It was the most exciting match Harry had ever seen. Even hours after the fact, Harry was still blown away by the sheer speed, skill, and talent that had been on display. Even better, though, was that Ireland had won the match. Fred and Geroge's bet had been precisely correct, the skill of the Irish chasers had been too much, and in order to save some face, and end the match on his terms, Viktor Krum had caught the snitch when Ireland was one hundred and sixty points up.
Professor Jackson and his friends had disappeared after the match, telling Harry that he'd catch back up with him at Hogwarts, as they followed the Minister out of the Top Box.
Nobody had felt like sleeping when they finally got back to the tents, they were too engrossed in talking over the match, and arguing over the intricacies of the strategies and penalties that had been called. The sounds of celebrating Irish supporters grew rowdier and rowdier as the night went on, as the celebrations became positively raucous. It was around one in the morning before Sirius told Harry they would get some sleep, and they left for their own tent, to finally lay down for the night. The sounds of the celebrations acting as a comforting backdrop as Harry drifted slowly off to sleep.
But he never really fell into a deep sleep, because all too soon, Harry was being shaken awake by a startled looking Sirius,
"Harry, get up! Come on now, this is urgent!"
"S'matter?" Harry asked, his voice slurring in groggy sleep. Harry pulled himself unsteadily out of his bunk, and fumbled to put his glasses not his face. He was dimly aware that the lights outside had not yet gone out, but the screams of celebrations sounded wrong. Instead of roars of happiness and songs of celebration, people were screaming in terror, and Harry could hear people running around outside their tent. Feeling a pang of panic in his stomach, Harry fell into his clothes, and stumbled out of the tent.
People were running as fast as they could, fleeing from the campsite directly into the forest. Harry looked to try and see what they were fleeing from, and caught sight of strange jets of light, drunken jeering, and loud guffawing. Over the throngs of fleeing supporters, Harry could see a tightly clumped group of people, marching forward through the campsite. They were throwing spells into the crowds of people, and Harry could see that they were all dressed in long-dark cloaks, with masks in the shape of skulls covering their faces. Four of the wizards had their wand pointed directly upward, and Harry squinted through the darkness to see what they were doing.
His mouth dropped open in abject horror, as he saw the shapes floating in the air above them. About twenty feet off the ground, floating with their arms and legs stretched out at their sides, as they twisted and wriggled in what looked like considerable pain. More wizards were joining the group, laughing maniacally and pointing up at the struggling figures. As they passed by a burning tent, the figures in the air were illuminated, and Harry recognized the lead figure in the air. It was the Muggle field hand, Mr. Roberts. Behind him was an older woman, that Harry was certain was Mr. Robert's wife, who was suddenly flipped upside down, so her bloomers were showing. Behind her, were two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom were screaming in terror and pain.
"Death Eaters," Sirius breathed over Harry's shoulders,
"That's sick…" Harry heard Ron say from somewhere behind him, apparently Mr. Weasley had woken them up too,
"What's that?" Hermione asked as she ran up to Harry's side, she was still dressed in her evening gown, with a coat pulled over her shoulders. She was pointing at the figures, and Harry turned his attention back to Mr. Roberts, where something really strange was happening; four large bubbles appeared out of nowhere. They looked like enormous spheres of water, and each one pulled one of the Muggles into their insides. The bubbles then shot away, and fell into a throng of Ministry Wizards that were fighting to make their way through the riot.
The mob looked up in confusion at the sky, where the Muggles had been. Some where howling in rage, and others were looking around wildly, trying to find their victims again. Then Harry saw a figure push his way onto the trail, blocking the path of the Death Eaters,
"Oh no," Hermione gasped, "Professor Jackson, no!"
Harry's eyes widened, as he recognized the profile of Professor Jackson, standing defiantly, his wand clutched tightly in his hand. The Death Eaters said something that Harry couldn't hear, and Professor Jackson responded, and his wand twitched slightly in his hand. There was a pulse of something, and Harry felt as though something heavy became blanketed over the area. But Professor Jackson wasn't done, he rose his wand, and with a quick slashing motion, cast something. A jet of silver light streaked quickly across the field, so fast Harry barely saw it. The lead Death Eater cried out in pain, as he collapsed to the ground, grasping at his leg, or rather where his leg had once been. There, on the ground, was the man's leg, having been completely cut off from the Death Eater's body, as though hacked off with a sword. Blood began pooling around the ground, spouting wildly from the stump where his right leg had once been.
The Death Eaters seemed to stunned to react for a moment, apparently they had not expected anyone to fight back. Their moment of hesitation cost them dearly, however, as Professor Jackson moved into action, doing several things at once. He slashed his wand through the air again, as he rose his free palm into the air. There was an explosion within the mob of Death Eaters, and it appeared as though a grenade had exploded right in the middle of the mob. Bodies were flown in every direction, as blood, bone, and viscera was thrown into the air. The Death Eaters hit by the explosion screamed in agony and fear. One of the Death Eaters near the front, turned and made to run, but Professor Jackson used the hand he'd raised, and thrust the hand high into the air. The fleeing Death Eater was ripped from the ground, and thrown into the sky, howling in pain.
His body began to contort, and even over the screams, Harry could hear the sounds of bones breaking, as the man's body was crushed, his body forced into a tight ball, as bones protruded from his arms and legs. Professor Jackson, turned his hand palm down, and slammed it down, as though dribbling a basketball. The Death Eater plummeted to the earth, and collided painfully a second Death Eater, who was in the process of extricating himself from the bodies of his fallen comrades.
The remaining Death Eaters, finally recognizing the horror of the situation, all spun on the spot, spinning in a circle, but they didn't go anywhere.
"He put down an enchantment!" Harry heard one of them cry out in panic, "We can't apparate!"
"He's just one man, kill him you cowards!" Another roared, as several of the Death Eaters turned tail and began to run the other direction, Harry watched as one of them and grabbed the fallen Death Eater with the missing leg, and hauled him away,
"Harry!" He heard Sirius hiss, "Take the others, and run for the forest!"
"But Sirius-" Harry tried to protest. He knew Sirius was planning to join Percy, Bill, and Charlie Weasley, who were trying to force their way over to the Ministry wizards, and Harry wanted to help, wanted to keep Sirius safe,
"I'll be fine, Harry," Sirius said, squeezing Harry tightly, to him in a hug, "Now go!" He then turned on his heel, and joined Mr. Weasley as he joined his sons.
"Harry!" Hermione said, grabbing his arm, "Let's go!"
Before he could do anything, Harry found himself being pulled by Ron and Hermione away from the action, and straight towards the forest. The lanterns that had lit the way to the stadium had been extinguished, so they were running through the dark, Harry could still hear the screams coming from somewhere behind him, whether they were from the Death Eaters, or the innocent, Harry didn't know.
They stopped suddenly, as Ron tripped and fell over something,
"Ron!" Hermione, gasped, before lighting her wand with a cast of lumos, "What happened?"
"Fell over a tree root," Ron said, pushing himself off the ground,
"Hard not to, with feet that large," Drawled an annoyingly familiar voice, Hermione turned her wand, and they saw Draco Malfoy, propped up against a nearby tree trunk, all by himself, He looked completely relaxed, as though the threat of Death Eaters was of no concern. Ron said something to Malfoy, that would have had Mrs. Weasley screaming herself hoarse.
"Language, Weasley," Malfoy sneered, "Shouldn't you be scurrying along already? Wouldn't want them to find the likes of her, would you?" He said with a condescending smirk and nod at Hermione. Seemingly right on cue, there was an enormous flash of light, followed by an explosion behind them, as several people screamed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione snapped defiantly at Malfoy, turning her wand back on him,
"Granger," Malfoy sighed, as though he were talking to a toddler, "They're after Muggles and Mudbloods, do you really think they wouldn't know you for what you really are?" He smirked again, "But then again, if you want to stick around and show your knickers off, who am I to stop you,"
"Watch your mouth, Malfoy," Ron snapped, taking a menacing step at Malfoy, drawing his own wand from his pocket,
"Ron," Hermione hissed, grabbing the boy by the arm, "Don't!"
There was another explosion, and more people screamed,
"They scare easily, don't they?" Malfoy laughed, looking positively gleeful, "I suppose dear doggy daddy told you run, did he Potter? What's he up to? Off to save the Muggles?"
"You didn't stick around long enough, did you Malfoy?" Harry spat, boiling fury rising in his stomach at the shot at Sirius,
"What are you talking about, Potter?" Malfoy drawled, looking bored,
"Professor Jackson," Harry said, a victorious grin on his face, "He saved the Muggles, before he started picking apart the Death Eaters. Whaddya reckon Ron? Do you think Malfoy's dad was one of the one's he blew up? The one who lost his leg? Or the one he crushed?"
"Oh, I hope he was the one he crushed," Ron said gleefully, "That looked like it hurt,"
The color drained away from Malfoy's face so quickly, it was almost alarming. His eyes darted to the field, where more fires were raging, before he turned back to Harry,
"You're…you're lying," He said, doing his best to sound defiantly, "That filthy Mudblood couldn't-" More screams erupted from the field,
"Have it your way Malfoy," Harry said, grabbing Ron and Hermione, and started dragging them away, "But keep in mind, when we were leaving, it wasn't the Muggles who were screaming," And he pulled his friends back towards the path again.
"Do you really think his dad is with them?" Hermione asked, "And what's a Death Eater,"
"No idea," Harry said, "That's just what Sirius called them,"
"Dad's mentioned them before," Ron said grimly, "He said they were the followers of You-Know-Who, that's what they called themselves. As for Malfoy's dad," His face turned slightly muted, "I'll be you anything he was with them,"
"That was terrifying," Hermione said with a shudder, "Professor Jackson…He was just killing them…"
"We don't know that," Harry said quickly, jumping to the defense of his professor,
"Harry," Ron said softly, "He cut off a man's leg…that's-that's some dark stuff." Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Hermione cut him off,
"I'm not saying Professor Jackson is evil or anything!" She assured quickly, knowing of Harry's fondness for the man, "I'm just saying that-that he was rather vicious. I mean, I knew he was in the military, but I'd never really put much thought into it before…" She shuddered again, and Ron looked like he wanted to reach out to her, but refrained.
"Any sign of the others?" Harry asked, looking for a change of topic, as they came through the forest and into a clearing where there was a large gathering of people.
"No," Ron said, squinting through the darkness, and peering over the people. There was a group of teenagers, all of whom were clad in their pajamas. A girl with think, curly hair, spotted them, and ran over to them,
"Où est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue…" She babbled in what Harry thought was French,
"Er…what?" Ron asked, looking somewhat startled,
"Oh…" The girl muttered, before rudely turning her back on them, marching back towards the group, Harry heard more babbling in French, but could have sworn he heard her mention Hogwarts.
"Beauxbatons," Hermione muttered,
"The French school of magic," Hermione explained, "Though I don't know why they'd be looking for other students,"
"Maybe it was a school trip?" Ron suggested, but Hermione just hummed,
"Come on," Ron said, gazing over the crowd again, "The others couldn't have gotten far." He reached into his pocket and pulled his own wand out, light erupted from the tip, joining Hermione's. Harry reached into his own pocket, and felt his heart stop.
"My wand," He gasped, and Ron and Hermione turned to him,
"What?" Ron asked,
"My wand," Harry said with a groan, "I must have left my wand in the tent." Furious with himself, he followed Ron and Hermione as they poked their way through the clearing, but there was no sign of Fred, George, or Ginny. They made their way back to the trail on the other side of the clearing, and had just pushed into a second, empty clearing, when a sound of rustling from a nearby bush caused them to whirl around. They watched in confusion, as Winky the house-elf fell out of the bush, moving with great difficulty, as though being pulled by some invisible force.
"There is bad wizards about," Winky muttered to herself, "Bad wizards, can't go back, Winky but Winky be disobeying order, but Winky is scared, but Master be ordering Winky to stay, but bad wizards-so many bad wizards, Winky must run," Still muttering, Winky disappeared back into the tress,
"What's up with her?" Ron asked, "Why is she walking like that?"
"Sounded like she was ordered to stay in the tent, and she disobeyed. House-elves aren't able to disobey an order without some kind of punishment," Harry explained, remembering the way Dobby used to torture himself after helping Harry, because he was acting against the interest of his master.
"It's utterly barbaric," Hermione said, with a disgusted look on her face, "I cannot believe that an oppressive system like slavery still exists in the magical world,"
"Come off it, Hermione," Ron groaned, "They like working," That had been the wrong thing to say, as Hermione rounded on him. They continued warming as they strode deeper into the clearing. They had just reached the other side, when Harry shushed them,
"What?" Hermione snapped, her face red with anger,
"I just saw something, in the tress," Harry said, his eyes moving to where he'd seen the movement. Ron and Hermione immediately fell silent, they watched from the dim light of the wands, as Ludo Bagman stumbled out of the trees. However, the man looked far different from the last time Harry had seen him. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide in fear, as they darted around the clearing,
"Who's there?" He demanded, his voice coming out a bit shaky, his eyes squinted slightly as he looked at them, and when he recognized them, he sagged in relief, "Oh…oh its just you lot, what are you three doing here?"
"Well…there's a bit of a riot going on," Ron explained awkwardly,
Bagman just stared at him,
"What?" He asked,
"At the campsite," Ron explained slowly, "A group of people were…torturing a group of Muggles."
Bagman swore loudly, before he disapparated with a large 'CRACK'
"Not very on top of his things, is he?" Hermione asked, looking slightly stupefied. They decided that it would be better if they just stayed in the clearing for a while, figuring that they would hear anyone coming their way from a ways off if they were approaching. About twenty minutes passed, as the screams eventually started dying down, and the light of the fires began to fade. They had just been contemplating heading back to the campsite, when a twig snapped nearby, and they jumped to their feet. Harry peered through the trees, and even though he couldn't see anything in the darkness, he could tell that there was someone on the other side of the tress,
"Who's there?" Harry called out, but he received no rely. A few more moments passed, then a voice cried out, sudden and loud. Harry didn't recognize the voice, and he didn't recognize the word he spoke, but Harry could tell it was an incantation of some sort,
"Morsmordre!" It cried out, from the darkness, came a jet of green light. It shot through the air like a missile. It cleared the tree-line and when it was high in the sky, the green spell exploded, and a shape began to morph into existence. For a brief moment, Harry could have sworn a leprechaun had been playing a prank, but the shape was most certainly not a shamrock. Instead, a gaunt human skull appeared in the sky, and from one eye, slithered an enormous serpent,
Harry didn't know what he was looking at, but he knew that it couldn't be good. Ron grabbed him around the shoulder,
"We need to leave, now!" He hissed, looking at the sky in abject terror. Harry didn't need any convincing, as he turned and started to run, but before they could take more than a few steps, he heard a series of popping noises, and Harry watched as nearly a dozen wizards appeared out of nowhere, surrounding them in a circle. Each of them had a wand out, and pointed in their direction, not thinking, and reacting only on instinct, he reached out, and swiped Ron's outstretched wand, gripping the wand tightly in his hand, he pulled Ron and Hermione close, shoved them to the ground, and roared,
"Protego!"
"Stupefy!"
The shots rang out simultaneously, and a large magical child erupted around Harry, Ron, and Hermione, just as over a dozen red spells soared through the air. The spells collided with the shield, and Harry stumbled from the impact, but he kept his focus, and the shield didn't drop, even as sweat began dribbling down the side of his face,
"Stop!" Someone bellowed, a voice Harry recognized,
"Stop! What are you doing! That's my sodding Godson you bastards!" Harry didn't drop the spell, but the wizards lowered their wands in confusion, and Harry saw Sirius sprinting into the clearing, Mr. Weasley hot on his heels. At the sight of his Godfather, Harry dropped the spell, and handed Ron back his wand, as Sirius pulled him into a tight hug.
"Gods kid," Sirius whispered, "Don't scare me like that, you ok?"
"Yeah," Harry said, "I'm fine,"
"Hands in the air Black-get out of the way Arthur," Came a familiar voice, and Harry felt Sirius stiffen in arms. Sirius released him, before spinning around, his arms spreading out around Harry in a protective stance,
"Crouch," He snarled, "Late to the party as usual, and like always, others have suffered from your incompetence,"
Crouch looked like a man possessed, his eyes were wide, and he was literally shaking,
"I knew pardoning you was a mistake, the others thought you were innocent but I knew the truth, once a Death Eater always a Death Eater, you just couldn't stop yourself could you?" Crouch snarled,
"Always so high and mighty," Sirius roared, "Barty Crouch is always right, isn't he? Even when he's proven wrong time after time, Barty Crouch can never be wrong. Haven't you been wrong before Barty, eh? Tell me, how's your so-"
Crouch tried to fire off a spell, but his wand was suddenly jerked from him hand, every head turned in the other direction, watching the wand soar through the air, before Professor Jackson caught it smoothly, as he strode quickly through the clearing. Every wand turned on him, but lowered when he bellowed,
"Enough!" As he stepped closer, Harry could see in the wand-light, that the man looked slightly haggard. His clothes were ripped and torn, and his hair was a mess, oddly enough though, apart from that, he looked unharmed.
"Sirius was with me, Crouch," He said, tossing the wand back to Crouch, "I can vouch for him, so can Arthur, and his three sons, as well as at least four other aurors."
"You were mistaken then," Crouch shouted, he was becoming increasingly demonic looking, and he was spitting as he spoke, "A trick, an illusion, one no doubt learned by his former master!"
Professor Jackson's face contorted into a snarl, as he stepped into Crouch's personal space. Crouch was not a short man by any means, but he seemed positively minuscule as Professor Jackson towered over him. Professor Jackson leaned forward,
"Are you suggesting," He asked, his voice low and little more than a growl, "That I would be fooled by a mere illusion. You know who I am, Crouch, so I expect you to rethink your position," He cast a disgusted look at the man's disgruntled appearance, "And for the sake of the gods, pull yourself together."
"You three," Professor Jackson asked, and Harry knew he was talking about him, Ron, and Hermione, "Did you see where the mark came from?"
"It was from over there, sir," Hermione said quickly, pointing over to the clearing they'd seen the spell come from, "We didn't see them, but we heard someone cast a spell from that direction,"
At once, all wands turned to where Hermione was pointing,
"It'll be too late," Said a witch with bright pink hair, "They'll have disapparated,"
"Maybe not," Said a man with a scrabbly-looking beard, that Harry recognized with a start was Amos Diggory. "Our stunners would have gone straight through those trees, we might have gotten something. Dawlish, McTavish, with me," Two burly looking men took off after Amos, as he strode toward the clearing, their wands held at the ready. They disappeared into the trees for a moment, before Amos called out,
"Got something here…yes….definitely have a body but…no that can't be right," He reappeared with the two men quickly. In his arms, Amos was carrying a tiny figure that Harry recognized; it was Winky. Crouch didn't move, or even speak, as Amos dropped the small elf on the ground in front of Crouch. Crouch stared down into the closed eyes of Winky, his eyes slightly glazed,
"This-no-it's impossible" He said, his voice breaking slightly,
"She was holding this, in her hands, sir." Amos said quietly, before showing a wand over to Crouch, a wand Harry recognized,
"That's my wand!" Harry blurted out, and all eyes turned to him, Sirius looked down at him in concern,
"Your wand?" Amos said, looking between Harry and the wand, "Is that a confession then, are you confirming that you cast the mark and cast the wand aside-"
"Oh shut up, you idiot," Professor Jackson snapped, "You really think Harry Potter conjured the Dark Mark?"
"Oh," Amos said, flinching slightly and looking thoroughly mollified, "Right, erm, sorry…just got a bit carried away is all," Professor Jackson rolled his eyes,
"Give me that," Professor Jackson said, jerking the wand out of Amos' hand, he looked it over for a moment, before saying, "Prior Icantato," from the tip of the wand, a small skull with a snake coming from its eye appeared. Professor Jackson let out a breath through his nose, and with a wave of the wand, the mark disappeared. He then turned, kneeling down beside the elf and waving his hand. A thin mist shot out of his palm, covering the fallen elf, who's eyes jolted open.
"Can you hear me?" Professor Jackson asked, his tone stern but not mean,
"Y-yes, yes sir," Winky stammered, looking up at him,
"Look up," Professor Jackson ordered, and Winky did as told, her eyes widening in shock and horror at the mark, "As you can see, the mark has been conjured, and you were found with the wand that conjured it, now I do not believe you cast the spell. Precious few know how it's done, but did you see anything?"
"No sir!" Winky wailed, "I is not seeing whos is doing it, sir, Winky is good elf, Winky is not using a wand, Wink is not seeing bad wizard who is doing it!"
"Where did you find this wand, Winky?" Professor Jackson asked,
"In there!" She said pointing at the trees, "Winky found it on the ground, Winky be knowing she isn't to be picking up sir's wand, but Winky was confused, and scared,"
No one had anything to say after that, but Harry heard a muttered conversation between some of the wizards, and several broke off into groups and began heading towards the trees, no doubt to search the area.
Crouch, who had been staring in utter silence, stared at Winky, before finally speaking,
"Amos," said Mr. Crouch curtly, "I am fully aware that, ordinarily, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her." Amos looked as though he didn't think much of the suggestion, but it was clear that Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he decided it was best to not push the man, especially given how unhinged he seemed at the moment. "You may rest assured that she will be punished," Crouch added coldly.
"M-m-master…" Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please…"
Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze, only mounting fury, "Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible," he said slowly. "I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes!"
"No!" shrieked Winky, prostrating herself at Crouch's feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!" It was well known that the only way to turn a house-elf free was to present it with clothing. It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Crouch's feet.
"But she was frightened!" Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch. "And can you blame her? Those men in the masks were hurting people and scaring all of us and were burning down the entire field, she could have died if she stayed in the tent!"
But Crouch ignored her, taking a step backward, freeing himself from the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes.
"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me," he said coldly, looking over at Hermione. "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation." Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly,
"Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections."
"Come on," Professor Jackson said, ending Harry back his wand. Hermione seemed hesitant to follow along, as she stared at Winky, but after some prodding from Professor Jackson, she left the clearing.
"Professor Jackson, what's going to happen to Winky?" Hermione asked worriedly,
"No idea," Professor Jackson said, "Unfortunately there's not much of a support network for unemployed house-elves, and word tends to spread fast when one of them is fired, things aren't great for her unfortunately,"
"But-but-what about unemployment benefits, housing support, medical care? There's nothing?" Hermione asked,
"Hermione, you of all people should know how the greater magical world treats the non-magical, how do you think they'd treat non-human creatures? I'm not saying I agree with it!" He said, cutting off Hermione's protest, "I'm just telling you the reality of the situation. I agree, it's barbaric, but unfortunately that's just the way magical Britain is working these days."
"Someone should change it!" Hermione said defiantly, and Percy shrugged,
"Work hard, join the Ministry and petition for it then." Professor Jackson, "But for right now, come on,"
"What happened to the others?" Mr. Weasley asked, diverting the conversation,
"We got lost in the forest," Ron explained,
"Sirius," Harry asked quietly, and the man turned his head to look at him, "What was that thing in the sky? Why was everyone so scared of it?" Sirius looked around for a moment, before he said in an undertone,
"It's called the Dark Mark, Harry, it was Voldemort's symbol. Whenever he or his followers killed someone, they cast the mark above the place they attacked, as a warning to others. It hasn't been seen since the last war," Harry closed his mouth, that certainly explained why everyone seemed so intent on looking for the person who conjured the mark. But still, one person had a stranger reaction than the others, and he and Sirius seemed to have something of a shared history.
"What's up between you and Crouch," He asked, as they stepped through the first clearing. Sirius flinched, and even in the dark, Harry could see the stormy expression on his Godfather's face,
"Crouch was the head of the DMLE during the last war. He was waging a one-man crusade on the Death Eaters. He was a sure-shot for Minister, mostly because he was so tough on former Death Eaters. He made a bit of a habit of throwing suspected Death Eaters into Azkaban without a trial. Including me, not like I put up much of a fight," He added bitterly. Harry felt a wash of fury flow through him. So Crouch was the man responsible for keeping Harry from living with Sirius? He was, after all, certain that had Sirius not been in Azkaban, the man would have gone after him at the Dursley's, and taken him from them, regardless of what Dumbledore wanted.
Harry had more questions, but he could tell Sirius was not in the mood, and in a show of support for his Godfather, Harry walked closer, bumping his elbow with the man's. Sirius looked at him, and gave him an appreciative smile. As they reached the edge of the wood, they were immediately surrounded by worried onlookers,
"What's going on?"
"Who conjured the mark?"
"Arthur…it's not-it's not Him, is it?"
"Of course it's not Him." Said Mr. Weasley impatiently, "We don't know who it was, it looks like they disapparated. Now excuse me, I'm very tired, and my kids need to go to bed," And he began pushing through the crowd.
As they walked, Harry saw several people pointing at Sirius, and whispering to one another. Indignation for his Godfather swelled up in Harry, but Sirius just wrapped an arm around his shoulders,
"Don't mind them, Harry. Let them talk, as is their right. You know the truth, the Ministry knows the truth, and I know the truth. That's all I care about. Keep perspective Harry, it'll keep you sane," Sirius said, and Harry nodded, though he still felt annoyed with the gaggle of onlookers. Mr. Weasley led them back to their tents, where Charlie's head poked out through the covers, his lip was bleeding and he was nursing a pretty ugly-looking black eye.
"Dad," He said in relief, "You found the others then?"
"Yes," Said Mr. Weasley, "Are Fred, George, and Ginny-"
"Inside, come on," And Charlie's head disappeared back into the tent, with the others following after him. Entering the tent, Harry saw that Bill, and Percy were looking rather beaten up. Bill was holding a bedsheet to his arm, which didn't seem to want to stop bleeding, and Percy was nursing a bloody nose. At another table, were Fred, George, and Ginny; they were unhurt, though they looked rather shaken. All five of the other Weasley's looked immensely relieved at seeing Ron step into the tent.
"Damn," Professor Jackson said, looking between the three eldest Weasley sons, "You three, come here, let me see what I can do for you," He pulled his wand out and approached the three. "I'm not the best at medi-magic, but I learned some basic stuff in the Corps." He tapped Bill's arm with his wand, and the large wound started to stitch itself back together, he did the same to Percy's nose, and to Charlie's face,
"Thank you, Professor," Percy said looking relieved, and Professor Jackson just clapped him on the back,
"Doing all right, son?" He asked, looking concerned,
"I'm fine, Professor, just a little shaken is all." Percy said, in a rare moment of vulnerability. Professor Jackson just nodded, and squeezed his former student's shoulder reassuringly,
"Dad, did you find the one who conjured the mark?" Bill asked, after thanking Professor Jackson, and throwing the bedsheet into an empty chair.
"No," Mr. Weasley sighed, collapsing into a nearby chair, "All we found was Barty Crouch's house-elf holding Harry's wand, but we have no idea who conjured the mark,"
There was an outbreak of discussion at that revelation, and as the others started talking to one another, Harry asked Professor Jackson something he'd been worried about for a few minutes,
"Professor?" He asked, and the man turned to him,
"Yeah?"
"Where are Camila and Anna? Are they all right?" Harry asked, and for the first time all evening, he saw Professor Jackson smile,
"Yeah, they're all right," He confirmed, "I had the service agents apparate them out of the field as soon as we knew what was going on," He then winced, and rubbed the back of his ear looking uncomfortable, "Going to catch some shit for that," He said in an undertone, and checked his watch, and sighed, "And I should really be getting back and checking in on them. Knowing them, if I'm gone too much longer Anna might come back herself, and Camila might expend every resource of the damn AAM looking for me,"
He turned back to Harry and the others, "You three sure you're all right?" He asked, to which they all nodded, "Good, if you need anything, Harry," He pointed at the necklace around Harry's neck meaningfully, "You know how to get ahold of me. I'll see you all at school if a few weeks,"
With a final wave to the remaining Weasley's, and a meaningful nod to Sirius, he disappeared in a flurry of watery mist.
"Hell of a wizard, that teacher of yours," Charlie said, looking at the spot Professor Jackson had just vacated,
Bill snorted, "Understatement, mate. Didn't have anyone like that when we were at school,"
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked,
"I mean, that man is not just a teacher," Bill said, and Charlie nodded,
"Never seen anything like it, you remember those bubbles that took the Muggles away? That was him, and we all saw what he did to the initial group, but hells bells, when the fighting broke out, he tore through what, five-six of them?"
"Seven," Percy said, "I knew he was accomplished but I had no idea…"
"Did we make any captures then?" Mr. Weasley asked, and Bill nodded,
"Got Macnair, Avery, Jugson, and Rowle." Bill said,
"A couple others too, but they're…well…" Charlie said haltingly, and Harry knew the man was going to say that they were dead, but stopped after a meaningful look from Bill.
Mr. Weasley whistled, "Avery and Macnair…" He said, "Damn that's a bad look for the Ministry. Avery just made a sizable donation to the Department of International Cooperation, and Macnair has been working for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures for years. Not a surprise though, Avery pled that he was under the Imperius curse during the last war, and nobody could ever prove anything on Macnair."
"Arthur," Sirius said, gripping Harry around the shoulder, "If it's all right with you, I'd like to take Harry home," Harry made to protest, but it died in his throat at the look Sirius gave him, "We'll come by in a few days to head to the Alley, but I'd rather…"
Mr. Weasley just nodded, "I completely understand, Sirius," And then he stood up, and gave Harry a tight hug, "Glad you're all right, son," Mr. Weasley said, and Harry flushed, but was inwardly rather pleased,
"Thanks, Mr. Weasley, you too," Harry said, then he turned to Ron and Hermione, and nodded at them, they gave him shaky smiles, but seemed to understand, and after waving goodbye to the others, Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, and Harry felt a tug behind his navel. Harry felt as though he were being squeezed between a particularly narrow pipe. As uncomfortable as the sensation was, it was over almost as quickly as it began, as his feet slammed into solid ground, and Harry saw that they were inside their home, in their sitting room.
His stomach swam, and he started seeing double, as he felt suddenly incredibly nauseous.
"Sorry about that, Harry," Said Sirius, as he checked on Harry, "I forgot that you'd never apparated before, it can be very disorienting your first time, you ok?"
Harry nodded, as he tried to take slow and steadying breaths, "Yeah, yeah I'm ok." Sirius nodded, and led Harry to the sofa, depositing him in the plush leather.
"How are you doing, really?" Sirius asked, as he took a seat in his favorite armchair,
Harry, who's stomach had finally settled, thought about his answer. There was a lot that was bothering him. Seeing Professor Jackson just butcher those men was bothering him far more than he cared to admit. He had always seen Professor Jackson as the paragon of good in the world, as the type of man to never condone hurting someone else. After all, it had been him to congratulate Harry, and tell Harry how proud he was that Harry had forgone revenge. But seeing him just mercilessly slaughter those Death Eaters had shaken him, but that was not a matter for Sirius to deal with, not when there was another matter so much more important.
"Sirius, there's something I really need to talk to you about," Harry began,
"Anything, kid," Sirius said, leaning forward. Without hesitation, Harry dove into a blow-by-blow account of the dream he'd had, about everything he'd seen. Sirius didn't say anything, and didn't interrupt, he just let Harry talk. When Harry finally finished his story, he leaned back, and rubbed a tried hand over his face.
"Why didn't you tell me, Harry?" He asked, and Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and averted his eyes,
"I didn't-I didn't want to wake. It seemed like it was just a dream and-and…and I didn't want to burden you with what I thought was just a silly nightmare."
Sirius didn't say anything, and for a brief moment, Harry was sure he would leave the room. But the seat next to Harry sank, and a warm arm wrapped around Harry's shoulders,
"Harry," Sirius said, and Harry met his gaze, "You are all I have left. The only family I have left. Your problems, are my problems. I want you to trouble me with them, I want you to share your burdens, because you don't have to shoulder them alone, that's what family is for."
"I just…I don't want to keep burdening you. You're already doing so much for. I don't want to keep bothering you, only-only for you to get sick of me, and decide I'm more trouble than I'm worth," It was something Harry had never admitted to anyone. It was one of his deepest fears. It was why he always felt like he could never share his worries with anyone. Having no one for so long, he couldn't stand the idea of pushing them away. He'd only just managed to overcome that fear with Ron and Hermione, but he had only just gotten Sirius, and with him came all of Harry's old fears and insecurities. But Harry wanted to be honest with Sirius, wanted to relieve himself of his fears with his Godfather.
Sirius got off the couch, and knelt in front of Harry, gripping the sides of his head,
"Harry, look at me," With tremendous effort, Harry met his Godfather's eyes, which were shining with emotion, "I'm not going anywhere. You don't have a set number of cards you get to play with me, before I call it game. Do you understand? The single happiest moment of my life, the thought that sustained me in Azkaban, more than the thoughts of revenge against Pettigrew, was the first time I held you in my arms when you were a baby. You might not be my blood, but you are my godson, and that makes you mine. Nothing, not even death, will keep me from looking after you, Harry."
Harry nodded, and wrapped his arms around Sirius, who returned the embrace fiercely. They stayed like that for several moments, just taking comfort in one another. Harry knew, deep down, that Sirius loved him, but knowing and having those feelings affirmed, were two totally different things. After a moment, Harry released Sirius, who stood up, and strode back to his chair, and sat down.
"I know you aren't going to like this, but I think we should talk to Dumbledore," Harry's distaste for the idea clearly showed on his face, "I understand, kid, believe me I'm no fan of the man myself at the moment. That being said, this is something he should know. No one knows Voldemort better than him, and he was the one man orchestrating the fight against Voldemort last time. He should know,"
Harry still wasn't convinced, and Sirius sighed,
"Ok," Sirius sighed, "I won't force you, but you should at least talk to Professor Jackson about it."
"Why him?" Harry asked, and Sirius just gave him a look,
"Don't pretend like you don't worship the ground he walks on," Sirius said with a chuckle, "Besides, if you don't want to talk to Dumbledore about it, you can tell him, and he can tell Dumbledore. And don't look at me like that," He said, "He won't mind in the least. I know full well how fond of you the man is. Talk to him, Dumbledore needs to know, and Jackson will only be too happy to play go-between."
Harry didn't say anything for a moment, as he considered Sirius' words, before finally sighing,
"Ok…I'll talk to him at the start of term." Harry then frowned, "You seem to really trust Professor Jackson, but you two haven't really talked much, why is that?"
Sirius shrugged, "Well, you told me that he was the one who convinced Fudge to give me veritaserum, without him, you wouldn't be here, and I'd…well I don't really want to think about it,"
Harry shuddered and he nodded,
"I owe that man everything. He as good as saved my soul, and he helped bring me to you. As far as I'm concerned, I owe Percy Jackson a debt that can't be repaid. Besides…I think there's more to that man than meets the eye."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked,
"Well, you told me that he was a professor over in Japan before he came to Hogwarts right?" Sirius said, and Harry nodded, "Well, a few weeks ago, I spoke with an old pen pal of mine. She's a teacher at Mahoutokoro, has been for nearly a decade. I asked her about Jackson, and she told me that there has never been anyone of the sort teaching there."
Harry just stared at his Godfather, "What do you mean? He lied?"
"Apparently so," Sirius said, "And I've been asking around, reconnecting with some old contacts. I have a buddy in the ICW who swears up and down that Jackson worked with some capacity for the confederation during the exact time, that he was supposed to be teaching in Japan."
Harry's head spun. Professor Jackson had lied? Though he hadn't exactly lied to Harry in particular, but why had he lied about teaching in Japan? And what had he been doing for the ICW? Did it have something to do with the people who were after him in the United States? Not for the first time, Harry had to ask,
Who was Percy Jackson?
AN: Ya'll wanted to see Percy body some fools? Well here ya go. Percy lets loose a little bit, and shows what he can do when he's not holding back! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and hope you're excited for what's to come! This year marks a lot of the serious, serious changes to canon and is a really important year for defining Harry's character and his relationship with Percy. As always, shoutout to Double0Sxvxn for being an awesome Beta and dealing with my bullshit and as always if you enjoyed this but haven't checked out my other work, give them a try you never know you might find something else you like. I'm also on discord now, where I and a bunch of other writers hang out, chat and brainstorm ideas, you just have to copy the link that's in my profile bio if you want to come and hang out with us. Stay safe, stay healthy and have an awesome week
All My Love,
LilDB