October 3rd, 1994
Hogwarts

Harry and Eddie exchanged nervous looks when they climbed the steps up to the headmaster's office. When they saw Dumbledore and James waiting for them, that anxiety only rose. The headmaster seemed lost in thought. What was he thinking about? Or was he merely distracted? Fawkes was perched up on one of the bookshelves, letting out a small squeak when the two boys came in. James, in contrast, was grim faced, his hands jammed in his pockets and his shoulders hunching forward. Never had that been a good sign. Their sense that something was deeply wrong when James motioned for them to sit down. Harry started to twitch with his thumbs, then his glasses. Eddie seemed just as nervous. He kept tugging at his robes, pulling his sleeves down the little he needed to (they were a bit long on him) so his hands were covered too. He tried not to start biting at his fingernails again, some of which were still a little raw, and he fidgeted with where his mother's claddagh ring was attached to a bracelet; her hands, much like the pale, dark haired, bespectacled woman herself, were petite.

Mum's barely 100lb and she's only 4'9''...she's a great auror, but what that person…that fucker did to her could easily kill her? Oh God, is she dead, do we have to…does dad need me to come home for her -

"First of all, I am so sorry about what has happened with the Tournament," Dumbledore said calmly, looking between James and Harry. "It's not going to go unanswered for. The Ministry and those of France and Norway are investigating the matter; it should not have been able to happen."

"And he shouldn't be allowed to compete!" James exclaimed, his chest rising and falling quickly. "I don't care about this being a 'binding magical contract.' This isn't an unbreakable vow, this is cut and dry immoral, and -"

"If I could stop it, I would," Dumbledore cut in. "But after Crouch's decision and that of the equivalent officials from France and Norway, not even the Ministers for Magic of those countries can intervene."

James started to shake, both in anxiety and anger but didn't press.

"Dad, I don't even know how the hell I'm going to do this," Harry startled when his father suddenly came over to hug him. "Dad, I'm not going to die, I just -"

"I know, I know," James said, albeit still shaky when he released his son. "I'm sorry, I'm incredibly bothered by how the situation is being handled and the fact it was somehow able to happen in the first place."

Dumbledore sighed, glancing over the three of them before shaking his head.

"This is a horrible situation, and I apologise for it," He eventually said. "But the other reason I asked the two of you to come up tonight is significantly more positive."

Eddie briefly perked up. "Is it my mum?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes," He confirmed. "She finally came to, and seems to be stable. Though she has been sleeping about twelve, thirteen hours a day. Still, she appears to be fine, and your father has been able to see her, as have your siblings."

Eddie broke down crying. "Thank God!"

"Have you spoken to her?" Harry asked, looking to his father.

James nodded. "She was startled to see me. I came in shortly after Cornelius was able to see her conscious for the first time."

Eddie turned to him, still struggling to regain himself.

"But you're sure she's okay?"

"Okay is a relative term," James said. "Physically, yes, she's going to be. Emotionally, she's in a state, not that anyone can blame her for that, and mentally…well, apparently one of the first questions she asked after she came to was 'what the fuck is happening' so, you know."

Eddie managed to laugh a little. "That sounds like mum."

"I'll send you there via portkey in a few days," Dumbledore told him. "You'll have about a week to spend time with your family. James will then bring you back. But, please, take time to heal. You all, I am sure, need it."

October 9th, 1994
London

Delia nearly broke down when all three of her kids came into the hospital room; beside her, Cornelius held her, and she seemed almost collapsed into him. It was a rare sight. It was one she would only ever let her husband and children see; since the 'slip up' when she came to, that was something she found even more certainty in. Caity curled up next to her mother, the twenty year old crying herself and hyperventilating (just like she had when she was a baby) while Delia reached over with one hand to stroke her hair. Eddie sat down near his parents, shaky, and Tenya sat beside Caity, rubbing their back while their mother continued to stroke her hair. Their father kept an arm securely around Delia, who rested her head on his shoulder, a headache still numbly pressing against her skull and the rest of her still horribly achy and pained. It was only okay with the four of them. When she closed her eyes, she shifted a little closer into her husband's embrace, and, worried about hurting her, Cornelius shifted too, trying to keep her as stable as possible.

"I thought you were going to die…" Eddie mumbled, shaking badly. "Mum…I -"

"I thought I was too," Delia finally shattered, sobbing into Cornelius, who took off his lime green bowler hat and gently sat it on her own head, something which apparently comforted her, as did feeling some of his greying curls against her hands when she reached up to wrap her arms around him. "I don't even know quite what happened, and…and to tell you the truth, I don't want to."

"I'm so sorry, m'dear," Cornelius hesitated, guilt rising in his chest again. "I'm more relieved than I can say that you're alright, and -"

"I know," Delia snapped, barely getting the words out.

Silence.

The family was finally reunited, okay.

But it didn't feel okay.

At least, Cornelius found himself wracked with guilt for what happened when he thought about it.

Caity was overwhelmed and wanted to be able to stay with her parents like she had when she was a child.

Tenya found themselves in shock.

Eddie's head was spinning and didn't quite know how to respond.

And, as for Delia herself, she felt the same guilt as her husband, but for fearing what would happen if anyone found out about her crime.

"When we're all back home…" Delia paused, finally calm enough to speak and pulled off her now-fogged glasses. "I have something your father has almost always known about, but that I haven't discussed with the three of you apart from Caity."

Her daughter looked up, startled.

But she almost immediately fell back curled up against her mother, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"Okay…" Tenya said, their voice unsteady.

Eddie - his breathing and body starting to calm - looked to his parents in shock.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Delia hesitated.

"We've never talked about…" She briefly trailed off, Cornelius still holding her close. Delia finally closed her eyes and forced herself to go on. "My life before I met your father. And I think the three of you deserve to know."

"That's reasonable," Tenya said, though they watched their parents worriedly.

"Furthermore," Cornelius said after a few, heavy seconds of silence. "It's…I don't quite know what to tell the three of you, but this has been horrible for all of us…and I don't know what to do."

"None of us do," Delia said, despising how weak and raspy her voice sounded, bitterness entering in to it. "Just…I promise…your father and I love the three of you, and you deserve to know. I…we've never lied to you. And we won't start now."

October 15th, 1994
Number 12 Grimmauld Place

"When's the first task?" Remus watched James, who was pouring shots. "That's going to overflow."

James paused and set down the bottle. "Two days," He said, briefly closing his eyes. "I'm going to be there for him, of course, but, Sirius, please restrain me from duelling Crouch. He's the British judge for the task, and I don't trust myself around him right now."

Sirius grimaced. "To what extent are you concerned?"

James took a shot. "To the extent that," He said dryly. "If this hurts or kills my son, Crouch will become the victim of someone 'having doth shot him through the fucking eyes.' I don't doubt that my son is talented, that he can probably be okay in this. But the point is he's too young, should not have to, did not put himself in it, does not deserve to be put under this stress, and should absolutely not have to participate in something he does not want to and in which people have died before."

"I don't think an eye for an eye is the solution," Remus warned him.

"Worst case scenario," James paused. "And I'm not entirely serious about that. I am, however, disgusted by all of this and will not tolerate my son getting hurt or God forbid killed by something this dangerous."

"It is a pretty damn barbaric thing," Sirius agreed, taking a couple of shots himself, his eyes narrowing at the thought. "And I say that as a person who spent over a decade in Azkaban."

Remus reached over and took his husband's hand.

"It's over, you're a free man. Vindicated."

Sirius closed his eyes briefly and nodded after a few seconds.

"Look," He said. "This is a Tournament which was banned for the amount of people who died in it. It hasn't been held since the eighteenth century, and I don't see why we should return to it, with new rules for safety or not. It is dangerous, brutal, violent, and, again, barbaric."

"Yep," James bitterly popped the word. "I can't believe it was reinstated. What's next? Are we - after a two hundred year ban - going to start executing people again instead of sending them away to Azkaban for life? Not that Azkaban is a much better place, but, still, the fact of the matter is this stopped being held for a reason."

"Which leads to the ultimate question," Remus put in rather bluntly. "Should this be allowed in a civilised society?"

"No," Sirius said almost immediately. "It's wrong. Simple as that."

"I don't contest that," Remus tiredly rubbed his neck. "But I do question whether or not the people who decided the Tournament would be a good idea considered the fact, that being the British, French, and Norwegian departments of International Magical Cooperation."

"Back in the summer, I asked Delia if the US had been asked to compete," James shook his head. "It sounded like they did, and, in her own words 'MACUSA officials nearly went ballistic, completely lost their shit over it.' And while MACUSA is often criticised for being paranoid about maintaining the International Statute of Secrecy - which isn't to say the British Ministry isn't, just not to the same extent - it still says a lot that the US outright refused to take any part in this."

"Again, this entire situation is appalling," Sirius frowned. "Especially for what is happening with Harry. I hope he'll be alright, but I…"

"I get that," James shook his head. "I'm not going to let my son get hurt. That's why I'm going to be there for every event. He's a child. He's underage."

"And it's fucking horrifying for that very reason," Sirius took another shot. "I would not recommend we take this and turn it into a drinking game."

Remus let out a heavy sigh.

"We haven't got anything we can do about it."

"Which is what pisses me off," James swore under his breath. "Like I said, I don't doubt Harry's ability. He's incredibly talented. But that isn't the point. The point is he shouldn't have to be put into horrible danger like this. No one should, of course, but one issue at a time."

"It's lunacy," Remus grimly agreed. "And something about it is absolutely off. Someone had to have done something…and, candidly, I'm not at all sure if I want to know how or why."