Chapter 4

Harry sat on his broom in a secluded part of the New Forest, he wasn't high off the ground, below the tree heights for the most part.

His tutor was skilling him in non-verbal spells, he was on his broom because "doing something else means your focus must be split. You must learn to cast spells casually, carefully and appear as though it takes neither focus nor concentration, your enemy will always the latter".

This had been wonderful in the past weeks, with the sun shining and a casual wind blowing through the forest, he'd found it easy to practice simple spells.

But it was now raining, pouring in fact and blowing up a gale. Still, he had to keep steady within certain trees, none of them marked and remain at a certain heigh and still cast the spells. Some at ground level, some at the same level as he was flying, it was all challenging, especially given the beating rain that not even the charms he'd cast seemed to stop.

Having returned to his hut, changing and dried off he found he had received some mail while he was out being soaked.

The letters had been marked as having been checked for spells, tracking, transportation or otherwise by his lawyers before being passed onto him.

Hello Harry,

That was how Hermione often began her letters now, like they were talking casually.

It was the second task today, and I am very glad you were not here. Fleur almost drowned and Viktor...I don't know what he was thinking.

Harry read with interest of Hermione's telling of the second task. What did appear in the paper always had a bad taste to it. 'The Prophet's the gutter press of the wizarding world, pity that's all there is'. His landlord had said to him as he used a copy someone had left to start one of the fires in the pub. It was, he'd learnt very good for this, because of how cheap the paper was. The wizarding photos that were published barely lasted a couple of days. It must make archiving hell he'd reflected to one of his tutors. They'd snorted 'no one would want to archive the dragon snot of a publication'.

Water.

Under water.

He'd never really got into swimming, he'd learnt by necessity.

When he was in school, before Hogwarts they had arranged swimming lessons for everyone at the local leisure centre.

Dudley had failed to do a lot of it, he just floated around the pool, no need for water wings for him. Harry recalled with a slight smile.

But he'd not floated. He remembered Dudley and Piers each throwing him into the deep end.

Harry distinctly recalled that deep, dark sensation of struggling through the water, struggling as the water rushed into his throat and then suddenly he was in the kids' wading pool with one of the life guards pulling him up and water gushing out of his mouth.

That was only the first time.

There'd been others...now that he thought about it...

Harry put down the letter and let out a breath he'd been holding and tried not to think about it.

About what Dudley and his friends had done to him.

In a couple of months he'd be well and truly free of them.

-/ - \\-

Harry looked around the room and was glad he was surrounded by lawyers, and his lawyers had further 'assistants' by the side of the room just in case anyone tried anything.

In the room was Ludo Bagman there representing the Department of Magical Games and Sports and Albus Dumbledore as the host of the Triwizard Tournament. The Department of International Magical Co-Operation had been invited but it had been revealed the man whom Percy Weasley had been representing had been discovered missing for some time.

Instead someone from the International Magical Office of Law, the first time Harry had seen a government official relating to law since all of this had started, he wasn't clear if the man was a lawyer or not though.

They were all here because Harry had found out, from Hermione, who hadn't said in her letter how she'd found it out, that the cup was to be used in the final challenge.

Which would suggest it would be further spelled or something away from its first name-spitting task.

He'd raised it with his lawyers and now here they all were.

Well, actually they didn't need to all be here in London, it could have been sorted out by mail.

But it was Dumbledore who had forced the meeting.

"I must object my dear man to the cup being held hostage in such a way as you're proposing, isolated from what is a simple game. You can have access to the cup after the final task," Dumbledore said calmly. "I would like to know how you found out about the final task in the first place," he said directing this comment towards Harry.

Harry looked down at his notepad, even though his lawyers took notes, recorded the conversation and whatever else he felt he needed to have something in front of him, if anything just to ignore Dumbledore and everyone else's gaze. Hermione had merely said she'd asked some 'friendly questions to the teachers who favoured her work'.

Ludo Bagman shrugged and looked to the man from the International Magical Office of Law. "Archer?"

"International Law is not précis in this matter," he said awkwardly. "The hosting school may create, in consultation with the Ministry and the magical bodies that are associated with the other competitors' schools – tasks."

Harry looked to his lawyer and received a nod. "As I was entered into the tournament under a different school, as the Ministry and Albus Dumbledore have said – only one from each school may represent at the tournament, then shouldn't whatever school I was entered into been consulted regarding these tasks?" Harry asked in the most convoluted and precise way he could.

Archer blinked. "That is one of several questions that is currently being researched regarding this case," he looked across the table to Dumbledore. "And as such this meeting should not have been requested."

"I of course bow to your knowledge of the law," Dumbledore said to no one in particular. "But as Mr Bagman was the only Ministry representative at Hogwarts I felt, in everyone's best interests that a meeting should be called."

Harry wondered what Dumbledore was playing at, something he noted on his notepad to ask his lawyers later.

Dumbledore continued "I would ask, as the third task's plotting and layout has been completed that we are allowed to continue with the tournament un-interrupted, for the sake of those participating. Whatever needs to happen to the cup can surely happen after the tournament is ended?"

Lyle ignored Dumbledore and looked to Archer. "While the tournament is currently being run we wished to be able to access the cup, if need be. We were informed by Albus Dumbledore that it was being kept secure," Lyle paused. "Something he assured with the full power of International Confederation of Wizards, this assurance now doesn't seem to be worth anything if the cup was to serve as the final goal."

Archer nodded. "You have that assurance?"

Lyle nodded and pushed a piece of parchment across the table. "Signed by three of the Confederation and witnessed, we have a penseive where the memory can be viewed."

"Thorough, good." Archer said appraising the parchment. "Bagman, does the third task need to use the cup?" He asked seemingly awakening Bagman from his stupor.

"What? Oh, no. Reaching the end one needs to stand aloft, touching the cup is a salute to final victory. It would be disappointing if it wasn't there," he said looking to Dumbledore.

"I see," Archer passed the parchment back to Lyle. "The law must take precedence," he said after several moments' thought.

Harry watched as Dumbledore's face fell slightly.

"The cup may be removed from Hogwarts at the earliest opportunity to Lock, Flint & Scythe who may check it for any signs of tampering," Archer said.

"I must most certainly object," Dumbledore huffed. "The cup is more than a symbol it is part of the tournament itself. It must remain at Hogwarts, until the end of the tournament."

Archer looked back to Lyle. "A compromise perhaps?"

Lyle thought for a second. "The cup will be removed from its location and be guarded in a secure area of Hogwarts by our own staff and an independent contractor of ours," he paused. "and Aurors from the Ministry. No further contact from any Hogwarts staff or students will be allowed."

Archer thought for a moment. "I can make that work with the Ministry," he nodded and looked to Dumbledore. "I will consult with the board to ensure a location which is neutral within Hogwarts for the cup to be stored Headmaster. We cannot obviously ask you."

Harry wasn't sure what that meant, whether it was a slight on Dumbledore or what.

"Very well," was all Dumbledore said.

Harry was surprised that Dumbledore left the room, this time without trying to get some time alone with him.

Saying so as he raised his questions with Lyle.

"The Headmaster has a finite amount of power in certain situations Harry, and the Ministry in this situation will be held to account, the law is the law, even if it is less enforced in certain situations than in the muggle sphere," Lyle paused. "As Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore has been used to getting his way. That will change as this and other things we are pursuing move through the legal circles of the Ministry and its connected associations."

Then Harry asked the question he asked whenever he saw his lawyers. Would he ever return to Hogwarts?

Lyle gestured with his wand floating a tray with a jug of water over to the table and sighed. "You've wanted a firm answer every time Harry."

"And you can't give me one I know," Harry sighed. "I just wish..." He shook his head.

"Magical law is much more…" Lyle trailed off. "Fluid and uncertain than the muggle world."

-/ - \\-

Harry looked at the 'information parchment' that had been released to what passed as the media in the wizarding world; the wireless, Prophet, plus any journals and foreign wizarding press that might be writing about these events. His lawyers had asked him if he wanted to do it, as the Prophet was scrambling for information and Hogwarts wasn't saying anything regarding the 'incident at the Triwizard Tournament'. The incident was not directly related to him.

He'd considered not doing anything, but, as Dumbledore had supposedly forbidden any owls from leaving Hogwarts after the event there was little information getting out.

Though according to the Lyle the International Confederation of Wizards was asking questions of Dumbledore regarding this move. Halting owl post was something very infrequently done and only if certain circumstances were met.

He'd had his lawyers draw up the conditions for the information parchment's use so the Prophet and anyone else couldn't bastardise the information contained on it.

It explained that an attempt had been made by a wizard that appeared to be Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody to gain access to the cup. Upon his being stunned and secured by forces guarding the cup it was revealed he was Polyjucied and instead was Barty Crouch Jr, a known Death Eater.

The real Moody having been kept in an expanding trunk within Moody or rather Crouch's room.

What he was going to do to the cup and what his plans were for it were currently being extracted from him by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, with observers from Lock, Flint & Scythe and also three independent wizards from the International Confederation of Wizards. With everything being documented as it would probably impact on Harry's ongoing case against the Ministry.

The working hypothesis his lawyers were operating under at the moment was that it was Crouch as Moody who had put his name into the cup in order to lead him to Voldemort or Voldemort's agents.

Unfortunately, just because Crouch was a criminal, potentially working for Voldemort still didn't nullify what he'd done.

Wizarding law didn't work like that.

Nothing was ever simple.

-/ - \\-

A/N:

For 'information parchment' think media release.

The graveyard sequence still happens, albeit less smoothly for Voldemort, more on this in coming chapters.