I, London Man, did NOT write this story. This was written by Early-Frosts. I am just hosting it because EF was going to cancel their account. EF allowed me to have them on my site so people can read or reread them if they wanted.

I did NOT steal this story. Also, I want to thank Early-Frosts for letting my host their stories.

Chapter 29: Twenty Eight: A Conspiracy of How Many?

Family Matters

Disclaimer: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer and all related materials belong to their respective owners. This is non-profit fanfiction.

Warning: This story contains slash.

Chapter Twenty-Eight – A Conspiracy of How Many?

Alexander sought out Cedric Diggory first thing on Monday morning. He was a little bit nervous about tracking the Auror-in-training down. In the heat of the moment, the New Englander had revealed to Headmaster Dumbledore that he knew that Cedric had been asked to romance him. The Cullen boy was afraid of what the consequences of revealing that information had been for Diggory.

Finding the Hufflepuff was a relatively easy task; all Alex had to do was wait at the midpoint between the Hogwarts Express and the Dining Hall. He was fortunate that Cedric came into view before he had to encounter any of the Potters.

"Morning," the black-haired youth greeted the trainee.

Cedric warmly smiled at Alexander. "Good morning to you, too."

"You're talking to me?" the New Englander asked in surprise.

"You thought I wouldn't be for some reason?"

"Well, yeah," Alex admitted. "I kinda let some details slip when I was arguing with Dumbledore-"

"That alerted him to the fact that I told you about what he asked me to do," Cedric finished. "I already know."

The younger Wizard watched the older one's face very carefully for several seconds. "Didn't I get you into trouble?"

"No," the former Hufflepuff said with careless smile. "The only two things that the headmaster said to me about the situation after he talked to you were that it was the right thing of me to do to tell you and that he was sorry for ever asking me to do it."

"He . . . apologized?"

"He did," Cedric confirmed. "It was weird. I don't think I've ever seen the old man apologize to anyone for anything. Except for some very generic 'I'm sorry to have to ask you to do this' platitudes."

"Does that mean it's safe for me to ask you a really big favor?"

"Ask away," the Hufflepuff laughed.

"I need you to help me set a trap for Matthieu Moreau." When Alexander saw Cedric's face take on a confused and somewhat alarmed expression, he was quick to explain the situation. "I think that he bewitched Charles into slipping me candy laced with Amortentia. At lunch today, I'm going to set it up so that he has the opportunity to slip some to me again. I need you to create a distraction so that I can get rid of the potion so that, when I start fawning over him, he thinks I've taken it even though I haven't."

Cedric's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why make him think you've taken it? Why not have him arrested as soon as he tries to slip the potion to you? You are aware that even possessing it for anything other than academic purposes is illegal, right?"

"Because Charles broke into my office, and I believe that it was because he was cursed. I want to know why," Alexander said. "There is something that I'm missing in all of this. Some clue that will make everything in this situation make sense. If he just wanted me, then why did he send Charles into my office? There's an ulterior motive here. I'm thinking he doesn't even really want me, he just wants something I can give him."

"Ignoring the dirty innuendo . . . you're going to try an feign being under the most powerful love potion ever made and interrogate a very talented Wizard who evidently has no qualms about trying to drug you?"

"I don't like any part of this situation," the younger boy said with a frustrated shake of his head. "I actually ate one of the candies he sent to me through Charles and spouted off all of this ridiculous nonsense about being in love with Moreau to my boyfriend. I was all prepared to run off and jump in the sack with the bastard before I was given the antidote. I want nothing more than to have him tossed in some dark, dank hole right this second. But Headmaster Justinius wants to know what he was having Charles look for in my office and thinks it would be best to try and interrogate Moreau on the sly. And I agree."

Cedric was still frowning. "So you're just going to leave Charles bewitched?"

"Only for a few more hours. Like I said, I'm not happy with any of this. But Moreau will try and leverage Charles's freedom from whatever spell he's under against us when he is caught. We need as much leverage as possible to use right back against him. Just catching him with the Amortentia may not be enough. The more information we can get, the better position we'll be in."

After convincing a very reluctant Cedric to help out, he set about recruiting Eric and Marcia. Then, all Alexander could do was wait for lunch.

He made sure he was the first to enter the Dining Hall and, after collecting his lunch, quickly took a seat near the exterior doors. As he sat waiting for the other Wizard to arrive, Alexander looked around the room to make sure everyone who was in on the plan was in place. Eric and Marcia were sitting several tables away from him, ready to jump into action if things got out of hand. Professor Brekenridge and Headmaster Justinius, likewise, were keeping their subtle eyes on the boy. Last but not least, Cedric Diggory was watching things from the end of the lunch line, pretending to be doing something official as part of his Auror-in-training duties.

Alex noticed when Matthieu entered the Dining Hall by the way all of his watchers tensed. At that moment, he'd have given anything in the world to have Edward there by his side.

"Matthieu," Alex said when the French boy walked by.

"Yes?" the other boy greeted tightly.

"I, uh, want to apologize for the way I spoke to you the other day. I wasn't very kind to you. I was having a bad day and you just caught me at a bad moment is all," Alex lied through his teeth. He was borrowing heavily from his apology to Charles several months earlier. "Would you care to join me for lunch?" he asked, motioning to the chair to his immediate right.

The Beauxbatons Champion smiled confidently at Alexander. "I will join you in a moment," he said before departing. He returned a matter of minutes later with his own lunch tray. "Not that I'm displeased to be sitting with you, but why the change of heart?" he asked.

"Yes, Alex, why the change of heart?" a new voice asked.

Alexander was surprised to find Cirilla standing next to him with her lunch tray. She had a tense smile on her face.

"I just decided that it wasn't fair of me not to give you a fair chance is all," the younger Wizard answered Moreau, all but ignoring Cirilla as she took the chair to Alexander's left.

"Trouble in paradise?" the Witch asked as she seated herself.

"None of your business," Alex snapped. He took a moment to reel his irritation in. He knew that Cirilla could ruin everything just by being present at a critical moment. Fortunately, he had a quick and easy way to get rid of her that would play into his plan quite nicely. The Cullen Wizard reached for his glass of juice and, as he was lifting it, 'accidentally' allowed it to slip through his fingers and splash all over his frenemy.

"Alex!" the platinum blonde cried out as she shot up from her chair.

"I'm so sorry!" Alexander tried to act like the horribly embarrassed klutz he needed to appear to be. He did his best to imitate Neville Longbottom's nervous expression from when the other boy had been knocked into Alexander at lunch during the New York trip.

The Witch looked at the Student Body President furiously before drawing her wand and banishing the juice. "It's fine," he muttered.

Matthieu was distracted by the Witch, so Alexander took the opportunity to shoot a glance over his shoulder to Professor Brekenridge. She just looked back at him, not understanding what he wanted from, so he nodded his head in Cirilla's direction and widened in his eyes in an attempt to convey his message. Cordelia's eyes strayed to the girl for moment before she caught on.

"Miss Bellcroft!" the Charms professor cried as she rapidly approached the table. "You know better than to use magic in the Dining Hall."

"But I had juice all over my dress!" the younger Witch exclaimed.

Alexander made a token effort to help Cirilla out. "It was all my fault."

"It was an accident," Matthieu added quickly. "You can't blame yourself."

"Zero tolerance means zero tolerance, young lady. I will see you in my office immediately," the deputy headmistress said with a note of finality before physically pulling Cirilla away from the table and towards the doors that led into the central administrative building proper.

There was a zero tolerance policy regarding the use of magic in the Dining Hall, but Professor Brekenridge would never do anything more than send a student a minro glare for banishing some spilled juice. The one and only reason she was reacting to Cirilla's spellwork was because Alexander needed the Witch out of his way.

"I'm so clumsy," Alex laughed nervously once he was alone with Matthieu. "I better go get something else to drink."

Before the black-haired boy could get out of his seat, the French boy was standing upright. "I'll get it for you. Please, remain seated."

Matthieu Moreau left for a second time. Alex forced himself to not look around the room at his compatriots this time for fear of doing something to give away the fact that this was a sting operation. As soon as the other boy was out of sight, the Cullen Wizard reached down into his bag and retrieved his wand, keeping it in his left hand under the table.

The brown-haired seventeen-year-old returned with a new glass of juice and a steaming cup of what appeared to be cocoa about a minute after he left. The moment the taller boy sat the steaming cup down with a smile, Alexander knew that he'd done what was expected of him; Alex Cullen could smell honey and lilac from the mug, meaning that the drink had almost assuredly been spiked with Amortentia.

"What's this?" Alex asked his companion.

"You never got a chance to drink your cocoa in New York."

"But where did you get cocoa; they don't serve it here at lunch."

The Beauxbatons Champion gave Alexander another confident smile. "I've made friends with the House Elves who work in your kitchens."

"Very nice," the green-eyed boy complimented before bringing the mug to his lips.

On cue, Cedric pretended to trip and knocked over the two large trash bins that were positioned by the end of the lunch line. The laughing, applause, and other commotion that resulted from the spectacle drew the attention of everyone in the room, including Alexander's lunch date. Once Matthieu's attention was diverted, Alexander silently banished half of the cocoa from his mug with the wand he was holding under the table. He then put the mug down and adopted the spaciest look he could muster.

He hoped that his already pale skin and acting skills would hide the fact that he hadn't succumb to all of the physical symptoms of Amortentia.

When Moreau turned back, he found the cup half-drained of all of the cocoa and Alexander staring off in the distance. "Alex?" he questioned carefully, only a littlest bit of excitement leaking into his voice.

Alexander turned his head to look at Matthieu. He gave him an appraising look before he spoke. "I just noticed how incredible your eyes are."

The French boy smiled triumphantly. "You like my eyes?" he asked as he inched closer to Alexander.

"I love them. I love everything about you," Alex simpered. It turned his stomach to say such things, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when Matthieu reached under the table and rested a hand on his leg. That action almost caused the American Wizard to begin hexing. Or dry heaving.

"I'm pleased to hear you say that," Moreau told his supposedly enthralled companion. "And you want me to be pleased, don't you?"

"I will do anything to please you."

"Wonderful," he leaned in close to Alexander's ear and slowly slid his hand up the other boy's thigh. "I want you to bring the plans for the awards ceremony to my room tonight after dinner. Make sure that the seating arrangement for the VIP box is there. After you've given me the plans, I will allow you to please me as much as you'd like. And I will then please you in return."

Alexander was positive he'd be sick if this had to continue playing a love-sick fool to the teen that had tried, on multiple occasions, to strip him of his free will. He was about to signal Headmaster Justinius that he had learned what he needed to learn—that the item in his office that Charles was sent to retrieve was the plans for the awards ceremony—when he made an awful realization.

With his head turned so that Matthieu could whisper in his ear, he had a good view of Marcia and Eric. He mouthed the word 'help' to them.

Without delay, Eric stood up and crossed the room, forcibly pulling Alexander out of the chair.

"What are you doing?" Matthieu demanded angrily.

"Sorry buddy, but Alex and I have things to discuss," Eric said swiftly before dragging Alexander away.

The youngest of the three Wizards made a pathetic attempt to escape Eric's grasp and return to Matthieu, but it was all for show. He didn't have to try for too long, though, because the French boy gave him permission to leave.

"Please, join your friend, Alexander. I will see you later, after all." The last was said forcefully, as if he was commanded Alex.

The entire thing was nauseating to the green-eyed boy.

Once Alexander was out of the Dining Hall and into the administrative building, he leaned heavily against the nearest wall.

"What happened?" Eric asked urgently. "Why did you call for help?"

"He let me know what he wanted Charles to do almost immediately," Alex said quickly. "I have to speak to the headmaster right away."

A few minutes later, Alexander was standing with Marcia and Eric across from Headmaster Justinius and Professor Brekenridge, who had made short work of disciplining Cirilla. Cedric Diggory was also present, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Matthieu isn't working alone," the Cullen boy explained without preamble was everyone was in the room.

"Are you certain?" the headmaster asked at the same time that his deputy asked, "What did he say?"

"Matthieu wants the seating arrangement for the VIP box of the awards ceremony," Alex explained. "That's what he wanted Charles to steal from my office, I'm sure of it. I left the plans at home over the weekend and didn't bring them back to school until Tuesday morning. Charles searched my office on Monday night, so there were no plans to find."

"How does that prove he's working with someone else?" the blond Wizard asked.

"The awards ceremony is being held immediately after the end of the Third Task. To save time and space, the ceremony is being held right in front of the stands that the audience will be in for the Task," Brekenridge informed the New England Champion.

"In other words, the VIPs will be in the same spot for the Task and the awards ceremony. Matthieu would have no use for the searing arrangement himself because he'll be in the maze during the Task and out in front of the audience with the other two Champions during the ceremony," Cedric completed the thought. "With the number of times that the stands will be checked before the VIPs arrive, advanced knowledge of who is sitting where would be useless to him unless there is someone else that he's planning to pass it on to."

"Could it be Charles?" Marcia asked. "I mean, if he's going to do something to someone in the VIP box and he has bewitched Charles, then couldn't he just make Charles do the deed for him? He needs the plans in advance so that he knows exactly what to order Charles Potter to do."

"I hadn't thought of that," Alexander confessed.

"It is a possibility," the headmaster conceded. "But I am inclined to agree that Mister Moreau almost definitely has another accomplice. There are limits on these sorts of enchantments. Charles Potter is fourteen and far too inexperienced to be able to do anything to the VIP box on his own with the amount of security that will be there. Unless the plan is that he make a failed attempt, then there almost assuredly must be another Wizard involved."

There was a long pause before Cedric asked a new question. "What could he have planned?"

"I don't know," the green-eyed Wizard responded. "Secretary Eda, the Ministers for Magic of France and Britain, dozens of other high-ranking officials from all three nations, visiting dignitaries. It could be an assassination or kidnapping plot against any one of them."

"Or all of them," Professor Brekenridge added darkly.

"What do we do now?" Eric asked.

"I will inform Secretary Eda and allow the Division of Magical Law Enforcement to take things from here," Headmaster Justinius replied. "I have allowed you all to become too involved in this as it is."

"But you'll keep us informed of what the Secretary decides, right?"

"Of course," the old Wizard agreed. "The four of you will remain here with Professor Brekenridge while I see to the Secretary. Your testimony may be needed very soon."

"I have duties to perform," Cedric protested.

"I will see to it that your superior is made aware of the fact that you are acting on my orders, Mister Diggory. I have been given the authority to command you in matters of school security, after all."

"Yes, sir," the Auror-in-training replied.

It was three long, boring hours later that the headmaster returned. But, he did not return alone. The office was soon crowded with a contingent of crimson-robed Aurors, Secretary Eda, and her elderly aid decamps.

Alexander took a moment to examine the Secretary. Her hair had a great deal more grey to it and her face was more worn than the last time he'd seen her at the start of the fall semester. The strains of governing were causing her to show signs of premature aging, it seemed.

"Mister Cullen," Secretary Eda began once she was settled behind the headmaster's desk. "As nice of a boy as you seem, I'm beginning to associate your name with a particularly sharp brand of migraine."

"Not my fault," Alexander flippantly replied. His casual response actually caused the Witch to crack a momentary smile.

"I would like to start off by making sure I adequately understand the situation. The Beauxbatons Champion has been attempting to acquire the plans for the awards ceremony of the Triwizard Tournament. Specifically, he has shown an interest in acquiring the seating chart for the top box. In his attempts to acquire the plans, he has most likely bewitched a Hogwarts student and made several attempts to drug a New England Academy student, one of which was semi-successful in that the student was drugged but was given the antidote prior to doing anything damaging. Based on the fact that the Beauxbatons Champion will be indisposed during both the Task and the subsequent ceremony, it is the belief of everyone in this room that he has another accomplice. Charles Potter is not believed to be this sole accomplice, willing or otherwise, because he isn't skilled enough to do any real harm to anyone in the VIP box, even if he is under the Imperius Curse. Is this a correct summary?"

There were murmurs of agreement around the room. Alexander was surprised to find that even the red-robed Aurors voiced their agreement rather than staying silent. He therefore assumed that they weren't regular Aurors but ranking members of the Division of Magical Law Enforcement who were present to give input and advice to the Secretary.

"Remind me when this is all over to have Professor Reynolds tarred and feathered for suggesting this Tournament," Secretary Eda said to her assistant as she began to rub small circles on her temples. Though it was clearly a joke, the assistant dutifully recorded the request in his notes. "As I see it, I have two options. The first is that we can arrest Misters Moreau immediately for the Amortentia debacle and take Mister Potter into protective custody. Once in custody, Mister Moreau may give up his accomplice and release Charles Potter from whatever spell he may be under. That, of course, assumed that Charles Potter is under a spell and not participating of his own volition."

"And the second option, ma'am?" Professor Brekenridge questioned.

"Let this play out."

"What?" Alexander demanded sharply. "I think I must have misheard you, because for a moment there I was pretty sure you were suggesting that we leave Charles under the influence of a dark curse for the next month."

"That is precisely what I'm suggesting, Mister Cullen," the Secretary replied in an all-business tone.

"Absolutely not!" Alex shouted. It was clear from the reactions of everyone in the room that shouting was not something one did to the Secretary of Magical Affairs. "It's unconscionable," he pressed anyway.

"What if Charles Potter really is under the Imperius Curse?" Secretary Eda asked the boy.

"Then we force Moreau to let him go."

"Really? You think it is just that simple. You're a bright boy, Mister Cullen, you should have realized by now that there is a very good chance that Mister Moreau is not the mastermind behind all of this. He may not be the one who cast the curse on Charles Potter. Merlin, for all we know, Moreau is under the influence of the curse as well. If he isn't the one that cast the curse and we can't identify and catch the real caster, then Charles Potter may be in our custody for a very, very long time."

The Secretary's words reminded Alexander of the situation involving Ginny Weasley. She was committed because the Ministry of Magic couldn't be sure that she was free from the effects of the dark artifact that had manipulated her. Charles could end up the same way: expelled from school and under a permanent cloud of suspicion.

"Can't you just force Moreau to drink truth serum?" Alexander asked desperately.

"The French Ministry will never allow it," Professor Brekenridge answered. "The moment he's taken into custody, he will lawyer up. The Aurors won't be able to do any sort of real interrogation of him. If he is given the serum on the sly, then nothing he says can be admitted against him in court and there stands a very good chance that he will be acquitted as a result."

"And even the truth serum idea, if it was workable, relies on the assumption that Mister Moreau is the one that cast the curse on Charles or, if he isn't, that he knows who cast the curse on him. There are many people in the world who are subjected the curse while asleep or their back is turned. Some casters of the Imperius Curse even use precise memory charms so that their victims only remember their orders, not who gave them," the headmaster added miserably. "If Mister Moreau didn't cast the curse and doesn't know who did, then arresting him may be meaningless in terms of helping Charles Potter.

"But . . . but there has to be some other way than to just let this all play out. There has to be something we can do for Charles." Alexander was practically pleading with Secretary Eda at this point.

"If he is under the Imperius Curse, then he must fight it off himself or we must neutralize the caster. We don't know who the caster is for certain. The only way we can be positive that we have the caster is if we take out Moreau and all of his allies in one swoop when they make their move. But we will do what we can to protect the boy." The head of the Department of Magical Affairs looked over at the headmaster. "Is there anyone near the boy that you can trust to watch out for him?"

The old Wizard stroked his short beard. "I am not sure, Madam Secretary. Neither of his siblings is in the same house as him at Hogwarts. We could speak to Dumbledore; have his head of house watch out for him."

The Secretary considered it for a moment. "We will tell Dumbledore. But this information will be tightly controlled. We will force him to sign a binding magical agreement to not tell anyone without authorization. You will all be subjected to the same agreements so that you cannot tell anyone about this situation who does not already know about it," she said, casting a glance to Alexander. "And we will explain the situation to the boy's parents as well."

"And Jonathan and Cara Potter?" Alexander questioned.

"Too dangerous," one of the Aurors spoke up for the first time. His face was obscured by the hood of his cloak, but he had a very deep voice. "If one of the Potter children has been compromised, there is a high risk that they all have been."

"So have them sign the same agreement. If you word it correctly, it won't matter if they're compromised because they won't be able to tell whoever put the curse on them about it," Alexander snapped.

Alex knew that any argument about Cara and Jonathan based on their utility would be bunk. They hadn't noticed the changes in Charles's attitude thus far. Or, if they had, they hadn't brought it up to Alexander's knowledge. His argument for including the pair in the secret was one of decency. Jonathan and Cara deserved to know what was happening to Charles.

"We'll consider it," the Secretary conceded.

"But-"

"I said that we will consider it," Eda snapped. "The fact of the matter is, Mister Cullen, that I have included you in this discussion thus far as a courtesy. You would do well to remember that."

Alexander clenched his jaw and said nothing further. He'd made the argument; that was all he could for the moment.

The Secretary steepled her fingers on the old mahogany desk. "For the time being, we will play along. Mister Cullen will send a copy of the current plans for the awards ceremony ahead to Matthieu by owl post," she looked directly at the teen. "You will include a note about how you must stop by the nurse's office for a headache remedy but will join him shortly. After that, you will break off all contact with him." The Witch then turned her attention to Eric and Marcia. "You two, in the meantime, will spread a rumor."

"A rumor?" Marcia asked suspiciously.

"Yes. A rumor saying that Mister Cullen is being sent home for a few days to recover from a terrible allergic reaction to a headache relieving potion he took in the nurse's office and that the spells and potions used to remove the headache relieving potion from his system have left him confused. Tell them that, as an unexpected side effect of the treatment, he can't remember anything since before he first got the headache during lunch. We can't have Mister Cullen pretending to be under the influence of Amortentia for the next month for obvious reasons, but we also can't have Mister Moreau believing that Alexander knows he asked for the plans.

"Amortentia is notorious for its victims losing all memory of their actions while under its thrall, so Mister Moreau should conclude that the potion was removed from Mister Cullen's as part of the general cleansing treatments used to treat allergic reactions to potions and that he no longer remembers sending the plans to him. This will allow Mister Cullen go about his normal, day-to-day business and will, in theory, not cause Mister Moreau to change his plans."

"That . . . makes sense," Alexander agreed tentatively.

Further discussion of what to do about the situation was tabled until several binding magical contracts could be hastily drawn up by Secretary Eda's assistant. Shortly after signing the agreements not to discuss the matters with those who were not already aware of them, Eric and Marcia returned to classes while their vampire-raised friend was escorted by an Auror to his office to copy the plans, write a note to Matthieu, and then send them both to the Beauxbatons champion by owl post. Once that was completed, he was taken to the portkey site with instructions not to return to class until mid-week at the soonest in order to play up the 'allergic reaction' cover story.

When Alexander arrived home, he went into his family's house and waited for everyone to return home. As he waited, he quietly stewed over the day's events and began to make plans of his own.

When Edward and his siblings returned home, the green-eyed mortal was quick to recount the events of the day to them.

"So, what do you think the Secretary's plan is for the awards ceremony?" Edward asked once his boyfriend had finished his explanation.

"I don't know," Alexander began, "but I have my own plan."