded. "I understand." He said thoughtfully.

Atticus smiled at him.

"Enough reading and talking for now. Go back to sleep. Bill will have my head if I keep you up all night. Or whatever time it is."

Harry nodded.

"Goodnight Atticus. And thank you."

"For what?"

"For sharing."

.

.

.

Eric woke them a few hours later.

After Rashid examined Harrys hand and proclaimed the bones healed they marched on.

Bill was keeping a constant hand on Harry's shoulder, something that annoyed Harry after a while but he bit his tongue.

He knew that Bill still blames himself for the whole business with the River.

Daphne seemed to have changed her mind.

Instead of avoiding him and being angry at him for no good reason she now stuck to his side.

He felt a bit awkward about the whole kiss-thing but with Bill there he didn't want to talk about it.

So they chattered about meaningless things.

She didn't seem to feel awkward at all. It was as if nothing had happened.

Yet the feeling of her kiss lingered on his lips and in his mind.

Harry had never been kissed and had never kissed someone himself.

This was new and strange for him.

This type of affection, any type of affection really, was new to him to be honest.

Whenever he looked at her now, saw her smile of flick with her hair he felt strange…different.

His heart was sometimes racing in his chest and he felt strangely hot in his face when she leaned close to him, whispered something and her breath ghosted over his skin.

His thoughts raced at a million miles an hour.

Was he catching an illness or something?

Yet at the same time he felt more at ease around her.

He found himself seeking out more contact with her.

A short brush of their fingers here, a small lingering touch there…

It felt so…natural.

Since his and Luna's return the entire atmosphere in the group had changed.

He couldn't put his finger on it.

But everyone seemed suddenly even more anxious to get out of here.

Mr. Lovegoods proclamation that the 'end' might be near only helped.

And so they marched on, eyes open for any traps and problems. Though if they were to be honest with themselves they knew that they had little influence on what could happen. The whole mess involving Luna and Harry had shown that.

.

The path went downwards for a long time and it was steep. Harry felt a bit queasy at the thought just how deep underground they were.

He tried to force the panic down.

But the feeling of not being able to breathe was almost overwhelming.

Where the walls closing in on them?

It seemed so…

'I lived in a crammed dusty dark cupboard under the Dursleys stairs for almost eleven years! If this makes me claustrophobic I'm a lost cause!' the thought glumly.

Then again that had been a bit different.

.

The gloom of the tunnel came to a stop when they spotted an orange glow ahead.

"What do you think will wait for us there?" Harry asked Fleur nervously.

Fleur shrugged. But Harry saw she was gripping her wand tighter. The last time there had been a glow coming from a cave they had been drugged.

"I don't 'now but by now nozing can surprise mi." she muttered.

Famous last words, Harry thought bitterly.

The tunnel opened and they stood in the next cave.

But other than the last ones they didn't stand at the edge to a pit or cavern but at the bottom of a pit.

Around them the walls rose at least eight-hundred meters into the air before darkness claimed the view. The walls were smooth and grey. The pit itself must have been at least as long in diameter as it was tall.

The ground was so uneven; it sometimes just suddenly went up vertically in front of them for some feet before falling again, like a miniature landscape.

There was a heavy smell of rotten eggs in the air.

Sulfur, Harry thought.

"This is not a volcano, right?" Daphne asked, smelling it too. "Because if it is I'm out of here. With our luck it will probably explode once we made it half-way across!"

"I don't think it's a volcano." Mr. Lovegood muttered and knelt down to touch the ground.

Luna did the same and exclaimed: "It's warm. And…well…not soft but it doesn't feel like rock."

Everyone followed suit and touched the ground.

Luna was right. It was warm to the touch and dented ever so slightly under his touch.

"Strange." Mr. Lovegood muttered.

"We shouldn't linger, let's move on before something nasty pops up here as well." Eric hissed and started looking around for the next tunnel.

"Eric is right. Let's move people." Atticus ordered.

They started tracking across the strange ground, pulling themselves up on higher grounds, jumping down again, balancing on thin parts and sliding down slopes, avoiding crevices.

"Does anyone see where our path continues?" Bill asked as he looked around.

"No…that is strange. I see no tunnel or anything like that. But it has to go on…We followed the path just as it said we should." Atticus said.

"What if we have to scale up the walls? What if the tunnel is somewhere up there?" Thomas wondered, looking up.

The idea didn't sit well with anyone.

Harry too scanned his surroundings, Daphne next to him.

Suddenly she gripped his arm and asked alarmed: "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" he asked.

"That tremor." She whispered, looking around fearfully.

"Daphne there was no tremor. You're imagining things because of your volcano-idea, you…"

Then he felt it too.

A slight vibration, just below his feet.

He stopped midsentence and instead just listened.

The others didn't seem to feel it, for they were to occupied searching for the path.

"Oh my god it is a volcano!" Daphne whispered.

"That's not a volcano. It's warm in here, I give you that but don't you think it would have to be a lot hotter if we stood on something that was about to blast us with molten rock?"

Daphne looked around.

Another tremor, this one really faint and soft, vibrated through their legs.

"So what else could it be? Do you think it's an earthquake?" Daphne asked silently as they listened and watched the ground.

"The earth around us basically consists only of caves and tunnels. It's fairly instable. Let's hope not." Harry muttered under his breath.

"Thanks for reminding me." Daphne whispered an octave higher.

"How far underground do you think we are?" Harry asked as he looked around.

"Too far." Daphne hissed.

Then she yelped and nearly jumped into Harrys arms.

"Tell me that part of the floor just didn't move!" she hissed and pointed at the slightly raised ground in front of them.

Harry stared at it intently and then saw a tremor go through it again and watched as it moved slightly forwards.

"I don't think this is an earthquake Harry." Daphne said, pale and wide-eyed.

"Yeah, an earthquake would have been better." He muttered.

The part of the floor they stood on moved ever so slightly.

"We need to get out of here." He told Daphne.

"Where are the others?"

They hadn't noticed how much ahead the others already were.

Determined to catch up they started to walk but they had only taken three steps when the rumbling noise and the tremors returned, this time loud enough for the others to hear them as well.

They froze.

"What is that?" Bill asked alarmed.

Then the whole cavern suddenly seemed to shake.

Daphne and Harry, who were still a good hundred meters away from the others, started running towards their team-mates when suddenly the ground in front of them split apart to reveal something huge and white with something red and black in the middle.

They came to a slithering stop at the edge of the white and stared in horror down at it.

Moisture glistened on the stone and suddenly Harry felt bile rise in his throat when he realized it wasn't stone.

It was an eye.

And eye that turned its blazing red focus on the two young magicians.

"Yeah, you're right, earthquake would have been a lot better." Daphne gasped before shouting what Harry thought.

"DRAGON!"

.

.

.

It was indeed a dragon.

A dragon so old that it could hardly still be alive, let alone be so big!

But here it was, right under their feet, curled and twisted together into one indefinable mass, mistaken for rock, hills and slopes and ground, and slumbering trough the eons until they had disturbed it.

Now it raised its mighty head.

It blinked.

Its head alone could have easily filled Hogwarts' Great Hall and each of its frontal sitting eyes was twice the size of Vernon Dursley's car, dominating its face.

Its snout was long and square with teeth sticking out on the sides.

The two holes on top of his snout where smoking slightly and flaring.

Its ears were floppy like those of a dog but they straightened up and the many spikes and horns that decorated the horrible head quivered.

Long, very long, tentacle like whiskers hung from its chin and snout.

As it rose Harry could see that originally it must have been a glorious deep red color but over the eons, trapped underground in a cave with no access to light the color had faded and given space to white and grey patches.

Harry could also see that it wasn't a usual dragon.

This one, unlike Hagrid's dragon Norbert, resembled more a snake with a short pair of front legs and only very small wings close to its head.

He didn't think it was possible for it to fly. The wings were tiny.

Otherwise it was long and thing, slithering like an overgrown snake.

Harry had seen pictures of similar looking dragons.

They were the Chinese-version he thought.

Harry hadn't thought they existed but then again so had he thought about magic and unicorns until a few years ago.

Anyway…

Daphne and he just stood there, frozen as the dragon's unimaginable big form rose slowly in front of them, towering over them.

As the dragon rose, the rest of his body, twice as wide as the Hogwarts Express, was dragged behind it, causing their other teammates to lose their footing and go tumbling in many different directions as the ground beneath their feet moved in different directions.

The dragon opened its giant mouth and roared.

.

.

.

.

.

The sound woke Harry from his stupor and he grabbed Daphne's hand, pulling her aside, just as the Dragon lunged.

It crashed into its own body instead of them and growled menacingly.

The two teens went tumbling down a slope and ended up in a crack between two body-coils.

They scrambled to their feet, supporting each other as the dragon stared to move more and the ground got difficult to walk on.

Exposed as they were they were lucky that Tom had seen their predicament and had spontaneously thrown one of his knives at the dragon and hit it in the eye.

The dragon roared, more in outrage than in pain, and abandoned the two of them, turning to face Tom.

Tom stood his ground, curse after curse leaving his wand, most of them hitting the dragon in the face.

But its thick skin was impenetrable.

It only made it angry.

Which was bad because now there was no piece of ground that didn't move.

Harry clung to the scales, holding on as the dragon buckled like a bull during a rodeo, whipping around and diving around, slithering through openings between its own body parts without risking to knot itself.

Harry had never been on a rollercoaster but this experience made him swear never to do anything like this again.

All around him the dragon moved. It was as if there was more than one body, more than one dragon.

It was dizzying watching the scaly mountains move a lighting speed all around, over and under him.

He had long lost sight of the others. Daphne's hand had slipped out of his as soon as the dragon started moving faster.

He just hoped they weren't getting squashed into galantine.

He could still hear over the roaring of the dragon and the pounding of his own heart the cracking of spells and he could see the flash of different colored spells through his closed eyelids though.

Harry willed himself to open his eyes. He couldn't hold on forever. And the others needed all the help they could get.

He nearly got sick as he realized at what speed he was traveling on the dragons back.

He managed to spot Atticus and Eric and was stunned to see them upright, standing on the dragons with their knees bend, firing spells after spells. The two Curse-Breaker dodged attacks, passing body-parts and tried desperately to subdue the beast.

Harry wished there was something he could do but he knew nothing about dragons!

Had he only listened to one of Hagrid's many talks about dragons!

And where were the others?

Where was Bill? Where was Daphne?

Lost in his thoughts he collided with the by-slithering part of the dragon's endlessly long wriggling and ever curling body and was thrown onto another coil, this one moving in the opposite direction.

He was dizzy and the impact had hurt.

He just managed to press himself flat against the dragon as another part of its body passed over his head.

His freshly healed hand screamed with protest as he held on tighter.

He tried to get up.

Really, he did.

But he soon had to realize that it wasn't as easy as Atticus and Eric made it look like. This was like trying to stand up on the roof the Hogwarts Express during its ride to the school.

The airstream nearly knocked him off the dragon all together.

He got to his fours, his wand still clutched in his hand.

He caught a flash of silver in the corner of his eye and saw Fleur hanging form one of the spinal-fins of the dragon, aiming a spell at its eyes.

The bright yellow light exploded and the dragon roared and flinched back, trying to shake her off.

She fell but Bill was suddenly there, slowing her fall with a flick of his wand.

Then a mass of dragon moved in front of Harry and blocked his view.

All this fighting was getting them nowhere.

They needed to find the exit and preferably in the next thirty seconds.

Harry looked around, feebly and for a second he spotted a dark hole in the stone, on the wall to his left, and it lay maybe twenty feet deeper than the entrance to cave had been.

So that's why they hadn't been able to see it. The dragon had been blocking it with its body!

Harry needed to tell the others.

He looked around.

All around him there was the dragon's moving body, seemingly endless. But not too far away was the dragons head.

It hadn't spotted Harry yet, clutching to its hide, helpless and exposed like a parasite.

Harry had a stupid idea.

From his position on the dragons back he jumped with all his might reached out for the moving body-part in front of him.

He caught on, but underestimated the force of the moving body as it yanked him sideways and onward.

Still, Harry was a flyer and speed was natural to him.

He pulled himself up on the back of the dragon and realized that he had gotten even closer to the dragon's head.

Its long whiskers flew past him every few seconds as it tried to catch the other team-members and he had to dodge them.

Harry felt indescribable relieve when he saw Alice and Daphne holding their ground not far away.

Then Bill spotted him.

"HARRY! Get down there!" he yelled.

And the dragon used his moment of distraction to strike!

Harry saw it all in slow motion and his body reacted on its own accord.

Bill was in danger. The beast would strike him down!

His muscles tensed and for the second time in less than a minute jumped, hands outstretched in front of him.

They caught what they were aiming for and with all the power he could muster Harry grabbed and yanked the closest whisker he could find down!

The dragon howled in pain.

Apparently the whiskers and the skin they were anchored in were very sensitive.

The dragon tore open its great mouth and its eyes bulged nearly comically and it was about to unleash even more chaos when two extremely vicious cutting curses hit the back of this throat and two more exploded in its eyes.

Blood splashed everywhere.

Nobody got spared.

The hot drops of thick liquid and bits of dragon-throat splattered all over Harrys face and some of it got into his mouth. He gagged.

The dragon swayed for a second, before slowly, slowly crashing down.

Harry, thinking quick on his feet, used the momentum he had to swing forward with the whisker he was holding like he was swinging from a liana and at the highest point he let go, flying through the air, getting as far away as possible from the dragon's head.

Someone must have seen him flying through the air because his descend slowed down until he nearly softly fell onto the now dead dragon.

Harry jumped to his feet, swaying. It was even stranger now that the floor wasn't moving anymore. His legs were shaking and still trying to counter moving ground that wasn't there. Sea-legs he thought they called it.

He looked around, trying to spot the others.

Amazingly enough they all had made it.

Nobody had been squashed or killed.

Harry's legs gave out under him so bad were they shaking.

He wasn't the only one. Everyone looked rattled to the core.

Harry doubted they had to face such dangerous beast often in their job. Give them curses and jinxes every day, but monsters?

"Is everyone alright?" Fleur asked.

Harry noticed that she kept close to Bill.

Everyone nodded but no one could say anything.

Deciding they needed good news and get out of here, Harry said shakily: "I…I saw the passage! It's just over there" pointing at the other side of the now dead dragon's head "It's lower than the entrance so we couldn't see it because the dragon was blocking it."

Everybody sighed with relieve.

Sorry Harry let them around the dragons head and towards where the tunnel-entrance now lay free.

Well almost free.

Part of the dragon's body was still blocking it but the gap was big enough for them to squeeze through and drop down on the other side.

A few cleansing-charms later and now dragon-blood-free, they continued walking.

"Once we get back I will take a month off and relax in the Caribbean." Eric growled.

Harry thought it comforting that Eric was not saying 'If' they got out of here.

The Rune-Master was sure they would.

And for the moment that was all Harry needed.

"You were pretty brave back there!" Atticus suddenly whispered next to him. "Still think you're not?"

Harry smiled. "I wasn't being brave. I did what was necessary to save someone I love."

"Atta boy."

.

.

.

.

AN: Hey there. Hamlet, Macbeth and A Winter's Tale are my favorite Shakespeare plays. I once even visited A Midsummer Night's Dream at a theatre in London. Does anyone else love these plays or am I the only one out there, who still does?

Also I know Princess Diaries was only published in 2000 but really, what are a few years for the sake of a story? As always, hope you enjoyed it!

Love KC.

33. Paranoia and slight insanity

Chapter Thirty-Three: Paranoia and slight insanity

"I don't like this." growled the disfigured man. He sniffed the air and growled, his features morphing into something none-human.

"I don't care what you have to say mutt. This is the way. The trace is clear." Hissed the man with the raspy voice back.

The first man barred his teeth at him.

"Keep your pet on a tighter leash or I give him a muzzle." ordered a third voice.

A fourth person growled back: "You wanted him on the team. Don't blame me."

"I'm not his pet." The first voice growled back.

"Could have fooled me you dirty creature." said raspy-voice.

"Can we concentrate?" the third person intervened.

A light flickered in the semi-darkness.

"Look at this, this is too easy." laughed the first voice lowly.

"All traps dismantled and look, they even left the ropes for us to use. Morons." the fourth guy added happily.

"Yeah well, they don't know we're here. That's the plan after all." Person number three said impatiently.

"What if it's not here?" raspy-voice asked.

"It is here." Person number three said. "And once we have it the future will be set."

"What about the Curse-Breaker filth?" the disfigured man asked.

"What about them?" number three asked unconcerned as he strolled ahead.

"They still outnumber us." Number four said.

"Among them are three children, a moron and a pacifist. I don't see the problem. We kill them, we take what we come here for and no one will be any wiser. They'll assume it was an accident, as they so often happen in places like this." muttered number three.

"I still think we should have brought Gibbon along." Number four hissed.

"He's a faithless idiot. He's only back because Greyback and I paid him a personal visit." Number three scoffed. "He'd run as soon as he'd get the chance."

.

Harry bolted upwards, panting heavily.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

His heart was racing as his thoughts swirled around in his brain, screaming at him and he forced himself to remember his dream.

"Harry? Answer me, are you alright?"

He took deep calming breaths and looked up to see Alice and Daphne looking at him concerned.

He managed a weak smile.

"Fine. Just….just this place messing with my head." He muttered reassuringly.

"You sure?" Alice asked.

"Yes. You know…the last days were tough. My brain needs time to cope with all that's happened." Harry said shakily.

He got to his feet and brushed some dirt of his cloths.

"I…I need to clear my head. I will walk a bit."

"Don't go too far. Keep close." Alice said.

"I will." Harry promised, practically fleeing from the two witches.

With his wand illuminating the tunnel he stumbled along, past the walls and the carvings on them.

When he was sure he was out of earshot and sight he stopped and leaned against one wall, closing his eyes.

Just a dream, he repeated over and over in his head.

He slid down the wall until he was balancing on the balls of his feet, elbows resting on his knees, head buried in his hands.

"There is no one else here, we're alone!" he tried to convince himself silently.

Groaning he rubbed over his forehead.

When his fingers touched his scar it prickled uncomfortably.

He quickly got up back on his feet and paced a few feet for and back.

He felt strangely agitated all of a sudden.

"Need to keep moving" He muttered unconsciously to himself "Shouldn't stay here. Need to go. So close."

He stopped abruptly when he caught on to what he was doing.

"What the hell?" he said loudly. "Am I going nuts now?"

Groaning he braced his arms against a wall again and rested his head on them.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm his wild beating heart down.

'Harry.'

He looked up sharply.

'Harry.'

"Daphne?" he asked uncertainly into the darkness. "Is that you?"

'Harry. I need you.'

"Knock it off guys."

'Destroy the first.'

"Hilarious guys. Really, first rate prank. I will recommend you to the Weasley-twins!"

'I await you at the end.'

"Sure you do. Just wait, I'll…"

"Harry what are you doing here? Who are you talking to?"

Harry swirled around and saw Rashid standing there.

"It's Daphne and Alice. They're pranking me."

Rashid looked around.

"Harry…the girls are back there" he pointed in the direction he'd come from "I just saw them."

Harry stopped. "Then it's Bill." He said.

"Harry everyone except for you is back there. Are you alright?" Rashid asked now seriously concerned.

Harry looked around.

"But…but that voice. It was right there." Harry argued weakly. "Great, I'm really going nuts." He sighed.

"What voice?" Rashid asked.

"I know how this sounds but it's true. There was a voice. I don't think we're alone here."

With a slight wince Harry remembered what Hermione had said in his second year about wizards hearing voices and that it was no good news for them either.

His agitation must have been clearly visible to the healer.

"Sure it wasn't just a bad dream?" Rashid asked soothingly.

"I know what I heard!" Harry argued.

Rashid didn't look convinced.

"Let's just go back, alright?" he suggested.

"Please don't tell the others about this." begged Harry.

"I won't." Rashid promised soothingly.

He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and let him back.

'I'm waiting for you.'

Harry shuddered. It didn't sound like a threat but it didn't make Harry feel any better about this all.

.

"How are you feeling?"

Harry looked up from his porridge.

The dark shadows under his eyes must have looked worse than they wore. He'd only caught and hour or two of sleep.

The rest of their rest had been filled with the voice in his head whispering things about destruction and the need for saving.

Whatever that was supposed to mean…

Bill was looking expectantly at him and Harry realized that he still hadn't answered.

"Heard you had a rough night. Are the dreams very bad?" Bill asked.

Harry shot a short angry look at Rashid who sat on the other side of the fire-place. Had he told Bill something after all?

The healer looked at him confused.

"Alice mentioned you had one again last night." Bill continued speaking.

"I'm fine." Harry muttered automatically.

"It's normal Harry; you are going through a lot of stress and scary situations. Don't worry, it'll get better."

"I know, it's not my first time in a life-and-death-situation." Harry snapped slightly.

Bill looked at him silently for a few seconds.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I didn't sleep well." he admitted quickly. "But it's fine now. The second half of the night was alright." he lied.

Bill nodded. "Alright. Just remember, I'm there for you if you need me. No matter what!" He emphasized the last part.

Harry managed a weak smile.

"I know. Thanks Bill."

Harry hesitated for a second before adding: "Do you sometimes get the feeling that we're not alone down here?"

Bill laughed. "All the time kid. It's just this place messing with you."

"I'm not so sure about that." Harry muttered silently but Bill still managed to catch the words. He frowned. "Why do you think so?" he asked.

Harry hesitated more. "It's mostly a feeling in my stomach. And my dreams…" he trailed off.

Bill crouched down next to him and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry Harry. Soon this all will be over."

"You think?" Harry asked softly.

"I know so."

.

Like the slave-driver he could be Atticus rushed them onwards.

Harry's hands were shaking and he caught himself shooting sparks from the tips of his fingers every now and then.

His magic was bucking inside of him, restless and uncontrolled.

Every time someone would touch him, be it accidentally or on purpose, he would give them a harmless but still painful electroshock.

"Geez Harry, what is wrong with you? You are so agitated." Rashid muttered as he checked him over.

Atticus had ordered him to after the third time Harry shot rainbow-colored sparks from his hands.

"Is it because of what happened last night?"

"What happened last night?" Alice asked.

"Nothing." Harry muttered as Rashid said at the same time: "Harry was hearing voices."

The entire group looked at Harry.

The teen in question groaned. "Like I said a hundred times already, this is the place messing with me, telling me we're being followed, giving me nightmares about pursuers and the likes. Really, it's fine." Harry insisted.

"You think we're being followed?" Daphne asked concerned.

"Well I keep dreaming about a group of people that talk about us and followed us into the caves…" Harry muttered.

"Harry…we're cut off from the world, literally. The magic of this place has cut off a big part of the country; we're in a blind-spot. Nobody outside of this magical bubble knows we're here and nobody should have been able to follow us." Atticus said soothingly.

Harry shrugged. "Like I said…the place is messing with me."

"If you want I can show you that we really are alone down here." Eric offered with a grin. "To settled your dainty little nerves."

"Gee, thanks Hook, I feel so much better." Harry bit back.

Erik turned to face the way they had come from and chanted: "Homenum Revelio."

There was no flash of colored light like there usually was with spells.

But Harry thought he could feel a ripple going through the air like a mini-shockwave.

It disappeared down the corridor and was seen no more.

They stood in silence.

"It didn't do anything." Harry commented.

"That was the whole point." Eric said. "If there had been someone…"

He stopped mid-sentence.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

A strange whistling noise, long and high came from the tunnel and the shockwave Harry had felt earlier returned but this time it was bright red.

It was absorbed by Eric's wand and his wand then spit out four sparks of bright red fire.

Eric's eyes were wide.

"We need to get going." Atticus breathed behind them.

"What? Why?" Harry asked.

"Pack your things!" Eric commanded.

"How is this possible?" Bill asked Atticus.

"I don't know. The wards on the perimeters should have alerted us of any intruders." Atticus grumbled.

"If this is a prank it's not a good one." Harry growled.

"Harry it's not a prank." Daphne said next to him, putting a hand on his shoulders.

Her eyes were big and round and she looked worried.

"The spell came back positive. It detected four humans in the caves with us." she explained.

"What?" Harry asked faintly.

"You were right. We are being followed. Somehow…somehow you knew…" she said firmly.

"But how?"

Harry caught Lunas eyes and raised a questioning eyebrow, silently asking her if her gift of sight had warned her in any way.

She shook her head.

"Since when have you felt like this?" Atticus asked.

"Well it wasn't a feeling. I thought I saw a campfire in the hills the day before we took down the shield and I've had these dreams for a while now…"

"And why didn't you say anything?" Eric growled.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "How was I supposed to know that they were true? Excuse me for believing, just like all of you, that we were alone here." he hissed back.

"Everyone calm down." Fleur said, stepping between the two of them. "Zis is neither ze place nor ze time. It's not 'arry's fault zat we only find zis out now."

"She is right" Bill said with a hard glance in Eric's direction "We should get going, bring as much distance between them and us and get the hell out of here."

He shouldered his backpack as if to underline the urgency.

"Who could it possibly be?" Mr. Lovegood mused.

"Harry did your dreams tell you anything about these men?" Atticus asked.

Harry, quite overwhelmed by the sudden revelations stammered: "I…I…I don't know…They didn't say much….there was…there was…one is called Greyback I think."

Bill froze where he stood.

"Did you see his face?" he asked in an empty voice.

Harry wondered for a second why Bill was suddenly so stiff and then he remembered.

Of course!

The werewolf Fenrir Greyback had attacked Bill as a kid and mauled him, giving him the scars on his face but luckily not infecting him with lycanthropy.
How had he not been able to make the connection?

"I…I think he was a disfigured and his voice was very deep like…"

"…like a growling wolf?" Bill suggested. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his wand.

"Yes." Harry admitted silently, looking down.

"And the others?" Alice asked.

"I…I don't know. I'm sorry. I thought they were just nightmares. I tried not to think about them too much." Harry whispered.

"It's okay Harry, you didn't know." Rashid said calmly.

"But from now on, if you dream about them again, tell us!" Eric said.

Harry nodded though he felt dreadful about that prospect.

"Bill? I'm sorry." He whispered.

Bill was trembling but not with fear. With rage.

"I'm going to kill him." He whispered fiercely.

"Bill no!" Fleur exclaimed horrified.

"She is right Bill, we can't go and look for a fight. That's not why we're here!" Atticus said sternly.

"Besides, that's probably what they want. To keep us from getting to the weapon first." Thomas said in his most reasonable voice.

"You don't understand. That monster has torn apart families, ruined lives! I'm one of the few lucky ones! But others were not so lucky. Andrew Hoston, Lucy Bender, Remus Lupin, Georgina Mathews, Philip Porrel, Miranda and Jacqueline O'Neil, to name a few. Half of them are dead and the other half is shunned out for something they couldn't control!" he shouted.

Harry flinched when he heard Remus's name.

"Bill we do understand." Mr. Lovegood said soothingly. "But this isn't the way to do it."

"I don't care."

"But you should because we care about you and do not want to zee you 'urt!" Fleur said in a rather distressed tone.

Bill turned to look at her and his gaze was icy.

Harry was sure that even her Veela-allure could not reach him in his rage and thirst for revenge.

So he quickly stepped up to him, put a hand on his arm and said calmly: "My parents are dead. I know they are not the only one but they are. Voldemort killed them and tried to kill me" he lifted the fringe of hair from his forehead that covered his scar "And he marked me too. And I want revenge for what he did too, I really do. I know how you feel Bill and believe me, if that was him down the tunnel I would run down there too! But Fleur has a point. You have a family that is counting on you to come home. You have friends that await your return. People need you. I need you and I can't let you go and kill yourself. Because then Greyback would have won" he took another deep breath and gestured at Bill's dagger with the handle shaped like a wolf's head "You told me your dagger has that form because you survived that attack and it made you stronger. Now show me that you are stronger, that you will not give in and become a monster like Greyback. That's not you."

Bill stared at him.

"He will still die…some day." He said before turning around and walking away.

Harry had no doubt believing that it was one of the hardest things Bill had ever done.

.

The knowledge that they were being followed had put a big damper on the group.

Harry felt guilty.

And angry.

He should have trusted his instincts more, should have trusted that his gut was telling him the truth.

If it had been his gut at all.

He remembered the voice speaking to him ever since he had arrived at the caves. It had filled his dreams for weeks now but he'd never been able to make much sense out of what it had whispered.

Still…the same feeling he got around the voice had been driving him forwards with an urgency he had never know and had followed him throughout his dreams.

Was it possible that it had been warning him?

But who or what was it?

.

They continued their track downwards.

Harry longed for sunlight.

He felt deprived of it.

Also, was it his imagination or was it getting colder?

Shouldn't it get warmer the deeper underground you went?

His feet felt raw and bloody by the time the tunnel started to widen again.

How much had they walked? How far away where they from where they had started? Or had they maybe walked in circles and weren't so far away?

He felt nauseous and edgy.

His forehead pricked uncomfortably.

The hairs on his neck kept rising and Harry found himself staring over his shoulder into the blackness behind them every so often.

He knew their pursuers were still far behind them but he kept imagining hearing faint voices or footsteps coming from the darkness behind him.

.

They reached a new cavern after hours of seemingly aimless walking.

Harry was by now developing a huge dislike for caves in general.

But this one was nothing like the other caves they had crossed on their journey. This one wasn't grand and it wasn't wide or tall or anything. It was small and almost cozy in comparison to the endless abysses they had seen or the vaulting ceilings high above.

The ground was slightly uneven and from the ceiling hung a handful small stalactites. Otherwise the cave was empty.

Well, nearly empty. In front of them they could make out the outline of a circular passage but it was blocked by a boulder or something like that from the other side.

"Ahm….okay…" Alice said, slowly turning in a circle.

"Anyone else feeling…suspicious about the lack of…well…anything?" Thomas asked.

Atticus nodded mutely.

"This feels like a trap." Eric muttered.

"The floor is not going to break away again, is it?" Luna asked nervously.

They all looked down but nothing happened.

Harry crooked his head and listened.

All his hairs suddenly stood on end as his ears made out a faint scratching sound.

It started to his left but traveled.

Harry slowly turned with it until he had completed a full circle.

His eyes scanned the walls of the small cave.

"We're not alone." He said.

All heads turned to him.

"What do you mean Harry?" Bill asked concerned.

"Listen." Harry whispered.

They all ceased in their movements to listen.

Now the scratching sound was more prominent and they all followed it as it slowly traveled round and round around the cave.

"Look, there!" Rashid suddenly whispered.

Harry squeezed his eyes and looked to where Rashid was pointing.

And saw the wall move.

"Not again." Daphne groaned.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I think some sort of snake." Rashid whispered back.

At the word snake part of the wall suddenly seemed to drop to the ground and upon impact Harry watched as the brown and grey of the cave-walls gave way to black and orange stripes.

A snake, maybe seven feet long with three heads slowly rose from the ground until it was on eye-level with them.

"Oh my..." said Xenophilius Lovegood "A Runespoor."

In response the three heads hissed and barred their fangs.

.

.

.

.

"Do not make any sudden movements." Mr. Lovegood said quietly as the snake swayed before them.

Harry stared at the snake in amazement.

It's hissing gradually turned into words that Harry could understand.

"Humans. Here….it's been so long…" hissed the middle head.

"Indeed. Let us determine their worth." hissed the left head.

"They are a threat! Let's kill them!" hissed the right head.

"Shut your fang-hole, you don't get to decided." Growled the left head back.

"Don't you take that tone with me!" snapped the right head back.

"You both shut up!" the middle head growled.

"Nobody asked you." snarled the right head.

Harry knew that this all just sounded like meaningless hissing to the others but they still could pick up on the threatening tone and the posture of the snake.

"What should we do?" Daphne asked nervously.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of snakes." Harry asked amused his gaze never leaving the bickering snake.

"As a matter of fact, I am. They are creepy and dangerous and no good." Daphne growled, a bit too loud.

The three heads focused on her.

"What is this" asked the left head "Is she talking about us?"

"I think she might be." the middle head said.

"Was she speaking insult?" asked the left head.

"She was! Let's kill her." growled the right head.

Without thinking Harry jumped between them and Daphne and called out in parseltongue: "Don't kill her! She didn't mean it."

Drop dead silence fell over the humans and the three-headed snake.

"A speaker?" hissed the middle head.

"A speaker." whispered the left head.

"A speaker!" growled the right head.

"A Parselmouth?" Atticus breathe din disbelieve.

Harry ignored him and focused on the snake.

Snakes.

Whatever.

"Yes, that's right" he said "I am a speaker. I speak you… noble… tongue and I beg you to not attack my friend. She didn't mean what she said."

"Yes she did!" hissed the right head.

"No, she didn't." Harry said firmly.

"Harry…what…what is going on?" Rashid asked nervously.

The Runespoor fixed its six eyes on him.

"He….he smells funny. He smells like our cousins…" muttered left head thoughtfully.

"Yes, our dead cousins! That one is a snake-killer! Let's kill that one too!" cried the right head in outrage.

Harry cringed. They probably meant the potion ingredients like Boomslang-skin and snake-fangs.

"Rashid, step back slowly. They don't like you." he whispered.

Rashid's eyes widened but he didn't argue.

"Please, we do not want any trouble. My friends and I have been on a long and exhausting journey and we are weary and tired and seek the end to this dreadful adventure. Can you help us?" he asked the snakes as politely as he could.

They focused back on him and slithered closer to him.

"A speaker indeed" mused the left head "It's been so long."

"Too long" agreed the middle head "I've missed a good conversation. It gets a bit dull after a while with the same company day in day out. Tell me speaker, how does the world above fare?"

"Who cares? Trespassers the lot of them! Let's kill them."

"You and your 'Kill them all'! It got old after the first two centuries you said it!" snapped the left head and tried to bite the right head.

"Stop it" complained the middle head "This gets us nowhere."

"It will make him shut up! I consider that an achievement!" grumbled the left head.

"Oh bite me!" hissed the right head back.

"I'm trying!"

"You are so immature!" sighed the middle head.

It then turned to face Harry.

"Forgive my rather temperamental companions. Life is not easy for our kind. Three different personalities, wishes and desires fighting over the control of only one body. It is not an easy or healthy lifestyle." it said apologetically.

Harry nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry to bother you."

"We don't want or need your pity." hissed the right head glumly.

"Shut up, he's trying to be nice." snapped the left head. "What is your name human?" it then asked.

"Harry. Harry James Potter."

The snake quivered as if it was suddenly very cold and the three heads started to sway in sync as if in a trance.

"Old blood. Our master's blood has returned." hissed the left head as if in awe.

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The end is close. Our salvation is at hand. Soon our duty will be fulfilled." muttered the middle head.

"And death and destruction will come to an end." added the right head.

The three pairs of eyes stared into Harry's and he felt as if he was slowly being stripped of all walls and defenses until the bare truth of his innermost feelings and his deepest parts of his soul were laid before the snakes eyes.

The Runespoor then spoke as one, it's three voices melting into one.

"I see bravery. I see dreams. I see pain."

Its voice split into three again.

"Pure heart and pure soul. I say let him pass!" said the middle head.

"Never! Too much pain and misery and death this one has seen. His soul is fouled and blackened. It's too much a risk." disagreed the right head and Harry could see pearls of venom staring to roll down its fangs. It pulled back its head as if getting ready to lunge.

"But he bested the odds before." said the left head thoughtfully.

"He doesn't seek it." the middle head stated forcefully. "I say we give it a go."

"But what about the others? We can't trust them!" the right head wailed.

"He's right." admitted the left head.

"What?" the right head asked.

"I'm not going to repeat that!" snarled the left head slightly miffed.

"So we kill them and let him pass on?" the right head suggested.

The lack of argument didn't encourage Harry.

"I don't know what you are talking about. But I warn you. My friends are off limits! You attack them I kill you!" he growled.

The snake regarded him with something akin to curiosity.

"Interesting. He has a wild side." mused the middle head.

"Yes. His spirit is strong. Maybe he is the right one. He'd be the first through." admitted the right head.

"I don't have time for riddles. We are being followed by horrible people who have nothing good in mind and if they get the weapon we're all in danger!" Harry growled.

The snake reared back.

"What does he know about the weapon?" hissed the right head dangerously.

"Yes, what does he know?" the left head wondered equally cautiously.

"I don't know anything. Only that it is old and caused mass destruction and was deemed so dangerous that it was sealed here by ancient wizards and that only someone worthy will ever find it" Harry said desperately "And live I presume." he added at the end.

"True." said the left head. "You die if you are the wrong one. You and your friends. Are you willing to take that risk?" it asked.

Harry turned to look at his team.

Then he faced the snake.

"There is a pretty good chance we die anyway if you don't let us pass. There are bad people chasing us and I have no doubt that with this weapon, whatever it may be, they will do no good. We're trying to stop that from happening! Please. We only want to go home."

"Home…I want to go home too." whispered the middle head dreamily.

"But we can't. We have a duty to uphold!" growled the right head.

"What duty?" Harry asked curiously.

"We judge whoever tries to pass us and if he is worthy we let him. If not we kill and eat them." explained the right head with a slightly sadistic sounding voice.

"So you are the guardians of the weapon?"

"No. That duty falls to someone else." mumbled the left head.

"Don't tell him you fool!" snapped the right head.

"Can you judge me? See if I am worthy?" Harry asked.

"We already have." whispered the middle head.

"We've felt your presence here since you entered the caves. Alone the fact that you made it here speaks for you." admitted the left head.

"You were meant to get here." the middle head added.

"Maybe… we can't be sure!" the right head disagreed.

"Nobody wants your negative attitude around here!" growled the left head.

"Why does he hate me?" Harry wondered aloud.

"He doesn't, it's just his nature to disagree and argue and criticize." explained the middle head.

"And contradict every move I make and be a pain in the ass!" added the left head.

"You're not any better you bossy git!" growled the right head. "And don't get me started on him here" it added with and pointed look at the middle head "Always with his thoughts miles away in the clouds."

Harry felt a stab of sympathy for the Runespoor. It really couldn't be easy living like that.

He crouched down and carefully extended one hand, palm facing upwards.

"Ahm Harry, what are you doing?" Atticus asked alarmed.

"Hush. I know what I am doing." Harry muttered.

The Runespoor eyed his hand suspiciously.

"What do you want?" asked the right head.

"I want you to be free. Please. Let us pass."

The middle head's forked tongue dated across his palm and Harry suppressed a flinch.

Then it pressed its head against his palm before retreating.

"I grant you save passage through to the end."

The left head darted forward too and its tongue too flickered across Harry's palm before pressing its head too against it.

"I too grant you and your friends save passage."

Harry turned to the right head.

It was staring at him menacingly. "I will grant you save passage too but only because I know that if you are not worth you all will die a horrible death." it hissed.

It repeated the same movements the others had.

"Thanks….I think." Harry said, slowly getting back onto his feet.

The snake turned around and slithered towards the blocked passage.

Harry turned to face his friends and teammates.

"It's fine. We can pass. They will let us through." He said smilingly.

They just stared at him.

Eric shook his head. "What are you Potter? Every time I think I have you figured out you, you do something like this!"

Harry grinned cheekily.

"Good. I don't want to become predictable."

"I didn't know you were a Parselmouth." Rashid said faintly.

Harry grimaced. "Yeah well I don't really go around telling everyone. It gave me enough grief in second year when everyone thought I was the Heir of Slytherin and went around petrifying students. Besides, have you ever heard of a Gryffindor with the ability to speak to snakes?"

Atticus laughed. "Yeah I get you."

"Speaker."

Harry turned to face the snake.

It had slithered up the wall that blocked the passage and curled around the 'keyhole' in the middle.

Slowly it inserted its tail and twisted it.

A sound like many cogwheels turning sounded and the blockade slowly rose upwards, revealing a dark passage beyond.

The snake had slithered off the rock when it had started to move and now hung on the right side of the tunnel, looking at them expectantly.

"Well go on then before we change our mind." sneered the right head.

"It's safe to go." Harry translated.

Warily they rushed past the snake and into the tunnel.

Harry was the last.

He stopped next to the snake.

"Thank you." he said simply.

"You should hurry." advised the left head.

"We will. Remember your promise. Keep the weapon out of evil hands." The right head whispered.

"I will. Goodbye."

"Farewell Speaker. May your blood continue to run strong." the middle head said graciously.

Harry frowned. "Ahm…thanks. I guess….again."

Then he jogged away to catch up with the others.

34. Welcome to the End - Part 1

Chapter Thirty-Four: Welcome to the End Part 1

They stood in absolute darkness.

All their glow-stick suddenly had flickered and then gone out.

Same as their wands.

They couldn't cast a single spell.

So they just stood there.

In the darkness.

Waiting for something to happen.

Harry shivered.

It was cold here. Really cold.

If he'd been able to see he was sure he would have seen his breath in the cold air before him.

A big hand gently squeezed his shoulder.

Bill, he thought.

To his left a small soft hand searched for his own.

It wasn't Daphne though.

Luna then, he decided.

"What now?" Alice asked from somewhere to his right.

"We wait. There is no point in trying to find a way. We could walk into a trap." Atticus decided.

"And standing here like fish in a barrel is better?" Eric asked.

Harry had to admit that he shared Eric's view.

While they were walking Harry always felt a sort of security. Moving meant they had a plan, a goal.

But standing…standing meant they had reached the end and yet there was nothing.

"Maybe it's a test." Thomas suggested.

"A test of what?" Fleur asked doubtfully.

"I don't know. To show that we're not afraid?" Thomas said vaguely.

"Of what? The darkness?" Bill snorted.

Harry rubbed his upper arms.

It really was freezing down here!

How could the temperature have dropped so quickly so dramatically?

"Well we can't just stand here." Alice said. "Surely there must be something we can do!"

"I don't suppose anyone has a flashlight." Harry muttered.

"A what?" Daphne asked confused.

"It's…it's a muggle thing that can make light without magic."

"What, like a candle?" Mr. Lovegood asked curiously.

"Ahm…yeah, a really strong candle. Only it works with electricity." Harry tried to explain.

It was weird hearing their voices but not seeing where they were. The echoes in the tunnel made it difficult to figure out where they came from.

"This still doesn't help us, does it?" asked Eric sharply.

"I say we keep moving." Thomas said.

"And fall down into a pit with the next step we make? No thank you." Alice replied.

As they continued to debate, Harry felt Daphne sneaking her hand into his free one and her soft hair tickled against his cheek.

"Is Luna here with you?" she asked.

"I am here." Luna replied.

Harry felt Daphne and Luna shift and although he couldn't see, he could somehow feel that the two girls were now holding hands as well.

Silently they stood in their small triangle for a few seconds.

"The Runespoor said that they were guarding the end. That they would let us pass on towards our goal. Do you think they were lying?" Harry asked silently.

"I don't think so. The Runespoor is a heavily misunderstood creature. It can't fight its own nature but lying is not in its nature. It chose you Harry. I don't think this is the end." Luna said in her dreamily voice of hers and started humming.

"Be that as it may that still doesn't explain how we're gonna get out of here." Daphne said, slightly exasperated.

Harry put and arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

She was trembling slightly.

"It'll be fine, we're…." he began to reassure here when suddenly something warm and fuzzy nuzzled itself against his neck and jaw.

He jerked back and called out: "What the hell is that?"

"What, what happened? Harry, are you alright?" Bill shouted, his hands blindly grabbing him by the chest.

"Something is on my shoulder!" Harry explained.

"Please don't tell me it's a spider!" Fleur begged.

"Don't worry Harry, it is just Pumpkin. I don't think he likes the darkness." Luna said evenly.

Cautiously Harry raised a hand and carefully touched the fuzzy thing on his shoulder.

Indeed, when it started chirping happily, he realized it was the small round Golden Snidget.

He sighed in relieve.

"Sorry. It is Pumpkin. But he really spooked me." he mumbled.

With a sigh and a grumbled comment from Eric, the argument continued.

Harry lifted the small magical bird off his shoulder and it nestled itself into his right palm while he started stroking it with rhythmically with his left index finger.

Somehow holding that small soft living breathing animal in his hand, feeling its fast little heart beat against his fingers, was incredible soothing.

He closed his eyes and just relaxed.

"What is that?" Daphne suddenly asked next to him.

Harry opened his eyes and almost closed them immediately afterwards.

Slowly he opened them again and gasped.

Pumpkin, who was still sitting in his palm, purring contently, was glowing!

"Since when can he do that?" Daphne asked flabbergasted.

In the golden glow of the light coming from Pumpkins small body her face glowed in an eternal way and her hair looked like honey instead of silver.

Luna shrugged. "I don't know."

Harry stopped petting the Snidget and lifted his hand up so he could look at the bird closed.

The glow seemed to come from the little birds insides.

But as he watched the glow seemed to diminish more and more.

"No! Don't stop! Harry, make him glow again!" Daphne called out.

"I don't know how!" Harry said helplessly.

"Pet him again!" Luna suggested excitedly.

Harry did and almost immediately the glow returned.

Pumpkin chirped happily and flapped his tiny wings.

"He practically glows with happiness!" Harry said with a grin.

Daphne punched him hard in the shoulder.

"I swear, if you keep making these bad puns I will hex you!" she threatened but she was smiling.

They turned around to where the grownups stood, still talking, not having realized that there was a glowing bird behind them.

"Ahm guys?" Harry asked.

"What now Potter? Another animal on your shoulder?" Eric asked while turning around.

He froze and blinked against the bright golden light of the Snidget.

"Something like that." Harry admitted.

They all turned around and stared at the new light source.

"Fascinating!" breathed Mr. Lovegood and approached them, staring at the bird intently.

Pumpkin didn't seem to mind the attention.

If anything he glowed brighter.

"I didn't know he could do that." Bill said astonished.

"Neither did we." Daphne admitted.

"Apparently he likes to be scratched." Luna added.

"Obviously." Alice said dryly.

Harry stepped forwards, holding Pumpkin a bit higher.

The path before them was now slightly illuminated but it was enough for them to see a few meters ahead.

The tunnel was empty. There was nothing there.

"Let's go then." Atticus said, waving them on.

Harry walked on ahead with Pumpkin, illuminating the tunnel for them.

Finally the darkness made way for a soft gloom somewhere down the path.

"Wands at the ready." Atticus muttered.

"What for? We still can't do any magic at all!" Thomas muttered.

"Just do it." Atticus shot back.

Harry handed Pumpkin back to Luna.

The little bird gave a sad chirping noise but since they didn't need the light anymore Harry was happy to give him back to Luna.

They only had to walk a bit before two columns appeared before them, carved out of the tunnel walls.

There were no inscriptions or pictures or anything for the matter and yet as they cautiously stepped through the space between them they all felt the shift in the atmosphere.

The coldness disappeared and the air seemed less stale and dusty.

Embedded in the walls, the floor and the ceiling where softly yellow glowing stones the size of footballs.

The light was gentle, a bit like sunlight.

They followed the glowing stones until they reached the end of the path.

Harry felt his breath get caught in his throat as he froze on the spot.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Wow." he muttered.

He'd seen impressive structures on his journey through the caves before.

But this, this was different. This was not impressive in its sheer size or endlessness.

This was impressive because of its beauty.

This cavern was not like all the others. This one looked man-made.

It was a perfect circle as far as Harry could tell and the ceiling, although it was kinda deep, was smooth and even just like the floor.

There were dozens of delicately carved columns everywhere that supported the low hanging ceiling.

There were so many of them it almost looked like a small forest of stone tree-trunks.

The walls were decorated with huge painted pictures of battle scenes, of weddings and coronations, of people working the fields, of feasts and celebrations, of beautiful scenery and animals roaming the wilds.

The ceiling was maybe the most wonderful thing to look at.

It was the painting of a summer sky, with a few puffy white clouds and an actual glowing sun in the middle.

But what made the room even more stunning were the treasures.

Harry had seen 'Aladdin' last year. Well, not seen directly, he'd been cleaning the kitchen while Dudley had watched it in the living room but he'd seen almost all the movie while doing his chores.

He remembered the scene where Aladdin first enters the treasure chamber and how the thief was amazed by the mountains of gold and jewelry there.

It was nothing compared to this.

Gold, gems, jewelry, golden plates and cups, crowns and ivory candleholder, they all piled up in massive mountains that almost reached the ceilings.

But that was not enough. There were shelves and piles of papyrus rolls.

Ornate chests stood on top of each other, some had been filled with so many treasures they had to be left open because they were too full to close them.

Another part of the room was dominated by furniture. Thrones and delicately carved tables and chairs and wardrobes. On one table there stood a chess-set made of gold and ruby stones.

Paintings, not on canvases but on wooden plates, papyrus and cloth, leaned against walls and columns or hung from racks. Among them even a few mosaics.

There was more. Much more.

But Harry couldn't see all and neither could he take it all in.

It was overwhelming.

"Dear God." Someone muttered.

"Jackpot." Someone else said.

"Now this is what I call a successful mission."

Harry took their words in but he ignored them.

He was occupied.

There was a strange whisper in the air.

As is hundreds of very faint voices talked to him from across the room.

It was impossible to make out words but their voices were there nonetheless.

"Where is it?" he asked urgently, suddenly impatient.

"Where is what?" Bill asked.

Harry turned around to face him.

"The weapon. Where is it?" he asked again.

"Ah" Atticus said and put a cup back down he'd been inspecting "Right. Let's spread out and search for anything that might look like a weapon." He said.

"What you mean like that over there?" Alice asked and pointed at a part of the camber behind them.

Harry turned around and saw what she meant.

There, stacked upon racks and shelves on the walls was an armory that could easily have supplied a few hundred soldiers.

Next to simple and plain armors there were golden and jewel encrusted ones. Weapons of all kinds like swords, axes, daggers, bows and arrows, halberds, spears, morning stars and war-hammers adorned the walls and racks.

Shields where stacked into meat piles on one side.

Atticus glared at Alice.

"I meant 'Look-for-something-that-looks-like-it-could-wipe-out-an-entire-civilization'-kinda weapon." He grumbled.

"Don't touch anything if you're not sure it's safe." Eric advised. "You know what, scratch that; don't touch anything until we're sure it's safe." he added then.

"Oh you are safe here. If we wanted you harmed we wouldn't have let you get this far."

Harry swirled around, just like everyone else.

From among the piles of gold and silver a man had appeared.

His skin was the color of chopper and very wrinkled. He was very tall and had long silver hair that was braided into a plat that reached the back of his knees.

He wore long midnight blue robes with a silver trim and a black belt around his waist from which pouches and dagger-sheaths and a wand hung. A long thin silver necklace with a ruby pendant hung from around his neck.

His feet were bare and didn't quite seem to touch the ground as he walked.

Following the others motion Harry pointed his want at the newcomer but he did it with reluctance.

For one, because the other one hadn't drawn his wand yet and because he felt a peaceful aura coming off from the man.

"Please, there is no need for that. You are safe here." He said gently, holding his hands up peacefully.

As he did the sleeves of his robs fell down to his elbows and reveled a black tattoo in the inside of his right arm but Harry couldn't quite see what it was.

"Who are you?" Atticus asked, still slightly suspicious.

The man sighed and shook his head. "It's been so long, I have forgotten my own name. You can call me Guardian. Because that is what I am. The guardian of this place."

He spread his arms to his sides, gesturing at everything around them.

He folded his hands back together and looked at each of them.

"Now then. Why have you come here?" he asked kindly.

Atticus frowned, slightly taken aback by the man's friendliness. Harry had to admit that he too had expected a bit more…trouble or resistance. Nothing on this trip had ever come easy to them.

"It's kind of a complicated story." Mr. Lovegood said.

"Oh I do love a good story. It gets so lonely down here." the Guardian said.

Somehow he reminded Harry of Dumbledore.

If Dumbledore were of Asian descend and actually knew how to dress properly and didn't have a beard.

"Well, a few months ago there was a massive earthquake nearby." Atticus began to explain. "A few weeks later our Magical Alert System detected a giant source of very potent magical energy in a radius of several kilometers. But no spell and no detector were able to locate or identify the source of this magic and what it was. So my team and I were assembled and sent here to check it out and make sure it's not a threat to anyone and see if we could disable it."

The guardian nodded.

"Ah yes, I thought that that quake might have some consequences." he said thoughtfully.

"You caused it?" Bill asked with raised eyebrows.

"No, heavens forbid, no I didn't." the Guardian said. "We had some problems with uninvited guests you could say. There were some very unsavory individuals trying to gain access to the caves. Maybe we acted a bit too strongly. Well, it's no problem now anymore."

"Intruders?" Eric asked.

"We?" Thomas asked at the same time.

"Oh yes, intruders. They had been trying for weeks and they kept trying again after we thought we had scared them off. They were surprisingly resistant." the Guardian admitted.

"Who is 'we'?" Fleur asked.

The Guardian smiled slightly.

"That is a bit harder to explain. But I will, don't worry. But not right away. First I must ask you some important questions. I take it you know what lies hidden somewhere in this room?"

"We do." Atticus confirmed.

"There was a war between Muggels and wizards. There was a weapon that caused massive destruction. Both sides used it against each other but in the end they came to their sense and it was hidden down here." Thomas said bluntly.

"That is the short version of what transpired here, yes." agreed the Guardian.

"It is by far more complex though." he added then with a sad expression.

When he looked up again his expression was very serious.

"What do you plan on doing with it once you have it?" he asked.

Atticus hesitated.

"Probably leave it to our employers to lock it up somewhere save and secure." he admitted.

"Can you guarantee me that it will be safe and secure? Can you promise that no one will ever wield that weapon again?" the Guardian asked gravely.

"Gringotts is the most secure place in the whole world. You'd be mad and suicidal to try and steal from them. It's a death-sentence." Thomas said.

"But that is not what I asked. Can you guarantee me that you will not change your mind and try to use the weapon?"

"None of us wants to start a war." Alice said vehemently. "We try to preserve life and make places like this one safe."

The Guardian sighed. "The path to evil is lined with noble intentions." he simply said.

Harry had a bad feeling in his gut.

"You cannot have the weapon."

Harry's heartbeat quickened. Would that mean that they had failed? That they would die?

Atticus seemed to think the same because his hand gripped his want tighter as he asked: "We can't leave it here either. There are people behind us that will gladly take it and use it for horrible things. If you want it out of harm's way, giving it to us is your best option."

The Guardian shook his head saddened.

"I don't think you quite understand the gravity of the situation you're in."

He begged them closer with one hand.

"Follow me and I will explain it to you."

"What happened here eons ago was one of the worst massacres in the history of magic, but no one will ever truly know because all traces have been wiped out from existence. You say you are here to make sure this place is safe and if necessary seek to make it safe if it is not. While you are safe right now, this place is not. At least what it harbors is not. You seek the weapon. But I want you to understand what it is you are seeking. And I want you to understand why you can't have it."

Atticus frowned.

"I thought besting these trails meant that one was worthy of such responsibility." he said. The Guardian smiled slightly and shook his head.

"Just listen. And you will find you will understand."

Reluctantly Atticus nodded and the Guardian inclined his head in thanks.

He sat down in a flowing motion and gestured for them to follow his example. The ground was hard but Harry didn't really mind it.

"You must understand that all life if a form of energy. A great Stream of Energy sustains this world. We are all part of it. With every life, energy is taken from the stream and given into the world and with every death some of it is returned to the Stream to be transformed into a new life. And its balance must be maintained. For a life to be created another has to be taken. Upset this balance and the consequences will be dire, for the Stream will do everything in its power to re-archive the balance." The Guardian began to explain.

"When the humans, or Muggles as you call them, first found out about the existence of wizards they got scared and started hunting the wizards down and killing them. In doing so more energy was taken from the world and given back to the Stream, than the world received in exchange. It had catastrophic effects on the environment as well. Lots of energy was missing so plants died, illnesses spread, and the weather became unpredictable and so on. In desperation the Greta Stream fashioned an object that would allow the wizards, until they had regained their strength and numbers, to maintain their place in this world and keep the fragile balance. The Great Stream gave them a chance to live longer, be stronger and keep the scales up. You must understand that the great Stream just can't put a lot of energy at once in the world to straighten out the imbalance. It has to come gradually and re-instate the natural balance." The guardian explained.

"You are talking as if that Great Stream is a person." Bill said doubtfully.

"It's not a being but it is alive. It is everything. It is everywhere. It is the energy that runs through your veins, it is what makes the sea rise and fall, trees grow and when it's gone, we die and trees whither and stone crumbles to dust."

"I'd rather know what this object was that was given to the wizards." Fleur said.

The guardian looked at her.

"I can show you." he said and got up. "Follow me."

He turned around and walked deeper into the treasure cave.

Hesitantly they followed him.

They passed more piles of golden coins, rows of cups and plates, more mountains of jewels, rolled up Persian rugs and tapestries, crates filled with more gold and silver and the finest weapons Harry had ever seen and other piled up treasures.

This must have been worth millions of pounds he estimated.

"Where does all of this treasure come from?" Atticus asked breathlessly.

The guardian sighed sadly.

"When the last King decided to burrow the weapon here, he also decided to burrow that part of history here with it. He wanted nothing too informative to survive from this era. Palaces, cities, villages, temples, they were already in ruins and time would do the rest. He erased all records and the name of the weapon and left only vague hints of what might have happened. Today all that the world knows about that time is about the invasion of the country by neighbor tribes and fights over different territories. And in a way it describes what happened. Two sides, magical and none-magical fought for survival and existence. Sometimes one side would win, sometimes the other. There was nothing but war and death and blood and despair. Can you blame the King for wanting to erase that part of history? Having the none-magical people know about our existence proved to be not a good thing. So it was better to seal away that knowledge and not have them remember us. Stories were made up to cover the lack of information while the truth was hidden away. Everything of that truth you see here: treasures, knowledge and tokes of that time, they are all here. Because despite how hard we try to forget, we wizards shouldn't. This was a lesson of history. A constant reminder that the powers we have been given are a responsibility and not just a gift or a blessing. We have to learn from the lessons of history and for what our powers are meant to be. This here serves as a reminder. The dead will never totally be forgotten. A prove that they did exist, that they crafted these goods, wrote these books and fought and died so that we could now life safer than they did."

"With other words this is a tomb?" Bill asked.

"Yes."

They walked on in silence.

They finally seemed to reach the center of the room and there in the middle on a raised platform stood a single pedestal with something floating above its center and rotating in slow circles around itself.

In the glowing light of the ceiling it shimmered and reflected the light entrancingly.

It was about the size of Bills fist and was jagged and uneven and formless, as if pieces had been broken off it.

It was of a deep red color and the light broke around it into different shades of red and pink.

All around it the air hummed with energy.

Harry had the all-too familiar clenching feeling in his chest.

The stone seemed to reach out to him.

He could feel the searching tendrils of energy from the stone passing through him into his magical core and wrapping themselves around it.

It was the strangest, most frightening and yet also the most amazing feeling he'd ever felt.

He felt as if he'd gotten home after a long day.

He felt relaxed for the first time in days.

He knew they were at their journeys end.

He also knew that the greatest test was yet to come and that something would happen that could change the course of history.

He didn't know how he knew, he just did.

The restlessness that had plagued him since touching the shield finally subsided. This was where they had been meant to end up all along.

He was drawn from his thoughts by Thomas disbelieving exclamation of: "It's a rock."

He looked up at his teammates.

Indeed they were staring at the red stone as if it was some stupid joke.

Didn't they see?

"Not just a rock." the guardian said patiently. "It's…"

"A Philosophers Stone." Harry blurted out.

He blushed when all eyes turned to him.

The guardian inclined his head in his direction and smiled slightly.

"That is correct young wizard. This is however not just any Stone. This is the first Philosophers Stone that ever existed."

"What is a Philosophers Stone?" Luna asked interested.

Harry swallowed hard.

"It can turn any metal into gold but what makes it even more precious is that it can also create the Elixir of Life. It has the ability to prolong your life. Kinda like immortality only that you will still die if you don't take it anymore or are killed." he muttered, remembering his first year and their research on the topic all too vivid.

"Correct in all points" the Guardian said "But those are not all its powers. True, the stones that Alchemist managed to make later on were famous for these two properties but that was not all they were ever able to do.

This Stone here, the first in existence, has not only the ability to cure all ills but also to instill them. Health can only come to where there first has been sickness first. Everything has two sides. As fire can warm you during cold nights and help you prepare your food but it can also destroy and kill. A sword can protect and kill just as well, just as magic can. The user's intentions are the key to what side is shown. It is the same with the Philosophers Stone." he said, resuming his story.

"As I said: Wizards were dying left and right, hunted by the Muggles. But then the Great Stream intervened, giving them this powerful aid. The wizards where supposed to use the stone to even out the odds. To cure their sick and dying, to prolong their life so that they could fight and have the time to raise their numbers back up against the Muggles.

Once they had regained their strength the stone was to be returned to the Great Stream of Energy. And here is where the aid turned into a weapon.

There were those wizards who thought to use for more than just curing their sick and dying. They broke parts of it for their own usage. They quickly found out that they could manipulate the stones powers to do horrible things against the muggles, still under the cover that it was to help the wizards gain their strength. They thought to even out the odds and decimate the muggles like they had been decimated. Many of their fellow magicians condemned these actions, claiming that that was not what the Great Stream had in mind when it had given them the Stone. They turned on each other."

The Guardian shook his head saddened.

"We were not given our powers to rule and destroy. They were given to us to heal and protect. We are all servants to the Great Stream and being chosen does not make us more valuable or important than anyone else. But sadly many wizards and witches don't think so.

I told you that the stone can also instill ills if raised with that intend. The renegade wizards unleashed plagues on the humans. Be it in form of insects or rodents who ate their food or in form of incurable illnesses. It didn't matter. They got what they wanted.

The odds shifted again, this time in favor of the wizards. But the Great Energy couldn't let that happen either. It let the humans find out about this weapon, this magical stone, the wizards had and the humans set out to find every last bit of the stone and destroy them. That could have worked out, had the humans not found a way to use the stones as well.

Now both sides started to battle each other with their own parts of the stone. It was fire against fire. The world would have been destroyed for in such a fight there would have been no winner. Only destruction."

"Kinda like in an Atomic War." Harry muttered remembering what he had read about the Cold War once. Luckily it had never come so far.

"What did you say?" Daphne asked.

"Nothing important." Harry muttered absentmindedly.

"So what happened then?" Mr. Lovegood asked the Guardian.

"The fights went on for a long time. There were still those magicians that wanted no quarrel with the humans, who still held on to the principles of balance. The great Energy gave them the knowledge to destroy the Philosopher's Stone. There was just no other way. They weren't ready for such responsibilities yet.

Those wizards set out to do just that, but it was very hard for them. They had to fight their fellow magicians as well as the muggles to get what they were after. It became a three-sided war."

The guardian shook his head, obviously remembering those dark times.

"It was horrible. They meant good, but the other parties didn't see that. So many of these good wizards died trying to do the right thing."

A thick silence hung in the air.

"They were successful in the end though. The stone fragments were destroyed and the war slowly came to an end. But the cost was great. The renegade wizards were sentenced to death and the remaining wizards withdrew from the light into the shadows. They hid all traces of heir existence and history turned into legends and legends into myths and no one was any wiser. The humans recovered, they built their culture back up with the wizards now safely hidden away from them. And this blemish was forgotten by them." the Guardian told them gloomily.

"Then why didn't they destroy the rest of the stone too, back in the day if it was such a risk? Why is it still here? You had the chance to get rid of it then and there. All of this wouldn't have been necessary if you had! So why didn't you?" Rashid asked.

The Guardian shook his head.

"They would have, believe me, if they could have, they would have. But you see the power to actually destroy the stone was only given to a handful of wizards, those that could be trusted with such an important task. But the stone you see before you was hidden by the last King when he finally came to his senses and saw what this war and the power of the stone had done to his people and his kingdom. He was not one of the chosen wizards. He couldn't destroy it. But the wizards with the ability to destroy the stone were gone by then. Only one of their descendents could have the power to destroy this last part. The King did the only thing he could think of. He had his loyal subjects dig these tunnels and hide the stone here along with the last reminders of their time. He hoped that one day and heir would find his or her way down here and do his or her duty. In the meantime the caves and the traps would keep the stone save from anyone else who was no heir and not worthy."

"Why 'one day'? Surely there must have been children of those chosen wizards back then to do the job". Eric said doubtfully.

"Those wizards were regarded as traitors to their own kind and hunted and killed. Their families as well. Those that were lucky enough to escape death were lost or had to flee from the land. Many never returned. Many never even knew of their powers."

"But those family lines must be extinct by now surely!" protested Daphne. "There won't be any heirs left now!"

The Guardian shook his head.

"Some have survived against all odds. The power is transferred upon the death of the father or the mother onto their oldest child. So while many didn't know about their power, they still passed it on and on and on until today. And many of those descendants have found their way back here. But none of them ever succeeded."

Silence followed the Guardians words.

"So you mean all these dead people and skeletons we kept running into were…heirs…? People, who could have claimed the stone?" Luna asked.

"Yes. Like the King had hoped they found their way here. But none of them was good enough in the end."

"So they had to die? That is a bit harsh don't you think?" Rashid asked.

"That was not my decision." The Guardian simply said.

"But all these inscriptions along the walls and at the front door said that the weapon was for those worthy. It said nothing about destroying it. There was no talk of heirs and such things." Alice argued.

"You do not understand what worthy means. The others all came with the intent to own the Stone. They saw it as their right. The last time humans owned the stone, thousands died. It didn't make them worthy. An heir's worth has to be tested. And he or she would only be worthy if they knew that powers like this should never be wielded in the first place. No matter for what reason. They would know that destroying it would be the only reasonable thing to do. With great power comes a great responsibility. Only if they knew this in their heart of hearts the stone would reveal itself to them. Only then it would be theirs. And they would destroy it."

Harry remembered how Nicolas Flamel's stone had come to him and how Dumbledore said that it had come to Harry because Harry didn't want to use it. He wanted to keep it from being used by Quirrel, and, indirectly, Voldemort.

A suspicion began to grow inside of him.

A suspicion he smothered immediately.

But then the guardian spoke again and Harry felt dread at his words.

"I'd say it has found its match."

"So you are saying one of us is the descendent of one of those magicians? And that one of us will destroy the stone for good?" Atticus asked.

"That is exactly what I am saying."

"But who?" Thomas asked.

"I think he knows." The guardian said calmly.

"He? So you know who it is then?" Bill asked.

"Tell us." Fleur said.

The guardian stared at Harry.

His eyes bored into his.

"Him." He simply said.

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"Me?" squeaked Harry.

"He?" Eric asked.

"Harry?" Bill said astonished.

"That's impossible." Harry protested weakly.

"Yes you young wizard. You may not know this but it was no coincident or luck that you survived touching the magical shield outside the caves. It is a deadly force that destroys anyone who touches it. Normally. But you are not normal, are you Harry James Potter? You have felt the Stones' presence ever since you got here. Deep down, you knew. You are an heir."

Harry felt a shiver go done his spine.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"You are the son of James Potter. Whose ancestor was a man named Godric Gryffindor. Godrics oldest son married one of the descendants of a family that had left these lands years before the Great War ended. That woman's grandfather and father were part of the group that were granted the ability to destroy the Stone but died before they could find the last of the stone's parts. The daughter left before they died, not knowing of her own powers or that of her future children." the guardian explained softly.

"I recognize you by blood; that is how I know your name. Just like I know every other heirs name. The blood of your ancestors is how you survived the touch of the shield. And now you have overcome the trials and you have been deemed worthy. I have seen your past, I follow your present and I see your future. And I've come to the final decision. It is you."

The guardian gestured at the stone.

"You have seen yourself what powers this object holds and what can happen if used incorrectly. This is after all not the first time you have seen and touched a stone like this." he stated calmly.

Harry started sweating. Small beads of sweat rolled down his spine and he shivered.

"You never used the stone Nicolas Flamel was able to grow, but it still chose you in those dungeons. It too deemed you worthy. This stone here feels its brother's presence on you.

Your headmaster never told you this but the stone was destroyed by your mere touch back then. All its powers were gone instantly. And this stone here knows it. And it wants you to destroy it too."

"But…why am I worthy? What power do I have?" Harry whispered.

The guardian approached him.

"It is not so much about power but about heart. Empathy, morals and your sense of rightfulness." He admitted.

"You know the great temptation the powers of the Philosophers Stone can wake inside you."

Harry painfully remembered his parent's faces in the flames and looked down.

"You did what was right. And not what you wanted deep down in your heart."

"No spell can bring back the dead." Harry said hollowly.

"I think you underestimate the power of the Philosophers Stone." The guardian said gently.

"You mean…"

"It could have brought them back. But they would never have been the people they were before. They would have been puppets with their faces but without any actual spirit."

Harry bit down on his lips so hard he nearly drew blood.

"Harry?" Bill asked concerned.

Harry felt like crying.

"I was once offered that in exchange for the Philosophers Stone I would get my parents back." he admitted.

He heard gasps behind him.

"I refused."

Tears rolled unhindered down his cheeks.

The guardian continued.

"It it these kind of decisions that makes you worthy. You've shown strength and resistance and you do what is right and what needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. A weakness some would say. You do not seek to use the stone. You do not seek to take anything from this place. Your only desire is to keep others from getting in harm's way. You want to keep the stone from evil hands but not use for your own gain. You want to learn and have fun and be part of an adventure but never have you wanted this."

The man gestured around them. At the riches, the wary faces of his friends, his own aching body and then at the stone itself.

The guardian approached Harry slowly and pushed his black hair away and traced the lightning-bolt scar ever so slightly.

Harry shivered.

He suppressed a groan. The touch somehow hurt.

His knees buckled and he fell heavily down onto one.

"HARRY!" Bill shouted and made a step forward but Harry held up a hand to keep him back, to show him that he was alright.

Now he focused his gaze on the guardian above him.

His finger was still ghosting over his scar.

The man smiled fondly down at him.

He gave him a hand and helped him back up to his feet.

"You bear a golden heart in your chest. Despite all that happened to you, you are a pure soul. Despite what you have been burdened with, your heart still goes out to those in need and you put the welfare of others before your own. You are reckless and loyal to a fault. You'd take the weight of the world on your shoulders to spare others from having to do it. You are humble and would never use powers given to you only for your own sense and our purposes. You are far from perfect. You have your faults. You are young and still inexperienced. Your strong desire of justice sometimes clouds your mind. And yet you have gained knowledge that some people five times your age have not yet gained." the guardian said somberly.

He then stepped aside and pointed at the pedestal with the stone hovering above.

"Please. Destroy the stone. It's the only way it will ever be truly safe. The only way we all will ever be safe. I cannot let you leave this place if you don't do it."

Harry took a deep breath. "I know" he whispered silently "But it scares me."

"Fear not." The guardian said. "You are stronger than you think you are. I know you can do it."

Harry shook his head. This was messed up on a whole new level!

Then looking up he asked determinedly: "What do I have to do?"

He looked at the guardian for guidance.

"Take it. You will know what to do." He said.

Hesitantly Harry approached the stone.

"Harry, you don't have to! Be careful, please!" Bills called out behind him.

"But he's right Bill, this is the only way. No one should ever have supreme power over anyone. If the stone can't be used for good it shouldn't be used at all and if it has no use it has no reason to exist." Harry said without turning around.

Nobody could argue with that logic.

Harrys gaze was fixed on the stone.

In its polished surface Harry saw his own face.

And when he looked deeper, he saw other things inside the stone.

A maelstrom of images flashed through the stone and the hum of power around it became clearer and clearer the closer Harry approached.

They were voices. They were the voices of thousands of humans, all talking, shouting, crying, laughing and calling out to him.

With a shaking hand he reached for the stone.

But before he could reach it a mighty tremor ran through the cave and something behind them exploded.

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AN: There is another one coming up shortly

35. Welcome to the End - Part 2

Chapter Thirty-Five: Welcome to the End Part 2

As Harry flew through the air he was momentarily blind and deaf.

There was just that bright light everywhere that made his eyes sting and a deafening ringing sound in his ears that only faded gradually.

Slowly he got to his hands and knees and shook his head.

The world stopped spinning and shaking and Harry climbed to his feet.

He looked around.

Everything was covered in a thick blanket of dust from the explosion and chunks of rock lay everywhere.

Harry was grateful that none of them hat hit him or his friends.

But his moment of gratefulness was short lived when the turned around and saw what had happened.

The passage that had let them into the chamber was destroyed. A gaping hole in the wall was all that was left.

Overhead many of the glowing stones flickered and stopped glowing or their light dimmed down.

Next to him Daphne and Fleur had gotten up as well. They too were covered in dust and coughing heavily but seemed unhurt otherwise.

Aftershocks traveled though the rock around them.

Harry squeezed Daphne's hand questioningly as he helped her find her balance.

She nodded, assuring him she was fine.

Harry thought far away in the earth he could still hear the resonance of the explosion travel further and further.

Mr. Lovegoods tall figure appeared form behind a stack of crates. One arm was wrapped protectively around Luna.

Rashid was behind them.

He had a thin line of blood tickle down his temple but it didn't appear too serious.

Thomas was suddenly behind Daphne and Fleur, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

They all nodded.

"Where are the others?" Rashid asked and then coughed loudly.

Harry's head snapped around, search for the others.

He didn't have to look long.

He gasped in horror and everyone turned to where he stared.

Wands found their way into their master's hands but not a single spell left their lips.

There, in the gloom of the chamber stood four figures.

They were dressed all in black with cloaks and tall boots, leathery gauntlets and had knifes stuck in their belts. They seemed to blend into the shadows and the low light only underlined it.

The scariest about them though were the silver skull masks on their faces. They glinted in the remaining light and played tricks on the eyes and gave them and inhuman appearance.

They were wearing their hoods up, covering the rest of their head. The eyes behind the holes in the masks were glinting with hatred, smugness and cold blooded anger.

Mouths were twisted in sneers or fierce scowls.

All four were males, different in statue but all very intimidating looking.

And each had one of their missing team members at knifepoint and a wand in their other hand.

A strange cold feeling of familiarity seeped into Harry's bones.

He'd never met any of them. They had been gone and hunted down before he was able to speak.

But he had heard of them.

Death Eaters.

For a whole minute there was absolute silence.

"Well well well." drawled the man holding Eric.

The Rune Master was struggling but the man just pressed the blade deeper into his neck, drawing blood.

Eric halted his movements, a scowl on his face.

With a jolt Harry recognized the voice.

It was the raspy voice he'd heard in his dreams a few times. He could make out a couple of scars on his chin and his breath hitched in his throat.

That was Fenrir Greyback, no doubt.

Harrys gaze jumped towards Bill and he saw the stiff posture of his friend and knew that Bill was only scarcely holding it together.

He was torn from his thoughts when the werewolf continued speaking.

"What do we have here? The Curse-Breaker scum!"

He spat on the ground. It made a disgusting wet sound.

"I never liked you people. You think you're all high and mighty, the good Samaritans that save us from dangerous things…"

He sneered.

His companions made agreeing noises.

"But alas, that's not why we're here." the man holding Alice said.

"Who are you?" Rashid demanded.

"The whole point of the mask is so you don't know." growled the tall man holding Bill.

His eyes were icy blue but cold and unforgiving. He was the tallest of them all.

"You are walking on sacred ground! You have no right to be here!" the Guardian growled.

He flicked his wrists and all the weapons in the chamber suddenly rose into the air, pointing at the four men and their hostages.

"Leave now and I will spare your lives!" he growled.

"Make one move and we kill them." growled Greyback.

"This is outrageous!" the Guardian growled.

"I don't care old man." said the man holding Alice in a bored voice.

"You're Death Eaters." Thomas spat out.

"Give the man a prize." drawled the tall man.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Atticus asked challengingly.

"Get of your high horses, we were here before you. We have been here for months!" the tall man growled.

"So you are the intruders." The Guardian growled.

"Indeed. We've been trying to get in here long before Gringotts got a whim of what was going on here." Greyback growled.

"How did you find out about this place?" Mr. Lovegood asked harshly.

Harry was surprised for a second. Never had he heard the gentle man talk with such loathing in his voice.

"You have your sources, we have ours. When our spy told us you were coming here we weren't too pleased. But that changed when you actually managed to get in. From there on it was a child's play to follow you."

"So what do you want?" Alice asked seething.

"We need something that is here. For our cause." the tall man hissed.

"You're cause is lost, over! The Dark Lord is dead." Bill hissed back.

The man pressed the knife harder against Bills skin.

Harry felt cold anger rushing through his vein and his fingers itched to let go a nasty curse. If only they could use magic!

"That's what you think." growled Bill's attacker.

A cold shiver went down Harry's spine.

It couldn't be.

"You are lying." he hissed.

But was he?

Voldemort had been back twice already. More or less at least.

The tall man's eyes found him and an ugly sneer appeared on his face.

"Harry Potter, in the flesh!" he growled. "You know I didn't believe it at first when our spy told me you were actually here. If it were me I would slit your throat and be down with it."

Harry swallowed hard.

"You lay one finger on him I swear I will rip you apart." Bill shouted.

His captor simply rammed his knee into his back and Bill hissed with pain. Then he turned back to Harry.

"But apparently people think you're still worth something and are needed."

It was obviously that he didn't share that sentiment.

"We outmatch you." Rashid said calmly. "You'll never get what you want."

"Oh really?" growled Greyback. "As I see it we have four of your finest at our mercy. And I don't worry much about the rest of you. Three children, a fool, a dumb dirty half-blood and a blood-traitor and a healer. I'll take my chances."

Harry raised his wand but of course it was useless. They could slit the other's throats the second they would try anything.

"You can't do magic! None of us can!" he growled.

"Oh we know. But we came prepared." laughed Greyback.

"What do you want?" Fleur asked. Her eyes were alight with fury and Harry could have sworn he saw actual flames dancing across her hands.

The tall man smirked. "Why, I thought that was obvious" then his face grew hard "We want the Philosopher's Stone of course!"

Harry clenched his free hand into a fist.

No. They couldn't allow that.

If Death Eaters got hold of this powerful stone they could plunge the whole world into chaos!

"Never." he said almost instantly.

"Never!" agreed the Guardian.

"Then we will kill your friends here." said the fourth man that was holding Atticus. He hadn't said a word so far.

"You'll kill us no matter what." Harry shot back.

"True but we wanted to give you a chance."

"How considerate of you." Harry drawled.

"Shut your smartass mouth Potter." the man replied.

He reached into one of his pockets and threw a dirty piece of cloth at Harry.

Harry caught it instinctively.

"It's simple Potter. Go and wrap the cloth around the stone. I would advise against touching it. Wrap it up all nice and good, then give it back to me and we will let your friends here go." jeered the man holding Alice.

Harry could see strands of dirty, greasy dark hair under the hood.

"And if I don't?" Harry asked coolly.

As an answer Greyback lifted his dagger swiftly and jammed it into Eric's shoulder and twisted it.

Eric howled with pain and thrashed.

Blood spilled out of the wound and seeped into Eric's green shirt, turning it black.

Harry flinched violently, his heart skipping a beat.

All around him his friends shouted out in outrage.

"QUIET!" screamed the tall man holding Bill.

The only sounds in the whole chamber were Eric's panted breaths and painful moans.

"Does that answer your question?" the man holding Atticus asked.

To conceal his trembling hands Harry grabbed the piece of cloth so tight, he almost tore a hole in it.

"So what will it be Potter?" sneered Greyback. "I can do this all day."

He raised the dagger again.

In his grip, Eric flinched and Harry hated feeling so helpless.

"Harry, don't do it! Don't give it to them." Bill said through gritted teeth.

"And let them kill you?" Harry retorted.

"Harry, don't do it that is an order!" Atticus said sternly.

"They are right. The stone can not fall into their hands." The Guardian agreed.

Harry looked at Daphne and his own anguish was reflected in her eyes.

He knew he'd never be able to live with himself if he let his friends die. It would be his own death sentence as well.

But if he did what they wanted, then maybe they had a chance.

Daphne nodded ever so slightly.

I'm with you, her eyes said.

Harry turned around and walked towards the platform.

"Harry, no!" Thomas shouted but before he could make a step the man holding Alice dug his knife against her throat.

"If you try to stop him I slit her throat right now!" he growled.

"Harry you know what will happen if you give it to them!" shouted Alice.

"We're not worth it! Nothing is!" Eric panted.

Harry didn't look at them as he continued walking but he said loud enough: "You're my friends. That is worth everything to me."

They were stunned into silence but the Guardian was not.

He vanished and appeared again in front of Harry.

"I can't let you do this! I thought that you knew better."

Half the weapons he had raised now turned to face Harry but Harry didn't care.

"You chose me, remember." he told the guardian. "Because you know that I will do the right thing" and then in a silent whisper he added "Trust me to do the right thing right now too!"

The Guardian didn't look happy but he nodded and moved aside. The weapons turned away from Harry.

He climbed the few steps up to the pedestal where the stone hovered in the air, slowing turning in circles.

He held the piece of cloth with both hands and slowly reached out for the stone.

Slowly the stone began to float upwards and then towards him and then slowly it settle down in the cloth.

Even through the thin barrier of cloth between his hands and the stone he could feel the vibrations going through his and the murmur of voices he had heard earlier already grew stronger.

His eyes were glued to the stone and he had the immense desire to touch it, to feel the energy coursing through it.

With herculean effort he managed to wrap the cloth over the stone, cutting off his view.

Immediately the pull subsided slightly.

Harry wrapped the cloth tightly around the stone.

He felt awfully reminded of his first trip to Gringotts when Hagrid and he had stopped at vault 713 and Hagrid had retrieved a similar looking object.

He turned around and slowly approached the waiting Death Eaters and his team.

As he stepped down the last step of the platform a strange tingling sensation traveled through his whole body.

He tried to keep his face neutral but he knew his magic had returned.

And judging by the stiff posture of the others they had not yet felt the change in the air yet.

He made his way towards the towering from of the Death Eater, well aware of the fact that every eye in the room was on him.

As he passed Daphne he tried to make her understand that their magic worked again.

He looked her in the eyes then down at his own wand and then at her wand and back at her.

She made a very subtle wave with her wand, as if performing a spell.

He nodded slightly.

As he passed her he could see that she was nudging her uncle.

Harry hoped she could pass the message on to him and maybe the others as well.

Because they had no time to lose.

He stopped a few steps before Atticus and his captor.

"Harry, don't. Please." Atticus said silently.

"It'll be alright." Harry said confidently before looking at the man behind Atticus.

He stared directly into the dark eyes behind the skull-mask.

He held the wrapped stone up.

"Let them go and it's yours."

The man laughed condescendingly.

"You really think you are in a position to make demands? I think not. Give it to me."

He held out one hand while his other still pressed a knife firmly against Atticus throat.

"Harry please!" Alice whispered next to Atticus. "You can't do this."

"Shut up!" growled her captor.

Harry slowly lifted his hand…

…and whispered: "Catch." before hurling the stone over their heads.

For a few precious seconds the Death Eaters were too stunned to move.

But not Harry.

His curse hit Atticus captor in the face, propelling him backwards into a huge pile of golden coins, burrowing him underneath.

Harry had admit it to Atticus that he didn't even flinch, just simply swirled around and blasted the man that was holding Alice in the back with a bludgeoning curse.

Greyback recovered first and pushed Eric hard to the ground, drawing his wand. He sent an angry red curse at Harry but Alice tackled him to the ground. Greyback was about to curse them again when suddenly Bill was there and the werewolf was hit in the side by a nasty cutting curse.

It drew blood but Greyback shook it off quickly.

One of his curses toppled over a stack of crates and Fleur and Luna jumped away in the nick of time.

The man that had held Bill rose from the ruins of what once has been a pyramid of gold bullions.

He took aim at Bills back but Harry's wand was faster and a shield expanded just in time over Bill.

Atticus attacker managed to surface from underneath the golden coins. What Harry could see of his face was twisted in anger and his dark eyes promised Harry a slow death.

He advanced on Harry and Harry felt panic rise within him.

But suddenly Eric was there.

The Rune Master was bloody and on the verge of collapsing but his wand painted a quick rune in the air. His fist closed around it and his whole body started to glow.

With a sound like an exploding cannon a dozen black orbs exploded from Eric's body, flying directly at the Death Eater.

Most of them hit and stuck to him, a strange black goo starting to cover him.

It steamed and smelled awful but it only slowed the man down a little bit.

Harry dragged Eric down, not having the time to raise a shield and the older man fell onto him.

Harry had his breath punched out of him and he lay there few a few moments, gasping for air.

A shadow appeared above him and he rolled to the left, pushing Eric with a kick to the right.

In the space between them where they had been laying seconds before was now a smoldering black scorch mark.

Blindly Harry threw a curse and with grim satisfaction he heard the Death Eater yelp.

He got to his feet, taking in the situation.

Dread pooled into his stomach.

Despite being only four the Deatheaters were holding their own fairly well.

The tall one was engaging Atticus Bill and Thomas in a duel.

He was good. Scarily good.

A bit off to his right Luna was shielded by her father who was dueling Greyback with Alice's help.

Rashid was fending off the third man while Daphne pulled Fleur off the floor, dragging her behind a stack of shields to take cover.

Harry looked down at Eric who looked close to passing out and then back at his own attacker.

The Deatheater was getting back onto his feet and this time Eric wouldn't jump between them in time; that Harry knew for certain.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry chanted and to his surprise the wand went flying from the man's hand.

But his joy was short lived when the man picked up one of the swords that the Guardian had conjured.

"What? Did you really thing the fight was over just because I have no wand anymore? Foolish little boy. So much to learn and only so little time left. Let me teach you one thing before you die" he took a swing at Harry and Harry just managed to dodge or the sword would have take off his head "Life is too short for honor. Only those willing to do what needs to be done will come out on top" he swung the sword again and this time Harry lost his footing as his moved aside and fell hard onto the ground, jarring his shoulder "And that includes fighting dirty. Be prepared for everything. Anticipate your opponents every possible move and have a counter-move for every eventuality. Of course stupid bold Gryffindors wouldn't know anything about strategic warfare like that. You just run in head first." the Deatheater sneered.

Harry who was on his back tried to crawl backwards but he bumped into one of the many columns. He raised his wand to cast a spell but the man kicked against his wrist and Harry's wand went flying off into a pile of jewelry.

This was it.

He would die.

The Death Eater stood above him, sword raised high.

Harrys hands searched frantically for anything that could help him.

His hands caught something big and smooth.

"Goodbye Harry Potter. Your death will be worth the punishment I will receive." the monster of a man promised.

The sword came down and Harry grabbed the smooth object and yanked it upwards.

There was a loud 'CLANG' as the sword connected with Harry's improvised shield.

Harry, acting purely on instinct lashed out with his legs and kicked the man's left leg away, making him stumble and fall.

Harry crawled aside to where his wand had fallen.

He scanned the mountain of jewelry.

"Damn it. Wand…wand where are you? Wand!"

He didn't expect anything to happen but his wand suddenly came flying towards him from under a heavy golden crown.

Harry caught it mid-flight, swirled around and just in time blasted the Death Eater away.

The man went flying backwards and actually crashed through two columns on his way.

Harry looked around.

Daphne and Fleur had joined Rashid in his duel.

Greyback was retreating.

The other man too was slowly backing away.

They were actually winning!

Harry grinned.

And then the floor shook and he landed hard on his back.

He wasn't the only one.

All his friends went to the ground.

For the second time in less than five minutes Harry had his breath knocked out of his lungs.

What had happened now?

He sat up, looking around.

His blood seemed to freeze in his veins.

There was the Deatheater Harry had dueled with moments before.

He stood next to his three companions.

In one hand he had his wand.

But what was worse was the cloth wrapped package in his other hand.

And the fact that Greyback was holding Alice, his barred teeth only inches away from her exposed throat.

All movement ceased.

"Well as much fun as this has been I think we'll take our leave now." drawled the tall Death Eater.

Harry's opponent turned to face the Guardian who had reappeared again.

"You will tell us how to get out of here or else…."

The Guardian looked at him coolly.

"You will never get away." he said angrily.

"The way out, now!" the Deatheater growled.

The Guardian looked at Harry.

And suddenly his voice resonated within Harrys head.

'I can't let them escape.'

'NO! Please!' Harry yelled back at him in his head.

'What is one live compared to thousands?' the Guardian asked.

'There is another way.' Harry pleaded.

'I need to do what is for the good of the world.'

Harry got angry.

'You will not! I forbid it!' he thought vehemently. 'The stone is my responsibility now, not yours anymore! I command you to tell them!'

The Guardian looked disappointed but complied nonetheless.

Facing the Deatheaters he waved his hand and a passage opened in the rock.

"This will take you back to the surface." he said simply.

The Deatheater eyed it critically.

"No tricks! You won't like it!" he growled.

Then he nodded at his companions.

The other two entered the passage first and then Greyback started dragging Alice with him.

"Let her go, you got what you wanted!" Harry shouted angrily.

"Let's just say the little Missy here is our insurance that this path will actually lead to the surface and not into a death-trap." Greyback growled.

Then he too disappeared in the passage.

The last Deatheater pointed one finger at Harry threateningly.

"You better watch your back Potter. Peace is over!"

He stepped into the passage, waved his wand and the wall crumbled, sealing the entrance to the tunnel.

Once the rumbling had subsided, silence reigned.

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AN: Thanks for the lovely reviews and for keeping up with the story. The next chapter will follow shortly.

36. Not the End yet - Part 1

AN: Haven't done a disclaimer in quite a while…just to remind you: I do not own Harry Potter. I think that's fact. Everything you recognize is not mine.

Have fun reading, it's a really long chapter!

Love,

KC

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Chapter Thirty-Six: Not the End yet – Part 1

"Alright we need a plan." Harry said determinedly.

Nobody moved.

"They only have a small head-start on us. I say we follow." Harry suggested.

He looked around.

Still nobody moved or said anything.

"Guys, come on!" he shouted.

"No Harry. It's over." Bill said silently.

"What?" Harry asked, not comprehending what it was that Bill said.

"It's over Harry. They have the stone, they have Alice. They collapsed the tunnel. There is nothing left for us to do." Atticus explained calmly.

Harry recoiled and looked at his team aghast.

"Since when do you give up that easily?" he asked.

"Goddamn it Potter! Don't you understand? It's over!" Eric growled from where he had propped himself up against a crate.

Rashid was tending to his shoulder.

"If you had done as told…" he began but Harry interrupted him angrily: "If I had done as told we would already be dead."

"We don't know that. They might have left us down here." Thomas said.

"They are Deatheaters! They had every intention of killing us!" Harry called out.

"What do you know about Deatheaters? You are just a kid!" Eric snapped.

"So what? You don't really think they were going to spare our lives if there was a chance we might follow them!"

"We'll never know that!" Eric hissed back.

"Just shut up! This is not Harry's fault! We don't know what might have been but at least he tried!" Daphne shouted.

"You're just as bad as him! You take every word he says for the absolute truth and the most brilliant thing ever said!" Eric barked.

"Don't talk to my niece like that!" Thomas growled jus as Daphne hissed: "I do not!"

"Everybody calm down! Zis is madness!" Fleur shouted.

"She is right. We need to think of a way to escape and save Alice!" Harry agreed.

"They'll be long gone by now!" Atticus muttered.

"Well we can't do nothing! We have to try at least!" Harry said in disbelieve.

"Then what do you suggest since you seem to be the one with the big plans here!" Eric growled.

"Okay so this didn't go as well as I thought it would." Harry admitted. "But at least we had a chance. And we still do!"

"He's right." Luna said. "He didn't just stand idly by. He did something. We can still save Alice and recover the stone."

"And pray tell how do we do that?" Thomas asked.

Luna turned to look at the Guardian.

"You can open us another passage."

It wasn't a question.

"I could. But tell me why I should?" he asked.

"To prove that you were right to choose Harry. To show that he is going to fulfill his destiny. He's not alone. He has all of us. We're a team." She said confidently.

The Guardian looked skeptically around.

Luna turned to address the others.

"Alice would never give up on any of you just like that."

Daphne nodded. "The people I started the crusade with would never have given up like that." She said. "I know we're all tired and this is a hard blow to take but since when has something like this kept you down?"

"We can do this. We have the skills, the numbers and the will!" Harry added.

"They are right." Fleur said silently and moved to stand behind the teens.

"We are a team. We're in zis together and we won't give up on each other now!" she said confidently.

Bill nodded. "We can at least try. We owe it to Alice."

"Getting orders from thirteen-year-olds…I'm retiring early!" Eric mutter before hauled himself to his feet with a grunt.

"Alright. So how do we do this?" he asked.

They looked at him slightly astonished.

"What? You don't think I'm just going to roll over and die!" he grumbled.

Atticus shook his head.

"Stubborn till the end. You'll go far kids." he said with a weary grin.

Rashid shoulder his bag and nodded. "I'm also for trying. We can't let them win like that. I could never forgive myself."

Thomas sighed. "If we are doing this we will never utter a single word of this to your mother!" he told Daphne.

She smiled and nodded.

Harry turned to face the Guardian.

It was now all up to him.

He regarded them closely.

"As you said. The stone is now yours. Promise me you will do everything on your power destroy it." he told Harry.

"I'm sorry it had to go like this. But I promise, I will get that Stone back and if it's the last thing I'll ever do." Harry promised. "It's the least I can do."

"Alright then." The Guardian said and nodded.

He clasped his hands together and Harry felt as if his body dissolved.

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His next breath was a lungful of water.

Spluttering he shook himself and tore open his eyes.

He was surrounded by water.

Panic surged through him.

Painful memories of the River of the Undying coursed through head.

He struggled, propelling himself upwards.

Upwards, where he could spot light!

Then he noticed that he wasn't alone. Next to him swam Daphne. She nodded at him.

Above him he saw Thomas' lanky frame. To his left was Atticus, helping Eric on their way upwards.

A hand grabbed his arm and he saw Bill next to him, pulling him strongly upwards.

Reassured that the others must have been close as well he began swimming.

As they broke the surface and took in deep lungs full of air, Harry couldn't help but laugh.

The air was humid but fresh and tasted of plants and sunshine.

Harry opened his eyes and looked around.

To the west over the trees the last traces of sunlight were slowly disappearing and night was almost at hand.

Still the light was enough to help them make out their surroundings.

Harry heard the unmistaken sound of falling water and as he turned around in the water he saw the familiar outline of a small waterfall behind them.

"Daphne, Luna! Look where we are guys!" he shouted as he paddled towards the shore.

"You know where we are?" Atticus asked as he heaved Eric onto the shore.

"Yeah. This is the lake where we used to go swimming. We discovered it on accident while you were still de-cursing the shield." Luna agreed.

"Camp is not far away." Daphne added.

"It doesn't matter where the camp is. We need to find out where Alice is!" Thomas said.

An explosion rocketed across the sky and above the top of the trees they could make out, in some distance a huge ball of flames rising upwards before dying down.

"That's camp." Harry muttered.

"They must be there." Fleur agreed.

"With Alice they could get through the protective barrier." Eric groaned.

Bill took his wand. "Point me Alice Monticore."

His wand pointed straight at the explosion.

"Let's go" he said grimly "We got a friend to rescue and the world to save."

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Harry felt misplaced as he sneaked through the trees.

He waited for someone to shout: "CUT!" and for lights to go on and stuff like that.

It just felt unreal creeping around like a secret agent on a mission to save someone.

Only this wasn't a movie. This was reality and reality sucked.

Reality was dangerous and complicated.

In reality people got hurt and people died.

If you mess up in reality there is no second chance. There is no trying again. Not another take.

That truth hit Harry hard and he swallowed nervously.

The plan was simple.

The Deatheaters weren't expecting them.

And they were in their camp.

Probably to destroy it. Or steal.

Who knew what reasons these people had if they had any at all.

The perimeter around their camp only allowed people in that had a certain symbol carved into the back of their hand.

With Alice they would have no problem getting in.

So Eric and Bill would change the warding so that nobody inside without the mark wouldn't be able to leave the camp now.

That way the Deatheaters would be trapped.

And then they would overpower them, save Alice and get the stone back.

In theory.

Luna, Daphne and Harry had been told to stay behind and let the grownups handle it.

Harry had just looked at Bill and said: "Yeah, not happening."

Luna and Daphne had agreed so now they were allowed to come along but had to stay behind the others and not engage in any unnecessary dueling.

Harry silently ducked under a low hanging branch and pressed himself against the trunk of the tree as the first tents came into view.

He looked down at the back of his left and as it started to tingle.

The perimeter was just a few feet behind him and he felt the changes Eric and Bill had made.

The symbol appeared on his hand even though the faint line shad long since healed.

It had worked.

Daphne appeared next to him.

She looked grim and determined.

The last rays of sunlight created a gloomy atmosphere under the trees and the thick canopies of the trees.

Daphne's dirty hair swayed in the slight breeze and her corn-flower-blue eyes seemed darker.

She was dirty, a bit banged up around the edges and yet she had never looked better in Harry's eyes.

"What are you looking at me like that?" she whispered confused.

Harry's fingers searched for hers and laced them together.

"You are amazing you know that?" he asked.

She blushed.

"You're not saying that because we're heading into a fight against ruthless Deatheaters, right? Because that would spoil the moment."

He laughed slightly.

"Come here." he whispered and pulled her closer.

"I should have done that earlier." he added before gently kissing her on the lips.

It was just a short little kiss.

But it was meaningful.

Daphne's eyelids fluttered and she sighed.

"I really like you too." Harry muttered.

"I hope so." Daphne whispered and jokingly shook her fist.

Harry smiled.

"You ready?" he asked serious.

She let out a long breath and looked past him at the camp.

"Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be."

"Me too." he admitted.

She squeezed his fingers that were still entwined with hers.

"Together?"

"Together."

.

They had spread out and approached the camp from different angles.

Harry and Daphne with Fleur and Mr. Lovegood flanking them approached straight ahead.

They stopped at the edge of the trees and stared at their camp.

Destroyed was a good way to describe it.

The Deatheaters had cleared out their tents and had piled all their furniture and everything else they could find in the fire-pit.

Now it was burning merrily and the dense smoke hung heavily in the air, obscuring the view.

Their tents more or less still stood in the same places but many were half collapsed and whatever crates and barrels and that hadn't fit in the pit anymore lay carelessly around.

There was no sign of the Deatheaters anywhere.

Harry looked at Fleur, unsure how to proceed.

The older Witch was pale but gripped her wand tightly and nodded with her chin ahead.

Slowly they left the cover of the trees and approached the burning fire-pit.

The tree-trunks they had put around it to serve as benches were still there but some were not in the place they used to be or jutted halfway out of the pit.

The heat was immense and the smoke burned in Harry's eyes and lungs.

He barely suppressed a cough.

Slowly they moved around the pit and stood at the entrance to the horseshoe of tents.

Straight ahead was the CT, the flaps covering the entrance torn down and lying in the dirt.

Smoke hung in the air.

Pieces of destroyed furniture lay in their path.

"What is that?" Daphne muttered and pointed ahead.

Between the remnants of a broken table and an armchair lay something strange.

A lump of cloths?

But then the lump of cloths moved.

"Alice!" Daphne breathed and sprinted towards the young woman.

But Harry caught a sudden movement from the corner of his eye and shouted: "DAPHNE NO! IT'S A TRAP!"

Too late.

A red beam of light shot across the empty space and hit Daphne in the shoulder.

She cried out and went down.

"NO!" Harry shouted, running towards her.

He knew it was stupid but he didn't care.

All around them the deceiving calmness shattered into million pieces.

There was another shout and three of the tents exploded simultaneously.

Harry jumped and dragged Daphne behind the cover of the fallen table next to Alice.

All around them spell-fire rained down as the Curse-Breakers dueled the Death Eaters.

But what they lacked in numbers the Deatheaters made up in dirty-tricks and booby-traps.

They knew they were coming.

They'd known they would escape.

Harry turned his attention back to Alice.

The duelist was conscious but in a bad shape.

At first Harry couldn't see why. She was pale and shivering and there was sweat covering her brow. Her teeth were chattering.

Then he saw the blood.

It was so dark he nearly hadn't seen it but he felt it when he touched Alice.

It was hot and wet and sticky and he smelled it.

There was a lot of blood.

"Oh my god." Daphne breathed next to him.

"What is it?" he asked urgently.

A spell hit close to Daphne's legs and Harry shot a counter into the general direction it had come from. He summoned a few pieces of the broke furniture closer to them to make a small makeshift fort around them.

Trapped in the Neverland between the two opposing fronts there was no way safe across.

"It's her hand. Oh Alice what did they do?" Daphne asked as she tore her backpack off her back and started rummaging through it.

Alice groaned. "Tried to…fight…" she whispered out of breath. "Tall…g…guy saw…me…re…reach for…wand… of…other…guy. Stopped…me." She managed to say.

"Harry I need your help." Daphne muttered. "Keep talking to her. Here, make her drink. Put her head on your lap."

Her tone left no room for arguments.

Harry scooted towards Alice's head, keeping his head low as another volley of curses whizzed overhead.

The screams and shouts echoed around him and he wanted to help, jump in and fight but Daphne needed him.

He did as she had told him.

"Daphne what is wrong with her?" he asked.

Gently Daphne lifted Alice's left arm and Alice screamed in pain.

"Hold her!" Daphne commanded, tilting the arm upwards.

And Harry nearly lost his last meager meal then and there.

For Daphne was holding Alice's arm up. But her hand was missing.

.

Harry closed his eyes.

Took a deep breath and then opened his eyes again.

The hand had been cut of clean at the wrist and blood was still spilling form the cuts.

He tried not to look to closely at the wound.

Instead he focused on Daphne.

"Can you fix her?"

Daphne glanced up at him for a second.

"I can save her life." she replied.

"How did…why did…they do that?" he asked with trepidation.

"Like she said. One of them saw her reach for one of the wands and stopped her literally from reaching it."

Harry was amazed how calm and collected Daphne was.

Her movements were quick yet controlled and precise.

Her wand twirled around the wound and her medical supplies danced around her.

She shoved a potion in Harry's hand.

"Make her drink this!" she ordered.

Harry nodded.

He looked down at Alice's face.

It was crunched up in pain and she was crying.

How she managed to stay conscious was a miracle.

"Alice? Alice it's me Harry! Daphne is here taking care of your arm but I need you to drink this! Think you're up for it?" he asked, hoisting her as gently as possible up to make it easier for her.

She groaned but nodded.

"Good. Open up and here we go." he muttered.

He held the small bottle to her lips and tipped it upwards.

She swallowed sluggishly and some of the potion missed her mouth and made her cough but most of it went down.

She sighed and relaxed.

"What was that?" Harry asked. "A blood-replenishing-potion mixed with a mild pain-relive-potion. It takes off the edge of the pain." She muttered.

Alice eyes fluttered shut.

"Hey! Alice! Stay awake, do you hear me?" Harry said forcefully and squeezed her shoulder.

She groaned and opened her eyes.

"You don't want to miss any of this, don't you?" he muttered, gesturing vaguely around.

She managed to glare at him.

"Sorry." He muttered.

Next to him Daphne cursed.

"Damn it, I'm such an idiot!"

"What's wrong?" Harry demanded, looking up.

A spell exploded against the table they were hiding behind and it caught fire.

"Shit." Harry cursed.

"Harry!"

He turned his attention back to Daphne.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

"I can't stop the bleeding. I shouldn't have given her the blood-replenishing potion before I didn't have the bleeding under control. Now she could bleed to death." Daphne said, stress obvious in her voice.

"What do you need?" Harry asked, not beating around the bush.

"I need a certain potion, its slows down the bleeding and quickens the clotting process in the wound to stop the bleeding completely, but it's not in my kit since I'm not qualified to administer it."

She almost sobbed as she tended to the bleeding stump.

Harry turned his head towards Rashid's healing tent.

It looked relatively unharmed.

But would the potions still be in there?

It was worth a shot.

"I'll be back in a second." He promised.

"Harry you can't! Our own people could hit you!" she shouted.

"Just keep her going until I'm back!" he insisted.

"Harry!"

Keeping low He edged out f the shelter of the table and jumped behind remains of the armchair.

Looking around he saw couple of his friends in front of him, hiding by the tents.

"Harry, what the hell are you doing there?" Atticus shouted.

"Alice! She's hurt! I need a potion from Rashid! Where is he?" he shouted back, ducking deeper when a curse shot so close past his head it singed his hair and cut a graze through his hair past his temple.

"Harry!"

"I'm okay! Just cover me so I can get out of here!" he shouted.

"I'll try." Atticus shouted back.

"That's all I'm asking!"

Harry got to his knees and peaked over the piece of armchair he was hiding behind.

"Run Harry!" Atticus called out when there was a short break in the spell-fire from across and Atticus countered with all he had.

Harry swirled around on his knees and jumped to his feet and started running, keeping low and just kept running.

He jumped headlong behind the tent Atticus was using as cover, used his momentum to roll over his shoulder and ended up on his feet, running.

Adrenalin pumped through him, making his sight slightly fuzzy.

His head felt empty.

There was only one command. And that was 'Get the potion, save Alice!'.

He tore through the cloth of the Med-Tent and stopped inside, looking around frantically.

The beds were gone as were the cabinets holding the medical supplies.

Some broken chairs, the curtain that separated the two beds was torn down and on fire. A tipped over cauldron lay in one corner.

"Shit!" Harry cursed.

He dashed back outside, barely managing to drop to avoid a cutting curse that made the healing tent collapse completely.

He caught sight of a head of thick dark hair frizzy hair held back by a bandana.

"RASHID!" he shouted, running after the healer.

The dark skinned man was kneeling next to Mr. Lovegood who was holding his left arm. It looked broken. His robes were a mess and his right sleeve was actually on fire. Rashid quickly stomped it out before tending to the eccentric man.

"What is it Harry? Are you injured?" Rashid asked.

His voice was just like Daphne's, cool and collected.

"Not me. It's Alice. Daphne is with her but they cut off one of her hands and she's bleeding and Daphne needs a potion to quicken the clotting of the blood or something." Harry explained, throwing a strong 'Bombarda' at the corner of the CT when he spotted the glint of a silver skull-mask.

The Deatheater, Harry couldn't see who it was, dodged and jumped out into the open, running towards them.

"Shit." Harry cursed and hastily put up a shield to protect him and his two companions.

Three nasty cursed crackled against it.

The short break the Deatheater needed was Harry's opening.

His cutting curse hit the man in the leg.

Harry recognized him. It was the tall one with the hard blue eyes.

His leg buckled and he swayed.

Harry used it to kick the already wounded leg and bring him down.

He wanted to jump on top of the man but the man shouted: "Everte Statum."

Not again, was all Harry could think as he was blasted away.

Bet that was where Malfoy learned it from, he thought grimly as he picked himself off the hard ground.

He was slightly dazed so when a hand grabbed him and pulled him backwards away he struggled and kicked.

"Shut up Harry it's me, Bill!" his friend and mentor hissed.

Harry stopped struggling.

"I told you stay out of the fighting!" Bill hissed.

"No chance. Alice is hurt. Daphne needs Rashid's help or she'll die!"

Rashid appeared out of nowhere.

"Where is Daphne?" he asked.

"In there." Harry said, pointing at the empty space between the two rows of tents towards the small makeshift fort.

He could see Daphne's blond hair and occasionally saw her throw a curse at the other side with her wand.

"Aw shit." Bill muttered.

Harry's ears were starting to go numb with pain from all the explosions and his eyes hurt from the bright flashes of light.

The adrenalin was wearing off and his limbs shook and he was shaking.

Not now, he thought, the fight isn't over!

"Bill, Harry, cover me. I need to get in there." Rashid said determinedly.

"We can't keep sitting here and throw spells at each other. We need to take the fight to them." Bill growled.

"Do you think they noticed by now that they can't get out?" Harry asked.

"For sure or they would have bolted long ago." Rashid muttered as he readied himself for the sprint.

"We need to find the stone" Harry said urgently "Before they do anything with it."

"As strange as that may sound, I think the stone is relatively save. They have pans for it and won't dare to let and harm befall it, let alone use it. I think right now we need to concentrate on the problems at hand."

Harry didn't like it but he nodded.

"Go." Bill muttered as he and Harry threw everything they had at their enemies.

Rashid dashed forward, keeping low and jumping into the small fort.

Harry was sure Alice would be fine now that Rashid was there.

He spotted Atticus and Thomas a few meters to their left, close to the burning and smoldering fire-pit.

They ran towards them.

"Where is Daphne!" Thomas shouted as he saw them.

"With Rashid, tending to Alice. Bill said.

Harry knew it would be better not to mention that the three were sitting ducks out there.

Thomas relaxed slightly.

"Fleur? The Lovegoods? Eric?" Atticus asked.

"I parted ways with Eric after we changed the wards. He looked fine but was not really in a fighting shape. That won't stop him though probably." Bill offered.

"Mr. Lovegood broke his arm and Rashid took care of it. I haven't seen Luna since we advanced on the camp. That was the last time I save Fleur too." Harry said silently.

"They are around. They have to be." Atticus said simply before lifting one of the burning pieces of furniture into the air and catapulted it with another spell towards the offending spell-fire.

"Do you think we should…" Harry never had the time to finish his question because something growled behind them and then something barreled into him, knocking him backwards into the Neverland between the two sides.

Something heavy landed on top of him, pinning him down.

It was Fenrir Greyback.

His mask was gone and his disfigured inhuman hairy face was only inches away from his.

He leered at Harry, baring his teeth.

Harry struggled and screamed but Greyback was too strong for him.

"You know, opposed to many others, I have embraced my wild side. And I love the power that comes with it."

His teeth were inches away now from Harrys throat.

"Children are always so…helpless…I like it. Just ask you friend Bill over there…or better…that Remus Lupin!"

Harry shouted and screamed, more in anger and frustration than in fear.

This monster had hurt so many people and ruined so many lives!

Harry sobbed, thinking that he'd be next.

But pain came.

Instead a furious voice thundered: "GET OFF HIM YOU HELL SPAWN!" and Greyback, taken by surprise, was shoved straight off Harry.

Harry rolled out of the way, got to his knees and saw Bill on top of the werewolf, driving his fists into his face.

"You" Punch "Will" Punch "Never" Punch "Do" Punch "This" Double punch "Again!" he shouted.

All would not have gone well for him though, unarmed as he was but as Greyback shoved him off him and lashed out with his claw-like finger, Fleur appeared out of the smoke.

And…oh boy…she was mad.

Harry knew she was part Veela. But he never quite understood what a Veela was. He knew about the allure and how it attracted men (most men). But nobody had really ever explained what kind of a creature a Veela was.

Now he knew.

Fleur's whole body glowed like the moon but that was not the strangest and most frightening thing about her.

No.

Her eyes were coal-red, her hair was moving around like a nest of snakes, her face had elongated slightly, her nose was now sharper and more beak-like and fiery-red wings had sprouted from her back.

Most frightening of all, her hands were on fire. In each hand she held two balls of fire which she hurled at Greyback, shrieking like a banshee.

"Get away from him!"

Her voice was higher pitched and resonated across the camp.

One fireball missed but the other grazed Greyback enough to set his hairy body on fire.

He yowled and dropped, trying to suffocate the flames by rolling on the ground.

It gave Bill enough time to get to his feet and advance on him with Fleur by his side.

Two of the other Deatheaters jumped into the open, wands at the ready.

One of them was the Deatheater that had taken the stone.

But now harry couldn't see it anywhere on him.

Atticus and Thomas joined him.

The spell-fire ceased.

But where was the fourth? Where was the tall guy Harry had dueled just minutes ago?

Thomas seemed to think the same things as he.

"Where's the other one?" he muttered.

There was a moment of standstill where the two sides just looked at each other.

Greyback got back to his feet, growling.

Harry saw the burned flesh under his cloths.

Serves him right, he thought grimly.

He spotted Rashid peaking out of the small fort.

Harry shook his head slightly.

They couldn't risk it yet.

Not while there was still one Deatheater missing.

"You are in no shape to fight. Put down your wands now and we'll let you live." growled one of the other two Deatheaters.

"You're the ones that are trapped here. We can go." Atticus reminded him.

"We'll get out of here eventually." Sneered the other one confidently. "You're not the only ones that know about warding and runes, you know?"

"You will never succeed. What is it that you try to archive?" Thomas asked forcefully.

The Deatheater that spoke first laughed.

"What do you think? This is all for our Lord."

"He was destroyed." Bill growled.

"That's what you think. That's what everyone thinks. That what everyone wants to think! But do you honestly believe our Lord could be vanquished be a mere baby?" growled Greyback.

"Then where has he been these past years?" Fleur hissed.

"Hiding, waiting for a chance to strike. Keeping you all oblivious to the truth." Jeered the second Deatheater.

"Then it would be stupid to tell us. We might inform the Ministry."

The Deatheaters laughed and the first one said condescendingly: "First of all we will kill you before you will have the chance. Second: The Minister is a fool, a wimp. He closes his eyes before the truth. Why should he believe a bunch of dirty no good treasure hunters? You have no prove."

Harry had to admit that he wasn't wrong.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck tingled and stood on end.

There was a familiar whisper growing louder in the air and it rushed into his ears, straight into his head where it exploded.

Harry flinched as white light took his sight for a second and a brief image of the Philosopher's stone flashed through his mind.

Help me!

The call was silent any yet loud at the same time.

"Their stalling! The other one is getting away! With the stone!" he shouted outraged.

He turned on his heel, heading towards the perimeter of the camp.

He could feel the stone getting away and he followed his feeling.

Behind him the dueling began again but this time with a new ferocity that hadn't been there before.

But Harry didn't care.

He knew what he had to do.

"I'm going after the stone!" he shouted.

Someone said: "Harry wait!" but Harry would not.

He tore through the remnants of their camp, past the burning fire-pit and back into the jungle.

It was pitch-black under the threes and he shouldn't have been able to see but somehow his feet carried him over every branch and every root, around threes and past other obstacles.

For the first time in his life he thanked his cousin for inventing 'Harry-hunting'. It had given him a great stamina and endurance to keep running.

His neck tingled again and he knew he was close.

The Deatheater couldn't have gotten far.

Neither apparation nor Portkeys worked inside their cut-off location so he had to go by foot or broom.

"Lumos!" he chanted while running.

The tip of his want ignited but it not enough to look far ahead.

"Lumos Maxima!" he called out, waving his want in the appropriate fashion and a sphere of light exploded form the tip of his wand and shot ahead of him, igniting the area around him.

He made out movements ahead of him.

It was the fourth Deatheater. The tall blue-eyed one.

He was sitting on a broom but he was going very, very slowly. Above his head hung a glowing orb of light that illuminated his path slightly so that he could see where he was flying.

Even from this distance Harry could see that he was not a good flyer.

Combine that with total darkness and lots of trees and other obstacles and it was almost a miracle he had been able to remain on his broom this far.

Harry wondered why he didn't fly above the trees but one look upwards gave him the answer. There was imply no way up and out through the trees. They grew too densely.

Good for Harry, bad for the Deatheater.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Harry bellowed and his spell hit and knocked the Deatheater clean off his broom and into the nearest tree.

He yelped and something flew from his hand through the air and landed in the grass just a few feet ahead of Harry.

In the light of the orb that still hovered above them he recognized what it was.

It was something wrapped in cloth.

The Stone!

Harry made a jump for it but something blunt collided with his chest before he could reach it.

He spun around and landed on his stomach.

His chest throbbed with pain.

He got to his hands and knees and looked up at the Deatheater before him.

He had bent down to pick up the stone.

Anger coursed through Harry's veins but he was still gasping for air and he felt just so tired!

"You don't know when to stop, do you? You don't know when you're outmatched, just like your parents. Arrogant blood-traitor James and dumb little Lily mud-blood." The man sneered though he too was out of breath.

"Always wanting to be the heroes too…" the man continued "Looks like they passed their stupidity on to you. You too always look for someone to safe. Ever thought that maybe people don't want to be saved? They are destructive be nature. The very existence of this Stone proves it. What are you trying to archive here? Are you trying to prove yourself? Well boy-o it isn't working. You are going to die out here and if they ever talk about you again in the future they will talk about your foolishness and your disappointing end."

Harry coughed and got to his knees.

"How did you get out of camp? The warding should have kept you inside." he growled.

The Deatheater laughed and threw something down in front of him.

"With this." he said with and evil smirk.

Harry thought he was going to black out.

"Though I do admit it is not mine. I think it belongs to your friend. What was her name again? Ah yes, Alice, I think."

In front of Harry lay Alice's severed hand, the faint lines of the access-rune glowing on the back of it.

Anger overwhelmed Harry and with a primeval cry he threw himself at the man.

He obviously wasn't expecting that because Harry managed to tackle him to the ground, even though he was at least three heads taller than him.

He drove his fist into the man stomach and he gave a satisfying 'UFF'.

His wand and the stone went flying but Harry didn't care.

"Don't talk about my friends like that; don't even take my family's name into your mouth! You're not worth saying their names. And don't pretend to know anything about me or them. You are monsters, you and your friends. And I swear I will end all of you!" he shouted.

The man grabbed his throat and Harry started to struggle, trying to pry his hands off. When that didn't work he tried to punch, scratch and slap the man.

One particular powerful punch knocked the skull-mask off the man's face, startling him.

Both of them froze, looking at each other for a few seconds.

The man's face was long, with high cheekbones and sunken in eyes. His lips were thin and in proportion to his head sat very close to the chin.

There was a scar running down from his left temple to his nose. Another scar cut through the right eyebrow, separating it into two halves.

And somehow his face seemed very familiar.

Harry was so taken by surprise that he had no chance to defend himself against the man's attack.

A swift punch to the stomach rendered him airless while a jab to the throat took away any sound he could make.

"You've seen my face."

When the man spoke it was without any emotion. Slowly he bent down and retrieved his mask, putting it back on securely.

The human vanished and the monster returned.

"They can never know. Goodbye Harry Potter."

He lifted his wand.

"Avad…"

"HARRY!"

Distracted by the sudden appearance of Luna, both Harry and the Deatheater looked up.

Luna was running towards them.

But she wasn't alone.

Harry thought he'd seen enough glowing people for one day but there was Luna, glowing in soft blue light surrounded by a swarm of white misty figures that seemed to dance around her.

"Help him!" Luna shouted and the swarm of misty figures flew forward and took form.

Harry could make out vague humanoid shapes in the mist.

They attacked the Deatheater.

A handful started flying in tight circles around him, creating a miniature tornado in the middle of the jungle!

The strong wind picked up branches and leaves and swirled them around, faster and faster and faster and forced the man to his knees!

Harry curled into a small ball on the ground, protecting his head with his arms while peering through a gap in his arms at the spectacle before him.

Another handful of these spirit like things drove into the ground and seconds later long winding roots and vines glowing in the same misty color jumped from the ground and plunged themselves into the cyclone, wrapping around the masked man.

He struggled but against these forces he was powerless.

One extremely heavy branch that was flying around inside the cyclone connected with his head and he went limp.

Almost immediately the wind stopped, the roots returned to the ground and all that remained was a knocked out Deatheater on the ground.

Very slowly and painfully Harry got to his feet, only to collapse back down again.

"What…was that?" he croaked.

"I told you the nature spirits were unhappy and unsettled. I asked them for their help. They were happy to oblige" Luna explained softly.

The glow around her slowly faded away until they stood I total darkness.

"Lumos." Luna said and light reappeared.

Harry groaned and shook his head.

"We…we have to go back. See that the others are alright." He muttered.

Luna bent down and picked something up, putting it in her scarf.

It was Alice's hand.

Harry felt nauseous again.

"Do you think they can save her hand?" he asked.

Luna smiled. "In that aspect magic really is amazing. Yes. It will be no problem. When I left camp to follow you Rashid and Daphne were helping Alice to safety. She looked fine considering the circumstances."

Harry nodded. "That' good."

"I also think this is yours." Luna mumbled and handed him a cloth wrapped parcel.

With shaking finger Harry took the stone.

And then he blinked and they weren't in the jungle anymore.

Instead they were back in the treasure cave deep underground.

And it was not just them.

Their friends and family members as well stood there, some still in their battle stances, ready to curse their opponent again.

They all looked very startled when they found themselves from one second to another in a totally different location.

"What the…" Atticus shouted and swirled around, searching for their attackers.

"You kept your word. I must admit I was worried. But you proved to be trustworthy."

They all turned to face the voice.

Behind them stood the Guardian.

He was smiling and nodded at Harry.

"Where are the Deatheaters?" Eric groaned.

He was lying propped up against one wall, his shoulder bandaged but blood was seeping through the white linen.

"They are no longer a threat." The Guardian said calmly.

"No longer a… do you know who those people were? They are a threat as long as they are not in custody or Azkaban." Thomas shouted.

"That was not your mission. You were to retrieve the stone. You did that." The Guardian replied coolly.

"You don't give us orders!" Eric growled.

But the Guardian ignored them. Instead he turned to face Harry.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this." Harry said honestly and held out the stone towards the Guardian.

"Here, I'm not worthy. I almost lost it and let it go into the exact wrong hands."

The Guardian shook his head.

"What would I do with it? Wait another thousand years? No. You are eth right one. You are worthy. You can't back down now. I have chosen you."

He flicked his wrist and the stone rose gently from the bed of cloth in Harry's hand into the air.

"You know what you have to do, right? To destroy it, I mean." The Guardian asked.

Harry nodded.

He knew.

Deep down he'd always known.

He eyed the stone, saw the swirl of colors and faces deep inside it, watched how the energy pulsed through the air and listened to the hum of voices in the air around them and reached out with his hand.

Determinedly his fingers wrapped tightly around the smooth surface and it was as if the stone was a magnet and his fingers were the opposite pole. They stuck to the stone and the vibration traveled from the stone through Harrys arm and into his whole body until it reached his head and as if struck by lightning Harry went ridged as a storm of information and pictures assaulted and overwhelmed his brain.

He gasped, trying to sort through this mess of voices and pictures.

He tried to pull his hand back but it stuck to the stone.

He was trapped!

He tried to struggle but no muscle in his body seemed to be able to move.

'Relax Harry. Let it come to you. Let it happen', the voice of the Guardian told him gently.

Slowly, very slowly the voices faded, the pictures stopped assaulting him and Harry found himself in a vast empty space.

Well…not really empty.

A dozen meters away stood a young woman with dark skin and short hair.

There was blood covering her right side.

So much blood…

But she smiled calmly at him, as if she wasn't bothered by the obvious wound, and as she smiled her appearance rippled like the surface of a calm lake after being disturbed by something.

And then there stood a boy, maybe nine years old with lighter skin dressed in rags. He was smiling too.

It was the same smile.

"Hello Harry." He said just as calmly. But as he spoke blood dripped from his mouth.

His appearance changed yet again, this time into an old dark skinned man with blind eyes, walking with a stick in one hand.

"We meet at last." The man wheezed. Half of his head was missing! It was just a mess of blood and broken bone and grey brain-mousse!

Horrified Harry stumbled a few feet backwards.

The man turned into a pregnant woman with shoulder length hair and olive skin.

"I've been hoping for this day to come. The arrival of an heir! Ever since you got here, I've been calling out to you. I need you to destroy me." She said kindly. She was very pretty.

But hearing this from a pregnant woman and spoken with such ease unsettled Harry.

Especially since she had a giant hole in her chest through which Harry could look right through!

The woman smiled and changed into a teenage boy with a wand in hand. He wore something that looked like leather armor and had a spear in his other hand.

"I am neither of these people Harry. They have died long ago. Their memory is just stored within me. And it's just that. A memory." He said. With every word blood splashed from his slashed throat.

"But…how?" Harry managed to ask.

"I killed them. That's how. I caused the war that resulted in their deaths. I killed them through famine, pests and illness. The echoes of their souls linger within me. Reminding me constantly of what I did."

The boy's smile vanished and he looked so sad and lost it broke Harry's heart.

"You…you are the Philosophers Stone?" he guessed.

The boy changed into an old woman. Her hair was long and knotted. She had three arrows stuck in her chest.

"I am indeed. I have spoken to you before but you never answered." She said.

"You were the voices that shouted all about 'destroying the first'." Harry said astonished. "You…you sent me those dreams."

The woman nodded and changed into a girl of Harry's age.

She was pretty with big doe-like eyes. But she was missing and arm and had a deep cut running across her belly. Harry thought he could see her intestines.

"That is what your ancestors were given the power to do. The power to destroy." She said.

Harry slowly closes his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again, focusing on her face.

She was watching him.

"I need to be saved. And I will only be safe once you have destroyed me." She continued.

"But why do you need to be destroyed to be safe?" Harry asked.

The girl became a younger girl with adorable pigtails. He simple farmers dress was drenched in blood.

"Because only when I am safely and permanently out of the away, others can be safe from me! Forever!" she said seriously before changing into middle-age man in dirty farmer's clothes. He had an arrow sticking out of his neck.

"I have brought so much suffering on this world. It was never my intention. Not the reason why I was made. But that still doesn't make it right. And I can't keep living with that guilt." He said somberly.

"But it wasn't your fault. You were used. You didn't do anything." Harry protested.

He knew this was no real person but talking to these faces made it hard to distinguish between the real thing and the illusion.

"You're right" the stone said, now with the face of a young woman with long black hair and a spear-point sticking out of her chest "I didn't do anything. I didn't try to stop them. I let them use me." She said darkly.

"And I'd let it happen again. You need to stop me. Please Harry. You said you understand why this must happen!" she pleaded.

"I don't want anything like this to happen ever again because of me!"

She looked at him pleadingly, hoping he'd understand her.

Harry did. He understood.

She changed into an old man again. This one was thin like a skeleton with skin covering to the bones. Although there were no obvious injuries Harry guessed he died of starvation.

"I've been here in this darkness for so long, waiting. I've made up my mind. The guilt is so strong. So all-consuming. My powers are too strong. It's not safe. Using me for good might save thousands. But it will cost ten-thousands their lives. Destroying me will save millions!"

The old man was replaced by the image of a young father who was clutching his son to his chest. Both had arrows sprouting out of their foreheads.

"Please. Only you can release me."

Harry looked down and then up again.

"Why me?" he asked silently.

"You are the lightning strike that comes when all has been destroyed. You are a message, a gift from the heavens and the gods. When all seems helpless, you mark the beginning for new life, a new era. You are the Salvation of more than just your wizarding world. You are the Salvation to all of us." He said kindly.

Harry remembered the carving Luna had found in the tunnels and what Eric had said about lightning bolts.

How he'd realized that the shape of his scar wasn't just accidental.

The man transformed into a young adult. He was wearing cloths of rich quality and heavy looking jewelry.

But the dagger sticking out of his chest and the blood ruining the cloth made him not any different from the other forms the stone had taken before.

"You were chosen by the Great Stream to uphold the sacred scales of Balance on this precious earth. It's a sacred duty. And I can understand why you feel overwhelmed by it; I can understand why you want to know what makes you so special to be chosen for such a fate. Why did you survive the death spell, why did you lose your parents? Why did you ended up the heir that would succeed? The answer is…nobody knows. We might never know. It could have been anyone. It was chance you were chosen. Why you were destined for great things? We might never know that. But everything that happens happens for a reason. And one day everything will fall into place. Have faith, continue as you have before. Trust your gut and heart. They will never fail you."

The words encouraged Harry.

He felt a lot better.

Questions that had nagged him for weeks now seemed answered for now.

He felt able to continue with this quest.

"How do I save you?" he asked silently.

The man became a woman again, young with long blond hair and green eyes.

She was uninjured.

She actually glowed with life.

She stepped up close to him and took his face in her hands and looked him deep in the eyes and whispered: "Release me."

"I thought being worthy meant not using you." Harry whispered back confused.

"Yes" she agreed "I'm not asking you to use me. I mean to simply free me, to return me to where I belong. Do you understand?" she asked, not breaking eye-contact with him.

This backwards logic was confusing but Harry did understand.

He saw images flash before his inner eye.

Professor Trelawney would be proud.

He could clearly see what he had to do.

He nodded silently.

Then she smiled.

"I know you'll do me justice. Thank you Harry."

Then she pressed her lips against his scar.

And Harry felt a strong energy course through him, so strong it nearly knocked him off the feet.

'This my final gift I give to you.' Her voice echoed through his head. Then her form shimmered and faded in front of him.

.

He gasped and with a jolt he came too himself, back in the treasure chamber.

He was kneeling on the floor, his fingers still attached to the floating stone.

Bill was holding him.

And there was something wet running down from his left nostril. Something hot and sticky. Blood?

"Harry! Are you alright?" Bill asked him.

Harry couldn't answer. The feeling of magic, the feeling of the fabric of life itself, the purest form of it all, coursing through his veins, made everything slightly unfocused and he looked around dazed. It was an amazing feeling.

His eyes got caught on the stone.

The energy leaving the stone and entering him lessened with the seconds and when the last bit of energy had entered Harry's hand, the stone seemed to dull and the humming around it seemed to be gone.

It was just a normal red stone.

With a dull, far-away 'clong' it fell to the ground.

Harry let out a long breath.

Every millimeter of his body tingled with restless energy.

He felt like a balloon stretched so far with air that any more would make him burst.

Feeling the urge to release this energy he pressed a hand gently against Bills chest and let go…

…

…

…

…But he had it under control.

Time seemed to slow down around him.

.

Bills eyes nearly fell out of his head when Harrys glassy eyes focused on him and the boy pressed his hands lazily against his chest and he felt a strange alien energy entered him, covering him like a warm blanket.

Astonished he held Harrys gaze though he could tell that Harry wasn't really, consciously, there.

He felt how the magic mended his wounds, restored his energy and rested upon his soul like a soothing balm.

The stress and the worry and fear of the last few days and hours seemed to be gone and he felt strangely lighter when he took a deep breath.

"Harry…what are…how are…?" he coaxed but the boy didn't really seem to see or hear him.

His eyes were glazed over and his face expressionless. The tickle of blood running from his nose was the only movement on his face.

Bill looked up at the others.

They had observed what had happened and all their eyes held the same amount of awe and astonishment.

Harry seemed to have caught Bills movement because he too lifted his head sluggishly.

His eyes found his teammates.

A bit anxious Bill observed Harrys face. He still didn't know what was going on here.

But the Guardian seemed unconcerned.

Quite the opposite, he looked very happy and excited.

Harry dropped his hand from Bills chest onto the floor and Bill watched with amazement as a stream of white energy rushed through the floor, split apart and headed for each of the team members.

As soon as it touched them Bill could see its effects on their faces.

They too felt the healing power, how it restored them.

But that was not it.

Once the energy had left them again, it continued racing through the cavern and with a jolt the whole room suddenly started to move.

No…not the room…just the ground they stood on!

As if standing in an elevator they shot upwards, the ceiling parting before them and within seconds they broke through the earth in a mighty explosion of dirt and earth and rock and came to a sudden stop.

Everyone fell of their feet.

When the dust settled Bill saw that the entire treasury had surfaced in the middle of the jungle.

What was even more irritating was the rising sun.

It had been deep night just moments ago and yet here they stood as eth sun rose in the east illuminating everything around them.

The sudden color-assault was making his eyes hurt!

The green of the trees, the colors of the flower, the light of the low hanging sun…After the bleak brown and grey colors underground this was like seeing color for the first time.

He groaned and rolled onto his back and sat up.

"What the hell?" Rashid groaned.

"Now that was unexpected." Fleur muttered.

Bill helped her up. She smiled happily at him but then her eyes drifted past him and focused on something behind him.

"Harry?" she asked.

Only then Bill noticed that he wasn't holding Harry anymore.

The boy had gotten up before all of them and was now walking towards the tree-line, where he stopped and knelt down.

Bill watched as he touched the earth gently with the tips of his fingers and he released the white energy again.

It traveled through the ground all around him, up the trees it went and into every flower. It split and split again until it traveled into all directions, expanding like a network.

Bill watched trees grow before his eyes, leaves turn greener, flowers bloom brighter, grass straighten up, he heard birds start to sing and the nature come to life again.

Thick rainclouds appeared over their heads and thunder and lightning broke the sky and rain pelted down, drenching them, but just as quickly as they had appeared they vanished again and sunshine reappeared. Clouds raced across the sky like played fast-forward; the wind picked up and then softened again.

The earth trembled as Harry sent the energy out to heal whatever they could find to heal.

He let go of the energy.

He unleashed all of it until nothing remained anymore.

Nobody would ever be able to gain such powers.

Balance had been restored.

Others might have kept this form of power.

But not Harry.

He sent it back to where it had once come from. Into the nature around them.

'I am the lightning bolt. When I strike down I don't jut destroy. I give way for new life to grow.'

The words resonated in Harrys mind.

With the energy suddenly all gone his knees gave away and he sunk back onto the ground, breathing heavily.

Bill raced to his side, as did Daphne.

Bill grabbed his shoulders.

Slowly Harry lifted his head.

"Hey guys." he muttered, exhaustion clear in his eyes.

"Gods, don't do anything like that ever again!" sobbed Daphne and slung her arms around him.

"Amen to that sister." Bill muttered and gently wiped the blood off Harry's face.

"Harry, what happened? What…what did you do?" Thomas asked, slowly approaching them.

Harry rubbed his eyes and looked around.

"I gave the energy of the stone back to where it belonged. Into the natural circle of energy that is life." He muttered.

Then he added with a yawn: "I'm exhausted."

Bill smiled and ruffled through his hair.

"Then sleep kiddo. You've done more than enough."

"Okay." Harry whispered and snuggled closer to Bills massive chest.

"Harry wait, before you sleep…I think you should take this." Atticus said silently, having come closer with the others as well.

He handed Harry the red stone that had been the Philosophers Stone just minutes ago.

Harry took it carefully but then asked: "Thanks but what for?"

Atticus smiled.

"As a reminder of what you did today. Of the choice you made. Of who you are inside your heart. You have shown yourself worthy to be a Curse-Breaker. Keep the stone to remind you of who you are. What you stand for. Don't ever give up on that and you will always find your place in the world. You will find it at our side."

He gestured to the gathered Curse-Breakers.

They all smiled at him.

Harry gripped the stone tighter.

"Thank you." He whispered.

Then he couldn't hold his eyes open any longer.

.

.

.

.

AN: I know, long chapter. You deserve it. I'm sorry for the mistakes but even reading it twice won't get rid of them all, sorry. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for the lovely reviews and support. Thank you for reading even if you don't leave a message.

37. Safe

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Safe

Waking up was for once a nice experience, if not a bit confusing.

Nothing hurt, he felt fresh and rested and aside from feeling very hungry, Harry couldn't complain much.

He looked around.

Although the room was alien to him it was very familiar at the same time.

Yep, hospital.

If the smell and the stereotypical white furniture was anything to go by.

He pushed himself up and looked around.

It was a magical hospital though.

For one the glass cabinet in front of him was full of potions.

To his left there was a floating hologram of his body and certain parts of his body where colored. Next to the image numbers and diagrams floated, constantly changing and updating.

A monitoring charm, Harry guessed.

A magical wiper was cleaning his window and a magical broom was attacking any dust-bunnies that might live under Harry's bed.

The window caught Harry's attention.

He stumbled out of bed and headed towards it, opened it fully and looked out.

They were not in the jungle anymore. But they weren't in London either.

The city below his window was too big, too bright and too colorful to be London.

The skyline was strange. Modern looking high-rises shared the air with ancient looking temple-roofs while in-between at their feet small neighborhoods and a collection of cheaper looking buildings dominated the view.

To his left he could see plush greenery. A park maybe?

Not London at all.

Also as far as Harry knew in London there were no elephants walking on the road.

Or donkey-dragged-carts.

It must have been rather late judging by the lacking sunlight but it was still bright enough for Harry to make out thousands of people down on the street.

The honking of cars, busses and small three-wheeled-vehicles along with the voices of all these people drifted up to him.

Alien smells entered his nose as well as burnt gas.

Okay, so not Britain and probably not Europe, Harry thought.

He looked around.

He realized that the name-tags on the cabinets and buttons and all the other equipment were written in a funny looking language.

Harry tried to remember how they had gotten here and what had happened but his mind was suspiciously blank.

He looked around, spotted a big red button near the headrest of his bed and carefully pressed it.

There was no sound but a minute later, footsteps approached his room.

The door opened and a Doctor he faintly recognized entered with a Nurse in tow.

"Good evening Master Potter. Good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" he asked in his funnily accented English.

"I am good, thank you. Bit hungry maybe." Harry said politely.

The Doctor nodded and motioned for Harry to sit down on the bed again.

While examining Harry's eyes and performing some spells on him he said: "I'd imagine. You and your friends have been through quite the ordeal. I will send someone with food and drink to you as soon as we are done here."

Harry nodded.

Turning to the Nurse the Doctor said: "His bruised ribs are almost healed, as are all the cuts and lacerations, his vitals are perfect and his magical core is recovering if not as quick as I would like. He's a bit peaky but that's not to worrisome. Note down to give him a weeks' worth of our enhanced pepper-up-potion for some aftercare once we release him."

The nurse nodded and with her quill she noted it down on a note-pad that hovered next to her.

The Doctor turned back to Harry.

"Now then, you seem to be fine. You'll maybe exhaust a bit more quickly for the next couple of days while your core regenerates but that should be over by the end of the week. Take it easy. Not sports, no flying, keep Apparations to a minimum. The Floo is okay. But if you feel strange at all, go and see a healer."

Harry nodded obediently.

Having put up with Madam Pomfrey for three years in a row now, Harry knew not to mess with healers.

"Good. And now I think you have some questions yourself." the Doctor, Healer, Harry reminded himself, asked with a smile.

Harry nodded.

"How are my friends?" was the first question he asked.

It had been on his mind ever since the Healer had mentioned them.

"All of them are well. We were able to save Ms. Monticore's" "Alice" Harry interrupted and then blushed embarrassed. The healer only smiled and continued "Alice's hand. She will have no lasting aftereffects from the injury I can assure you. Your healer did well with her quick thinking."

"Daphne is only healer-in-training. But you're right, she is amazing." Harry agreed. The he added: "What about Eric? Bill? And the others?"

"Mr. Hooks shoulder has already recovered fully and there will be no lasting effects. I take it Bill was the gentleman who first brought you in?"

Harry shrugged.

"Honestly I don't remember. The last thing I remember is falling asleep. Bill is the only one with fire-red hair." He admitted.

"Then he was the one carrying you. You were pretty out of it. You were conscious when you all arrived at our Apparation point but your magical core was so depleted you were running on fumes and passed out as soon as we put you don on a gurney."

Harry blushed slightly.

"He's fine as well. As I said they all are. A bit exhausted and a scratch here or there. Mr. Wood had a nasty black eye but we took care of it all. Once you have eaten you can see for yourself."

Harry nodded, relieved. "Great, thank you."

"No problem. Anything else?" the healer asked.

"Ahm yes. Where are we? And who are you?"

The healer laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I introduced myself yesterday but of course you don't remember that either. My name is Healer Canar. This is Nurse Yue. And you are in Phnom Penh. Cambodia's capital. And this is our local magical hospital. I would tell you its name but it wouldn't mean anything to you seeing that you don't speak Khmer." He explained.

Harry nodded and returned the smile.

Then he frowned. "I've been asleep for a whole day?" he asked.

"It's quiet normal. Your body and mind needed time to cope and restore order. I don't know what happened to you but it was traumatizing for your body." Healer Canar said kindly.

"Not just my body." Harry muttered.

He took a deep breath.

Now that he was a bit more collected, memories started to come back.

The caves, the trials, the monsters, the fear and pain…

Most vividly he remembered the Death Eater Attack.

He remembered Alice's hot blood on his hands and Daphne's frantic movements and the sound of his own wild beating heart above anything else.

And he remembered those dark hateful eyes under the mask.

'You saw my face. They can never know.' Or 'It's for our cause.'

They could only mean one cause.

Dumbledore had been right.

He wasn't dead.

Voldemort had to be alive.

A shiver went down his spine.

"You alright there son?" Healer Canar asked silently.

Harry nodded. "Yeah…it's just…all that's happened? It seems so overwhelming looking back at it. I can't believe we made it through all of it. It still scares the living daylights out of me." He mumbled.

"If you want we can send for someone to come and talk with you. I might help."

"A shrink?" Harry asked, pulling up his nose.

Healer Canar actually rolled with his eyes. "I know they don't have the best reputation but a psychic evaluation might do you some good."

Harry laughed slightly. "Sir, I already know I'm nuts and messed up. I don't need it confirmed on a piece of paper."

The Healer eyed him for a moment, apparently deciding whether to laugh or to take him serious.

He went for smiling.

"If you say so Master Potter."

Then with one final glance at his papers he got up, shook Harrys hand and said: "Someone will be along with some food shortly. I will see you either later today or tomorrow at your discharge."

"Thank you Healer Canar. And thank you Nurse Yue." Harry said, nodding at both of them.

Then they left.

True to the Healers word not five minutes later a nurse entered the room.

She was levitating a basket with laundry and two trays with food into his room.

She didn't speak English but Harry understood from her gestures that in the basket where all of his cloths, freshly washed and that he could choose between Chicken and Pork for dinner.

Harry went with the chicken and thanked her with wide smiled and gestures she hopefully understood as thankful.

Once she was gone he devoured the food and the jug of water that came with it.

A Pepper-Up Potion to round it all up and Harry felt ready for a shower.

He was about to open the laundry basket to take out some cloths when the door banged open and Daphne barreled into his room.

She was dressed in white hospital sweat-pants and a simple blue t-shirt. Her hair was braided down her back and she was bare-footed.

She looked healthy and rested.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him standing and she jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Oh it's so good to see you!" she breathed into his ear, kissing him softly on the cheek.

Goosebumps went down Harrys arms and he smiled.

"It's good to see you too. You look great, how do you feel?"

She shrugged. "My body and core are fine. My mind is troubled though."

He smiled and squeezed her hand and pulled her closer until their forehead touched.

"I'm so glad you are alright." She sighed.

"I'm glad you're alright too. I was so worried."

"You were worried? When I couldn't find you and had to find out from Bill that you went after the stone and the last Deatheater alone I was terrified. Don't ever do that again. And that stupid action with the stone? You had me so worried when you wouldn't wake up! You idiot almost got yourself killed! You didn't only release the energy in the stone, you added your own. Your core was practically empty! Gone!" she whispered, her fist resting clenched on his chest.

"I'm sorry. But the Healer assured me I will be fine."

"I know."

"We'll be fine." he added.

Daphne nodded.

"You are alright, right?" he asked, eying her critically.

She laughed. "I am."

He smiled. "Alright, then let me catch a quick shower and then look for the others. I promise I'll hurry up."

"Okay."

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Twenty minutes later Harry was showered and dressed in the same soft white pants and blue shirt as Daphne and strolling down the white corridors of the hospital.

Although he knew they were safe here Harry had insisted on bringing his wand along and keeping Daphne close to him.

"They set up a private room for us. " Daphne said as they turned right and headed down a pair of stairs.

"They were partly briefed on our mission in order for them to understand what was going on."

"Why are we here in the first place? Wasn't the Portkey supposed to take us back to England?" Harry asked.

Daphne pushed a pair of double winged doors opened and they entered a less medical looking corridor.

Harry could smell food coming from somewhere and his stomach perked up, interested.

"The Portkey was designed to recognize certain situations and in case of an emergency, like in a medical emergency it was supposed to bring us to the closest medical facility. The trip to England would have been too much for Alice. That's how we ended up here."

They rounded the last corner and stopped in front of a door with the word English word 'Private' on it.

Daphne opened it and Harry found himself in a comfortable room with a big window front ahead, a kitchenette to his right, big couches and armchairs in the front of the windows and a table that could seat all of them comfortably in the middle of the room.

The room reminded him a lot of the Common Tent and he remembered the meals they had taken there together and the evenings they had spent together.

His throat started to close up.

He felt like crying when he saw Rashid standing in the kitchenette, cooking and humming.

It was as if nothing had ever happened. This scene was so familiar and yet Harry knew that everything was different at the same time.

Rashid looked up when he saw them enter.

He didn't say anything. He just pulled both of them into an embrace, not very characteristic for him, and sighed deeply.

"I am so relieved that both of you are alright." He said simply and let go of them.

A hand on each of their shoulders he studied their faces.

"You look different." he noted with a sad undertone.

Harry put his hand on Rashid's shoulder.

"I wouldn't have expected anything else." he said seriously.

Rashid nodded sadly.

"Do you want to eat something?" he asked, more brightly, trying to change the subject.

Daphne declined but Harry agreed whole-heartedly.

While wolfing down a bowl of pasta he asked: "Where are the others?"

"Atticus and Eric went to fire-call Gringotts, again might I say, twenty minutes ago. They already did so yesterday evening after we arrived. The Goblin ought to know about what happened. Fleur is calling her family in France, Alice is still confided to her bed until later tonight, Thomas and the Lovegoods where here a short while ago but they went back to their rooms for some rest and Bill should be back any minute. I send him to find some more plates."

"And Chao? What happened to him? I didn't see him during the fight at the camp. Is he alright?"

"He's fine Harry. He hid himself since he can't do magic and joined us later on. By releasing the energy from the stone you also got rid of the magical barrier that cut off area we were in and we were able to use the emergency Portkey to get here. Chao went to take care of his elephants first. But don't worry. He's not injured and you'll be able to say your goodbyes tomorrow."

Harry nodded. "I seem to have missed out on a few things." he noted dryly.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything." Daphne promised him.

The door opened and Bill entered, carrying a small tower of plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery.

"Harry!" he exclaimed happily and quickly dumped his package in the sink.

"So good to see you up and about!" he said with a smile and hugged Harry.

Then silently he whispered into Harry's ear: "Never scare me like that again!"

Harry just hugged him back, so relieved to see him.

The next few hours were chaotic. All the time people entered and left the room, hugs, kisses on the cheek and pats on the shoulders where exchanged and the general tension seemed to slip away more and more now that everyone could see that everyone was indeed alright.

Daphne told Harry that after he had passed out/fallen asleep they had gone back to their camp where they had met Chao. The camp had been in ruins and there was pretty much nothing left to salvage but that was okay. They were all alive and that was what mattered.

After rounding up the treasure ("What do you mean you took it all?" "Exactly what it means. Took a few minutes and a lot of bottom-less bags but we got it all." "You just took it?" "The Guardian practically gave it to us. Said there was no use for it to just rot away in the middle of nowhere." "I can't believe this." "Be happy, it promises a good bonus. The Goblins will kiss our feet when they see what he brought them. Atticus might as well retire early, his grandchildren will be able to live of his bonus." "Unbelievable."), they activated the Portkey that brought them to the hospital while a second Portkey brought Chao and his elephants to a nearby shelter.

And from there on Harry already knew what had happened.

Finally when Alice stepped into the room, tired and pale with her left hand bandaged in a sling around her neck, everyone erupted in cheers and went to hug her.

They settled down in the armchairs and on the couches, sipping tea and enjoying the soft mumbled conversations and peacefulness.

Harry found himself between Daphne and Luna with Fleur and Bill close by, catching up with Luna on all that happened since they had gotten transported back into the treasury, while he braided and re-braided part of the girl's hairs.

It was very calming.

After a while Atticus sat up and put his mug down.

All talking died down and all eyes turned to their leader.

Atticus smiled at all of them but it was a tired smiled.

"I…I am very glad that we all are alright. As a Curse-breaker you get confronted with places like this one again and again. But you never get used to them. But by mastering the challenges we grow stronger and more prepared for the next adventures. Still…this mission was, and I think everyone here will agree, not standard or normal. It shook us all. Because never before had been so much at stake."

His eyes flickered over to Harry.

Harry looked down.

"Getting attacked like that… This is not how it usually goes and I just want to say that I am proud of you, my team. You have shown brains and nerves in the face of extreme danger and worked for each other. We got out there because we were a team. Thank all of you for that."

Eric began banging his mug on the tabletop.

The others followed, even though they spilled tea everywhere.

Atticus calmed them down again.

"The Deatheaters are gone. They're still out there and they are planning something. I'm just glad we were able to cross their plans. At least I hope we have."

Uncomfortable silence spread.

Nobody wanted to believe that the Deatheaters were getting active again for a good reason.

So Atticus continued quickly.

"Eric and I reported back to Gringotts. They were angry. Not at us, don't worry. But angry nonetheless. We'll talk about it in our debriefing. They didn't give us a fix date yet though."

"Talking about" Harry interrupted "What day is it?"

"August ninth." Eric said.

Harry's tea went down the wrong pipe.

Bill leaned over Luna and patted his back so he could breathe again.

"August ninth?" Daphne asked just as shocked.

"We were in those caves for a week?" Harry asked.

"It didn't feel that long." Daphne muttered.

"Yeah, it felt longer." Fleur muttered and shivered slightly.

"Anyway. We'll all be discharged tomorrow. A Portkey will take us to Greece and another one back to London. Due to the stress of the last days and the injuries we can't travel these great distances in one go. Is that alright with you all?" Atticus continued.

They nodded.

"Good. At the debriefing we will handle everything concerning the job, what happened and the question of payment. Until then we are free to do as we like but keep in mind that until after the debriefing, we are not allowed to talk about what happened to an outsider."

They nodded again in agreement.

"Good. Now I think we all are still pretty exhausted so don't stay up too late. This meeting is adjourned."

Alice immediately said her goodnights and Eric brought her back to her room. Fleur went for a walk and to get a bit fresh air while Atticus and Bill excused themselves as well.

"I'm gonna fire-call mom. Tell her we're coming home in a few days and that we are alright." Bill told Harry. Harry nodded. "Good idea. I'll try to make contact with Sirius and see how that all went." He muttered, feeling quiet guilty since he hadn't been in contact with Sirius once in these past two weeks and before that they had only been able to exchange vague letters.

He still didn't know the outcome of the trail.

What kind of godson was he?

He should go right now and call Sirius but he didn't have the energy to deal with the conversation that would result in that call.

I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, he promised himself.

So he stayed with the where they were.

Mr. Lovegood was reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. How he'd gotten hold on a copy Harry didn't know.

Thomas played a game of wizard chess against an invisible opponent.

The three Hogwarts Students huddled together and talked silently about what would happen next.

Luna was entangling her hair.

Turned out Harry wasn't as good at braiding as he had thought.

"I can't believe it's only three weeks until the next Hogwarts Term begins." Harry said and shook his head.

"I know! Crazy right?" Daphne said and snuggled against him, her head resting on his shoulder while playing with his fingers, interlacing them with hers again and again.

"We should meet up at some point, just the three of us." She suggested with a smile.

"I don't know if I will have any time. Daddy said we'll be visiting relatives in Wales. But if I do have time I would like that very much." Luna said dreamily.

Harry loved the fact that this whole ordeal hadn't changed anything about Lunas happy und carefree nature. She was still like before.

"Oh, that is a pity Luna. But we'll see you on the Hogwarts Express the latest!" Daphne promised and squeezed the girl's hand.

Lunas big blue eyes lit up with happiness and she hummed in agreement.

"But you'll have time, right Harry?" Daphne asked with big pleading eyes.

Harry laughed. "Of course I will have time for you Milady."

"Good." She said satisfied and smiled.

Harry rolled with his eyes and poked her sides playfully.

She squealed and batted his hands away.

"Stop it!" she laughed.

"I don't think so." he said smugly and tickled her sides.

"Harry Potter, don't you dare!" she shrieked and tried to escape his arms but he'd grown stronger than her.

"Don't I dare what? This?" he asked and moved to ticked her under her arms.

She kicked and laughed and shrieked.

"Stop it! Harry! I mean it!" she laughed breathlessly.

"Say please."

"Harry!"

"Or I continue with your feet!"

"NO! NO! Please! Harry please, I beg you!" she pleaded.

"Alright." He said lightly and stopped.

"There, was that so hard?" he asked cheekily.

"I swear you are impossible!" she huffed but with a smile.

"And you still love me. Can't be too bad then." Harry said with a sly grin.

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Someone thinks very highly of himself." Daphne just stated dryly.

But she smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair.

Harry was sure she would have kissed him, had a castle not flown through the air and struck Harry hard enough on the forehead to draw blood.

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AN: Oh no what now again?

38. When it all comes apart again

Chapter Thirty-Eight: When it all comes apart again

His hands flew to his forehead, fingers flinching slightly as they touched the hot sticky substance.

He looked down to see the small chess piece that had struck him in the forehead lying innocently in his lap; one corner tinged red, standing out against the white of the figure.

"Why did you do that?" Daphne shouted next to him.

Harry wanted to point out that he hadn't injured himself but then he realized she wasn't talking to him.

"I've had it to here Daphne" Thomas shouted back, holding one hand up next to his head "You don't listen! You don't care! But I will not tolerate your behavior anymore."

"What is going on here?" Harry asked confused.

Next to him Luna tried to pry his hands away from his forehead.

"Let me see." She muttered, inspecting the small bleeding gash. Harry barely noticed her softy muttered: "Episkey." as she healed it.

Neither Daphne nor Thomas looked at him, instead they continued shouting at each other.

"I don't care about that!" Daphne shouted her usually pale face tinted red with rage.

"It is my life! You don't get to decide who my friends are!"

Thomas was equally enraged.

"I had nothing against you two being friends. But you're not friends anymore! This little 'love affair', or whatever you may call it, between you will stop now. I will not encourage it to grow further! Heaven, Daphne you are practically engaged!"

"She is what?" Harry spluttered, sure that he had misunderstood Thomas.

Thomas sighed, turning to look at him.

"Harry…you are a nice chap, no doubt there. And believe me, this isn't personal. I like you; you are talented and will go far in life. But there are things you do not understand yet. Daphne, as the future Head of our House is required to marry."

"It's actually not the law anymore." Luna muttered but Thomas ignored her.

"Her father, my brother-in-law, has decided what the best for the family is. Women may lead our family but it has been the father's responsibility for hundreds of years to marry his daughter to ensure that the family line continues to exist! It's a family tradition and traditions are important to our family."

He said it firmly yet at the same time it sounded to Harry like something he had memorized and was just reciting it.

"Which is why Daphne and Draco Malfoy will start courting once Daphne has turned fifteen. With seventeen the proposal will follow and shortly after that the marriage. The two Houses of Malfoy and Greengrass will be united in a strong bond from which both families will profit."

That sounded fake right there but Harry couldn't stop to contemplate it because the message behind the words was kind of overwhelming.

"That immature inbred little monster is not my intended husband!" Daphne said with loathing anger in her voice.

Harry swirled around to her.

"This is true?" he asked horrified.

"No, it's not!" she told him vehemently.

"Yes, it is" Thomas growled "I was okay with your little summer romance but you simply can't continue this relationship! Not when you are supposed to marry once you're of age! We simply cannot have you running around and jumping from relationship to relationship with whatever boy-toy you have caught now! It is not proper."

"Excuse me?" Daphne shrieked while Harry asked angrily: "Boy-toy? I am no…"

But Thomas ignored both of them.

"And you know that Daphne! You have known for over a year!"

"That is not true! How can you say that! I don't have any choice in this! I am damn well entitled to date whoever I want for as long as I want and whenever I want!" she hissed and she too jumped to her feet. "And that also goes for who I marry. As long as I marry one day my father won't have to go around groom-shopping!"

"If she doesn't want to do this you can't make her!" Harry protested. "That's just detestable and dehumanizing!"

"That is the muggle speaking in you Harry. You don't know the wizarding world at all and the rules and traditions that have formed it. You can't just go against the rules. Traditions have to be preserved."

"Traditions are one thing but being ridiculously stubborn is another thing altogether."

Harry shook her head.

"Your argumentation is faulty. Luna says it's not the law for heiresses to marry anymore and Daphne says as long as she marries one day it will be fine. Why push her into a relationship where she clearly won't be happy in?"

"Because it's profitable for all parties involved. Family before anything else." Thomas said coolly.

"Oh don't give me that shit. If you really put your family first, the happiness of your family members would be more important to you than any profit for the family."

"You couldn't possible understand." Thomas simply said.

"And what if she were to refuse?" Harry asked challengingly. He looked over at Daphne. "You can do that, right?"

Thomas's face darkened visibly and answered in her stead.

"Then she will be disowned and banned from the family. She will have no name and no future."

Harry turned to Daphne. "You are always welcome to live with Sirius and me. I am sure the Houses of Black and Potter will suffice you." he promised.

She shook her head.

"That is very sweet of you Harry but unless we were to get married it wouldn't change anything for me."

"I thought you didn't care what people thought of you?"

"I have to care if I ever want to get a job. They don't hire people banished from their families."

"This is utterly ridicules." Harry stated. "This form of society is utterly ridicules." He then added.

"It has been this way for ages and it will continue to be like this for ages to come." Thomas interrupted him, seemingly wanting to end this discussion.

"Besides" he added with a pointed look at Daphne "If she leaves not only will she be shamed forever but so will be our family and Astoria will rise to take her position and she will be married to Draco Malfoy."

"Or someone equally detestable. And I will never let that happen." Daphne whispered brokenly. "Family before anything else." She whispered dejectedly.

"So you are just going along with this? And here I thought you didn't want that." Harry replied bitterly.

"I don't want this!" she shouted. "But at the same time… I can't…" she added silently.

She fell back onto the sofa and hid her face in her hands.

It was very quiet inside the room.

Harry wondered for a second how nobody had been attracted by all that noise.

"Harry…I don't know why they are doing this. But believe me, I didn't want to hurt you."

"You could have told me! Maybe then I would never have…" fallen in love with you, he added in his head.

"Do you think I like talking about this?" she hissed.

"You could have told me. I had a right to know."

She looked away.

"I don't understand why you're taking this so hard anyway." Thomas muttered.

"You're children. You don't know about the world and how it goes and you certainly don't know what love is. So just get over it."

That was a hard blow.

Both Harry and Daphne looked at Thomas with disbelieve clearly written all over their face.

But it was Luna who answered.

Harry had almost forgotten that the Lovegoods were still there.

"Love comes to everybody differently but at its core it the same for everyone. The deep feeling of belonging to someone. Everybody knows love. It doesn't matter if they have felt it before or not. When they do, they know what it is."

Harry shook his head.

"I've had enough for one day."

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All Harry wanted to was get to his room, fall asleep and then wake to find that everything had just been a figment of his imagination.

None of this made sense.

As he stormed blindly back to his room, ignoring the people around him, he felt a headache creeping into his forehead.

The last thing he wanted was to talk with anyone he knew.

So of course he ran into someone.

Bill freaked out when he saw Harry's still slightly bloody face and shirt, and he freaked out even more when he saw the hollow expression in his eyes.

"Harry, what happened?" he asked and shook the boy's shoulders.

"I…I…I'm not so sure actually." Harry muttered numbly, rubbing his forehead.

His emotions were all over the place, he didn't know which to show.

Anger, pain, frustration, sadness?

So he told Bill what had happened.

Bills face turned dark.

"I told him to tell her to tell you before anyone could get hurt!" he growled, more to himself than to Harry.

"Wait, you knew about this?" Harry asked accusingly and shook Bills hands off him. The sting of betrayal was more prominent this time and his anger rose.

"Was I the only one in the dark here?" he asked angrily.

Bill flinched.

"No…that is to say yes. But I found out on accident. Thomas told me that Daphne had some arrangements concerning her future and that you two could be nothing more than friends."

"And you didn't tell me?" Harry asked angrily.

Bill sighed. "What would you have wanted me to say Harry? You were so happy together, such good friends. I didn't want to destroy that."

"Well, it still got destroyed anyway. Apparently that's all been a lie anyway and I was the only one stupid enough not to see through it. Typical." Harry huffed angrily.

He ducked away from Bills hands and stormed towards his room.

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He paced his room like a caged tiger and only just managed to suppress the urge to destroy something.

All he wanted was to go home, see Ron, Hermione, Sirius, anyone really and forget about this.

Why couldn't things work out for him just once? This whole adventure had started so promising and now…now it was in ruins.

There was knock on his door.

"Go away!" he shouted moodily.

The door opened anyway.

Harry swirled around, ready to bite the persons head off but stopped when he saw who stood in the door.

"Chao." He said surprised.

The man gave him a semi-toothless smile.

Harry hadn't seen the man since they had entered the tunnels.

He still looked the same as he had on the day Harry had met him.

"May I come in?" the Cambodian asked in his heavily accented English.

"Ahm…sure." Harry said slightly taken aback, not quite sure what Chao could possible want. Sure, they had been friendly towards each other but Harry never had spoken a lot with the squib.

"I'm sorry if I intrude but my colleagues and I went back to the camp and searched it for anything that was salvageable. And we found this close to the river."

He produced something from behind his back and put it on the small table.

"A friend of mine was kindly enough to restore what he could to its original state. But I think a few things were still lost."

As Harry stepped closer and realized what Chao had found he couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"I thought this would be lost forever." He said as he opened the buckle of this backpack.

"I had to cut it lose or I would have drowned. How did it turn up in a river close to the camp?" he asked, his bad mood forgotten for a second.

"I don't know." Chao said with a shrug and a small smile on his lips.

"The River of the Undying must surface somewhere over ground. It probably got carried topside by the stream." Speculated harry as he rummaged through the possessions he had thought lost forever.

He laughed again.

"What are the odds?" he wondered.

He turned back to Chao and smiled at the man.

"Thank you so much. This actually means a lot to me. And I'm glad that you are alright too. And thanks for everything you have done for us."

"I didn't do anything." Chao said dismissively.

"You did more than you maybe realize. And I'm sorry we got you in danger."

"Hey, I knew what I was signing up for! Don't be sorry." The older man said and put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I don't know what happened to all of you in those caves and I don't understand who attacked us and why but I know my country and my legends and history and I can tell you that something is different. It is as if a heavy weight has been lifted off us and from what I could figure out for myself you had something to do with it."

Harry opened his mouth but Chao raised a hand.

"You don't need to explain or tell me anything. Just know that all of us here are grateful for what you, all of you, have done. And at a great personal risk too. So I think we're even."

He winked at Harry and Harry smiled back.

"Thank you." He said again.

Chao shrugged and reached into the pocket of his trousers.

"I got something else for you. I know you'll be departing any day now and I don't know fi we'll get a chance to say goodbye so I thought I give it to you now."

He handed the object in his hand to Harry.

It was a long twisted leather cord from which hung in uneven gaps a couple of colorful feathers, small black stones and red crystals and a wooden charm the form of a lion.

"I thought it fitted you better. You are one brave kid and then I heard that the lion is a symbol of your school as well?" Chao explained with a slight questioning tone towards the end.

Harry nodded. "It's the animal of my house at school." He admitted as he put the necklace over his head.

It was quite long, it went almost to his navel but was very light and not too flashy.

"Wow…thank you Chao. This s beautiful."

"It's a token of my gratitude but it also has a meaning. I made one for all of you. The feathers are that of a bird we call 'Mother of All'. She symbolizes protection. The black stones are something you only find in a special pond here in Cambodia and they are called 'Firestone'. They symbolize good fortune and success in all your endeavors. I thought it was quiet fitting for you Curse-Breakers. You have a knack for getting into trouble so you need protection but also success in whatever you attempt to do."

Harry was touched by this thoughtful gift.

"This is…this is really amazing Chao. Thank you. I wish I had something for you."

"You already gave me something in return. You made my home safer for everyone. They can say what they want about Curse-Breakers but at the end of the day you always do something good."

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

With that Chao gave him one last nod and left his room.

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After Chao had left Harry spread this content of his backpack on the table and looked at them while shaking his head.

His cloths were there, as were a few of his books and a few other knick-knacks.

And of course his journal.

He opened it and skipped through the pages, reading a few passages here and there, staring at pictures Luna had taken and smiling at sketches Bill had made for him.

Finally, he got to his last entry.

He had made it after the incident with the opium and wizards encased in the crystals.

A picture was stuck on the upper corner of the page with a paperclip.

It was a picture of Daphne, Luna and him, sitting around the small fire-place, eating from their bowls.

They sat close together and Daphne was actually leaning against him.

He slammed the journal shut, his face twisted with anger.

He took a deep breath and then opened the book again, this time skipping the last entry by a page and began writing what had happened since then.

The words seemingly filled the pages by themselves and the pen moved on its own accord. Harry didn't have to think much about what he was doing in his mind he relived the last days over and over as page after page was filled with his slightly messy handwriting.

When he came to the meeting with the Guardian he hesitated.

His meeting with the Philosophers stone seemed too personal even to be written down on a journal.

So he left a whole page blank and continued writing what happened afterwards.

While the encounter and fight with the Deatheaters had been horrible and terrifying, Harry found it helpful to put his feelings and everything that had happened down in words. It helped coming and shedding some more light onto the whole mess.

The last thing he wrote down was the meeting of their group.

He closed his pen and stared at the page, thinking about what had happened after the meeting.

It was absolutely absurd.

Daphne was supposed to marry Draco Malfoy!

Marry!

The only time words like marriage ever appeared in Harrys mind was when Dudley would call him bastard and Harry was tempted to remind him that his parents were in fact married.

But he couldn't imagine himself facing betrothal and then marriage at his age.

So what if they would be seventeen when they married, that was still ridiculously young!

And then all that talk about tradition and profitable matches?

What was going on here?

And Daphne didn't make sense either!

On one hand he knew that she despised Malfoy and what he stood for and had told Thomas quite clearly that she did not want to marry him. On the other hand, she had caved in very quickly towards the end and then there was this small matter that she had known about this all along and hadn't told him.

'Do you think I like talking about this?' she had asked him.

Well, Harry thought, it was still worth mentioning!

He opened the journal again and skimmed through the pages once more, staring all the pictures of him and Daphne, of them and Luna, the team, Daphne and him again…

He stared at her bright happy smile or annoyed or amused expressions, remembered all the times they had joked around, learned together, how she had tried to teach him to dance, their midnight talks in the tunnels, him rescuing her, her rescuing him, their short little kiss after she thought he had drowned and again before they had stormed their camp…

Could that all have been a lie, an act?

He hurled the book across the room onto his bed.

How could he have been so stupid to just blindly trust someone he didn't even know properly?

And yet he had thought he'd known her.

'How could I think I knew someone after just three weeks?' he thought bitterly as he paced his room.

'But we spend nearly every waking hour together.'

In hindsight it did seem suspicious.

But Harry had thought it was because they were the only ones close in age, opposed to the rest of the team, that they had been able to bond so easily.

They had shared the back of an elephant for hours together, talking, laughing, even gossiping.

And yet it had always been her to seek him out first, her that had told him she felt more than friendship for him.

She had been the one to kiss him.

It had been so easy falling for her in the end.

Had it been too easy? Had he been played? But for what reason?

And which fourteen-year-old would do that?

'One that will to marry the likes of Malfoy.'

But why wouldn't she tell me that?

His angry rant in his head was interrupted by the door to his room banging open and with it the subject of his thoughts came into the room.

Daphne looked flushed and she had been crying, for her eyes were still rimmed red.

I fact she was still crying but Harry doubted she was still noticing it.

Her usually calm and collected features were now scrunched up in misery, anger and despair.

She stopped in front of him and grabbed his upper arms.

"Harry it's not what you think! Yes, I knew about the arrangements with Malfoy but can you blame me for not wanting to have anything to do with that?" she asked desperately while trying to get him to look at her. But Harry avoided her searching eyes.

"You are my friend and I do love you. You…you are such an amazing person Harry and it's just absurd connected I feel to you. In more than just one way. And I've never had a friend like you! And I didn't want to lose you." She continued, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"But if you knew all this, why didn't you just stay away? Why do all of this…why become my friend?" he asked angrily.

"I didn't mean to fall in love with you!" she exclaimed slightly hysterically. "That just happened. All I wanted was a friend for the trip! I didn't want to be alone, I thought together this would be less of a pain to deal with! Of course I knew what was waiting for me back home and I knew that I could never have a relationship with someone else and at first I wanted to honor that rule like every other but now all I can say is 'Screw the rules!' You are the boy I want to go on Hogsmead weekends with and not some stupid as little daddy-loving-ferret! I want to kiss you in empty hallways and learn with you and do homework with you! I want to dance with you and massage my toes afterwards. I just wanted to be your friend but you don't always chose who you love."

Harry looked at her for the first time.

His green eyes bored into her icy blue ones.

"Is that so?" he asked sarcastically.

"Because just fifteen minutes ago you were all 'Family before everything' and "He is right Harry, it's my duty!' Why the sudden change now?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice Harry!" she shouted, drumming her fists against his chest.

"I have to do this." She whispered brokenly.

"I thought you wanted to screw the rules."

"I do, believe me, you can't imagine how much I want to flush them down the toilet but at the same time I can't!" she said desperately.

"Why? Because of tradition? Because your father said so? Because of your honor and name and family?" Harry snapped back.

"I wish I could tell you Harry. I really wish I could. But I don't even know half of what and why this is happening." She whispered brokenly.

Somehow that made Harry even angrier.

"Oh don't give me that crap! You don't have and explanation and you don't have an excuse so you just make something up to make you seem blameless! Well, I got news for you Daphne, I really thought you were my friend and that you were different from your housemates and other Purebloods but you just proofed that you are like every last one of them. You are manipulative, selfish, you have your own agenda, you don't really care about outsiders and you won't let anyone in! You do what you want and don't really care about the consequences, because hey, you are a pureblood, you are the elite, you will be important one day!" he shouted enraged.

Her cheeks turned bright red, this time with anger and before Harry knew it she had slapped him across the face.

"Don't you dare!" she hissed. "You have no idea what is going on!"

"THEN TELL ME GOD DAMN IT! Because apparently everybody else knows except for me!" he shouted.

"IT'S MALFOY SENIOR!" Daphne shouted back at him.

"WHAT ABOUT HIM?" Harry asked, his chest heaving with anger.

"He is the one behind all of this, he is…" began Daphne but in that moment the door to Harrys room banged open again and Thomas strode into the room.

"There you are!" he growled and grabbed Daphne's arm.

"What are you doing?" she protested.

"We're going back to your room and you will stay there." Thomas hissed.

"I'm talking to Harry!" Daphne protested, fighting her uncles grip on her arm.

"I'm not in the mood to listen to anything else you have to say!" Harry said moodily.

Her anger seemed to have diminished again and now her tone was more pleading.

"Please Harry! You are my friend! We are friends! None of that was a lie! I need you! I don't want to lose my friend!"

He glared at her.

"I wish I could believe you but right now I don't know what to believe or what to make of this…this…whatever you want to call this situation!"

"What is going on in here?"

All three of them turned their heads towards the door.

Bill stood there, hands on his hips, a fierce scowl on his face.

"We were just leaving." Thomas said stiffly.

"Yes, I think so too!" Bill said just as coldly.

Thomas hesitated shortly before saying: "I'm sorry this had to end like this. I hope this won't affect us forever because…"

"Oh spare us Greengrass!" growled Bill. "I told you to make sure he knew and you didn't. Not you and neither did she!" he added with an angry stare at Daphne.

"It was a mistake; I see that but there is no need to blow this out of proportion. They are only children…"

"Oh shut up! Do you think that makes this any better or any easier?" Bill asked annoyed.

"Just get out of here before I get really annoyed with you!"

Thomas nodded stiffly and pulled Daphne out of the room, ignoring her protests.

Bill closed the door behind them before turning to Harry.

"Are you alright?"

"Just perfect!" Harry sneered.

Bill narrowed his eyes but then sighed. "I'm sorry kiddo."

"Just leave me alone. Please?" Harry begged.

Bill nodded.

"Whatever you need, I'm just down the hallway, okay?" he said before leaving him.

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.

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He sat there in his dimly lit room throughout the whole night, until the sky turned orange in the east.

A nurse brought him breakfast but he didn't touch it.

Healer Canar came in at some point, examined his head and proclaimed him fit enough for travel.

Harry just mumbled a quick thank you.

The Healer, catching his mood nodded, said his good-byes and left.

There was another knock on his door a few minutes after the Healer had left.

"Come in." he said without much enthusiasm.

"'arry?"

It was Fleur who glided into the room.

She had dressed herself already fit for travel, her hair was braided down her back and she was holding a small purse in her hand.

It amazed Harry again and again that she was only seventeen and still going to school.

She appeared so much older. Not in a bad way. She appeared more mature and self-confident.

"Zey told me what 'appened. I know you probably don't want to talk about it. But I 'ave an offer for you." She said silently, kindly.

'They' must have been Bill and Thomas.

"I know you are angry wiz Daphne and Bill at ze moment. And zat you are 'urt. Zo why don't you come wiz we to France for a few dayze? Just to clear your 'ead. You would love it zere. And my zister would love to meet you! My parents too! And we could work on your French."

She smiled encouragingly at him.

He looked at her dully.

"Just like that?" he asked doubtfully.

"I enjoy your company 'arry and you are my friend. And you need a friend right now…And I'm a woman. I understand you."

He snorted and said: "I doubt that but that doesn't matter."

"Zhen zee it as a short 'oliday to relax after everyzing zat 'appened."

He thought about that a bit.

Truth be told she was right.

He wasn't feeling very excited about the prospect of going home right now because he knew his troubles wouldn't end there.

He felt annoyed and was really not in the mood to face anyone yet and answer all their questions and pretend everything was alright.

He looked up at his friend.

"And I could help you with your English in return." He muttered.

She beamed at him and he felt her Veela-magic wash over him, but as usual it didn't affect him in the slightest.

"Oh 'ow wonderful 'arry! I already talked wiz Bill and 'e agrees zat a few dayze would be a good idea! 'e will tell your friends and family. Don't worry."

"Sounds great. Thanks Fleur."

She smiled and cupped his cheek.

"You are my friend too 'arry. You saved my life too. You are like a little brothzer."

She pecked his cheek and then, with a last beaming smile she said: "We leave in an 'our. Be ready."

And then she left.

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The hour came and went and before he knew it he had packed his stuff together, dressed in normal clothing again and stood outside of the hospital with the others to say goodbye to Chao.

Harry was truly sad to tell him goodbye.

He wasn't sure he'd ever see the kind man again.

Chao shook his hand and told him he was honored to have met him.

Harry saw that he'd given all of the others their necklaces too.

He smiled back at the man and told him his thanks once more.

And then they were off.

And there was a certain finality to it.

Saying goodbye to Chao was like saying goodbye to the whole adventure.

It really was over.

.

The first Portkey brought them to Greece, Athens to be exact.

They had to wait a whole day and night there for their next Portkey.

Under different circumstance Harry might have enjoyed the quick tour through Athens.

The Parthenon was incredible, as were all the other temples, buildings and museums.

The food was excellent, if not a bit greasy and the language sounded funny in Harrys ears.

But he couldn't enjoy himself.

There was no way he could avoid Daphne.

She seemed to be everywhere.

Thomas would always shoot him a look of anger and resignation.

He wasn't happy with Bill either.

He knew that he was not to blame but Harry didn't want to be rational.

So he stuck to Fleur.

Daphne tried a few times to talk to him but he always came up with an excuse to go.

Thomas too tried to keep them apart.

The whole group seemed to know what was going on.

It was all a bit awkward and tense and didn't make Harry feel any better.

It was during dinner that Fleur cleared her throat and announced: "Tomorrow 'arry and I will not be going wiz you ze rest of you to England. We will be taking a Portkey straight to Paris. 'arry 'as agreed to come and visit my family's estate just outside of Versailles for a few dayze."

There was a short silence.

Harry could feel Daphne's stare on his face but he avoided her gaze.

Atticus cleared his throat awkwardly and muttered: "Ahm…that's nice. Then we wish you two a nice trip and look forward to seeing you at the debriefing. Gringotts will owl you on that and provide a Portkey, I am sure."

"Amazing." Fleur said and then returned to eating her Suvlaki.

.

His evening took a turn for the worst when there was a knock on his door an hour or so after dinner.

Bill, with whom he was sharing the room, was out, probably enjoying some private time with Fleur.

Upon opening the door he almost shut it again.

There stood Daphne.

Remembering his manners, he didn't slam the door shut. Instead he just stood there.

"What is it?" he asked tonelessly. "Have you come to explain yourself?"

She hesitated.

"No" she said "Because I know you don't want to hear it right now."

"Damn right I don't."

"But I hope that maybe in the close future you will find the time and patience to listen to me and…any I hope that by then I will have the answers you want."

He didn't reply because he was honestly stunned.

"Please Harry. Give me a second chance. I know you are a good person and I really want to make it up to you."

Harry swallowed and mumbled: "I see what I can do." Before he closed the door again.

.

And so it was the next morning that Harry said his temporary goodbyes.

Fleur's and his Portkey left an hour before that of the others.

Atticus gave him a manly one-armed hug and then ruffled his hair.

Eric just folded his arms and shook his head and told him he was surprised Harry was still alive. It was probably the nicest thing Eric had said to him during their time together.

Alice nearly squeezed him to death even though was just using one arm and thanked him again and again.

Rashid told him to keep up his good work and he would manage Potions next year a lot easier. Harry thanked him for everything he had taught him. Rashid smiled at him gently and hugged him too.

Mr. Lovegood shook his hand and Luna hugged and pecked him on the cheeks. She promised to write him as often as possible.

He nodded at Thomas and even managed a quick nod at Daphne before he turned to Bill.

Bill hugged him. "I'm sorry kiddo. Don't worry; I deal with mum and any other person that will make problems."

Harry thought grimly of Sirius and hoped Bill made it out alive.

Their families had been informed about the less-than-perfect-ending of their trip as well as their short stay at the hospital in Phnom Penh.

Bill had told him that everybody had send their love and best wishes and that they were excited to see them soon again.

He felt horrible to again leave without any notice.

But instead of saying anything Harry just nodded and smiled at Bill.

"Thanks. And sorry for snapping at you. That wasn't fair."

Bill ruffled through his messy hair. "Already forgotten kiddo. Now get going."

Harry smiled and hurried over to where Fleur already stood in a circle, holding a book.

She held it out for him and he too grabbed it.

The small holographic countdown appeared above it.

Against his better judgment Harry looked up and at Daphne.

She was close to tears again, he could tell.

She whispered something that looked like 'I'm sorry'.

He sighed and whispered back 'I know.'

Something like hope flashed through her eyes.

But before anything else could happen Harry felt the tugging sensation behind his belly and the Portkey ripped him away from Athens.

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AN: Yeah, I have a habit of posting something, then disappear for weeks on end and then appear again only to repeat the same thing over and over again….

Ah well…I do try to be better it's just that sometimes my lazy side rules over my productive side.

But now that the fundament is set I'm sure we can go on with the story.

As for the plot and how much there is still left…

Well I'd say more than two thirds are done. But I want to continue this tory beyond the summer of Third year because with all these new relationships among the characters the take on the fourth book could be interesting and certainly different!

I know many of you will also say that there are a lot of clichés in the plot and about what is coming next but as I said a few times before…this is not the most original story-line there is! You are most welcome and allowed to stop reading whenever you want!

Of course I will try to bring a bit originality into my story and I already have it planned out more or less and I tell you there will be some new stuff.

At least I think because let's face it, I haven't read all Harry Potter Fanfictions that are out there. So I don't know how original my take one the future plot will be but I'll try to keep the plot bunnies to a minimum!

As always,

Enjoy your reading, thanks for any reviews,

Love Kate

39. France and England

AN: Be warned….this is a LONG chapter!

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Chapter Thirty-Nine: France and England

France:

They landed in Paris at ten o'clock in the morning on an apparation platform in the French equivalent of Diagon Ally.

It was a nice morning. Already warm with a bright clear sky and the sun high above.

The streets were bristling with people and the smell of freshly baked bread reached Harrys nose almost the same instant his feet touched the ground.

"Bienvenue 'arry!" Fleur said with a grand gesture of her arms. "To France."

She clapped her hands excitedly.

"Come on, my parents will meet us shortly in ze 'La Faubourg' on the Rout Desjardins for some brunch. Iz zat alright wiz you?"

He smiled at her. "Of course Fleur."

They changed into some casual muggle cloths in one of the small restaurant in the magical ally and then left it and entered the muggle world.

Harry felt strange wearing normal jeans and t-shirts and walking on an actual road again, with cars passing by and traffic lights and so many people around him.

Also a refreshing change was Fleur's enthusiasm as she dragged him through her home city.

"Look 'arry! Ze Eifel Tower! And ze Louvre! And the Arc de Triomphe, the triumphal arch. And zere is the Seine! Look 'arry! Isn't Paris wonderful?"

The older witch sighed happily. It was obvious how happy she was to be home.

.

The La Faubourg was one of the more expensive restaurants in all of Paris.

Meaning the salad cost more than half of Harry's school supplies for a year!

As they entered a butler took their jackets and bags and put them away while a waitress let them to a table in the far back once Fleur had told her who they were meeting for lunch.

They didn't make a single comment about their less than fancy appearances.

Mozart or Bach or something like that played in the background and Harry felt very underdressed as they walked past tables where people sat dressed in the finest cloths, even though it was only eleven in the morning.

Meeting the Delacours was interesting as well.

Apolline Delacour was a half veela and as such her allure was strong but no problem for Harry.

She had given her daughter her silver hair and bright eyes and elfish features. She was a very elegant woman who walked with a straight back but her voice was soft and friendly.

She hugged Harry once she had let go of Fleur and thanked him again and again.

It seemed like Fleur had told her family pretty much everything that had happened.

It was a bit awkward at first for Harry to be hugged by a strange woman and he returned the embrace hesitantly.

Monsieur Delacour shook Harrys hand firmly and with a gruff voice he too thanked him and congratulated him.

Their English, like their daughters, was a bit ruff around the edges but Harry doubted that his French was much better, despite Fleur's best efforts to teach him.

Once the adults were done a small girl, maybe eight years old, stepped forward and looked at Harry with big round eyes.

There was no doubt that she was Fleur's little sister.

"'arry, zis is Gabrielle, my little sister." Fleur said with a grin.

Harry smiled at the younger girl.

"Hello Gabrielle, nice to meet you." He said in his best French.

The little girl's eyes widened even more and she threw her arms around him, babbling in rapid French.

Harry understood only fragments of what she said but he thought it was something along the lines of 'Can we keep him forever, please?'

It made her family laugh.

After that they sat down to eat.

After the brunch, during which Harry had gotten to know the Delacours quite well, Daphne dragged him off for some real sightseeing.

He was surprised to see how well the pure-blooded witch got along with the muggles public transportation system.

She knew the quickest ways to get to all the famous sights and they spend the whole day running from one end of Paris to the other.

By the time it got dark Harry had the feeling his feet would fall off.

But he had to admit that it had been a very nice day.

They had visited the top of the Eifel Tower first, gazing out over Paris, then driven down one of the main roads to the Arc de Triomphe, then visited central Paris, had a quick look around in the Louvre, since Harry wasn't a big fan of Art, and finally returned, after a short sopping trip for Fleur, to the magical ally from where Fleur apparated them to her home.

The Delacour mansion was the only house in a three-mile radius and sat on top of a small flat hill. It was ringed by huge poplar trees.

The house itself was square with three stories and completely white.

French windows were set in the white sand-stone and tiny balconies decorated the windows, the front portal was twice as tall and wide as Harry was long and the inside the house was just as tall and open as the outside suggested if not a bit vintage for Harrys taste.

Servants went their ways everywhere, some cleaned, some cooked, some did the laundry, some worked in the garden, others walked the Delacours dogs (there were five of them, all huge and hairy and slobbering over everything and anything) while the family retreated to the terrace that overlooked the small valley.

Two giant staircase let down from the terrace to the family's garden and beyond that, Harry could spot the glistening surface of a lake.

A greenhouse stood off to one side.

.

Dinner was served late that night but it was still very warm outside and Harry enjoyed the peace and quiet.

The Delacours didn't ask many questions and they completely went around the topic of the attack in the treasury, which Harry was certain they knew about.

Mostly they asked if they had liked the country and if Harry was now certain he wanted to be a Curse-Breaker and if he was going to join the Junior Program, all questions he answered with yes.

Fleur they asked mostly about Bill. It seemed they enjoyed teasing her as much as Harry did.

Harry learned that Daphne wanted to work as an accountant for Gringotts.

"What were you doing on a Curse-Breaking Mission then?" Harry asked her curiously.

Fleur's face burned red and Harry knew it had something to do with a certain Weasley.

He laughed and shook his head. "You are crazy." He told her before sipping at his strawberry wine.

Only later, when he lay in bed with the moon shining through the curtains he realized that all day long Daphne, her betrayal and his inner turmoil hadn't surfaced once.

He smiled slightly before drifting off to sleep.

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.

…

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England:

When the Portkey set Bill down on English soil he would have loved nothing more than to kneel down and kiss it.

Home.

He was finally home.

Their group stood in the other half of the warehouse, from which they had departed only a few weeks prior.

He looked at his friends and colleagues.

They all looked rather tired and weary.

Atticus cleared his throat, prepared to give them one last time some kind of praise but Alice stepped forward, kissed him on the cheek and said: "Thank you Atticus, for leading us through this. You were amazing the way you kept your cool and you deserve the title of team-leader. We all look up to you and salute to you. So thank you. And now, let us all go home to our families and rest up."

Atticus blushed but they all nodded in agreement and shook his hand.

After that their group quickly disbanded.

Bill fought with himself for a second but then he threw his pride aside and approached Daphne and Thomas who were walking slowly towards the exit.

"Thomas, Daphne, wait." He said.

They stopped and turned around, both looking warily.

Bill took a deep breath.

"I can't say I'm too happy with either of you. Harry is like my sixth brother and I love the kid. But I also know that this is between him and you" he looked at Daphne "And I won't pretend to know the whole situation and I will keep out of it because it's not my business. I just don't want it to affect our friendship" here he looked at Thomas "So for what it is worth I am sorry for what I said, the names I called you and your family and that I almost punched you in the face." He said honestly.

Thomas sighed but then smiled slightly.

"I would have deserved it. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have lost it like that. But you don't understand and I'm sorry that that is all I can say. It was never my intention to have things break apart like this."

He looked at his niece. "I'm so very sorry Daphne."

"I don't care what you say. I don't want to hear anything you have to say." Daphne said hollowly. "He hates me now. Because of you. There is no going back. I didn't only lose the boy I have a crush on. I lost my best friend first and foremost. I hate you." She whispered silently but her look at her uncle was so full of hatred that Bill nearly took a step backwards.

Tom sighed. "It's for the best that way. I don't expect you to thank me for it. I wouldn't want that."

"I don't care." Daphne said.

Bill was rattled by the way she spoke and held herself. She seemed so utterly defeated.

Something is seriously wrong here, he thought.

Thomas sighed and nodded.

"Let's just go home and sort this out in private." He said.

"Daphne" Bill spoke up before they turned to go "Harry is not incapable of forgiveness. He likes you, he really does. You are his friend and as far as I can say there is nothing Harry doesn't do for his friends. Explain it to him, all of it. Make him listen."

"I am afraid it's not that easy." Tom said.

"But you shouldn't just give up like that! You are friends." Bill argued

Daphne managed only a weak smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Like he said." She said and pointed at Thomas. "I don't think Harry will ever so much as look in the general direction of me."

Bill shook his head. He had no idea what to say to that.

"See you soon." he said with a last nod and then headed towards the apparation platform in one corner of the room.

From there, he apparated directly onto the doorstep of the Burrow.

As he was keyed into the wards he had erected around the house a few years ago, it granted him direct passage through.

He sighed, took a deep breath and opened the door.

He hadn't realized how late it was.

His family was finished with dinner and his mother was doing the dishes with Ginny's and Percy's help.

He let his backpack fall down heavily next to the entrance to the living room and said: "Hey guys, I'm home."

He had of course called them and told them that the mission was over, back when they had rested in Phnom Penh.

He had told them that there had been complications, an attack and that people had gotten hurt.

He knew his mother had been worried once Gringotts too had informed them that something had gone wrong during their mission.

He had been able to dampen her worries with his calls but he knew she'd only be satisfied once she saw that he was indeed alright.

Molly Weasley spun around.

"Oh my boy!" she exclaimed tears of relieve and joy gathering in her eyes.

She pulled him in her arms, never mind the fact that he was nearly three heads taller than her, and squeezed him.

She was shaking and Bill felt a tinge of guilt for worrying her with his job.

"Mom, I'm fine, see? Not even injured. Just a bit tired."

"They said you were attacked! And that some of you got badly hurt!" she sobbed.

Bill leaned down to rest his head on top of his mother's head.

"I know. I didn't mean to worry you. That's why I called from the hospital as soon as I could."

At the word hospital Molly moaned and pressed her face deeper into his chest.

Bill looked up to his siblings who still stood at the kitchen counter.

"Help me out!" he mouthed.

Percy, ever the rational quick-thinker, stepped up and gentry pried his mother away from her eldest son.

"Mother calm down. It's all going to be just fine. Bill is back, the mission is over, he won't be send on another for quite some time and you can keep him here and cuddle and mother him all you want!" he said in his most reasonable voice.

Bill looked horrified at his younger brother but Percy send him a hard look over their mother's head that clearly said: 'You deserve worse. We were all worried. Idiot.'

Bill nodded his thanks.

Then Ginny was there and hugged him too.

"I'm glad as well you are alright." She whispered.

Bill kissed his baby-sisters head and smiled.

"I would never leave you!"

There was the sound of footsteps coming from the back porch and moments later Arthur Weasley stepped into the house.

"Molly, I heard that someone apparated inside the wards, who is…" he began but upon seeing his first born he staggered and his eyes went wide.

"Bill?" he asked breathlessly.

His father's reaction just proved to Bill how anxious his family must have been.

"Yes dad. I'm back. I'm sorry we had you worried."

"Oh Bill." His father too hugged him.

"Oh Bill it was horrible! We couldn't write you, there were no messages coming from you and then all of a sudden we get a letter from Gringotts stating that you mission went haywire and then we sit here for hours before we finally get your call! Bill, we thought you might have died. They didn't want to give us any details. We've been sitting on hot coals ever since then."

Bill swallowed with difficulty.

"This…this was different. Different than anything anyone of us had ever before. We were trapped. The only way to get out was through the tunnels but the challenges were hindering us and then the guardian said the stone had to be destroyed but actually it had to be released but it was actually the same and then they attacked and they hurt Alice and we fought and we defeated them and then Harry absorbed all the energy and let it go but we couldn't leave right away and then Chao was finally able to activate the Portkey that took us to Phnom Penh and then it was all so chaotic and then the things with Harry and Daphne happened…" Bill rambled.

"Calm down Bill, you don't have to tell us anything yet! We're just glad you are back!" Arthur said softly.

"Wait…where is Harry?" Ginny piped up and looked around alarmed.

The others too looked around when they saw that he wasn't hiding somewhere they looked at Bill with big eyes.

Molly's face already started to tear up again but Bill hastily said: "He's fine. He's alive and healthy!"

The relieve was obvious.

"Then where is he?" Molly asked, fisting her apron. "Did you drop him off at Sirius's place? Please tell me you did not leave him alone!"

"Mom! Who do you think I am? I would never do that! But no, Harry's not with Sirius. He's with a friend of mine in France."

"WHAT?" Ginny and Molly shouted simultaneously.

They were loud enough to be heard buy the rest of the family inside the house.

Footsteps on the stairs grew louder and louder until the twins and Ron, closely followed by Charlie.

"Bill!" they exclaimed.

But Ron immediately noticed Harry's absence.

"Where is Harry?" he asked, fear clear on his face.

Bill smiled at his youngest brother and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Ron. Harry is fine. Alive and healthy and probably enjoying himself I'd wager. He's with a friend of mine in France."

"What?" Ron echoed his mother and sister.

"Are you sure that's wise? To just leave Harry with someone? How do we know Harry is save where he is?" Molly called out.

"I guarantee you, Harry is safe. The Delacour mansion is well protected and Fleur will keep him out of trouble."

"Delacour?" his father asked perplexed.

"Fleur?" Ron asked.

Bill nodded. "Yeah, she's a good friend. I've known her a bit for some time now and talked a bit to her. On our mission she, Daphne and Harry became close friends. And…and her and I are…kind of dating…so it's quiet save for him!"

Upon the word 'dating' Charlie and the twins did some cat-calls.

"Way to go bro." Fred said.

"Yeah, saved the damsel in distress, did you?" George said while wriggling his eyebrows.

"No actually it was Harry that saved her from certain death." Bill said thoughtfully.

"And you are not afraid Harry will steal her from you?" Charlie asked while nudging him.

"No, he won't. They are like brother and sister. And she's also more than three years older than him." Bill stated dryly.

"That never stopped people before…" Fred said suggestively.

"Ahm…excuse me but I think we're getting off the topic here." Ron called out.

"Why is he in France?" he asked.

Bill sighed.

"Something…personal happened between Harry and another member of our team. And Harry needs a few days to come to terms with what happened."

"Oh god, nobody died right?" Molly shrieked. "Poor Harry, where they close?"

"Nobody died mom! Merlin, everyone is fine! You can believe me. But what happened between Harry and that person still hurt him, emotionally I mean" Bill said rather desperately when he saw the alarmed faces of his family. He had the feeling they would only believe him once they saw Harry.

"But once he has it figured out he'll be back, I promise. I told Fleur to keep him for two or three days and talk to him about it. She's good at that kind of thing. And I also spoke with that other person. She too needs time to gather her bearings before facing him again. It's going to be a tough time for both of them. So that's why Harry needed a bit of distance. He's very sorry for that, believe me. He's wracked with guilt. Especially when it comes to Sirius. By the way…how did that turn out?" he asked successfully steering the conversation in a different direction.

They told him what had happened during the trial and afterwards.

"Was he informed too?" Bill asked.

"Yes. He was outraged and Mr. Lupin could just about keep him from going to Cambodia. He was furious but we told him what you told us after our fire-call and he calmed down a bit."

"I should probably call him and explain the situation." Bill muttered.

"But not today. I make you something to eat and then you will go to bed!" Molly ordered.

"And when you talk to Sirius make sure that Mr. Lupin is there. Just in case Sirius gets angry so that he won't tear you a new one." Fred advised.

Arthur shot his son a disapproving look but he had to agree.

Sirius could be a bit short tempered.

"I'll do it first thing tomorrow." He said, more to himself.

"Maybe I invite the two over for lunch. We've been doing that quite often to be honest." Molly suggested.

"That would be great Mum."

"Then let's talk about different things. You lot" Molly looked at her other children "go back to bed. You can ask Bill everything in the morning. Bill, go wash your hands and sit down. I'll have something fixed for you in no time."

Bill had a sense of déjà vu as he sat down.

Only weeks ago he'd gotten home late too one night and had been greeted by his family. Back then he too had been gone on a mission.

That had been the night he'd first met Harry.

Strange. He knew the boy only for a few weeks but it was as if Harry had been part of the family all along.

Bill gulped down the re-heated Pumpkin-soup before he hit the hay.

His dreams were deep and dreamless for what he was grateful.

.

.

…

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.

France:

On his second day Fleur took Harry to see Castle Versailles in the morning.

It was even more impressive than Hogwarts and that was saying something.

As Harry gazed around in the Golden Ballroom and saw his reflection in the mirrors he thought it impossible that this could be real.

That people once lived in this much…it wasn't even luxury anymore. This was already madness!

"Ze people of France paid heavily for zings like zis room to be created. Zey starved. Zey had no houses, no money even though zey worked day and night, zey died early, went unacknowledged by ze upper classes and generally had poor lives." Fleur explained with a sad look on her face.

"Kind of like Muggleborn in a stuck up Pure-Blood-Society." Harry muttered darkly.

"Exactly like zat." Fleur agreed with him.

"What did the French people do?" Harry asked.

"Zey started ze probably most famous revolution of all, which led to a wave of revolutions." Fleur explained.

"Ze French Revolution zey call it."

"Wow, genius name." Harry grinned. Fleur nudged him in the side.

"Show some respect!" she said with mock sternness. "Our success triggered a wave of revolutions."

"Well, you can't really say that many revolutions have been in favor for the British Empire. Every time we lost land that actually is rightfully ours!" he countered in the most stuck up and pompous voice he could manage.

Fleur giggled. "You poor English-men." She said and patted his head.

"Spare me your pity woman." Harry huffed and gently slapped her hand away.

Fleur laughed again.

"Come little Brit, zis way." And let him onward.

In the afternoon the three female Delacours apparated with Harry to Monaco and to one of the most beautiful beaches in all France. There they relaxed a bit at the beach before heading into town for some shopping.

Apolline insisted on buying Harry an expensive set of sunglasses even though he already had one, only because they 'just matched his facial structures' as she put it. Then she dragged him to her favorite hairdresser to get his hair in order again.

Harry thanked her, blushing and stammering in French but she just smiled at him kindly and waved it aside.

Fleur was highly amused by all of it.

They returned back to Versailles around five in the evening and while the servants cooked dinner, Fleur Harry and Gabrielle had great fun playing Exploding Snap and Wizard Chess, in which Harry, thanks to Daphne, didn't suck that much in anymore.

The thought of Daphne made him pause, a pained expression clear on his face.

"Harry? Are you well?" Gabrielle asked him concerned in French. "Are you hurt?"

Harry shook his head and smiled at the eight-year-old. "I'm fine little bunny, just remembered something." He said, calling her by the nick-name he'd given her on his first day here.

She giggled and went back to her game.

Fleur though looked at Harry intensively.

And Harry knew that he wouldn't get around a talk with her about what had happened.

He dreaded it already.

After their game session Gabrielle insisted on showing Harry the Greenhouse.

Harry thought that the eight-year old would make good friends with Neville, since she shared his excitement for plants. He felt a bit awkward since she knew more than he did.

But before he could embarrass himself, a maid appeared and said, that their presence was requested back in the House.

Harry thanked her and with Gabrielle at his hand, they followed her back.

.

.

…

.

.

England:

Bill was rudely awakened the next day by his immediate younger brother who barged into his room unannounced, proclaiming with a wide grin: "Rise and shine big brother! There's an owl for you from Gringotts and it won't let anyone of us take the letter off. Apparently it's charmed so that only the recipient can take it of her. She's driving mum nuts and her hooting is annoying the rest of us so get your lazy ass down to the kitchen, you slept long enough as it is!"

Bill groaned and rolled over, pulling the comforter over his head.

"Go away Charlie." He moaned and pressed his head deeper into his pillow.

"No can do." Charlie replied and Bill could hear the shit-face grin in his brother's voice.

Next thing he knew it was cold and he was on the floor.

Bill jumped to his feet and snatched the blanket from Charlie.

Draping it over his shoulders like a cape he growled: "No I remember why I moved out at seventeen!"

Charlie had the nerve to blow him a kiss.

In the end Bill did join his family for a late brunch.

It was kinda nice but after being cooped up with many people for such a long time in such a tiny space, Bill wasn't too enthusiastic about being around his family 24/7 again.

What he wanted was some solitude.

Lucky Harry, alone with Fleur, away from all of this, he thought glumly.

The owl Gringotts had send snapped at him after he untied the letter from her leg. Apparently she didn't like to be kept waiting and with a pompous 'shu-hu' she was off again.

Sitting down he opened the letter and overflew its context.

"Greetings Mr. Weasley,

Gringotts welcomes you back from your mission.

We hope you've had time to recuperate from the hardships of your mission."

"You got that right." Bill muttered. His family looked at him questioningly but he read on.

"As you may know, you mission was somewhat compromised by an unknown party, endangering the mission and the lives of our people."

"May know? No shit Sherlock, I was fucking there." Bill snorted.

"Bill, language!" said his mother while pointing her spoon threateningly at him.

"I'm sorry mum. But they make it sound like it was a minor inconvenience when we actually almost got slaughtered!" he grumbled thoughtlessly, forgetting that his family was present.

His mother let out a terrified sob and seeing her deathly pale face he quickly shouted: "I mean it was just a minor annoyance! A skirmish, nothing bad!"

But he knew that nobody believed him.

So he read on, deciding to deal with them later.

"What transpired in Cambodia upsets us and we want to get to the bottom of it which is why we expect your attendance on this coming Tuesday for the debriefing of your mission at seven o'clock in the morning. If this should be inconvenient we still expect you to come.

Have a good day,

Raknok, Head of the Curse-Breaker Guild."

He put the letter aside and stared at the table.

Tuesday. That was the day after tomorrow.

Harry would have to be back by then.

He and Fleur probably had gotten the same letter by now.

Daphne would be there.

Bill flinched slightly at the thought of that.

"Bill? Is everything alright?" Ginny asked.

Only then die Bill realize that his whole family was watching, each of them with varying degrees of concern and fear.

He shook himself, sitting up straight.

"I'm fine baby-sis. Don't worry. Just the notification when the debriefing will take place."

Ginny scowled. "Don't call me 'baby-sis'! I'm thirteen!"

Bill had almost forgotten that it had been her birthday just a few days ago.

He smiled at her.

"How could I forget" he asked back.

"On the other hand that means Harry will be back the day after tomorrow the latest." He said, addressing the rest of the table.

Ron grinned widely. "Awesome!" he proclaimed. "Then hopefully Hermione will stop bugging me about his wellbeing!"

Bill laughed and nodded. "Yeah, along with everyone else."

"Best you tell Sirius when he comes by today dear." His mother suggested.

"You already called him?"

"Arthur met him at the Ministry this morning and told him."

"How did he take it?"

"Your father wouldn't tell. He just flooed me to tell me he was coming by later today along with Mr. Lupin."

"Remus Lupin?" Bill asked surprised.

"Yes. Do you know him?" Molly asked surprised.

Bill hesitated. "Not in person but… We share some common things." He said somewhat lamely.

The table grew silent.

And Bill remembered Greyback hovering over Harrys body in the middle of the battlefield and remembered all the rage he had felt at that moment.

He clenched his fist.

Abruptly he stood up.

"I have some stuff to do." He announced and without going into further detail he left the room.

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.

…

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.

France:

When Gabrielle and Harry arrived back at the Mansion they were greeted by loud and happy voices from the entrance Hall.

"Seems like we have guests." Gabrielle said.

"So it would." Agreed Harry as they stepped through the door.

"'arry, Gabi, zhere you are!" Fleur exclaimed as she spotted them. "'arry, come here and meet my cousins!" she said while gesturing at the two sixteen or seventeen years old boys, that stood there with her.

They were tall and muscular with stony faces but they smiled when they saw Gabrielle and picked her up and threw her playfully in the air before catching her again and ruffling her hair gently.

When they turned to him their faces remained friendly but also curious.

They held out their hand and Harry quickly shook both of them.

"Hello Harry." said the first one.

He had shaggy blond hair and was dressed in simple everyday robes the color of granite with a dark red trim.

He spoke with a slight Russian accent but it was rather faint.

"Pleasure to meet you." He continued.

"Even if it's only for tonight. We are passing though on our way home and though we could rest here before making the rest of the trip tomorrow." said the other boy.

Like the first one his hair was shaggy but shorter and black and he wore brown pants and a red tunic under a dark woolen overcoat.

"You are always welcome." Fleur said before turning to Harry.

"'arry zese are my second cousins Marian and Oleg. Zey go to Durmstrang, another magical school somewhere in Scandinavia or so. We don't get to see each other often!" she explained. Then she turned back to her cousins.

"Guys zis is 'Arry Potter. 'e is from England. He was part of ze zame Curse-breaker Team zat I went to Cambodia with for my internship and later apprenticeship at Gringotts. We actually only returned ze day before yesterday. 'Arry 'ere will be an excellent Curse-Breaker one day! He and I became great friends, 'e even saved my live once."

Harry felt his face burn hot from all the praise he got from her.

"I'm just Harry. And the pleasure is all mine." He said.

The boys smiled back.

"Any friend of Fleur's is our friend." Marian proclaimed.

"Let's have dinner." Fleur suggested. "And talk more then."

Harry learned that, despite looking a lot alike, Oleg and Marian where first cousins and more like best friends.

Their families were loaded so they spent their holidays usually travelling the world without their parents.

They had just come back from a trip through the Andes in South-America and were headed towards Norway for a boat-trip with some friends of Marian's father.

"And from there we will go and see the World Cup and then go back just in time for school." Marian explained happily.

Harry sat up straight.

The World Cup.

He had completely forgotten about that!

In two weeks' time was the Quidditch World Cup!

How could that have slipped his mind?

"Are you going?" Oleg asked them.

Fleur shook her head.

"No, I'm not in ze mood. I will be in England for my debriefing but after zat I look forward to just relaxing until school starts." She said.

Oleg nodded. "And you Harry?" he asked.

"I totally forgot to be honest." Harry replied. "So…I don't think so. Maybe my godfather got us tickets but I doubt it. He was fairly busy these past weeks." He muttered.

He had quickly realized that beyond the UK only a handful people knew who he was. Harry liked that. Even Fleur didn't really know that he was famous.

So they didn't know about Sirius either and Harry wanted to keep it that way.

He still didn't know how Sirius trial had ended.

Again a wave of guilt washed over him.

This was the second time he'd just gone away. After everything Sirius had done and went through…

Harry felt horrible.

And suddenly he also felt homesick.

He wanted to go home. See the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus and Hermione.

He was rather quiet for the rest of the night.

Fleur probably sensed what his broodiness was about and distracted her cousins.

Harry went to bed early that night and had a troubled night of restless turning and flashbacks.

.

.

…

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England:

Bill sat up straight when there was a knock on the Burrows front door.

It was strong, rapid and just screamed impatience.

Sirius Black had obviously arrived.

Molly opened the door.

Even from his spot in the living room Bill could understand every word that was exchanged.

Ron, who was sitting across from him, working on his Transfiguration essay, winced and said: "I so don't envy you right now Bill! He's going to rip you apart!"

Bill noticed the undertone in his brother's voice. Ron wasn't too happy with him either, even if Harry would in all likelihood return the day after tomorrow.

After all, Harry was his best mate and in a tricky situation.

Ron felt that he had abandoned Harry and Bill felt the same.

"Yeah well, shit happens and we can't change it now. Believe me if I could I would go back in time and change a lot of things that happened on this trip." Bill muttered darkly.

Ron opened his mouth to reply something but right then Sirius Black, followed by Remus Lupin, entered the room.

Bill had still been pretty young when Sirius had been taken to Azkaban for the murder and betrayal of the Potters but Bill had never forgotten the Mugshot of the man.

His eyes wide and wild, laughing like a maniac.

While the Lord Black didn't look like the scarecrow on the Wanted posters anymore he was still and intimidating figure with an unforgiving glare.

Bill rose and extended his hand.

"Bill Weasley, Mr. Black, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Whatever." Said Sirius but he still shook Bill's hand.

"Mr. Lupin, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. I only have heard positive things about you!" Bill said, addressing the other man.

As they shook hands the two men looked at each other and they saw something of themselves in the other's eyes.

Bill again remembered Fenrir Greyback's ugly face and how he had towered over Harry, ready to bite him.

This man in front of him, just like himself had not been so lucky.

And compared to Lupin he had been lucky too.

"Please, sit down." Bill said, gesturing at the couch.

Black sat down rather stiffly, his gaze still on Bill.

Bill tried not to show how it unnerved him.

"Excuse Sirius's icy behavior." Lupin muttered. "He's not been in the best of moods since Gringotts contacted us about the attack thing."

Bill nodded. "Of course, it was a disturbing thing and took us by surprise. We were lucky we all made it out alive."

He put the emphasis on the 'all' and looked at Sirius as he said it.

Sirius just glared at him.

"I know that you must be disappointed and angry that Harry's not here. After all that has happened and what you went through you thought you were finally able to spend some time with him and then I take him to Cambodia, get him into danger and then send him off to France alone. I understand that you are angry Mr. Black but…"

"I'm not angry." Black interrupted him.

Bill thought that he didn't happy either.

"I am pissed as hell!" Sirius snapped.

Okay, that made more sense.

"Ron, could you please leave?" Bill asked his brother.

Ron, who had been silent until now raised an eyebrow.

"I want to know what's going on. Harry's my friend!"

"Another time Ron, this could get ugly. Your mother would never forgive me if I let Sirius teach you some of his special vocabulary." Lupin agreed with Bill.

Ron sighed and closed his books harder than necessary and left.

"Mr. Black, I will tell you as much as I can. I can't tell you everything but…I will tell you what I can. Just let me assure you that Harry is fine. He wasn't badly injured during the attack and he was already healed before we left the hospital. He's anxious to see you and he worried every day he was away about what had happened to you and how you were doing. Not being able to write you really hit him hard. He gave me a letter for you before he left us in Athens."

Bill reached into his coat-pocket and pulled out the envelope Harry had given him on their last night together and handed it to Black.

Through his short speech Sirius's eyes had softened a tiny bit and that gave Bill hope.

He all but snatched the paper out of his hand and tore the letter open.

His eyes flew over the lines Bill could faintly see though the back of the paper.

A lot of emotions crossed over Black's face.

Hope, frustration, joy, confusion, anger, more frustration, hope, something akin to wistfulness and finally a small smile graced his lips but it disappeared as soon as he looked up at Bill.

He shoved the letter into one of his own pockets and pointed one of his long fingers at Bill.

"This still doesn't change anything!" he growled. "I mean what were you thinking? Dragging a thirteen-year-old into all of this?"

"Dumbledore said…"

"Oh don't give me 'Dumbledore said it would be alright!'. I know what Dumbledore said! And it's not alright! Look where it got you! Where it got Harry! Now explain yourself!" Sirius bellowed, ignoring Lupin's warning "Sirius!".

Bill clenched his fists to keep himself calm.

"Mr. Black, when I first met Harry he was sitting alone and drenched to the bone on the Knights Bus! It was in the middle of the night and we were racing through the country side. He assured me everything was alright. And then I find him a few days later in Diagon Ally where he had to flee to because his so called family kicked him out. Being Harry he pretended everything was alright but it wasn't! Okay? And I saw that! So I took him along! And yes, I told him about my job because he was interested and I taught him a thing or two when he asked me to and when I saw how good he was I saw no harm in teaching him some more. Do you honestly think I ever envisioned him accompanying him me and my fellow Curse-Breakers at that point? No! I just liked having someone around me who found what I was doing equally fascinating! If it was for me, Harry would have spent the summer at the Burrow with Ron! But then Dumbledore came and apparently gave Harry some pretty bad and upsetting news and then he suggested that Harry went away for some time and suggested he'd come with me! And yeah, after seeing Harry's progress and talent for the art of Curse-Breaking I didn't think much about it. Besides at that point we didn't know what was expecting us in Cambodia. The readings weren't clear and kind of strange, yes, but nothing indicated anything really bad! So yes, I put Harry down as my apprentice and Gringotts accepted! And the rest is history!" he ranted and stared the Lord Black unblinkingly in the eye.

"So don't be mad at Harry! He's not responsible for the choices that were made!"

To his surprise Sirius snorted and a tiny grin appeared on his face.

"I'm not mad at Harry" he said "How could I ever be? He's his father's son and my godson. That is the exact kind of reckless thoughtless and stupid thing James would have done and I would have gone along with it just for the hell of it! I know he gets into trouble a lot and I don't blame him for following his passion and honestly, with Pettigrew on the lose I'd rather have him somewhere safe and far away!"

His gaze hardened again.

"Be that as it may" Lupin said calmly before Sirius could say something "I would still like to know why Harry hasn't come how with you and where he is."

Sirius nodded. "Excellent point Moony. Where is he? What happened?"

But as he asked this time he wasn't glaring at Bill.

Now he looked more desperate and sad.

So Bill started telling him what he could, which wasn't much.

He basically repeated what Gringotts had already told Black and Lupin, about how after successfully completing the mission they were attacked by a group of unknown individuals (aka Deatheaters but he wasn't allowed to say that) and how one of them was badly injured (names weren't allowed either) and how they finally made their way through the jungle and to a hospital via the emergency portkey.

Bill hesitated.

"What?" asked Sirius.

"Ahm…Harry sort of had a bad fallout with a friend of his he'd made on the team. They were really close, always doing things together and joking around and helping each other and…and well, things came to light about that other person and the intentions it had and…Harry was very upset and I sort of had something to do with it too because I knew and didn't tell him but only because I thought they would tell him and…it's really complicated but I can't tell you more. All I can is that my girlfriend has taken him with her. She's is an amazing woman and cares for Harry very deeply. He saved her life once. She will talk to him about what happened and try find a solution."

Black and Lupin just stared at him.

"You do know that I understood maybe half of what you just said!" Sirius pointed out.

"That's because I'm not allowed to tell you anything until after the debriefing at Gringotts in which they will tell us what we're allowed to say and what not. I'm sorry."

Bill ruffled through his long hair and sighed.

Black rose abruptly.

"I see. Thank you Bill. We'll be on our way now."

Lupin looked up surprised. "Will we?" he asked.

"We will." Sirius confirmed.

Lupin looked back at Bill. "We will." He said confirmed and got up.

Bill rose too.

"Mr. Black, for what it's worth, I'm sorry I got Harry into danger and I'm sorry that Harry is not here right now. But I'm not sorry for taking Harry along, for having him there and to an extent, I'm not sorry for what happened. Because Harry was amazing out there. I wish you could have seen him. You would have been so proud. I think Harry was born to do this. He's so talented and it makes him happy."

Black stopped in the door of the living room.

"Lily." He said.

He turned around and faced Bill.

"Lily, his mother, she wanted to be a Curse-Breaker. But at the time it was hard. So she settled to be and Unspeakable and got her Charms Master Degree. Harry has that from her." He muttered.

Then he left.

Only later did Bill realize that he never told Sirius that Harry would most likely be back for the briefing the day after tomorrow.

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…

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France:

Once Marian and Oleg were gone after breakfast the next day, Fleur threw a beach-towel at Harry and said with a smirk: "No sightseeing today. Its 'ot today and I still need to work on my tan. Those weeks in ze tunnels weren't good for my skin. We are going swimming."

Her declaration followed an hour of preparation.

Fleur instructed the maids to prepared them a picnic-basket, bring out the sun-chairs and umbrellas as well as a blanket and everything they might need and have it brought to the lake while they changed and packed what they would need for the afternoon.

Harry changed into a pair of swimming-trunks Fleur had given him, seeing that he didn't have any with him, and put a t-shirt on top, put his towel, two books, his wand, his journal and his magical Polaroid camera in his backpack.

He met Fleur downstairs on the terrace and she put a straw-hat on his head and pushed a bottle of magical-sunscreen into his hand.

"You will need zis. You British people zhink you know what sunshine iz but you will not be getting a sunburn or heat-stroke while I am 'ere." She ordered and nodded, as if satisfied with that declaration.

Harry raised his hands defensively and said: "Whatever you say."

They marched off to the small lake Harry had spotted in the distance on his first day here.

They walked through waist-high grass and colorful wild flowers.

The air was thick with heat and the smell of flowers and a small breeze played with the grass.

Two of the Delacour dogs followed them.

They were giant greyhounds and Harry couldn't tell them apart.

The foremost reason why he wasn't so enamored with them was because they tended to jump at you when they liked you or were excited.

They liked Harry a lot and got excited whenever they saw him.

Sadly, they were taller than him when they stood on their hind legs and put their front paws on his shoulders and they were also stronger and tended to knock him over.

So Harry tried to avoid them.

Fleur thankfully kept the two in check.

In no time they reached the lake and found that the servants had put up a small pavilion with a table and two chairs, already laid and ready for lunch; as well as to sun loungers with two umbrellas and a soft picnic-blanket close to the small beach at the edge of the lake.

In a charmed picnic-basket they found a small feast waiting for them.

The water was crystal clear and the whole lake must have been twenty meters in diameter.

Dragonflies zoomed closely over the surface and frogs croaked in the surrounding bushes.

"Wow. It's beautiful here." Harry murmured as he dropped his bag on one of the sun loungers and took off his shoes and t-shirt.

Fleur too took of her summer dress.

Underneath she wore a white swimming suit.

"I know. I love it. It belongs to our property. It waz natural when we came 'ere but we charmed it to keep it nice and clean." She said and walked into the water.

Once she was up to her knees in the water she jumped forward with her arms outstretched and dived gracefully under.

She resurfaced seconds later and sighed.

"What are you waiting for? Ze water is so nice! So cool and refreshing!"

Harry grimaced slightly as he walked a few feet into the water.

It was indeed cool and nice in this enormous heat.

"'arry?" Fleur asked and stood up.

He grimaced again.

"You know, ever since the River of the Undying and then when the Guardian sent us up through the lake, being around water has always left a sour taste in my mouth... I can shower and all but when you all went to the pool in Athens I stayed behind not because I was tired but because I wasn't too keen to be in water that soon again."

"Oh 'arry I am so sorry! I should have thought about zat! Do you want to leave? We can do something else!" she offered and made a step towards him but he shook his head.

"No, it's fine! Really. I don't have a phobia or PTSD because of it. It's just an uncomfortable memory. Give me a bit to adjust."

She nodded and waded a few steps back.

In the end Harry enjoyed the early noon time immensely.

They swam around a bit, had a little water-fight and then mostly sat in the shallow parts of the water, watching the water, the dragonflies and the rest of the nature all around them.

After a while Harry got each of them a sandwich from the basket.

Chewing on the delicious bread they sat on the small beach, watching the glittering water and enjoyed the sun on their backs.

As the afternoon approached, the sun wasn't just very high but also the strongest, they retreated into the shadows, put on sunscreen and had the rest of their lunch.

The whole time they talked about everything and anything and still managed to avoid the elephant in the room.

Instead Fleur told him about Beauxbatons, the students, the subjects, her Headmistress, more about her extensive family and her life in general.

She was a bright young witch and Harry liked her immensely and was grateful for her friendship.

He was also happy to be here with her.

Although it had only been three days he felt the stress and the anxiety of the past weeks melt off his shoulders and he was able to relax.

All the problems back home and all the problems he had brought back with him seemed so far away here.

Here it was just him, Fleur, good food and sunshine.

What more could you want?

It was almost four o'clock when Fleur sat up in her sun lounger and put her book aside.

Servants had long come to collect their dishes and the pavilion.

Now it was only them, their sun-loungers and umbrellas.

Fleur took off her sunglasses.

"'arry?" she asked and her tone was soft, slightly hesitant.

Harry, who was reading 'A Beginner's Guide through Runes' because that topic still gave him headaches, looked up and when he saw her expression, he felt dread pooling into his stomach.

"I cannot pretend to know my cousins mind" she began "But I 'ave known Daphne since she was born. Off all my English relatives ze two of us are ze closest! 'er birth was important after all. She has many expectations and we live in a world zat is trapped in stagnation. I understand zat to 'er, a new and fresh mind, an educated young witch, ze situation she was confronted with must seem horrible and unfair. Daphne is not a bad person. And I don't zhink she ever intended to 'urt you like this. She would 'ave told you. There 'as to be more to ze whole story."

Harry put his glasses down and sat up, elbows resting on his knees.

"I don't really care anymore about the fact that she didn't tell me about this at all, I'm more upset about the fact that she was aware of what was expected of her and still went and…and did this with me." He said, blushing slightly, not sure how to express what it was between him and Daphne and if it even was something.

Fleur nodded understandingly.

"You feel as if she just used you for 'er own pleasure."

"Maybe pleasure is too strong a word but yeah, something like that and I just feel stupid and…I don't know. Hurt I guess."

"I understand zat 'arry and you have all right to feel like zat but…I can't help but feel zat Daphne wasn't pretending to like you. She does. I've never seen 'er the way she was around you."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know what to believe because I didn't know her prior to this trip." he said helplessly. "I don't know what the real her is and what not and how she usually is."

"I thought you are in ze same year in school?"

"We're in different Houses. She is a Slytherin, I am a Gryffindor. We only share two or three classes and we have different electives too. I've heard her name and saw her a few times outside of class but we've never talked."

"'ow is zat possible?" Fleur asked confused.

"A lot of socializing is done in your house. Those are the people you spend most of your time with in School. One teacher put it like this: During your time at Hogwarts your House will be like your family. And as I said, we're a Gryffindor and a Slytherin."

"I 'ave no idea what zat means." Fleur said honestly.

Harry tried to think of a comparison.

"Do you know Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?"

Fleur nodded.

"She's Juliet Capulet and I am Romeo Montague. In a way at least. And our two Houses are like those families. They hate each other and fight all the time and you learn from early on not to mix with them."

Fleur pulled a face. "Zat sounds very stupid." She proclaimed.

"It probably is" Harry admitted with a shrug "the point is we both stand for two entirely different types of people and I don't understand how I could have been fooled for so long. I should have known that it was too good to be true." He added bitterly.

"Oh 'arry, don't go down zat path!" said Fleur seriously. "'aven't you ever heard zat opposites attract each other?" she asked with a kind smile.

"That's the point, I don't know what I feel for her or what our connection is. On the one hand I agree with Thomas when he says that we are too young to mourn about a failed summer romance. On the other hand, I agree with Luna when she says that love is a feeling you instinctively know and that it has no limits. I feel…felt connected to Daphne. Talking to her was always so easy and yet so refreshing. She is different from my other friends. And I liked that."

"Do you want zat back?" Fleur asked gently.

"I don't know if I can."

"But do you want to?"

Harry looked up at her.

"More than anything." He admitted. Then he looked back down. "But I can't."

.

.

…

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England:

Bill was putting together everything he would need for tomorrow's meeting when Fred walked into the living room.

For a second Bill contemplated how strange it was to only see one twin. Usually the other one was never far away and when he was it usually meant trouble.

He also felt a sudden feeling of nausea. It was almost unnatural to see only one of them.

So his first question was not "What do you want" but instead: "Where's George?"

Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Why would it matter. I look exactly like him. If you want him, you just have to forget I'm Fred. There'll be no difference."

Now it was Bill's turn to raise an eyebrow. It was no secret that, despite all their jokes about it, the twins usually felt slightly offended and hurt whenever someone of their own family could not tell them apart.

"What is it Fred?" Bill asked.

"You got a visitor. He's waiting for you outside."

"You didn't invite them in?"

"He didn't want too!" Fred defended himself with a shrug before leaving the room.

Bill frowned and walked towards the front door.

Outside stood none other than Rashid.

"Rashid" Bill exclaimed pleasantly surprised "What a surprise, how are you?"

Rashid smiled but it was a weak smile.

He was still dressed in his healer robes. He must have come straight from the small private healing house he owned and worked at.

"Good day Bill. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting." The healer muttered, wringing his hands.

"You're not interrupting at all. Do you want to come in on a cup of tea?" Bill asked kindly.

Rashid shook his head. "No, I don't really have the time. It's just that…something strange happened and I wanted to know if you could help me out or if you know anything that might help me."

Bill frowned but said: "I'll see what I know. What is it about?"

Rashid suddenly looked very unhappy.

"I got a letter this morning from Victor Greengrass, Daphne's father, that he is cancelling her apprenticeship with me."

Bill's mouth dropped open. "What?" he asked flabbergasted. "Why?"

Rashid shrugged helplessly.

"That's what I want to find out. I went to their mansion this morning, demanding to speak with him. But I was politely sent away. So I sent a letter that came back unopened almost immediately. So I sent a howler" here Bill raised his eyebrows because this was not like Rashid at all "And I got a very polite letter back telling me not to contact any member of the Greengrass family ever again" at this Bill's eyes narrowed down "And when I went by Victor's office in the Ministry his secretary had me escorted out by the security."

Bill could see that Rashid was totally overwhelmed with this situation.

"And I know that something happened between Daphne and Harry and you and Thomas during our last days together. Something big, some kind of argument. And that that is the reason why Harry went with Fleur and why Daphne was so down. And I wanted to stay out of it because I thought it wouldn't affect me but now…Bill, what is going on?" he asked helplessly.

Bill shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. I mean you are right, there was a huge argument between Daphne Harry and Thomas and it ended badly but I don't know the details and I don't know how much of what I do know I can tell you. Or should tell you. But you are right, this is really strange. Why would Victor Greengrass end her apprenticeship? She wants to be a healer and she is already a very talented one. And your teachings have benefitted her immensely. I don't understand it."

Rashid sighed unhappily. "I will still try to get an answer. Maybe Elijah will talk to me."

"That's Thomas's brother right?" Bill asked.

Rashid nodded. "He's Victors right hand. And usually a very reasonable man. I'll see what answer eh can give me. In the meantime…" he trailed off, his frustration obvious.

"Thanks anyway Bill." He muttered.

"I'm sorry there wasn't more I could give you."

Rashid waved it off. "It's okay. I just want answers."

"Don't we all?" muttered Bill darkly. Then louder he added: "Keep me updated, will you? This interests me as well. And remember, tomorrow is the debriefing. Thomas will be there and so should Daphne. Maybe you can talk to them then."

"Yeah, maybe" Rashid sighed "Thanks Bill. I'll have to go now. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Bill replied back.

.

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…

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France:

Harry was sitting in his room in the Delacour mansion, staring out of the window, watching as the sun ever so slowly started to dip towards the earth. Evening was not far away.

His conversation with Fleur ran through his head over and over again.

"Zhere is a letter 'ere for you." Said a voice from the door.

He turned his head slightly to see Fleur standing there in a floor long dark red kimono. In one hand she was holding a letter and on her other arm sat a disgruntled looking owl.

It leapt off her arm and glided towards Harry before landing on the armrest of his chair.

"It's from Gringotts. Ze debriefing of ze mission is tomorrow." Fleur said silently. "Our attendance is required."

Harry read the letter quickly as she talked.

He sighed and put it aside.

"What do you want to do?" Fleur asked as she approached and sat down on the footrest in front of his chair.

"I don't know. She'll be there. And I don't know if I can do that yet. Yet on the other hand I know that I have to go back soon anyway. There is school and you know, my friends and Sirius and all that. But I can't just pretend like nothing happened, that's not me."

"Zhen talk to her."

"She said she couldn't tell me the truth. And so did Thomas. I doubt that they have changed their minds." He snorted.

"Zhen don't talk about zat. Try and repair your friendship. You are both suffering because of zhis."

"And how would we do that? How do you repair something that is broken when you can't talk about what broke it in the first place? We can't ignore this! Nothing is like it was before." He said angrily.

"'arry sooner or later you will be confronted with all of zhis again! Zhere is no avoiding it forever."

"I KNOW!" Harry exploded, jumping out of his chair and starting to pace the room.

"Merlin only knows I know! But it's not fair!" he shouted. "What have I done to deserve this? What? Call me selfish but for once I just wanted a nice quiet summer and I thought that this trip could give me the escape I needed! And at first it did! It was perfect! And then all of this happens and I just feel like I am entitled to no happiness at all!"

"You are not selfish 'arry." Fleur said silently. "You are ze most generous person I know. It's just zat ze kindest people always have ze rottenest luck."

Harrys anger deflated slightly and he felt the burning of tears in his eyes.

No, don't cry. You haven't cried in years; you are not going to start now!

"Harry, don't give up on your friends. I zhink that Daphne needs you. Now more zhan ever. Try to see beyond ze lies she had to tell you and look at what she is facing. Betrothal to a boy she can't stand. A boy whose family name is like a curse-word in our French society. And zhen look at everything else. Ze secrecy, ze lack of explanations and ask yourself…could zhere be more to zhis?"

Harry snorted. "I wouldn't go around telling everyone if I were betrothed to Malfoy either."

Daphne sighed.

"Zat is not ze point Harry. Please try talking with Daphne. Even if it's just to end your friendship all together. Just one last talk."

Harry stared at her.

"Did she asked you to tell me this?" he asked bitterly.

"No, Bill did." She said before turning around and leaving.

Harry sat there for a while.

If there was someone who knew anything about betrayal and would understand him, it would be Sirius.

Granted, when he had been betrayed fifteen people, including Harry's parents, had died.

But there was another reason why he wanted to see Sirius.

He missed him.

It was strange.

He didn't even know Sirius that well.

But with all that was happening around him Harry was wishing for someone be his calm center and help him through this. And by all means, that person was Sirius for him.

Harry felt that despite only having met Sirius a few months ago, he couldn't help but still know him.

He knew in his heart of hearts that he could trust Sirius. That Sirius would be there for him. That Sirius would understand.

He didn't know how or why.

But he knew it to be true.

He got up and hurried towards Fleur's room.

He knocked on the double doors and waited.

"Yes? Come in." she called out in French.

He opened one door and entered the room.

It was big and airy and with two big windows.

Harry had always imagined Fleur to be somewhat girly and always thought that she would be into pink and fluffy pillows and curtains around her bed and that kind of stuff.

But actually Fleur was nothing like that.

There were a lot of shelves with books in her room and a huge desk to work at.

The predominant colors were a deep Bordeaux red and a light grey.

There were curtains around her bed but not the baldachin-type he had always imagined.

There was a wide wardrobe that took up almost a whole wall but other than that there wasn't much in the room. A few framed pictures hung on the walls or stood on her nightstand.

A string of fairy-lights hung in front of one window.

The witch in question was sitting on her bed, reading in a book.

She looked up when she saw him.

"'arry! What can I do for you?" she asked surprised.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you." Harry mumbled, looking down. "That wasn't fair. You've been nothing but supportive and generous to me and I…"

Fleur rose from her bed and shook her head.

"It's already forgotten Harry. I wasn't mad."

She took his hands in his and smiled reassuringly at him.

"You were right. I have to face my life and my problems sooner or later and I'd rather do it on my own terms than be forced to do it all of a sudden one day. I….I have to go home. I want to go home." he stammered slightly.

"Of course you do." Fleur said with a gently smiled.

"I have to see Sirius. And Ron. And I have to apologize to Bill too. And Hermione. I hope someone told her why I'm not answering her letters or she'll thing a House-Elf stole it again." He added.

Fleur nodded understandingly.

"Does zat mean you'll talk to Daphne?" she asked hopefully.

"Maybe." Harry admitted.

"I guess zat is as good as it'll get. Don't worry, tomorrow we'll face zem together. I'm zhere for you 'arry, as are Bill and your friends and your family."

"Actually I was wondering if there is a way for me to get home now." Harry muttered.

"Why?" Fleur asked surprised.

"I don't know. I just want to go home so badly right now." Harry muttered. "And somehow I want to be prepared for tomorrow. Also I want to speak to Bill before the debriefing. To clear some things. I wasn't fair to him either."

She smiled at him.

"I see. It's no problem. There is a way to get you to England today."

She hurried to the door and shouted: "Gaston! Prepare ze Floo please!"

"You can't floo to England!" Harry protested. "You can't, right?"

Fleur laughed.

"No, you can't but we can floo to ze International Portkey Station of France, the IPS France. You can buy Portkeys zhere and get to England in no time."

"You can just buy Portkeys to wherever you want to go just like that?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Of course. Zis is ze European Union. Zhere are no boarders. People can work and live wherever zhey want, so some people need Portkeys to get to work. So yeah, zey have quite a stock of Portkeys at ze IPS and depending on your destination zey can even make you on site. I zhink a Portkey to London City One-Way is twelve Gallons."

"I always thought that making Portkeys and getting one is a costly and complex thing! I didn't know you could just get one whenever you need one." Harry muttered.

"Well, you can't in Britain. Your government is quite strict about the making and the distribution of portkeys. Zey are hard to track and make smuggling easy. Also it requires a lot of skill to make zhem. If something goes wrong it can 'ave 'orrible consequences." Fleur explained.

"Makes sense." Harry muttered.

"Come on, let's pack your zhings."

Arriving in Harry's room she twirled her wand around him in the air and suddenly from all across his room his belongings flew upwards and towards his backpack that was leaning against the foot of his bed.

Clothes folded themselves into neat packages before plunging down into the bag, his toiletries flew from the bathroom and into the side-pockets of the rucksack, his books were next, falling one by one into the extended space inside the backpack together with his shoes and other stuff.

When it was done the buckles closed by themselves and the pack sagged against the foot of the bed.

Harry turned to Fleur.

"Thank you Fleur. For everything. You are a great friend. I'm lucky to have you."

She smiled at him and pulled him in a close hug.

"'arry you are like a brother to me. I feel protective about you like I feel protective about Gabrielle."

A lump formed in Harry's throat.

"I never had an older sister. But if I had one I would have wanted her to be like you. You and Bill, you have given me so much love and care and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for that."

She pulled back and looked at him with a kind smile gracing her inhumanly beautiful features.

"We know Harry. We know. Now go and say goodbye to my family while I get dressed."

.

Gabrielle cried when he said he goodbyes and he promised her to write her every day.

Apolline hugged him too and said she had enjoyed his company and that he was always welcome to their house.

Monsieur Delacour agreed with his wife and shook his hand strongly.

Fleur joined them and side by side they flooed to the IPS France.

.

Harry had only once been to an airport.

Uncle Vernon had been on a business trip for Grunnings and Aunt Petunia had gone to pick him up from the airport with Dudley. Sadly Mrs. Figg had not been able to look after Harry during that time so she was forced to take him along.

Harry guessed an airport was the closest thing the IPS France could be compared too.

It was a long flat building, divided into an arrival and a departure part.

In the Arrival part of the building there was a long counter behind which sat about half a dozen witches and wizards.

Behind each was a magical blackboard on which the names of different locations kept appearing on.

Fleur steered them towards a wizard in the middle of the counter whose blackboard read among other things 'London Central International'.

In French she said with a charming smile: "Good evening Monsieur, we would like to purchase a One-Way Portkey to London, Departure time as soon as possible please."

The Wizard nodded and tapped with his wand a certain combination onto the table-top in front of him.

"Identification please." He then said.

Fleur turned to Harry.
"Give him your wand." She said.

Harry gave the man his wand.

He scanned it with his own wand, then handed it back to Harry.

"Thanks." He said. The wizard just nodded and proceeded to type the table-top with his wand.

Suddenly something chimed and a small flap on the countertop Harry hadn't noticed yet opened and there lay a black coin about the size of Harrys palm.

"Cubicle forty-eight, departure time is fifteen minutes from now. Have a nice trip."

Harry thanked him and took the coin.

The Fleur let him on.

They walked through huge double doors into the main part of the building.

The entire space was divided into sixty or seventy different sized cubicles, some big enough to host at least thirty people, other just big enough for one person.

They were all numbered on the outside and certain sections were divided into general destinations like 'Africa' or 'Indonesia'.

Number forty-eight was in the 'Europe' department and was one of the small one.

Inside the wall were bare and a curtain served as a door.

Harry stopped in front of it and turned to Fleur.

"This will take me the same place in London from which we set off, right?"

Fleur nodded. "Then I will take the Knights Bus to Ottery St. Catchpole."

"Or you take it to ze Ministry and use the floo zhere to go directly to ze Burrow." Fleur suggested.

"But they don't know I'm coming. Wouldn't that be weird, just stepping through the fireplace all of a sudden?"

"It was just an idea." She said with a shrug.

Harry smiled. "I'll see when I get there." He decided.

She pulled him into a hug.

"Just be careful and fire-call me immediately when you get zhere!" she said with a sigh.

"I will." He promised her.

The portkey in his hand gave a short beeping-noise.

"Zat means You have one-minute left until you depart." Fleur explained.

Harry nodded and stepped into the cubicle.

Fleur stood in the entrance.

"I see you tomorrow." She said.

"Tomorrow." Harry repeated.

Then the familiar feeling of hook-behind-his-navel tore him away from her.

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…

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London:

Bill watched as Charlie levitated the cleaned dishes carefully into the cupboard while Ginny dried the last pan by hand.

Dinner was over but he was the only one that was still sitting at the table.

Rashid's visit this afternoon just wouldn't leave him alone.

He was startled form his thoughts when there was a knock on the front door.

He checked the clock on the window sill of the kitchen and frowned.

It wasn't that late yet but still…who could that be?

"I'll get that." he called out before heaving himself out of his chair.

The hallway was only dimly lit and he stumbled over more than one pair of shoes on his way to the door.

He pulled it open already saying: "Yes, what can I…" but the words died on his lips when he saw who stood on the doorstep of the Burrow.

Because Harry Potter was honestly the last person he was expecting.

"Hi." said the teen. "I know it's late but the lines waiting to use the floo were so long! I waited for what seemed like eternity. I swear, I'm never using the floo during finishing time at the ministry. Everybody seems to want to go home at the same time, it's insane!" He apologized with a slight grin.

Bill caught himself and grinned back.

"That really is a stupid thing to do. Good thing your finally here."

"Yeah, I'm glad too."

Bill stepped aside. "Would you come in already? It's getting cold." He mock complained.

Harry laughed and stepped inside.

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AN: It's long! I know. Still hope you liked it. Thanks for the lovely reviews, they are very much appreciated!

Love,

Kate

40. Eye of the Storm

Chapter Forty: The eye of the storm

Ron Weasley was in his room, reading Quidditch through the Ages when his oldest brother shouted through the house: "Ron, get down here, Hermione sent another howler! Better get on with it!"

Ron groaned and heaved himself off his comfortable and warm bed.

Of course he had informed Hermione of Harrys spontaneous adventure.

That had been a mistake.

First Hermione had been outraged and angry at the Durselys for abandoning Harry. Then she had asked every day if he knew anything about how Harry was doing and wouldn't believe him when he said no. She tried many ways to contact Harry herself and kept insisting that they should go to Gringotts and demand that they established some way of communication with Harry.

Ron had told her that if that had been possible, they would have done it.

Of course Ron was worried for his best friend, just as he was for his brother.

But Hermione's nagging was getting on his nerves and he thought that his last letter, stating Harry would be back tomorrow, would have calmed her. Apparently not.

So he shuffled down the stairs, silently grumbling under his breath.

Walking into the living room he looked around.

"Where is it?" he asked resigned.

Whoever had told Hermione that you could let howlers be made at public magical post offices should be punished severely.

Bill was grinning.

Of course he would. The whole family thought it was funny to hear Hermione belittle him on a regular basis.

"Right there." His brother said but before Ron could turn in the direction he was pointing someone jumped onto his back and covered his eyes with their hands.

Ron staggered but managed to stand upright. His recent growth spurt helped a lot.

"Bloody hell, Ginny, get off me!" he shouted, for he was sure that it must have been his sister. If any of his brothers had jumped on him he would have collapsed but Ginny was still light enough to be carried.

"Guess again." Said a familiar voice next to his ear.

Ron was glad his mother was in her room because if she had heard him swear she would have washed his mouth with soap, he was sure of it.

"Bloody hell, Harry mate, get off me, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you would get here tomorrow? Damn it mate, it's good to see you!" he finally manged to say.

His best friend jumped off his back and Ron turned around to face him.

He almost didn't recognize Harry.

Because Harry Potter wasn't tanned.

Harry Potter was a piece of cheese when it came to the colour of his skin. This Harry Potter had a healthy tan on his skin.

Also his eyes sparkled more than before and his shaggy hair was somehow darker. He wore normal casual clothes and around his neck hung a strange necklace that was similar to the one he'd seen Bill wear.

In a rush of happiness, he hugged his friend.

"I've missed you!" he said honestly.

Harry laughed and hugged him back.

"I missed you too Ron! I'm sorry I couldn't write you."

"Naw, it's okay, I'm just glad you are alright!" Ron said dismissively.

"I am." Said Harry with a slight laugh.

"Did you just get here?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, straight from Paris." Harry admitted. "It's been a crazy few days." He admitted.

"Try weeks." Ron corrected.

"Or months."

"Yeah, that too!"

Ron boxed him playfully in the arm.

"Happy belated Birthday by the way." He added.

Harry laughed. "Thanks! We totally forgot my birthday. We didn't exactly have a calendar with us." He said, rubbing his neck.

"I know Sirius is planning a party to make up for it!" Ron said. "And it involves the Quidditch World Cup. Or so I've heard."

Harry laughed but then his face fell.

"Sirius…so that went well as far as I could gather."

Ron laughed.

"Dude, we have to show you the articles, the Prophet went nuts for a few weeks! But yeah, he's a free man. Oh and congratulations by the way!" Ron told him with a wink.

"For what?" Harry asked him puzzled.

"Your new guardian." Ron said with a wide grin.

Harry's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Yeah, Sirius got your guardianship almost immediately."

Harry's mouth fell open.

"That means…" he said slowly.

"No more Dursleys, that's right mate. And access to the Floo so you can come over every day and a place to go to during the holidays! As I said, congratulations mate, you deserve it."

Harry smiled at him.

"Thanks Ron. This is great news."

"It's good to have you back." Ron repeated, putting one hand on Harrys shoulder.

"Yes, and as much as I hate to break up this rather mushy reunion, who else do you think would be happy about Harry's return?" Bill asked, stepping up to them. "Sirius, that's who. You should call him over Harry. He's been anxious for you to come home pretty much since you left, or so I heard."

Harry paled slightly but then squared his shoulders and nodded.

"Can I use your floo?" he asked.

"All yours mate." Ron said with a grin.

Harry knelt down in front of the fireplace and looked uncertainly at Bill.

"How do I…."

But Bill was quicker and threw a handful of Floo-powder into the flames and said: "Sirius Black at 'The White Gem'."

Harry looked at him questioningly.

"It's what he called his Floo-Address is." Bill explained.

"Just like ours is called 'The Burrow'," Ron added.

"Oh!" said Harry understandingly.

He turned his gaze back to the flames.

"You have to put your head in by the way." Bill smirked.

Harry hesitated.

"You know floo-fire can't burn you." Bill said while rolling his eyes.

"Yeah well, it still looks like fire and it still feels hot!" Harry said defensively.

But with one last deep breath he put his head into the flames.

At first he only saw green flames licking over his face and it was strange breathing the green fire in.

Then suddenly the green flames disappeared and he saw a room in the green flames before him.

It was a living room judging by the sofas and low tables but Harry couldn't make out any details.

And then a face appeared before him in the room.

A familiar face.

"Hello Professor Lupin." He said happily.

His former professor looked stunned.

"Harry? Is that you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it's me. I just arrived at the Burrow and I wanted to speak to Sirius. Is he around?" Harry asked, nervously biting on his lower lip.

"He is. He's in his study. Just hang on a second and I'll fetch him."

.

.

Sirius jumped in his chair when the door to his study banged open and Remus stumbled into the room, happily exclaiming: "Sirius, it's Harry…in the fireplace, he wants to talk to you!"

Sirius stared at him. "What?" he asked.

"It's Harry. In the fireplace. Calling. And he wants to speak with you!" Remus repeated.

"Harry….in the fireplace…?" Sirius asked slowly.

"That's what I said! Come on." Remus said with an eye-roll.

Slowly Sirius got up and walked towards the living room.

"Get going Sirius Black, don't let your godson wait!" his best friend said exasperated at his slow reaction.

That seemed to work for suddenly Sirius was gone in a second, shouting: "Harry!"

Sirius sprinted down the stairs, towards the fireplace.

And there, hovering in the flames was the face of his godson.

Harry.

The face of the one person he had longed to see for such a long time now.

They hadn't seen each other since he had gone with the Aurors into protective custody after the incident at Hogwarts, involving the rat.

"Harry!" he shouted happily as he fell onto his knees in front of the fireplace.

His heart opened up when he saw Harrys face light up at the sight of him.

"Sirius!"

The one word, spoken with so much joy and…love… it filled Sirius to the brink with happiness and he forgot all his anger and frustration.

"Merlin, pup!" Sirius exclaimed, shaking his head. "You had me worried! How are you?"

Harry looked down guiltily.

"Sirius, I…."

"Later Harry. We have time for that later." Sirius interrupted him gently but firmly.

"I want to know how you are!" Sirius demanded.

Harry felt slightly relieved but also guilty at his relieve.

"I am okay. In fact, I'm really good. Fleur has been a great help! She and her family were so nice and so welcoming. I'm really going to miss them but I'm needed elsewhere and I really wanted to come home after all that's happened. I'm sorry it took me so long but…I am at the Burrow now…and I thought…with you being free and being my Guardian now…we could…meet up."

Sirius eyes widened.

"So what do you say?" Harry asked nervously.

Sirius stared at his godson's image speechless.

Harry was here? At the Burrow? Right now?

Interpreting his stunned silence wrongly Harry hastily added: "Of course I can understand if that's not possible. You probably have plans. I could probably stay at the Burrow for a few days. You think Mrs. Weasley would mind that? I know it's rather sudden but…"

"Harry, shut up." Sirius interrupted him and then smiled widely at the teen.

"I am coming over right now and then I will take you home!" he told him.

Now it was Harrys turn to stare at him stunned.

"Home?" he asked slowly.

"Our new home. Remember? I asked you if you wanted to come and life with me. And…well…back then you said yes. Now that everything is cleared and I got your Guardianship I want you around me. I want to be there for you."

Harry stared at him. "You…you want me?" he asked silently.

Sirius heart clenched at the boys disbelieving voice. What had those horrid muggles done to this sweet boy?

"Why ever would I not? Harry, form the day you were born you were like a son to me! Had things been different I would have seen you grow up and I would have been there every step of the way. Now I know things didn't go according to plan but the very thought of you being alive and well has kept me going for so many years. I already missed twelve years of your life and each passing day reminds me of that. If you are finally ready to come home; Harry, I would love to give it to you and I'd run all the way to the end of the world to get you personally!"

Because of the fire Sirius couldn't be certain but he thought he saw a tear roll down Harrys cheek.

The boy swallowed and looked aside.

"Yeah well, I thought…I mean I wasn't exactly the best godson in the last months… So I thought you might be angry."

Sirius sighed. "Harry, I'm not exactly the picture-perfect godfather parents picture either! But hey, we'll make it work. And I could never be angry with you for being happy."

"Thanks." Harry muttered sincerely.

Sirius wondered if this was the first time the boy was told someone was glad to have him come home.

Probably, he thought.

"I can't wait to see you again Sirius. And thank you!" Harry stammered nervously.

"Harry, don't sweat it. I'm coming through immediately!" Sirius promised him.

"Like right now?" Harry asked.

"Is there any better time? Just pull your head out of the flames and take a step back."

"Okay." Harry muttered and his head disappeared.

Sirius grabbed a hand full Floo-powder and nodded at Remus who stood a few steps to the side, grinning widely.

"I'll see you later." His oldest friend said and gave him a reassuring nod.

With a smiled Sirius stepped into the fireplace., shouted: "The Burrow!" and dropped the floo-powder.

Moments later his figure dissolves in flames.

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…

.

.

"….so the next thing I see is this crazy reporter thrusting her camera into my face while demanding answers to questions like: "Are you a true romantic at heart? What about the rumours that you wanted to join a boyband? Are you secretly the front start of this one band in the Netherlands?" I admit, I was tempted for a few seconds to just say yes to all those things but Moony was already close to calling security so I thought better than to antagonize him. More than necessary, that is." Sirius finished the tale with a grin gracing his lips.

Harry snorted into his ice-cream cone.

"I wish I had been there." He admitted.

"Oh I am sure that will not have been the last time!" Sirius muttered.

"So, are you?" Harry asked with a smirk. "A hopeless romantic I mean?"

Now it was Sirius turn to snort.

"Hell no. The last time I tried to tell a girl that I had romantic feelings for her I let a Bludger lose and laughed when it hit her."

Harry cringed. "I bet that didn't go well."

"Well I like to think that the black eye she gave me was her way of returning my feelings. Sadly, nothing ever came out of it." Sirius told him, a faraway look in his eyes.

Harry studied his godfather closer.

Sirius looked great, healthy and his fine cloths underlined his newfound health greatly.

He walked with a straight back but relaxed at the same time.

When he had first stepped out of the Weasley's fireplace Harry had been determined to hug him as a welcome but when he had actually stood before him Harry felt reminded that Sirius was actually still a stranger, despite the letters they had exchanged and the few times they had been able to talk.

So, he had faltered mid-movement and instead they had done a strange awkward mixture of a hug and a handshake.

Sirius had then suggested they'd go out for a walk before he would show him his new house.

Their new house. Their home.

Sirius had apparated them to Diagon-Ally where he had bought Harry a sundae before apparating into some Muggle neighbourhood in London from where they had started their walk.

Sirius insisted on carrying Harrys backpack.

At first, Harry hadn't known what to say. He expected Sirius to ask about his trip, or worse, the reason why he'd left or anything like that. But instead he had asked about his time in France, his trip home and ordinary stuff like that.

Harry had found himself relaxing and easing into the conversation.

He began asking Sirius questions about the trial but not about Pettigrew or anything connected to him, which brought them to the present situation.

Sirius stopped with a sigh.

He turned to look at Harry.

"Look Harry, I am so happy how things have turned out. I am so happy to see you after all these years and I am more than happy that I can finally fulfil that promise I made your parents and be your godfather."

He stopped and sighed again.

"But I already told you, I am new to this. And…and as much as it hurts to admit, I don't know you. And you don't me. And that has killed me at first. But I want to make it up. But I need your help. You'll have to want this just as much as I do. Because otherwise this won't work out. But I want it to work out. I want to give you the life you deserve because Merlin knows you never had it. But I'm still adjusting as well and…I don't know how to parent. Remus made me read books but to be honest I just skimmed through them because I don't think you learn stuff like that from books. So, here's the deal. We will try this and we both will do our best. I'm sure we will clash more than once and it won't be easy but I will always support you. I'm here for you. I want you to know that. I know you'll have to get to know me to trust me but I just want to say it so you'll know. You can always count on me. I will never abandon you again."

Harry swallowed.

"This has been kind of my fear too." He admitted silently. "I feel awkward. Like I should know you. And like I'm supposed to be someone you know. I have to warn you. I'm not my father as far as I can tell."

"I know. I wasn't expecting you to be him. But I still might. And I'm sorry for that. Just don't think you have to be like him because of me okay?"

Harry nodded, relieved.

"Thanks Sirius. I…I think we can pull this off."

Sirius beamed at him.

"Great. Then I will welcome you home." He said, his eyes alight with happiness.

"Harry, say Hallo to your new home."

Harry looked towards where Sirius was pointing.

He hadn't really paid attention to where they were going while they had been walking but when he looked around his saw that they were in a rather nice neighbourhood.

One-family-homes with yards surrounding the houses stood in neat rows on two sides of a road.

They weren't as neat and as similar and narrow as the houses on Privet Drive. Each house was different, something Harry liked immediately.

Sirius was pointing at a two-story white house with blue window-frames and a knew-high grey stone wall surrounding the property.

The garden was big and lush with lots of trees and bushes and a garden-shed but not nearly as neat as Aunt Petunias garden. Nothing at all like Privet Drive indeed.

"It's a bit big for two people but, you never know, right? Besides, after twelve years in a small cell in Azkaban I kind of need the space." Sirius said apologetically.

"I hate crammed spaces. This…this is perfect." Harry said in all honesty, his thought travelling briefly to the cupboard under the stairs. He shuddered slightly.

Sirius seemed to relax next to him.

"It's a muggle neighbourhood but the wards around the house and the garden make everything magical that happens within them appear normal to outsiders, even other passing-by wizards. So, don't worry, we can fly through the garden. It's big enough for small friendly Quidditch matches."

Harry laughed. "There is no such thing as a friendly Quidditch match Oliver says!" he replied.

"Can we go inside?" he then added excitedly.

"Of course!" Sirius assured him, putting one arm around his shoulder. And Harry didn't mind it at all.

.

.

…

.

.

Harry was woken by the smell of pancakes and for a second he was irritated.

The bed was soft and there was light falling through huge windows but the room looked different from his room in France.

It took him a second to remember and when he did he couldn't help but laugh and roll onto his back, staring at the ceiling with a wide smile.

Sirius had given him a quick tour through the house.

From the entrance hall on it was just one wide open room on the lower floor.

Kitchen, dining room, living room, it all was one with floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace door that led to a huge wooden terrace, complete with chairs, tables and a barbeque.

From the entrance hall stairs led upwards to the second floor. There were four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study for Sirius.

There also was a basement but that was still empty and consisted of only two rooms.

Generally, was the house still empty. Sure, it had all the necessary furniture and things a house needed.

It just wasn't lived in yet.

But Harry was sure that would soon change.

His own room was the on the end of the hallway, overlooking the back of the yard and was connected with the bathroom right next-door.

It was still rather Spartan. It had a huge four-poster bed, not unlike his bed at Hogwarts but bigger, a big closet on one wall, a few empty shelves, a big desk, a desk-chair and that was pretty much it.

The walls were a creamy-white and the floor was a dark wooden one.

Sirius had promised him they would get whatever Harry wanted for decorations soon.

Harry was pretty excited actually. He never had the opportunity to really decorate his own room.

Last night he had gently put some of his cloths already into the closet and his journal on his desk.

His trunk had somehow found his way form the Burrow into his room and stood waiting at the foot of his bed. It would be strange to really unpack it for once.

At the Dursley's he simply wasn't allowed to or didn't have things to decorate with and while living with the Weasleys he knew it wouldn't be permanent so why bother?

But now…. now things were different.

This…this he was promising himself would work out and be permanent.

There was a knock on the door.
"Harry? Are you up yet? You have to be at Gringotts in an hour. I thought you might like some breakfast beforehand. Don't worry, Remus made it."

That was another thing Harry had thought would be strange.

Remus Lupin didn't officially lived with them but Sirius had already assigned him one of the two free bedrooms and despite the man being his professor, it didn't feel weird. Remus had helped him after all a lot last year and told him about his parents and everything. It felt right.

"I'm up." Harry called back and he had to supress a chuckle. "And breakfast sounds good!"

This situation felt…strange. Never had he been woken like this…Was this how it was normally done? It felt certainly right but still…so new!

"Do you have fresh things to wear?" Sirius asked through the door. "Just say if you need something cleaned."

"No, I'm good, thanks Sirius! I'll be down in a minute."

.

.

After getting dressed and washed up in the bathroom he jogged downstairs.

Remus was sitting at the counter of the small breakfast bar-that was connected to the kitchen-island and was nursing a cup of coffee apparently while going through the Daily Prophet.

"Good Morning Harry:" he said kindly as he saw Harry enter the room.

"Good morning professor." Harry responded, still kind of unsure how to address the man. It might have felt right to have him around but it was still awkward.

"It's Remus to you Harry." Remus said kindly.

"Or Moony." Sirius suggested, placing a plate with eggs and toast before Harry at the kitchen table.

"Thanks." Harry said.

"Yeah and Flea-Ball for Sirius." Remus shot back good-naturedly.

Harry smiled as he wolfed down the first egg.

Over in the living room the fireplace made a chiming noise like a bell being rung.

"I'll get that." Remus said, getting up.

"So, how did you sleep?" Sirius asked.

"Like a stone. The bed is so comfy!" Harry sighed.

"I know, right?" Sirius said excitedly. "When I went to pick them, I think I tried like a hundred beds and I just couldn't decide!"

"Bet everything feels like heaven after Azkaban." Harry muttered. He winced. "Sorry…"

Sirius shrugged. "No point in denying it. But yeah, everything feels amazing after the stone cot I had."

Harry nodded. The mood somewhat dampened a bit he started playing with his food.

But Sirius didn't seem to care that much.

"So, I thought we could do some shopping after your meeting at Gringotts. What do you say?"

That lifted Harrys mood considerably.
"I'd love too!"

Just them Remus came from around the corner, followed by a tall red-head.

"Bill!" Harry cheered and got up, hugging the oldest Weasley son.

"Hey squirt, I thought I'd pick you up on my way to Diagon Ally."

"Yeah, sure, let me just get my stuff!" Harry said, racing from the room.

Sirius seized the moment to face the older Curse-Breaker seriously.

"Tell me honestly Bill, what will happen today?"

Bill sighed, running once hand over his scarred face.

"Honestly? I have no idea. We all will give a report individually and then as a group. After that we will get our share of the profit and depending on how things turn out we will decide on what we are allowed to say to people on the outside. A report will be written and after that we will have a short break and while the kids go off to Hogwarts it will be new missions fo us or whatever they have in mind." Bill explained silently.

"Nothing else?" Remus asked.

"It will be bad enough as it is." Bill said dryly.

Sirius sighed. "We'll have to wait and see I guess." He said darkly.

"I'm sorry, you know that, right?" Bill said, looking at both of them.

"I know you are. But that doesn't change anything that happened or makes it better." Sirius said bitterly.

Hearing Harry approach again he put on a smile.

Harry must have sensed that something was off anyway because he hesitated slightly in the door frame.

"Are we going or not?" he asked.

"Of course, we are." Bill said brightly.

Harry smiled and raced to the fireplace.

"I'm first!" he proclaimed.

Sirius was excited to see Harry so happy.

Bill on the other hand was slightly apprehensive. Apparently, Harry hadn't quite grasped what they were about to do, or more, were forced to do. But he didn't say that out loud.

"Try not to get lost." He said instead.

Harry rolled with his eyes, groaning. "One time!" he moaned.

Bill grinned. "Yes and I will never forget it."

"You weren't even there." Harry grumbled as he took a handful of floo-powder from the cup Remus offered him.

"Doesn't matter, I can envision it perfectly."

Harry did the only response a fourteen-year-old could give. He stepped into the fire, showed Bill his tongue, then threw the powder down and shouted: "DIAGON ALLY!" and vanished in a torrent of green flames.

.

.

Gringotts was busy as always. Since the holidays were more than halfway over a lot of people were milling around the ally, lots of students among them, buying their new school supplies.

Harry was glad they weren't among them.

Instead they quickly made their way to the bank.

In the atrium of the impressive building they turned left immediately after saying goodbye to Remus and Sirius for now, and hurried down the many corridors of the bank.

Here it was oddly silent.

"Harry…are you ready for this?" Bill asked hesitantly.

The raven-haired teen was silent for a few steps before he said: "Not really. I tried not to let Sirius know. He's trying so hard and so am I but I haven't figured out everything yet and…well…he doesn't and cannot know everything so I don't know…if he can help me. At least for now… Does that make sense?"

"A bit." Bill admitted. "But you know, you don't have to be here. You're not yet an official apprentice to Gringotts so technically…"

"No" Harry interrupted him "I want to be part of this. I was involved after all. Besides, I look forward seeing Fleur again."

"Again? You saw her yesterday! Remember, she is my girlfriend!" Bill said, shoving him good naturedly.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"So it is official then? You two are dating?"

Bill blushed. "Yes." He mumbled.

Harry laughed. "Congrats." He snickered.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Harry!"

"Come on, we'll be late!"

As it turned out they were early.

The only one's present were Atticus and Alice.

Atticus clasped Harrys shoulder and smiled at him.

"Good to see you lad. I hope you are feeling better?" he asked.

Harry nodded and smiled back. "And you?" he asked back.

"Nothing I can't handle. My family has been all over me, awaiting me on hand and foot, even though I wasn't inured at all."

"Bet you didn't mind that at all." Bill said with a grin as they clasped forearms.

"Well, it was nice the first day but by now I feel like I'm suffocating. I'm grateful for any reason to leave the house, even if it is a debriefing."

Alice hugged Harry tightly, pecking his cheeks, thanking him once again for saving her live.
"How's the hand?" he asked gently.

"Back to full function. Though sometimes I still have phantom pain in my fingers. But the healer and Rashid assured me that too would subside with time and exercise." She said with a shrug.

"I'm glad." Harry said, honestly, squeezing her hands gently in his.

She smiled at him, ruffling his hair.

"And you? I heard you and Daphne had bit of an argument?"

Harry grimaced. "It's…really complicated."

"You'll work it out." She said confidently. "You're such good friends after all."

Before Harry could say anything else the doors opened and Eric stormed in.

Harry laughed, Alice's words momentarily forgotten.

Hook was dressing in long black robes that went down to the ground and were very straight and narrow.

Seven polished silver buttons with some sort of flower-crest went down the front of his chest from the bottom of this throat to the level of his belly-button.

The collar stood straight up.

All in all, the rune-master looked nothing like the combat veteran Harry had gotten to know but more like a priest or something.

"What are you laughing at Potter?" he growled back.

The outside he have changed, but he was still sour old Eric on the inside.

"I told you I'm a teacher when I'm not working for Gringotts." He snarled. "Besides, the dress was not my idea of a dress-code."

"I'm sorry." Harry apologized. "It is good to see you again."

"Yeah well, I didn't miss your prattling." Eric mumbled. Harry was sure this was as close as Eric would ever get to admitting that he in fact had missed Harry.

The next one to arrive was Rashid and he was closely followed by the Lovegoods.

Luna threw herself into Harry's arms.

She was dressed in a dress mad entirely out of pieces of tree bark. In her blond hair was a crown made out of ivy-leaves.

She smelled lovely, like pine-cones and resin but the tree outfit was a bit hard on the eyes.

He heard someone whisper behind him: "Dear Merlin…"

But he ignored it and hugged the younger girl back.

"You are troubled Harry. But fear not. In the everything will be alright, and if it's not alright it cannot be the end." She whispered into his ear.

"I find that hard to believe right now Luna. But thank you anyway."

"Trust me." She whispered before letting go of him.

While she danced off he shook hands bit Xenophilius and Rashid.

He almost missed Fleurs arrival but the catcalls from Atticus and Eric were enough to alert him to her and Bill passionately kissing.

He smiled and slowly approached.

He made a few gagging noises once he was close enough.

"My poor innocent eyes." He proclaimed with a smile on his face.

Fleur abruptly stopped kissing Bill, who didn't seem to like that very much and instead threw her arms around Harry, calling out happily in French: "Harry! How are you? You didn't call me yesterday after you had left. But Bill did! I was so worried!"

Harry grimaced.

"Yeah, sorry, yesterday was crazier than expected." He apologized.

"It's alright." She said with a smiled.

Just then the doors opened and Thomas and Daphne entered.

Both looked splendid in the cool blue colours they were wearing. They looked as if they were ready for a formal gathering or just came from one.

They were greeting just as enthusiastically as the rest but Harry noticed that Bill and surprisingly Rashid as well, kept a bit distance.

Harry looked closer at Daphne.

He was surprised to see how awful she looked.

She tried to hide it with make-up and false smiled, but Harry could see the dark circles under her eyes, her hair seemed feeble and her posture wasn't as straight as it usually was.

She locked eyes with him, probably feeling his gaze on her.

Her eyes widened just a fraction and something flashed through them.

Hope? Desperation? Fear?

Maybe all three?

Luckily Raknok entered just then and everyone went to sit in their places.

He managed to find a seat far away from her but also not opposite to her.

Raknok sat down heavily at the head of the oval desk, a surprisingly thin file clasped in his hands.

It was very still in the room.

"Good morning everyone." He said slowly.

There was a simultaneous answer from the group.

"Welcome back to England. I am always glad to see that everyone is still alive and in one piece."

His eyes flickered just for a second to Alice.

"I know that this will not be the most pleasant thing. But with everything that has happened it is more necessary than ever. Mr. Wood, if you were so kind to give me your report on what happened in Cambodia, I would be more than pleased."

Atticus nodded and stood up.

Harry glanced sideways and saw Daphne staring at him with sad eyes.

She averted her gaze when she saw he had caught her looking.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable Harry turned back to Atticus.

He had conjured the map of Cambodia once again.

A few silvery wisps of light hung in the air round it. Harry didn't know what they were so he ignored them for now.

And Atticus began to tell the Goblin everything that had happened.

Occasionally Raknok would ask a few questions so that Atticus would explain something in greater detail or ask some of the senior members of the team for more information.

But other than that, it was just Atticus talking.

The silvery wisps of light turned out to be memories of some of the team members. Eric activated them with some of his rune-magic so that they would be projected into the air above the table for all to see.

For Harry, it was strange to hear the same story he had experienced told form another point of view. Not because things were missing or different but because it shower some things in a new light and revealed new things Harry hadn't seen himself.

The Master Curse-Breaker's face darkened more and more as the story progressed.

It wasn't as bad at first as Harry had first thought it would be.

To be honest, hearing it spoke out loud made it sound too fantastic to be true.

Then Atticus reached the final part of the story.

He told Raknok about the Guardian, the attack of the Deatheaters, their escape and finally the second confrontation with the Deatheaters in the jungle.

Under the table, Harrys hand clenched into fists and he wasn't the only one.

Alice had her eyes lowered the whole time, Eric was grinding his teeth loudly, Rashid's hands were shaking, hidden in the sleeves of his robes and Bills face was set into stone the whole time.

Atticus didn't show many memories but Harry was sure later, when Raknok would talk to them individually he would show him more.

Their leader finished with their arrival at the hospital, a memory that was more than faint to Harry.

Raknok was silent for a long time.

Finally, he asked very slowly: "Where you…at any point…at all…able to see their faces? Or have some other solid prove as to who these people were?"

"Despite Greyback?" spat Bill questioningly, his voice bitter and hard. "No." he growled.

"We knew Greyback was free." Raknok said simply. "Anything else?"

Harry didn't know why or where it came from but as soon as he thought of the fourth Deatheaters face that had been revealed to him, he also felt the strange and sudden urge to keep this information to himself.

He didn't know why but his gut screamed at him to not tell the Goblin. At least not in front of all his team-mates.

So, he shook his heads along with the others.

Raknok sighed. "That would have been too easy." He admitted.

He leaned back in his chair, pressing the tips of his fingers together as he eyes them one by one.

Harry thought his gaze lingered longer on him than all the others.

Finally, the goblin raised a small bell and rang it.

"Before I talk to each of you in private there is the matter of payment we have to settle."

At this most of the adults sat up straight.

"You brought with you an enormous treasure. The last time we claimed riches as such was when we discovered the Valley of Kings in Egypt. You will be please to find out that your compensation for this trip will be…bigger than usual. There is also an added bonus for the matter with the Deatheaters. Also" he explained as the door suddenly opened and two smaller Goblins wheeled in a small table on which lay a dozen leather pouches as well as a tray with several different objects on it "you get to choose an artefact for your personal pleasure. Thy have been checked for spells and curses. They are clean but not worth a lot. You may choose one thing you like. In the pouches is your payment."

The two Goblins came around, passing each of them a leather pouch. It felt empty to Harrys touch but when he shook it he heard coins rattle inside.

Interested he watched as the Goblins approached Atticus with eth tray of artefacts.

Atticus studied them before choosing one. Harry couldn't quite see what it was.

One by one his teammates choose an artefact.

He saw Rashid taking a corked vial with some dried leaves inside. His eyes widened and Harry assumed that those leaves must have had some amazing healing properties and were probably quite rare.

Bill took a small carved stone. He smiled at it but Harry couldn't see what was carved into it, nor could he figure out why Bill would be happy about it.

Luna choose a very big and bright glowing stone form the artefacts.

Then it was his time.

He examined the things that lay on the tray and tried to decide what he would take.

Nothing really called out for him.

Hearing someone clear their throat he quickly grabbed the first thing his hand passed over and shoved it into his pocket. He would look at it later.

"Mr. Potter, if you wouldn't mind, I would start talking with you." Raknok said.

Harry swallowed and nodded.

Bill squeezed his arm before giving his a gentle shove towards the goblin.

.

.

Raknok let him to his personal office a few doors down from the conference room.

It was cluttered and small but Harry liked it.

It was so unlike the pristine image of the rest of the bank but quite fittingly described Curse-Breakers perfectly.

"Take a seat Potter." Raknok said.

Harry did.

"Now…as I could gather you had quite and adventure. Not what you thought you'd signed up for, am I right?"

Harry shrugged. "To be honest sir, I didn't know at all what I had signed up for until it slapped me in the face." He said with a shrug.

The Goblin gave him a wicked smile. "Isn't that true?" he mused.

Harry squirmed slightly in his seat.

"Tell me about the River of the Undying Atticus mentioned. And the thing with the crystals and the birds. And the stone. That all has left me quite confused."

Harry snorted. "Me too Sir. If you want me to tell you Why me? I will have to disappoint you, I'm afraid. I don't know. I'm a descendent of the ancients that tried to destroy the stone but that is all I know. Whatever else makes me special I cannot say."

Raknok leaned back in his chair.

"Is that so?" he asked.

Harry nodded.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me? Something about the Deatheaters perhaps?"

He knows, Harry thought.

But he forced himself to shake his head.

"No sir."

The Goblin looked at him for a few more seconds before nodding. "Alright Potter. But if you do remember something, my office is open for you. We'll have our people investigate the incident."

"What about the Ministry?" Harry asked nervously.

The goblin scoffed. "What about the Wizards? Will we tell them? Even if we do, they will ignore it or dismiss it. Pretty much everyone believes the Dark Lord is dead. They want it to be true. And that includes his minions. Everyone knows that they are still out there but with HIM gone people think they will be no bother. Well, they are obviously wrong but what would you have us do? They don't exactly like us and they won't believe you either."

"But shouldn't they be warned?"

"Where's the point? If you have no prove, it didn't happen. In their eyes the people that attacked you could have been anyone, it could have been a joke."

"A joke? Alice got her hand cut off!" Harry shouted enraged.

"I know that Potter. So do my superiors. So do your teammates. But we are few. We don't matter."

Harry sighed. He didn't know much about politics but he knew Fudge and the people around him.

Raknok was right. They were afraid. They would never accept the truth. They had hardly accepted Sirius's innocence.

"So what do we do sir?" he asked.

"I don't care what you tell your friends and family, you have to know what they should know and what not. But I strongly advise not to seek out the press."

Harry nodded.

"Good, then the last thing we have to settle is the matter of your apprenticeship." The goblin said.

"What's there to settle?" Harry asked confused.

"Well, now that you have gotten a glimpse at this job and what Gringotts requires of you, will you officially become our apprentice under the guardianship of one Bill Weasley?"

"I'm still at school." Harry said hesitantly. "I can't just stop."

"And you won't. But we will make sure you will get the necessary additional teaching you will require. That includes the subjects Ancient Runes and Arithmancy will be added to your time table and a tutor will visit you once a month, leaving you with work to finish until the next meeting. Said work will be graded and given back to you. During the holidays, you will visit our academy and go through some basic training elements. We'll pick up your full training after you graduate. Until then you will study the art of Curse-Breaking alongside. It will be hard work and we do not tolerate slacking but I have a feeling that you are a natural kid. Also with your apprenticeship you are under the protection of the Goblin Nation. A good thing to have."
Harry thought about it.

It was the whole reason why he had decided to go to Cambodia. Well, one of the reasons.

But mainly because of his love for this job and even though the trip to Cambodia hadn't gone all good he had still enjoyed the experience. The adrenalin that came with it, the amazing things he had learned and of course, the lives he had helped safe.

"Don't you need my guardians consent?" he asked.

The goblin smiled. "Mr. Black already gave his consent. This is up to you now."

Harry gaped at him. Sirius had agreed?

Once more the gratitude for his godfather swelled up inside him.

"I would like that very much." He admitted.

.

.

As he left Raknok's office, holding the contract for his apprenticeship with Gringotts in one shaking hand, Harry wondered not for the first time how he's gotten here.

Reaching the conference room again, he silently walked inside.

His teammates had spread out across the room. Some were reading or talking softly among themselves. Luna was painting a picture.

"Rashid, Raknok wants you next." He said silently.

The healer nodded, gathering his things. He bade them farewell before disappearing.

"Bill, I'm gonna go meet up with Sirius and Remus, okay? Give everyone at the Burrow my greetings. I'll see you soon, alright?"

Bill smiled and nodded.

"I will, bye Harry."

Like Rashid, Harry said his goodbyes, especially to Fleur, before he left.

He was already halfway down the corridor when he heard footsteps behind him and a soft voice said: "Harry? Please wait."

He stopped and turned around.

Daphne stood there.

Harry wanted to hug her, to shake her, to scream at her and to cry.

He could see that she felt the same way.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I…we parted ways in a bad way. Please Harry. I'm sorry."

Harry laughed hollowly. "'Sorry' doesn't really cut it Daphne. You betrayed my trust, you lied, you…you screwed with me."

"I have never screwed you over Harry. My feelings were real. They still are. You are my friend. My best and realest friend. And I do love you. Maybe not in the way I know my parents love each other of the way others do but I know I love you. And…the way things went…was horrible."

"Well you didn't seem to be in a hurry to change anything." Harry snapped angrily.

"That is because I can't Harry! I wish I could. But Thomas is right. I can't. I have duties and responsibilities. And that takes priority before anything else. But that doesn't mean I want to lose you. It doesn't mean I have to lose you." She wasn't outright angry, more like desperate.

She stepped closer, reaching out for him but he took a step backwards.

"Too late. Because you are lost to me. You are not the girl I thought I knew. Because she was read to rebel against tradition and do what she thought was right." He said coldly.

"Some things cannot be changed." She shouted.

"Somehow I have trouble believing that. I really thought you were different." he shouted back.

"So are we just going to pretend like nothing happened? Like we don't know each other? As if we have no connection?"

"WE HAVE NO CONNECTION!" Harry shouted, blowing up right in her face.

"I don't know you, you don't know me. We go separate ways, like we did before. You go off, strolling into the sunset with Draco Malfoy and I do my own thing. Isn't that what your family wants? It's better this way for everyone involved."

Tears were trailing down Daphne's cheeks but she wasn't crying.

She was angry but apparently, she couldn't hold her tears back at the same time.

"You utter ass!" she hissed but the words lacked their usual bite.

"Go back to the others. I have somewhere to be." Harry said tiredly.

He turned around and started walking away.

It was probably the most painful thing he had ever done.

.

.

…

.

.

Sirius knew that something was up with Harry after the meeting but he knew better than to pry. Instead he opted to distract Harry.

They strolled through the Ally, buying little knick-knacks for the house, talking about everything and nothing, eating ice-cream and decided get some early lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before flooing home.

Back at the house Sirius helped Harry decorate his room more.

The put up long curtains, rolled out a nice fluffy carpet on the ground, emptied Harrys trunk and put the things into their new places.

When Sirius found Harrys invisibility cloak he choked up and began telling Harry all the amazing things he and James used to do with the help of this wonderful piece of cloth.

Harry listened with wide eyes and open mouth.

Shortly before he left to prepare dinner and give Harry some time alone to process all this new information about his parents, he spotted a familiar piece of parchment in Harrys trunk.

He knew the boy had the Marauders Map but it was still different seeing it again after all these years.

Smiling he closed the door.

Yeah, thigs were looking up, despite everything else.

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AN: Greetings from the Far Beyond, also known as university. Had a lot to do lately and no energy for writing but with Christmas Holidays so close I think I will be able to create a few more chapters soon.

Hope you are all getting into festive spirits and if you don't celebrate Christmas or celebrate something else, be it Hanukah or the Winter Solstice or what else, I wish you a happy time.

As always, I try with the mistakes…I'm sorry.

Love Kate

41. Stormy Weather

Chapter Forty-One: Stormy Weather

"So…this is where you grew up?" Harry asked, looking around.

Sirius pulled a face.

"Yeah. Not the best place. Not too many fond memories here." He said. "Oh and by the way thanks for helping me. I thought teenagers had better things to do during the holidays than roam through mouldy old stuff that has been gathering dust for twelve years."

Harry shrugged, tracing the frame of one of the pictures along the walls with one finger.

It came back grimy and just disgusting so he quickly wiped it off on his trousers.

"I don't mind. After everything that happened I like some quiet down time. Besides, I'm getting to spend some quality time with my godfather, which too is a plus."

Sirius laughed. "Thanks kiddo. Now come on, I'll show you the place. I got to warn you though, there are some disturbing things around here."

"I think after seeing Snape in Mrs. Longbottom's dress and hat, nothing can shock me anymore." Harry said dryly.

"What?" Sirius asked aghast.

"It was Remus's idea. And that is all I'm gonna say in the matter." Harry said firmly.

.

.

Grimmauld Place Nr. 12 was a strange and disturbing place indeed.

Harry couldn't decide what he liked the least, the screaming portrait of Sirius's mother, the House-Elf-heads on the wall or the Black family house-elf for the matter.

Kreacher was…not like Dobby. Dobby was nice. Kreacher was bitter. Dobby liked to help, Kreacher like to insult.

Mrs. Black wasn't much better. One look at Sirius and she let loose an angry rant about blood-traitors and what not.

Besides that, the house was dark and dirty and infested with lots of nasty beasts.

Harry didn't like it one bit.

"I thought about making this our new home but I wanted a fresh beginning and this place holds to many bad memories." Sirius said as they walked up the stairs.

"I'm glad you decided against it. I like our house much better!" he agreed.

Sirius let them down the hallway and stopped in front of a door.

The name Sirius Orion Black was written in faded letters on the door.

Sirius stood still for a second.

"I haven't set foot in there since I was sixteen." He whispered.

Harry felt his heart break at his godfather's voice.

He put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We don't have to do this." He said.

"I do." Sirius disagreed silently and pushed down the handle of the door.

A cloud of dust rose as the door swung inwards, revealing and long but not very wide room with a single big window at the end. Though said window was so encrusted with grime and dirt, it didn't let much light fall into the room.

There was a four-poster bed off to one side, a desk, a wardrobe, a chair and a shelve, all made form dark wood. And that was pretty much it.

It could have been anyone's and no one's room.

The covers on the bed and the curtains around it were mouldy and had holes in them.

Harry could see that Sirius had tried to make it a bit homelier.

A red-and-gold Gryffindor flag hung over the bed as well as many posters of motorcycles and even a poster of a very light dressed woman.

"Nice." He offered.

Sirius blushed. "Yeah well, I was sixteen and rebellious. Luckily your mom agreed to provide me with…some of these…"

Harry looked at him with wide eyes-

"My mom gave you these?"

Sirius nodded. "I don't know how but she did."

Harry shook his head. "I can't envision my mom going out and buying biker-magazines with such posters in them."

Sirius laughed. "Your mom was actually quite the fire-cracker if she wanted to be. Sure, she was also bit of a know-it-all and I sometimes couldn't understand why James was so smitten with her. But she was indeed amazing."

Sirius looked around the room, lost in thought.

He slowly walked over to his desk.

"There's not much here I will need."

He turned around. "Why don't you go and wait outside. I should be done in a second."

Harry knew he wanted a few moments alone.

"Sure. I'll go and fetch the other boxes with the stuff you wanted."

"Be careful." Sirius said absentmindedly.

Harry smiled and left the room.

As he walked down the hallway, he noticed another name on one of the doors.

Regulus Arcturus Black.

It was as if a dry wind was shooting through the house, lifting the hairs on his neck and arms.

And that imaginary breeze hit the door, which opened slowly with a low groan.

Transfixed Harry stepped closer.

The room was much like Sirius's but without the…slightly inappropriate…pictures.

In fact, the room was very neat. Not like Sirius's room at all.

But just like his, it was dirty and abandoned.

His gaze zeroed in on the nightstand.

His hairs stood higher.

There was something evil in this room.

Sirius had warned him there'd be dark artefacts all around but this…this was different, this almost felt familiar.

"Dirty little half-blood!"

Harry jumped at least five feet into the air.

Kreacher had this nasty habit of appearing out of thin air.

"Snooping around in my old master's bedroom. Blood-traitors all of them. Oh, poor Master Regulus!" the elf wailed, glaring at Harry.

Harry forced his wildly beating heart to calm down.

"I'm sorry Kreacher. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to go in there."

"Ignorant dirty filth! If my poor mistress knew…"

"She knows, believe me." Harry said dryly, remembering Mrs. Blacks tantrum.

Kreacher glared more at him and then went to close the door.

He did it very gently and pressed his forehead against the door for a few seconds before turning around.

"Who was he?" Harry asked, pointing at the name on the door.

Kreacher kept glaring at him and Harry thought he wouldn't get an answer.

"Master Regulus was the real master of this house. Not like his blood-traitor brother." He hissed, glaring past Harry towards Sirius's room.

"He was Sirius's brother?" Harry asked surprised. "I didn't know…" he muttered.

Kreacher sneered. "He abandoned the master. He died because of him."

Kreacher sounded really upset. Then he added with more force and anger: "Leave."

And Harry did.

.

.

Back home Harry helped Sirius put the few boxes they had gathered together onto the kitchen table.

"This is the last one." Sirius muttered. "It's the stuff they ransacked form my apartment before they sent me to Azkaban. Madam Bones sent it over from the archives." He explained.

As Sirius lifted the last box, the bottom broke away and a cascade of papers, parchment rolls, pictures, letters and other stuff came falling out of it, spilling all over the floor.

Sirius sighed and put the broken box down.

"Great." He muttered.

Harry dropped down, helping him gather it back together.

A letter fell into his hands and he happened to glance down at the signature and froze.

"Harry?" Sirius asked when he noticed that Harry had stopped moving.

Startled, Harry blushed and muttered: "Sorry. It's just. It's from my mom. I…she had a beautiful handwriting."

Sirius gently took the letter he was holding and smiled.

"Oh, I remember this one. It was one of the last letters we ever exchanged. You had just turned one. I had gotten you a toy-broom. You loved it. But you had already broken some pottery or something like that." He said silently, handing the letter back to Harry.

Harry scanned it himself.

His mother had held this. She had written it.

"I wish I could remember them." He muttered. "The only memories I have is of them dying."

Sirius stared at him aghast.

"What?" he asked, his face deathly pale.

Harry shrugged. "Last year I had problems with the dementors that were looking for you. Whenever they were close I would hear either dad telling mom to take me and run because Voldemort was there, or Mum telling Voldemort to kill her instead of me. He mocked her. And when she wouldn't step aside, he killed her."

Harrys voice died towards the end.

Before he knew what was happening, Sirius had pulled him into a crushing embrace.

"I'm so sorry Harry! It's all my fault." He whispered.

"Nobody saw it coming." Harry disagreed, his voice muffled by his godfather's flannel shirt.

"We should have." Sirius sighed.

"It's not like we can change it."

Sirius sat back, releasing Harry gently form his grasp.

"I know."

He looked at the pile of papers in his hands.

"Hey, why don't you take these? They are mostly between your parents and me or Remus and me but maybe you'll find them interesting anyway." He suggested, pushing them into Harry's hands. "You sure?" Harry asked, both excited and unsure.

"Yeah, go ahead. Stories are one thing but this is from your parents."

"Thanks." Harry muttered, taking the letters and retreating to the living room.

.

.

Harry read through most of the letters before noon.

Most of them were written while his parents were in hiding but some were of a time before.

He picked up a letter that dated back to January 5th 1979. So before his parents were even pregnant with him.

When he picked it up, a photo fell from inside the folded paper.

Curiously he picked it up and looked at it.

In the picture, there were seven people, all dressed in fine evening cloths with heavy jewellery on them and polished shoes on their feet. The stood in a lose semi-circle, laughing and waving.

He recognized his parents immediately. His mother's flaming hair was undyeable and his father looked really a lot like him. Sirius stood next to his father, one hand on James's shoulder, laughing widely. His hair was longer and wilder. He looked so young. They stood to the right of the picture while the middle was occupied by a stunningly beautiful woman, arm in arm with a tall man. The woman had long flowing blond hair and blue eyes and she wore something that looked like a wedding dress. The man holding her was just as exquisitely dressed. Lily had one hand on the woman's shoulder and the woman reach up again and again to squeeze it before turning back to the camera.

Next to her, as Harry presumed, husband stood a teenager. He was smiling just as brightly, jumping up and down with excitement.

Harry frowned.

No…it couldn't be.

The teenager looked a lot like Thomas Greengrass! But that was impossible, or?

He flipped the picture around.

There on the back stood: "Diana's and Victor's wedding at the Greengrass Mansion. Sirius Black, Lily and James Potter, Diana and Victor Greengrass, and Diana's brothers Thomas Greengrass and Isaac Greengrass. January 5th 1979."

Harry flipped the picture back around and stared at the young face of Thomas Greengrass. So, that were Daphne's mother and father. Daphne looked a lot like her mother. But she had her father's straight posture and his determined glint in her eyes.

His eyes travelled past Thomas too that last person in the picture.

Isaac Greengrass.

And his breath got caught in his throat.

The man was maybe only a slight bit older than Daphne's mother in this picture and although his hair was shorter in the picture and his face shaven clean and not as gaunt or scarred, and he was dressed in the fine robes of a wealthy wizard family, Harry had no trouble recognizing the eyes and the face. A man with such high cheekbones was easily recognized.

It was the Deatheater whose mask Harry had torn down during the fight in their camp.

He was sure.

Without a doubt!

That man and the one in the picture were the same person!

His heart skipped a beat but then he frowned.

Daphne had said that her family had remained neutral during the war with Voldemort.

Then again Daphne had lied about a lot of other things.

And his parents…. his parents had known her parents.

From the looks of it, his mother and Daphne's mother had been friends!

What was going on here?

"Hey, Sirius?" he called out.

"What is it pup?" Sirius asked, stretching his head though the kitchen door.

"What do you know about a certain Isaac Greengrass?" Harry asked, trying to sound casually.

"Why do you ask?" Sirius asked.

"Oh…it's just I found this letter with this picture. You, Mum and Dad went to the wedding of Diana Greengrass he was there too. I know Thomas but I thought he had told me he only had one brother."

Actually, Daphne had told him that but Harry had still not come around to tell Sirius about pretty much anything that had happened in Cambodia.

Sirius sighed and walked over to him, sitting down next to him.

He took the photo and sighed.

"Isaac Greengrass vanished from one day to the other during the war with You-know-who. It was before Daphne or you were born. He was Diana's older brother." He said.

"The whole family was devastated when he vanished. Isaac was loved by so many. And he was important too. He used his families shadier side to gain quite a lot of Intel that helped fighting the Deatheaters."

"He was a spy?" Harry asked surprised.

"Diana wanted to keep her family neutral. But Isaac wasn't hearing any of it. He wanted to fight. But many didn't trust him. So he tried to prove himself by spying on the other side. They never managed to find his body."

Sirius sighed. "He was a good man." he said saddened.

Harry didn't really agree with what he knew about the man.

But he couldn't say that out loud.

"Do you think that's why he vanished? Deatheaters found out he was spying on them and killed him?" he asked although he knew better. Isaac had been either been a Deatheater all along or he had changed sides when he vanished.

But most certainly he wasn't dead.

"No one knows. He was declared dead when even after the war we didn't turn up. He was Diana Greengrass' first advisor. They were really close. But she was unhappy with him getting mixed up in the war but I'm glad he did it anyway. His information was always accurate and helped us a lot."

"Really?" Harry tried to keep the doubt out of his voice. But Sirius didn't seem to notice.

"I admired him for trying! That's more than many other people did during the war. And it helped his family image a lot I think."

Harry took the photo and studied it again.

"How did my parents knew them?"

"Your mum and Daphne were good friends since their second year at Hogwarts, despite all the bad things happening. They thought about naming Lily Godmother to Daphne Greengrass when Diana was pregnant with her but with Lily going into hiding they decided not to."

Harry stared at him.

"I never knew." He muttered.

"Daphne is in your year I think. You know her?"

"She was with me in Cambodia. She and Thomas I mean." Harry said, not looking at Sirius.

He felt Sirius hesitate next to him but the he asked: "Harry, what happened over there?"

Harry sighed, took a deep breath and began to talk.

.

.

He told Sirius almost everything. The only thing he left out was his suspicion that Isaac Greengrass was the Deatheater he had unmasked. Instead he didn't even tell Sirius he had manged to see his face but pretended he didn't know the identity of any of the men.

Sirius let him talk without interrupting but his face grew darker as Harry progressed.

When Harry came to the part of the River of the Undying he closed his eyes and just hugged harry from the side and refused to let go.

Harry didn't mind.

The words fell from his lips on their own.

He told him about Daphne and all the drama involving her.

Sirius sighed, nodded and held him a little closer. Harry felt ready to cry but he held it together. This was not the time for tears.

Once he was finished he sighed and looked at Sirius.

"So…that's what happened. Now you know."

"Oh Harry…I can't believe what you went through…"

"Please don't say you are sorry!" Harry interrupted him. He blushed when Sirius looked at him questioningly.

"It's just that…lately everyone has been telling me how sorry they are for everything that has happened. And…I'm sick of it. Because I loved it, despite everything that happened and there is nothing anyone could be sorry for. Because most of them weren't even there. So what do they know about what happened? And the thing with Daphne. Honestly, I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. Sometimes I am angry, sometimes I am sad, sometimes I just don't care… It's exhausting and confusing and I don't see the solution."

Sirius nodded. "Sorry. I mean…for wanting to say I'm sorry. Not sorry as in Sorry!"

Harry laughed.

"I get what you mean. Thanks. So…any tips?"

Sirius snorted.

"I was never the type for serious relationships when I was younger. I wish I could help you Harry but I too don't know what is going on here. But if there is any way I can help you can just tell me."

"I will."

Harry looked back down at the picture of Diana Greengrass at her wedding and his parents.

"Daphne told me her mother had died a few years ago. Do you know what happened?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I do not."

.

.

"Harry, pay attention!"

Harry startled, looking up to see Ron's exasperated face. He was holding the Quaffel under his left arm and held onto his broom with his right.

"Honestly, mate, you're gonna fall down if you don't get your head in the game!"

Harry rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry Ron. I'm just…"

"…distracted. I know, I could tell." Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Harry apologized.

Ron flew a bit closer so they were next to each other.

"Are you alright? Bill told us a bit about what happened but I think he left out a lot because mom looked ready to faint when he mentioned anything potentially dangerous."

Harry grimaced. "I bet. You really want to know?" Ron nodded eagerly.

So, Harry told him about their mission but he left out Daphne completely. He wasn't sure how Ron would react to his friendship with the Slytherin and the resulting crisis.

Ron's eyes were huge by the time he was finished.

"Wow, that sounds so amazing. Dangerous, obviously, and you were a total nut-head to go through with it but still…kind of awesome."

"Ron…we almost died every second step." Harry stated.

"That's nothing new for you. When do you not almost die?"

"Touché." Harry muttered.

Ron punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"I get why you're spacing out but man, it's over. Relax."

If it only was over, Harry thought bitterly.

But he put a smile on for Ron and nodded. "You are right. Come on, race you back to the burrow."

"Oh, you are on mate!" Ron cheered.

As they arrived, Harry noticed Sirius immediately.

He and Bill and Arthur and Charlie were standing outside, talking.

As they touched down, Harry ran to greet his godfather.

"Hey kiddo. Sorry to cut your day short but I have to go to a meeting at the Ministry. I won't be back until late and Remus is in Cambridge."

"Can't I stay here?" Harry asked.

"I'd rather have you home tonight. You got homework to do, remember? You told me some of it got destroyed when you lost your backpack!"

"I can do that tomorrow! There's still two weeks of holidays left."

"No Harry. You can come back tomorrow."

Harry sighed. "Alright." He smiled apologetically at Ron.

"Sorry Ron."

Ron shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow."

.

.

As soon as they arrived at the house Sirius got changed and was gone shortly after.

Slightly disgruntled Harry sat down at the kitchen table with his books and began teeth grindingly slowly rewrite his transfiguration essay.

It was strangely silent in the house, aside from the cracking of the flames and the ticking of the old grandfathers-clock in the hallway.

All the lights were on but Harry began squirming around after a while.

He wasn't used to silence anymore.

Silence meant bad things.

He got up and turned on the radio.

"…further sources confirm that the new law against the employment for half-breeds and werewolf's will most likely become effective towards the end of the year. The Wizengamot held a vote yesterday. A surprising turn of events came when Victor Greengrass took back his vote against the law in favour of approving the new law. What could have made him change his mind so drastically many wonder. But Greengrass wasn't the only one. Several of the grey party members voted surprisingly for the new law. The appeal made by Dolores Jane Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Lord Lucius Malfoy has by no means been new but over the last years there was thought to be a development in the rights for half-breeds and humanoid creatures like werewolf's and vampires. Apparently not. Further information now from our correspondent Amy, right from the Ministry of Magic. Amy…"

Disgusted Harry turned the radio off. He didn't want to hear this too.

"Seems like a Greengrass thing to do. Turn on when you thought you knew them." He muttered bitterly.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the wedding photo.

His eyes stopped on Isaac Greengrass once again.

He knew he had to tell someone.

But if people thought he was dead, what could he possibly do? Besides, he had no prove.

Knowing that he'd be unable to concentrate on his homework Harry got up and hurried to his room.

He grabbed his jacket, wand and shoved it together with the photo into one of the pockets.

In front of the fireplace he stopped.

Sirius had told him to stay here.

But he would be home late. By then Harry would back. He didn't have to know.

His mind made up he grabbed a fist full of floo powder and called out: "Gringotts."

.

.

There wasn't much going on at the bank this late but it was open twenty-four seven anyway.

A few Goblins looked at him with a frown but Harry ignored them, hurrying down towards Raknok's office.

He knocked but no one was there.

He sighed in frustration, great, what now? He should have though this more through.

He turned around and hurried back towards the atrium.

"Mr. Potter? What are you doing here?"

He turned around to see Raknok coming out of a door.

"Actually I was looking for you."

"I wasn't aware we had a meeting." The goblin responded with a frown.

"We don't. But you said I could always come if I remembered something. Well…there's something you should know."

The Goblin studied him closely for a second.

"Walk with me Mr. Potter. I've got things to do but I can see this is important."

"Thank you, sir." Harry said gratefully.

Raknok waved him along.

"What is it?"

"I lied. I did see the face of one of the Deatheaters."

Raknok raised an eyebrow. "I see. Why didn't you tell me so earlier?"

"I…I…I don't know why but something told me not to."

"What changed?"

"I know who it is."

The Goblin stopped abruptly and looked at him sharply.

"You do? How?"

Harry grimaced. "That's the problem. I didn't recognize him at first but then I found a picture where he was in."

"Who is it?"

"That's another reason why it's complicated. I was told he's dead."

"A name, Mr. Potter. Who was it?" Raknok asked impatiently.

"Isaac Greengrass." Harry said simply.

Raknok let out a long breath.

"That…is some accusation Mr. Potter. Isaac Greengrass is a War-Hero. He was awarded an Order of Merlin Second class post-mortem after Voldemort vanished. His actions during the war pushed his family in a much brighter light and raised their approval in the Wizarding society of Britain a lot." He said as he continued walking.

"I know that." Harry said, catching up with him.

He pulled the picture out of his pocket.

"Believe me, I know. But I am one-hundred percent sure that this is the man I saw in Cambodia!"

He pointed at Isaac's face.

"I mean…his body was never found, right? He could be alive!"

The goblin nodded hesitantly.

"But that leaves the other questions. Why would he become a Deatheater? He was very passionately about fighting them. His fiancé was killed in a raid by a Deatheater named Yaxly. I cannot think of a least likely person to join them. Besides, what would you have us do?"

"Look, I know what I saw. And I think we have to tell someone. He's out there and he's dangerous. He was with three others and they said they were still following their cause. Voldemort may not be back but…but he's not gone either. And if there is a possibility that he'll return, people should know. And if we apprehend his henchmen, maybe we can delay his return."

Raknok stopped again.

"As much as I find your passion admirable Mr. Potter, we Goblins do not get involved in the affairs of wizards. We manage your money. That's all. We have our own problems."

"But you'll still be affected if he comes back." Harry protested.

"We have no authority Mr. Potter. Your kind would sooner break their own wands in half than take orders from me or my kin. And as long as he's not back, it's not our problem."

Harry thought he wasn't hearing right.

"But…" he began but Raknok interrupted him with a raised hand.

"I know Mr. Potter. I know. But there is nothing I can do. And if you are smart you won't do anything you might regret. They already have an eye on you for what you did to their lord. If they think you're a threat to them they will go after the ones you love and then after you."

And just like that he left Harry standing in some hallway.

.

.

Harry was in a sour mood as he walked through the Alley towards the Leaky Cauldron.

He could have flood home form the bank but he needed some air. Besides, a butterbeer sounded good right now to calm him down a little bit.

The Ally was only dimly lit, most shops were dark and closed. The street lamps cast gloomy shadows and there were just a handful of people left and nobody really paid him any attention.

Then, all of a sudden someone grabbed him by the arm, a hand was pressed over his mouth and he was pulled quickly and abruptly into a dark alley, away from Diagon Alley.

.

.

…

.

.

Harry struggled and tried to shout but his voice was muffled and the grip on his arm strong.

He was dragged along over uneven paths and further into the darkness and away from any human being.

Vaguely he recognized his surroundings as Knockturn Alley but soon even that started to look unfamiliar.

Finally the man let go off him and Harry stumbled into a small dark alley that ended in a dead end.

It smelled awful and in the dim light Harry could see only very little.

His attacker was clad in a long robe with a hood that shadowed his whole face.

Harry pulled his wand, curing himself for not wearing his holster but the pan slapped it out of his hand. It went flying through the air, clattering onto the dirty ground behind the man.

He now had his wand pointed at Harrys chest and Harry didn't dare to move a muscle.

"What do you want? Who are you?" he whispered.

"Who I am is none of your concern." The man said gruffly. "As for what I want, well, it involves this!"

The stranger held up the photo of and his parents Isaac Greengrass. Somehow, he must have managed to take it from Harry without him noticing.

"What interest do you have in this person? What do you know?" the man asked menacingly.

"Nothing, I'm just curious!" Harry shouted. "I'm reading up on war-heroes, it's a hobby!"

The man backhanded him and Harry nearly fell to the ground.

"Don't lie to me boy." He roared. "I don't believe you, I know you were talking to that goblin about him!"

Harry briefly wondered how he could have. Security was tight in Gringotts. Surely Raknok would have known if someone had spied on them.

Then again, if he hadn't, then this man was not to be trifled with if he could fool the goblins.

"Okay fine." Harry spat. "I am very sure that he might be alive. And I wanted to know more!"

The man pushed him against one of the streets walls.

"He is dead." He growled. "Leave it be!"

"Then why are you so bothered?" Harry growled back.

Not a smart move.

The man shook his shoulders harshly. His head connected painfully with the stone wall behind him.

"What makes you think he's alive?" he growled.

Harry didn't say anything. He just stared defiantly into the blackness under the hood.

The man raised his wand.

"I have no problem to make you tell me. Now, if you don't want them to find you corps here, you better tell me."

"I don't care." Harry said defiantly.

There was something about this man. But Harry couldn't tell what it was.

"Very well." The man hissed.

He grabbed Harrys left pinkie-finger and twisted it brutally to the side.

Harry howled as the bone cracked.

"Want me to continue?" the man asked.

"Go to hell you bastard!" Harry groaned.

In respond the man grabbed his ring finger and twisted it too.

Harry howled again.

The pain was throbbing through his whole arm into his body and sent knife-like stabs into his brain.

"Get talking or the middle finger is the next!" the man threatened.

His voice…his voice reminded Harry of someone.

To underline his point, he grabbed Harrys two damaged fingers and squeezed them.

The pain was so immense Harrys knees gave out but the man held him upright.

Harry weighed his options.

He really didn't want to tell the man but he also didn't want any more fingers twisted and broken.

And was it really worth it?

What if this man was a Death-Eater as well, he suddenly thought. Raknok's warning came to his mind but that hardly mattered now.

He threw that thought aside. If the man was a Death-Eater and thought Harry was having information he shouldn't have, then he would simply kill him and not interrogate him.

At least he hoped so.

"Fine" he hissed "A short while ago some friends and I were attacked by a group of masked people. Death-Eaters if you want to know. I unmask one of them. Then I found that picture of Isaac Greengrass and I am very sure that they are the same person. But since I have no proof I can't really go and do anything."

He hoped the last statement would appease the man.

Apparently it didn't.

"Why did you tell the goblins about it?" the man asked, still growling.

Harry hesitated. He wanted to leave the Curse-Breaking bit out but it seemed that if he didn't want to the man to twist more of his fingers the wrong way around.

"Answer!" the man bellowed and moved to break the third finger.

Harry spotted a thin golden ring on his left hand. He was married.

"Because I was on a mission for them when the Death-Eaters attacked." Harry shouted quickly.

The man hesitated.

Then he grabbed Harry's throat and pressed him harder against the wall.

Harry tried to pry his hands away but it was hard with only one hand.

"Who else did you tell about your findings?"

"No one."

"WHO ELSE?"
"NO ONE I SWEAR!" Harry coaxed.

The man let go a bit so Harry could breathe normally.

"And what do you intend to do with this information?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe tell the press. People ought to know."

The man closed his hand around his throat again. "Stay away from the press. This is none of your business!"

"It is my business, he attacked my friends and me. Maybe someone can do something about it!" Harry growled back.

"You don't know what consequences your actions could have! The people you could endanger. You will tell no one about this! Or I swear I will find you and kill you! Stay out of this."

"Yeah, I'd imagine that people wouldn't react too kindly to finding out that one of their heroes is in fact a Deatheater." Harry growled. "Is that why you still protect him? To keep the family safe and everybody else ignorant that the Greengrass family isn't as perfect as they appear? Well that is no news to me buddy!"

The wand was only millimetres away from Harry's throat.

"You don't know anything. And keep your tongue in check!" The man growled.

But Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry. Every family has its black sheep. I understand now. I should have known. I won't say a thing. But I give you an advice Mr. Greengrass" he ignored the man's violent flinch "Secrets always come out sooner or later. And when they find out that you kept the truth away, the people will take it even less kindly."

The man stabbed the tip of his wand against Harry's throat and then carefully removed his hood.

So he's been right Harry thought slightly smugly.

The man before him had the same blond hair as Daphne and Thomas and sky blue eyes.

He had slight stubble on his chin and cheeks and a crooked nose. His face was handsome but showed already signs of ageing.

"You are Elijah Greengrass, are you not? Daphne's other uncle. Thomas's brother."

"Who are you? How do you know my family and me?" the eldest Greengrass asked suspiciously.

"You and Thomas have similar voices. Also it makes sense that the matter of your brother concerns you and that you don't want people to know about it since it affects you and your family directly and, as you so nicely pointed out, could have dire consequences for you and the family."

"Who are you?" Elijah asked.

"I'm Harry Potter. And I'd like to know what the hell is going on." Harry said through gritted teeth.

.

.

Harry couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that he was sitting in a wide living room in the English countryside, sipping tea from a crystal cup with his freshly mended fingers and waiting for Daphne's uncle Elijah to start talking.

But the older man just sat there and stared at him.

So Harry took it upon himself to start the conversation.

"So, how long have you known he's alive?"

"About a year." Came the short reply.

"And how long have you known about…his occupation?"

"He's not a Deatheater!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"So it was his evil twin then that attacked me and my friends?"

Elijah glared at him.

"My brother fought Voldemort himself." He growled. "He would never grovel before that monster." Elijah hissed.

"Then how do you explain this?" Harry asked back.

"I don't know what happened. I just know that my brother is not to blame."

"Is that why you don't want anyone to know? Because the man who raised your family would also be the one to knock it back down?"

Elijah got up and began pacing in front of the window.

"You couldn't possibly understand what consequences Isaacs return could have."

Harry snorted. "Is the image of your family more important than their safety?"

Elijah swirled around, his face red with rage.

"THIS IS NOT ABOUT MY FAMILY'S IMAGE! I COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK! THIS IS ABOUT MY BROTHERS LIFE! MY BROTHER IS INNOCENT I KNOW THAT! BUT THEY WOULD ONLY SEE A MURDERER AND SEND HIM TO AZKABAN! I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!" he shouted.

Harry was taken aback. This he hadn't expected.

Elijah took a few deep breaths, calming himself down.

"Family before anything. That is our motto. But it's not about the image of our family. I would rather live with all of them spitting down on us than condemn my brother to something he's innocent off! I…all of us…we'd do anything to protect Isaac. That's why nobody can know."

Towards the end his voice broke and his hands were clenched to fists.

Harry looked at him with big eyes.

"But someone found out. Someone besides me." He whispered, slowly putting the pieces together.

Elijah didn't even try to deny it. He just nodded.

"You know, Daphne told me about you." He said silently, coming back to the couch, sitting down slowly.

"She really likes you. I'm sorry for what happened."

His voice, it was full of regret and…did Harry imagine it or was there a plea for forgiveness in his words.

"Why do you say that?" he asked cautiously.

Elijah sighed. He looked so much older, the heavy secret was wearing him down.

"I knew your mother, you know? Diana and her…they were good friends. Lily was an amazing woman. Had things been different, you and Daphne would have grown up knowing each other from an early age on. Maybe you would have married one day." He said wistfully.

"I would have liked that. Thomas likes you and I can see…you are fine young man. But now…now that will never be."

Harry frowned.

"Mr. Greengrass. The other person that found out…it wasn't Lucius Malfoy, was it?" he asked slowly.

Elijah laughed but it was the exhausted laugh of someone who was at his wits end.

"And you figured that out how?" he asked.

Harry shrugged but he felt his stomach plummet down in his stomach.

"It's…when I was arguing with Daphne back at the Hospital she let slip that it was somehow Malfoy Seniors fault. And you…you apologizing to me now…. you certainly don't want this for Daphne either and if you really cherish your family like you say, you would never agree to such a marriage. But given the circumstances."

Elijah closed his eyes.

"I know it seems rather hypocritically to sacrifice Daphne's happiness and life in order to keep my brother from his horrible fate but it's the lesser of two evils. Besides, once we have Isaac back we can work on that. Hopefully Daphne won't have to…"

"Whoa, hold up. Get him back?" Harry interrupted him.

The older Greengrass nodded.

"I struck a deal with Malfoy. Right now, his power is lacking and he needs supporters. He told me if I did him a few favours and small services, he would give us Isaac back."

"Small favours like voting for the new law against half-breeds and werewolf's?"

Elijah winced.

"For example. And he secured my loyalty with Daphne's engagement to his son. Of course, Daphne can refuse. But we would have to cast her away. It would ruin her life. I cannot do that. I told her if she did it, we might find a way around after we got Isaac back."

"Do you really think Lucius Malfoy will keep his word?" Harry asked.

"He has to."

Elijah sounded as if he wasn't so sure himself.

"When are you supposed to get him back?"

"In a few days." Elijah muttered.

"And you think the blackmail will just stop?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"It has too."

"He has Daphne. It will never end." Harry shouted.

And then the meaning of his words hit him like a train.

"He'll have Daphne. He'll use her against you. It will never stop!" he whispered.

"What am I supposed to do? There is nobody who could help me. The Aurors wouldn't listen to the end. And Lucius may not be as influential as he once was but he still has a lot of impact on the Minister. And with Fudge against me my brother would just be thrown into prison. And Malfoy would still have Daphne only now I would be his enemy. He would make sure my family will be destroyed."

Harry understood his dilemma.

"I get it." He said silently. "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter." Elijah said hollowly.

"I want to help. Please. There has to be something we can do!"

Elijah snorted.

"What could you possible do?"

"I am the Boy-who-lived. Last year Fudge was all about sucking up to me. Maybe I can do something."

"I doubt that you have more influence over the Minister than Lucius Malfoy."

"It's worth a try."

"It's too risky."

He stood up and walked around the low coffee-table towards Harry.

Harry hastily got up.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this Harry. And I am sorry for hurting you. But you will understand that I am protecting my family."

Harry nodded. "It's fine. No hard feelings."

"And you will also understand that I must ask you to leave now and not get any further involved. Lucius Malfoy will not hesitate exposing my brother if he thinks I'm trying to back out on him."

Harry shook his head.

"I can't do that Mr. Greengrass. Thomas is my friend. And so is Daphne. She is one of my best friends. Maybe even more. And I was horrible to her. I said unforgiving things to her when she is just as much a victim of all this as you and your brother and everybody else involved. I just assumed the worst when I should have known better. When I should have listened to her. I do know her after all. And this was not like her at all."

He looked down, shame rising in his cheeks.

"I behaved like the people who threw my godfather into prison with my proof and no trial. I should have known better. I'm sorry. And I have to make it up to her."

Elijah shook his head.

"You owe us no loyalty."

"I do. My mother was friends with your sister. She was friends with you. And I am friends with your brother and your niece. My mother would have not wanted me to turn my back on our friends."

Elijah shook his head.

"Don't take this wrong Harry. I know you just returned from a Cruse-Breaking mission and I heard all about it from Thomas and Daphne. But what can you possible do?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. But we have to do something. We have to try at least. There is still time."

Elijah shook his head. "I don't know Harry. It would probably be best if you just went home."

Harry hesitated.

"I'll go. But just know that I can't just sit and watch. It's not what I do. And yes, that is not very wise but I am a Gryffindor for a reason."

The elder Greengrass shook his head but said in a resigned voice: "I'll consider it."

"Thank you Sir."

As Elijah walked him towards the hallway from where he could floo home, Harry asked hesitantly: "Do you think I could visit Daphne sometime soon and apologize?"

"I would rather we kept your involvement away from the rest of the family. They might not be too happy about you knowing as much as you do."

Harry sighed. "I understand. Thank you."

"No, thank you." Elijah said.

"I can see why Daphne likes you so much. You are a lot like your mother. She's be proud of you."

"Thank you."

"You should probably go. It's very late."

Harry turned to look at the watch and cursed.

"Got to go!"

.

.

As he stumbled out of the fireplace back home, he was greeted with an unexpected sight.

There were Sirius and Remus, both deathly pale, worry and fear written all over their faces. The Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie Weasley were there as well as Atticus, a man Harry recognized as Mad Eye Moody and a young pink-haired witch who stood next to Sirius. Harry thought she had been there to take Sirius into custody after the Pettigrew fiasco at Hogwarts.

All heads turned when he stumbled out of the fireplace.

"Oh…" he muttered "Ahm…hey? I'm sorry…?"

42. Rising Pressure

Chapter Forty-Two: Rising pressure

Harry stared moodily at his wall.

Outside the sun was high and bright in the sky.

The laughter of children echoed through the neighbourhood. Birds sung and it was just a ridiculously wonderful day.

And he was grounded.

His bad mood rising once again he pitched the small ball against the floor, catching it as it bounced back off the wall.

There was a knock on the door.

"What?" he asked glumly.

"Harry, it's Remus, can I come in?"

"If you have to." Harry snapped back.

To his annoyance, the door did open.

He didn't turn, he just threw the ball again, catching it and then throwing it again.

He felt Remus sit down on the bed above him.

"I brought you some water. It's hot outside, you got to stay hydrated.

"I'm not thirsty. Besides, it's cool in here." Harry muttered, throwing the ball once more, this time a bit harder than necessary. It bounced off in a wrong angle and sailed above his head and crashed into something behind him.

Great.

"Harry, Sirius didn't ground him because he wanted to, he did it because you did something wrong. You abused his trust."

Harry didn't argue.

He knew it was right.

That didn't change the fact that he was angry at being grounded.

His mind flashed back to last night.

Sirius face turned form worried to relieved. In a second he was at his side, shaking Harry's shoulder, shouting: "Where-have-you-been?"

Harry grimaced. "I…I'm sorry. I was out. It wasn't supposed to take this long."

"Out? Harry I told you to stay here!" Sirius shouted.

"I know…but I had to go to Gringotts!"

"That could have waited until tomorrow! Do you know how worried I have been these past few hours? I come back home late, thinking you are here, only to find just Remus here. He thought you and I were away together! So I went to the Weasleys, thinking you had gone to see Ron, but you weren't there either" Sirius voice grew louder and louder "by then I was in a full blown panic! Harry! No note, no call, nobody knew where you were! I thought someone had kidnapped you! Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Harry grimaced. "Sirius, I'm sorry! It was important!"

"You can't just go and come as you please Harry! We have a deal!"

"You weren't supposed to know! I wanted to be back before you were."

Immediately he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

A hurt and slightly betrayed look appeared on Sirius face but it was quickly replaced by his angry face again.

"Is that so? Well in that case you are grounded! No visiting Ron or anyone else for that matter, nobody to come by, no flying, nothing!" he shouted.

"What? That's not fair!" Harry protested.

"Not fair? Like it's not fair that you go behind my back? That you scare the crap out of me? Worry us all to death? No, I think it's perfectly fair!"

"You don't understand!" Harry shouted back.

"Then explain it to me!" Sirius shouted back.

"I can't because it's not your business!"

Sirius's eyes hardened.

"Yes it is, I am your guardian." he said, his voice dangerously low.

"Hey, everyone, calm down! We're all a bit tense right now, but what matters is that Harry's safe and home. Let's continue this tomorrow, okay?" Bill said, stepping between them.

Finally Sirius let go of Harry and Harry rubbed his arms where Sirius had grabbed him.

He saw a flash of guilt go through Sirius's eyes.

"Whatever." Harry replied moodily and then stormed past the gathered people up into his room.

The next morning during breakfast Sirius hadn't said anything. Only when Harry got up to leave he said: "Give me your wand and go to your room. You are to stay there until lunch."

Harry clenched his fists.

"Sirius, it's not my fault, I…"

"I really don't want to hear it Harry. You betrayed my trust. This is the consequence." He held out his hand expectantly.

"Don't make me take you wand Harry."

Angrily Harry shoved his hand into his pocket and slammed his wand onto the table.

"There. Have a nice day." He spat before turning on his heel and storming into his room.

And here he'd been until now.

"Harry, you didn't see him yesterday. When I asked him where you were he went white as a sheet of paper. He raced to your room and then all throughout the house trying to find you. Then without telling me he went to the Weasleys only to return seconds later with Bill alongside him. We searched the neighbourhood and then Bill went to Diagon Alley, where he met Mr. Wood. He immediately offered to help search for you. And somehow Tonks and Mad Eye appeared too after a few minutes and then Molly and Arthur came by to see if we had found you already. Harry, you were gone for hours. We didn't know where you were, what had happened, who you were with, when you'd be back or if you'd be back at all! Sirius was all about to go to the Ministry and have a search party send out or call Dumbledore." Remus said softly.

"Yeah I know, Sirius told me." Harry snapped back. "And I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to worry you." He added somewhat miserably. "But I can't tell you were I was. I was at Gringotts, that is true and I didn't plan on staying away long. But something happened."

Remus sighed.

"I understand Harry. You don't have to tell us. Just don't be too mad with Sirius, okay? He was just scared that he'd lost you again."

"Me mad with him? He's the one mad with me! I ruined everything." Harry cried out.

"You didn't ruin anything Harry. He still loves you. He's just so terrified of failing you having you taken away from him. And last night, in his eyes, he failed you. And your parents. And himself."

"Look, no need to give me a bad conscience, I already have one." Harry snapped.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad Harry. I'm trying to get you to understand why he acted the way he did. Just give him time. Apologize and it will all be okay again."

Harry sighed but didn't reply.

"Here's your wand. Sirius asked me to give it back to you. He put the tracing charm back on it, so you can't use it anymore until you get back to Hogwarts" seeing Harry deflate even more he added "See it was punishment."

"Oh, this isn't enough?" Harry asked sarcastically, pointing around.

Remus just stood up and walked back to the door.

"Lunch is in an hour."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're still expected to come. Whether you'll eat or not it up to you."

.

Lunch was just as silent and awkward as expected.

Harry felt slight nauseous so he didn't eat anything. He just kept staring at his plate.

Remus tried to involve both him and Sirius into a conversation but Sirius was just as tight-lipped as Harry was.

Once lunch was over Harry quickly returned to his room, only to find Hedwig sitting there with a letter for him.

To his surprise and joy it was from Hermione.

He had sent her a letter the day before yesterday to let her know he was back and okay.

Hastily he tore it open.

"Dear Harry,

Thank God you are okay and back again! I was so worried! What were you thinking running off into some dangerous adventure like that? But who am I kidding? It's you, that was to be expected.

I'm glad to hear you are happy and alright.

How is Sirius? How's living with him? The prophet still covers him a lot but he's not really giving any interviews or statements so I'm guessing most of what they write is just made up.

On to more important matters, how are your assignments coming along? I bet you didn't have much time while you were strolling through some jungle. But I guess the circumstances were different. If you need any help, write me.

By the way, I'm going to be at Diagon Alley in a week or so to get my stuff. Maybe we can meet up?

Give my regards to Sirius.

Love,

Hermione"

Harry smiled, his mood slightly brighter than before.

Only Hermione would thing homework was more important that his 'stroll through the jungle'.

He immediately set to answer her.

"Dear Mione.

I'm so happy to hear from you. I miss you and I missed writing to you.

To answer the important questions first: I did all my homework during my trip. Believe me, there was time for such things. Sadly my backpack got wet at some point and ruined some of them but I'm almost caught up again.

Other than that…things are good with Sirius"

Here Harry hesitated.

"Well actually we had fight. I did something stupid but necessary. He won't talk to me and I'm grounded. So I guess it could be better.

How are you? How have your holidays been so far?

I'll have to ask Sirius about meeting up at Diagon Alley. I hope this grounding won't last until the end of the holidays.

Can't wait to see you again.

Love,

Harry."

Satisfied he rolled the letter up and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

She hooted, nipped his ear and then left.

She wasn't gone long, when another owl appeared on his bedroom window.

She was easily twice as big as Hedwig and deep black with huge orange eyes and shark claws.

She carried a thick letter in her beak and bristled with her feathers importantly.

Slowly he approached her.

She eyed him for a second before dropping the letter and flew over to Hedwig's perch to drink form the water'.

Confused Harry picked the envelope up.

There was no address on it, nor any indication where it had come from.

He opened it slowly. Inside was a single thick sheet of parchment.

One sentence was written in blue ink on it.

"Are still willing to help?"

It wasn't signed but Harry had a pretty good guess who had sent it.

Before he could think about it any further, there was a knock on his door and Sirius voice asked from the other side: "Harry? Can I come inside?"

Hastily Harry shoved the note into his pocket and the envelope under the comforter of his bed.

"Sure." He called out. Hopefully he wouldn't notice the owl Harry hoped.

The door opened and Sirius stepped inside.

"Hey." He greeted Harry.

"Hey." Harry replied.

Sirius closed the door behind him and slowly walked into the room, his eyes travelling around, his posture screaming just how awkward he felt.

"Where's the owl from?" he asked confused.

"A friend." Harry said stiffly.

Sirius nodded, his eyes roaming around again.

Finally his gaze settled on Harrys desk which was laden with open books, quills and parchment.

"How are you coming along with your homework?" he asked.

"Alright." Harry said silently. "Almost finished." He added.

"Good, that's good, really good!" Sirius replied, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Look Harry, I'm sorry for shouting at you and shaking you but I was just so worried. But I am not sorry for grounding you." He said silently.

Harry nodded mutely. "I know. I'm sorry for leaving. I can't tell you why though. I'm sorry."

Sirius shrugged. "I can't make you tell me. And I won't." He sighed.

"But Harry, I can never go through something like yesterday again. I lost you once and back then I lost you for twelve years. Please, please promise you will never do something like this."

"I'll leave a note next time." Harry muttered.

"This isn't a joke Harry. I thought something hat happened."

"I know." Harry whispered, close to tears.

Sirius stepped closer and wordlessly pulled him into an embrace.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered again.

"I know." Sirius muttered, pressing a kiss on top of Harrys head.

They stood in silent for a few seconds.

"You are still grounded though." Sirius muttered.

Harry let out a mix between a laugh and a sob.

"I get it." He muttered.

"Do you?" Sirius asked.

Harry just nodded.

"Alright then. I'll see you later. Go finish those essays."

Sirius left.

And Harry felt worse than before.

He took the note out of his pocket, reading it again.

Guilt and frustration rose inside him.

On the one hand, he didn't want to hurt and disappoint Sirius again.

On the other hand, he had an obligation to Daphne and he had promised Elijah his help.

Besides, he had never given Sirius that promise.

His decision made, Harry took a piece of parchment and wrote one word onto it.

Yes.

.

.

…

.

.

"Man, I'm knackered!" Sirius muttered as he put his fork down.

Remus nodded.

"Me too. Today was a long day." He agreed.

Sirius supressed a yawn.

"I think I'll go to bed soon. I have to be up tomorrow early to meet with my accountant at Gringotts." He muttered.

"Sounds like a good plan. I don't have anything planned for tomorrow but I'm so tired, I think a good and long night's sleep will be nice." Remus agreed.

Harry watched his godfather and uncle form the corner of his eyes, guilt gnawing one his inside.

He faked a wide yawn.

"You too Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, that Charms essay wasn't easy." He lied.

"If you need help pup, just say so. Moony here was excellent in charms. The only one better than him was your mom." Sirius said.

Then he yawned again.

"I'll do the dishes. You go to sleep if you want." Harry offered, a bit nervously.

"Thanks Harry. I'll see you tomorrow." Sirius said, getting up.

Harry proceeded to clean the table.

He kept an eye on Remus while he tidied up the kitchen.

The werewolf was obviously fighting his exhaustion.

He was reading the prophet but his eyes kept drifting shut and his head kept sinking down, only for it to shoot upwards again as soon as Remus realized he was slipping away.

"Uncle Remus, you are ready to drop. Go to sleep, I'll finish everything down here." Harry said, gently taking away the newspaper.

"You are probably right. Good night Harry."

"Good night."

Harry watched until Remus had disappeared in the hallway before taking the small glass bottle out of his pocket and eyeing it critically.

A few drops of the deep blue potion still clung to its insides.

Morpheus's Kiss was a simple sleeping potion. Not as strong as a Dreamless Sleep Potion but enough to send the drugged person into a blissful and relaxing sleep that lasted at least six hours. Thanks to Rashid's little lessons and a quick look into his potions book Harry was able to brew this really easy potion in his room.

Could you get send to Azkaban for drugging your relatives?

Hopefully not.

Harry finished cleaning the kitchen, then went into his room and dressed in black jeans, a white t-shirt, his dragon-hide waistcoat, a dark windbreaker, strapped his wand holster to his arm and shoved his dagger into the back of his waistband.

Assured that enough time had passed for Sirius to have fallen asleep fully, Harry crept across the hallway and silently opened the door to Sirius's room.

His godfather lay passed out on his bed, cloths still on, the blanket only slightly covering him.

His bad conscience acting up again, Harry took of his shoes and socks and spread the blanket evenly over the older man.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he gently took Sirius's wand from the inside of his coat. "But I have to help."

Then he turned around, before he could back out of it.

The floo was blocked but with Sirius's wand he could lift the blockade.

It felt strange casting magic with Sirius's wand and Harry felt really bad about it but it would have to do for tonight.

With one last glance backwards he stepped into the roaring fire and said firmly: "The Leaky Cauldron."

.

.

Elijah was expecting him when he stepped out of the flames.

"I was against calling you." He stated.

Harry raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice: "Then why am I here?"

"We're at our wits end. By now we'd take anyone." He said bitterly before turning around, waving for Harry to follow him.

'We?' Harry thought before hastily following Elijah.

Although it was late the pub was still alive with people.

As he followed Elijah past the tables and drunk patrons, he noticed that something was off about him.

His gaze kept shifting through the room and his shoulders were tense.

He let him outside and as soon as they were out of sight, Elijah grabbed his arm and apparated them away.

When the spinning stopped, Harry found himself back at the Greengrass Mansion in Elijah's study.

They weren't alone though this time. Another man was waiting for them. He had his back turned to him, looking out at the dark valley below them from the window.

Harry immediately recognized him as Victor Greengrass, Daphne's father.

The Head of the Greengrass family turned when he heard the door open, his wand ready in his hand.

"Ah…so you are Harry Potter." He said silently.

"Yes sir. And you are Daphne's father."

A small smile appeared for a second on the man's face.

"I am."

They shook hands.

"Elijah tells me you are trustworthy and that you want to help."

"I do sir."

"Even though it could endanger you?"

"With all due respect sir, I've handled worse than Lucius Malfoy."

"I hope that is true, because we need all the help we can get."

"I'm ready to help with whatever it is." Harry promised.

"Something happened. We have to act and we have to do it soon."

"What happened?"

Victor exchanged glances with Elijah, then he said: "Malfoy pulled me aside at the Ministry today. He…he insinuated something big was going to happen soon. It's a rather big…undertaking. And that he would use Isaac for it." Elijah said.

Harry looked between the two men back and forth.

"What kind of undertaking? And why would he tell you that?"

Victor hesitated.

"It involves the Quidditch World Cup. And…and that worries me. Isaac will be very exposed and in risk of being caught. I fear that…. that Malfoy wants to rat him out to the Ministry. And if he does it won't matter what we say, Malfoy will make sure that they will send him to Azkaban and we will stand there with no prove that he is in fact innocent."

Harry looked up sharply.

"So what is the plan?"

"The World Cup is in less than a week. And I think Isaac is already here. I want to find him and get him away from Malfoys grasp."

Harry thought about it.

"Let's say we get Isaac away from Malfoy, let's say that goes to plan, what is there to keep Malfoy from just accusing Isaac of being a Deatheater anyway? You can't keep him hidden forever, people will find out he's back and demand an explanation." He asked concerned.

"Isaac is his only proof. Malfoy cannot give a testimony without revealing his own involvement in Elijah's disappearance and his own Deatheater background. Neither can the others. And if the case gets taken before a court we would simply prove that Isaac was not acting on his own free will and that will clear him of all charges." Victor said confidently.

"Provided Isaac really is under their control." Harry said.

"My brother watched the love of his life get brutally slaughtered right in front of his eyes. Believe me, there is nobody that hates these people more than him. He would never join them on his own free will." Elijah said steadily.

Harry took a deep breath. "Okay, sounds all logical so far. It could work. How do we do it? I take it you want to get him before the World Cup? Do you know where he is?"

Victor grimaced.

"The sooner we get Isaac and get him help, the more likely we are to get this done without too much fuss. We assume he's at Malfoy Manor. It's the safest place for Deatheaters to be. But it's a fortress. Without invitation, we'd never be able to get in there." He explained softly.

"The general plan is to get inside, get Isaac and leave with him before anyone notices." He said.

"That's…risky." Harry stated.

"We know. But we might never get a chance like this so soon again. Malfoy is breathing down my neck in all kinds of matters. He wants an official marriage contract drawn up for Draco and Daphne, he wants money, there is an important vote coming up concerning an important matter and he told me to vote against it!" Victor sighed.

"I understand that. But are you sure we can't try it during the World Cup?"

"Too risky. Malfoy will be around Isaac all the time most likely, just like lots of others. Is we fail Malfoy will go right ahead, expose Isaac and condemn him to life and death at Azkaban." Elijah said. "And that can never happen. Besides, the risk of innocent people getting hurt or seeing Isaac is a lot bigger."

Harry sighed. They were right. This mission required stealth and had to be done quickly.

And then it came to him.

"I think I know how to get into Malfoy manor."

The two men stared at him.

"What?" Elijah asked.

"Just like that?" Victor asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure it will work but it might. I have a friend who knows the manor very well and he might be able to scout it out for us."

"What friend?" Elijah asked.

"He's a house elf. He used to be the Malfoy's elf until I tricked Malfoy Senior into freeing him. His name is Dobby."

The two Greengrass men exchanged glances. ´

"That might just work." Victor muttered.

"Can you call him?" Elijah asked eagerly.

"I can try." Harry said. He cleared his throat and said loudly: "Dobby? Dobby I need you."

With a loud 'plop' and a small cloud of smoke the tiny house elf appeared before them.

He squealed with delight when he saw Harry and threw his thin arms around Harry's legs.

Harry laughed, bend down and hugged the elf back.

"Master Harry Potter Sir has called Dobby!" the elf cried delighted.

"Hello Dobby. I missed you." Harry said happily.

"Dobby has missed Mr. Harry Potter Sir too!"

"How are you Dobby?"

"Dobby is well Sir! Dobby works! And Dobby gets money! Dobby is happy!"

"I'm glad to hear that Dobby."

"How is Harry Potter sir?"

"That's the reason why I called Dobby. I need your help." Harry said seriously.

"Dobby is always ready to help his saviour and master Mr. Harry Potter sir!" the elf replied immediately.

"I hope so Dobby because we really need you. Dobby, these are Victor Greengrass, Head of the Greengrass Family and his brother-in-law Elijah Greengrass. Elijah's brother Isaac is in trouble. And we need your help rescuing him."

"What can Dobby do?" the elf asked very seriously.

"Dobby, we think he might be held at Malfoy Manor. And we cannot get in there and look around. But you were the Malfoy's elf for a long time. I know they were horrible to you and I wouldn't ask this of you if there was another way but there really is not. We cannot risk Malfoy suspecting us or he will do something horrible to Isaac." Harry explained gently.

Dobby stood up straight.

"Dobby can go and search for Mr. Isaac! Dobby knows the Manor better than the blonde twat!" he declared.

Behind them, Harry heard Victor and Elijah try to supress their amused snorts.

"You really can?" Harry asked. "Dobby, that is fantastic! Thank you so much! I will of course pay you for your services!" he added.

But Dobby shook his head. "No! It's an honour and a privilege to help Master Harry Potter sir! Dobby shall go immediately and search for the Isaac!"

Elijah stepped forward.

He held a picture in his hand. It showed him, Victor, Thomas and Isaac.

He pointed at Isaac.

"This is the man we're looking for. This is my brother. He might look a bit different today." He explained to Dobby.

"Yes" said Harry "He has two very prominent scars on his face. You should be able to recognize him."

Dobby looked at the picture intently.

"Dobby will find him!" he promised.

"Thank you so much Dobby! Please be careful!" Harry said gratefully.

"Dobby will!"

And with that the small elf disappeared.

Harry straightened up.

"Wow, never have I seen an elf act like that. You are like a god to him. Whatever you did to free him, he will be forever in your dept." Victor said.

"Let's just hope you are right and Isaac really is there." Harry said.

.

.

Dobby returned two hours later.

Harry was already starting to get nervous. Not just because the little elf was gone for so long but because he didn't know how long the potion he had given Sirius and Remus would actually last.

"Dobby will be alright." Victor assured him.

"I know he will. He's Dobby. It's my guardians I'm worried about." Harry muttered.

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked.

Harry blushed. "I…may have drugged them in order to come here."

"Why?" Victor asked flabbergasted.

"Well, your brother-in-law kept me past my bedtime yesterday. Sirius had already a search-squad assembled. He thought I had been kidnapped. Which isn't really wrong, if you think about it."

Victor raised a questioning eyebrow at Elijah.

"I may or may not grabbed him off the street and took him here without telling him or having anyone notice." He admitted.

"Elijah!" Victor said sternly.

"I know. But I panicked when I heard him talk about Isaac with that Goblin." The younger man defended himself.

Victor just shook his head.

Just then Dobby popped back into the room.

"Dobby! Are you alright?" Harry asked, getting up.

"Dobby is fine Mr. Harry Potter sir!" the elf assured him.

"Did you find Isaac?" Elijah asked eagerly.

"Dobby is very sure he saw a man that looks like your Isaac" Dobby confirmed

Elijah closed his eyes and sighed.

"Merlin." muttered Victor.

"Do you think you could grab him and get him here?" Elijah asked hopefully.

Dobby shook his head solemnly.

"Lots of people at the Manor. Lots of people. Lots of men in black cloths. Lots of bad men. Was really hard for Dobby to stay undetected."

"So they really are getting ready for something." Victor muttered.

"We have to warn somebody." Harry said.

"One thing at a time." Elijah intervened.

Harry sighed.

"So we know he is there. What now? Wait until they go to sleep and then sneak in and grab him?"

"You will laugh but that might be our best opportunity. They will have guards up, they'd be stupid not too with so many Deatheaters in one place. But I'd rather face a handful of them than all of the together." Elijah said seriously.

Victor and Harry exchanged glances.

"Just hear me out." Elijah said. He turned to Dobby.

"Dobby, how many people did you count?"

Dobby looked very seriously at him.

"Dobby doesn't know, Dobby is sorry but it were many of them!"

"That's okay Dobby. We will simply divide and conquer them." Elijah said determinedly.

"How so?" Harry asked.

Elijah leaned across the low coffee-table, his elbows resting on the glass top.

"We don't know how many there are, that is our disadvantage. So it'll take all four of us. But that means we might be able to sneak into the house, find Isaac and sneak out with him before anyone notices."

"Let me get this straight, you want Dobby to take us inti a house filled to the brim with Deatheaters in the middle of the night to find your brother and leave before anyone notices?" Harry asked.

Elijah nodded.

"I've heard worse plans." Victor said with a shrug.

Harry shook his head. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

"You wanted to help."

"I know. And I still do. But this is…bigger than I anticipated."

Elijah turned to Dobby. "Dobby, will you help us?"

The elf jumped up and down excitedly. "Of course! Dobby will do anything to help Mr. Harry Potter sir and his friends."

"Then we'll do it." Harry said. "But I'll need one of you to take the tracing charms off my wand. Can you do that?" he asked.

"No problem." Elijah said.

"I think I should go to Malfoy and tell him that I'm making an appointment at Gringotts for a marriage contract. You know, to throw him off guard?" Victor suggested.

"I don't know, won't that make him suspicious if you're suddenly all for this?" Harry asked.

"He thinks he has complete control over all of us. I don't think he'll think anything of it. Maybe it will make him a little be careless thinking he's finally getting his way." Elijah said.

"Just be careful." Harry replied.

He looked at the clock.

"It's really late. I should get before Sirius finds out I drugged him and grounds me until I'm sixty." He said heavily.

"Thank you for doing this Harry. I'm sorry you have to lie to your family for this but I don't think without you we'd be able to do this." Victor said honestly.

"And I'm sorry for how I treated you yesterday." Elijah added.

"It's no bother at all." Harry said.

"When all of this is over we will be in debt to you." Victor said.

Harry shrugged. "I just want to help Daphne." He said honestly.

"We will work out the details for our plan. Dobby, would you be willing to help us out with that?" Elijah asked.

Dobby looked at Harry.

"It's up to you Dobby." Harry said.

"Dobby will help!"

"Great. Harry, you are welcome to use my floo to get home." Victor offered.

"Thank you. Please keep me update on the progress."

"We will."

Harry shook their hands before stepping into the fireplace.

With one last nod he disappeared.

.

To his relieve the house was just as quiet as it was when he had left.

He quickly cleaned up, locked the floo back up, sneaked into Sirius's room, placing his wand on his nightstand, before slipping into his own bed.

Despite the turn of events and the queasy feeling in his stomach he fell asleep quickly.

.

.

.

.

AN: Thanks for the lovely reviews, I really cherish them and yes, as you might have seen, I changed the rating since a few of you pointed out it was too low. I hope it's better this way.

As always,

Love and Greetings,

Your Kate

43. One last laugh

Chapter Forty-Three: One last laugh

Harry warily observed his guardian and honorary uncle over the top of his glasses the next day during breakfast.

Both men looked rested and well but Harry was still waiting for them to somehow figure out what he had done.

He himself was bone-tired. He'd only gotten a couple of hours of sleep last night before he was awoken by the sun again.

"Are you alright Harry?" Remus asked.

"Fine. Just tired." Harry replied.

"How long did you stay up last night?" Remus asked with a frown.

"Not long. I tidied up the kitchen and then went to bed. But I couldn't sleep so I read. I guess that was the mistake. The story was pretty intense and I just couldn't stop reading." He lied.

With every word that left his lips he felt worse and worse. But he couldn't stop.

"Never pecked you for a bookworm pup." Sirius said with a grin. "Must be more like your mum than you appear at first glance."

Harry wished Sirius would stop talking. It made Harry feel worse and worse about his secret-keeping.

So he just smiled faintly and proceeded to play with his cereal.

But Remus noticed his discomfort.

"Are you alright Harry? Don't you like the cereal? We can buy a new one if you want."

Harry hastily shook his head. "No, no, the cereal is fine. I just….don't…I'm not hungry, I mean."

"You barely ate last night" Sirius said with a frown, putting his fork down "Do you feel sick?"

Harry began sweating. The last thing he wanted was for Sirius and Remus to start worrying and, if the worst came to the worst, start keeping an, even closer, eye on him.

He felt as if the lies were hoovering like neon-sign above his head and that they would see right through him and the lies if they kept looking.

Abruptly he stood up, startling the two grown men.

"Hermione sent me a letter yesterday. She reminded me of an essay for History I had totally forgotten about. I better do that one today." He said.

Sirius frowned. "Don't you want to go over and see Ron?" he asked.

Harry frowned too. "I thought I was grounded?" he asked silently.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm releasing you early for good behaviour."

Harry actually laughed a lit.
Sirius grinned too. "But don't think I will re-enact your sentence if you disappear again." He warned. Though he was smiling as he said it, his undertone was dead-serious.

Harry nodded. "I promise. But I'll still do the essay first. Otherwise I'll never get it done."

"You do that Harry. Schoolwork is important after all." Remus said with a pointed look at Sirius.

"Whatever." Sirius said with a sly grin.

Harry managed a faint smile before all but fleeing to his room.

.

Of course there was no History essay.

Binns always went through the same curriculum so Daphne had copied her brother's old essay and Harry had copied Daphne's. Binns would never know. He had forgotten all about the essay before when he started to read the next!

He would never notice if two students turned in the same essay. Heck, he wouldn't notice if the whole class had the exact same answers in his exams.

But Hedwig was there with an answer from Hermione and a package.

"Dear Harry,

I am sorry to hear you had a fight with Sirius. Was it bad? I hope you'll figure it out soon. But rest assured, I fight with my parents too. It's normal. But I can understand why you might be down because of it. Keep your head up, it'll be just fine, you'll see.

My holidays were fantastic up until now. We were in Italy, visiting my mother's cousins. It was simply beautiful and I miss the beaches already.

Hedwig seems to be in a rush to get back to you, so I'll keep this short.

By the way, I wasn't sure when you'd be back so here's your birthday present. Happy belated Birthday Harry.

I hope I'll see you and Ron soon!

Love,

Hermione.

PS: I hope you have electricity at your house, otherwise it will be a pretty useless gift. But with you and Sirius living in a sort of 'Bachelor-loft' now, I thought you needed one of those."

Wondering what the PS was supposed to mean he picked up the packet. They did have electricity, so what could Hermione possibly have gotten him?

The package was surprisingly heavy.

Curiously he tore the paper off to reveal a colourful cardboard box.

As he read the writing on the box a wide smile started to stretch across his face.

He let out a laugh when he saw what she had gotten him.

"Dear Lord Hermione, you are the best." He muttered as he unpacked the lava-lamp.

His bad mood temporarily lifted he plucked the lamp into the free outlet right next to his bed and turned it on.

He watched fascinated as the wax began to slowly melt and shine brightly and move up and down in slow and strange moves.

The wax was green but the background light was blue. It was rather soothing and fun to watch and gave a sort of underwater feeling.

Harry sat down to write a reply to Hermione.

"Dear Hermione,

Thanks for the awesome gift, you shouldn't have. But thanks anyway, I love it! It looks really cool and it's a very thoughtful gift, thanks. Dudley got one a few years ago, and I remember thinking they were super cool. But I didn't know people still bought them.

Sirius and I are talking again. He actually un-grounded me today. We talked about it and we agreed that I had done wrong and that was it.

See you soon,

Harry."

"Hey Hedwig, do you mind going back to Hermione again or do you want to wait until tomorrow?" he asked his owl affectionately.

Hedwig, who was preening her feathers on top of her luxurious owl-perch, hooted indignantly as if to say 'Are you saying I can't do my job?'

Harry laughed and got up.

"Not at all beautiful. I just thought carrying this heavy package all the way from Brighton to here I thought you'd want some rest."

In response Hedwig just extended her leg impatiently.

"Alright." Harry said with a smile.

She flew off through the open window.

For a while Harry just sat on his desk-chair, contemplating what to do.

His thought drifted to Daphne.

He wondered how she was doing.

What she was doing.

If she was with someone.

If she hated him.

He took a deep breath.

When all of this was done, he would talk to her, properly.

Maybe she would forgive him.

His gaze fell on his journal.

It lay in one corner of his desk.

Opening he took out one of the pictures of Daphna, Luna and him.

The three of them were standing arm in arm, covered from head to toe in mud, soaking wet but with big smiles on their faces.

He wished they could go back to those simpler days.

Wow…he felt old thinking things like that.

"Mr. Harr Potter Sir!"

Harry flinched so violently he dropped the picture.

One hand clasped over his heart he turned to greet the happy house-elf who had materialized behind him.

"Goodness Dobby, you can't sneak up on my like that!" he said with a shaky laugh.

The house-elf's eyes dropped immediately and his eyes filled with tears.

"Dobby is so sorry!" he wailed. "Dobby didn't mean too!"

"No Dobby, it's quite alright! I'm fine after all!" Harry quickly said to calm the distraught elf down.

"Really?" Dobby asked.

"Really." Harry assured him. Then he added: "What are you doing here Dobby? Did Victor of Elijah send you?"

Dobby looked around the room, then he nodded.

"Well, what do they say?" Harry asked anxiously.

Dobby snapped his fingers and a ripple went through the air.

"Dobby?" Harry asked confused.

"To keep prying ears and eyes away." The elf explained.

"Probably better, you never know who might be listening." Harry agreed. He sat down on the floor.

"Would you like to sit down with me Dobby?" he asked, gesturing at the empty space on the ground next to him.

"Harry Potter is just too kind!" Dobby proclaimed before sitting down.

"Harrys friends have worked all night and morning on a plan to free their Isaac from mean old blondie." Dobby began to explain and Harry could only just manage not to grin at Dobby's description of Lucius Malfoy.

"And do they have a plan?" he asked.

"That is why Dobby is here Master Harry Potter Sir. The dark people in the manor are getting ready to do bad things and Mr. Elijah wants to get his Isaac tonight!"

Harry's eyes widened. "Tonight? Dobby, are you sure?"

Dobby nodded solemnly.

"Yes. Tonight. Mr. Victor told Dobby to tell Mr. Harry that Dobby will take Harry tonight to the house of Mr. Victor and Mr. Elijah. They say they will explain everything to Mr. Harry Potter Sir there."

Harry took a shaky breath.

This was happening so fast….

For a second he wondered if eh even knew what he was getting himself in to but the doubt was quickly smothered by determination.

"Alright Dobby. I'll be ready." He promised.

The elf smiled widely at him.

"Harry Potter Sir is very brave." He said seriously.

Harry smiled back. "You are just as brave for doing this Dobby."

With a wink, Dobby vanished.

Harry groaned and let himself fall backwards until he lay on his back.

His bad conscience was back full force.

He pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes.

"This will be over soon. And when it is, I'll come clean to both Sirius and Remus." He promised himself.

.

.

Harry was chilling in the backyard, reading his book about runes, when Sirius strolled outside, a wide grin on his face.

Immediately Harry was wary.

"So" Sirius began, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet "I was thinking…" "Dangerous but okay." Harry said.

Sirius threw him an annoyed-amused look.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I've been thinking and I remembered that we didn't celebrate your birthday yet."

"You know you don't have too, right? You already gave me more than enough!" Harry said silently, slowly closing his book.

"It was still your birthday. You are fourteen now! Practically a man!"

"Now you are exaggerating! Besides, you gave me the Firebolt last year, remember?"

"That was a Christmas-present. Besides, that was for all the Christmases I missed!" Sirius argued.

"So I took the freedom to arrange a little come-together."

"Sirius, not to sound ungrateful or anything but you really didn't have too."

"Too late, they are all already at the Burrow and we'll be late if you don't stop arguing right now and just come with me."

Harry hesitated but then he thought: 'I might die tonight, a party before I go with the people I love might be just the right thing.'

He put the book aside and smiled.

"Alright, alright, just let me get my stuff."

"Alright but hurry."

.

When they stepped through the fireplace at the Burrow Harry was greeted with a fist-full of confetti in the face, followed by the sounds of noisemakers and a very loud: "HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!"

Next thing he knew Mrs. Weasley was pulling him into one of her famous hugs, wishing him all the best.

Harry laughed and hugged the friendly witch back.

"Thanks Molly." He said.

Arthur shook his hand.

The twins pulled him into a headlock.

Ron punched him into the shoulder with a smile.

Percy nodded at him.

Charlie gave him a one-armed hug and Bill ruffled him though the hair.

Remus was standing a bit to the back, taking pictures.

Harry wasn't honestly expecting more people but all of a sudden, a bushy-haired witch threw herself at him, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Whoa! Hermione! It's nice to see you too!" he cheered happily as he hugged his other best friend back.

Hermione had changed a lot over the summer. Like Ron she had grown and was now taller than him too. Also, her face had matured greatly.

All in all, she looked great.

"Oh Harry! I missed you!" she said with a laugh.

"Well, here I am." He said with a grin as she let go of him. "And by the way, awesome present, in case Hedwig didn't give you my letter yet."

She laughed. "I'm glad you like it!"

"Hello Harry." Said a serene voice behind him.

Harry swirled around.

Luna stood there, dressed in a very bright yellow dress.

He hands were clasped behind her back and she swayed slightly from one side to the other, smiling as if there was no wrong in the world.

"Luna!" he said fondly, hugging the younger girl and lifting her off the ground bit.

She laughed and hugged him back.

"I thought you'd be in Wales by now!" Harry said.

"That was Daddy's plan. Sadly my aunt has got dragon-pox and is not fit to receive visitors."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright."

"Alright everyone, outside, it's time for cake and tea!" Mrs. Weasley called out.

"And presents, do not forget the presents!" Fred called out.

Bill narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do to the presents?" he asked.

"Nothing!" George said.

"I wouldn't believe them Harry. I'd be careful!" Ron said with a wary look at the twins. "They have been at it all summer. Pranking everyone. And I mean everyone! Even Ginny and that even though Bill taught her the Bat-Bogey-Hex!" he stage-whispered.

.

Mrs. Weasley had outdone herself once again.

The cake was amazing, the tea delicious and everybody was in good spirits.

Then it was time for presents.

Sirius was the first. He handed Harry an envelope.

Harry frowned but opened it nonetheless.

Inside were…

"NO!" he said, staring at Sirius with big eyes. "I thought they were all gone! How did you…" he asked.

Sirius shrugged. "The Ministry all but threw them at me. And Arthur here won some for his family, so we're all going together, Hermione included and we're all sitting together too!"

Harry placed the cards for the Quidditch World Cup back into the envelope and hugged Sirius.

"This so amazing! Thanks Sirius!"

"Me next!" Luna said.

"You didn't have to get me anything Luna, you saved my life, remember?"

"And you mine, we're quit." She said lightly before producing from somewhere a butterbeer-cork-necklace.

Most people stared at the strange gift confused but Harry just took it, put it around his neck and nodded.

"It's perfect Luna, thank you so much!"

"I would have made you radish-earrings but unlike Bill you don't have earholes.

"I'm sure Bill would appreciate a pair for himself. Why don't you make him some for Christmas?" Harry suggested, smirking at Bill.

"That is a good idea Harry." Luna hummed.

"Us next!" Fred said, jumping up and down in his seat.

George passed Harry a nicely wrapped parcel with a bow holding the paper together.

Thinking nothing of it Harry pulled at the string.

There was an explosion and the next thing Harry knew he, and only he, was covered from head to toe in some sticky green gooey substance.

There was loud laughter from all the teenagers and young adults at the table and one or two Marauders.

"I did warn you." Ron said, trying to catch his breath.

Molly wasn't as happy.

"Now look what you did, look at Harry!" she shouted.

"If you ask me, he's never looked better." Sirius snickered.

"Thanks Sirius, really feeling the love here." Harry retorted with a smile.

He tried to wipe the green stuff off his face but it just stuck to his hand.

"You two are impossible. Scourgify!" Molly huffed, waving her wand.

The twins' faces dropped. "No mom!" they shouted simultaneously but the goo was already gone.

George sighed.
"But it was edible. We spent weeks perfecting it so it would taste like treacle tart! Harry's favourite." Fred bemoaned the loss of their goo.

"We call it 'In your face'-surprise!" George explained.

"You did?" Ginny asked, just as their mother growled: "What did I say about joke-products?"

Fred and George just rolled with their eyes.

"I think it was fun, thanks guys!" Harry said.

"You'll get another one next year!" Fred promised him.

"I'm holding you up to that!" Harry grinned.

"You got it!" George smirked.

Harry smiled into the round. "Thanks for this and the presents. You didn't have too but it was nice anyway! Thanks."

They smiled back at him.

"We're not done yet Harry!" Bills aid, producing a box from under his seat.

"The guys and I felt bad for forgetting your birthday when we were together. So we all put together to give you this." He explained.

Harry understood that with 'the guys' he meant their team.

"I didn't expect you to throw me a party!" he said.

"Yes, instead you were thrown into a river." Bill said sarcastically.

"Technically I fell!" Harry pointed out.

"Not the point!"

"Then don't use it as an example."

"I liked you more before you were so mouthy!"

Harry grinned. "It was always there, baby." He said.

"Yes, you definitely spent too much time around Atticus and Eric. And Thomas. They are the worst!" Bill snorted.

"I tell them you said that." Harry promised.

"It's nothing they don't already know form me." Bill promised.

Someone cleared their throat.

It was Charlie.

"As much as your banter amuses us" he said "We'd like to know what Bill and the others got you. Because every time someone got near it Bill would almost bite our heads off."

"That's because it's precious!" Bill explained.

Harry carefully lifted the top of the boy off.

Inside lay…well, Harry wasn't quite sure what it was.

It was a piece of clothes, no, two pieces of clothes.

The first thing was a one-piece body suit made from dragon-skin. But unlike everything else mad from dragon-skin this one was rougher on the outside and Harry realized that was because it's whole surface was actually still covered in tiny dragon-scales, giving it structure and texture! It had long sleeves and a tall collar that closed around his throat and a zipper in the back, hidden underneath a row of bigger scales.

On the left chest was a golden emblem. A pair of scales with a wand on one scale and a book on the other, perfectly balanced.

It was a rather dramatic piece of clothing and the second one wasn't much different, it was a long billowing cloak made of light black cloth with golden trimmings and golden clasps holding it together on the chest.

"What is it?" Harry asked, awed and confused.

"It's your official Gringotts apprentice uniform."

"What do I need a uniform for?" Harry asked confused.

"Usually just official functions or when you are representing Gringotts anywhere official. Stuff like that. I have one just like that but I have a different crest on my chest. You're in the symbol of the apprentices."

"Wow, thank you. I'll make sure to thank all the others too. This is really cool. I hope it will fit."

"It will, it was goblin made. The goblins know your exact measurements." Bill assured him.

"Do I want to know how they know?" Harry asked.

"Best not to think too much about it." Charlie said.

"I'm sure you'll look quite handsome in these, Harry darling. Just like Bill does." Molly said gently.

Harry and Bill both blushed.

"Yes, anyway, don't worry about it, Gringotts will tell you when you'll have to wear it." Bill said, clearing his throat.

Harry nodded, stroking one finger over the surface of the suit.

"Those are a Dragons deepest layer of scales. They are smaller than the ones on the outside and allow the dragons skin to be more flexible." Charlie piped up. "But they are also very sturdy because of that. It's a battle-armour. But that's no surprise, after all, Goblins are a nation of warriors."

"The cape is just for dramatics." Bill told him. "To intimidate guests." He winked at him. "Like those idiots at the ministry…except for you of course Dad!" he added.

Arthur just laughed good-naturedly.

Percy looked a bit put out but even he couldn't disagree that there were some incompetent people in the Ministry after the little Sirius-Black-fiasco.

.

It was late when they said their goodbyes.

Hermione hugged him tightly, promising they would see each other at the World Cup the latest, before being taken home by Charlie.

Percy escorted Luna home while Harry said goodbye to all the other Weasleys.

Suddenly he was nervous.

Would he see them at the World Cup?

So he was slightly subdued when he stepped out of the fireplace back home.

He hoped Sirius and Remus would simply think he was tired form all the Quidditch they had played at the Burrow.

Sirius helped him carry his stuff upstairs.

Carefully Harry hung his uniform into the back of his wardrobe.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that?" Sirius asked as he watched Harry.

Harry felt the heat rise in his cheeks but said nothing.

"I really am!" Sirius said. "You stand up for what you think is just and right and you are there for your friends and family. You deserve to wear that. The Goblins can be happy to have you. I bet the Ministry will soon regret having sent Donovan to the meeting." He snickered.

"Who? What meeting?" Harry asked confused.

Sirius shook his head. "I'll tell you another time." He promised.

"But now you should go to bed.

Acting on an impulse Harry stepped forward and hugged Sirius tightly.

"Thank you." He whispered. "I know I say it a lot and yet it never feels like it's enough to express just how thankful I am!"

And then, even softer he added: "I love you."

He could feel Sirius breath hitch for a second and he felt his speechlessness but finally Sirius put his arms around Harry too and hugged him back.

And for the first time it didn't feel awkward or forced or too long or too tight.

It felt just right.

.

.

Harry felt as if he had only closed his eyes when he was awoken by a small voice in his ear.

"Master Harry Potter sir? Is you awake?"

"I'm awake Dobby." Harry muttered, sitting up.

The tiny elf stood next to his bed.

Harry noticed that Dobby was wearing something akin to a black ninja-suit. Only his ears and tennis-ball eyes and mouth were kept free.

It was kinda cute but the reason why Dobby was dressing up like this was less than cute.

"It's time." Dobby said seriously.

"I'll get dressed. Give me a minute." Harry whispered.

As he opened his closet his eyes immediately fell on his new armour.

But he decided against it.

This was not the right place nor the right time.

So he decided to wear a pair of sturdy jeans, tucked into his boots, a simple white t-shirt, his dragon-hide waistcoat and a plain black hoody on top.

He strapped his wand-holster to his arm and the dagger was shoved into his waistband. His invisibility-cloak lay ready next to him.

The last thing he did was to take off his glasses and putting in contact-lenses. He didn't like them but wearing glasses during a battle had proven more than once to be a hazard.

"Alright, I'm ready Dobby." He whispered, grabbing the cloak.

Dobby nodded and took his hand.

In the blink of an eyes Harrys room had disappeared and he stood in front of Victor and Elijah Greengrass.

44. The Good and the Bad

Chapter Forty-Four: The Good and the Bad

Elijah and Victor were dressed for battle. Knee-long dragon-skin tunica that wouldn't get in the way, thick gauntlets and sturdy boots with a dragon hide soles too keep the magic flowing.

Both had two wands strapped to the insides of their arms.

Their faces were grim but determined.

"Good evening Harry." Victor said.

"I take it everything is settled on your side?" Elijah asked.

"If you mean by settled that my godfather and uncle will most likely wake up to an empty bed, then yeah, it's all settled." Harry muttered.

"Don't worry Harry, we have a plan." Victor assured him.

"First things first, your wand." Elijah said, stepping forward.

Harry handed him his wand. Elijah muttered a few words while waving the tip of own wand above Harry's before returning it to him.

"There you go, the Trace is gone. And you should take one of these." he added and stepped aside.

On a small glass-table lay half a dozen wands, all different in length, thickness, form, colour, structure and probably core.

"It's wise to never go into battle with a back-up wand. These wands are Trophies, won by members of our family over the years. They have no master anymore and really just accept anyone who picks them up." Victor explained.

Hesitantly Harry stepped closer to the table. He chose a simple red-wood wand with a carved handle.

He did a few practise spells. It was nothing like his phoenix-feather-core wand but it worked just fine.

"Good, now that is done I guess it's time for the plan." Elijah said.

Harry nodded.

"Come here Harry."

Harry stepped up between the brothers-in-law at a table under the window-front.

A simple map of a house was drawn on a sheet of paper.

"Dobby gave us the basic footprint of Malfoy Manor. But finding Isaac won't be easy. We're talking about a building roughly half the size of Bucking-Ham Palace." Elijah explained, pointing at the parts one by one.

"Once we are there I'm sure I can use a 'Point-Me' spell to find him. But we'll still have to do a lot of searching and our time window is small. This here" he pointed at the east-wing of the building "Is the guest wing Dobby told us. So we'll start there."

Harry nodded, so far following the plan.

"Dobby apparated in and out all day long in certain intervals. There are roughly two dozen men there, next to Malfoy and his family. We showed Dobby pictures and he was able to identify a lot of them. They are all Deatheaters. Many of them pleaded that they were under the Imperius-Curse when they got caught after Voldemort's fall. This was bound to happen!" Victor said grimly.

"With the World-Cup the day after tomorrow they are probably getting everything ready for whatever it is they are planning. Dobby saw that there are always two patrolling the edge of the property. When Dobby made his last trip, they were turning in for the night. That was about two hours ago." Elijah picked up again.

"We don't know how tight the security will be inside. But since it is Malfoys house I don't think he'll have it bobby-trapped, not with so many 'guests' who could walk into one." He continued dryly. "Still, we need to be careful."

He pulled something out of his pocket and gave it Harry. It looked like a spyglass.

"With these you can watch even through cursed and warded walls and doors. Just put it on a door, look through and you'll see what or who's inside. They can even zoom in if you tap them twice. They zoom back out if you tap once."

"Handy." Harry commented, putting the spyglass into his hoody's pocket. "Then what?" he asked.

"Dobby will go in, find a place where there are no guards right now, then come back to take us in. We will make our way to around there" Victor continued, pointing at the hallway before the sleeping areas "and hopefully find Isaac. We'll have to split up."

Seeing Harry's less than excited expression heh explained: "It's the only way we stand a chance. Even if someone gets caught the others will still have time to finish the mission."

"That's reassuring. Only some of us could die. So what do we do, if we have to take a guard out. Won't the others notice something is wrong?" Harry asked.

"Hopefully it won't come so far but if it does we'll simply confund them or send them to sleep after erasing their memories. Our goal is it to keep them from noticing we were ever there."

"Okay, so once we have Isaac, what then?"

"He won't come willingly, that we have to expect. We'll just subdue him and take him away."

"To St. Mungo's?" Harry asked. "What will you tell the healers?"

"The truth, more or less. That he was controlled and needs help. The evidence is there."

"Do you think he can be cured?" Harry asked silently.

"We cross that bridge when we get there." Elijah said tensely. "Important right now is that everybody knows their role. Dobby will get us out there once we have Isaac, won't you Dobby?"

The elf nodded. "Dobby will!" he promised.

"Good. Harry, are you in?"

Harry sighed. "I'd feel better if we had more numbers on our side. But yes, I'm in."

"Then let's go." Victor said silently.

.

.

.

Harry was crouching low in the wet grass.

There wasn't a lot to see, mainly high hedges and the moon above them.

That was pretty much it.

They were crouching just outside the perimeter of Malfoy Manor.

A few meters before them the warding began.

Proximity alarms, anti-apparation, Muggel-repelling-charms, confundus-charms, those were the nice ones. But Harry had seen a few of the readings Elijah had taken as a precaution and his knowledge about warding and curse-breaking was already sufficient enough to say that there were nasty things guarding this property.

Elijah was right next to him, his eyes fixed on the Manor. Victor was somewhere to his left, scouting for the two Deatheaters patrolling the outside of the Manor.

But it seemed like they were not taking their job seriously because they had yet to show up. Of course, they could also be really good at their job and stand right behind them right now.

Harry supressed the urge to look over his shoulder.

He was being stupid and paranoid.

Nobody knew they were here.

A tiny rustling noise was all that indicated Victor's return.

"I saw them. Two of them. I'm pretty sure one of them is Macnair." He whispered.

"Where?" Elijah asked.

"Right at the front portal."

Right them Dobby appeared with a soft plop.

Once again Harry marvelled at the magic of the house-elf. How could Dobby not trigger any of the alarms? How did he get into this heavily guarded fortress so easily and how was it that he was able to take them along?

He had the strong feeling wizards were seriously underestimating the power of house-elves.

"Inside is very silent." Dobby said, slightly nervous.

"What about guards?" Harry asked.

"Dobby saw nobody." Dobby whispered.

"Maybe we're in luck." Victor muttered.

"Don't jinx it." Elijah muttered back, eyes still fixed on the Manor.

Pulling his hood over his head he said: "Let's go."

.

Malfoy Manor was cold and uninviting.

Harry guess if he'd grown up around here, he'd gone psycho too like Malfoy Sr. and Jr.

Dobby had taken them to the east wing, Harry knew that but it was hard to imagine that the hallway he stood in was just some corridor in a wing of a building.

The walls where high and extravagant chandeliers hung in regular intervals form the ceiling.

On the walls hung pictures of Malfoy-ancestors. They were all asleep thank good.

The floor beneath their feet was a cold marble.

Low burning oil-lamps just barely lit up the hallway.

It was eerily silent.

Wordlessly Victor cast a spell to dry their clothes and clean their boots so they wouldn't leave any marks.

"Dobby, go and search too, you are faster than us, you can apparate in here." Victor whispered so that the paintings wouldn't wake up.

Dobby nodded and vanished.

"Best we split up now. Whoever finds Isaac calls Dobby and takes him out. Then Dobby will come and get the others."

Harry nodded.

Nodding at each other the three wizards parted ways.

.

It was a strange feeling sneaking through a house, full of sleeping people, who could kill them very easily.

The first doors Harry encountered and checked turned out to be studies and a supply closet, a library and a bathroom and two guestrooms that were empty.

He got to an intersection where the corridor went on ahead and turned right.

The house was still silent. Not a single noise had yet perpetrated the silence. Still Harry took no chances and stayed under his invisibility cloak.

He turned right and walked slowly down the hallway.

.

The rooms behind the next doors were inhabited.

Men lay in their beds, sleeping deeply or in one case talking in his sleep.

None of them looked familiar to Harry.

But a shiver went down his spine nonetheless.

The next two rooms were empty too and Harry started to feel uneasy.

He grabbed his wand tighter, listening for sounds.

His own heart-beat was almost making that impossible.

The hallway made a gentle curve and Harry recognized a new intersection, this one leading in two new directions.

But before he could choose which direction to follow a sudden cold shiver when t down his spine.

Acting upon instinct he turned around sharply.

Coming towards him was the silvery-blue form of a Patronus!

It was a beautiful snow leopard that was sprinting elegantly towards him.

Harry stopped moving, eyes fixed on the Patronus.

It stopped a few feet away from him, staring right at him.

Slowly, carefully, Harry pulled his cloak off his head.

When he did it opened its mouth, and spoke!

"Harry" it was Victors voice! "Come quick! Elijah found Isaac! Dobby has taken him away but we had to stay behind! I fear someone knows were here! I can hear people coming my way! We need your help! Follow my Patronus! It will bring you to us!"

The beautiful creature closed its mouth and just stared at him, its tail swishing impatiently.

Harry thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour.

They had Isaac!

They did it!

But Victor and Elijah were in trouble!

"Take me to them!" he told the snow leopard.

The animal turned on its heel and ran back the way it had come from.

Harry had no other choice but to follow it as quickly as his feet would carry him.

He hadn't gotten far when he heard a loud pained yell.

It sounded a lot like Victor.

"VICTOR!" he shouted, throwing all caution in the wind.

The Patronus let him through another set of long twisting corridors.

He thought he heard the familiar sound of spell-fire.

"Please no!" he whispered as he followed the sound of it.

Ahead a double door appeared.

The Patronus phased right through it.

From behind it Harry could hear now more clearly the sounds of explosions and spells being shouted.

Elijah's unmistaken voice echoed through to him.

"VICTOR, look out! NO!"

Wand in hand Harry burst through the double doors.

.

.

Harry was expecting chaos behind the doors.

He was expecting Victor and Elijah to be fighting for their lives, surrounded by Deatheaters.

Instead he found himself in a big empty round room with just a single small table of to one side.

He counted half a dozen doors but nothing else otherwise.

And through two of these doors burst Elijah and Victor respectively, wands drawn, faces wild and ready to cast their spells.

All three of them froze when they saw each other.

"What the…" Harry muttered, lowering his wand.

"Harry, Victor, you are alright? Where's Isaac?" Elijah asked urgently.

"Where is Isaac? Victor said you had found him!" Harry protested.

"I said nothing!" Victor protested.

"But your Patronus let me here!" Harry protested back.

"No, Elijah did!" Victor said, shaking his head.

"But…" Harry stopped when the horrible realization hit him.

"It's a trap." Elijah muttered the exact words he was thinking.

"Dobby!" Victor barked. "We need you!"

But nothing happened.

"I'm afraid that the elf will not be able to help you." a silky voice drawled.

All three spun around.

Lucius Malfoy stood in the entrance of one of the doors.

He was dressed in his usual attire of dark flowing robes, his blond hair falling perfectly over his shoulders and with his cane in one hand.

Harrys wand was immediately trained on him, just like Elijah's and Victor's but following some unseen signal all the other doors opened as well and a dozen or so men filled into the room, all dressed in black with silver skull-masks covering their faces.

The three would-be-rescuers huddled together in the centre of the room as the Deatheaters surrounded them.

Malfoy sauntered forwards, smugness radiating off him like heat from a fire.

"Did you really think that you three could outsmart me?" he drawled, his glee obvious in his eyes.

Nobody of the three said anything but Malfoy didn't seem to mind.

"I knew all along that you would never follow me obediently Victor. You are too stubborn for that. And I knew that you Elijah would sooner give up your magic than agree to anything I had to say. I was expecting something like this but…I did expect more! Seems I did overestimate you."

Harry balled his fists angrily.

He'd known all along they were coming. But they had been so careful!

As if he was sensing his question Malfoy continued talking as he walked towards them.

"Don't think I didn't notice you spying on me Elijah of your not so subtle spying-charms you put on my stuff to eavesdrop in on my conversation."

Harry glanced shortly at Elijah.

The man was very hard trying not to let his disappointment and humiliation show through.

"And you Victor…I was suspicious the second when you proposed a date for the contract! But I never thought that you would try this with only three people! I don't know if I should feel insulted or honoured."

Malfoy's eyes fell upon him and he his smirk turned darker.

"Which brings me to you." He hissed.

Harry raised his chin defiantly but didn't say anything.

"Little Harry Potter, playing the hero once again, trying to save the day, yet again."

"Well I did promise I'd be there, didn't I Mr. Malfoy?" he shot back, despite his better judgement.

For a second they both remembered their brief encounter in the Headmaster office more than a year ago.

Malfoy sneered.

"Try and get yourself out of this situation boy! If you can. By tomorrow morning you'll all be sent to Azkaban to rot in a tiny cell. Your bastard of a Godfather will be able to tell you all about it, I'm sure." He growled.

Harry was trying really hard not to throw himself at the blond tosser and give him a piece of his mind.

"We'll see who will rot in a cell." Victor spoke up.

Malfoy turned his attention back to him.

"Do you really still think you can get what you came for and get out alive? How delusional are you Greengrass?" he asked with a sneer.

Victor said nothing but still glared at Malfoy defiantly.

Malfoy was basking in his own triumph.

He nodded at one of the Deatheaters close to a door.

"Get him. I want them to see it!"

The Deatheater nodded disappeared.

Harry tried to inconspicuously look around.

"If you are trying to fight your way out Mr. Potter I'm afraid that won't be so easy. Not like the last time." Malfoy growled.

Harry glared at him. "What, are you admitting your own people's incompetence?" he asked.

"Not at all. But unlike my companions that were supposed to intercept you in Cambodia I fight with my brain and not my brawn."

"Why were you there anyway? Why did you want the stone?" Harry asked. He couldn't help it, the question was still bothering him.

"Some of them mentioned it was for your cause. But your cause is dead. It died that Halloween!" Harry spat.

"No Potter, unlike your parents, our master was not killed. I didn't believe it at first either. I was sure it was over but lately I have been re-evaluating my opinion. Like many of my brothers and sisters." The man sneered. "Though nobody was supposed to know that yet." He added.

Harry couldn't help but smirk back. "See, incompetent."

Faster than he could see Malfoy had drawn his wand and a red cursed connected with Harrys chest.

He was thrown backwards, connecting hard with the hard floor.

Groaning he rolled onto his side and pushed himself back to his feet.

Where the curse had connected with his chest it stung and hurt but Harry was fairly sure nothing was broken or otherwise damaged.

He saw that Elijah and Victor were being restrained by a couple of Deatheaters.

Malfoy on the other hand was walking towards him.

"I'm really getting tired of your superior attitude Potter. You keep putting your nose where it doesn't belong."

"You are threatening my friends. That makes it my business!"

"Yeah, so I hear." Malfoy drawled. "You and Daphne seem to be rather close. Or at least you were."

Harry lunged at Malfoy but he was still unsteady on his feet.

Malfoy knocked him back down with a right hook.

Harry could taste blood in his mouth.

"I've been wanting to do this since that day at the office. When you tricked me." Malfoy growled, crouching down next to Harry.

In response Harry spat a wet clump of spit and blood into the Lord of House Malfoy's face.

Taken by surprise, the man almost fell onto his butt.

Harry managed a short laugh before a spell hit him in the side, pushing him across the floor, away from Malfoy.

Groaning he got to his feet again and then glared at Malfoy.

"Maybe I will just kill you Potter" the man growled "Consequences be damned."

Harry smirked, secretly happy he was able to get under the man's skin.

Before any side could trade any more insults one door opened again and the Deatheater Malfoy had sent away entered, by his side another familiar man.

Harry was surprised how awful Isaac Greengrass looked.

The man was so thin he was almost gaunt.

His face was sunken in and his eyes were clouded.

But it was unmistakably him.

Victor's and Elijah's gasps echoed through the room, followed by Elijah's whisper: "Isaac!"

"Ah yes, the lost brother." Malfoy sneered, regaining his composure.

"He has been quite helpful these years but lately he's started lacking."

"What did you do to him?" Elijah asked enraged.

Isaac didn't seem to notice, he just stared ahead.

Malfoy smirked and shrugged. "One of the side-effects of long-term Imperius-use is that it's effectiveness…well…decreases. So you start adding other different spells like compulsion charms and confundus charms and different potions and more Imperius-Curses. But…the human mind is frail. One wrong action and it shatters." Malfoy said nonchalantly but when he looked back at them he was smirking.

"There's not much he can do on his own. You give him the right commands and he gets them done but he doesn't do his own thinking anymore. He's a good puppet!"

Elijah and Victor both growled and fought against the Deatheaters restraining them.

"You monster!" Elijah shouted. "Isaac! Isaac it's me! Look at me!" he shouted.

Isaac slowly did turn his head and stared at Elijah.

"Isaac, I'm Elijah. Your brother! You know me and I know you can fight this!" Elijah pleaded.

Malfoy scoffed. "It's hopeless! Even if he does recognize you, he's stopped fighting years ago! He's mine!"

Both Elijah and Victor were trying to get a reaction out of Isaac but the man just stared at them.

He was a mere husk of the man Harry had met in Cambodia. But then again if what Malfoy had said was true it would explain why.

He'd been acting on orders back then. Now he was just…waiting…for his next order.

"I could tell him to kill you and he would." Malfoy said gleefully.

"I fact, why not a demonstration?" he added thoughtfully.

He pointed his wand at Isaac and chanted: "Imperio activare!"

The vacant expression and the cloudy look stayed but Isaac's back straightened and he turned his head expectantly at Malfoy.

"Kill the that one" Malfoy said with a grin, pointing at Elijah "Using your hands."

Isaacs face changed, his expression hardened and he nodded.

As he advanced on Elijah he looked just like he had when Harry had first encountered him in the Guardians cave and then later on in the jungle.

"NO!" he shouted but it was no use. Two Deatheaters grabbed him, holding him in place.

Elijah was trying to talk Isaac out of it but it all feel on deaf ears.

Victor too was struggling, reaching for one of his wands but no use either.

"Isaac! Isaac please, snap out of it! You can overcome this! It's not impossible! People have done it before! I beg you, you know me! I'm your brother! Remember? Isaac! Your name is Isaac! When you were three you fell down a well! I rescued you! Do you remember?" Elijah whispered fiercely.

Isaacs expression didn't change.

He reached Elijah and with no hesitation he put his hands around the man's neck and started squeezing.

Almost immediately Elijah started choking, gasping, struggling, his eyes pleading at Isaac to let him go.

"STOP! NO!" Harry shouted, helpless in the Deatheaters grip.

Elijah was moving less and less, his lips turning blue.

"I changed my mind, stop choking him." Malfoy said in a bored voice.

Almost immediately Isaac let go of Elijah and stopped back.

Elijah slumped in the Deatheaters grip and gasped for air.

"Your brother is gone. Or do you need another demonstration?" Malfoy asked smugly.

"Why did you do it?" Victor asked silently.

Malfoy smirked.

God, Harry hated that! He swore to himself that if he ever got out of here alive he would make sure that Malfoy would never smirk again!

"Your brother was a pain in our back during the war. He foiled many a plan of ours. We did it partly for revenge on him but also because he had a lot of information regarding your side. But mostly revenge. He got many of my friends captured and killed. I like having him around as my personal servant. The high and mighty Isaac Greengrass kissing my feet. It feels good! Not to mention the power it got me lately."

"You sick son of a bitch!" Victor growled.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed.

"I have no problem killing you Victor. I could make it look like some rough Deatheaters broke into Greengrass manor, killing everyone inside. You might be still useful to me but don't think everyone in your family is." Malfoy said dangerously low.

"I can have me people there in a matter of seconds."

Victor's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Harry didn't like that.

"Now, you have been naughty. But I'm not going to kill you. I do need you for that marriage contract we will make tomorrow at Gringotts. But rest assured that it will be the last thing you will ever do. I warned you, cross me or try anything and I would end you!"

Malfoy looked at Elijah who was still catching his breath, kneeling on the ground.

"As for you, Elijah…. I don't really see your use. You are just a troublemaker. Nobody will miss you!"

Malfoy looked back at Isaac.

"And what better way for you to go than to duel with the very brother you came to safe?" he mused.

"No!" Elijah whispered.

"I think yes!" Malfoy replied. "Isaac, I want you to duel with Elijah to the Death."

Isaac nodded, drawing his wand fluently.

Harry and Victor were dragged backwards.

Elijah was dragged to his feet and shoved into the empty space in the middle of the room where Isaac was already waiting.

"I'm not duelling my own brother!" Elijah shouted but he knew just like Harry that any attempt to attack someone else would end in his, and their, immediate death.

Ignoring his brother's protests, Isaac bowed, then turned around and walked across the room before turning around and assuming his position.

Harry felt reminded of his second year and Lockhart's stupid duelling club.

Only that this was real and dangerous.

"I will not fight my brother." Elijah said, his chin held up proudly.

"Then die by his hand anyway. I do not care." Drawled Malfoy. Then looking at Isaac he growled: "Do it."

But Harry was faster.

Just like Malfoy all the other Deatheaters were basking in their triumph of having caught them.

So the two morons who were holding Harry had loosened their grip on his significantly.

Harry stamped on the right guy's foot, then kicked upwards with his heel, catching him between his legs.

The man collapsed with a pale face.

With his hand free Harry summoned his wand from its holster and stunned the guy to his left.

With a second movement his hand tucked the invisibility cloak form inside his hoody's pocket and thrown it over himself, disappearing entirely.

The Deatheaters around him cried out loud enough to distract Malfoy and Isaac.

From underneath his cloak Harry shot a disarming spell at Isaac.

His wand went spinning through the air.

Harry silently praised Victor's quick reflexes.

The older man used the distraction to tear himself loose just like Harry.

With a flick of his wand two Deatheaters flew up, colliding with the ceiling before dropping down like stones.

Elijah was already moving through the room and Harry immediately saw what his target was.

Isaac was still standing where he had stood, confusion written over his face.

"NO!"

The shout drew Harry's attention and he saw Victor ducked just in time to avoid a yellow-spell-light.

Lucius Malfoy was there, eyes ablaze with anger.

"You will not escape a second time!" he growled. "Find Potter!" he howled.

Harry sent out his strongest 'Bombarda' towards eth ground at Lucius Malfoy's feet.

The floor between exploded, chunks of marble raining down on them.

Dust obscuring his vision Harry hoped that Elijah and Victor would be able to make the most out of the situation.

Staying under his cloak Harry cut down two disoriented Deatheaters that were trying to escape the dust.

"HARRY! WE NEED TO LEAVE!" he heard Victor shout.

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Harry shouted back.

"There you are!" someone growled behind him.

Next thing Harry knew his cloak was gone and he was on his back, his left side on fire.

He gasped, blinking the tears away.

When the world came back into focus he saw a very deranged looking Lucius Malfoy standing a few meters away.

His hair was in a huge disarray and his clothes were torn and covered in a thick layer of dust.

A thin like of blood tickled down his chin.

Harry propped himself onto his elbow but a fiery burning in his side had him hold in his movement.

He gasped, one hand instinctively grabbing the injured side.

His hand came back wet and red.

"I don't care if this gets me killed or sent to Azkaban but I refuse to let you live!" Malfoy growled.

Pushing the pain back Harry rolled aside to avoid a jet of awfully familiar green light.

He was surprised and horrified to find no ground underneath his body as he rolled.

Instead he fell, colliding with a rough uneven surface.

He'd fallen into the crater he had created.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, Harry thought, pushing himself up.

The dust was settling but the fights were not.

Harry blocked a jet of light coming his way and ducked underneath another away but his injury limited his movements considerably.

He could make out the outline of a handful of people. One of them had to be Victor of Elijah because spells were exchanged between the two sides.

Malfoy may have thought that three were not many but it was not necessarily the number of people that made an army.

Elijah was an ex-auror, a combat-trainer and a war-veteran. His knowledge of magic was enough to take over all the teaching positions at Hogwarts if eh so desired.

Victor was a duellist before he married Diana Greengrass and a damned good one too. After the war, he became and Unspeakable before transferring to the Auror-corps. He could duel seven people at once with ease.

And Harry was good at causing distractions and make people angry. People who got angry usually got reckless.

Also he had the luck of the devil.

Not the best things to rely on in battle but it would have to do until he learned more.

"GLACIUS!" he shouted, aiming his wand at the floor.

Two charging Deatheaters slipped, fell and it was like taking candy from a baby to dispose of them for now.

"POTTER! NOW!" he heard Elijah shout.

"Not if I have anything to say." Lucius Malfoy growled, jumping into the crater with Harry.

And Harry had to find out the hard way why Lucius Malfoy had been in Voldemort's Inner Circle.

Malfoy wasn't a brainless fanatic. He was intelligent and he was, as Harry grudgingly had to admit, an excellent duellist.

Well, maybe not duellist. Duellists were fair.

Malfoy was an excellent butcher.

All Harry could do was block and duck and scramble backwards.

The spells came so rapidly, Harry had barely time to breathe.

At some point he just cowered behind his shield-charm, hoping it would hold.

Desperate he grabbed a piece of rock from the floor and hurled it at Malfoy to distract him.

The stone caught him in the leg, tearing open the robes and skin underneath.

Malfoy hissed, the injured leg not being able to properly support him, and he stumbled, giving Harry the crucial seconds he needed to pull himself out of the crater and onto his feet and through of the closest door into a hallway.

Running was painful Harry noticed after the first two steps.

His side burned, his lungs heaved and spluttered and his feet didn't seem to be able to find a rhythm.

The whole mansion seemed to be alive by now.

Three times Harry ran into one or two Deatheaters but miraculously he always made it out of those skirmishes.

But Harry knew that he was in a bad situation.

He was separated from his friends, all alone in this maze of a mansion with no idea how to get out and away.

Also his strength was fading fast.

"Dobby! Dobby I need you!" he gasped. He knew he was being egoistical. Dobby himself was probably in trouble. At least Malfoy had implied it.

He stumbled, falling against a wall.

Groaning he pressed his hand against his side.

Blood was trickling down his stomach, his hips and he felt it run into the leg of his trousers.

Shit.

"Dobby…Elijah! Victor…Someone…please…help!...Sirius…." he whispered, sliding down the wall.

The smell of blood was overwhelming.

There was a soft plop to his side and a small figure appeared in the gloom.

"Dobby?" Harry asked faintly.

"Not Dobby." A different but equally familiar voice croaked.

Small, old and gnarled hands pressed down on Harry injured side and a warm feeling spread though his chest, numbing the pain.

Harrys eye-sight cleared.

"K…Kreacher?" he moaned confused.

The old house-elf didn't look thrilled to be there either.

"Kreacher not can do more for Harry Potter. Boy must find healer himself."

"What…what are you doing…here?" Harry asked astonished.

"Boy a member of House Black. Kreacher cannot refuse call of members of House Black in need, no matter who the member is." Kreacher growled, pulling Harry back to his feet.

The elf was surprisingly strong.

"My friends…we have to help them."

"Kreacher has done his duty. Boy's friends not Kreacher's masters! Boy can't make Kreacher save them."

"At least tell me if you know where they are!" Harry said desperately.

"Kreacher saw them outside." Kreacher growled.

"Thank you Kreacher. I will never forget this. I promise." Harry said fiercely.

The elf studied him for a second before disappearing.

Harry checked his side.

It wasn't bleeding anymore.

A thin glittering film of…something…was covering it but Harry could see that it wouldn't hold forever.

He was by no means healed but he was well enough to continue.

Kreacher had said the others had made it out.

As soon as they would make it over the properties edge and the wards they would be able to leave.

Harry had to catch up with them or he'd be marooned here with a bunch of vengeful Deatheaters on his trail. And then elf-magic or no-elf-magic, Harry would most certainly die.

Window…I need a window…, Harry thought feverishly.

He continued his run down the hallway.

Rounding a corner, he saw moonlight flood though a tall window.

Sprinting towards it he saw that he was at the front side of the building. Before him lay the wide front-yard with its tall hedges and fountains and stuff like that.

Colourful explosions to his left caught his attention and he saw Elijah and Victor running form the mansion, firing spells behind them, cutting down their pursuers.

Harry was alarmed that he couldn't see Isaac but he had not time to worry. His own window of opportunity was shrinking.

While he was on the right side of the building he was still two stories up.

Looking down he knew that jumping would only break his legs.

His eyes fell on the front-porch-roof just a few meters down from where he stood. It was still a bit down but not enough to seriously injure oneself.

He just had to find a window onto the roof.

His mind made up Harry sprinted down the hallway.

He quickly found the perfect window, just above the front-roof.

He tore it open, jumping onto the window sill when behind him a voice asked: "Potter?"

Harry swirled around only to come face to face with…Draco Malfoy.

Under different circumstances it might have been funny to see Draco Malfoy in his Quidditch-Pyjamas, hair a mess and eyes wide with confusion and disbelieve.

Harry resisted the urge to face-palm.

Of course Draco would be here, this was his home after all.

Not knowing what to say Harry just replied: "Malfoy." And then jumped out of the window.

He hit the roof running, skidded across it, grabbed the edge and swung his legs across. Then he let go.

For a moment he was weightless, his stomach tingling uncomfortably.

Then his feet hit the ground.

Remembering to bend his knees he pitched forward, rolling and coming back up on his knees.

The next second he was up and running.

There were still Deatheaters running after him and his friends but most of them seemed to be still inside the Mansion.

"HARRY!" he heard Victors familiar voice shout.

He spotted the man ahead, duelling two goons.

"I'M OKAY! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Harry shouted back, throwing a curse over his shoulder at an inclosing Deatheater.

He caught up with Victor and together they raced for the property line.

They were closing in on their target and Harry forced his legs to go even faster.

A cry of pain next to him had him falter as Victor crumbled down just as behind them he heard the cheers of the Deatheaters.

Harry came to an abrupt halt, his burning muscles screaming in protest.

Victor was laying on his stomach as few meters behind him.

And a few meters behind him Deatheaters were approaching fast.

Harry cursed but his mind was made up.

He would not leave Victor, despite what they had promised each other back at the Greengrass Mansion.

Harry would not leave anyone behind if he couldn't help it.

His wand was up and moving before he knew it and one Deatheater keeled over, his body stiff as a log of wood.

The second one didn't care for the fate of his comrade, he shot his curses.

Harry ducked, ignoring the uncomfortable ping in his side.

He rolled through the wet grass, ducking behind a tall hedge.

The Deatheater halted, searching for Harry in the deep shadows.

Thanks to the lights coming from the mansion behind the man Harry could see him quiet well.

But the Deatheater never saw the curses coming. He just fell.

Harry knew that he couldn't stay any longer.

More Deatheaters were pooling form the inside of the Malfoy residence.

He dashed to Victors side, relieved to find the man still breathing.

But there was blood soaking through his robes.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Go Harry, go!" he whispered.

"Nope, not happening. Daphne would never forgive me if I didn't save her father!" he mumbled.

"Besides, you still owe me for those fingers you crushed!" he added.

Victor let out a weak laugh but he forced himself to stand.

Leaning heavily onto Harry he staggered along.

The property line was now so painfully close.

Harry would never know how they were not hit by any spells on their flight form that horrid place.

The only thing he remembered clear as day was how Victor's grasp on his shoulder suddenly tightened and then the feeling of being squeezed through a tube.

.

.

…

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.

As the morning light streamed through the windows of St. Mungo's Spell-Damage Ward, Harry slowly leaned back in the hard-uncomfortable plastic chair until his head bumped slowly into the dry-plaster wall behind him, barely able to keep his eyes open.

The sun had just risen but the hospital was already very active. But Harry felt ready to drop.

He'd been sitting here for hours, waiting for news on his companions.

They wouldn't tell him anything.

Family only, was their explanation. Yet Harry didn't feel like he was able to leave without knowing the other men would be alright.

At last one of the Healers in the lime-green robes approached him.

"The family of Messrs. Greengrass has arrived. Also Mr. Victor Greengrass has asked for you. I thought you'd should to know."

"Thanks." Harry said with a small smile.

Slowly, still aching, he got up and slowly made his way towards Victor's room.

But he had to admit, that it could have been worse for all of them, considering what they had been through.

From what he knew and had seen, Elijah's ankle was shattered, his shoulder dislocated and a flesh-eating curse had hit him below the elbow but he had managed to get Isaac out of the Mansion, where a frantic Dobby had waited for them.

Dobby had taken the incapacitated Isaac across the Manor's security line while Elijah had hurried back to help Victor and him.

He had already been whisked away by the healers when they arrived but the Healers were very confident they would be able to restore him to his previous shape, at least they had told Victor that..

Victor's worst injury was the slashed up back but he had also managed to splinch himself when he apparated them away from that dreadful place.

A section of his left calf was missing but the Healers had assured him there would be no lasting damage. Other than that Victor had the usual cuts and bruises and would have to take it easy Harry reckoned.

Isaac was an entirely different story altogether as far as he could tell. There had been no actual word on the third man's condition yet but it couldn't be good.

Victor had given the healers only a brief explanation, telling them that his brother-in-law had been held capture for the last fourteen years or so and had been under constant mind-control. They didn't say how they had found him or gave any more explanations but in all honesty, the healer didn't need it.

When Isaac awoke from his subdued state he started yelling and screaming in pain, confusion and fear.

He didn't know where he was, who he was, what was happening and begged for eth voiced in his head to stop. He was taken away as well and Harry wondered if they really could help him.

But only time would be able to tell them that. What mattered was that he was alive and out of Malfoy's grasp. And for Harry that was good enough for now.

Thanks to Kreacher's house-elf-magic Harry's own wound was not as life-threatening as it would have been.

The healer managed to seal the wound and replenish the blood he had lost but it wasn't completely healed yet. A few days' rest and a potion would take care of the rest.

Seeing that that was all Harry had taken it upon himself to wait until the rest of the Greengrass family appeared so he could be sure Victor and Elijah would be alright before he left.

He checked eth watch once again.

Five thirty. Still plenty of time. He just hoped Sirius and Remus would decide to have a lie in for once.

He rounded the last corner and stopped as eh reached the beginning of a new floor and leaned against the wall to study the gathered people in front of Elijah's and Victor's rooms.

He didn't know any all of them but he could guess who they were.

They all shared certain Greengrass-features, be it the blond straight hair or the blue eyes, the sharp features, the tall straight posture or the same elegant gait.

Two women, who were just coming out of Elijah's door, consulting with a healer, and who looked rather alike, were most likely Daphne's two aunts, her mother's sisters.

Harry guessed the other people walking in and out of the rooms were husbands, cousins, brothers and other relatives.

Most of them didn't notice Harry as he slipped past them into Victor's room.

The man in question was sitting in his bed, leaning against couple of pillows.

He looked worse for wear but at least he was alive.

He looked tired though.

"Harry. They told me you were alright but I had to make sure you really were." He said silently.

Harry smiled.

"Nothing I couldn't handle. Told you I had worse before."

"Yeah well, I still don't really believe it. But thanks anyway. What you did…and what happened to you…I owe you a great debt and I'm sorry for what you were dragged into."

Harry shook his head.

"Let us talk about this another time. Please. I just want to go home and see my family and enjoy our small victory."

Victor nodded. "Of course. As you wish. But I will be in touch soon. The hardest part may be done but we're not completely done yet."

"Tell me about it." Harry muttered.

"All in good time." Victor agreed.

"Yes." Harry said with a nod.

He set to leave but Victor called him back.

"Harry…I know that this is a victory for us. But it won't stop them. And…I know you will be at the World Cup. I hope you understand that there is nothing you can do" Harry turned around "And I know how frustrating that is. But you must promise me not to do anything stupid or foolish or reckless that could endanger you or your family."

Harry sighed.

"I'm not good with those kind of promises." He said honestly.

"I know. But for once don't be the hero."

"I don't want to be the hero. But I can't sit idly by if there is something I could do to prevent evil things from happening! It's not who I am."

Victor sadly shook his head. "That's what you have been told to think. But Harry, just because you somehow stopped Voldemort doesn't make you responsible for keeping our world save from everything else. Please, I don't want to argue with you about it. Just promise me you will not go looking for them at the World Cup." He pleaded.

Harry sighed. "I'll…I'll promise." He said softly. Then he left.

He was just a few steps out of the door, when suddenly behind him someone called out: "Harry?"

He turned around at the sound of her voice.

Daphne stood there, several meters away from him, frozen in shock.

She stared at him, his torn bloody clothes, his cuts and bruises and he saw her eyes widen in realization.

And then suddenly she was running and then she was in his arms, wrapping her lithe body around his, burying her head in his shoulder.

And all Harry could do was to hug her back.

The hug only lasted for a couple of seconds before they both pulled back.

Harry held her gaze and without having to say anything he knew they both could read it in each other's eyes.

The gratitude and disbelieve and happiness were so very clear in Daphne's blue eyes. But underneath he saw the anguish and guilt and desperation.

He smiled and as he did he saw her expression lighten up a little bit.

She made a step towards him but Harry gently shook his head and them pointed it at the door of Victors room.

Go, be with your family, there'll be time to talk later.

She smiled back at him and for the first time since Cambodia her face lit up again.

She nodded back at him before slipping into her father's room but not without pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

.

.

The house was blissfully silent when he slipped inside through the front door.

On socks he hurried up the stairs, past Sirius bedroom and past Remus's room.

From behind both doors came light snores and Harry sighed with relieve.

Once back in his room he disposed of his ruined clothes, washed his face and then crawled into his bed.

He knew it was rather pointless since Sirius and Remus would be up in a matter of hours but for now he just wanted to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the moment.

It seemed rather surreal that only hours ago he was fighting for his life. And now… he was back in his room as if it had been just one terrible nightmare.

Maybe it was, he thought sleepily.

His hand ghosted over his bandaged side.

Before leaving St. Mungo's he had taken the potion and another one after washing up in the bathroom.

According to the healer the gash should be sealed up completely by tomorrow but it would leave a faint scar in most likelihood. But Harry could live with that. What was one ore scar if you were alive?

But until it was all good again he would have to make sure nobody found out.

And although he had promised himself he would tell Sirius, he still thought that it would still be too soon.

.

Somehow he must have drifted off into a light sleep because a knock on the door startled him awake.

"Harry? You up? It's almost eleven!" Sirius asked from the other side, sounding slightly amused. "Come one sleepy head, you can't spend all day in bed, we have preparations to make for the World Cup!"

"Coming!" he yawned.

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AN: I know…It probably wasn't as dramatic as it could and should have been but this has honestly been the best I could do. And it has fulfilled its purpose for now, it's driving the story forwards and established a few future things.

I'm still going strong with this but things are gonna speed up a little and yes, it will go into the fourth year at Hogwarts and the Triwizard Tournament but, as you can guess, with a few twists to it.

As always, thank you for your review and for your continuous support.

I really appreciate it.

Love Kate

Oh and Happy New Year everybody, we did it, 2016 is behind us! Go 2017!

45. The Quidditch World Cup

Chapter Forty-Five: The Quidditch World Cup

"Wow Dad, how far up are we?" Ron asked amazed as the clambered up the stairs.

"I feel like we could touch the sky from here!" Ginny said dreamily.

Harry smiled at his friends' enthusiasm as he followed them higher and higher through the Quidditch Stadium.

It was the day of the Quidditch World Cup and seemingly every Wizard and every Witch in the whole wide world was present.

The noise level was unbelievable high and the whole stadium seemed to vibrate under the feet of the stomping, cheering, dancing, shouting, jumping masses.

Harry himself was pretty excited. It was a welcome distraction.

Moving to avoid one of Ron's long flailing arms as the red-head gestured wildly while talking, Harry bumped into the handrail.

A dull throb of pain shot through his side and he grimaced slightly.

Although he had taken his potions and was sure the wound was perfectly healed it was still sensitive to touch and pressure.

"Alright there Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry smiled

"Yeah, just bumped into the railing. No biggie." He said, grinning.

Sirius smiled back.

His face was painted in green and white, just like the twins faces.

When they had arrived at the Burrow this morning, Sirius had been so excited that he instantly had agreed to the whole program: face-paint, matching outfits, all of it!

Then he had helped the twins boo Ron's and Ginny's red-and black hats and Bulgarian scarves.

Harry had wisely decided to stay out of the fan-war.

Instead he had fallen back on their way up to the stadium while those four started a heated debate on which team was better and instead opted to talk with Bill and Charlie and occasionally Mr. Weasley and even Percy, to see if anything on his latest nightly adventure had yet leaked out into the open.

He was surprised to find out that that wasn't the case.

At least nobody mentioned anything remotely connected to the Malfoys or the Greengrasses. Or nightly raids.

Or dead war heroes that suddenly appeared after more than a decade.

And they weren't the only ones.

Harry had yet to hear from Victor and Elijah too.

He knew they were probably still recovering.

After all, it had been just a day since their small…rescue mission.

Still Harry had carefully read through the whole Prophet yesterday morning and today.

Nothing.

It was almost unsettling how…quiet it suddenly was.

Of course, there was still the matter with Malfoys little surprise for the World Cup.

But there were so many people here and compared to that there were just a handful of them.

Surely not even the Deatheaters were stupid enough to mount a full-on-attack…

Another reason why Harry was so apprehensive was because of his invisibility cloak.

Or rather the lack of it.

Only when he had woken up yesterday did he remember that he had lost it during the fight at Malfoy Manor.

Harry had sat on his bed for almost an hour, trying very hard not to cry in despair.

The only gift from his father, an heirloom of his family, was gone, lost.

He didn't dare to imagine Malfoy or Draco finding it. Or any other of the Deatheater scum.

He shook his head, trying to dislodge the unhappy thoughts and tried to concentrate on the problem ahead.

The Deatheaters surprise.

They wouldn't outright attack. That was not their stile. It would be sudden and unexpected.

An ambush.

It killed Harry that he couldn't warn anyone.

But what would he tell them?

'Excuse me Mr. Auror Sir? Yes, during a secret nightly invasion of Lord Malfoys Mansion my friends and I found out that he is hosting a Deatheater convention and they are planning on infiltrating the World Cup. When? Well, during the World Cup. Where? I don't know. Who? Well, Lord Malfoy is one of them, as I already mentioned. But I don't know who else. Why did I break into Lord Malfoys Mansion? Well, you see…that's a long story. It involves mind-control and my sort-of-not-really-but-almost-hopefully-girldfriend-Daphne-Greengrass and a dead war hero. Sir? Where are you going?'

No, that wouldn't work.

"Harry? What's with the glum and bitter face?"

Harry startled out of his thoughts.

Bill smiled at him but his eyes were slightly narrowed.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking about…the bad mood either two of those four will be in when the others' team wins." He improvised, pointing at the arguing foursome before them.

"If Sirius's loses he will spend the rest of the holidays sulking."

Bill and Charlie laughed.

"Yeah, I can imagine. Ron and Ginny are both fanatics when it comes to Quidditch." Charlie mused.

"And you're not?" Bill snorted.

"Exactly." Charlie said seriously but winked ta Harry.

Harry chuckled.

"So Harry, are you ready for your next year at Hogwarts?" Arthur asked.

Harry shook his head. "I can't believe it's less than a week until it begins. I feel like time went by twice as fast ever since I got back." He admitted.

"It will be fine. A nice quite year full of studying and no drama." Bill assured him.

Harry looked at him pointedly. "Now you jinxed it." He moaned.

"Don't be so overdramatic." Bill grinned, punching him gently in the shoulder.

.

They had almost reached their seats when they ran into them.

Ron was once again gushing about high up they could possibly sit when a familiar voice drawled: "Well…let's put it this way: If it rains, you will be the first to know."

Harry blood froze in his veins as he turned towards the voice.

Lucius Malfoy, accompanied by his son of course, stood on the catwalk below them, smiling coolly at them.

Unlike the last time Harry had seen him he was once again dressed perfectly, his hair falling like a waterfall down to his chest.

Although, Harry noticed, he was leaning rather heavily onto his walking stick.

Malfoys eyes flew over them but they stopped at Harry and narrowed ever so slightly.

But Draco butted in before he could say anything.

"Father and I sit in the Ministers Box. Minister Fudge invited us personally."

He sounded so proud.

It almost hurt Harry physically not to roll his eyes.

Malfoy Senior shot his son a glare.

"Don't boast Draco. These people are not worth it."

This time Harry really did roll his eyes. He was only glad Sirius had managed to keep his mouth shut until now.

He gently grabbed Hermione, who was standing next to him, by the arm, turning her away from the stupid bigot.

But Malfoy was faster.

He lashed out with his walking stick.

The teeth of the hissing snake-head buried themselves in the back of his hand but Harry refused to acknowledge the pain.

Instead he glared at the Lord Malfoy.

"Enjoy yourself while you still can Potter." The threat was poorly concealed.

Harry knew it was probably a stupid thing to do but he leaned down the railing and asked in a low voice: "I will. Oh, and, by the way, how's the leg? I notice you're favouring the other one more." He asked on mock-concern.

Malfoy sneered at him before pulling his stick back and striding away.

Harry slowly straightened up, only to notice that everyone was looking at him slightly flabbergasted.

"What?" he asked.

"What…was that all about?" Sirius asked, concern written all over his face.

Harry shrugged. "Nothing at all. We…. kind of met…the other day." He lied. Then he added: "Come on, let's go!"

.

.

.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Harry cursed himself in his head as he dodged through the trees, Ron and Hermione at his side.

Beyond the wood, parts of the camping grounds were in flames.

The cries of thousands of people hung in the air and the unmistaken sound of spell-fire in the air was all around them. All Harry wanted to do was turn around and hex every single one of those thrice-damned Deatheaters.

But he knew he couldn't.

Hermione stumbled over a root but Harry and Ron held her upright as they dashed further through the darkness.

But Harry didn't dare cast any light.

Who knew who was waiting in these woods?

He regretted that they had gotten separated from the others during the attack.

He was worried for all of the others.

Bill, the twins, Sirius, Ginny, everyone!

Focus Harry, get out here alive and then worry, he told himself.

"Down there!" he hissed.

Next to them the ground broke away abruptly into a small gorge. It was only six or seven feet, safe enough to jump.

Harry went first, catching Hermione as she too jumped, closely followed by Ron.

"We can't stay here and wait!" Ron whispered forcefully.

"What will you have us do?" Harry asked back. "We can't do magic, we don't know where the others are or where we are for that matter and we don't know how many Deatheaters are there. Or where they are. Besides, everyone down there is in such a panic, it could happen they mistake us for the enemy if we go back running through the forest. No. I say we wait here and alert the others as to where we are." He argued back.

"And how? You said it yourself, we can't do magic!" Hermione whispered, her voice high and shakily.

"Well, technically that's not true. You can't do magic. But I don't have the Trace on my wand. I can."

Ron frowned. "I thought Sirius put it back on after you sneaked out the other night?"

Harry looked down. "Yeah well, a friend removed it again because I needed it." He said silently.

He felt their confused gazes on him.

"The point is" he continued quickly "I think I know how I can let them know where we are."

He took a deep breath. "I don't know how exactly this goes but I have seen it work so…I hope…"

He concentrated and whispered: "Expecto Patronum."

His silver stag burst into life, blinding them momentarily.

Proud and tall he stood before them.

"Prongs. Find Sirius. Bring him to us." He told the Patronus, staring it in the eyes.

The stag turned around and cantered away.

"And now?" Ron asked.

"Now we wait." Harry muttered, not happy with the situation himself.

.

More than once voices approached their hiding spot and several times more did it end in the exchange of spells.

The hurried deeper into the gorge, hiding in the shadows.

Harry cast warming charms on them since they were barefooted and in their pyjamas.

There was little talk among them.

They just huddled together, listening for the friendly and familiar voices of their family.

Slowly the screams quieted down but the orange hue of the fires was still going strong.

"Harry? When…when you were in Cambodia with…with Bill. Was there….was there ever a time you felt like this? Helpless, I mean?" Ron asked suddenly.

"A couple of times." Harry admitted. "Especially when…" he stopped.
"When the Deatheaters had you all cornered in that chamber?" Ron asked silently.

Harry turned his head sharply.

"Bill told us. I don't think he told us everything but…you know…most of it."

Harry sighed.

"Yeah. Then too. Alice was hurt. As was Eric. And they had….something important. And…well….I was sure we were going to die." He admitted.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked silently.

"We kept fighting." Harry told them.

"Then we should do so now!" Ron growled. "Damn the Trace and the underage-magic-rule. I say this counts as a reasonable exception."

"We can't!" Harry said sharply.

"Why not? You did it! Why don't you want us to do it?" Ron argued.

"Because back then I had an awesome team behind me and I knew what I was facing! There were four of them. Merlin knows how many are there right now! This isn't our fight Ron! You saw what they did. I can assure you, they can do far worse that humiliate some muggles."

"Harry!" Hermione hissed.

"It's the truth!" Harry growled back.

"We can't sit here and wait until they find us. Your Patronus probably didn't work!" Ron argued.

Harry couldn't really argue against that.

They had been here for quite some time.

"So what do you want to do? Go back to camp?" he asked.

"We should at least leave the warded area. Besides, there will be Aurors here soon if they aren't already." Ron muttered.

"I think Ron is right Harry. We're sitting ducks here." Hermione whispered.

Harry nodded. "Okay, yeah, sounds good."

The tension between them disappeared.

"Alight, let's go."

This time their track through the forest was slower and more careful.

But there was nothing.

As they reached the edge of the forest and gazed down the hillside at what once was the Camping ground, Harry swallowed hard.

Next to him Hermione gasped as Ron let out a soft 'Oh'.

The site was ruined.

Although most fires were dying down, leaving in their wake only the skeleton-like-frames of tents and market stalls.

Smoke hung over the field and a slight wind had come up.

But what was the worst, was the quiet.

Hours before hundred thousand of Quidditch fans had celebrated here.

Now it was a quiet as a graveyard.

Nobody was there.

Nobody at all.

No…that wasn't right….there…there was movement down there.

Acting on instinct Harry grabbed Ron and Hermione back the shoulders and dragged them back into the shelter of the trees.

Both let out startled gasps.

"There's someone there!" Harry hissed.

"Where?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Down there, straight ahead." Harry whispered.

"I see him." Ron confirmed. He had his omniocular pressed against his eye. Where it had come from Harry had no idea.

"Can I?" he asked.

Ron handed it to him wordlessly.

Harry stared at the man down in the ruined camp as he strolled through eth still smoking ruins.

He had the feeling he should know him.

But…from where.

It was like a memory from a dream. Far away and yet it burned on the tip of his tongue.

"Does anyone recognize him?" he asked, passing the omniocular to Hermione.

"No." she whispered.

"No." Ron repeated.

"You don't think he could maybe help us, or?" Hermione didn't sound convinced of her own words.

"The way he's strolling through there? Not bloody likely." Ron whispered.

"What's he doing anyway?" Harry muttered as he stared through the omniocular again.

The man had stopped in a small free area and was pulling his wand from the inside of his robes, raising it to the sky.

Harry saw his lips move and a dirty-green light shot up into the sky where it exploded.

Almost simultaneously Harrys scar flared up and he gasped, dropping the omniocular.

"Harry?" he heard Hermione ask but it sounded so very far away.

He could feel himself dropping to his knees and hand touching his body, steadying him, but his mind was far away.

A series of images rushed through his mind.

First the man's face, down there strolling through the ashes. Then he was back in Cambodia in their camp, in his tent, in his bed. Then he saw the faces of the dead he had seen when he had met the Philosophers stone. The four masked Deatheaters appeared and the cold words of one of them echoed through his mind. 'Our cause'. Voldemort. And then suddenly it seemed to fall into place. He remembered. One of the first dreams he had in Cambodia was that of a dark mansion, an armchair standing before a fireplace and two men standing next to it. He just hadn't remembered until now. One of the men had been Wormtail, he was sure of it. The other man was the one down there at the camping site. Although his face was shadowed in his dream Harry knew that was why he looked so familiar.

But that left just so many more questions.

Harry gasped, returning to his sense.

He realized he was on his back, his head pillowed on Hermione's knees. Ron was next to him, looking very worried.

"Oh my god Harry, can you hear me?" Hermione all but sobbed above him.

"Harry mate! Are you with us?" Ron asked

"'m with you." Harry mumbled. "What happened?" he muttered.

"You just collapsed." Hermione whispered.

A hot stabbing pain shot through his forehead.

He winced, his hand flying to his scar.

It felt hot and swollen.

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked.

"It's me scar. It hurts." He whispered.

"Ahm…guys….you should really see that!" Ron muttered, pointing at the sky.

Harry turned his head and followed Ron's finger.

There, high in the sky hung the ghostly image of a skull and out of its mouth slithered a snake, illuminating everything in a pale sickly green light.

Looking at the picture turned Harrys stomach around and sent throbbing spasms of pain through his head.

He groaned, letting his head fall back onto Hermione's knees.

"Harry! Your scar, it's all red!" Ron noticed worriedly.

"What is that thing?" Harry asked with gritted teeth.

It was Hermione who answered.

"It's the Dark Mark. It's the symbol of You-know-how." She said grimly.

.

Harry really didn't feel like walking but they had to get away from here. Especially since the man they had spotted conjuring the forbidden sign was gone. And he could just really be anywhere.

Ron and Hermione supported him the way down the hill, past the burnt-out remains of the camp and towards the proximity-line.

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked.

"There will be people here soon." Ron said confidentially. "At least it shouldn't take this long to mobilize the Aurors." he muttered.

He was right.

All of a sudden there were several 'plops' and instinctively Harry let himself drop down to his knees, dragging his friends with him as just moments later several red curses collided above tehri heads, sending a shower of sparks down on them.

Seemed like reinforcements was here.

But they were still too late.

.

.

.

"Sirius, I'm fine, I promise." Harry said tiredly as the medi-wizard prodded him. "I'm not injured and I'm sure the Healer could be needed elsewhere more pressingly." He added.

"Are you sure?" Sirius fretted.

"I am. I just got a headache."

"You collapsed."
"And now I only have a headache. Please Sirius, all I want is to go home." Harry begged.

Putting aside everything else that had happened, after nearly being stunned to death, accused of having conjured that horrible sign in the sky, being interrogated, having his wand checked against his will and having to explain why exactly there was no trace on it, Harry was all to read to call it a day.

Sirius sighed.

"I guess so."

He turned to the healer.

"And he really is alright?" he asked.

The Healer shrugged. "A few bruises and a headache, nothing a good nights rest won't take care of. He's good to go."

Harry jumped off the stretcher.

"Alright." Sirius muttered. "Thanks." He told the Healer, shaking his hand.

"My pleasure. Have a good night." The Healer replied.

That's unlikely, Harry thought.

After the Fudge/Barty-Crouch incident Mr. Weasley had found them and taken them to where the rest of their friends and family was gathered.

Sirius had broken into a sprint when he had seen Harry and picked him clean of the ground.

It was slightly embarrassing.

They had all been talking at once but somehow, they all had been able to filter out the most important info each. Harry was just glad nobody was hurt.

Upon hearing that Harry had collapsed at the hill, Sirius had whisked him to St. Mungo's.

The hospital was overrun with people form the World Cup but Sirius insisted that Harry git himself checked out, despite Harrys reassurances that he was feeling fine again (he wasn't, not really but it wasn't that bad!).

Grabbing Harrys shoulder firmly Sirius flooed them away.

They reappeared to Harrys surprise at the Burrow.

The Weasleys, Hermione and Remus where there.

"Harry, Sirius! Finally, we were so worried." Molly whispered.

"The hospital was overrun." Sirius explained. "We had to wait."

"Are alright Harry?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, nothing happened."

"That's not exactly true." Ron pointed out.

"My scar always hurts when Voldemort is around." Harry argued. "Or something connected to him." He added quickly when he saw the horrified faces.

"Did you see who did it?" Charlie asked.

"There was a man." Ron said. "But we couldn't really see his face." Hermione added.

"I thought he looked familiar." Harry admitted.

Bill looked at him sharply.

"It wasn't…" he began but Harry shook his head.

"No, he wasn't one of the four we fought in Cambodia." He said.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"I don't know, maybe I'm imagining it." He muttered.

Could the man have been at Malfoy Manor two nights ago?

There had been so many people. And if he'd been wearing a mask back then it would be impossible to identify him now.

"I think we should all go to bed" Molly whispered "And see what tomorrow brings."

"Yeah I think so too." Arthur agreed.

"Just one thing" Harry said quickly "Did they catch anyone of the Deatheaters?"

The grown-ups looked at each other.

"I don't know. But I doubt it. It was so sudden and unexpected, nobody knew what to do." Remus muttered.

Not totally unexpected, Harry thought bitterly, I knew. So did others.

But he just nodded.

"Alright, let's go." Sirius said.

Harry bid his goodbyes for now before Sirius, Remus and he flooed home.

Arriving in the living room Harry yawned.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He muttered.

He set to go but Sirius gently grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry that these things keep happening Harry." He muttered.

"Not your fault." Harry whispered back.

He hugged Remus too before running up the stairs to his room.

He collapsed onto his bed and was asleep in seconds.

But his night was haunted by that same dream he had remembered in the woods.

A dark mansion. The two men. The armchair.

And an old man walking through a dark hallway. And then a blinding, familiar, green light.

Harry woke sweating and panting, the dream again halfway forgotten.

.

.

…

.

.

The headline the next day in the Prophet was enough to spoil Harrys appetite.

Deatheaters Attack during the World Cup – Countless injured, even more shocked, is this the end of peace?

Of course it is you morons, Harry thought bitterly.

But maybe worse were the articles that proclaimed: 'Everything is well' and 'No need to panic'.

Fudge was trying to sweep it all under the rug, claiming that those hadn't been real Deatheaters.

As if.

Generally, the atmosphere was tense and subdued.

Not even the letter that arrived after lunch really lifted Harrys spirits.

Dear Harry,

I hope this letter finds you in good health.

I have heard what happened at the World Cup and a friend of mine told me you were injured? I hope you heeded my warning and did not seek conflict with the Deatheaters.

At any rate, that is not the only reason I write to you.

Elijah and I are both out of St. Mungo's and back home. We both are almost back on our feet and I am fairly confident by the end of the week we will be back to full health.

You are probably wondering who Isaac is faring.

Well to be honest, there has bene little progress but the again it's only been three days. The Healers only now begin to see the actual damage he has suffered and only now they will be able to determine whether they can help him or not. As for now he remains at St. Mungo's. But outside our family and a few selected Healers nobody knows.

I am almost thankful for the news coverage of the attack at the World Cup. That way it's easier to keep Isaac hidden for now.

And you are probably wondering how things will proceed from now on.

That is why I would like to meet with you before you leave for Hogwarts.

I would appreciate if you could tell me soon if and if so where and when we could meet. I know you do not want to go behind your godfathers back and I respect that. Maybe we can find a compromise.

Yours sincerely,

Victor Greengrass, Lord of House Greengrass.

It seemed like their work was only halfway done Harry mused as he put the letter into a small box on his desk, where he stored all his letters.

He then sat down to write an answer but he honestly couldn't think of anything to write so he started pacing through the room, picking up random pieces of clothes and throwing them in the hamper or throw them somewhere else.

Except for his invisibility cloak that lay on his bed, he picked it up and…

….hold it!

His invisibility cloak?

Harry reeled back wards.

No, that couldn't be!

He had lost it.

But…there it was! Neatly folded on the covers of his bed, it's silver fabric glistening in the sunlight.

"What the…" he muttered, picking it up again.

The cloak unravelled, falling down to the ground.

Harry swiftly pulled it around his shoulders and looked down.

Yep, this was definitely his invisibility cloak. His body was gone.

The cloak felt light as always and still fitted perfectly.

"How is this possible?" he murmured.

He took the cloak off and hurried downstairs.

Remus and Sirius were out on the porch, enjoying a beer while Remus read the Prophet and Sirius threw little pieces of dried bread at the squirrels in the trees.

"You know they will never leave again if you keep doing that." Remus just said in a slightly exasperated voice.

"We can always add an Anti-Squirrel-Ward if they bother us too much." Sirius said with a grin.

"Is there even such a thing?" Harry asked.

Sirius turned his head and grinned. "We'll have to ask Bill that but it would be a shame if not! We can't be the only ones with a squirrel problem!"

"I think we are the only ones because nobody else in the neighbourhood feeds them like you do. So of course they're all here!" Remus muttered.

"I could always turn into Padfoot and scare them away." Sirius said shrugging.

Harry grinned. He liked their banter.

It was like Hermione Ron and him in a way.

My dad was probably a part of that too, he thought for a second.

"Hey, what's the cloak for kid?" Sirius asked, noticing the cloak in his hands.

"I was wondering about something and thought you might know. You know, since it belong to my dad." Harry said, sitting down on Sirius's sun-lounger.

Remus put the Prophet aside, all ears.

"Ask away Harry." He said.

"I was tidying my room a bit and thought I had misplaced it and began searching for it. And then all of a sudden it just lay there on my bed. And before you ask, yes I looked there and I'm pretty sure it wasn't there before."

Sirius let out a loud laugh and even Remus chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, that's the good old invisibility cloak alright." Sirius smirked.

"You know Harry, we were good at pranking. Like, really good. But even we got caught every once in a while. And like the Map, Filch also ransacked the cloak once. James was in a right state, so worried was he. But, unlike the Map, the cloak reappeared after a day or two in our dorm on his bed. We were just as perplexed as you so we tested it and left the cloak in different places all across the castle. It always returned after a day or so to our dorm." Sirius told him.

"You see Harry, this cloak isn't like the other invisibility cloaks you can buy. This one is a really old relic of your family. It's been with the Potters for generations, even before they were Potters. It's old and powerful. And Charles, your grandfather, James's father, once told us that they suspected, that the cloak was a bit like a wand. It choses as master. That is usually the first-born son of the family. Others can use it too but it will always return to his master." Remus picked up the story.

"Oh." Said Harry awestruck. "If I'd known that in my fist year I could have avoided losing 150 points and a nasty detention in the Forbidden Forest." He muttered, remembering the time they had smuggled Norbert(a) out of the Castle.

"When your Dad died, you were still too young, the cloak hadn't bonded with you yet. Albus kept it safe for you until you were ready." Sirius said silently.

Harry nodded slowly.

"Thanks for telling me." He said. "Is it okay if I head over to the Burrow? Hermione is staying there until the end of the Holidays so I thought it would be nice if she and Ron and I could spend some time together."

"Sure, just be home before Dinner and be careful."

"I will, thanks guys."

.

.

…

.

.

AN: You really didn't think I would make Harry lose his cloak, did you? That thing is awesome. And important!

Love, Kate

46. The reunion

AN: Hey you awesome people out there! Just wanted to check in with a new chapter and all. Also thanks for the reviews, they are always much appreciated.

And just one quick little thing for the sake of the story and its future:

The Philosophers Stone did not, against contrary believe, rid Harry of the Horcrux. It 'kissed' the scar and said: "This is my last gift to you." But it was never elaborated what really happened.

It will be, as will the question what token/artefact Harry took from Gringotts when they got their money (Chapter 40).

With that out of the way:

Enjoy this next chapter.

I had a small block but I think I got it now.

Love KC.

.

Chapter Forty-Six: The reunion

"September 1st is in less than three days. And you still have none of your stuff?" Remus asked incredulously as he watched Harry bustle through the living room, collecting various things he would need.

"Well, it's not like I had a lot of time to do so. A lot happened. I would have done it yesterday with Ron and Hermione but you wouldn't let us go alone."

"Because there are Deatheaters out there. You know that." Sirius said, appearing from somewhere behind them.

Harry rolled his eyes. He had tried but all his arguments had been shot down almost immediately.

"It's what they want. Us to be afraid I mean. That way they have control over us." He muttered, knowing very well that Sirius and Remus couldn't care less about that.

"Your safety is all I care about." Sirius said and that was it.

They collected Ron, Ginny, Hermione, the twins and Bill from the Burrow.

Bill had offered to come along as the third chaperone. Both Molly and Arthur had no time and Charlie was already back in Romania.

So the nine of them flooed to the Leaky Cauldron.

Despite the happenings of the last days the pub was full as always and so was the Ally.

But there was a certain tension in the air.

As per usual their first stop was Gringotts.

Bill, who had been given the key to the Weasley-family vault, took his siblings down in one cart while Harry, Remus and Sirius waited for the next while Hermione exchanged pounds into Gallons at one of the tellers.

Harry wasn't really paying attention to anything that was going on around him.

That was until a familiar voice called out in greeting: "My my, Sirius, long time no see!"

All three of them turned to see Victor and Elijah Greengrass stroll towards them.

Harry noticed that all injuries they had sustained had obviously disappeared and they looked as healthy as always.

"Victor! And Elijah. It's been so long." Sirius exclaimed pleasantly surprised and shook their hands.

"Indeed." Elijah said. "I'm glad to see you are alright and I am sorry for what happened."

Sirius shrugged. "That's in the past now. How's your wife?"

"She is well. Worries about everything the boys and I do but that's how she is." Elijah said.

His eyes darted towards Harry.

"And this must be your godson we've been hearing so much about." He added.

Harry held out his hand, playing along. "Yes Sir. I'm Harry Potter."

"I know. The scar was a dead giveaway." Elijah said with a wink.

"You are Thomas's brother, right? Daphne's uncle and you…" Harry began and then turned to Victor "Must be her father sir. I've heard so much about you. It's an honour to meet you in person."

"Yes, we are." Victor said, shaking his hand.

He then turned back to Sirius.

"I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time. It won't take long but I wanted to know if you were interested in a new alliance between our families. I know there is an old contract between the Blacks and the Greengrasses but it so old…I thought a new one would be a good idea." He said pleasantly.

"Well, I would but we're kind of in a rush right now…" Sirius tried to explain, just as another cart pulled up next to them.

"It won't take long, I promise." Victor insisted.

"I can go alone." Harry offered, guessing why Victor and Elijah had come over.

"I could come with you." Remus offered.

"The Weasleys will be back and minute now and Hermione is almost done too. Why don't you wait for them while Sirius talks with Mr. Greengrass? So they won't wonder where we all went off too?" Harry suggested.

Then seeing the reluctant glances of his godfather and uncle he added: "Seriously guys, this is Gringotts! This is the safest place in the world, Hogwarts included. It will only take a few minutes. I've been to my vault alone before. It's really no big deal."

Finally Sirius nodded.

"Alright Harry, but make it quick."

"Yes Sir." Harry said with a grin and saluted.

"Mr. Potter, would you mind sharing a cart? I'm going down myself." Elijah said as innocently as he could.

"Sure, no problem." Harry said easily as he climbed aboard and Elijah slipped into the seat next to him.

With one last wave at Sirius and Remus they were off.

.

During the actual ride they couldn't really talk because they were travelling so fast, it took all of Harrys will to not be sick.

Finally their cart came to a stop.

Harry noticed immediately that this was not his vault.

But he followed Elijah when he got out.

Elijah then proceeded to embrace Harry, which Harry found slightly awkward but didn't comment.

"It's good to see you in once piece." He said instead.

Elijah laughed and nodded. "You too Harry. Victor told me you had gotten injured quite badly. Are you alright?"

Harrys hand drifted to his side where Malfoy had hit him.

Only occasionally, when he did a strange movement or wrong twist would he feel a slight throbbing but other than a than white line there was nothing there.

"It's all fine now." He waved it aside. "But I guess that's not all you wanted to talk about." He added afterwards.

"No. Not really. Follow me." Elijah said with a sigh and began walking down the dark corridor, only illuminated by the goblins lantern a few feet ahead of them.

"I asked Master Goldgrin here to lead us the rest of the way on foot so that we have a bit more time" he explained "I know you don't want your family to suspect anything yet."

Harry nodded mutely.

"I take it Victor told you in his letter why we wanted to talk to you."

Harry nodded. "Yes. About how we proceed from here with Isaac and Malfoy and the rest of it all."

It was Elijah's turn to nod.

"Yes. The first thing is: Isaac is actually making a little progress. It's all rather complicated but they have begun to sort through his memories, trying to piece them back together and especially make him remember the time before he was put under Malfoy's spells. They hope once he remembers who eh was it will be easier for him to recognize the memories he made under Malfoys control and hopefully that will help him cope. Of course, that is not all but it's a start. We can't really talk to him because they keep him in a light sleep while assembling his old memories. We'll keep you update if you wish."

"Please." Harry just said.

Elijah nodded and then continued.

"While we have kept secret for now, it will not remain like this forever and we do not intend to keep it secret. There will be an official statement made by Victor in a few days. I don't know if it will be before you go to Hogwarts or not but we'll try to do it before."

Harry nodded again.

"We're gonna announce Isaacs return. But we're not going to out Lucius Malfoy."

Harry stopped dead in his tracks.
"Excuse me? Why not? You have condemning evidence against him!" he shouted indignantly.

"We do. But how do we explain how we came to have all this information regarding Isaac, Malfoy, the Deatheaters plans, how do we explain your involvement and why we decided to break into his house and not inform the authorities? Harry Malfoy might be going to Azkaban but so would we. And that cannot happen. Malfoy can't sell us out but neither can we. Both sides sabotaged and crippled the other but not enough for one side to win."

"Won't the Wizengamot understand? I mean, it was for the right reasons!"

"It was. But end doesn't justify the means. And Malfoy has many sympathizers, the minister is one of them. It's too risky. If he goes down he'll make sure to take us down with him. That's why he won't do anything against us now. But he also knows that we won't. Harry, Victor and I just reassemble dour family. We can't drag them all down with us."

"I know." Harry said miserably. "I just wish we could."

"So do I."

"So what will you tell the people?"

"The truth more or less. While you were In Cambodia, my wife, Daphne's older brother and I were traveling as well. We'll tell them that we ran into trouble in some distant part of the rain-forest and that among our attackers was Isaac. We recognized him, incapacitated him and took him back. Victor already informed Madam Bones in secret about what happened. The new version, mind you, and she is already assembling an investigation group. They won't find anything but with the DMLE backing us nobody cans say we worked in secret and say we tried aiding a Deatheater. And once the official results of Isaacs condition are out no one will be able to doubt that Isaac was forced to do the things he did."

Harry thought about everything Elijah had said so far.

"It does make sense. Let's just hope we didn't forget anything."

Elijah nodded grimly.

"How's your family taking it?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, we told them the entire truth. Oh and by the way, they all want to meet and thank you. Anyway, we had a big meeting yesterday. Everyone was present. Victor and I told them everything and our plan too. They were all in favour and worked to make it as airtight as possible. We're optimistic."

"That's good to hear. You Greengrasses really are an amazing bunch, you know that?" Harry muttered.

Elijah stopped and put a hand on Harrys shoulder.

"Believe me I do. But we worked hard for that. And we sacrifice a lot for it too. Like friends and other loved ones."

Harry stared down at his feet.

"Daphne stayed really strong throughout the whole meeting. But I could see how hard it was for her. She is one for the strongest people I know. She takes to her roll like no one else. She has always followed our family's rules. She knew who she was because of those rules. The fact that she conceded towards the end and chose her family over you shows just how well she knows her role. Family before anything else. Even yourself. And she never saw reason to break them. Until she met you. She feels strongly for you. So strong that she was willing to break those very rules for you. That is loyalty on a whole new level and devotion to someone who is more than your friend. But she doesn't have to do it anymore. She is free. Just like the rest of us are."

Harry squirmed uncomfortable.

"But I will let you two talk about that." Elijah said with a wink.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"Daphne would really like to see you." Elijah explained. "Would you?" he asked.

Harry smiled. "I would love too."

.

.

Molly was surprised by the knock on their door later that afternoon. She and Arthur had just come home.

Sirius and Remus had dropped the kids off shortly before them after tehri shopping trip.

Bags full of books and potion-ingredients and robes littered the hallway while laughter and loud voices drifted in from the back yard.

Her first thought was that it must be Remus or Sirius. But they would have flooed over instead of apparating.

And they weren't expecting anyone else as far as she knew.

She opened the door to see a young blond girl with clear blue eyes standing on her front porch.

She was dressed in a very simple black dress with three-quarter arms, a round neckline and a skirt that fell shortly above her knees.

Her blond hair was braided over her left shoulder and she wore flat black shoes and held a small handbag in one hand.

A few steps behind her stood a man in red robes. He looked rather grim and from his appearance she concluded that both of them were likely to be wizards.

Quickly regaining her composure and hiding her confusion she asked politely:

"Hello my dear, what can I do for you?"

"Good afternoon Mrs. Weasley. I am sorry for coming without any notice but I need to speak with Harry Potter. His godfather directed me here when I asked him about Harry's whereabouts. I hope I don't intrude but I was hoping maybe I could speak to him for a moment?" the girl asked, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Molly wondered who she was.

She thought she knew Ron's and Harry's friends.

But if Sirius had sent her over than it was probably safe.

"It's no problem love. Harry is in the back yard with the others having a water-fight on brooms. Why don't you come in and I fetch him for you?" she offered.

The young girl smiled at her. "That would be lovely, thank you Mrs. Weasley."

She then turned around and said to her companion: "Please wait for me here Argus."

The man nodded curtly and turned around.

Molly wondered if she should invite him in but then decided against it. The man apparently had clear orders.

"What's your name honey?" she asked as she let the young witch into her home.

"Daphne Greengrass." The girl said quietly.

Molly was surprised.

A Greengrass?

He faintly recalled having heard her name before.

"Were you part of Bill's and Harry's group that went to Cambodia?" she asked.

"I was Ma'am. Harry, Luna and I became good friends. And Fleur, Bill's girlfriend, is my cousin. Well, sort of." She explained.

"My poor dearie. I hope you made it out of there just fine?" Molly asked.

"I did. Just a couple of scratches. But my family has been all over me with worry that I had no time to see Harry. I just wanted to see him before we went back to Hogwarts."

"A wonderful idea dear. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you. You too."

The entered the kitchen and Moll turned around and asked: "Would you like something to drink while I fetch Harry?"

"No thank you. I'm fine." Daphne said with a smile.

"Alright, then grab a seat, I'll be back shortly. That is, if I can pry Harry off his broom."

Daphne laughed politely and watched the older witch leave through the back door.

.

Daphne watched as Mrs. Weasley appeared back in the kitchen.

"He'll be along shortly. Would like a little snack?"

She smiled. "No thanks Mrs. Weasley" and then she added "What a lovely home you have! It's so comfortable and homely."

Mrs. Weasley beamed at her.

"Thank you."

Outside, steps grew closer.

And then Harry appeared in the doorway.

He was dripping wet and only dressed in swimming trunks.

His hair was wild and his glasses crooked.

"Don't you dare get my floor wet Harry James Potter!" Mrs. Weasley threatened as she summoned a towel for him.

"What me?" Harry asked. "Never!"

He took the towel, rubbed it through his hair before laying it over his shoulders.

Then he spotted her and his smiled vanished.

Daphne's heart plummeted.

Was he not pleased to see her after all?

Elijah had told her he was!

"Oh…ahm…hello Daphne. What…what brings you here?" he stammered.

Daphne threw an uncomfortable side-glance at Mrs. Weasley. She wasn't sure how much she could say with the older witch present.

Luckily Harry caught her glance and said: "Molly, could Daphne and I talk in private?" Harry asked the Weasley matriarch with one of his charming slightly crooked smiles.

"Oh…sure Harry dear. I'll be next door. Holler if you two need anything!"

With that the witch bustled away.

For a few seconds they stood there in awkward silence.

"You…ahm…didn't tell them about us?" Daphne asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. Didn't really see the point since you and I…well….it's a long story you must agree and rather complicated so I thought it better not to say anything."

Daphne nodded.

"Also in case the plan…you know…didn't work out." Harry added, rather awkwardly.

Daphne nodded again. Yeah, there was that.

"That actually why I am here. As you know…Elijah…he told me, us, what you did. For me, for my family. And…and I wanted to say thank you." She said silently.

Harry rubbed his neck.

"Yeah well, I can't stand people like Lucius Malfoy. What he did was disgusting and morally more than wrong. Also…" he looked down "after I learned that you really didn't have a choice….I felt horrible, I guess. All the things I said to you and accused you off…when you were just as much a victim as everybody else….I had to do something to make that right again."

Daphne shook her head.

"Harry, it was my fault. I brought you into this, I endangered you. You didn't have to do this, any of it, you know?"

"I choose to be your friend. And friends stick together. Through everything."

She swallowed difficultly. "You know I don't blame you for anything you said or did, right Harry?"

"It was still horrible. And I promise I will never do that again. I didn't let you explain, I didn't give you the benefit of doubt…I just judged you even when I should have known better!" he said desperately.

"You can't always know better Harry. You can't always be the saviour."

"That's what people keep telling me."

"And they are right."

She approached him until they stood directly in front of each other, only inches apart.

"And you know that I would never have been able to fully explain it to you." she added. "And you proofed to be a pretty good friend when you didn't give up on me and decided to help me. And my family. If you have ever done something wrong, you already made up or it. Thank you."

She gently hugged him. She didn't care that he was still completely wet.

To her great relieve and joy he hugged her back.

"Naw…it was nothing." he muttered.

"Don't be stupid! You put yourself in the line of fire." Daphne growled, hugging him a little bit tighter.

"Which by the way was such an incredibly stupid You-thing to do! I can't believe you broke into Malfoy Manor when it was crawling with Deatheaters."

She let go of him an just shook her head.

"Yeah well…wasn't my plan." he said with a shrug.

She rolled her eyes.
"But you went along with it."

He just laughed.

Daphne hesitantly shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"I…what I was wondering…are we…I mean you and I…are we okay?"

Harry smiled at her.

"I think we will be more than okay!" he said.

With a sob of relieve she flung herself into his arms again,

"Thank you Harry. For everything."

"It's okay Daphne." He whispered back.

They were both silent for a moment, just holding each other.

Then Harry asked.

"Did you really ask Sirius where I was?"

Daphne laughed and let go of him.

"I actually did. God that was an awkward conversation. I take it you told him everything?"

Harry blushed.

"Yeah, kind of."

"He was asking all these questions like if I was intending to break your heart again and if I felt sorry for what I did and if I had any good reasons to make him trust me."

Harry burrowed his face in his hands.

"Oh Merlin." He muttered.

"In the end, it was Professor Lupin who told me where you were. He silenced Mr. Black with a spell and told me where you were."

"I'm sorry Sirius did that to you." Harry said.

Daphne shrugged. "It was kind of fun until he began asking if I was after your innocence and if I planned on going Black-Widow on you."

Harry groaned again.

"This is getting worse."

"Of course, I answered with Yes." Daphne said seriously.

Harry shook his head. "Do you want him to send me to a monastery for the rest of my life?" he asked.

Daphne laughed merrily. "Professor Lupin wasn't too thrilled either. That was round-about when he intervened."

"Remind me to thank Remus later."

Daphne took his hands.

"Harry, you are me friend. My best friend. And to me you are still even more than that. I don't want to push you for a relationship, cause after everything I too need a bit time and space, but I want you in my life. Do you want me in yours too?"

Harry pulled out of his hands out of her grip and put it over hers.

"Of course I do. Come what may. I'm standing by your side from now on." He said with a smile.

"So will I."

"Great." Harry said and smiled brightly at her.

"Do you want to come out and meet the others?"

Daphne sighed. "I wish I could but Argus is waiting for me outside. I need to get home."

Harry sighed. "Then I guess I'll see you on September 1st?"

"I'll be looking for you." She promised.

"I write you once I know when we'll leave. Then we can meet up." He offered.

"Good idea."

Harry escorted her back to the door.

Outside Argus stood where Daphne had left him.

They hugged for goodbye before Daphne followed by Argus left the Burrow.

Harry watched until they crossed the ward and disapparated.

What a day it was indeed.

47. Fourth Year, here we come

Chapter Forty-Seven: Fourth Year, here we come

"Isaac Greengrass lives – More groundbreaking news keep the wizarding world shaking and its people holding their breaths!"

By George Winterspoon

"After the reveal that Sirius Black is in fact innocent and Peter Pettigrew is the traitor that betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who thirteen years ago, a new revelation has come to light.

Just yesterday the Most Ancient and Nobel House of Greengrass released a statement that will have more than one reader choking on their pumpkin-juice this morning.

Victor Greengrass, Head of House and husband to the late Diana Greengrass, stated in said announcement that Isaac Greengrass is in fact alive.

For those that might not remember, Isaac Greengrass was an informant during the war with You-Know-Who. With his own life at stake many times over he used whatever resources he had to spy on the Dark Lord and his followers.

His work was rewarded several times when raids could be intercepted, stopped or let to the capture of Death-Eaters.

His engagement endeared him to the masses and House Greengrass, while having a rather shady image back then, rose to more prominence, showing that they really were not loyal to the Dark Lord's cause.

But Isaac Greengrasses work costed him his life in the end.

He disappeared from one day to the other, never to be seen again.

He was awarded an Order of Merlin Second class post mortem and celebrated among the many fallen heroes.

Or so everyone thought.

But as it seems, in the most unlikely of coincident, Elijah Greengrass stumbled into the dead thought Greengrass during a vacation in the south-American jungle, when he found himself under attack form no other than said younger brother.

Many will be wondering now why Isaac Greengrass would ever attack his brother and where has he been all this time.

The details are still unclear.

But upon realizing who his attacker was, Elijah Greengrass, in the company of his wife and nephew, apprehended him and returned to England.

After a closer examination, Healers found out that Isaac Greengrass has been held under not just strong compulsion charms but also under one of the Unforgivable, the Imperius-Curse, and several other nasty spells that we will not be list any further, for several years!

His mind wasn't just controlled, it was altered and twisted.

Isaac Greengrass has been brainwashed into someone he wasn't before.

Nobody is willing to say exactly how much he's changed but from what the official statement says, it's not good. Anyone who knows even a little bit about the Unforgivables knows how serious this situation is.

As for the questions who did it, why and such things, well, it's all still unclear.

But the healers are fairly confident that, while the damage done to Mr. Greengrass is extensive, they are hopeful that maybe they can piece his old memories back together and help him regain some of his former self, now that his is back in control of himself.

The DMLE is also on his case, trying to find out who did this and why but an official statement from Madam Bones says, that this is most likely going to be the search for the needle in the haystack, since there are no leads what so ever and Isaac Greengrass is in no condition to give any pointers.

All in all, it's a humongous development and slightly overwhelming.

In their statement the Greengrasses have expressed their profound happiness on the part of Isaac being alive but also their deep grief at what happened to him.

The best Mind-Healers in Europe are being tasked to take care of Isaac Greengrass and help his recovery.

The family asks not to bother any of them with questions since they hardly know anything.

But these questions still remain.

Brought to you by George Winterspoon."

As Harry skimmed through the following articles and comments regarding the newest shocking developments.

The article would never satisfy everyone and it was severely lacking much needed explanations and such but for a made-up story it was okay he guessed. Still, there were already doubts spreading, of that Harry was sure.

But they would deal with that another time.

And really, it could have been worse.

Nobody was shouting bloody murderer, calling for someone to be arrested or anything like that.

Then again it was only day one.

Harry place the newspaper back on the kitchen counter and flipped the egg that was cooking in the pan, trying to think of something happier.

It wasn't hard. One look at the clock and he felt giddiness rise in his chest.

In less than three hours he would be on the Hogwarts Express to his other home.

Hogwarts.

Harry felt as if years had passed since he had returned. So much had happened.

He shook his head.

Strange how time tended to pass.

Sometimes, it would take forever and other moments would be over in seconds.

Usually all he would do in the holidays would count the days until he would get back to the school.

But this summer it had barely been on his mind.

He recalled it halls and hallways, the classrooms, his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower, the Quidditch Pitch, Hagrid's Hut, everything.

He was going back a different person than he was when he had left.

Strange indeed.

"Harry? Are you okay?"

Remus's voice came out of nowhere.

Harry jumped a foot into the air, his hand brushing against the hot frying pan.

A hot sting of pain shot through his palm.

Muttering a curse, he jumped towards the sink, letting water run over the injured hand.

"Harry!" Remus was now next to him, concern obvious.

"Sorry Remus, I didn't hear you come in, you startled me."

"Yeah, I noticed." The werewolf stated dryly, now more relaxed seeing that Harry wasn't mortally wounded.

"I was thinking about Hogwarts." Harry explained shutting the water off.

"Ah yes. It is September 1st after all, who wouldn't be excited?" Remus nodded.

"I used to count the days of the holidays, wishing for September to come around!" Harry said with a grin. "But for the first time I also wouldn't mind staying here with you." He added.

Remus smiled and ruffled through his hair.

"Not happening, you need your education."

"Oh Moony, you are no fun!" called Sirius from the door.

"Padfoot." Harry said with a grin and rushed to hug his godfather.

He didn't know why but since almost dying at Malfoy Manor he felt that he needed Sirius more than ever.

Sirius certainly didn't mind.

"Hey pup. Slept well? Today is your last day of freedom. Tomorrow when classes start it will be officially over!" Sirius said dramatically.

"I slept fine." Harry assured him. "And actually, I can think of worse things that could happen tomorrow."

'Like the whole wizarding world discovering what I've been up to and you hating me.'

Of course he didn't say that.

And truth be told he hadn't slept that well. He had a nightmare but he could barely remember it. Only the lingering feeling of terror was still present and he tried to push it away but it lingered just under his skin and out of reach.

"So, what do we do on this final morning of joy and happiness?" Sirius asked the two of them.

Remus just rolled with his eyes.

"Honestly Sirius. Harry loves Hogwarts and school isn't that bad!" he said, pushing three plates and some cutlery into the other man's hands.

"Now go lay the table while Harry and I finish preparing breakfast."

Sirius pouted but complied.

Harry chuckled and shook his head, flipping the eggs in the pan one last time before putting them on a separate plate while Remus raided the fridge for everything else they would need.

"How about we play a round of Quidditch?" Sirius suggested.

"Sirius, did you look out of the window today?" Remus asked, pointing towards the glass front that let from the living room onto the patio and into the garden.

Outside the sky was grey and a slight drizzle was coming down.

"I've played in worse condition." Harry said.

"Maybe but I will not have you catch a cold right before you are supposed to go to Hogwarts. Besides, it's already nine and we have to leave at ten for the Burrow if we all want to make it in time." Remus said in a no-nonsense voice.

"You just want to suck the joy out of everything." Sirius said with a sigh and stared moodily at his plate.

"It's okay Padfoot. Besides, I still have to do some packing and I need to write Daphne when we'll be at the Platform."

"Yeah, about that" Sirius began ignoring Remus's warning kick under the table "Are you sure you are alright? I mean, I don't know if you should just trust her like that."

"I think Harry can decide that for himself." Remus suggested.

"But what if she wants to break his heart again?" Sirius asked dramatically.

"She didn't…" Harry began but Remus cut him off.

"I very much doubt that. She was very honest when she came by."

"But what if she isn't?"

"Guys" Harry said "I know Daphne better than you. And it's okay!"

Sirius huffed.

"I still don't know if it's such a good idea." He muttered.

"Give it a chance Padfoot." Remus said with a grin. "Besides, you're just jealous that Harry's love-life is more interesting than yours."

"I do not have a love-life and even if I had I wouldn't want to discuss it like this." Harry said vehemently.

"And I am not jealous. Besides, your love-life isn't much better than mine." Sirius said indignantly.

"Whatever you say Padfoot, whatever you say."

.

.

.

The scarlet steam-engine gleamed as beautiful as ever as the party of Weasleys, a Granger, and the Potter-Black-Lupin's made their way past it towards the compartments.

The crowd was already thick and loud and you had to watch your step or you might stumble over broom-sticks and trunks and pets and whatnot.

Sirius was pushing Harrys trunk on a cart while Harry carried his carry-on bag and Hedwig in her cage.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were all in good spirits, talking animatedly about the upcoming year.

Sirius couldn't help but smile at the trio. They were a rather exceptional bunch.

The twins and Ginny had left as soon as they spotted their friends so it was only the three teenagers and him and Remus.

Sirius felt the old familiar ache in his heart, standing here on the platform again after so many years.

He missed Hogwarts.

Back then things had been so much easier and happier.

Well, mostly at least.

With the luggage gone and a compartment secured there were only the farewells left.

Sirius hugged Harry as tightly as he could.

"I'll miss you, kiddo. The house will be so empty and quiet without you." He sighed.

"You could always get a pet. A cat would be nice." Harry said with a wink.

"Ha ha, really funny Harry." Sirius said sarcastically.

"I'll miss you too Padfoot. Don't worry I'll write you and before you know the winter hols will be there and I will be back."

"But I will still be bored." Sirius whined.

"You could always work." Remus suggested.

Sirius pulled a distasteful face.

"Yeah I'm not sure my application form would look great. Finished Hogwarts, one year as an Auror, twelve years in Azkaban….I don't know if these are eth credentials people are looking for when hiring." Sirius muttered.

Harry sighed. "You'll find something to do, I'm sure." He offered.

"You better keep those letters coming." Sirius said mock-threateningly.

Harry laughed.

"And don't get into any trouble." Remus added.

"A little trouble is okay, try not to get caught if you make trouble." Sirius added.

"Padfoot!"

"What? It's the truth Moony, we lived after that rule for years!" Sirius said defensively.

"I'm sure I can find a compromise." Harry said.

The conductors whistle blew over the platform.

"I better hurry." Harry said, giving both men one final hug.

"I'll see you soon!" he promised before hopping on the train.

He stayed at the window until the platform and his family were out of sight.

.

.

.

"hey guys, would you mind if I went out, looking for a few friends?" Harry asked, putting away the left traces of their lunch.

The trolley-witch had just come by and the three of them had enjoyed the cauldron-cakes and pumpkin pastries with great delight.

"Sure Harry, besides I wanted to get back to my reading." Hermione offered with a smile.

"And I need a nap. Need to digest all of this before we get to Hogwarts so I have enough room in there for the amazing feast that will wait for us!" Ron said, patting his slightly bloated stomach.

"Honestly Ronald, that cannot be healthy." Hermione muttered.

"I am a growing boy. Leave me alone woman." Ron said with a grin as he sprawled his long and lanky body across the whole row of seats.

Hermione huffed but didn't say anything.

Harry laughed.

"Alright you two. I'll be back soon. Try not to kill each other."

"Very funny Harry." Hermione said dryly.

He blew her a kiss before stepping out of the door.

The grin stayed on his face as he made his was down the train.

What would he do without his two best friends?

He was so lost in thought that he never saw the hand reaching from him and only returned from his day-dreaming when he was abruptly and not to gently pulled sideways and into the boys bathroom.

He stumbled but quickly regained his footing.

"What the…" he began to say, turning around but he was shoved against the tiled wall of the bathroom.

Looking up he came face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy.

Oh crap.

.

.

Malfoy looked livid but there was something else in his eyes too.

Fear? Confusion?

"What the hell Malfoy?" Harry asked, pushing the blond youth away from him. But since there wasn't much space in the restroom, it didn't do much good.

"I could ask you the same." The Slytherin hissed. "What are you doing Potter?"

"Excuse me, you were the one who dragged me in here!" Harry growled.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! What were you doing in my house?"

Harry rolled his eyes.
"As if you don't know. All your daddy's guest couldn't have been hard to miss!"

"You broke into my house, you attacked my father!" Malfoy said seething.

"Yeah well, you daddy and his Death-Eater buddies had something they weren't supposed to have. So we took it back."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Malfoy hissed.

"Yes, I saved a man's life and foiled your father's plans."

Malfoy surged forward, grabbing the collar of Harry's robes.

They were only inches apart and while Harry as not afraid of Malfoy, he still got an uneasy feeling.

"You…." Began the Malfoy heir but he was interrupted the the door to the restroom sliding open.

Both Harry and Draco turned their heads.

"Oh…" said Ernie MacMillan awkwardly "Ahm…I can come back later?" he muttered.

Harry suppressed a groan.

"No…we're done here." Malfoy said. "Watch your back Potter." He added as he pushed past Ernie and disappeared down the train.

Harry sighed and straightened up.

"Sorry about that." He said to Ernie before disappearing as well but not without the Huffelpuff throwing him some disturbed glances.

Great, now rumors would probably circle around the train of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter hiding out in the boy's toilet. Great.

He made his way down the train, searching for Daphne.

He found Luna first.

She was sitting with Ginny, Collin Creevy and his little brother Dennis, who would be a first year at Hogwarts.

He hugged Luna and Luna cheered when he showed her that he was wearing the cork-necklace underneath his robes.

He found Daphne in the very back of the train.

She was sitting with a few other Slytherins and two Ravenclaw girls, one of them was Parvati Patil's sister, Padma.

One of the Slytherin girls was Millicent Bullstrode and Harry unwillingly had to think back to his second year and Hermione's misshape with Millicent's cat.

He knocked on the door to get the girls attention and opened the door when they looked up.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. But I was wondering if I could burrow Daphne for a few minutes?" He was very well aware of the bewildered looks the other girls gave him.

Daphne had already risen during his short speech and was smiling brightly at him.

She was already dressed in her school-robes and her hair was done in an exquisite knot on the back of her head with a few curled strands framing her face.

"Of course Harry. I was looking for you at the platform but with all the people there…" she said, trailing of as she approached him.

Harry smiled and guided her out of the compartment, closing the door behind her.

"It's fine." He said, leading her a bit back up the train.

Once they were out of sight of spying eyes they hugged tightly.

"It's good to see you Harry." Daphne said.

"It's even better to see you." Harry replied. Then after a short pause he added: "Merlin, that sounded mushy."

Daphne laughed. "Yeah, just a little bit."

"I don't have that much time, I promised Hermione and Ron that I would be back soon but I wanted to see you before we got to Hogwarts."

"I hope you'll introduce me soon?" she asked.

Harry laughed. "Give me time to break it to Ron nice and slowly. I don't think Hermione will be much of an issue though."

"Good."

"And what about your friends?" Harry asked slightly teasingly.

"Give me time to break it to them too."

Harry laughed again and shook his head.

"I feel like we're breaking some ancient law." He confessed with a grin.

"Maybe. But aren't you someone who thinks laws and rules were meant to be broken?" she wondered, elbowing him slightly in the side.

"I think you are mistaking me with someone." Harry said, winking at her.

Daphne laughed merrily. "Yeah, I think not. But good try Potter."

Harry walked her back to her compartment, kissed her hand goodbye, opened the door for her and left with a final wave, knowing very well that the other girls would pound on Daphne the second he was out of sight.

So what if the whole school knew about then by the time they arrived.

As long as no one told Ron before he had a chance to, it would be fine.

.

Ron was asleep when he got back and Hermione had almost finished her book. It was scary how fast she could read. And still remember everything.

"Hey Harry." She said in a low voice.

"Hey Mione." He said with a smile, sitting down next to her. Crookshanks jumped onto his lap, butting his head against Harrys chest.

"Hey buddy." Harry greeted the cat.

For a few minutes Crookshanks purring was the only thing that could be heard as Harry scratched him behind his ears.

"So I heard from Bill that you are now an apprentice for Gringotts, studying under him." Hermione said suddenly, closing her book.

"That sounds highly interesting. How does it work?" she asked.

Harry smiled and shifted his body so he could face her better.

"Well, Gringotts wrote Hogwarts about it and adjusted my curriculum. I don't have divination anymore. I have Arithmancy and Ancient Runes now too. We'll be in the same class for both. And additionally, I get a tutor from Gringotts, who comes by every month to teach me everything I need to know and give me work-assignments to do. During the holidays, I have training at the Academy with other apprentices from different fields and divisions of Gringotts and some basic training that is required for all Curse-Breaker. When I'm done with school I will go in full-time at the Academy until I graduate from there and become a fully-fledged Curse-Breaker like Bill."

"That sounds like a lot of work. Are you sure you will manage?" Hermione asked concerned. "Because let's be honest Harry, you've never shown the best commitment when it comes to school-work."

Harry nodded. "I know but this is different. I want this. More than anything."

Hermione smiled.

She placed on hand over him and said: "That is fantastic Harry. And it sounds wonderful. And I think you can make it work." She assured him.

"Thanks Hermione."

.

.

.

It was raining when they arrived in Hogsmead and boarded the carriages.

Luna and Ginny joined them and together they rode up to the castle.

When it came into view, Harry's breath got caught in his throat and he couldn't help but smile.

Home. He was home again.

48. Hogwarts

Chapter Forty-Eight: Hogwarts

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament. Wow….I mean…I knew something was up but this…this is huge!" Ron gushed as they left the Great Hall with the rest of their school-mates.

The Sorting as well as the feast and the usual announcements that came with the beginning of a new year, had gone by without a hitch.

They had welcomed Mad Eye Moody as their new DADA teacher and then Dumbledore had dropped the bomb on them.

Namely the Tri-Wizard tournament.

Harry wasn't quite sure what he should think of it but it certainly was a surprise.

"People died in this tournament. There is a reason why they stopped doing it." Hermione hissed.

"Relax Hermione, no one says you have to like it." Ron said irritated.

"I think it's a horrible idea." Hermione hissed and folded her arms.

"Well, it doesn't matter because they are still going to do it." Ron shot back.

"Guys, knock it off, will you?" Harry said, sensing the beginnings of a rather big argument coming towards them.

Spotting Daphne's familiar blond hair by the door, Harry got an idea.

"hey guys, I want you to meet someone." He said, taking Hermione's hand and dragging Ron by the sleeve of his robe towards his other friend.

"Daphne!" he called out, letting go of Ron to wave at her when she turned around, searching for the person that had called her.

She smiled. "Harry!" she said enthusiastically.

They hugged and Harry was very well aware of his best friends astonished looks.

Turning back to his oldest friends he said: "Ron, Mione, I would like to introduce you to Daphne Greengrass, heiress to the Most Ancient and Nobel House of Greengrass. Daphne, these are my oldest and best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Daphne extended her hand first to Hermione and said: "It's a pleasure to meet you properly. I've heard so much about you."

Her smile was radiant and genuine.

Hermione shook her hand, a bit surprised judging by her expression but she smiled nonetheless.

"The pleasure is all mine Daphne." She said.

Ron shook Daphne's hand next.

"Hi there." He said, in a typical Ron-fashion. Then looking back at Harry, he asked: "How did you meet?"

"I went to Cambodia as well." Daphne explained. "I am a Healers apprentice for Gringotts and like Harry I have to gain field experience before submitting to the program. To see if the job is for me and if I am suited for it." She added.

"Is that so?" Ron asked.

There was something in his voice that Harry couldn't quite make out.

Was it….resentment? Anger? No. He must have heard it wrong.

"Anyway" he said "since she, Luna and I were the youngest on the trip we stuck together and became good friends."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "I was forced into the relationship. He thinks just because he saved me from drowning I owe him anything." She said in a stage whisper to Hermione.

To Harrys relieve she laughed and replied in a similar fashion: "I know. Same thing with me, only they saved me from a troll."

Harry joined their laughter and even Ron managed a small smile.

Harry decided to talk to him later.

"Well, as fun as this is, I better hurry off before the rest of my house is gone." Daphne said. Nodding at Ron and Hermione she added: "It was nice finally meeting you. I'm sure we'll see more of each other in the future. Have a good night."

Then she turned to Harry and smiled warmly.

"Elijah and father send their greetings. They wish you a pleasant year and Thomas gave me a letter for you. I have it in my trunk right now, I'll give it to you tomorrow, yes?" she asked.

"When you write them be sure to send my regards, yes please? And tomorrow is just fine. Do you know what the letter is about?" he replied.

"No but my guess is, it's an apology. You know…the chess-piece incident?" Daphne muttered.

Unconsciously Harry rubbed the skin above his eye. There was nothing there of course but he remembered Thomas's fury.

"Ah yes, I had almost forgotten to be honest." He replied.

"Well, a lot happened. He still feels bad though." Daphne shrugged. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night Harry."

She gently pecked his cheek.

"Good night Daphne, sleep well."

She nodded one last time at Ron and Hermione, then turned around and followed the last Slytherins still in the hallway towards the dungeons.

Harry himself turned back to his friends.

Seeing their disbelieving faces he asked: "What?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Ahm…Harry…are you and Daphne…you know…a thing?" she asked, a bit awkwardly.

Harrys cheeks heated.

"No" he finally said "I mean…I don't know. We were for like two days and then something happened and then we didn't talk at all and now it's a bit complicated. We're friends, that's for sure. Maybe we can be something more eventually. I don't know."

For some reason Hermione sighed with a dreamily expression on her face. "That's sweet Harry." She said.

"But she is a Slytherin. And a Greengrass. I bet she's pals with Malfoy and his crew." Ron said doubtfully as the three Gryffindors hurried up the stairs towards their own common-room.

"Oh honestly Ronald, she seems nice enough. Just because she is in Slytherin doesn't mean anything, you barely know her. I only know her because we have the same Ancient Runes class. She is very intelligent." Hermione said sternly.

"Besides, you've never met a bigger Malfoy-hater than her, believe me." Added Harry with a smile.

"Really? Why?" Ron asked astonished.

"She was raised on entirely different values." Harry said simply.

"Well, if she hates Malfoy, the I guess she can't be too bad. But she's still a snake."

Harry sighed.

Small steps, he told himself.

.

Being back in Gryffindor Tower was the best thing ever.

Happily Harry greeted his housemates.

Everybody was in high spirits.

Many asked him about Sirius but none of them were hostile or anything.

Finally he managed to slip into his four-poster bed and while staring out of the window he felt ready for whatever this year might throw at him.

.

.

.

.

Harry and his dormmates were almost late the next day for breakfast.

They had gotten up in time but then had proceeded to talk about their holidays and had forgotten the time.

Now all five of them collapsed breathlessly at Gryffindor table.

Hermione just raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

For now.

"Good thing they didn't eat all eth good stuff yet." Said Ron relieved.

"Amen brother." Muttered Seamus, filling his plate with scrambled eggs and beans and beacon as Neville passed the tea-pot around, filling everyone's cups.

"Thanks mate." Harry mumbled, inhaling the deep and rich aroma of the tea.

"Sirius and Remus are such coffee-freaks, it's unbelievable how little tea there is in the house and how bad it is! Tea is amazing!" he said while shaking his head.

"I know, right? I started a while section in my Greenhouse just for normal herbs and tea! Gran really appreciates it I think." Neville agreed.

"I wish they'd serve coffee here! I'd be so much more capable." Dean sighed longingly.

Both Neville and Harry pretended to gag.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to intrude." Said Daphne's familiar voice behind Harry.

He turned around and swiftly got up.

"Good morning Daphne." He beamed, as they leaned in to exchanged a small peck on the cheek.

"Good morning. I just wanted to give you the letter I told you about yesterday." She said, holding out a parchment envelope.

"Thanks." Harry said with a grin.

"Well, I got to get back. Professor Snape is handing out the timetables. I'll see you in class." She said with a quick glance over her shoulder towards her house table.

"Alright. See you later." Harry agreed and Daphne left.

Harry sat back down and when he saw his dorm-mates surprised faces he said simply: "We met over the holidays and became friends."

He wanted to read the letter now but just then Professor McGonagall reached them, their own timetables in hand.

"Ah, yes, my fourth-year lions." She said with a small smile.

"Good morning Professor." Said Neville politely.

"Good Morning Longbottom." She returned the greeting.

"Morning ma'am. How was your summer?" Seamus added.

"Enjoyable Finnegan." She said curtly as she handed him his timetable.

Then she turned to Harry.

"I was surprised to see the changes in your elective choices but I am pleased nonetheless. Professors Vector and Babbling give you a month to adjust before starting to grade your performance. Professors Trelawney and Hagrid were informed of your study-changes as well."

"I didn't know I had to drop Care of Magical Creatures." Harry said.

"Well, it's at the same time as Ancient Runes. It's one or the other Potter."

Harry shook his head. "No Professor, it's fine, thank you."

McGonagall nodded and then moved on.

"You changed your electives?" Dean asked.

Harry nodded. "I'm an apprentice at Gringotts now, learning to be a Curse-Breaker. I have to take these electives."

"Can you just switch subjects like that? I mean, you are missing an entire year worth of studying." Neville said with a frown.

"No, I was taught a lot over the summer by my new master and some of his colleagues." Harry explained lightly.

"Well at least Trelawney won't bug you with her death-visions anymore." Seamus grinned.
"Yes, one of the bright sides!" Harry agreed. "But I would have liked to keep Care of Magical Creatures. That was always fun." He then added with a sigh.

"I'm sure Hagrid won't mind." Hermione reassured him. "And we really should get going and get our books! It's almost eight thirty! Classes start at nine!"

"Calm down Mione, there's still enough time to get back to the tower, pack our bags and be in time for…" Harry consulted his timetable "Charms. Flitwick's classroom is rather close to the tower anyway."

Hermione sighed but sat back down, waiting for her friends to finish their breakfast.

.

The first day back went rather smoothly.

Harry handed in all his summer-assignments with a good feeling for the first time since this summer he actually had enough time and resources to do them properly.

Also, Professor Vector complimented his understanding of the properties of magical numbers and spells, which came as a relieve since Harry had feared he might struggle to catch up with the others.

Now he saw the only real advantage the others had was that they knew how Vector taught classes and what she wanted to see in her essays and exams.

Ancient Runes was a different matter though.

Harry knew that he had problems with the subject but as Babbling began her start-of-the-term lecture Harry knew that he could probably manage the subject and workload but it wouldn't be as easy as Arithmancy.

By the time lunch rolled around Harry was already exhausted.

Luckily it was only Herbology in the afternoon.

But Harry was already suspicious when Professor Sprout made them wait in front of the Greenhous, which was suspiciously black from the outside.

"Neville, do you know what's going on here?" he asked.

"Some plants are sensitive to light so I guess that's why Professor Sprout blackened the glass of the Greenhouse. Maybe that's our next unit. Plants of the night."

"Yeah maybe."

Right then Professor Sprout came back and let them into the Greenhouse.

Harrys eyes needed a few seconds to adjust to the gloomy inside.

It was humid and hot inside.

"Good afternoon dear fourth-years, nice to see you again!" the round woman said happily.

"Afternoon." Greeted the class consisting of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws back.

"Our first section will be about Shadow-plants, plants that are sensitive to light of all kind. So we'll be working in the dark for a bit." She explained.

"Does anyone know any light-sensitive plants? Your summer-readings and assignments mentioned a few. Yes, Mr. Longbottom?"

"Well, there is the Mysterious-Finger-Leave-Bog-root. It's not as sensitive to light as other plants but if she's exposed to too much light she can change her magical properties from healing ingredients to poison." Neville said confidently.

"That is correct Mr. Longbottom, five points to Gryffindor." Professor Sprout said.

Two Ravenclaws said another plant respectively before Harry raised his hand.

His gaze had drifted through the Greenhouse and he had spotted a familiar plant.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. You know another plant?" the Hufflepuff-head-of-house asked.

"The Devil Snare is another very light sensitive plant ma'am. Especially sunlight. It's a rather aggressive plant."

"That is correct Potter, five more points to Gryffindor."

Next to him Ron was shivering and Harry whispered silently: "Are you a witch or what?"

Hermione started giggling and Ron soon followed suit and within seconds all three Gryffindors were laughing loudly.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, what is so funny about Devil Snares?" their Professor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing Professor." Ron manages.

"Good thing we didn't panic." Harry said in a slightly pitched voice.

Ron blushed and Hermione snorted.

"Good thing Hermione pays attention inn class." She replied back in a slightly deeper voice.

She and Harry high-fived each other.

"Yeah sure, pick on the ginger, really original. I saved us too, you know? I told Hermione to use her wand while she was screaming that there was no wood!" he said.

"What are you talking about?" Padma Patil asked.

"The three Gryffindors here already encountered a Devils Snare." Professor Sprout explained with a knowing look.

"And lived to tell the tale." Ron said importantly.

"Then I am sure you are eager to demonstrate how to handle seedlings, right Mr. Weasley?"

Ron paled. "Ahm….no Professor, I'm happy where I am." He said.

"That's what I thought. Now everyone, gather around eth workbenches and form groups of four. And try to make it Ravenclaw/Gryffindor."

A slight murmur broke out as the teenagers split up.

"Oh and ten points each from the threesome over there." The professor added, pointing at Hermione, Harry and Ron.

"What for?" spluttered Hermione.

"For destroying a perfectly good Devils Snare. It took twenty years to grow it to that size!" Professor Sprout said indignantly.

"It was live-or-death!" Harry protested.

But Professor Sprout ignored them.

.

After Herbology they returned to the Tower for some showers and fresh clothes.

Afterwards Harry sat down on his bed to read the letter from Thomas Daphne had delivered for him.

"Dear Harry,

I know that when we parted it wasn't on the best of terms. I hope you understand my reasons, now that you know the truth.

Nonetheless I still have to apologize since what I said was harsh and unjustified.

Also I want to thank you for what you did.

You saved the life of another family-member of mine.

That is a debt I will never be able to repay.

Thank you, Harry.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for bringing my brother back.

I don't know how much Daphne has told you, but Isaac is making progress every day and while it isn't much, it is something.

I hope you know that I don't stand between you and Daphne.

I never have. I like you. And she likes you. I hope your friendship will remain and grow strong again.

If you ever need anything, know that you can always count on me.

And not just me. House Greengrass stands with you from today until the end of time.

Greetings,

Your friend Thomas R. Greengrass."

"You alright mate?"

Harry looked up from the black ink to see Ron coming from the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry with a towel.

"Yeah, everything's great." Harry replied, a smile on his face.

He put the letter in the letter-box on his nightstand.

49. Just your normal Hogwarts-day

AN: I know, but of a gap-filler too but I couldn't just jump towards the next big adventure! Also a bit of bonding and friends making is never wrong.

Next Chapter will be more interesting and plot related and then we get to the actual topic of the fourth year. The Tri-Wizard Tournament! So be patient just a little bit longer and we'll get to the really interesting bits!

As always thank you so much for reviewing, every one of you!

I know there are plot-holes, one or two inconsistencies within the story and grammar mistakes and stuff like that. But thank you for still being here!

Love KC

.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Just your normal Hogwarts-day

Harry wasn't exactly in a good mood after his first DADA class Friday afternoon.

Three days at Hogwarts and already the first downer.

That had to be a record.

Next to him Neville was just as silent, his gaze vacant.

"Hey Nev, how about we head to the kitchens and ask if we can get some tea?" he asked, putting a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"You know where the kitchens are?" Neville asked confused.

"Sirius told me." Harry confirmed. "Come on."

Sirius had told him, that house-elves worked in the kitchens and pretty much everywhere else in Hogwarts.

Still it was a small surprise to see so many bat-ear creatures with big eyes, dressed in simply linen-cloth bustling around the kitchen.

It was an even bigger surprise to see Dobby among them.

After reuniting with Dobby (which was always something) Harry introduced him to Neville.

Neville brightened considerably just because of Dobby's nature.

Dobby brought them tea, scones with marmalade and so they settled at a small table, watching the elves prepare everything for dinner.

"Are you okay Neville?" Harry asked after they both had finished their first cup.

"You don't have to talk about it. I know a little bit as it is. It's just…I get you. And…I'm here for you. I know we barely talked the past years but…you are brave and a good person."

"Thanks Harry." Neville muttered.

"And that's Moody for you. I don't know him that well but he's not what you would call tactful or considerate."

Neville snorted slightly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Come on, we still have Transfiguration. McGonagall will have our heads if we're late." Harry said after checking the huge clock in the kitchen.

Neville nodded.

They thanked Dobby and the other house-elves before hurrying back through the castle.

They reached the classroom just as McGonagall rounded the corner of the hallway, striding towards them.

As they slipped into their seats, ignoring Hermione's angry and Ron's questioning glances, Neville whispered: "I'm there for you too Harry."

"Thanks mate." Harry whispered back.

.

"Mr. Potter, please stay behind." McGonagall said as the bell rang.

As his friends and year mates quickly exited the classroom, hoping to enjoy the last rays of warm sunshine before the winter came.

Harry approached his teachers desk.

"Yes Professor?" he asked hesitantly.

"Professor Dumbledore wanted me to inform you, that you tutor from Gringotts will meet you tomorrow evening for the first time. I have volunteered for you to use this classroom while you work."

"Thanks Professor, that's very kind." Harry said, slightly surprised.

"It is nothing Potter. Your tutor will be here at eight. I suggest you are hear earlier with all your stuff ready."

"Yes ma'am."

"That is all Potter. Enjoy your afternoon."

"Thanks, you too Professor. And thank you again for the room."

McGonagall nodded and Harry left.

Outside Ron, Hermione and Neville were waiting for him.

"What did she want?" Ron asked.

"Only told me my tutor would meet me tomorrow in her classroom." Harry explained.

Rummaging through his bag he frowned.

"Shoot, where is my inkwell?" he muttered.

"I think you left it in the kitchen." Neville said.

"You were in the kitchen?" Ron asked interested.

"Sure, Dobby was there, I'm sure he'd like to see you again!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Dobby works in the kitchens?" she asked.

"Yes." Harry replied.

.

Saturday after dinner Harry grabbed his bag and left the Great Hall earlier than usual and hurried to the Transfiguration classroom.

The door was open and Harry quickly took a seat and spread out the things he might be needing the hurried back to the door and waited outside.

At exactly eight o'clock Professor Dumbledore, accompanied by a Goblin, rounded the corner.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, excellent, you are already here. Then I will leave you to it." The Headmaster said, turned around and left.

Harry was a little bit stunned.

This was the first time since the Burrow that Harry had properly seen Dumbledore.

There were all of a sudden so many things he wanted to talk about.

But Dumbledore had already turned around and left.

So Harry quickly turned his attention to the Goblin.

He was about as tall as his fellow specimen. His face was very thin and gaunt, his eyes lay deep inside their sockets and they were, much like his hair, of a glowing silvery colour.

He was dressed in a short-sleeved tunic over Goblin-chainmail, held tightly together by a belt around his middle. Matching normal pants and heavy boots made up the rest.

Harry stood up straight, balled his right hand to a fist and placed it over his heart and dipped his head in a bow.

"Good evening Master Curse-Breaker." He said respectfully, having spotted the Master-insignia on the Goblins chest.

"Good evening Novice Potter. My name is Argentum. I will be your teacher for the foreseeable future, here at Hogwarts as well as outside her walls." The Goblin introduced himself before entering the classroom swiftly.

Harry followed, closing the door behind him.

Argentum saw where Harry had put up his supplies and with a wave of his hand one of the table rose into the air and settle down in front of his own table so that they would sit opposite of each other.

"Well Potter, as I said, as your teacher I will be in charge of your education mostly. Master Weasley is your teacher for some of the practical applications, while I am here for the theory of the subject as well as everything that is connected to your apprenticeship with Gringotts and your involvement with my kind and yours. Any questions so far?"

Harry shook his head. "No." he replied.

"Alright. You can call me Argentum since we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the years. While I will teach you formalities and manners and what not, I do not care for them myself very much. I show respect to my elders and betters but in our line of business formalities are rarely useful."

The Goblin gave him a toothy smile.

Harry smiled back. "Alright them." He replied.

"I will meet you once every four weeks more or less for three hour long sessions to teach you what you need to know. The assignments I give will have to be completed by the time the next session rolls around. Of course you can always contact me if you have questions or problems. During the holidays when you come to visit the Academy you will be placed together with other novices and learn together and participate in group-work-assignments."

Harry nodded. That he'd already known more or less.

"Good. Now, Raknok gave me a little overview over your skills, as did you Headmaster. Our first lesson will be on Runes, since that is what gives you the most problems."

The Goblin pulled a roll of parchment from nowhere and spread it on the table.

"Now, the key to learning runes and understand their meanings and how they are integrated into spell work is fairly simple…"

.

It was late when Harry slipped under the covers of his bed but Ron was still up.

"How was it?" he asked.

Harry thought about that for a second.

"It was…amazing." He finally said.

"You are bonkers." Ron said firmly but not without a smile. "Be careful or you'll be turning into Hermione 2.0!"

Harry laughed. "Not sure I'd ever be able to pull that off, no matter how hard I try. She's Hermione. The brightest witch of her age."

"Yeah" Agreed Ron "She's something, our Hermione."

.

.

"Potter, what is this?"

Harry looked up from the cauldron he was cleaning.

He had already stashed his knives and other utensils back in their place and was almost done cleaning his workspace.

But now Professor Snape stood before him, bat-like as always and, also just like always, a scowl on his face.

He was holding the vial Harry had just brought to his desk in his hand.

"It's the potion you asked us to make Sir." He said evenly.

"I am very well aware of what it is Potter, ten points for your cheek. I want to know where yours is!"

"Sir, that is mine. It has my name on it."

"Potter, don't play dumb, you are hopeless in Potions, very much like your father. From whom did you take this? Ms. Granger perhaps?" Snape growled.

"I took it from nobody Sir. I had a bit of tutoring over the summer and a friend helped me out with potions. He taught me a thing or two about the magical properties of ingredients and how some work better together and some worse and how some cancel each other out."

"It's true Sir, he took a few lessons from Rashid. I was there." Daphne spoke up.

Almost the whole class had fallen silent, watching the exchange.

Malfoy had a gleeful smile on his face but it slowly turned into a scowl when Daphne spoke up.

"Is that so Ms. Greengrass?" Snape asked in a low voice.

She met his gaze unafraid and nodded.

"Harry and I spent some time together over the summer and I introduced him to Rashid. We both helped him out every now and then."

Snape turned back to Harry.

"Well, if that is the case Mr. Potter then you should know that I will hold you up to the standard of this potion from now on and grade your performance accordingly."

Harry nodded calmly but inside he was screaming. Rashid had shown him this particular potion in Cambodia, it was the only reason it had turned out so good.

Sure, Rashid had actually taught him stuff but not that much that it had turned Harry into a potions-miracle over night! He still sucked at Potions!

But he didn't let Snape see that and instead continued to clean his workspace.

A few minutes later Gryffindors and Slytherins filed out of the dungeons, burdened with even more homework, and headed towards the Great Hall.

"I see the Blood-Traitor is now defending half-bloods. Pathetic." Malfoy sneered loudly and Pansy Parkinson shoved Daphne as she walked past her. Daphne stumbled but kept her balance. She looked murderous.

"Shut your mouth Malfoy." Harry replied before she could let loose a hex.

"Oh look, looks like the half-wit is standing up for your honour." Malfoy jeered.

"Disgusting, really." Sneered Pansy.

"The only disgusting thing I see is the pimple on your nose Parkinson!" Daphne said icily.

Parkinson glared at her but did go cross-eyed to look at her nose.

"But I guess it was to be expected. After all, with your Uncle being a known Deatheater and all, your family will need all the good publicity they can get. So why not play friendly with half-bloods and mud-bloods." Malfoy continued airily.

"Say that work again Malfoy and I will hex you into the next week." Ron growled.

"And here I thought you couldn't sink any lower Greengrass. But a Weasley, really?"

"My uncle is no Deatheater. Something you cannot say about your relatives, I am sure." Daphne growled back, stepping forward.

Knowing how quickly Daphne could draw her wand, combined with her medical expertise as to where spell would hurt the most, Harry knew he had to do something.

So he grabbed Daphne's arm and pulled her into his group of Gryffindor-friends.

He saw Hermione smile warmly and reassuringly at the blond.

But Harry was more concerned for another blonde.

Malfoy had already drawn his wand.

"My father will hear about this." He vowed.

"Put your wand away boy before you hurt yourself with it." Cam a gruff voice from the groups right.

Mad-Eye Moody limped towards them, his magical blue eyes whizzing around in its clamp.

His walking stick tapped on the ground with his steps and his breath came in slight wheezes but with his scarred face he was still very intimidating.

Malfoy lowered his wand but the sneer never left his face.

"Whatever."

And then he left with his entourage.

"Stupid ferret." Daphne hissed.

"Everything alright Potter?" Moody asked, the magical eye fixed on him while he surveyed the other with his normal one.

"Yes Professor, thanks." Harry said evenly.

"Good. Now off to lunch with you all."

They nodded and hurried off.

"Thanks Harry but I don't need you fighting my battles." Daphne said as soon as they were around the next corner.

By then it was only them plus Hermione, Ron and Neville.

"I wasn't fighting your battle. I'd never do that. Malfoy just annoyed me and it's too early in the year for any of us to get into detention for duelling in the corridors." Harry said simply.

"Not that early." Ron muttered darkly.

"Why didn't you tell them they were giving you trouble?" Harry asked Daphne.

"They're not. Malfoy's really the only one. Sure, others know too and don't like it but they don't outright attack me because of it. And I told you, I can handle it on my own." She said grimly.

"I do. But you know how good we work as a team. Malfoy wouldn't stand a chance."

"You and I both know that right now we'd better not antagonize Malfoy. No matter which one." Daphne hissed, so low that only he could hear it.

"Well he can't get away with it. Can't you talk to Snape about it?"

"He's Draco's godfather. I'd doubt it'd do much good!" she muttered.

"He's what?" Harry asked.

"Later" Daphne muttered "Meet me in the library after lunch?" she added as they came up on the Great Hall.

"Sure."

"Good."

.

.

Four weeks into the new school year, the library was only visited by the OWL and NEWT students. And Hermione.

Daphne was sitting in the back at one of the smaller two-people-tables right next to one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the Black Lake and the mountains beyond.

There were a couple of books staged on the windowsill and next to her chair when Harry arrived.

"Hey you." He greeted as he put his bag down next to the chair opposite of her.

"Hey you too." She greeted back, closing the book she'd been reading in.

"Homework or is it for Rashid?" he asked with a nod at the book.

"Homework. Charms." She replied. "You?" she asked with a look at the parchment he had put on the table.

"For Argentum. Runes." He pulled a face. Then he asked: "Didn't you have this small comprehensive collection of all the important runes that you used to teach me the basics of Runes?" he asked.

"Sure. I think there is one here too. But it doesn't go very far into depth. If you need more details than just their function, you will need a more specific book." She said.

"Naw, I just have to identify them, name their primary function and origin. And then I have to remember them." He explained.

Daphne nodded. "Tell me if you need any help."

"If you could read over my essay for Babbling, it would help a lot."

"Sure."

They worked in silence for a long time.

Finally Harry asked as he finished another line of runes: "How are you really?"

He kept his voice low, even if they were in a secluded spot, but you might never know who was eavesdropping.

"Glad to be here." She said honestly. "It's been a bit chaotic at home. So much had to be rolled up and done anew and so many people keep coming over, asking questions and snooping around. Madam Bones does what she can to keep the investigation as tight as possible but you know the press."

"And your father? How's he taking it?"

"Well, he has to clean up a lot of the messes he was forced to make because of Malfoy but it keeps him occupied. It's Elijah I am worried about. My aunt says he spends almost every waking hour at St. Mungo's. He wants Isaac so badly to get better. I mean we all do but…even if we're optimistic Harry, he will never be the man my uncle once knew. Thomas isn't much better. He's been keeping busy with work but…" she shook her head "My whole family is trying to settle down from this affair. Many don't know how deep it all went. It will be some time before we're all okay again."

Harry nodded.

"I saw your sister at the Sorting. You must be very proud." He said lightly, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, Tori was very excited and she's adjusting well. It's a good thing she's not home right now. But I'm worried about Jess."

"Your other sister, right?" Harry asked, remembering what she had once told him about her family.

Daphne nodded. "Johnathan is taking care of her mostly." She said.

"Your brother" Harry remembered "And Alan? How's he?"

"Well, he has his NEWTs to worry about so I guess he's doing okay." Daphne said.

"And you?"

"I told you, I am fine. Malfoy is a nuisance but that can't be helped. And Parkinson is the only one in my dorm giving me any sort of trouble. Davis and Bullstrode couldn't care less about my doings and I doubt anyone else really cares aside from Malfoys cronies."

Harry nodded, relieved that it wasn't too bad apparently.

"Have you heard from Fleur recently? I wrote her a few letters but she seems to be busy, her replies were always rather vague and short."

"Same here." Daphne said while sharpening her quill. "But I'm sure it's nothing. She's in her final year after all as well and probably has her work cut out for her as it is."

Harry nodded.

"So, how's Rashid?"

"Still slightly miffed about the fact that my dad cancelled my apprenticeship at first but with everything sorted out now I'm back."

"He was really confused. He asked bill if he knew anything and Bill told me. I knew it was because of Malfoy most likely but if everything's working out right now, the I guess it's fine, right?"

She smiled. "It better than just fine."

"Glad to hear it."

They continued working.

Harry was surprised that he was almost done with most of his homework by the time they left the library.

Daphne had even managed to read his essay and given him a few tips on how to improve it.

.

Back in the Common Room he found Ron playing chess with Dean.

Ron was grinning smugly and Dean's brow was furrow in concentration and frustration.

Hermione was sitting in an armchair nearby.

Harry flopped down on the armrest of Deans armchair.

"Hey mate, what have you been up to?" the dark-skinned boy asked.

"Library with Daphne. And you?"

"Losing to Weasley of course. I don't know how he manages to rope us into games again and again when all we do is lose!"

"Well he is the Hogwarts chess-Champion!" Harry replied.

He leaned forward, moving the knight and thus sacking one of Ron's bishops.

"There."

Dean grinned. "Thanks mate."

Ron scowled. "Since when are you better at chess than Dean? You are hopeless!"

"You'd be surprised how much free time we had on our trip. Daphne and I played a thousand games, or so it felt at the time."

"I bet she isn't as good as me." Ron said.

"Well to be better than Harry isn't a challenge." Dean snorted.

Harry boxed him playfully in the shoulder. "I just saved your ass man! Bit more gratitude." He said mock-offended.

"Sure Harry, sure."

Ron had Dean in check-mate in under two minutes and the pieces walked back into their box.

"Hey guys, I know they cancelled Quidditch because of the Tournament but I'm sure fi we asked madam Hooch we could still go out on the pitch and fly for a bit. Anyone interested?" Harry asked, seeing that it was still early in the evening and not yet dark.

Ron's face brightened. "Sure mate! I'm sure Fred and George are itching to slap a few Bludgers around."

"Alright, let's go ask them!" Harry said, jumping to his feet.

.

In the end the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team plus Ron and Dean and a guy named Cormac McLaggen, who was on the Reserve-team, and the Hufflepuff-seeker Cedric Diggory and three Ravenclaw chasers, had a little Quidditch match among each other on the Quidditch Pitch while Madam Hooch sat in the stands and read Quidditch-Weekly, while occasionally looking up to make sure no one had died yet.

Harry let everyone have a go on his Firebolt at least once and it was great fun just flying around for the heck of it, dodging the occasional Bludger and scoring point after point.

There was a lot of groaning when Madam Hooch commanded them down it was getting darker and darker by the minute.

Talking cheerfully the big group wandered back to the castle.

Harry was so exhausted, he fell asleep almost immediately.

.

He woke with the sunrise, heart beating in his chest and a sick feeling in his stomach.

50. Understanding Why

Chapter Fifty: Understanding why

"Snape is such a git."

"I thought we had established that four years ago."

Harry threw Ron dirty looked but the red-head seemed unfazed.

Hermione sighed and closed her book.

"What have you done now?" she asked Harry.

"Not what I have done, what Snape did." Harry grumbled.

"What did Professor Snape do?" she asked again, patiently.

"I got detention for laughing." Harry said.

Ron looked confused but Hermione just raised an eyebrow.

"What did you laugh about?" she asked.

Harry grinned.

"Parkinson fell down the stairs." He said.

Ron laughed loudly but Hermione frowned again.

"You didn't push her, did you?" she asked disapprovingly.

"Of course, not. Peeves stole oil from the kitchen and spread it all over the fourth floor. Anyone could have fallen. Parkinson was just at the right place at the right time."

"Then why did you get into trouble?"

"I don't know. Lots of people laughed but I was the only one trying to high-five Peeves. Guess Snape thought I had told him to do so. Which is stupid because nobody tells Peeves what to do!"

"Only you Harry." Hermione said slightly exasperated.

.

When Harry walked out of detention later that night his hands hurt from all the scrubbing Snape had had him do.

"Stupid oily git." He muttered as he left the dungeons. "I bet he lets those potions burn on purpose just so he can make us clean them."

Silently cursing he hurried through the silent castle.

"Mr. Potter!"

Harry jumped, one hand pressed over his heart.

"Professor! You scared me to death!" he said, turning around to face Professor McGonagall, who had appeared behind him on the stairs.

"I think you'll live Potter." She said dryly.

"That's debatable." Harry muttered.

Seeing her stern expression, he quickly added: "And in case you're wondering why I'm not in my dormitory, I had dentition with Snape and just got released. I'm sure he'll deny it if you ask him, just so I get another detention but it is true!"

Was that the hint of a smile in his teachers face?

"Rest assured Mr. Potter, you are not in trouble."

"Good, because I didn't do anything."

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Now that is debatable Potter. Anyhow, the Headmaster sends me. He'd like to speak with you."

"Right now?" Harry asked confused.

"Yes Mr. Potter, right now. I'm here to fetch you. Now, if you'd follow me Potter." She said, turning around and heading down the stairs.

Harry had no choice but to follow his Head of House.

.

As they ascended the stairs to the Headmasters office, Harry felt McGonagall's gaze on him.

Awkwardly he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Is everything alright Professor?" he asked.

"Everything is perfectly fine Potter. It's just that you have changed a lot over the summer. It's a pleasant surprise."

Harry blushed slightly. It was weird hearing your teacher talk about you like that.

"Ahm…thanks Ma'am. I just had an enjoyable time, that's all."

"Yes, I bet." McGonagall said dryly.

They reached the door to the Headmasters office.

McGonagall knocked sharply on it.

"Come in Minerva." Harry heard Dumbledore call out.

McGonagall pushed open the heavy door and Harry entered the familiar study of the Headmaster.

It was like he remembered.

Bookshelves lined the walls everywhere, the portraits of all the previous Headmasters hung above them, Dumbledore's heavy desk, laden with silver instruments and the man in question in the throne-like chair behind it. Everything was the same.

Fawkes sat on his usual perch.

He started to sing happily when he spotted Harry and rose into the air.

He circled above Harrys head three times, sending golden sparks down onto him.

Harry grinned.

"Hey Fawkes. Nice to see you too buddy." He greeted the phoenix.

A deep chuckle drew his attention back to Dumbledore.

The man looked like he hadn't changed at all.

Which he probably hadn't.

He was dressed in another outlandish robe, this one deep magenta in colour with actually moving and twirling galaxies and planets on it.

It was mesmerizing to watch but also weird.

"Good evening Harry." Dumbledore said.

"Good evening Professor." Harry replied respectfully.

Dumbledore looked up, past Harry.

"Thank you, Minerva, I've got it from here on. You can retire to your quarters if you'd like. I will make sure Mr. Potter will be in bed soon enough for tomorrows classes."

The Transfiguration professor nodded.

"Good Night Professor McGonagall." Harry said politely.

She gave him a small smile.

"Good night Potter, good night Sir." Then she left.

"Please Harry, have a seat. Would you care for a cup of tea?" Dumbledore asked, pointing at the fine china-set that stood on a small table next to the desk.

Hesitantly Harry sat down in one of the chairs.

"No thanks Sir, I am full from dinner."

"Ah, yes, I'd imagine. It was very good, as usual."

Harry nodded.

"I won't keep you long Harry my boy, I simply wanted to hear how your summer was." Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair.

Harry glanced up sharply.

"With all due respect sir, I find it hard to believe that you didn't hear what happened already." He said.

Dumbledore waved with hand. "Oh no my dear boy, I am not talking about your little adventure. How is Sirius? Are you all settling in nicely?"

Harry nodded, still slightly wary. "Sirius is great. The house is amazing and we had a wonderful summer together." He said slowly.

Dumbledore hummed. "That's nice. That's very nice. Well, I am very happy for the two of you."

A little awkward Harry nodded. "Thank you sir." He added.

"And Sirius is settling in just fine?"

"Yeah! I mean, as far as I can tell." Harry muttered.

It was strange discussing Sirius and his new home-life with Dumbledore like this.

"I'm just asking because I heard he grounded you towards the end of the summer. I just want to make sure everything was going alright."

Harry shrugged but inside he got an uneasy feeling.

"I snuck out when I shouldn't have. Sirius was right to do it." He said, somewhat lamely.

Dumbledore hummed again in agreement.

"Yes, I'd imagine." He finally said.

"And did you enjoy the World Cup?" he added.

Harry looked at him pointedly.

"Until the madmen attacked I did." He said dryly.

"Yes, I agree." Dumbledore muttered, still looking at Harry over the top of his half-moon-glasses.

There was a short amount of silence.

"How is Mr. Greengrass by the way?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.

Harry froze in his seat.

"I don't know what you mean sir." He said, a little too quickly.

"No need to lie Harry, I already know about your little visit to the Malfoy estate. How is Isaac? I knew the dear boy before he disappeared."

Harry hesitated.

Had Victor or Elijah told Dumbledore? But they would have told him if they had told the Headmaster.

So instead of answering the man's question he asked: "How did you know?"

Dumbledore sighed. "There is little that happens in our world that I do not know of. Especially when it concerns Deatheaters."

Harry frowned. That didn't sound comforting.

"If you knew about Isaac and the manor, then you know about Malfoy and about the attack on the World Cup!" he said, suddenly realizing what Dumbledore meant.

"You could have stopped it!" he said accusingly.

"So could you have." The headmaster pointed out.

"That was different. You are Albus Dumbledore, defeater of one Dark Lord and feared by another, you are the most powerful Wizard since Merlin and the Head of the ICW and the Supreme-Mugwump and who knows what else! If someone could have done it, it's you!" Harry said indignantly.

"I am flattered you think so highly of me. But you are also the defeater of a Dark Lord and the boy who lived. Harry, we both know people don't always want to hear the truth. I doubt they would have listened to me."

"Yeah but I'm also just a kid. People don't listen to me, period." Harry pointed out.

Dumbledore shrugged.

"Elijah and Victor Greengrass certainly did." He said pointedly. "They believed you had seen their brother in Cambodia and had been able to identify him, even if it could have been someone else. And they trusted you in this delicate situation not to tell anyone and they relied on you when you all went on your little mission."

"Well, I was really sure it was him, after all I had the picture form this wedding and I…" Harry began but then stopped when he realized what Dumbledore had said.

"Wait a second…how did you know I saw Isaac in Cambodia?"

When Dumbledore didn't answer, Harry kept asking.

"Who told you this? The only one I told this was Raknok and then Victor and Elijah." Harry wondered suspiciously.

"But Raknok wouldn't tell you, the Goblins are not releasing the details of this mission just yet and I doubt they'll mention any disturbance at all. And I doubt Victor or Elijah told you, because they would have told me that they had told you, if they had. Which I doubt they did." Harry stammered, slightly confused.

Dumbledore sighed. "I've only heard rumours until recently." He said vaguely but Harry didn't believe him.

"It doesn't explain how you knew Isaac was in Cambodia. That's too good a guess. And if you knew about him, then you know about the other Deatheaters that were in Cambodia with him."

A thought crossed Harrys mind.

"How long have you know he was live? You must have known! And if you did, how did you know they were in Cambodia? Who told you about that?" he asked accusingly.

"Harry…" the man began.

"It's a simple question sir." Harry interrupted him. "I find it hard to believe that you just found out. You knew he was alive and was held captive by the Deatheaters."

Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair, putting his elbows onto the top if this desk, his chin resting on the tips of his fingers.

"I have known for a little longer than eighteen months I think." He admitted.

Harry growled. "You could have done something. You could have told the Greengrasses! It would have saved us all a lot of trouble and might have helped us."

"It is not that simple Harry. My source had just found out about him and I wanted to act but then Isaac was taken away to other unknown location. He was beyond my reach. And only later after that did my source find out about an impending mission to Cambodia to retrieve a powerful weapon. Then a few weeks ago he told me that it had failed rather spectacularly. Pairing that with Issacs sudden return shortly after I put two and two together and when my spy told me that you were involved in his rescue later on, I felt confirmed."

Harry held up his hands.

"Alright, maybe, but…" he said before stopping, processing what Dumbledore had said "Wait, you say you have a spy inside the Deatheaters ranks right now?" he asked in disbelieve.

"Yes." Dumbledore admitted.

Harry thought for a second.

"And he told you they were going to Cambodia for a mission and that Isaac was part of the team?" he asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore confirmed.

"I know they were there long before us. But that would mean you knew we were walking into a trap!" he growled in a low voice.

"You did, didn't you?" he asked, not waiting for an answer.

"You knew the Deatheaters were after the same thing we were! Your spy told you about their mission after all!"

He could see it in Dumbledore's eyes that he was right.

"Then why would you sent me there? And why wouldn't you warn anyone?" Harry asked angry and disappointed at the same time.

"I couldn't say anything because I would have put my spy's security at risk if I had warned anyone of their presence there." Dumbledore said steadily. "I knew your team would be able to handle them."

"We almost didn't make it." Harry growled.

"Yet you had to be there. Someone had to get the weapon before them. It was imperative for our all safety." Dumbledore said, his tone and eyes trying to make Harry see reason.

"Is that why you sent me there despite knowing it was a trap?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore took of his half-moon glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes…." He finally admitted "My spy…he …the Deatheaters heard that the weapon might help Voldemort return to power and…"

"And you had to make sure someone would keep them from reaching that goal, so you said. But why sent me too?"

"You are one of the few people who actually understand how real the danger of Voldemort returning is." Dumbledore said softly.

Their last conversation flashed through Harrys mind, together with the word 'Horcrux'.

"The horcruxes." he muttered out loud.

"They have a part of his soul?" he asked.

"I doubt Tom's followers know what they are… his…soul-pieces... but Lucius Malfoy had the Diary. It's possible Voldemort entrusted other members of his inner circle with another one." the Headmaster said wearily.

"The Deatheaters kept saying they needed the stone for their cause. Do you think they could have used it to him back?"

"You are talking about the Philosophers Stone, right?"

"Is there something you don't know?" Harry asked exasperated.

"Perks of having a spy." Dumbledore said with a short smile before becoming serious again.

"I fear so. But I cannot fathom how or when. But he tried it once before."

"That doesn't explain Isaacs involvement and why you wouldn't do anything about it!" Harry noted frustrated.

"It actually makes sense they would take Isaac on a mission like that." Dumbledore said gently.

"How does that make any sense? He was their prisoner, they tortured him for fun and brainwashed him. How could they rely on him for such an important mission?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed and examined the hems of his robes.

"You must know Harry, Isaac was such a promising young wizard. So talented, so powerful. He was a great asset to our side. The Deatheaters know that. He was useful to them if correctly controlled. But he would also be expendable if something were to go wrong."

The headmaster sighed again.

"To answer your second question: If I had taken action, the Deatheaters would have known there was a spy in their midst. Only a few knew about Isaac, even fewer knew about their mission to Cambodia, my source among them. It was too risky."

Harry let out a long breath.

"So let me get this straight. You knew, through some sort of spy, that Isaac Greengrass was alive all along. You didn't do anything because your spy could have been compromised because of it. And you knew that the Deatheaters are planning on bringing Voldemort back, Merlin only knows how. You knew they were in Cambodia because of it and you knew we were going there as well… so sent me along with the others there to make sure none of that could happen?" Harry asked with a stony face.

Dumbledore sighed, and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

He looked so old.

"And when you did that, my source told me about it and then a few days later about your bold heist to get Isaac out."

"So it was never a guess at all? You knew it all along. Then why ask me about it?" Harry asked hollowly.

"Because I need you to understand why I did it Harry."

"What is there to understand? You put the lives of ten people at risk!" Harry growled. His hands were gripping the arms of the chair tightly as he tried to remain calm. Or calmer.

Dumbledore took a sip of his tea but then put it back down and pushed it aside when he noticed how cold it was.

"Harry…you are the only one aside from myself, who knows about Voldemort's horcruxes. And you know how close he already came to returning before."

"So you sent me there to find the Stone?" Harry asked. "You planned this? You wanted me there?"

"I couldn't trust others to see this done. Someone had to stop them. Others might have let them get away with the Stone."

"But not me? You thought I wouldn't?"

"I knew you wouldn't."

"You can't know that. In fact, I almost let them get away with it." Harry hissed furiously.

"Harry your fatal flaw is loyalty! Your moral compass is straight and often unwavering. I knew you would never let them get away with the stone once you knew what it was and what it could do."

"You used me. And you did it without having the grace to even warn me." Harry said accusingly, anger rising further in his chest.

"You are the only person I could trust with something like this." Dumbledore said silently.

"Well, maybe if you had told me the real reason why you sent me there I might have been better prepared. Alice almost died. We all almost died because you don't trust anyone. Why didn't you do it yourself? Might have been more efficient!" Harry growled angrily.

"Harry, I am not like you…" Dumbledore began gently.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked venomously. "You use me, like you use everyone. You don't care at all. You want him gone so badly, you don't care what you have to sacrifice for it. Be it the happiness of an entire family, the lives of good, innocent and courageous people, some of which worship the ground you walk on! You sent me to Cambodia hoping to foil the Deatheaters plans and maybe even coming closer to killing Voldemort!"

"Harry…"

"But you are so short sighted! Have you ever thought that there are people out there who might want Voldemort gone as much as you and I?"

"They already think he's gone."

"Not everyone believes it. And if you showed them the truth and how he's getting stronger and stronger, I bet you would find many people ready to join your cause. You could save so many more lives if you'd just stop this secrecy!" Harry shouted.

"You don't understand Harry, it is not that easy. The Ministry is against us, nobody would listen."

"Then make them listen!"

"It's not that easy Harry, you should know that. You know how easy the truth can be undermined, changed or ignored. It's a heavy destiny, you and I share. But it is ours."

Harry was shaking.

"I don't want you to lie to me ever again. I don't want you to manipulate me. I don't understand why you need to do it. I want him gone. I want peace. Why can't you be honest with me?"

"I never lied to you Harry. I just never told you everything."

"You lied when you sent me with Bill to Cambodia."

"I didn't. I wanted you to get away. To make new experiences and learn and find friends. I've always wanted just the best for you Harry."

"While at the same time battling Deatheaters and search for an ancient stone and keep it away from bad guys. Sorry if I don't believe you."

"I'm sorry that you don't feel like you can trust me right now Harry. But please. We cannot let this divide us. We are stronger together."

Dumbledore sighed again and stared at one of the silvery instruments on his desk.

"And I just don't want to burden you with more than what's already on your shoulders Harry."

"A lot good that does me if I get killed by your consideration!" Harry hissed.

Suddenly he had enough.

He got up abruptly and turned around.

"Good night Sir." He said curtly, not bothering to turn around again.

He was at the door when the headmaster spoke one last time.

"Regardless of how you feel about me right now Harry, I am proud of you. You have grown so much and I hope that you will see the reasons behind my actions at some point."

.

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AN: And here it is! The next chapter, with a new development. So Dumbledore knew through his spy all along that the Deatheaters were planning something and made sure he had someone there to prevent it. And also, did he know about poor Isaac. But since he was acting in the name of the greater good he decided to not do something about it and concentrate on the bigger problem. Not good. But typical for Dumbledore.

So how will that affect Harry and everything from here on?

You'll see….

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me and I promise, there will be another Chapter really soon!

Love Kate

51. The delegations arrive

Chapter Fifty-One: The delegations arrive

If Ron and Hermione noticed his sour mood the next day they didn't comment on it.

And to Harry's relieve he didn't get much time to dwell on Dumbledore's loyalties and much of what had transpired the night before.

Halloween was only a week away and that meant the arrival of the delegations from the other two schools was almost upon them.

Pretty much everyone in the castle was excited about the prospect of meeting the students from other schools and Harry got swept along in the excitement.

And it wasn't just the student body that got excited.

Because Hogwarts was hosting such an important competition for the first time in ages, the staff was in a frenzy too.

Filch had been spotted all across the castle, dusting off every armour and every portrait and every chandelier, Mrs. Norris as always at his side.

McGonagall meanwhile was threatening Peeves at any chance she got that she would have him exorcized should he misbehave.

Professor Sprout made all of them weed the Greenhouses and plant nice looking and smelling plants all over the castle grounds. The kind, that did not try to bite your head off.

Professor Flitwick was already preparing the decorations for the Welcoming Feast.

The only teacher seemingly not affected by this anticipation was of course Snape.

He glowered and scoffed whenever someone close to him mentioned the tournament or anything related to it.

But that was hardly news to anyone in the castle.

.

The day before the delegations were due to arrive was Harrys second meeting with Argentum.

He left dinner early to be on time, telling his friends not to wait up for him.

It would probably be late for him.

Harry had dutifully done all the assignments the Goblin had given him and he had to admit that, together with his schoolwork, it had been a tougher first month than usually.

But Harry was willing to go on with it.

Because he loved every second of it.

So when he walked into McGonagall's classroom, he felt far less nervous than he had during his first meeting with his tutor.

Argentum was already there, scribbling something onto the black-board.

"Good evening Potter." He said over his shoulder, not stopping what he was doing.

"Good evening Argentum." Harry said politely.

"Put your assignments on my desk and sit down." The goblin instructed him.

Harry did as he was asked and then swept his gaze over the board.

Argentum had drawn rows of numbers on one side of the board while he had drawn runes on the other.

"A small assessment of your homework." The goblin said with a toothy grin.

He pointed at the first row of numbers.

"What spell is that?" he asked.

Slightly stunned Harry studied the numbers, wrecking his brain to try and remember the lines of numbers that he had studied so hard.

But he came to the defeating solution that he didn't know.

What kind of impression would that make?

Swallowing his pride, he said silently.

"I don't know. I don't recognize it."

To his surprise the Goblin kept grinning.

"Would have surprised me if you did. While this is an actual spell, it is indeed none of the ones that you have learned yet. And yet at the same time it is."

The Curse-Breaker waved his hand and the numbers rearranged themselves.

Now the same number line stood underneath the first, only it was backwards.

"Read it again. Which spell is it?" Argentum asked.

"It's a basic shield charm. Like 'protego'." Harry said, still slightly confused but also relieved that he recognized the spell's numeric code.

"Second rule Potter: Nothing is as it seems. While we do have rules when it comes to weaving spells together or de-cursing something, there are a hundred reasons why these rules may not apply. The Mirror-movement is a trap often used."

Argentum pointed at the next row of numbers.

Harry didn't know this one either but once he read it backwards he knew it was a flesh-eating-curse.

"Forwards and backwards this number line stands for two different spells. When read backwards it translates to the flesh-eating-curse you already know. But forwards it also translates to a spell used to multiply things. Two different spells. Two entirely different ways of countering them. Horrific consequences if done wrong." The goblin explained as the numbers rearranged themselves once more.

Harrys brow furrowed.

"So how do I know if this mirror-movement applies to my number sequence.

Argentum grinned.

"Excellent question. The mirror-trap is simple and because it is so simple it's so ingenious. You see, almost every spell read backwards translates to a different spell. So you see the problem, right? There you are, merrily translating the latest lines of spells you have been given, everything is just peachy, you hand over your translation and two days later seven people die trying to de-curse an ancient box."

Argentum folded his arms before his chest.

"Nothing is as it seems kid. It never is. The sooner you learn that, the less likely you are to ignore the obvious signs."

"And what are these obvious signs?" Harry asked.

Argentum pointed with his chin back at the blackboard.

"There are exceptions to every rule. And in this case, they work to our advantage. You see, there are a handful of spells, that do not translate to a different spell when read backwards. But when using a mirror-trap, you can only use spells, that do. With that knowledge, how would you approach the ancient box?" he asked.

Harry bit his lower lip.

How would he do it indeed.

"Well…" he said hesitantly "If there are these exceptions, I would look for them. If there is a spell, that does not translate to another when read backwards, then I can assume that the Mirror-trap has not been put onto the chest, right?"

"Correct." Argentum said with a nod.

"But how do I find a handful of these spells hidden in the thousands that can make up the warding around something, let's say that ancient box for example. Do I have to check every spell?" Harry asked.

Argentum shrugged. "At first, yes. But don't worry. With the time as your knowledge of spells becomes bigger and you train your eyes and mind to find key-figures in the number lines, it will get easier. You see decoding is about finding the flaws. There are always flaws. And you must learn to find these weak spots. Today's lesson focuses about some of these. Now, think and tell me, what spells would indicate that there is no mirror-trap build into the wards around our ancient box?"

Harry traced the lines of numbers on the black-board.

"Well the first ones and the easiest to spot are the 'Singulars'. Meaning all the spells that consist of the same number. Like 1111111, the numeric line for the Patronus-incantation. And the other six singulars. But they are the only spells with the same number more than once contained within them. Every other spell has each number only once in it."

"Very good Potter, the 'Singulars'. Oddities among spells and usually not very easy spells to master. The Patronus being one of them." Argentum agreed. "What else?"

Harry thought long but eventually he shook his head.

"I don't know."

Argentum waved his hand and the lines of numbers vanished from the blackboard, before in the middle of the now clean space a huge number seven appeared.

"The others are all spells that start with a seven." He said simply.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Seven is a magical number kid. A powerful number. Sure, ever number is powerful but seven is the ultimate number. It holds power more than any other and yet is the number for balance and equality at the same time. Take your friends sister for example. Ginevra Weasley is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. It's no wonder she was born a girl. But also will she, once fully matured, wield a greater power than anyone else in her family. And if she ever has a seventh child, it too will be a powerful one."

"You know Ginny?" Harry asked surprised.

Argentum grinned. "Of course. Bill talks about her all the time." He said simply.

"Now, back to the lesson. 'Singulars' and all spells starting with the number seven. Those you have to look out for."

"That still leaves thousands of spells." Harry said.

"Sure, but that is of course only the first step of filtering." Argentum said with an amused smile.

He pointed at the other side of the blackboard where he had drawn runes.

Harry groaned internally.

"The second clue that someone mirror-trapped something is the complete lack or runes. Nobody really know why but Runes and the mirror-movement don't work together. There are other times when there are no runes placed into the warding of an object but this is still an important clue."

Harry's head swirled slightly.

"So…" he began "After filtering it down this far, how certain can I be that I'm dealing with a mirror-trap?" he asked.

"Well, there are still a few steps to be taken before you can be a hundred percent sure." Argentum said simply. "As soon as you know where the Starting-sequence in your warding is, you can go through it and search it. You look if any spells that start with a seven, are Singulars and so on. You have to eliminate every possible trap step by step."

Harry blew out a long breath.

"I know, it seems like quite a lot now but believe me in a few weeks you will already work by this pattern, looking for clues and indications and warning signals. But for now, write down what you've learned so far and then we shall continue."

Harry nodded and reached for his quill, but before he reached it, a thought flashed through his mind.

"You said rule number two was that nothing is ever as it seems. What is rule number one?" Harry asked.

"Trust your gut. If it seems to easy, it probably is a trap. So trust your gut to make the right decisions." Argentum said with a shrug.

Harry nodded, then set to work.

.

The theory was just a small part of Harrys education under Gringotts watchful eyes.

The second half of his lesson Harry spend memorizing Goblin customs as well as wizarding etiquette.

Most of it Harry could have guessed, like addressing a Lord by his title and what the standard polite greeting to a goblin was or how the hierarchy inside Gringotts and inside the Curse-Breakers worked and stuff like that.

Some topics were new to him and promised to give him a headache.

"But why?" he asked, staring at the table in disbelieve.

"Because reasons. Now stop complaining and tell me which one is for the salad." Argentum said, slightly impatient as he gestured at the rows of cutlery that lay beside Harrys plate.

Shrugging Harry picked up a fork and a knife and held them up.

"These?" he asked.

"Were you raised in a barn Potter?" the goblin asked, both amused and exasperated.

"No, just in a cupboard under some stairs." Harry muttered as he placed the silverware back down.

After that Argentum decided that their lessons in etiquette and manners could wait a little while longer.

But he did give Harry a book and the strong suggestion to read it before their next meeting.

Then he moved on to the part of training.

.

It was late when Argentum finally released him.

Harry trotted back to Gryffindor-Tower, his bag significantly heavier with new assignments his mentor had given him.

The school was a rather strange sight so late at night.

During the day, it was so lively and full of people that there hardly were any quiet places.

But now, at night the castle seemed almost abandoned.

Most portraits were asleep and aside from the occasional ghost there was no movement at all.

Which was why Harry jumped almost out of his shoes when a voice behind him asked: "And what exactly are you doing out of bed at this hour young man?"

.

Harrys first reaction was to feel relieved.

It was not Snape's voice, so much he knew before turning around.

He turned around and came face to face with a tall young man with short brown hair and a cool expression on his face.

He was dressed in black and yellow robes, the Hufflepuff-Crest and the Prefect-badge clearly visible on his left chest.

"Cedric!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry?" Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff seeker asked confused, folding his arms but he recovered quickly. "What are you doing Potter? Sneaking around the castle, again? What is it this time? Another monster on the lose?" he asked, slightly exasperated.

Harry smiled. "Nothing like this, I promise. And don't worry, I have a reason and an excuse why I am out this late." He told the friendly seventh-year, shortly remembering a certain Quidditch match last year.

But instead he explained his monthly tutor lessons and showed told Cedric that he could clear this with McGonagall if he had to.

Cedric nodded.

"Alright, I will. Thank you, Harry. Now, let me escort you back to Gryffindor-Tower so you won't get into any more trouble." He said with a wink.

Harry grinned and nodded.

"Alright, you are the boss."

"Indeed I am."

.

The next day after lunch McGonagall gathered all of the lions in their den for a short speech before heading out to meet with the other houses so they could welcome their guests.

Basically, all she told them that if anyone of them misbehaved or acted like a buffoon or did something else to besmirch Gryffindor-house or the schools name, they would serve detention until their last day at Hogwarts. Other than that, they were to be polite and make the foreign students feel welcome and should try to make friends.

Then she let them outside.

Outside it was cold.

Winter was on their doorstep and judging by the overhung sky they could expect rain at some point today.

Harry wondered whose grand idea it had been to have the whole school wait outside.

"Probably Dumbledore." He grumbled as he stood next to Hermione and Ron.

"What did you say Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing. Just cold." Harry said a little louder.

He craned his neck, trying to spot Daphne.

Some genius had put Gryffindor and Slytherin right next to each other on the stairs.

The only reason there hadn't been any obvious skirmishes yet was because Professors McGonagall and Snape, as well as Mr. Filch (who was wearing a horrible Tweed-suit) were patrolling between them, barking out orders and, in Snape's case, the occasional insult.

He spotted Daphne but she wasn't looking at him, instead she was talking to Millicent Bullstrode and some other girl Harry didn't know but was sure she wasn't in their year.

The Ravenclaws stood right next to the Slytherins and Harry spotted another mob of pale blond hair that he knew.

Luna was smiling serenely at the sky while her housemates talked and laughed around her.

But she must have felt his gaze because she turned her head and waved at him.

He waved back.

"Potter, Lovegood, keep it down. Five points each." Snape shouted.

Harry lowered his hand and bit back a curse.

Next to him Ron muttered something under his breath that had Hermione gasp and punch him slightly in the arm.
"Ronald." She hissed.

"What, it's true." The red-head muttered.

"How long are we supposed to wait here anyway?" Neville asked, turning around to face them.

"No idea but my toes are slowly going numb." Seamus said from next to Hermione.

"If you had worn socks they wouldn't be cold, you know?" Dean said with a pointed look.

"It's not my fault some troll is stealing all my socks." Seamus said defensively.

"Finnegan, Thomas, five points each for not being quiet." Snap bellowed.

"I'd like to deduct some points from him. See how he'd like that." Seamus grumbled but kept his voice down this time.

Harry supressed a grin.

"And you Potter go and look up the meaning of the word 'comb' in the dictionary." The potions master added.

A few snickers came from the rows of Slytherins.

Harrys cheeks grew hot. He balled his hands into fists and slowly let out his breath again.

"Merlin, what's wrong with him today?" Parvati wondered.

"Don't know. Hope it's not permanent." Fay Dunbar muttered back.

They stood for another few minutes in silence before a sudden shout when up from over by the Hufflepuffs.

"Look, there! In the sky." Someone shouted.

Harry heard Seamus snicker and whisper in a deep voice to Dean: "Is it a bird? No, it's a plane! No, it's…"

But he as interrupted by another voice shouting: "Horses! Winged horses!"

Indeed, there were a dozen horses, approaching form the south, carrying three huge carriages.

When they finally landed, Harry could make out the crest on the doors.

Two crossed wands, each shooting three sparks from their top.

The door opened and a group of young witches and wizards, all dressed in thin blue uniforms, followed by a truly gigantic woman exited the carriages.

Harry craned his neck, trying to see something as Dumbledore approached the huge woman.

"Madam Maxime" Harry heard him say "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

Harry droned out the talk about the Whiskey-drinking horses for he had spotted not one but two familiar faces in eth crowd of French wizards and witches.

Fleur stood close to her head-mistress, one arm slung around Gabrielle's shoulders.

She was scanning the gathered student body.

Harry wanted to wave but with Snape so close he really didn't want to lose any more points.

She didn't spot him and soon she and the rest of her school-mates followed Madam Maxime inside.

Lucky ones.

Hogwarts students had to wait another half an hour outside before something happened again.

Harry was sure by then that Madam Pomfrey's stock of Pepper-Up-Potions would be empty come next week. It would be a miracle if nobody got sick.

Finally, another shout went up, this time from the Ravenclaw section.

"The lake!"

All heads turned towards the Black Lake.

Movement in the lake and disturbances on its surface were nothing new, with the giant squid living there an all that, but what happened then was new to everybody.

A gigantic ship broke the surface of the lake, bopping slightly back and forth once it had completely surfaced.

A flag flew from one of its main-masts but they were too far away to make out anything.

There was a flurry of activity on deck, then a few minutes later smaller rowing boats were lowered from the main ship and stared rowing towards the shore.

From there the landing party made their way up to the castle.

They arrived within a few minutes, let by a tall haggard looking man with a wild beard and even wilder eyes and a yellow smile.

He greeted Dumbledore friendly but there was something about him that Harry didn't like.

So he turned his attention towards the students that had followed the man.

They were all male and all dressed in thick furs and winter boots.

But that was all he managed to see before Ron's sudden grip on his arm and excited voice in his head interrupted his thought.

"Harry look!" his best friend whispered. "It's Victor Krum!"

Harry had to admit that for a second his mind went blanc and he almost asked: "Who?" but then his brain made the connection and he recognized the scowling face to the Quidditch-Star.

"Oh yeah" he said "Wow, it's really him. I didn't know he still went to school."

Ron was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Isn't this great? I can't believe that Victor Krum is here! Do you think he'll give me an autograph?"

Hermione rolled with her eyes. "Well, why don't you ask him?" she asked.

Ron scoffed. "I can't just ask him Hermione, don't be ridiculous!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Well then you might never get that autograph." She said pointedly.

Harry supressed a laugh.

.

Finally, they were allowed back inside.

"I think I lost at least a couple of toes!" Seamus complained as they marched up the stairs and into the Great Hall for the feast.

"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can regrow them." Fay said sarcastically.

As Seamus pouted the others laughed.

Inside the great Hall it was more chaotic than usual since there were a lot more people and nobody really knew what to do with each other.

The newcomers didn't really know where to sit down and no one really knew how to approach any of the others.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go and say Hi to a few people, okay?" Harry said to Ron and Hermione.

"Who are you…" Hermione began but Harry was already striding towards where he had spotted Fleur and Gabrielle.

Daphne was already at their side, hugging her cousins and talking animatedly.

In French he called out over the heads of some second years: "Fleur, Gabrielle! How wonderful to see you! I guess this is why you haven't been answering my letters!" and embraced Fleur, ignoring the surprised and astonished expression of several people around him.

Fleur laughed and they exchanged quick pecks on the cheeks before she embraced him too.

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" Fleur replied in French.

As soon as they let go of each other Harry had his arms full with Gabrielle as she could barely contain her excitement.

"And there's my little bunny!" Harry exclaimed.

Gabrielle giggled and Harry held her on his hip. "Had a good trip little one?" he asked affectionately.

"Oh yes!" the young girl replied. "It was amazing. And Hogwarts is amazing too! It's so big and looks so old! How many rooms are there?" she asked.

Harry laughed. "How about I give a tour tomorrow and we count them together?"

"Qui!" Gabrielle shouted happily.

"Where is Luna?" Fleur asked, switching back to English as she looked around.

"If we only knew. The girl has a bad habit of disappearing. We try to keep an eye out for her but with all of us being in different houses and years its quite difficult." Harry muttered, putting Gabrielle back down.

Suddenly Fleur's face brightened.

"Well, I do see two other faces. Oleg, Marian, over here!" she called out.

Surprised Harry turned.

Indeed, there were Fleurs Cousins that Harry had met briefly during his short trip to France.

The two boys were already pushing their way through the awkward crowd of students, who were all just staring at each other and whispering.

"If it isn't our favourite cousins and their good friend Harry Potter!" Oleg exclaimed.

He hugged the girls, then he and Harry shook hands firmly. Marian did the same.

"We missed each other at the World Cup!" Harry said.

"We were there." Oleg muttered.

Before they could talk anymore a gruff voice interrupted them.

Stepping up between the two older boys was none other than Victor Krum!

"There you are." He said in his heavily accented English. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Some friends you are."

"Victor my man, you take everything way to serious. We were just catching up with our extended family!" Oleg said, wrapping one arm around the Quidditch star's shoulders.

"Guys, I take it you've seen Victor's face before. Victor these are our three cousins Gabrielle, Fleur and Daphne and Daphne's friend and friend of ours, Harry Potter." Marian introduced them.

Victor shook all their hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said.

"The pleasure is all ours." Fleur said nicely.

"So Potter" Marian asked, directing the groups attention to the aforementioned "Is there any way we could pass a few balls at some point? You promised us a game the last time we saw each other!"

Harry shrugged. "They cancelled the official House-Cup because of the Tournament but maybe Madam Hooch will let us use the Quidditch pitch again."

"You play?" Victor asked interested.

"Seeker." Harry answered with a smirk.

"How about a play-off?" Victor suggested, smirking back.

"If you want your ass kicked and your career ruined…" Harry said cheekily.

Victor laughed loudly, which drew the attention of many around them.

"We'll get along just fine I think." He said firmly.

Harry the noticed that the crowds around them began to dissolve. Apparently, it was time for the Welcoming Feats.

"I would invite you to sit with us at Gryffindor table but it seems like the rest of your classmates have already decided." Harry said, as he saw the Durmstrangs sitting down at Slytherin table.

"It's fine. We'll catch you later." Oleg said.

The three northerners headed off.

"Seems like Beauxbatons found a place with the Ravens. Oh and look, there is Luna." Daphne noticed, switching back to French.

"Then we'll go and say hello!" Fleur stated. "Until later."

Harry and Daphne too split up and joined their houses.

Back at his own table, Harry was greeted by disbelieving stares.

"What?" he asked.

"Dude, who were you talking too? Was that Victor Krum I saw?" Dean Thomas asked bewildered and awed at the same time.

Harry shrugged.

"He's a good friend of Fleurs cousins apparently and I met them over the summer since Fleur and I are very close so they introduced me." he muttered.

"That's so cool." Seamus sighed.

"So that is Bills girlfriend?" Hermione asked, studying the part-Veela from across the room.

"Not what I expected." She then added.

Harry shrugged. "Fleur is pretty cool once you get to know her. And her sister Gabrielle is just plain adorable."

"Is that the tiny girl next to her?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, that's Gabby." He confirmed.

"Are you…" Ron began but before he could continue Dumbledore stepped up to his lectern and a hush fell over the gathered crowd.

With interest Harry followed Dumbledore's speech about the origins of the tournament, his introduction of the two schools and their respective Headmasters.

He 'oh'd and 'ah'd with the rest of the studnets when the Goblet of Fire was revealed.

He watched as Barty Crouch Senior was introduced together with Bagman.

As the two of them explained the rules of the competition and the age restriction a lot of protest arose in the hall.

"I don't understand what people are complaining about." Hermione huffed during this short break in which the grown-ups tried to calm down the students.

Harry shrugged. "I see the appeal but I still wouldn't want to enter. It doesn't really sound like fun."

Hermione shot him an annoyed look. "Yes, but travelling through an underground network of booby-trapped tunnels, that is fun." She said sarcastically.

Harry shrugged again. "What can I say, it's an acquired taste."

Hermione just shook her head and turned back to the front of the hall.

By now quiet had once again settled over the students but the atmosphere in the Great Hall was slightly miffed.

A few places down from where he sat Harry could see the twins whispering at each other intently, not doubt already deep into their usual schemes.

Dumbledore went on explaining the age-line and how anyone who wished to enter just had to write their name on a piece of paper and throw it into the Goblet of Fire.

Drowning out the rest of the speech Harry let his gaze wander through the Great Hall.

His eyes fell onto Moody.

The ex-auror was not sitting with the rest of the teachers at the Staff-table.

He stood in one of the darker corners, staring at Dumbledore with one eye while the other moved up and down the teachers table.

His ever-present scowl deepened every now and then but Harry couldn't quite make out what or who exactly he was looking at.

It didn't matter.

Dumbledore was done talking and as always, a magical feast appeared before their eyes on the table.

The house-elves had outdone themselves once again.

Next to the regular stuff there were new, foreign dishes, some of which looked rather suspicious and some who smelled mouth-watering good.

All in all, the feast was a huge success.

The Great Hall quickly filled with laughter and talking as the different parties got to know each other.

Halfway through dinner Harry saw Fleur and Gabrielle approach their table.

"Good evening." Fleur said with her most charming smile. "I was wondering if my little sister and I could join you?"

Seeing that most boys were incapacitated, Hermione smiled at the French witches and said: "Of course, it would be our pleasure."

"Wonderful." Fleur beamed and settled down next to Harry, Gabrielle between them.

Seeing that most of his friends were still dazed Harry cleared his throat and said: "Ron, I'd like to introduce you to Fleur Delacour, Bills girlfriend. Fleur, this is Bills youngest brother Ron Weasley."

"It is a pleasure!" Fleur said with a wide smile.

Under the table Harry kicked Ron in the shin.

That seemed to wake him up.

"Oh…ahm…yes…sure…I mean it is…what I'm saying is…yes…ah Bill said…I…Hi." Ron stammered, turning very red.

Taking a slight pity on him Harry pointed at the twins, who were still talking among themselves and said: "And those are Bills younger brothers the twins Fred and George. They are pranksters so be careful around them. And down there" he pointed farther down the table "we have Ginny, Bills only sister and the youngest of the whole family. I'll introduce you to them at another time."

Fleur nodded.

"This is Hermione. I told you about her and Ron, remember. They are my best friends."

Hermione held out her hand.

"Thank you for taking care of Harry." She said.

Fleur laughed. "I can give that back." She said with a conspiratorial wink.

Harry rolled with his eyes. "I knew it was a mistake to introduce you two."

The girls laughed and Harry continued introducing everyone to Fleur.

As the conversation carried on the boys recovered from their original shock of being exposed to Fleurs allure and were able to have a normal conversation with her.

Harry mostly entertained Gabrielle but as soon as Neville mentioned plants she turned all of her attention to him and Harry knew that his job was done.

After a while the conversations broke apart again and Harry could talk a bit more to Fleur.

"How is everything back home?" he asked.

"Very good. Mama and Papa send their love."

Harry smiled. "I'll be sure to send them a letter sometime soon."

Fleur nodded. "Do that. How was the rest of your summer by the way? Your letters got rather short and quite towards the end."

Harry forced himself to smile. "Nothing much. I was just busy adjusting my life with everything that had happened. Between moving in with Sirius and making up with Daphne I had very little time left."

Although Fleur and the Greengrasses were related, but only distantly, Harry didn't know how much or if at all they knew about the blackmail-business and Isaacs return.

He would have to ask Daphne about it.

Fleur nodded and ate another spoonful of her Crème Brule.

"And how is your training?" she asked, switching the topic.

Enthusiastically Harry told her about his lessons and what he was learning and how much he enjoyed it.

Fleur laughed along with him and it felt good to have her here with him.

He really had missed his big sister.

.

.

.

.

.

AN: Just a quick help/explanation to help you understand the Curse-Breaking and de-coding business better:

I got the idea from genetics.

Every protein in our body is made from amino-acids, right? So, they are produced in the cells (I'm not going into details too much, don't worry) and several amino-acids form a chain, that connects with other chains to eventually form a whole protein (more or less, I am simplifying it!)

Each acid is build out of three small 'building-bricks' so to say, of which there are four: G (Guanin), U (Uracil), A (Adenin) and C (Cytosin). You might recognize them as the building bricks of your DNA with the exception that Uracil trades places with T (Tymin) in this (don't ask me why).

So the mRNA (messangerRNA, a transformed version of your DNA, really just google it) builds this with the help of the tRNA (transportRNA) and spits out chains that look like this: AUGAACUCAGAGCCA-etc. and on and on.

Now, this looks like a mess at first but what you do is, you find out where the starting point in this sequence is (it is AUG at the beginning) and you take something called the code sun and use it to translate this line. Go google the words code sun, you will find something!

So using this m example would translate to: Met.-Asn.-Ser.-Glu.-Pro.- etc. (these are eth abbreviations for the real names, I don't know the real names and don't feel like googling them)

You always take three letters (a triplet so to speak), they make up one amino acid.

Every chain has a starting point and an end, marking obviously the beginning and the end of a chain, duh…

So how does that translate or help with my idea of de-cursing?

Well in the beginning of the story we learn that each spell translates to a row of number. That row of number is made out of the numbers 1 to 7. Now, we don't need to be math geniuses to know that that is a lot of possible combinations, even if every number can only be used once in each spell.

Now, for the translating bit, imagine a code sun but instead with the letters inside, imagine it with numbers. A circle with the numbers 1 to seven, each in a compartment. Then imagine each number having a second row, again with the numbers 1 to 7 and each of those numbers having a line with the numbers one to seven and so on until you have all your possible seven-numbers-combinations. Though you would have to leave out a number with each row as each number can only appear once in a spell but that's not important right now… You get the idea, hopefully!

Now, back to biology.

Sometimes mistakes happen.

Something is translated wrong of the DNA which results in mistakes in the mRNA and the tRNA and as a consequence the wrong amino acid is build. That can change the entire structure of the protein and lead to serious consequences.

The mistakes in my story are represented by the fact, that not all spells are compatible with each other, meaning they cannot occur next to each other in a row. Also they can be seen as the weak links in the warding of something.

Also it's important to have a starting point. If the beginning of an amino acid is not AUG, the three letters for the amino-acid Methionin, there can be no translation of the rest of the code. Also they have to end with a certain combination, that indicates the ending. There are three of those: UAA, UAG and UGA. They translate to nothing and symbolize the end.

Same thing I imagine in warding.

You need a string base from which you can start and a clear end, a frame that holds the spell-work.

I hope I didn't confuse you too much and this helps a little bit.

Keeping mind that this is just the basics for the curse-breaking in my story and that there are more ways of influencing it than there is in biology.

But I liked the idea of the code sun and how different combinations of numbers (or acids) make us something bigger.

And please remember this is a simplified version of the biology and in my mind it works out with the spells.

Maybe you know better and think it doesn't but please don't shatter the image I build for myself, yes?

Love Kate!

52. Never a quiet moment

Chapter Fifty-Two: Never a quiet moment

Sceptically Harry turned the huge button in his hand.

"Hermione, I'm not really sure this is…" he began but Hermione interrupted him, shaking her head.

"No Harry, we have to do this. It's slavery!"

"But Mione" Harry protested again, only to be interrupted again.

"No 'But's Harry! This has been going on for too long."

"So you just want to free all the House-Elves at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, putting the button back down on the table.

"I just want to make sure they are decently compensated for their work."

"But Hermione through working here they have a home, food, a family and a job at once! Why would you want to take that from them?"

"I don't want to take it from them! They can stay. I just want them to be paid and to have a choice."

"What would a House-Elf need money for? What would he buy Hermione? They don't have the same needs as we have!"

Hermione glared at him. "That is the exact same thinking that has been going on for years. Have you asked a House-Elf what he wants? Maybe he does have hidden desires but society has made it clear to him that he's just an animal!" she hissed.

Harry sighed.

"That's not what I meant Mione." He said a bit more gently.

"I mean, I get where this is coming from. The Malfoys treated Dobby horribly and what Mr. Crouch did to Winkey wasn't fair, but come on Hermione, not everyone is like that."

"That still doesn't mean that we can let people like Malfoy get away with what they do!"

"Hermione, you can't change the way an entire civilization has worked for centuries just like that!"

"I know that Harry! But someone has to start."

"Have you asked the elves if they even want to be free?" Harry challenged her.

"Well Dobby certainly didn't object when you freed him" she countered him.

"That was nothing like this! Besides, now he works here." Harry replied.

"After choosing to do so! And besides, you can't stop me Harry!" Hermione said, now a bit angrier than before.

"I don't want to stop you Hermione! I just want you to think about this before you do something wrong!"

"How could freeing people from oppression be something bad?"

"It's not! But… Just go and talk to the elves first, okay? Hermione, go to the kitchens and talk to them, ask them if they want to be free!"

"They wouldn't know the right answer, they have been brainwashed into thinking they need to serve wizards and witches!"

Harry let out a long sigh.

"Then go and talk to Hagrid! He's an expert on magical creatures."

"They are not creatures Harry!"

"Yes Hermione, they are!"

He rubbed his forehead with hand and sighed.

"Look, I support that you want elves to be treated fairly and not be abused. I support that wholeheartedly. But giving them their freedom to make that happen is pointless."

He picked up the badge and pinned it to his shirt.

"Look, I'll wear it, because you have a point but what you are suggesting will never work."

He could see that she wanted to argue about that but her gaze drifted to the badge and she just nodded.

"Thanks Harry."

.

After that rather eventful morning dealing with Hermione's SPEW-initiative, Harry wasn't really in the mood so anything else.

So he just wandered over the school grounds, skipped rocks at the shores of the Black Lake and visited Hedwig in the owlery.

As he stood there, petting his owl and talking softly to her, a red and brown long eared owl flew in on silent wings and landed right next to him, holding a letter in her beak.

He recognized the scrawl on the envelope.

It was from Sirius.

Excited he broke the seal and took out the letter.

Sirius had Remus had been writing him at least twice a week since the school started, keeping him updated on how things were going at home and what they were up to and in return asked Harry for how school was going and how his extra lessons and new subjects were.

Remus was still searching for a job but it proved to be just as hard as usual. Harry really wished he could have stayed as their teacher. Moody was okay he guessed but Lupin's lessons had still been much better! Even if the bar wasn't really high, compare to Quirrell and Lockhart! If only Snape hadn't told anyone about his furry little problem.

But when Sirius had revealed himself at the end of last year and Pettigrew had been apprehended, Snape just couldn't stand it and let word slip to some of his snakes in an attempt of petty revenge.

And the damage had been done and nothing could change that and so the three of them had to accept it. The only bright side was the sheer amount protest from many of the students about Remus's resignation.

Anyway.

Sirius had started attending Wizengamot-meetings again after finishing fixing all his affairs and re-establishing his position in their society.

But being Sirius, he was already bored with politics and his fingers were itching to do something productive.

Harry had suggested that he'd enrol in the Auror-corps again.

But as he read the letter, his face darkened.

"Dear Harry.

How are you? I heard the delegations arrived at Hogwarts. What are they like? Made new friends yet? How was your second meeting with Argentum? And I hope you managed to stay out of trouble so far? (If not, that's not too bad either).

Anyway, I'm writing because I have some important information and I don't think you'll be very happy about it.

Remus and I have to leave England for a while. Dumbledore tasked us with finding the rat Pettigrew. You know he escaped shortly after his trial. We can't have him run out at large. Normally the Aurors would handle this, but Fudge isn't willing to spare the manpower to hunt down 'such a petty criminal'. It took all I had not to punch him then and there"

Harry had to agree. That petty criminal had gotten his parents killed, made him and orphan and killed twelve muggles on top before condemning in innocent man to hell!

"Good thing Shacklebolt was there. He tried to reason with the Minister and Amelia Bones protested as well but Fudge wouldn't budge. Said Pettigrew was no threat. I told him that was what we had thought too and loo what he did. He threw me out after that.

So Dumbledore decided to take some actions and allowed Remus and me to go after the rat. Of course it's a secret mission if the Minister knew he'd arrest us, I'm sure.

I'm telling you this so that you won't worry if you don't hear from us anytime soon. We're going undercover and can't risk anyone finding out.

But don't worry, we'll be careful and Christmas is still on, I promise!

Love you, miss you, Remus says Hi and keep up the good work!

Sirius."

Don't worry?

DON'T WORRY?

Harry angrily shoved the letter into the pockets of his robes and stormed out of the owlery.

The steps were slippery from the rain but Harry ignored them, rushing downwards and back to the castle.

How dare Dumbledore?

The rational side of Harry understood why the headmaster had sent his godfather and uncle out to find Pettigrew. He knew the traitor had to be apprehended but still!

The illogical side of him, the side that was scared of losing his newly won family, was furious.

He stormed into the castle, conveniently running into McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter!" she said sternly. "Is there a reason you come storming in here like a rampant bull?"

"I need to see the headmaster." Harry told her rather rudely, not bothering to hide his anger.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor. Mr. Potter, I don't know what has gotten in to you but it will stop right now." The Scottish lady told him, her eyes glinting sharply.

Harrys anger deflated a bit.

"I'm sorry Professor" he said, taking a deep breath "but I really need to speak the headmaster. Do you know if he's in his office?"

McGonagall looked at him coolly but not as angry any more.

The lines around her mouth had vanished.

"I'm afraid the headmaster is otherwise occupied at the moment Potter."

Harry wanted to argue but knew better than to.

He just nodded, then turned around and left the castle again.

.

There was only one place he would be able to cool off.

He all but stormed down the steep slope next to the Greenhouses and past the pumpkin fields towards Hagrid's hut.

The half-giant in Question was outside his hut, tending to his vegetable garden.

Harry slowed down as he got closer, catching his breath.

"Hey Hagrid." He said, a bit awkwardly.

He just remembered that he hadn't visited his old friend in quite a while.

Hagrid looked up and a smile wide enough to part his wild beard lit up his face.

"'ello Harry!" he said, dropping the gardening tool he'd been holding and walked towards Harry.

Harry readily accepted the bear-hug from his first friend.

"What's bringing you 'ere? Everything alright?" the groundskeeper asked, slight concern radiating in his voice.

Harry shrugged.

"Just realized I hadn't seen you in a while." He offered, kicking against a small stone.

Hagrid eyed his for a second.

"Ah see." He said eventually.

Trying to switch the topic Harry pointed at the yard.

"You need help with that?" he asked, rolling up the sleeves of his robes.

Hagrid looked surprised but then he nodded.

"Sure, grab a shovel and help me dig the fields. I'm preparing them for the winter. I harvested the last of everything and got to make sure everything else will survive the winter."

Harry nodded and grabbed the nearest shovel.

They worked in silence and although it was a cold afternoon Harry started sweating soon.

"How's school?" Hagrid asked after a while.

"Good." Harry said but he lacked his usual enthusiasm. Sirius letter was still on his mind.

"Really? Ye don't sound so happy." Hagrid observed, tearing a long root from the ground and throwing it onto a pile of cut branches and weeds.

Harry shook his head.

"No, that's not it. School really is fine. It's just…I got a letter I'm not too happy about."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really. But thanks Hagrid."

The older man grunted. "Well, that's enough for today" he then added "How about a cup of tea to warm up?"

"I'd love to have a cup of tea." Harry admitted, putting the shovel aside.

Inside Hagrid's hut it was nice and cosy.

Fang trotted towards Harry when he saw him and proceeded to lick his hands and face.

"Urgh, Fang you old mutt, get off me." Harry grunted but the gigantic dog just kept licking until he was done.

Hagrid chuckled.

"'e missed yer." He said. "So did I."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry. I haven't been a good friend lately" he admitted "Just like last year. I'm sorry I wasn't a better help then. I'm also sorry about Buckbeak."

Hagrid's eyes got misty.

"He's in a better place." He sniffed.

"Still. I should have helped more. I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Harry. Apology accepted." The giant said with a wink.

Harry laughed slightly.

"Actually, there might be something you'd like to see." Hagrid suddenly said conspiratorially.

He got up and gathered up his cloak, throwing Harry his own and gestured at him to put it on.

"What…where are me going?" Harry asked, slightly baffled, for they had just sat down.

"Just follow me. Believe me, you'll like it." His friend said, black beetle-eyes glittering with excitement.

Harry had no choice but to follow.

Harry let them into the Forbidden Forest.

With anyone else Harry might have been nervous but Hagrid knew this forest like the back of his hand.

Still Harry had to ask.
"Hagrid, where are we going?"

Panting he tried to keep up with the groundskeeper's wide steps.

With every step the forest got darker and the ground more uneven and the path trickier.

"You'll see, just a little bit further." Hagrid promised him.

They got to a clearing.

It wasn't very big but and littered with the bones of small animals.

Anyone else might have been suspicious but Harry knew that Hagrid knew what he was doing.

Then again this was the same man who had planned on raising a dragon in a wooden hut.

"Hagrid…" he began but Hagrid interrupted him by gently whistling.

Harry held his breath as something moved on the other side of the clearing.

Into the dim half-light stepped two animals.

Hippogriffs he realized.

The first one was about Buckbeak's size but with a gleaming silvery-white coat and smaller wings and yellow eyes.

Next to her (for Harry though it must have been a she) walked a smaller Hippogriff, the size of a Shetty.

It was cute with its iron coloured coat and ivory wings.

Following Hagrid's moves, he bowed, as he had learned and waited with baited breath for the two animals to approach them.

The female and her babe (at least Harry assumed so) bowed back and walked towards them.

"This 'arry, is Shimmer-Wing. And the little rascal is her hatchling is Lunar. He's only a few months old. 'e is Buckbeak's son."

Harrys eyes widened.

"So in a way my Buckbeak lives on in the little one." Hagrid explained, reaching into one of the many pockets of his coat and threw a piece meat towards Shimmer-Wing and then another small one at Lunar.

"They are both absolutely amazing." Harry said, kneeling down as Lunar approached him, sniffing curiously.

Looking at the mother for permission first, Harry then held out his hand.

The young babe jumped backwards at first but when he saw that the hand would not hurt him he approached Harry again until his beak touched the palm of Harrys hand.

Lunar gave a gentle screeched and muzzled Harrys hand further.

Carefully Harry began to pet his head and then his neck.

The small animal almost purred with delight and gently nipped Harrys shoulder.

It still hurt but it was okay.

"'e likes yer." Hagrid observed with a chuckle. "Just like his dear ol' dad."

Harry smiled faintly.

Shimmer-Wing tolerated his petting for a few minutes but then she gave him a warning snort and Harry backed off, bowing deeply.

Shortly after that mother and son disappeared back in the forest.

"Thanks for showing me Hagrid. I really appreciate it."

Hagrid put a hand on his shoulder as they turned around and walked back to his hut.

"It was nothing."

.

With the solemn promise to come back soon Harry left the half-giants hut and made his way back to the castle calmer than before.

He was still mad at Dumbledore for sending Remus and Sirius on this mission and with his godfather and uncle for accepting but he could deal with that in the morning.

As he arrived at the castle he noticed that dinner was already on.

Hastily he slipped into the Great Hall and hurried towards his table. Trying, and mostly failing, to not draw to much attention to himself.

As he slipped into his seat next to Neville he noticed the Fleur, Gabrielle, Marian, Oleg and to his surprise, Victor Krum had joined them at their table.

"Where have you been?" Hermione hissed. "Nobody saw you all afternoon!"

"Relax Hermione, I was at the owlery and then went to visit Hagrid!"

"You could have told us!" Ron pointed out.

"Sorry, it was rather spontaneous."

"Well, I would have loved to visit Hagrid." Hermione pointed out.

Harry rolled with his eyes. "I promise, I'll tell you the next time I go and visit, I promise!"

"Who is this Hagrid?" Oleg asked interested.

"He's our groundskeeper." Neville explained.

"And a good friend of ours and our teacher for Care of Magical Creatures." Harry added.

"Was he mad at you for dropping his class by the way?" Seamus asked.

"I didn't really ask but I don't think so." Harry muttered, feeling guilty again.

"That all nice and well but Harry should eat!" Fleur cut in, piling steamed vegetables and a few pieces of meat onto Harrys plate.

"Thanks Fleur." He said. "Sorry for not being there. I promise I'll give you a tour after dinner."

Fleur smiled at him. "No problem 'arry. We were busy anyway." She assured him.

Gabrielle then proceeded telling him about her day and the atmosphere relaxed around them.

As they got to the deserts, Victor Krum suddenly said: "What's that badge for Potter?"

Harry looked up surprised.

He had noticed that aside from Marian and Oleg nobody really spoke with the Quidditch star.

Everyone around him seemed to be too much in awe to utter a complete logical sentence, that did not ask for an autograph.

Harry looked down at his badge.

He'd already forgotten he was wearing it.

But to others the yellow button was not exactly subtle.

"Oh, it's the organisation Hermione founded. It's stands for 'Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare'. Or SPEW for short. Hermione noticed that a lot of house-elves get treated poorly and wants to start raising awareness to that and make it, that they are treated less like slaves and more like normal servants and be appreciated more for their work." Harry explained, somewhat lamely.

He caught Hermione's eye and saw that she was about to open her mouth, probably to tell them all about her plan to free all the elves but Harry shook his head.

She looked angry but before she could say something Oleg spoke up.

"That's a fair point. My family doesn't employ many elves but we know how much many rely on them. And we know people who treat them like dirt. It's a good idea Ms. Granger."

Around them their friends nodded.

"My Gran doesn't like them very much but even she makes sure they are safe and have work and food and a place to sleep." Neville said. "I like them. Our Pipsy took care of me when I was little." He added thoughtfully.

"Do you have any idea how you want to promote your ideas?" Marian asked.

Hermione looked slightly baffled and even Harry was surprised, he hadn't expected the support.

"I…" she began but Ron cut in, confused.

"Is this about the elves in the kitchen Mione? Because you know they are happy there, right? They don't want to be free."

Hermione's cheeks reddened. "The school should pay them! It's not fair to task them with doing our dirty work." she said hotly.

"Is that why you haven't eaten all evening?" Ron asked. Then he sighed. "Merlin, Hermione they love to work. I agree that scum like Malfoy shouldn't treat them the way they treated Dobby but you just can't go and decide you have to free all elves. They would just return. They need work."

Hermione glared at him.

"Those are the words of an oppressor!" she hissed.

"Wait, wait, wait" Oleg said, holding up his hands "You want to free the elves? Girl, that is not a good idea. Elves are sustained through their magical bond with their master. If you cut that, you make them sick. You can even kill them. Now, I am all for being nicer to those little creatures but freeing them is not how you do it." He exclaimed.

All around them the others nodded.

Hermione glowered at them. "So you are saying they have no other choice but to work?" she asked.

"Goodness Mione, that is not what we're saying." Harry said, slightly exasperated.

Hermione stood up abruptly, gathering her things.

"I'll be in the library." She said stiffly, before heading off.

Harry groaned as he watched her retreating form. "great, now she's mad."

"That woman is a menace sometimes." Ron exclaimed.

"I think she has spirit." Victor commented.

"Hermione has a strong sense of justice. And sometimes that gets in her own way. We tried to explain to her that freeing the elves will not help." Harry explained.

"I agree, her idea is a good one but she lacks the understanding of the roles house-elves have." Oleg said.

"She is a Muggleborn. A lot of our traditions and customs are strange to her. And not just her." Neville explained.

Their guests nodded in understanding.

Harry just sighed and took another piece of Treacle Tart.

"And here I was hoping for a calm year at Hogwarts." He muttered.

53. Downhill we go

Chapter Fifty-Three: Downhill we go

"Are Fred and George going to be okay?" Harry asked as Ron, Hermione and he left Transfiguration.

Ron snorted. "Yeah, no harm done. But McGonagall threatened to write mum should they attempt anything like that again.

Harry winced, remembering Ron's howler in second year.

Hermione scoffed.

"I told them! But now, no one ever listens to me." She huffed, adjusting her bag over her shoulder.

"We listen to you all the time!" Ron protested.

"Hardly" Hermione said dryly "You never study when I tell you to, you never pay attention when I tell you to, you didn't even listen to me when I told you to relax in the Devil Snares fangs."

"In my defence, that last one was very hard!" Ron said.

"Harry and I managed to do it!" Hermione pointed out.

"Not the point." Ron grumbled.

"That is exactly the point."

They arrived at the portrait-hole.

"Balderdash." Harry said and the Fat Lady let them in.

Inside a lot of Gryffindors were gathered, talking excitedly.

Of course they were.

Tonight the Giblet would select the three Champions that would compete in the Tournament.

"Do you know who from our school has entered?" Harry asked.

"Angelina has, as has Cedric Diggory. Some Slytherins have entered as well but we can't have a Slytherin Champion!" Ron said with a shudder.

Harry just shrugged, knowing better than to start the "Not all Slytherins are bad"-talk.

"I heard Louisa Bright from Ravenclaw entered as well." Hermione added.

Harry nodded.

"Who do you think it will be?" Ron wondered. "I personally hope it will be Angelina. That would be so cool!"

Harry shrugged. "I heard Diggory is very popular." He offered.

"But he's a Hufflepuff." Ron replied.

"What does his house have to do with his magical abilities?" Hermione asked.

Ron turned slightly red. "As long as it's not a snake." He said, ending the discussion abruptly.

"Fleur entered for Beauxbatons." Harry told them as they sat down at one of the empty tables, spreading out their stuff so they could get their homework done before the selection later.

"Do you think she could be it?" Hermione asked.

"Well she is intelligent, can keep her nerves in hairy situations and there is little she hasn't already seen. So yeah, I think she has a chance."

"The Durmstrangs think that Krum is probably going to be their champion."

"Doesn't he have enough fame already?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose as she sharpened her quill before handing the sharpener to Harry.

Ron shrugged as he handed each of them a few pieces of parchment. "He's qualified." He offered.

"I think it should go to those that represent their school the best and have the best chance of winning." Harry said.

"I would have loved to enter." Ron said dreamily.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, maybe me too. But after my summer I'm not itching to get into another life-and-death situation so quickly."

"Touché." Ron agreed.

"If you are done fantasising, we have work to do." Hermione reminded them.

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Harry heart was pounding loudly in his ears as he walked through the eerily quiet Great Hall.

All eyes were on him but nobody looked happy.

Most were confused, a lot looked angry, some a mixture of both.

He swallowed as he approached Dumbledore who held out the cursed piece of parchment paper that held his name on it and then gestured for the door.

Harry had no choice but to take it and leave the Great Hall.

He passed McGonagall, who was white as a ghost and he saw Hagrid at the teachers table shaking his head in fear and disbelieve.

He saw Snape glowering at him, no doubt cursing and insulting him in his head.

Moody's face was unreadable and stoic as usual.

And then he was through the door and on his own.

He slowly walked down the stairs.

Arriving at the bottom, the winged doors opened and he stepped into a small cosy room with three fireplaces and some comfortable looking couches and armchairs.

Cedric Diggory, Fleur and Victor Krum sat there, the latter two talking softly while the first stared into the flames.

Fleur was the first to look up when she heard him approach.

"Harry?" she asked confused, getting to her feet. "What are you doing here? Do they want us back in the Great Hall?"

Cedric and Krum too rose to their feet.

Harry had a lump in his throat. How could he possible tell them that he had been selected as the fourth Champion?

He couldn't even look in Cedric's direction.

The guy had earned his spot in this competition and Harry felt like he was taking it all away from him.

"I…I'm sorry" he croaked "I…I didn't mean to…"

Fleur hurried towards him.

"Harry what is it, what happened?" she asked concerned, taking his hands in hers.

But before Harry could say anything else the doors at the top of the stairs banged open and a stampede of footsteps could be heard.

Dumbledore was in the lead of the army of teachers that approached.

He looked calm but Harry knew that a calm Dumbledore could be just a terrifying as an angry one.

McGonagall was behind him. She didn't look any better, still pale wither mouth drawn into a thin line but her eyes radiated concern.

Moody limped along, his magical eyes never stopping once in its socket.

Igor Karkaroff was next, his face drawn into a deep scowl as he strode towards Krum.

Madam Maxime had to duck underneath the doorway to enter the room but the giant lady looked terrifying glaring at everyone in the room.

Crouch didn't look any different than usual.

The only one really excited was Ludo Bagman, who was a stark contrast to Snape, who came in last.

"Lady and Gentlemen, I know this is unorthodox and will come as a complete surprise but you are looking" Bagman began, gesturing at Harry "At the fourth Triwizard Champion!"

There was a second of silence before Fleur let out a terrifying angry shriek, drawing Harry closer to her as if trying to protect him.

"Surely you must be joking 'eadmaster!" she protested. "You cannot 'ave 'arry enter the contest, 'e's too young! It's too dangerous!"

"As if that has ever been a reason to stop Potter from pushing himself into the centre of attention." Snape sneered.

Fleur threw him a scathing look and Harry thought he saw flames flicker through them.

It would do nobody and good if Fleur went all fiery-Veela on them.

"Fleur, please calm down!" he whispered in French.

"I will not calm down." She shrieked.

"It doesn't matter why he did it, if he did it all." Moody growled.

"Of course he did it!" Karkaroff spat.

"Are you saying a fourteen-year-old could pass through Dumbledore's age-line?" Moody spat back challengingly.

"Maybe Dumbledore made a mistake." Karkaroff sneered.

"Besides, Potter is known to break all rules." Snape added.

"I didn't do it!" Harry protested.

"Everyone calm down!" Dumbledore bellowed, effectively shutting them all up.

The man turned to Harry, his blue eyes piercing Harry.

"Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" he asked calmly.

Harry held his gaze and said: "No Sir, I didn't."

Dumbledore held his gaze a little longer and Harry felt uncomfortable under it.

Finally Dumbledore nodded and looked away.

"He's lying!" Madam Maxime shouted, trying to pull Fleur away from Harry.

"He's telling the truth. While Harry has a talent for getting into trouble, he would never cheat his way into something so important like the Tournament."

Madam Maxime bristled but didn't say anything.

"Hogwarts cannot have two champions! It's not fair for the other schools!" Karkaroff shouted.

There were a couple of agreeing nods.

"I think this is a ploy to improve Hogwarts chances! And I will have none of it! We're leaving!" the Durmstrang headmaster shouted.

"Don't be a fool, your champion cannot leave, he entered a magical binding contract! You will not abandon him, he needs you." Moody bellowed.

"As for your comment on this being a ploy…maybe. But not to improve Hogwarts chances. I think some dark wizard is trying to kill Potter. It takes a powerful magic to confuse the Goblet of Fire to choose four instead of three champions. Magic that an adolescent wizard couldn't possible possess."

"Seems like you got it all figured out in your head, don't you Mad Eye?" Snape sneered.

"I case you forget, catching Dark Wizards was my job!" Moody growled dangerously back.

"This doesn't get us any further in our present matter." McGonagall interrupted the two men. "What about Potter? He cannot possibly compete! I won't have it! He's too young!" She looked around, daring anyone to say differently.

"Well, that is for Barty to decide I think!" Bagman said, clapping his hands together with glee. "What say you, old friend? If Mr. Potter a real champion?"

Crouch's hooded eyes travelled over the gathered group.

"The Goblet has decided. Mr. Potter is bound to the Goblet just like the other Champions. He has to compete or the consequences would be dire."

"But I didn't do it!" Harry protested. "I didn't want this." He turned towards Cedric. "I swear." He added.

Cedric looked torn, both confused, angry and unsure.

"'e could be killed!" Fleur protested. "'e's fourteen!"

"We'll take care of him, don't you worry your pretty head of Mademoiselle!" Bagman said condescendingly. "Oh, this is so exciting!" he then added.

"I demand that the Goblet choses again!" Karkaroff grumbled.

"The Goblet's flame has gone out, it will only re-enlighten for the next tournament." Crouch muttered.

That seemed to be too much for Karkaroff. He grabbed Krum by the shoulder and dragged him out of the room.

Madam Maxime tried to do the same with Fleur but Fleur shook her head.

"I'm staying with Harry!" she declared. Her headmistress didn't look happy but Fleur got her wish.

Snape left with a sneer.

Moody nodded at Harry before he left, which left Dumbledore, McGonagall and Bagman and Crouch. And Cedric.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Mr. Diggory, congratulation on your championship. Rest assured that for you nothing changes, you are still Hogwarts champion."

Cedric nodded, unsure what to do.

"Why don't you go and join your housemates? I'm sure they are mighty happy about your winning."

Cedric nodded.

Harry gently pried Fleurs arms away and jogged towards the older student.

"Cedric wait!"

The Hufflepuff turned around. He looked conflicted.

"Look I know how this looks and please believe me when I say I'm sorry. I know I break a lot of rules and do a lot of stupid shit but I really didn't do it."

Cedric sighed. "Harry…I want to believe you. And I probably do. But Hufflepuff…"

He didn't have to say more. Harry knew how much Hufflepuff struggled with their image as nothing more than the collection of those that didn't fit in anywhere else and that had no real talents of value and always came in last and were never really appreciated.

"I know Cedric. I won't compete."

"Then you'll love your magic of worse, even your life. You can't do that." Cedric disagreed.

"Then I let you guys win." Harry said desperately.

"I don't want that either. I want to win fair and square." The seventh-year said, proudly puffing out his chest.

Harry sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, just…" But he didn't know how to continue.

Cedric squeezed his shoulder and offered him a slight smile.

"I know Harry."

Then he left.

When he returned to Fleur and the others he saw that Crouch and Bagman had left.

Fleur hugged him when he got back.

McGonagall looked like she had eaten something sour.

"Well Potter…I guess it was too much to ask for a quiet year." She said.

"I didn't do it Professor." Harry said silently and slightly defeated.

"I know Potter, I know." Then she left as well.

Dumbledore looked like he had aged ten years.

"You should write Sirius." He said.

"In case you have forgotten, they are on a mission you sent them on." Harry reminded him silently, adding a glare for good measurement.

"Then I'll do it for you. Fawkes will be able to find them, I am sure."

"Whatever." Harry muttered.

"I'll take my leave then. Ms Delacour" he said, dipping his head in her direction "Harry, good night to you."

And that left Harry with his friend.

"Oh Fleur, what am I going to do?" he wondered, sinking down onto one of the couches.

Fleur sat down with him.

"Don't worry Harry, I will help you in every way I can. You won't be alone, I promise you."

"I don't want to face them." Harry said.

"Who?"

"All of them. They'll think I cheated my way in. They will start shunning me again, spreading rumours and stuff like that."

"You don't know that."

"They did it before in my second year." He muttered.

"Well, anyone who has a problem will have to deal with me." She said confidently.

"Thanks Fleur."

"You should get some sleep." She said, squeezing his shoulder.

"You too. Congratulations by the way. I'm sure Bill will have a heart-attack once he finds out."

"And he'll have a second one when he finds out you're in it too." She said cheekily.

Harry actually managed a small laugh.

"Come on" she said, getting up and holding out her hand "Let's go. Tomorrow is another day. Our problems can wait until then."

.

Sadly, their problems didn't seem to agree with Fleur.

As Harry entered the Gryffindor Common room he was ambushed b his housemates, who were all (well, not all) cheering and celebrating.

Fred and George went as far as putting him on their shoulders, parading him around the room, despite his protests.

But when he finally managed to escape their grasps and find Hermione and Ron and Neville in their usual alcove in the tower, things didn't get better.

"Bet you loved that." Ron muttered.

Harry looked at him incredulously. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"I said that you probably loved that. Go on then, tell us how you did it!" his red-haired best friend said icily.

"Ronald! You don't believe Harry actually entered himself into this!" Hermione asked.

"Well he is in it!"

"I didn't want to enter! I told you that!" Harry protested.

"Yeah sure." Ron scoffed. "You're really getting desperate for attention Harry!"

Harry was lost for words.

"Ron, maybe you should go to bed." Neville said silently. "Talk about this tomorrow with a clearer head." He suggested.

"There is nothing to talk about." Ron said coldly before getting up and without another word he stormed up the stairs to their dormitories.

"Don't worry about him Harry. He'll cool off. You know Ron." Neville said reassuringly.

"So you two believe me then?" Harry asked, slightly exhausted.

"Of course Harry. I know you." Hermione said softly. "And you may be a hot-head sometimes and reckless. But…I believe you. I know you didn't enter your name into the Goblet."

"Thanks Mione."

"I'm with Hermione. That's not like you."

"Thanks Nev. Really, thank you both."

"You should go to bed." Hermione muttered.

Harry nodded.
"Goodnight guys." He said tiredly.

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Ups and downs in life are not constant. They come and go.

And where there has been and up, it followers there is a low to come.

Things had been pretty decent for Harry lately.

He had his godfather back and a real family now, he had made new friends, found his passion in Curse-Breaking, was learning new and interesting things, he had Daphne back, foiled the plan of the Deatheaters (at least to some extend) and had looked forward to his fourth year.

No of course it had to come crashing down on him.

First with Dumbledore and now with the tournament.

Wherever he went from the day after the Selection-Ceremony, he was glared at, insulted, shunned, even ambushed.

Malfoys 'Potter Stinks' badges were a running hit and nobody seemed to care for the truth.

It was like second year all over but worse.

Worse because Ron was in on it as well.

He wouldn't talk to Harry. He wouldn't even look at him.

But it was two weeks later when the last straw broke it all.

Harry hadn't heard from Sirius or Remus, which had him crazy with worry, even though Dumbledore assured him that Fawkes could find them.

He had written to Argentum and the Goblin had promised he would come as soon as possible.

Aside from that he had gotten a lot of letters from Bill and Mrs. Weasley as well as other members of his team.

How fast did word travel?

Luckily, they were all on his side and believed him but there was little they could do to help defuse the situation at Hogwarts.

Fleur stood with him, which wasn't something her schoolmates appreciated her for but since she was their champion and scarily intimidating if she wanted to be, they accepted it more or less.

The Durmstrangs didn't really care, or at least that what Harry assumed.

Marian and Oleg hadn't spoken with him.

Fleur said they didn't believe he had entered but they couldn't really admit it.

The Hufflepuffs on the other hand hated him, together with pretty much the rest of the school.

So Harry had been in a bad an desperate mood the whole time and he just wanted his friends.

Hermione and Neville were great but they didn't know what to do either.

And then he had accidentally run into Ron.

And boy, had that been a crash…

Earlier:

Harry rounded the corner on the fifth floor, hurrying towards the next staircase, when he collided with someone.

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry." He muttered as they both got to their feet.

"Don't bother." Said a familiar voice.

Harry looked up.

"Oh Ron, it's you. Merlin, sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Yeah, I bet, probably lost in all your fame that you didn't see us lowly peasants." Ron said icily.

"Ron, you know that isn't true!" Harry protested. "You are my friend!"

"Yeah, Harry Potter's sidekick friend." Ron muttered darkly.

Slightly fed up with Ron's behaviour Harry asked. "Ron, what did I do. Why are you acting like this?"

"Behaving like what?" Ron asked bitingly.

"Like a stupid arse!" Harry shouted.

"I guess that's just me, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potters stupid friend."

Harry sighed. "Ron…I didn't mean it like that. But…what did I do? You can't really believe I would enter myself in this madness! Look what it's done! I can't go anywhere without people insulting me or turning their back on me."

"Guess it didn't work out like you planned it."

"Goddamn it Ron, why would I want this? I'm already famous. I don't need eternal glory!" Harry shouted.

"Which just makes it worse that you got chosen!" Ron shouted back, his face bright red.

"Excuse me?" Harry spluttered.

"You, you have everything!" Ron growled. "The perfect godfather and the perfect house, you get to go on adventures in some foreign land and come back a totally different guy than before, you are suddenly totally tight with some Slytherin girl, have all those secrets and know all those people like Victor Krum and that Fleur-chick, are suddenly super close with MY brother and you get all that extra attention for your new Curse-Breaking career and THEN you just so happen to be picked for the Triwizard Tournament!" Ron shouted.

Harry almost stumbled backwards from the blow of Ron's words.

But he recovered quickly.

"I got it all?" he shouted back. "I took thirteen years for me to finally get something! I finally got the family I always wanted. I was finally able to leave the Dursleys! I could finally start living a normal live, find things that interest me and be happy!" he shouted back. "I thought you as my friend would be happy for me!"

"Oh you're so full of yourself! The world doesn't resolve around you!" Ron spat back.

Harry stared at him. "Ron, are you jealous?" he asked silently, slowly understanding.

"OF COURSE I AM BLOODY JEALOUS!" Ron shouted.

Silence rang through the hallway.

Ron's head was beet-red.

He walked past Harry, shoving him with his shoulder.

"Just get out of my way." He muttered, before disappearing.

Now:

Harry wanted to be mad at Ron but part of him understood Ron's anger and resentment. He just wished that Ron could see reason too.

.

Harry was sitting with Daphne in one of the alcoves in the library, far away from the entrance and Madam Pince's eyes.

His head was resting on her thighs as he listened to her read her Charms essay out loud for her so he might suggest improvements.

Of all the people that supported him, Daphne was the best at it.

She didn't tell him to calm down when he was angry, she let him vent of steam and continued to treat him just like always. She offered him silent support throughout classes and whenever they had time for just the two of them she managed to distract him from his current sorrow.

His affection for her grew with every passing minute.

He hated they couldn't spend more time together but he didn't want to drag her into this whole mess as well.

She said she didn't care but after everything her family was going through Harry didn't think it would be fair on her.

"But I want to be in it." She had protested.

"And direct Malfoys ire onto you? No!" he had protested as they had walked along the Black Lake one afternoon after an especially exhausting potions lesson.

"I can handle the ferret." She had said, kicking a stone into the black waters.

"I know but…" Harry had begun but when he hadn't been able to come up with a valid reason he had stopped.

Now in the library he just enjoyed her voice, her warmth and the fact that they were alone.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" she asked, interrupting her reading.

Harry hadn't even noticed his eyes had fallen shut.

"No no, I'm still here." He replied, opening his eyes.

She laughed.

"So…what do you think?" she asked.

"It's good but you should mention more about the countercharms. You only mentioned them but I would also write down what exactly they do." He said, sitting up. "Otherwise its really good."

She nodded and wrote down a short notice, pinning it to her essay before sliding it back into her bag.

"When is Argentum coming?" she asked.

"The day after tomorrow."

"have you heard from Sirius yet?" she then asked, only this time softer.

Harry looked down. "No. Dumbledore says that's to be expected. But…I could really use him and Uncle Moony right now."

"You know my father and Elijah are there for you as well, right? They probably already know but if you want I could write them."

"That's very kind but what could they possible do?"

"They could do something, I am sure." She whispered.

"Can we not talk about any of this for now and…I don't know, talk about something else? Like…how's Rashid?"

.

.

The weighing of the wand ceremony was just as much of a disaster as his run in with Ron the day before.

The actual weighing went without a hitch, it was after Mr. Ollivander had disappeared that the trouble started.

The curly blond haired reporter Harry had immediately identified as Rita Skeeter, even before she had introduced herself, was a pain herself.

Luckily she didn't just annoy Harry but all of the other Champions.

After pictures had been taken she clapped her hands and with her greedy little eyes resting on Harry she proclaimed: "Alright, time for one-on-one interviews. I'd say the youngest goes first."

Remembering Sirius's warning about the woman he promptly said: "Sorry, but as I am a minor my guardian doesn't allow me to give interviews without his presence and since he's not available at the moment, I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

Those were the exact words Sirius had drilled into his head.

Skeeter's smile strained a little bit.

"Come on Harry darling, just a quick one." She said.

Fleur put her hand on Harrys shoulder.

"He said no." she said icily.

Skeeter scowled for a second but then turned, grabbed Victor by the sleeve and pulled him out of the room.

"You shouldn't antagonise her Harry." Cedric said silently. "She can be ruthless."

Harry laughed hollowly. "How could this get any worse?" he asked bitterly.

Cedric looked almost sorry.

"By the way, I told everyone that I didn't like them wearing the badges but…" he trailed off.

"Yeah I know." Harry muttered.

"I don't understand why the school doesn't do anything against it!" Fleur said with a scowl.

"Because Malfoy makes quicker than you can say Quidditch. And Professor Snape doesn't really care to do anything against it." Cedric said with a shrug.

"Still! Someone ought to do something."

"You'll find that I'm not the most popular person, so why would anyone want to help or change anything?" Harry muttered.

Fleur didn't say anything.

Victor got back a few minutes later and his usual scowling face was scowling even more as he shot Rita Skeeter irritated and angry looks.

She seemed unfazed by that and took Fleur with her next.

Krum approached Harry after shortly talking with Karkaroff.

"Potter" he said in his deep heavily accented voice "I just wanted to tell you that I believe you. I don't know you very well but my friends seemed pretty sure you would not do something like that" He must be talking about Marian and Oleg, Harry thought "And I just wanted to say that I have your back if you need it."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Harry muttered.

Krum nodded at him, then at Cedric and left.

Fleur returned, she too angry, and Cedric left.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

She pursed her lips. "That woman is just a disgusting person." Was all she said.

"Now come on, let's go and have lunch."

.

.

The article that came the next day with the prophet didn't help.

"I don't cry at night in my pillow! And I'm fourteen, not twelve! And what is that crap about my tragic past glittering in my eyes? Honestly, I didn't even speak to her. Where is she taking this bullshit from?" Harry growled during breakfast, trying to ignore all the looks, snickers and comments from the other people in the hall.

"We know Harry!" Hermione said soothingly.

"Just ignore it." Neville advised.

"He's right." Victor spoke up. The quidditch start had taken to sit with them. Right now, he sat next to Hermione and was peeling an apple.

"I get bad press all the time, claiming I impregnated another fangirl or was out late, drunken and vandalizing stuff. All you can do is ignoring it. Most of the time people don't believe half of it anyway."

"If you want I can ask papa to file a lawsuit against her." Fleur offered.

"Thanks but she's not worth it. All of this is not worth it." Harry said.

"That's the correct attitude." Victor said with a slight cheer.

After breakfast Harry and Hermione walked towards Ancient Runes when Dumbledore appeared from around a corner.

"Ah, Harry my boy, good thing I ran into you, good morning Ms. Granger." The old man said.

"Good morning Headmaster." The two teenager said.

"Harry, your mentor is here. He's waiting for you in my office. I told him you could use it for your meeting."

"Thank you, Professor that is kind. I'll go see him immediately." Harry said. Turning to Hermione he asked: "Can I have your notes after class?"

She nodded. "Of course Harry. I explain why you can't make it."

"Thanks."

.

Argentum was angry but Harry was relieved to know he wasn't angry with him.

"I believe you Potter. Even if you had wanted to enter this blasted Tournament, you wouldn't have been able to get past the age-line It's a goblin spell and your headmaster, even though I hold not much love for him, is an excellent wizard. Fear not, as your mentor I will help and guide you as much as I can." He said, after Harry had explained the happenings of the last weeks.

"Thanks."

"We'll also take care of Ms. Skeeter." The Goblin added with a wicked grin.

Harry felt almost sorry for her. Almost.

"Anything else I can help you with Potter?"

Harry shook his head. "No. What you are doing is already more than I hoped for. Thank you for coming. But I really have to get back to class."

Argentum nodded. "I'll see you soon, remember, Champion or not, you are my apprentice first!"

Harry smiled. "I know. By Argentum."

"By Potter."

54. The first task

Chapter Fifty-Four: The first Task

Harry was staring moodily at the squishy-worms he was supposed to gut.

But his heart was in it.

Next to him Hermione nudged him slightly, trying to get him to work.

Half-heartedly Harry raised his knife, chopping the thing up and filled it into its designated jar.

Snape had been in a foul mood for some reason so instead of brewing he made all of them prepare potions ingredients.

So there they were, sitting at their tables, chopping or grinding or squishing different ingredients while Snape sat at his desk, correcting their homework.

Harry supressed a wince each time he began furiously scribbling onto whatever paper happened to lay before him.

Sometimes bits and pieces of his mumbled comments made it to where Harry sat they were never nice.

Nobody was allowed to talk. Even the Slytherins were unsure what to do, seeing that even they had never seen their Head of House in such a bad mood.

So the only upside to their boring and sometimes disgusting work was that there were no attempts to sabotage them.

But two hours were dreadfully long if you had to do the same thing over and over again.

So Harry let his mind wander to more important things.

Like the first task.

It was less than a week away and Harry had no clue what it was.

But he wasn't the only one.

Fleur had told him that she too had no idea and Harry guessed that Victor too didn't know what was coming for them.

Harry didn't know about Cedric but he doubted it.

With no idea, what he might have to face, Harry wasn't sure how to prepare.

Hermione kept telling him to improve his spell-work, but what kind of spell-work? Defensive, offensive? Transfiguration or Charms?

Hermione said all but Harry didn't know where to start!

Neville had the idea of looking up previous tournaments and their tasks but that had been no real help since the first task was always something different and even with a year to prepare, Harry wouldn't have been able to meet any of those challenges, let alone with only one week to prepare.

He was already considering just to appear during the first task, summon a Patronus or transfigure a rock into a mouse and then give up.

But both Daphne and Fleur had told him that that was stupid idea and that they wouldn't have it.

Finally the bell rung and everyone was in a hurry to get out of the dungeons. But not before collecting their homework.

As Snape handed Harry his essay he sneered and said: "I've seen better from first-years."

Harry was expecting a D or a T but to his surprise it was an A.

Sighing with relieve he shoved the essay into his bag and together with Hermione he left the gloomy darkness of the dungeons.

.

But Harrys afternoon didn't get much better.

Hermione and he were in the common room, trying to get their work done.

But of course, it wasn't made easy for them.

With a resigned sigh, he closed his book and gathered his stuff in his arms.

Surprised Hermione looked up from her essay.

"Are you already finished?" she asked.

"No. I'm sorry Hermione but I can't study here." He whispered, nodding with his head slightly into the corner of the common room where a couple of Gryffindors sat, who kept shooting him angry glares and every now and then would utter a comment about him loud enough so he would hear.

Hermione gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Try the library." She whispered.

But he shook his head.

"Tried that yesterday. That's even worse. No. I think I know where I can go. Don't worry, I'll be in time for the curfew."

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, putting her quill down.

"No, all your stuff is here and they won't bother you." Harry assured her.

"I just don't want you to feel alone Harry." She whispered, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"I'm not. I know I've got you. And Daphne. And Neville. It'll be fine."

Hermione sighed.

"Ron will come around." She said, sounding convinced and sincere.

"Yeah. I hope he will." Harry replied sadly.

"Go on." She said gently.

Harry nodded, picked up his stuff and left the tower, but not without another jabbing remark about him from the corner.

It was already fairly dark outside, with winter at their doorstep but Harry knew the path well enough.

When he reached his destination, he hesitated.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"C'ming!" a loud voice replied and Harry stepped a few steps back as the heavy oak door swung open.

Light flooded the darkness and Harry had to blink slightly

"'arry?" came the slightly confused question.

"Hey Hagrid." Harry said with a small smile.

The half-giant stared at him confused and surprised for a second.

"Is everything alright Harry?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course it is." Harry answered lightly but the worry did not leave those beetle-black eyes.

"Blimey Harry, come in, it's cold outside. What are you doing here?" Hagrid asked, as he ushered Harry inside.

"Well, I promised I'd be back soon but also I was wondering if…" Harry began but then couldn't find the courage to continue.

"To what Harry?" Hagrid asked as he pushed Harry gently into one of the huge chairs.

"Well I was wondering if you would mind if I could maybe study here for a while." Harry finally admitted.

Hagrid stared at him surprised.

"Why would ye' come all the way out 'ere to study 'arry?" he asked confused.

Harry sighed.

"Things have been rather tense in the castle since Halloween and…and I can't go anywhere without anyone making some accusations or insulting me or study anywhere without someone accidently spilling their ink all over my work and…and I just need a break!" Harry said, venting off his frustration and sadness and anger in one short rant.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't bother you, it was stupid to come here." He muttered, getting up.

But Hagrid's giant paw pushed him back down.

"Now now 'arry! Of course, ye're can stay 'ere! I don't mind." He said cheerfully.

Harry sagged in relieve. "Thanks Hagrid. You have no idea how much that means to me!"

Hagrid smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't yer worry Harry. I'm sure they will all settle down soon enough. Until then feel free to come 'ere whenever yer want."

"Thanks Hagrid. Really, I mean it."

Harry set to work and Hagrid sat down at the table with him, doing some work of his own, like mending some baskets, sharpening gardening tools, sorting through herbs and other stuff.

They sat in companionable silence, each simply enjoying each other's presence while not having to talk at all for once.

Harry was able to do all his homework and re-do his assignment for Argentum, that had been ruined by some angry Hufflepuff this morning when he had spilled ink all over it.

"Thanks Hagrid" he said once he was done "I don't think I've had this much quiet since Halloween." He confessed.

Hagrid smiled. "No problem Harry. I enjoyed having someone besides Fang around for company."

As harry gathered his stuff together Hagrid added: "You know, curfew is still an hour away, why don't we go visit Shimmer-Wing and Lunar? I have to check up on the herd anyway."

Harry shrugged. "Sure, I'd love too."

"Great, fetch my bag form outside while I get my coat, will yer? The one with the rabbits inside."

"Sure." Harry said, slipping on his robes and scarf before heading outside.

He grabbed Hagrid hunting-bag from the pole and waited for the half-giant to emerge.

Since it was already dark Hagrid lit a lantern before leading them into the forest.

The Forbidden Forest was creepy at night but Harry had been here more times during the dark than during the day so it was quite familiar to him.

Hagrid hummed a little tune as they stomped through the undergrowth and crawled over the giant tree-roots.

Finally they made it to the clearing in which Harry ha first met Lunar and his mother.

Hagrid whistled loudly and the entire herd appeared this time around.

Hagrid and Harry bowed to Shimmer-Wing, who seemed to be the alpha-female and leader of the herd.

Once she had accepted them and bowed back, Hagrid and Harry went through the herd, offering each hippogriff a dead rabbit, as Hagrid checked them for injuries or sickness.

Harry played with little Lunar.

The Hippogriff had grown a few inches since their first meeting.

He jumped around Harry, beating his wings in some sort of play.

Harry laughed, moving his arms up and down in a similar fashion.

Too soon Hagrid called him over.

"Gotta go or we'll miss the curfew. Wouldn't want to get you into trouble." Hagrid said with a wink.

"Could you fetch me bag? I left it somewhere over there" Hagrid pointed to the other side of the clearing "While I check some of my traps close by, see if they caught anything."

"Sure Hagrid."

"Just wait here for me, it should only take a few minutes."

Harry nodded and headed across the clearing.

With his wand, he lightened up his surroundings, looking for Hagrid's bag.

"Gotta be here somewhere." He mumbled as he walked through the trees.

Harry wasn't looking where he was going so when suddenly a jet of light illuminated the darkness and a chorus of ruff voiced broke through the night, he jumped in fright and dropped down to his knees behind a bush.

Calming down his racing heart he pushed a few branches aside and his breath caught in his throat.

Maybe fifty meters away was another clearing.

Said clearing was big and illuminated.

There stood four gigantic cages.

And in those cages, were…

"Dragons." Harry whispered in shock and disbelieve.

Harry watched as men and women dressed in thick working cloths hurried around the cages, trying to calm the wild and fire-breathing creatures down.

He then saw a familiar figure stalk around the cages while at the same time keeping enough distance.

Karkaroff.

And over there, towering in the shadows of the trees was Madam Maxime.

So this had to be the first task.

Dragons.

Harry wondered whose stupid and retarded idea it had been to make DRAGONS the first task of this stupid competition.

Probably Bagman.

Having seen enough and not wanting Hagrid to worry Harry gathered up his stuff and hurried back.

Wait a second…Hagrid must have known that the dragons were kept close by.

But then that meant….

Gratitude and affection for his friend flooded Harry as he stumbled back to the clearing.

The half giant was already waiting for him.

"Yer alright Harry?" he asked.

"Never better. Thanks Hagrid." He said. Thanks for warning me, he added in his head.

Hagrid nodded and then winked.

.

Hagrid insisted to bring him back to the castle.

Once there Harry thanked the Groundskeeper once again before hurrying off to the tower.

He was relieved that only a few people where there when he arrived.

Hermione was one of them.

She was knitting hats when he slipped inside but stopped when she spotted him.

"Hey" she greeted him softly "everything alright?"

"Yes. Better than before. And you?"

"Tired. I wanted to make sure you made it back." She said with a yawn.

Once again Harry felt the deep affection he had for his friend warming his chest.

He helped her up, gathered up her knitting material and walked her over to the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

"Thank you Mione. I don't deserve a friend like you."

She swatted him on the arm.

"Yes, you do. Now shut up and go to bed."

"Yes ma'am."

.

.

.

"Dragons, that's the first task." Harry said, looking around if anyone was close by.

Cedric stared at him.

Harry sighed. "Don't look at me like a brick wall. I know it sounds insane and it is. But it's true. Ask Fleur and Krum. They know it too."

Cedric finally managed to control his emotions.

"Why do you tell me this?" he asked.

"Because you don't know and because maybe now you will believe me that I do not want to compete, much less win this stupid competition. Besides it's only fair since the rest of us know. I know you said you don't want any help but look at it as an apology for getting selected as the fourth Champion." Harry said.

Cedric hesitated, then he held out his hand.

"Thanks Harry. I'm sorry I doubted you." Harry shook his hand.

"No problem."

.

.

"What do you know about dragons?"

Hermione and Daphne stared at him.

"Why am I afraid to ask why you want to know that." Daphne asked.

"Because that's the first task. There are four dragons, one for each of us. I don't know if we have to fight it or anything but…that's the first task." Harry said, flopping down in one of the chairs at their table in the library.

"They can't be serious!" Hermione shrieked.

"They are." Harry muttered darkly.

Daphne closed the potions book she had been reading until Harry had arrived.

"Well, they breath fire, have sharp teeth and talons and they can fly." She offered.

"Gee, thanks Danny, I would never have guessed that myself." Harry said sarcastically.

Daphne shrugged.

"You fought a dragon before, remember?" she said.

Harry glared at her.

"First of all, there were like ten of us and only one dragon."

"True but it was much bigger!"

"But it didn't breathe fire. These ones do!"

"It was still dangerous."

"But I didn't kill it!" Harry pointed out.

"Alright, hold up a second. What am I missing?" Hermione asked, holding up her hands.

Daphne and Harry looked at each other before Harry said: "Okay, so theoretically you are not supposed to know but… on our mission we ran into a dragon as well. Long story short, we killed it."

"I'm not even going to ask." Hermione said.

"It's probably better if you don't." Daphne agreed.

"Can this help us?" Hermione asked.

"Probably not." Daphne mumbled.

"So I'm screwed?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Not necessarily. We have to look past the obstacle and see what the true goal of the task is." Hermione said slowly.

"Look past the fire-breathing creature?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Look, this whole tournament is a test. They want to test how you work under different conditions. Your Curse-Breaking expedition is not so different. They want to see how you overcome and obstacle. They want to see how creative you can get. I think it's about playing your strengths!" Hermione said slowly.

"My strengths? And what would that be?"

"Your good a good duellist." Daphne suggested.

"But most spells we know will have little to no effect on a fully-grown dragon." Hermione argued.

"What else can you do?" she asked.

"I don't know…Quidditch?"

"Harry concentrate, how is a silly game going to help us?" Hermione scoffed.

"Quidditch is not silly!" Harry protested.

"Guys that's it!" Daphne exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Hermione and Harry asked simultaneously.

"Flying! Harry is a pretty decent flyer!"

"You want me to outfly a dragon? Do you hear yourself?" Harry asked.

But now Hermione was hooked too.

"She has a point Harry. On a broom, you have a lot more options and better way to defend yourself and you are faster than on foot and it's easier to get out of hairy situations if necessary."

"Great but what use is that? I don't even know what I have to do!"

"But you'll have an advantage." Hermione said.

Harry scoffed. "I doubt it but okay, let's say I do it. The problem still is that I'm not allowed to bring my broom. Only my wand." Harry argued.

Daphne smiled. "Then we'll have to practice your summoning charm I guess."

.

.

.

.

Harry thought he would be sick.

As he sat on his bed in the Champions tent he really thought he would throw up right then and there.

His co-competitors didn't look any better.

Fleur was pale and slightly green around her nose.

Krum was paler than usual as well but his nervousness was apparent by the way he opened and closed his hands the whole time.

Cedric was a pacer.

He'd started pacing the minute they had arrived.

Fleur sat down next to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked him silently.

"Sure. I just have to get past a dragon. No biggie. Been there done that, right?" he muttered nervously.

Fleur hugged him.

"Don't worry. There are people there to step in if necessary." She assured him.

Harry rubbed his hand together.

"Where is Sirius?" he asked silently.

Only yesterday had they gotten a reply from his godfather and uncle.

Sirius had promised Harry that they would return immediately.

But as the day went on and they hadn't appeared, the sick feeling in Harrys chest and stomach had grown stronger.

"He'll be here. He'll make it, don't you worry!" Fleur promised him.

She hugged him tightly, just like Hermione, Daphne and Luna had just before he had left the castle to prepare for the first task.

Daphne had even given him a small kiss on the cheek.

The tent flaps flew open and Crouch and Bagman, followed by the headmasters of the three schools and, to Harrys huge dismay, Rita Skeeter and her photographer, entered the tent.

Skeeter saw Fleur sitting next to Harry, one arm reassuringly around his shoulders and immediately the camera flashed and she shouted dramatically: "The tragic romance of Harry Potter and Fleur Delacour – Fated to compete against each other, will their love hold?"

Fleur jumped to her feet, anger clear on her beautiful face.

"Listen here you…" she began, switching into French, calling Skeeter a few words that made Harry blush.

Skeeter didn't seem to understand the word but she got the meaning just as well.

She bristled slightly.

"Seems like someone has some anger-issues." She sneered.

Before Fleur could rip her a new one Bagman interfered.

"Now now ladies, none of that. This is a happy day. Welcome to the first task champions. I am sure you are all eager as to what it will be!" he began but was only met with the stony pointed expressions of each champion.

Unfazed he continued.

"In a few second you will know. Mr. Crouch, it's your turn."

Mr. Crouch stepped forward. He was holding a small bag.

"If you would please reach into my bag, you will find out what you are about to face out there." He said in his monotone voice.

Fleur was first.

Gingerly she put her hand inside and when she drew it back out she was holding the tiny replica of a dragon in her hand. Around his neck hung a small piece of parchment with the number '2' written onto it.

"The Common Welsh Green. Very nice." Crouch said. "As you can see" he continued as he held out the bag to Cedric "Dragons are the first Task. Each of these small replicas stand for a real life-size version that is awaiting you in the arena. Your task is to get past them and collect a Golden Egg that was given the dragon to protect."

Harry stared at the man in disbelieve.

They what now?

Even muggles had their stories about how famous dragons were for collecting and hording treasures.

The book 'The Hobbit' came to Harrys mind and his head filled with dreadful scenarios. You never stole form a dragon! Never!

But it was not like they had much of a choice.

Cedric drew a Swedish Short-Snout with the number '1' according to Crouch and Krum a Chinese Fireball with the number '3'.

Harry was last and he already had a bad feeling when he put his hand inside the bag.

Out he drew a tiny black-and brown dragon, covered from head to toe in spikes. The tag around his neck said '4'.

"The Hungarian Horntail." Crouch said.

Seeing his face Harry refused to ask: "That bad, hu?"

So he just held onto the tiny dragon and looked over at the other champions. None of them looked thrilled.

"The numbers make up the order. Mr. Diggory, as soon as the cannon goes off make your way towards the arena, yes?"

Cedric swallowed and nodded.

Dumbledore patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Well then, if the other judges would follow me, it's time to take our place." Bagman said happily.

They were about to leave when outside someone loudly protested: "Sir, you cannot go in there!" "The hell I can and will!" a familiar voice growled.

"It's for champions only!"

"I'm only warning you once more. Get out of my way so I can see my son!"

"Sir I must insist…"

There was a s dull smacking sound and the familiar voice said: "Warned you."

The tent flaps flew open and in stormed none other Sirius Black.

He ignored everyone and strode straight at Harry.

Harry jumped into his arms, not able to hide a sob of relieve.

Sirius hugged him tightly.

"I told you I'd make it. Merlin Harry! How do you manage to get into these situations kiddo?" he asked silently.

Harry managed a shaky laugh. "I wish I knew!" he replied.

Someone cleared their throat behind them.

"Sirius, so glad you could make it." Dumbledore said.

Sirius just glared at him. "No thanks to you." He said coldly.

Trying to diffused the tension Bagman jumped forward.

"As I was saying, judges, to your places and everyone who is not a champion please proceed to the stands."

"The hell I will." Sirius said, pulling Harry close to him. "I am staying right here!"

"Sirius, please don't make a scene." Dumbledore began.

"I'm not, you are." Sirius replied.

"Sirius, that other champions don't have the comfort of a parent. It would only be fair if you left." Bagman tried.

"I don't mind Mr. Black being here." Fleur said coolly.

"Me neither." Cedric said.

"I don't care." Victor grumbled.

Bagman flushed.

"Well then…I guess you can stay…" he stammered.

"Good." Sirius said darkly.

With that everyone else left the tent.

Sirius let Harry over to his bunk and sat down.

He then hugged Harry once more.

"I should never have left. I knew something like this would happen." He muttered.

"Where is Moony?" Harry asked silently, taking deep breaths of Sirius smell.

"Outside talking to McGonagall and Bill."

"Bill is here?"

"When he heard that you and Fleur were both in the competition he asked for some leave and came here." Sirius told him.

Harry just nodded.

"Are you…are you prepared?" Sirius ask, fear leaking through his voice.

Harry hesitated. "Kind of. I…I have a plan. It's stupid and reckless and you'll probably hate it and it's not really much of a plan, more like a concept, so I'm not telling you!"

"As long as you have a plan…" Sirius muttered.

Outside a canon fired.

Cedric slowly stood up. He was shaking.

Harry freed himself from his godfather's arms and walked towards the Hufflepuff.

He held out his hand. "Good luck Cedric. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll rock out there." He said sincerely.

"You too Potter." Cedric replied.

Fleur approached them. She gave Cedric a quick peck on each cheek for good luck.

Victor too shook his hand.

Cedric took one last deep breath, then left the tent.

All they could do was sit there, Harry tucked away under Sirius's arm, and wait and listen to the sounds of the crowd and Bagman's comments, which was somehow the worst.

But finally, a cheer went up and Bagman announced: "He's done it! He's got the egg!"

A short while later the canon fire again and Fleur rose from her bed.

Harry hugged her tightly.

"I'll see you soon." She promised.

"I know." He replied.

She and Victor nodded at each other, then she left.

Listening to Bagman's comments about Fleur was even worse and Harry was so relieved when he finally announced that she too had gotten her egg.

Harry shook Victors hand before he headed out.

That left him alone with Sirius.

They sat in silence as Bagman commented on Victors performance.

And when the cheers rose and Victor too manged to get his Golden Egg, Harry thought he would faint.

When the canon fired one last time, Harry got to his feet.

His knees felt like jelly.

"I'm here Harry. I'm not going anywhere!" Sirius said.

With Sirius by his side Harry slowly made his way out of the tent and it the tunnel that let into the arena.

As they approached the opening Harry felt panic constrict his throat.

"Sirius, I'm scared!" he whispered, grabbing his godfathers arm.

Sirius stopped and knelt down before him, holding his hands tightly.

"I know Harry. I know. But nothing will happen to you. I wish I could have been here sooner, could have helped you. Harry I'm so sorry! But I believe in you."

He got back up and hugged Harry.

"You will be alright! I promise. I'll be right here."

"I'm sorry!" Harry whispered.

"I know. But it wasn't your fault."

Letting go of Sirius was hard but Harry knew he had to.

Slowly he walked towards the end of the tunnel and into the arena.

.

.

.

Faces. Thousands of faces that looked down at him.

They all blurred together.

Off to one side Harry could see the judges at their table.

Silence fell over the arena in anticipation as Harry emerged from the tunnel.

The dragon wasn't hard to spot.

It sat perched on an outcrop across from him on the other side of the arena.

Underneath its huge scaly belly Harry saw something glitter.

Something golden.

Great. There was the egg.

Harry slowly walked down the steep slope of the rocky enclosure.

The dragon watched his every movement warily.

Harry ignored Bagman's stupid comments and focused on the task ahead.

He could do this.

He had survived worse.

There was no need to panic or to be afraid.

He was a Curse-Breaker in training, he had fought monsters and Death-Eaters and he'd be damned is this stupid dragon would get the best of him.

As he walked towards the beast he tried to think of ways to get to the egg without being burned, eaten, mauled, squashed or torn to pieces.

The dragon must have decided that he had gotten close enough because he set a stream of fire in Harrys direction.

Acting on instinct Harry dropped down and rolled behind a rock, just barely managing to take cover fore the ground where he had stood seconds before turned to ash.

The crowd let out a scream, followed by cheers and claps.

Harry wondered if they were cheering for him or the dragon. Probably the dragon.

He peered out from behind his rock.

The Horntail had raised her wings slightly as well as her tail.

Harry didn't need to be a dragon handler to know that this meant: "Stop! Come any closer and I will grill you!"

He noticed that the dragon was chained to the ground.

Made sense.

So how could he get the egg.

The idea came to him suddenly and it was so stupid and so reckless that Harry knew it would be the only way for him to get it.

Concentrating he channelled his magic and chanted silently: "Accio Firebolt!"

Nothing happened but Harry knew it would take a moment or two.

Using the time he had he gathered up a few rocks and, keeping low and out of the dragon sight, took cover behind a different boulder a few meters to his left.

Then he jumped out of his hiding place, drew his arm back and then threw it forwards.

The rock he had picked up sailed through the air and hit its target.

The Horntail howled in surprise when suddenly a rock the size of Harrys fist nailed it in the left nostril.

Harry didn't know if dragons understood humans but he still shouted: "Over here you overgrown pot-bellied lizard!"

The crowd gave a gasp at his bold move.

The Horntail turned its head, only to bit hit by another rock.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit you plankton-brain?" Harry asked loudly in a mocking voice, hoping to rile the dragon up.

It seemed to work because it hissed and spew another column of fire in Harry direction.

Harry, who had anticipated this, dodged, jumping behind a different boulder once more.

His next rock didn't hit the dragon in the head but on the neck and one on the wing.

They weren't fatale blows and didn't really injure the dragons thick hide but they annoyed the beast, sending it into a range.

"Come on" Harry mumbled as he jumped behind yet a different rock, picking up another rock.

This one was heavier and pointy.

He weighed it in his hand for a second, calculating its trajectory before jumping to his feet, turning on the spot to gather momentum and then let go of it, sending it flying towards the dragon.

It was a bull's eye hit.

Right into the dragon's sensitive left eye.

Harry threw up his arms. "Bull's eye!" he shouted gleefully and more confident then he felt.

But it worked.

The Horntail rose to it legs, spreading its wings and raised its tail.

At the same time Harry heard the familiar whistling sound of something approached by air very fast.

A quick glance confirmed his suspicion.

"I bet you could never catch me!" he shouted boldly.

Jumping onto the boulder eh had used as a hideout.

The dragon drew back its head, breathing in deeply, preparing to incinerate Harry with its next breath of fire.

As the whistling grew clearer and the audience gave started shouts, Harry counted down.

Three…two…ONE!

He jumped, twisting slightly in mid-air and landed securely on his broom, just as the Horntail breathed fire onto the rock Harry had just stood on.

Astrid on his broomstick Harry sped towards the Dragon, who was still busy scorching the rock he had been on, not realizing he was already gone.

Harry came at her from her side and he would have made it, had it not been for the Horntails famous horned tail.

Like a club, it smashed into the ground before Harry, sending up an explosion of sharp rocks.

Harry was forced to steer sharply to the left, only to narrowly dodge the beast's teeth as he drove underneath her head.

Faintly he heard the crowds screams but he didn't care anymore.

"I can do this!" he whispered fiercely as he drove back down in a long arch.

The Horntails eyes were fixed on him and she was still standing, her wings raised.

"Come on, catch me. Do it!" He muttered.

Deciding to throw all caution into the wind he drove corkscrewing down in front of her, again narrowly avoiding both teeth and flame.

He drove between her legs, getting close to the nest but suddenly her tail was there, blocking his path and he had to barrel-roll out of the way to avoid getting clubbed into a pancake.

He brought his broom back under control and circled a short distance away, trying to think of a way to archive his goal.

"When in doubt…" he muttered, aiming his wand at the dragons back. "Sorry girl. It's not personal."

Then he shouted: "Relashio!"

The dragon roared in anger and pain and finally her wings began flapping up and down and her massive bulk rose into the air.

And that was Harrys chance.

Like a flacon, he dropped down and then sped towards the momentarily unprotected nest.

And that was all he needed.

With the trained hand of a Seeker his hand closer around the golden egg, lifting it up and securing it against his chest.

That was when Harry made a small mistake.

To assure his grip on the egg he slowed down.

Just a tiny bit but it was enough.

The Horntails tail only grazed him but it was enough to send Harry flying off his broom and towards the hard-unforgiving ground.

With no time to draw his wand and cast a spell he curled into a ball, waiting for impact.

The impact forced all breath from his lungs.

For a few horrible seconds Harry couldn't breathe, couldn't will his lungs to expand and take in the precious gas he needed to stay alive.

Like a fish on dry land he lay there, mouth opening and closing, choking.

His shoulder, where the dragon had hit him burned.

The dragon!

Survival instinct kicking in Harry managed to roll to his knees.

He managed to breathe in a quick breath of air before stumbled to his feet.

His gaze found the tunnel through which he had come and he ran towards it.

Behind him could hear the dragon screech but he didn't turn, he didn't look, he just ran, his precious object clutched to his chest.

Only when he had reached the tunnel did he slow down and his rational side took over.

He stopped, breathing hard.

He'd done it.

He had the egg!

He had gotten past the dragon!

For the first time, he became aware of the screaming around him.

No, not screaming.

Cheering.

The thousand faces were cheering.

Cheering at him.

It left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.

He watched as dragon-handlers entered the arena, trying to subdue the enraged dragon.

And suddenly someone was there, pulling him into a hug, startled and surprised Harry jumped but then he recognized the smell of leather, tobacco and machine-oil.

"Sirius!" he whispered. "I did it."

And then his godfathers voice got through to him.

"YES! YES YOU DID! Oh my god pup, you did it! I am so PROUD!" the animagus cheered, shaking his shoulders.

That was not a good idea.

Harry felt the colour drain from his face as his entire left arm seemed to erupt into flames.

His knees wobbled and gave away and only Sirius hands kept him from falling.

He heard Sirius call out for Madam Pomfrey.

His shoulder burned!

He turned his head to look at it and he felt bile rise in his throat when he saw the black thorn stuck in his shoulder.

He lifted a shaky hand.

The blood was hot on his trembling fingers.

Sirius, realizing to late what Harry was doing shouted: "Harry don't!" but Harry had already grabbed the thorn and with one tuck had pulled it out of his shoulder.

He must have lost conscious after but only for a few minutes because he woke up on his be din the champions tent with Sirius to his side, holding the hand of his uninjured arm while Madam Pomfrey worked on his injured shoulder.

"Merlin, Harry don't ever do something like that again, you hear me?" Sirius said when he saw that Harry was awake.

Before Harry could reply Madam Pomfrey shoved a cup against his lips and forced some vile concoction down his throat.

He spluttered slightly but immediately felt better.

"I have to agree with Mr. Black. That was a foolish thing to do Potter. What if that had hit and artery? You could have died! Good thing that Dragon wasn't poisonous too." The medi-witch told him sternly.

She tapped her wand against his shoulder and bandages began to wrap around it.

"Sorry." Harry whispered.

She just handed Harry another potion.

"Drink this and then you can go get your score." She said briskly before leaving.

Harry drank the potion and realized it was a pain-relieve potion.

He sighed when he felt its effect take hold.

Slowly, with Sirius's help he sat up.

"How was I?" he croaked.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Aside from the fact that I lost at least twenty years of my live?" he asked.

"Aside from that." Harry said with a nod.

Sirius took a deep breath.

"It was without a doubt the dumbest, craziest, scariest, most stupid and reckless thing I have ever seen!"

Harrys hope fell.

"But it was also the most amazing stunning and incredible thing I've ever seen. You did well Harry. That was fantastic! Everyone thought so!"

Harry looked up.

"Really?" he asked, is strength slowly returning to him.

Sirius nodded. "Moony looked close to having a stroke, as did several other people but all in all everyone if pretty impressed."

Sirius gently hugged him, mindful of the injured shoulder.

"I'm glad I made it in time. I'm sorry I wasn't here Harry."

"It's okay. I'm glad you made it too." Harry mumbled.

A commotion by the tent opening had them both look up.

In stormed Hermione, Daphne and Fleur.

Hermione reached them first, hugging Harry tightly while at the same time punching him somehow in the arm.

"You Harry James Potter have the luck of the Devil!" she shouted when she let go of him.

Fleur too hugged him, babbling in such a rapid French that Harry understood almost nothing.

Then Daphne elbowed her way through to him.

She didn't say anything, she just grabbed the collar of his shirt (or what remained of it), pulled him close and pressed her lips against him.

When she let go of him after a few seconds she said: "I'm glad you're not dead."

Harry just stared at her.

Sirius broke his stupor by clapping his hands and proclaiming: "Alright, I think it's time to go get your score, don't you think Harry?"

Harry nodded and slid off the bed.

The four followed him as he walked back into the arena and before the judges.

Silence fell over the crowd once again.

Harry felt how Daphne slipped her hand into his hand he squeezed it slightly, thanking her for her silent support.

Madam Maxime was first.

With a short glance at her own student and champion standing next to Harry she raised her wand and shot a silver eight into the air.

The crowd and Harrys friends and godfather applauded.

"That's good!" Hermione said enthusiastically.

Crouch was next. He gave Harry a nine.

More cheering and clapping and even a bit of stomping.

He got nine more from Dumbledore, which had most of Gryffindor dancing on their seats but when Ludo Bagman shot a big ten into the air, it took a few minutes to get the students to settle down again.

Next to Harry the girls and Sirius jumped in glee and congratulated Harry over and over again.

Karkaroff was the last of the judges to pass his judgement.

He earned a lot of boos and shouts when he gave Harry a total of four points.

"Hypocrite. He gave Krum ten points even though he damaged some of the real eggs." Daphne hissed.

Harry smiled at her and shrugged.

"It's okay. I didn't expect him to be impartial."

"Well he should be." Hermione grumbled.

"On the bright side, you are tied for first place with Krum!" Sirius said delighted.

Harry looked at him in disbelieve.

"I am?" he asked, looking at Fleur for conformation.

She nodded, a wide grin on her face.

"Wow." Harry muttered.

But before anyone else could say more Bagman stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Each champion successfully managed to get their egg, which means they all go on to the second task of the tournament. Now their wits are asked. Each egg holds the clue for the next task, which will take place on the second of February. Good luck champions."

.

.

Back in the Champions tent Moony was already waiting for them, together will Neville, Bill and the other champions.

Neville patted Harry on his healthy shoulder and congratulated him before slipping outside.

Bill, just like everybody else, hugged him and declared that Harry was going to make him turn grey before even reaching his thirties.

They all laughed.

Victor congratulated him with a firm handshake.

Cedric grinned.

"Whatever happened to letting me win?" he asked with a wink.

Harry winced slightly. "Sorry." He muttered.

"Harry, I'm just teasing, that was awesome. You've been holding out on us!" the Hufflepuff said good-naturedly and ruffled through Harrys hair.

"Alright you lot, Harry needs rest, now scam!" Sirius declared after the laughter settled down.

"If you want quiet you should avoid the Gryffindor Common Room. I heard Fred and George raided the kitchen and are planning a spontaneous party!" Bill told them.

"Good to know." Sirius said with a nod.

"We'll leave you to it then Harry. We'll see you tomorrow." Daphne said gently.

Gathering all his courage, Harry caught her hand as she turned around, pulled her back and kissed her.

There were a few wolf-whistles and laughs.

"See you tomorrow." He agreed.

55. The new rule

AN: Hey People, I overworked this chapter because a lot of you saw problems with the oath I had originally planned. Most of you were right. And while I did mean it a bit differently than most of understood it, I still changed it. And I like this one better. The chapter is mostly the same, so just skip to the meeting in Dumbledore's office!

I hope you will understand this idea better than the first one. I was wore detailed this time around you yes, you will still find loop-holes most likely but maybe that is intentional?!

Anyway, thanks and I hope you'll like this overworked version more.

Love Kate

.

.

Chapter Fifty-Fife: The new rule

Harry was sleepily staring into the fire, his feet popped up on Sirius's lap while holding a cup of hot tea.

Exhaustion was clawing at his bones and his eyelids dropped every few seconds.

His body ached despite Madam Pomfrey's potions and the hot shower he had.

Sirius and Remus had steered him through the castle after the first task, away from the celebrations and into a room somewhere on the seventh floor that held a nice spacious bathroom next to a cosy common-room like room in which they sat now.

While Harry had been in the shower, Sirius had gathered some of his clothes and Remus had gone to the kitchen to fetch something to eat and drink.

Sirius put his cup down on the small table and shifted so that he could face Harry.

"Tell me the truth, are you really okay?" he asked for probably the hundredth time.

Harry nodded.

"Sore and achy but okay. Tired though." He muttered, supressing a yawn.

"Don't worry, you can go to bed soon." Remus assured him.

Harry nodded.

"I'm glad you made it. It felt good having you there." He whispered.

Sirius wrapped his arm protectively around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry we almost didn't." he said honestly.

"Why would you go on a mission for Dumbledore anyway?" Harry asked, speaking out what he'd bene wondering for weeks now.

"I mean, he's manipulated you and lied to all of us and has been nothing but a pain in our behinds. Why…why would you leave?"

His utter exhaustion, both physically and mentally, lowered Harrys walls and made it hard to hide his pain and fear.

Sirius rubbed his eyes slowly.

"It's not like we trust him a hundred percent. But he had a point. Pettigrew cannot be left out there. Someone has to do something and if the minister won't it will fall onto us."

"But why you?" Harry whined.

"Because we know that this war is not over yet."

Harry shook his head. "But why can't we tell people, try and convince them that Voldemort and his followers are actually not defeated?"

"Because the Minister would never allow it. He's too afraid. Many people are. Harry, you don't understand how dark those times were when Voldemort was in power. People don't want to return to those times. And they'll do anything to forget and pretend everything is alright." Remus said silently.

"They would turn on us if we went out there and started opening old wounds." Sirius added.

"So until we smack some concrete evidence in their faces they won't believe us and do something?" Harry asked.

"In a way…yes." Sirius said.

Harry groaned and let himself fall back down into the cushions.

"Great."

"One battle at the time pup. Right now, let's concentrate on the more pressing problems." Sirius said gently.

"Second task?" Harry asked sleepily.

"No, that can wait until at least tomorrow. I'm more concerned about who put your name into the Goblet of Fire."

"Told you it wasn't me." Harry muttered, snuggling deeper into the pillows. "Probably Snape. Hates me." He added, eyes falling shut.

"I doubt it's Snape. But good guess kiddo. Any other idea?" Remus asked, lowering his voice.

"Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, Karkaroff, I don't know." Harry grumbled.

"I think we should continue this conversation another time." The werewolf said in a low voice to Sirius.

His friend nodded, gently lifting Harrys feet off his lap and arranging his godson so that he would be comfortable, then spreading a blanket over him.

Faster than Sirius had thought Harry was able in his current condition his godson grabbed his hand.

"Don't leave. Please." He whispered, managing to pry open his eyes a few millimetres.

"Don't worry Harry, I am not going anywhere." He said soothingly.

Harry nodded, sighed and closed his eyes again.

Sirius watched as his breathing evened out, the he turned to Remus.

"He can stay here tonight and so can we." He stated.

Remus smiled.

"Sure."

.

Harry was confused when he woke up.

This was not his bed in his dormitory.

The room was wide and the thing he lay on seemed to be a couch or something like that.

Had he fallen sleep in the Common Room again?

No, he hadn't been to the Common Room.

After the first task Remus and Sirius had brought him here…wherever here was.

Groaning he sat up, his hand flying to his shoulder when he agitated the wound.

"Hey Harry, good to see you up."

He looked up, blinking against the light and saw Remus standing there, smiling with a mug of tea in his hand.

"Morning Moony." He muttered.

Gesturing at the hand still clutching the injured shoulder, Remus asked concerned: "Do you need something for that?"

Harry shook his head. "Naw, it's okay. Where is Sirius?"

Remus snorted. "Having his beauty sleep. See for yourself."

He stepped aside, giving Harry free view at the rest of the room and his godfather on a mattress on the ground before the fire-place, snoring slightly, mouth wide open with drool dripping onto the pillow.

"Charming." Harry grunted as he pushed himself to his feet.

The room swayed slightly.

"What time is it?"

"Time for breakfast. What do you say? I could use a bite." Remus said, after casting a quick glance at an old battered wrist-watch on his left arm.

"Me too." Harry said, just then feeling how hungry he was.

He'd been so nervous yesterday, he had barely eaten at all. But now…it felt like a hungry dragon was gnawing at his insides.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the best metaphor.

"What about him?" Harry asked gesturing at his godfather.

"If he can ignore the alarm, then he can't be that hungry." Remus said with a wink.

Harry laughed.

Remus handed him a small pile of cloths.

"Here, Sirius got these too yesterday. There should be still enough time after breakfast for you to get your school-stuff.

"Thanks."

Harry hastily changed in the bathroom, or as quickly one can, using one arm, washed his face and tried to comb his hair but as usual it just popped back into its messy state.

"I need a haircut." He muttered.

"Right you are!" the mirror replied.

Harry just glared at it, then left.

"That wasn't much of an improvement either!" he heard the mirror call after him.

To his relieve the Great Hall was only just beginning to fill with students but those that saw him immediately stopped what they were doing and gaped at him.

Harry felt uncomfortable and quickly sat down, filling his plate with eggs and bacon and fruits and scones and drowned two cups of pumpkin juice before wolfing down his breakfast.

He was so immersed in eating that he hardly noticed the hall filling with people.

"And here I thought you knew your table manners." A female voice said from next to him.

He finally looked up.

Hermione sat cross from him and Daphne next to him with Neville to his other side and Remus next to Hermione.

Then he noticed that a lot of people at his table where looking at him.

He swallowed the bite he had in his mouth.

"You try eating with one arm and see how good you are at it." he said, gesturing at his shoulder.

Hermione rolled with her eyes but they gleamed with relieve and happiness.

"Hey Harry, where were you yesterday? You missed your party!" Fred called from his place a few meters up the table.

Harry shrugged and tried not to wince.

"Didn't feel like it. You know, I figure I wouldn't be welcome with me just being a pathetic excuse of an attention seeker and not being Hogwarts true champion and all." He said loudly.

He knew he was being petty but seeing the guilty and uncomfortable looks of many of his housemates was worth it.

Under the table, Hermione kicked him in the shin.

"You're better than that." Fleur whispered.

"Still feels good." Harry replied, reaching for another muffin.

Both Cedric and Victor can to see him during breakfast before joining their friends at other tables.

Luna floated up to him as well.

"I hope you are feeling better Harry?" she asked, her eyes wide and concerned.

He smiled reassuringly at her. "Of course Luna. Just a little banged up, nothing I can't handle."

She nodded. "You were very brave. The wind-spirits were very impressed with how you handled yourself up in the air."

Ignoring the low questioning murmurs and scoffed comments from some people around him, he just took Lunas hands and squeezed them.

"Tell them thank you from me, will you? How is Pumpkin by the way? I haven't seen him in a while."

Luna shrugged. "He likes to be free."

"But is it safe for him?" Harry asked concerned.

"Yes." Luna said confidently.

"Alright then."

Once she had left Hermione frowned.

"What's the deal with her?" she asked.

"Leave her be Mione. She is special. More special than the rest of us." Harry said firmly but not unfriendly.

Hermione seemed to get the message and backed off.

"So, have you checked out the egg yet for clues about the second task?" Neville asked both Harry and Fleur.

Harry shook his head. "I don't even know where the egg is. The last time I had it was in the arena. Does anyone know what happened to it?" he said, somewhat sheepishly.

"Honestly Harry, only you would misplace something that important!" Hermione groaned.

"Sirius took it. Don't worry Harry." Remus assured him.

"And you didn't miss out on much" Fleur said dryly "All it does when you open it is wail in a horrible high and foreign language. It's so bad I had to close it after only a few seconds."

"Great." Harry muttered.

He excused himself a little while later to get his stuff from the tower while he still had time to spare.

Neville offered to come with him.

So the two Gryffindors walked through the mostly empty hallways and up the stairs, not talking much.

Harry wondered if he actually did have to see Madam Pomfrey if he wanted to make it through the day. His shoulder throbbed nastily.

Thankfully today was a short day and only required a few books and no extra equipment.

Gathering a few things for his study sessions after school he was about to leave their dormitory with Neville to head to Charms-class when there was a knocking sound on the window next to his bed.

A black owl sat there, a letter held in its beak.

Carefully Harry opened the window and let it in.

"Thanks." He sat when it dropped the envelope.

Deciding that he could spare a few more minutes he opened it.

To his surprise it was from Victor Greengrass.

"Dear Harry,

I hope this letter finds you in good health.

I heard of your amazing your amazing performance during the first task, first from Daphne and later read about it in the Prophet.

Congratulations on coming in first.

After this whole mess giving you so much grieve, you deserve it and I hope things will go uphill from here.

But this isn't just a social call.

You asked to be update on the progress of Isaacs condition.

I am happy to tell you that the treatment is working.

He recognized me when I went to visit him a few days ago.

It's harder with others since they changed more in the time he was gone but I am confident that he will make more progress soon.

What worries me most is the time he has lost due to his imprisonment. At the moment, he doesn't remember much of the past twelve years but that is because those memories are mostly sealed away. I wonder if he'll be able to pick up his life if he doesn't really understand what is going on.

But that is not for you to worry about.

You'll be pleased to hear that I am almost done reversing all the things Malfoy made me do and that things are settling down, mainly because the tournament had been taking up the publics focus lately.

My family is recovering as well and from my exchanges with Daphne she too seems content and happy. Thank you for taking care of her.

On another note, Madam Bones told me that her investigations are coming up empty (no surprise there) and that they will most likely call it off soon.

I didn't expect anything different, after all, we did lie.

But it's still disappointing to know that I will never have true revenge for what those monsters did to Isaac.

At any rate, keep your head up son, be strong and keep going.

Sincerely,

Victor Greengrass."

Harry slowly lowered the letter when a sharp pain shot through his hand.

Cursing he pulled it up sharply.

"PS: Careful, the bird bites

V.G."

With a hoot the blasted bird turned and flew out of the window.

"Harry? Are ready? We gotta go!" Neville said form the door.

"Sorry, I'm done, let's go."

.

For the first time in weeks Harry had a truly pleasant school-day.

Nobody insulted him, nobody made snide remarks and most 'Potter-Stinks' badges had disappeared.

The teachers cut him some slack because of his injured shoulder and on top Daphne gave him a kiss when she met him after their morning lessons in the library.

All in all, things were looking good.

That was until he was crossing the courtyard in search for the nearest loo, when there was a loud slow clap coming from his left and a familiar voice drawled: "Look what we have here boys, the talk of the castle. Saint Potter in the flesh."

Harry groaned silently, closed his eyes, counted to five before turning around. He knew there was no way Malfoy would just let him walk away.

"Something you need to say Malfoy?"

The blonde snorted.

"Only that it was too bad the dragon didn't get you further up." he drawled, approaching him slowly across the lawn with his usual group of cronies behind him.

"And too bad I don't give a rat's ass about what you think. Guess we're both losers." Harry shot back. "Now if that is all…" he turned to leave but Malfoy called out: "You know, you were lucky this time but even your luck runs out. Soon enough you will see that."

The threat was thinly veiled but not very effective. After staring down a dragon (for the second time if he could say so) Malfoy appeared as dangerous as a fly to him and just as annoying.

"I'm shaking in my shoes Malfoy. What will you do? Run to daddy? Because that was so much more successful the last time around." He said, reminding both of them of a dark night, an open window and the sound of spell-fire.

"My father says…" Malfoy began but Harry had enough.

"I don't care what your father says. He's vile, cruel and evil and you're are just pathetic hiding underneath his petticoat."

He turned to walk away.

Behind him Malfoy growled: "You'll pay for that Potter, I'll…" Harry sense the upcoming danger started to turn but even before he managed to just turn his head Malfoy was interrupted by a gruff voice barking: "Oh no you don't!" followed by a plop and the panicked screams of Malfoys followers.

Harry turned to find a scene of utter chaos behind him.

Grabbe and Goyle were on the ground, holding their crotches for some reason while Parkinson was screaming and jumping up and down, her hands desperately trying to get something off her head.

That something was small white and furry and clawing at her head, obviously in a similar state of panic.

Behind them stood Moody, wand in hand.

"I'll teach you to draw your wand on the back of another unarmed student you little ferret." Moody growled.

Parkinson managed to swat the furry white something aside.

It landed in a head on the ground but before it could run, Moody had lifted it up in the air and Harry saw that is was a ferret.

"Is…is that Malfoy?" he asked incredulously.

"Don't sound so shocked Potter. Don't tell me you never fantasized about turning someone, anyone, into some kind of animal before." his Professor muttered.

Harry opened his mouth to answer but the stern voice of his Head of House interrupted him.

"What in the Founders names is going on here?" McGonagall asked.

Harry turned to face her, only to see that she was accompanied by a class of sixth-year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.

"Professor Moody, what are you doing?" she asked again when nobody answered.

Crabbe and Goyle were still on the ground and Parkinson had run off.

"Teaching." The ex-auror said.

"What exactly?" the transfiguration professor asked.

"A lesson. I am showing a student the consequence for his behaviour."

Realization seemed to be dawning in McGonagall's face.

"Is that a student?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"Technically it's a ferret but yes."

McGonagall flicked he wand and a second later a disorientated and ruffled looking Draco Malfoy knelt on the ground.

He jumped to his feet, pointing a finger at Moody.

"You…you are insane" he proclaimed shakily "Just….just wait until….until my father hears about this…you just wait!" he proclaimed but the words lacked their usual confidence.

"Or what?" Moody growled, stepping menacingly towards the blonde.

"What will you do? What will your daddy do? You think I'm sacred of a back-boneless, feet-kissing fanatic? I know stories about your father that would even have your greasy hair stand on end!"

"MAD EYE!" McGonagall interrupted the enraged man as Malfoy did the only intelligent thing and scurried off.

"WERE NOT DONE HERE!" Moody shouted.

"ALASTOR!"

Moody turned to Harrys teacher.

"Under no circumstances do we use transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Albus told you that!" she said coldly.

"He might have mentioned it." Moody admitted.

McGonagall turned to Harry.

"And what do you have to do with all of this?" she asked, slightly exasperated.

"Leave him be Minerva, he's the victim here. Potter wanted to avoid a confrontation but Malfoy drew his wand on him while he back was turned so I stepped in!" Moody cut in.

That wasn't quite true but Harry was prepared to go with Moody's version.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes.

"Fine." she finally said, before leading her class away.

Harry turned back to his DADA-teacher.

"Thank you sir."

"Get going Potter before your friends start to worry."

.

So yeah, the day did turn out be quite right.

Sirius appeared for lunch, grumbling about ungrateful friends and godsons not waking him.

Harry was almost sad that he and Remus would have to leave later.

They promised to stay in England but they weren't allowed to stay at the castle.

But they would be back for the next task at the very latest.

Harry walked the two men that had become his family over the grounds and towards the apparation point. He was carrying his broom on his shoulder so he would not have to talk all the way back up to the castle once they were gone.

Arriving at the gates, Sirius stopped.

"Oh right, here I almost forgot" he said. "Got something for you. Well, technically it's already yours."

He handed Harry a small clay cube.

Harr frowned.

"I found this doing laundry shortly after you had left for school, it was in one of your robes. Anyway, I didn't know what it was so I thought I just give it to you in case it was important or anything."

"Thanks" Harry said "I totally forgot I had this. Thanks for bringing it." He added, carefully taking

"No problem. Oh and I thought you might want this too. Remus says its tasteless but it's your spoil of war so to speak." Sirius continued, handing Harry a small box.

He opened it and stared at the thing inside.

"Is that…" he asked.

"Yep." Sirius said.

"Tasteless. That could have killed you!" Remus pointed out.

"Are you crazy, this is awesome!" Harry protested, lifting the Horntails-thorn out of the box.

Only now did he see how big it actually was. As long as his hand and twice as thick as his pinkie-finger.

"That was in my shoulder?" he asked fascinated.

"And you pulled it out as if it was just a splinter." Sirius said with a nod.

"Cool. This is even better than Bill's fang-earring. He's gonna be so jealous. Maybe I can make it an earring." Harry muttered.

"No earrings!" Sirius said sternly.

"Padfoot!" Harry whined.

"No. You make a necklace if you have to or put it on a pedestal but you will not make and earring out of it. Besides, it's too long for that!"

"Spoilsport." Harry sighed.

"Love you too kiddo. Now get back to the castle before you get into any more trouble!" Sirius said.

Harry hugged both of them tightly, then they apparated away and Harry flew back to the castle.

.

.

"What do you have there?"

Harry smiled when Daphne sat down next to him on one of the many stone benches lining one of the small court-yards.

"Hey you." He greeted her. He lifted his hand, twirling the clay cube between his fingers.

"I'm actually trying to find out what it is." He said, handing it to her.

The cube was no bigger than your average dice and made from a light brown clay.

Into four of its sides tiny faces had been carved.

The first showed huge open eyes while the lips were pursed together and the nose was turned upwards and the two fingers of a hand touched the tiny figures chin.

The second face had its eyes closed, hands pressed to its cheeks while the mouth was just a thin line.

The third face was by far the strangest. The eyes of the face were wide open, looking slightly crazy and the mouth too was wide open with a long tongue dangling from one corner.

The last face had one eye opened, one closed and one hand over its mouth.

The other two sides of the cube where blank.

Daphne studied it, carefully following the fine intricate lines of the faces.

"It's the artefact I chose at Gringotts as part of my payment but I had totally forgotten I had this. Sirius gave it to me before he left."

"What does it do?" Daphne asked.

"I have no idea. Maybe it's just junk, part of some ancient board-game or something like that." He said with a shrug.

"Don't be stupid. All the artefacts we could choose from were magical and could do something. I got this coin that transforms into whatever tool or thing I need. The other day I forgot my ink-pot so it transformed into one. And only yesterday my tights ripped so it transformed into a pair and I wore them until I could get back to the dorm and change." She explained.

"Wow, that's so cool! Really anything?"

"Well up until now I haven't seen nothing it can't turn into. As I said, when I don't need it it's a golden coin. It can't transform into food, obviously and I haven't tried really big things yet, so I don't really know." She shrugged.

"Well, maybe I should ask Argentum the next time he's around if he has an idea what mine can do. In the meantime, though…let's do something else." Harry said, pocketing the cube.

.

.

"Do you know what this meeting is about?" Harry asked Victor, who sat next to him.

The Bulgarian shrugged. "No more than you." He admitted, crossing his bulky arms before his chest.

"Hm." Harry muttered confused.

They were sitting in Dumbledore's office where Professor Flitwick had taken them, pulling them out of their respective classes, claiming there was going to be a meeting.

"I hope it's not another interview and photograph session." The Quidditch star said lowly.

Harry snickered. "What, are you not eager to make it on the front cover of Teen Witch Weekly?" he teased.

"Don't remind me. 'Victor, what is your favourite colour?' 'Victor, is there a special girl?' 'Victor, what is your favourite animal? You do have a heart for animals, right?' 'Victor, who is your role model?'." The older boy said, mimicking the high-pitched fan-voice of a reporter.

"And that was a guy asking me!" he added.

Harry almost doubled over with laughter, holding his sides.

The door to Dumbledore's office opened and Cedric and Fleur entered, followed by Crouch, Bagman, Dumbledore, Madam Maxime and Karkaroff.

Fleur greeted Harry with quick packs on the cheeks while Harry nodded at Cedric, who returned the greeting.

"What is this meeting about?" Cedric asked. "Because even though you said champions won't have to take their exams, I am in my final year and still plan on taking my NEWTs. You can't just pull me out of class every other day." He said.

Bagman laughed. "Ah, my boy, no worries! This will only take a few seconds."

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Now" Bagman began, rubbing his hands together "The first task was a huge success, congratulations to each of you once more. I trust your preparations for the second task are coming along, yes?"

They all looked at him impassively.

"Because that is what this meeting is about." Bagman continued and his face lost some of his cheerfulness.

"We couldn't help but notice that…the competitive spirit isn't very high among you four."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Fleur asked sharply

"It means that we know that you have bene helping each other." Crouch said flatly.

The four champions looked at each other.

"And that is not really part of the games. Fair play is all nice but it takes some of the action and excitement. You are supposed to outdo each other and give your best and shine." Bagman took over again, waving his hands dramatically.

"I think you had enough drama with the Dragons sir." Victor said flatly.

"No, not really." Bagman said, oblivious to the sarcasm.

"Which is why we have decided to make things more difficult."

"More than they already are?" Cedric asked.

"Just a little bit. For the reminder of the tournament, each of you be prohibited from helping each other."

There was a short silence, then Harry asked: "And how do you plan on doing that? Make us take an oath?"

Bagman laughed. "We did consider that but no, my dear Harry, since you are already under the legal bindings of the Goblet of Fire, you have already promised to work to the best of your abilities and to not sabotage the tournament or its other contestants. Also we couldn't figure out an oath that would be restrictive enough in the right places without also having effect son your daily lives. Also" and here Bagman looked like he'd eaten something sour "since Mr. Potter is underage and his guardian did not agree to him taking an oath, we were forced to come up with another solution. Since you are treating all of this more like a team-project and less as a competition we decided that we can't restrict you from helping each other but we can make it uncomfortable."

"Excuse me?" Cedric asked eyes wide.

"What do you mean by uncomfortable? Why can't you just let things bet the way they were before?" Victor grumbled.

"Because this is supposed to be entertaining. Not just when you are on the field but also when you're off the field." Bagman whined. "And quite frankly its boring with no competition among you four, what so ever! No fighting, no threats, no sides taking!"

"You got problems." Harr muttered under his breath.

"So what is your solution?" Fleur asked.

"A promise." Bagman said simply.

"A promise?" Cedric asked.

"Yes, a promise. You see, a magical binding oath would mean you could lose your magic and/or lives if you break it. Now, the headmasters" he gestured at the three silent figures behind them "Have agreed that you would still most likely break it and, well…we can't have our champions die because of something stupid like an oath, when there are dragons and other traps, so we decided a promise would do."

Crouch took over for Bagman. "You can break a promise. More than once. But every time you do, not only will we know and deduct points from it, we will also give you a strong reminder not to do it again. The more often you break the prose, the stronger the reminders will be." He explained flatly.

"What sort of reminders are we talking about?" Victor asked suspiciously.

"Nothing that will harm you permanently!" Bagman assured him.

"Harm us?" Harry asked sharply.

Crouch reached into the deep pockets of his robes and pulled out a small box. He opened it and inside on a cushion lay four simple silver bracelets.

"You will wear these from today onwards until the final task has been finished. When you take them, you will promise that you will not give or accept any help given to you by your fellow champions. That also includes if they tell someone else to tell you and when someone else tries to tell you something concerning the tasks."

"But that is stupid! What about school? What if I need help doing my homework?" Harry asked.

"I said it's only, explicitly, for the tasks of the tournament. If Ms. Delacour was to figure something out importantly and would come and warn you, both you and her would suffer the consequence, but I don't care of your friend helps you with your potions homework. Only if they intent to tell you something about the tasks, that you do not already know, will you feel the consequences." Crouch growled.

"Yeah, about those consequences, you still haven't told us what they are." Cedric spoke up, his arms still crossed before his chest.

"The bracelets will send a small stunning spell through your body when you do. Not enough to knock you out but enough to be bothersome. They will get increasingly stronger, the more often you break the promise. But, as I said, no lasting damages."

Before Harrys eyes flashed the picture of a shock-collar Aunt Marge had once put on one of her many stupid beasts because it kept biting. Every time the animal would gnaw on something Aunt Marge would press a button and the animal would get an electric shock. Not enough to harm it, but still very painful.

"You have got to be joking. I'm not wearing that!" Fleur protested.

"Well, then you are forfeiting and will lose the competition." Bagman said regretfully.

"Better than this!" the part-veela screeched.

Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay Fleur. Don't do this, please. We've all worked so hard, throwing it away now would be pointless." He said silently, just to her.

"But Harry…it's not fair to you!" she protested.

"I can deal with a little pain if necessary." He said with a wink.

"I still think it's stupid."

"It is." He agreed with a half-smile.

"So let me get this straight. I can still learn and study and ask for help, as long as it doesn't concern any of the tasks?" Cedric asked again.

"Yes." Bagman agreed.

"Still doesn't sound very sound to me. DO you really think, this will stop us?" Cedric asked, pointing at the bracelets.

"We'll see after you break your promise for the first time Mr. Diggory." Crouch said.

"And you all agreed to that?" Harry asked the headmasters.

Karkaroff snorted. "Of course we did." He said airily.

"I suggested that shocking you is maybe a bit too harsh but I was overruled." Dumbledore said apologetically.

"If you would please put the bracelets on…" Bagman cut in, gesturing at Crouch and the box.

Most unwillingly each of them took one of the bracelets and slipped them onto their wrists.

Immediately they tightened around them, like cuffs, but not quite enough to be uncomfortable.

"They'll come off, once the last task is done. Now remember, if you don't want to suffer unnecessarily, you best not speak to each other about the tasks." Crouch advised them.

"Great, can we go now?" Victor asked in a tight clipped tone.

"Right, yes of course. Have a great day Champions." Bagman said, nodding at them and then left with Crouch.

Harry turned to look at the three headmasters.

"I can't believe you agreed to this." He muttered.

"Neither can I." Cedric agreed.

"What he said." Victor nodded.

"Same. Come on boys, let's go." Fleur muttered.

.

The four of them walked through the castle, none of them really in the mood for returning to their classes.

"The nerve of these people. Just to make it interesting." Fleur said angrily.

"Seems like we have no other choice but to go along with this stupid idea." Harry muttered.

"But what if one of us can't do it? What is someone needs help?" Cedric asked.

"Then we'll have to deal with it. And better: don't let it get that far." Victor said grimly.

"Great." Cedric sighed.

"Stupid tasks, I…" Fleur began but all of a sudden, her wristband glowed a bright angry red and a jolt went through her.

She hissed, cradling her hand with the now slightly smoking bracelet to her chest.

"FLEUR!" Harry shouted.
"It's fine, it was nothing." She hissed.

"What, so we can't even mention the tasks n…" Cedric began but his bracelet too glowed and a jolt went through his body as well.

"What the hell?" he asked.

"Well, they said nothing concerning the whole…thing…" Harry grumbled.

"This is madness." Fleur exclaimed.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Harry answered simply.

The four of them looked at each other.

"This sucks." Victor stated.

"You tell us." Cedric mumbled, inspecting his wrist and the bracelet.

"Let's do something to distract us." Fleur suggested grimly.

"Sure, I could use something fun right about now." Harry admitted.

"So…what do you do around here for fun?" Victor asked, looking around the castle courtyard they had just reached.

"Not much. We play Quidditch, we have Hogsmead-weekends and if you want a real adrenalin kick you sneak into those places you're not supposed to go." Harry said with a shrug.

"You would know all about that, right Potter?" Cedric asked with a grin.

"I don't know what you could possibly be referring to Diggory." Harry grumbled but smiled good-naturally.

"I sense stories behind that comment." Victor said.

"And I'd be happy to tell you." Cedric said smugly.

"Yeah yeah but not today." Harry said quickly. "How do you guys feel about a friendly Quidditch match? I mean, we're only four but maybe we can pass a few balls or have that seeker-play off you suggested Victor. Cedric here the seeker for his House-Team." He added thoughtfully.

Cedric nodded. "Oh yeah! I'd love to!"

"Are you sure Harry? I mean with your shoulder and all…" Fleur said doubtfully.

Harry waved it aside. "Madam Pomfrey declared it healed a few days ago. And we'll just refrain from mentioning anything concerning…the thing." He assured her.

"Well, if you're sure you can play, then, of course, why not. Though I have to admit that I'm not much of a seeker but I could referee." Fleur said with a shrug.

"Cool, let's get our brooms. Do you need one?" Harry asked Fleur and Victor.

Victor grinned. "Never leave home without one. Give me a minute." He said with a grin.

"Unlike me. I need one." Fleur said.

"I doubt Madam Hooch will just give them to us though." Cedric said slowly.

"She won't notice. I know how to pick locks. Go fetch yours and I get Fleur one and mine from the tower. Let's meet here in, let's say ten minutes?"

"Sure." Victor agreed.

"And seeing that neither of us got shocked I guess this type of helping does not fall under…the thing's rules." Cedric observed.

They all nodded.

"I'm coming with you Harry." Fleur said.

"Great, see you soon." Harry said with a smile.

.

Ten minutes later the four sailed towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Hooch keeps the practice Snitchs in her small office between the changing rooms of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. I'll be right back." Harry said with an excited grin.

He emerged minutes later with a bag in hand.

"So, how do we do this?"

"Release the Snitches and then we see how many each of us can catch in five minutes." Victor explained.

"Okay but where do we store them?" Cedric asked.

"How about I conjure three bags, one for each and you have to come every time you caught one and dump it in the bag first before continuing to catch another one?" Fleur suggested.

"Yeah, good idea Fleur." Cedric said, slightly excitedly.

"Let's do this!" Victor said, a smile on his usually stoic face.

The four rose up into the air.

Fleur conjured three bags, one yellow-and-black for Cedric, one red-and-golden for Harry and a black-and-red one for Victor.

"Ready?" she asked, holding the bag with Snitches.

"Set!" she turned the bag, releasing a volley of golden-winged-orbs, who instantly shot off and away.

"GO!"

On her mark the three males shot in all directions.

It only took Harry second to catch the first snitch with so many flying around the field.

Quickly he returned to Fleur and dumped it in his bag.

To his immense disbelieve there was already one in Victors bag and as he turned around the older boy was already headed towards him again, a Snitch held securely in one hand.

Determinedly Harry shot off, locating the next Snitch.

Harry had a of fun playing with Cedric and Victor.

The Quidditch start gave them helpful tips and showed them a few stunts and trademark moves.

Fleur kept score of their snitches as they continued competing against each other.

They grew bolder with each round, intercepting each other's paths, snatching away Snitches from each other, purposefully on accident barrelling into each other and stuff like that.

Victor was especially nasty with some of the things he pulled off. Of course he never put them in any real danger but more than once Harry had to barrel-roll or drop a few meters like a stone on his broom to avoid the mad seeker.

Shortly before lunch was due they settled down, all of them sweaty and out of breath and exhausted.

Fleur counted the Snitches in each bag.

"Well, would you look at that." She said after a few seconds.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Each of you caught exactly eleven Snitches." She said.

"What? That's not possible!" Victor protested.

"Why, because you, the mega start could never be in the same league as us?" Harry asked teasingly.

Victor snorted. "Exactly."

"Knock it off boys." Fleur said with a smile.

But Cedric frowned too. "That can't be. That would mean we have thirty-three Snitches but I know we have thirty-four snitches for training. I keep the inventory together with Wood."

"Count again Fleur, maybe you missed one." Harry suggested.

Fleur did but she shook her head. "No, thirty-three, each of you."

The three boys looked at each other.

"That means there is still one Snitch out there." Cedric said slowly.

"And we all know what that means." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Tiebreaker!" they all said in unison.

Fleur groaned. "Please Merlin, no!" she muttered but the others had already taken off.

.

In the end, they were late for lunch.

When they entered the Great Hall, it was already packed with students and teacher but they hardly cared for the curious glances.

Victor had a smug grin on his face.

"You only won because you did that stupid Wronski Feint." Harry objected loudly.

"You keep telling that to yourself, maybe one day you'll believe it." Victor said, friendly shoving Harry light-heartedly.

"One day I'll beat you!" Harry promised as they sat down. Even Cedric opted to sit with them this time.

Because the four had figured the best way to show the tournament officials how much they cared for the new stupid rule or how little they would let it affect them was by spending as much time together as possible.

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AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! Happy Easter!

56. Invitations and Egg-problems

Chapter Fifty-Six: Invitations and Egg-problems

The good mood only lasted until the next day.

"'Male Champions compete for female champion's attention- Is this Fleur Delacours tactic to winning the tournament?' What the hell is this?" Hermione asked as she read the Prophets newest head-line out loud.

Harry looked up. "What?" he asked, equally confused, pieces of cereal falling from his lips and back into the bowl.

Hermione gave him a look that clearly stated 'you are disgusting' but she answered him nonetheless.

"It's the Skeeter-woman again. Look, there are a couple of pictures of you four at the Quidditch Pitch yesterday." she muttered.

"Listen to this. 'Rumours have always surrounded the mysterious beauty that is Fleur Delacour but behind that pretty façade could there be something much more sinister? As you can clearly see in these pictures, Harry James Potter, Victor Krum and Cedric Diggory are in the middle of a bitter competition on the Quidditch Pitch of Hogwarts.'"

"Bitter competition?" Harry asked. "It was a friendly game!" he protested.

Hermione read on.

"'It was witnessed that our three male champions were brutally facing each other off in a Seekers-match, purposefully crashing into each other, hitting and kicking each other, knocking each other of the broom and all that just to impress a pretty girl. My dear readers, you are right when you are thinking now that something cannot be right there. That does not sound like our beloved Champions. Is Fleur Delacour using her Veela-heritage to ensnare the minds of the three male competitors to her advantage?

Read more on Veelas and the danger the pose to men on pages 8 to 9 and for more information on Ms. Delacour and her family as well as her place in the tournament, turn to pages 12 and 13 and more on a debate about creature-inheritance and half-breeds and the dangers they can pose on pages 24 and following.'"

Hermione looked up at Harry.

"That's not what happened!" he protested. "And Fleur is not 'ensnaring' me or anyone!"

"How did she even get this information? She is not allowed onto Hogwarts grounds except for official businesses! There was no reason for her to be there!" Hermione muttered.

"And how come we didn't see her? I mean sure, we were playing but I think I would have noticed her stupid blonde mob of worms she calls hair!" Harry growled.

"Maybe someone else saw you and told her..." Hermione muttered, narrowing her eyes.

The article and its contents spread like a wildfire through the castle and suddenly almost everyone in the castle seemed to hate Fleur.

And no matter how much Harry tried to tell people differently, they would always scoff and say: "That's exactly what you would say if she had enchanted you."

Harry lost his temper when some Hufflepuff thug had the nerve to throw a cup of pumpkin juice at Fleur during lunch.

The detention was worth seeing the guys panicked face when he couldn't seem to be able to get up from the bench. His behind seemed to be glued to the wooden top. It ended with him tearing a whole into his trousers when he tried to get lose. The flash of pink boxer shorts was hilarious.

.

"What is this?" Harry asked warily as he looked at the heavy envelope Argentum had slid across the table towards him.

A week has passed since Skeeter's article and while things weren't great, they were better.

"An invitation." The goblin said but he had that grin on his face that promised he was up to something.

"An invitation for what exactly?" Harry asked.

"Read it and you'll find out." The Goblin said with a shrug.

Slowly Harry broke the wax-seal. It was from Gringotts, its crest was emblazoned on the top corner.

The parchment was heavy and looked expensive, shimmering slightly like nacre. The ink was black as night and the writing extraordinary elegant.

"Dear Mr. Potter,

You are hereby invited to attend the Gringotts Winter-Gala on the 17th December, beginning at eight o'clock in the evening.

Please dress accordingly.

With regards,

Raknok, Master of Curse-Breakers."

Harry looked up, more confused than before.

"Gala? What kind of Gala?" he asked.

"I'm surprised nobody told you about this." Argentum said mildly surprised. "After all, you helped retrieve one of the biggest treasures in decades. This Gala is more like a celebration for your team's achievements. There will be a display of some of the artefacts you brought back, you will be paraded around the room with the others, there will be a lot of hand-shaking and the whole thing is actually just an excuse for people to dress up and show their wealth and talk politics." He explained, pulling a slight grimace towards the end.

"So, basically the bank is showing off to the Ministry?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, more or less."

"Who will be there?"

"Pretty much everyone. The Head of the Bank, lots of Masters from our different Guilds and their Heads and deputies, the Minister and his Heads of Departments with their Seconds and their families, the head of the Wizengamot and lots of its members, meaning Lords and Ladies of many different Houses and most likely their heirs, as well as other high ranking Officials like the head of St. Mungo's and anyone else with enough money or influence or power to buy their way in."

"Sounds like the exact kind of event I would not go to." Harry said sarcastically.

"The food is usually good." Argentum offered.

"I still don't see why I should go. Besides it's while school is still in session, holidays begin on the nineteenth." Harry grumbled.

"It's not exactly like you have a choice. You are required to be there, you are after all part of the team."

"Great."

"Look on the bright side, your friends will suffer alongside you." Argentum offered with a wicked grin.

Harry laughed. "Should I feel horrible for being relieved about that?" he asked.

"No."

.

"Hey Harry, how are you? And how's your hand?" Daphne asked as she joined him on the stairs to the Entrance Hall.

Instinctively Harrys gaze followed her to his hand.

She was one of the only people that knew about the restricting bracelet. She had been horrified and angry, claiming it to be a stupid retarded thing that couldn't possible work and just served as a way to make things more interesting and was just something the tournament officials had come up with for kicks. But she also understood that there was nothing she could do about it so she too did her best not to make him or the other champions suffer any more than they already had to.

But there still were a few times she would forget, which had resulted in Harrys first unpleasant experience with the new piece of jewellery.

The four champions had found out that they could openly talk to others how they were coming along with solving the puzzle or what their ideas were but as soon they talked to each other about it, each of them would get zapped or if one of their friends suggested a solution or an approach to the situation it too would result in a flash of electricity up their arm.

Luckily it didn't affect them much in their school life.

Still Harry's greatest horror was someone like Malfoy finding out and do something to provoke the bracelet into shocking him.

And to his even greater dismay he was still not getting closer to solving the stupid screaming egg.

He had banned it for now into his trunk at the foot of his bed.

"Harry?" Daphne asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Sorry. My hand is fine." He told her.

"That's good. Hey, you met with Argentum yesterday, right?"

"Yes."

"Did he tell you…"

"About the Gala? Yeah, don't remind me." Harry grumbled as they walked into the Great Hall for Breakfast.

"Yeah well, it's about to get even better!" Daphne muttered.

"What? Why? How?" Harry asked.
"Just wait." She whispered before slipping away to sit at Slytherin table.

Ten minutes later Harry had his answer.

"A ball?" he asked no one in particular after Dumbledore had sat down.

"It's part of the tournaments tradition." Hermione explained. "And usually the Champions open the Ball with a dance with their dates. Then there is food and more dancing."

"Dancing?" Harry asked horrified.

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Honestly Harry, there are worse things. Besides, you weren't raised in a barn and Daphne taught you how to dance."

"More or less successfully!" Harry reminded her darkly. "Wait a second, does that mean I have to get a date?" he asked horrified.

"Well, you are a champion, controversial as your status may be!" Hermione said with an exasperated sigh.

"Besides, I think you will find that you will have no trouble finding a date." Fleur said with a wink.

"Who would go with me?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Fleur said with a sigh.

"What? What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Now it was Hermione's turn to sigh.

"Honestly Harry, are you daft? Even I know the answer to that question. Does blond, blue-eyed, about this tall" she held her hand up next to her head "and in Slytherin sound familiar to you?"

Harry hesitated. "You think Daphne would go with me?" he asked.

"Well those kisses she's been giving you recently weren't just because you two are just friends!" Fleur said pointedly.

Harry looked over to Slytherin-table.

"You know what? I think you are right." He muttered.

"It's almost cute how oblivious you are Harry and yet at the same time it worries me." The older girl said with another shake of her pretty head.

"Yeah, well, who are you going with?" Harry asked challengingly.

"Bill, who else?" she said airily.

"Will he be allowed to come?" Harry asked surprised.

"He better be. I'm a champion after all." Fleur declared.

"Right." Harry smirked. "Well, in case he can't, I know that pretty much half of Hogwarts wouldn't mind escorting you. And with that I mean boys and girls!"

Fleur swatted at him but he evaded her.

"You worry about your own date and leave me to deal with mine." She advised.

Harry turned concerned.

"Do you really think I should worry whether or not Daphne will go with me?"

"Goodness, you are hopeless." Fleur sighed.

"But how would I even ask her?" Harry wondered.

"Well, I'm sure you know the words, so just say them." Hermione said dryly.

"Do you think she expects me to ask her?" Harry asked. "Oh my god, what if that was what she was talking about earlier?"

"Harry, stop being ridicules. You are not asking her to marry you! Just ask her today after your study session. Ask her to go on a walk with you around the lake and then ask her." Hermione groaned. "Do we have to everything for you?" she added slightly amused.

Harry thought about her proposal. "Yeah, I could do that I guess." He muttered.

.

"Well, I'm spent." Daphne groaned, stretching in her seat, joints popping.

"Me too. Man, Argentum is really moving fast with all this, I'm hardly keeping up." Harry groaned as he put the books he had borrowed from the library on one of the floating plies of self-re-organizing books, that hoovered through the library all the time.

"You're doing fine." Daphne assured him. "You should see Rashid, he wants me to start help Madam Pomfrey out next year in most of my free time to gain experience."

She scowled. "I don't want to play nurse here!" she muttered.

Harry smiled understandingly.

"Oh the bright side, you could always patch me up after my adventures."

"Don't even joke about that. But your shoulder has healed nicely."

"You think Pomfrey would allow me outside her prison if it wasn't?" he asked pointedly, referring to the Hospital Wing.

"True."

"Hey" he began, suddenly slightly nervous "I was wondering if you would care for a small walk?"

She hesitated.

"Just around the castle, maybe over the north-bridge to watch the sunset?" he added quickly.

She nodded and Harry sighed in relieve.

He handed her cloak and scarf and off they were.

"What do you plan on doing during the holidays?" Daphne asked.

"Try and figure out what's the deal with the stupid egg." Harry muttered, opening the Portal's door for her.

"Thanks…you're still not any farther than last week?" she asked, stepping outside.

The last beams of sunlight were struggling against the oppressive darkness of the night.

"No. All it does is scream. I let it scream for five minutes while holding my ears and nothing happened. I mean the bubbles on the inside slowly disappear the longer I let it scream but that's all…I kicked it, bashed it, threw it against a rock, shook it…"

"Maybe if you were to put your brains to use and not your brawn…" Daphne began but the rest was lost when a jolt of electricity coursed through Harrys body, shaking him from head to toe and leaving him breathless.

"Oh Merlin, Harry! Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching was I was saying!" Daphne gushed, steadying him, guiding him to a nearby bench.

"It's fine. I'm fine." He assured her but around his wrist the metal of the bracelet stung, still glowing hot-red.

"Stupid thing." Daphne said darkly.

"I agree." Harry muttered. "Come on, let's get going."

"Are you sure?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, good as new. The thing is good to wake you up. Maybe I should tell Hermione to make suggestions for solving the task whenever we have History of Magic so I stay awake."

"Don't joke about this, please." She begged, her face slightly sour.

"Alright. Come on, it's almost dark."

They reached the north-bridge in no time and starred into the canyon and further towards the Black Lake and watched as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the Durmstrang ship.

Harry took out two small glasses with lids and handed one to Daphne.

"Watch this. Hermione finally showed me the spell for this."

He whispered a few choice words and immediately a blue-bell-fire appeared in Daphne's glass.

Harry carefully closed the lid and gave it back to her.

"They are amazing. Keep you warm and give you light at the same time." He explained.

Daphne stared at it in awe.

"I never thought of this." She admitted as Harry be-spelled the second glass for himself.

"I can't believe that it's been only four months since we returned."

"Seems like a life-time ago." Harry agreed.

"I look forward seeing everybody at the Gala." Daphne said wistfully.

"Speaking about parties" Harry said and cleared his throat "I was wondering if you would like to be my date to the Yule Ball."

She stared at him and then a smile lit up her face. "I'd love to."

"Great." Harry said relieved.

.

"Filch is going to have a fit." Seamus declared.

"Let's hope he won't see it until later." Dean muttered.

Harry nodded but didn't say anything, being too busy staring at the ground.

Last night a thunderstorm had rolled around and lasted throughout the whole day.

Now the paths to the fields, Hagrid's hut and some of the Greenhouses where nothing but muddy death-traps.

The boys were just returning from herbology and hurrying through the heavy rain, their shoes, socks and trousers soaking up the muddy water like a sponge.

"That's it, no more excuses, I'm looking for a water-repelling charm that sticks to clothes! I swear!" Neville muttered behind Harry.

"I hear you man."

They reached the castles main portal.

"No sign of Filch or his beast from hell." Dean noticed relieved as they entered.

"Wait!" Harry said, stopping in the doorway. "Guys, we are wizards!" he said, holding them back.

"So?" Seamus asked.

Harry sighed, secretly wondering if Hermione was rubbing off on him.

"Just use your common sense. Scourgify!" he said, pointing at his shoes. Immediately they were clean and dry. "We don't have to risk Filch's wrath." He said with a shrug.

The other boys nodded, copying his movements before hurrying up the stairs towards their warm and cosy common room.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." a familiar voice said when they climbed through the portrait whole.

"Bill!" Harry exclaimed happily when he saw the red-head standing by the couches, Fred and George and Ron beside him.

"Good to see you kiddo." Bill said, offering Harry a warm welcoming hug.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Can't I come surprise my family?" Bill asked, spreading his arms.

"Yeah, sure." Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"You are right, I'm visiting my girlfriend." Bill admitted.

"Then what are you doing here?" Fred pointed out.

"Probably got kicked out for improper displays of public affection in one of the chariots." George snickered.

"Watch it kid." Bill threatened him playfully.

"I am trembling in my boots." The twin replied sarcastically.

"No, actually I am here for you." Bill explained, turning back to Harry.

"Me?" Harry asked, his gaze flying to Ron for a second, whose face fell automatically.

"Yeah, Argentum sends me. Apparently nobody told you about the Gala. I'm here to go through some things with you that you'll need to know so you won't make a total fool of yourself."

"You mean more than usually?" Fred asked.

Harry rolled his eyes and poked out his tongue.

"Yeah something like that." Bill said.

"Well, rest assured, I've been taught all the necessary table manners already. I even know which fork to use for which salad and how to hold a glass. I wasn't even aware there was a wrong way to hold a glass but anyway..." Harry assured him.

"Oh thank god, I thought we'd have to start from the very beginning." Bill said dryly.

"Come on, lets head to your dormitory. It won't take long."

Harry nodded and let the way.

Once they arrived, Bill shut the door and pulled a small bag from somewhere inside his long coat and threw it at Harry, who caught it instantly.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Something that is already yours. I stopped at your place before coming and Sirius gave it to me. It's your Gringotts uniform. You'll wear it to the Gala. To show your rank."

Harry peaked into the bag and saw the black dragon scale one-piece uniform that the team had gifted him for his birthday.

He nodded and carefully put it into his trunk.

"What else?" he asked.

"Just some basic rules. Stay close to me for the first part of the Gala. As my apprentice, you'll have to stay by my side at first while we shake hands and thank everyone for coming. Then there will be a few speeches, mainly from the goblins, one from Atticus and another one from Rashid. Then Eric will open the exposition of the recovered treasures and will say a bit about the trip in general. Once that is done there will be an auction for some of the stuff in a nearby room while the rest will go on to dancing and socializing. After that there will be dinner, after that more socializing and another auction and more dancing. For that part, you can do as you please but you can't leave before the guests since we're considered hosts and it would be improper to just leave."

"Great." Harry mumbled.

"You'll survive. Some of your peers will be there most likely."

Harry nodded.

"Other than that, mind your manners. Your behaviour reflects us all and Gringotts is very strict in that aspect."

"I noticed." Harry said dryly. "More?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Oh, stick to the approved version of events!" he reminded him.

"What, I can't talk about Deatheaters? There goes one of my small-talk topics."

"Yeah, real bummer."

Bill looked around. "I think that's it. If you have questions just write me. I'll be here to pick you, Daphne, Luna and Fleur up at seven on the seventeenth, alright? We have to be there before everyone else. Raknok will have some last-minute rules and reminders and what not."

Harry nodded. "Seven o'clock, noted down!" he said with a smile.

"Great, then I will leave you to it and go find my girlfriend."

Harry made a gaging sound.

Bill just smiled.

Harry walked him down the stairs and to the portrait hole.

Just before Bill stepped through he turned around and said: "Oh and…get a haircut, will you Potter?"

.

For the next couple of weeks both the Yule Ball and the Gala were not much on Harry's mind.

Although as a champion he wasn't required to take the end of the year exams, Gringotts insisted he'd do it anyway.

So homework got done, essays were written and delivered, research done and all the while Harry kept poking his brain to find a solution for his egg-problem.

His anger and resentment for the tournament only grew after a nasty incident with Cedric.

Harry had been walking towards Charms, his last class of the day early November day, when Cedric had appeared before him, a grim expression on his face.

"Ced, is everything alright?" he had asked.

"No. But I don't care anymore." he had grabbed Harrys arm and pulled him down into one of the rarely used passages of the castle.

Harry was surprised to see Viktor there.

"Hey." he greeted the fellow champion.

"Hi Harry." The older boy replied with a curt nod which for Victor was like a huge smiled.

"Ced, what's going on, I have classes I have to attend." Harry asked, shouldering his bag.

"Look, I know they said these" Cedric said holding up his wrist and showing them the bracelet that was identical to their own "were supposed to keep us from swapping information but I don't care."

Harry felt his own bracelet begin to hum slightly.

"Ced, whatever it is, I'm not sure…" he began but the Hufflepuff ignored him.

"I don't care how much it hurts, it can't be worse than dying. And you will die unless I tell you. I know you two haven't figured it out yet!"

A warning shot raced from the bracelet through Harry and he saw that his two companions flinched too.

"I'm willing to take this pain if I can tell you that… bubble-gum and vinegar is a horrible combination."

Harry and Victor stared at Cedric like he had lost his mind.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked.

"I said Germany is a nice place to visit." Cedric replied, looking at them and then down at his bracelet.

"Why am I not being shocked into oblivion?" he asked.

"For what?" Viktor asked.

"Are you kidding me, I just told you that a toad once swallowed a cat in the middle of a gunfight between Merlin and Filch." Cedric replied.

"Are you feeling alright?" Viktor asked concerned.

"Guys I'm serious!" Cedric shouted exasperated.

"So are we. Ced, you are not making any sense!" Harry tried to explain. "You talk about Germany and vinegar and a duel between Merlin and Mr. Filch."

"No, I'm not!" Cedric protested. "I said Professor Sprout and likes standing in the rain."

Realization dawned on Harry.

"I think he is trying to tell us what the second task is." He said to Victor.

Immediately the bracelet shocked him. Taken by surprised Harry jumped into the air and shook his aching hand.

"Merlin's beard." He cursed.

"Well, he's not doing a very good job." The Quidditch star observed, rubbing his hand.

Cedric seemed to be growing frustrated because he kept spewing out nonsense sentences.

"The cow says 'Muh'."

"My great-uncle Albert wants to be a woman."

"Unicorns drink water."

"I once swallowed a lizard."

The more he realized he couldn't seem to get his message across the more frustrated he got and the more forceful his words became. His face started turning red from all the effort of trying to tell them what he wanted to tell them.

"Camels can't fly."

"England makes the best food in the world."

"I like how the call it soccer across the pond and not football."

"Minister Fudge would make a great Games-keeper!"

Harry suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a hum of electricity in the air but it didn't come from his bracelet.

In fact, his was calm and unassuming.

Searching for the source of the hum he spotted an angry red glow emending form Cedric's wristband.

Harry had never seen it glow this brightly before.

"CEDRIC STOP!" he called out but it was already too late.

"Mermaids…." Cedric began but then there was just a silent 'BOOM' and something knocked Harry to the ground.

Luckily had was only dazed and not hurt so he was back on his feet with a few second, looking around, trying to understand what had happened.

Next to him Viktor got to his feet.

"What the…" the Bulgarian began but Harry gasped and dropped back onto his knees.

"Cedric!" he exclaimed worriedly.

The seventh-year was laying on his side, eyes closed and unmoving.

Harry wrinkled his nose when he smelled the burnt flesh.

"Oh no." he muttered when he saw where it came from.

Cedric's entire right hand was burned. The bracelet that hung from it was still glowing angrily.

Harry saw Krum kneeled down next to him, two fingers pressing into Cedric's neck.

"His pulse is strong." He stated.

"But we still need to take him to the hospital wing." Harry muttered. "Can you conjure a stretcher or something like that?"

Krum nodded wordlessly and waved his wand.

Together they heaved Cedric onto it.

"You know, what he did was honourable. Stupid and ineffective but still courageous."

"Well" Harry said, as they levitated the stretcher down the empty hallways "He's a Hufflepuff. Sometimes they are the best of us all."

Krum grinned. "I may not understand what a Hufflepuff is, but if they're all like Cedric, we can be grateful to have them."

.

Harry had spent the rest of the day in the hospital wing at Cedric side.

His hand had been badly burned but not above Madam Pomfrey's skills and he regained consciousness within the first fifteen minutes of being in the Hospital Wing.

Harry explained to her what had happened.

She didn't say anything but her expression was thunderous and Harry would give anything to watch her give Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman a piece of her mind.

Of course, she informed Professor Dumbledore and Madam Sprout.

Dumbledore didn't say much, he just wished Cedric a quick recovery and then left again.

Once they were finally alone again, Harry turned to his fellow Hogwarts-student.

"Listen Ced, thanks for what you've been trying to do, really. But This could have killed you."
Cedric sighed. "I know. I'm sorry I'm not more of a help."

Harry smiled. "Don't stress it. It's fine. It's still a competition."

"But Harry the second task…"

Harry quickly clamped his hand over Cedric mouth.

"No more talking about that. Get some rest, I'll break the news to Cho and tell Fleur as well."

"Thanks Harry."

"No problem."

.

Now a week later Cedric was back to normal but all four Champions were not really looking forward to the next task.

57. Party-Time

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Party-Time

The Yule Ball was the number one topic in the castle by the time December arrived and Harry was glad he had solved his date-question so quickly.

Still it was quite embarrassing to have girls and boys alike come up to him and ask him out for the ball.

He declined every time politely, saying he already had a date.

Some nodded and left, others looked heart-broken and some even angry.

Finally, the holidays had all but come and so had the last Hogsmead weekend.

Harry decided to go with Daphne and Fleur and Gabrielle.

Halfway through the afternoon Fleur dragged him into a barber's shop and told the man to 'get rid of that nest, I think I saw a bird land in there' that was his hair.

Thanks Fleur.

With his hair significantly shorter and his ears now unprotected against the cold of the Scottish winter they left the shop again.

"I assure you, you look much better. Don't worry, with a bit of styling products here and there you will be your dashing handsome self again." Fleur assured him.

"Thanks." Harry mumbled but then mouthed 'styling products' with a disbelieving look at Daphne behind her back. Who did she think he was? Elvis?

Daphne had to smoother her laughter in her scarf.

They continued strolling through the village, getting some of their Christmas shopping done along the way.

Lunch was eaten at the Three Broomsticks.

Harry remembered last year around this time when he had sat hidden under his invisibility cloak and had overheard a conversation between some of his Professors and a few other people and had learned that Sirius Black, back then still a mass murderer, was in fact his godfather.

He shook the memory off.

That was the past. And hey, everything had worked out fine in the end.

Back in the castle they sat down with Marian and Oleg, playing a few board games in the Great Hall.

Since Christmas as pretty much around the corner Hagrid was already carrying huge Christmas Trees up to the castle and Professor Flitwick along some of his NEWT-level students began decorating them using various charms.

And in the early evening clouds appeared from the mountains, bringing the first snow, which of course resulted in an epic snow-ball-war, curtesy of the Weasley twins.

At first it was house against house but it soon turned into everyone against everyone.

There had been a moment of fear when a stray snowball had hit a passing McGonagall in the back of the head, but the Scottish witch just brandished her wand and a volley of snowballs hailed down onto the people in the general area from where the snowball had come from.

The late evening found Harry with his closest friends sit in the kitchens, drinking hot chocolate and warm their frozen limbs over the fireplaces.

Sunday was spent ice-skating on the Black Lake with the Giant Squid following their every movement from under the ice. It was a little but disconcerting.

Also, Harry had to admit to himself that he was terrible at ice-skating but Daphne was really good so she held his hand as he wobbled across the ice.

Hermione was a surprise. She all but floated across the treacherous underground, twisting and turning with ease.

At some point Daphne gently nudged Harry and whispered: "Look who can't keep his eyes of Hermione."

Harry looked to where she was discreetly pointing.

No other than Victor Krum was following Hermione with his eyes from where he stood.

"I'm not surprised. He did ask her out to the Ball." Harry whispered back.

"He did? Why didn't I know about this?" Daphne asked surprised.

"Well, Victor actually came to me, asking for permission since Hermione and I are so close." Harry admitted. "I don't know if Hermione said yes but I think so."

"That's sweet."

"Of course, I threatened him with dismemberment should he hurt her and questioned him about his intentions with her and reminded him that I am the Boy-who-lived and all that. Then I said he had my permission."

"Or course you did."

.

Harry critically looked at himself in the mirror, tucking at the high collar of his black dragon-skin one-piece.

It fitted perfectly, he had to admit that. The golden crest over his heart glittered and the many tiny scales of his suit reflected the light in different angles with every move he made.

He had tamed his hair more or less. It was still sticking up like a birds-nest, despite the barber's best efforts.

The cape still lay on his bed and the boots stood on the floor next to him.

He was adjusting the belt around his hips, checking that his knife was holstered on his left side before putting the wand holster on over his suits sleeve.

He had opted to wear contact lenses for tonight since it was enough to change his appearance enough so people wouldn't recognize him at first sight. The outfit would do the rest.

Hopefully.

Finally, he picked up the cape.

The buckles where heavy he noticed as he fastened them to the fabric of his suit at the base of his throat.

That way they wouldn't choke him but the cloth of the cloak would still fall like a waterfall over his shoulders, giving the outfit it's dramatic Wow-effect.

He slipped into his boots, put his wand into the holster and sighed.

It looked good, he had to admit it.

A tad too dramatic for him but good nonetheless.

After checking one last time that he had everything he would need for the night, he left his dormitory, slowly walking down the stairs to the common room.

Silence descended over the room once people noticed him and his strange getup.

It was Fred who broke the silence.

"Going out Potter?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't wait up for me honey." He replied with a smirk.

"Have fun. Dad wanted to make us go but we managed to pull the 'we should really learn'-card on him. I don't think he believes us, but Percy agreed to come in our stead." George muttered.

Harry laughed. "I see."

"Enjoy yourself." Fred said with a smirk.

"I'll try." Harry sighed. "I need to get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

Luckily he didn't run into anyone else on his way to the Great Hall.

Bill and Fleur were already waiting for him.

Both were wearing a dragon skin uniform like him but there were a few subtle differences.

Bill's uniform was black like his but the crest on his chest was a different.

It was a golden symbol of a crossed wand, sword and scroll over a seven-pointed star in a circle. The sign of a Curse-Breaking Master, as Harry had learned. Opposed to his own silver symbol of a scale with the scroll on one side and the wand on the other.

But something else was different.

"Is that a sword?" he asked, pointing at the scabbard at Bills left side.

"What? Oh, yeah. Well no, it's not a sword, it's a rapier."

"Why don't I have a sword?" Harry demanded.

"Rapier and you don't have one, because only a Master gets a sword. It's part of your practical training. Learning to wield a weapon, I mean. But you won't start your weapons training for another few years. Sorry."

"Not fair!"

"You have a wickedly sharp dagger already. And I barely trust you with that!"

"Not the same and thanks..." Harry said firmly.

"Boys…behave." Fleur sighed.

Harry turned to her, taking her hand and kissed her knuckles with a dramatic bow.

"You look very pretty tonight." He told her.

And she did.

She too wore the same uniform as them but hers was of a silvery-grey colour and on her chest rested a pin, depicturing the image of a coin inside a diamond inside a triangle. The symbol of Treasure Masters, under which her apprenticeship as an accountant fell.

Her cape was of a very dark grey and had a long slit that went from the middle of her back straight all the way to the bottom.

Other than that, the French witch looked beautiful as always. Her silvery-blond hair was braided down her back, decorated with beautiful hair-pins with priceless gems on them.

"Yeah well, the Treasure loves to flaunt their wealth in other people's faces." Fleur said with a shrug as she noticed his gaze.

Harry laughed.

"What's so funny?" someone asked behind him.

He turned and saw Daphne ascending from the stairs that led to the dungeons.

She was a sight to behold as well.

She looked intimidating in her dark blue uniform. On her left chest was the healers batch stitched into the fabric, two cupped hands holding a vial. Her hair was pinned up in an exquisite bun and she had put on a little make up, highlighting her blue eyes.

Her diamond earrings glittered in the torchlight and her medic-kit kung from the cord-belt around her hips together with her dagger. She looked ready to kick your ass and then treat it.

"You look amazing." He blurted out.

Daphne laughed. "Thank you. You look quite stunning yourself."

"Looks like Luna is the only one left." Fleur noted.

"I'm sure she'll be along shortly." Daphne assured her.

As if on cue Luna came skipping down the stairs, gently humming a tune.

Harry had to smile.

Luna would always stay true to herself.

Since neither she nor her father were employed by Gringotts, Luna was to wear whatever she wanted. And she did.

She was wearing a knee-length dress made entirely of feathers. It was colourful and very Luna.

Her hair was wild as always with a couple of more feathers braided into a few strands.

"Hello." She said happily, her hands clasped behind her back, a serene smile on her face.

"Good evening Luna. You look very nice." Harry offered.

"Thank you."

"We should get going." Bill said with a look at the big clock above the main portal.

Harry offered Daphne his arm. She accepted with a smile.

"There's a carriage waiting outside. Once we're off the grounds I have a portkey that will take us to the location." Bill explained as they stepped outside.

"Great, portkey." Harry sighed.

"Come one Harry, at least try to pretend like this is in fact not an execution. Who knows, maybe you'll even enjoy yourself?" Daphne said, rolling with her eyes.

.

Harry took a deep breath, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

"And here we are." Bill announced somewhere next to him.

Harry looked around.

It didn't look like much.

Just a small room with a couple of couches on one side, two doors and a wardrobe.

"Wow…they really spared no expenses." Harry said dryly.

Bill swatted him on the back of his head.

"This is one of the antechambers, obviously." The older man pointed out.

One of the two doors opened and in walked Alice.

Harry almost didn't recognize her at first with her uniform, cape, styled hair and make-up.

"Alice!" Luna, Daphne and him exclaimed happily and rushed towards her.

"Hey guys!" she said brightly, hugging each of them. "Look at you, you've each grown at least a foot!" she exclaimed, looking at each of them.

"How are you?" Daphne asked, taking Alice's hand and examining it.

Harry's mind flashed back to a dark night full of spell-fire and warm blood running over his hands as he held Alice while Daphne tried to save her life.

Alice gently took her hand back and said while flexing it in all directions: "Like nothing ever happened."

Daphne nodded satisfied. "Good."

"I was sent to see if you had already arrived" Alice explained "Let's go and see the others."

Being reunited with the other members of their team was probably the best thing that had happened all day long.

Long minutes they spent greeting each other, hugging, shaking hands, catching up on what they all had been doing since returning home.

Most had taken a break for a few weeks and then returned to light desk-duty, except for Alice and Atticus, who both had gone straight back into work, Alice as a private security agent for a famous member of the MACUSA in America and Atticus had spent the last months training new recruits on training expeditions.

Their merry talking came to an end when Raknok walked in.

The goblin was dressed in golden armour and was armed to the teeth. His usually wild hair was neatly tucked underneath his helmet.

"Curse-Breakers." He greeted them with a nod.

"Greetings Master Raknok." They all replied.

"Most of you have been here before but to our young newcomers, welcome to the How."

Harry furrowed his brow. "How?" he asked.

"It's a synonym for burrow or burial-mound. It comes from the old Norse word 'haugr' meaning hill. This is the Goblins national stronghold here in Great Britain. From the outside, it doesn't look like much but here, underground, it is quite spectacular." Mr. Lovegood explained.

"He's correct. This is my kins' home. Well, at least the part open to humans is. There is a whole town to be found underneath the soil of this land if one were to look." The Goblin added.

"Wow. I didn't even know we were underground." Harry muttered.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Raknok said.

The goblin let them through another door and Harrys jaw dropped.

The room was twice the size of Hogwarts Great Hall but was made entirely out of white wild growling crystal.

Harry saw his image reflected a thousand times over in the many surfaces of the crystals.

At the far end, there was a small stage, where everything was set up for an orchestra, as well as a lectern made of gold.

From the high ceiling hung hundreds of baskets, overflowing with flowers of the most vivid and brilliant colours.

The light came from millions of burning candles that had been wedged into small gaps in the walls, all the way up to the ceiling.

Most of main space on the floor looked like it was for dancing while around the edges of the dance floor small groups of tables and chairs as well as some high-tables had been arranged.

The furniture was made from heavy dark wood and the upholstery looked to be made from silk, stitched together with golden yarn.

"Okay, I take it back." Harry muttered.

Bill laughed.

"As you can see, the Hall of Oswald the Gnarled will be for dancing." Raknok explained.

Before Harry could ask Alice whispered: "Each Hall is named after a famous Goblin warrior."

"Oh." Harry nodded.

Raknok let them through a passage into the next room.

The hall was even bigger than the first and also made of crystal. The ceiling was a little bit lower and instead of flowers, brass bowls filled with fire hung from it, lightning the hall brightly. It was filled with dozens of dining tables, each holding about eight to ten people and each already laid with plates of different sizes staged onto each other, and with seven rows of silverware to each side and crystal-glasses and small name-tags at each place.

A goblin was going through a stag of papers, apparently, the seating order. He nodded at them as they passed through. More goblins were doing last minute adjustments.

"The Hall of Brunhilda the Iron-Born is where dinner will be served."

"Great, I am starving." Atticus commented.

"You're always hungry." Alice snorted.

They walked through the next passage and Harry swallowed.

"What is that?" he asked, slightly baffled.

This room looked like it was straight out of the British Museum. The lower half of the rough stone walls was cased in wood. From the low rough and uneven ceiling hung heavy golden chandeliers.

Along the walls as well as through the centre of the room display-cases had been put up, holding everything from weapons to crowns and jewellery to coins to pottery to paintings and unrolled parchment-rolls. Each had been carefully labelled on small informative side-notes. Heavy carpets covered the floor, dampening the sound of their footsteps as they walked through the room.

But that was not all.

Above the display-cases on the walls hung pictures. Photographs of the team, changing every few minutes into a new one or sometimes into a brief text, explaining what the pictures showed.

They started of harmless enough.

There was Bill and Atticus on the back of their elephants riding through the jungle, there was Mr. Lovegood and Eric putting up camp together, all of them having breakfast together, Rashid flying packing his bag, him and Daphne sitting next to each other at the campfire, Eric, Bill and Thomas standing, looking at a scroll while standing before a partly de-curse shield, a picture of Luna Daphne and him after their mud-fight at the waterfall, a picture of Daphne teaching him how to dance, a picture of Alice using a gigantic leave as a makeshift umbrella against the heavy rain.

But just as the story progressed, so did the pictures.

Pictures of their backs as they walked through the tunnels, resting on the stony paths, pictures of the walls inscriptions and images that had been carved into the stone, an image of the lake before they had crossed it, more pictures of the team, pictures of the Crystal-Cave and finally pictures of the treasure chamber… and hundreds more.

As Harry followed the many images on the walls with his eyes, watched them change into new ones, it all came back to him.

The loneliness and oppressing darkness, the trials and hardships they had endured, the pain and horror they had been put through and the fear they had overcome…

Harry swallowed hard.

"Are those Lunas pictures?" he asked silently.

Bill nodded. "Yeah. And the text is mostly from report Atticus and I wrote."

"As you can see we put a lot of work into restaging the artefacts just right." Raknok explained. "The pictures show a chronological order of the events and how they transpired, along with brief summaries of the most important things."

They nodded.

"The display is open for everyone of course. The auction halls are only for people who registered in advance."

They nodded again.

"Right now, the guests are gathering in the atrium and will be allowed in soon enough. Everyone else taking their places. There will be some mingling before the Director will hold his opening speech in the Hall of Oswald the Gnarled. You can expect to be called onto the stage so they can take some pictures for the press. Some foreign dignitaries will also attend I have been told."

"Great, more people." Harry muttered.

The goblin smirked. "And you'll have to shake the hand of each one." He sniggered.

Harry suppressed a groan.

They left the display-area and entered the last hall.

It was simple, basically just a huge cave. One wall was decorated in a giant replica of the banks crest. Underneath hung a long row of portraits of Goblins with name tags under each one.

"Previous directors of the Bank." Raknok explained.

Harry nodded.

Opposite of that wall were two huge double-winged oak doors that were at the moment still closed but Harry could hear the murmur of voices from beyond.

Many voices.

He swallowed.

Raknok pulled a silver pocket-watch from somewhere inside his armour.

"The doors will open in two minutes" He told them "I advise you leave before they open and just be fashionably late." Then he disappeared.

"It's normal" Bill explained as they walked back to the antechamber "We let the people mingle before joining them."

Harry snorted but didn't say anything.

Back in the antechamber Alice fussed over all their outfits and hairs until Eric swatted her hands away and growled: "I look fine woman, leave me be."

But there was a form of affectionate exasperation in his voice.

Outside a gong went through the halls and moments later the murmur of voices grew louder and louder until it was right outside the door.

"Alright, time to greet the guests." Atticus announced.

"He means time to brown-nose." Thomas whispered into Harrys ear before stepping aside.

Daphne gave Harry a peck on the cheek. "See you in a while." She whispered before walking to Rashid's side. The peaceful man looked strange in the dark uniform to Harry.

Harry stepped next to Bill while Luna remained by her father's side.

Thomas offered Alice his arm which she readily accepted.

"Well then" Atticus said with a deep breath "We earned this party. Let's celebrate."

.

It was even worse than Harry had expected.

As they walked through the door, they were greeted by dozens of witches and wizards in their finest gowns and jewellery swept, talking, laughing, chattering.

He had wanted to blend in with the crowd but his clothes as well as his company and sudden appearance mad that impossible.

Within seconds Harry was surrounded by people, all of which wanted to speak with each and every one of them.

The servant Goblins appeared along them, offering beverages and snacks from their trays.

The people talked all at once, grabbing his hand, shaking it, asking questions and generally making his head spin.

He was amazed how calm and unfazed Bill was, smiling charmingly, moving through the throng of people with ease, shaking hands, greeting everyone with "Hello, good evening, thank you for coming, thanks, please enjoy yourselves!" and such things.

Slowly the initial chaos calmed down and Harry actually understood what the people were saying to him.

"Dolly Edgeburn, so pleased to make acquaintance Mr. Potter."

"Robert Kettle, my, aren't you your father's son lad?"

"Loretta Bespoke, charmed Mr. Potter, I read all about you."

"Peter Dippet, I couldn't believe it when I read your name on the invitation. Pleasure to meet you."

"Elsie Goldstein, Mr. Potter, we met before, once at…"

Harry tried to follow Bills example and shook hands and smiled and nodded and said 'Thank you for coming' over and over again.

Slowly the initial madness decreased and Harry got a moment to breathe.

Suddenly two familiar faces appeared.

"Dad, Percy, how nice to see you here. I'm so glad you made it!" Bill said happily as he embraced his father and shook Percy's hand.

As Harry shook their hands as well, Mr. Weasley said: "Have we ever missed one of your celebrations my boy? We're so proud. I wish your mother could be here but Aunt Marge is sick and Molly offered to look after her. Your cousin Emmett is here by the way too!"

"Really? How nice of mum. And wow, I haven't seen Emmett in years." Bill said.

"Alright there Harry?" Arthur asked, turning to him.

"I'm alright Mr. Weasley." Harry replied.

"You look a bit peaky. But don't worry, Bill almost fainted during his first celebration."

"Dad." Bill hissed, turning bright red.

"What, it's true!" Arthur said, winking at Harry.

"Please excuse me, I think I see some of my colleagues over there." Percy said stiffly.

"Have fun Perce." Bill said warmly.

Percy nodded, giving his brother a real warm smile.

Harry wanted to ask Mr. Weasley something when an excited voice shouted over the conversations of the many people around them:

"Harry! Harry over here!"

He turned and saw an excited Sirius, followed by an amused looking Remus heading towards him.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed relieved and embraced his godfather when he reached his side.

"Hey pup! Nice party you've got going here." The animagus said with a wink.

"It's okay." Harry replied, letting go of Sirius and turning to hug Remus.

The werewolf looked exhausted but still managed to smile warmly at Harry.

Of course, the full moon had only been two days ago. He was probably still exhausted from the transformation.

"Uh…alcohol!" Sirius muttered as a Goblin passed with a tray full of glasses. He snatched four off the plate, handing one to Remus and one to Harry, keeping the other two to himself.

"Ahm…Sirius, I'm not old enough to drink!" Harry reminded him awkwardly.

"You are in the presence of your guardian, I am supervising so yes, you are allowed. Come on, we're celebrating here!"

"I'm not dragging your drunk behind home!" Remus reminded him.

"Party-pooper." Sirius muttered.

"Harry, we have to get going." Bill reminded him.

Harry nodded, handed Reus his glass and said: "He's all yours. I'll see you later."

He could still hear Sirius's laughter when they passed into the next room.

They walked for a few minutes, greeting more people along the way.

Already some were coming up, asking all kinds of questions but Bill politely reminded them that they would be told the official story later and that they could ask questions afterwards.

Harry nodded at a few of his peers from school.

Neville was there, following a tall and strict looking woman with a vulture on her head.

Remembering a certain DADA lesson last year he quickly looked away and tried to supress his laughter.

Zachariah Smith, a Hufflepuff that had given Harry quite some grief, still did actually, stood between a tall man and a thin woman who looked just as snobbish as he did.

Susan Bones stood next to her aunt. She waved at Harry and he waved back. Harry also saw Hannah Abbot, Marcus Flint and another Slytherin whose name he was pretty sure was Cassius Warrington or something like that.

Another sound went through the halls and everybody moved towards the Hall of Oswald the Gnarled.

Bill gently steered him closer to the stage where the rest of their team had already assembled.

Silence fell over the gathered guests as a scarred and grumpy looking Goblin in armour, followed by an entourage of six warriors, made his way through the crowd and climbed the stairs to the stage, stepping up behind the lectern.

"Masters of the Guilds, honourable Goblin-brothers and sister, dear Lords and Ladies, distinguished guests, I welcome you all" he began speaking in a deep and authoritative voice "I welcome you in the name of our old and honourable bank. I welcome the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." polite applause rang through the hall as Fudge turned around, waving with his ever-present lime-green bowler.

"I welcome Julian Maxwell, a delegate from the MACUSA, I welcome Madam Bones from the DMLE." More applause.

"But most of all I welcome you, Curse-Breakers" he said, turning to look at Harrys team.

They all bowed to the Director.

"I welcome you and we bow to your courage, your wisdom, your abilities and your loyalty."

Another wave of applause went through the hall when Harry just thought hat he was putting it on rather thick with his endorsements.

"We honour you. For you have gifted us with a great wealth. You have brought back a treasure that has been hidden for centuries. You have bested dangerous situations, fought monsters and nature itself. You rid a land of a horribly cursed place and saved a lot of lives doing it."

More applause.

Yep, definitely to thick.

"You have been rewarded handsomely and tonight we celebrate your accomplishments. Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a huge round of applause for our Curse-Breakers."

With Atticus leading them they slowly climbed onto the stage as well, under the polite clapping of the gathered people.

When it was Harrys turn to walk up the stairs, he heard from somewhere inside the crowd the familiar voice of his godfather shout: "WOHOO! YEAH, THAT'S MY GODSON!"

Mortified he tried to see where Sirius was standing so he could glare at him.

There were a few snickers in the crowd.

"Not my fault." He whispered to Bill, who had a hard time suppressing his grin.

Atticus stepped up to the lectern, shook the directors hand and began his speech.

Harry zooned out for most of it.

There were a lot of photographers and reporters in the first row, taking pictures and making notes.

Raknok's speech past by in a blur as well.

Then they had to stand together with the Director for a few pictures and finally they were allowed to leave the stage again and only Eric remained.

He gave the people the official and watered down version of the things that transpired in Cambodia.

Once he was done, Raknok announced that the first auction would start in ten minutes in some other room.

A portion of the people left, the orchestra came out and music started playing.

Harry followed Bill as he answered questions, did some small talk and greeted new people.

"Good evening Harry." Someone said behind him.

He turned around and smiled.

"Victor." He said, taking the mans extended hand. "What a pleasure to see you." He said honestly.

"The pleasure is all mine. I hope you are well?" the older man asked, concern evident in his eyes and voice.

Harry shrugged. "It's been better, I admit that but things are not as bad as they were a few weeks ago. Thank you for your support, it means a lot."

Victor smiled. "For you, always."

Harry smiled. Then he looked around. "Elijah is not here?" he asked.

Victor grimaced slightly. "As I told you in my letter, he stays most of the time at the hospital."

Harry sighed and nodded.

"I understand why he does but it will take time for Isaac to recover. He has to accept that." Victor said gravely.

"And you, how are you holding up?" Harry asked.

"I'm keeping my family together, that's all that matters."

Harry nodded, understanding.

"But those worries will still be there tomorrow. Let us celebrate tonight. Congratulations are in order I think. For the mission and the first task, I believe. I heard it was quite spectacular."

Harry grimaced. "Thanks. It was something." He rubbed his shoulder.

"Daphne told me you were injured by the dragon." Victor noticed.

Harry nodded. "Yes, but it's all healed now."

"That's good. When is the second task?"

"In February."

"Do you know what it will be?"

"No. I'm stuck solving the puzzle."

"Maybe I can help?"

Harry didn't even have time to groan.

A buzz of electricity went through him and he knees buckled.

Luckily Victors hand was there to steady him.

"Harry! What's wrong?" he asked, slightly panicking.

"It's fine. It's just…Let's not talk about the second task." Harry muttered.

He quickly and in a low voice explained what the bracelet did.

Victors jaw was set in a hard line by the time he had finished.

"That is barbaric and probably the worst idea I've ever heard. And the reasoning, totally absurd. Sure, it's a competition but the tournament is also about making international connections and finding new friends and stuff like that. This is totally against the spirit of the Tournament."

"Tell that Crouch and Bagman. Originally they wanted us to take a vow."

Victor shook his head.

"This is headed for disaster!" he promised.

.

That wasn't the only thing headed for disaster Harry through a little while later. So was this evening.

He had lost Bill somewhere in the crowd and Victor had left before that to find his daughter.

Now Harry was alone, trying to dodge being roped into conversations of any kind or interviews or whatever.

That was when he spotted the blond hair.

Lucius Malfoy, ever the aristocrat, stood with the Minister and some other government employees in a loose circle.

The ministers face was flushed, probably from all the Firewhiskey he had drunk. Malfoy's expression was as cool as always.

Harry tried to melt back into the crowd but ran straight into someone else.

He swirled around, apologizing already until he saw who he had bumped into.

"Ah…Mr. Potter…so you are the stray mutt my cousin decided to adopt. How…delightful…to finally meet you."

Harry had only seen her from afar and never had heard her talk.

"Lady Malfoy" he said "The pleasure is all mine."

Remembering his manners, he bowed.

She gave him a thin smile in return.

"Walk with me Mr. Potter." he commanded, for it wasn't a request.

Casting one last glance backwards he fell into step next to Malfoys mother.

Harry was aware that there were dozens of other people around him and yet walking with Narcissa Malfoy was like walking on an empty road.

The Lady parted the sea of wizards and witches like Moses the Red Sea.

For the first steps, the tall woman was quiet.

Finally, when they reached the Hall of Directors, she spoke.

"I must say, I am not pleased to see you. You have the habit of interfering and intercepting all sort of plans."

Harry tried to hide a scowl and bit back a sarcastic remark. He surely wasn't sorry for interfering her husbands and her Deatheater-plans if that was what she was on about.

"Everything was planned out but then you had to come strolling into our lives and save Sirius and now you will now become Heir to the most ancient and noble House of Black, even when you share almost no blood with it."

Harry didn't know how to reply so he didn't. This was the last thing he had expected her to talk about.

"Everything was set out for my Draco to inherit the House."

"What, being Lord Malfoy is not enough?" Harry asked slightly bitterly, not able to hold the remark back.

Narcissa gave him a sharp look and Harry blushed.

"Pardon me. I meant no offence."

"Then again, maybe it really is for the best this way. Even if it complicates things." She mused.

Harry was confused.

"You see Mr. Potter, my husband is a good man" Harry snorted again "Despite what you may think and what you have seen of him. When we first met Lucius was a lively man full of ideas and love."

Harry didn't say anything but even without looking at him she must have sensed his doubt.

"I admit that was a long time ago. Still, the man I love is somewhere underneath that fanatic shell."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Say what?

"And as much as he tires, Draco is not like his father."

"That's debatable." He offered.

Narcissa Malfoy smiled thinly. "You wouldn't know. You don't know my Dragon like I do."

Okay, creepy, Harry thought.

"And Draco knows it, even if he tries to fight and change it. Which is why you are such a problem to us, Mr. Potter."

Harry tried not to let his confusion show on his face.

"Lady Malfoy, I…." he began but she interrupted him.

"Your actions…have forced my husband's hand and inevitably mine. Now more than ever he wants to succeed in his mission. And despite what you may think you know about me, I do not side with my husbands believes. To me…family has always come first. Before everything."
She put a hard emphasis on that last word.

"Especially my son. I'd do anything to keep him safe. But I am alone. Without help I cannot keep him from this horrible path."

Harry stopped walking.

"I don't think your son is to worried about the path he is heading down." He said coolly.

She turned to face him.

For a second Harry was surprised how much of Draco he could actually see in her. On first glance Draco seemed to be his father's son, just like Harry looked like James Potter. But the closer you looked, the more you could detect of his mother in his face. Just like with himself.

"I am going to be quite frank with you Mr. Potter and I hope that for your own sake you will be discreet about this, because I assure you, you do not want me as your enemy." Narcissa said slowly and with and icy undertone.

Harry swallowed.

"I love my husband but he has become obsesses with helping his Lord return. Yes…I know he's still alive" she added when she saw Harrys panicked look "And his return is something I do not want to have to witness. But should it come to that I want my son nowhere near him. But I cannot do that alone. I am a Black by birth but I have no claim to the Head of House position. My plan was for Draco to become heir and then, with the financial backing of the house, to disappear with my son somewhere in this world, far away from lunatics and their wars."

Harry stared at her open-mouthed.

"But now Sirius is alive and sane and free and has named you heir. You see my problem with you Mr. Potter?"

Harry just nodded, not really sure what else to do.

Finally, he managed to gather himself again.

"Why do you tell me this?" he asked.

"Sirius and I have grown too far apart, too many bridges have been burned beyond repair. He would never help me and honestly, I don't hold it against him. But you as his heir, or at least heir-to-be, you can help me. Once you are the Heir to the House of Black you can grant me refuge in your house. Refuge for me and my son. That way when it comes down to it, we will be safe and not alone, cut off from any sort of help."

"I thought stuff like that gets decided by the Head of House." Harry asked.

"It does. But If you propose it to Sirius, he's more willing to do it then when I ask him." Narcissa Malfoy said with a shrug.

Slytherin through and through.

Harry shook his head. "You mean to say, that in case You-Know-Who returns, you will turn you back on your husband and everything he stands for, for the sake of your son and want me to protect you? Have you any idea how insane that sounds? This screams TRAP to me. Besides, you son seems pretty content with pleasing his father wherever he goes." He hissed.

The Lady Malfoy looked down at him coolly.

"You need not concern yourself with my son. As for this being a trap…you are right in assuming so. I have giving you no reason to believe me after all."

Harry nodded.

"However, it is what I can give you in return that might interest you. I know that you cannot do this crusade on your own Mr. Potter. And Severus's cover is thin. It will blow eventually and when it does you will want my help because the Dark Lords return is just a matter of time and I will not be forced into a war again that is not mine to fight. And I will not let my only child be brainwashed into following every word of a lunatic."

Seeing his shocked expression, she just sighed. "Yes, I know about Severus." She said simply. "It if almost funny who people seem to forget that I was born and raised a Black. I' far more than a pretty face or a trophy wife. But sometimes being underestimated is the best thing that can happen to you."

There was a cold gleam in her eyes and inside of him Harrys own magic gave him a strong impulse to take her seriously.

He hesitated.

This evening had taken a drastic turn.

"Let's say I would consider your…offer…I'm not sure I could convince Sirius, if your relationship is as damaged as you claim."

"Well…you'll have to give it your very best then Harry Potter, because otherwise you might find your future to be very dark and full of death and destruction. I don't want this anymore than you do. But the enemy of my enemy…"

"Does not make him my friend." Harry interrupted her.

"I was going to say 'potential alley' I just want you to consider it."

Harry looked at her for a few seconds.

"Why would you take this risk of telling me?" he asked.

"Well…it's not a risk as you cannot prove anything. And…even if you managed to somehow convince my husband and his…companions…that I am potentially conspiring against them…then I die and you still will most likely face a war but now with one alley less."

She looked over her shoulder.

"I'll leave you to it." She said and left.

Great, as if he didn't have enough on his mind already.

Harry didn't know what to do.

After a few minutes of wandering aimlessly through the halls he spotted Sirius in the crowd, talking with a Amos Diggory.

He had to tell Sirius. And probably Dumbledore too.

Merlin, could this get worse?

.

The evening progressed only slower and slower from there on.

More people came and Harry felt as if he answered the same questions about a thousand times. Reporters asked questions, he posed for pictures with dozens of people and tried to ignore his aching face-muscles but neither his heart nor his mind were really in it.

At some point a woman at least four times his senior dragged him onto the dance-floor.

He barely escaped with his life.

Finally, dinner time rolled around.

Argentum had been right, it was delicious and Harry was glad he could sit with his team. It was a short and needed break.

But dinner only lasted so long.

At some point, he just couldn't prolong it any further and with a sigh he stood up.

"At least try to look like you're enjoying yourself." Bill muttered with a smirk.

"I am exhausted." Harry muttered. And I have more important things to deal with to be honest, he added in his mind.

"I know but it's only the half-time. There's another part coming. Just be glad you don't have to sit through the auction like Eric and Mr. Lovegood have to. That is really boring, just a bunch of rich men throwing around with money. Now go and enjoy yourself. Go dance with Daphne and Luna. I will go and find Fleur." his red-headed mentor advised.

Harry nodded and left the hall.

He found Daphne in the Exposition-Hall, pretending to be engrossed in some necklace in one of the display cases.

He sneaked up behind her but before he could put his hands above her eyes she said: "Don't even think about it Potter."

"How did you know I was here?" he asked with a pout, leaning against the glass window of the display case.

"I saw your reflection in the glass." She said simply.

Harry groaned. "Of course." He agreed.

"Any particular reason why you are haunting me?" she asked.

"Please. As if you are busy with anything important." He scoffed.

She looked at him pointedly.

Merlin, he loved how she could so easily distract him and lift his mood.

"I just wanted to ask if you would…maybe like to dance? It's just that…Bill suggested it and…maybe we could use it as practice for the Yule Ball. And maybe that will keep others at bay. But…you don't have to, of course." He asked rambling slightly.

"Well Mr. Potter, if you ask like that how could I possible say no?" she said with a wink and offered him her hand.

With a smile, Harry took it and let her to the dancefloor.

Arriving at the edge, he said: "You know I am horrible at this. I apologize in advance."

She laughed. "Just go!" she said, shoving him slightly.

Bowing dramatically, he asked: "May I have this dance?"

She giggled and gave him a deep and equally dramatic curtsy. "You may."

From that point on Harry actually did enjoy the rest of the evening a bit.

He danced with Daphne most of the time but also with Fleur, Luna and Alice and once or twice even with Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones though it was a bit awkward since he barely knew them.

Sirius convinced him to try some of the Firewhiskey and Harrys head swirled after barely a glass of the stuff but it managed to take his mind of Narcissa Malfoy.

Finally, the first people started leaving around midnight.

At some point, Daphne grabbed him and Luna and they sneaked back into the antechamber.

They took of their shoes, massaging each other's aching feet, ate some of the scraps Thomas had sneaked from the kitchens, drank hot chocolate and talked about everything and nothing.

And as outside the voices slowly faded, Harrys eyes grew heavier.

Luna was already asleep on his shoulder by the time the door opened and a group of people entered.

"Harry?"

It was Sirius, talking gently. He felt Luna's weight being lifted off him.

"Hm?" he asked, opening his eyes.

Sirius stood above him. Behind his godfather in the gloom of the antechamber stood a couple of people and some of the goblins but Harry's eyes were too tired to identify them.

"Time to go back to Hogwarts." Sirius said in a low voice.

"Alright." Harry mumbled, pushing himself up.

Up until now he hadn't realized how tiered he was. He was so tired, he could barely think straight.

"Daphne and Luna are already on their way and Bill is bringing Fleur back so I'm taking you." Sirius said.

"Sure." Harry replied with a yaw-cracking yawn.

"Hold on pup." His godfather said, grapping his arm.

The unpleasant feeling of being squeezed through a tube surrounded Harry for a second before his feet hit hard ground and the cold December night air hit him like a sledge hammer.

He shivered violently, his doziness momentarily gone.

"Here, take my coat." Sirius muttered, draping the heavy material around Harrys shoulders. It was far too big for his slim form and dragged across the snowy ground.

"You did good tonight Harry. I'm so proud of you." Sirius told him, helping him into a waiting carriage.

"I miss you." Harry replied sleepily.

"I miss you too. Don't worry, I'll see you soon."

"Second task?"

"Yes, for the second task."

Sirius hesitated and even in his half-asleep condition Harry felt his worry.

"Don't." he whispered, sliding closer to the man as they drove through the darkness. "I'll be fine."

"I hope so." Sirius replied.

From there on Harrys memories got a bit fuzzy. He vaguely remembered arriving at the castle, walking up to Gryffindor Tower, sneaking into his dormitory with Sirius by his side and falling fully dressed onto the bed.

He felt Sirius remove his shoes and wand-holster and belt.

"Sleep tight." Sirius whispered.

And Harry did just that.

58. When is an egg not an egg?

Chapter Fifty-Eight: When is an egg not an egg?

Harry slept so tight and deep that the next morning came far too soon.

He felt as if he had just closed his eyes and the next second Neville's alarm cut through the morning.

He groaned, rolled onto his belly, stuffing his head under the pillow, moaning: "NO! I am not getting up!"

Someone laughed.

When he peaked out from beneath his pillow he saw that is was Neville.

"When did you get back he asked?" the barely older boy asked slightly pitifully. "Judging by your state of clothing, I'd say late."

Harry looked down and found himself still dressed in his uniform, which was now slightly rumpled and his eyes itched from having worn the contact lenses all night.

"Don't know. Around three?" he groaned.

"Oh boy. I'm glad Gran made us leave before midnight!" Neville exclaimed, stretching in bed. "You can be lucky it's only a short day." He added, trying to cheer him up.

"Kill me now." Harry just replied, burying his head again under the pillow.

.

Somehow, Harry managed to get up after all, change into his regular school uniform and head down to breakfast.

People kept asking him how the evening had been but Harry had a hard time steering his fork to his mouth, let alone multitask and answer questions, so he concentrated on eating.

Daphne didn't look much better when she arrived. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her eyes were small.

Luna was nowhere to be seen.

And somehow, he made it through the day without dying and without losing any points for falling asleep in class. Well, except History. But it was History. Half the class slept so it was okay.

"You need something to wake you up!" Hermione said critically during lunch.

"You mean I need more sleep." Harry disagreed while shovelling mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"A walk in the fresh air more like it. Yes, I think that will be just the thing to wake you up!"

"Hermione!" Harry groaned, managing to put all his exhaustion and slight frustration into that one word.

"No, no whining. Who can party all night can very well study the next day." she disagreed, putting her cup down a bit more forcefully than necessary.

"I didn't chose to party! You can't punish me for something I didn't do…well…more or less didn't do! Didn't want to do I mean!" he protested.

His bushy haired friend just rolled with her eyes. "Honestly Harry, sometimes you act half your age." Was all she said.

And so, after their last period if the day, she dragged Harry outside for a quick stroll.

They ended up visiting Hagrid where they warmed up over a cup of tea before heading back to the castle.

Since the holidays were only a day away the mood was fairly jolly already and the festive decorations everywhere just added more cheer.

Someone had even managed put a red bow around Mrs. Norris's neck though she clearly didn't like it because she kept running around and scratching at it.

"I can't believe it is December already." Hermione sighed as they turned left around a corner, strolling aimlessly through the corridors.

"I know. Seems like yesterday to me that we saved Sirius." Harry agreed.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" Hermione mused. "Have you talked to Ron recently?" she added softly.

Harry dropped his head. "No." he admitted slightly ashamed. "Not since the last disastrous meeting."

She nodded but didn't say anything, which surprised Harry. He had expected her to tell him to keep trying and stuff like that.

"Why?" he asked.

"I…I don't know. He won't even talk to me. He says I have sided with you and that's it. But it can't be. With everything we have already been through I just can't accept that our friendship will break over something so stupid like jealousy. And…it feels strange, not having Ron around. As much as he annoys me at times, I do miss him and he is next to you my dearest friend and…"

"Hey…" Harry said, interrupting her, stopping and taking her hands "This is not the end. Don't worry. We'll figure this out."

"How if we don't even talk?" Hermione asked.

"Then we will talk. All of us. Together, like the team that we are."

To his surprised Hermione hugged him.

"Thank you, Harry. I thought…I thought for a while that I would lose you too. But…but now I don't."

Harry smiled. "I would never want to lose you Mione."

She gave him a bright smile for that.

.

The next day was the official last day of school and everyone was eagerly looking forward the holidays. Also because of the Yule Ball a lot more people stayed for the holidays than usually.

With his golden egg safely hidden in his bag Harry strolled down the stairs of the castle down to the lake.

He wanted to study the egg once more but privately and somewhere where the screams of the egg would not disturb anyone.

He walked past Hagrid's hut and further on along the edge of the Forbidden Forrest, when suddenly he heard voices from up ahead.

"All on you own Weasley? No friends? No Potter to follow around like a loyal dog?" A familiar voice taunted, followed but low brutish laughter and a dull smacking noise.

Worried Harry quickened his step.

Rounding a small corner, he spotted Malfoy, Grabbe and Goyle blocking the way back to the castle for another familiar figure.

Ron's face was bright red and he looked ready to murder Malfoy.

Harry noticed that his bag lay a few feet away in a muddy puddle.

"Get lost Malfoy." Ron growled.

"Why ever would I do that if I can torment you? It's just too much fun."

For a second Narcissa Malfoy flashed into Harrys mind. Yeah right, Draco is a little Angel underneath all that…

"He said get lost Malfoy." He said, stepping into view. "Are deaf as well as dumb? Do you not understand the words? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

Malfoy swirled around and sneered.

"Oh look, Saint Potter to the blood-traitors rescue. Must feel good, right Weasley?"

Harry admired Ron's ability to not throw himself at Malfoy.

"Malfoy. Leave, now." Harry said dangerously low and flicked his wrist. His wand shot up and he caught it deftly in his hand.

Malfoy sneered at him but did retreat.

"Let's go guys. This is starting to get boring."

He turned on his heel and marched past Harry but not without bumping into his shoulder on purpose.

Harry didn't let that faze him and just said: "Real mature Malfoy. Your father must be so proud."

Finally, they were gone and Harry turned back to Ron who still stood where he had and was now looking at him.

His expression wasn't as hostile anymore but it wasn't friendly either.

"I don't need you fighting Malfoy for me." Ron growled.

"I just wanted to help."

"Well, don't, I don't need your help." Ron snarled.

Trying to break the ice Harry picked up Ron's sodden bag and offered it to his (hopefully still) friend.

"Here." He murmured.

"Thanks." Ron muttered back and took the bag.

He drew his wand and muttered: "Scourgify."

The bag dried but the dirt stayed.

"Scourgify." Ron growled again and some of the stains weakened.

"You gotta…" Harry began but Ron interrupted him growling: "I know how to do it."

Harry raised his hands and stepped a step backwards. "Sorry." He muttered.

Two tries later and Ron's bag was good as new.

Then they stood there, across from each other, both not sure what to say.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged. "It was just Malfoy. He's all bark and no bite. Always Daddy this and Daddy that." Ron replied evenly.

Harry nodded. "That he is."

"Look, if you want I…" he began but Ron interrupted him, growling: "I said I don't need your help!"

"I wasn't…" Harry began but stopped and took a deep breath and instead asked: "Ron, what have I done to you?", by now desperate. "If it's because of the stupid tournament, I swear to you Ron, I didn't enter myself, okay? I know that this was kind of your dream, but I promise you, it wasn't mine." He pleaded.

Ron glared at him. "It's not the tournament" he hissed and for a second Harry was almost relieved "It is everything that is connected to the tournament. It's always you!"

"Always me?" Harry asked weakly.

"Don't play dumb Harry because you know exactly what I mean. I can live with you being the Boy-who-lived because I know there is a different person underneath, a person I thought was my friend. And I get that you've had a piss-poor life Harry, that's something I could always relate too. But recently you've been getting it all and as usual I get passed over again. Have you got any idea what it felt like to watch you become best pals with my older brother? A brother I have tried to connect with over the years but somehow never could? Bill and Charlie might as well be some distant cousins, that's how well I know them. And you just need one meeting and get to go with my brother on adventures and show how awesome you are? Not to mention that my parents aren't any better? Oh, I wonder how Harry is, Oh I wonder if Harry is alright, Oh my poor dear Harry, oh, oh, oh! My whole life I have lived knowing I was the son they never wanted. They always wanted a daughter after the twins. But then I came, another disappointment to add to my ever-growing list! And then Ginny comes along and I am all but forgotten because we finally have a girl! And then you come strutting into my life and take the place I always wanted! And I am forgotten again! And then you go along and be the best that you could possibly be and I stand next to you, in your shadow and am just 'poor stupid blood-traitor Weasley'!"

Ron stopped for a second to take a deep breath.

"And worst of all is how ignorant you are of it! How you just take it all. But you have Sirius and Lupin and hell, even Bill and Greengrass and all these other people. So, can you just back off and give me back my family?"

Harry was lost for words but not because he was angry but because he finally understood.

Ron wasn't jealous. He had been, but now, now he was scared.

"They didn't even bother to ask me if I wanted to come to Bills celebratory party at the How. They asked the twins! The twins! But not me, no they just assumed I wouldn't go! I have been overstepped my entire life, always being the spare! And I've had it to here!" Ron continued, the dam now broken, the words flowing freely.

"I want to be your friend Harry but right now you making it very damn hard. I mean, have you ever bothered to include me lately? Your best friend? You have no problem involving Hermione! I mean, am I asking for too much? Am I?" Ron ranted, raising his arms questioningly.

"No, you don't." Harry said lowly.

"Exactly, I…" Ron agreed before stopping "Wait, what?" he asked.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Harry said, speaking up and looking Ron directly in the eyes.

Ron seemed speechless.

"You are right. I ignored you. I took your family. I'm sorry Ron. Please believe me when I say I didn't mean to do that. I…I guess I've never understood how difficult you've had it. I never had siblings and always thought it would be awesome to have such a big family but…I see why you never had it easy and why…why you are so angry with me."

Ron looked flabbergasted.

Finally he found his voice.

"And you're not just saying that like that?" he asked suspiciously.

"No. I'd never do that to you Ron. I get it. And I am sorry. I'm sorry I was such an ass for you about it. And that I didn't do anything about it."

Ron seemed to deflate slightly, his shoulder sacked and he lowered his arms, awkwardly fingering with the strap of his bag.

"Ahm…thanks. I…apology accepted. I mean…I guess."

Both teenagers awkwardly stood in silence for a minute, not meeting each other gaze.

"I'm sorry too. About how I reacted when you got selected for the tournament. I should have been there for you. You would have to be completely nuts to enter!" Ron mumbled after a while.

"Finally caught on to that?" Harry asked with a faint smile. "It's okay, I get why you were angry and didn't believe me but with everything that has been going on I understand. I'm just glad that you do now."

Ron nodded.

"So…I guess that is it?" he asked a bit helpless.

"I…I don't know. I mean…is it? Is it okay?" Harry asked back.

Ron stayed silent which was all Harry had to hear.

"Have you told your family how you feel Ron?"

Ron didn't answer him at all at first.

Finally, he muttered. "I don't want to be selfish. Mum and Dad try so hard to give us everything we need and I know it's not easy for them. I don't want them to think I am ungrateful, I'm not! But…I don't know, this is so difficult!" he groaned.

"I'd imagine it would be. But Ron, you have to tell them, somehow. If they don't know how you feel, they can't change anything."

"Yeah, probably." Ron said hesitantly.

"I know you said you don't want my help but if there is anything I can do…" Harry began, trailing off at the end.

Ron stayed silent, looking at the ground.

When after a few more moments no rely came Harry took that as his cue to go.

He sighed and turned around.

"Can you be my friend?" came the quiet question from behind him.

He turned.

"Can you be the great friend I always could rely on? The brother I never asked for but…always needed?" Ron asked.

Harry laughed. "Are you kidding me? I'd love to."

Ron laughed too, looking as relieved as Harry felt.

Tentatively Harry approached his best friend and to his great relieve Ron too stared walking towards him.

They embraced and for a second Harry felt as if for the first time in months he could finally breathe for real.

They separated quickly again.

"We're not okay yet, are we?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Ron hesitated too. "No yet." He admitted.

"That's okay." Harry assured him.

"Thank you."

Feeling slightly awkward Ron added: "Do…you want to head back? It's kinda freezing and maybe we should tell Hermione that we don't hate each other anymore."

"Yeah, let's do that." Harry agreed.

They shuffled through the snow back towards the castle.

The sky was overhung with clouds and the wind was picking up and neither really knew what to say so they stayed quiet but it was a good silence. The kind of silence that doesn't need to be filled with words.

As they rounded the lake and head towards the stairs that let up to the castle voices drifted towards them from father down the lake shore.

Harry stopped, frowning.

"Harry? What is it?" Ron asked, stopping too.

"You hear that?" he asked.

They listened.

Yep, definitely voices.

"So what, we're not the only ones outside, big deal." Ron said, frowning.

Harry shook his head. "Somethings wrong."

"Who do you know that?"

"First rule of curse-breaking, trust your gut." Harry muttered, hastily walking down the path towards the voices.

He felt strangely happy when Ron followed him. But then he concentrated on his gut again.

He felt squeamish and his steps fastened.

Behind him Ron cursed, trying to keep up on the icy underground.

The voices grew more distinct and he immediately recognized Draco's sneer.

"Now this is a surprise. Look at it. How much money do you think it is worth? A million gallons maybe? I'm sure I'll find a taxidermist who would love to have it!"

"No!" wailed a second voice and Harrys insides froze.

He was now all but running, the golden egg in his bag hitting against his thighs with every step.

He burst through a bit of shrubbery and onto the banks of the lake.

There was Luna, standing ankle deep in the lake, a look of anger and terror on her face.

Malfoy and his goons stood in a lose semi-circle before her, blocking her path and in his hand Malfoy held a tiny golden ball of feathers.

It was pumpkin, Lunas Golden Snidget friend.

Malfoys works shot through Harrys head and the anger boiled over. Nobody was allowed to hurt Luna! She was his responsibility! His to protect!

His wand was moving and the words had left his lips before he had thought his plan through.

"Stupefy!"

With a yelp Malfoy released eth tiny golden bird which shot with a terrified squeak back to Luna, who caught it with trembling hands.

Harry slid his bag off his shoulder, not caring for the loud clang with which it fell onto the frozen ground.

"I've had it with you up to here!" he roared, flicking his wand twice at Goyle and Grabbe. The backs of their underpants were abruptly pulled upwards, giving them a nasty wedgie and actually lifted them up a few centimetres into the air.

They fell down groaning.

"You are nothing but a bully. You strive off others suffering. You think of yourself as so high and mighty yet when it comes down to it you are worse than my muggle cousin! There is literally nothing special about you! Yet we are supposed to bow before you? I think not! You are disgrace to the wizarding world! Hell, you are a disgrace to humanity! You really are a vile little cockroach!"

Malfoy growled but his face was slightly reddened, almost as if Harrys words had hit a nerve, also summoning his wand, pointing it at him.

He growled a spell Harry couldn't quite make out but his shield was up immediately.

The spell hit it and dissolved. Harry countered with a harmless bludgeoning spell that knock the Malfoy-scion slightly off balance.

But he sent a flesh-eating curse at Harry which Harry only narrowly ducked.

Seeing a flash of red in his peripherical vision he growled: "Ron, take Luna, get of the line of fire."

Malfoy didn't even spare Ron a second glance a she edged around the two combatants towards the frightened blonde.

Instead the Slytherin fired another spell at Harry. Harry blocked it but barely. It was a powerful one.

"As if you are so much better Potter. You are a hypocrite and you know it. If they knew all the things you have done! You are not the hero everyone thinks you are, aren't you?" He sneered.

Harry ignored his words. He sent a leg-locking curse at Malfoy but he danced out of the way nimbly and Harry had to admit that Malfoy was a good duellist.

No doubt Daddy's work, he thought bitterly.

Malfoy continued with his more lethal curses. The blasting-curse and the fire-jinx only missed Harry by inches.

"Attacking a third year with three on one is not very heroic either."

"Never claimed to be a hero." Malfoy sneered.

Harry landed a hit on him with a dizzying-spell.

Malfoy stumbled, off-balance and confused. Harry could have disarmed him then and there but Goyle had apparently recovered from his wedgie and now aimed his wand at him.

Harry raised his wand to disarm him but before he could say the words, Goyles wand flew through the air, landing in the waters of the Black Lake.

Harry looked around and saw Ron lower his wand with a satisfied smirk.

"Always wanted to do that." He said before his eyes went wide and he shouted: "Harry look out!"

Harry turned to late, curing himself for turning his back on Malfoy.

Malfoys curse hit him in the side, catapulting him into the freezing water of the lake.

He resurfaces spluttering and slightly dazed. His glasses were gone, everything was blurry but he did see Ron's red-haired figure push Lunas smaller figure back before getting hit by a curse as well. He went down but Harry could hear his curse, which calmed him slightly.

He made out Grabbe and Goyles burly figures as they joined Malfoy.

"Hey Potter, good luck with your second task by the way!" Malfoy called out and Harry saw a dark object flying through the air towards him.

No, not dark, golden.

THE EGG!

Panic filled Harry as the clue for the second task sailed over his head and plunged ten meters or so away from him into the dark water.

Ignoring Malfoys derisive laughter and Ron's protest Harry plunged into the icy blackness of the water.

Instantly memories of his last swim in dark cold water bombarded him but he gritted his teeth, pushing them aside.

It was too dark and even with his glasses he wouldn't have been able to see.

This was stupid, he knew it but with every second that passed the egg got further and further out of reach.

I need to find it, I need to find it, he kept chanting feverishly in his mind.

His lungs burned and his head pounded and his side hurt and it was cold and he was desperate.

No spell came to his mind but his magic had yet to fail him.

A different burning filled his chest and belly that then travelled into his head and exploded behind his eyes.

And suddenly harry could see.

Really see.

His eyes were burning and it was not comfortable but he could see the kelp-forest underneath him and rocks and fish and vague outlines of other animals and creatures in the later.

His first thought was: Cool, followed by: Egg! Gotta find the egg!

A strange golden hue attacked his attention a few meters down inside the kelp-forest.

Without second though he drove down.

It was creepy between the strands of kelp and each time a leaf would accidentally graze him Harry flinched, thinking it was some sort of monster that was going to pull him further down and drown him.

It was a maze inside the forest and if Harry hadn't been following the golden glow he would have been lost because after a few meters into the underwater plant forest he couldn't even see where the surface of the water had been, so dense were the plants.

The glow was getting stronger, it was almost directly before him.

He pushed past the last strands of kelp and froze.

Before him, suspended in mid-water hung the golden egg.

It was open and was spreading the golden glow, basking everything around it in a soft light, taking its scariness.

But that was not what got Harry.

It was the lovely voices coming from inside the egg that had caught his attention.

"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 recover what we took,
But past an hour — the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

The bubbles inside slowly rose and burst as the song repeated itself over and over.

Harry was fascinated. He slowly edged closer.

This was the clue, he realized.

His eyes grew wide as he understood.

The burning in his lungs returned, reminding him that he hadn't breathed in minutes.

He needed air!

Hastily he grabbed the egg, shutting it.

The singing stopped and the golden glow was gone, leaving Harry in the darkness of this foreign underwater world.

Up, where was up? Up was where the sun was but down here…there was no way to see the sun!

Remembering an old survival trick Harry carefully let out the last remaining air he had, watching in what direction the bubbles rose and then followed them.

Ignoring the creepy feeling of slick kelp against his body and the feeling of eyes on him Harry struggled upwards, fighting his way through the plants until he broke through and saw the surface several meters above him.

And then suddenly there were arms around him, hoisting him upwards.

His head broke through the surface and he gulped down air like a starving man would scarf down food.

Next to him someone else spluttered, still slightly blind with the egg weighing him down he turned and saw Ron, his long red hair clinging to his face there.

"Merlin's beard Harry, when I said I wanted to be your friend again I didn't mean for you to get us into near-death-situations again!" he spluttered.

"Sorry." Harry coughed.

"Naw, it's fine. I almost kinda missed this!" Ron replied through chattering teeth.

Harry couldn't help it. He started laughing.

.

.

.

He was still chuckling fifteen minutes later when he was sitting with Ron on a hospital bed, wrapped in blankets with a mug of hot tea in his hands while Madam Pomfrey informed Professor McGonagall via the floo of what had happened.

It was only minutes later when their stern Head of House burst through the doors of the Hospital Wing.

Seeing them both in one piece her scowl deepened and she approached them.

But before she got even close three other figures burst through the doors behind her, startling her as they passed her without as much as a glance.

Of course, it was Hermione, Daphne and Fleur.

Hermione was first, she fell around bother their neck ate the same time, squeezing them against herself, effectively cutting off their air supply.

"You idiots!" she ranted. "Whatever made you jump into the Black Lake in DECEMBER!" she shrieked, letting go of them and punching moth of them in the chest.

"Lay off woman, I was just saving his life!" Ron said defensively.

"And I was saving my egg!" Harry added.

"Why didn't you just summon it?" Hermione asked, still angry. "You can summon your broom from the castle into a dragon-pit but not from the water right in front of you?"

"It's charmed against summoning charms of the first task would have been really easy!" Harry argued.

"Well, you could have called a teacher to help you!" Hermione countered.

"There was no time!"

"That justifies diving into the lake?"

"Yes?! I mean… yes….no…"

"Let's all clam down, alright?" McGonagall interrupted, stepping between them.

Daphne sat down next to Harry, taking his hand.

"Are you okay? Luna came to find us and told us what you did. Both of you" she added with a look a Ron.

"We're fine. How is Luna? I didn't get a chance to ask her."

"She's fine. Shaken but Ginny is with her." Daphne muttered.

"Alright. Good. I was worried. Is Pumpkin okay too? Malfoy didn't hurt him, right?"

"We can discuss the wellbeing of Ms. Lovegoods pet at another time. For now, I would like to know what happened." McGonagall said sternly.

Harry and Ron looked at each other before explaining all that had happened beginning from when Malfoy had cornered Ron.

McGonagall listened with pursed lips.

Harry felt a bit bad when he got to the duelling part.

When they were done closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The girls too looked as if they couldn't believe it but stayed silent, for now.

Finally the Scottish witch spoke.

"Mr. Potter, while your actions were of noble intention, as they usually are, I cannot allow to let you get away with this senseless act of violence against a fellow student."

Harry wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut. Instead he lowered his head.

"Under normal circumstances at least not." McGonagall continued and Harry looked up sharply.

"Don't think you are of the hook" she immediately added "You will serve detention with me after the holidays and were you not a champion I would suspend you from the yule ball and going home! However…" she sighed and took a deep breath "Since neither Mr. Malfoy nor his companions have issued a complaint I will let this pass for now. I've talked with Ms. Lovegood and your story checks out. Still, you should have gone to a teach of prefect for help."

"But Professor, there was no time. We were at the lake of Merlin's bloody sake!" Ron protested.

"Silence Mr. Weasley. Be glad I am not including you in this."

"Well then you should. If Harry gets detention for using magic against those idiots then so do I because I too used magic to disarm Goyle and for a few other things. I will serve detention with Harry!" Ron stated stubbornly.

Harry stared at him with amazement.

So did everyone else.

Well, except McGonagall who just closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then said: "Fine, if that is what you wish" "It is." Ron agreed "Then you too will serve detention."

"But Professor…" Hermione began but McGonagall interrupted her. "Do you wish to join them too Ms. Granger?"

Hermione froze for a second before catching herself. "No, Ma'am, but I think this is unfair. Malfoy assaulted Luna and threatened her and her bird. Surely there will be consequences for him too! I mean, he's the reason Harry drove into the lake!"

"Don't worry Ms. Granger, I will see to that. Now, if that is all please all return to your dormitories and try not to get into any more trouble on the way!"

With Ron and Harry still wrapped in the heated blankets the five flowed their teachers order.

.

Just before separating at the stairs Fleur held Harry slightly back and whispered: "Did you…get it?"

With a short glance at his wristband Harry muttered: "Yes."

Fleur looked relieve and then pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "Good. Sleep well Harry."

"You too Fleur."

Daphne stepped up to them.

She hugged Harry tightly.

"You scared me."
"Sorry."

"I'd say don't do it again but…"

"Yeah, I know."

Even though he knew both Ron and Hermione were more or less watching Harry gave Daphne a light kiss on the lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

Daphne and Fleur left, leaving Harry with his two best friends.

Hermione linked arms with both of them and together they made their way towards their dormitory.

"I'm glad you two are on speaking terms again." She whispered.

"Us too Mione." Ron said gently.

"You two were idiots anyway." She added.

"Thanks." Harry muttered dryly.

"And I still think you are stupid for going after the egg."

"I know."

"Just saying."

"I know."

"Get off his back Mione. I'm sure any would have done the same." Ron interrupted them.

Hermione just huffed but over her head Harry gave Ron a grateful smile and the red-head winked back.

As they walked through the portrait hole a couple of people looked up.

"What happened to you three?" Fred asked.

Harry guessed they must have looked strange with Ron and him still wrapped in blankets and their hair damp while Hermione was wedged between them, carrying Harrys golden egg.

"Long story." Ron said.

"Really long story." Harry agreed.

"Probably not really worth telling." Hermione offered.

Fred's gaze jumped for and back between them, obviously contemplating whether he should ask, before he seemed to come to the conclusion that it was probably better to just accept it.

"Alright them?!" he offered.

"Yeah, everything is alright." Harry agreed.

59. Eventful holidays and more

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Eventful holidays and more

Harry felt soar and still cold to the bone the next day.

He still couldn't believe that Malfoy had gotten the better of him in a duel.

But at least thanks to Malfoy he had finally found out what the clue for the next task was and that with more than a month to spare for preparations!

So yeah, it could have been worse.

As he sat up he noticed that Ron and he were the only ones left in the dorm and that it was past eleven.

Ron was still snoring contently in his bed and since breakfast was over anyway Harry decided to have a lie in as well. They could simply go to the kitchens later and ask for some leftovers.

His look fell onto the calendar that hung above his desk. The tiny arrow that indicated which day it was stood on the twenty-third.

Twenty-third? That meant that tomorrow was Christmas Eve! Which meant…. Oh no! The Yule Ball was only two days away!

With a groan, he sank lower into the pillows.

Great, another party only this time the whole school was attending.

And what was he going to wear? Did he even own formal robes?

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when the door to their dormitory flew open and Daphne of all people, barrelled into the room, out of breath with her hair wild, dressed in casual robes.

Ron sat up in his bed, confused and still half asleep while Harry jumped out of bed, not caring he was only wearing boxer-shorts and too-big t-shirt.

"Daphne?" he asked concerned but that was all he managed before she interrupted him, shouting: "Get your wand and come with me!"

"What the…" Harry began but she waved whatever objections he had aside and growled: "Just do it! You too Ron, come on, up you get!"

Harry reached for his robes but Daphne impatiently grabbed his arm.
"No time for that! They are waiting!" She grabbed Ron with the other hand, forcing him along, making him stumble over a pile of dirty clothes on the ground.

"Oh, this is so good!" she continued happily.

That last part relaxed Harry slightly. So nothing bad apparently was happening if Daphne was excited about it. Then again this was Daphne and she got excited about broke bones and lacerations.

Harry just grabbed his wand and let himself be dragged down the stairs to the Common Room, a cursing Ron right behind him.

"How did you even get in here?" Harry asked his Slytherin-friend, still confused.

"McGonagall gave me the password."

"She what? Wait, what has McGonagall to do with all of this?" Harry asked.

"You'll see. Merlin, this could be the best day of my life!"

"What is…" Harry began but just then they reached the foot of the stairs and entered the Gryffindor Common Room.

To Harrys surprise, and discomfort, there stood a bunch of people he did not want to stand before in his night-wear.

There was McGonagall, so much he had guessed, Dumbledore, with whom he still wasn't really on speaking terms, Moody, who seemed to be wherever there was something happening, Crouch, who just looked tired and annoyed, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who looked impassive, Mr. Weasley, who looked slightly concerned, Snape, who was scowling, and Narcissa Malfoy!

Harry stopped at the foot of the stairs and stared at the gathered group.

"Thank you for fetching them Ms. Greengrass. Good morning Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley." McGonagall greeted them.

Was she smiling? It was almost unnoticeable but the corners of her mouth were ever so slightly turned upwards.

"What did we do now?" Harry asked hesitantly as he stepped into the room, self-conscious of his state of dressing, Ron right behind him.

"Dad?" his red-headed friend asked.

"It's okay Ron, it's…." Mr. Weasley began but before anyone could say something, outside the portrait hole loud voices could be heard, before it swung open and Sirius stumbled into the room.

"Hiya!" he greeted the gathered crowd.

Harry decided that he was probably still dreaming.

Sirius stepped next to him and Arthur moved next to his son while Daphne remained where she was right next to Harrys other side.

"You're late." Narcissa Malfoy spoke up, her voice icy and ever so slightly appalled.

"What can I say, I had to catch up with my dear friend the fat lady. She used to have a crush on me, you see Cissy." Sirius said airily with a wink.

Harry supressed a groan.

"Nice to see you by the way." Sirius then added.

"Mr. Black, focus, please." McGonagall interrupted, already exasperated.

"Sure, sorry Mina." Sirius said with another wink.

This time Harry groaned out loud.

Shacklebolt stepped up and drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"We are here" he said with a look at Harry and Ron "Because just minutes ago we performed a Priori Incantatem on the wand of one Draco Malfoy and found that it had been used to cast a variation of almost lethal and definitely one lethal curse. Professor McGonagall informed us about what transpired yesterday evening at the shores of the Black Lake and we already talked with Ms. Luna Lovegood as well as Mr. Malfoy and his accomplices. We now have come to talk to you two."

Harry stared at McGonagall.

"I told you I was going to take care of it Potter." She reminded him.

"And I would like to remind everyone that Potter started that fight. And I hardly think that Auror Shacklebolt is an impartial judge." Snape sneered.

"That's not what we're discussing right now." McGonagall reminded him with dangerously sparkling eyes.

"As of the moment Professor Sprout is with the other three students in the Great Hall" Shacklebolt continued "And depending on what we find here now there will be consequences for the guilty party."

Snape just huffed.

Kingsley turned to speak few words with Crouch and Dumbledore and Sirius used the moment to whisper in Harry's ear: "Don't worry, McGonagall wouldn't have called them if she didn't believe you and Ron."

Harry nodded but he still felt nervous.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I understand that you were walking back to the castle when you heard voices. What motivated you to investigate further?" Kingsley asked calmly.

"I didn't want to, but Harry insisted. Good thing he did if you ask me." Ron said honestly.

"And I…I just felt like something wasn't right. I don't know how or why but my gut said so. Luna is my friend. We…we've been through a lot together and I see her like my little sister and I just knew that something wasn't right. I cannot explain it."

To his relieve Kingsley just nodded. "That's fine Mr. Potter, you don't have to defend yourself for that. Now, you told your Professor that when you arrived at the scene Ms. Lovegood was surrounded by Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle and that Mr. Malfoy was threatening Ms. Lovegoods pet, a Golden Snidget named…Pumpkin?"

"Yes, that is correct." Harry said.

"And that motivated you to attack Mr. Malfoy with a stinging hex, even though he didn't know you were there and you incapacitated Messrs Crabbe and Goyle by…forcefully pulling up their underwear?" Kingsley inquired further.

Harrys cheeks grew hot.

"I admit that that wasn't my best move but we had a run in with Malfoy just minutes before this confrontation and he'd been harassing Ron then and when I saw him threaten Luna and her Pumpkin I lost it for a moment. So yeah, I attacked them first."

"See, he admits it! He provoked my students. Draco was just defending himself. If you have to suspend someone it's Potter." Snape growled.

Suspend?

They were thinking about suspending Malfoy? Now Harry understood why Daphne was so happy.

It also surprised Harry that Madam Malfoy hadn't said anything yet.

"I never denied that I attacked first Professor." He reminded the Potions master. Snape all but snarled at him.

"Thank you for being honest Harry. Now, may I inspect your wand to see what spells were used recently?" Kingsley said, taking over eth conversation again.

Harry nodded, handing over his wand.

Kingsley muttered something and one by one a series of spells flashed by.

"Well, your story checks out with what your wand says, thank you Mr. Potter. May I ask why you didn't retaliate with the same force as Mr. Malfoy? We all know for certain that you could have."

Harry hesitated. "Malfoy's a jerk" he began, ignoring Snape's furious glare "But he doesn't really understand the consequences of the spells he fired. He knows what they do but he's never seen it or he wouldn't use them so carelessly. But I've seen many of those spells he used and what they do when they hit someone. It's not a nice sight. And…using the same spells as he had would have made me no better than him. Also I knew he wouldn't leave unless he knew he had 'won' or until someone else, a teacher or prefect, would intervene. The latter was unlikely to happen since we were so far away from the castle. So…I more or less let him win."

Silence reigned through the room as everyone stared at him in disbelieve.

Finally Kingsley cleared his throat.

"That….is a very mature thing you did, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded. He felt Sirius squeeze his shoulder. He too was proud.

"Mr. Weasley, you too were involved in this…brawl." Kingsley then asked, turning to Ron.

Ron nodded.

"You disarmed Mr. Goyle, resulting in his wand falling into the Black Lake. And you then aimed various spells at Mr. Malfoy as well."

"Yeah. But none of them hit him, he blocked them all and then got me with a full-body-bind-hex before the tosser kicked Harrys egg into the lake, almost drowning Harry in the process." Ron answered heatedly.

Kingsley raised an eyebrow but nodded. "May I inspect your wand?"

Ron nodded and gave it to him.

It too checked out.

Daphne was squeezing Harrys hand by now so hard he thought it would go numb.

"Well, this concludes my work here. Unless there are any more questions?" Shacklebolt asked, looking around.

"Out of interest Mr. Potter, how did you manage to get the egg back?" Moody asked, both eyes fixed on Harry.

Harry felt his cheeks grow hot again.

"I…I still have bursts of accidental magic when I am in stressful situations." He explained.

"That's unusual." McGonagall said with a frown.

Harry just shrugged.

Then he asked: "So…what now? Do we get punished?"

Shacklebolt folded his hands.

"Since neither you nor Mr. Weasley broke any laws and just school rules, I will leave your punishment to your head of house, Professor McGonagall. As for Messrs Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle…. well, the latter two will probably get away with detention and a stern warning from their head of house" Yeah right, thought Harry "But as for Mr. Malfoy…I'm afraid we might have to suspend or even expel him."

What happened next surprised nobody more than Harry.

"Don't expel him!" he blurted out.

For the second time in just a couple of minutes everyone was staring at him again.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Daphne whispered.

Harry blushed again.

"I mean…what Malfoy did was wrong. And yeah, he's a jerk and a spoiled brat" "Harry." Dumbledore interrupted him "But he doesn't know better. Expelling him…that's only short-term punishment. He'll just shrug it off and continue doing the same somewhere else."

"So what do you suggest Potter?" Moody asked.

"We're not seriously asking Potter for punishment ideas for a fellow student, are we?" Snape hissed.

"All I'm saying is that it should be something that has an impact on Malfoy. That shows that his actions will have consequences, no matter his last name or blood-status." Harry said, looking over at Narcissa Malfoy. To his surprise she gave him a tiny nod.

"May I propose that we take two-hundred points from Slytherin with an announcement to the rest of the House as to who is to blame, a month suspension as well as detention for the rest of the year for Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall proposed.

"That is too much!" Snape protested.

"Your student should be expelled and have his wand snapped if you ask me." Moody growled.

"Nobody is asking you Mad-Eye." Snape barked back. "I demand…"

"You will demand nothing." Narcissa interrupted him, drawing all the attention. "I am his mother and I agree with Professor McGonagall. I will take Draco with me and I will make sure he sees reason by the time he will be back."

"Lucius would never…" Snape began but Narcissa interrupted him again and this time her voice had a dangerous edge to it: "Lucius is not here and I will deal with my son as I see fit. You may be his godfather Severus but do not think that gives you any power over him or any right to question my decisions regarding him."

There was an awkward silence.

"So…we're done here?" Harry asked after a few seconds.

"Yes, we are done. Enjoy the rest of you holidays boys." Kingsley said with a nod at both Ron and him before he, Crouch, Dumbledore, Moody, Snape and Narcissa left, leaving Harry and Ron with their fathers and McGonagall behind.

She eyed Harry for a second, then shook her head.

"You are James on the outside. But on the inside, I see more and more of Lily every day. She would be proud."

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you Professor. I didn't think you would go this far. I thought that yesterday would have been the end of that…"

McGonagall sighed. "I've learned Potter, that when you are involved, nothing is ever easy. I've ignored you and your friends in the past, sometimes with horrific consequences. Even I can learn from that."

Then she left.

Arthur and Sirius had to leave as well, leaving the two boys alone.

"You didn't really let him win, did you." Ron asked.

"Naw." Harry agreed.

"So you lied to Kingsley?" Ron asked.

"I wouldn't say that. Malfoy had it coming anyway."

"Then why stop them from expelling him? We could have been Malfoy-free for the rest of our school life."

"And risk the wrath of Slytherin-House against us? No, let them deal with Malfoy. That's way better than anything we could ever do."

Ron stared at him for a moment before smiling.

He shook his head and said: "You've been spending way too much time with the snakes, mate." Harry just shrugged but couldn't hide his smile.

"Come on, let's get dressed and find something to eat."

Next to him Ron gave an affirmative grunt before he suddenly jumping up in fright.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I thought it was a spider. But it's just some stupid bug. Man, that's the second time I've seen those around the tower. They should really do something about it." Ron muttered as they watched a small green beetle scattering away.

.

.

.

.

By the time lunch rolled around even the last person had noticed the significantly emptier jar of crystals underneath the Slytherin crest and by dinner the wildest rumours were exchanged along the tables.

The foreign students didn't quite seem to get what all the excitement was about.

"What is that we hear about lost points? What points?" Marian asked as they helped themselves to desert.

"You see, here at Hogwarts we got a reward system. If you do well in class, you can earn points for your house. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House Cup." Hermione explained. "And bragging rights!" Ron added. Hermine gave him an evil eye.

"You see the hourglasses behind the teachers over there?" she asked, pointing up at the long table.

Their new friends looked and nodded.

"Each hourglass represents one House. Blue for Ravenclaw, red for Gryffindor, green for Slytherin and yellow for Hufflepuff. At the moment Hufflepuff is in the lead, it has the most points."

Just as they watched, blue crystals dropped into the Ravenclaw glass.

"And Ravenclaw just earned a couple of points. It's a really big deal. Once Harry and Ron lost one hundred-and-fifty points in one night and the whole house didn't talk to them for weeks."

"In our defence, we were helping a friend." Ron said.

"And Slytherin has never lost so many points at once, never in the history of their house. They generally don't lose that many points anyway. But if you do, you have to work really hard to earn those points back. The House is your family during your time at Hogwarts. And you want to make you family proud." Hermione continued.

"So…the one that lost them all the points…he's in for it?" Oleg asked.

"Yeah." Ron said.

"I wonder who it was." Seamus muttered.

Ron and Harry exchange knowing glances but kept silent.

"On another hand, what's the plan for Christmas?" Fleur asked.

"Well, tomorrow will be the usual feasting and don't forget, the day after is the Yule Ball." Hermione replied.

"Sure, but when do we meet up for presents and all that?" Fleur asked.

Harry hesitated.

"How about we meet here for breakfast together on Christmas morning, let's say, at eight?"

"You want me to leave the bed on Christmas morning before its even light outside?" Ron spluttered.

"You can either get up or have no presents." Hermione said sweetly.

"That's not fair." Ron mumbled.

.

The Christmas feast was as splendid as always. Dumbledore insisted on wearing a strange pink cowboy-hat all evening which had been in one of his wizard crackers and later, much later than usual with the curfew long forgotten, everyone retried well fed and content.

And when Christmas morning dawned they woke to a freshly fallen snow-blanket.

Harry and his dorm-mates exchanged present before Harry, Ron and Neville gathered their presents for their friends and headed down to breakfast.

Breakfast went on longer than usual because many had had the same idea to meet up there and exchange presents with their friends while eating, talking, laughing and generally having fun.

Harry got a book form Hermione, a necklace from Luna, a new pair of dragon-hide boots from Bill, a new bag from Fleur and Gabrielle, various sweets from Oleg and Marian and even a pair of seeker gloves from Victor, as well as another practice snitch from Cedric.

Daphne and he had agreed to exchange gifts later in private in the library.

So after carrying his new belongings up to the Tower he set out to find her.

Madam Pince was in a surprisingly good mood, she just waved him through and told him that Daphne was at their usual place.

"Hey Danny." He greeted her when he got to their alcove with the view over the lake.

She swirled around.

"Hey Harry. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too."

He hugged her tightly and pressed a light kiss to her lips.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as they sat down.

"Fine, couldn't be better. In fact,…"

And he proceeded to tell her about the clue for the second task.

"Wow, Harry, that is amazing. Have you figured out what it means yet?" she asked excitedly when he finished, squeezing his hands tightly.

"Little bits. But I still have time so I'm not too worried. Yet anyway."

She nodded. "I wish I could help." She said with a sigh.

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay? Today is Christmas and the Yule Ball. Let's not think too much about second tasks and clues and riddles, okay?"

"You're the one who brought it up!" Daphne snorted.

"True, but now I am dropping it. Besides, I got something for you." He replied.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped parcel.

"I wasn't really sure what to get you so I got this…" he said, slightly awkward now and handed her the parcel.

She opened it eagerly and out fell a long cashmere scarf and a small gift card. The scarf was thin but very soft and of a dark blue colour. There was nothing fancy about it but Daphne immediately draped it around her neck and shoulders.

"How do I look?" she asked beamingly, studying her reflection in the window.

"Amazing." He said honestly.

She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

She picked up the gift-card and opened it, laughing when she read it.

"A gift-card over twenty gallons for the potions supply shop in Hogsmead?" she asked.

Harry blushed. "Well…like I said. I didn't know what else."

She closed the card and gave him another kiss. "Thank you, Harry, I love it."

"Great." He said, relieved.

"Now my turn."

She too handed him a parcel, wrapped in dark brown sturdy paper.

"It's not just from me. My dad and my uncles pitched in as well. Well, pretty much the entire family pitched in. They all wanted to send you something but then you would have been buried in presents so we agreed to, you know give you something that was from all of us."

Intrigued Harry tore off the paper.

It was a small box but when he opened it and the first thing he found was a small pile of pictures.

"Our moms were really, really good friends. I didn't even know how good. We went through my mum's old things and found a lot of your mum as well." Daphne explained. "But that's not all. Look."

Underneath the pictures was a leather-bound notebook and another tiny box.

"The notebook too is your mums. My mother must have borrowed it or something. I don't know what's in there. None of us really do. Dad only saw it was Lily's and closed it, saying it was just for you."

Harry was touched by that. "I'll look through it later!" he promised.

He picked up the box and suddenly Daphne seemed a little nervous.

"This ahm….is…a token of our affection…for you and…what you did." She explained.

Harry opened it and inside on a velvet cushion lay a small silver brooch, not bigger than the finger nail on Harrys pinkie-finger and the form of a 'G' inside an oval. It was plain silver and not spectacular in anyway.

"We…that is to say my Dad and I…we're naming you Friend of the Family. We raise you to be proxy to the Greengrass Family. Don't worry, there are no duties connected to it or obligations. It simply signifies to anyone who sees this that you are under our protection. An honorary family member so to speak. I know you have a family but…"

He interrupted her by hugging her.

"Thank you. This is amazing, thank you."

She froze for a second but then relaxed.

"You are very welcome."

.

The Gryffindor fourth year boys were almost late that evening for the Yule ball.

They just so managed to get to the entrance Hall in time.

McGonagall gave Harry an evil eye before dragging him along to where the other Champions, their dates and Daphne were already waiting.

"Where were you?" Daphne hissed. Other than the last time they had attended a party she now wore a dress this time.

It was long and silver and fell down her body like a waterfall. Her hair was pinned up and she wore long diamond earrings.

"You look beautiful."

"That's not an answer."

"We had to salvage Ron's robes. They were hideous. It took all of us and our combined Charms and Transfiguration knowledge to make them look somewhat passable."

From his pocket Harry pulled a corsage.

"Here, for you." He said, donning the blue flowers that matched her eyes perfectly to her wrist.

"Aw, thank you Harry, I love them." She said, her bad mood gone instantly.

"Champions, please form a line." McGonagall announced.

"Here goes nothing." Harry muttered, just a second before the doors opened and under thunderous applause they entered the Great Hall.

.

It wasn't that bad in the end.

The food was good and it wasn't as formal and stiff as the celebration at the How.

Everybody was in a good mood and Harry danced with a couple of his friends, but mostly Daphne.

The music was catchy and watching a tipsy McGonagall escort Dumbledore onto the dancefloor was just hilarious.

There were a couple of official photos taken but someone had also invited Colin Creevy to take some pictures of the evening for the school, even though he was just a third year.

But did take some pretty good picture, even Harry had to admit that and like many others he placed and order with the over-zealous Gryffindor to purchase some of those pictures once they were developed.

Other than that Harry could almost forget that he was a Triwizard champion.

Almost.

But the event leading to Malfoys temporary expulsion as well as the new clue for the task and he reformed friendship with Ron, were still on his mind.

Also weighing heavy on him, even though it was such a small thing, was the little pin Daphne and her family had given him.

She had assured him that it was just symbolic but to Harry there was nothing bolder.

He had pledged himself, willingly though, to Daphne and her family. People would find out, people would question it, some people wouldn't like it.

Being so deep in thought he almost missed Hermione's angry exit and thus was taken completely by surprise by her angry outburst towards him.

He turned to look at Ron, whose face was bright red as well.

Hermione turned on the stairs one last time and with tears in her eyes she said: "Maybe next time have the guts to ask me out directly and not as a last resort."

Then she stormed off.

"Mental she is, I tell you." Ron said gruffly next to him.

"What in the world did you say to her?" Harry asked, completely clueless and uncertain.

"He was being a git like always." came Ginny's reply suddenly from somewhere to his left. But before he could ask her, she too was gone, Neville right behind her.

Harry turned back to face Ron.

"I might have…" Ron began, explaining the whole debacle with him and Hermione and him calling Victor Krum the enemy and all that.

Harry supressed a groan.

He caught Daphne's eye from where she was waiting by the table with the drinks for him.

She gave him and understanding nod and turned to talk with Fleur and Bill who were standing a few feet away.

Then he turned back to Ron.

It seemed there was no 'surviving one crisis at a time' for him.

Things just kept piling up on him as he went.

60. A day in the life of Ron Weasley

Chapter Sixty: A day in the life of Ron Weasley

When Ron got up on the last day of the holidays, Harry was already gone, his bed a mess as always, with books strewn across, clothes messily hanging from the chair at his desk and a lot of other stuff generally associated with people their age.

Seamus was in the bathroom when he stumbled in to relieve his bladder.

The Irish boy was so focused on styling his hair, he almost didn't notice him.

"Oh hey Ron, glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks holidays are for relaxing and not doing anything." He said with a grin.

"Why, where's Dean? And Neville for that matter?" Ron asked as he washed his hands.

The water was bitingly cold and he grimaced.

"Harry met up with Daphne and Hermione in the library to see if they got all their work done. Dean joined them. And Neville said something about working with some chick named Gabrielle in the Greenhouses or something like that, I don't know."

Ron nodded.

"Wanna go and get some breakfast?" Seamus asked as they got dressed back in their dorm.

"Of course." Ron said, brushing off some dust from his sleeves.

But the two Gryffindors didn't get very far.

Before they made it to the main staircases, a voice called out behind them: "Hey Ron, wait up bro."

Both turned to see Bill strolling towards them, hands burrowed in the pockets of his trousers, his hair up in a messy ponytail, his dragon-fang-earing as always swinging from his ear.

"Hey little brother." Bill said as he reached them.

"What do you want Bill? Harry's in the library if you're looking for him. And I don't know where your girlfriend could be." Ron muttered, crossing his arms.

He hadn't really meant for eth words to come out so sharp but a part of him still felt good when he saw the surprise and slight hurt flash through his brothers' eyes.

That right, Ron though bitterly, feel what I feel my oh so perfect brother.

"No, actually I was looking for you." Bill said. He glanced at Seamus.

The other boy must have understood that look as some sort of sign because he backed away slightly and said as casually as he could: "Hey, you two catch up, I'll find my way to the Great Hall just fine." And then he hastily left.

Ron wished he could join him.

Awkwardly the two brothers stared at each other and Ron felt once again painfully reminded of the gap between them.

"What are you even doing here? I mean, you're not a student anymore but it feels like I see you around here every second day." He noted, burrowing his hands in the pockets of his school-robes.

Bill shrugged. "With my girlfriend being a champion and my trainee as well I can pretty much come and go as I please."

"Then why are you not with them?" Ron asked, this time intending for his words to bite.

Bill frowned and Ron could see that he wanted to say something but he then decided against it and said: "I haven't seen you in a long time. I thought we might catch up."

Ron let out a hollow laugh.

"No offence Bill. But you and I, we don't do 'catching up'. We see each other, we hug, you ruffle through my hair, make some remark about how tall I am, I ask how your last adventure has been and that's pretty much it. The rest of the time we spend together when you come home is around the dining-table with the rest of the family. That's us."

It hurt to say those words out loud but Ron had enough.

His friendship with Harry may be on the mend but not the relationship with his brothers was not and he was sick of just dancing around the topic.

"I get it. You are ten years older than me. We're practically strangers. You were already grown up by the time I was a kid. I get that we literally have nothing common except our hair and our name. But that doesn't make it hurt any less that you can be the big brother I always wanted to someone else just like that. I feel no closer to you than I feel to Aunt Muriel. And that's fine, whatever. Just don't start to pretend all of a sudden that you care and want to 'catch up' with me. I may be the dumbest of us all, but even I'm not that stupid."

He turned around to leave, to follow Seamus, fighting against the tears, when behind him Bill said: "I'm sorry I disappointed you."

That took almost all the wind out of Ron's sails.

He turned.

"What did you say?" he asked astonished.

"I'm sorry for failing you. You're right. I was never the brother you needed and deserved. I should have never lost contact with you like that Ron. But believe me, I never intended to replace you or anything. It's just…I always thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me. You…you've been different your whole life. Not in a bad way" he added when he saw Ron's face darken "Just…you do things differently than the rest of us. And I guess…I didn't know what to do with you."

"Don't put this all on me. You didn't have that problem with Ginny." Ron shot back.

"She's a girl…." Bill began.

And something inside Ron snapped.

"Yeah, that's what it always comes back to, isn't it? That I wasn't a girl. That I was just another boy. That mum and dad any all of you would have just loved to have Ginny without me in between. Well guess what Bill, you don't get to choose your family. None of us is particularly happy with these arrangements but I'll guess you have to put up with for at least another four years until I am done with school, get a job and my own place and be out of your hair, all of yours."

He wanted to turn around and leave but somehow, he couldn't.

"Do you really feel like that?" Bill asked quietly.

It wasn't doubtful or accusingly or in that tone people try to use when they want to convince you otherwise. It was…it was sad, the way ill asked it.

Ron swallowed before pulling back his shoulders and answering: "Yes."

Bill nodded.

"I think I can understand it" he said slowly "And again, I'm sorry. I have failed in my role as your brother. I'm sorry Ron. I…is it too late to offer you…some kind of amendment? Because I do love you and you are no stranger to me Ron. You're my little brother. Let me be your big brother."

"Bit late don't you think? I'll be fifteen in two months." Ron muttered.

"If there's one thing I learned from living in a big family, it's that you can't give up on family. Cause if you do, what will you have left?"

"People that actually care."

"You can't actually think that we don't love and care for you." Bill whispered.

"I know that you love me. I just don't think you like me though."

And then Ron turned around and left.

.

That conversation had left him rattled, drained and in a bad mood already before breakfast.

Seamus must have sensed that something was off because he didn't mention Bill at all.

It being the last day of the holidays there wasn't much to do so they ended up joining their dormmates and the girls in the library.

Ron had to admit that while Harrys sudden interest in learning and school had annoyed him at first, he could see the benefits.

When they arrived Harry and Hermione where in the middle of a lengthy discussion about the magical properties of numbers.

Ron once felt again reminded of his own…lack of intelligence as he listened to them and couldn't understand half of what they said.

Greengrass was also something that still put him off.

Not so much that she was a Slytherin, you almost wouldn't notice that if you talked to her, but more who she was and what she represented.

Ron was a teenager, hormones raging wild. Girls were suddenly interesting. But they were not really interested in him.

And now that Hermione was giving him the cold shoulder after the whole Yule-Ball-Victor-Krum-incident, it just reminded him again, who little girls he actually knew or talked to.

But Harry had a whole circle of girls he knew and was friends with. Hermione, Daphne, Luna, Fleur and her little sister, even Lavender and Parvati where suddenly hanging around Harry more.

As the others busied themselves with various last-minute assignments, Ron leaned over to Harry and muttered: "You got a sec?"

"Sure." Harry whispered back before getting up.

"I think we need a few more books, Ron, can you help me? You are taller, you can reach some of those I can't."

Hermione scoffed. "You are a wizard Harry. Just summon them. If you can summon a broom from a mile away while hiding from a dragon, I think you can manage summoning a book form a shelve above your head."

"You're right Hermione, that was just a front for me dragging Ron behind the nearest shelve and snog him senseless." Harry deadpanned.

Daphne raised one of her delicate eyebrows. "Excuse me?" she asked amused.

"Sorry also just a front to for us to talk about our innermost feelings and insecurities." Harry said seriously.

"Yeah, whatever, bring me a copy of Alderman's 'A thousand fungi and ferns of the British water lands'." Neville said while rolling his eyes.

"Sure. Come on Ron."

Ron said nothing, just followed his dark-haired friend.

As soon as they were out of earshot and hidden from view by the towering bookshelves all round them Harry stopped and turned around, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Ron swallowed.

"Remember what you said, about telling my brothers how I feel? Back in the forest, before you almost got yourself killed?"

"Yeah…" Harry said slowly before his eyes widened. "What happened?" he asked.

Ron told him what had happened with Bill, word for word.

He half expected Harry to be angry with him, and defend Bill.

But he didn't.

He frowned and said: "I think you raised some fir points there Ron. I can't say I know what have been going through but I know you and you don't get upset about little things. I think you did the right thing. It may feel harsh at first but as Sirius says, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith before you can fly."

"When did he say that?" Ron asked confused.

"Right before he drove off a cliff with his flying motorcycle for the first time. But that's not the point. You did the right thing Ron. But I also think that maybe you'll have to be a bit more…forthcoming yourself. Bill can only do so much, if you don't let him nothing will change. I don't say you should just pretend like all that happened is water under a bridge but you gotta offer him something. Except if you really don't want to…" Harry said honestly, trailing off.

Ron sighed, leaning heavily against a shelf.

"That's it Harry. I don't really see the point right now. Bill and Charlie are just two far away figures I share blood with, pretty much like Percy, and he might as well be an alien for all the things he and I have in common, Fred and George have each other and Ginny…well…she's Ginny… And Bill… he'll be gone soon enough again and what then?" he asked.

"Honestly Ron…I don't know." Harry sighed. "I wish I could give you an answer but..."

"It's okay." Ron muttered.

"I can talk with Bill…If you want. I'm not sure what I would say but…"

"Naw, thanks mate. I gotta do this one on my own I think."

"But you know you're not alone, right?" Harry asked and it sounded almost a little bit fretful.

Ron managed to smile slightly at his best friend. "Sure I know that."

He looked back to where their friends were sitting and working.

"But first I gotta say sorry to Hermione."

"That's probably a good idea." Harry agreed.

.

Ron was almost looking forward to lunch.

Hermione had readily accepted his apology and he had felt a lot better afterwards.

Right no he was alone, waiting for Harry to come back from the loo, when Fred rounded the corner.

Unlike most family members Ron could tell the twins apart easily.

"Hey Ron, you got a second?" Fred asked.

Warily Ron looked around, looking for George, almost expecting the other twin to jump out of the shadows and dump a glass full of spiders down the back of his robe.

"Where's George?"

"Honestly, he and I are not attached. We can be apart." Fred said, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Apparently, seeing that you are still alive…" Ron retorted. "Anything I can do for you? If you need an alibi for some prank you pulled on Filch you've come to the wrong person."

"Naw, that's not it. Just wanted to see if you were alright."

Ron narrowed his eyes.
"Did you talk to Bill?" he asked annoyed. "Because if you have, I will tell you pretty much the same I told him. You never ask how I am. So sorry for being suspicious when you do. But I learned from living with you that you usually up to something and usually with me at the butt of another prank."

"Merlin Ron, their just jokes, no need to be so sensitive about it." Fred groaned.

"Yeah, transfiguring your baby brothers favourite toy into a spider with dad's wand, even though said brother is deathly afraid of spiders is a great and really funny joke. Or putting spiders in my bed. Or pushing me in the lake as a way to teach me how to swim. Hilarious Fred. Or hiding my cloths in the pig stall. That really was a good one. Or making me take the blame for that time you cut Ginny's hair in her sleep. We laughed about that one for weeks afterwards, didn't we?" With each example Ron took a step towards Fred and even though eh was two years younger he was glad his recent growth spurt had put him on eyelevel with the twins.

And to his satisfaction he noticed Fred taking a few steps back as he approached.

"You never complained. Not our fault if you can't speak up for yourself."

"I did speak up for myself." Ron shouted. "But you don't stop Fred. You and George, you don't know when it's time to stop. That has always been your biggest flaw. You just keep going, regardless what you so called pranks do, no matter the consequences. Because every time I told you to stop in the past, you just upped your game by one. So I shut up and stopped complaining, hoping you'd lose interest."

"Look no need to bite my head off for something that's in the past. I just came to ask how you are. I don't have to." Fred retorted angrily.

"In the past? Last week is in the past for you?" Ron hissed. "And if you don't have too, then why do it all of a sudden? Why pretend to care?"

"We care Ron. Man, you really have no idea how much we care with how far you have your head up your ass." Fred suddenly shouted back.

"Your first year, when you got knocked out by that big ass scary wizard-chess-thing? Percy, George and I spend the whole night at your bedside, scared for your life. George was hysteric, he wanted to get Mum and Dad to take you to St. Mungo's because you wouldn't wake up. We thought you would die. Then in your second year, it was bad enough that Ginny had been taken by the heir of Slytherin but when McGonagall did a headcount and we found out you and Harry were missing, Percy was ready to tear the castle apart to find you and George and I would have been right behind him. McGonagall sealed Gryffindor tower so we wouldn't sneak out! And then last year, when you three just disappeared with Sirius Black somewhere out there? The next thing we hear is that your all in the Hospital Wing, injured and unconscious. I freaked out."

Ron was furious. "That's great Fred. Nice to know, because I didn't before. What, am I supposed to read you minds and just know?"

An unknown heat rushed through his whole body.

"And you couldn't have said those things to my face, could you? Ron, we were worried, Ron, we're glad you are alright, Ron please be more careful! No, all I get is Ron, blown up something yet? Ron, what have you done now? That's all I ever get from you! So yeah I am pissed, I am not particular happy when you're around. Sue me."

"It's not easy for us either Ron! You are my, our, little brother but yet I can't seem to keep you safe!"

"Yeah, I get that it is all my fault."

"Damn it Ron, stop being an ass for a second and try to understand that we don't know what to do either."

"And that's supposed to make it all better?"

"No! Just…give us a second chance!"

"And then what?"

"Then let us all be brothers."

The heat in his body shot all at once into his arms and hands and he barely registered Fred's expression of horror as he growled: "I tried to be your brother Frederik. I tried so hard and all you did was use or ridicule me. I get that I am not perfect, I really do. But I also don't know how to try to please any of you. And I'm done trying."

There was a strange roaring in his ears and he barely could hear Fred's frantic plea.

"Ron, Ron stop, you gotta calm down."

And then suddenly there was Harrys voice.

"Fred…what is…oh my god. RON!"

Ron turned to find his friend standing a few feet away, looking at him with awe and fear.

"Ron…I…I don't know how to say this but…You're on fire." Harry said slowly and carefully.

Ron frowned.

"What?" he asked, his anger at Fred momentarily forgotten.

"Look down." Harry said, pointing at his hands.

Ron looked down.

There were his clenched hands.

And yes, they were on fire. Strange.

Then…

…holy fricking Merlin, he was on fire!

Ron let out a terrified yell.

"Argh! I'm on fire! Put it out, put it out!"

Someone, he couldn't tell who it was, Harry or Fred, shouted: "Aguamenti!"

A second later he found himself dosed in water but to his horror the flames burned on.

"Harry!" he shouted, panicking.

And then his friend was there, right before him.

Their eyes met.

"Ron, clam down. You're…I think your experiencing a burst of accidental magic. But don't worry, you can control it. It happened to me too. Just…just concentrate and make the fire disappear. You hear me? You can control it. Just will it to…go out!"

Ron concentrated as sure enough, the flames receded back into his skin until only smouldering but unblemished skin remained.

"You did it Ron!" Harry cheered.

A wave of fatigue overcame Ron and he felt himself sway.

But it wasn't Harry who caught him when he fell.

It was Fred.

"Hang on little brother, I got you this time." The twin said but his voice was far away. "I'm sorry." He added, his voice growing fainter and fainter.

Then everything went dark for Ron.

.

He awoke in the Hospital Wing.

The first thing he saw were Harry and Hermione, sitting next to each other on his left, Hemione's head propped on Harrys shoulder and his head on hers. Both looked exhausted and where talking in low voices to each other.

"Ron?" a worried voice asked to his right. "Are you awake?"

H turned right and saw Fred, George, Percy and Bill, all sitting on or next to his bed, all equally concerned.

"Oh, thank Merlin." Fred sighed and hugged him, something Ron hadn't expected.

"What happened?" Ron whispered. His throat felt dry.

"You don't remember?" Fred asked concerned.

"I remember us arguing. Sorry by the way." Ron mumbled groggily.

"Wasn't your fault." Fred whispered.

"Madam Pomfrey said since it's been so long since you last had an outburst of accidental magic, this one hit you even harder which, since your body isn't used to dealing with that anymore. It's why you fainted." Bill explained calmly but Ron could see that he was upset.

"Girls faint. I passed out." He mumbled.

"Sure you did little brother." George said with a smile.

"Hey Ron, good to see you awake. If it's alright Mione and I will leave you with the others okay? We just wanted to make sure you were alright." Harry cut in from the left.

Ron turned his head. "Yeah, sure, thanks Harry."

"No problem."

Hermione bent down to kiss his cheek. "Don't scare us like that again." She said, before the two of them left.

"She's right, you know Ronald. I swear the times McGonagall had to come and find me to tell me you were in the Hospital Wing are more than I would have." Percy said earnestly, his horn-rimmed glasses sliding slightly down his nose.

"I'm sorry I pushed you." Fred added. "You're here because of me."

"Naw, I should have controlled myself more." Ron muttered.

"I'm still sorry."

"Hm." Ron sighed, closing his eyes.

"Go to sleep Ron. You're exhausted. We'll be here when you'll wake up again." Bill said gently.

And with that in mind, Ron fell asleep.

.

When he woke up again Madam Pomfrey was standing above him and the curtains around his bed were drawn.

But his brothers were nowhere to be seen.

"Good afternoon Mr. Weasley. I must say, that was quite a stunt you pulled. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. Bit tired but otherwise…good to go." Ron answered honestly.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Sleep usually is the best medicine. Now, I had to get the Headmaster and your Head of House to remove your brothers because they adamantly refused to leave, even when classes rolled around for the twins. And when I tried to remind your other brothers of their jobs, Percy dismissed it that as Mr. Crouch's assistant he was expected to be at Hogwarts anyway but it didn't specify where. I threw him out first. And your oldest brother Bill said that he's on temporary leave and tried to argue that he's not a student either so he could stay just as well here. Professor Flitwick heard that and put him in his seventh-year NEWT level charms class, saying he could always learn something more."

Ron laughed slightly before abruptly stopping.
"So…they were here the whole time?"

"Oh yes" Madam Pomfrey said as she cast a diagnostic spell on him "Every time you would twitch they would call me, certain you were dying."

Warmth spread through Ron's chest but this time it wasn't the same feeling that had let to him spontaneously combust in the middle of a hallway.

It was a gently warmth that warmed all the way to his toes, centring in his chest.

"What time is it anyway?" he asked.
"Almost Dinner-time."

"Sounds right, I am starving."

The medi-witch chuckled. "Well, you are physically in good shape and the tiredness should leave in a day or two once your core has recovered. No unnecessary magic until the end of the week and no strenuous activities for just as long and you'll make a full recovery. If you want you may go to the Great Hall for dinner."

"Awesome, thanks Madam Pomfrey."

"There are fresh clothes in the cupboard next to you and the showers are in the room past my office."

"Thanks."

.

People were just filling in the Great Hall for the evening meal so Ron managed to slip in with the rest of them.

He spotted Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor-table. And for once they were alone, none of their other friends sitting anywhere close by.

Hastily he walked towards them.

"Hey guys." He said with a grin.

Both looked up sharply.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed happily, jumping to her feet and threw her arms around him.

"Are you alright?" she asked once she let go of him.

"Yeah, Pomfrey pretty much gave me the alright sign." He said.

Harry put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it.

There was silent concern in his eyes.

"Honestly guys, just a little bit of accidental magic." Ron said, trying to make it sound dismissively as if it was no big deal.

But sure enough Hermione whacked him on the arm. "Yes, it is a big deal. You are supposed to learn to control your magic so something like this won't happen. Accidental magic can be dangerous! For you and those around you!"

"Relax Hermione, it happens to" Harry interrupted her gently "Strong emotions like fear or stress can activate accidental magic even in fully grown wizards and witches. Sure, you are right, it can be problematic but don't worry."

Hermione didn't look happy but she nodded and they sat down.

They filled him in about their first day and what had happened. It wasn't much, mostly the teachers had collected their homework and had then proceeded to review everything from the last two to three classes before the holidays.

But for the first time in a long time it was just the three of them sitting together at dinner, eating and talking and laughing and just being…themselves.

Ron could almost forget that just a couple of weeks ago they hadn't even been on speaking terms.

Until….

"What are YOU doing out of BED?"

Ron turned to find a furious looking Fred behind him.

"It's dinner. I'm hungry. So I'm here to eat." He replied.

"You could have eaten in the Hospital Wing."

"Pomfrey discharged me."

"Without telling us?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Fred, I'm fine, I…"

"What are you doing here?"

George appeared behind his other half, staring at Ron.

"I'm eating. And I'm allowed to be here." Ron repeated himself.

"Why didn't Pomfrey tell us?" George asked, folding his arms before his chest, looking quite murderous.

"I don't know." Ron said with another sigh.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fred asked.

"Ahm…maybe because I got here like ten minutes ago…?"

"So?" Fred added, also folding his arms.

Feeling his patience thinning Ron stood up and said in a low voice so only the twins would understand him: "I appreciate what you did. I do. But don't think that one act of caring is just going to change everything. I said I was fine, Pomfrey cleared me, it's good to see you, now, can I continue my dinner?"

The twins retaliated slightly.

George nodded, grabbing Fred by the elbow, gently pulling him backwards.

"Alright Ron, we'll see you later. Come on Freddie."

Fred nodded and turned on the heel without another word.

George lingered for a few seconds.

"Don't be mad at Fred Ron, please" he said quietly "You passed out on him. He carried you all the way to the Hospital Wing. He was really freaked out."

Ron nodded. "Sure. Thanks George."

His brother nodded and followed his twin.

Ron sat back down.

"You okay?" Harry asked.

"Just peachy." Ron grumbled.

.

Ron found himself tagging along with Harry and Neville to the library the next day after lunch.

Neville wanted to look up something and Harry had to return a book. He promised that afterwards they'd go and fly a bit around the arena.

Pomfrey had said nothing strenuous but Ron felt fine and he was itching to be up in the air again.

"So Neville, how does Gabrielle like your personal growing-patch in the Greenhouse?" Harry asked.

"Oh she loved it. Well, right until the Flying Bamboo knocked her on the head."

"Flying bamboo?" Ron asked confused.

"Yeah, it's this super weird plant, that has flying properties. They are currently looking for ways to make a broom out of it."

"That's kinda cool…for a plant." Ron admitted.

Next to him Harry snickered.

"Well, there's so much more plants can do. Some can fly, others let you breath under water, some give you immunity to heat, some can, at least temporarily, increase your height…" Neville ramble don but all of a sudden Harry interrupted him.

"Hold up. Go back again Nev." He said.

"What?" the other boy asked confused.

"What did you just say…?" Harry asked.

"There's…a plant that…can increase your height?" Neville asked uncertainly, looking at Ron for help.

"Harry, mate, while a few extra inches would probably do you good, I don't think…" Ron began but Harry shook his head.

"No, not that! The thing about breathing underwater."

"Oh…that. Yeah, it's called Gillyweed. It's an indigenous plant here in Scotland. It's green and leafy but also soft of slimy."

"And it lets you breath underwater? That's awesome."

"Yeah, you sure could have used some two weeks ago." Ron muttered.

"Oh shut up." Harry muttered.

Ron noticed that he was massaging his wrist.

"You okay? What's wrong with your hand?"

Harry looked up. "Oh, nothing, just a sudden cramp in my hand. It's gone now. Hey, how about we head to eth Quidditch pitch now? I can return these tomorrow. If that's okay with you Nev."

Neville shrugged. "Go ahead. I can return them for you if you want Harry."

"Naw, it's fine, thanks for the offer though."

As they parted ways at the next intersection Ron asked: "What was that all about?"

"Tell you later. Come on."

.

Flying hat been great until the Gryffindor Quidditch team appeared from the changing rooms. Apparently, they had decided to meet up for a training session despite Quidditch being cancelled this year.

"Shoot, I'd forgotten about that." Harry muttered next to him.

"Shoot, Fred and George are there." Ron muttered back.

Sure enough, there were the twins following their new captain Angelina onto the Quidditch pitch.

"They haven't seen us yet…" Ron said.

"Angelina will have my head if I don't come to practice."

"The twins will have mine. Pomfrey said no strenuous activities. To them that means nothing but lying in bed all day long."

"Let's hide. I can pretend I'm late and you get back to the castle." Harry suggested.

"Good plan." Ron agreed.

The two of them shot off to hide behind the tribune.

While Ron headed back to the castle, Harry flew around the pitch towards the changing rooms.

.

While Harry was having Quidditch practice Ron played chess in the Gryffindor common room with some of his friends and skipped through the latest Quidditch Weekly.

Just before an hour before dinner the team walked back in.

Fred and George, upon seeing him on the couch, reading, relaxed visibly and headed towards their dorm.

Harry fell down on the couch next to him.

"Did they say anything?" Ron asked.

"No. But Angelina made my fly three laps around the arena for every minute I was late."

Ron snorted. "Sucks to be you. Anything else?"

"Naw. They were fine. We didn't talk much, Angelina was keeping us busy. I think Wood left her with clear instructions."

"Hey, now that Wood is gone you're going to need a keeper, right?" Ron asked, interested.

"Yeah, I guess. But since there's no official Quidditch Angelina won't have try-outs until next year."

"You think maybe I could try out?" Ron wondered.

"Sure mate. Actually, that would be kinda awesome!" Harry said enthusiastically.

"I know, right?" Ron agreed.

Harry leaned forward and started untying his shoes.

As he did the hem of his sleeve moved upwards, revealing angry red skin all around Harrys wrist and in some places the skin was actually broken and bleeding a tiny bit and there was a strange bracelet that Ron didn't know.

"Mate, what happened? What did Angelina do to you?" he asked, slightly concerned. "If she's like that, I'll reconsider joining the team."

Harry looked down at his wrist.

"Actually…" he began "There's something I think I need to tell you…"

And Ron forgot all about Quidditch and his brothers as Harry explained to what exactly those bracelets were.

"So you're telling me, that you have gotten electric shocks on a regular basis and I haven't noticed? Wait, does that mean, when you were massaging your hand back at the library with Neville that you had just gotten one of those shocks? You did, didn't you? By asking for the plants name, you were asking for help, right?" he growled.

"Well, I wasn't asking directly so it was just a small shock." Harry said trying to be dismissively.

"Those stupid bloody wankers!" Ron cursed. "You know what Harry, I don't think I've said this to you yet, but I'm sorry for being jealous with for being picked for this stupid game. Right now, I'm glad I didn't and couldn't enter. I'm sorry they're doing this to you."

"It's oaky Ron. Thanks though. You understand you can't tell anyone about this, right?"

"Yeah sure." Ron said in a 'well-duh'-tone.

Harry gave him half a smile.

"I'm gonna go hit the showers before dinner."

"Yeah, sure, you do that."

Ron watched Harry disappear up the spiral staircase to the dorms and shook his head.

Everything was just crazy lately.

61. The second task

Chapter Sixty-One: The second task

The month without Malfoy had been pure bliss, Harry had to admit it.

After his victory against the dragon and seeing how well he and Cedric and all the other Champions were getting along, most of Hogwarts had relented their disdain against him more or less.

And without Malfoy there was practically nobody around to really antagonize him and it was quite relaxing being able to cross the courtyard without someone shouting insults or sitting through and entire Potions class without having someone there to sabotage his work.

Seemed like Malfoy really was the initiator of those pranks.

Without him his goons Crabbe and Goyle lacked the basic intelligence for pretty much anything, let alone to come up with something clever.

Also, his other followers like Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott barely paid him any attention.

A welcome change indeed.

He knew it wouldn't last.
Malfoy would be back before the second task in February and he would probably try to get back at him somehow.

Bet make use to the time he still had.

Once again, he was in the library but alone this time, skimming through one of his notebooks.

With the help of a certain map he had found the Prefects bathroom a few days ago, which held a really large swimming-pool-like-tub and he had gone for a swim with the egg, writing down the poem afterwards.

He was pretty sure that the second task would have something to do with the Black Lake or at least some form of water.

'Come seek us where our voices sound/We cannot sing above the ground.' That line was pretty much clear now to him.

'An hour long you'll have to look/ And to recover what we took'.

And he had an hour to find something and retrieve it or otherwise it would be lost.

Simple enough.

More or less.

As to how he would hopefully be able to breathe underwater?

Gillyweed.

After Neville had mentioned the plant to him he'd done a bit of research on the whole topic of breathing underwater.

Theoretically it should be possible with Gillyweed and there were a few charms like eth bubble-head-charm you could use to breath underwater.

Still, just the thought of being under water that long brought back memories of the last time he had been under water longer than he had liked.

His hand ghosted over his ankle where he could still feel Lunas desperate grip.

He shook himself, trying refocus.

Maybe it would be wise to have a back-up option with him.

Gillyweed and bubble-head-charm it was then.

"Whose idea was it anyway to hold a competition that involves swimming in Scotland in February?" he wondered out loud and added heating charms to his list of things he would have to look up and practice.

.

.

.

Malfoy returned three days before the second task to the school.

But nothing happened.

He wasn't there at breakfast but by lunch his familiar white hair was suddenly back among the sea of Slytherins.

Nobody said anything, nobody made and remarks and Harry decided not to look a gifted horse in the mouth and returned to his studies.

.

.

The night before the second task found Harry and his fellow champions in the library.

It was really late.

Only a couple of people, mostly fifth and seventh years, were still around.

Outside it was dark and it was raining.

Fleur, Cedric, Victor, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Daphne all sat together, mostly silent.

Daphne was half asleep on Harrys shoulder and nobody really felt like talking.

Well, except for Hermione who started rambling whenever he was nervous.

She was sitting next to Victor, who was holding her hand.

"So…" she began "Are you all ready? For tomorrow I mean? I know Victor is but…I mean, I don't mean to say that I don't think that any of you are not prepared but…"

"We're prepared Hermione." Cedric said gently with a smile.

Fleur and Harry nodded.

Hermione seemed relieved. "Great."

There was silence again.

"I can't wait for this to be over." Fleur grumbled.

"Not what you expected?" Victor asked.

"I expected difficulties, sure. But I also thought that this would be a valuable life-experience. I thought I would grow as a person and a witch. I thought I would learn new things and prove something to myself and my friends and families. But all this has been is a hell-trip where we are just entertainment and the more we get mauled and hurt, the better." The part-veela replied frostily.

"I must agree with her." Victor admitted.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I hear you." He muttered.

Cedric shrugged. "I can't say I'm happy with all their decisions but…I'm still happy because it has bound us closer together, showing solidarity for each other. We are friends. Young witches and wizards form across Europe, fighting together. I think there are worse things."

Harry smiled. Leave it to the Hufflepuff to be the voice of wisdom and friendship when all they could to was complain.

He freaking loved Hufflepuffs.

"I don't want to interrupt" came suddenly a familiar voice from behind them "But the Headmaster would like to see Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley in his office right now."

Moody stood there, as always leaning onto his staff, one eye fixed on them, the other swirling around.

A shiver went down Harrys spine as always when the teacher was around.

It was strange, he knew Moody. They had met several times last summer. Back then everything had been fine.

But now every time they were in the same room Harry always felt slightly nauseous and uncomfortable.

And even though Moody knew about the bracelets he had tried several times over the last weeks to slip Harry clues.

Harry tried to ignore them, pride and discomfort keeping him accepting the help.

"Why? What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"The headmaster will tell you Mr. Weasley. I'd suggest you don't keep him waiting. Now go, get going. And you" he turned to look at the rest of them "You all have a big day ahead of you. Better get some sleep."

"Yes Professor." The muttered.

Moody nodded, grunted and then marched away.

"He's a strange one." Victor muttered, still watching the retreating figure of Mad Eye.

"He's an acquired taste my dad says." Cedric offered.

"Well, Ron and I will go see the headmaster. Though I can't imagine why." Hermione said, getting up, gently letting go of Victors hand.

Ron followed her.

"See ya tomorrow." he said, waving into the round.

The rest of them remained where they were until Madam Pince threw them out.

Harry said goodnight to the other champions before escorting Daphne towards the entrance to the dungeons.

"I don't know if we get a chance to see each other tomorrow before the task so…" Daphne said and then leaned forward, giving him a short sweet kiss on the lips "This is for good luck."

Harry smiled. "Thank you. Now nothing can go wrong."

.

.

.

Harry was awoken the next day by something wet and spongy and bad smelling going through his face.

He heard snickering and when he opened his eyes he found his sight blocked by black fur.

"Nice dog Harry. Didn't know you owed one. Morning professor Lupin." He heard Seamus snicker.

"I'm not your Professor anymore Mr. Finnegan. Mr. Lupin will do." Came the patient but slightly exasperate voice of Remus from the door.

"Padfoot you ball of fleas, get off me." Harry growled as eh understood what, or rather who, was licking his face.

The giant black dog that was in fact his, fully grown, godfather, jumped off the bed, yapped at him and then continued wagging his tail.

Harry sat up and glared first at the dog and then at Remus.

"What possessed you to take him with you in here?" he asked.

"He missed you and got really excited. You know how he gets when he's excited."

You mean he can't control his transformation sometimes, Harry thought sarcastically as he threw back the bedcovers and got up.

"What time is it anyway?" he asked, supressing a yawn.

"Eight. Time for breakfast and then it's time to get ready for the second task I'm afraid." Remus explained.

"Great." Harry muttered unenthusiastically.

.

Harry didn't notice Ron's and Hermione's absence until it was time to get going.

He tried to keep an eye out for them but with Remus and Sirius there with him he was rather distracted.

At the edge of the lake right next to the dock stood a tent into which Bagman waved him. He obviously wanted to protest Remus and Sirius following but one look from Sirius (who was human by now) and he decided to let them pass.

Inside was only Fleur.

She was pale and already dressed in a bathing-suit underneath a bathrobe.

As Harry changed she struck up a little bit of small-talk with his uncle and godfather and by the time he emerged Victor and Cedric had arrived and changed as well.

Nervously Harry palmed the handful of Gillyweed in his pocket, making sure it was there and the pocket was sealed. His wand was in his holster, securely strapped to his arm.

Harry had expected Bagman to come and get them but it was Crouch who let them outside.

He looked terrible. All sickly and pale and wide-eyed and didn't quite seem to understand where he was and what he was doing.

He told them to wait here and then he disappeared.

Now they stood at the edge of the lake, not really sure what to do.

On the Black Lake itself three giant tribunes had been erected, facing towards them and the Durmstrang ship lay anchored next to them.

Students and teachers and Ministry officials and reporters crowded stood cheering on the wooden platforms and the deck of the ship, waving flags and cheering their champions on.

Although they were rather far away the noise they were making was incredible.

But then a loud whistling noise went through the crowd and they all went silent.

"Good morning dear students and guest, welcome to the second task of this Triwizard Tournament. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions, something valuable, something dear to them and close to their heart and it was hidden in the Black Lake. Our champions now have one hour to retrieve it. Good luck champions." Echoed Bagman's voice across to them.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

The Durmstrang cannons fired actual cannonballs with lots of sparks and smoke first into the lake.

"I hope they'll stop doing that once we're inside." Cedric stated dryly from where the four of them stood, lined up at the shore.

The all hummed in agreement.

"Champions, please get ready, you have two minutes to prepare. As soon as the start-signals go you may enter the water." Bagman's voice echoed towards them.

Harry turned to look at Sirius and Remus.

"You survived a dragon, you can survive a little swim in the Black Lake." Sirius said confidently.

Harry nodded.

"Do you want me to hold on to that while you are down there?" Remus asked, gesturing at him.

Harry frowned and looked down.

He was still wearing his necklace.

It had become such a constant thing to him that he barely even noticed it anymore.

His fingers ghosted over eth carved lion, the tiny rocks and crystals and feathers and, his own recent addition to Chao's parting gift, the little cube with the four faces he had gotten as part of his payment from Gringotts.

He still hadn't figured out what it was and honestly, he had mostly forgotten about it and simply added it to the chain because it looked nice.

He had lifted the necklace halfway off his head when a sudden jerking sensation in his gut made him stop.

"You know what…this is my lucky charm. I'm gonna keep it." He muttered distractedly, fingering the cube with his right hand.

"Alright then." Remus said with a smile and watched as Harry stuffed the chain back under his shirt.

"One minute!" came Bagman's voice again.

Sirius stepped forwards and hugged him.

"Good luck kiddo. And don't worry, you'll be fine."

Harry nodded, hugged Remus and then re-joined the others at the shoreline.

He summoned his wand, swiftly applying another set of heating charms. He had tried the water-repelling charm as well but it only worked on cloths, not skin so he opted to leave it away completely.

"Champions, on your marks!"

Harry took a careful step into the water and almost jumped right out of his skin.

Even with heating charms the water was still icy cold!

"Get ready…"

Harry looked left and right at the other three and they nodded at each other, wishing each of them silently good luck.

"GO!"

The shout was accompanied with more cannonballs and fireworks and even louder cheering.

Harry waded into the water, ignoring its icy bite on his skin, waved his wand in one fluent movement and drove straight underwater.

.

.

.

.

.

Being inside the Black Lake was like being on a different planet.

It was gloomy and so silent. All Harry could hear was his own breathing inside the bubble-head-charm.

He soon lost sight of his friends as he drove into the kelp-forest.

Just like he remembered from his last dip in the lake it was a confusing maze and Harry tried to swim a straight path.

There were of course fish in the lake, not to forget all sorts of magical beats and the giant Squid.

To his relieve the kelp-forest soon thinned but only to reveal a steep trench in the lakes ground that seemed to stretch along the entire length of the lake.

He wanted to turn around when he thought he heard a familiar humming.

He turned again, facing the trench once more and listened.

And sure enough, it was faint and far away but it was the same melody he had heard from the egg. He couldn't make out the words but he knew that this had to be the right way.

Of course, dive straight deep down into an abyss under water.

What could possible go wrong?

.

The farther Harry went down, the darker it got.

The trench was not very wide, maybe fifty feet? Less? It didn't matter.

It was all jagged rock and kelp and algae and fish.

As he got to the ground the song grew clearer.

It was obvious that he had to follow through the gorge to get where he needed to go.

He made a hesitant stroke forwards but stopped when his foot hit against something smooth and cold that wasn't rock.

He looked down.

Vaguely he could make out one of the cannonballs from the Durmstrang ship! It must have landed here.

Something…something was wrong.

He couldn't say what it was but he looked around.

The water…it was as if it was vibrating!

Like something was coming towards him, fast.

Something big…

Chanting softly: "Lumos." Harry raised his wand.

Instantly wished he hadn't.

The tiny light carried through the water and lit up his surroundings just fine.

And Harry found himself staring right into the yellow eyes of the Giant Squid.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

As per usual with these kind of creatures, it was only something Hagrid could have loved.

It was bigger and longer than your typical London Bus and of a dark red colour.

Its tentacles made up two thirds of its entire length and each was thicker than Harry with two rows of cupping vessels the size of Harrys face!

Its skin was rough and uneven and covered with algae, barnacles and a few scars.

Its eyes were wide and mad with fear.

It surprised Harry really.

The Squid was not known to be aggressive or violent. Fred and George liked to tickle it when it swam into the shallower part of the lake for a sunbath. It had saved Colin Creevy's brother Dennis when he had fallen off the boat on his very first trip across the lake and had taken him to safety.

But now…now it was swelling up to twice its size, its tentacles menacingly hoovering around it.

Harry backed off slowly.

A small part of his brain wondered why it had taken him so long to see this giant creature.

But mostly he was wondering how the hell to get out of here alive.

He was hesitant to use magic since the Squid was already in a crazy wild unpredictable mood. Anything could set him off.

And then Harry noticed something.

He'd thought the Squid was losing ink.

But the cloud of darkness rising from underneath one of its tentacles was no ink.

It was blood.

And suddenly Harry understood what had happened.

One of the cannonballs must have hit the poor creature when the Durmstrang ship had fired them into the lake!

The poor animal, not being used to be attacked was panicking.

And in its mind, everything was the enemy.

So, when Harry backed up, still thinking at a thousand miles an hour, it lashed out.

Two tentacles shot forward, wrapping themselves around Harrys chest, pinning his arms to his sides and around his legs, effectively making it that Harry couldn't move a muscle.

Harry gasped for air in his tiny bubble but the squid was squeezing it all out of him.

The pressure was immense and Harry could barely think straight.

He tried to move, wriggle, kick, anything!

The Squid raised him up until they were eye to eye.

Its pupils were tiny and its yellow eyes glowed.

Harry tried to speak, maybe sooth the Squid with words. But he couldn't breathe, let alone speak.

This can't be happening, he thought hysterically, I can't die like this.

He half-expected the Squid to swallow him whole, when admits the pain of being squished to death, a familiar burning sensation on his wrist flared up.

The bracelet.

But that would mean…

He tilted his head and…yep, there she was.

Like and avenging angel Fleur came shooting through the water.

She must have used some kind of spell to propel herself forwards because she wasn't really swimming herself.

Harry saw her wand move and from the walls of the trench huge rocks came tumbling down in slow motion almost and crashed into the Squid.

It jerked backwards and its grip on Harry loosened, enough for Harry to draw in a huge breath and wriggle his wand arm free.

Another second later his wand was in his hand and with a silent apology towards the Squid he shocked it right into the tentacle three times.

Good news: It let go of him.

Bad news: It did so by throwing him away.

Water may offer a greater resistance than air but Harry still felt like a torpedo as he was catapulted through the water.

He collided with the rocky walls of the trench, feeling the sharp edges cut through his skin.

Stunned he tried to see how Fleur was doing.

Not so good as she was now in the monster's grasp.

Ignoring the pain everywhere in his body and the burning bracelet on his skin, Harry pushed himself off the wall, gliding towards the Squid but he came to a halt when…

Shark?

No, not a real shark.

Sharks didn't have legs and wore red speedos.

Victor?

It seemed impossible but there was no way that that half-hum-half-shark hybrid was not Victor Krum.

With his mighty shark-jaw Victor bit the squid in the face.

It made no sound but Harry was sure it would have howled.

Or maybe it did howl and Harry just couldn't hear it over the sound of his own wildly beating heart.

As the squid tried to push Victor off with three of its tentacles, Harry saw Cedric freeing Fleur from its grip.

He caught the Hufflepuffs eye and Cedric pointed upwards and somewhere behind Harry.

Get the hell out of here.

Good idea.

Seeing that Fleur was already back to speeding through the water, Cedric right behind her, Harry turned to check up on Victor.

And…oh boy…

It was not good.

Victor had let go of the squid but what was worse was that he was unconscious.

How did Harry know?

Well, he was transforming back into a complete human!

They had come to his rescue, he would not leave now.

Every second that passed Victor was losing his ability to breath underwater and once he had no gills anymore it was only a matter of minutes.

Harry wasn't a strong swimmer but he was decent enough to make it close to the squid in no time.

One spell was all it took to get its attention.

He could never outswim it, not with an unconscious Bulgarian Quidditch payer weighing him down.

This was its territory after all and it knew it!

So maybe scare it off…

Problem, how do you scare something that is bigger than a double-decker-bus with tentacles twice as long as its body?

The thought came to him out of the blue as the monster moved towards him.

Fire.

Scare it with fire.

Great idea genius, get a fire started underwater, the sassy part of his brain retorted.

And another part said: 'I don't care what you do as long as you do it soon!'

With a trembling hand Harry shot ore stunners and even leg-locking-curse at two of its tentacles. They snapped shut together and went stiff like a piece of wood but that still left it with six more arms.

Fire! I need fire. But from where?

In his preoccupied state of mind, he hadn't noticed his necklace getting lose and drifting upwards from underneath his shirt.

It hovered before him, dimly light from the light that came from the tip of his wand.

The little cube with the faces was right there in front of him.

It twirled gently in the waters currents.

The face facing Harry was the one with the wide and crazy eyes and open mouth with the long tongue hanging out of it.

And as he stared at it, mesmerized, the carved lines that made up the face flashed orangey-red.

He lifted his hand, clasping the cube and felt the heat it radiated.

And one thought sprung to mind.

Burn.

And burn it did.

Harry didn't know how but from his clenched fist a stream of bright orange-red fire erupted, shooting in one big beam towards the Squid and hitting it square in the chest.

It was propelled backwards, blood rising from a smouldering wound in its chest.

How can it smoulder underwater, Harry thought hysterically as the fire kept coming from his fist.

He didn't know how it was possible but it seemed to work.

The Squid ejected a mighty cloud of black ink, taking Harrys eyesight completely.

The cube in his hand grew unbearably hot and he let go of it.

The second he did the fire beam stopped and all that was left in the inky blackness were the glowing line of the face on the cube.

His hand hurt and he was pretty sure it was burned.

But he had a different problem right now.

Where in Merlin's name was Viktor?

Certain that the Squid would be gone for now drove downwards.

His eyes stung from the squid's ink and more than once did he swim into rocks.

Knowing that his time-window was closing rapidly.

He took his wand and whispered: "Point me Viktor Krum!"

The wand spun in his hand until it settled and pointed to his left.

Harry followed it, going where the wand pointed him.

Slowly the ink began to dissolve and Harry could see a few feet in each direction.

Viktor's foot was the first thing he saw, followed by his leg, then the other leg and its foot and then the rest of his body.

The quidditch player was completely human and still not moving.

With two quick strokes Harry was by his side and lifted the older boys head up and chanted: "Engorgio."

The bubble of air around his head expanded until it covered Victors' head as well.

Harry reached inside the bubble with his hands and began slapping his face.

"Come on Victor, don't do this. Don't make me kiss you!" he muttered fiercely.

Still no reaction.

"Come on!" Harry shouted desperately and smacked the young Quidditch player with all him mind across the cheek.

That seemed to do the trick.

As soon as he did it, the Bulgarian spluttered, spilling out water and taking in deep breaths, coughing and gaging, gulping down the air in big breaths.

"Harry?" he croaked, blinking as he looked around, taking in the shared bubble, their faces only a foot apart.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, breathlessly.

Only then did Victor seem to understand that Harry was still holding him upwards.

He began to swim on his own but it was still sluggish and uncoordinated.

"I'll live." Krum said, rubbing his head.

"Good, 'cause we need to get out of here." Harry said quickly.

"Can you transform? Or do you want to use a bubblehead-charm?" he asked.

"Bubble-head. I'm done with seafood for one day."

Victor summoned his own wand and erected his own bubble.

He then opened his mouth to say something but it got stuck and instead a look of panic settle dover his face.

Harry knew what it meant before he felt it.

Something familiar wrapped itself around one of his legs and started pulling.

But Victor was faster, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the opposite direction.

He would never have succeeded against the Giant Squid, had it not been for Cedric and Fleur who choose that moment to reappear.

Cedric grabbed Victor, who was still holding Harry, while Fleur still had a good grip on him and with a flick of her wand the tentacle holding Harry was sliced through and with another flick of her and they were being propelled through the water and away, far away from the Squid.

.

.

When Fleur finally stopped, Harry was sure they must have crossed through the whole lake by now.

Everything hurt. He felt like he couldn't breathe right, his left hand was burned from that fire-summoning thing and he was covered in cuts.

He felt Victor drag him upwards and seconds later his head broke through the thin membrane of a giant shared air-bubble.

Looking at the other three he saw that they were all feeling pretty much as bad as he did.

"Is everyone alright?" Fleur asked through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me guys!" Harry coughed.

"Back to you." Cedric said. "Sorry it took us so long." He then added.

"I'm just glad you made it in time." Victor growled.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, breathing deeply, calming their wildly beating hearts.

Feeling the adrenalin drop down, Harry thought he'd pass out here and now.

But he forced his eyes to stay open.

"What now?" he asked through chattering teeth. His warming charms must have worn off. "How much time did we lose?"

Fleurs face darkened. "Half the time is over." She muttered.

"So we have thirty minutes left to find our missing things before it gets bad?" Harry asked, treading the water weakly.

"They're not things." Cedric interrupted him silently.

"Not? Then what are they?" Harry asked.

"Didn't you notice what was missing this morning?" Cedric asked astonished.

Harry shook his head.

"They took our friends." Cedric explained.

"What?" Harry asked dumbly.

"For each of us they took one person that mattered to us. They took Cho for me."

"And Hermione for me." Victor growled.

"I didn't see Gabi this morning. Does that mean…." Fleur asked fearfully.

Cedric nodded. "Most likely. She means the world to you, doesn't she?"

Fleurs expression went from fearful to angry.

"Those bastards!" she screeched, kicking harshly under water.

"Last night when mad Eye told Ron and Mione that the headmaster wanted to see them…that must have been when they took them!" Harry realized.

"That means Ron's your item to retrieve." Cedric said.

Harry nodded mutely.

"So, what now? Where are we anyway? How do we go form here?" Victor asked.

"Well, we can use the pointe me spell, now that we know what we are looking for I guess. As to where we are…" Harry looked to Fleur.

"We're actually not that far away. I just wet in a big circle. We're round about where we started." She said. She raised her left hand to push a few lose strands of hair out of her face. Harrys gaze fell onto her bracelet.

"Fleur, look, the bracelet!" he called out.

They all looked towards the young woman's wrist.

"What is it Harry?" she asked, lowering her hand to inspect it herself.

The silver bracelet had turned a strange reddish-brown colour as if it had rusted.

"What in the name of…" Fleur began.

"Guys look!" Cedric suddenly exclaimed, holding up his own wrist.

His bracelet too had changed.

Harry and Victor checked theirs too and they too where dark and rusted-looking.

"Cedric just told us something about the task and we didn't get shocked." Fleur mumbled.

"Did…did they break?" Cedric asked, still inspecting the thing. "Did we break them?" he added uncertainly.

"I don't know. They were definitely working earlier when Fleur came to my first rescue." Harry said, clearly remembering the pain.

"My best guess is that with all of us working together, and helping each other…that was somehow too much for the things…guess we really did break them." Victor said with a shrug.

They were silent, all in awe before Harry had to grin and exclaimed. "Cool!"

That got a laugh out of everyone.

"Harry, what happened to your hand?" Fleur asked concerned, edging closer to him.

"Crazy story I will tell you once we're out of here." Harry said, putting down his burnt hand.

"Right now, I think we should get going." Cedric suggested.

One by one they separate from their shared air-bubble until each of them had made their own.

Harry flicked his wand and said: "Point me Ronald Weasley."

Immediately the wand spun a few times in his hand before it settled, pointing straight ahead.

He turned to the others, expecting them all to start swimming the same way but each was facing in a different direction.

He frowned, looking at Fleur for advice.

She shrugged. So did Cedric.

Okay, so they are not keeping our friends in the same place. Sure, that would have been too easy, Harry thought.

With one last nod, they parted ways once more.

.

.

With the pressure of finding his best friend and getting him out of danger Harry swam as fast as he could, following his wands directions.

It let him through another kelp-forest and when he broke free the most amazing sight greeted Harry.

Right there below him on the lakes floor stood what looked like the ancient ruins of a sunken village.

But the place wasn't abandoned.

Mermaids.

Everywhere.

He had read about them of course and he knew a colony lived in the Black Lake but they usually kept to themselves and he had never seen them before!

One noticed him and screeched.

Hesitantly Harry began to descend back to the lake ground, well aware of the stares he was getting and also very aware of their tridents and fishing nets and spears.

But they let him pass, forming a path through the town which he followed until he reached a tall stone-gateway.

And inside said gateway hoovered Ron's lifeless body, tied to a stone.

With one last wary glance at the merpeople, Harry used his wand to cut Ron's bonds and grabbed his arm securely.

Then he began his ascend.

It was hard.

Harry was physically and mentally exhausted.

Most of his heating charms had died down and he was freezing cold.

Adding that to his injured battered body Harry was amazed that he was still going. And Ron was heavy! A dead weight weighing him down.

By the time he could make out the lake surface maybe thirty meters above him he was burning his last reserves.

A commotion to his left caught his attention.

From the thick kelp forest shot the familiar figure of Fleur, Gabrielle securely in her arms.

For a second Harry was relieved but then he noticed Fleurs distressed expression.

And then he saw why she was in such a hurry.

Behind her a swarm of Grindylows burst form eth kelp, right on her heels.

The ugly green monsters were shrieking with the joy of the hunt.

There were at least three dozen of those little suckers!

And as he made that deduction the first grabbed Fleurs ankle.

Harry had a second to decide.

The surface was directly above them, thirty meters or so.

With as much power as he could manage he gave Ron's body his strongest push upwards and watched it ascend rapidly towards the light.

Hopefully he would make it to the surface alone. But Harry couldn't drag him along and he could leave him here, so this was the safest bet.

With Ron hopefully safely out of the way he turned and swan towards Fleur.

He sent a volley of stunners into the swarm of pesky beast that now started to surround Fleur.

Unfortunately, those stunners stunned Fleur as well and Harry had to hastily dive down to prevent her from sinking back into the kelp-forest.

Luckily the Grindylows were cowards and had disappeared just as soon as they had recovered from the stunner.

Struggling to hold on to Fleur and Gabi, Harry kicked the water with all his might.

They weren't sinking but neither were they getting any closer to the surface.

Up, up, please, up, he though feverishly, up, above, skywards…ascendio!

He wasn't holding his wand but it still reacted to the incantation and Harry felt as if someone was pushing from underneath against his feet, sending him upwards, faster and faster while holding his two friends as tightly as he could.

And then they broke through the water.

Harry was blinded by the bright daylight and his ears were ringing.

He was drifting aimlessly, not sure where to go.

He heard someone splutter next to him and a timid voice asked: "Harry?"

"Gabrielle, thank Merlin, are you alright? Can you swim?" he asked the obviously frightened little girl in French.

"Oiu." Came the weak response.

Still holding up Fleurs unresponsive body Harry added: "Gabi, can you see land or somewhere else where we can go to?"

"There are people coming towards us right now." The eight-year-old said through chattering teeth.

"That's good, that's great, keep swimming until they get here!"

"What's wrong with Fleur?" she whimpered and Harry felt her close to him.

He still could only see vaguely.

"She's fine, you'll see!"

"HARRY!" he the heard Sirius voice.

"I'm fine!" he called out but it turned into a rather long cough because he swallowed a mouthful of water while speaking.

And then suddenly Fleurs weight was gone and next thing he knew two strong hands were grabbing his arms, lifting him clean out of the water and into a boat.

A blanket was thrown over him and he felt the boat set into motion.

Someone was hugging him tightly.

He was shivering so violently he thought their boat would capsize any second.

Then he felt the boat hit ground and he was lifted up.

Slowly the blinding light gave way to the sight of Sirius carrying him, Bill with Fleur in his arms right next to him.

"Sirius?" he whispered.

Suddenly they weren't outside in the cold anymore but somewhere inside and he was placed onto a soft bed.

Somewhere someone gasped.

"Oh Harry!"

"Daphne?" he asked, turning his head, trying to find her.

But then his sight was blocked by Madam Pomfrey.

"Dear Merlin, what tried to strangle you?"

"the giant Squid?" Harry offered weakly.

The medi-witch shook her head. "Really Potter! Basilisks, Dementors, Dragons, what next?"

Harry shrugged and then winced at the pain that coursed through his body.

"And is that a burn? How did you manage to burn your hand underwater Potter?" the motherly witch asked slightly flabbergasted.

"Wouldn't believe me if I told you." Harry muttered. Then he added: "Is everyone back?"

"Mr. Weasley resurfaced a few minutes before you. He's well, warming up in the tent next to us. His family is with him. Ms. Delacour also woke up and is being treated in the room next to us. Her sister is fine as well. Mr. Krum and Mr. Diggory have yet to return."

It didn't lessen Harrys worries one bit.

"They antagonized the Squid." He muttered. "They hit it with one of the…the cannonballs. It…it attacked us…"

"It what?" came Sirius's sharp question form next to him.

Harry turned his head upwards to look at his godfather.

"It's fine. Wasn't its fault."

"Potter, I need you to drink this." Pomfrey interrupted him.

She held something to his lips.

The smell was familiar, sickly sweet. A sleeping potion.

"No! Not until Ced and Victor get back!" Harry protested, turning his head away.

"Harry, they'll be fine! Please, you are in pain and need healing!" Sirius begged him, sinking down so they were on eyelevel.

"NO!" Harry said vehemently. "I need to know they made it out alright! Who knows what happened to them after we split up!"

By now his eyesight had returned to normal but now his head was pounding.

"Harry please!" Sirius begged.

"Sirius please, I…" Harry began but just then the tent flaps opened and he saw two figures stumbling in.

"It's Mr. Krum with Ms. Granger. Now, will you please drink Potter or do I have to force it down your throat?" Pomfrey asked him.

Harry really wanted to sleep but…

"Cedric, Cho, they…"

"Harry, nothing will happen to them!" Sirius whispered fiercely.

"But people die!" Harry protested, his brain fuddled with pain and exhaustion and confusion.

"Don't worry, they will step in in case of an emergency! Dumbledore made sure of that. He's had the merpeople looking out for each of you!" Sirius explained.

"Great help they were with eth squid." Harry muttered.

"Harry please, just take the potion." By now Sirius sounded almost helpless.

"Promise me they'll be fine!" Harry whispered.

"I promise."

Harry hesitated.

"Alright."

The sickly sweet potion on his tongue was the last thing he remembered.

62. The day after

Chapter Sixty-Two: The day after

Harry knew before he opened his eyes that he was back in the Hospital-Wing.

For one, it was because he knew that it was the only logical place for him to be after everything that had happened in the Black Lake and on the other hand he recognized the too hard mattress and the thin sheets.

He opened his eyes, staring into the dimly lit hall.

Or at least at what he could see with the curtains drawn around his bed.

Everything was blurry without his glasses and automatically his right hand stretched out, gently patting on the nightstand next to him until his fingers found the familiar frame of his glasses.

He put them on, his world instantly coming into focus.

The oil-lamp next to his bed was burning on the lowest setting, only emitting a tiny gentle glow.

He was alone.

On a chair to his left lay a neatly folded pile of clean clothes as well as his toothbrush.

He was wearing the standard linen pyjamas of the Hospital Wing.

His necklace with the Horntails Spike and the cube with the faces lay on the nightstand together with a bottle of water and a glass and his wand inside his wand holster.

It was silent in the room.

But now that he was awake Harry knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he had checked on his fellow competitors.

The stone floor was cold but Harry ignored it, sneaking silently through the curtains and into the main area of the hall.

There were only three other beds in the hall that had their curtains drawn and a small light burning behind them. The other beds were empty and the occupied ones were as far apart as possible.

Knowing that Madam Pomfrey would have his hide if she found him out of bed without her permission, Harry hastily rushed across the hall towards the first bed.

Gently pulling the curtain apart and slipping inside, Harry found Victor in the bed, asleep and still like rock.

His head was bandaged and the bruises were still vivid. Since he was covered by the blanket Harry couldn't tell if there were any other injuries.

Assured that his friend was alright Harry headed towards the second cubicle and found Cedric, also deeply asleep in his bed.

He had no visible injuries but he was rather pale and even in sleep he had dark circles under his eyes.

Fleur was in the last bed. She was lying on her side. She too was pale and looked exhausted. Harry could see that her arms were covered in welts, most likely caused by the cupping vessels on the squids and grindylow's tentacles.

Since the four of them were the only ones in the entire Hospital Wing Harry assumed that all their hostages were fine and in their dorms.

He slid back into his own bed, already drained from sneaking around.

.

He was awoken by Madam Pomfrey in the morning.

Daylight flooded through the glass-stained windows with dust-particles dancing through the sunlight.

"Good morning Mr. Potter. How do you feel?" the medi-witch asked him as he sat up.

"Fine. But stiff but otherwise fine. Thank you for healing me. Again."

"Well, that seems to be my job. Get dressed, then you can come out and have some breakfast with the other champions."

Harry nodded and slipped out of bed to get dressed.

When he flung back the curtains around his bed he saw that in the middle of the hall someone, presumable the house-elves, had put up a table with four chairs and loaded it with all kind of food.

Fleur was the only one already sitting there, sipping from a cup of tea. She was only dressed in a long thin bathrobe and her hair was pulled back into a simple braid. She still looked tired but she smiled when she saw him approach the table and got up.

"'arry!" She exclaimed relieved and hugged him gently. "You look 'orrible!" As always when she was distressed her French accent came through more strongly.

Harry looked down at his arms to see what she was talking about.

Just like her his arms were covered in the purple bruises from the squid's tight hold. It was both gruesome and fascinating at the same time to see the imprints it had left on his skin.

"I'm fine." He assured her.

She shook her head. "You are incredible." She muttered. "But thank you for saving my life and Gabi's life as well."

"I would never let anything happen to you!" he assured her.

"Still, you put yourself in harm's way to help me!"

"We all did it to help each other." He reminded her gently.

"He's right." They both turned to see Victor approaching them, his head still bandaged.

"And we did quite good, if you ask me." He added.

"What, landing all of us in the Hospital Wing is 'doing good'?" came Cedrics voice from behind them.

The Hufflepuff was still pale and he had a bandaged hand Harry hadn't noticed earlier.

"It's an occupational hazard." Victor said with a wink.

Fleur rolled with her eyes and suggested: "Let's eat, shall we. I for one am starving."

Harrys stomach gave an enthusiastic grumbled.

"I guess that's a yes for Potter." Cedric grinned.

As they ate they told each other what had happened after they had split up.

When Fleur mentioned Harrys refusal for treatment until he knew Cedric was save, the older Hogwarts student grinned and said: "Aw Potter, your concern for my survival is touching."

"Don't worry, it's gone now." Harry said dryly, taking another slice of bread from the basket.

Merlin, he was starving!

"So anyway, does anyone know who won?" Victor asked.

"I'd say Harry." Cedric said, taking a sip from his tea.

"But Fleur was with me. Maybe we're both tied for first place." Harry pointed out.

"No offence to Fleur" Cedric said, smiling at the only woman among them "But she was unconscious. You rescued her and her hostage. And your hostage arrived before everyone else. And by the rules of the tournament that probably means you won."

"But she had Gabi! She was almost there." Harry argued.

"Harry, it doesn't matter." Fleur said soothingly. "I don't care if I have won or not. I am just glad to be alive and for Gabi to be alive."

"Yeah. And speaking about Gabi, and the other hostages…what the hell? Whose idea was it to people at the bottom of a lake?" Cedric growled.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but I guess, as Bagman would say: 'Its more dramatic that way'." Fleur muttered.

"What if we hadn't made it within the hour? What would have happened to them? They could have died." Harry added angrily.

"Harry, none of us made it within an hour. We were all late. As much as I think this was a stupid idea, I can't believe anyone, let alone Dumbledore would allow for outsiders to get hurt. They were, relatively, safe the whole time. The merepeople were there to protect them." Cedric said calmly.

"Whatever." Harr huffed.

Cedric grinned and shook his head.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, eating and drinking and resting.

But their quiet little heaven was destroyed by the sound of the double-winged hospital doors banging open.

They all flinched at the sudden noise.

"GOOD MORNING CHAMPIONS!" bellowed the ever so excited voice of Ludo Bagman.

They all groaned and turned towards the door.

Bagman was in the lead, almost skipping with happiness it seemed. Behind him, in a more mannered way came the three headmasters, Percy Weasley, Professor Sprout, Mad Eye Moody and Professor McGonagall.

Harry assumed Percy was once again filling in for Barty Crouch Sr.

None of them felt like getting up to greet the grown-ups.

But before anything else could be said or done Madam Pomfrey stormed into the hall from her office.

"Have you gone completely mad" she ranted, shaking her fist at Bagman "This is a place for healing, rest and quietness! How dare you make such a racket in my Hospital Wing, Ludo Bagman!"

Bagman visibly recoiled before he caught himself again and said with a wide smile: "Oh dearest Poppy Pomfrey, I didn't mean it. I was just so excited."

Pomfrey gave him an evil look before she turned to the rest of the gathered crowd and said, one finger raised threateningly: "You get fifteen minutes with my patients. They still have to rest."

"Of course my dear." Dumbledore agreed, folding his hand solemnly.

"Good. And don't exhaust them or anything. Or I'll spike all your drinks at the next feast."

Bagman visibly paled, as did Madam Maxime and Karkaroff.

Obviously, they hadn't known about the Matrons protectiveness of her patients, nor her impressive temper.

The healer nodded one last time before she bustled off, humming a happy tune.

Harry shook his head.

With the medi-witch gone, Bagman turned back to the four of them.

In a more collected voice he said: "Well, Champions, it is great to see you all up and running again."

He was met with silent death-glares.

Obviously uncomfortable he quickly continued.

"After the thrill of the second task and all your adventures underwater, you are probably eager to tell us everything and you are most certainly wondering whose braveness and strength won them the first place! Worry not, we will tell you soon enough but first we would like first-hand descriptions of what transpired inside the Black Lake."

Harry couldn't help but think the Ludo Bagman looked like an overexcited kid that wanted to hear a good story.

He shared a glance with his friend.

"Of course, only if you feel up to it." Sprout added quickly, her motherly face concerned as she eyed Cedric critically.

The head badger of Hufflepuff was known for her fierce protectiveness as well.

Cedric smiled at her and nodded his thanks.

"Sure, sure, sure…" Bagman said, waving his hand. "So, what happened?" he then added. "I sense adventure and bravery and courage! Judging by all those injuries!"

Even Karkaroff looked slightly angered by that insensitive comment.

Harry tried really hard not to roll his eyes but something in his face must have shown his disdain because Bagman focused in on him.

"Harry, as our youngest, why don't you start?"

"Sure Mr. Bagman" Harry said sweetly "Where do you want me to start? At the moment right before the task when I had to say goodbye to my godfather for the second time in just four months because there was a very real chance that I could die? Or do you want me to tell you about that time when the giant Squid attacked my because someone" he glared at Karkaroff "Thought it would be a great idea to shoot cannonballs into the lake, thus spooking and injuring the poor animal so much, it thought I was a threat and almost killed me. Or do you want me to tell you about the vast kelp-forest I had the swim through, no idea where I was and where I was going, no idea what could attack me at any given moment? Or should I tell you about the panic I felt the whole time, fearing for the lives of my friends and family or when I felt my air supply run low? Or better, how about I tell you how the woman, who is like a sister to me" he pointed at Fleur "and her real sister almost died in front of my eyes? Is that the story you want to hear, Mr. Bagman?"

There was silence.

Harry was quite pleased to see that the Hogwarts teachers all looked angry and Professor Sprout even looked ready to murder Karkaroff.

Then Victor, arms folded across his muscular chest said: "What he said."

Harry supressed a smile.

Bagman obviously tried to find a way to steer this conversation back into a more positive direction.

"Now come Harry…surely it wasn't all that bad. A little adventure…isn't that what every boy your age dreams of? The chance to be a hero?"

"Heroes die young and tragically. So no." Harry said in a flat tone.

"Come on, you knew what you were getting into!" Bagman tried once more.

Harry glared at him.

"No, I really didn't."

Realizing that Harry wouldn't give him any more information Bagman turned to Cedric.

"What about you, Mr. Diggory? What happened to you down there?"

"Naw, I don't feel like it."

"Please now Champions, do stop acting like children. We have to give the press a statement." Percy Weasley piped up. "The reporters wanted to be here first hand but we kept them out for your sake. You can please be a bit more cooperative!"

"How about this for a statement" Fleur said, standing up "We're fine, no thanks to you. The hostages are fine, again no thanks to you and finally…No comment."

Dumbledore stepped forward, putting a hand on Bagmans shoulder.

"My dear Ludo, I don't think now it the best time to talk to our champions. They are after all tired and still injured. Maybe at a later point of time we can sit down again together and try again. I don't think we are really welcome right now."

Bagan gave in and nodded.

"I'll see you later!" he promised them, waving and then disappeared. Percy followed him.

"Now Champions, we are glad you are alright. Enjoy your rest." Dumbledore said gently.

They all nodded and the professors and headmasters took their leave.

The second the doors fell shut, Harry turned to look at the others.

"You think it was the right thing to do?" he asked.

Fleur nodded. "They need to understand that we are not just here for their amusement. They need to understand that this is serious and that people die in this kind of competition and that we will not have it."

"Good thing there is only one task left." Cedric muttered darkly.

Harrys gaze fell to his wrist.

"By the way, what do we do about these?" he asked, pointing at the, now ineffective, piece of jewellery.

"They're gonna notice sooner or later." He pointed out.

"Maybe we can charm them to look normal." Cedric suggested, eyeing his own bracelet thoughtfully.

"I don't think so. They were designed to withstand all kinds of spells. Maybe we just need to hide them. Whatever the case, I will not risk them finding out so they can give me another shock collar like I'm some disobedient dog. When it shocked me in the lake I thought I would pass out or my hand would die." Fleur muttered angrily.

"Me too." Victor said darkly.

Harry flexed his wrist. The bracelet slipped up and down his arm but never over the hand.

Yes, they would have to wait and see about that.

.

.

A short while later found Harry sitting in his bed in the Hospital Wing, the curtains partially drawn around his bed for a little more privacy.

The others were in their beds too but Harry didn't know what they were doing.

They were all waiting from Madam Pomfrey to return with their families. She had promised that they could visit them for an hour before dinner and another hour after dinner.

All of them were more or less healed by now and only superficial marks reminded them of what had happened in the lake.

Knowing that Sirius and Remus would want to know about everything, Harry let the happenings from the last day pass through his mind once more.

He turned his head and stared at the necklace that was still lying on the bedside table, gems, throne, cube and all…

He picked it up and eyed the cube once more.

To his surprised one side of the cube, the face with the wide crazy eyes and the open mouth with the tongue hanging out of it, was black as night all of a sudden…as if it had been…burned…

He took the cube off the necklace and weighed it in his hands. He would have to consult with Argentum about this soon.

But he hastily put the cube back on the necklace when the doors opened and the heavy hum of many voices filled the Hospital Wing.

To his surprise Mr. and Mrs. Delacour hurried past his bed on their way to Fleur, Gabrielle already running past them.

So they had informed the parents for real this time.

Amos Diggory hurried past him as well, worry etched into his face.

He didn't get a chance to see if Krum's parents were there as well because right then the curtains of his bed were ripped apart, revealing his ever so dramatic godfather and his ever so exasperated uncle.

Sirius opened his mouth but Harry was faster.

"I'm fine, no, nothing hurts, it looks worse than it is, no I am not hungry or thirsty and yes, you may sit down."

Sirius stared at him for a second before he grumbled: "Smartass."

He swiftly sat down next to Harry on the bed and hugged him. Harry hugged him back, glad for the body-contact that was so familiar and so comforting.

Sirius gently took Harrys face between his hands and inspected it, tilting his head to all sides before sighing.

"You're a mess kiddo."

Harry had looked in the mirror earlier. His face and torso were still covered in purple welts and suction marks. There were your normal cuts and bruises but all in all Harry had been hurt worse before.

Remus leaned forward. The werewolf had sat down on the one chair next to his bed and was smiling at both of them.

"We're glad that you're okay kiddo." He agreed, shaking his head slightly.

"Why, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

As an answer Remus produce a copy of this morning's Prophet and handed it to Harry.

The upper half of the front page was covered in four different pictures.

The first was Fleur in the arms of Bill being rushed into a tent. She looked lifeless and dead to Harry. The second picture was of him as Sirius carried his limp form away from the water, intently talking to him.

The third was Victor, stumbling out of the water with Hermione in his arms before collapsing to his knees. The last one was Cedric, floating face down in the water before another official jumped into the water, turning him around and lifting him up.

Underneath it said in bold letters: "Tragedy at the shores of the Black Lake – The second tasks claims its first victim, Cedric Diggory presumed dead!" by Rita Skeeter.

"What kind of bull-dung is this?" Harry asked angrily.

"Well, after the second task you were all rushed here and nobody was allowed in or out and until this morning nobody knew if you all had made it. The whole school is in a frenzy, classes were cancelled because everyone was so upset. At lunch Dumbledore announced that you were all in good health and that everything would be fine. The press was there too. Skeeter looked kind of disappointed." Remus explained, taking the article from Harry.

Harry shook his head.

"Someone has to do something about that woman." He stated before leaning back into his pillows.

"On another note, how's Ron?" he asked.

"Oh, he's fine. Was a bit confused when we fished him out of the water but fine."

Harry nodded, relieved. "And Hermione? And Daphne? How are they?"

"Everyone's fine Harry. Worried for you and the others of course but fine."

Suddenly from the curtain came the sound of someone clearing their throat gently.

They all looked up and saw the Delacours standing there.

"Excuse our intrusion but we were wondering how Harry was doing." Madam Delacour asked, her tone concerned.

Sirius stood up, extending his hand to Monsieur Delacour.

"Sirius Black, Harrys godfather. We didn't have the pleasure of meeting yet but I wanted to thank you for taking Harry in last summer."

Monsieur Delacour nodded. "The pleasure is mine. And it was a delight to have Harry around. We're all very fond of him."

They chatted for a while and Harry felt himself drift off and the voices became more distant.

He didn't remember falling asleep at all.

.

They had an early dinner together in the Hospital Wing again before Madam Pomfrey allowed their relatives back in.

To Harrys surprise Sirius was followed by Ron, Hermione and Daphne.

He grinned widely when he saw his friends and sat up straight.

Hermione almost knocked him right out of the bed with her hug.

Harry looked up at Ron.

"You okay mate?" the red-head asked.

"I should ask you, you were the one that was kidnapped."

"Naw, I agreed to it." Ron said with a shrug.

"Wait, you chose to be hostages?" Harry asked confused.

"Of course, you dummy. They didn't really kidnap us!" Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "That would be illegal."

"You are mad." Harry exclaimed, reaching for Daphne's hand as she sat down next to him on the bed.

"No, we just wanted to help." Hermione corrected him.

"By putting yourself in harm's way? You could have died down there!"

"Oh honestly Harry, they would never let that happened!" Hermione interrupted him.

"I mean, they would let you die, obviously, because it would give the whole event just the right kick if one of the champions kicked the bucket…" Ron offered with a smirk.

"I hate you!" Harry said with a pout.

Daphne laughed and wrapped her arms around his head and shoulders.

"Whatever, I'm just glad you are alright." She said gently, kissing his forehead.

"Alright guys, you saw that he's fine, now head off to dinner, will you?" Sirius said, clapping his hands together.

"Sirius please, just five more minutes." Harry protested.

"You'll be released tomorrow Harry and then you can spend as much time together as you want. In the meantime, these three need dinner and you need rest!"

Hermione, Ron and Daphne said their farewells but before she left, Harry handed Daphne a letter he had written earlier.

"Can you get this to Argentum for me please?" he asked lowly.

She took it and slipped it into her coat pocket.

"Sure, no problem Harry."

Then she too left.

Harry leaned back, arms folded and said with a slight grin: "You almost sounded like a parent just now."

Sirius groaned. "I know, right? It's totally embarrassing."

Harry laughed. "No, I think it suits you."

63. Bartey Crouch Sr

Chapter Sixty-Three: Barty Crouch Sr.

Harry sat at the Gryffindor house-table, drinking a cup of water and trying very hard to ignore all the stares and whispers.

It was breakfast time the next day and they were about to announce the results of the second task.

Not that Harry cared much.

A hush fell over the crowd and he assume that Dumbledore or someone had stepped up to announce the results.

Someone elbowed him in the side.

Hermione.

She was gesturing for him to get up and to the front where the others were waiting.

With heavy feet he joined his three friends, facing the teachers up on the podium, trying look as indifferent as he could.

Bagman stood at the lectern, Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Maxime right next to him.

Crouch apparently could still not be bothered to show up because Percy Weasley was edging around the edges of the podium, obviously wanting to stand up there with the Headmasters but not quite mustering the courage to do so.

"Dear students, honoured guests, valid Champions the moment you have been looking for since the first head broke the surface is here." Bagman said joyfully, rubbing his hands together.

The student body cheered, chanting their champions names happily. Harry was surprised to hear his own resonate among them loudly.

Fleur reached for his hand and he squeezed it back.

Bagman shushed the excited crowd and announced: "The Winner of the Second Task for his heroism, courage and selflessness is…HARRY POTTER!"

The Great Hall exploded.

There were yells of outrage and a lot of booing but most of the students clapped and stomped their feet and cheered his name loudly.

Fleur was hugging him, lifting him clean of his feet and both Victor and Cedric clapped his shoulder and ruffled his hair, cheering alongside the others.

It took Bagman a moment to calm everybody down enough.

"With that Mr. Potter also has left Mr. Krum behind and in the all-around competition he has taken the lead by eleven points."

More cheering.

Somewhere someone was taking a million pictures at once, judging by the lighting storm that was blinding him.

Harry found himself dragged into the middle of their little group.

Finally silence fell across the Hall.

"In second place with a partial transfiguration is Victor Krum."

No glory words for the man who had saved Harrys life.

But it wasn't necessary.

The cheers that rose from the students for Krum were just as loud.

"In third place, for the demonstration for a Bubblehead-charm, Cedric Diggory!"

Again, no praise for the people coming in last. Cedric had saved Fleur as well as them. Okay, granted, they hadn't told anyone that, but still… Cedric deserved so much more!

"And coming in last because she didn't finish the task on her own and needed assistance retrieving her hostage, Fleur Delacour."

Harry cheered the loudest and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"Well, that concludes this, now enjoy your breakfast and off to classes after that." Dumbledore said calmly.

.

Harry didn't go to his first period Charms-lesson.

He almost died the day before yesterday so he felt entitled to one hour off. An hour with nobody keeping an eye on him and breathing down his neck. An hour just for him.

He strolled down past the Greenhouses towards Hagrid's hut.

Maybe not completely alone.

The gamekeeper was sitting outside, weaving a basket by hand.

"Hey Hagrid." Harry greeted his first ever friend and sat down next to the half giant on a tree-stump.

"Oh, 'ello there 'arry, didn' see ya there." The friendly giant said, putting the basket down.

"Not that Ah don' want yer 'ere 'arry but don' yer have school?" he added with a glance up at the castle.

Harry shrugged. "I planned on going to Transfiguration and Ancient Runes later but right now I'm going stir-crazy inside the school. Anything I can do to help you?" Harry explained with a shrug.

Hagrid looked like he wanted to say something but then seemed to change his mind.

"Grab yerself that basket." He said, pointing at a small picnic-basket. "Ah need ter get me-self some Waterspoon." He said, getting up.

"Waterspoon?" Harry asked confused.

"It's a plant. Fang's got indigestion and that usually does the trick."

Harry pulled a face but followed Hagrid anyway.

They walked along the edges of the Forbidden Forest towards the lake.

At some point Hagrid bent down and picked a weed from the ground. It was grey and had a straight stem and a strange bloated flower on top that seemed to pulsate like a tiny heart.

"'ere, looks something like that." Hagrid said, putting the weed in his own basket.

"They grow all around 'ere so…just keep yer eyes open, ay 'arry?"

Harry gave him a salute. "Sir yes Sir!" he said with a smile and started looking around for the strange plant.

He had found a few already when something caught his eyes.

A shoe.

How odd.

How could someone lose their shoe in the middle of the forest and not notice?

But when Harry saw the leg attached to the shoe he immediately knew that something was off.

Just like he knew that his supposedly day off had just been ruined.

Carefully he rounded the tree and froze.

Barty Crouch Sr. lay there, completely limp, eyes wide and full of terror, even in death.

Slowly he put his basket down and backed away.

"Hagrid!" he called out loudly in the direction he had come from.

"Hagrid!"

"Yes 'arry?" came his friends distant voice.

"I need you to come over here!" Harry called back.

Hagrid's heavy steps approached his location and seconds later Harry saw Hagrid coming towards him.

"What is it 'arry?" he asked as he got closer.

Wordlessly Harry pointed at the dead Barty Crouch.

Hagrid followed his finger and paled.

"Oh…oh blimey… oh, that's not good…"

Harry couldn't agree more.

.

Harry was sitting on the steps to Hagrid's hut when he saw the swarm of people coming his way from the castle.

He had opted for waiting outside in the cold February air rather than chare the hut with a gassy dog.

He had summoned a blue-bell fireball inside a jar and was holding it between his hands to keep warm. The warmth had drawn one of Hagrid's chickens in and before he knew it, it had nestled itself into his lap, making content little noises and Harry didn't have the heart to push it off.

He studied the crowd as they got closer, mindlessly stroking the chicken's plumage.

Hagrid was in the lead with Dumbledore and they were talking.

Moody was there but so were Shacklebolt, Tonks and three Aurors Harry didn't know.

McGonagall was walking behind them, her face tight and unhappy. Next to her walked Madam Pomfrey and another woman in healer robes Harry didn't know. They would be of little use to Crouch though.

The next three were ministry officials judging by their suits and pins on their collars.

Fourteen people had come for one dead guy.

As they got closer, Hagrid pointed at him and said something to Dumbledore.

The headmaster nodded.

McGonagall, Shacklebolt, Tonks and one of the ministry officials came his way while Hagrid let the others towards where they had found Crouch.

"Hiya Harry." Said Tonks, grinning and flopping down next to him.

"Hey Tonks." He answered, smiling at his sort-of-cousin.

"Harry, good to see you, even if the circumstances are less than happy. Are you alright with answering a couple of questions for us?" Shacklebolt asked.

Harry nodded.

"Should I call Sirius?" Tonks asked.

"The time it will get him to come here will just be a waist of everybody else's time."

"Alright. Well, you know everyone, except for this" Shacklebolt said, gesturing at the ministry man "This is Earnest Longstead. He's a high-ranking official in the DMLE and is representing Madam Bones who sadly is otherwise engaged."

Harry nodded at the newcomer.

"Harry, Hagrid said you found the body, is that right?" Shacklebolt asked in his deep calm voice.

Harry nodded.

"Why were you out here? Didn't you have classes?" he continued asking.

With a sideway glance at McGonagall, Harry replied: "I decided to skip the morning class. I've been stuck in the Hospital Wing until yesterday and needed some fresh air and some peace and quiet. And whenever I do, I come here. Hagrid's one of my oldest friends and I help him out from time to time. Like today. He asked me to help him look for some plant and in doing so I found Mr. Crouch. I told Hagrid, he told you, here we are."

He leaned back against the door of the hut and kept petting the chicken.

"Did you see anyone around?" Tonks asked. "Or anything else that might seem suspicious or out of place?"

"Aside from the dead guy? No. Nothing. But I didn't really stick around to look so I might have missed something."

"When was the last time you saw Mr. Crouch?" Mr. Longstead spoke up.

His voice was very deep but sharp as a knives edge and there was an undertone to his voice that spoke of some form of dislike towards Harry.

"Before the second task. He was there by the tent, then he left for the stands. That's the last time I saw him. These last days I only saw his assistant jumping in for him. You should ask him."

"We know how to do our job Mr. Potter." Longstead said coolly.

Okay so he clearly was not a fan…

"Mr. Potter where were you in the last twenty-four hours?" Longstead continued.

Harry couldn't believe that the guy was actually suspecting him of murdering Crouch.

"Either unconscious or eating or with my family and mostly trapped in the Hospital Wing. And yes, there are a lot of people who can proof that." Harry growled back.

Tonks put a hand on his shoulder.

"Anything else? Have you noticed him behaving weirdly or differently as of late?" she asked.

"Tonks, I don't know that man! I have never exchanged more than ten words with him and only seen him during the tasks. If he's been acting differently I couldn't possibly tell." He said honestly.

Kingsley nodded understandingly.

"That's fine Harry. I think we're done here. Why don't you go back to the castle?"

"And to class." McGonagall muttered. "Also, your mentor is coming to visit you before lunch." she added.

Harry nodded. "Yes, thank you Professor."

He stood up and Tonks followed suit.

"If it's all the same to you Kingsley I would like to escort Mr. Potter back to the castle. Just in case." The young auror said in her most professional voice.

Kingsley smirked.
"Go ahead Tonks. But come back right after, I'll need you."

Tonks saluted to him before she linked arms with Harry and dragged him away.

"So cuz" she began as they marched up the muddy path to the greenhouses "I don't know what's more amazing. Your ability to always be at the wrong place at the wrong time or your luck of the devil for getting out of all those situations."

Harry snorted and said dryly: "Both, I guess. It's a gift and a curse."

Tonks laughed and Harry enjoyed listening to it.

Sirius had introduced him to his friendlier part of the family during the summer holidays. He had met Tonks before but back then he hadn't known about their family ties. He liked her, especially since she was only seven years older than him and good friends with Charlie Weasley, so they had common ground to build their friendship on and she was an auror! They bonded over everything from Quidditch to Mrs. Weasleys food to hexes and curses.

"But you are alright, right?" She asked, giving him a critical look.

"Honestly? I could have done without the dead man at my school but whatever…seems like these things tend to happen to me."

She ruffled through his hair which Harry found annoying.

"Poor baby Harry." She teased him.

In return Harry shoved her slightly.

With her less than perfect coordination Tonks stumbled straight into a deep puddle.

Harry grinned.

They reached the castles main door and Harry stopped.

"Right, thanks for walking me, you should probably return to Kingsley."

But Tonks just grinned at him.

"Oh no, not yet. I promised I would bring you back."

"Yes, to the castle, which you did. Outstanding job Auror Tonks."

"But McGonagall said you should go back to class…"

Harrys eyes widened.

"Oh no!" he protested.

"Oh yes." Tonks replied, grabbing his arm and dragged him along.

And so it was that a very disgruntled Harry that was shoved into his Charms class by a very smug Tonks.

Heads turned when the door opened and the two entered.

Professor Flitwick sat up straight on the mountain of books he required to look over the class.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Tonks…what…is going on here?" he inquired.

"Oh, nothing Professor, I was just making sure dear Harry got back all right from the grounds and didn't get lost."

There were a few snickers around the room.

Harry shot Tonks one of his deluxe 'I'll-kill-you-later'-stares.

"Well…how very nice of you." Flitwick replied, clearly not sure what to make of the situation.

Tonks gave Harry a little push.

"On you go then." She said sweetly and nodded at some of the empty places. "Have fun, learn lots!" she added as he went to sit down.

"Sure. And you watch your feet, don't fall down the stairs again!" he replied over his shoulder.

"I'll see you in a few weeks cuz!" was her only reply before she left.

Hermione and Ron, who sat right next to Harry, looked at him questioningly.

"Don't ask." Harry groaned, flopping down in his chair.

Five minutes later the bell rang, announcing the end of the class.

Harry groaned.

This would be a long day.

.

.

.

Harry watched as Argentum turned the cube in his fingers, inspecting each face carefully, a monocle screwed into one eye.

The goblin mumbled under his breath but it was in Gobbledegook, so he didn't understand a word.

"So…what is it?" he asked after a few more moments.

Hs mentor glanced upwards before directing his attention back at the cube.

"It's the Gift of Four. An amulet so to speak that grants its wearer the ability to summon each element to his aid. They are extremely powerful artefacts, created by high priests. They were made with old magic, raw, straight from the elements themselves."

He handed it back to Harry.

"Wow. That's so cool." He muttered as he added it back to the necklace.

"The catch is that you can only tap into the elements power once. You cannot cage natures forces permanently." Argentum added.

"Is that why this one face blackened?" Harry asked, pointing at the aforementioned face.

Argentum nodded.

"Yes. You used the ability to summon fire in the Black Lake and now it's used up, so to speak. That leaves you with earth, water and air. If I were you Harry, I'd be careful in the future. This is an incredible artefact for which many would pay a lot of money."

Harry nodded.

"But how do I use it? In the lake it was…instinctively…I guess. I mean I didn't even know what it was…"

Argentum shrugged. "Your own magic is very a sentient thing Harry. You have a very harmonic connecting to it. It has warned you of danger before and your bursts of accidental magic are less harmful and more of a protective nature. It must have picked up on the cubes magic and urged you to use it when you were in danger. It's not unheard of. Just rare."

Harry nodded.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"My pleasure."

Argentum leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and folded his arms.

"I heard about Crouch by the way." he added offhandedly.

Harry scowled.

"Yeah, who hasn't? I guess by now the prophet will know as well. And by tomorrow everyone will speculate if it was me who killed him or not."

Argentum scoffed.

"Naw, believe me, there are a lot more people who would have better reasons for wanting Crouch dead than you."

"What do you mean? Did he have many enemies?" Harry asked confused and curiously. Crouch had been such a boring character after all.

"Well, he did sentence the Lestranges to a life in Azkaban until their death. As well as many more. Though after that debacle with his son his career took a nose-dive."

"What debacle with his son?" Harry asked interested.

"The boy was a Deatheater as well. Bartemius Crouch Jr. Yeah, they caught him with the Lestranges when they were torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. He pleaded that he had just fallen into the wrong crowd but he was still sentenced to Azkaban. By his own father nonetheless. Back then Crouch presided over the Council of Magical Law."

"He sentenced his own son to spend the rest of his life in prison? In Azkaban no less?"

"They didn't have a perfect relationship from what I know. Crouch's wife loved her son very much but Crouch not so much. His wife died shortly after their son was imprisoned, supposedly of a broken heart."

"And his son? Is he still in Azkaban?"

"No, he died there not long into his sentence."

"So there's no one who is going to miss Mr. Crouch?"

"Not really."

"But it's been years, why would someone kill him now?" Harry wondered.

"With Deatheaters on the rise again I wouldn't be surprised if a few old grudges resurfaced as well. Take Karkaroff for example. Crouch sentenced him too and was against pardoning him."

Harry rubbed his forehead. He felt a headache coming.

"Do you really think Karkaroff killed him?"

Argentum shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Thanks for dropping by anyway. If it's okay I'm going head off to my afternoon classes."

"Alright Harry. I'll see you in a week."

Harry nodded and shook the Goblins hand before parting ways with him.

.

It was some time later when Harry entered his empty dorm, even though the evening was still young.

Muffled, the voices of his fellow lions drifted up to him through the door of their dorm.

He curled up on his bed, closing his eyes, trying to ignore the pounding headache behind his eyes.

Within minutes he was asleep.

.

He felt as if he was floating.

Bodiless, like a ghost.

He was in a dark room.

Only small fire in the corner lit the room.

He was back in the old house.

But there was no old man this time.

But the pale man was there.

His face was only partly illuminated by the fire and the shadows. Yet Harry had the feeling that he had seen that face before…

He was facing the armchair again.

And then there was Wormtail, the treacherous rat.

He was cowering in the corner next to the fireplace.

"It is done. The old fool will not endanger us anymore. No one will know of him or Jorkins. No more lose ends. But I will have to return soon. Dumbledore is on high alert. I don't want him to get suspicious."

Dumbledore?

"You should have disposed of the body." Came the raspy voice from the armchair.

Harry shuddered, even in his dream.

"I wasn't expecting the oaf Hagrid appear with Potter by his side."

"Crucio!"

The man fell to his knees, withering for a few seconds.

"I will not allow such insolence!" the voice hissed. "Lord Voldemort is not the most patient person. You do well to remember it!"

Harry recoiled.

It couldn't be!

The man on the floor gasped.

"Yes milord!" he whispered.

"No more delays and no more failures."

"Yes milord."

"Tell Lucius and the others that the wait is almost over."

"Yes milord."

"Now leave."

The man got up, bowed to the armchair and then walked past it towards Harry.

And as he got closer Harry saw his face.

And he remembered.

He had seen this man before.

At the Quidditch World Cup through his omnioculars.

He had summoned the Dark Mark!

And apparently, he had killed Crouch too.

.

Harry woke with a pounding heart and drenched in sweat.

His head hurt.

Seeing the darkness of the dorm and hearing the breathing of his dormmates and occasional snore, Harry cast a tempus charm.

It was past midnight.

Stumbling into the bathroom he stripped down his cloths and stepped under the shower, washing away the sweat and terror of the dream.

But instead he remembered.

Remembered the dreams he had been having about the old man dying inside an abandoned mansion. About the pale man tending to the person in the armchair.

Tending to…Voldemort…

But they hadn't been dreams. They had been real.

Voldemort. He had seen Voldemort and one of his servants, who apparently had been not just at the Quidditch World Cup but had also killed Mr. Crouch. And they had more plans. Here, at Hogwarts none the less!

Harry felt sick.

What was going on? How could Voldemort be back?

Stepping out of the shower he summoned fresh clothes from his trunk and changed quickly before settling back down in his bed.

No, Voldemort couldn't be back already.

How? They had stopped the Deatheaters plan! They had destroyed the Philosopher's stone and even managed to save Isaac in doing so.

Both were supposed to have been crippling blows to the Deatheaters and their plans!

And how did Crouch Sr. play into all of this? And if they had been responsible for his death, did that mean that they were close by? Somewhere in Britain perhaps?

As he sat there on his bed he realized that if someone knew about any plans to bring back Voldemort and what these plans might be, it would be one person…

And if he wanted those answers, he would have to talk to that person.

But it wouldn't be without a prize.

After all…this was Narcissa Malfoy they were talking about.

64. The Ally

AN: Hello and Happy New Year everybody! It's been a couple of months since the last update I think but…well…you know…stuff happens…

I hope everybody's doing good.

Enjoy!

Love Kate

Chapter Sixty-Four: The Ally

Narcissa Malfoy was as formidable looking as he remembered when she entered the room.

It was only underlined by their shabby surroundings.

He rose to his feet to greet the lady with a shallow bow and brushed his lips slightly against the back of her hand.

"Lady Malfoy." He greeted her quietly.

"Mr. Potter." She replied coolly.

He stepped aside and offered her a seat which she accepted, sitting down in one fluent and elegant movement.

"I must say that I was surprised to receive your message. And even more surprised when you wished to meet. You couldn't have found something more…clean…, could you?" she asked as she looked around the Hogshead.

They were in a small private room in the back of the establishment but it was just as run down as the front part.

"I couldn't exactly get us a table at the Three Broomsticks during a Hogsmead weekend. For both our safety." Harry said defensively and sat down as well.

He proceeded to fill a cup with tea for her and handed it to her.

She took it but sat it down, not taking a sip.

"This was the only place I could go without raising suspicion." He explained.

"Well you certainly don't know a lot about this place then." Narcissa said with a slight smirk.

Harry shrugged.

"What can I say, it's urgent."

"It always is. But straight to business I suppose." She replied while tugging off her long gloves and leisurely throwing them on the table.

"What is it Mr. Potter that I can do for you?" she asked, leaning back in the chair comfortably.

"Certain happenings in the past days have let me to consider the offer you made me a few weeks ago, after all."

That seemed to catch her attention because she sat back up straight again.

"Is that so?" she asked.

Harry nodded but refused to look her in the eyes.

"And what exactly let you to…this?" she asked in a low voice.

"Voldemort is back." Harry said bluntly, noticing her distinct lack of reacting at the mentioning of this name.

"Or at least he is very close to returning. I foiled one plan to bring him back already. A plan your husband was involved in. This is what leads me to believe that you might know something about all that."

Narcissa Malfoy raised one of her delicately plucked eyebrows.

"What makes you think my husband tells me anything about his…free-time activities?" she asked coldly.

"You're a Deatheater." He replied simply.

"I never took the mark." She countered.

"You don't need the mark to be a Deatheater." He shot back.

Then he sighed.

"Look, all I want to know from you is if you know anything about the Dark Lords return. Anything at all."

"And what do I get in return?" she asked.

"Well, if you prove to be willing to help and go against your husband and his believes, then I will speak in your favour when you ask Sirius to grant you and Draco refuge in the House of Black. I'm sure I can convince him to let you in. Of course I can't promise anything and he might have conditions but…I will be on your side."

She leaned back in her chair, studying him intently.

"How has Draco been behaving lately?" she suddenly asked.

Slightly taken aback by the sudden change of topic Harry muttered: "Okay I guess. I mean, he's not bothering anyone as far as I can tell. The suspension and the massive loss of points have made him a 'persona non-grata' in his own house more or less. I mean with the exception of Crabbe and Goyle and Parkinson maybe…"

Narcissa nodded. "Good, that is good. Good indeed."

She sighed.

"My husband has been preparing for the Dark Lords return from the day he vanished. Everything he's done, every little move and every donation and every speech and every dinner, it all has been with one goal in mind. To bring back his Lord."
She shook her head.

"That was how he raised Draco as well. I never care much for Lord Voldemort myself. Not like my sister."

Now her voice had become almost derisively and colder.

"If he had told her to kill herself Bellatrix would have done it. Or if it had pleased him."

She reached out and took the now cold cup of tea in her hands.

"I never cared much for his ideologies about pure blood and keeping the power within the hands of a select few. Of course, I don't necessarily like Muggleborn and I despise what their 'progress' has done to many of the traditions and values I grew up with. Also, I enjoy the power my family holds. I will not give that away. But I don't care about blood."

Harry nodded, gesturing for her to go on.

"I was relieved when he was gone to be honest. I married Lucius because I loved him but when he joined the Dark Lord he changed. I thought he would change back to the man I married after he was gone. I thought we could raise our child away from the madness of those times. But he didn't. He became obsessed with bringing his Lord back and he is determined to destroy who-and whatever stands in his way."

She drank the whole cup in one go and then put it back on the table.

"The Dark Lord is not gone. He never was. Injured and defeated, yes. But he was never dead. You knew that. Quirinus Quirrell found him first and brought him back to England. But you chased him away again. He tried to come back again but again you stopped him. But he was found again. And he has been growing and regaining his strength ever since. Some of his followers are even more devoted to him than my husband."

She sighed and stared into the air.

"Well, devoted might not be the right word. Crazy, fanatic, unhinged, that is what they are in my eyes."

Harry hesitated to ask his next question.

"What do you know about Barty Crouch's death?" he asked carefully.

Narcissa turned her eyes back onto his.

"I can't say it's a shame. Crouch arrested and sentenced many Deatheaters during his time in the DMLE and it would have been more if men like my husband hadn't found a way to sidestep him. Why do you ask?" she asked back.

"I have reason to believe that…his death has something to do with the plans to resurrect the Dark Lord."

"Do you now?" Her expression was unreadable.

"And where did you get that information?"

"I can't tell you." He replied immediately.

"I see." she muttered, her eyes staring intently into his own before she abruptly relaxed and looked away.

"Well, you know more than I do. But I can…snoop around if you want. Is there anything in particular that you want to know?"

Harry hesitated again.

"I'm…I'm trying to find out the identity of someone. He…he was the one who cast the Dark Mark at the World Cup and…I saw him again a short time back. I have reasons to believe that he works for the Dark Lord and is planning his return. Also I'm pretty sure he is the one who killed Crouch and…I also have reasons to believe that he is coming to Hogwarts or that he is at least close."

Narcissa's eyes narrowed.

"Alright…" she said slowly "Tell me about this…man."

"I can do better than that." Harry said and reached into his pocket, pulling out his omniocular.

He had had it with him on the hillside eth night of the attack at the World Cup. Ron, Hermione and he had used it to get a better look at the man in the ruined camp side who had cast that disgusting spell.

It had also been recording while they used it.

But Harry hadn't shown it to the officials and the investigators, because it had also recorded his little vision/breakdown and his exclamation that the Voldemort was close or back. He had figured that it would be better if the Aurors did not see that.

After his dream the other night where he finally understood his past dreams and visions and found out about Voldemort's impending return and recognized the man serving his as the very same man that he had seen at the World Cup, he knew that he had to find out about him and find him if possible.

So he turned a few knobs on the omniocular and handed it to Malfoys mother.

With a wary glance at him she raised it to her eyes.

For a few seconds, as she re-watched the recording, it was silent in the room.

A few seconds later, she put the omniocular down and asked very quietly and very slowly: "Are you sure this is who you saw?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "It's a recording. So yeah, I am sure. That's the guy who killed Mr. Crouch."

She placed the omniocular down in front of him.

"Why didn't you show this to the Aurors?" she asked.

"I had my reasons."

"Well, whatever those reasons might be, you were right not do so."

"So you know who it is?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I think I do but if it's all the same I would like to confirm my suspicions first."

Harry deflated slightly. "Why?"

Now she hesitated. "Because he's supposed to be dead."

"I've heard that before…" Harry muttered, more to himself than to her. "Is there anything else you can tell me about any plans concerning the Dark Lord?"

She shrugged.

"I know my husband has plans. You stopped one plan, that is true. But like I said before, Lucius is not the man he once was. He doesn't tell me everything. I am not allowed to attend his special meetings. But I know that a lot of our old friends have been attending his meetings. I know that the Dark Lord is coming. That he is coming and that his return will shake our world. And when it does I want my child to be safe. I don't want my son to be his soldier in a war of misguided ideologies and madness."

She looked at him.

"I don't know where the Dark Lord is and I don't know how or when he will return. I know he's alive. Just so. And I know that there is a plan, it involves you and the tournament as far as I know."

Harry nodded. "I figured as much. I thought Karkaroff maybe put my name into the Goblet."

Narcissa scoffed. "That man is afraid of his own shadow. He won't last two seconds when the Dark Lord returns. No Potter, whoever entered you in this competition was part of this plan to bring the Dark Lord back."

Harry pointed at the omniocular. "Could it have been him?"

Narcissa shrugged. "I can try to find out more about that too."

"I would appreciate that." Harry said quietly.

"And I would appreciate if the next time we meet it'll be in a less gloomy and unsanitary place." She said dryly, standing up abruptly.

"I must leave now. And so should you."

And she left without another word.

He left a few coins on the table for the bartender, then left as well.

There was after all another appointment he had.

.

.

He didn't see anything as he turned into the small alleyway between two rows of houses on the outskirts of the village where hardly any students ever wandered.

But he didn't panic when he felt the hand close around his upper arm and felt the tell-tale squeezing of side-by-side-apparation.

A second later his feet slammed into the carpeted ground at Greengrass Manor and Elijah Greengrass held him upright as his world swayed slightly.

"You'd think you'd be used to this by now." Elijah said with a slight smile.

"If you keep abducting me like this then maybe I will." Harry retorted and straightened up.

He hadn't seen Daphne's other uncle since the meeting at the bank at the end of the summer.

"How are you?" he asked, remembering what Daphne's father had told him during their brief encounter at the How in December.

The older man looked thinner and there were dark smudges underneath his eyes.

But when he smiled it was a real and happy smile.

Harry hoped that this meant things were looking up for him and his family.

Merlin knew they deserved it.

After all, being blackmailed by Lucius Malfoy and having him slander your families name and threaten the life of your brother and pretty much everybody else you love, only so he could continue his evil doings and strengthen his power in the Ministry, was bound to be a stressful experience.

But with Malfoys leverage above their family out of his hands they could start to rebuild.

Of course, Malfoy remained untouched just like his power and influence but Harry guessed right now they should be thankful for being alive and knowing all the things they did know. He would go down eventually.

He snapped back from his gloomy thoughts and smiled at the man.

"I am well Harry, thank you for asking. I hope it's the same for you?" Elijah asked.

Harry shrugged. "I've been better but I've also been a lot worse. You gotta keep a healthy middle."

Elijah smiled. "I guess so."

"How's Isaac doing?" Harry asked, anxious to get to the point of their meeting.

Elijah gestured to the grand doors that let into Victor Greengrasses study.

"Let's discuss that somewhere more suitable than a hallway." He offered.

Daphne's father was expecting them.

He's obviously just come home from a Wizengamot meeting because he was still wearing his formal robes and Wizengamot-crest and hat and all that.

"Harry" he greeted him warmly, shaking his hand "Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure. I'm anxious to hear those news you've been talking about in your letter."

The two men exchanged brief glances.

"Well, why don't you come and see for yourself?" Victor asked, though there was a slight uncertainty in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

In return Victor and Elijah each grabbed an arm and once again Harry felt himself being squashed.

.

This time they landed on hard cold tiled ground in a place Harry knew just as well as the Greengrass hallway.

"St. Mungo's. That's a surprise." Harry muttered while brushing off his shirt.

"If anyone sees me here and Sirius finds out I will spend the rest of my life locked up in some cellar on a remote island in the south pacific." He pointed out.

"I think this will be worth it." Victor said silently and pushed him towards the elevators.

Elijah had already walked ahead, his pace swift and straight-forward.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked the Head of House Greengrass in a low voice as they boarded the elevator.

"Yes and no." Victor said with a sigh.

With a jolt the elevator began to rise but only for a few seconds before it came to a stop and the doors opened with the slight chiming of a bell.

They stepped out onto a floor Harry had never seen before.

It was like a common room, he guessed.

Patients as well as their friends and families and nurses and healers bustled around the room or sat in groups together, playing games or reading or talking or listening to the radio and so on.

Sunlight streamed through huge windows and it was nice and warm.

Elijah headed off in one direction but Victor held Harry slightly back.

"Madam Bones dropped the investigation on Isaacs abduction seeing that there are no real leads, thank Merlin for that. As far as everyone at the DMLE is concerned this was just a lucky coincidence and a happy ending to what was thought to be a tragedy. So that's that, no more lying as far as that goes and something off our backs." He explained softly as they moved slowly though the crowded room.

"That's good." Harry agreed.

"Also, since I was blackmailed by Malfoy to vote differently during certain legislative processes in the past year it made those decisions invalid and we finally managed to re-vote on those matters again and I was able do the right things this time. And it made a difference. Three of the sixteen bills passed in the last year will be changed or abolished including a nasty one on restricting the rights of people with creature-inheritance as well as vampires and werewolves."

"That's even better." Harry agreed.

"But there is still the matter of Isaacs…health…"

Harry sighed.

"How is he? You said he was getting better, that he was starting to remember you and Elijah."

"Well, yeah, he does. At least to a certain extend." Victor admitted but there was no happiness in his voice at all.

"The mind healers decided it would be best to seal all his memories of the past thirteen years away…behind a wall, so to speak. They reconstructed his mind and remaining memories but…well…he's missing a lot. From what the healers told me his last clear memories date back almost fifteen years."

Harry swallowed.

"Oh…I see. That is a lot." He admitted. "But…I mean… he's alive, right?"

Victor sighed.

"Yes. But he barely remembers half of his family or who he is. I will have to tell him that most of his friends are either dead or have moved on long ago. Also after everything he's been through his magic is weak and he may never recover from it."

Victor seemed lost and Harry didn't know what to do.

"What I'm saying is…I got my best friend back…but at the same time…it's not him."

Harry nodded. "I think I understand what you mean. I'm sorry for your loss."

Victor smiled slightly.

"Thank you Harry. Though I shouldn't be burdening you with these things."

Harry shrugged. "I wanted to know. So…you say the healers closed away the memories of the past thirteen years?"

He asked, trying to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction.

"Yes, it's sort of like locking the memories in an inaccessible vault. We didn't want to obliviate him because the risk of damaging his mind even more was so high. He can't remember but the memories are still there."

"But the healers can't view them, right?" Harry asked, concern clearly audible in his voice.

"They can but you needn't worry Harry. All those memories and thoughts are broken and incoherent. Nothing we saw made sense. They are like pictures you took with one hand while riding in full gallop on a horses back through a snowstorm. It mostly affects the memories made under the mind-controlling charms but also some of the time before that. Also we can't use them to build a case against Malfoy and everyone else he consorted with." He muttered bitterly.

"But there are good news, right? I assume there are because why else would I be here?" Harry replied dryly.

Victor actually laughed.

"I know this all seems rather depressing but…at the end of it all I got my brother back. And there is still plenty of time for him to make new memories to make up for the ones he lost. And that is all thanks to you. You helped us get him back. You didn't have to."

He pointed ahead to one of the tables next to the windows.

There, Harry saw Elijah sitting across from a tall blond man in a white bathrobe and slippers.

As if he'd notice them looking at him the tall man turned his head and the familiar scarred face of Isaac Greengrass looked at them.

For a second Harry froze, remembering when those pale blue eyes had stared at him with hate and anger, ready to kill.

But instead those same blue eyes widened and a smile split his face.

Isaac raised a hand, waving at them.

Next to Harry, Victor waved back starting to walk towards him.

Harry quickly followed suit.

"He looks so different from the last time I saw him." He muttered, remembering the crazed man whose mind had been broken by one to many memory charms.

"Well, he doesn't remember anything. We try not to tell him too much about what happened to him but he keeps asking. I don't want to lie to him but… I don't know how to tell him what they did to him." Victor broke off, shaking his head.

Harry nodded. He understood.

They reached the table and Isaac rose and hugged Victor in greeting.

"Hello my friend. You look well." Daphne's father said cheerfully.

"Ah yes. I slept like a rock last night." Isaac admitted just as cheerful.

Harry tried not to let his discomfort show.

Isaac Greengrass sounded so differently but it was still that same voice.

"And who do you have with you there?"

His head snapped up at the sound of Isaacs question.

Those pale blue eyes rested on him, calm and questioning.

Harry opened his mouth but it was all dried up and not a single tone left his throat.

Luckily Victor jumped in before it could get awkward.

"This is Harry. He's a close friend to my daughter Daphne. Remember Daphne, you met her shortly over the holidays." He said, putting an arm around Harry's shoulders.

Isaacs eyes brightened even more.

"Yes, I do!" he exclaimed happily.

He grabbed Harrys hand and shook it.

Harry, taken by surprise froze, unsure what to do.

"You look familiar, have we met before?" Isaac asked.

He can't remember me, Harry thought, all that was supposed to be locked away!

But Elijah stepped in.

"You're thinking of James Potter, Isaac. But Harry here is his son, so he might look familiar because he resembles James so much."

"Oh, yes, the Potter boy. I remember him. How is he?" Isaac said brightly.

Harry awkwardly cleared his throat.

"He's dead Sir." He muttered.

Isaacs face fell and he let go of Harry hand for which he was grateful.

"Oh…oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm not very up to date you have to know. I'm missing a huge part of my memories."

"It's fine, he died a long time ago. I didn't even know him. Or my mum."

Isaac turned to Victor.

"Another one of the dirty scumbags' doings?" he growled and when he did his face twisted and he was once more the Deatheater Harry had fought.

"Yes, the Dark Lord killed Harrys parents." Victor sighed, placing a hand on Harrys shoulder.

Isaac turned back to Harry and his face softened again.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Harry said with a slight nod.

"Not that I mind, but is there a reason this young man accompanied you today?" Isaac asked his brother and.

Elijah pointed ta the collar of Harrys coat on which he had pinned, per Victors request, the tiny silver D-shaped pin Daphne had given him this past Christmas and which represented his position as an honorary member of the Greengrass-family.

"You remember what that is, don't you Isaac?" Elijah asked.

Isaac nodded and reached out to gently touch the tiny silver pin.

"I do." He said simply.

"We wanted to introduce you to the last family member you do not know yet. Harry here has done our family a great service and he and Daphne are very close." Elijah explained quietly.

"What kind of service?" Isaac asked curiously.

Victor clasped his shoulder and said: "That is a story for another time. Harry needs to get back to Hogwarts before they notice that he left. I'll take him."

"And I sadly have some matters at work to attend to. But I'll visit you tomorrow again:" Elijah promised.

Isaac smiled. "I look forward to it."

He hugged his brother and brother-in-law goodbye before turning back to Harry.

"Well, Harry, it was nice meeting you and I look forward seeing you again."

Harry nodded. "The pleasure was all mine Mr. Greengrass."

"Call me Isaac. After all, we're family, are we not?"

A pretty messed up family, was all Harry could think. But he smiled nodded and said: "Yes we are. Goodbye Isaac, see you soon."

.

Victor apparated them into the same alley from where Elijah had snatched Harry earlier.

"So, what do you think?" Victor asked.

"He seems…fine. As far as I can tell."

Victor nodded, absentmindedly.

"Yes. And all thanks to you."

Harry smiled. "I'd do it again. Because it was the right thing to do."

65. A dead man walking

Chapter Sixty-Five: A dead man walking

"Foul Play at Triwizard Tournament – by Rita Skeeter

The Triwizard Tournament was supposed to be the event of the century.

An old tradition revived after decades.

The best wizards and witches of their generation were supposed to battle each other in a competition of nerves, wits and strength.

But instead dark clouds have fallen across the event, the organisers and not least the champions themselves.

We all knew, dear readers, that only the best would be selected for this competition and we were not disappointed by the choice the Goblet of Fire made.

Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory and Victor Krum are talented and powerful magicians in their own rights.

But at the night of the selection the first strange thing happened, as we all remember.

A fourth Champion was chosen and none other than Harry Potter, the Boy who lived himself joined them in this crusade to glory.

How did he do it, many have asked themselves. It is by now confirmed that someone tampered with the Goblet, someone who wanted our hero in this dangerous adventure. But the Boy who lived has many enemies, so who could it possibly be?

That was the first mystery.

After that turbulent start we thought things would proceed more smoothly.

We watched our Champions battle fire breathing dragons and solve unsolvable clues and display their skills many times over, earning the respect and love of all of us.

But most importantly we could watch as their bond of friendship strengthened. They are not just competitors, they are friends and family and support each other, a wonderful thing to witness.

But a shadow has fallen across that bond of love and friendship.

My dear readers, I have struggled for some time, debating whether or not to publish this peace but I feel like I owe you all the truth, especially since our poor Champions cannot speak up themselves about the injustice that has befallen them.

Dear readers, I suggest you sit down for what I am about to tell you.

An ugly scandal has come to light about the people behind the tournament.

Seeing this wonderful friendship and support, people like Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch Sr. and the headmasters of the three schools, as well as many other organisers, feared that it would dampen the games and so they forced our beloved Champions to wear enchanted jewellery that would electrocute them every time they would try speak about anything tournament related with each other.

These people thought that in doing so they would speed up the competition a bit more and make the games more interesting to watch!

Our poor heroes were tortured over months, but they endured and fought through the pain and fear to still help each other.

That is how strong their friendship is and it was strong enough to break the oppression.

Yes, you heard right. Their love for each other was strong enough to break the enchantments that kept them from sharing vital information essential for their survival among each other.

Because what else could be more beautiful than watching a friendship grow that will last a lifetime.

I salute our champions, I curse upon the people who did this to them and I fear what else we might unveil about this competition, the people behind the scenes and their victims. One thing I know for sure though. Someone has to be made responsible for this crime. Because that is what it is."

"So now it's a beautiful friendship but eight weeks ago I was an evil enchantress trying to make you hate and fight each other?" Fleur asked as she folded the Daily Prophet back up with a disgusted look on her face.

"That's Rita Skeeter for you. She changes her mind like the weather. Crouch's death only made it on page three!" Cedric muttered.

"And she's really putting it on thick with all that talk about love and friendship. No offence guys, I like you and we are friends and all but…come on… This is really bad written, like the other things she's published!" Krum added.

"I'm more concerned as to how she knows all this. We didn't tell anyone about the bracelets breaking." Harry said darkly.

"You think that's why they asked us to come here?" Fleur asked.

The four of them were sitting in McGonagall's office, waiting.

Each of them had gotten a note that morning before breakfast to come here immediately.

Now they had been waiting for nearly an hour.

"Probably. Rita is calling for blood and I think they won't be too happy with us either. They probably think one of us told her. And of course, the thing with the bracelets." Cedric pointed out.

"Did any of you tell her?" Harry asked. "I'm not mad if anyone did, just curious."

"I didn't. And if I had, I'd never go to her." Cedric said.

"Same here." Harry agreed.

"Me neither." Fleur nodded and Victor too nodded.

"Though I guess we can be lucky she's so nice towards us." Cedric mused.

Harry nodded.

"But it's still a load of bull-dung. People actually read this and believe her?" Victor asked.

"Believe me, this is some of her best researched work yet. Normally she takes it pretty lightly with the truth and facts. Just look at her previous articles about us." Cedric pointed out.

"That is amazing and awful." Fleur stated.

"What's worse is that there are so many people who read her stuff and believe it." Harry said, stretching in his chair.

"Do you think they'll make us wear new bracelets?" Fleur asked.

"I doubt it. Now that the media knows and with them pretty much everybody else they won't dare. Not if people find it as outrageous as Skeeter does." Cedric said with a shrug.

"I don't think Sirius would let them either. I didn't tell him about the bracelet in the first place. He'll be really angry and pissed off. You bet he'll do something stupid."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he hasn't found you and kidnapped you yet." Fleur said dryly.

"I bet my broom that he's somewhere in the castle right now, probably tearing Bagman a new one. Or harassing McGonagall for our location. Or both. When it comes to stuff like that he's good at multitasking."

"He loves you very much, doesn't he?" Fleur asked with a soft smile.

"You bet. He's the best."

Just then the door opened and a disgruntled looking Minerva McGonagall entered her office, followed by Professor Flitwick.

They all got up but McGonagall waved it off.

"Sit, children, sit."

They did and so did the two Professors.

"Professors, what is going on?" Cedric asked.

Seeing the mornings edition of the Prophet in Fleurs lap, McGonagall pulled a face and said darkly: "The school is under siege from reporters, fans, parents, ministry officials and even some foreign ambassadors."

Harry stared at her. "Because of Skeeter's article?" he asked.

His head of house nodded. She looked tired. Harry felt bad for her. She probably hadn't known about this as well.

Poor woman. It couldn't be easy being Dumbledore's deputy.

"The article went wild within hours. I dare say there is nobody who hasn't heard about this 'scandal' yet. They even ran a news-coverage on the radio already. People are demanding answers and not just from the responsible parties but form you as well."

Harry exchanged looks with Fleur.

"But first let me apologize. If I'd know I would have moved heaven and hell to get you out of it. I can't say that I find Ms. Skeeters article…correct…but I agree that your friendship is the reason events like this are made. I'd rather watch a competition among friends than watch four strangers ignore each other, trying to find out who's the best for their own ego and bragging rights."

"Thanks professor." Harry said, knowing she was sincere.

"Other than that Professor Flitwick and I are here to take these of you" she pointed at Cedrics bracelet "and to inform you that there will be a press-meeting later on. If you want to attend you are free to do so but you don't have to. If you want us to make a statement for you, you can tell us."

"I don't really have anything to say. We know our role and while this was a poor move on the side of the game-makers, we still entered a contract and we're just glad this is over and there's only one last task before we can put all this behind us. Let's just hope the next time they decided to host this competition they will plan it out more wisely."

Harry scowled. "I don't see it like that at all. All of a sudden the people care? Where was their care when I was entered into this contest against my own free will and had to endure not only the tasks but also the harassment and bullying of my fellow school-mates as well as that of the media, all on top of this stupid shock-collar? They hardly cared when I almost lost my best friend in that lake. They hardly cared when I got mauled by a dragon. I have to put up with the incompetence of people like Ludo Bagman, who only have their own self-interest in mind. Then Crouch dies but nobody seems to care about that either and Rita Skeeter somehow manages to gain information she couldn't possibly have access to. While in this particular situation it has been to our advantage I still wonder how long that will last. Today they love us and tomorrow they'll be sprouting rumours about us again. I'm sick and tired and I just want this to end. This whole event has been a joke from beginning till now."

There was silence in McGonagall's office.

"If you want, we can tell them that." Professor Flitwick said calmly.

Harry deflated.

"No, of course I don't want you to tell them. Just…just point me in the direction of Sirius and I'll be on my way, counting the hours that remain in this competition." He muttered.

McGonagall smiled ever so slightly.

"He's waiting for you in Gryffindor Tower. All your parents are here by the way."

Fleur and Victor perked up at that.

"They are?" Victor asked excitedly.

Flitwick nodded. "Oh yes, they are in Dumbledore's office. If you want, I can take you and Ms. Delacour there. Mr. Diggory, your mother is waiting with Professor Sprout in her office. You know the way, why don't you go there now?"

"The bracelets first, Fillius." McGonagall reminded him.

"Ah, yes of course Minerva, how could I forget. Please children, hold out your arm, this will only take a second."

They all held out their arms, the bracelets dangling so innocently from their wrists.

Wordlessly, Flitwick flicked his wand over each hand and with a soft 'click' they opened and fell to the floor.

A feeling similar to pins and needles rushed through Harrys hand and it felt as if a heavy weight had been taken from his bones.

They all breathed deeply.

"That's all children. You may go." McGonagall said, gesturing at the door.

Excited at the prospect of seeing their parents, the other three rushed out but Harry hesitated.

"What is it Potter?" his head of house asked, eyeing him over the brim of her classes.

"I was just wandering if you knew anything about Mr. Crouches death."

McGonagall pursed her lips together tightly.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with such things, you have enough on your plate as it is."

"I was just wandering…" Harry muttered with a shrug. "There's a murderer on the lose but nobody seems to have taken an interest in that or has raised any security concerns…"

"I don't think we'll have to worry about any more murders Mr. Potter."

"So, you saying crouch was targeted directly? But why now? Why here when there is so much going on right now and the chances of someone witnessing something were so ridiculously high?"

"That exactly why. Big masses of people coming in and out of the grounds on a daily basis makes the number of possible suspect higher and we don't know everyone who came to the last task. It was and open event." Flitwick explained.

"Fillius." McGonagall said warningly.

The tiny Charms Professor shrugged.

"Just pointing something out."

With a nod, he left.

McGonagall sighed.

"You've got nothing to worry about Harry, you are save here."

Harry shook his head. "Why do people always assume I'm concerned about myself? I'm concerned about everyone in this school, student and teachers alike."

The Scottish professor smiled. "While your concern is touching Potter, we do know how to defend ourselves and our students."

"Yeah, I guess that's what Crouch thought too." Harry muttered before he left as well.

.

For the next two weeks, no matter where Harry or any of the other champions went, people kept asking questions about this 'scandal' so much, that by Friday Harry was read to punch the next person who wanted him to re-tell the same story again and answer the same redundant questions as everybody else.

Sirius had been surprisingly calm when Harry had met him in Gryffindor Tower after the meeting in McGonagall's office but inly until they had come across Bagman in the foyer of the castle.

Bagmans smile was less radiant the next day because Harry knew that under that glamour spell he nursed a pretty impressive black eye.

Also, their teachers had released statements for them, everything along the lines Cedric had told McGonagall and while it didn't satisfy the hungry press, they made up for it in conspiracy theories, blame-shifting and accusations.

Barty Crouch remained dead and his murder a mystery.

To most people at least and also only to those who cared.

The only real upside to Harry was that Ron and Daphne seemed to be on the way to become quite good friends.

That was mostly due to their shared dislike for Draco Malfoy.

Though Harry had to admit that Draco really had been lying low these past weeks, something he wasn't used to.

He still bullied Neville, made snide remarks about Muggleborn, jinxed Parvati Patil's potion during potions once and generally was his less than charming, arrogant self to other people in other houses but he stayed away from Harry and his friends mostly.

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.

Only well into April things got interesting again when an owl arrived for Harry late one night.

He'd been up late to finish the last part of his monthly assignments from Argentum when a persistent scratching sound caught his attention.

He didn't see the owl directly because outside it was pitch black and the owls' plumage was of the same colour.

But her orange eyes glowed in the night and stared at him reproachfully.

He let her in and with a few hoots full of indignation she hopped inside.

Tied to her leg was a letter, of which Harry quickly relieved her.

She didn't stick around after that.

Harry returned to his working place and opened the letter.

He was surprised to see Narcissa Malfoys signature at the bottom.

Since their meeting at the Hogs Head over a month ago, Harry had seen neither hair nor hide from her but he hadn't forgotten about her.

He had expected news on the mystery man, Voldemort's servant, or any other plans concerning the dark lord and his impending resurrection.

But instead it only said: "Good evening Mr. Potter."

He turned the paper, wondering if that was all.

But nothing.

Nothing but blanc…

…Hold on…

In front of his eyes black lines started to appear underneath the first written sentence.

Memories of a certain black diary with blanc pages reappeared but he forced them back and instead focused on the words that were written in front of him.

"I see you have received my letter. I felt that this would be a more direct and less time-consuming, as well as inconspicuous way for us to communicate."

Knowing better, Harry dipped his quill in his ink-pot and wrote: "Prove that you are who you claim to be."

"Clever little boy. Fine. I'm Narcissa Malfoy, because I am conspiring with your help against my husband, who is a Deatheater, to foil the return of the Dark Lord."

Harry wasn't sure if that could be seen as enough prove but he'd have to take it for now.

"Good evening Lady Malfoy" he wrote instead "Have you found out who the man is I showed to you?"

"I have."

"Who is it?"

"After conducting some research, I am fairly sure that the man you observed at the Quidditch World Cup and of whom you are so sure that he killed Mr. Crouch, is his son. Barty Crouch Jr."

Harry stared at the paper in disbelieve.

Then he hastily wrote: "That is impossible. I was told that his son died in Azkaban."

"It's not impossible, merely improbably. After all your godfather, my cousin, escaped Azkaban as well, so why shouldn't others have managed it before him? I don't know how Crouch Jr. did it but I am one-hundred percent sure that his is the one you saw. I don't know what that information is going to give you though, seeing that the common assumption is that he is dead."

"At least it makes sense as to who killed Crouch Sr. From what I understand they weren't close and being sentenced to life in Azkaban by your father cannot be helpful."

"Perhaps." Came the short answer.

"Do you know if this son is maybe somehow involved with Voldemort's' return?"

"I couldn't possibly say. I recognized him when I compared his face to a picture form his trial all those years ago. But why do you ask? Do you have reasons to believe so?"

Harry chewed on the end of his quill.

He wasn't going to mention his dream about Crouch Jr. with Voldemort, serving him and admitting to killing his father and someone else for the sake of tying up lose ends.

Instead he wrote: "Well he is a Deatheater and loyal to Voldemort. I just assumed that he might."

"But how could killing a lowly ministry employee like Crouch Sr. be of any significance to the Dark Lords return?"

How indeed.

But instead Harry wrote: "Who knows. Thank you anyway, this is valuable information."

"I hope I needn't tell you, Mr. Potter, that this man I dangerous. I doubt he'll be walking around much as his true self. He'll be in disguise and if he's managed to fool the ministry for Merlin knows how long, then he'll be able to fool many more people. Including you. Be careful, he could be anyone and closer than you might think. And if he is indeed somehow involved with the Dark Lord, then he'll come after you as well. It's only a matter of time."

She was right.

Of course she was, Harry had been thinking the exact same thing.

In his dream Crouch Jr. had said to Voldemort something about having to return soon so that Dumbledore wouldn't get suspicious.

That meant Dumbledore knew the person Crouch Jr. was pretending to be and it was safe to assume that someone had to be around a lot, if Crouch Jr. feared that someone might notice his absence for too long.

But that still left so many people in question.

"I know, thank you. You be careful as well."

"Don't worry about me Mr. Potter. I can handle myself."

Harry shook his head.

And to himself he muttered. "If that were true then you wouldn't be so desperate for my help."

Little did he know that soon enough she would be the one saving him.

66. The third task

AN: Okay, so this is a lot! There is a jump in time which might seem strange, especially after the revelations of the last chapter but for the story to continue it was necessary.

Almost 10000 words in this chapter alone.

Hope you will enjoy it.

Love Kate

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Chapter Sixty-Six: The third task

From the second Dumbledore had called his name during the selection night, making him an official champion, Harry had longed for this day to arrive and to be over.

It was the day of the third and final task of the Triwizard tournament.

Finally.

The entire month of May had passed Hiccup and now it was June.

Soon not just the competition would be over but the entire school year as well and that was something Harry couldn't wait for.

The past weeks had been tense.

It was only a matter of time until Voldemort and his followers would return.

But that uncertainty, this waiting for something to happen, helpless as to when it would be or where or how was killing Harry.

It could be today, it could be next week or next year for all he knew.

What also didn't help was that his recent dreams had all been free of anything relating the Dark Lord.

No Wormtail, no Barty Crouch Jr., no giant snakes in dark mansions and most of all, no Voldemort.

In fact, everything had been rather calm lately.

School was a breeze more or less, his private lessons with Argentum had turned from mostly theoretical to mostly practical, with him now practicing curse-breaking on various objects and learning to apply all the rules and strategies he had been taught.

He got to spend a lot of time with his friends, played Quidditch and had little make-out-sessions with Daphne every now and then in the quiet corners of the library when they were supposed to be studying.

So live could have been good, even great, had it not been for the bad feeling of impending doom that had been growing inside of him for weeks now.

It was the calm, just before an invisible storm that nobody could see or hear.

And Harry feared that any second it could break lose.

But weeks had past and nothing had happened.

And while Harry wasn't one to let his guard down so easily, he also started to think that maybe, just maybe…Voldemort and his men would not yet return. Just maybe…there was still some time left. Time to prepare for it.

And with the tournament about to come to an end and the school year as well, Harry had the ridiculous notion that, if nothing happened until now, that somehow would mean everything would be alright at least for a little while longer.

And really, with the last task looming over him, he really didn't want to have to worry about more than strictly necessary.

.

They had been informed of the third tasks nature a week ago and now Harry watched from the castle as the Quidditch Pitch was transformed into a giant maze.

The task was simple enough.

Find the Cup, try not to die, first to find the Cup wins. End of story.

Easy, right?

But Harry had enough of bobby-trapped labyrinths for a life-time and this maze made from hedges, filled with creatures and obstacles just reminded him too much of Cambodia.

"But at least here I won't be attacked by Deatheaters." He had muttered to himself, eyeing the hedges and bushes and the wizards and witches running around it, waving their wands and muttering incantations.

.

And now the day had come.

Once more Cedric, Fleur, Victor and he were sitting inside a tent while outside the thousands of voices of students, teachers, reporters, parents and all sorts of other visitors penetrated through to them.

They sat around a table that had been covered with food and drinks but nobody was hungry.

Harry was nibbling on a piece of Treacle Tart that tasted sallow.

The tent flaps parted and in strolled Ludo Bagman, dressed once more in some outlandish Quidditch-referee-robes.

"Champions! We know how tense you are with the third task less than an hour away. But fear not, to help you prepare we have brought you a little surprise."

As if on cue the tent opened again and first to walk in was Amos Diggory, followed by Sirius and Remus, followed by the Delacours and then Victors parents and his little sister.

Delighted all four of them jumped to their feet and rushed to greet their families.

Sirius ruffled through Harry's hair after releasing him from a long hug.

"You alright kid?" he asked as Remus embraced Harry as well.

"Pretty good, seeing that this all is almost over." Harry admitted.

"Me too kiddo, me too. Hey, I wanted to tell you this after the tournament as a surprise but now is just as good a time as any." His godfather said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

"Once this is all over, the three of us are going on a vacation to the Black Family Island in the Caribbean! What do you say?" he cheered.

Harry stared at him. "You're joking." He finally managed to say. "The Caribbean? That is awesome!"

"Yes, we'll spend all our time doing nothing but sunbathing and swimming and enjoying the amazing food and maybe we can go out with the boat for a few trips around the islands!" Sirius explained, jumping up and down with excitement.

Harry laughed.

As ridiculous at it was and as bad as the timing actually was, a vacation sounded just like the thing he could use.

"But what about my apprenticeship? Don't I have to go to the academy during the summer?"

Sirius waved it away. "I'm sure they will give you a couple of weeks off after everything you've been through this year."

"If you say so!" Harry said laughing.

"Might I suggest that we still concentrate on making it that far?" Remus chimed in.

"What do you mean Moony?" Sirius asked.

"I mean getting Harry though the third task."

"Oh yes, there's that." Sirius muttered.

Noticing the sudden drop in the mood Harry hastily assured them: "Don't worry, this is sort of like Cambodia. A maze, traps, obstacles…Fleur and I have an unfair advantage."

Sirius and Remus both frowned.

Okay, maybe Cambodia hadn't been the best comparison.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry. I made it this far." Harry said quietly.

"I don't know how you do it Harry, but you manage to amaze me every single time again and again with your strength and endurance." Remus told him earnestly.

Harry blushed.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"We'll be there watching the entire time and we'll be there to greet you when you win!" Sirius added but Harry could see that his smile was slightly strained.

"Anything you need Harry`" Remus asked.

Harry looked over to his little part of the tent.

On the cot lay the clothes he would change in to in a couple of minutes, there was his wand and wand holster, the knife Bill had given him and Chao's good-luck necklace with the Blessing of Four pendant and the Horntail-spike hung around his neck, hidden underneath his shirt.

"No, I'm good. I just need to change."

"Did you eat?" Sirius continued the inquiry.

"A little. But I drank enough."

Both men nodded.

"Alright, I would ask the parents and guardians to leave now so we can prepare the Champions."

"We'll see you in a couple of minutes, don't worry." Sirius assured him before he and Remus together with the other parents left.

Harry quickly changed into the long sturdy black trousers and the black-and-red T-Shirt with his name on it on the back. His wand holster and fingerless-gloves followed before he looped his belt through the loops of his trousers and sheathed the knife.

They had been all allowed to bring one extra accessory into the maze as long as it was no broom.

Fleur had brought her knife as well while both Cedric and Victor had decided to take another wand with them.

Once he was done he stepped back into the main area of the tent.

The headmasters had joined Bagman, as had Percy Weasley, Moody and another man Harry had never seen before.

He was very non-descripting with a moustache, small watery eyes and greying hair.

What did catch Harrys attention was the box he as carrying.

But before he could spare it another glance the lightning flash of a camera drew his attention away from the newcomer and to none other than Rita Skeeter, who stood of to one side with her photographer.

Great, Harry could have done without her for once.

He didn't seem to be the only one annoyed by her presence.

Moody was scowling more than usual and kept shifting the weight form his bad leg to his good leg.

"Ah, Champions, you made it, jolly good, jolly good." Bagman announced as they stepped out of their separated areas.

Nobody bothered to give any sort of reply to that.

"Good, now you already know about the task and what your goal is. However, this time around we will add one tiny little detail."

Bagman waved the man with the box over to him.

"Last time we noticed that we hadn't quite thought the task through. While you were off having your little adventures, we were left to stare at the surface of the lake for an hour. People grew bored after a couple of minutes so we decided that this time around we don't want to miss out on all the fun you have."

Nobody said anything but Harry could see Cedrics jaw muscles twitch.

"We asked around in our Department for Magical Inventions of there was a way we could watch you. So they came up with these."

With a flick of his wand Bagman opened the box and from the inside four silver orbs that reminded Harry of Snitches without wings shot upwards and one headed towards each of them.

The stopped above their heads, twirling and whistling.

Harry was the first to react.

"What…are they?" he asked warily.

"So glad you asked. It's a Projector Orb. It live-records your every step through the maze and sends it to one of the four screens outside from which we will watch your progress."

"Also while in the maze they will project a beam of individually coloured light up into the sky so we can see in which region of the maze you are. Isn't this great? It gives everyone the chance to experience what being a champion is like."

"Without the actual danger of course." Fleur said sarcastically.

"Yes." Bagman cheered, obviously not getting her point.

"If you are ready Champions, you may join us now outside." Dumbledore added calmly, pulling open the tent opening.

The four of them shared a short glance.

"If you wouldn't mind giving us a couple of minutes of privacy, we'll be out shortly." Cedric said firmly.

"As you wish. You heard the Champions, everybody out. That includes you Ms. Skeeter." The old headmaster agreed, shooing everybody out.

Once they were all gone Victor nodded and said: "Alright, bring it together."

Harry smiled at the Quidditch term as he joined their small circle, putting on arm over Victors shoulders and one across Cedrics as they stuck their heads together.

"Good luck to each of you. Each of you deserves to win. I'm sorry this didn't turn out the way you might have picture it but…" Harry began but Fleur interrupted him.

"Shut up Harry, this wasn't you fault. We all know that. And we'll find out who did this to you. Let's just concentrate on besting this maze."

"She's right. Let's do this. No matter how this day ends, this right here and all of us, we will go down in History as people who changed things." Cedric agreed firmly.

"We won't go down as competitors, we will go down as friends." Harry agreed.

"Go us!" Fleur cheered as they straightened up.

.

As they walked out of the tent they were greeted by fanfares and cheering.

Harry blinked into the afternoon sun.

They were at the edge of the Quidditch pitch. They had built the stands in a semi-circle overviewing the entrances to the maze.

The maze itself had grown a lot since Harry had first seen it.

The hedges were now around fifteen feet tall and thick and dark.

At the four openings stood their respective family members and above each entrance floated a huge white screen which now showed in four different and ever-changing perspectives as the four of them took everything in around them.

As Harry approached the entrance at which Sirius and Remus stood he scanned the crowd for his friends.

To his surprise the entirety of Gryffindor House had painted their foreheads with his name, held up handmade banners with encouraging slogans and messages, waved and cheered and clapped.

Almost in the front row stood Hermione, Ron, The twins, Neville, Seamus and Dean, Luna and Daphne with her sister Astoria and Ginny.

They were leading the cheering and clapping and Harry felt deeply touched.

To show his appreciation he waved at them and gave them a thumbs up, which made them all clap and cheer louder.

But Harry wasn't the only one getting this kind of support.

The air was filled with people chanting their names and cheering them on.

As he scanned the crowd, taking in every face and every banner, he noticed a few more familiar faces.

The entire Weasley family stood off to one side and next to them Harry spotted Tonks and her father Ted.

Mr. Lovegood was smiling serenely.

A few rows behind him Harry spotted Oliver with his cousin Atticus.

Atticus waved at him when he saw that Harry had spotted him.

But there were also more prominent people attending.

In the row behind the one reserved for the judges sat Cornelius Fudge together with the prime minister of Bulgaria and France.

Madam Bones was seated next to her boss and Harry even spotted the vice-chairmen of Gringotts at the end of the row though the Goblin looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else.

A rough hand on his shoulder started him.

Moody had appeared next to him.

"Come on Potter, you don't have all day."

He started walking Harry over to where Remus and Sirius where waiting, one hand still firm on Harrys shoulder.

It surprised Harry.

Moody was still an enigma to him.

At times he was over-invested in whatever Harry was doing, wanting to help like during the first task and jinxing Draco for his misbehaviour and other times he would retreat back into the shadows, ignoring Harry like he had these past weeks.

It was strange but probably just Moody.

They reached Harrys family and with a grunt Moody said: "Off you go then Potter, break a leg." And then hobbled away.

Sirius seemed disappointed.

"I wanted to talk to him." He sighed.

"There'll be time for that later Padfoot." Remus reminded him.

"Right." Sirius muttered, turning to Harry.

In the background Harry could hear Dumbledore beginning to address the crowd and explain the task but he focused on his family.

"Alright, this is it. I mean, we've been here before so…no need to worry, right? I'll be back in no time at all and then we can go home." Harry stammered, slightly nervous.

"Yes kiddo, we can go home real soon." Remus agreed.

"Group hug!" Sirius demanded, pulling both of them with Harry between them into a tight embrace.

"I love you guys." Harry whispered quietly but loud enough for them to hear.

He felt how both their breaths hitched slightly.

"We love you too kiddo." Sirius whispered back. "Now go give them hell."

.

Harry could barely remember taking position before the maze and entering at the same time as Cedric but as soon as he had entered the maze the hedges behind him began to rustle and grow together, sealing away the entrance, and everything that lay beyond.

Darkness descended on Harry, even though it had been midday. But here, inside the maze, it was night.

The only source of light came from the Projector Orb that twirled above Harrys head.

Looking back at the corridor of shrubbery before him, Harry flicked his wrist, summoning his wand into his hand.

"Let's do this." He muttered, more to himself than anybody else.

.

.

.

Harry didn't know how long he'd been wandering around the maze, how many intersections he'd come across, how many turn he had taken or if he'd been walking in circles.

He'd once read that you should always keep left in a labyrinth because if you got lost all you had to do was turn around and then keep right and you would get back to where you started out.

But Harry had the nagging feeling that the hedges moved and opened and closed new passage ways because the few times he had doubled back he had found things different than before.

So there went that plan.

Also, it was cold and the gravel underneath his feet made it hard to walk quietly.

What also got to Harry was the silence.

It was oppressive and elevated the sound of his own beating heart.

He almost wished for something to happen to attack him.

This suspense was killing him.

As if on cue the path widened and a familiar coldness seeped through his bones.

He shut his eyes tightly, concentrating on a happy memory.

Immediately he remembered the day Ron and he had made up and Ron had stood and fought once more by his side, like the loyal friend he was.

Warmth filled through Harrys entire being and the incantation fell from his lips easily.

"Expecto Patronum."

He opened his eyes to see the beautiful silver stag trample across the shadowy figure of a Dementor.

It let out an ungodly shriek and vanished into the night.

Prongs circled back to Harry, making sure all the danger was gone before dissolving into mist, leaving Harry behind.

.

Harry didn't stick around, he hurried on, wondering and worrying about his friends.

Every so often he would scan the sky for those sparks of red light but so far nothing.

Good.

.

Harry kept on walking.

Shadows moved around him, hedges rustled but nothing attacked him.

Until he walked around a long-stretched bend and found himself all of a sudden inside a bog.

Where had this come from?

He was beginning to assume that they must have put some sort of expending spell on the Quidditch pitch because this bog seemed big enough to take up three Quidditch pitches.

The shrubbery here didn't grow any taller than him but it was covered in thorns and their gnarly roots were perfect for tripping over. The path was muddy and unstable. Every now and them big bubbles of slimy murky green water would burst around him.

He wanted turn around and go back the was he'd come only to find more stretches of bog behind him.

Seemed like the decision had been made for him.

.

Crawling through the bog was awful. It swelled horrible of seaweed, rotting trees and foul water.

More than once was Harry attacked by will-o'-the-wisps, tiny ghost-light creatures that tried to lead him into the deeper part of the bog where the mud would swallow him hole.

Sometimes pale hands rose from the many dirty pools of water, reaching for him, pulling at his clothes.

Harry kept on going, sometimes crawling through thick undergrowth full of thorns that scratched his skin open.

Sometimes he had to wade through chest high bog-water to get to more stable ground.

By the time the bog began to thin out he was covered from head to toe in mud and the sour smell of the bog had been forever carved into his nose.

Finally the bog gave way to the gravel covered ground of the maze and dark hedges took over from thorny bushes.

Exhausted Harry collapse to his knees, taking out his wand to clean and heal his body.

Now he wished he'd eaten more.

He was hungry and thirsty and tired and probably not even close to being finished.

He looked up at the Orb that was dutifully recording and transmitting his progress.

He wondered what was going on, what Sirius and Remus were thinking right now, what his friends where doing.

He had to keep going.

Determined to not give up just yet Harry pushed himself back to his feet and kept walking.

.

How much time had passed since he entered the maze.

A couple of hours?

Maybe just a few minutes? Time seemed to run differently in here.

It was always dark, no matter where you went and…

No…that wasn't quite right.

It wasn't as dark as it had been before, Harry noticed.

From somewhere ahead light seemed to seep through the hedges.

The path between grew wider and more light illuminated the gravel he walked on.

The wind had strengthened and brought a salty note from the lake.

Harry reached yet again an intersection and stopped when he noticed hundreds of tiny lights in the shrubbery around him that seemed to be the source of the light.

At first, he thought they were fireflies but as they rose into the air and started flying towards him in a cloud of hundreds, he noticed that they were too big to be fireflies.

And then he heard it.

The sound was like the ringing of tiny bells, hundreds of them.

The sound rose around him as the tiny lights approached him.

Soon he was surrounded by a cloud of tiny ringing lights.

But Harry felt no fear.

Quite the opposite, a laugh escaped his lips as he slowly turned, marvelling at the tiny creatures that surrounded him.

Fairies.

Real, actual fairies.

Not the pixie type Lockhart had unleashed in second year, no, these were real tiny humanoid beings with wings like dragonflies.

And it wasn't hundreds. It was thousands of them! They swirled around him as if they were dancing in the air, twisting and turning, diving down and up again, forming a cloud with him at its center.

They seemed to glow from the inside and the bell-like sounds he was hearing were their voices.

Carefully, he extended on arm and watched with fascination as one left the safety of the swarm and landed on his palm.

It was maybe half the size of his pinkie finger and its skin was a soft blue.

It opened its mouth to speak and to Harrys surprise it spoke to him in English.

"Greetings magical one" It chirped "I am Nyx."

"Good evening too you too. I'm Harry." Harry said gently, carefully lifting his arm so he could look the little creature in the eyes.

"To pass through our territory you will have to do something for us."

"I figured as much." Harry shrugged. "What is it?"

"Our people value knowledge above anything else. We thrive to gather all the knowledge in the world. There is almost nothing that we haven't seen or haven't heard of. But if you are able to show us something we've never seen or never heard before, we will let you pass. If not, you will have to turn around and find another path. If you managed to get past us, you will find yourself closer to the end."

"Fair enough." Harry muttered. "Give me a second to think about it."

"Take all the time you need. If you cannot think of anything that is alright. There is no shame in admitting it."

Harry thought long and hard but no matter what he thought of, he was sure the fairies would know it already.

He knew he could just turn around and try and find another way. But Nyx had said that he was getting close to the cup and by now all Harry wanted was for this tournament to be over.

But what could he do?

Painfully aware of the Seeing Orb above his head, Harry thought and thought.

What could he possible offer the small creatures?

But then he once more looked at the Orb and an idea sprang to his mind.

Praying that it might work he cleared his throat and asked: "Do you spend a lot of time around humans, preferably Muggles?"

Nyx tilted his tiny head slightly.

"Not anymore. It became to dangerous for us to mingle with them centuries ago. We try to keep up as much as we can but we are safer in the world of magicians." He admitted.

"Well, let me tell you about and invention of the humans that will amaze you. You say you and your people value knowledge and try to gather everything there is to know. Well, the humans, Muggles in particular, have the same goal and they invented a device that allows you to view all the information there is in the internet. If you want to learn about all kinds of trees, you can ask it what it know about trees and it will tell you their names, where they can be found, if there are poisonous or not, what their leaves look like, which animals prefer to live in them, what their flowers look like, if they bear any fruits and so much more and all that within seconds!" Harry told the tiny fairy.

"That sounds like a magical device." Nyx said sceptically. "But not one I have ever heard off."

"That's because it's not magical. Oh no, it runs on electricity. You know what that is, right?"

Nyx nodded thoughtfully.

"What is that device you talk about called?" he asked.

"It's called The Internet." Harry said solemnly. "And if you have the chance to go to a Muggle-household that has a computer and The Internet you should definitely try it out!"

"We will!" Nyx promised excitedly.

He rose into the air and began talking in his bell-like voice to the rest of his fellow fairies.

He must have told them about The Internet because Harry could see and hear how excited they grew, their voices rising until Harry could barely hear his own thoughts.

They began flying in fast circles around him, their excitement obvious.

Harry almost didn't notice Nyx appearing before his face.

"Thank you young magical, we will go at once in search of The Internet!"

And with that the tiny creature whizzed upwards and the swarm of tiny glowing fairies followed him suit and straight up into the night sky they went and then the darkness swallowed them and they were gone.

Harry slowly let out a long staggering breath.

That had gone better than expected.

Then he walked on.

.

Harry hadn't gotten far when he found his path blocked by sphinx.

She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

One second there was nothing there, the next the shadows had given birth to a creature with the body of an enormous lion with razor shar curved claws and the head of a beautiful woman wearing a golden crown. She turned her long almond shaped eyes in Harry as he approached.

Harry, unsure as to what to do stopped.

The sphinx turned to him.

"I am the guardian of this path" she announced and her deep voice carried over the space between them.

"Approach child and face my challenge."

Most unwillingly did Harry near those wickedly sharp talons.

"If you chose to continue down this path you will find yourself on the most direct rout to your goal. But be warned. To pass me you have to answer my riddle. Answer correctly and I will let you pass. Answer wrong and I will attack. You have the chance to turn around if you do not wish to face me. I will let you go in peace."

The most direct way was so tempting that Harry didn't bother to think twice.

"I will face you." He agreed.

"Very well. Hear my riddle." She said.

"First think of the person who lives in disguise,

Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.

Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,

The middle of middle and end of the end?

And finally give me the sound often heard,

During the search for a hard-to-find word.

Now string them together and answer me this,

Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

Harry snorted.

"There're a lot of things I don't want to kiss. Dementors, basilisks, Pansy Parkinson to name a few."

"Is that your answer?" The sphinx asked coolly.

"No, no it's not, of course not!" Harry replied hastily.

"Can I hear it one more time?" he asked.

She repeated it once more and Harry carefully considered every word.

"I could really use Hermione right about now." He muttered, thinking back to when she had solved Snape's potion-puzzle.

"A person with secrets and lies…gotta be a spy. And…middle mend and end… hard to find word…Oh…ah, I get it…"

He turned to face the sphinx.

"The creature you are most unwilling to kiss…is a spider." He said confidently.

"Is that your final answer?" she asked him, just as coolly as before.

"Ahm…yes?"

She was silent for a second.

Then she stepped aside, unblocking the path.

"That is correct. I wish you good fortune on your ways ahead."

"Thank you."

With only slightly shaking knees did he walk past her.

When he turned to look at her once more, she had already disappeared.

.

Once more Harry wondered how he'd ended up here.

How could, despite all the measurements and precautions that had been taken for this tournament, Barty Crouch Jr. still have managed to get him into the competition?

How?

That seemed to be the question.

How had he managed to kill his father in broad daylight without anyone noticing.

How had he escaped Azkaban, how had he found Voldemort, how did he manage to stay under the radar so long?

Somewhere along the road someone had messed up big time and that was the only reason eh was currently tracking through the god-forsaken labyrinth of hedges filled with things that wanted to harm or even kill him.

That was what was going through Harrys mind as the maze made a sharp turn and he stumbled to a hold.

In front of him the hedges had made way for an area about the size of an average Hogwarts classroom.

The ground was divided into tiles, each about a square meter big and each had a letter carved into them. They made up no words and looked random.

Frowning Harry made another step forward, setting his foot on the first tile. It had a huge ornamented 'A' carved into it.

Harrys heart almost stopped when the tile crumbled underneath his feet and his whole body lurched downwards.

Just in time in managed to throw himself backwards onto solid ground.

Slightly shaking with the sudden rush of adrenalin coursing through his veins he pulled his leg out of the hole where the tile had been seconds ago and peaked through it.

His stomach dropped when he saw the abyss underneath the tile, like a bottomless sinkhole.

"Are they mad?" he muttered aloud, not caring if the Orb picked up his words. "What the hell is this?"

As if to answer his question in the air above the tiles silver words started to appear as if written by an invisible giant.

"I am the Queen forgotten by the world, nothing more but a folk-lore.

I stand in the shadow of a man who fell but will rise once more.

I was scorned, hunted and betrayed,

Loved and hated, shunned and shamed.

I was a smith daughter and a maid.

I was gentle and iron-willed.

Most don't know me by name,

Only by the mistakes that I made.

I sat at the table of equal men

But no one ever remembers my presence then.

Who am I?"

The answer almost pupped up immediately in Harrys mind.

Mostly, because he was a living part of that legend but also because as a small child the first book he'd read in school, was the Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

King Arthur, the Once and Future King. The man who fell but would rise again in Alboin time of need.

And there was only one Queen in his life that this poem could relate to.

His wife.

Queen Guinevere.

Who had supposedly betrayed him be sleeping with Sir Lancelot, the noble knight. Shunned and shamed and betrayed.

Who had been Arthurs confident and advisor but was hardly ever mentioned in the story for those feats.

Who let Camelot after Arthurs death and who, in capitulating to the Saxon Invaders, saved the lives of her people, instead of sacrificing them in a war they couldn't have possibly won.

It had to be her.

But what was he to do with that information?

His gaze fell back on the tiles and the letters.

And he understood.

Harry groaned and shook his head.

"Someone beside me has been reading Indiana Jones." He muttered as he scanned the letters.

There was a 'G' on his left in the first row.

Holding his breathe he gently placed his foot on it.

When it didn't break at first contact he put a little more pressure on it before transferring his entire weight on the single slap of stone hovering above this seemingly bottomless hole.

"Alright, so far so good. Now how do you spell 'Guinevere'?" he muttered. "I bet Fleur would know." He added, looking around for the closest 'U'.

Two rows ahead and slightly the left he found one.

Almost a two-meter jump.

The slaps of stone didn't leave much room for a running start so he would have to calculate his jump precisely.

He landed safely enough and when it didn't break that was a huge relieve as well.

"I know the nickname is Gwen. But I don't think there's a 'w' in it at all."

Even though nobody was around to hear him (not including the Orb), Harry kept talking. It helped him concentrate and break the thick tens silence around him.

"It's spelled in weird way. I think there's an 'I' behind the 'U'."

He scanned the tiles around him.

No 'I' anywhere.

"I'm sure there's an 'I' in there somewhere." He protested.

Praying the slap of stone would hold him, he jumped into the air, trying to make out more letters.

He spotted the 'I' sure enough.

But it was three rows upwards and five to his right.

That was a big jump.

Using every inch he had on the slap of stone, Harry took one step and pushed himself of the stone as hard as he could.

But even as he sailed through the air he knew that he wouldn't make it.

He thrust out his arms, hoping to catch at least the edge of the tile.

Upon contact with his body the tiles surrounding the 'I' shattered into tiny shards but the 'I' held firm.

So it had been the right decision.

But Harry didn't have time to celebrate. His fingers caught hold of the tiles edges but his momentum from the jump carried him further and his fingers scratched across the rough surface.

He ignored the burning sensation of broken skin on his finger tips and blood slowly pouring out and instead grabbed tighter, finding hold in a crevice in the stone, bringing his whole body to an abrupt stop.

He hung there, dangling in the air, held only by his fingers.

For a second Harry closed his eyes, breathing deeply to calm his frantically beating heart.

Then opened his eyes to assess the situation.

Above him there was the tile he was clinging onto.

Below him there was nothing.

And somehow he had managed to break all the tiles around the 'I' in a two meter radius so that now the 'I' was suspended in mid-air.

"Think Potter, come on, think." He whispered to himself.

The Orb hummed unhelpfully across from him.

Harry shot it a dirty look.

"Alright, you've been here before." He told himself, thinking back to his very first Quidditch Game when Quirrell had jinxed his broom into almost bucking him off.

Back then he had hung from the shaft of his broom just like this.

And he had managed to get back up then so he could do it now as well.

His fingers were burning by now and the blood made them slick and it was hard to maintain a stead grip.

Harry swung up his legs carefully and hooked first the right one and then the left around the sides of the stone, as if straddling it from below, then let go with his hands so that he now dangled like a bat upside down from the underside of the stone. He flexed his fingers before taking out his wand.

"Episkey." He muttered, sealing the small bleeding gashes on his hands and cleaning away the blood, before strong his wand away safely.

His legs were beginning to protest now as well since it was awkward hanging like this.

He grabbed hold once more with his hands on the two sides of the tile and began carefully crawling along its bottom back to the front.

He kept crawling like this until most of his upper body had appeared form underneath the tile.

Then, using all the strength he had in his core, Harry bend upwards, folding his body around the slap of stone and gabbed the sides with his hands once more.

Next came the tricky part.

Harry unhooked his feet and they fell down, swinging down.

Using their momentum, he thrust his body forwards, pulling himself further with his hands until most of his upper body lay top-side on the stone and only his legs still angled off it.

From here on it was easy to pull them up into the small square.

Harry lay there, panting, his limbs sore from holing on so tight.

He just wanted to lay here a little while longer but he knew he couldn't.

Carefully he got to his feet.

"So that's 'G' 'U' 'I' which means the next one's 'N'."

To his delight the 'N' was right in front of him.

"'E'."

Big Jump.

"'V'."

Almost crashed again.

"'E'."

There's a lot of 'E's in this name.

"'R'."

Almost there.

"'E'."

As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Harry fell to his hands and knees, panting.

A low rumbling noise behind him caught his attention and he turned hi head to look over his shoulder.

The tiles started to glow and then to move, shifting positions, rearranging themselves in a new pattern and the ones that Harry had broken regenerated, now with new letters on them.

They were ready, ready for the next contestant.

Harry winced, hoping his friends were doing alright.

.

The fairies as well was the sphinx had promised him that he was getting close to the Cup.

Harry agreed because the further he went, the more seemed the hedges try to block his path.

They would start all of a sudden to grow right in the middle of his path and more than once Harry had to fight his was out of the plant so he would become stuck inside of it.

Once more he was scratched up and there were leaves and fir needles, dirt and roots stuck in his hair and clothing.

Some had even gotten into his nose and mouth.

But the worst seemed to be behind him which was why the twister took him by surprise.

It formed twenty meters in front of him, a funnel of wind, swirling up dirt, gravel, leaves and tiny twigs, whatever it could get a hold of and started moving towards Harry.

Harry turned on his heels, running back the way he'd come.

The wind picked up and the storm approached quickly.

But that wasn't his only problem.

Ahead he saw the hedges moving, indicating they would close the path.

Spotting a smaller side-corridor just in time, Harry ducked left and continued running but the storm followed.

Harry duked left right left right, trying to evade the storm or to outrun it but all his attempts were blocked by fast moving hedges.

Harry felt like mouse surrounded by hungry cats that played with him, herding him this way and that, exhausting him, taunting him.

Still Harry kept running, on which reserves he didn't know but he was glad he had them.

But ultimately it wasn't enough.

What he had dreaded came to be.

He'd been herded into a dead end.

There was no way out.

And the twister kept coming.

Defiantly Harry stared at it, wand at the ready but he could think of no spell that could possibly help him now.

The wind flung dirt in his eyes and Harry shielded his head, ducking away as the storm finally reach him.

Harry waited for it to toss him around and away, to do anything.

But to his surprise the wind died down and everything was silent once more.

Carefully Harry lifted his arms and rose from his crouched position.

He wasn't standing in a dead end anymore.

He was standing at the centre of a four-way-intersection.

But that wasn't everything he noticed.

There…there was a strange smell in the air.

Like…sugar and butter and flowers and honey and…

He sniffed once more.

It was a nice smell.

But where could it possibly be coming from?

He turned in slow circles, taking everything in around him.

But as he moved a strange feeling of nausea swelled up inside of him.

Something was wrong.

But…but that smell…so tempting…and so good!

Another step towards that amazing smell had Harry almost drooling.

Yet another part of him screamed at him not to continue.

With every step he took the strange nauseating feeling of 'Notrightgetoutofherethisisbad' grew stronger.

He stopped abruptly, turning again.

Where was the intersection?

He'd only taken a few steps, so where was it?

His head spun.

The smell intensified, going from pleasantly sweet to overwhelmingly, nauseatingly sweet.

The sense of wonder and curiosity that had bene there seconds ago evaporated like water on a stove.

Danger. That was all he could think.

There is danger.

Harry thought he would be physically sick to the stomach.

Around him the sickly-sweet smell of flowers grew overwhelmingly strong.

The next step sent him crashing down to his knees.

He retched but nothing came.

Shivering he fell to his side, tremors wracking his body.

What was happening?

His eyesight grew blurry and misty.

And then he heard it.

A voice calling out his name. A female voice.

"Harry! Harry darling, are you alright?"

There was a hand on his shoulder.

Someone turned him over.

He almost thought someone must have come to rescue him.

Maybe they had seen him struggled and got him out of there.

"Harry?"

A second voice, this one male.

A shadowy figure bent over him and his eyesight cleared to see bright red hair that tickled his nose and cheeks and green eyes that were achingly familiar. The face was young and beautiful.

"Oh Harry my darling. It's alright, you're save."

"Mum?" Harry whispered shocked and confused.

Lily Potter smiled at him and her hand caressed his face.

"Yes baby, it's me. Oh my love, it's alright. Mummy is here. And so is Daddy."

She looked over her shoulder and Harry followed her gaze.

It was like staring in a mirror. The hair, the face, the wiry frame, the crooked smile.

"Hey there son."

James Potter stepped forward.

"You gave us quite a fright kiddo. But it was just a bad dream."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

James sat down on the edge of Harrys bed.

Wait…what bed?

Where had the bed come from?

Harrys head snapped around fast as lighting.

He was sitting in a bed in a room he didn't know. The bedding was decorated with the Gryffindor coat of arms and he seemed to be wearing matching pyjamas.

In fact the entire room was decorated in a very Gryffidnorish-way.

One wall was painted red and had tiny golden lions all over it.

On another wall hung a huge Gryffindor-banner and on a chair next to a closet hung his school uniform as well as his Quidditch uniform. His Firebolt leaned in the corner next to the door, pictures of his friends at Hogwarts hung at the walls and on a perch next to the window sat Hedwig, eyes him with her big intelligent amber eyes.

On a desk underneath the window school books and parchment rolls lay in an untidy pile. The clock on his nightstand read six am.

"Wha…where am I?" Harry gasped, scooting backwards until his back hid the head of the bed.

Lily and James Potter, both dressed in what looked like night-clothes looked at each other concerned before Lily gently said: "You are at home Harry. Godrics Hollow? You've lived here your entire life baby."

Harry shook his head, confusion and panic making it hard for him to think.

A pounding headache began in the back of his skull.

"No…no, he…he killed you. He…he came here…Voldemort, he came here and killed you and…you…you are dead!"

"Son, what are you talking about? Who is this Voldemort?" James asked, leaning concerned forward.

A wave of that sickly-sweet flower smell hit Harrys nostrils and he retched again.

"James, I think he's sick!" he heard Lily say.

Arms, soft and warm, encase him, but Harry fought them.

"No! No, you are not real, you are not my parents! My parents are dead!" he shouted.

"Harry, stop, you are hurting yourself and your mother!" James said sternly.

"Maybe we should call someone?" Lily asked, still trying to wrap her arms around him.

But Harry wouldn't have any of it.

This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.

James too now tried to grab hold of him but Harry squirmed and kicked and shouted.

And as he did their touch changed.

It grew harder, colder, slimy and too tight!

"LET ME GO!"

With that final yell the illusion shattered.

Within a second, he was back in the maze, the tall dark hedges around him and the even darker night-sky above him.

The cold assaulted him, together with that sick smell.

He wriggled but found that he could hardly move.

And as he looked down he saw that his body was almost entirely encased in in slimy white vines that coiled around him like a Boa Constrictor.

Panicking Harry reached for his knife and began hacking away at the vines.

They coiled back as if hurt but kept trying to wrap him up in a cocoon of illusions and death.

Fuelled by panic and irrational fear Harry slashed around him at the vines until there was nothing left but tiny twitching pieces on the ground.

His heart still beating at a hundred miles per hour, Harry stumbled backwards, colliding with one of the hedges.

Thinking it was another one of the vines he spun around, slashing at the hedge as well.

His ears rang loudly.

Somehow, he managed to stumble away from that terrible place.

He had no idea what had just happened but it had terrified him.

Only when he had brought enough distance between himself and THAT place, did he allow himself to collapse.

He couldn't help the tremors that ran though his body.

All he wanted was to shoot those sparks of red light up in the sky.

But he couldn't seem to find the strength to raise his wand nor mutter the incantation.

So he just stayed there, shivering, exposed to whatever might wander by.

And something did wander by.

A shadow fell across him and through lidded eyes Harry could make out a shaved head, a hooked nose and steel-grey eyes.

"Victor?" he muttered.

"Yes. It's me Harry. What happened, are you alright?"

The other seeker knelt down next to him, rolling him onto his back.

Harry groaned.

"Long story. I just…need to rest…" he muttered.

"Well, you can't rest here, it's not safe." The older boy replied and before Harry knew it Victor had pulled him to his feet and dragged/carried him along.

"What about the others?" Harry asked.

"You are the first I've met." Victor grunted as he pulled them around a corner.

Harry nodded.

Slowly the fog on his mind began to lift and he saw more clearly.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Somewhere safe, if such a place exists here." Krum replied.

Harry wanted to ask another question but suddenly Victor dropped him and he fell to the ground.

There was screaming, spells being cast from two directions.

Instinctively Harry rolled aside and got to his knees just in time to see Victor shoot a spell at Cedric, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Stop!" harry shouted.

What in Merlin's name was gong on, why where the two fighting?

"Harry, get away from him!" he heard Cedric shout.

"NO!" howled Victor and fired another spell at Cedric which send the seventh year backwards.

The Quidditch Star then turned to Harry and Harry backed away in horror.

Victors eyes weren't their usual grey anymore.

They were covered in a milky white membrane and bloodshot. Dark circles hung underneath them, standing out against the otherwise pale skin.

"Stay where you are Potter!" Not-Victor growled and turned back to Cedric.

"Harry run!" the Hufflepuff shouted as he valiantly tried to engage the Bulgarian in a duel.

Harry didn't run.

"Petrificus totalus." Harry shouted, throwing the full-body-binding-curse at the older student.

Victor, who hadn't seen this coming, fell like a stone.

And suddenly it was all quiet again.

Carefully, his wand ready, Harry rose to his feet and approached Victor, as Cedric approached from the other side.

"You alright?" he asked the older boy."
"Yeah, you?"

"Fine. But what happened?"

Cedric sighed and lowered his wand.

"I think he's been enchanted or jinxed."

"By what?" Harry asked, kneeling down next to his petrified friend.

Victors eyes were closed but Harry could still see them before him.

"I don't know. All I know is that I see you and I want to call out for you, next thing I know I'm waking up, bound and gagged. I managed to free myself and went to look for you. I was afraid he might do something to you."

"Well, you were just in time, I didn't notice anything wrong with him at first."

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"What should we do?" Harry asked quietly.

"Maybe we can lift the spell?" Cedric suggested.

"I don't think a simple 'Finite Incantatem' is gonna cut it." Harry said doubtfully.

"But we also can't leave him here like that." Cedric added.

"Then let's call for help. Let us get him out of here." Harry suggested.

"We can't decide that for him." Cedric protested.

"Cedric, he's clearly not doing well, if we wake him and he attacks us again he could hurt us or even himself!"

"I can lift the curse off him." Cedric said confidently.

Harry threw his arms in the air.

"Fine but don't say I didn't warn you."

Both boys backed away slightly.

"Here goes nothing." Cedric muttered and flicked his wand. "Finite Incantatem."

Victor convulsed on the ground, his limbs going limp before suddenly his eyes snapped open and he sat up straight.

"Shit." Was all Harry had time to say before Cedric and he were tossed into the air like rag-dolls.

They hit the ground hard and got tehri breath knock out of them.

When Harry finally managed to sit up, Victor was gone.

Next to Cedric groaned.

"I told you so." Harry moaned before helping his friend to his feet.

"I know. Sorry. But I really thought I could do it."

"Let's just hope he doesn't find Fleur next. Man, we gotta finish this so we can help Victor!" Harry muttered him.

Then he looked around.

"Wait, this isn't where we just fought!" he protested.

"You're right." Cedric.

"Great, so now, where are we?" Harry groaned.

When Cedric didn't reply he turned to look at the Hufflepuff.

The boy was frozen in place, his gaze fixed on something to their right.

Harry followed his gaze and froze as well.

There, a hundred meters or so away, stood the Triwizard Cup, illuminating the darkness with its cool blue light.

For a second all the soreness and all the pain and worry left Harrys body, knowing they had done it.

"Cedric…" he began but a shriek from above them interrupted him.

They both looked up in time to see three enormous Acromantula drop down from the top of the hedges.

They landed behind them, their pincers snapping, foaming wildly while their eight eyes glowed with a crazy hungry desire for human flesh.

Harrys hand found his dagger on its own accord.

The first spider came at him, pincers clacking and foam flying through the air.

He evaded her first attack and sliced with the blade of his knife clean through her leg.

She wobbled and with a flick of his wand Harry propelled her backwards into one of her sister, sending them both into a messy pile of knotted legs on the ground.

He turned to see what Cedric was doing.

The seventh year was firing spell after spell at the spider but it kept coming at him. As he watched she slammed him into the ground with her two front legs.

Harry threw himself at the monster, grabbing onto one leg and stabbed it multiple times in the rear end.

It was the desired effect.

The spider forgot all about Cedric and stared twisting and turning in an attempt to shake him lose.

She was successful and Harry went flying once again.

He came to a slithering stop on the hard gravel, his clothes and skin torn open in several places.

To his dismay the other two spiders had managed to get back on their feet.

"Cedric, we gotta run! Head for the Cup!" he shouted before chanting: "Arania exumai!"

One of them smashed into the hedges but the second came at Harry like a fast train.

Harry jumped aside but not quickly enough and one of her pincers got him in the left calf.

The sharp instrument tore through the skin and muscle of his lower leg, poison making the wound burn.

Harry screamed in agony and rolled aside in time to avoid being skewered by one of the spider's legs.

It bore down on him and instinctively Harry threw up his knife.

There was a hard impact that drove his arm back into his chest and forced all the air out of his lungs but when he looked up he saw that he had stabbed the spider through one of its eyes right into the brain.

The monster wobble slightly as rancid black blood gushed down from the wound and onto Harry.

Hadn't it been for Cedric who pulled him back just in time them Harry would probably have bene buried underneath the monster.

Still he had no time to thank Cedric.

The other spiders were still coming at them.

But the two Hogwarts students didn't stay around to fight them.

Instead they ran.

Well, Cedric ran, carrying as much of Harrys weight as he could and Harry tried to ignore the agony in his leg.

The Cup was right there, right in front of them.

And the spiders were right behind them.

There was no time nor a reason to think long.

They both reached out and grabbed the cup.

There was the tugging sensation behind Harrys navel and gone they were, leaving behind nothing but a pedestal and two angry spiders.

.

.

.

.

AN: Oh no, what's gonna happen?

Is Cedric going to die?

What will the Graveyard scene be like?

Don't worry, more is in the making.

67. The graveyard

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The graveyard

When Harrys already battered and bruised body hit the earth yet again, forcing all breath out of his lungs, rattling his bones, aggravating his many wounds, all he could think was: Something's not right.

And he was right. There were no bright lights, no cheering from excited fans and schoolmates, no fanfares, no popping flashbulbs, nothing.

There was nothing.

There was no sound but the whistling of the wind.

It was dark and cold and wet.

The ground was muddy, it must have rained not long ago.

And judging by the darkened sky above them it was late. Very late.

So where were they?

Harry rolled onto his stomach, a movement that caused his necklace to slip out form under his shirt and almost fall of but he managed to catch it in time.

A few feet away he heard a groan and spotted Cedric sitting up next to a rock.

"You okay?" he asked the older boy, struggling to his own feet.

"I could have gone without the rough landing." Cedric admitted, stretching his back. "I didn't know it was a portkey." He muttered, staring at the portkey that lay forgotten a couple of feet away next to a rock.

There were a lot of rocks, Harry noticed a she scanned his surroundings.

"Where are we? Is this part of the tournament? Some secret task?" Cedric asked and stared up at the twirling and whizzing Projector Orb.

Harry slowly turned as a cold mind-numbing fear settled in his stomach.

"Cedric get to the portkey." He whispered.

"What? Why?" asked Cedric, concern radiating from him.

He hurriedly strode over to his side.

"Harry, are you alright? You are pale, you should sit down."

Harry shook his head.

"No Cedric, we don't have time, get to the portkey, this is not part of the task! This is not part of the tournament!"

Those rocks…they were everything but.

They were gravestones.

Hundreds of them.

By now Harrys eyes had adjusted to the dim light and he could make out more tombstones.

Somewhere simple and small but other were grand statues and family mausoleums.

One in particular caught his attention.

The huge skeletal anger/reaper stature above a family-grave.

And then suddenly, out of nowhere a devastating headache seemed to split his head into two.

Harry couldn't suppress the anguished scream as he dropped to one knee.

"Harry!" he heard Cedric shout with concern.

Suddenly, all around them torches burst into flame and from the ruins of a mausoleum a small cloaked figure rose.

As he stepped into the light of the nearest torch Harry could make out the face and if he hadn't been in such devastating pain he would have killed him immediately.

For there stood none other than Wormtail, the traitor.

And he was carrying something.

Cedric didn't seem to recognize the man but understood that he meant trouble.

Wand raised high, standing protectively over Harry he shouted: "Who…who are you?"

And then the voice that had been haunting Harrys nightmares for months now, spoke: "Kill the spare!"

The voice was raspy and brittle but still full of hatred and loathing. It was still powerful and terrifying and it was a voice that had to be obeyed.

Harry didn't know what made him do it, how he did it.

But in a burst of energy he kicked Cedrics legs away, hard enough for the Hufflepuff to fall down and it was the only reason that he didn't die.

The killing curse, so calmly uttered by that rat, sailed over their heads and collided with a tombstone.

The pain in his scar momentarily diminished, Harry managed to grab Cedrics collar and drag him behind another mausoleum.

"You fool!" the terrible voice howled.

"Don't worry master, I will not fail." Wormtail wailed fearfully.

"You better not! Find them and bring me Potter! Kill the other one!"

"Yes Master!"

They couldn't see Wormtail from their hiding spot but it was safe to assume that he was coming their way.

"Harry, what is going on?" Cedric whispered, fear clear in his eyes.

He knew. He knew how narrowly he had escaped death.

"Not now. Portkey, we need it. We need to leave or we'll both be dead."

Before either of them could say something, there was a loud bang and this time it was Cedric who pulled him out of harms way.

Together the two boys made a run for it.

They would have made it had Cedric not stumbled over a small half-rotten tombstone.

He went down in a heap, crying out.

Harry swirled around and just managed to shield his friend from some nasty spell.

Cedric managed to get up and dodged behind a statue.

Harry shot another spell at Wormtail, who parried it.

"Harry, my wand…it's broken!" Cedric shouted.

"THEN RUN!" Harry shouted back, engaging Wormtail yet again.

"I'll cover you, just run!"

To his relieve Cedric did just that.

Harry watched him go and that was his undoing.

Wormtail used his one second of distraction and hit him with a powerful curse.

Harry was knocked off his feet, his wand flying from his hand.

He saw Wormtail turn away from him and point his wand at the still running Cedric, his intentions clear.

Harry couldn't let that happen.

Time slowed down around him.

A familiar burning sensation on his chest caught his attention and on its own accord his hand wrapped around the magical pendant on his necklace.

And with a mighty: "NOOOOO!" Harry threw his hand out towards Cedric, just as Wormtail uttered that dreadful spell.

The air rippled as a gust of wind shot forward form Harrys hand, racing against the sick green light.

Horrified Harry watched, sure that he wasn't gonna make it.

The gust of wind hit Cedric in eth back, catapulting him forwards, out of the line of fire from Wormtails spell and into the portkey.

In a flash of light both Cedric and the Cup were gone.

The forgotten Killing Curse collided with a tree which crumpled into a pile of ashes.

He'd done it. He had saved Cedric.

His happiness didn't last long.

A shadow fell over him.

He'd forgotten about the traitor.

The last thing he saw before the world wend black was Wormtails sneering face.

Then nothing.

.

.

.

.

When Harry came to, the first thing he noticed was that he couldn't move. When he opened his eyes and saw that his arms and legs were tied to the creepy angel/reaper statue, he knew why.

His head was burning with pain and overall his whole body hurt.

The next thing he became aware off was the muttering of voices.

"You fool, you let him escape!"

A shiver went down Harrys spine and all drowsiness was gone.

"M…ma…master I am…I am so sorry! But he didn't…he didn't see you master…he can't…he cannot harm us."

"You've endangered this whole plan you imbecilic. But I'll deal with you later. For now get going with the ritual before this place starts swarming with Aurors because of your incompetence."

Harry watched as Wormtail appeared form the ruins of a mausoleum, carrying the same bundle as before.

He ignored Harry but instead hurried over to a cauldron Harry hadn't noticed yet.

"Get on with it." The voice demanded.

It came from the bundle in Wormtails arms.

Harry watched in fascinated horror as Wormtail dumped the bundle in the cauldron.

Then Wormtail turned around.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son" he chanted as he levitated a bone from inside the broken and cracked grave Harry stood on and dumped it in the cauldron s well

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master" he continued and from his robe he drew a long wicked knife with an ornamented handle. As Harry watched eh held his hand oved the cauldron and in one swift movement that left Harry gasping feeling quite sick, he severed his hand from his arm.

The appendage fell into the boiling cauldron.

And then Pettigrew turned to him.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." He growled as he approached.

Harry struggled but it was no use.

The ropes held him tightly in place and there was nothing he could do as that vile rat slashed open deeply the inside of arm, drawing bright red blood.

Harry hissed at the stinging pain that engulfed his arm and watched at Wormtail walked back to the cauldron, letting a couple of drops of Harrys blood drip into the potion, before he hastily stepped back.

What followed would be in Harrys nightmares forever.

The cauldron hissed and the flames leaped up, encasing the entire thing.

The iron melted away and the potion began to form and solidify until it stretched into a vague humanoid figure with long limbs, a bald head, its skin pale and thin as paper.

It shifted more and Harry could watch through its translucent skin and organs and bones and tissue grew.

Disgusted Harry averted his gaze.

This couldn't be happening.

This wasn't happening.

But when that same cold voice said: "Robe me Wormtail." He knew that it was happening.

Helpless he watched as the evillest creature that had ever been born, took its first tentative steps in its new body.

Voldemort was horrible to look at.

His body was pale and hairless, his limbs and finger long and thin. His black robes billowed around him like living shadows.

The face was the worst though.

Red eyes with snake-pupils and no lids, slits for nostrils and almost none-existent lips, that waxy white skin though which you could see every vein…

It was a terrible sight.

Voldemort turned to face his servant, the one that had brought him back. Said servant was holding out Voldemort's wand form him to take.

"Hold out your arm, Wormtail." The Dark Lord hissed as he took back his wand.

"Oh thank you my Lord, thank you." Wormtail grovelled as he held out his stump that was still bleeding.

"The other one, Wormtail." Voldemort hissed impatiently.

Whimpering the rat held out the other arm.

Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand into the soft flesh of Pettigrew's arm.

The previously faded Dark Mark suddenly came to live, more vivid and glowing than ever before.

"Now we will see who is brave enough to return to Lord Voldemort's side after all these years!" Voldemort hissed.

And as if on cue the heavens opened and clouds of darkness descended.

"Here they come, my followers, my loyal subjects!" Voldemort sneered.

Horrified Harry watched as one by one from the clouds of darkness human figures in black robes and skull masks appeared.

At first it was three, then seven, then fourteen, then twenty and soon so many that Harry lost count.

They all froze at the sight of Voldemort but many dropped to their knees, whispering in awe.

Voldemort just sneered.

When the last of them seemed to have appeared, Voldemort slowly walked towards his subjects.

"Thirteen long years has it been" he began, his voice travelling across the graveyard "And yet here you stand before me as if it were only yesterday" he paused.

"I confess myself disappointed. After all, not one of you tried to find me."

He stopped before the nearest Deatheater.

"Like you, Crabbe." He hissed, sending the man to the ground with on flick of his wand.

"Or you, Macnair, Goyle, Dolohov…" as he said each name he sent them all to the ground, quivering in fear and pain.

"Most of you abandoned me when I was gone, lost faith in me and bowed to the blood-traitors. Only some of you had the guts to stand by me. The Lestranges will be rewarded for their faith. But you…you lot disgust me" he approached another figure, tall and motionless "Even you Lucius abandoned me." He growled.

As the man fell to his knees, his mask came undone and Harry saw Lucius Malfoy stare up at Voldemort with pain, fear, terror and…worship.

"My Lord please! I did try to bring you back, I found the stone for you!"

"And yet you still failed!" Voldemort sneered. "Though you have done more to redeem yourself than most of the men here. Rise Lucius. All of you rise, there's a lot to be done, now that I am back." He announced.

The Deatheaters followed his order.

"Still, I should congratulate you on the courage to have come, even though you must have known I would be angry. Everyone who failed to turn up tonight will be severely punished, mark my words. Starting with that lying worm Karkaroff. And where is Snape?"

Lucius cleared his throat.

"Milord, we didn't include Snape in the plans for your resurrection. We think he might be the one who tipped off Dumbledore about the stone."

At the mention of Dumbledore's name Voldemort snarled.

"Is that so? Well, he will get what he deserves. Just like all of you disloyal dogs." Voldemort howled.

"I…I…stayed by your side!" Wormtail piped up, much to Harrys surprise.

Voldemort turned to him an sneered some more. "Yes, out of fear, not out of loyalty." He growled as he approached the rat.

Wormtail covered in fear.

"Though you have been rather useful the past months and even though you let the other one get away I will still reward you."

He flicked his wand and a silver hand grew from the bleeding stump of Wormtails arm.

"Oh, thank you milord, thank you, you are too good!" whimpered Wormtail as he awed at his new hand.

"Speaking of the one that got away" Voldemort said and for the first time since his resurrection he turned and stared right at Harry.

"Look who could join us tonight. Harry Potter, the boy who lived."

He was so close that Harry could smell his breath on his face.

It smelled of decay and blood.

"How lies have fed your legend." He growled, his face contorting into a mask of anger and hatred.

"Shall I revel, what truly happened that night thirteen years ago? How I truly lost my power?" he turned around to face his followers as if to ask if they wanted to know.

"It was…love…when dear sweet innocent Lily Potter gave her life for her only precious little son. She provided him with the ultimate protection, anchored in his and her very blood." He sneered.

"I could not touch him, no. It was old magic, something I should have seen, but no matter, no matter…" he waved it aside like it wasn't a mistake that had almost cost him his life "For now that we share that blood…I…can…touch…you!"

And with those words he pressed his long bony finger against Harrys scar.

The devastating pain returned, stronger than before and this time it wasn't just his head.

It was everywhere.

Harry screamed, unable to hold it in.

Voldemort laughed menacingly.

He let go after what felt like an eternity of agony.

"Astonishing what a few drops will do, wouldn't you say Potter?"

He stepped away and with a flick of his wand the ropes holding Harry in place vanished and he fell to the ground.

"I will kill you, Harry Potter. After tonight, nobody will every question my powers again."

Fear washed through Harry.

"But I will give you a chance. Pick up your wand Harry, pick it up." The dark sorcerer whispered.

From somewhere someone tossed Harry his wand. It fell onto the ground before him and Harry grasped it as if it was a lifesaver. Which it was.

He stumbled to his feet.

"I presume you have been taught how to duel?" Voldemort asked.

"First we bow to each other." He explained, giving Harry an extravagant shallow bow.

Harry, unsure what to make out of this situation and too petrified to react stayed where he was, wand clutched tightly in his hand.

"Come on now Harry, the niceties must be preserved, Dumbledore wouldn't want you forgetting our manners now, would he" Voldemort in an almost kind way only for his face to twist into hatred as he added with his wand pointed at Harry: "I said: BOW!"

He forced Harry to bow, against his will.

Harry was helpless.

He saw some of the Deatheaters sneer and laugh and clap at the side-lines.

But his focus returned to Voldemort when the Dark Lord hissed: "And now we duel!"

Before Harry could do anything, Voldemort shouted: "Crucio!"

Blinding pain, worse than anything he'd ever felt course through him. Like fiery shreds of glass that tore his insides apart.

But he managed to hold onto his wand as he lay there, writhing on the ground.

Then it stopped for a second but only for it to continue even worse than before.

Suddenly Voldemort was kneeling next to him.

"Oh well done Harry" he sneered "Your parents would be so proud. Especially your mud-blood mother…"

The anger that welled up inside Harry was enough to produce a spell but Voldemort flicked it aside as if it was nothing.

"After tonight, if they ever speak of you again, they will only speak about how you begged for death. And how I…merciful as I am…gave it to you…"

He laughed menacingly.

"Get up…get up I say!" he shouted as he once more forced Harry to move against his will.

Voldemort laughed, gliding away slightly to share is triumph with his followers.

Harry used the moment of distraction to duck behind a particularly large tombstone.

But of course they had seen him.

A spell exploded quiet close to his head and Voldemort's deranged cries echoed through the night.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me Harry Potter! I want you to look at me when I kill you. I want to see the light leave your eyes."

A wave of calm washed over Harry.

Suddenly all the fear and panic and pain, it was gone, secondary to everything else.

His heartbeat slowed down. His erratic breathing evened out.

Calm radiated through his entire body.

Harry knew he was going to die. There was no way out. The Deatheaters had this place surrounded and there was no help coming anytime soon.

But he wouldn't go down like this.

Not hiding, not cowering before that lunatic.

He would stand and fight, like he always had. He would go out on his own terms. Not Voldemort's.

Harry took one last deep breath, whispered a silent apology to Sirius that he would not be able to come to the Caribbean with him and then stepped out from behind the tombstone.

.

.

.

.

.

Voldemort was already waiting.

They all were.

They knew he had nowhere to go.

"Have it your way then." He growled, bringing his wand up in one fluid motion.

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted, just as Voldemort chanted: "Avada Kedavra!"

The two beams of magic, one red, the other green, collided in a spectacular shower of sparks and thunder.

Harry didn't know what just had happened but he felt how Voldemort pushed his own spell towards him and Harry gave everything to push his own spell forward.

The spells pushed and pulled against each other, trying find tehri target.

Over the deafening sound of explosions and thunder Harry heard Voldemort shout: "NO! HE'S MINE!"

More explosions and more sparks that flew through the air.

Harrys arms quivered. The strain was becoming too much.

He heard Voldemort shout in anger and frustration and fell a mighty push.

Tears welled up in his head and he tried to think of good times, of hanging out with Hermione and Ron in the Common Room, playing Chess with Daphne on the back of an elephant, of the domestic bliss he had experience with Remus and Sirius, of the joy that curse-breaking gave him, anything to keep him calm.

He wondered how much longer he would be able to hold this connection and if he shouldn't just let go.

But he didn't get that far.

The strongest explosion between the two spells yet brought forth a shower of sparks that settled over the two combatants like a shield, cutting them off from the rest of the world.

Harry saw the shadows of Deatheaters trying to breach the golden dome but they couldn't.

More sparks, these white in colour exploded form the centre of where the two spells met and shot skywards and formed to Harrys disbelieve the vague humanoid ghostly shapes of people.

Harry staggered slightly when he recognized the old man that appeared first.

He was the man that had been killed in Harrys dreams.

"So, he is a wizard. Killed me that one. Hang on kid, don't let him get you!" he said in a gruff voice.

Another spark shot up and formed into the figure of an old woman that seemed vaguely familiar.

"Don't give in, you can't let him win!" she shouted.

Overwhelmed Harry just nodded, not understanding what was going on.

Then another spark erupted and this one flew right towards him.

And when she appeared Harry almost let go of the connection immediately.

Even though he had seen and illusion of her in the maze, seeing her now was so very differently.

He hair fell down her shoulders, her smile so sweet and kind, her eyes gently and wise and yet with a fiery power to them that told you she was not to be trifled with.

She gazed upon Harry with unconditionally love and acceptance.

"Hang in my love. Your father is coming. He so wants to meet you."

Her voice…it was so sweet and full of love and understanding…

Another spark erupted, traveling to Harrys other side.

He was just as Harry had seen him and yet so different. His hair was a mess, his glasses crocked and eyes so much brighter with mischief.

"Harry, you must run and hide!" he shouted. "When you break the connection we can linger for a little while longer but you must hide! Don't worry, help is coming and they will find you. But you must be quick, do you understand son?"

Harry nodded, unable to form words.

"Sweetheart you are ready. Let go. Just let go!" she urged him, her ghostly hand stroking his face gently.

"Let go!" she encouraged him.

With one last desperate look at them, Harry ripped his wand away and ducked underneath the wave of uncontrolled magic that was let lose.

The ghostly images of his parents, the old man and the woman descended onto the Deatheaters, encasing them in thick white smoke, taking their sight.

Harry didn't waste time.

And although it was pure agony he turned and ran.

.

He didn't even make it out of the graveyard before the first spell exploded somewhere behind him and a voice yelled: "He ran this way! Quick!"

Harry made a tight turn, keeping low, running behind and in the shadows do gravestones.

"This way!"

"I think he ran this way!"

"Over here!"

"Can you see him?"

"He cannot have gone far!"

"FIND HIM!"

The last one was Voldemort and he sounded furious.

Harry came to a staggering halt in the shadow of a small hill.

His body couldn't go on anymore.

There was no way out.

Hide, they had said, hide. Help is coming. They will find you.

I only need a way to hide from the Deatheaters until Sirius can find me, Harry thought.

Almost unconsciously he clutched his necklace with his hands.

Hide, hide away from them, don't let them find me, don't let them see me.

The pendant grew hot in his hands and filled him with warmth and reassurance that everything would be alright.

Harry relaxed, sinking back into the ground.
And as he did, the ground softened up and drew him inside, covering him with earth and grass and leaves and moss, until the earth had swallowed him up, hidden underneath the surfaced, swaddled in a cocoon of fresh air and warm earth, like a baby in a mother's womb.

And as outside the Dark Lord raged and cursed his followers and even killed some, Harry lay safely protected away form all that, hidden, waiting to be found.

Like he knew he would be.

After all, his dad had promised him that.

68. Lost, found, rescuedtwice

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Lost, found, rescued…twice

As soon as the hedges closed behind Harry, Sirius was on the edge of his seat, his gaze firmly fixated on the screen dedicated to Harry.

Harry was slowly walking down a narrow path.

It was dark inside the maze even though out here it was only midday.

The Orbs perspective changed and they saw Harry from a birds-eye-view, his face pale and stoic.

Not for the first time Sirius wondered what was going on inside that head.

And also how they had ended up here.

The past months had been nerve-wrecking.

First the search for Pettigrew, then Harrys sudden and unexplainable enrolment in this deadly competition, the various tasks, so dangerous and crazy, they all had taken at least ten years of his life each!

Most of his days were spend worrying about Harry, having to deal with fans and reporters while still trying to find the rat Pettigrew best they could.

And then of course there was the regular stuff he had to deal with like politics and running his House.

Granted, his house had about five members or so buts still…after twelve years away from the job and the House being without leadership for more than eight…it had left a lot of paperwork and problems for him to deal with.

So yeah, things had been stressful but as the year had move don and Harrys had turned out to handle himself quite well, despite the situation and he, Sirius, had managed to catch up on everything important, Sirius had thought that the last tsk would be just that…the end.

How wrong he was.

It was torture watching Harry combat everything the maze threw at him form monsters to traps to freakish weather.

He wasn't the only one flinching, cursing and cheering.

All four champions moved through the maze with skill and grace, proven once more that the Goblet of Fire had indeed chosen the most skilful magicians of their generation.

But did it have to be this dangerous?

Harrys and Cedrics battle with the spiders left him the most unnerved.

They were so close to being done, to coming home.

Sirius wanted to scream, to jump up and teleport into that maze.

More than once his eyes sought out the yellow and the red beams of light, rising parallel from the centre of the maze.

And when their hands closed simultaneously around the cup and the picture from the Orbs turned into a whirlpool of rapidly changing colours and shapes, Sirius jumped to his feet as did everybody else, expecting his godson and Cedric to appear any second on the pitch in front of them.

But as the seconds passed and nothing happened, the cheers died down, turning into confused whispers and murmur.

Sirius searched the crowd for Bagman and Dumbledore.

He didn't like what he saw.

Bagman looked confused, even worried.

Dumbledore tried not let his own worry show but Sirius knew the man better that even Dumbledore himself suspected. And Dumbledore was worried.

He didn't know what was happening either.

"What's going on? They should be here, the Portkey should have brought them here by now." Remus muttered next to him, his concern obvious.

Everyone was concerned Sirius noted.

Everybody present bore that same looked or worried confusion.

But before anyone could ask or do something, the screens of Harrys and Cedrics Projector Orb flickered back to life, transmitting new images.

Sirius heart stopped.

Both boys were somewhere dark and cold and wet.

The bird-eye perspective showed them a graveyard and far back on a hill, a tall dark mansion.

As the boys talked, Sirius frowned.

Harry had been there? In a dream? How? What was going on?

His panic ten folded when Harry began experiencing unexplainable pain.

Cedric, bless his heart, tried to help him but the appearance of Wormtail shook them all.

Even more when he tried to kill the boys.

Sirius thanked whoever was listening for Harrys quick reflexes or otherwise Amos would be mourning the loss of his son right now.

Instead the man's eyes were fixated on the screen, following his son.

Sirius wanted to scream at Harry to make a run for the portkey as well instead of distracting Wormtail.

But he knew that Harry would do anything to protect his friends, to give Cedric a chance.

This was proven, when Harry somehow managed to push Cedric out of the way of another killing curse and straight into the cup.

Both boy and trophy vanished in a flash of light and the images on Cedrics screen once more dissolved.

The last thing Sirius saw on his godson's screen was Harrys bloody and pale face, staring defiantly at Wormtail.

Then the screen went black.

The next thing that happened was an explosion of sparks and from the air dropped a shaken but relatively unharmed Cedric Diggory and the cup.

Amos Diggory howled his sons name, storming towards him, embracing him, falling to his knees and rocking back and forth, holding his son, relieved to feel his only child safe, secure and alive in his arms.

Sirius understood all to well.

But Cedric had no time nor nerve for his father's affection.

Although he had just barely escaped death, he was already reaching out for the portkey once more, screaming over and over again: "NO! I HAVE TO GO BACK! HARRY…he…he needs me, PLEASE, LET ME GO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, HE WILL KILL HIM!"

Sirius feet brought him down to the field on their own accord.

He hardly noticed the pandemonium around him, how the teachers tried to rein in their students, tried to shepherded them back to the castle and away from here.

He hardly noticed Fudges white face and ignored the flashed of camera light all around him.

Finally he reached Cedric who was close to hysterics.

He managed to grab the boy's shoulders.

"What happened?" he asked, shaking the poor boy.

It was a pointless question but one he had to ask nonetheless.

Cedric couldn't formulate clear and coherent sentences.

"The spiders…we were fighting Krum…and then suddenly there was this graveyard…I didn't know he was staying behind! And then that man…he wanted to kill me! And Harry…You have to do something, you have to find him! He…he wanted me dead but the other one wanted Harry alive!"

"The other one? There was someone else?"

Where had Dumbledore come from?

Only then Sirius noticed how a small ground had formed around them.

Dumbledore was there, as was the entire Weasley family and Tonks and a man Sirius vaguely remembered to have been on Harrys team in Cambodia.

He wasn't surprised to see Ron and Hermione right next to him but there were also Daphne Greengrass and Xenophilius's daughter, Luna he recalled.

Fudge was there as were a couple of Aurors who always accompanied him to events like these to act as bodyguards but they all looked rather overwhelmed with the situation.

Other than that, there were McGonagall, Moody and Snape there, the only teachers not trying to deal with the students.

"Yes…well…I didn't see them…I just heard…a voice. It was terrible…" Cedric whispered brokenly.

All his strength suddenly seemed to be gone and he sat down.

As Amos looked after his son, Dumbledore turned his attention to Moody.

"Alastor, you were the last to see the cup, did you notice any tampering on it?" he asked sharply.

"I kept an eye on the cup from the minute we took it from the vault this morning." Mad-Eye growled under his breath.

"And what a fantastic job you must have done, seeing that someone still managed to bewitch the Cup." Snape sneered.

Moody bared his teeth but before he could reply McGonagall stepped in.

"That is the last of our worries! We need to find Potter! Who knows what is happening s we speak! Is there anyway to reverse the portkey so it might take us back to that…that place?" she asked.

Bill stepped forward.

"I might be able to do that. Hand me the cup."

Sirius was glad that someone was taking the lead.

He felt faint and dizzy.

Next to him Remus put a hand on his shoulder.

"Deep breaths Padfoot" he whispered "We'll find him and he'll be alright."

"That was Pettigrew" Sirius managed to say "he was here…in England, all along, right under our nose, just like before!"

"I know, but he's not getting away again!"

The next ten minutes were the longest of Sirius's life though he hardly remembered what happened.

All he knew was that Bill announced that there was a way to reverse the portkey and he and the other guy from Harrys team, Atticus as he later learned, set to work on it but it would take a few minutes.

Also there was an argument between the children and most of the grown-ups whether they could come search for Harry or not.

The kids lost and Amos Diggory let them away but not without protest.

At some point Fleur and Krum appeared.

Someone must have retrieved them.

Krum was unconscious. Something about being bewitched.

Fleur looked okay but she was refusing to leave when she heard what had happened. Since she was of age they couldn't do much about it.

Only when Bill announced that they were done and ready to go did Sirius fully snap out of it.

All of them huddled around the cup and in a second, they were gone.

Next thing he knew his feet slammed into the slippery ground of the graveyard.

Thick mist hung around them.

"We're not alone!" Atticus remarked, pointing at the ground.

Indeed, it was trampled flat and all messed up as if a big group of people had recently gathered here.

The remains of a fire lay forgotten to one side.

"There was a fight here." Dumbledore observed.

He was right. The scorch marks on the tombstones where spells had hit them were uncanny. Debris covered the grass.

Something caught and reflected the light of tehri wands.

He bent down to inspect in closer and his insides froze over when he realized what the cracked and broke thing was.

He gently picked it up.

"These are Harrys" he muttered, holding up the mangled remains of Harrys glasses.

"He must have lost them. Maybe during a fight?" Remus suggested .

But Sirius hardly cared for that.

"HARRY?!" he shouted, despite knowing better.

"Silence you fool, do you want the enemy to know we're here?" Snape hissed.

Sirius didn't care.

The silence was broken by the unmistakable sound of people further away disapparating.

It came from all around the graveyard.

"This way!" Dumbledore ordered, pointing towards the mansion and the village behind it.

As they ran more cracks of dissapparating people could be heard and here and there and Sirius thought to make out the silhouette of some cloaked person.

But when they reached the outskirts of the cemetery nothing but footprints and churned up earth remained.

"Where is he? Where is Harry?"

Fearing the worst that Wormtail and whoever had helped him with this little coup had taken Harry with them, Sirius started searching, calling out Harrys name over and over again.

He wasn't the only one.

After it became clear that whoever head been here had left, everybody started searching.

But there was no trace of Harry anywhere.

Mad with grief, fear and pain, Sirius sank down on his knees, clutching his own arms for support.

Remus kneeled down beside him.

"He's got gone, he can't be gone. I just got him. I just got to have him Moony!" he whispered brokenly.

"I know Sirius. I promise, we'll find him." The werewolf assured him.

"I need him."

Sirius almost choked on his own confession.

But it was true.

Having Harry had banished the dark spots in his soul that Azkaban had left behind.

He couldn't lose the kid.

He hadn't been able to protect James and Lily.

He'd sworn that he would not make the same mistake again.

And yet here he was.

Around him and Moony the others slowly started to come together once more to regroup when it became obvious that Harry wasn't hiding somewhere in the graveyard.

"I can't pinpoint him with a location spell either." Bill muttered, his fists clenched tightly.

"What if they took him?" Mr. Weasley asked shakily.

"If that is the case, I fear Harry might be in grave danger." Dumbledore said solemnly.

"Well we have to do something! We can't just stand here and wait!" Remus protested.

"And what would you have us do? We have no leads as to where Potter might be held!" Snape hissed.

"No, he's not gone!" Sirius protested, slamming his fists into the ground.

"Whining and complaining about how unfair life is isn't going to help the boy!" Snape snapped at him.

Sirius was getting ready to get up and beat that snivelling bag of grease into the next century when Tonks let out an alarmed shout.

The earth underneath Sirius began to shift, crack and to curve upwards.

Everyone scrambled backwards, eyes trained on the moving ground.

A bubble of earth, roots and stones seemed to rise from the ground.

It was long and oblong and kind of flat.

And then suddenly it burst with a slight 'plop'.

And there, where just then the bubble had been, lay a pale, dirty and bloody, unconscious Harry Potter.

"HARRY!"

Sirius slid on his knees towards his godson and gathered Harrys prone figure in his arms.

He pressed his ear against Harrys chest, ignoring the started shouts around him, listening for that sign of life.

And there is was.

A tiny 'bum-ba-bum' inside Harrys chest.

"He's alive!" Sirius proclaimed, close to tears.

"Maybe, but he needs a healer." McGonagall pointed out.

She had knelt down beside him and was examining her student.

"I'm taking him to St. Mungo's." Sirius said immediately, gathering Harry safely in his arms and stood up.

Someone had conjured up a stretcher but Sirius wasn't going let go of Harry anytime soon.

"No, to dangerous right now. We don't know who was involved in this plot, this kidnapping" Dumbledore interrupted them "I'll take you back to Hogwarts. As headmaster I can apparate inside the school."

"Are you sure that is wise Albus the whole school is in an uproar. Surely, we can provide adequate protection for Harry at St. Mungo's."

"Besides, Madam Pomfrey might need help." Bill pointed out. "I'm good friends with a fantastic healer who was part of our team. Harry knows him, he knows Harry and I trust him with my life and I trust him with Harrys!"

"We don't have time for this!" Sirius shouted himself. "He's getting worse! I'm taking him to St. Mungo's, end of story. If you want to help and protect him, then come with me."

Remus's hand was immediately on his shoulder and stayed there when he apparated them away.

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A concussion.

Three broken ribs.

A torn calf-muscle.

Spider-poisoning.

Multiple abrasions, cuts and bruises, some pretty deep.

But worst was the spell-damage.

It had fried many nerve endings, some beyond repair and left a constant tremor in Harrys body. The healers said it would fade away soon but still…

Someone had used the cruciatus-curse on Harry more than once.

His godson had been tortured.

As Sirius sat at Harrys bedside, it all sank in.

They had healed most of Harrys injuries, though he'd have to take it easy for a couple of days and the concussion would have to go away on its own.

But still, Harry had been through quite an ordeal and while his body was healed, it still remembered the pain and his mental recovery was a different matter entirely.

But right now, he was in a deep dreamless sleep, far away from all that pain.

Someone entered the room behind him.

Remus' hand fell on his shoulder.

"Victor Greengrass just arrived with his sons and some other family members and offered to guard the entire wing."

Surprised and confused Sirius turned to face him.

"What? Why?" he asked.

Remus shrugged. "Maybe Daphne called him?"

Sirius nodded. Yeah, that sounded logical.

"All the kids are being send home early" Remus added "Rumours are spreading but Dumbledore told everyone during their last assembly that Harry was alive right now. Hermione and Ron want to come see him but I told them it'd be better to wait until Harry was better."

Sirius nodded.

"Moody is investigating who might have jinxed the cup and Shacklebolt and Tonks are leading the search for Pettigrew."

"If someone can find out what happened its Moody and if someone can find them its Tonks." He agreed.

"Cedric gave them a statement but so far we have no clue who might have been there with Pettigrew."

Sirius nodded. Cedric had help up remarkably well.

"Can you believe its only been two days?" he whispered.

Remus sighed heavily.

"I know, it feels like eternity."

Sirius nodded mutely.

It did.

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Harry was quite during their ride home.

He'd hardly spoken a word since waking up.

Once it was determined that he was well enough to finish his recovery at home, someone had organized a safe transport home.

And that was where they were headed right now.

Home.

Harry was still pale, still walked with a limp and got tired easily but at least he was up and alive.

During their time at the hospital Sirius had barely spend a minute away from him.

But today of all days he had to leave for an urgent meeting Dumbledore had called, together with Remus.

Luckily Mad-Eye had volunteered to watch Harry for those few hours.

With him, Harry would be save.

The car turned into their street.

Neighbours walked along the sidewalks, carrying groceries, pushing strollers, teenagers mingled around the corner, smoking and laughing, skateboarding across the street while smaller children drew pictures with coloured chalk on the asphalt.

Their driver manoeuvred carefully around them and stopped in front of their house.

Sirius was glad to see Harrys shoulder sacking with relieve and smile a little at the sight of it.

At least he was happy to be home.

Sirius climbed out on his side, then walked around to help Harry out.

The front door opened and Remus walked out.

He'd retrieved Harrys stuff that morning from Hogwarts and prepared the house for their arrival.

He retrieved their last bag from the trunk, paid the driver and followed them as Sirius walked Harry up the path and inside the house.

Inside it was nice and cool compared to the torrid heat outside.

The door closed behind them and Sirius felt how Harry took a deep breath.

"I made lunch but if you want you can go nap on the couch first. Or maybe in the hammock on the terrace?" Remus suggested.

Harry nodded. "Hammock sounds nice." He muttered and limped towards the terrace doors.

"Do you want to change first?" Sirius asked.

Harry shook his head wordlessly.

"Alright kiddo. Go ahead, I'll fetch you something to drink." He sighed.

"I'm fine." Harry replied as he walked.

Sirius exchanged a concerned glance with Remus.

Harry was already in the hammock, eyes closed, when he approached with a tall glass of water that he placed on a small table next to the hammock.

"Harry? Kiddo, you asleep yet?"

In response Harry opened his eyes and looked at him questioningly.

Sirius sighed.

"I hate to do it today but Remus and I have to meet with Dumbledore, it's important."

"What's it about?" Harry asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea." It was true, Dumbledore had been very cryptic in his message.

"Anyway, Mad-Eye agreed to watch you while we're away."

A frown appeared on Harrys forehead.

"Why Moody? Can't somebody else do it?" he asked.

"Don't worry, Moddy is more than capable of keeping you safe." Sirius assured him.

"That's not what I mean. Can't I stay home alone? I'd rather be alone. Moody gives me the creeps."

Sirius laughed but stopped when he saw Harrys serious expression.

"Harry, Mad-Eye is one of the best Aurors to ever walk on the British Isles! He's sent more Deatheaters to Azkaban than anyone else. Of course, he's a bit weird, an acquired taste so to speak but…its only for an hour or two."

Harry sighed. "Right."

He closed his eyes and Sirius knew that was his cue to go.

"Love you kiddo." He whispered, pressing a quick kiss against Harrys forehead.

When he walked inside, Mad-Eye was already there.

His fake eye whizzed around. Beats of sweat covered his brow.

"Sirius." He growled, nodding at him.

"Hey Alastor. Harrys outside, sleeping. Just let him sleep, there's food in the kitchen, have him eat something and other than that let him rest. There are some pain-relieve-potions in the second drawer in that cabinet and we'll be back soon. Thanks again for doing this."

Moody just glowered and nodded.

"I'll take it you have adequate protection around the property?"

"Yeas, Remus and I are keyed into the wards, nobody can get in without my permission and we'll be informed if Harry leaves the property as well. We added that last one just yesterday." Sirius explained.

Moody frowned but nodded. "Sounds alright. You should get going."

Sirius threw one last look back at the terrace where he could see just the top of Harrys black hair from inside the hammock.

The glass of water stood untouched on the side-table.

Then he nodded and left.

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As soon as the front door fell shut Harry opened his eyes.

Blankley, he stared at the wooden sunroof, blinking against the rays of sunlight that fell through the gaps between the timber beams.

The wind rustled through the ivy that climbed up on one side of the sunroof and overall it could have been a nice summer afternoon.

But despite the heat Harry felt cold.

Without the dreamless sleep potions his mind wasn't at ease anymore whenever he closed his eyes.

He kept re-visiting the graveyard every night.

He kept dreaming that he didn't manage to save Cedric.

He kept dreaming about Voldemort torturing him, kept hearing his cold voice in his ear.

"I'm going to kill you Harry Potter. After tonight nobody will ever speak of you again."

Even though he'd been healed, his body still ached and he remembered the pain all too well.

It was disturbing to look at the mirror and see almost no evidence that something had happened.

It all felt like a hyper-realistic nightmare.

Only it was a nightmare, it was reality.

A part of him felt bad for the way he treated Sirius.

But the only person he had briefly told what had happened was Dumbledore.

He had told him that the Dark Lord had returned and that his followers stood strong as ever behind him and that he had plans.

Dumbledore had only nodded and then he had left.

But Harry couldn't find a way to tell Sirius.

His godfather hadn't asked him about what had happened but had offered his support in any way his could.

Harry simply felt overwhelmed with Voldemort's return.

He didn't want to lose what he finally had found with Sirius. A home, support, a family.

Voldemort would try to take that away.

And Harry couldn't let that happen.

Also, Sirius himself had just started living a normal life.

How could Harry tell him that all of that would probably stop again because of Voldemort?

If only he'd been faster, if only he hadn't stayed behind to fight Wormtail, of only he hadn't let his guard down. Maybe then all of this wouldn't have happened.

It was his fault that they would probably go to war against Voldemort once more.

All because he hadn't been fast enough, good enough or strong enough.

His self-loathing was interrupted by the 'thump-thunk' of Moody's peg-leg.

The Auror stepped onto the patio.

"Come inside. Being outside leaves you exposed to potential threats." He grumbled.

"The property is almost as heavily warded as Gringotts, I think I'll be fine." He replied coolly.

Something about Moody just didn't feel right.

He was moving around more than usual, shifting his weight, readjusting his grip on his cane every few seconds, while his artificial eye moved none-stop. And his tongue kept flicking out, licking his lips like some kind of frog…

"Get inside Potter and stop acting like a brat." Moody growled.

The bad feeling intensified but Harry still obeyed, getting up slowly.

As he walked past Moody a shiver went down his spine.

Moody reeked. Of sweat but of old sweat, like someone who hadn't washed in days.

Also of something else. Something herbal with a note of reptile.

Harry stepped back into the cool interior of the house, surveying the living room and the adjoined dining room with the kitchen next to it.

Moony had left out some kind of broth but Harry didn't feel hungry.

Behind him Moody closed the patio-door.

"Sit down before you keel over." The man ordered.

Harry did, sitting down on the couch.

Moody sat down opposite from him.

"So"…he began "tell me about what happened."

He paused.

"In the graveyard." He then added.

There it was again, that strange tongue-flick-thing.

"I…I don't want to." Harry muttered.

"How do you expect us to do anything about it, if you don't give us all the information? The Projector Orb cut off after Diggory disappeared with the cup. We need to know." Moody growled.

"How was he?" he then asked, leaning forward.

Harry frowned. "Who?"

"The Dark Lord of course, you daft boy!" Moody snarled.

Harry flinched backwards.
"Dumbledore told you?" he asked. He wondered how many people Dumbledore had already told.

Maybe that was why he had called in this meeting Sirius and Remus where on their way too right now.

Moody shifted his weight. "Of course he told me. That's why I'm watching you and not somebody else. You are safest with me."

"So how was he? And the others…what did he do to them?" the Auror continued.

"You mean…the Deatheaters?" Harry asked weakly.

"Yes, yes, the Deatheaters, who else?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know…he was…angry at first…said they were disloyal and cowards."

"Yes…they are…" Moody muttered. "What else, what else? What was he like?"

"Voldemort?" Harry asked. "I…I don't know…he was…cold and I felt so helpless…"

"Yes, he is powerful, isn't he? The greatest Wizard that ever lived." Moody wheezed.

Harry frowned. "You mean the evilest wizard, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Moody muttered, waving his hand in dismissal. "But what was he like?"

Harry shook his head. "Angry. And vengeful. He…he wants to pick up where he left." He whispered.

"Marvellous." Moody whispered.

"How is that marvellous? This could mean war! This…the man responsible for the deaths of hundreds is back again all you can say is 'marvellous'?" Harry shouted, jumping to his feet. "I always thought you were just weird but now I see why everybody things you've got a few loose screws."

Moody laughed, low and menacingly.

"Oh Potter" he said and looked up from under his bushy eyebrows at him "'lose screws don't even begin to describe it. Not after everything I have been through to get here."

Slowly Harry edged away but Moody got up swiftly and blocked his path to the front entrance.

"You think you've got it tough Potter? Try growing up with a father who didn't love you, to whom everything you did and archived was never good enough" the ex-auror growled, his voice suddenly sounding younger and less rough "Try finding your cause only to have it taken from you" Moodys skin started to boil and swell "Try spending years in Azkaban, feeling your live ebb away" it seemed to liquify and his hair started retreating into his skull and grew darker "Try having to sacrifice your own mother" his body shuddered and changed shape underneath his clothes "Try living under your fathers Imperio-curse for years, only ever experiencing kindness from a house-elf" The fake eye fell from its hold and revealed a fully intact brown eye underneath "Believe me, it will mess you up. But it also made me stringer and now…now I shall rise by my Lords side!"

The scars disappeared, the skin lost most of its wrinkles and became paler, until Harry recognized the man standing right in front of him.

"Barty Crouch Jr." Harry whispered in shock.

So that's who he'd been masquerading as. He'd been right there, under their noses and nobody had ever second guessed him!

It all made sense now.

"You…you entered my name in the Goblet of Fire" he whispered.

Crouch Jr. sneered at him.

"Of course, I did. I manipulated the whole tournament. I jinxed the Cup into choosing a fourth Champion, I told that oaf Hagrid how you didn't know about the dragons but that the other champions already knew. I mentioned mermaids in the Black Lake loudly when Diggory was around to hear it. I even gave Longbottom a book about plants, in which one was mentioned that gives the ability to breathe underwater in case you needed help with the second task. I even bewitched Krum before the final task to take you to the cup should he meet you in the maze. You only won because I wanted you to get there. That was the plan all along!" the deranged Deatheater shouted.

"And best of all…I even managed to fool the great Albus Dumbledore himself! To bad I have to give up this perfect cover."

Harry reached for his wand but Crouch was quicker and disarmed Harry without a word.

His wand now pointed at Harrys face he began to slowly advance on him.

"I know that my lord won't be pleased with me for killing you but I can't take you off the property without alarming your blood-traitor godfather and that foul creature that calls himself a human." He muttered.

"But the punishment will be worth it, knowing that you are dead and will never interfere with my lords plans again. Ever."

Desperately Harry tried to find a weapon but there was nothing around he could use.

"Goodbye Harry Potter. When we win, we will erase your name from the history books."

Crouch lifted his wand, his lips already forming those dreaded words, when behind them the entire window-front that overlooked the garden and the terrace door exploded.

.

The force of the explosion knocked Harry backwards into a cabinet.

Glass shards rained down all around him, scratching his skin.

Instinctively he covered his head.

When the shrapnel-rain was finally over, he looked up, expecting to see Sirius and Remus coming to his rescue or maybe even Tonks or Bill or even Dumbledore.

And indeed, there was a figure towering over the prone form of Barty Crouch Jr.

But it was not who he had expected.

It was the last person he'd ever expected to show up here at all.

"My my, it seems it was a good thing I came when I did." Narcissa Malfoy said dryly.

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Harry scrambled to his feet, pieces of glass falling off his clothes.

"What…how…you…I mean…" he stammered, pointing first at her, then at Barty Crouch Jr and then back at her.

Narcissa flicked her wrist and a rope appeared, hogtying Crouchs' legs and arms firmly together.

With a disdainful look on her pale face she stepped around his prone form and faced Harry.

"Believe it or not, I found out about this just under and hour ago and it's quite a tale I might add."

She sat down in one of their armchairs and with a wave of her wand a whiskey-glass rose from the cabinet and filled itself with some of Sirius's expensive bourbon and sailed into her hand.

"So…?" Harry asked, waiting for her to explain.

"Well, if you must know: I've been trying locating spells on our escaped convict here" she gestured at the fake-Moody "since the day I found out who he really was but none of them worked until now."

She took a long sip form her glass.

"I assume he shielded himself from them at first but now with his father dead and his mission complete he probably felt safe enough to drop the shields. Silly boy. You are never safe enough."

She drained the rest of the glass in one gulp.

"But no matter, no matter, his cover got blown when the real Alastor Moody, only dressed in his undergarments and missing his eye, appeared in the middle of a Ministry meeting I just so happened to attend in my husband's name."

The glass refilled itself.

"I wouldn't have bothered to come here but then I saw your godfather and the werewolf in the Ministry. Knowing they'd never leave you alone after everything that had happened I decided to try the locating spell once more, just to be safe. Call it a gut feeling but I knew something was wrong. When it worked and I saw where he was, I rushed here immediately."

She shook her head.

"I hope you know how risky that was for me! If he'd seen me, if he had escaped, I would be as good as dead! Luckily my husband and his companions are rather busy theses days" she gave him a pointed look "Which leaves me with a lot of me-time but still…dangerous."

Harry didn't know what to say so he just asked: "But…but how did you know that I would be here with him?"

Narcissa snorted, which was rather unladylike.

"I've known every single one of Sirius's steps since his return. Every meeting he has attended, every vote he as cast, every important person he's had a conversation with and every trip to Gringotts, I know about everything. So of course, I know about the house he purchased in this…Muggle-area for you all to live in" her disdain was not exactly hidden "Though it's prettier than I would have expected." She admitted while looking around.

"But how did you get through the warding? Not that I am complaining but…how?" Harry asked faintly.

"I thought that you'd know by now that I am so much more than just a pretty face. The wards are keyed into Sirius's blood. The blood of the Black family. Blood that runs through my veins. Anyone with direct relations to him could walk through the warding. He really should change that. After all, I still need you two."

Harrys head was spinning.

"I guess so." He muttered. "Thank you. You saved my life. I won't forget that. I will talk to Sirius about your request. That's the least I can do."

"Speaking of your Godfather, he will probably be here soon. Is sense that at least three silent alarms went off when I arrived. And I'm already pushing my luck, I don't want to be here when he and the cavalry arrive."

She vanished the glass in her and hand and stood up, ready to go but Harry stepped in her way.

"Wait, what do I tell them about" he gestured around the destroyed living room "All this?"

"I'm sure you can think of a plausible explanation."

"Why don't you stay? If Sirius knew you saved my life he'd be much more willing to listen to your proposal."

"Maybe. But as I said, even though my husband is rather busy at the moment, my absence will still be noticed and I don't want to raise any suspicious. If word got out that I was even rumoured to be seen around here it could have devastating consequences for me. Another time maybe."

And then she left. Just like that.

But Harry wasn't given any time to deal with that because seconds later there were several loud cracks outside the house and before he knew it the front door burst open and in rushed Sirius followed closely by Remus, Dumbledore, Bill, Mr. Weasley, Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

All had their wands in hand and looked ready for battle but came to an abrupt stop when they saw Harry and who was with him.

Harry had to admit that he probably looked rather strange to an outsider.

There he was, relatively unhurt, standing in a more or less destroyed living room while a known Deatheater, who had been presumed dead years ago lay bound and gagged and unconscious on the ground, dressed in the too big clothes of a famous Auror.

And for some reason their surprised expressions made Harry angry.

"I told you I had a bad feeling about him." he told Sirius accusingly. "I told you something was wrong about him, but no! He's just an acquired taste. Don't make me laugh." He snapped, crossing his arms.

That seemed to break the spell.

"Harry, get away from him, he is…" Sirius began, wand and eyes fixed on his cousin but Harry interrupted him.

"…unconscious." And to underline his point he nudged the prone form of Barty Crouch Jr. in the side with his foot. The man remained motionless.

"You…you… singlehandedly took him down?" Bill asked impressed.

Singlehandedly yes, but it wasn't me, Harry thought.

"Well it was that let him kill me for good." He answered instead.

"We need to check the perimeter, make sure nobody else is around." Shacklebolt murmured.

Dumbledore nodded. "Do that Kingsley. Take Tonks with you."

The two Aurors disappeared.

"Harry, are you alright?" Remus asked concerned.

"I am now. Not so much five minutes ago." He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dumbledore nodded and stepped forward, smiling as if that could defuse the tense atmosphere.

"Yes, don't worry Harry, my boy, we're here now, no need to worry. We're here to keep you safe from…." he began but Harry shook his head.

"No, you don't get to talk Headmaster. I'm alright but no thanks to any of you. All this talk of keeping me safe of me being safe, it was all a lie. Everyone keeps assuring me that as long as I am under your watchful eye, nothing will ever happen to me. Well, this school year alone I almost died about a million times. And yet you still stand here before me and you still have the nerve to tell me that it's okay? That you will keep me safe? Well, you've done a bang-up job so far."

Taking deep breathes to calm his furiously beating heart he added: "I mean, how can you possible explain how he" he pointed at the still motionless Barty Crouch "Was right there, under your nose and you didn't notice a thing? That man played you all! How? I thought you knew the real Moody?"

"He had us all fooled, that is true and I admit that I am ashamed about it. But I think none of us ever thought they'd be able to get to Alastor. But we were wrong, obviously. I'm sorry we failed you again Harry." Dumbledore admitted.

Just then Shacklebolt and Tonks appeared again.

"We searched in a mile-radius, there's nothing suspicious, though someone apparated and disapparated just before we arrived." Kingsley told them.

"Yeah but we can't trace it."

"Then maybe there was a second attacker. But he obviously couldn't get in. When he noticed the wards go off he must have fled." Sirius suggested.

Yeah, something like that, Harry thought.

He groaned, rubbing his hands over his eyes. This was all so messed up.

"Are you alright Harry?" he heard Sirius ask carefully.

His godfather stepped up, putting a steadying arm around his shoulders but Harry couldn't deal with that right now.

He stepped away and muttered: "I'm fine. I'm just tired and…I really just want to go to sleep and maybe never wake up again."

An awkward silence fell over the room.

Harry looked down at Crouch Jr.

"What about him?" he finally asked.

"He's evidence. We'll take him to the ministry." Dumbledore said.

"Speaking of which…what's the story out there? What does everybody think happened?" Harry asked. "Do they know?"

Dumbledore hesitated. "Harry, it's been an eventful day and you are still recovering, why don't we talk about this another time? You really need t rest."

Harry stared at the gathered grown ups in disbelieve.

"You…you're sending me to bed?" he asked furiously. "After everything that just happened, you think you can just send me to bed? Like some naughty child?"

"Well, Harry there's nothing much to tell you at this point."

Harry stared at them.

"Not much to tell? Voldemort is back! How…how can there be nothing to talk about?"

The grown ups looked at each other.

Finally Tonks stepped forward.

"Harry…nobody but you…witnessed his return. Diggory never saw him. He only saw Pettigrew."

Harry frowned. "Then what…what does everybody think happened to me?"

"Well…they think Pettigrew kidnapped you to exact revenge on you and Sirius. That he was the one who…well…tortured you. You don't know this but after his trial during the summer, he sort of lost it and threatened that you and Sirius would pay for everything. Everything being…you know…the destruction of the Dark Lord and all that."

"So…so nobody knows…that he is back?" Harry whispered.

"They will…we'll make sure. We'll use Crouch here as our prime-witness and if you are willing to provide your memories of the night then…" Dumbledore explained but a sudden onslaught of panic made Harry interrupt him.

"No" he whispered stepping back "No…I can't. You…cannot have...I cannot do that."

"Harry, I don't think you understand. We need your memories!" Dumbledore said insistently.

Harry closed his eyes, trying to block out the flashbacks to that dark and wet place, to the pain and the cold high laughter.

Suddenly there were arms around him, shielding him.

"He said no. Just leave him alone Albus. This can wait. We have Crouch Jr. which is enough than we could have hoped for. Now I suggested you all leave. Harry needs rest and there's still a meeting you have to go to. But Remus and I will stay here with Harry." He heard Sirius's voice above his head.

"Sirius…" That was Dumbledore again.

"I agree with Sirius. Let Harry rest." Said Bill, stepping in. "Let's go."

There were a few murmured goodbyes but Harry barely heard them.

When he finally emerged from Sirius's arms they were all gone.

He felt sick to the stomach.

"Come on Harry, let's get you upstairs." Sirius muttered.

It took them a while but when Harry finally curled up in his bed he felt already much better.

Sirius sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Harry…" he began but Harry was to tired.

"I really just want to sleep." He whispered, turning around and way from Sirius.

He heard his godfather sigh and get up.

"Sleep well."

Harry doubted he would.

69. Bad guys one, good guys zero

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Bad guys one, good guys zero

When Harry woke up the sun was already hanging low in the sky.

As he turned on his side he saw that a tray with food had been left on his nightstand at some point.

And as if on cue he heard footsteps approaching his door. Two of them actually.

Hastily he closed his eyes, not ready yet for sorrowful and pitying looks full of concern.

The door opened slowly and carefully.

"Harry?" he heard Sirius whisper.

"Is he awake?" came Remus's muffled voice from somewhere behind his godfather.

There was a short break.

Harry tried to keep his breathing even and deep.

"No." came Sirius's resigned answer.

Footsteps approached his bed and a cool hand was placed on his forehead.

"He doesn't feel warm" Sirius muttered "But he's been asleep for almost thirty hours. Don't you think he should wake up soon?"

"You heard what Pomfrey said. He needs sleep to recover and that we shouldn't be surprised if he sleeps long times. Just…just let him rest Sirius. I'm just as concerned but…at least he's at peace. After yesterday…" came Remus's whispered reply from the door.

"You're right. Merlin, what are we going to do?" Sirius replied.

His hand disappeared and Harry listened as he walked back towards the door.

It shut with a small 'click' and he was alone once more.

Slowly he opened his eyes staring at the door.

Thirty hours.

Thirty hours since Crouch.

Thirty hours since Narcissa.

Thirty hours since blowing up in Dumbledore's face.

Thirty hours since… Not much to tell.

He turned back on his back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

What was he going to do now?

Dumbledore had mentioned him testifying and giving access to his memories.

His initial response had been 'No, absolutely not'.

But it was a childish response.

He knew how valuable his memories would be but still…it was bad enough relieving them each night in his dreams.

Just thinking about it now made his entire body tremor.

He didn't need a room full of people witnessing him at his most scared and vulnerable time.

Maybe they could just show it Fudge and madam Bones or something like that.

Abruptly he sat up, regretting it instantly when the blood-rush from his head into his body made him dizzy.

He sat on the edge of his bed and shook his head.

Merlin, what was wrong with him?

He had stared death in the face a dozen times before.

Hell, he had faced Voldemort two times before.

But somehow the night in the graveyard was different that being face to face with a younger diary-version or a Quirrell-possessing-version of Voldemort.

Back then the danger, although real, had felt less threatening that being in the full presence of such a dark creature.

Also most of those times he had been faced with impossible deadly tasks and obstacles, he had walked out of there maybe not a winner but on his own terms.

In the graveyard…he'd just run. Run like a coward. He had hidden himself away and waited for someone to find him.

He reached for his necklace on the nightstand, fingering the clay cube.

Three of its sides were burned away.

Three faces gone.

Three elements gone.

Fire, gone in the lake.

Air, gone to push Cedric out of the way of the killing curse and into the portkey.

And earth, gone to hide him from Voldemort and his croons.

Harry whished it had swallowed him and never spat him back out again.

That left him with water.

He put the necklace back down and stood up.

But the earth had brought him back.

It had brought him right to Sirius.

At least that was what he'd been told.

Whatever.

Harry dressed in a pair of white khakis, a black Weird Sister's T-Shirt Tonks had gifted him for Christmas before heading into the bathroom across the hall to wash his face and brush his teeth.

As he brushed the plastic bristles over his teeth he wondered what the future would look like.

Not just for him but for the entire wizarding world.

Voldemort was back.

Peace was over.

Who knew what he was planning as he stood there.

He spat a mouthful of white foam and spit into the sink before rinsing out his mouth and drying his face in a towel.

He stared at his reflection, taking in the pale skin, the sunken in eyes and the dark rings underneath them, the hair that looked like a rats' nest and closed his eyes.

Yeah, peace was over.

It was time to prepare for the battles yet to come.

And like it or not, whatever the future held, he's be at its forefront.

Voldemort was after him.

They would meet again.

They would cross wands again.

And Harry vowed to himself that he would never let himself feel that weak again.

He would never let that creature make him run again.

He would never let him do something like this to him again.

Next time Harry would fight.

No more disarming spells, no more hiding and shielding.

Shields keep attacker outside but once they managed to breach inside it was time to switch to offense.

Harry took a few long and deep breathes and splashed some ice-cold water into his face.

Some droplets travelled down his neck over his spin and he shivered.

"Never again." He muttered to his reflection, grabbing the edges of the sink tightly.

A knock on the bathroom door startled him.

"Harry? Is that you?" Remus asked.

Rolling his eyes Harry replied: "If it were someone else, would you even notice?"

Remus obviously got his remark on Crouch Jr. because after a short break of silence he asked: "I just wanted to know if you want something to eat."

The growl of his stomach reminded Harry how long it had been since his last meal.

"Yeah. I could eat." He agreed. "I'll be down in a minute."

He threw one last glance back in the mirror before opening the door.

Remus still stood there.

"Good to see you up." He said though there was a certain kind of uncertainty in his voice.

"Yeah." Harry shrugged, unsure what else to reply.

"I made meat-pies." Remus added.

"Great. Like I said, I'll be down in a minute." Harry muttered, walking past Remus and back into his room, closing the door behind him.

.

When he got downstairs. Sirius was putting cutlery on the table but he stopped when Harry entered the room.

"How are you feeling kiddo?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "Okay, I guess." What else could he say?

"Any pain? Do you need something?"

"Just food." Harry said with a shrug.

He picked up the plates from the kitchen counter but Sirius waved him away: "I'll do that. Sit down and rest."

"I'm not gonna break Sirius, I slept for more than a day, I am rested." Harry objected.

Sirius hesitated but then moved away.

.

They ate mostly in silence until Sirius cleared his throat and said: "Since yesterdays meeting was cut short and we didn't have any time to reconvene afterwards we're meeting again tonight. While we're away we thought it would be nice if you went and stayed at the Burrow for a few hours. What do you think? I know everyone is really looking forward seeing you. It's been a while after all."

Harry didn't look up from his plate.

"I guess it's not really up for debate, right?" he asked, picking at his third meat-pie. "Can't I come with you to the meeting? If you're talking about Voldemort I want to be in on it. I want to know what's going on. And what happened to Crouch Jr.? Are they calling a meeting? A trial? Have they release an official statement yet?"

Sirius and Remus looked at each other.

"No, nothing yet. Dumbledore took care of it yesterday and I guess he'll tell us in the meeting how it went. But I don't think you need to come. We'll tell you when we come back."

Harry put down his fork and stared at his godfather and uncle.

"Of course, I need to be there. I was the one attacked, I was the one who apprehended him" Well not quite but that wasn't the point "And I might have some information regarding Voldemort."

"I thought you already told Dumbledore everything?" Remus asked.

"Yeah but not what Crouch told me."

"You can tell us and we'll tell him." Sirius offered.

Harry folded his arms. "Why can't I come?" he asked defiantly.

"We just don't want to burden you with these things Harry. You're still recovering."

"I told you, I'm fine."

"No, you're not Harry. Not yet anyway. Focus on getting better and we'll see what comes next." Sirius said firmly.

"He is out there planning his next moves, planning his rise to power and you want me to sit here and twiddle my thumbs?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"No, we want you to get better." Remus said gently.

"I want to help." Harry argued, slamming his fists onto the table.

"You've done enough Harry, let the grown -ups handle it now!" Sirius retorted.

"You mean I've screwed up enough. Letting myself be captured like that, helping him get back." Harry hissed bitterly.

"That's not what I said."

"You think I can't handle myself because of what happened. I'm not weak Sirius. I want to fight."

"Harry you can barely walk up the stairs right now. And you've fought enough. Let us take over." Remus reminded him.

"That's not gonna stop Voldemort form coming after me." Harry said heatedly.

"You're not coming to this meeting and that is the end of it." Sirius growled loudly, slamming his flat hand on the top of the table.

"Fine, I don't wanna go to that stupid meeting anyway. Just dump me at the Weasleys. You're going to screw up again like you screwed up with Crouch Jr." Harry replied just as angrily.

He jumped up, although 'jumped' was a bit exaggerated, and stormed towards the stairs.

Biting his teeth together he climbed them as quickly as he could.

.

When it was time to floo over to the Burrow Harry didn't say a word to either Sirius or Remus.

As he stepped out of fireplace at the Burrow he was greeted by Mrs. Weasley, who immediately hugged him tightly.

He let her, partly because he knew she needed it and partly because he secretly liked her hugs. They were warm and always full of love and care and never to tight.

Finally she released him.

There were tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine Molly." He assured her.

She just shook her head. "No, you're not. But don't worry, we'll patch you up just fine. Do you want some tea? I just put on a fresh kettle."

"We'll be off then Molly. Has Arthur already left?" Remus asked from where he and Sirius still stood by the fireplace.

"He's coming straight form work." Molly replied.

Remus nodded.

"Right, then we'll be on our way. See you later Harry. Be good for Molly." Sirius said.

"Yeah, right." Harry muttered.

In a flash of green fire, the two men vanished.

Harry looked around.

"Where is everybody?" he asked Mrs. Weasley.

"I thought you might not like being jumped by so many people at once so I made them stay upstairs until I'd call them."

Harry couldn't help but smile.

"So, do you want a cup of tea?" she asked him.

"That would be lovely." Harry admitted.

He sat down at the long kitchen table as she swirled around the kitchen, filling a cup with tea and levitating it and a box of cookies over to him, together with some scones and marmalade.

"Dig in. You're too thin."

Even though they'd just eaten Harry felt hungry again and did as she said.

After a few bites he asked: "Is everyone alright?"

She leaned back in her chair, a cup of steaming tea clasped between both hands.

"Well they're shaken and Ron and Hermione were angry that they weren't allowed to visit you in the hospital. And generally, everyone's been really worried, even though they kept reassuring us that you were alright. Ron's especially upset, even more so after they found out what happened yesterday."

Harry looked down at his plate.

"Yeah." He muttered, unsure what else to say.

"They'll be so glad to see you Harry. Everyone's been so worried." She said warmly, leaning forward to push a stray piece of hair out of his face.

"Are you not going to this meeting?" Harry asked carefully.

Mrs. Weasley's expression turned slightly sour.

"No. It's bad enough Bill's going with Arthur. I don't want any of my kids involved with this. But he's of age. And so is Charlie. I just hope I can keep the twins away from it." She muttered.

"Why, what is so special about this meeting?"

She looked at him for a few moments.

"I'm not sure I should tell you if Sirius and Remus didn't already tell you."

"If it were up to them I would know nothing, sleep the whole day and be locked in my room for the most time." Harry muttered bitterly.

"Oh honey they're just concerned and want to protect you."

"A bit late for that."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "That's juts it darling. They couldn't protect you when you needed it. So now they feel guilty and try to compensate through being overprotective now that you might not need it as much anymore. It's only natural."

"How can I possible be safe when they keep things from me?"

"Because they think it'll protect you from bad news and things like that."

"I'm not a little kid. If anyone has a right to know what's going on it is me."

Mrs. Weasley put a soothing hand on his arm.
"Why don't I go and get Ron? I'm sure he's wearing out the floor with his pacing. You boys can play a few games together or something like that." She said, trying to divert their conversation.

"Whatever." Harry muttered, leaning back in his chair.

Mrs. Weasley got up and banished the used plates and cups into the sink.

"Go sit down in the living room, I'll be right back."

.

The only noise in the living room came from the old family-clock.

Other than that, it was quiet.

Harry drummed with his fingers on his thigh as he waited.

The Burrow was a familiar to him as was his own home.

He's lived here for weeks last summer. This was his home too.

Yet as he sat here he felt like he didn't belong.

Somewhere far up a door opened and banged shut shortly afterwards and then there were rushed footsteps on the stairs.

Another few moments later Ron came barrelling into the room, his hair a mess and his eyes wide and searching for Harry.

When they found him, he came to a stop.

"Blimey Harry." He muttered breathlessly.

Awkwardly Harry got up but before either of them could move any further another figure flew past Ron and knocked so hard into Harry that he fell back onto the couch.

The someone was Hermione, who fell on top of him, her bony elbows burrowing in his stomach.

He groaned through a mouthful of her hair.

"Mione…" he muttered, trying to gently push her off him but she had her arms locked around his neck in what was almost a chock-hold.

And she was crying.

If there was something Harry couldn't deal with right now it was his best friend crying.

"Hermione, stop. And get off me." He huffed, pushing her away.

Through her hair that was covering most of his sight he saw Ron standing behind her, gently lifting her up.

"Easy there Mione, let him breath." His other best friend said gently, placing their teary friend down next to him.

Then he looked at Harry.

"You alright mate?" he asked.

"Just dandy." Harry replied, standing back up.

"I'm sorry" Hermione sobbed "It's juts…I'm so glad to see you Harry. The last time I saw you…the last time I saw you…Oh Harry, I was so worried."

"Well, I'm okay now Mione. But thanks for the warm welcome." Harry offered.

"I'm sorry for knocking you over. Merlin, you should probably sit down. I hope I didn't hurt you Harry, oh, I'm such a klutz."

"It's fine and I don't need to sit down." Harry assured her.

"Are you sure? Remus mentioned you weren't quite up to speed yet. And after yesterday…Oh Harry, how could that happen?" she babbled.

"Yeah, well, that's the million-pound question, isn't it?" Harry asked back, crossing his arms with a sigh.

"But enough about me, what about you?" he asked silently.

"We're fine. Worried mostly but better now that you're here." Ron admitted.

Harry smiled weakly.

"So what's been going on?" he asked.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look that reminded Harry a lot of Remus and Sirius.

"Have…have you read the Prophet lately?" Hermione asked carefully.

"I was in the hospital until yesterday so no…not really." Harry muttered.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other again.

"Well as far as the tournament is concerned everyone assumes it was Pettigrew who kidnapped you and bewitched Krum and all that and…and they said it was because he wanted revenge and all that. That he was the one who tortured you and that he got away when they went to rescue you." Ron said slowly.

"But…but we…we've heard rumours going around the house. Harry…they say that He-who-must-not-be-named is back." Hermione whispered carefully.

"Yeah, well, those aren't rumours. He is back. Wormtail brought him back to life with some kind of ritual. I can't really explain it. But…they used my blood for it. That's why they took me. They needed me to bring him back." He muttered, staring down at his feet.

"Oh Harry…" Hermione whispered.

"He's really back?" Ron asked, his voice quivering.

Harry nodded wordlessly.

"So the man that attacked you yesterday, the one that posed as Moody, he's…"

"A Deatheater, yeah. He's behind it all. My enrolment in the tournament, he even killed Mr. Crouch but that's also for another reason. It's really complicated." Harry muttered with a shrug.

"And Voldemort's return…it's the reason why they're having these meetings?" Hermione asked.

"Meetings? I thought today was the first?"

Ron frowned.

"No, they've been having them all week long."

"What about the Deatheater that attacked me yesterday? Any news on him yet? Dumbledore said he'd take him before Fudge. As evidence."

"Well…there was nothing in this mornings paper. Maybe tomorrow?" Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Harry muttered.

"Do you think they'll believe that he is back?" Hermione asked.

"They have too. There is so much evidence. Hell, I'll might even give them my memories from that night." Harry replied heatedly.

He turned around and walked over to one of the windows, staring into the evening light.

"I'm sure Dumbledore has a plan." Hermione offered, stepping up next to him.

"Yeah mate, after all, he's the only one you-know-who has ever feared." Ron added.

Harry opted not to answer that.

.

.

.

It was a tense evening.

Normally Harry had no problem relaxing around Ron and Hermione. They were his oldest and best friends and there was nothing they didn't know about each other.

But Harry felt restless and out of place.

They tried playing a variety of games or tried just to talk but Harry was distracted and he could feel how Ron and Hermione still walked on eggshells around him.

Conversations were superficial at the most and about things they'd talked about already.

"Why are you here anyway Hermione? Don't you want to go home?" Harry asked.

Hermione blushed.

"Well, I didn't tell my parents that school ended three weeks earlier than usual because of what happened. They still think I'll be on the train Friday to come home like always."

Harry waited.

"I just…I wanted to be sure you were alright and...I don't know…staying at the Burrow meant staying closer to you all and being able to know what's going on." She finished slowly.

"Thanks Hermione but you know you didn't have too."

"Yes, I did." She said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.

Harry turned to Ron.

"And how's everyone here?" he asked.

Ron shrugged.

"The twins have been cooped up in their room most of the time, working on their joke-products, which is driving mum nuts. Ginny is alright, she's spending a lot of time with Luna" at the mentioning of his friend's name Harry perked up, remembering that his lovely blonde friend lived close by "Charlie is back in Rumania at the moment, Bill is busy with work and Fleur and…well…you know, the meetings but other than that…Dads still working at the ministry. Nothing much has changed to be honest."

Harry stared down at the table and his cards.

Yes, everything was still the same.

Except form him.

"That's good." He muttered.

"It's a bit surreal to be honest." Hermione whispered.

A ringing from the chimney caught their attention.

Mrs. Weasley came bustling into the room just as the flames turned green and one after another Bill, Mr. Weasley, Sirius, Remus, Kingsley and Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace.

Harry thought that was it but a second after Dumbledore the flames turned green again and another person stepped into the Weasley living room.

When he straightened up, Harry had already his wand in his hand.

"Relashio!" he shouted and the purple sparks hit the man square in the chest, sending him backwards into the fireplace.

"Harry stop!" he heard Hermione yell.

He saw a red spell coming his way from the left.

Remembering the Cruciatus-curse, Harry ducked away, rolling over the floor and took cover behind the couch.

"Harry, stop, it's alright!" he heard Sirius shout.

Then the red spell hit him in the hand and his wand went spinning across the room and out of reach.

And suddenly it was quiet in the room.

Realizing that no one had actually fired the Cruciatus-curse at him but merely an disarming spell, Harry slowly got to his feet and faced the gathered crowd.

"Blimey mate, what's gotten into you?" Ron asked form where he'd duck down beside the coffee table.

Harry pointed at the man he had attacked who was slowly getting back onto his feet, dusting off ashes from his coat.

"What the hell?" he hissed accusingly.

Dumbledore stepped forward.

"Ah yes, I'm sorry Harry. In hindsight maybe, we should have announced earlier that he'd be accompanying us."

"You think?" Harry growled.

"Still, there was no need to attack him."

"Oh it's alright Albus, let the boy be. Good reflexes if you ask me." The man replied gruffly.

"Harry, I believe you've already met Alastor Moody. The real Alastor Moody, that is." Remus offered, stepping forward and gestured at the ex-Auror that stood there.

"Good to meet you again kid." The real Mad Eye said.

"Yeah, sorry if I don't get comfortable, last time I saw you, you were about this close" Harry put his thumb and forefinger together "From killing me. No offence."

"None taken." Mad Eye said.

"Harry, that wasn't the real Alastor." Dumbledore reminded him.

"Could have fooled you. Oh wait, he did." Harry retorted.

Mad Eye let out a hoarse laugh. "Too right. Kids got spunk."

"You're not any better. How did he get a drop on you?" Harry asked, crossing his arms once more.

Moody raised his arms defensively. "Got me there." He admitted. "Nice shot though. Really didn't see that one coming."

Harry relaxed ever so slightly and nodded.

Although he looked, talked and walked like his imposter, there was something different about the real Mad Eye.

"Harry, please apologize to Mad Eye." Sirius spoke up.

"Nonsense Sirius. I'm fine. As I keep saying, CONSTANT VIGILANCE." The older man grumbled.

"A lot good that did to you." Harry muttered but no one heard it.

Now that the initial chaos was over, everybody began to relax.

"So how was the meeting? What about Crouch Jr.? Did you take him to the ministry? What are our next steps?" Harry asked, retrieving his wand.

The grown ups exchanged looks.

Harry really started to hate that.

"Things…didn't go quite as we had hoped, to be honest." Sirius said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked carefully, afraid what the answer might be.

There was silence again.

"You might as well tell him. Otherwise he'll read about it tomorrow in the Prophet." Moody growled.

Sirius sat down and motioned for Harry to do so as well.

"Fudge…didn't believe us. He said that we were mad. He doesn't believe Voldemort is back. He believes that Pettigrew acted on his own and that there is no evidence to believe that the Dark Lord is back."

"But what about Crouch Jr.? He was right there, he was the evidence! And Cedric, he was there too!"

"Cedric never saw Voldemort Harry. Sure, he might have heard what could have been his voice but…you were the only one to witness his return. And as for Crouch Jr…" Sirius hesitated and Harry saw how he clenched his fists "He took one look at him and set the dementors on him. They sucked his soul out before we could intervene."

"What?" Harry whispered.

"After that things got a little bit out of hand." Remus admitted.

"Fudge, Dumbledore and Sirius got into a shouting match in the middle of the Ministry. It ended with Fudge calling Dumbledore a senile old coot that was just out for his job and Sirius a deranged criminal."

"We tried to explain Wormtails' connections to Voldemort and that you were willing to give your memories as testimony but he wouldn't hear it. He is scared. He doesn't want it to be true." Dumbledore explained.

"He also said that you were not a reliable witness since you probably made all that up to cope with what happened to you." Remus added.

"The press is going to have a field day." Kingsley muttered.

"So what you are saying is…the only real witness, besides myself, is now soulless, Fudge doesn't believe a word you told him and they think I'm crazy?" Harry asked, his voice slightly hysteric.

"It would seem so, yes." Dumbledore admitted.

"So we have nothing? Nothing to prove that Voldemort is back?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore whispered. "And it's going to play right into their hands most likely."

"But what if I do give my memories? What if we prove that they are real?"

"We offered that. Fudge said we were nuts and only wanted to use these events to push our own agenda by spreading fear and disrupting the peace and tranquillity." Sirius said, leaning back with a sigh.

"But…but we can't just let that be it!" Harry protested.

"We won't" Dumbledore assured him "But Fudge won't budge. We'll try again during the Wizengamot meeting but the odds are not in our favour. We'll need to find another way."

He hesitated for a moment.

"Harry, I know you initially said you couldn't but…we really need your memories. Because even we barely know what happened. I believe you. We all do. But…we need to see to understand."

Harry clenched his fists.

He knew they needed to see it.

But he was scared what it would do to them.

"I'll do it." he said quietly.

"Thank you, Harry." Dumbledore said kindly.

From somewhere in his robes he summoned a small vial.

"Now Harry, this won't be pleasant but…I still need you to give me as much detail as you can. Everything could be important."

Harry nodded and closed his eyes.

He remembered fighting the spider with Cedric, running towards the portkey, arriving in the graveyard.

He could feel the tip of Dumbledores' wand on his temple.

He remembered fighting Pettigrew and walking up bound to the gravestone.

Cold sweat began forming on his forehead and back.

Voldemorts resurrection.

That memory cut off his air-supply.

"Easy Harry. You are alright. Those things are in that past. You are safe now." Sirius whispered in his ear.

He remembered the Deatheaters appearing and then Voldemort approaching him, taunting him and insulting him.

He remembered their dual.

He came to an abrupt stop opening his eyes.

"Harry, I know its hard but I need to know everything." Dumbledore reminded him gently.

Harry turned to Sirius.

"Will you watch that?" he asked, gesturing to the vial in Dumbledores hand.

Sirius hesitated.

"I have to. I have to understand. So I can help you." He whispered.

Harry nodded.

"I…there's something you should know. I…I saw mum. And dad…they were there. They appeared all of a sudden and… they helped me." He confessed, tears gathering in his eyes.

Instead of explaining more, he closed his eyes and willed the memories to come forward.

He remembered the golden dome, the ghosts of his parents.

Then he remembered running away, his heart aching more than ever.

His last memory was of the earth swallowing him, hiding him away from Voldemort.

.

Harry opened his eyes again.

To his surprise the room was empty except form him, Dumbledore and Sirius.

Harry was exhausted.

He watched as Dumbledore closed the vial and carefully stored it in his robes.

"Thank you, Harry." He said simply and left without any further word.

Slowly Harry got up, ignoring Sirius' helping hands.

"Can we go?" he asked.

"Yes, of course." Sirius said.

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IMPORTANT!

AN: Hey guys, quick note that I will obviously continue this but I will start it in a new story as this is somewhat the turning point.

Fourth year is over, fifth year is approaching and with it a lot of changes.

So the next chapter will be the first in the continuation you could say and you'll probably find it on my profile. It will we a direct and smooth transition from this into the next story, I just don't want this story to get too long with hundreds of chapter, you know?

Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting, especially for the past chapters.

I know I don't answer you enough but believe me that they are all very much appreciated, even the more hateful ones.

I'll always try my best but sometimes chapters aren't going to be as good as others or some ideas might seem stupid or bring to you but believe me when I say I have a plan where I am heading with this!

Anyway, thank you for reading so far and I hope I'll see you soon in the sequel!

Love,

Kate!