Author Note
So far it looks as if Kol will be entering the Triwizard Tournament. Voting is still open, and please feel free to share your ideas for tasks.
Reviews
Coreymcwhirter
I read the books a few times before watching the movies so I know Snape best as a book character. While the movie Snape is more likeable, for lack of a better term, that is because of the great acting skills of Alan Rickman RIP.
You're right Penelope Clearwater should be in her fourth year during that chapter. You have a great eye for detail if you noticed that.
Pandora Lovegood's wiki page says she died between 13 February 1990 and 12 February 1991 between Luna's ninth and tenth birthdays since Luna states she was nine when her mother died. Therefore she could be alive in September 1990 and I decided that the MC sending her a note was enough that Pandora was a bit more careful about her experimental charms.
Alan
I wasn't planning on having the MC actually interact with The Mask while he was wearing it, but we all know how badly plans can go wrong.
THREETIMESM
Good idea, but he can't do her voice as he doesn't know what Ariana sounded like. Her portrait doesn't speak in the movie and I think having her just appear in the castle at random would be better. Less chance of anyone figuring out it's an illusion and Dumbledore will spend his time worrying about what she might say.
Mugen-Muse
Dumbledore getting The Mask is too scary to think about as he would then show his true colours and make Voldemort look tame, at least for a night.
What would the MC with The Mask on be like? I dread to think.
Crossworlds - Harry Potter
Part 42
The Ministry of Magic. London.
This special committee that I'd been asked to join by Minister Fudge was a group of wizards meant to help set up and later ensure the smooth running of the Triwizard Tournament. Currently, our purpose was to change it into something more family-friendly while preserving as many of the traditions as possible.
We were keeping the core of the tournament much the same, with three champions facing three tasks, intact as three is an important number in magic, but the tasks needed to be safer than ones in the past and be enjoyable as well as safe to watch.
The contest in the main timeline had two tasks that the audience couldn't even watch and while magical mirrors can be used to show images much like a video chat they don't work underwater so using them for the planned second task wasn't an option.
For the third task, I'd suggested coming up with some sort of portable mirror that would follow the champions around the maze or maybe one they could wear so the audience could see what the champions had to deal with, but since we hadn't yet decided on the tasks that would be such things could be discussed later.
Since the committee met during one of my free periods during the week, by my design, and the meetings lasted into the evenings I had to sneak out of Hogwarts before taking the form of Tom Hiddleston and coming to the Ministry, but I was a practised hand at this by now and I was always careful to change form at home or somewhere out of sight.
Edward Greengrass headed the committee since he was in charge of International Cooperation and Ludo Bagman, the Head of Magical Games and Sports, assisted him. Also here was a member of the French Ministry of Magic and Igor Karkaroff the current Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute who felt the need to be part of these planning sessions. Igor was someone that I was planning on killing.
During the First Wizarding War, he was a Death Eater who served Lord Voldemort. After being captured and briefly imprisoned in Azkaban following his master's defeat, Karkaroff turned in several of his fellow Death Eaters to the Wizengamot in exchange for his own crimes being pardoned
He was not reformed and while the Death Eaters he'd snitched on were being hosted by the Dementors of Azkaban, not all of Voldemort's supporters were locked up, and one of the might decide to avenge their comrades, hence why Igor was taking portkeys to and from the meeting to what I assumed was a secure location.
I should be able to follow him from one of these meetings while in my phoenix form as they can travel long distances and grab people. Soon or later the Headmaster of the foreign school would find himself in the Chamber of Secrets and then he would surrender all of his secrets to me before I granted him a quick death.
"Je pense qu'un quiz est une idée merveilleuse" said the French diplomat
Bagman was the only one of us who couldn't understand French.
"What did he say?" I asked.
I was the only one willing to play translator. It wasn't much work as I heard English and Cortana could tell me what to say. She was teaching me to speak French as she coached me on what to say.
"He thinks the quiz is a good idea," I answered.
Ludo smiled upon hearing this.
"Me too," he said "Great idea getting more of the students involved and since you can talk to all of the students you should be the one asking the questions".
I'd met with members of the Bulgarian Ministry with Ludo Bagman because of my helping to fund the World Cup so he knew that I could understand people from that part of this world. Only some of the Drumstrang students were from Bulgaria but between Cortana and my Babel Fish that wasn't an issue, I would find a langue they could all speak.
"You speak Bulgarian?" asked a surprised Igor.
"Malko" I replied.
I was focused on learning the langue française because I wanted to visit that country during my travels.
"Since you are funding the quiz you might as well get more involved," said Mr Greengrass.
I'd have to find some excuse for John Hiddleston not to be around during the event. It made sense for John not to take part in the quiz if Tom was running it. Hopefully, people wouldn't ask too many questions about where John had gotten off to.
"So we have the quiz between the second and third tasks" Igor summarised "And the questions will be asked of students from magical subjects that the children of each school study".
There would be no point in querying a French student on British magical history or vice versa.
"I never attended a magical school" I informed the room "So I have no bias and I can go over the textbooks used by each school to find suitable questions in a varity of subjects. Each team will be asked a certain number of questions, let's say twenty, and so each school can earn up to twenty points for their champion".
Everyone agreed that this seemed acceptable. Asking students from the three schools twenty questions would be sixty questions in total and if I gave each question at most a minute to be read out and answered the quiz shouldn't take up to an hour.
"With prizes given to all the teams based on their overall points" added Ludo Bagman "Mostly some Honeydukes products to share with their friends".
I had a thought.
"If we're having a duelling contest only for the students who have passed their OWLs like the champions, then I think the quiz would be best aimed at younger students" I suggested "I can ask questions suitable for a mix of third, fourth and fifth years".
There was no way Hermione would be kept off that team if I aimed for the quiz teams to be filled with pre-OWL students. Cortana could easily come up with a long list of questions using OWL-level material from a few different countries.
"Allez-vous simplement poser des questions ou les étudiants peuvent-ils montrer leurs compétences?" I was asked.
That was a good question.
"Juste poser" I explained "les manifestations prendraient trop de temps".
The Death Eater sitting at the table wanted to get on with things.
"Yes it will amuse the children," said Igor, acting as if he actually cared about that "I will bring four younger students for the quiz".
The French diplomat promised the same.
"I'll run this past Dumbledore" promised Bagman "I don't see any problems and a student from each house seems fair".
Me neither, as the Headmaster wanted the tournament at Hogwarts and wouldn't mind getting the chance to show off how smart some of his younger students could be. He put Potter in the quiz just to show him off.
"What using about wyverns?" I asked, "Instead of dragons. They have nesting mothers, but they don't breathe fire and they aren't as resistant to magic".
We'd debated this before and I had a feeling that it would take time to wear people down enough so that they would agree with me, but it had to be done, a dragon was simply too dangerous. One of them would somehow get free and then a lot of students could get killed. Including the few that actually I cared about.
(Line Break)
Hogsmede Village. The Wizarding World.
After using my powers of illusion to change the taste of my butterbeer into something I would actually enjoy drinking I looked over at my date who seemed to be deep in thought. Despite us having spent a lot of time together, including most of Xmas, this was only the second date I'd ever brought Hermione on due to her only being fourteen. I still felt uncomfortable doing more than a bit of kissing even though it was tempting when I spent too much time in my base form. Stupid teenage hormones.
Next year when Luna was able to visit this little village I intended to bring her here on a few dates as well since while she didn't seem to get jealous I was supposed to marry Miss Lovegood and so taking her out seemed wise.
"Knut for your thoughts," I said "I don't think I have any pennies".
I might have one since buried somewhere in a pouch of holding as I was smart enough to carry both wizarding and muggle money on me at all times.
"My thoughts should be worth at least a sickle" Hermione poorly joked "And it's not like you're telling me what's going on in your head".
I had recently been thinking of changing my plans. I didn't want to spend three more years at this school once this year was done, so I had figured that I wouldn't do my NEWT exams, however, I'd come up with an idea that might allow me to take my NEWTS about two years from now. That way I could finish my schooling and still go travelling for a good long while before Hermione graduated. Then we could travel together while Luna finished her education and I had to commit to a wedding date.
Before saying anything I made use of The Muffliato Charm (Muffliato) a spell that would allow us to have our conversation without being overheard.
"This summer I'm going to take my OWL exams early," I told Miss Granger "If you're willing to pay the fees you can take them outside of school at the Ministry".
Hermione was a little shocked.
"Why did no one ever tell me about that?" she asked.
It wasn't a service you could find out about unless you went to the Ministry and enquired about such things. It was expensive to do your exams during the summer because the people who oversaw the exams didn't normally work at that time of year.
"Because the teachers don't want to have to deal with students taking their exams earlier than expected" I answered "It messes up the timetables. If I take my OWL exams this summer and pass enough of them they'll have to move me up so that I start my sixth year in September rather than my fifth. I'm supposed to be a Prefect next year, but the year above me already has a male Prefect and the other boys in my year aren't really suitable for the role".
This was something I planned to discuss with my Head of House as soon as I got the chance. The reason why I wanted to take my OWLs so soon was because of the new rules for the Triwizard Tournament which allowed the entry of any student who passed their OWL exams as long as they had permission from a parent if they were under 17.
I had decided to try to enter the tournament so as to test my growing skills. I would know all about the tasks well in advance since Tom Hiddleston was on the committee that decided such things. Even with that knowledge, I would still need to tax my magical skills and cleverness.
The World-Seed needed a proper guardian. Hiding behind illusions, shape-shifting and fake identities worked fine for now, but that could change. I also wanted to show my skills a little and to win a trophy that I wouldn't have to later return.
"So what on your mind?" I asked.
I slid a silver sickle across the table. Something that amused the witch.
"John, I'm thinking of leaving the Muggle world," Hermione told me "I'm planning on wiping my parent's memory of me and putting a compulsion charm on them so that they move to Australia for a fresh start, moving so far away is something they've wanted to do for a while, and would have already if I'd not been accepted at Hogwarts. Do you think it's the wrong thing to do?".
I'd known that she did that in the canon universe, but I'd thought that was to protect them from the Death Eaters who were known to target Muggleborns and their families. This was something that could still happen in this timeline, but she shouldn't be worrying about that since there was no Death Eater activity known to the public.
"Do you want to separate yourself from your whole family?" I wondered "Don't you have any grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins?".
She must have mentioned them before if she did. Cortana didn't tell me if I'd simply forgotten so many the witch hadn't told me about her extended family.
"No one I've spent much time with since I found out I'm a witch" she replied, "I can't tell them about magic and my parents don't get along with a lot of their relatives. The rest of the Grangers aren't as well off as my parents".
Money can get in the way of relationships.
"And I don't feel like I belong in the Muggle world" Hermione was now telling me "I'm not a Muggle, don't me wrong I like a lot about the Muggle world, but the more time I spent with magical people the more of a stranger I feel when I go outside of the magical world".
I couldn't relate as I could move in both worlds quite easily, but this entire planet was a different dimension to me. I was in a different time as well.
"How would you support yourself?" I asked.
They might not love their daughter, but Mr and Mrs Granger had made sure that their daughter never had to worry about her material needs.
"My parents have a trust fund set up for me to cover my schooling," Hermione told me "And I'll turn 18 during my last year at Hogwarts. At that point, I can sell the house as they are leaving it to me to make sure I have somewhere. The money from selling the house should let me rent somewhere while I look for a job".
Not a bad plan.
"But I'll need somewhere to stay during the summers," she said.
In the books, she was either at Grimmauld Place or The Burrow.
"You can stay at my cousin's house," I said "He's barely there and doesn't mind me having company".
Aside from me, all Hermione had in terms of support were a few girls she chatted with and I didn't think that they were close. At some point, I seemed to have gone from a person she annoyed to the only human she had any real connection to. I hoped that S.P.A.M. made her some close friends.
"I should be the one to remove your parent's memories of you and compel them to move without selling your house" I decided "It will be easier for us both as I'm skilled with mind magic and they don't mean anything to me".
Once I'd left this world it would be hard on Hermione. I might end up taking her with me anyway unless she got heavily into politics.
"You'd do that for me?" she asked.
It was risky for Hermione to do it as she'd be upset and might make a deadly mistake.
"See them over the summer" I advised "If you still feel the same when I come to pick you up I'll perform the spell. I know a way of getting around The Trace, and their spells that can handle the paperwork as well".
I couldn't help liking the idea that Hermione was going to be almost totally dependent on me until she left school. I'd already decided to support her future because my many changes to the timeline had ensured that she'd never be Minister of Magic. If she didn't come travelling with me I could at least ensure that she would be able to live comfortably.
"Let's do it over the summer," Hermione said "I just want a clean break and to live as a proper witch. I don't want to be a reminder of the child my mother will never have".
I really hadn't been expecting to talk about this and I was glad when young Miss Granger changed the subject as headed out of the pub, starting to make our way back to the school at a slow pace.
"Do you think Dumbledore will be at dinner?" Hermione asked me.
Cortana had come up with the idea of me using my illusionary powers to make it seem as if the spirit of Ariana Dumbledore was haunting the Headmaster. With my magical map of the school, it was simple enough to have the illusion appear before small groups of students for a moment. Professor Slughorn was the one to identify her when I made her the illusion appear in a potions class. He must have met her before she died.
Ever since the illusion had started popping up Albus Dumbledore had been spending more and more time holding up in his office. He might go totally crazy, and I could hope for that, but the main point was to ensure that when he found the fake stone he would be driven to try it out. I couldn't depend on him making that mistake as he had in the books and since Voldemort wasn't making any moves I figured that I might as well try to get rid of Dumbledore this summer.
(Line Break)
The Room of Requirement. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Professor Flitwick banished the pile of pillows at me and I was able to intercept them with my own collection of pillows. This was harder than it looked because I had to summon the pillows to me and then banish them, something tricky to do when you have lots of items to focus on. The two groups of pillows knocked each other out of the air and ended up all over the training room rather than ramming into anyone.
We didn't stop there. I waved my wand in a slow circular motion and the plain white pillows, Flitwicks were Ravenclaw blue, came towards me, looped around my body and then went flying towards the teacher who used his pillows to create a shield. His control of magic was so good that my attack did nothing, he might as well have conjured up a brick wall.
"Wonderful" praised the Charms teacher as he moved closer to me "I know that I've said this many times before, but you really do have a talent for this, John".
Duelling and Defence were by far my favourite subjects in this school.
"Thank you, sir," I said.
Flitwick was teaching how to use charms more creatively in dull than simply throwing spells at someone or creating a shield. With the spells, I was learning how I could conjure up any old junk and use it as a weapon, or turn that tactic against someone by banishing the conjured items they created back at them.
We were using pillows to minimise any damage done to each other. It wouldn't do for one or both of us to end up needing to go to the hospital wing.
"I wanted to mention something, professor," I said as I now had the teacher's attention "I intend to take my OWL exams over the summer".
Flitwick understood what this meant. I'd never heard of a student skipping a year and there was no mention of it happening in Hogwarts: A History. Most students want to spend all seven years and I doubted the control freak known as Dumbledore would have allowed me to skip a year unless it suited his plans somehow.
If the Bright Lord Dumbledore made trouble I'd just leave and perhaps enrol in another school. The Headmaster wouldn't like one of his students leaving to get their education elsewhere because it would make Hogwarts look bad. I could even try to take Luna and Hermione with me or hire us all tutors.
"Normally students only take their exams outside of school because they were unable to while at school, due to some family tragedy or serve injury," the Head of Ravenclaw was now saying to me "You do have that option. Should you receive grades that are high enough for the NEWT classes you wish to take I can arrange for you to take NEWT classes while remaining in the fifth year".
This arrangement benefited both of us because then Flitwick could make me his fifth-year Prefect and I would just have to keep my current dorm mates who knew better than to bother me unless it was important.
"Sounds good to me," I said.
I could tell that Flitwick wasn't totally happy.
"It's a pity that you'll be done by the end of your sixth year" mentioned the teacher "You're my nomination for Headboy for that year".
Me being Headboy was unlikely to ever happen.
"Given that my cousin doesn't get along with the Headmaster I doubt I'd get that position" I commented "Besides I'm not one of his precious Gryffindors".
Flitwick frowned upon hearing that.
"There have been plenty of head boys and girls who weren't in Gryffindor" he stated.
That was true, from a certain point of view.
"There's a list of head boys and girls in the trophy room," I said, "More than half of them are in Gryffindor even though only a quarter of them should be since we have four school houses. The Headmaster has a griffon on his door, his bias is plain to see".
Flitwick didn't wish to speak ill of his boss.
"There aren't any Gryffindors boys in your year that are really worthy of the job" informed the master of charms" I was told "We have good students in your year, of both genders, but none of them are duelling champions and your tutoring of you younger students has been talked about in the staff room".
I decided to throw the man a bone so to speak.
"If I'm offered the post I'll return the seventh year" I offered "Maybe I can take more NEWT classes and then take the exams later with the Ministry if they hold my interest".
The teacher spent a moment or two in thought.
"I can see how that could work," he said "You need five NEWT classes, that's considered to be the minimum, but many students take more. Some have taken as many as ten".
Even the smartest student rarely took more than seven because the workload would be overwhelming.
"What classes are you interested in, Mr Hiddleston?" he asked.
I'd already thought this through.
"Charms, of course, sir, Potions, Defence, Care, and Alchemy" I answered.
That last one surprised the part-goblin.
"There's never much demand for that class" he reminded me.
If the class didn't have enough interest the school wouldn't hire a teacher for it and I'd end up with more free time.
"My cousin thinks those classes will serve me best when I get into the family business" I lied "And if the class isn't offered he'll just tutor me himself once I finished school and I can focus on the four subjects while I'm here".
I disliked being so dishonest with my favourite teacher, but I needed to sustain my cover, and while duelling was an optional extra class there was no NEWT or OWL for it.
"Those are all fine subjects" Flitwick stated, "And if you were to return for the seventh year we can come up with some sort of timetable. There are extra-curricular subjects to keep a student busy and you might even get a few more NEWTS done. I can discuss it with Professor McGonagall once the Head Boy is decided".
I would never be Head Boy so I agreed to these terms and if by some chance I got the role I could alter my plans and maybe do a couple of more NEWTS. I might even try to make my way into the Muggle Studies class as I'd read the textbooks on the subject because they were comically out of date, and I could take the OWL easily enough over the summer.
"Sir, I'd be grateful if you kept this between yourself and Professor McGonagall" I requested "My cousin isn't well-liked by Professor Dumbledore and that might have coloured his opinion of me".
Flitwick wasn't as much of a Dumbledore supporter as McGonagall I'd noted. The Deputy Headmistress might mention something, but the Headmaster should be dead before I took my OWLs so perhaps caution wasn't needed.
"Given that the Headmaster has not been himself recently I don't intend to needlessly burden him," my teacher let me know.
I was glad to hear that my latest prank was having an effect.
"Before we go for another round of practising the summoning and the banishing charm," Flitwick said to me "I wanted to know if you are planning to become a warlock".
Warlock was a very old term that has two meanings in the magical world. It can be used to denote a wizard of great skill, one known for his achievements. That was why one of Dumbledore's many titles is Chief Warlock.
It also could be used as a title by wizards who were known to be focused on duelling and martial magics. Warlocks can be bounty hunters or those who track down dangerous magical creatures or even mercenaries. Because they don't work for any of the Ministries they are considered to be rouges even if they are not criminals.
A successful treasure hunter could also be considered a warlock since they skirt the edge of what is considered acceptable behaviour in the magical world. They are known to get into disputes with magical governments over matters of jurisdiction. Thankfully the British Ministry was happy to let me bribe them with the money I made treasure hunting as Tom Hiddleston rather than interfere with my business.
If I travelled the world as Kol, hunted a few monsters, and maybe caught some criminals I'd certainly have the right to call myself that along with wizard and red mage.
"I've thought about it," I told my teacher "I plan to do some travelling once I've finished with my school and hopefully have some adventures".
Something to think more about later, for now, I needed to focus as my teacher had just increased the number of pillows by magical duplicating them. The copies would fade away, but before then I would have to contend with defending against and controlling many more of them.
(Line Break)
The Chamber of Secrets. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Over the years I'd brought than one person down into the Chamber so that I could explore their minds before getting rid of them by some means that wouldn't get back to me. I'd lost count of the number of petty muggle criminals I'd brought here and returned to their world with degrees of brain damage.
I sometimes wondered how Luna and Hermione would react if they ever found out about the kind of things I got up to in this hidden place. Would they be able to accept what I did or would they turn on me? It was bad enough that I had abducted people, risking the Statute of Secrecy, but I had also killed a few people by now and left others in need of long-term medical care.
Perhaps it was all justified as I needed to keep advancing my skills so that I could protect the world-seed, and Cortana certainly agreed with me.
Not that I ever intended to tell either Luna or Hermione about what I got up to down here. I was very compartmentalizing my life. I couldn't risk anything getting back to Dumbledore or the Ministry either.
Currently, I had Igor Karkaroff, a man who was a guest of the Ministry in this country, chained against one of the walls. He'd resisted my probing of his mind, but there were potions that could help with that.
This fool had cornered me at the Ministry, with the intent of bullying me into agreeing to some of his demands about the tournament, only to find that he'd bitten off far more than he could chew.
Due to a combination of my own knowledge, some research and mind probing I knew that Igor had willingly served as a Death Eater and assisted other dark wizards in the torture of non-magical people, muggle-borns, and wizards who resisted the ideology of Voldemort. Alastor Moody eventually ended up apprehending Karkaroff and he was later sent to Azkaban.
Once Voldemort had failed to kill a baby, Karkaroff was called to appear before a trial in the Ministry of Magic. I'd seen memories of him expressing fake remorse for his crimes as a Death Eater. In return for his freedom, he gave the Ministry names of Death Eaters who were either killed, incarcerated or had defected.
Despite his previous efforts at snitching having proven to be useless, he ended up appeasing the court when he gave them the name of Augustus Rookwood, a ministry spy who was working on the side of the Death Eaters, as well as the name of Barty Crouch Junior.
Igor then left the country and used his family connections over in Eastern Europe to get himself a job as a teacher. After years of teaching, and undermining his fellow professors, along with some bribes and threats he managed to become the headmaster of Durmstrang Institute.
As headmaster, he instilled fear into his students by using curses on someone of them under the guise of toughening them up He was also extremely biased towards Victor Krum, who played Seeker on his nation's Quidditch team, and who would Durmstrang's participant in the tournament and an extremely popular student.
Igor was attracted to men, not an issue itself, but he liked younger men and had sexually assaulted a few of his students before wiping their memories, and I had no doubt he would do so again.
"Sick fuck" I growled as I withdrew from the mind of the dark wizard.
I didn't use the dark arts much because they could be corrupting and because I rarely felt the emotions needed to fuel such spells. This time I had both the revulsion and hate required.
"Sectumsempra!"
The effect was messy as Igor's neck began to bleed he didn't last long after I'd watched him die and collected some of that sweet XP I transfigured the body into something that was easy to bury in the woods.