Chapter 4 – Bloody Promises and Ferret-Slapping

It seemed that, by unspoken agreement, Harry and Hermione chose to wait and see how their date went before deciding if they should pursue a change in their relationship. So even though there were a few shy smiles here and there they had not taken any further steps down the road of a courtship; no hand holding, no additional words of endearment, no kissing, etc. Harry also made the conscious decision not to put a lot of work into dealing with the Horcrux/Voldemort problem until after the First Task; it wasn't like he could finish anything before Riddle had a body anyway, which wouldn't happen until next Summer, and even if he had done it before going one-on-one versus a dragon wasn't something to take lightly. He knew he could get to the Diadem and the Locket fairly easily, the latter once he made contact with Sirius, though he wasn't sure how he was going to explain how he knew about it yet. Hopefully he could get Nagini in the cemetery along with Voldemort. He was curious if his status as Death's Champion would help with the Ring, seeing as how one of Thandie's artifacts was a part of it; he'd have to find a way to try it and see what happened. That just left Hufflepuff's Cup, which he had no idea how to get to this time; they had barely gotten their hands on it the last time, and might have caused a new goblin uprising while doing so.

These delays were fine with Harry as he had plenty on his plate that he needed to work on in the short term; training for both the Tournament and the eventual showdown in the graveyard, classes, trying to further cement his 'new' friendship with Luna, and working on how to avoid or turn to his advantage events that, if things were to stay true to the previous timeline, were rapidly approaching. He knew that the coming Friday would hold several events that had the potential to truly bugger with things. For one there was the Weighing of the Wands ceremony, which was apparently supposed to be an introduction of the Champions to the world at large that no one had bothered to inform him about. He'd looked like an incompetent child the last go-round; to be fair he mostly was an incompetent child at the time, but that was no excuse not to give him a heads up. He decided that the easiest way forward for this issue was to make sure the robes he wore Friday were cleaned and pressed and that he took the time to polish his (holly and phoenix feather) wand the night before.

That same event had also put him on a collision course with Rita Skeeter and her poison quill that she just loved to jam straight into his back. Rita's articles about him over the next few months had not at all helped in trying to repair his status with his schoolmates, and worse had caused Hermione to be both belittled and injured. Harry was going to have to find a way to either work with the woman or keep her out of his hair, and since he didn't have an unbreakable glass jar handy he needed a strategy to placate the journalist and/or get her on his side.

Also this coming Friday would mark the arrival of the oh-so-wonderful badges worn by the Slytherins and some of the other students, meant to further degrade Harry and damage his reputation amongst the student body. It was this one that Harry thought he could afford to expend a bit of his frustrations on, as it shouldn't have any long-term implications and would allow for a bit of mischief at others' expense; Harry was in particular looking forward to more ferret-slapping. In the short times when he wasn't in class, doing homework, or practicing with Hermione he was spending time in the Library working on an idea to do just that; he had what he believed was a solid plan to deal with Malfoy's next big play but needed to figure out just how to make it coalesce. Discovery of the necessary spells, along with prodigious use of the Invisibility Cloak and Marauders Map to access areas he shouldn't, allowed him to put the pieces he needed in place Thursday evening.

As before, the second Friday afternoon after his name had come out of the Goblet saw the Fourth Year Slytherins waiting outside of the Potions classroom as the Gryffindors approached. Malfoy and his 2-man brute squad stepped forward as they saw Harry approaching with Hermione; all of the Snakes were wearing their 'Support Cedric Diggory' badges, the 'Side B' of which has caused Harry to start a spell battle right there in the hallway in the previous timeline. "Hey Potter! What do you think?" Draco sneered, eager to regain some credibility after his verbal attack against Harry the week before had gone so poorly. The blond Slytherin pointed at his badge as the Gryffindors approached and his chosen target stepped up in front of him. For his part, Harry just looked down at the bright red lettering displayed on the chest of every green-lined robe. "That's right, Potter. The real Hogwarts champion. You want to know what else?" Draco asked with a maniacal gleam in his eye. Harry had to fight hard to hide his smile of triumph as all of the Snakes tapped their badges and they all swapped to say 'Potter Stinks.'

All but three, that is.

Crabbe's, Goyle's, and Malfoy's badges doubled in size, and instead of displaying the green writing of the others each had their own message to convey to the world. Goyle's now proclaimed

Official Malfoy Miniature Manhood Muncher

in bright pink letters. Crabbe's had lavender writing and stated for the record

I [heart] Dining on Delicious Diminutive Draco Dong

Harry hadn't been able to come up with something alliteratively appropriate for Malfoy, and so had instead gone for simplicity.

My Anus Tastes Like Lemons. Ask Me How I Know

It seemed like none of the three immediately noticed, and Harry theatrically looked down at each badge in turn before looking back up at Malfoy. "You know what? I was not aware of any of that. Your parents must all be so proud," he stated sarcastically.

That was the last straw for Hermione; despite the vulgarity she couldn't help but emit an un-ladylike snort before the giggling began. She wasn't the only one, though; pretty soon the entire hallway was laughing at the three boys, especially when it was discovered that it appeared each of the three badges was now held to their robes by a Permanent Sticking Charm as were their robes to their shoulders, making it nigh impossible to remove them short of Severing Charms. Thank you Walburga Black, you spiteful bitch, for showing me how to extend the torture with such a simple spell. Harry couldn't keep the smug smirk off his face at their plight anymore. Draco, noticing his hated enemy's visage and putting two and two together, began reaching for his wand.

Harry immediately stepped forward, his own wand already in hand. This was the point last time that Hermione had been hit with a stray spell, and Harry was desperate not to let that happen again. He knew Hermione had liked having her teeth shrunk, but the pain and embarrassment she had suffered in order to have that happen were not something that Harry could allow. He did his best to project an air of determination and menace, and it must have worked; Draco's eyes went wide as Harry went nose-to-nose with him. "Malfoy, I swear to God, Merlin, Morgana, and anyone else that's listening: if that wand clears your pocket I'm going to shove it so far up your citrus-scented arse that when you case a Lumos your head is going to light up like a Jack-O-Lantern," he growled out. The Slytherin's hand immediately moved away from the handle of his wand, all bravado lost in the face of this new Harry Potter, one who seemed to be willing to strike back with more than childish words or prank spells.

Any further escalation was saved by the approach of Snape, who of course took the opportunity to punish Harry. "Potter! Ten points from Gryffindor for having a drawn wand in the hallways. Now, all of you, inside," he said as he pushed open the door to the Potions classroom. As the students filed in he saw the badges, especially those that had been modified, and after a whispered conversation with Draco put the three boys at the back of the classroom where no one would be able to look at them until class was over and they could escape back to the Slytherin dorms.

An inordinate number of points were lost by Gryffindor during that class, as each teen would occasionally develop a case of the giggles thinking about what had happened before class. Harry considered it a small price to pay for brining Malfoy down another notch; he was hoping that if he could demoralize the Slytherin enough that he would become a non-entity in the future and not merit further consideration. About halfway through the lesson Colin Creevey appeared at the Potions classroom door as he had during Harry's first go-round, stating that Harry and the other champions had been summoned. Packing up his materials and whispering a quick 'see you later' to Hermione, Harry headed up to see what he could do about Rita and, hopefully, his reputation as a whole.

Harry entered the small classroom to see the same cast of characters as before; the three Champions, the Prophet photographer Bozo (seriously, what is up with wizards and naming their kids Harry thought), Ludo Bagman, and the blond curls and magenta robes of Magical Britain's favorite reporter-cum-character assassin, Rita Skeeter. Harry played dumb about what was going on until Rita asked to speak to him privately. "Actually, Miss Skeeter, if it's alright I really think it would be better if the Champions were interviewed in the order that the Goblet chose them. Doesn't that give a bit of a better narrative; discovering how each one of them felt as their or the other names came out, waiting with baited breath to see if they would be chosen?" Though a bit non-plussed initially, as the mental imagery Harry described came forth Rita decided that it actually sounded pretty good; she completely missed Harry's subtle intonations that he was not a Champion. That disarmingly deadly smile back on her face, she dragged Viktor Krum away to a corner of the room to be interviewed. Harry noticed that she was trying to use her Quick-Quotes Quill and surreptitiously sent a silent Confundus at it, smiling as she was forced to take proper notes during her discussion with the Durmstrang Champion after the green quill kept writing "The carpet doesn't match the drapes" over and over again on the parchment. Their interview continued until Dumbledore arrived with Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, and Mr. Ollivander, and the Weighing of the Wands ceremony went much like he remembered from the first time, complete with the uncomfortable pictures that Harry made a point to stay on the outliers of. As Bozo was finishing up his shots a bit sooner than it had taken before, Harry approached Rita. "Miss Skeeter, if you would be able to stick around until dinnertime and interview the other two Champions, I'd be happy to speak with you after the meal if you wish. I'm sure the Headmaster could find you a chair at the Head Table" Seeing she might be able to get even more out of the Boy-Who-Lived, she readily agreed before pulling Fleur to the table for her interview, while Harry escaped the room as fast as he could. He ducked surreptitiously behind a tapestry hiding one of the many hidden stairwells and pulled the Marauders Map, unlocking it before searching for Hermione. With the last class of the day over, she should either be in the Gryffindor Common Room or the Library.

So his heart leapt into his throat when he found the dot marked 'Hermione Granger' down a disused dungeon hallway. That in itself wouldn't have been so bad, except she wasn't alone. The Monster awoke and roared angrily, and Harry couldn't help but agree with him 100%.

{-}

"Oh this should be good," Thandie giggled as she looked down through what could only be described by magical mortals as a giant Pensieve. "Thanks so much for arranging this for me, Theia."

Her companion stepped up next to her and looked down as well. "That's your Champion?" she almost mocked. "Not much to him, is there?"

"Oh, he's got it where it counts," Thandie purred with a mischievous grin. "Besides, it's not the wrapper that's important, it's the tasty, creamy center underneath." One of Theia's eyebrows raised at the description as Thandie peered closer and breathed in deeply. "Even now I can feel it. Adrenalin is starting to pump through his system. Blood flooding into muscles that are preparing for action. Thoughts and plans running through his mind like quicksilver; the fastest way down to her, spells that will hurt and punish but not kill or permanently maim. Anger. Fury, even. A desire to instill the fear of Death into those who oppose him." She shuddered. "If he reached his hand out right now the Wand would happily answer his call, ready to deal Death and Judgement if he should wish it." She took a step back and tried to collect herself. "It's a bit intoxicating, really."

"If you say so," Theia responded. "Personally, I never understood that aspect of you. Death is so blasé; while I'll grant it's powerful to the mortals, I can't wrap my head around the sensation, the emotion, even the romanticism that you assign to it."

"That's because you're a glitter whore," Thandie responded as she saw Harry put the Map back in his pocket and begin flying down the castle toward Hermione. "For you if something isn't shiny it's not worth your attention."

"That was a bit uncalled for," Theia whined.

"Then don't badmouth my Champion," Thandie replied without remorse as she waited for the curtain to go up. She didn't think Harry was actually about to kill anyone; though he was indeed Death's Champion that didn't make him bloodthirsty. Of course, if something happened to Hermione before he got there . . . well, she might just have to go in to work on a Friday evening after all.

{-}

Potions had ended, and the rest of the class filed out as Hermione took the time to make sure her cauldron was perfectly clean before stowing it and the rest of her class materials and heading for the door. Normally she would have walked with Harry and Ron, but with Ron being . . . well, Ron, and with Harry having been called away she was making the trek by herself. Something that, in hindsight, was probably a bad idea given what had happened before class.

"I know you helped Potter do this, Mudblood," Malfoy said as she turned a corner and found him and his bookends waiting for her. "Potter isn't smart or clever enough to come up with this on his own, let alone change these on the fly. You were the first to laugh, almost like you know it was going to happen." The Slytherin took a step forward. "Undo it now."

Panic rose inside her, but she knew that to show it would only play into Malfoy's hands. "I have no idea what you're talking about. It seems like the Slytherins made the badges; shouldn't you ask your own House how to undo whatever was done to them?"

Draco took another step forward, his wand held menacingly in his hand. "Last chance, Mudblood. Fix this or you'll regret it."

That was all Hermione needed to hear to take action. Her arm holding the cauldron and other Potion supplies swung with force, the cast iron container striking Draco hard on his left cheek and dazing him. Hermione dropped her bookbag and the rest of her materials and ran for it, Malfoy's slightly slurred "Get her you cretins!" echoing against the hard dungeon walls as she sprinted away. In her panic, she paid no attention to where she was going, turning left and right seemingly at random as the footsteps of her pursuers sounded in her ears along with her frightened heartbeat.

Completely lost in unfamiliar territory, it was only a matter of time before she turned down a hallway the seemingly dead-ended. Turning, wand drawn, she saw Crabbe lumbering toward her in the lead. "Petrificus Totalus" she incanted, the Full Body-Bind causing the large Slytherin to nose dive to the hard stone floor with a meaty thunk. She tried the same on Goyle behind him, but the boy managed to put up a weak shield that nonetheless stopped her spell cold.

"Expelliarmus!" roared Draco from the back and, caught unawares that he was there due to the bulk of his two cronies, Hermione's wand was ripped from her grasp and sailed across the hallway to Draco's waiting hands. Now unarmed, Hermione backed away until she came in contact with the far wall, it being the only thing that kept her body upright as her legs began to shake in fear. Malfoy cast the countercharm on Crabbe, who stood unsteadily and appeared to have a broken nose from impacting the floor. Draco then turned back toward Hermione, a painful-looking bruise on his cheek and murder in his eyes. "I was willing to give you a chance before, Mudblood, but now . . . now I'm just going to enjoy myself. Flipendo!" A force like a punch to the gut hit Hermione, doubling her over and driving her to her knees as her eyes started to water. "That's just the beginning of what I'm going to do to you, bitch," Malfoy sneered. Hermione looked at him, mouth agape and eyes red, and the Slytherin laughed. "Look at you, you disgusting buck-toothed know-it-all. Why don't we accentuate just what an ugly specimen you really are. Densaugeo." Hermione put her head down as her front teeth started to grow out of control. "Oh, poor pathetic Mudblood," Draco taunted, "what else do you think we should change?" He pointed his wand at Hermione yet again when suddenly the wall she had been trapped up against disappeared, revealing one of the castle's many secret passageways and the uniquely irate Harry Potter.

"Flipendo Maximo" Harry snarled, the maximized jinx connecting solidly with Malfoy's left knee. There was a sickening crunch as the joint was ratcheted 180 degrees from standard. Malfoy's scream as he pitched sideways on his way to the floor drowned out the overpowered Banishing Charm from the black-haired teen out of time that launched Malfoy hard into Crabbe and Goyle, the three of them falling in a heap on the ground after travelling several meters as a group. Three Stunners later and they were knocked out. His opponents incapacitated for now,Harry's eyes became filled with concern as he knelt next to Hermione, who was hiding her face in her hands as her shoulders heaved in sobs. Without saying a word, he lifted her face by putting his fingers to her chin. When she finally looked up the tears were flowing from her eyes with abandon, and her front teeth had extended almost to the knot of her tie. "Finite Incantatem" Harry intoned, stopping their growth before he wrapped one arm around her and kissed her forehead. He conjured a hand mirror and handed it to her. "Tell me when, okay?" he asked before pointing his wand at her. She shook her head in fear, making him drop his aim and take his hand in hers. "Hermione: trust me," he said, and she stared at him hard before nodding an affirmative and he began. "Densadtenuo," he said, and the counter-curse to the Teeth Enlarging spell, a counter he had learned just in case he wasn't able to stop Hermione from being attacked as she had been previously, began to reduce her teeth back to normal. He went as slowly as he could, and she finally tapped him when they reached the size she'd had them shrunk to after Malfoy had done this before. He Vanished the mirror and pulled her into a tight hug. "I need to do something quick, and then we'll get out of here." At her hesitant nod he stood, bringing Hermione with him, and whispered to her "Wait here just one sec," giving her a second kiss on the head before turning back toward the three unconscious Slytherins. "Serpensortia," Harry said, and a large python, at least 20 feet long, spit from the end of his wand onto the floor. "§Hold the one with the light-colored head, but don't squeeze yet§" Harry told the snake in Parseltongue. The snake, seeing that it might get a meal out of this, eagerly approached Malfoy and it took little time for it to wrap its long body several times around the boy. Once the python had him, Harry walked over and knelt down and cast a Silencio on Malfoy before hitting him with the Reviving Spell. Once Draco awoke it was obvious he was screaming in pain from his destroyed knee as he began to struggle against his bonds, right up until the head of the snake that was holding him appeared right in front of his face, its forked tongue lashing out at the skin of his unbruised cheek. At that discovery his eyes got very large and his lower lip started to quiver. Harry frankly felt it wasn't near enough payback, but it was a decent start. He started scratching the snake under the chin like one might a cat or dog as he started talking.

"I was trying to be more delicate about this. I was hoping that if you suffered enough body blows it would be clear to even a brain dead waste of carbon like you, but apparently too many generations of no branches in your family tree has made you either deaf or mentally deficient. And then you had to go and do something so incredibly stupid that I feel like it's a crime against humanity to let you keep breathing. So I'm going to say this to you once, slowly and simply so that there is no misunderstanding; back the fuck off, or else." Harry's anger got the better of him then, and he grabbed Draco by the hair and wrenched his head up. "Touch her again, and I'll drag you out of the castle by your bollocks and feed you to the Acromantula in the forest. I'll pop popcorn and watch while they drain you dry little by little before sending your desiccated corpse to that Death Eater cocksucker you call a father. Look at her wrong, insult her . . . fuck, if she falls down and skins her knee while you're in the same room, and I will burn the very fabric of your existence to the ground and salt the earth with your tears." Harry let Draco's head go; it hit the floor painfully while he turned toward the python and spoke a long string of Parseltongue. The snake almost seemed to smile as it turned back toward its prey and put its head right next to Malfoy's ear, so that he felt every flick of the creature's tongue. Harry then cast a Muffliato at the intersection of the corridor, ensuring no one would hear his screams if the Silencing Charm wore off, before picking up Hermione's wand. "I ordered it to just hold you tight and squeeze every now and then; it's not just humans that like to play with their food. But it's still a snake, so it might decide that killing you and eating you is easier; honestly I'm finding it hard to give a damn one way or the other. The conjuring should last another 45 minutes to an hour, so I'll leave you two to get acquainted." Harry stood and looked down. "This is your last warning, Malfoy. Heed it. I'm begging you, don't cross me again. Because if you do . . . well, let's just say that what I did to you today will be pleasant in comparison." With that, Harry threw their wands down the hallway before he turned, wrapped his arm comfortingly around the shoulders of a wide-eyed Hermione, and led her back through the entryway to the hidden passage, which once again disappeared as he left.

{-}

Hermione felt adrift in her own emotions. She had been terrified by the Slytherins, and then relieved at Harry's arrival, only to become close to terrified again at how he had dealt with Draco. Harry had been acting so . . . odd lately. She couldn't attribute it all to the stress of the Tournament, but she didn't know how else to explain the changes in him these last two weeks. She didn't necessarily mind them, except all the cussing, but what she'd just witnessed gave her pause. They'd made it up a flight of steps and were backtracking toward Hermione's things she had dropped during her escape before the young witch found her voice again. "Harry . . . what was that?"

He kept walking as he looked at her, managing to control his wince as her screams from a future that would never be reverberated in his head. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean?" Hermione asked in her 'Defcon 2 what an idiot' tone as she stopped and turned him to face her fully. "I mean you just attacked Draco and left him with an obvious broken knee while facing a giant snake in an abandoned hallway. Don't misunderstand me, I'm very grateful you showed up when you did, but what possessed you to do that? Didn't all of that seem a bit . . . excessive?"

"If anything, it wasn't excessive enough," Harry growled. "He hurt you."

"Harry, it's not that simple –"

"Yes, it really is that simple, Hermione," Harry responded sternly. "I'm not sure why you believe it would be so complicated. You are my best friend, the most important person in the world to me. I will not let some prick bastard like Malfoy keep doing what he's been doing, not without him understanding there are consequences. And there's no way in hell I'm going to let anyone screw with you."

"Language, Harry," was all Hermione managed to whisper in response, and despite his still amped up state the boy couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. They exited the hidden passageway and made their way down a hallway for a bit before she asked quietly, "I'm the most important person in the world to you?"

Harry contemplated his answer for a moment and then nodded. "You have been for . . . well, for a while now," he finally answered with a blush, one that matched hers as they made their way toward the stairs back down to the Potions hallway. After a few more steps, her hand tentatively reached out for his, and he couldn't help but smile as their fingers intertwined.

{-}

The two teens were not holding hands as they entered the Great Hall for dinner; they considered that event a private affair just between the two of them. They had barely sat down and started serving themselves when the other blond-haired bane of Harry's existence sauntered her way over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. "You're the last one, Harry. Do you mind if we talk while you eat? I have to make it back to the office and get everything written up in order to make the deadline for tomorrow's edition."

"I suppose that's alright, Miss Skeeter," he responded. "Hermione, can you go grab Luna and see if she would mind coming over to eat with us?"

"Sure, Harry," Hermione responded before standing and heading over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Luna?" Rita asked eagerly. "Why Harry, has some lucky witch taken you off the market already?" Harry looked up and saw the Dicta Quill instead of her Quick-Quotes Quill; apparently his Confundus had been a bit more powerful than he'd intended, not that he was at all upset by that.

"Just a good friend, Miss Skeeter," he answered as the girls made their way back over. "Her father is the editor of the Quibbler; I thought that since I'm giving my first interview that I might as well reach as many outlets as possible."

Harry saw the momentary grimace that crossed Rita's features before she again schooled her expression to a more pleasant façade. "Very well, Harry. Let's get started, shall we?" She started firing questions at him before he had a chance to respond. "First, what made you decide to enter your name into the tournament? Was it to try and prove yourself against witches and wizards older and more experienced than you? Were you trying to see how you measured up?"

"I didn't enter my name into the Goblet of Fire, Miss Skeeter."

"Of course you didn't, Harry," the older witch said with a wink. "Come on, Harry, you can tell me. Everyone loves a rebel."

"Oh for Christ's sake," Harry said, deciding now was as good a time as any to enact his plan. "Please make sure you get this part down, will you?" he said before he stood and climbed up onto the Gryffindor table. Dinner and a show he thought to himself. "Headmaster, may I address the school?"

Dumbledore looked up from his meal at the call and the almost instant quieting of the hall. Harry Potter stood on his house table looking intently toward him. Not sure what this was all about, he tried to see what information he could glean. "This is quite unorthodox, Harry. I trust this is something important?"

"As far as I'm concerned, it's absolutely vital, sir."

"Very well. Would you like to come forward?"

"I'm find here, Professor," he said before looking across the students and staff of Hogwarts. "Over the last two weeks I have heard an innumerable number of you cast aspersions upon me for my entry into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, believing that I entered myself despite my repeated claims that I did not. I guess I should be used to it," he continued, his head hanging slightly. "Two years ago all of you believed I was the Heir of Slytherin and was petrifying my fellow students in the halls. Only Hermione being turned to stone convinced most of you that your assumptions were false.

"Well, there's no way in hell I'm going to let something happen to Hermione again to prove to you people that I am telling the truth. Instead, perhaps putting myself at risk instead will appease you." With that, he pulled his wand and, before anyone could say anything, drew it across his left palm. Blood began dripping onto the table as he incanted "Sanguis meus testis est." There were a few gasps, mostly from the Head Table, and of course Hermione, as they understood what Harry was doing. He gripped the middle of his wand with his bloodied hand and placed it over his heart for all to see. "My name is Harry James Potter. I was born on the 31st of July 1980. I did not enter my name into the Goblet of Fire. I did not ask another to enter my name into the Goblet of Fire. I did not wish to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and am doing so only because of a binding magical contract with an unknown penalty for breeching it. Magicae est judex meus," he finished, and a small flash of light enveloped his wounded hand for a moment. He brought it down and wiped the palm with a napkin before raising it to show that the cut had healed. Everyone was looking at him as he sat back down and nonchalantly began eating his dinner. Even Rita Skeeter seemed momentarily stunned.

Dumbledore had been on his feet as soon as he'd heard the beginning of Harry's casting, but was powerless to interfere for the risk to Harry; once begun, the casting had to be completed uninterrupted. He was pleased that no one else had spoken out, and also that Harry understood to keep the statements simple and with no ambiguity. He shook his head to put his brain back in gear as he spoke to the room. "For those of you uninitiated in some of the older magic that has fallen into disuse, Mister Potter has just given a Blood Oath that he did not enter his name into the Goblet of Fire. The Blood Oath is one of the precursors to the Unbreakable Vow, but used after the fact as opposed to before. It also has the same penalty for violation; had Mr. Potter spoke untruthfully during his Oath he would have died. As he is still with us at the Gryffindor table cutting into . . . is that a chicken breast, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, to which Harry just gave a thumbs up as he chewed. "Yes, anyway . . . as Mr. Potter is still with us, it stands to reason that his statements during his Oath were all truthful. I hope that this can once and for all end any speculation as to whether Mr. Potter had a hand in his name coming out of the Goblet of Fire." With that, the headmaster sat back down and low murmurs began to permeate the hall once again.

Harry, for his part, swallowed before looking at Rita. "What else would you like to know for your article Miss Skeeter?"

A/N: I'm trying to ween chapters back down to the 4500-5500 word range to try and be a little more consistent in my posting.

Theia was the Greek goddess of sight, and also of shiny objects. No need to redo her name.

Sanguis meus testis est = "My blood is my witness." Magicae est judex meus = "My magic is my judge."

As always, thanks for your follows, favorites, views, and reviews.