Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and unfortunately I am not her.

Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.

There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.

HARRY POTTER

A few days later

Freya sat in the library, sitting at a table not too far away from James and Fred. James was studying for his NEWTS – which wasn't that rare of an occurrence. Even without Freya's help, James did tend to get good grades. However, Freya was happy to see James studying because it meant that she got a break and didn't have to focus as much because he wasn't doing much. Cordelia sat next to her, looking very bored. Cordelia didn't like the library and she was lucky that Fred didn't spend much time there. At their table also sat Katrina and Ryan, who were reading. Ryan was reading a book in Seers while Katrina was reading a muggle romance novel.

Cordelia looked ready to fall asleep when she suddenly sat up. "Have you worked out the riddle yet?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

This caught the attention of nearly everyone on the table. Freya's next challenge wouldn't be until December – which was a month now as they were November. However, Freya had been looking at the clue she was given and nothing was coming to mind. It was a bit frustrating but it wasn't bothering her too much at this point. She still had time to figure it out.

Shaking her head, Freya replied. "Not really."

"Well, why don't we all look at it? Four minds would be better than one." Ryan suggested, but then looked at Cordelia with a smirk. "Well maybe three heads."

Cordelia glared at him and kicked him from under the table, hard. Ryan winced in pain, Cordelia's kicks really did hurt. But it was always funny poking fun at Cordelia because her reactions were always funny. Cordelia and Ryan had a funny relationship – it was almost like a sibling relationship because those two would constantly argue with one another if left with each other for too long.

Katrina placed her book down with a smile. "That's a good idea, Ryan. That way we can help Freya." It wasn't very often that they got to help Freya with anything, so Katrina wasn't going to let this chance pass by.

Freya said nothing as she reached into her bag and took out the piece of parchment she was had used to write down the clue. She always kept it with her, just in case she got an idea or something. She had been looking at it in her free time – which wasn't much. Lance had been so much harsher on them all since Nina's death because now he was watching everyone's movements like a hawk. Most Guardians could see Lance's owl – Atlas, patrolling the area too.

Freya looked at the parchment once more and read it aloud to everyone at the table.

"Make one wrong move and you fall,

A place where the ground isn't your friend,

Where you will need skill to pass the test.

This challenge isn't for the faint hearted or uncoordinated,

There is no place you can rest,

To succeed, trust must be built."

The group sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what it could be. Cordelia was chewing the bottom of her lip, Katrina was tapping her fingers on the table, and Ryan was constantly moving his mouth as if trying to formulate the words. Freya sat and stared at the piece of parchment, trying to think. The library was the best place to come for this, but Freya didn't know who long she would have here before James decided to move.

"Could it involve quicksand?" Cordelia suggested, her finger slowly tapping her chin in thought.

Katrina and Ryan shook their heads. "I don't think it's that," Katrina said after some thought. She could see the reason behind Cordelia's reason, but it didn't really fit the rest of the clue.

Cordelia frowned but nodded her head. "Yeah, I was just kind of throwing it out there." She said with a sheepish grin.

"I think the challenge will be in the air." Ryan pointed out after a few moments of silence.

Freya nodded her head, she had thought that too. It would make sense and would coincide with the first two lines of the clue. If it was in the air and Freya fell, she certainly wouldn't like the ground because it would seriously hurt her. If the challenge was really in the air then Freya would need a way to manoeuvre in the air. However, she was unsure of whether or not she could use a broom. Whatever the case, Freya knew she would have to find alternative ways just in case she couldn't use a broom.

"Last time the Triwizard Tournament happened, the second challenge involved water. It would make sense to do the opposite of last year." Cordelia said, nodding her head in agreement with Ryan. She thought that his idea was definitely better than hers.

Katrina frowned, "But does Freya know how to use a broom if that is the case?" She asked, looking at the other Gryffindor of the table.

Freya nodded her head. "I know the basics." In her first year, she was taught how to use a broom, but she had nothing since. Freya knew that she would need a refresher session before the next challenge. She didn't want to make a complete fool of herself or cause herself harm. But that was only if they were allowed to use brooms and it was even a flying challenge, to begin with.

Cordelia nodded her head slowly.

"I'm worried about the fourth line, about it not being for the faint-hearted," Katrina said, looking at the parchment with concern in her eyes.

The table went silent once more. Freya wasn't very concerned about that line. In reality, none of the challenges for the Tournament were for the faint-hearted. These challenges are do-or-die and Freya had no intentions of dying anytime soon. Absentmindedly, Freya reached out and grabbed her pendant, remembering how McGonagall had placed that healing charm in the piece of jewellery. Without it, Freya knew she would have got off worse in that first challenge than a few scrapes and bruises. She had felt her spine crack and heard it. Sometimes, she still hears the sound in the back of her mind because she realises how terrifying the outcome could have been.

"What could be worse than dragons?" Cordelia said, shivering at the mention of them. If she and Fred had been in the situation, she didn't know what she would have done. Cordelia was terrified of the thought of Fred trying to approach a dragon. Fred was known for being spontaneous so she wouldn't have been able to predict the outcome, but Cordelia knew it probably wouldn't have ended well for her or for Fred.

Ryan rolled his eyes at her comment. "What about trust, that seems to be a big issue with the next trial." He pointed out, his brows furrowed in thought.

"That one may be tricky," Freya admitted with a frown. How could Albus and Freya trust each other when they don't know one another? Freya knew she wouldn't be able to do it; trust didn't exactly come easily to her. She also wasn't sure on Albus' magical capabilities since she was unfamiliar with him and his talents. Freya only trusted a handful of people and she even found that hard.

Just then, Freya noticed a friend of James' run into the library. She recognised him instantly because of his bright ginger hair – it was more ginger than the Weasley's hair. He ran over to James and whispered quickly into his ear. Freya watched James' facial expression morph from indifferent to annoyance in seconds and this alarms Freya to the fact something was going down. James shot up from his seat and stormed out the Library with Fred looking around with a very confused expression. Without another second to spare, Freya stood from her seat and sped walked after James. She ignored Katrina and Cordelia's shouting her name, Freya was far too focused on James and keeping up with him. She was nearly running with how quickly James was walking. However, it didn't take James long to reach his destination. It was outside Hogwarts in the courtyard, there were a group of students circled around two people in particular.

Albus and Roman stood in the middle of the circle. Roman had an angry expression on his face and Albus looked slightly nervous. Both of them had their wands drawn and Albus was watching Roman with uncertainty. The air around them was tense and seemed it would snap at any moment.

Freya stopped when James did. He had stopped outside the circle, his tall height giving him the advantage of being able to see over everyone's heads. Freya also had a good view too, as it was mainly the younger years that were gathered in the courtyard. The older students were still in the building but were just looking out the open windows. They were the smart ones as they were still inside and not outside in the bitter cold.

"What's happening?" Connor asked, looking up to Freya. When he had seen her running, he had followed her. Also, Lily was in the crowd too so he wasn't disobeying any orders by being here.

"Just watch," Freya answered, watching everything unfold. She had only just arrived herself, but she did have a feeling she knew what this was all about.

Back in the middle, Roman glared at Albus. "I'll give you one last chance boy." He growled lowly, his wand trained on the younger Slytherin.

Albus frowned. "I already said no, do you not understand?" There was a sarcastic bite to his words, one that made Freya smirk.

Noah slowly approached Freya. "It would seem that Roman is after the clue that was given after the first challenge. He's already targeted Alicia and Isaak and they also refused." He said, watching everything with a bored expression on his face.

Freya smirked, she had expected something like this. Roman and Ivan were the only Champion and Shield to not receive the clue. It was no wonder Roman was after it. Roman didn't want to lose like they had in the last challenge – they were in the last place at the moment. However, it did strike Freya as odd that Roman didn't target Albus first because he was the younger one. Looking to the side, Freya saw Ivan standing close by with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Has Ivan helped Roman at all?" Freya asked Noah, but not looking at him. Her eyes were focused on James.

Noah shook his head. "No. He's tried to hold Roman back, but that didn't go so well."

After this was said, Freya looked at Ivan closely. He had a large bruise on his face and his knuckles looked bruised too. Freya's gaze then turned to Roman – who was also sporting a black eye and bruised knuckles. It would seem that Roman didn't take to kindly to Ivan trying to hold him back. However, it was nice to see that Ivan wasn't as much of a brute as Roman. Having two of them against Albus would have definitely created a problem.

"Why is he acting so violent?" Connor asked with a worried expression. He hadn't seen much violence and therefore wasn't used to it. Lily didn't cause much conflict. Ever since the incident with Eric, no had bothered Lily and she had been quiet since.

"He's panicking. The second challenge is closing in and he's clueless." Freya said after a moment of thinking. This was why Roman was on the attack. It seemed he was willing to go to any length to get the clue – even as far as attacking his fellow competitors. His unpredictable behaviour could become an issue in the challenges, Freya knew she would have to watch out for him in the future.

Connor frowned. "Aren't you going to help him, Freya?" He looked up at her, sending her a curious expression.

Freya shook her head, "No." Looking into the crowd, she could see Rebecca. Freya knew that Albus' Guardian wouldn't be too far away. However, Freya did find herself watching Rebecca – just making sure she was doing her job.

It would seem as though Freya didn't need to worry, Rebecca was watching the scene in front of her intently, waiting for Roman to make a move so she could protect her charge. She was making sure another incident – where Freya had to help her – would happen again. Not with Lance watching so closely. Ever since Nina had been killed, Lance wouldn't accept any more mistakes and have become harsher in his treatment with everyone.

"But-" Connor interjected, but he was cut off.

"James is my charge. Not Albus. I protect Albus during the challenges and nothing more." Freya answered back bluntly.

Connor quietened down immediately and didn't say another word on the matter.

Noah chuckled and also watched the scene.

Freya watched James, waiting for his reaction. She knew that he wouldn't react kindly to Albus being attacked by an older student. Any potential bully of Albus' was taken down by not only his Guardian but by James as well. James was the type of person to protect his family and would go to any lengths to protect it.

James stood on the side-line, watching with a passive expression. His arms were folded over his chest and the frown was prominent on his face. He watched the scene intensely. He knew that Albus could look after himself, but James was ready to jump into the fray at any time.

That's when Roman made his move. "Bombarda." He had his wand pointed at Albus and shot his spell. The spell sent an explosion towards Albus at a fast pace, one that if he wasn't paying attention to, would hit him. Although, Rebecca had already placed a shield charm around him, just in case.

Luckily, Albus ducked in time and jumped out of the way. The spell hitting the wall behind him and causing the wall to explode. "Expelliarmus." He shot his own spell, but Roman jumped out of the way at the last second. Albus had accidentally put too much force into the spell, causing him to fall to the ground at the force.

Rebecca had her own wand ready. "Confundus." She whispered lowly, her wand trained on Roman. Roman hadn't attacked Albus until now, only used intimidation tactics by demanding the answer and it was only when Albus denied it did Roman get agitated.

Her spell hit her mark and the effect happened instantly. Roman began to stumble and became unstable on his feet. He fell to his knee and held his head, trying to stop the room from spinning inside his head.

"Hey, a fourteen-year-old has Roman on the ropes!" Yelled a Durmstrang boy, who was having a hell of a time. This comment caused the people around to laugh at Roman. Even students from Hogwarts begun laughing, all sending Roman expression filled with smugness.

Noah sighed and shook his head.

Freya watched with an apathetic expression. Honestly, everyone had just affirmed her belief that they were all stupid.

Roman's face was flushed red and his fists were white with how hard he was clenching them. His eyes were narrowed into a glare and they were trained on Albus. He gripped his wand tighter and stood up, his body violently shaking. He raised his wand to cast a spell, with an unforgivable expression in his eyes. It was in that moment that Roman reminded Freya of an angry bull.

James had seen enough and didn't like what he had seen. "Don't even think about it!" He yelled out, storming forward. The younger years saw him and made a path for him, getting out of his way. James walked forward, a determined expression on his face.

Roman glared at him. "Stay out of this, Potter!" He yelled at him, fury in his eyes.

"Now I can help." Freya sighed at Connor and reached for her wand. She had known that James wouldn't be able to help himself by intervening.

James narrowed his gaze at Roman. "Then leave Albus alone," James said clearly, his loud voice echoing in the courtyard.

Roman sneered, "What? Does baby Albus need protecting?" He mocked with an ugly expression.

Freya rolled her eyes. He really wasn't doing any favours for himself, and he was beginning to irritate her. His voice went through her and made her sneer. Roman had one of those voices that when listened to too much, it would begin to rub someone the wrong way.

"Roman, stop it," Ivan said, walking into the middle of the fray. He had stayed silent but had watched just to make sure that Roman didn't go too far. He knew Roman's temper better than anyone else and it wouldn't end well.

Roman shot Ivan a furious look. "No one tells me what to do?!" He yelled out, his wand sparked dangerously.

"I suggest listening to him," James said with a frown, his wand pointed at Roman. There was no way James was going to allow anyone to try and bully his brother. James wouldn't have intervened, but it was starting to get too heated a little dangerous for his brother. Durmstrang was known for dark magic and James wasn't risking it.

Albus looked at the two with an unsure expression on his face. He had no idea how this was going to end. Though he was thankful for James intervening because Roman scared him. When Albus was around Roman, he felt nervous. Albus could tell that he still wasn't happy that he had been entered into the Tournament and hadn't let it go.

Roman pointed his wand at James. "Confringo!" Flames exploded from his wand and it was aimed at James.

"Protego!" James quickly shouted and sent Roman's spell back at him.

Just as the spell hit, Freya whispered. "Stupefy."

Both spells hit Roman in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Ivan ran over to check up on him, only to find Roman unconscious. He looked up and yelled out an order in Russian. Two more boys from Durmstrang ran over and carried the now unconscious Roman away to the nurse's office.

Satisfied, Freya put away her wand. She had timed her and James' spell carefully so no one would notice anything. She was just being careful and she was glad she did. Freya looked up and saw Atlas circling the courtyard and she knew that Lance had been watching. Holding back a sneer, Freya looked back to James.

James walked over to Albus. "You okay, Al." He asked, holding his hand out.

Albus smiled at him, "Thanks, James," He took James' hand and pulled himself up from the ground. He had been too busy watching everything that he forgot that he was even on the ground in the first place.

"No problem." James grinned back as he patted Albus on the back.

Ivan walked over with a frown. "I apologise for Roman. He can be… unpredictable." Ivan said with an uneasy expression. He was trying to be polite, but there was no other word that didn't sound rude that would describe his teammate. Roman hadn't originally gone for Albus, he had tried to find his Shield, but he couldn't find her. Roman had tried to force the answer out of a few people, but no one knew who he was asking about. It was because if this frustration that Roman had tracked down Albus to get the answers he wanted.

James frowned. "Make sure it doesn't happen again." He said, sending Ivan a serious expression. James liked Ivan, he had seen him many times when his dad and Viktor Krum would meet up every now and again. Ivan had always been polite – sometimes to a fault – but James knew that he was being sincere when he spoke.

Ivan nodded his head. "Hopefully, he'll back off after this." He said, but his eyes held doubt in them. He was hopeful that Roman would take this defeat and learn some humility, but Ivan didn't think that was possible.

HARRY POTTER

Using the Floo System, Harry appeared back in his living room and he felt himself immediately relax. When he and Ginny had bought a house together many years ago, Harry wanted a family home. He hadn't had much of a family when he younger. It was only because Molly Weasley took him in that he truly learnt what a family meant and what it truly felt like to be part of a family. Then he and Ginny had four wonderful children – Harry counted Teddy as one of his children since he had helped raise him.

"Harry?" Ginny called out as she walked into the living room. Seeing her husband, she smiled and walked over to him, kissing him before pulling away. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked, noticing that Harry seemed distracted.

Harry sighed and frowned. "It's nothing." He didn't want to worry Ginny about what he was thinking.

Ginny's gaze narrowed. "Harry James Potter, you better tell me what is wrong. We promised that there would be no secrets."

The corners of Harry's mouth twitch upwards. "I know, I'm sorry dear." He said, leaning over to gently kiss Ginny. He wrapped his arms around her and felt himself truly relax, Ginny had been his rock over the years and he was so thankful for her.

"Now, what's on that mind of yours?" Ginny said, gently tapping his forehead, only slightly touching his scar.

Harry was silent for a moment, but he led Ginny to sit down. He had been on his feet all day and he really wanted to sit down now. "Kingsley is hiding something from me." Harry started, holding his wife's hand tightly.

Ginny looked surprised. "Kingsley? You mean the same man who we've had over countless of times?" She asked with a dubious expression. Ginny had always known Kingsley to be an honest man, and he could be quite a laugh when he had a drink or two in him.

Nodding, Harry continued. "I've found out that there is a secret department in the Ministry and when I asked Kingsley about it, he began acting weird. He dodged my question and wouldn't answer anything I asked." Harry had found this particularly odd. Kingsley had always been very open about how things work in the Ministry – he was the one who encouraged transparency to ensure that no department was hiding something. Harry and Kingsley had worked hard over the years to make sure that there were no corrupt departments like there had been before the Wizarding War.

Ginny frowned. "That doesn't sound like him at all." She said, looking concerned.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid it also leads back to Hogwarts too. I've sensed a powerful memory charm, one stronger than the Obliviate charm." He said, his mouth twisting in thought. When he had first went back to Hogwarts because of the Triwizard Tournament, he had noticed it instantly. He could sense it and it unnerved him to think that something was happening in Hogwarts without anyone knowing. It was almost like everyone was walking around in a daze. Harry had also noticed that there was a group of student – all from different houses – that seemed to isolate themselves and just watch people. If it had been one of two then Harry wouldn't have paid it much thought, but it was quite a few students that were doing it, and no one seemed to notice it. McGonagall said she had noticed anything which Harry found odd immediately.

"Are James, Al and Lily okay?" Ginny asked her brows furrowed, she was immediately concerned for the safety of her children. If there was any chance that any of her family was in danger then she wasn't going to sit back and do nothing. She could see in Harry's eyes that he was serious – he wasn't pulling her leg. Ginny knew that if this worrying him then this was serious because usually, Harry was really relaxed about things nowadays.

Honestly, Harry didn't know how to answer that question. Physically, their children were fine. But there had been an extensive study about how memory erasing charms can have a negative impact on an individual's mind. If it was used too much and too often then it could leave someone with permanent amnesia. Harry didn't know what exact spell was being used and he didn't know what effect it was going to have on his children – and that's what worried him.

"They're fine. But I am going to get to the bottom of this." Harry said, a determined expression on his face. If there was a chance that his children could be in danger, then Harry was going to make sure he uncovered any secrets that were being kept from him.

HARRY POTTER

Hello everyone!

I am so glad you are all enjoying the story, and thank you to everyone that has favourite, followed and reviewed the story so far.

I have a little surprise for everyone too.

The long awaited meeting between James and Freya will be happening next chapter! (If everything goes to plan anyway)

Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think!