A/N: Fuck me, that's longer than the original one-shot lol. (11K+)
Also, I finished writing this chapter at midnight so it's possible that there are mistakes near the end of the chapter (the same way the end of the original one-shot had horrible mistakes before I fixed them at the end because I had also finished it super late) which it was getting late and I was getting tired. Ill fix those tomorrow morning because if I try now I'll just end up accidently skipping them lol.
The Assassin Brotherhood had various training grounds scattered across Europe. One of those training grounds was located in England. It is where Sirius apparated Harry a day before the First Task to test the knowledge and skills he had learned from using the Animus.
Harry's legs collapsed and he fell on a patch of grass, something that was usual for him whenever he used a magical method of transport. Sirius started snickering.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." he grumbled as he raised back to his feet. Looking up, he saw the training grounds.
The grounds looked about as large as the Black Lake in Hogwarts. It was like a small village. There were various buildings and houses of all type across the town, sometimes connected by pairs of ropes, sometimes by tree branches or even wooden planks. On each side of the buildings were windows, wooden poles which extruded from the walls and wooden panels similar to store signs.
It was, as far as Harry could tell, a mock up village to train Assassins in parkour (or what they call free running).
"Where are we?" asked Harry.
"We're near the town of Kendal in Cumbria." answered Sirius. "This is one of the two training grounds in the U.K."
"I see. So, what do we begin with, then?"
"First, let's see how well you can use your Hidden Blade." answered his godfather with a smirk as he began leading his godson toward one part of "town".
"Sirius, I already know how to use a Hidden Blade. I used it during the World Cup."
"I know, but you probably didn't know exactly what to do with it, did you?"
"It's a knife, Sirius, not rocket science!"
"Rocket what?"
"Never mind." sighed Harry.
Sirius and Harry arrived in a small village square. Harry could see various practice dummies, all in various positions around elements of the environment. It felt like Harry had just stumbled on a small crowd enjoying a visit around the town.
"Let's try the first one." said Sirius, pointing toward a dummy standing in the middle of the square. "Kill him from the back."
"Sirius, that's..."
"Easy?" Harry nodded. "Don't care, do it."
With minimum grumbling, Harry walked around the square until he was behind the first dummy. Then, he pounced, releasing his Hidden Blade and stabbing the dummy in the back of the neck.
"Bravo!" said Sirius with a clap. "Now, let's see how well you can kill someone from a certain height. Climb that building!" ordered Sirius, pointing at a small, two storeys house. Harry went walked to one side of the building. Harry could see that the house had an open gable roof which would mean it would be easier to climb from the side of the house, even if that path was slightly longer.
Harry stopped a few feet away from the wall. Then, he ran toward it. The moment he arrived toward the wall, he put his foot on it and propelled himself upward, grabbing a ledge between bricks. Now having a firm grasp of the wall, he looked up. Harry saw a small, wooden pole extruding from the building to his upper-right. It was about the middle of the height of the building. If he could climb on it, he wwould be able to be able to be able to propel himself upward once again, maybe even reaching the edge of the roof in one go. So, this is what Harry tried.
Harry climbed brick by brick until he arrived to the same height as the wooden pole. Then, he swung to his right, jumping toward it. He barely managed to grab it with one hand before falling. His position was very similar to how he had been holding his Nimbus 2000 in his first Quidditch match after Quirrell had managed to buck him off. Just like during the match, he grabbed the pole by both hands and climbed on top of it. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
Now stable on the pole, Harry looked back at the wall and ran toward it. He propelled himself once again upward and managed to grab the edge of the roof. Now, all he had to do was push himself upward, which he did. Ending with a roll, he was now standing on the roof.
Harry heard a cheer coming from the ground, looking down, he saw Sirius grinning at him, giving him thumbs up. Feeling more confident, Harry crossed the roof until he ended up on top of the second dummy. He jumped down and released his blade. Harry landed his legs between the dummy, making it fall to the ground, and stabbed it in the back.
"Nice one!" grinned Sirius as Harry raised back on his feet. "Now, you see the haystack standing in the corner?"
"I know, I know..." said Harry with a roll of the eyes. Harry ran toward the haystack and jumped in it. Being in a haystack was not very comfortable. Even with his robes in between, it felt itchy, especially in the face. Harry couldn't exactly see either and had to rely on his other senses to orient himself toward his target. He took a deep breath – which smelled full of hay – and shot his head out, followed by the rest of his body up to his waist. Thankfully, he had come out exactly where he had needed to be, which was just behind the dummy. Harry stabbed the dummy in the neck with his left hand while grabbing it with his right hand. He pulled on it as he hid himself back in the haystack, dragging the dummy with it. Once the dummy was hidden, he exited the haystack. With a glance, he could tell he was successful as there was no signs of any dummies around.
"Once again well done!" said Sirius cheerfully. "Now, let's try a few more scenarios."
Sirius continued to make Harry do different types of assassinations during the next hour, from jumping on a target from inside tents and bushes, greater heights, while running or while the target was moving. At the end, Harry was getting slightly tired. Of course, it was only the beginning.
"I can see you know how to use your Hidden Blade rather well." he congratulated with a tap in the back. "Now, it's time to test your free running."
"What?" said Harry. He was tired, he didn't want to go running around buildings.
"You heard me right, Harry. We're only just beginning." he grinned. Harry wanted to curse his godfather. "I want you to follow me. Don't fall back!" said Sirius and, with that, the old Marauder began running.
Harry sighed to himself and followed. Harry followed Sirius across the street where a half-collapsed chariot was placed. The chariot was missing two of its wheels and had collapsed in the front, making it a ramp toward wooden poles and shop signs. Sirius ran across the ramp and jumped on a metallic shop sign extruding from the wall. Without stopping, he jumped on a wooden pole, then another and another before landing on a balcony. Sirius looked back, seeing Harry stopped before the chariot. He grinned. "Come on, Harry. Follow me!" Harry sighed once again and followed.
Harry and Sirius spent another hour running around the buildings. Sirius made his godson jump across rooftops, climb walls, climb down walls (which was a challenge to Harry as he couldn't see well where he was going), run across metal wires attached between roofs, jump through trees and various other moves. This came as a cost as Harry crashed into something or fell down more than once. Sirius ended Harry's free running training by climbing on top of the only tower in the mock-up town.
The tower was rather tall, about two thirds the height of Westminster Abbey, and made of stone. The ledges were far and few, making it a very challenging climb.
By the time they reached the roof of the tower, Harry was panting heavily. Sirius told him to rest and Harry let himself fall on his bum and closed his eyes as he let his heart slow down, holding his bruised ribs.
"So... how... did I... do." he said, breathing heavily.
"Not bad! You were rather fast and only fell down on a few occasions. For only a few hours in the Animus, I would say it's really good!" said Sirius.
"Please tell me it's over..." pleaded Harry.
"Not quite." grinned Sirius. "We still have to get down."
Harry closed his eyes and breathed for a few seconds. Then, the hidden meaning of his godfather's statement flashed in his mind. Harry's felt a cube of ice slid down his stomach.
"Are you telling me... you want me to make a leap of faith?"
"Glad you caught on!" said Sirius cheerfully. Harry stared back in horror. He had only seen the iconic Assassin jump in the Animus, his ancestors doing it only a handful of times. Harry wasn't ashamed to say that the leap of faith scared him.
Sirius approached the ledge and extended his arms, ready to jump. With a last look at his godson, he said "If you haven't jumped in a minute, I'm going to wake you up tomorrow at five in the morning by throwing ice cold water in your face." With that, Sirius propelled himself forward as he bent down and disappeared from Harry's view. Harry went to the ledge as fast he could and looked down. Sirius had already flipped, his stomach and face now facing the sky and landed in another haystack. Harry only calmed down once he saw Sirius leave the haystack, looking uninjured. Sirius gave him the thumbs up.
Harry raised on his feet and looked down. Could he, do it? Could he jump down and try to land on nothing but hay? But then, Harry thought about it. The leap of faith was a symbol of the Assassins because it represented their dedication to the cause. Harry had to do it, only if to remind himself why he had joined in the first place. He also thought about Hermione and how she had joined to help fight against Voldemort for him. He thought about how Sirius had sacrificed a lot of time to train him, and how not jumping would feel like he was rejecting his help. Not jumping would be like he felt Hermione joining the Brotherhood wasn't worth enough, or that Sirius' time wasn't important. It would feel like he would disappoint Hermione, disappoint Sirius, disappoint Daniel and Emma Granger who had to see their daughter fall into depression because they had given their word they wouldn't tell their daughter about his survival.
So, Harry buried his fear. He closed his eyes and extended his arms. He took a deep breath, and jumped.
Harry felt the wind flow around him as the lower parts of his robes began flapping in the air. For a moment, Harry couldn't help but feel euphoric. It was almost like he was flying on a broomstick, except that he wasn't. Harry felt gravity's pull on him, making it feel as if his stomach was doing summersaults. Not forgetting what to do, Harry flipped until his front was pointing toward the sky. He closed his eyes and waited.
FUMP!
Harry waited for a few seconds before he opened his eyes. He checked himself. He didn't feel hurt anywhere. The landing hadn't been comfortable but it hadn't hurt either. He was only feeling a bit stiff in the back. "Harry?" he heard Sirius say from outside the haystack. Harry jumped out.
Upon seeing Harry intact and uninjured, Sirius visibly let out a sigh of relief before grinning proudly. "You did it! You did it!" said Sirius, grabbing his godson in a hug. Harry's face fell in Sirius' left armpit.
"Sirius, don't do that!" said Harry, pushing him back. He wrinkled his nose. "You bloody stink!"
Sirius barked in laughter. "You aren't wrong. If there is one thing these robes can't do is stop us from smelling!"
"Are we done yet?" asked Harry. "With the testing, I mean."
"Not quite." said Sirius.
"What now?" whined his godson.
"We still have to check how well you fight."
"Oh Merlin."
A way too cheerful Sirius led Harry toward the centre of the training grounds where a large duelling circle was located. It was encircled with halls as high as his waist. Sirius climbed inside the ring, followed by Sirius.
"First, let's start by using only our firsts." said Sirius once they were in position. "We will go through each important move one by one before we will brawl, alright?" Harry nodded. "First, I want you to dodge my fists."
Sirius bent his knees, and raised his hands. Harry did the same. Sirius walked toward him and striked. The attack had been fast but Harry's reflexes were even faster, which allowed him to side-step his godfather's fist.
"Good job." said Sirius, not relaxing his pose. "This time, don't move. I want you to deflect my attacks instead of avoiding them." Harry gave a nod in understanding. Sirius approached again and gave a punch where Harry's face was.
The adrenaline made Harry react fast. For him, it almost felt as if Sirius had given the hit in slow motion. Harry brought his arms in the air on the side of Sirius' arm and pushed it away. Sirius' fist landed over his shoulder, not injuring him.
"Good. Now same thing but instead of deflecting, you block and strike back. Begin by pushing me, don't hurt me too much since we aren't done yet."
Harry didn't react. He was still in a defensive position. Sirius, his arms still raised ready to attack, took a few steps forward and striked with his left arm. Harry used his right arm to block the attack and pushed Sirius away with his left arm.
"Again!" barked Sirius. Just like with the other moves, Harry and Sirius repeated the action for a few more times until Sirius was satisfied.
"Well, now that I know you can defend yourself, its free for all!" grinned Sirius.
"You don't seem to believe I can beat you." said an amused Harry, knowing why Sirius was grinning.
Sirius scoffed. "Like you can."
"Oh, I will." said Harry. And, with that, they began fighting.
Sirius began by giving a punch toward Harry's upper chest followed by swinging his other arm from the left. Harry deviated the first move before blocking the second. He used the opportunity to send an uppercut to Sirius' jaw and a kick in the stomach. Sirius blocked Harry's uppercut but the kick landed, pushing back Sirius, who felt the air leave his body.
Harry tried to use the opportunity to send another uppercut again but Sirius saw the move coming and deviated it. Unfortunately, this opened Harry's defence, allowing Sirius to hit Harry twice in the chest, making Harry take a quick step backward. He could already predict what Sirius' nest move would be and waited for it. Sirius swung his left arm toward the side of Harry's face, which was exactly what Harry was hoping for.
Harry blocked it with his right arm them immediately grabbed Sirius' right forearm with his left hand and pulled. By pulling, not only did he destabilised Sirius, he freed his right arm which allowed him to swing a hit to the side of Sirius' face like a hammer. His right fist hit Sirius' face, pushing him to the ground but, before he could really fall, Harry's left fist swung back upward and hit Sirius in the jaw, pushing Sirius the other way. Sirius could have stayed standing, had Harry not kicked his left knee with his right foot before he finished by jumping, hitting Sirius in the jaw with his left knee. Sirius fell on his back, breathing hard.
"Still think you can beat me?" asked Harry, grinning.
"How... where did you learn that?" panted Sirius, still laying on the ground.
"Learned a few moves from the Kenways. From what Heywood told me, the Kenways always were great brawlers, something I apparently inherited. So, do I win?"
"Yes, yes. You win. Can you help me, now?"
Still grinning, Harry approached Sirius and offered his hand, which his godfather grabbed. Harry pulled Sirius back on his feet. "So, what's next?"
Sirius shook his head. "I wanted to test how good you were with a sword but... no. I don't think I'll be able to do that today." Harry chuckled, which made Sirius roll his eyes. "I just need a good bath, I think."
"Well, ready to go back, then?"
"Yes." said Sirius, grabbing his godson's forearm. Sirius apparated them back to the Mansion. As he began walking inside, he muttered "Merlin... I'll never live this down."
The Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts was quiet. Albus Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, preparing himself for what was to come later that day.
Dumbledore had shared his concerns of having one of Voldemort's followers in the castle amidst the staff and student and told his belief that this follower had been the one to enter Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore feared that the follower would try something during the First Task and, unable to do anything himself because of his role as Headmaster and judge, Dumbledore had called for the help of the Assassins. He could have called the Aurors but the Headmaster believed their skills would enable them to do what an Auror could not. There was also the fact that Dumbledore was well aware that there were some who sympathised with the Dark Lord's philosophy within the DMLE and he didn't want to allow someone to help the follower.
The Assassins had answered his request and told him they would send Kingsley Shacklebolt (under the guise of an Auror) and the two newest members of the Brotherhood: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Dumbledore had been surprised. He hadn't known that Kingsley was an Assassin, nor did he know both Harry and Hermione had joined. He knew Harry was trained by them, and that Hermione was the daughter of their Mentor, but he hadn't expected them to have joined the Brotherhood.
Kingsley had talked to him the previous evening. The mission was simple. Harry would stay close to Professor Dumbledore and watch for the staff and the Ministry officials. Hermione would sit with the student population and watch the older years. Kingsley would juggle his duties as Auror and Assassin and supervise the two novices. Harry and Hermione would report to Kingsley, who would report to Dumbledore and the Council.
Now Dumbledore was only waiting for Harry's arrival. Kingsley had arrived with the other Aurors earlier that morning. Hermione was already with the other students.
Suddenly, the flames in the fireplace turned green and a white and red hooded figure appeared, before immediately collapsing on the ground. Dumbledore chuckled.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter." Harry raised back on his feet, grumbling. "I must say, you look quite imposing in this outfit."
"That's the point, Headmaster." said Harry with a grin. Dumbledore could not see Harry's face inside the hood, since it was hidden with an obscuration charm. It was similar to what was found on the robes of the Unspeakables. He could see his jaw and his mouth, but that was about it.
"We have an hour left before the beginning of the First Task. Are you ready, then, Harry?" asked the Headmaster.
"I am." answered the boy. Harry reached for his mokeskin pouch and withdrew his Invisibility Cloak. "I'll follow behind you, Headmaster, unseen and unheard."
"A capital idea, Harry!" said Dumbledore, looking at Harry through his glasses. His glassed were enchanted to allow him to see through invisibility cloaks. "I must admit I did worry about the effect the presence of an armed Assassin at my side might have done to the others."
"Hence why I'm under my cloak."
"Then, we shall go, then. We will go to the Great Hall first."
"Headmaster?" asked Harry suddenly. Dumbledore could feel a hint of fear in his voice. "Do you believe I will lose my magic today?"
Dumbledore was pensive for a few moments. "Perhaps." he said after nearly a minute. "Perhaps not. The question is whether or not you will be the one affected or the one who entered you in the Tournament."
"So, there is a chance, then... will it be gone forever or is it temporary?"
"It is believed to be permanent but it is said that some champions in the past were able to regain their magic in the future. It is unknown how or why it happened, so it might be temporary for you... I'm sorry, my boy, I just don't know."
"That's alright. I just wanted to know. Shall we go?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore nodded and exited his office. The invisible Harry followed him through the halls of Hogwarts. The Headmaster led Harry through the quickest path toward the Great Hall.
The duo arrived in the Great Hall only a few minutes later. The doors were already open, allowing Harry to slip through them unnoticed. As Dumbledore walked toward the Head table, Harry went to the right, walking toward Hermione, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table which was at the far right of the Hall. Her back was facing the wall. As he approached her, he noticed she was eating in a monotone way, staring at the other students. Her face looked blank. To anyone else, she would look like someone trying to hide a sadness, which would be believable considering he would be taking part in the Task today had he not "died". Harry knew her better however. She wasn't looking around blankly. She had the same look as when she was reading a book on an advanced subject of magic. It was a look of concentration, of someone trying to register everything they saw in their mind. As Harry arrived behind her, he silently put his hand on her shoulder to tell her he was here. Harry felt her tense a bit and was rather proud that it was the only reaction he got. Hermione had been expecting him, true, but she hadn't jumped in fright.
Harry then turned back to the wall. The wall was not what someone would call smooth. It had a lot of relief and ledges, making for a beautiful design, yes, but also easily climbable. Around half in between the ground and ceiling were metal poles extruding from the walls, which were holding lanterns, used to light the Hall when it was dark. Harry, still invisible, climbed the wall and jumped on one of those poles before turning back to watch the students.
Harry watched and listened while he was standing over the Great Hall. He heard his name from time to time, people wondering how he would have done had he still been alive, which their friends would usually answer with a shrug. As far as he could tell, nobody in the student body had an unusual behaviour. Shrugging to himself, he decided to come closer to the staff table. Harry jumped from pole to pole until he was standing a few feet away relative to the table on the ground. He then began to watch the staff.
Bartemius Crouch Junior, usually just called "Barty", arrived in the Great Hall about twenty minutes before the beginning of the First Task. He had already prepared everything he needed for his return to his Master. He had packed up his – or rather Moody's belongings and had refilled his flask of Polyjuice Potion. The real Moody had been given a small dose of sleeping draught, which would force him to sleep for about an hour. He would have given more but Moody had to be awake for the ritual.
The ritual had only been ready the previous day. His Master had expected to do the ritual on the day of the Third Task, which was near the summer solstice, using the Potter boy as the source of "Blood of an Enemy". Unfortunately, the loss of Potter had changed the plans, and Moody had become the new source.
Barty shook his head. He still couldn't understand how ostracised Potter had been by the others. The belief Harry Potter had willingly entered his name in the Tournament was laughable. Not only did he not have the necessary knowledge to add himself as the champion of a fourth school but Barty only had to spend one class with him to understand he wasn't that kind of kid. His Master had believed that the general populace would be on high alert upon realising someone had entered their Golden Boy in the Triwizard Tournament. And yet, it wasn't the case.
His Master had been pleased, at first. He had believed that a Harry Potter without help or friends would be easier to kidnap and defeat. His Master had even entertained the idea that the Potter boy's treatment at the hand of the others could change his allegiances to his cause in an attempt at revenge. Unfortunately, the boy had suffered so much at the hands of the other that he had gone and got himself killed.
His Master had been furious. The Dark Lord felt some respect for the Potter boy. It didn't mean he wanted him alive, but he had felt like the boy was a worthy opponent. Not even Dumbledore had gotten this distinction from the Dark Lord. His Master had been impressed that an eleven-years-old boy would face him, go against his parents' murderer and risking death simply because he believed it was the right thing to do. As angry as he had been at the loss of Quirrell and the Philosopher's Stone, he had felt some respect non-the-less. It had only been reinforced when that slime Peter Pettigrew had told him about the Chamber of Secrets, having overheard Potter and his former best friend Weasley and Granger talk more than once.
The Dark Lord had been utterly furious with the destruction of his diary, but he had been impressed that the boy had faced the Basilisk to save a random girl and lived to tell the tale. Harry Potter's actions in his first two years at school had been enough to win the Dark Lord's respect, and the Dark Lord had promised that the boy would have a respectable death, which he had planned to give him in the form of a duel. Unfortunately, the boy had to go and snuff it because the way his classmates and friends had treated him. Hogwarts had managed to do what he couldn't: They had killed The-Boy-Who-Lived.
Harry Potter's death had brought one good thing on the Dark Lord's side. Without Potter, the Dark Lord was able to move forward with his plan and regain his body months in advance. And that would be done thanks to Alastor Moody, who was a hostage in his own trunk. Barty just had to bring the ex-Auror to his Master, and the rest would be history.
Before that however, he had to make an appearance. Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Barty entered the Great Hall from the door behind the staff table. As he walked toward his seat to grab a quick bite, the magical eye he got from Moody rolled inside his head, observing every detail it could. He had just passed Dumbledore on his way to his seat (which was on the left side of the Hall, relative to where he had entered) when he noticed something upward. The magical eye stopped, looking at a strange visual disturbance.
On one of the poles was some sort of blurry, semi-transparent figure. Barty couldn't quite determine what it was. It appeared human but, yet, no human magic could do that. Barty could see through disillusionment charms and invisibility cloaks but none gave that strange sight. Looking through an invisibility cloak would reveal a semi-transparent figure but it wouldn't be blurry, it would be sharp and easy to figure out. Disillusionment charms wouldn't even show as transparent. It would be as if the witch or wizard wasn't invisible at all. The sight of the blurry figure standing over the Great Hall unnerved him. He didn't know what exactly would cause that but the only thing that came to his mind would be Death's Cloak, but that was a fairy-tale.
Ignoring what he was seeing, Barty Crouch Jr. sat down at the table and began to eat.
Harry looked at the ex-Auror. He had noticed Moody's magical eye look at him for a few seconds, which made Harry frown. He had known Dumbledore could tell he was under the Cloak since his First Year but he hadn't known how. Harry had simply assumed that Dumbledore was catching on other things such as the sound he made or the smell or even a simple wandless charm telling him someone was standing there. The fact that Professor Moody had seen him thanks to his magical eye had slightly unnerved him. He stared at the ex-Auror for a few minutes but Moody didn't look at him again, which prompted Harry to return watching the rest of the Hall.
Five minutes later, Albus Dumbledore raised from his seat. Professor McGonagall hit her butter knife on her glass of water a few times, bringing everyone's attention to the Headmaster.
"Attention students of Hogwarts and the visiting schools. If you would please raise from your seat and begin to make way to the Quidditch pitch, the First Task will begin in about fifteen minutes." said Dumbledore. The students began raising the moment Dumbledore started talking. Harry went down the pole and, hiding himself behind a group of chattering students, he removed his cloak. Harry's appearance was unseen and he blended through the crowd. The students were too excited about the first task to notice a hooded and armed figure in their midst.
Harry followed the crowd to the Quidditch pitch. When he arrived, passing the Tent of Champions he would have entered in a different timeline, he left the group of students and climbed in the stands were the judges and professors would sit. While he was still climbing the stairs, he put back his Invisibility Cloak.
The Assassin arrived in the Professors stand and went in a corner to take his place. This section of the stands was very similar to the Top Box at the World Cup, just smaller. The small box had been converted, somewhat. While it was still mostly the same, the space between the front row and the edge of the stands had been increased, creating a small balcony. The space behind the rows had also been increased, letting Aurors and reporters walk free behind the judges.
The box opened on the Quidditch pitch, which was far different from what Harry remembered. The ground of grass had disappeared, so had the Quidditch poles. The ground was now made of stone and had a lot of relief, offering hiding places for the champions.
Harry observed as professors, Ministry officials, judges, reporters and Aurors all entered the box. The Headmasters were the first to arrive and Dumbledore sat in the middle of the row at the back. The Hogwarts professors then arrived, including Professors McGonagall and Snape, followed by some Ministry officials with Mr. Crouch alongside them and the Aurors, including the Master Assassin Kingsley and a stern-looking witch with greying red hair and a monocle.
Professor Moody was the next one to arrive. He said a few words to some of the Aurors, including Madam Bones, before leaving the box once again. Harry stayed quiet. Only Bagman was missing but Harry knew he was back on the ground, talking with the champions.
"As much as I wish Mr. Potter was alive, I'm glad he doesn't have to go through this." said Professor McGonagall in a mutter, but Harry heard it anyway. She was shaking her head, almost as if trying not to cry.
"He would have done well, Minerva." said Snape. Was Harry's crazy or had he just heard Snape compliment him?
"Harry was always capable of getting himself out of sticky situations. I'm sure he would have been able to complete the task with minimal injuries." said Dumbledore with a smile to his two teachers who were sitting a row in front of him.
Professor McGonagall sighed. "I only hope he's happy, wherever he is."
'I am.' thought Harry.
Ludo Bagman entered the box, grinning like usual. "So, shall we begin?" he said.
"We're ready." said Mr. Crouch.
Just like at the World Cup, Bagman approached the edge of the box. Facing everyone, he brought his wand to his throat and said "Sonorus."
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else listening to us on the Wireless to the First Task of the 1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament!" he started. The public cheered. "Before we go any further, we, the Ministry of Magic, would like to call for a moment of silence for Harry James Potter, who should have been with us today, taking part in the First Task. If everyone would raise on their feet."
Harry winced from under the cloak. He hadn't expected that and it made him feel uncomfortable considering he was very much alive. He was genuinely surprised when everyone raised on their feet, even students such as Draco Malfoy. He didn't know how many were paying him respect because of the guilt they felt or if it was because they genuinely liked him.
The crowd surrounding the Quidditch pitch stood and removed their hats. They looked down, their hands together, and stayed silent, not moving an inch. Harry himself used the opportunity to remember his parents and the sacrifice they did to allow him to live. The crowd stood silent for an entire minute.
Eventually, Bagman started talking once again. "Now that this is done, it is time to talk about the First Task. For the task, each of our Champions will have to grab the Golden Egg! That might not sound very challenging but there is a thing that was left unsaid. There will be an obstacle between the Champion and the Golden Egg: a dragon!"
Harry jaw's fell to the floor. The Assassin heard many of the professors, including Professor McGonagall gasp. Even Snape looked slightly paler. Professor McGonagall turned around to look at the Hogwarts Headmaster. "Don't tell me he's serious!" she pleaded.
Dumbledore sighed. "The Minister thought it would be a good idea."
Professor McGonagall turned back toward the pitch. "Good Lord. Thank Merlin Harry doesn't have to face this or Lily and James would have found a way to come back from the afterlife to haunt anyone in charge of the Tournament."
Harry heard gasps from the crowd and, looking out of the box, he could see why they had reacted that way. One side of the pitch was open and a dark-blue dragon with yellow claws was led toward the middle of the transformed pitch. The dragon looked angry and dangerous. The dragon caretakers put a clutch of eggs in the fake nest, one of which was golden.
'Yes... not participating was definitely a good thing.' thought Harry, a bit pale. Shaking his head, Harry decided to use the opportunity to look at the people in the box. It was obvious who had known about the Task and who hadn't. The Headmasters, the Ministry Officials and Hagrid where the only ones not looking surprised, although a few looked uncomfortable. The others all looked at the dragon with shock and/or fear while some were outright green in the face. Harry could see nobody looking disappointed or having generally ill intent.
"This dragon is the Swedish Short-Snout. The dragon will face the Hogwarts champion: Cedric Diggory!" yelled Bagman.
The Hogwarts students cheered as Cedric entered the arena. Cedric's eyes popped at the sight of the dragon, which made Harry sick in his stomach. He could see now that Cedric hadn't been aware he would be facing a dragon. The Swedish Short-Snout roared angrily and sent a jet of flames toward the Hogwarts champion. Cedric managed to avoid the flames and hid behind a large boulder.
"Diggory appear to be doing some quick thinking!" commentated Bagman.
The dragon sent a continuous jet of fire on the boulder, which began heating it and everyone else around. Cedric pointed his wand toward another boulder on his left and sent a spell. The boulder transformed into a dog. The dragon stopped at once as it stared at the new threat. The dog began running around, barking angrily. The dragon sent jets of flames, trying to hit it but, unfortunately for the dragon, the dog was quick enough to dodge.
"Clever move! The dragon is looking away, opening its nest to the Hogwarts champion!"
Meanwhile, Cedric used the opportunity to run around the dragon and into the nest. The Hogwarts champion managed to grab the egg, making the crowd cheer. The cheers attracted the dragon's attention, making it turn around, realising something had happened behind it. Upon seeing Cedric with the Golden Egg standing so close to its nest, it roared angrily. Cedric ran away from it and, for a few moments, Harry believed Cedric had done it, until the Short-Snout managed to send a jet of fire close to Cedric. The jet passed to the right of Cedric's face but the temperatures were enough to burn his face. Cedric left the arena with his Golden Egg, completing the Task.
"He's done it!" cried Bagman. The Hogwarts students burst into cheers. "The Hogwarts Champion did it in fourteen minutes and thirty-five seconds! Let's see how the other champions will do!"
As the handlers removed the Swedish Short-Snout to replace it with a smaller, yellowish-green dragon, Harry began doing some thinking. He knew he was missing something and didn't know what it was. He felt a bit useless while in the top box, knowing there was nothing he could really do here. Hermione would have a better chance of seeing something from down bellow where the students were sitting. But, then again, it was most likely a professor or a Ministry official who entered his name. He had to find who was Voldemort's follower.
As Fleur Delacour entered to face the Common Welsh Green, Harry began looking at everyone in the box once again. He looked at the more likely suspects first, being the Ministry officials. He didn't know all of them, which was a problem. No one stood out but, then again, some of Voldemort's followers could be good actors. Kingsley would have a better chance with them. Harry then looked at the professors. Harry did not feel like any of the teachers would want him in the Tournament, even Snape himself. His reaction to the dragon had been enough to dissuade him of any doubt.
He had a gut feeling he was getting closer, so he looked at the professors once more. He knew something was wrong. Harry looked at them one by one. It was only when he arrived at the end that he realised the problem.
Alastor Moody was missing.
Harry looked back at the professors with disbelief. Was Alastor Moody, the ex-Auror responsible for half of the current population of Azkaban, the one who put his name in the Goblet of Fire? That didn't make any sense but then, where was he?
Harry went for his pouch and took out the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." he whispered, the tip of his wand touching the map.
The Marauder's Map activated. Harry saw a sea of black dots standing around the Quidditch pitch, as it should be. Unfortunately, that didn't help him find Moody. Then, he got an idea. Touching the tip of his wand on the map once again, he whispered "Highlight Alastor Moody."
A section of the map unfolded, revealing a dot on the map flashing in all the colours of the rainbow. Harry found Alastor Moody standing in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds. As if it wasn't strange enough, the Professor was moving in direction of the gates with someone else.
Bartemius Crouch.
Harry stared at the map with shock then looked up. Harry could see Barty Crouch standing in front of him... unless it was Polyjuice? "Highlight Bartemius Crouch." he tried. The dot on the grounds lit up, but so did one around the Quidditch pitch. Looking at the map, Harry could see two Barty Crouches. One was standing in front of him while the other was walking toward the gates. The only explanation Harry could think of would be a time-turner but he couldn't think of a reason why he would do that. If it wasn't a time-turner, then it meant there were two individuals with the same name.
It was too weird not do say something so Harry put his hand on Dumbledore's shoulder. Unlike Hermione earlier in the day, Dumbledore gave no sign of surprise. Harry approached the Headmaster and whispered very quietly "Is there more than one Barty Crouch?" A flash of confusion crossed the Headmaster's face so Harry subtilty slid the Map in the Headmaster's lap. Dumbledore grabbed the map without missing a beat and looked down at it. Harry whispered "It's in real time."
Various emotions crossed Dumbledore's face. The first one was surprise, followed by shock. Then, it turned into confusion, then anger, then fear. Dumbledore looked back up and bent backward slightly. He whispered "Barty had a Death Eater son named Barty Junior. He's supposed to be dead."
Harry's eyes widened. From what he had heard about Alastor Moody, there was no way he would walk side by side with a Death Eater, much less one supposed to be dead. It only meant one thing. Barty Crouch Jr was abducting the ex-Auror.
"Shit." he whispered. "Tell Kingsley!" he said quietly before he ran out of the box. Alastor Moody was about to be taken who-knew-where and Harry had to save him before it was too late. Harry ran down the stairs, not caring about the noise he was causing, and exited the Quidditch pitch, running as fast he could toward the gates.
Meanwhile, back in the box, Dumbledore looked a Kingsley and made a sign to tell him to come to him. Kingsley nodded and raised from his seat before walking behind the last row. When he arrived toward Dumbledore, the Headmaster didn't say anything. He only gave him the map. Kingsley looked down and saw the two highlighted names, with a dot named Harry Potter moving quickly toward one of the Barty Crouches. It took him only a few seconds to understand what was going on. Somehow, Barty Crouch Jr was alive and abducting Alastor Moody and Harry, upon noticing that, had ran after them, even if he had little to no chance of defeating one of the most dangerous Death Eaters ever. Putting the map in his Auror robes, he left the box and ran after Harry, hoping to save both the Novice Assassin and his Auror mentor. As he climbed down the stairs, he flicked his wand, switching his Auror robes for his Assassin ones.
Hermione was standing behind the back row of seats in one part of the stands near the entrance of the pitch. She was looking rather pale. She had been horrified at seeing what the Champions had to fight, knowing Harry would have been forced to do the same had he not "died." It was as she was looking at Viktor Krum enter the stadium to face his Chinese Fireball that she heard a shout from behind. Considering there was nobody behind her, being at the top of the stands, she turned around in curiosity. Hermione saw a white figure with a purple belt running down on the ground. Knowing it was Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione looked further down the ground. Her heart fell when she found another white figure further away. Hermione realised Harry was going to do something and the way Kingsley was shouting his name told her it was probably something dangerous. Hermione hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do. She hesitated whether to stay here or run after them, even if she had little to no chance to catch them in time.
It took her a few seconds before she made her decision. Harry and the Assassins were more important than the First Task. Hermione withdrew her wand and flicked it, changing her Hogwarts robes for her Assassin ones. The young girl ran toward the ledge and pointed her wand downward. Sending a magical spell toward the ground, she conjured a haystack. Hermione didn't wait and jumped, falling down and landing in the haystack. Hermione jumped out of it and began running toward Kingsley and Harry.
Harry reached Crouch Jr. and Moody just as they exited the gates. He found a man in his early thirties wearing Alastor Moody's cloak and holding a metal trunk. The man, who Harry assumed to be Barty Crouch Jr, took something out of a pocket, something which looked like a piece of rope. Harry crossed the gates and pounced. Crouch Jr, hearing the footsteps, turned around just in time to see a white hooded man jump on him. He reacted instinctively, and activated the portkey. Harry's hand touched Crouch Jr. at the same moment, taking him away as well.
Kingsley stopped at the gates, looking in shock at where the group had been standing seconds earlier. One of the Assassins under his command had just disappeared under his very eyes along a very dangerous Death Eater to a destination unknown. As he started wondering how to find and save Harry, he heard someone run behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was the other Novice Assassin, Hermione Granger.
"What happened? Where is Harry?" she asked, panting slightly.
"He was chasing Barty Crouch Jr. Harry's gone."
"What!? What do you mean he's gone?"
"I don't think I need to explain it to you, Hermione. Crouch portkeyed away at the same time Harry touched him and Harry was taken with him."
"Where is he?" she shrieked.
"I don't know." said Kingsley, trying not to snap at the younger witch. He knew and understood why she was reacting that way. She had just learned Harry was alive recently and was terrified of losing him again.
"We should have put a tracking charm on him, God damnit!" she muttered. Her face was pale.
Harry and Barty crashed down the ground at the same time. The metallic trunk landed with a loud CLUNK on a stone. Raising back on his feet, Harry noticed he was in a graveyard. A forest of different tombstones was lit by the light of the sun all around him. He barely had time to look before something hit him in the stomach. Harry fell down on the ground, the air leaving his lungs. He saw that someone had thrown themselves at him. Before he could do anything, a fist hit him in the ribs, followed by another one. Barty was on him, hitting him.
Harry put his hand on the Death Eater's chest and pushed back as much he could. Barty Crouch Jr. staggered away, allowing Harry to raise back on his feet.
"Avada Kedavra!" he heard from somewhere on his right. Harry's head snapped toward where the curse had been cast and saw Peter Pettigrew holding a bundle of blankets, his wand pointed at him. Instinctively, Harry grabbed Crouch Jr. around the throat and put him between himself and the Killing Curse. The spell hit Barty Crouch Jr, killing him.
"No!" shrieked a voice which Harry recognised as a high-pitched version of Voldemort's. "Kill him!"
Harry withdrew his wand and hid behind a tombstone. "Stupefy!" he cried, pointing his wand toward the Pettigrew. A jet of red light shot out of his wand toward Pettigrew, who managed to dodge it before sending another Killing Curse. The Killing Curse hit the tombstone, shattering it in multiple pieces of stone.
Out of cover, Harry pointed his wand toward his parents' betrayer and yelled "Bombarda Maxima!" Harry's spell hit the ground and exploded, sending Pettigrew and the bundle flying in opposite directions.
"Kill him! Kill the Assassin!" said the voice of Voldemort from the small bundle. Harry used the opportunity of having Pettigrew down, pointed his wand at the dumpy man and shouted "Stupefy!"
To his horror, nothing came out of his wand, not even a small bit of light. "Stupefy!" he repeated. Nothing. He realised with horror that his magic had left him.
'No... no! Please not now!' he pleaded.
"Avada Kedavra!" shouted Pettigrew. With the shock of being unable to cast magic in the middle of battle, he didn't react quick enough to avoid it. Harry only managed to turn his head before the curse hit him on his left cheek.
Harry knew no more.
As he woke from unconsciousness, Harry felt himself lying on a wet surface. Everything was eerily silent. All he could hear was his own respiration. He could even hear his heart beat if he looked for it. He felt completely alone and completely at peace and he decided to stay where he was.
A few seconds or a few hours later, he changed his mind and opened his eyes. He was confused by what he saw.
Everything was white.
Harry brought one of his hands to his face to rub his eyes when he noticed he didn't have his glasses. He slowly raised and looked down. Seeing himself completely naked in a sharp vision didn't make him uncomfortable, surprisingly. Harry saw that he was sitting in a light white mist. The ground was wet and Harry could see that it had about an inch of water covering the whole surface, which seemed infinite. Raising on his feet, he began looking around.
There was nothing special. There were no buildings, no walls, nothing. In a way, it reminded Harry of the Animus Memory Corridor, except there were no fancy symbols appearing out of nowhere, nor was it blue. The ground was covered in water and everything was white.
Harry took a few steps forward. Every time he took a step, he would hear the sound of water splashing at his feet. Harry took a step, then another, then another. He didn't know where he was, nor how he had ended up here. He frowned, trying to remember.
He could remember running after someone named Barty Crouch Jr. and accidently porkeying away from the Hogwarts grounds, landing in a graveyard. If he remembered correctly, that Barty Crouch Jr. fellow was dead, having been hit by one of Peter Pettigrew's Killing Curses.
'Ah. The Killing Curse.'
He remembered now. The Goblet of Fire had taken his magic at the worse time possible, leaving him defenceless with a hostile Death Eater. He had been hit by a Killing Curse on his left cheek. He was dead.
Harry sighed to himself. "Killed on my first mission. How pathetic is that. Stupid Goblet had to take my magic in the middle of a fight." he grumbled to himself. "And now, I'm stuck in the middle of some sort of Non-Animus Memory Corridor." As he was about to continue venting, he heard water splash behind him on the rhythm of footsteps.
"That's Limbo, by the way." said a familiar sounding voice from behind him. Harry turned so quickly that he would probably have given himself a whiplash had he not been dead.
A few feet away from him stood someone Harry had only seen in nightmares and old pictures, yet was the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on.
"Mum?" he croaked. Lily Potter nodded. Harry ran toward her and threw himself in his mother's arms and held as if his life depended on it.
"Mum! It's you! I can't believe it's you!" said Harry, his eyes moist. He was a bit angry with himself. He was a man, he shouldn't cry... he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't cry... fuck it. Harry started sobbing, his face in his mother's shoulder. Harry cried everything he had. Years of buried emotions came out as he was holding his mother. He cried and he cried for a long, long time.
Lily held her son and massaged him in the back and whispered comforting words in his ear, waiting for him to calm down. After a few minutes, or a few hours (neither were really sure), Harry stopped crying. He withdrew gently and looked at his mother's face. She was pretty, there was no doubts. He had already known that but seeing it for real in front of him... it was completely different. Lily Potter's eyes were moist, she was looking both happy and sad. Harry, not knowing what to say, blurted "Your shirt is wet. I'm sorry."
The mention of her clothes seemed to amuse his mother as she smiled, looking down. It took a moment to understand why. Looking down made him remember he was stark naked. Harry let out a high pitched shriek and attempted to cover his privates. For the first time in his life, his greatest desire was to have some clothes.
Thankfully, a set of Assassin robes appeared on the ground but Harry was less than pleased considering the ground was wet, which made him groan. Looking up at Lily, he asked "Can you turn around while I change?"
Still looking amused, Lily nodded and turned her back to him. Harry quickly grabbed the robes. Looking at them, he could see that the robes were an exact replica of his Assassin robes, except they had no colours what-so-ever. The pants, rather than being light brown, were light grey. The coloured belt was not red but grey. Same to the parts made of leather, which was also dark grey.
Harry was pleasantly surprised to see that the robes were completely dry. The water on the ground hadn't affected it one bit. Harry put on the boxers first, followed by a simple t-shirt, pants and robes. He finished by attaching his belt. He did not raise his hood. Why would he? He was talking to his long dead mother, after all.
"I'm done." he said. Lily turned back and looked at him.
"The Assassin robes do look good on you. Better than on your father, I must admit." said Lily with a smile.
"You aren't disappointed?" he asked. At Lily's confusion, he added "That I became an Assassin like Dad?"
"No, don't worry, Harry. I couldn't be prouder of you." she said with a grin.
Harry was feeling relieved. "Speaking of Dad, where is he?" he asked.
"He's... uh... well, I don't doubt you will see him soon." she said evasively. Harry frowned a bit but didn't bring the subject again.
"Am I dead, then?" he asked.
Lily gave him a sad smile. "Not quite."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, confused. "I was hit by the Killing Curse again! I can't survive it twice!"
"Yet, you can." said Lily, dumbfounding her son. "It's all thanks to Voldemort, in a way." she said with a grin.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember what Professor Dumbledore told you when you talked about you being a parselmouth after you saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Lily.
Harry's eyes widened. "You know about that?" he paled.
"You're my son, Harry. I watched over you ever since my death. I know everything about your life, from the Dursleys to the Assassins and let me tell you that my in-laws are very lucky I'm dead or I would go and kill them!" she said, suddenly looking furious. He wouldn't really admit it but the sight had scared him. Harry's instincts kicked in and he took a step away from his mother.
Lily saw what he had done and immediately began looking depressed. "I can't believe what they did to you. I couldn't stand watching how you, my lovely son, were treated at their hands. It made for a very unpeaceful afterlife..."
"Sorry." winced Harry.
"Don't apologise. You aren't at fault. The Dursleys are at fault for treating you that way. Sirius is at fault for going after the traitor Pettigrew rather than taking care of you, his godson. Albus is at fault for dropping you at the Dursleys. Minerva is a fault for not pushing to place you somewhere else after she had seen their horrid behaviour during the day. Arabella Figg is a fault for not noticing the abuse while she was looking out for you... Many are at fault for what happened but you aren't one of them. Don't apologise for that." said Lily.
Harry nodded.
"Where were we already?" she asked to herself. "Oh, yes. What did Dumbledore told you when you walked about your parseltongue ability?"
"Professor Dumbledore told me I was a parselmouth because Voldemort accidently transferred some of his powers to me the night you died." said Harry.
"And he would be half-right. Voldemort didn't transfer some of his powers to you, like Albus believed." Before Harry could tell anything, she interrupted him. "But he did accidently put something inside you that night."
"What was it, then? … Wait! He didn't transfer any powers? How can I speak parseltongue then?"
"Because you got it from me?" grinned Lily.
"What!?"
"I, and by extension you, are descendants of Salazar Slytherin. That's something I learned shortly after I graduated from Hogwarts. I had known I could speak to snakes so I had tried to figure out why me, a muggle-born, could do it. I eventually found out that I descended from a squib line of the Gaunt family, the last of Slytherin's descendants. I only shared that fact with your father. You can probably imagine how well it would have been received, a muggle-born parselmouth."
"If he didn't transfer any of his powers, what did he put in me then?"
Lily sighed and looked back at Harry with sadness. "During his lifetime, Voldemort created something called Horcruxes. Horcruxes are objects where one wizard hides a piece of their soul. The wizard cannot die as long as the Horcrux is intact, anchoring them to the land of the living."
"Voldemort made one of those?"
"No. He made multiple."
"Oh Merlin! How many?"
"I do not know. I only know of two, both of which are now destroyed."
"What are they?" asked Harry, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"The first Horcrux was none-other than his teenage diary, the one you destroyed in your second year. The second was... your scar."
Harry staggered and would have fell down had Lily not grabbed him. Not knowing what to do, he leaned on his mother. Lily drew her hands around him and hugged her son.
"I'm a Horcrux?" he whispered.
"Was. The Horcrux died when the scumbag's Killing Curse hit you. That's why I was telling you that you weren't exactly dead. While it is true you aren't in the land of the living anymore, you aren't in the land of the dead either."
"So, what am I, then? Am I alive? Am I dead? If I'm alive then why am I here? What is this place anyway?" asked Harry to his mother.
"This is Limbo, the place where souls go before leaving for the afterlife forever. It can also do more. It is rumoured that some people could come to Limbo to talk with a dying man if something important had to be said. As for your life, it is your choice." she whispered softly. "You can go back, or you can move on. Either way, the Killing Curse will have taken a life."
Harry closed his eyes and enjoyed his mother's embrace. He knew he wouldn't move on. He couldn't. Not with Voldemort still running around, not with Sirius and Hermione sacrificing their interests and free time for him. He felt like moving on would be an insult to his parents' sacrifice, when he was still so young and had so much to discover in life again.
"I can't move on." said Harry, quietly leaving his mother's embrace. "I can't. I have to go back."
Lily looked proud. Her eyes were moist. "I know, Harry, and I never doubted that." Lily gave him a last hug. "Fight, and show them what it means to cross an Assassin."
"I will." said Harry.
Harry looked at his mother. Her green eyes which looked so similar to his looked at him with complete and utter love. Harry felt himself feel better. Lily gave him a smile and everything went black.
Harry awoke back in the graveyard. The left side of his face felt like someone had hit him with a hammer. His cheek felt like it was on fire. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Harry saw a very unusual sight.
The young Assassin found a half-unconscious Alastor Moody strapped to a stone figure. Under the ex-Auror was a tombstone with the name of Tom Riddle. There appeared to be a light-source in front of the man but Harry couldn't see what it was. When he heard someone approach, he closed his eyes, pretending he was still dead. Harry heard the sound of something coming out of ground.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" said Pettigrew's voice. Something dropped in a liquid. "Flesh... of the servant... w-willingly given... you will... revive... your master." said Pettigrew, sounding as if he was trembling. Harry then heard a gasp of pain and something fall into liquid once again. It didn't take a lot of imagination to know what had just happened. Somehow, for some reasons, Pettigrew had cut his hand and if he was to be believed, it was to bring back his master... Voldemort!
Harry tried grab a flashbang attacked to his belt. He couldn't move too quickly for risk of being discovered. He wished he could use his wand but his lack of magic made it useless. Finally, Wormtail spoke for one, last time. "B-Blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."
Harry opened his eyes again and saw Pettigrew cut Moody's forearm. Moody let out a small hiss in pain and Pettigrew walked back in the other direction. Harry raised and ran behind an undamaged tombstone. As he looked, he saw Pettigrew take a few steps back from a big cauldron as diamond-coloured sparks flew in all directions, so blindingly bright that it made everything else look darker.
Harry knew he had been too late. Wormtail had completed the ritual. It was only a question of seconds before Voldemort rose again. Not waiting any further moment, he detached a flashbang from his belt, pulling the safety pin and letting go of the strike lever. Harry threw it in direction of the cauldron just as a figure was getting out. Harry yelled "FLASHBANG!", hoping Moody would know enough to close his eyes. Then, he closed his eyes and covered his ears.
The moment the flashbang went, Harry raised and ran toward Peter. He couldn't see very well and his hears were ringing but it was enough. Harry saw both Pettigrew and Voldemort bent toward the front, their ears covered and their eyes constantly blinking. Before he could get too close, Voldemort apparated away, probably realising he was vulnerable in the face of an hostile.
Pettigrew did no such thing and squeaked "M-Master?" upon hearing the apparition.
"Your master has left." said Harry, standing just behind him. He activated his Hidden Blade just as Pettigrew turned toward him, and stabbed him in the neck. Pettigrew fell as Harry held onto him.
Harry was back in Limbo but, this time, he could tell he was in control. He wasn't there because he had died. He was there because Pettigrew had. His mother had mentioned that some people could travel to this place to talk to a dying man, and Harry planned to use his opportunity to know exactly why Pettigrew had betrayed his family.
Pettigrew stood alone, looking around the white mist in fear. "W-Where am I?"
"You're in Limbo, Wormtail. You are dead." said Harry, appearing in front of him.
"You! No... you... you're dead!"
"Really? On who's word?" he asked with a grin. "My word?" he answered with a laugh. "I'm sorry Wormtail but I'm your enemy. You shouldn't trust what I say." His face suddenly turned cold. "I'm still alive, and you are dead."
"No! That's impossible! My master wouldn't have let me to die!"
Harry laughed. "You really think that? You really think that Voldemort, your 'master', care about scums like you? Well, I'm sorry Wormy, but he used you." said Harry as if talking to a particularily dumb child.
"Don't speak about what you don't understand, Potter!"
"Oh, I'm just Potter? Me, who probably used to call you Uncle Wormtail when I was younger?" His face turned cold. "Me, the son of one of your best friends? A best friend YOU BETRAYED!" he yelled while shooting toward him. Pettigrew took a few steps backward and fell on the ground, splashing water everywhere. "Why, Peter, why did you do that?"
"I was scared, alright!" admitted Peter. "I knew the Dark Lord would win and I didn't want to die! When the Dark Lord found out I was the Secret-Keeper, he asked me for the secret! I told him because I didn't want to die!"
"YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" he yelled, grabbing Wormtail by the neck. "YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, LIKE THEY WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU! BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS DO!"
Wormtail snorted. "Just like your friends did when your name came out of the Goblet?"
Harry snarled and threw Pettigrew back on the ground. Harry vented his anger and punched Pettigrew in the face. Each time, Pettigrew whined. "PIECE OF SHIT! I ONLY WISH YOU'D SUFFERED MORE! YOU MET THE FATE YOU DESERVED! I HOPE YOU..."
A strong magic pushed Harry back from the whimpering Pettigrew. Harry landed ten feet away. As he raised, wanting to return to Pettigrew, he heard a shout from behind. "Enough!" Harry turned to see his mother standing there, not looking really pleased with him. "Show some respect!"
"RESPECT!? This... man betrayed us to Voldemort! Our so-called friend!"
"I know, but Pettigrew is now dead!" said Lily forcefully. "Disrespecting the dead is something Death Eaters do. Don't go down to their level." she added more softly.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. When he opened them again, he looked at his mother and nodded. Turning around, he approached Pettigrew and crouched beside him. He said "I hope for you, you will have a peaceful rest after everything you have done." and closed the man's eyes. Pettigrew went limp. Harry raised back on his feet and walked away.
Harry found himself back in the graveyard, standing over Pettigrew's body, his blade still in the traitor's throat. Harry then grabbed Pettigrew's wand and put it in his pouch before he walked toward Moody. Moody was still half-conscious but he was awake enough to grin at him.
"Nice way to defeat the scumbag, lad." said Moody. "Shame Voldemort managed to escape."
"Are you alright?" asked Harry as he used his sword to cut down the ropes tying him to the tombstone.
"I've been worse." said Moody. Harry helped Moody on the ground before he withdrew a few vials from his magical pouch. He gave them to the ex-Auror.
The man looked at him strangely, opened one vial and sniffed it. Harry rolled his eyes. "Do you think I would have detached you if I wanted to kill you? It's just a few healing potions to help you until you can be brought to a hospital."
"Thanks, lad." said Moody before he drank the first potion. "Who are you?"
Harry hesitated for a few moments. "Promise you won't say anything apart from Dumbledore?"
Moody considered it for a few moments before he nodded. "Sure, if that's what you want."
"I'm Harry Potter." said Harry.
Moody looked at him with a hint of surprise before he grinned. "Well, I'll be damned. Albus always told me you had talent, kid, but I always wondered if it was true of if the old man was looking at you with rose-tinted glasses."
"Do you know how to make a portkey to Hogwarts? I can't apparate us."
"Yeah, I can do that. It ain't my first rodeo, kid." said Moody with a grin. "I just need a wand."
Harry nodded and raised back on his feet. Approaching Crouch Jr.'s body, he grabbed the man's wand before giving it to the ex-Auror. "Thanks." said Moody before summoning a large chunk of rock. "Portus." he cast. The rock glowed blue for a few seconds. "Put your hand on it, lad." Harry did. "Got everything you need?"
Harry looked around. There were still the two bodies but Harry couldn't exactly bring them back to Hogwarts. We would just tell Kingsley and let the Aurors take charge of the cleanup. Hopefully, they would recognise Pettigrew and give a pardon to Sirius. Looking back at the ex-Auror, Harry said "I am."
"Activate."
The porkey took them away from the graveyard.
A/N: The next part of the story will be Harry and Moody's return to Hogwarts, the debrief of the mission (and the Assassins' reaction to Harry taking a second Killing Curse and talking to his mother) and then the introduction of another character, altrough he won't be named, at first.
I edited this chapter because my tired mind had quite forgotten Harry had lost his magic and made him accio his own wand and apparate Moody back to Hogwarts, which was rather stupid. I changed that part so that Moody does the magic.
Also, important information: HARRY'S LOSS OF MAGIC IS TEMPORARY! You read that right, Harry will regain his magic in the future, just now now.
There are a few Easter Eggs in this long chapter:
The way Harry win the fight against Sirius is a easter egg to Assassin's Creed III. The move Harry does is one of the counter-attack moves you can do while fighting unarmed in the game.
Lily say the line "Fight, and show him with it means to cross an Assassin." is a reference to Ezio's speach to the Assassins after Yusuf Tazim's murder in Assassin's Creed Revelations where he say "Fight with me, and show him what it means to cross the Assassins."
Harry's line "PIECE OF SHIT! I ONLY WISH YOU'D SUFFERED MORE! YOU MET THE FATE YOU DESERVED! I HOPE YOU..." is the same thing Ezio say to Vieri de Pazzi after killing him in Assassin's Creed II, except Ezio says it in Italian.
The description of Limbo is a mix of Limbo from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the Memory Corridors from Assassin's Creed Origins and Valhalla. Actually, I'm not even sure it can be considered a Memory Corridor since both Eivor and Gorm Kjotvesson aknowledge the place. Eivor even calls it Niflheim (the realm of ice and mist in Norse mythology) so it's not too far fetch to believe something like that can work in a crossover universe.
Lily's presence while Harry is confronting Pettigrew in Limbo is a easter egg to Assassin's Creed Valhalla where Odin would often be present alongside Eivor. I liked that idea and decided to reuse it.