This one is a bit shorter than the last couple (though that really didn't take much). It's the end of the tournament, but not Harry's break. Also has a peek back into canon with a major event. :-)
I would like to extend a huge thank you to Eclipticvibe for helping me with plot ideas and fixing a few of my mistakes lately. Merci Beaucoup!
When they got to the tournament the next day, Harry looked around quickly. He didn't see Brianna, but then again, they were pretty early. He saw Draco, but worked to suppress the snarl that threatened to erupt from him. He was surprised, though, to note that Lucius wasn't there with his son. Why would Malfoy Sr. be there for the semifinals, but not the finals? There was something fishy going on, but he wasn't sure what it was just yet.
As he thought about it, his scar twinged, and he resisted the urge to rub it, not wanting Sirius to worry about it. The two of them went to the board, and saw that Harry was dueling Jean Hernes as the last duel before lunch.
"Want to sit down before your duel, or do you want to stretch out now?" Sirius asked.
Harry considered, and decided that since there was a chance that he would be dueling three times that day (if he was lucky), he wanted to have extra time to warm up. When he mentioned that, Sirius nodded, stating that it was smart.
Sirius was glad that they had gotten there so early, as it let him have a great seat to not only see the duel, but he could get up quickly to congratulate, or comfort, Harry. Just as Harry was about to head off, Sirius saw something out of the corner of his eyes. "Harry," he nudged, and nodded towards the door.
Brianna limped in, leaning heavily on her cane, with her parents not far behind. Both were looking around, as though to make sure there were no threats. Harry and Sirius waved them over, and Harry had to resist the urge to help her sit down. He knew from experience that he hated people treating him differently when he was injured, and he wasn't going to subject her to that. He did, however, give her a very tight hug when she was within arms' reach. He missed the look that Sirius and Marco gave each other, and just held Brianna tightly.
"How are you?" he asked when they separated. He quickly helped her sit down, and didn't miss as she massaged her leg slightly.
"Better," she told him with a smile. "The Healer said that I can't overdo it today, or I risk the nerves again, but another few days and I'll be good as new."
Anything Harry was about to say was drowned out as the gong announced the beginning duel. He gave Brianna another hug, then went off to the side to warm up. Simply seeing her was a reminder of why he was going to crush Draco, should the blond be unfortunate enough to be paired with him.
The first pair of duelers squared off, and Harry kept an eye on them. He didn't recognize the first dueler, but he did recognize Melanee, who had come back from her duel with Katrina with a vengeance. They were both intensely focused on their duel. At this point, it was give all or go home, and they all knew it. He saw a lot of different techniques as they fought off magical and physical exhaustion. After almost twenty minutes of all out fighting, the wizard went flying, and his head hit the mat with a sickening crunch. Harry watched as the healers swarmed once more, and helped him off.
The announcer called the next two up for their duel, and Harry gritted his teeth as Draco strutted up, looking as though he had already won the trophy. He paused in his warm ups to give the duel his full attention.
It appeared that Draco had taken the warnings that he'd been given the day before to heart, as he hadn't sent anything quite as Dark. Not that he was giving an inch, since the spells he was sending were a bit border-line. There were a lot of Blasting hexes and Reductos, but his opponent had a very powerful shield.
It wasn't enough, it appeared, as the shield failed, and the witch flew back with a Banishing charm, and landed awkwardly on her back, her wand flying from her hand, which Draco summoned to him. She maintained her pride, though, and refused to have the healers attend to her on the mat, and limped off on her own. She did, however, go with them to the infirmary.
Of the next two duelers, Harry only recognized Sven, the large wizard that had dueled Brianna on the first day, that Harry assumed had troll blood in him somewhere. That duel, surprisingly, didn't last very long. Sven clearly didn't have a strong shield, as he never needed one, and simply made sure that he wasn't hit with many spells at once. He knocked his opponent out in less than ten minutes, which was the quickest of the three that day.
Harry and Jean met on the mat, and Harry worked to control his nerves. When they were instructed to begin, Harry kept his body taut and ready to move, but he waited, remembering the advice that Sirius gave him on the first day. Jean paused for only a moment before she sent him a hex, which he blocked with a shield, only flicking his wrist.
Confused, Jean sent two more, which he dodged. She started sending him more, which he either dodged or blocked, and he could see her bewilderment at his behavior. When she paused for a moment, he leapt into action, and started flinging spells as quickly as he could say them.
She hadn't made it this far in the competition on her looks, though. She blocked and dodged with impressive reflexes, and started sending a few back to him.
With a spell that Harry had never even heard of, she conjured a golden lasso , which she wielded with her wand over her head for only a moment before she sent it sailing over to him. He threw himself to the side, and felt it nick his left shoulder.
Using the reflexes that made him a Seeker, he snapped his right hand over and grabbed part of the golden rope. When he didn't feel pain, he gave the rope a strong yank. Jean's eyes widened when she realized what he was doing, and quickly countered the spell so that the rope vanished, leaving Harry off kilter for a moment, and she cast a frantic Flipendo. It caught Harry's foot, but with a twist, he kept his balance, and sent a Stunner and an Incarcerous. She shielded both spells, and sent a few of her own.
Thinking hard, Harry thought back to all of the Transfiguration and Charm work he had started to incorporate into his duels. As he continued to block her constant stream of spells, he focused on one that Flitwick had just taught in class before Christmas break.
Focusing on Jean's robe sleeves, he muttered the charm to lengthen it. While she was distracted by the alarm, rightly caused by her clothes moving without her command, he focused on the movement that his sponsor had taught him after class, knowing it worked wonders in a duel. He flourished his wand in a crescent moon, then slashed upwards, and her arm was forced up by the sleeve.
She was barely touching the floor with her toes as she struggled to pull her arm back down, and Harry easily Disarmed her, catching the wand, then Stunning her for good measure.
The hall was silent for a moment, then people started clapping at the Charm work that he'd done. Harry panted before he went to revive his opponent. When she blinked blearily at him, he knelt next to her. "You alright?" he asked as he handed her the wand.
"Shoulder's a bit sore," she muttered, and accepted his help up. Like Draco's opponent, Jean was going to salvage her pride by walking off on her own. "That was some nice Charm work, I never really thought of something like that."
"Your lasso was a nice touch," Harry admitted. "It was a good job Vanishing it before I pulled your wand out of your hand."
She smiled and thanked him, and the judges announced that the lunch break was extended to three hours, as it gave the remaining four duelists a chance to rest and recharge before their next duel.
Harry wiped his forehead free of sweat as he went out to find his party. Sirius grinned at him. "Is Flitwick giving you extra help?" he muttered. "I remember that spell, but it wasn't until later when Lily used it on James."
Harry chuckled. "He covered how to charm clothes, but yeah, he worked with me on how to use it in a duel." In truth, he was growing quite close to the tiny professor, who was quite brilliant. Not that it was shocking, given what House he was head of. It was becoming quite common for him to spend extra time with Flitwick, either throughout the week, or spending some time together after a DA meeting.
"That was great, Harry," Isabella told him, giving him a smile. "Ready for some food?"
"Definitely," Harry said with a smile. He stood next to Brianna as they made their way into the food court.
As Harry was helping Brianna navigate the crowd - not wanting her to get reinjured by everyone - Sirius, Marco, and Isabella went to get the food for everyone. They came back not long later with Mexican food, and passed everything out.
It was clear that the start of the meal was going to be a bit difficult, as a lot of people were coming up to Harry to congratulate him on the duel, and also to Brianna to see if she was alright, having witnessed the rather brutal duel from the day before.
Finally, Harry was getting annoyed because their food was getting cold, since they spent more time greeting and thanking people than they did eating. So he sent a heating charm to their food, and sent up a Notice Me Not charm over them. It didn't make them invisible, or even Disillusioned, but just made it so that people didn't really take note of them sitting there.
Marco chuckled into his plate, amused at the teen's actions. "I would think you'd be used to this kind of thing," he said.
Harry scowled slightly before Sirius nudged him warningly. Harry nodded and cleared his face. "Contrary to popular belief, I hate my fame. Thankfully, most of my school is used to attending with me by now. It's just the first handful of days with the new first years."
Marco and Isabella smiled. They were grateful that he wasn't some stuck up ponce that had sights on their daughter, but more of a humble, shy teen.
They finished their meal in relative peace, and spent the rest of the break talking quietly amongst themselves. Harry and Sirius learned that Isabella, in addition to teaching the students in the village, was a private brewer. As St. Mungo's often needed hundreds of potions for all of their patients, they contracted out to multiple brewers. That they bought from Snape was no surprise; though his attitude and teaching might leave something to be desired, he was the youngest Potions Master in decades. Isabella might be a Potions Mistress, but she had just recently gotten her Mastery. Marco was an author, having written books on Wizarding Culture in Spanish for the Muggleborns in Spain, and all the Spanish speaking countries around the world.
All too soon, in Harry's opinion, it was time to head out and check the board to see when and who he was dueling. He found he was dueling Sven, and he grinned. It was going to be a challenge, but he wasn't as worried. It seemed like more of a mental challenge, to try and think about the duels that he had seen his opponent in, and what his weakness could be. He saw that he was first up, and then it was the duel between Draco and Melanee. He was surprised to see that there was a scheduled break for the two finalists. It was an hour long, to give them a chance to recharge before the Final, he assumed.
As Harry started stretching, having gotten slightly stiff, Sirius came over to give him a pep talk. "How you holding up, kiddo?" he asked, helping Harry stretch his arms.
"A bit nervous, but I think I have a plan," he said, moving on to his legs.
"Just keep your head," he advised. "Don't get frustrated if you're going to be out there for a while. End it quickly if you can, since you have another duel after this one when you win," he said with a wink, "but don't be surprised if it takes a bit."
Harry started nodding, then cried out as his scar suddenly seared white hot, and his vision blurred for a split second. He couldn't help it when he grabbed it and bent forward slightly, gritting his teeth.
"Har!" Sirius whispered, leading him away. The duel started in five minutes, but this was more important. "What is it?" he asked frantically.
"He's excited about something," Harry gritted out, keeping his shields up as strongly as he could. "Something is going to happen soon that's he's been waiting for."
Sirius silently waved to Marco, who quickly walked over. Sirius mouthed at him to get a grade 3 pain reliever from the nurse's station, and Marco walked off, returning moments later with the all too familiar vial.
"Drink up, pup," Sirius said, uncapping it, and handing it over. He noticed that Harry's hands were still shaking slightly, but his color was better than before. "Anything that I need to inform Dumbledore about?"
Harry shook his head. "Remus told him about my scar hurting yesterday, but it's pretty much the same thing. There's nothing specific that I can think of to bother him with."
Sirius nodded, and Marco looked at him, noticing that Harry still had his head bowed and his eyes closed. "This happen often?" he mouthed.
Sirius shrugged. "Often enough. I'll tell you later," he mouthed. He would again give bare details, not wanting people to know the connection between that monster and his son. Marco just nodded at him before heading back to his seat. "Are you alright to compete, or should you forfeit?" he asked, seeing that they only had moments before Harry needed to be on the mat.
Harry shook his head to clear it, and rubbed the scar again. "I'll be fine. I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch Draco's duel or not, but I can handle my own."
Sirius nodded, and steadied him for a minute. "Remember, if it flares up again and you need to withdraw, drop your wand and raise both hands. The judges will stop the duel immediately."
Harry just nodded at him, remembering that part in the rules. He wasn't going to do that, though. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he had once again duel for his life, and he needed to fight through the pain. "I guess that answers why Lucius isn't here, though," he muttered to Sirius. "If Voldemort is planning something, he'll want Malfoy there with him."
Sirius nodded as well, and knew that Harry wasn't going to withdraw unless the pain was unbearable. He was going to keep a close eye on this duel, though he'd been planning on it anyway. "Alright, you'd better get up there, it's about to start."
Harry nodded again, and made his way up to the mat where Sven was waiting for him.
"Good luck," Sven said in a thick German accent.
"You as well," Harry told him, wiping his sweaty hands on his robes.
As soon as the duel started, Harry abandoned all thoughts of using brute spell strength to win. He knew that his spell strength was very high, but he wasn't going to win this one on that alone. He was going to have to wear Sven down first.
Harry simply dodged the spells that Sven was sending his way, and started casting anything that he thought might affect his opponent's balance. So he sent Tripping and Jelly Legs jinxes, Flipendo, Levi Corpus, Petrificus Totalus, and Incarcerous. Few of his spells had any effect, but he continued on, never one to be deterred.
When Sven cast an Incendio straight at Harry's head, he threw himself to the side, meaning to do a half cartwheel to gain his balance again, but cried out when he landed awkwardly and heard a crunch in his middle finger on his left hand. He regained his footing quickly, and fought through the pain.
Sirius winced when he saw Harry buckle slightly and cradle his left hand to his chest, and sat on the edge of his seat. His son was the most stubborn person in the world, though Remus would likely argue and say the second most next to Sirius himself, and wasn't going to end the duel until it was officially over.
Harry bit his lip hard to clear away the pain in his hand, and continued sending anything he could think to do. Finally, there was a stroke of luck. The Banishing charm he sent caught Sven on his shoulder, and he fell hard to the ground. Not one to waste a golden opportunity, Harry quickly disarmed him and bound him in ropes.
When he was announced the winner, he nearly collapsed in relief. That had taken a lot out of him. One of the judges unbound Sven, and Harry handed him his wand back, grinning ruefully at him. "That was one hell of a duel," he admitted.
"You as well. I heard that crack," he said, pointing to Harry's hand. "You might want to get it looked at." Then he grinned. "I guess if I had to be knocked out of the tournament, it was best to be by the Boy Who Lived. Won't get me teased as much when I go home."
Harry shrugged at the old nickname, and shook Sven's hand before walking off the mat to Sirius, who was silently freaking out. Yeah, he was a mother hen to rival Madam Pomfrey, he wasn't going to lie.
"Let's get you looked at," Sirius said worriedly, looking at the crooked digit.
"Sirius, it's a broken finger," Harry said with a grin, though he was in pain. "I've had worse."
"I'm actually aware of that, you know, having been there when you get patched up each time," Sirius told him with raised brows. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't always need to be, though."
"Soon as the war is over, I'll knock it off," Harry told him, barely joking anymore as his scar gave another twinge.
Sirius growled at the truth in that, and led him to the nurses' station. There was more than one reason that he really wasn't fond of the idea of Harry becoming an Auror, and this was one of them.
The nurse wasn't at all like Poppy, Harry thought. She didn't tut at him over dangerous sports and boys with too much adrenaline. Rather, she was quite professional, waving her wand over his hand to locate the exact break, and warned him that it would hurt. He assured her that he was used to it, and to go ahead. She shrugged, and spoke the spell that would realign the bone, and then splinted it and gave him a tiny does of Skele-Grow, which was just as disgusting as he remembered. She told him that it would be about four hours before the bone was completely healed, but he could take the splint off in three.
Harry groaned when he realized that he was going to be in the splint for his duel with Malfoy, and the brat didn't need anything else to use for his advantage. "Will it be a problem if I took it off for my next duel in about an hour and a half?" he asked.
The mediwitch glared at him. "It won't kill you if that's what you mean. There is a chance that it could rebreak. I won't stop you if you take it off, but I will blister your ears if I have to heal it again," she warned.
Harry smirked at that and agreed that she was welcome to it, but only if it was just the finger that she had to heal. She chuckled at his blasé attitude about his, likely, impending injuries and turned to Sirius.
"Is he always like this?" she demanded.
"You have no idea," Sirius told her ruefully. "Though feel free to blister his ears when you heal him again, regardless of the injury. He doesn't listen to my lectures anymore."
Harry raised a brow. "Considering some of the stories you've told me, you shouldn't be surprised if I don't listen to your lectures," he reminded.
Sirius knew that he would regret telling Harry some of his stories as an Auror. In his defense, he had only done it to reassure the kid after the fiasco at Beauxbatons when Harry threw him into the wall. He should have known that it would come back and bite him in the arse.
Harry decided that watching Draco and Melanee duel would likely just freak him out about his next, and last, duel, he chose to stay put. "Why is it that I already know who I'm dueling next?"
Sirius nodded. "That would be because you are aware of the dirty tricks that the baby Malfoy uses when he duels, and there is no way he is going to pass up the opportunity to duel you."
Harry thought about that. It was true that he and Draco had never had an all out duel, just the two of them. There were always teachers, namely Snape, who stopped them right before one of them could throw the first curse. He shrugged at the thought. At least now they would know who the better dueler was, and they would both be fighting with everything they had.
When they heard the gong signal the end of the round, they made their way back into the hall, and found Melanee being taken quickly by the healers past them. Harry swallowed thickly at the amount of blood she was covered in, and looked over at Draco, who was decidedly smug about yet another win.
He decided to ignore the blond, and made his way over to the Covas'. "Are you alright?" Brianna asked as soon as he sat down, looking quickly at his splinted finger.
"It was a clean break. I'm taking this off before the duel," Harry told her, omitting the part where it was against healer's orders. He really didn't want another lecture about how it was a bad idea.
The four of them sitting with Harry made sure to distract him for the hour break. In truth, Harry could feel that he was getting tired, though it was mostly physical, since he really had been slacking on any type of physical training. He was going to have to fix that when he got back. Brianna told him stories about her and her friends, and the adventures they would have in the Muggle world from time to time. Sirius regaled them with tales about his days with the Marauders. Harry had heard all of them at that point, though he enjoyed watching Brianna's reactions.
Far too soon, in Harry's mind, it was ten minutes before the final duel, and he wanted to stretch again, as he'd gotten a bit stiff. Sirius went through the stretches with him, and helped him warm up slightly. He gave his son a quick but firm hug. "Good luck, son," he whispered.
"Thank you," Harry murmured back, before he took a breath, squared his shoulders, and walked onto the mat.
He and Draco stood on opposite corners of the mat, and the announcer stepped between them. "For our Final, we have Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter-Black," he announced, and waited for the cheering to quiet before he continued. "This duel has no time limit, and first blood drawn is no longer the end of the match. Your opponent must be down for two minutes and stay down before the duel is ended. Once incapacitated, no more curses are to be used against that dueler until he is back up or the two minutes have passed." Clearly a warning against cheap shots. "No Unforgivables are allowed, as always. If one opponent is in imminent danger, the duel will be ended with that dueler as the loser. Duelers are allowed to heal themselves if they know the spells. Duelers, do you understand these rules?"
"I do."
"I do."
"Very well," he said, stepping back slightly, and waiting until the two had bowed, though it was more of a jerk of the head for both of them, they walked away, and got into stance. "Begin!"
Draco immediately started with the strongest spells he could think of, clearly wanting to burn Harry out early.
Harry, meanwhile, was sticking strictly to DADA spells, for the moment. He was hoping that he could get Draco thinking that he was staying true to his number one strength, and then switch. It wasn't much of a strategy, but since there was no time limit, he had the chance to do it.
The two of them were circling each other as they continued flinging spells at each other. Harry noticed that Draco had a very strong shield, and rarely ever dodged. He assumed it had some type of pureblood reasoning, but he wasn't sure.
Using the only second he had, he sent a Stunner, followed by Scourgify, just to throw him off slightly. Sure enough, Draco paused to stare incredulously at him, and Harry delved into his more painful repertoire and sent a perfectly aimed Conjuctivitis, and Draco howled in pain as his right eye was stung, and brought up a powerful shield.
"I'm going to get you for that, you little jumped up halfblood," Draco snarled, holding his eye with a hand while keeping the shield up. "I hope you told you blood traitor dogfather what you want on your gravestone."
Harry didn't bother gracing that with a response, but started sending spells to try and break Draco's shield.
Suddenly, Draco used a few brain cells, and Disillusioned himself, causing Harry to curse under his breath for a moment before he thought about what he could do. Remembering a spell that Sirius had taught him, he spun around, spraying a white powder everywhere, but not before he was cursed in the back with a Slicing Curse, which cut deep.
"Arg!" Harry grunted, forcing himself not to fall forward. Instead, he spun quickly. "Clair Lumiere!" he whispered forcefully. That was one of the French spells that he had learned during his travel, and was the equivalent of shining a bright light in your opponent's eyes. Combined with the earlier curse, it had to be painful.
Now that Draco was, while still Disillusioned, covered in the powder and clearly visible, it was much easier. Harry continued trying to disorient Draco by then casting a new spell he'd only worked on in the Room. "Campanous!" Sirius had told him about that one, since it was a Spanish spell that was the equivalent of having a bell covering the head of your opponent and ringing it. Draco grunted and winced, once again forced to shield himself as he couldn't know where Harry was at that moment as he tried desperately to orient himself. His concentration failed, and the Disillusion charm faltered, then dropped completely.
Harry sent spell after spell to break through the shield, going for Blasting Hexes, since he knew that they were currently shielded, and they would drain the shield quicker than simple Stunners.
"Sectumsempra!" Draco yelled more than once, and caught Harry on the side of his right leg as he tried to dodge it, remembering that god awful spell from when Malfoy Sr. used it.
Blood started spurting from the deep cuts, and given the fact that his back was still bleeding from the earlier curse, Harry knew that he was going to be in trouble soon. He quickly cast two more Banishing charms to keep Draco shielding, and then made a quick decision. He quickly found the deepest gash and healed it. He knew that it was a piss poor job, but it stopped the bleeding, at least. He would have it looked at later.
Just as the wound closed, he dodged to the side just in time to miss the bone breaking hex as an enraged Draco went back to offensive, his eye bleeding and swelling rapidly. "I hope there's still room next to your mudblood mother to bury you, Potter," he snarled. "Granted, I wouldn't be happy to have you near me, even in death, so there's a chance that she made sure to keep you away when you died. Given that she was willing to die rather than raise you, I would completely understand if…"
Harry wasn't about to listen to his drivel, and continued thinking about his options. The duel had been going for a while, and the mat was a mess of, literally, blood sweat and tears from the two of them, not to mention the powder.
He cast a Disarming Charm, and felt his injured leg buckle slightly. The distraction was what Draco needed, and shouted an Incarcerous, which Harry didn't fully dodge, and wrapped around his ankles. The rope burned against the still open cuts, and when Harry fell, he knew that he had rebroken his finger. As he fell, he shouted, "Avis," hoping that the birds would keep Draco busy just long enough. He cast a rapid Diffindo and jumped back to his feet. Draco had incinerated the birds, but was distracted long enough for Harry to clip him with a Stunner, and down he went.
Knowing that he hadn't hit him full on, he quickly disarmed him, and bound him in ropes. The judges started counting the two minutes. Harry chose not to waste his time, and healed the gashes on his leg as best he could, though he could tell that he needed a blood replenisher very soon.
At one minute, Draco started thrashing in the ropes, though Harry had a wand in each hand. He had finished healing his leg, and held both Malfoy's wand as well as his own, on the blond, and waited. Just as the time hit two minutes, Draco got free from the ropes.
As the gong sounded, Draco's face changed from its usual pale to beet red in his fury, and he reached in his robes for something. Harry tensed, waiting for it to be a second wand, as Sirius had told him that some wizards kept two on their person at all times.
No, it was a chain that, even from the distance, Harry could tell had something dangerous about it. Draco threw it with all his strength at Harry as he drew a breath to scream something, and suddenly things moved in slow motion.
He could hear the judges yell, he could hear Sirius scream for him to move, and he watched as the chain got closer. He raised his own wand and screamed an Impedimentia to slow it down, then threw himself out of the way.
He heard the chain fall mere inches from his leg, and he continued to scamper away, fear stealing his breath away. He didn't care about the tournament at that moment; he raised his wand again and Stunned Malfoy. Properly, this time, but didn't bother to watch him after that.
Sirius flew up to the stage, as he had been in motion after he had seen Draco throw something at his son. As Death Eater spawn, he knew that anything Draco threw at Harry immediately upon losing could not be good.
He didn't breathe again until he landed on the stage and pulled Harry several yards from the chain. "Are you alright?" he demanded, checking him for injuries.
Harry was wide eyed, and didn't even realize that the entire hall was on their feet and silent, wondering what on earth just happened. He worked hard to catch his breath. "It didn't hit me," he gasped, looking around for the object, and dropped Draco's wand. He checked his palm, but nothing seemed to be wrong. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, heart still in his throat.
The judges hadn't revived Draco, and the healers were edging forward to look at their patients. An Auror stopped them, though. "I will let you know, sir," the red clad man said as he approached the chain, squatted down next to it, and started waving his wand in circles as he muttered under his breath. "This is a portkey," he finally announced, and waved the healers forward after he cast a spell to deactivate the portkey. While he would have loved to know where it went to if a Malfoy had thrown it, he knew that it was not safe in the slightest. It could have taken him to Malfoy Manor, to the middle of a dragon nest, or event to Voldemort himself. Better to err on the side of caution. "I will take this man into custody and question him," he promised Sirius, as Harry was being force fed a potion and the healers worked over him. "I will let you know what we find out." With that, he levitated the chain into a bag, grabbed Draco by his ropes, accepted the wand that Sirius tossed to him, and left.
"Winner of the tournament is Harry Potter-Black," the announcer called lamely. In all the years he had been doing this, it was a first that this had happened.
The crowd was cheering, but it was nothing compared to the talking and whispering that Harry heard. The healers tried to get him to follow them, but he batted them away. "I walked onto this mat, and I will walk off of it," he snapped. His heart was still beating a mile a minute at what could have just happened. What if it had been a portkey straight to Voldemort? He would be dead, and that was a guarantee.
"Congratulations, Mr. Potter-Black," the judges all told him as they handed him the large trophy that they had just inscribed with his name and the date.
Harry accepted it, grimaced for the cameras, then passed it to Sirius, who was standing next to him. "Let's get you looked at, pup," he whispered, pained.
Harry didn't bother, and they walked off the mat. Brianna and her parents met them at the nurses' station, where Harry was bustled onto a stretcher.
"I know I promised you a scolding," the nurse said with a stern look, then she sighed. "But I don't have the heart for it after that. Let me see your back first. Did they give you a blood replenisher?"
Harry was completely out of it, and wasn't paying attention to anything going on around him. All he could think about was Draco. Where was the portkey programmed to go? Was it a failsafe, in case Harry didn't die during the tournament? Was it even meant for Harry originally, or was Draco improvising by using a portkey he always had on him?
So many questions, and he doubted he would get a satisfactory answer to any of them. The next thing he knew, Sirius pulled him into a hug, and Harry realized that the room was empty. "How are you?" he breathed.
Harry, only then, realized that he was shaking. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm wondering what the hell just happened, that's for sure. I have about a million questions going through my brain."
"No kidding," Sirius said, pulling back. He saw Harry calm down slightly. "Now, Isabella invited us over to celebrate your win, but I understand if you just want to go home."
Harry shook his head. "No, she went through the trouble. I can't guarantee how long I'm going to stay," he warned.
Sirius nodded. "I think that you going will be enough for them," he replied, and the two walked out of the room.
Harry was immediately engulfed in a hug, Brianna's cane clattering to the floor. Harry was about to raise his shields, then realized that Brianna was holding her song in as tightly as she could to save him the trouble. "Are you alright?" she demanded. "Did they heal you enough? Do you need to sit down?"
Harry forced a smile. "Yes, yes, and no, though you need to be off your feet," he told her with a raised brow.
She scowled playfully at him and Sirius handed her the cane back. "Well, my mother already left to start dinner. We should get going."
Marco offered to carry the trophy, and Sirius agreed gratefully. He just wanted to keep an eye on Harry. They went through the slightly more private Floo in the infirmary straight to the Covas', Marco first, then Brianna, Harry, and finally Sirius.
When Harry landed, his first reaction was to raise his wand, as he was nearly blasted off his feet by a shout of "Congratulations!"
Sirius bumped into him, and moved him forward slightly to keep from being burned, and the two of them smile. Thom and his parents, Lucian, Stefen, Ica, and about ten other people that Harry had never met before were all smiling at him.
"Let's eat, I'm sure he's starving," Isabella called from the kitchen.
"You know, we're hungry, too!" Lucian called back, and everyone started laughing.
Harry was urged forward, and he gaped at all of the food that was there. True, he had attended Hogwarts for the last several years, but this was nearly equal to one of the feasts! "Mrs. Covas, you didn't have to do this!" he protested softly, feeling a slight pang.
She waved him off, though she did squeeze his shoulder. "Nonsense. We started all of this the day before yesterday, when you, Brianna, and Lucian were all still in, and we knew that one of you would win. Go, go, eat!" she urged.
Sirius gave her a significant look and thanked her. He knew how much these gestures meant to Harry, and in turn, to him.
Everyone started eating and chatting. Harry was introduced to the other teens that were in the village and their parents. Marco filled everyone in on how the duel ended, and they sat in stunned horror at what they heard. It had been years since a dueler was lead away by an Auror, though one was always in attendance.
They all worked hard to cheer him up after that, and Harry was starting to get overwhelmed. After nearly an hour, he escaped everyone and found himself in a corner with Brianna, who had her leg propped up on pillows with the cane on the floor next to her.
"We can be a bit overpowering the first time," she said sympathetically, though with a bit of humor in her words. Her leg was killing her, since she had pushed it further than she probably should have, but it couldn't have been helped.
Harry leaned back and tried d to relax. "Yeah, but that's alright. I'm just glad that the tournament is over. Possibly the longest four days of my life."
She chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty exhausting the first time. Though now that you've won, you'll be getting a lot of offers. Even after you go back to school," she said softly.
Harry decided that was the perfect segue into a topic he'd been a bit apprehensive to broach. "I was wondering, er, do you want to continue being, uh, together? After I go back to school, I mean?"
She smiled at his stuttering. "I would like that. My parent's and I were talking about it last night, and we had a couple ideas." She started explaining what they had talked about, then sat up in alarm.
Harry gave a cry as his head felt as though it were about to split open. He gripped it with both hands, fell off his chair, and landed on his knees, bending in half as he gripped his head. It felt as though it was splitting it half. "Get Sirius!" he cried at her.
She hesitated for only a moment, but knew that she was useless right then, and his father would know what to do. She grabbed her cane, and jumped up, looking around frantically. She finally found Sirius talking to Stefen about something a few rooms over. She staggered over to him, and he looked up in concern.
"Harry said he needs you right now!" she gasped. "He was holding his head, it looks like he's in a lot of pain!"
Stefen reached up to steady her, and Sirius waited that split second. Once he knew that she was okay, he tore through the house to find Harry. He found him in the corner, but nearly missed him, as his black hair blended in with the shadows. "Harry?" he demanded, falling to his knees in front of him. "Let me see, kiddo. Come on, lift your head," he ordered.
"Have to get home now," Harry gritted out. He could tell something bad was coming, and he didn't want to freak out everyone.
"Then let's go," he said immediately, and helped Harry up, guiding him towards the Floo. The party was still in full swing, but he looked around, and saw Marco run into the room, apparently having been alerted to the issue. "Have to leave," Sirius said shortly. "Thank you, and we'll be in touch." Without further delay, he grabbed the Floo powder and tossed it in the fire, and they were gone.
As soon as they were in the safety of their own house, Harry dropped to his knees and let out a shriek of pain that nearly stopped Sirius's heart. Then something even scarier occurred.
Harry started laughing. It wasn't his normal laugh, though. It was a maniacal, power crazy laugh, and it didn't take a genius to figure out whose laugh it was.
Knowing that he couldn't leave his son, no matter what, he sent off a frantic patronus to Albus, alerting him, and demanding his and Snape's presence immediately.
"Keep your shields up," Sirius found himself saying. "Keep him out of your head no matter what. Don't let him know about the connection. Just focus on your shields."
Harry had no idea where the soothing voice was coming from. All he knew was the pain and the thrill that was filling him. He followed the voice's instructions and brought his shields up, though it made his head pound even harder than before.
Sirius was going out of his mind with worry, but worked hard to keep his cool. He could do this. He pried one of Harry's hands away from his face, and bit his lip hard when he saw that Harry's scar had broken open and was beginning to drip blood. There were also bleeding scratches where Harry had clawed at his scar.
As the Floo flared, Sirius pulled Harry's body, which was curled tightly into a ball, further away from the fire so that he didn't get stepped on. Albus was the first through, followed swiftly by Remus, who had been with Dumbledore when he'd gotten the patronus.
"Sirius, what happened?" Albus was the first to ask, taking in the scene. Harry was curled into a ball, still clutching and clawing at his scar while alternating between screaming in pain and laughing hysterically, while Sirius was attempting to calm him.
"His scar has been hurting all day, and we were celebrating when this started," he said, waving helplessly at Harry.
Suddenly, the room quieted as Harry moaned and uncurled slightly. "Harry?" Remus croaked. He swore that he would have nightmares about that scene for a while.
"Water?" he rasped, and Remus hurried to the kitchen.
Dumbledore crouched down next to his student. "Harry, what happened? Did you see something that Tom is doing? Was it like the attack on Arthur?"
"Azkaban," Harry panted, sitting up slightly. "He broke into Azkaban, took out his supporters, and half the dementors followed him. I don't know why they all didn't, though."
Dumbledore swore, causing the other three wizards to stare at him. Before someone could comment, the Floo flared again, and Snape stepped through.
"I had a potion brewing," he explained, gripping his left arm tightly. "What happened?" His eyes swept the four wizards in front of him.
"Tom broke into Azkaban just now," Remus told him swiftly. "Harry just saw it."
Snape reached down and grabbed Harry's face in one hand. "Are you sure of what you saw?" he thundered.
"Snape!" Sirius growled, shoving him off his son. "No need to manhandle the information out of him. He'll tell you anything you want to know."
Harry reached up, and Sirius helped him onto the couch, and then drank deeply from the glass that Remus handed him, and pressed the wet flannel against his scar, where it soothed the burn.
Harry focused on his breathing and keeping his shields up, though he knew that he was now out of that bastard's head. "Malfoy, Nott, Avery, McNair, and a few others that I didn't recognize broke into Azkaban and freed dozens of Death Eaters, and they were followed out by at least a hundred dementors. The rest of them stayed at the prison. Voldemort was thrilled that he has all of his old followers back."
"Did you recognize any of the Death Eaters that escaped?" Snape demanded, mind churning with possibilities. He understood why he hadn't been told. Anything that the Dark Lord didn't want Albus to know, Snape would rarely hear about beforehand.
Harry shook his head. "I only recognized Pettigrew," he spat, unsurprised by the two growls he heard from next to him. "I don't know the others, so I couldn't tell you names."
Albus nodded. "Remus, Sirius, I am calling an Order meeting at Headquarters, and I want you both to be there. Severus, I would like you to join us, but I understand if Tom calls you away to inform you of these events."
Sirius looked at Harry. He could tell that his son wasn't up to being alone right then, and he couldn't blame him. "Much as I hate to do this, Harry, I'm going to have to bring you along."
Albus was the first to protest. "Sirius, Harry is not a member of the Order, and he cannot be there for this meeting."
"He doesn't have to sit in on the meeting. But you are barmy if you think I'm just going to leave him here by himself after having an attack like that, not to mention what he went through at the end of the tournament today," Sirius snarled, and even Snape was surprised by the tone.
Remus was the first to ask. "What happened at the tournament?" he asked worriedly. "Were you injured?" he asked Harry.
Harry looked down, remembering the moment of pure panic. He looked at Sirius, who nodded. "He faced Draco for the final. When he won, Draco threw a portkey at him. There's still a lot of unanswered questions about that, including where the portkey was programmed to go."
The adults were silent, understanding how lucky Harry had been for dodging in time. Albus was concerned. "Are you alright, Harry?"
Harry shrugged, looking at his lap. "I'm better now. It just really freaked me out at the time."
"I can only imagine," the headmaster mumbled, then sighed. "You can join us at Headquarters, but I cannot allow you to sit in on the meeting. You aren't of age yet."
Sirius nodded, and gave Harry a look that he couldn't interpret. "Go get a few things to take along. Also bring your wand," he said, though he knew that Harry went nowhere without it.
Harry didn't bother asking; he stood shakily and went to get his bag. Thinking about it, he grabbed one of his mum's potion journals. He doubted he would be able to focus on his studies that night.
When he came back into the room, he found that the headmaster and Snape had already left, and his father and godfather were just waiting on him. Remus saw him first, and looked at him.
"Are you alright, Harry?" he asked. "Sounds like this week wasn't the relaxing fun you were thinking it would be."
Harry forced a chuckle. "No, it really wasn't. So, what's going on? I remember you telling me about the Order, but where is Headquarters?" he asked Sirius.
Said man frowned as he thought about it. "Headquarters is at my family's house. It's a wreck of a place, and if circumstances were different, I wouldn't take you there. Like I said, though, I really don't want you here by yourself after today. I've got my mirror on me, and I take it you have yours? Good. The meeting room will be warded and silenced. If you need me for anything at all, call me through it, and I'll come to you."
Harry thought through all of that. "If you have a family house, why did you buy this one? Couldn't we have just lived there?" At Sirius's scowl, he backtracked. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."
"No, it's alright," he said. "Look, I told you about my childhood last summer. That house belonged to a very Dark family. My family. If the Order wasn't using it right now and I had finished cleaning it, I would sell the damn thing."
Harry shuddered as he thought about that. Yeah, he couldn't imagine having to ever spend time at Privet Drive if he didn't have to. "How are we getting there?"
"First, read this and memorize it," Remus said, handing over a parchment that had Albus' writing on it.
Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London
Harry considered, then looked up. "Fidelius?" he asked Sirius, who nodded.
"Now that you know where we're going, we'll Floo there. Just remember that address," Sirius told him, and nodded to Remus, who went through first.
When Harry exited the Floo, he struggled not to wrinkle his nose at the place. It was dark, dank, and dusty; he could understand very well why Sirius wanted to get a new place. He couldn't imagine growing up in this home, even if it was cleaner.
Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Yeah, it's a pit from hell," he agreed with a scowl. "I've been working on cleaning it out over the past few months, but it's had years to get like this, and I only come here once or twice a week if I can help it."
Harry nodded in understanding as he set down his bag. "Why did you want me to bring my wand?" he asked curiously. He would have brought it anyway, but he was still curious.
Sirius shook his head as he looked around. "This place is infested. I think I've gotten all of the Dark creatures out of here, but I'm not sure." He looked at Harry. "Don't forget: if you need me, let me know."
Harry looked into his father's eyes and saw the seriousness and concern. He nodded quickly, motioning to his bag. "I've got the mirror, don't worry about me. I think I'll just try to get some of my homework done."
Sirius snorted. He knew that Harry was way too wound to worry about his homework right then, and couldn't blame him. He just nodded at Harry before walking off to another room.
Harry sighed as he looked around, trying to figure out where the best place to sit down was. Finally deciding that the couch looked the cleanest, he sat down and pulled his bag towards him, pulling out the Charms essay that he was nearly finished with, deciding that he could finish it while he was just sitting there.
It was hard to focus as his scar continued to prickle. The pain had not fully stopped ever since that afternoon, but had lessened quite a bit. Though his thoughts kept straying, wondering what the adults were talking about in the other room, he forced himself to finish the essay.
After 45 minutes, he set it aside to dry, pleased that it was finished. Flitwick was a great teacher, but that essay had been hell to write. He sighed again, knowing that he still had his Transfiguration, CoMC, Potions, and Astronomy essays left to finish before break was over.
Knowing that there was no way he would be able to concentrate on his assignments, he pulled out his mum's potions journal, and opened it to where he had left off. He hadn't gotten very far in it, as he focused on one potion at a time, but he was fascinated. Clearly his mum was amazing at potions, and he wasn't surprised to find that most of her original ones (that she had been waiting on the war to end before patenting) were healing potions. He could clearly recall Poppy saying that she had been gifted at healing.
He couldn't focus on any one potion right then, so he flipped through it, trying to get an idea of the last potions she had worked on before her untimely death. He gasped when he saw the last entry.
Potion to Counter the Cruciatus
Harry was well aware that there was no potion that could help with the after affects of the Torture Curse, having been told that by Snape himself after the Third Task. He pulled the journal closer to him and read carefully.
Though all healers insist that there is no way to counter the effects of the Cruciatus curse, I believe that there is still something that is simply waiting to be discovered. From the research I have conducted into the affects, I have found that the curse targets the all the nerve endings in the body, as well as the muscles. If left long enough, the patient is left with permanently damaged nerves, muscles, and damage from the lack of blood flow and oxygen, and brain damage from the same. This is not counting the psychological damage that all torture victims endure.
The potion to counter these effects would be highly difficult to create and quite expensive as well. I have begun experimenting with the nerve regeneration potions listed below, attempting to combine them with a basic pain potion, or one of the heavier pain potions also listed below. These seem to help; however there is still the aspect of the oxygen deprivation that the victims endure, which will continue to cause damage to the body and brain.
My experience in the Muggle world coming into play, I have wondered if liquid oxygen would help with this issue. I understand that it can be highly explosive, and its uses are mainly in that area? However, I remember my father had been put on it recently due to his failing health, so I know it has medicinal uses.
The main problem with creating a potion of this kind would be, not only the fear of a bad reaction due to the liquid oxygen, but also finding a way to test it. I have attempted to speak with Alice about it, as she has been out of Hogwarts longer than myself and is working in St. Mungo's, but with us in hiding, there is very little chance of speaking with her at length about the proper procedure.
It was the longest introduction she had written before one of her potions, and he found his fingers tracing the page. He looked down the list of ingredients, and whistled. Yeah, he could see why his mother couldn't very well experiment easily on this potion.
"Crushed unicorn horn, phoenix feathers, powdered gryphon claw. Gees mum, could you have found any more rare or expensive ingredients?" he muttered. "Wait! Thestral blood? Werewolf fur? What do those have anything to do with a healing potion?"
Snape shot to his feet in the middle of the argument between Moody and Vance, disagreeing over what to do with the remaining dementors. There must have been a fight, as over fifty had been 'killed', several hundred had left, and nearly a hundred had stayed. His arm seared with pain, and he knew that it was time for him to leave this particular meeting, and head to another. As he got to his feet, he turned to Albus, even as he started heading towards the door.
Albus looked over at him, saw the look, and nodded once. "See me after, Severus," he said simply, and he nodded, making his way out.
Once out of the stuffy dining room where they would meet, he made his way to the front door, seeing the Potter brat, staring intently at what looked like an old book. His sharp ears caught the boy's words.
He whirled around, and sure enough, it was the potions journal that he had given Lily for Christmas in their sixth year. Anonymously, of course, since they were no longer friends, but by the slight smile she had given him on their first potions class, she knew it had been him.
"What do those have anything to do with a healing potion?" he heard the boy ask. "Maybe Hermione can help me get the liquid oxygen, or I can speak with the Muggle studies professor at school."
Snape was burning with curiosity as to what potion he was talking about, but he knew that he was running out of time. Given how often he was in the company of the headmaster, the Dark Lord let him be slightly late to meetings, but not too late.
Forcing all thoughts of his day into his Occlumency shields, he prepared himself for the wrath of his second Master.
Harry was struggling with understanding some of the things his mother was talking about in terms of preparation of the ingredients, and the making of the potion itself. He saw that she had tried four different sets of ingredients, and while they had some effect, it wasn't much.
Though he was disappointed at how little he actually understood, he wasn't surprised. He'd only been truly interested in potions for less than a year now, and she'd been highly gifted at them. Not to mention, she'd finished her NEWT in Potions with, surely, high marks. Maybe there was someone he could talk to about it? Then he shrugged. The only person he could think of was Snape, and there was no way that professor would help him with this.
Suddenly determined, he pulled out his Potions book and a blank parchment, and began working on the essay that Snape had set. He knew how often the Torture curse was used during the war, and there was no way he was going to let people suffer. He would work hard at Potions until he could figure out what his mother was talking about.
Wanting more information to add than what was simply in his text, he put everything into his bag, and started walking around the house, looking for the library. He checked several rooms before finally finding it completely covered in dust. He cast several charms that they had learned in second year Charms to get rid of most of the dust before the air was breathable.
Setting his bag down on the desk, he searched the shelves, and paled. The majority of the books were clearly dedicated to the Dark Arts, and he doubted that he would even find them in the Restricted Section. Focusing on his search, he finally found a shelf for Potions, and took a few of them down.
The essay was set for three feet on Calming Draughts. Having worked hard on them before and during Christmas break, he knew quite a bit about them, but he spent quite a lot more time researching them, wanting to learn as much as he could. He was grateful that fifth year Potions class dedicated the majority of the curriculum on healing potions. Sixth and seventh years expanded on them, but they were not the main focus.
When he set aside the essay to dry, he was amazed to realize that he had almost five feet on the topic. He had never done quite as much work before, most especially not for Snape. Though he was finished with the essay, he continued reading, knowing that anything he could learn at that point would be helpful.
So focused on his work, he was confused when he heard his name being called frantically from the mirror. He reached in and grabbed the mirror. "Sirius?"
"Where are you, pup?" Sirius demanded.
"I'm in the library," Harry said quickly, understanding.
Less than a minute later the door burst open, and Sirius and Remus came inside. "You need to stop disappearing on me like that. What are you doing in here?"
Harry apologized and motioned to the books. "I wanted to do some research for my essays." Seeing the look on Sirius's face, he shook his head quickly. "I didn't go near the others. I only looked at the ones on Potions, and only those that would help with my essay."
Sirius deflated, relieved. He knew firsthand what kinds of books his father had kept in his library. Not all of them were Dark, but most of them. "Well, the meeting's done. You want to head home now?" he asked, scowling as he looked around the house.
Harry jumped up. "Yeah, that's fine. Could I bring a few of these back with me?"
Remus stepped forward. "My I?" he asked, wanting to take a look at the books. Harry nodded, and stepped aside so that Remus could look at them. After flipping through for a moment, he looked up at his friend. "Nothing too dark, Pads. I don't see a problem with it."
Sirius nodded. "Alright, you grab your bag, I'll get these."
Harry let him take the books, and they made their way to the Floo, passing the headmaster, who looked as though he wanted to speak with him for a moment. "How are you doing?" he asked, much calmer than he'd been before.
Harry shrugged. "I'm doing better than I was earlier.
Dumbledore nodded. "I'm sorry if I was a bit short with you earlier, Harry," he apologized. "Time was short in notifying who we needed to speak with regarding your revelation. I was not trying to be insensitive."
Harry felt a crack in the wall around his heart. He knew that he had been upset with the Headmaster over many things lately. Thinking it over, though, he understood that Dumbledore, as the unofficial leader of the Light, had a lot on his shoulders other than Harry. Perhaps a truce? "I understand, Professor," Harry told him honestly. "It was not exactly the easiest of news to hear." He was tempted to ask what had happened during the meeting, but he knew better. Dumbledore would never tell him what went on, but maybe Sirius and Remus would.
Dumbledore smiled slightly at the thaw in, he had to admit, his favorite student. "I thank you for that. Now, enjoy the rest of your break, and I'll see you when school resumes."
Albus went through first, headed back to Hogwarts, and the remaining three wizards went back to the Black Abode.
It was only then that Harry realized just how late it had gotten, not that he should have been surprised. After all, he had eaten dinner over at the Covas'. Remus surprised him by handing him a vial. Harry immediately recognized Dreamless Sleep.
Remus nodded at the questioning look. "I kind of, er, bullied Snape into giving it to me for you," he said with a slight blush while Sirius snorted behind him.
When he saw Harry about to protest, Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder. "The last 24 hours have been hell, kid," he said bluntly. "Between Draco attacking Brianna, our fight last night, then your duels today, the portkey scare, the vision… you deserve a good night's rest. I give you my word we'll talk tomorrow. I just want you to sleep right now."
Harry could understand that, and he really was bone tired. He took the vial from Remus, thanked him for getting it for him, and started to head to his room. He was nearly out of the living room before he turned around. "You'll tell me what happened at the meeting tonight?" he half asked, and Sirius nodded.
"I will. You need to know, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Harry accepted that and went to his room. He took a very quick shower, noticed that he had a few letters on his desk from his friends, and decided that he would read them in the morning. He crawled under the covers, took the foul tasting potion that he never could get used to, and fell asleep almost immediately.
I think that was the longest, single day that I've ever written! Super packed, and very eventful, but I hope it wasn't too unrealistic.
I've always thought that there wasn't really much talked about how talented Lily was at Potions, and she must have been going crazy being cooped up in the house for so long. I could definitely see her coming up with potions in her free time, when James was watching baby Harry.
Azkaban has finally been broken into! A new twist added, as the dementors are apparently dividing and taking sides themselves!
