Chapter 56
In the Gryffindor common room, the lions who watched the match between Harry and Igor informed the first through second years what happened. Some of them were warned how dangerous Potter could be against his enemies. Others could be seen gaping like fish. While many upper-years knew how Potter was, it didn't stop them from being amazed and fearful of him. But, of course, they knew that he'd never treat them as enemies as long as they left him alone. However, a few of them were totally different as Karkaroff asked for it in their opinions. The man should've known better than to put his hands on a student! When he grabbed Harry by the neck, that was all the motivation he needed to retaliate against the man. It was clear that Harry's combat abilities had improved and that he was holding back during his duel. If anything, Karkaroff should consider himself lucky as there were people who were not happy with him. That's not counting the death eaters he betrayed.
Neville and a couple others were told what happened, the aftermath of the war when Voldemort fell, and his death eaters were being sent to Azkaban. Some of their Heads of Houses were still aggravated that Karkaroff was given a deal. In exchange for giving his fellow death eaters' names, he would be transferred to a low-level section in Azkaban and only have to stay for a year. No one was more peeved than Neville as he worked hard to strengthen his magic the best way he could. The man may not have tortured his parents into insanity, but who's to say that he wouldn't try doing it himself?
A majority of the house was filled with excitement, particularly from Fred and George. The two resident pranksters made bets with their fellow lions on who was going to win the duel. They bet that Harry would topple the man, and after the duel, the two were all but happy to collect the money they've earned. However, Ron and Hermione did not partake in the festivities as they were dissatisfied with the duel. Ron was more agitated that Potter was able to avoid being punished.
"I can't believe Potter walked away from that duel with no scratches. All Karkaroff did was pull him closer. He should be either dead or arrested as no one Potter's age should be that powerful." Everyone looked at him as if he lost his mind. "Not only that, but the spells also he used were clearly dark magic. The way he tortured Karkaroff was unnecessary." Hermione wholeheartedly agreed with him. Harry brutalized and almost killed his opponent with the spells he used.
"Ron, have you lost your mind" Neville stood up from his seat next to the fire. It was a surprise to everyone how much he had changed over the years. He was no longer fat or timid and seemed to have improved in a few areas. "In case you weren't paying attention in the great hall Karkaroff initiated the duel when he forcefully grabbed Harry by the neck and pulled him closer. If Harry wanted him dead, he would be. Not that it wouldn't be justified!" Neville's voice was as firm as steel. "Karkaroff is nothing more than a traitorous murderer who should never have been released from Azkaban."
"How could you say that?" Hermione was scandalized at what he said. "Harry had no rights doing that to Karkaroff. He could have killed him. Regardless of what happened in the past, he was forgiven for his crimes."
"That is where you are wrong" Neville narrowed his eyes at her. "They dueled according to the regulations at Durmstrang. Everything Harry did was in correspondence with them. For someone so smart, you're pretty clueless about the regulations of Durmstrang" she cut him off before he could finish.
"I am not clueless, and there is no way that the Durmstrang institute would ever allow duels to be conducted that way."
"Hermione, for once, stop acting like you know everything because you don't," he said as if she never interrupted him. Some of the others in the room agreed with him as they too were tired of her acting like she knew everything. No one was more surprised than the bushy-haired girl, who looked like she'd been hit with a rogue. No, on ever talked to her like that save for a few people. Durmstrang is a school that specializes in dark magic. Their reputation alone is something to think about as everything there is either cold, brutal, or all about survival. They may not be on the same level as Mahoutokoro or Koldovstoretz when it comes to combat magic, but they're just as dangerous."
"Neville is correct" Parvati stepped into the conversation, causing everyone to look at her. "My uncle told Padma and me how things are conducted at Durmstrang, and they are notorious for using the dark arts. Their dueling session is based on ruthlessness and brutality. Anything can be used as long as they don't kill their opponents. The unforgivables are just as illegal in Bulgaria as here, and I didn't see Harry firing any of them."
"Potter still used dark magic," Ron interjected "all Karkaroff did was pull him close. He's obviously going dark; no thanks to those Slytherin slut Greengrass. There is no way that his parents would ever allow him to hang around with her. She is just as dark as the rest of her family, and I'm willing to bet that she is using a love potion on him."
Neville got in his face "you really are a git if you believe that garbage. Apparently, you weren't paying attention to the duel as Karkaroff used more dark magic than Harry did. From what I saw, his spells could have killed anyone if they made contact. Harry mostly used grey magic during his duel, and there is no doubt in my mind that he was holding back. If he wanted to kill the idiot, then he would have ended his life right on the spot. The way he was dueling with him was not as if he intended to kill but to seriously injure. If Harry was really going dark, as you say, then he would have killed either you or Hermione by now." That made Hermione pale, and Ron's ears went pink. "Given the way you two have tried to bully him into submission over the years. The two of you would already be six feet under."
"I've never tried to" Neville cut her off. "Yes, you have Hermione. On several occasions, you have harassed him to the point where he can't stand in the same area as you." He turned back to Ron, "and has it ever occurred to you that he spends time with Daphne because they're friends. Unlike you, she doesn't try to manipulate nor give him any disrespect. Something in which you haven't learned yet."
"Well said, heir Longbottom." Everyone looked at the portrait hole to see Harry standing at the entrance with a neutral expression. He calmly walked next to him. "I appreciate you're sticking up for Daphne and me, but I can handle things from here." Neville gave a curt nod before stepping away. Harry narrowed his eyes while looking down at the Weasley prat "those were some very crass accusations you made, Weasley. For your information, the Greengrasses are a neutral House, and I am not under a love potion. And like heir Longbottom said," he made sure to emphasize the heir part to everyone who was paying attention. "If I was really dark, then you and your girlfriend, Granger, would have been dead already."
"She's not my girlfriend" Ron's cheeks were crimson, much like Hermione's.
"I am neither light nor am I dark," Harry continued ignoring what the boy said. "I'm a grey!"
"It still doesn't change the fact that you nearly killed Karkaroff" Hermione regained her wits. "He may have been a death eater in the first war, but he was forgiven for his crimes. What you did was obsessive!"
He moved away from Weasley and got in her face. "Granger, you know nothing about the first war," stating in a cold voice. "What it had cost most of us. You only know what is written in newspapers and books. Tell me have you lost anyone during the first war? Did Voldemort or any of his death eaters hunt and kill your parents? No!" A few flinched as he mentioned Voldemort's name; some gasped. "Karkaroff may have been released from Azkaban, but no one believes he is redeemed. He is only a coward who got a cushy job at a prestigious school, hoping to keep him safe. Now that his buddies are free, they're going to be gunning for him, and they will not be civil. They might even come here looking for him."
"But, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione tried to speak.
"Dumbledore is a foolish old man who doesn't have the stomach to do what must be done. He only put them back in Azkaban. If I had it my way, then he would be dead by now."
"Professor Dumbledore is the only person You-Know-Who fears. He's the leader of the light, and you need to put aside whatever grudge you have with him; it needs to die, "Hermione argued. "He only did what he thought was necessary."
Harry sneered at her. "My grudge with him is not your concern, little girl," flexing his magic, making her blood run cold. She knew he was powerful but didn't expect anything like this "as for doing what was necessary. Do you think sealing my parents' will and sending me to those filthy muggles was necessary? Those worthless cunts hold no importance to me, and I would kill them myself if I got the chance. So, as far as I'm concerned, they got what they deserved."
"How could you be so cruel" she glared at him. They may have been mean to you, but they're still your family. You shouldn't have made them suffer like that. Your parents would not have wanted that for them."
The temperature in the room went down, and everyone backed away. Granger stepped over the line with her last comment. "You know nothing of what they did to me," he retorted in a sharp cold voice. "Those filthy muggles were never my family, and they got what they deserved. As for my late parents, they agreed with the punishments. Hell, my mother wished she was alive to teach that horse neck bitch and fat walrus a lesson."
Hermione was frozen in place by the harshness of his voice. "So don't you ever put your nose in my family's business. Lord Black and his sister will be the least of your concerns if you choose to persist. Because you will deal with me, and I can promise that neither you nor your family will see another sunrise. I wonder who it should be, first your mother or your father? Cross or attack my family in any way, then you'll never see them alive again."
Tears were now coming down her face. "Yo-you wouldn't," she croaked at his threat. "You're bluffing."
"I. Don't. Bluff," he said in a dangerously low voice. "As long as you stay away from my family business, I'll stay away from yours. That's a promise. So, make the choice: Either continue sticking your nose in matters that don't concern you or say goodbye to your family." By now, Hermione was so scared and sobbing uncontrollably at his threat. Harry flared his nostrils and began walking away "you've been warned" was all he said before leaving.
Most people knew how protective he was of his family. Or what remained of it, Granger overstepped the line when she tried to interfere in matters that didn't concern her. Family was everything in the magical world. Anyone foolish enough to interfere with someone else's family would be met with cruel retribution. No, one dared to denounce his claim as they could tell that he meant every word. For the sake of Hermione's family, she'd better stay away from his, less she never sees her parents again.
Out of pity, some of the girls lead Hermione to the fourth-year girl's dormitory in an attempt to cheer her up. Other's like Neville and Parvati shared a knowing long. "Hermione really took things too far this time," the Indian girl stated. "What is it going to take for her to leave him alone?"
Ginny ran out of the common room to give Harry a piece of her mind and attempt to show dominance over him. But, first, she would set him straight, and then he'll see why it is her that deserves to be on his arm.
Meanwhile, Ron glared at both Parvati and Neville "are you two cracked? Potter had no right's threatening Hermione or her parents," he shouted.
"No, Hermione had no rights interfering in matters that don't concern her," Neville contradicted. "Harry was defending his family and made it pretty clear what would do if she tried anything stupid."
Back with Ginny, she attempted to catch her breath while catching up with a certain raven-haired boy. "Harry," she called out, but he kept walking. "Harry Potter, you stop right, there" grabbing his arm and turning the boy around. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You had no right speaking to Hermione that way."
"I do what I must to protect my family's interest," he countered. "Not that it any of your business on what goes on with them."
"Well, I'm making it my business. If your family would just give her a chance, then you'll see how great she really is."
"That is your opinion! Now can you leave me in peace?" removing her hand from his arm.
"I'm not done talking with you," she snapped. "I don't know whatever made you, so angry but it ends now." Ginny then gasped in realization, "it must be that Slytherin slut. She's probably drugged you with some kind of potion. Let's go to Madam Pomfrey. She probably has an antidote for whatever potion might be in your system."
She attempted to pull him, but he didn't budge and yanked his arm away. "First of all, that 'Slytherin slut' is named Daphne, and I will not go see the school's matron because she has not drugged me with anything," he defended. "Now, get off my back! I have other things to worry about, and they don't involve you."
Ginny was hurt by what he said but remained strong. "If you refuse to come peacefully, then I will have to use other means of making you see reason."
"Like what!" he said challengingly.
"I will stop attending the tutoring session with Professor Vector," she said. It was a bluff as she couldn't afford to fail the class; hopefully, it would be enough to make him follow her.
"Whether you attend the sessions is your problem. Just remember it's your grade, not mine," he countered, calling Ginny out on her bluff.
Whirling around, he began walking away until she took her wand out, pointing it at his back. "Harry, I don't want to injure you, but I will if you refuse to come with me." He didn't turn around much to her annoyance, "Harry," she shouted. Then, seeing no other alternatives, she shouted, "stupefy."
The spell raced toward Harry while his back was turned, but he spun to his left at the last minute, dodging the spell. Then, with a wave of his right hand, he said, "expelliarmus" the white spells left his hand and dashed toward her wand. Ginny was so shocked that she didn't register the spell depriving her of her wand. Harry caught her wand in his outstretched hand; his other hand reached into his pocket, pulling out a small black ball and slamming it on the ground. The ball then exploded, covering the area in black smoke. Ginny had to close her eyes and cover her mouth. When the smoke cleared, Harry was gone, and her wand was on the floor.
Ginny was completely shocked; not only did she fail to make him submissive to her, but he used wandless magic to disarm her. If he was this strong now, then she couldn't imagine how powerful he would be once he had his magical maturity. This, however, all but fueled her desire to be his wife and bear his children when she got older.
(0^0)
Hermione did everything she could to stay clear of Harry Potter by the next day, remembering his threat. She couldn't imagine life without her parents and had little doubt that he'd do what he promised. Though that was the least of her concerns, what went down in the common room spread like fiendfyre, and people shot her different glances. The purebloods, in particular, were doing their best to stay the hell away while at the same time shooting hateful glares at her. And boy, were they not happy with her for attempting to meddle in the affairs of the House of Potter. Many half-bloods were equally annoyed with her as they understood where Harry was coming from. If someone entered something as private as the affairs of another House, then there would be consequences. What really came as a surprise was that a couple muggleborns actually sided with Harry as they heard how he was from the older students. The scions from different factions: light, grey, neutral, and dark, knew very well what the consequences would be if they meddled in the affairs of those outside their Houses. There would be a serious punishment!
When the professors got wind of what happened in the lion's den, they were confused about what to do. All except for Snape, who looked even sourer than he usually did; instead of giving Granger a piece of his mind, he gave the girl a week of detention and took 15 points away.
After that, he flooed to Blacks Castle to explain what happened the previous night. On the couch was Sirius with his head in the pensieve a second later; the man emerged and saw he had a guest. "Severus, what are you doing here? Did something happen to Harry?"
"Calm yourself, Black," Severus coolly said. "Harry had a duel with Karkaroff last night."
Sirius's eyes widened, and before he could speak. The voice of his grandfather appeared "what?"
The two saw Arcturus and Cassiopeia by the staircase with shocked expressions plastered on their faces. "Why did Harry have a duel with that worthless sack of shite? Please tell me he at least beat the crap out of him." If that cowardly shite attacked his nephew in any way, then he'd learn the vengeance of the House of Black.
Severus's black eyes met Arcturus's silver ones, "Lord Black, settle down. The duel took place after Igor grabbed him by the neck and pulled him closer." When he said that, both Arcturus and Sirius were seething. Sirius, more than his grandfather as the older Black, was relieved that the boy was alright. "Before you blow a gasket mutt, I suggest you watch the memory and see for yourself what happened."
Sirius eyed him for a moment before using his wand to retrieve the memory already in the pensieve. Severus took his own wand, pointed it at his temple, extracting the memory from his mind, and placed it in the device. The three Blacks entered to watch the events of last night. Twenty minutes later, they emerged with lighter expressions. Cassiopeia had an amused look, her brother a look of pride, and Sirius's was one of pure happiness.
"That's my nephew," Arcturus praised. The boy not only beat down Karkaroff, but he also performed wandless magic. "Karkaroff should have known better than to put his hands on him. Hopefully, after the duel, the swine would keep his distance."
"We can all agree that Harry has grown more powerful and that Karkaroff deserved his embarrassment later," Cassiopeia said, looking back at Severus. "However, that's not the reason you're here, is it?"
Severus grunted. "Astute as usual," he commented somewhat cheekily. "I came for a multitude of reasons. Chief among them is to warn you about Igor. As you three know, he made a deal with the council of magic to get a reduced sentence if he gives the names of some of his fellow death eaters. Now that they're free, they will most likely be after his blood." He unconsciously rubbed his left forearm.
"Has there been any changes with the dark mark?" Arcturus indicated to the mark he was rubbing.
Severus lifted his sleeve, revealing the red mark. Swallowing a bit "for the most part, no. Unfortunately, though, I have a sneaking suspicion that it will get darker at the beginning of next semester. Once it starts moving, any dead eater who was branded will know that the dark lord has returned to power. Meaning that if I feel it, then so will Igor."
"The man's a coward," Sirius snorted. "He will likely try to flee out of the country."
"Whatever Igor might try, he won't get far. The Dark Lord has ways of tracking his death eaters, and believe me, Karkaroff would either be wishing for the safety of Azkaban or that he was dead. He is not known for his forgiveness or his mercy. If he does somehow come back, then I will have to be in their services again," involuntary shuddering. Either Dumbledore or the Dark Lord will have him dead once he is no longer of any use to them.
"That's suicide," Arcturus looked unpleased. "Both Dumbledore and Voldemort are magical juggernauts who wield tremendous power. If either of them were to learn where your true loyalty lies, then."
"Yes, I know. I'll likely be dead," Severus finished. "After his first downfall, like everyone else, I believed him to be gone. But no, the bastard created those abominations to keep himself alive. As long as they're still out there, then he'll never truly be gone."
"And there's no doubt that he will demand restitution from the death eaters who avoided prison," Sirius commented. "The ones who said they were imperiused will do anything to get back in his good graces."
"No doubt," Arcturus grunted. "Does Harry know what will happen if the wanker returns?" He took Severus's silence as a no. "You haven't told him yet?"
"Hadrian already has enough to worry about," Severus stated. The last thing he wanted to do was burden the boy with any more problems.
Cassiopeia stepped in. "Severus, you know full well of what that boy thinks of you. Out of everyone, he looks up to you the most."
Severus wanted to retort but found he was unable to. He was indeed the boy's father, and like all father's they were forced to make choices that their kids didn't like. Letting out a breath, "I will have to think more about the matter."
Cassie had a sad expression on her face. "Severus, I understand that you wish to not burden him with any worries, but you need to understand that Harry is growing up. And they're some things he will have to accept."
"He is only a boy."
"A boy who is becoming a man and a quite mature and capable one at that. Believe me, I would give my life for him. But let me ask you this. Do you think that he would sit idly by if any of us were injured or dead?"
Severus chuckled. "No, the boy is too stubborn for his own good and will kill anyone who attacks his family." One of the things that annoyed him the most was Harry's inability to sit still. "Merlin knows that boy could be a real nightmare at times."
This time Arcturus and Sirius laughed. "It's a trait we Blacks are known to have."
"Here, here," Sirius agreed. "Harry is as much a Potter as he is a Black. My mother would have killed for a son like him." He then looked at Severus with twinkling eyes "if anyone ever told me that you would have made a decent father, then I would have laughed and assumed they were under the effects of a potion. However, you've proven me wrong. Your actually a great father."
Severus nodded and gave him a rare smile.
"Now, what else do we need to talk about," Arcturus said, getting them back on track.
Severus retrieved the memory from the pensieve and returned it to his mind. He filled them in on how the goblet of fire would choose the champions for the Triwizard tournament tonight and that he wanted Sirius to be there with Amelia. Something to which the younger Black immediately agreed with. After that, he explained what happened in the Gryffindor common room between Granger and Harry. Arcturus had looks of anger, confusion, delight, then finally unreadable. That was all before Severus flooed back to his quarters at Hogwarts.
"I better call Amelia and have her bring some Aurors tonight," Sirius rubbed his head. He knew Amelia was working hard to get more Aurors, but the budget committee refused her at every turn. From what she and Nymphadora have said. Fudge had to make budget cuts, and they could no longer afford any additional Aurors. Complete hippogriff shite, in his opinion. The Auror department only had a third of its original manpower, thus leaving Magical Britain and Ireland vulnerable. Sirius suspected Lucius and his friends had a hand with the recent cutbacks and why the DMLE was not receiving any additional funds.
"Agreed," Arcturus said in a gruff voice. "Sirius, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open tonight. Make sure your communicator is on, so we know what is going on. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen tonight with the selection process."
"Understood," Sirius respectfully said. He got up from where he was sitting and activated the crystals on the wall to call Amelia.
(0^0)
Most of the day, Harry spent his time in the chamber of secrets with the four founders, either working on his project, practicing his wandless magic, studying his NEWTs syllabus. At the moment, he was under the supervision of Byakko, Suzaku, and the founders as he was refining his skills when it came to wandless magic. Finally, after performing his last spell, the boy collapsed on the chair behind him, panting and completely drained.
"Not bad, boy. Not bad! Though you are still a long way from doing it silently."
Harry looked irritated at the portrait of the former Lord of Slytherin, "I'm doing the best I can. Has there been any recording of a person who is a natural wandless user?" His tone of voice was laced with both sarcasm and seriousness. Suzaku started trilling while Byakko rubbed against his leg before relaxing his big head on the boy's lap.
"Child, your wit is not appreciated; reign it in," Salazar sneered at him.
Rowena placed a hand on her colleague's shoulder, silently telling him to step off. The man grunted before taking a step back; she turned her attention to the boy who was downing a strengthening potion. "Harry, the power you are wielding is astonishing given the fact that you are still so young," Rowena began. "However, wandless magic is not something that can easily be learned. It takes a lot of training and discipline."
"That said, I say we call it a day" Helga entered the conversation, giving him a soft smile. The boy had proven why he deserved the Lordships through his hard work and dedication. It was something the magic world had been lacking the past few centuries. She silently prayed that things would improve "anyway, I like to hear more about this mysterious project you've been working on."
Harry let out a breath, "the project is still in testing phases," he began. "Creating it is one thing; making sure it works is another. The first part is ready, but the second is proving to be more of a challenge. I need something capable of storing and amplifying magic at the same time."
"I'm afraid that will be next to impossible as," Helga didn't get to finish.
"It can be done," Godric interrupted with a smile. "Rowena, when we were alive, you and Sal began experimenting with mystical orbs." That made both his friends' eyes open wide, though Salazar sneered at the nickname Godric gave him all those years ago. "I remember that you two even created some."
Rowena had to think for a couple minutes. "That could probably work as some of the orbs had different properties. Unfortunately, though, we only managed to create a few at the time. So we never completely finished them." Remembering her old project she and Salazar started all those years ago, the process was quite taxing, not to mention dangerous.
"I'm surprised that you actually remember us talking about that; maybe there is a brain in that head of yours, Ricky," Salazar joked, retaliating with the nickname he gave Godric.
Harry decided to join in "here, I thought you were more of a loud, brash type of person who preferred to jump into things head first before applying logic," giving his ancestor a wide smirk.
Godric's jaw hit the floor as the others began laughing. Salazar is the loudest, "believe me, boy, he was much worse when we were alive."
The former Head of Gryffindor held a hand on his heart, pretending to look affronted, "whatever happened to respecting your ancestors," beaming at his descendant. "I will have you know that I have my moments." He received a pat on the shoulder from Rowena.
"We're just having you on. You are indeed very smart when you want to be," assuring him before turning to Harry. "Back in the day, Salazar and I did use to create orbs with different properties. But, unfortunately, only a few were perfected, some ended in failure, and others we never finished."
"It'll be a start" Harry shrugged his shoulders with acceptance. "Any idea where I should start?"
Salazar answered in a serious voice, "they're a couple books with instructions in my private library, though I think it's a fool's errand." Letting out a breath, "you will need to be careful. Those things were incredibly taxing to make, not to mention potentially dangerous."
"We'll make sure the necessary precautions are taken before he actually tries to create them," Byakko replied, understanding the man's tone.
The sour man looked between the boy and the two gods next to him, registering the expression on the child's face. He finally relented and gestured for them to enter the library. Suzaku flew from the couch to Harry's shoulder, and they, along with Byakko, entered the library. An hour later, they came out with a couple of books and a few scrolls.
The next moment the passageway opened, revealing the gang. "Told you, he was in here," Blaise snarked at the others.
"Well, we had to be certain," Tracey replied. Then, her attention went to the raven-haired person they've been searching "we've spent the past half-hour looking for you; it's almost time for lunch."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," waving her off as he put the items in his bag. "So, who do you think the champions will be," throwing his bag over his right shoulder and venturing back up the stairs. He still had a hard time believing that the Wizengamot brought the tournament back.
Tracey explained how all of the students from Durmstrang already put their names in the goblet of fire. Most were rejected, all except for Viktor's. When it came to the people from Beauxbatons, most of them tried entering though, they either couldn't get past the age line, or the fire rejected them. They continued walking towards the great hall, talking about who the unlucky champions would be. Some Hogwarts students tried entering many ranging from fourth to seventh years.
"These people do not know what they're getting themselves into," Harry commented. "If I had it my way, then the blasted thing would have been destroyed rather than locked away. There's a reason why this thing was discontinued."
"The high death tolls," Daphne shuddered. Her father warned Tori and her to avoid any contact with the goblet of fire. When Fudge first announced the return of the archaic tournament, her father was the most vocal when voicing his displeasure of it. Cyrus tried to make Fudge reconsider as it was too dangerous to reactivate the tournament, but the self-important portly swine refused to listen. "Is it too much to ask for one quiet year?"
"So, new topic," Adrian had a cheeky smile while looking at Blaise. "How are things between you and Eleanor?"
"We broke up yesterday," Blaise nonchalantly stated. "I'm back on the market, baby," pointing to himself while smiling.
Adrian chuckled, "she actually lasted a lot longer than I thought she would," he joked while they sat at the Hufflepuff table.
"What can I say. I'm a chick magnet," Blaise returned with a smile "girls just can't seem to stay away from me."
They spent the rest of lunch joking around, poking fun at one another. The teens steered the conversation to the tutoring sessions Harry gave to the third-years. He explained how the sessions were going from his point of view as they were getting better with the material, though it was mostly slow. "It would go a lot smoother if they actually paid attention to the material instead of asking me personal questions. At least, Professor Vector is present when I teach."
"I heard about your lessons," Lilith said. "They all say you're a fantastic teacher and that you know a lot about the material." Some of the older students were gossiping about his teaching abilities in the corridors a few days back and wondered if he would be willing to help him with the classes they were struggling in.
Lilith was going to speak again but was cut off "we did it! We actually did it," the triumphed voice of Fred was heard. Everyone turned to see what the redhead was so happy about; next to him was his twin, with Ron on his right looking at the goblet with glee. The three explained how they took an aging potion to make themselves looked older.
Tracey had a feeling something funny was about to happen, so they watched the three Weasley's enter the golden circle. When nothing happened, a look of triumph remained on their faces. Then, reaching into their pockets, they pulled out slips of torn parchments with their names and put them in the fire. For a moment, their plan seemed to work, but the moment didn't last long as there was a sizzling sound; all three of them were hurled out of the golden circle. They landed painfully, ten feet
away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and they sprouted identical long white beards. The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards, save for Ron, who was angry at being rejected.
"Honestly, I hope that Cedric becomes the Hogwarts champion," Astoria whispered as Dumbledore appeared on the scene ushering the Weasley boys to the infirmary with Madam Pomfrey.
After lunch, they went outside near the black lake to rest on the shoreline. Normally, Harry would bury himself with work as today was the day Voldemort killed his parents. But, for the most part, he almost forgot what today was until people started talking about the Triwizard tournament. Whenever someone would mention the tournament in any way, a rush of cold would run down his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen later today; pushing those thoughts away, he watched as the others began skipping rocks over the water. Byakko and Suzaku decided to have a bite and started gorging on a supply of fish and grindylows; he briefly wondered how it was that they could hold all that food down. Astoria, Lilith, and Luna were keeping busy by playing with Iroh. The girls loved the hellhound for his hyperactive nature, especially since he was now bigger than Sirius when he was in his animagus form. Daphne made sure to let them know not to spoil him with treats as they had a knack for keeping him up at night.
Speaking of the blonde girl, she was sitting next to Harry with her head resting on his shoulder. Harry silently laughed, knowing that how exhausted she was from her OWL classes. Like him, she began studying at a furious pace and had already completed a few of the fifth-year syllabuses. "Take it easy, Sapphire. Trust me, if you think OWLs are bad, then you're going to be in for a rude awakening once you begin NEWT classes."
Daphne gave an unladylike snort, "thanks for the pep talk," her voice laced with sarcasm. "So, how long are you going to be gone this time?" He told her about his meeting with his father and understood that he would be gone for some time. She understood his job as a magus and knew that joining their ranks had always been his dream. It, however, didn't stop her from worrying about him.
"From the second week of May to the 5th of August," he replied with dissatisfaction in his voice. When Severus first told him, he wanted to snap and demand an explanation why but relented somewhat after hearing how he and Miwa were going to finish their training and become full-fledged Magi's. "According to Professor Yamamoto, I am to be put through the extremes of my training."
She placed a hand on top of his and gave him a smile "just make sure you don't burn yourself out, and come back as soon as you can. This place is home, and it's not the same without you."
"Mmhm," returning the smile. "I'll do my best! With any luck, the months will quickly pass by."
The rest of the day was spent by the lake until it was time for dinner, and they all went back inside. As today's feast was special, everyone had to sit at their House tables. The quidditch team was sitting next to one another, sharing a conversation on who they thought would be chosen. After everyone had eaten, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. The former had been fully healed and had a sour and fearful expression on his face. Mostly because Sirius, Amelia, the Longbottoms, and Nymphadora were present. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored. When Sirius arrived earlier today, he voiced his displeasure of how Karkaroff grabbed his godson and told him how lucky he was that his grandfather had not been present last night. The mention of Lord Black almost made the former death eater shit himself as he remembered how Bellatrix Lestrange mentioned how dangerous her grandfather was and not a man you want to cross.
"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please to come up to the top of the hall, walk along with the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" he indicated the door behind the staff table "where they will be receiving their first instructions."
The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Then, a second later, the blue-whitish fire turned red with sparks flying from it. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment after the Goblet spat it out. "The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."
The entire hall erupted in cheers which mainly came from the Durmstrang and Igor Karkaroff. "Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!" Viktor ignored his headmaster and walked up to receive his parchment from Dumbledore, then vacated the hall.
When the clapping and chatting finally died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the Goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. The second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames. "The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"
This time Beauxbaton had the most applause with the majority of the Ravenclaws. Many of the French girls were sobbing because they weren't chosen; Fleur received the parchment and left the hall just like Viktor did. As the students were clapping, Harry narrowed his eyes on the Goblet of fire as it was not imbued with dark ancient magic, but someone else's magical signature was on it. Unfortunately, though, it was mostly faint as he couldn't trace it back to its caster.
"Something is wrong with the Goblet. It's radiating a lot of dark magic and has a faint trace of someone else's magical signature."
"Are you sure?" Severus asked in a dangerous voice. He subtly checked the area around him.
"I'm reading a lot of dark magic from the fire," Harry replied. "Can't you feel the magic coming from the artifact? I looked into its history, and it's very dark."
Severus extended his magic till he felt the magic of the Goblet of fire, and Harry was right. There was a frightening level of dark magic radiating from the fire, and he had been in the presence of the Dark Lord on multiple occasions. However, that paled in comparison as the Goblet made his blood run cold "stay where you are."
He grunted low enough to get Sirius's attention and dragged a single finger over his right eyebrow.
Sirius knew what he was trying to say discretely, pulling up his active communicator "some shite is about to happen. Be ready," he whispered.
Once again, the Goblet of fire spit out another piece of parchment, Dumbledore snatched it out of the air. "The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"
The entirety of the Hogwarts students erupted in applause, especially the Hufflepuffs, who jeered for one of their own. Cedric accepted the parchment from Dumbledore and walked out of the hall.
"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as, at last, the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"
But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.
Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out - "Harry Potter."
Severus's heart sank, and if his blood felt cold before. It was freezing by now, and the look from his eyes showed how angry he was at the moment. The same could be said for Sirius, who was equally as pissed. His grandfather was on his way, and from the way, he rushed to the castle's apparition point, showed how furious the man was. Emily's heart sank when she heard the old headmaster call Harry's name. The only thing that could describe Harry's mood at the moment was: Pissed off.
His magic flared in waves, much like last night, but it was more on a dangerous level as lightning from the outside started striking outside. "What did you just say" his voice was so cold that it would have made hell freeze over. The people next to him were trying to get away from him as the power he was radiating was so massive that it was hard to breathe.
"Mr. Potter, your name has come out of the Goblet of fire, henceforth you are now a champion," Dumbledore explained. "Please join the others outside" all the while, he had a feeling there was going to be hell today.
"Are you out of your goat fucking mind," Harry shouted. "If you think I'm entering this tournament just because you tell me to, then you have another thing coming."
"I will not be spoken to that way, young man. You will go into the antechamber now," Dumbledore ordered.
"Well, old man, why don't you come and make me," Harry said challengingly.
Before Dumbledore could reply, the doors to the great hall flew open, and Argus was blasted inside by a livid Arcturus Black. The man's presence alone indicated that he was powerful and demanded respect. Cassiopeia rushed in behind him and looked ready to kill.
"Dumbledore, you mother fucking retarded, interfering, goat fucking swine. How the hell did my heir name come out of the Goblet of fire?" Arcturus roared in absolute anger.
"Lord Black, please, they're children present," Professor Vector said. Understanding why the man was pissed as she knew that Potter hated the attention he got. She took a step back when both Lord Black's and his sister's gaze fell on her and suddenly felt cold.
Dumbledore spoke, "Lord Black, how did you know about the selection?" The Blacks being here was not something he had anticipated, and knowing that crossing the man would mean a lot of trouble.
"How I know is my fucking business, you useless sack of shite," the man stated, not wanting to give away the fact that he'd been listening through Sirius's communicator. "What I want to know is why Hadrian has to compete in your tournament."
"Mr. Potter's name coming out of the Goblet of fire institutes a binding magical contract," Dumbledore said in a grandfatherly voice.
"Then show us the fucking contract," Cassiopeia demanded went to stand next to her nephew. "This development only adds to the record of messes you've created."
"I cannot. The fire from the Goblet has gone out," Dumbledore had a feeling he was going to need a lot of Firewhiskey tonight.
"What is this, Dumbledore?" Igor Karkaroff, the Durmstrang headmaster, demanded, "Two Hogwarts champions?"
"I agree," Madam Maxime, the Beauxbatons headmistress, said, "we should be allowed one more champion."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "Obviously, you two are short on a few details. For starters, I did not put my name in the Goblet of fire, and second I am not a student of Hogwarts."
"Zis little boy is clearly a cheat and a lie," Madam Maxine snapped. "Fuzermore, 'e is not worthy to even be uzing a wand."
If Harry was angry before, he was livid now, and his ire was directed at the Beauxbaton headmistress. "Listen to me, you filthy cunt. I did not want to be anywhere near this tournament, and the last thing I want to deal with is a half-giantess who killed her husband while sleeping with him. So, grow a brain if you can, or would you prefer to join your late husband, then again. I'm pretty sure he's happy to be away from your ugly bitch arse."
The other three champions came into the room to see what the noise was all about. Fleur saw that her headmistress had tears streaming down her eyes and was torn between heartbroken and angry. Meanwhile, the Beauxbaton students gasped at what Potter said to their headmistress as they had he made her cry.
The woman in question looked beyond her tears at the boy "'ow 'are you," she said in between sob. "I 'ave nevair been more insulted in my life! 'Alf-giant? Moi? I 'ave — I 'ave big bones!"
"Now, who's lying bitch," keeping his eyes on her. "Given by the tears coming down your face. So I say I'm telling the truth. Or would you prefer I talk to you in your native language? And I don't mean French!"
"Mr. Potter, that is enough," Dumbledore shouted, his blue eyes shined with anger. "You will apologize to Madam Maxine right now."
"Dumbledore, you will drop dead now," Harry retorted with the same level of voice. "I know your old, but keep in mind that she started the argument. If she starts slandering someone, then she better be ready for the person to retaliate."
"Please, Potter, we all know you are a cheat," someone at the Slytherin table shouted. The students turned their collective attention to the source. Marcus Flint, Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Theodore Nott were standing on their feet. "I'm willing to bet the money in my family vault that you cheated your way into the tournament. And that you already harvested the remains of that basilisk," the troll-like seventh year stated. The others who were on their feet voiced their agreements with him and said the same thing. The rest of the Slytherins maneuvered themselves away from them as they disagreed with them. Even the council members were outraged and shooting death glares at them. This was bad, very bad.
Some spied their head of house and saw that he was furious. Most have never seen him quite as angered as he was now. "Silence, you fools," he said in a harsh voice, giving them a cold, deadly stare.
"But, Professor, Potter has always been arrogant, and" Flint didn't get a chance to finish.
"I will deal with the five of you before tonight ends" his voice was so cold that it sent shivers down their spines.
"Now, now, Professor Snape. I do believe that I have a perfect way to dissolve this," Harry turned his attention to his uncle, giving him a nod before turning it on the five Slytherins. "Heir Marcus Flint, you and your friends have questioned what was rightfully mine. Since, then under the Ancient Houses charter, I demand that you show the proof." Some of the students from the Ancient and Noble Houses gasped at what he demanded.
"You can't do that, Potter," Pansy exclaimed. "You may have slain the basilisk, but you have no claims to it. As for the selection, it's pretty obvious that you would put your name in to try and increase your fame."
Harry burst out laughing at what she said. His laughter made her recoil as she saw a cruel smirk on his face that showed danger. When she tried to get help from her fellow snakes, they turned their heads away, showing that she was alone. "Wow, I never thought that a girl whose only ability to do was spread her legs could even say such things. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised considering who your mother was before she married your father. A filthy whore! Guess the garbage doesn't fall far from the tree." Pansy gasped at what he said while everyone stared at him in shock.
"As you so eloquently said, I killed the basilisk, and by right of conquest, have claimed the hide as the property of the House of Potter. However, since you and your friends have challenged my rights to the basilisk, I am to present my evidence to falsify your claim as it says under the charter of the Ancient House."
"Mr. Potter, this is not necessary," Dumbledore stated.
"Piss of Dumbledore," Cassiopeia shouted. "You have no voice nor ant say when it comes to a person's right of conquest." She knew what Hadrian was doing and was proud of it. "Or would you prefer to explain how you tried to interfere with a person's right of conquest to the Ancient Houses?" Dumbledore did a double-take as the Ancient Houses would tear him apart. Seeing the scared expression on his face made a smile appear on her face. "I didn't think so!"
"Aunt Cassie, relax. We'll deal with Madam Maxine before we get to him." Harry explained how Parkinson and her comrades' challenges were a challenge on a person from the Ancient Houses. But, by doing that, they had to put something forward; he quickly pointed out how they bet the gold in their family vaults. "Keep in mind that money belongs to your fathers, and I can only imagine what they'll d to you if you lose it. Why they would be most unhappy how their heirs cost them fortunes. And didn't I already take a considerable amount from you two fuckers Houses after they tried stealing from me?"
That got them scared, as Potter had a point. Nott shouted, "wait, we take it back." He tried, but Harry gave no quarters "do that, and the people will know how your families operate. The contracts your families have might even disappear and cost your parents even more money." He let that sink in, and they were pale now "your fathers could lose a lot of money, and I wonder what their punishment might be. They might disown and declare you blood traitors."
The snakes were positively scared as they didn't want to be declared blood traitors, and they couldn't back out either. Either way, they looked at it. The situation was bad, really bad. There was nothing they could do as they were trapped.
"I require your answers. You five either challenge me or lose your family's standings in the wizengamot. I'll give you ten seconds to decide."
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"We accept your challenge," they answered in unison.
"Good! You five will give magical vows that say you will pay whatever compensations I want." The people sitting down were talking amongst themselves as Flint, and his cohorts' situation was bad, and they were ecstatic that they weren't being challenged. One way or another, someone was going to lose something, either money or magics.
After the vows were given, Harry smirked and flicked his wand out. "I, Hadrian James Potter, swear on my life and magic that I did not intentionally or unintentionally put my name in the Goblet of fire, nor did I ask any of the older students for assistance. Furthermore, I have claimed the basilisk's hide as a right of conquest and have not harvested it. So mote be it," a flash of white light engulfed him and a moment later faded away. "Well, would you look at that? I'm still alive," giving a satisfied smirk. Raising his left hand, he waved it "expecto patronum" the dragon patronus appeared before him and gave a bow. "Looks like I still have my magic."
"Now you five have to pay me with your father's money" the smirk he gave them wish they were dead as they wondered how much he would demand from them. Or, more accurately, their father's. "Starting with you, Parkinson," giving her a menacing look. "I want all gold your family has in their vaults. The same thing with you, Flint; I want all your gold. Now the two brainless gorillas," indicating to Crabbe and Goyle. "You two bastard will hand over 95% of all your family's gold.
And last but not least, Theodore Nott! How much should I take from your family?" he cooed. "Oh, I know: 35% of the money will go to my favorite cousin, Dora Tonks, and 55% will be given to Madam Black so she could afford more Aurors."
Gasps were heard throughout the entire hall as everyone was shellshocked. The only people more surprised were Amelia and Dora. The latter looked to be on the verge of fainting.
"Wotcher Dora, have fun shopping," Harry called out. "Now, you five better write your father and explain the situation. Tell them I want my money by next Monday." The five snakes ran out of the great hall as fast as they could.
Harry rounded on Madam Maxine with the intent of giving her a piece of his mind. "As for you bitch. I have a bone to pick with you," he said at the terrified woman who was being consoled by Hagrid.
Maxine gulped at what the boy had in mind for her.
"Let's start with the fact of why you didn't put any additional enchantments around the Goblet of fire. Care to explain why?" narrowing his eyes at her.
"Pro-profezzor Dumbly-dorr promized zat everyzhing would be taken care of."
Not liking her answer, he pressed on, "and who is responsible for the students of Beauxbaton?
"Moi," pointing to herself.
"Then why didn't you take any precautions when it came to your students?"
"Profezzor Dumbly'dorr," Harry cut her off.
"Professor Dumbledore, this! Professor Dumbledore, that! Are you incapable of keeping your students safe?" She looked towards either Hagrid or Dumbledore for help "oi cunt don't look at them! The responsibility of making sure your charges are safe lies with you. Not them! You may be on British soil, but you are responsible for your students; if anything happens to them, it's your problem." the Beauxbaton students were whispering to each other about the development as he was right. "Speaking of which, you have another problem. Fleur Delacour, your student. She may be 17, but she is still under your care. She is the daughter of the Head of the DMLE in France, but her mother is also the representative of Magical France. If you allow anything to happen to her, losing your job will be the least of your problems." Looking over his shoulder, "Fleur, tell me, did your headmistress tell you why the tournament was canceled or explained its history?"
"Non," she answered, looking between Madam Maxine and him. "I was only told that the challenges would 'e difficult, and if I won then, z'ere be a prize."
"Are you telling me she didn't tell you about the dark secret behind the tournament? Or the reason why it was canceled?"
"Oui"
His eyes were now back on Maxine, and he could tell she was scared. However, being scared was not the same as sorry. "You are now in deep shite. For your sake, you better get your affairs in order because you are woefully endangering the heiress to the Ancient and Most Noble House of the Delacours. I can't imagine they will be very forgiving if anything happens to her." Maxine was ghostly pale and looked ready to start sobbing again. Meanwhile, her students sent disapproving looks at her along with a couple of angry expressions.
Albus was mentally cursing Harry with every fiber of his being. If he didn't need the boy alive, then he would have killed him years ago. "Mr. Potter, I believe you have said your piece for the night. Please go wait in the antechamber so we can begin debriefing you and the other champions about the tasks." He said with a hint of finality.
"But, we haven't gotten to the main course yet. Here's a hint. The person is a cock sucking retarded old man who has a penchant for interfering in matters that don't concern him. It's you!" Everyone knew that Harry didn't get along with the headmaster for a variety of reasons. "When you look at my face, what expression do you see?"
"Mr. Potter I-"
"Pissed off. I am royally pissed at you, muggle-loving arsehole. In the time I've been here. You have not only put me in danger but the rest of the students. Your inability to keep the students safe and your bias views against anyone who isn't a Gryffindor are abysmal. That's being nice!"
Ronald Weasley stood up. "You selfish prat Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster in the world. Everything he does is for the betterment of the magical world." Some of Dumbledore's supporters agreed with Ron, though the other students were of a different opinion.
"Weasley, if I were you, I would be quiet," Harry snapped. "And after what you and Granger did to the Slytherins in second year, good luck trying to find an ally."
Hermione looked scared at what he said. Did he know? The Slytherin was having a quiet conversation, wondering what Potter was talking about. Save for Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, and Severus, who knew what he was talking about. Severus, of course, had to act like he didn't know anything.
"What are you getting at Potter," Severus sneered while pretending to massage his temples.
"He knows nothing! We didn't do anything wrong," Ron shouted. His face was almost the same color as his hair.
Severus gave the youngest male Weasley a death-like glare. "I was not talking to you, Weasley. If you or Ms. Granger did anything to my snakes, then the consequences will be dire," stating in a cold voice. Then, he turned his attention back to Potter "what did they do?" he demanded.
Harry raised a hand, "we will get to that in a few minutes sir, however, first things first," looking directly at Dumbledore. "We begin with the motherfucking bastard who thinks he's the second incoming of Merlin. Starting from 1991 to 1992. Your first mistake was putting the students in danger when you brought the Mirror of Erised into the school and giving a bullshite of a warning not to go anywhere near the third-floor corridor." The Durmstrang students either gasped or looked fearful at the mention of that mirror. However, most of the Hogwarts students were confused, save for a handful of terrified students.
"What so bad about a mirror?" Harry whirled around to face airhead and resident gossip queen Lavender Brown.
"That mirror is very dangerous and should not have been anywhere near students Brown, and given by the reactions from the Durmstrang students. So I say it's a moot point."
"Da," Viktor came in. "The Mirror of Erised is a known wizard killer as it has the power to show you what your deepest desire is, but in return, it takes the individual's magic. They were supposed to have been destroyed." The students of Durmstrang and even Igor Karkaroff agreed with him as it was a dangerous object.
Harry continued. "FYI, Dumbledore, your little warning meant nothing, especially not to the first years. Most of which who grew up in the muggle world and know nothing of the dangers of the magical world. Did you honestly believe they would have listened to such a pitiful warning like the one you gave? That's not counting the older students who are in relationships which might want to explore the forbidden room. So here's a tip hormonal teenagers don't listen to adults" he roared the last part. A majority of the students agreed with him, even the other professors. "Next issue was when you put the philosopher's stone in the castle," that got everyone talking, for some knew what the object was. Others were asking the people next to them what the stone did. "Lucky, for you, it was a fake as its creators knew better." Dumbledore was shocked at what he said the stone was a fake. Why would Nicolas give him a counterfeit? He secretly planned on telling the Flamels that the stone was destroyed to keep it for himself. "However, that is not the point here. You shouldn't have brought the stone to a school full of children, as anything could have happened like Fenrir Greyback and some of his pack mates. I don't think I have to explain what might have happened if he came knocking." Greyback was notorious for either brutally killing people or turning them into werewolves.
Amelia and the Aurors that accompanied her were glaring menacingly at Dumbledore. "Then comes the protective enchantments. Those security measures were so pathetic that a first-year could get through" reaching into his watch, he pulled out a recording crystal and activated it. Everyone watched the footage of Harry going into the third-floor corridor where he met fluffy. The professors were furious at how bad their protections were vanquished by simple first-year spells as they didn't remember making the traps easy. When the recording ended, Harry returned the crystal to his watch. He explained how Quirrell was a bad teacher and that students were lucky to have learned anything from his class with his stuttering. Once again, everybody agreed.
"Finally, we get to the end of the year with those last-minute points you gave to Gryffindor. Never in history has any professor given points at the end of the year, let alone so much. When the Slytherins were about to receive the cup, you gave Weasley, Granger, and me many points."
"We deserved those points," Ron yelled but was unable to say anymore when Fred and George forcefully pulled him back down.
The Slytherins were furious at Weasley's statement but angrier at Dumbledore as Potter made some very good points. "Let's start with Granger. You gave her fifty points for the use of cool logic. That was your first mistake as their many people in this school who use cool logic. Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw. She may not look like it, but she is one of the best students in her year and has always applied cool logic when facing problems. Yet, you didn't award her any points whatsoever. Why is that?" The attention was now on Dumbledore as he couldn't even find an excuse. "Then there was Ronald Weasley. You gave him points for chess. That was pure bias if I've ever seen it. Who in their right mind would give points to a person playing chess?" Murmur ran throughout the hall. "I will admit that Weasley is good at chess, but he is not alone as Padma Patil won the last two international chess tournaments." He looked at Padma. "Did he give you any points?" She shook her head no.
He went on to talk about how he got points at the end of the year for a masterful level of magic and courage. Quickly pointing out that he worked hard to get where he was when it came to using magic. Then, he pointed out how Nicole was offered a chance to apprentice under Professor Snape for her Master's in Potions. Daphne was allowed to skip a year in school, which took a lot of hard work and determination. Finally, his attention was on Neville, which surprised everyone, including Neville himself. Harry explained how Neville was not a squib but a late-bloomer and had come a long way from his first year. Still, Dumbledore never awarded any points. "That's one year you fucked up!"
McGonagall took 15 points from him for his language, but he didn't care.
Harry then proceeded to 1992 -1993. First, he explained how it was wrong of Dumbledore to hire Lockhart; not only did the students not learn anything, but the bastard had also violated many of the students. Then his rant was about the basilisk. "You should have known that a thousand-year-old basilisk was roaming around the castle. One would think that the supposed greatest wizard alive would have connected the dots of who was responsible for petrifying the students and the monster residing in the chamber."
This time Dumbledore did speak. "I can only apologize for what happened, but the school had been searched many times, and the chamber remained elusive. Had I known it was a basilisk, to begin with, I would have killed had it killed," giving a tired sigh. "The fact of the matter is that I am not infallible and am prone to making mistakes like everybody else. I am only human, and oversight tends to escape me on occasions."
"Your mistakes and oversights will be the death of us all," Harry retorted. "What you should have done is ask the school's resident house-elves, talked to some of the paintings, or even asked the ghosts that reside in these walls. They've been here since the school was created. So, it stands to reason that they might have known the location of the chamber."
The professors accepted his logic as he was absolutely correct. Severus, on the other hand, shot Dumbledore a brief death glare. What I want to know is what Granger and Weasley did to my house," iron in his voice. The look on his face indicated that he was unhappy and that it might rise.
Daphne rose from her seat "we have that right here" reaching into her watch, she pulled out a recording crystal and played it. The footage showed Granger and Weasley brewing a polyjuice potion and admitting that they drugged Crabbe and Goyle to get a few strands of hair from them. Twenty-five minutes later, pandemonium broke out at the Slytherin table as they were pissed at not only the two Gryffindors but also at Draco for bringing them into their common room. Weasley and Granger looked fearful as they knew they were in trouble.
Severus was angrier than he was before and slammed his fists on the table. "Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger toy two insufferable twats better pack your trunks because tonight will be the last time either of you will attend Hogwarts."
"Severus, please settle down," Dumbledore spoke in a calm voice. "While I do think that Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger deserve punishment. Expulsion is a little much."
The irate potion's master looked at Dumbledore. "These two insufferable idiots not only stole from my personal stores to brew polyjuice potion, but they also drugged two of my students and broke into my common room. I demand that they be expelled."
Harry cleared his throat. "Professor Snape, while your anger is justified and these two do deserve punishment. Let me ask your house this," facing the pissed-off snakes. "Who are you all angrier at the two lions who broke into your common room or the brainless gorillas who let themselves easily be drugged? They should have known better, right?"
The snakes deliberated about the matter; after a few minutes, they were still angry at the lions, but more so at Crabbe and Goyle. "If it's any considerations, I have a different punishment in mind for them. Please hear my idea, then decide." Pausing for a moment. "While many of you would like nothing more than for them to be gone. There are other ways of punishing people. And this is for the students of Hogwarts to decide."
"Speak," Snape demanded.
"To start off, why don't we take away their abilities to become prefects, along with Head Boy and Head Girl? Then have them suspended until the 15th of December? Followed by detentions for the rest of the school year? And banning them from attending Hogsmeade for a time? So, students of Hogwarts, what do you think, Professor Snape's Punishment or my punishment?"
Severus loudly cleared his throat and indicated to the other Hogwarts professors. "Yes, the professors can have a say in the matter as well!"
"All for Professor Snape's punishment, raise your hands." Severus's hand shot up immediately, followed by two other professors and roughly 40% of the students. All of the Slytherins had their hands raised along with a load of students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and some Gryffindors. Harry made a mental note of who voted for. "All those for my punishment."
The rest of the school's population raised their hands along with the other Professors. "Well, it seems the people have decided! Slytherins look at it this way. You won't have to see them for over a month."
"I will not allow this," Dumbledore yelled. "Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will receive a different punishment as I feel that yours is too harsh" the twinkle from his eyes was gone.
"Dumbledore, you don't have a choice in the matter. Your leniency and affinity for giving second chances are as old as you." Harry glared at him. "Either you give them the punishment was voted on, and clean up the rest of your shite that or the Houses of Potter and Black will never attend Hogwarts school ever again."
Albus's eyes looked like they were going to burst from their sockets, as many of the Hogwarts students either gasped or were too shocked to say anything. Nevertheless, the threat he made was a serious one, and they knew it. If the Potters and Blacks pulled out of Hogwarts, that would spark a riot from parents demanding to pull their students from school or Dumbledore being fired. The aged headmaster looked like he aged another thirty years at the boy's ultimatum. He desperately wanted to put the brat in his place but couldn't as his family was present. Thinking quickly, he turned his head, "Lord Black, you cannot agree to his threat," pleading with the man.
A cruel smile appeared on Arcturus's face "actually, I do! If you refuse to give those two lions the punishment that was voted on, then the members' House of Back will no longer attend Hogwarts." he was silently enjoying the shocked expression on the goat's face. "Should that happen, then your name will go down in history as the man who was responsible as to why the House of Black and House of Potter are no longer attending Hogwarts! How does that sound?"
"Don't forget the House of Stevenson," Emily stood up from her seat and walked over to stand next to Harry. "If my brother's House leaves, then so will mine," she said in a firm voice that showed she would not be deterred.
This was going to be one hell of a long night. "Please, you three be reasonable," Dumbledore pleaded. "Would you three really forbid your families from attending Hogwarts just to punish me for things out of my control and wish to be lenient with two lions?"
Blaise was the next to stand, followed by Daphne and then Tracey. "Harry," the dark-skinned boy yelled. "If the Potters and Stevensons pull out, then so will the Zabinis. I am sick of this place."
"The House of Greengrass will also never attend Hogwarts." Truthfully Daphne was sick and tired of the way Dumbledore was running things. The man had to go! In the future, either she or Astoria will have children, and she'd rest easier if people like Dumbledore were not in charge. "This has been a growing problem as each year there are problems. Problems that Dumbledore could have either prevented or minimized."
"The House of Davis stands with its allies!"
"House of Bones agrees with them," Susan said, earning a nod of approval from Amelia.
"House of Longbottom will also leave," Neville said, standing next to his friends.
"The House of Puecy will stand with you," Adrian gave Hadrian a smile.
"So will the House of Vaisey," Nicole and Aaron stood up.
Soon many others followed suit, including the Patils. Members from the Light, Grey, Neutral, Dark factions all agreed, voicing how they would remove their families from Hogwarts. Albus looked around to see that he was in a real bind; many of the students had family members on the wizengamot, and if they removed their offspring's, then holy hell would rain down, and he'd be in real shite. He sighed as there was no other alternative, "very well! Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, as voted by the professors and students, the two of you will receive the punishments that were agreed upon." Giving them an expression that said his hands were officially tied.
Hermione was sobbing as her dreams of becoming a prefect and Head Girl was no longer obtainable. In her opinion, she would have made a great leader, but now she wouldn't be able to prove it. Never in her life would she have ever imagined being suspended from school. It was like a horrible nightmare as she loved school almost as much as she loved her parents.
Ron, on the other hand, was a different story as he was both angry and afraid. Not only did Potter get him punished again, but he would not be able to become Prefect and put the arrogant bastard in his place. His fear was mostly because of his mother, as she would tear him a new one when he would get home.
"Now let's get to 1993 to 1994," Harry said, wanting to continue. But much to Dumbledore's annoyance, "honestly, that year was relatively tamed when compared to the previous years. For the most part, the blame doesn't rest sorely on you, as the Ministry fucked up when they put Dementors on the school's grounds." Another 15 points were deducted courtesy of McGonagall. Once again, Harry ignored it and turned his attention to Crouch and Bagman. "Anyone with a brain would know that Dementors feed on happy emotions, and given the number of students in this school. They would have had a field day as students are filled with happiness, and it wouldn't have been long before they started administering the kisses."
"You cannot blame that on us," Bagman snapped. "They were placed here to protect the students from the escaped death eaters."
"Those creatures would have done the death eaters jobs you, overweight washed up bastard," Harry coolly said. "Speaking of which, you might want to cut back on the donuts. Maybe then people might actually be able to look at your fucking arse without wanting to throw up. You Pillsbury dipshit bastard. While you're thinking of that you might want to pull your thinking of that you might want to pull your mouth away from that fat hamburger you call a wife."
"How dare you talk to me that way. I am a high-ranking Ministry official," Ludo raged.
"You're a spineless motherfucking jackarse who has spent too much time sucking on your mother's titties," the boy retorted. Then, he saw the man reaching into his pocket "come on, Bagman, give me a reason. However, know this: if you attack me, you will likely be six feet under or unable to walk again. So, what's it going to be fuckface? Fight or Flight? Your choice!" he was kind of hoping the man would take his wand out as he could use the exercise.
Sirius and Dora had their wands trained on Ludo. "Don't even try it, Ludo. If you take your wand out, then I can promise you'll be begging for death by the time I'm done with you."
Harry narrowed his eyes at the man "so Bagman, what's it going to be? You ready to prove how much of a man you are?"
"Don't tempt me, Potter," Ludo was in a real bind.
A satisfied smirk appeared on Hadrian's "the choice is completely up to you, Bagman. You can take your wand out now and try to curse me, but the moment you do. I swear I'll take you down!"
The people were looking at both of them with expectations.
"What's the matter? Did you drop your balls along with your dignity after you were kicked off Wimbourne Wasps," the students 'oohed' and 'ahhed.' "Maybe if you win, then maybe you can actually make some money to pay off your debts and probably get a galleon to your grandma," by now the students burst out laughing. "Seems our audience want to see some action. Am I, right people?"
The halls populace jeered in agreement as they not only had the privilege of seeing him tear into some high-ranking people, but they might see some dueling.
"Enough," Dumbledore roared, silencing the crowd. "This is my school, and there will be no dueling in here. If either of you draws your wands, then I will have you removed from this castle."
Bagman and Potter glared at each other before standing down. Albus massaged his temples "now let's get back to the matter at hand."
Harry cut him off "exactly, the next issue you had was this coming year when you allowed the Goblet of fire to be brought into this school."
This time Mr. Crouch spoke, "the goblet of fire has always been known for promoting unity between the schools of magical Europe. It says so in the rules, and it's history."
"The books you've read are a lie," he exclaimed. "This tournament was originally designed by dark mages to force their slaves into competing so they could auction them off. The ones who won were given the money but were never allowed to keep it as their winnings went to their slavers. Not that they cared, as they found it amusing how the tasks either drove them into insanity or brutally killed them. Then it was used mainly as a death sentence between criminals who had to outdo one another in the tournament. The winner was given a pardon. The others were either brutally executed or sentenced to the dementors' kiss."
"That a lie," Crouch shouted.
Harry reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out an ancient-looking brown book "read it," waving his right hand over it and muttering the incantation the book switched positions with the bowler Crouch was wearing. The people were rendered speechless as they saw Potter using wandless magic as most adults could not perform it at all. "That book has the information about the true history of the Triwizard tournament."
Crouch pulled the book off his head and skimmed through the pages until he found a marked section and went pale "this is impossible."
"I assure you that it is quite the truth," Harry said, struggling to keep a neutral voice. Unfortunately, though, it didn't last as it became cold, "and now thanks to you arseholes at the Ministry, I am being forced to compete."
"I don't understand what the problem is," Seamus spoke. "If the tournament is so dangerous, then can't you back out?"
"The rules of the Goblet of fire are absolute as Mr. Potter's name came out of the tournament it constitutes a binding magical contract. If he fails to satisfy the contract, the Goblet will take his magic or his life. At best, he'll be a squib, and at worse, he will likely die." Crouch looked frightened as he continued reading through the book.
"Oh, you only got one thing wrong," Harry gritted his teeth. "If the Goblet takes my magic, I'll be lesser than a squib," he commented. "The very moment it takes my magic, I'll only have a week or two to live. Any way you look at it, I will be dead either from the three tasks, the goblet of fire will either kill me itself, or my magic get taken away, and I die a slow, painful death. To make it simple for you, I'll put it in words you can understand. You motherfucking bastards have royally fucked me over!"
The judges recoiled from the cold steel in his voice. "Here's some free advice if you want to promote unity, then you shitbags should have put together a dueling competition or added a culture's fair! But no, you cunts brought back a highly dark and dangerous object that is well-known for getting people killed. Were if Grindelwald or Voldemort" ignoring the gasps from the audience, "then that would mean the end of everything we ever knew and loved."
The people understood where he was coming from as they realized how dangerous the tournament really was and that they've been screwed over.
A/N: This is only part 1 of some people getting burned. And don't think for one minute that I forgot Dumbledore's punishment, I'll save that for next chapter.
Next Chapter: The Durmstrang challenge and so close!