Chapter 61
Warning: close to the end of this chapter there will be violence, and some unpleasantries. If you decide to read the end of this chapter then that is on you. Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Omega 97 and JedBlack 1997.
Harry and Daphne sat on the sofa near the fire, waiting for the others to arrive in the room of requirement. Harry, in particular, was happy to be away from the school's population as he was sure the students would start asking him questions after questions about his invention. That and the school's infamous rumor mill will be starting relatively soon. He wagered that someone would either get information out of him or begin asking him out by tomorrow morning. However, that was in the back of his mind as he looked at the golden egg in his lap. The egg was something he had never seen before; it felt somewhat alive and was surrounded by a strange blue magical aura.
Daphne noticed that Harry was deep in thought, no doubt about the egg resting in his lap. According to him, the judges explained that it had something to do with the second task. The only question was, how were they linked?
"Why don't you put that down for a while," she suggested. "You just faced some of the most dangerous magical creatures. You've earned a break." His battle against the dragon was still fresh in her mind. It shocked her to no end as he created a pool of lava in the stadium and controlled it as if it was an extension of himself.
"Yeah, good idea," placing the egg on the table. "Finally, I get a little downtime," releasing a dramatic sigh and grabbing the lever on the side, he pulled it back, and up came the lover half of the sofa.
Daphne rolled her eyes, "you sound almost like an old man," putting her legs on top of his.
"Well, considering what I'm being forced into, I feel like I gained another twenty or so years. That said, I am at a loss about what I'm going to do with the gold from today's events." A grin appeared on Daphne's face as she knew money hardly meant anything to him, especially when it came from the Ministry. "Do you have any ideas?" he turned toward her.
Before Daphne could speak, the door to the room opened, and their friends came in though she could tell something was wrong given the angry look on Aaron's face and the agitated look on Nicole's. "That piece of shite is really starting to piss me off. He has a lot of nerve telling me who I can and cannot talk to. Motherfucking bastard," Aaron roared.
"What's the matter with him?" She'd never seen Aaron this made before and figured that something important must've happened after Harry and her disappeared.
"Short version," Adrian began, "we ran into Jordan and the Weasley twins."
Aaron cut him off "the cocky little prick told me to stay away from Katie as apparently, I wasn't good enough to be around her." Harry and Daphne looked at one another with wide eyes before turning back to him. "He then had the audacity to challenge me to a duel with her as a prize."
A livid expression quickly formed on Daphne's face as she began thinking of painful curses to use against the little shit. "Start at the beginning."
They all took a seat where Aaron told them the full story about what happened in the corridors. Finally, Lee had enough of Aaron and Katie hanging out with each other and demanded that he leave her. When he said no, Lee challenged him to a duel. If Lee won, Aaron would have to swear to stay away from her for the rest of his life. However, if Aaron wins, then he can do whatever he wants with her. Jordan was offering Katie up like she was some sort of trophy. "What am I going to do? While I'd like nothing more than to teach that little twerp a lesson. I don't want Katie to feel like she's some sort of prize that any of us can win."
"Well, for starters, you better tell her what's going on," Harry commented, causing everyone to look at him. "Because if she finds out from someone else, then it's not going to be pretty. And once the school's rumor mill gets wind of the situation, that will be trouble. So what did the twins do?"
"They just stood back and encouraged him," Aaron said, still in an angry voice.
The only person who was almost as angry as him was Nicole, and Harry could see it in her eyes that she was only moments away from cursing them into the next century. "So much for being the House of brave. He's more a kitten than a lion." Harry mentally noted that she was like a volcano that was about to erupt. "Disrespectful bastard!"
"Guys, listen. Aaron, you have every reason to be pissed at the little fucker," Blaise spoke up, "and don't get me wrong, he will get his due. But there's something important that you need to ask yourself. Do you like Katie enough to fight for her well-being?"
"Yes, I do," Aaron answered without delay.
"Then you fight for her," Blaise stated firmly. "As a man who's dated, I've learned there's a difference between wanting to be with someone for a couple of months vs. long-term. If you are serious about being with her, then show her."
The occupants in the room all stared at with bewilderment. Aaron was the most surprised as he suddenly got a determined look on his face and stood up. "I will fight for her," he declared before leaving the room.
"Impressive," Adrian said with a grin.
Tracey turned to Blaise, "that just might be the wisest thing you have ever said," she winked at him.
"I have my moments," he smirked.
Outside of the room of requirement, Aaron called Katie and asked her to meet him outside near the black lake alone. She heard the concern and determination in his voice and explained she be down in a few minutes. A couple of minutes later, Katie came down to their rendezvous; there, she saw an agitated look on his face. Knowing something was up, she asked what was so wrong that they needed to speak alone? Taking a moment to compose himself, he explained his conversation with Jordan and the Weasley twins. But, unfortunately, the more he spoke, the angrier he became.
As for Katie, her anger was palpable compared to his as she looked about ready to tear Lee's head off his body. The same couldn't be said for Fred and George as she'd be sure they knew how much they'd pissed her off this time. She spent the next twenty or so minutes cursing at the top of her lungs before finally calming down enough to speak. When it came to the topic of the duel, Aaron explained that he wouldn't duel if she didn't want him to. Katie was touched that he valued her opinion on the matter instead of just rushing into the matter. Taking a few minutes to think about the duel, she told him to duel and promised that she would cheer for him. Together they stayed outside, sitting by the lake, talking about their plans for the future until it was time for them to go back inside. The two went to the wreck room, where a party would most likely be taking place. Soon after arriving, they were found to be right. The room was filled with students listening to music, where they found Blaise and Harry break dancing against each other.
The crowd clapped as they enjoyed the dance competition between the two. When the music came to an end, they clapped hands before stepping off the dancefloor so they could have a turn. As the party continued for the next few hours, it nearly became time for the students to head back to their common rooms, but Jordan approached Aaron.
"So, Vaisey, are we going to duel, or are you too scared," Jordan tried to sound intimidating.
Aaron remained unfazed, a stony expression on his face even though he was seething with rage on the inside.
"Oh, he'll be dueling alright," a familiar menacing voice came from behind him. Turning around, Lee saw Katie, Angelina, and Alicia approaching, and neither of them looked happy. The rest of the party went dead silent as everyone's attention was now on them. "And Jordan, just so you know, I am not a prize to be won," darting her dark brown eyes at him.
The females that were present shot the dark-skinned boy murderous looks when they heard what Katie said. None of the men dared to say anything as they stood back and watched things play out. The absolute last thing they wanted to do was get on the wrong side of the other girls in the room.
"K-Katie, I don't know what he's told you, but it's an absolute lie," Jordan tried to appear as if he were innocent.
Katie didn't believe for a minute that he was innocent "oh, so you didn't try to have a duel with Aaron and offer me as some sort of a prize," the edge in her voice dared him to tell the truth. "Let me make something very clear to you. Jordan, you and I are not dating. For that matter, we're barely friends anymore after what you and the twins have been doing to everyone else. So now, you have the gall to try and barter me off like some trophy."
She took a step forward, getting into his face, "and if I had to choose between hanging out with you or him, then I pick him every time," declaring in a firm voice, much to Lee's shock. "Do you know why I would pick him over you?" Lee shook his head, not understanding why she would choose Vaisey over him. "It's because, unlike you, he's respectful and treats me like an equal instead of an object. He's been not only a good friend to me and the others," indicating to her fellow chasers, "but he and Harry went out of their way to help my father even when they didn't have to."
That got people talking as they were wondering what she was talking about. What happened with her father?
"What happened to your dad?" Jordan nervously asked.
Training her eyes on him, "not that it's any of your business, but after the explosion at his former job, he was badly hurt and couldn't walk. The healers explained that he was paralyzed from the waist down and that he'd never be able to walk again. All the money my parents had was being put to paying off the medical bills and the fine that whore, Parkinson's father, put on us. We would have been put on the street, but Harry stepped in and paid off all our debts." Everyone looked at Harry, who was standing near next to Blaise and Emily. Their eyes were laced with shock as he walked over to stands next to Aaron. "He even went so far as to offer my dad a job at his firm. A while later, they got together, designed a matrix capable of temporarily giving a person their ability to walk again. Not many people would do what they did." She then poked him in the chest "they are better people than you can ever hope to be. And I sincerely hope that Aaron gives you the thrashing you deserve," turning around, she was about to leave but turned back to him.
"Just so you don't forget," she slapped him right across the left side of his face leaving a red handprint. The audience remained completely baffled by what she did "that was for acting like I was an object," she then slapped him again on the other side of his face. "And that was for going after my friend," whirling around left the wreck room with Angelina and Alicia in tow, leaving a completely shocked Lee.
Everyone remained quiet for a few minutes, but it soon ended when Adrian spoke, "that woman has got some fire in her." The second he was done talking, everyone's attention was back on Aaron and Lee.
"This is your last chance Jordan. Do you still want to duel me?" Aaron narrowed his eyes at him.
"Yes," Lee composed himself. "I don't know what you did or said to turn her against me, but it ends now."
"Fine, but know that the consequences are on your head," he said in a firm voice. "We shall duel on the fourth of December at noon."
"Fine," was all Lee said before stomping out of the room.
"Well, I guess the party is over," Blaise commented. Soon everyone left the wreck room to return to their rooms.
(0^0)
Over the next couple of days, all anyone could talk about was the duel that would be in place between Aaron and Lee. Initially, Professor Vector was against the duel but eventually agreed to host the duel in the great hall at the prescribed time. This was only allowed because both Professors McGonagall and Snape agreed about the matter and promised that certain rules would be in place during the battle. Naturally, they chose Filius Flitwick to be the referee, given that he was a former International duelist before becoming a professor. With that taken care of, the stages were set for the duel.
True to Cassiopeia's word, she went to Gringotts to have the palladium boxes massed produced. Before anything could be finalized, Ragnok placed a call to Hadrian, asking him to come over and see if everything was in order. Throughout their conversation added a few more conditions to the terms of publicly announcing the boxes. 1. They were to be sold only to magizoologists and handlers who specialize in dealing with dangerous creatures. 2. The devices couldn't be sold to anyone else with the intention of killing them. The Head handlers and their employees had to give a magical vow saying that they would not knowingly try to use the boxes for any nefarious purposes. 3. No one with the dark mark will be able to buy them unless they swore not to do anything that will harm the creatures or use them against innocent people. 4. Never to be used against centaurs, vampires, or merpeople. Ragnok found his terms to be agreeable and vowed to let the handlers know about the terms for obtaining the palladiums.
After the meeting, Harry returned to Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall was waiting for him. He and the usually stern transfiguration teacher agreed to be neutral with one another, which suited the two just fine. She explained that there was to be a yule ball on Christmas night. As he was a champion, he was expected to attend with a date and open up the event with a dance. Harry didn't want to attend but stayed quiet while she continued. However, since the Yule ball was part of the Tri-wizard tournament, he had no choice but to attend or risk losing his life and magic. Not liking the situation, even more, Harry gave a curt nod before leaving. His thoughts followed him throughout the school's corridors until he ran into Moody. The grizzled man requested that he come and see him before dinner today to discuss the tournament. Harry couldn't put his foot on it, but something felt wrong about the professor. He would have to look into it later. Pushing those thoughts away, the young raven-haired wizard made his way to Salazar's private chamber.
Hours later, Harry finally finished project: Guardian. The whole process was so taxing that it left him drained of his magical reserves; reaching into his watch, he pulled out a vial of strengthening potion and downed the contents almost immediately. A short moment later, he got up and left for his meeting with Moody.
The meeting with his DADA professor lasted for thirty minutes and left Harry with more questions than answers. First, Moody's interest in him being a champion and his plan for the next task. Harry lied, saying that it would be a surprise, even though he hadn't even opened the egg yet. Moody then gave him some words of encouragement and advised him to speak with Neville as he was gifted with herbology. He later voiced his opinion of how he got Dumbledore suspended from his duties as it was ingenious. Harry thanked the man then left for dinner.
Arriving in the great hall, he took a seat with the others at Ravenclaw table. Dinner was pretty much a silent affair, with the usual students talking about their daily routines. Adrian pointed out that Aaron and Katie seemed to become closer. Harry, Emily, and Blaise turned their attention to their friends and found that Adrian was right as both Katie and Aaron looked like they were enjoying each other's company. Blaise being Blaise started making jokes about them. Ten minutes before dinner was due to end, the other three champions came over and requested to talk with their fellow champion/friend. Harry sent a mental message to Emily, telling her to let the others know that he would be in the ROR. After that, he left with the others to find an unoccupied classroom. Cedric began the conversation by explaining that Rita had struck again with her quick quill and showed him the articles she wrote about him and the others.
Twenty minutes later, after looking through the articles, Harry said this was a good start as they now had proof of Skeeter's wrongdoings. He explained how his lawyer Mrs. Schwarber was building up a case against her and Cuffe. Fleur asked when they'd be able to strike a blow against them. Harry told her to be patient as everything was falling into place, and all they had to do was strike when the moment was right. "But for now, it's time for phase two. What we have here is a good start. We just need a little more incentive."
"What do you have in mind?" Viktor asked, curious about his intentions.
"I suggest we file restraining orders against the woman and her employer," he answered. "There's no way in hell Skeeter would adhere to it, and that is just what we need."
"I'm not following," the Bulgarian student was now confused.
Cedric's eyes suddenly became wide as he realized what Harry was getting at. "Of course, I see what you're doing," the other two looked at him while Harry smiled. "Even if we file charges against her, she will just find another way to write about us, and the more she harasses and defames us, the more of a case we will have against her."
"Indeed," Harry smirked at him. "The more they push us, the more they will lose. Are your parents following what the Daily Prophet is saying about us?" They all nodded. "Good. Because we're going to show the bitch how this game is played. If everything goes according to plan, then we will not only be able to get them arrested but also have them labeled as persona non grata."
"You are an evil genius," Cedric laughed. The other agreed with him as they realized what Harry intended to do to them. Not only will they bankrupt the Daily Prophet, but they will also be able to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Ten minutes later, after further discussion, they all went their separate ways.
Harry ventured to the seventh floor; after making sure no one was around; he muttered the password to his room then entered to find the others spread out across the room doing their assignments. Blaise was the first to speak.
"What did they need to see you about?"
"Skeeter and Cuffe are going down," an evil grin appeared on Hadrian's face.
Blaise and the others laughed and shook their heads as neither Cuffe nor Skeeter knew what they were getting into. The fools were only digging their own graves, and it was getting deeper with each passing article. The cherry on top was that they didn't even know it yet.
"Is your mom ready?" Harry looked at him.
"She is ready and waiting. Skeeter has made a lot of enemies, and it's long past time that someone finally got even with that woman."
Harry gave him a nod, then activated the crystals on top of the wall and called Grimmauld. A few minutes later, the faces of Amelia and Sirius came into view.
"There's my favorite godson," Sirius gave him a warm smile, to which Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather's antics.
"Hey, Sirius. Amelia, you keeping the dog in check?" he joked, causing some of the girls to giggle and the boys to gain mischievous grins.
Rather than feeling embarrassed, Sirius pressed on. "Oh, she does a lot more than that if you know what I mean," wiggling his eyebrows. "But I bet you know all about that already, am I right, Ms. Greengrass?"
Harry and Daphne blushed at what he said, and this time their friends burst out laughing. "We're just friends, you fat mutt." Daphne agreed though she secretly wished they could become more than just friends.
This time Sirius placed a hand over his heart and pretended to look affronted "blasphemy. My own godson is calling me fat. Merlin save me. I will have you know that I have become a whole lot better ever since I became the head of security for your armor factory. Amelia can tell you all about as she-"
"Finish that sentence, and you'll be spending the next few nights on the couch," she warned him after slapping him upside his head, much to the teens' amusements.
"We'll pick this up later," Sirius winked at Harry.
Amelia rolled her eyes "so, Harry, what's the nature of your call?"
Harry's face suddenly became serious "something is seriously wrong with Professor Moody."
She noticed the edge in his voice and adoptive her Head of Law Enforcement persona. "What do you mean?"
Harry explained that whenever he was in the man's presence, he could always sense evil in his magic, that and the fact of him smelling like knotgrass, lacewing flies, and boomslang skin. "He also always licks his lips in a usual fashion."
"Well, there was a report about a break-in at his house before school started," Sirius commented. "Is there anything else?"
He also seems too eager to help me when it comes to the task, and there's always a strange glint in his eyes. It's hard to explain, but something is seriously wrong and out of place."
"I'll look more into the break-in," Amelia said in a serious tone. She knew that whenever Harry was concerned about something, it was usually worth looking into. "Now, are you sure that he's been acting differently?" He nodded his head. "Alright, all of you, listen up," looking at the group of people in the room. "From now on, whenever you're in his class, sit in the back of the room. Outside of the classroom, you are to remain away from him but be discrete about it. Clear?" She made a mental note to call her niece before she went to bed for the night. If something was indeed wrong, she didn't want Susan to get caught in the middle.
"Yes, ma'am," they all said.
"Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?" Sirius asked in a neutral voice.
"One more thing," Harry said. "I would like to file a restraining order against Rita Skeeter; that filthy cunt is starting to get on my nerves with her articles. I, along with Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric, feel like it's about time she and her employer finally got the message of how annoyed we are."
A ghost smile appeared on Amelia's face. "I was wondering when you would finally decide to take action against her. She ought to know better after what happened the last time she went after you." Oh, Amelia remembered what happened as Harry took a large amount of money from the Daily Prophet and cost them some credibility. "Sad to say it was not to be. I don't know how she's capable of getting dirt on people, but I can promise you that if Rita has done anything illegal, then she will be severely punished."
Harry nodded his head "thank you, Amelia," he then cut the feed. Taking a breath and mentally wishing for a squishy chair, the room granted his request, and a nice squishy armchair appeared behind him. Then, spying to his left, he noticed that Aaron had begun to change.
"So, Aaron, are you going to be ready for your duel against Jordan?"
"You bet," he confirmed, nodding his head. Ever since he accepted the duel, he'd been training hard in magical combat, studying different types of battle tactics. Professor Snape had even upped his training, and he often sparred against Harry or Emily. It boggles him at how powerful the latter was as he would never have expected Emily to be capable of dueling like that. Harry, he understood as he was on a completely different level. But Emily is incredibly skilled in her own rights. He was mentally glad that he could perform silent casting as it would likely give him an edge. "I am currently formulating a few plans on what I'm going to do when I face him."
"Well, good luck, and remember not to lower your guard until the fight is over. No matter how strong you may be, if you let your focus waver, then you'll be doomed to fail," Harry imparted some words to him.
"Thanks. I got it," taking in what Harry said about not lowering his guard as it was sound advice. "New topic now. Do you think something is wrong with old Moody?"
"I am not completely sure," Harry replied thoughtfully "this may sound strange, but there's something different about him. A couple of times I met him in the past, he never felt as dangerous. But now, whenever he's around, I always get a bad vibe from him."
"Maybe something happened after the break-in at his house. That might have affected him," Tracey suggested.
"Doubtful," Nicole objected. "The man may be paranoid and a little crazy, but he's been an Auror for more than two decades. It's been well documented that he's seen more than his fair share of battles, and a simple break-in shouldn't affect him."
They spent the rest of the evening discussing what could be wrong with their DADA professor. Finally, after a couple of hours of theorizing, they decided to call it a day and return to their common rooms. Luckily, the room provided them with stairways so they wouldn't have to travel back.
The days leading up to Aarons duel came in with all the strides. Starting with the four champions for the Tri-wizard tournament. Cedric, Hadrian, Fleur, and Viktor each filed restraining orders against Rita Skeeter, banning her from interviewing and being within a hundred feet of them. This, however, didn't sit well with the bug-eyed bitch or her employer Cuffe as the two tried to fight it, saying that the Daily Prophet was covering the whole tournament. No matter what their claims were, they failed. Mrs. Schwarber took great pleasure in telling her clients how angry the two were at being denied to interview them.
Speaking of the four champions, they were having a difficult time with the yule ball coming up. The first was Viktor Krum. Since Viktor's an international quidditch star, he got a group of fangirls following him everywhere. There was no peace for him; wherever he went, some crazed fan would pop up out of nowhere and ask if they could be his date to the ball. This resulted in him spending most of his time in the library, quarters on the ship, and the quidditch pitch with Harry and Cedric. The three would either race each other or see who could get the snitch first. Next was Cedric, who was already pretty popular with the ladies. The sixth-year badger couldn't catch a break, especially not with students like Cho Chang hounding him every few minutes. Eventually, he agreed to go with her just to get the other girls to leave him alone. Though Harry suspected that Chang was only using Cedric to make him jealous as she initially asked him a few times, he always turned her down. Harry found it rather irritating how clingy the raven was and how she would often sneer at Daphne when she thought he wasn't looking. Finally, Fleur was after him as she had been asked out by no less than ¾ of the entire male population of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbaton.
The men were drawn in by her allure, and they each wanted a piece of her. Or, more accurately, her body. She was glad to have taken Harry's advice and stuck with her group of friends as they were able to keep the hormonal idiots at bay. But even that didn't stop some of the boys from asking her to the ball. Finally, Harry came, which wasn't much of a surprise as many girls found him drop-dead gorgeous. Already he had turned down about 47 girls. A majority of the third-year and those younger wanted to be his date as they wouldn't be able to attend otherwise since the ball was only open to the fourth-years and above. The only way they'd be able to go is if an older student invited them. This made Harry the prime target as they wanted to show up on his arm.
It eventually got to the point where Viktor, Fleur, and Harry met up in one of the abandoned classrooms to talk about their problems. Fleur was the first to voice her disapproval about the boys who only wanted her for her body, not for herself. She continued speaking in rapid French, with Harry being the only one who could understand her. Letting her air out her frustration, he suggested that she go with Adrian as he didn't have a date either. Initially, she didn't know who he was talking about until Harry described him as one of the others in his group. It took only a moment for her to realize who he was talking about. From what she remembered, the boy didn't look at her like she was a piece of meat, nor did he turn into a gibbering mess. Taking a few minutes to decide, she said she talk to him the next time they met. When it came to Viktor, Harry had to think about that as he knew Viktor didn't want to go with some crazed fangirl. Then it hit him like a bludger and suggested that he go with Nicole. Viktor immediately agreed as he met her outside of class a couple of times, and it helped that she was among the small handful of girls that didn't follow him around like a lovesick puppy.
(0^0)
Finally, the day came for Aaron's duel with Jordan. The former's friends could tell he was ready, and Severus noted that the boy had improved from the first time he began training him. Aaron made sure that he was prepared for each contingency; his combat sessions with Harry and Emily allowed him to understand the true nature of magical combat. After getting up this morning, Aaron reviewed his strategy for the duel later as he was not fighting for himself but for Katie. Checking his watch, he saw that he had an hour before his duel and decided to dress in a combat uniform with his family's crest on his chest. After putting his uniform on, he went to the great hall where the entire place was renovated with the dueling arena in the middle. The entire student populations from the three schools were present; Nicole, Katie, the other two chasers, and the rest of his friends were standing near the platform.
"Hey, there's the man," Blaise said as he came closer. The two clapped hands "you ready, man?"
"Better believe it, though I didn't expect such a crowd," looking around, Aaron saw a lot of people. "Honestly, I'm a little nervous. This is my first real duel," he admitted somewhat bashfully.
"Easy man," Harry came forward. "You've trained well for this. Just remember what you've learned. Besides, if it makes you feel better, your magic level exceeds Jordan's by a wide margin."
"Harry's right," Katie stepped in "you can do this. I believe in you." She gave him a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek that made him freeze slightly. "That's for good luck."
The two quickly became scarlet in the face as Harry and the others started giving them mischievous smirks. However, the moment was ruined when Nicole cleared her throat. Aaron had a feeling he knew what was going to happen as she gave Katie a piercing look. "Ms. Bell, I think you and I should talk after the duel. We need to set up some ground rules," her voice indicated that she was serious.
Katie gulped before nodding her head.
"Hey, look over there," Alicia pointed to the other side of the hall. It was her best way of diverting the attention away from Katie. The group saw a heavily embarrassed Zacharias Smith who looked like he wanted to crawl in bed and die. "What do you think is wrong with him?"
"Probably has something to do with what happened at the last Wizengamot session," Tracey shrugged her shoulders.
"What happened at the last session?" the dark-skinned girl was intrigued.
A mischievous smirk appeared on Tracey's face. "Lord Smith tried to claim the Lordship for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Hufflepuff. The fool wanted so desperately to get back the fortune he lost during the incident with the basilisk that he attempted to claim the inheritance for his family."
"That was his first mistake," Daphne was barely holding back a laugh at what happened. Her father told her and Tracey what happened when Smith tried to take up the Lordship. "The Smith's may be descendants of Helga Hufflepuff, but they're only a branch family, and because of that, it can go either way. However, I'm glad the prat's family didn't get it. The prat may not be as self-absorbed as Malfoy, but he's equally as annoying and a pain to deal with."
"So, what happened to Lord Smith and his family?" Angelina asked.
"After declaring why he should be given the title, the Hufflepuff's family magic refused to accept him as the new Head of House. As a result, the man was introduced to the displeasure of the House of Hufflepuff's family's magic. The man is lucky to still be alive," shaking her head.
"Was the punishment that bad?"
"You have no idea," Emily grinned at Alicia. "Family magic is nothing to mess around with, and Smith is very fortunate to be alive. Unfortunately, though, I can't say the same for his body. He can no longer use his arms nor his legs, and his magic is only operating at only a tenth of its full strength."
"Ouch," the Gryffindor chasers were positively scared.
Katie turned to Aaron "is family magic really that dangerous?"
All he did was give her a curt nod. Aaron was about to speak, but Professor Flitwick beat him to it with his announcement. "Wizards and Witches of all ages, we are here to witness a duel between Misters Jordan and Vaisey." The crowd burst into applause and began whispering about what would happen; some were even placing bets on who they thought was going to win. "Both combatants have agreed to the rules of the duel, meaning that they cannot use any spells that will cause any permanent damage, and unforgivables are prohibited throughout the duel." Filius proceeded by having them come up to the platform where they took their stances. "Alright, at the sound of a cannon, you may begin, and the duel will only be completed when either opponent wishes to concede or no longer duel. Is this understood?"
"Yes, Professor!"
"Yessir!"
The two squared off with each other. Both looked ready to fire a spell, given how their wands lit up. Flitwick released a cannon sound from his wand a second later, and Jordan shouted, "diffindo." The cutting curse left his wand and made his way to Aaron, who sidestepped out of the way. Lee shouted again with "reducto," the blue spell left his wand, and Aaron dodged it again. Poor Lee didn't know it, but his opponent hadn't even begun dueling yet. "What's the matter Vaisey to scared to fight back?"
"No, I'm just waiting for you to actually stoop with the kid gloves," Aaron pretended to yawn. What he said had the desirable effects as Jordan started shouting spells after spells. Most of his spells were average at best, but Aaron didn't seem to care as he either dodged or conjured a shield.
Jordan was annoyed as he felt like Vaisey was only toying with him. What bothered him the most was that his opponents was doing silent casting. He hadn't even learned that yet.
Dodging the fool's spells, Aaron finally felt like it was time for him to attack. Moving out of the way of another reducto curse, he quickly fired a bone-exploding curse followed by three bludgeoning curses at Jordan. The poor boy could barely avoid the first two spells, but the others nailed him in the stomach left arm. He had no idea what the spells were, but one thing was certain they were painful. Aaron, however, wasn't done and sent a chain of cutting, bone-shattering, confringos, and a couple of piercing spells.
Try as Lee might, he couldn't keep up with Vaisey's speed and power as the spells hurt like hell. Already he had some deep cuts with his blood coming out of different parts of his body. A few of his bones were shattered, and he took two or three piercing spells to his right leg. Then, as he was about to retaliate with a stunner, Aaron dodged and fired a bone-breaking curse aimed at his opponent's left arm. The resulting impact made him scream in pain as his entire arm was broken.
"What's the matter Jordan, you wanted to see which one of us was better, didn't you? So, far I am not impressed," Aaron taunted. "To think I was worried over nothing. I get hit with spells far worse than this when sparring with Harry and Emily."
That apparently did it as Jordan screamed and began shouting at the top of his lungs. Out came various spells which he was sure they would hit. Sadly, they didn't as Vaisey proceeded to cut him down with several cutting curses aimed at different parts of his body. Within the next few minutes, his clothes were completely torn, and he was bleeding from various parts of his body. The cuts he received were either really long or very deep. Either way, it didn't look like he was going to win. Before the boy could even speak, Aaron hit him with the silencing charm and proceeded to destroy him with a mixture of bone exploding and bludgeoning curses. By the time Aaron was done, Jordan was not only bleeding from different parts of his body, but he had also gained a couple more broken bones. Some of his already destroyed bones were given worse treatment courtesy of his opponent.
Finally deciding to end things, Aaron disarmed and bound the now broken boy in chains causing him to fall on the ground completely incapacitated.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is Aaron Vaisey from Slytherin house," Flitwick declared as Madam Pomfrey rushed onto the platform and began levitating Lee out of the room to the hospital wing. Meanwhile, the snakes cheered that Vaisey had won the duel. The next moment a body slammed into him, grabbing the boy into a tight hug. Looking down, he saw that it was Katie.
"You were amazing out there," a big smile was plastered on her face as she looked up at him. She was a few inches shorter than him but didn't care.
Without thinking, Aaron leaned down as she pulled away a bit and captured her lips into his. Instead of pulling away, Katie wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer while she stood on her tiptoes to get more of him. They realized where they were a few minutes after separating, and the student bodies started howling, catcalling at the two. Aaron offered a genuine smile before taking her hand into his and leading her out of the hall.
As the students began leaving the great hall, Adrian beamed with pride that Aaron finally got the girl he wanted. "I'm so proud! My boy is all grown up," pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
"Boy is no longer a boy anymore," Harry said. "He has become a man. Kind of cliché if you ask me."
"Oh, all of a sudden, you're an expert," Blaise nudged his shoulder. "Let me remind you that you haven't even had a girlfriend yet, and the majority of the girls practically throw themselves at you. All you do is turn them down or claim you're not interested in them." Throwing an arm around Harry's shoulder, "come on, let me help you, and I can promise that by this time next week, you will have a girlfriend. Also, keep in mind that I'm part Italian. We're known for being romantic with the ladies!"
Harry smirked and rolled his eyes. "Blaise, my brother from another mother, you don't need to worry. I already have someone in mind. Besides, I don't know why you're talking; you are not dating anybody at the moment and don't have a date to the ball."
"All the girls are already crazy about me. I don't need the extra time," replying with a smirk. "And I'm actually enjoying my bachelor-free lifestyle."
Nicole looked at the other females "how did we get stuck with them," dragging her index finger between the both of them. The other shook their heads in amusement.
Harry was about to speak when the hairs in the back of his neck spiked up "shit."
"Hi, Harry, can I talk to you for a few minutes," there was no mistaking that voice.
Whirling around, Harry saw the one fangirl he didn't want to see, Ginny Weasley, and she wasn't alone as some of her friends were with her. Unfortunately, the youngest Weasley was one of the girls who he had to turn down. That, however, didn't stop the young redhead from asking him again and again if she could be his date. "What is it that you need?" asked in a neutral voice, though he already had an idea of what she was going to ask.
"I was wondering if I can talk to you about the yule ball," she exclaimed, with her cheeks becoming slightly pink. "Since the champions are supposed to open the ball with a dance, I was wondering if you were still looking for a date," her voice was filled with hope as she sincerely wished that he didn't already ask someone.
Emily and Daphne had irritated looks on their faces for a multitude of reasons.
"Well, I do need a date for the ball," he stated, much to Ginny's delight. "According to McGonagall, I need someone to go with or risk losing my magic."
"That's great!" she said in delight with her eyes twinkling. Hopefully, this could be her chance of finally getting him away from all the Slytherins, namely that slut Greengrass. "If you and I go together, then it'll be a win-win. You get to keep your magic, and I will be able to attend the ball. It's perfect. So, what colors are you going to be wearing? Mom sent me a teal color dress. If you want, then we can go shopping in Hogsmeade for another kind of dress for me and get you some robes so we can match."
She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed the fact that he already had plans of asking someone to the ball. "So, where do you want to meet for the ball? In the common room or by the doors to the great hall?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Harry closed his eyes. "While I do agree that if I showed up with a partner that I will be able to keep my magic. That said, I see a few problems with your plan." The smile on her face quickly vanished. "One: I already have my dress robes. All they needed was a few alterations because I grew. Two: I don't plan on attending the ball with you as I already have someone in mind."
"Well, if you don't want to attend with me, then who will you attend with?" crossing her arms over her chest while at the same time ignoring the fact that she was upset that he shot her down. Again.
Shrugging his shoulders, "can't say. I haven't asked her yet. Though, I really hope she says yes." A dreamy expression appeared on his face.
"Why wouldn't you want to attend with me?" she shouted at him with tears threatening to come out of her eyes. "Think of the things we can accomplish together. We would make a great couple. You look exactly like your father, and I look like your mother. It's destiny that we are clearly meant to be together. While I know my family is well off, but we make up for it in other categories. Plus, with Dumbledore's help, we can right the wrongs of our world and punish You-Know-Who's followers. Face it, you were meant to be the next leader of the light, and I was destined to be your wife."
The only thing he did was blink his eyes in complete shock. "Wow, after hearing that, I have to say that it changes nothing." This time tears did start rolling down her eyes. "Clearly, your parents read you one too many stories about me when you were younger. However, you need a refresher course of reality as I am not the boy in those stories. What I am is so much different than that load of garbage. Next, I make my own destiny's, and no one. I repeat, no one controls me or my life! And lastly goodbye," he walked away from the crying girl with his friends in tow.
"That was amazing," Tracey exclaimed. You really let her have it, but you should know that she is going to keep hounding you until you agree to go with her."
"What else is new," releasing a breath from the corner of his mouth. "Even after I said no the first three times, she's still persisting. I don't know how she got into her mind that we would be together, but that will never happen."
"I suspect Dumbledore's hand in that," Daphne rationalized with a grin. "Remember what you said about him and Weasley's mother trying to create a betrothal contract between you?" The ones who didn't know about the contract were struck speechless. Meanwhile, Harry gave a curt nod. "Well, maybe she still thinks you will marry her."
"Like he that's happening," Emily exclaimed. She then looked Harry in the eyes "please promise me you won't make her my sister-in-law," pleading with him.
"Stay calm, Shizuku. I don't intend on marrying anybody yet. Let alone someone like her or a person that Dumbledore hand picks for me." His eyes then became hard "meddling old fool will do anything to 'make sure I remain a part of the light and keep me from going dark.' Paranoid bastard needs to get it through his thick head that I'm a member of the grey faction first and foremost. I won't sacrifice everything family has achieved and worked for just because he deigns it."
"Wow, you must really hate him," Angelina commented. "I'm still shocked that he's been suspended from being headmaster."
"Frankly, I'm a little disappointed," Tracey interrupted with an irritated expression on her face. "I was kind of hoping that he would be fired. But apparently, all the political favors he was able to get in the past saved him –"
"Yes, it often boggles the mind on how Albus always seems to gather so many political favors, isn't it," the teens stopped short in front of Mad-Eye Moody. While the others were shocked to see the Defense Professor, Harry, Emily, and Daphne sensed the man's presence before he appeared and had their wands trained on him. The grizzled man smiled at seeing the dangerous looks of the students who had their wands out. "Very good! Always Remember constant vigilance! Five points to the three of you," he then looked at the other. "As for the rest of you, I am surely disappointed. Where if I was Greyback or one of the escaped death eaters, then you would be on the floor dead."
"We'll do better, professor," Alicia squeaked as she was still caught off guard by his sudden arrival.
Moody licked his lips "see that you do, Ms. Spinnet." His magical eye landed on the raven-haired boy. "The rest of you leave; I need to have a word with Mr. Potter in my office," he barked.
Harry kept his wand trained on him when the others put theirs away; however, his free hand grabbed Daphne's, and he felt how cold they were. Sensing her anxiety, he sent some soothing magic to her and quickly devised a plan. "I'll see you guys later," he said in a firm voice. Harry then let go.
Emily looked like she was about to say something but halted when he spoke through their link, "make sure Angelina and Alicia get to the Gryffindor common room. Then, when you're done, take the others to the room."
"Lead the way, Professor," Harry lowered his wand but refused to put it away. "Keep the connection going," was all he said before vanishing with the man.
Emily turned to face Blaise, where they talked in Italian about how unusual their Professor was acting. They continued walking until they got to the Gryffindor common room, with only the two of them able to understand each other. After dropping Alicia and Angelina off, they went to the room of requirement.
Two hours later, Harry came in with a disturbed expression on his face and strolled upstairs to his room. A minute or two later, he returned with the Marauders Map. Daphne saw the expression on his face and immediately knew something was wrong. "Harry, what's wrong?" she hesitantly asked.
"Wait," he held up a finger. "Dad, I suggest you come into the room of requirement. We may have a problem."
It only took a moment for Severus to respond. "I'm in the middle of grading papers, Hadrian," he coolly said. "Whatever it is, it can wait till later," the tone in his voice indicated that he was busy and didn't want to be disturbed.
"Even if it means that Mad-Eye is not really Mad-Eye and that he's been stealing from your stores."
The sound of quill screeching was not lost on Harry. "Run that by me, again," Severus's voice became as hard as steel.
"I have reason to believe that our current Defense Professor is an imposter impersonating old Moody with polyjuice potion."
"Standby," Severus cut the link off, and within the next moment, flamed in the room. "Where's that map of yours?" His face was a mixture of both anger and seriousness.
Taking his wand out, Harry tapped it on the map, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he opened the map as it began showing all of Hogwarts. "Point: Defense Against the Dark Arts class," most of the page vanished until it was only the Defense office and classroom.
What he saw shocked him to his core. "You may want to see this," handing the map to Severus, who took it.
"Damnit, all this is bad," he snarled after seeing the name Bartemius Crouch was in the room.
"Alright, time out," Adrian stood up. "Would either of you kindly explain what is going on?"
"Amelia reported earlier today that Crouch was in his office earlier today," Severus began ignoring what his snake asked. "And given that the ingredients for polyjuice potion have been vanishing from my private stores. So if this means what I think it means, then… that could mean that it's his son."
Adrian then whistled to get their attention. "Can you guys probably fill us in on what y'all are talking about? Because some of us are having trouble following along."
Severus gave the map back to his son and looked at the sixth-year. "Shortly before October, I've discovered that someone has been stealing from my personal stores. The ingredients that have been missing are lacewing flies, boomslang skins, and knotgrass."
"But aren't those some of the key ingredients for brewing polyjuice potion?" Everyone looked at Nicole, who blushed a bit. "I remember you telling me to check and see what ingredients you were short on. I even made some lists and placed them on your desk. From what I could see, you were also missing quite a few other ingredients. And the ones that are missing are pretty expensive and require permission from the Ministry."
Tracey piped up, "that's great and all, but it still doesn't explain why Crouch Senior would be impersonating as a professor. The man cannot be in two places at once, and I doubt he has a time-turner."
"That would be true if we were dealing with Crouch Sr, but we're not. Instead, we are dealing with his son," Harry explained, much to everyone's shock.
Daphne was the first to speak, "but how can that be? He was reported to have died in Azkaban years ago." She was trying to wrap her head around what was going on.
"Apparently not," Harry released an exasperated breath. "However, that begs the question. Did the old goat know that someone was impersonating his old friend or not?"
"Whether Albus knew about the matter or not is irrelevant at the moment," Severus said in a silk voice. "My only conclusion at the moment is that he failed to update the wards, again." He noted the confused looks on the teens' expressions except for Harry's, Emily's, and Nicole's. "What I mean is that they're wards designed to tell if someone is under polyjuice. Unfortunately, that is not the key issue at the moment. Right now, we need to devise a plan to somehow capture Barty without letting him know we're onto him."
"That'll be easier said than done," Emily noted with a nervous expression. "The man has a magical eye that can detect anybody under a disillusionment or concealment charms."
"I got it," Harry said after formulating a plan. "Crouch has been trying to help me through the tournament, most likely on Voldemort's orders. If we manage to capture him, then we can possibly find where out where that snake-faced bastard and the other death eaters are hiding."
"And how do you intend on doing that?" Blaise eyed him with curiosity.
Harry shrugged his shoulders "simple, I have an exam for Defense tomorrow, so I'll be in his class. And if I'm right, he'll ask me to stay behind to chat."
"Wait, I'm not going to like this, am I?" Severus didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Nope," Harry replied. He then proceeded to explain his plan to the others.
(0^0)
It had taken well over three hours to convince the gang, especially his dad, to go along with his plan. But it was well worth it as they were on board. Severus being the hardest to convince, was not thrilled with the thought of using Harry as bait to capture a should-be-dead death eater. The only reason he agreed was that Harry promised to keep their link-up and try to be careful. Finally, two days later, it was Tuesday, and Harry and Nicole were in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The two sat in the front next to the window where Harry kept a discrete watch over the fake Moody. Not five minutes into the class, the man conjured a desk in the corner of the room so Potter could do his exam. After he was done putting the wards around the boy. Crouch began teaching the class their lesson for the day. The fool didn't realize that Harry altered them to make them one way after setting the wards. Now, neither he nor the class could see him.
Harry completed his exam within twenty-five minutes, though neglected to announce he was done. Instead, he kept his wand out on Crouch and began removing any sort of emergency portkeys the man might have on him. Harry was glad for three reasons. The first was that he found a way around the man's magical eye. It took some time, but he discovered that the eye was tracing a person's magical signature, which would normally be extremely difficult to disguise and eliminate. Luckily, he was a natural when it came to disappearing. As for the second reason, he would probably get another chance to burn Dumbledore and extend the man's sentence. And finally, he was glad that to have applied a spell to his wand to make it invincible to the magic of the man's eye. Unfortunately, the spell was extremely hard to come by, and only a few knew about it.
What surprised Harry the most was that Crouch had two portkeys on him, and Harry found two different magical signatures on them. They couldn't be Voldemort's as he still remembered what the man's magic felt like during their duel in the chamber of secrets. They were unknown to him, but he could feel the evil coming from them. Quickly, he deactivated them so they wouldn't work, and Crouch couldn't escape. Then levitated them into a steel box he conjured and added a matrix so that only he could open it. With fifteen minutes left in class, Harry put the box in his watch and exited the wards. Placing his exam on the man's desk, he received a grunt and went to his seat. Harry pretended to read a book about the dark arts while silently talking with Nicole throughout the rest of class. Even though words weren't coming out of their mouths, they could reach each other's lips with ease.
Nicole mouthed, "are you sure about this?"
Harry rubbed his secret weapon, which was on his left arm. "Don't worry, just stay out of the way," he mouthed back.
Pretty soon, the bell rang, and Moody/Crouch released the students. "Potter, stay. I would like a word with you," he ordered.
"Of course, sir," passing a quick glance at Nicole as she left with the others. Harry put his left hand behind his back when the door closed and used wandless magic to create some runes to lock the door. Finally, he added a talisman to the door to make it even more difficult for the man to escape. "Is there something you need to discuss with me?"
Moody turned around "aye, I do. It concerns the egg you got from the dragon. It contains a clue to the second task. Have you been able to solve it yet?"
"No, not yet" shaking his head. "I've been a little occupied with studying for my upcoming NEWT exams in March" the expressionless tone in his voice was only a cover.
"Don't be daft, boy," Moody/Crouch barked. "Those exams are not scheduled until the beginning of June. Your primary focus should be surviving the Tri-wizard tournament."
"That is where your wrong, professor," he retorted. "Headmaster Yoshi said I could take some of my exams when I get back to Mahoutokoro in March."
The man grunted. "I was not informed of the schedule change; tell your headmaster that he should have either informed Septima or old McGonagall that you'll be taking your exams earlier than intended."
"I'm sure he meant no disrespect. He's only trying to decrease the amount of work I have to do," Harry casually stated with his usual expressionless mask.
"Well, see to it that-"
The man didn't get to finish as Harry fired an explosion curse followed by a large fireball, which he managed to avoid by casting a shield. An angry expression soon appeared on his face. "What is the meaning of this Potter? Attacking a professor is a one-way ticket to expulsion."
Harry didn't stop firing spells at him "how about we stop playing games, Professor Moody? Or should I call you Barty Crouch Junior," he dodged some of the man's spells.
"Finally figured it out, have you," he began changing back into his true form, discarding the magical eye and fake leg. When the transformation was over, he was no longer Alastor Moody but the thought to be dead Crouch junior. "The dark lord said you were intelligent."
The two continued trading curses until Harry landed a few painful spells at him. "You'll find there's more to me than meets the eye," levitating a desk to block the cruciatus curse. Then transfiguring it into a dozen spears aimed directly at his opponent. He then sent a couple piercing curses, "so, tell me where Voldemort is hiding."
Barty roared in pain as a piercing curse nailed him in the shoulder. "You are not worthy of speaking my master's name, you little shite," growled in anger as Potter rolled out of the way of another cruciatus curse.
"Really because unlike everybody else, I don't fear him," adding a quick smirk as his reducto curse destroyed one of Crouch's ribs. "Tell me if your master was so grand, then why is he hiding like a coward?"
"You dare mock to mock the dark lord in front of me," the man became even angrier. "I know the dark lord said he wanted you for himself, but I wonder how he would award me after he learns that I've finally silenced you."
"Better men than you have tried" Harry conjured a row of fiery arrows and sent them, forcing Barty to dodge out of the way. "What's the matter? I thought death eaters were supposed to put up much more of a fight." He continued with his assault.
"I will kill you, Potter, and once you're out of the way, I will enjoy taking my sweet time getting to know your sister and that Greengrass bitch." He lecherously licked his lips. Hopefully, the dark lord will be gracious enough to let me have them."
"Over my dead body. There's no way I'm going to let you near them," upping his game, Harry began firing some very dangerous spells at frightening speed. His cutting curse took the man's left ear off.
By now, Barty began attacking less and less as he began to falter underneath Potter's barrage. Deciding to take a gamble, he said, "Avada Kedavra," the green death spell left his wand and raced towards the brat. He thought the boy was done for as Potter didn't move, the smile on his face became one of pure shock when Potter raised his left arm, and a blue-green shield appeared before him.
The moment Crouch fired the killing curse, Harry lifted his left arm over his face. When the shield came up, the power from the curse pushed him back a bit, but he stood his ground and knocked the curse away.
"What? How did you-" Barty was so lost that he missed the gauntlet with a green glowing orb on Potter's arm.
Harry took advantage of the bastard's shock and sent the same spell he used to make Morrison's arm explode. Crouch screamed in pain within the next moment as his left arm exploded off his body, leaving him to bleed from where his arm used to be. "Hurts, doesn't it! Well, this is only a sample of things to come." Harry began bombarding him with so many painful curses that were designed to bring down full-grown individuals.
"Aaargh," Barty screamed in excruciating pain as Potter's spells were making the cruciatus look tame by comparison. Using what strength he had left, he cast another "Avada Kedavra," like last time the spell left his wand, but somehow Potter was able to block it. He continued firing whatever spells in an attempt to kill the boy in the most painful way imaginable. All of which ended in failure as Potter batted them away as if they were nothing.
"I have to say that your better than that prick Morrison, but your skills are still far below mine," quickly disarming him and using the same spell he used to take his left arm. Barty once again screamed in pain as now both his arms were gone. "What's the matter, Crouch? You scared? Well, now you know how your victims felt weak and helpless."
He levitated the man off the ground and held him in the air; using his left hand, he sent a pink-white spell at the broken man and began twisting both his wand and hand in a complicated gesture. At each gesture, Barty continued screaming at the top of his lungs as he felt torsion on his backbone. "Do you feel that pain in your abdomen, Crouch? That's the pain of your backbone twisting apart. Soon, it will be twisted beyond repair and tear your spinal cord in two." Harry's voice was sadistic, and it reminded young Barty of Bellatrix. "Consider this the start of your punishment."
"Go to hell, Potter," Barty coughed out some blood.
"No, hell is reserved for you, and it's calling right now," Harry added a few more strokes to his wand, and Crouch felt the same twisting in his ribcage. The man screamed in indescribable agony as he felt his ribs being crushed. Harry released more of his magic, ignoring the man's screams of pain. With a couple of twists, Barty's backbone twisted beyond repair, utterly destroying his spinal cord and rendering him unable to move the lower part of his body.
Harry dropped the now paralyzed man, letting him crumple on the ground, where he continued coughing up blood. Then, with a jab of his wand, he sent a more powerful cutting curse to the man's groin taking his jewels off. Next, he levitated the most prized thing that used to be attached to his body out of his trousers and set it on fire. Walking over, Harry started punching the shit out of him. When his mouth was hanging open, and no more blood was coming out, he sent the man's burnt penis into his mouth and slammed his head against the desk a few times before throwing him across the room. This was Harry's dark side. The side of himself that he only ever used when the situation called for it. It was a necessity rather than a want because he had to remain in control of his rational mind whenever he used it. Were if he lost control, then everything or everyone's insight would be destroyed.
Taking a breath, he walked forward, flicking his wand back in its holster; with a wave of his right hand, some of the destroyed desks were moved out of the way. On the ground was a moaning Barty who was in more pain than he ever thought was possible. Extending his hand, Harry levitated the man in the air. There wasn't an expression on his face except for anger "oh don't Barty, I am not going to kill you. That said, you have some information I want."
Barty spat his penis out of his mouth along with some blood. "I won't tell you, anything Potter," his voice was slightly from all the screaming he'd been doing.
"Is that so," he quickly added a sticking charm to the man before turning his watch a few clicks to the right. "Amelia, I got Crouch senior son."
"What, but he was supposed to have died in Azkaban over a decade ago," she said in a frosty voice.
"Not from where I'm standing. He's still alive. We're in the Dark arts classroom; you better get over here quickly."
"I'm on my way," before turning her communicator off.
Looking back up, he saw a ghost smile on Crouch's face. "Is that the best you can do, Potter? Even if the Aurors get here and take me back to Azkaban, the dark lord will come for me. You're as good as dead alrea-," his monologue was replaced by his screaming when Harry started electrocuting him.
On the opposite side of the door, Professor Snape, Filius Flitwick, Septima Vector, and Minerva McGonagall tried accessing the classroom. Behind them stood Nicole, Daphne, and Emily. The irate potion's master groaned in annoyance. "Enough of this! Professors with me; we're going to blast this door off its hinges."
They all nodded in agreement and shouted, "confringo maxima."
Their combined spells blew the door off its hinges, where they raced in to see Harry electrocuting someone they thought was dead.
"What the? Barty Crouch junior? How are you alive?" McGonagall had to cover her nose as the smell of burnt flesh was still in the room.
"Those are some questions that I'd like to know, Minerva," Amelia came rushing in with a handful of Aurors behind her.
"We had a duel," Harry casually said, ending the lightning coming out of his hand. Waving his left hand, Crouch was soon bound in chains.
While some of the Aurors and professors silently looked around the room, marveling at how one boy could bring this much destruction. Severus wanted to stand behind his son but couldn't blow his cover with everyone else present. Throughout the battle with Crouch, Harry made sure their link was up, so he could see what was going on. The anger and fury that came off Harry was something that he needed to contain, so he sent some soothing magic through their link. That, combined with Ms. Greengrass's and Emily's positive emotions, were helping to keep Harry in control.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard someone being slammed into the wall. His black eyes were on a livid Francis Longbottom. "You little shit! Because of you and the others, my wife and I lost years of our lives. Give me one reason why I shouldn't end your worthless life right now!"
"It's because you need him," Harry walked forward to look Frank in the eyes. "I know you're angry at him and have a right to be, but it won't do any of us any good if you kill him. He might have some information on where his comrades are located."
Frank growled a bit "get him out of my sight," he ushered the other Aurors to take Crouch away.
"And try not to fuck it up this time," Harry narrowed his eyes at them. "Also, I should point out that he can no longer walk." Everyone stared with pure shock at him. Some of the Aurors were quite shaken.
"Wait, where's the real Alastor Moody?" Filius squeaked.
"I may have an idea," Harry dashed up the stairs with the professors and the two remaining Aurors on his heels. In one motion, he kicked the door to the office down much, to everyone's surprise, extending his sense and using his elemental sight. He scanned the room for the real Alastor Moody's magical signature. Eventually, his senses detected that someone was trapped in the black trunk that rested near the corner.
"That trunk over there," Filius and Severus jabbed their wands at the trunk he was pointing to. Their combined spells started unlocking the trunk, which was revealed to have had nine different compartments. Amelia went first with her wand in hand; carefully strolling over, she looked inside to see a shrunken Alastor Moody.
"Alastor, are you alright?"
"Oh, finally someone I know," the real Moody grunted. "Now, would you be so kind as to let me out of here!"
Amelia reached in and pulled her old colleague out, then added the resizing charm to return him to his proper size. He would have fallen over if not for both Amelia and Harry. They got a good look at him and saw how broken Alastor's body was as it was littered with cuts and scars.
Turning to his left, he saw the Potter lad. "thanks, Potter. I appreciate you getting me out of there," giving a rare smile. "What became of Crouch?" his face quickly hardened as the little shit stain had him locked in his own trunk for months.
"Don't worry about him," Amelia said as they escorted him out of the office. "Mr. Potter already dealt with him, and he will soon be questioned. For that matter, so will his father." There was going to be hell when she got back to the Ministry; if Crouch Sr helped his son escape, then she would be sure to punish them to the fullest extent of the law.
"Put it simply, the little fucker got what he deserved." Alastor raised an eyebrow, wondering what the boy was talking about, but saw the state of the classroom along with the detached arms of Barty's son leaking blood. He didn't know what happened, but it was clear that a battle had taken place. Alastor didn't know how, but he would need to repay the boy for all he did for him.
After reattaching his leg, two of the three remaining Aurors came over to take Mad-Eye to St. Mungo. While the other wand levitated the detached limbs of Crouch and his wand out of the room.
Having seen enough, Septima took control. "Severus, Minerva, please escort Mr. Potter to the hospital wing so Poppy could check him over. Filius, I want you to help me put this room back in order. As soon as lunch is over, I'll inform the student body that classes are canceled for the rest of the day. I'm locking the castle down. Any student caught out of their common rooms will be disciplined." Turning her head to Amelia. "Director Black, can you send a couple of Aurors to have them search the school?"
Emily spoke up, "professor, with all due respect, I like to go to the hospital wing with my brother," the firmness in her voice and the look on her face said she would go even without permission. Nicole and Daphne stood firm in agreement.
"Very well," a small smile appeared on Septima's face, but it quickly vanished. With that, the students and faculty left for the hospital wing.
A/N: Okay, a lot has happened in this chapter. Aaron dueled Jordan for Katie, and the two have gotten together. Next was the thought to be dead Barty Crouch junior who had been impersonating as Alastor Moody. At long last Harry's invention finally made its debut. However, it's still in the prototype stage. A few questions for you all.
Did I go a little overboard with how I brutalized Barty?
What should I have Harry do for the second task?
Elemental ability to control water
Create a potion to make him swim like Aquaman
Have him use his soon to be shark form.
You all have five days to decide.
Author's note: I am not going to sleep well tonight.
Next Chapter: Well, it's about time.