Answering the Call of the Goblet
02
ISDH
ACG
Legeate Liquidizer Potter bit into the perfect grilled cheese sandwich… and the years came flooding back.
"My story will begin at the end of the Year. Things will change the longer I am here. It is like tossing a stone into a pool. There are ripples. Each ripple compounds the next." Harry sighed. "I say the end of the Year, as the twins are holding betting pools on the three events. Yes I win the whole Tourney, but at what cost? No, I will not tell you as I want you to enjoy this Year as much as possible."
Another bite of creamy cheesy perfection… "I Pass the money to the Twins. They never get their money from Bagman, as the Goblins get to him first. Never Bet with a Goblin's purse, too many strings. They started a joke shop. At first it was just a mail order production, run from Hogwarts, until the DADA professor pissed them off. They had only returned that year to appease their Mother. By Christmas, they were gone. By Easter, the houses were at War."
A swig of butter beer. "It all started when my Cousin and I were assaulted some five blocks from my muggle relatives' house. Two Dementors dropped on us, as we were walking home. Driving them off, while not easy, was not out of my skill set. Getting the fat slob that was my cousin home without magic, that was tricky. I then received a notice that I was expelled, and my wand would be snapped. Then Dumbledor used his limited pull at that time to get me a hearing…
"I was pulled from Surrey, and sent to London. I saw the ruin of the Great Townhouse of the Black Estate. I saw what happens when a house is filled with Magic of all types, and left alone to Rot. There were infestations that Lupin never touched on. And Mom Weasley had us kids fighting the house. The House Elf was old, and had no Master. He was living off the dregs of the House. Ten years, he had been poisoning himself, 'eating' the stale magic there. An Elf needs the Bond to clean the Magic, so 'he' can grow stronger. This Beast was a mean twisted thing. When I bonded him fully years later, he got better. It was here that I learned that the War I was to fight had begun, they just decided that I did not need to know. Here I would stay until School started."
"My Hearing." Harry snorted. "I was told I would face three DMLE members, tell my story, etcetera etcetera." He shook his head. "Fudgy tried to rail me. Not only was it changed to a minimum Quraim Trail before the Mot, stacked in his Favor. He had changed the time of the Trail… and forgot to send me an owl. For an hour I had to put up with Corny and 'Toady' insulting and belittle me. Being the good little gryff, aunt Minnie raised me to be, I took their abuse. Only Director Bones was truly impressed by the fact I could cast a Patronus by the end of my third year. 'Toady' kept repeating that the Dementors were under Ministry Control, but I knew that during his Last Raise, Tom Riddle had lured the soul-sucking demons to his service." Harry looked at his younger self, "I should have listened."
Hermione and McGonagall both perked up at that, but the rest were caught in the story.
"Then the Headmaster walked in" The Sneer of the old warrior's face told one story, but the bloom of hope in the eyes of the students told another. "The next hour, the Headmaster countered each charge against me, then he revealed Fudge's 'opps' in sending out the change of venue and time...then he brought in a witness. The case was thrown out.
Headmaster 01: Minister 00."
Another bite as He collected his thoughts. "Albus thought he was winning, But Fudge had stacked the deck. Fudge, the Minister everybody knew was for sale, suddenly had a backbone. Fudge thought Albus, holder of three of our most powerful positions, now wanted his position too." LL Harry snorted, "First he leveraged Albus out of the Supreme Mugwump seat. Then he got a 'vote of no confidence' on the Chief Warlock. And Finally, he powered through a decree, any Core Class that the Headmaster is unable to fill, the Ministry will."
"DADA!" Ron hissed.
"Twins! What are the Odds of Moody ,the gimp that I talked to tonight, making it to the last day of school?"
The twins exchanged looks, hand signs and grunts, before turning back to the Moody look-alike. "Given his record, skill set, and … one will get you five." the twins twin-spoke.
"Two gold," and LL Harry pulled to golden coins from his breast pocket, before tossing them to the twin on the left, "The Gimp I was talking to will be gone by the first event."
McGonagall sipped from her own bottle.
"When we showed up to School...we were accosted by a Toad wearing a Pink cardigan robe set. Fudge had sent his Hatchet Toad to the heart of his enemy's stronghold. Heading to bed that night we joke about her predecessors. I Quote; 'Killed, Loony hatch, Fired, and KISSED.' Then sweet Ginny made a comment… by the end of the year each of them had Attacked Me, and that triggered their Fate. That brought me up straight. It seemed I was the trigger for their Fate… I could 'gift' something special to the Toad."
"The First week was bad. Toad had assigned one book to all seven years. Three hundred pages, boiling down to 'run and tell someone in authority.' I could not keep my trap shut to save my life… and ended up doing lines." He raised his left hand, made a fist, and it so the back faced the tower. "With a Blood-quill. A restricted and proscribed artifact. Only allowed to be used for Legal and Bloodline Paperwork. AND ONLY UNDER DIRECT GOBLIN OVERSIGHT."
"I tried to go to my Head of House." Harry looked at the pale faced witch, "But thinking I was complaining about using Ink and Quill lines, she told me to keep my head down. I never got to show her my hand, and when I showed it to poppy, her charmed triggers would go off, she would forget."
LL Harry sneered, "That year Granger got a real bee under her bonnet. During the Hogmead trip that landed on Halloween, She arranged for me to meet reps from three Houses, and a new club was born. A defense club. No Snakes were invited. Ron had a 'real hate boner' for anything in green and silver. I was so blinded by their spokes-dink, and Granger had her nose in a book to notice that Malfoy was nothing more than a red flag. By the time we learned of the Purity of Heart in that House, Hogwarts was already falling. Literally.
"Only good snake…" Ron started to say, before a red bolt slammed into his chest from LL Harry's hand.
As the body slumped, "My second most scary wife wore the 'Green and Silver'. If it would not shake up the Timeline, I would advise seeking her out." He sipped his butterbeer. "Things went from bad to worse. First the Toad backed 'Blood' over truth. Then she began to question everybody she thought was plotting against Fudge or the Ministry. I was called three times, as she asked about the Headmaster's plans to overthrow Fudge. After Easter, she broke a Raven with a mix of Vistrium and Blackmail. She came with her thug squad and caught the whole DA. As it's ring-leaders, Granger and I were hauled up before the Headmaster, Minister, and a Senior Auror. Thanks to Granger's spell work, the worm she thought she had was marked for life. The Auror was loyal to the Headmaster, and so the Headmaster escaped, after taking the Blame. The Toad tried to take the school, but the only reason she held any power, is that Bones was denied any information about the truth of what went on here. With no crimes reported, Fudge was able to Order her to overlook the torturing of students. In the end, everyone not a pureblood and Susan Bones faced the 'Quill'."
Looking at the pale Headmistress, "I see her, she dies." the Scot nodded. Granger, Brown, and Dunbar gasped.
Another bite, to regather his thoughts, "During my last test of the OWLs, I came under a mental attack. By Night Fall, Myself and a Select Few were breaking into the Ministry." he wiped his face, "In the Department of Mysteries, I was led to the Hall of Prophecies. It was here that I learned why my life was Hell. Then the wicker basket fell apart…" He exploded to his feet. "With my Uncle's Death, I became Lord Black! And I embraced the Three! Bella tasted my Cruiso and she fell at her Lord's bare feet. I knocked his bombarda into the 'Brotherhood', as the backlash threw me over the Guard's counter."
He drained his cup. "Just before I was hit with an AK… Albus was there!" his mug was flung into the dark. He collapsed into his chair, his face in his hands. "All I remember of the next half hour is the sparkling lights as these two titans of thermaguslogy theory twisted the fabric of space/time until one of the incoming Floos exploded to life, disgorging half of the Auror Forces, most in their sleepwear, red cloaks and wands.
"Dead Center was Fudge in his pin-strip three piece nightgown. He fudged it, and fainted at the sight of the noseless ghoul that was the Dark Lord.
Tom Riddle, also known as the Dark Lord, Grabbed his most loyal follower and twisted away, shattering the wards on his way out.
Albus accepted all praise, sent me to his office, while my 'friends' were sent to Poppy, and spun a story where I was just a 'Lad being a Lad'. No mention that a Lord that was denied a trial, was kept in Azkaban for twelve years, on the run for three, and then just solved through the Veil. No mention of the Witchling who was almost cut in half for the guy that jumped a troll for her. Nothing of the Lordling that blasted the head off one of his Family's Blood Feuded, destroying the wand, before driving the splintered wood onto the eye socket of the last Scion into the Brain. Line Ender!"
Hermione, trained to watch for certain tells…. "Headmistress. Send Him to bed. Now. Send for a calming potion or a dreamless sleep. Again, Now!" Turning to the room. "Everybody! To Bed! Twins, We will need you to help carry him! No Magic!"
The Crowd scattered. This was the Witch that Handled their Harry, the Nice Harry, and if the scary Harry was scaring her…
Minnie opened the door to the Head-Boy's chambers, as the twins carry/drug the wizard in, dropping the body on the bed just Dobby handed the dreamless sleep to Grangy. First she poured the potion down his throat, and then began to undress him. Off came the weapons belt, the cloak, the boots. The twins drew their wands and magically lifted him from the bed, so she could strip him to his boxers, which turned her back as Dobby washed, dryed, and redressed him in less than a second. He was then tucked into the bed, and all but the elf left him.
Dobby crawled under his Boss's right arm, as the left hand had found the pistol again.
ACG
Harry Potter, the Empress's Consort, had been missing three months. She was Now, leading her Court to find him.
"Are We Ready?" the Empress Called out.
High Priest Padma Leaned on her Staff, her Oricum mask covering her empty socketed eyes catching the light of the Device in the Center of Great Hall. "At least there is little that could go wrong in our absence."
"Are Your Eyes Itching?" the Empress asked her sister-wife. "My Scar is killing me."
"No, but your Scar is only a year after our Target Time zone." Padma sighed.
Leget Commander LongBottom entered the Hall in Lock step with his second in command. "I can hold the Castle, No Problem. With War Wards up, and the Students sent Home, I wait Six Months, then Bug out. The Wife knows that I will be here alone for a half a year, and either everything gets better, or I retire." the massive Maul, 'Siege Smasher', his trademark weapon, known to shatter wards on places weaker than Hogwarts with a single blow.
Milley, grinned around her lower tusks. As a Half-Ogre most thought she was brute strength. She was in truth, just Brute Power. Only Potter could face her in a one-on-one duel, and win, four out of five. The raw power of any five warlocks in the Rank and File, but at her full growth, she cast spell-bolts the size of a krup, and her stuns were known to turn boulders to powder. She too carried Maul. 'Castle-Crusher'. They were preparing to assault Nuramberg, the ICW main Prison, to release Potter, and she dropped her Maul… the entire Tower turned to dust and blew away as if it was running away.
"You really think Potter is going to need her?" Parvati leaned on her husband, Longbottom.
"No." Grand Justice Greengrass arrived, her paired gladius on her hips. "What is holding Potter is using his Magic to keep him there." she pushed her glasses up her nose. "No, Milly is going to help soften up her Father."
"The Great Grim has spoken." the former strawberry blond, in the leather corset and stripped hide skirts, leaned on her carved bone sceptre. "Three must Die before Yule for us to return. If one of these three survives to see dawn on the next day, our next window to return is Passover and the Number rises to thirteen… globally." she turns to Longbottom, and kisses his cheek, "Give Hannah my Love."
A click, and a heavy humming is the only sign it is working as a bulbous eyed blonde stood from edge, and skipped to the Empress's side. Three rings rose from the Stone Floor. Each started ring spun in a different direction three dimensionally. As they rose in speed, so too did they in pitch. An orb of light blossomed at the very center of the Rings. As they spun faster and faster, the orb grew larger and bigger.
Then everything went quiet and still.
There before them stood a circular window… into the Great Hall of Hogwarts!