Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it although I'd dearly like to…hey if J.K
Rowling (a.k.a rich ruler of the world) wants to sell it I have a fluff
collection…did anyone notice my obsession with fluff?
Whispers immediately filled the entire room, reverberating from wall to wall. Harry sat rigid in his chair, fixed eyes boring a hole into the opposite wall. He hadn't heard right. They couldn't expect him to stand up there and…could they? There was no way Harry wanted to relive that night and he seriously doubted anyone in their right mind would want to relive it with him. And yet, if he was questioned under Veritaserum, there was no way anyone could doubt the fact that Sirius was innocent and, even better, that Voldemort was back.
Pulling himself out of his reverie, he looked up and studied the scene before him. Dumbledore was on his feet glaring daggers at Fudge. Harry noted, with a sort of distant interest, that his Headmaster's eyes were as cold and hard as they had been when listening to Crouch Jr. Lupin was beside Dumbledore, fists subconsciously clenching and unclenching as if he'd dearly like to place them around Fudge's throat. He seemed barely able to control his canine instincts: his entire body looked poised for action and his jaw was grinding slowly. Ron and Hermione sat still as mice, shooting the occasional worried glance at Harry and Harry remembered abruptly, with a large amount of guilt, that they still didn't know the entire truth of what had happened in the Third Task. The others present in the room, including half the Hogwarts faculty, Arabella Figg and Alastor Moody, seemed perfectly content to sit and watch the volley of dirty looks that the three grown men threw at each other although Moody's magical eye looked like it was going haywire.
Harry noticed dimly that someone was shouting but he wasn't listening. He was watching Peter. The short man was watching the proceedings with a slightly hazy look, courtesy of the Veritaserum, but with a definite gleam of fear in his eye. Harry fervently hoped that he wouldn't be able to convince the Minister of his own innocence. No one was immune to bribery, Fudge least of all. The Minister was certainly stupid enough to take a bribe.
He turned his attention to what everyone else was watching and fixed his look on Fudge. The man was red-faced and breathing heavily. His beady black eyes swivelled around the room and as they passed over him, Harry suddenly had a very happy idea.
If he was to testify under Veritaserum, the Ministry would see Fudge as the fool he was.
He'd be kicked out of office.
Harry supposed his goofy grin had spread across his face because several people were giving him strange looks and some even began to edge away as if they though he was mad. Fudge's gaze snapped back to Harry and stayed there. Harry returned the look, without the faintest inkling of what the Minister had just said. But he'd be damned if he was going to look stupid in front of the Minister.
The Minister spoke suddenly. "So, if Harry doesn't have any protests?"
Harry realised, a little too late, that he couldn't say anything without looking stupid and if he didn't say anything he'd be agreeing to whatever it was Fudge had said.
Luckily, however, it appeared as if Hermione had been listening because she launched at once into a fully-fledged complaint before Harry had time to blink. "But in a case in 1903 when a witness of Harry's age was fed Veritaserum it caused side-effects that never wore off. The same happened in 1912 and at the end of the First World War in 1945-``
Fudge looked livid enough to shoot a unicorn. "ENOUGH!" he bellowed, spittle flying everywhere. Several people wiped their faces surreptitiously.
Dumbledore cut in smoothly before he could go any further. "She is right Cornelius. The side-effects created by consumption by under-eighteens could well be disastrous for Harry. If Harry wishes to testify I shall not stop him, but I must insist that Veritaserum is not to be used!"
Fudge shot such a look full of hatred and loathing at Harry that he wondered if it was really Snape under Polyjuice potion. But he quickly discarded that idea: not even Snape could possible be as dense as this. "Preposterous! The boy will concoct yet more lies!"
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed and Harry could see McGonagall's lips thinning as if a student had done something incredibly dangerous and stupid. Dumbledore's voice all but thundered in the small room. "No, Cornelius. I will not allow it! The results could be disastrous for Harry."
It was clear to Harry that Fudge desperately wanted to state that he didn't care if it turned out to be disastrous for him. Unfortunately, for the steadily increasing number of people present in the room who would love to throttle him, he refrained from saying so.
Silence reigned until: "What about the Pensieve Projector?" asked Hermione.
Harry, and most of the room, turned to her with confusement written all over their faces. Hermione rolled her eyes as if what she was talking about should be common knowledge. "The Pensieve Projector," she started slowly, making sure she had everyone's attention, "works much like a Pensieve only it allows more than one person to view the memory." Here she flashed a triumphant smile at Fudge. "And there are no side-effects."
Fudge threw her a death glare. Harry absently reflected that if looks could kill, Hermione would be decomposing six feet under by now. Hermione continued with her explanation with a slightly smug air. "The Pensieve Projector has never been used in a court case to prove or disprove the case simply because most cannot hold the memory together long enough for it to become reality." Here she threw Harry a devious smile. "But I'm certain Harry could do it."
Dumbledore turned to Harry, worry and concern evident in his piercing gaze. "Are you willing to try? We'll understand if you don't feel up to it-``
"I'll do it," Harry said firmly.
Dumbledore sighed and nodded as Fudge turned to a Ministry worker with a satisfied smile and ordered him to bring the Projector in.
Harry suddenly wondered just what it was he had got himself into this time.
* * *
At first glance, the Projector was anything but impressive. It consisted, essentially, of a large black shiny box. On what Harry assumed was the top, a clear window of glass was bordered by strange silver runes that seemed to shift and pulsate in the dim light. The box was wheeled in on a trolley and brought to the centre of the room where it rested ominously.
As Harry was led up to the box, he wondered why everyone was throwing the innocent-looking contraption apprehensive glances. It didn't look too bad. However, as Harry drew nearer, he noticed the box gave off an aura of fear and pain. Others must have noticed it too because they edged as far away from it as possible whilst trying not to appear scared. Most failed miserably.
Harry peered through the window of the box to look inside. It contained the same silvery substance as Dumbledore's Pensieve had. Harry glanced up briefly into the anxious eyes of his Headmaster, unsure as to what he was supposed to do. Dumbledore smiled slightly and leant down to speak to him quietly. "Hold the beginning of the memory in your mind and place you wand inside the window. The Projector will do the rest."
Harry nodded and closed his eyes, swallowing hard. His mind cast back to the events of what had occurred that night. Briefly, his mind floundered as he tried to find an appropriate place to start. Eventually, he settled on the battle with the spider and he set about memorising every detail of it: the large gaping mouth with razor-sharp fangs, the long hairy legs with hooked claws at the end, the eight beady black eyes… He shuddered involuntarily. Maybe he was trying a little too hard. Shrugging mentally, he grasped his wand and shoved it into the box.
For a moment, nothing happened and Harry wondered if he'd done it right, but abruptly there was a high keening wail and the silvery substance seemed to expand to envelop him. There was a brief flurry of noises and colours that Harry couldn't comprehend but recognised as his life, rushing up to the one part he had focused on. The disorientation halted and Harry saw a momentary image of the spider lunging towards another him before his senses were swamped with the Pensieve liquid and his mind went blank.
* * *
Albus Dumbledore blinked briefly in surprise as Harry was engulfed by a swirling mass of light and sounds. The room shimmered once, twice and then began twisting out of shape, distorting everything the eye could see. With a short but loud *whump*, the room went black and the entire court room was propelled into Harry's memory.
When he found his balance and orientation again, he was able to discern that he was standing, along with the rest of the court room, in the middle of a large field with what appeared to be high hedges hemming them in. It was Hermione who first realised where they were.
"We're in the maze of the Third Task…"she breathed, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
Once the majority of people had sorted themselves out and managed to disengage various limbs from each other and the gaps between the hedges, they started looking around. Whispers grew in volume as they waited for something, *anything*,to happen until even Dumbledore wondered where the hell Harry was.
But it was Ron, rather than Harry, who first drew everyone's attention. Suddenly, his entire body seized up and he let out a blood-curdling scream, pointing ahead of him and gibbering incoherently. Almost expecting Voldemort to materialise from nowhere, Dumbledore whirled around and almost laughed out loud when he saw what had got Ron so terrified.
A giant, monstrous and purely *ugly* spider had just finished appearing in the confines of the maze. Thankfully, however, its attention wasn't fixed on them but on…Cedric. Dumbledore's eyes widened as he watched the spider hurtle along the passageway towards Cedric, at the same time wondering how Harry figured into this equation. The answer presented itself almost immediately in the form of Harry rushing around the corner and coming to a sliding halt, wand pointed at the monster. Cedric turned around and immediately focused his own wand on the large cluster of eyes situated in the centre of the beast's head.
Behind him, Dumbledore could hear Ron whimpering in fear and Hermione trying to comfort him and he smiled despite the situation. He turned back to the scene just in time to see the spider crash heavily to the ground with a loud thud. Harry was sitting upright nearby with an expression of mild pain and annoyance on his face. Cedric straightened and walked over to Harry. Everyone leant in closer to hear what the two were saying.
"Take it, then. "Go on, take it. You're there." This was Harry.
"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."
"That's not how it's supposed to work. The one who reaches the Cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you, I'm not going to win any races on this leg."
The conversation continued in this vein for quite some time. The audience listened with amused expressions occasionally rolling their eyes or shaking their heads at the sheer stubbornness of the two teenagers. Eventually however:
"Both of us."
"What?"
"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."
"You-you sure?"
"Yeah."
This decided upon, the two teenagers made their way to the plinth that held the cup. And even though Dumbledore knew what would happen next, he couldn't stop the gasp of surprise that escaped his lips as both boys disappeared without a sound. Abruptly, the scene before them went blank before shifting into a new one. One of a graveyard.
Looking around, he could tell that the graveyard had been filled to its maximum capacity. It looked dirty and un-kept, although the occasional bouquet of flowers resting on tombstones destroyed that illusion. Dumbledore watched with a sad air as the events Harry had told him of began to unfold in front of his eyes.
The audience fell unnaturally silent when Cedric fell to the ground, eyes blank and lifeless. Several people threw nasty looks at Fudge who fidgeted nervously. The image of the graveyard blurred and slipped a little every now and then, no doubt brought on by the ambiguity of Harry's memory and impairment of his vision at the time. It was still clear enough, however, to witness the horrifying scene as Wormtail tied Harry to the tombstone and started the spell.
"*Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son*" Several people shrank back in fear and disgust as they saw a fine trickle of dust rise from the earth and settle softly into the cauldron, hissing quietly.
"*Flesh--of the servant--w--willingly given--you will--revive--your master*" Vision blacked out abruptly before they could see the dagger connect with flesh, Harry having worked out what was going to happen a split second faster than the audience who were by now regarding each other with abhorrence and fear, wondering what was to befall Harry.
"*B-blood of the enemy…forcibly taken…you will…resurrect your foe*" Vision snapped back instantly with frightening clarity to allow the audience to see the dagger Wormtail held and to witness the sight of Harry struggling helplessly, before it blinked out again as they saw the knife lowered to Harry's skin. Even in the blank void, the feelings of pain and fear, with an underlying tone of anger and determination, mired them as they floundered helplessly, trying to block out Harry's emotions.
Sight appeared again slowly and cleared with each passing second to finally focus fully on the image of a thin man with nightmarish features: White as a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes, and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils…the face of Lord Voldemort.
Several people screamed and others reeled back in loathing and horror. Dumbledore remained stonily silent waiting for what he knew would come next and what would be the largest shock to the presently assembled. The audience was still in complete disarray when the Death Eaters apparated in and, for most, it only served to increase their fear. They all fell silent, however, when Voldemort began to address them one by one.
"Lucius, my slippery friend. I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me Lucius…your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay…but might your energies have been better directed towards finding and aiding your master?"
The Ministry workers watched in disbelief as Lucius Malfoy grovelled before Lord Voldemort and whispers spread throughout the crowd as to the best way to punish the traitor. Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
"Macnair…destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair, Lord Voldemort will provide…"
More whispers followed this and even more as the next Death Eaters were revealed: Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Nott…
They listened, dumbstruck, as Voldemort related what had happened and where he had been in the thirteen years of his absence. The largest shock came to them, however, when Voldemort turned to Harry and spoke softly.
"Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."
They watched in disbelief as Harry stood up, if a little drunkenly, and faced Voldemort, ready to duel. They saw Voldemort let loose a volley of curses that barely missed Harry and gasped as he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse several times. The fight that ensued was fast and furious and even Alastor Moody had to admit that Harry's reflexes were probably the only things that saved his life.
Dumbledore surveyed the scene, letting nothing escape his gaze. Others may not have seen the doubt on Wormtail's face, but he did. Others may not have noticed the gleam of fear in Voldemort's eyes as he taunted Harry, but he did. Others may not have heard the sounds of quiet sobbing from somewhere, but he did. There was a sudden burst of light and the air was filled abruptly with the soothing sound of phoenix song, and he knew that Priori Incantatem had begun.
There was a stunned silence as Harry's wand connected with Voldemort's: most people had no idea that the wands were brothers. Aside from Harry and himself, only Sirius and Mr Ollivander had known. As it was now, many more people knew now and there would no doubt be an article in the next *Daily Prophet*, claiming that the poor boy was the next Dark Lord. Dumbledore sighed and watched with the others as the echoes of Voldemort's victims circled him.
Suddenly, Harry raised his head and yelled "NOW!" breaking the contact with Voldemort's wand. He fell to the ground and landed lightly. Details of the most obscure things possible suddenly became crystal clear, as if Harry had tried to take everything in at once. The shades were still around Voldemort, closing in on him to bar him from Harry.
And Harry ran. He ran faster than anyone had ever seen him run before as if he had several Blast-Ended Skrewts on his tail. He knocked aside two Death Eaters in his headlong dash for freedom and zigzagged all over the place, narrowly avoiding the curses and hexes sent his way. Even Moody seemed impressed as Harry ducked behind a stone angel and then ran on, mini- seconds before the angel's head was blasted sky high.
And then, finally, Harry reached Cedric's body and made a lunge for it. The multicoloured hues of various curses lit the sky as Harry summoned the Cup to him. As Harry caught the Cup and vanished from sight, a great roar of fury echoed throughout the graveyard and it sent shivers down everyones' spine. Then the scene faded and they were left in a void of nothing with only Harry's pain to accompany them.
* * *
Dumbledore's feet touched the ground lightly and he found himself stumbling a little in the small court room. He briefly scanned the room. Almost every expression was the same: a mixture of sorrow, awe and fear. All except Fudge who's face was red enough to pass as a beetroot. Dumbledore smiled slightly. This was the end of the line for the incompetent fool. Maybe he'd finally be able to do something about the upcoming war now without the Ministry interfering at every turn.
His thoughts were brought back to Harry as the Projector hastily released him and sent him lurching backwards. Dumbledore stepped forwards swiftly and let the boy fall into his outstretched arms. Harry looked up at him in surprise and tried to struggle against him but he was unexpectedly weak. Dumbledore frowned. Harry needed rest but he was positive the boy wouldn't like to spend yet more time in the Hospital Wing. He smirked as he thought of just the right place: away from prying eyes and it had a decidedly anti- Slytherin theme, something he was sure Harry would appreciate. With a brief nod to the Ministry workers who were already apprehending Fudge and setting out to arrest Death Eaters in the Ministry, he cast a sleeping charm on Harry, lifted him easily and carried him rapidly from the room.
A/N Sorry about the wait. I'll use the same excuse as everyone else…exams, the bane of my life and ff.n buggering up... Well, no cliff hanger this chapter *gasp*. There's a pleasant surprise next chapter and this is the end of the torture and nasty stuff until the run up to the climax which will probably be in about five or so chapters.
I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage people to read my new Harry Potter fic: In the Hands of Fate. It's not related to this fic in any way but It's got a plotline I haven't seen anywhere. Basically, the gods decide to play a game of chess with the Harry Potter characters as the pieces. Chaos ensues, more literally than you think. Readers so far seem to think it's good and quite funny.
Thanks to Amy and Kat for helping me come up with the idea of the Pensieve Projector. Kat, I promise more Mission Nuclear will be on the way sometime soon…
Sorry not much time for shout outs today…
Thanks to Gia, Lily Evans, Nuts, keroberous, Bob, Sirius Black, Quaila, iuvat equus, Shadow Chaser( get a move on with your fic), Miranda Flairgold (still love your fics), Sailor Vegeta( looking forward to Sunday), Ashie (where've you been girl?), butterflygirl, Esmeralda, Arizosa, Hyper Princess(hugs back) and The Red Dragons Order.
Due to the number of people who said they wanted everything I mentioned last chapter, I'm pleased to announce that I will be doing all of them but it may take a while.
Luv baasheep
Xx
Whispers immediately filled the entire room, reverberating from wall to wall. Harry sat rigid in his chair, fixed eyes boring a hole into the opposite wall. He hadn't heard right. They couldn't expect him to stand up there and…could they? There was no way Harry wanted to relive that night and he seriously doubted anyone in their right mind would want to relive it with him. And yet, if he was questioned under Veritaserum, there was no way anyone could doubt the fact that Sirius was innocent and, even better, that Voldemort was back.
Pulling himself out of his reverie, he looked up and studied the scene before him. Dumbledore was on his feet glaring daggers at Fudge. Harry noted, with a sort of distant interest, that his Headmaster's eyes were as cold and hard as they had been when listening to Crouch Jr. Lupin was beside Dumbledore, fists subconsciously clenching and unclenching as if he'd dearly like to place them around Fudge's throat. He seemed barely able to control his canine instincts: his entire body looked poised for action and his jaw was grinding slowly. Ron and Hermione sat still as mice, shooting the occasional worried glance at Harry and Harry remembered abruptly, with a large amount of guilt, that they still didn't know the entire truth of what had happened in the Third Task. The others present in the room, including half the Hogwarts faculty, Arabella Figg and Alastor Moody, seemed perfectly content to sit and watch the volley of dirty looks that the three grown men threw at each other although Moody's magical eye looked like it was going haywire.
Harry noticed dimly that someone was shouting but he wasn't listening. He was watching Peter. The short man was watching the proceedings with a slightly hazy look, courtesy of the Veritaserum, but with a definite gleam of fear in his eye. Harry fervently hoped that he wouldn't be able to convince the Minister of his own innocence. No one was immune to bribery, Fudge least of all. The Minister was certainly stupid enough to take a bribe.
He turned his attention to what everyone else was watching and fixed his look on Fudge. The man was red-faced and breathing heavily. His beady black eyes swivelled around the room and as they passed over him, Harry suddenly had a very happy idea.
If he was to testify under Veritaserum, the Ministry would see Fudge as the fool he was.
He'd be kicked out of office.
Harry supposed his goofy grin had spread across his face because several people were giving him strange looks and some even began to edge away as if they though he was mad. Fudge's gaze snapped back to Harry and stayed there. Harry returned the look, without the faintest inkling of what the Minister had just said. But he'd be damned if he was going to look stupid in front of the Minister.
The Minister spoke suddenly. "So, if Harry doesn't have any protests?"
Harry realised, a little too late, that he couldn't say anything without looking stupid and if he didn't say anything he'd be agreeing to whatever it was Fudge had said.
Luckily, however, it appeared as if Hermione had been listening because she launched at once into a fully-fledged complaint before Harry had time to blink. "But in a case in 1903 when a witness of Harry's age was fed Veritaserum it caused side-effects that never wore off. The same happened in 1912 and at the end of the First World War in 1945-``
Fudge looked livid enough to shoot a unicorn. "ENOUGH!" he bellowed, spittle flying everywhere. Several people wiped their faces surreptitiously.
Dumbledore cut in smoothly before he could go any further. "She is right Cornelius. The side-effects created by consumption by under-eighteens could well be disastrous for Harry. If Harry wishes to testify I shall not stop him, but I must insist that Veritaserum is not to be used!"
Fudge shot such a look full of hatred and loathing at Harry that he wondered if it was really Snape under Polyjuice potion. But he quickly discarded that idea: not even Snape could possible be as dense as this. "Preposterous! The boy will concoct yet more lies!"
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed and Harry could see McGonagall's lips thinning as if a student had done something incredibly dangerous and stupid. Dumbledore's voice all but thundered in the small room. "No, Cornelius. I will not allow it! The results could be disastrous for Harry."
It was clear to Harry that Fudge desperately wanted to state that he didn't care if it turned out to be disastrous for him. Unfortunately, for the steadily increasing number of people present in the room who would love to throttle him, he refrained from saying so.
Silence reigned until: "What about the Pensieve Projector?" asked Hermione.
Harry, and most of the room, turned to her with confusement written all over their faces. Hermione rolled her eyes as if what she was talking about should be common knowledge. "The Pensieve Projector," she started slowly, making sure she had everyone's attention, "works much like a Pensieve only it allows more than one person to view the memory." Here she flashed a triumphant smile at Fudge. "And there are no side-effects."
Fudge threw her a death glare. Harry absently reflected that if looks could kill, Hermione would be decomposing six feet under by now. Hermione continued with her explanation with a slightly smug air. "The Pensieve Projector has never been used in a court case to prove or disprove the case simply because most cannot hold the memory together long enough for it to become reality." Here she threw Harry a devious smile. "But I'm certain Harry could do it."
Dumbledore turned to Harry, worry and concern evident in his piercing gaze. "Are you willing to try? We'll understand if you don't feel up to it-``
"I'll do it," Harry said firmly.
Dumbledore sighed and nodded as Fudge turned to a Ministry worker with a satisfied smile and ordered him to bring the Projector in.
Harry suddenly wondered just what it was he had got himself into this time.
* * *
At first glance, the Projector was anything but impressive. It consisted, essentially, of a large black shiny box. On what Harry assumed was the top, a clear window of glass was bordered by strange silver runes that seemed to shift and pulsate in the dim light. The box was wheeled in on a trolley and brought to the centre of the room where it rested ominously.
As Harry was led up to the box, he wondered why everyone was throwing the innocent-looking contraption apprehensive glances. It didn't look too bad. However, as Harry drew nearer, he noticed the box gave off an aura of fear and pain. Others must have noticed it too because they edged as far away from it as possible whilst trying not to appear scared. Most failed miserably.
Harry peered through the window of the box to look inside. It contained the same silvery substance as Dumbledore's Pensieve had. Harry glanced up briefly into the anxious eyes of his Headmaster, unsure as to what he was supposed to do. Dumbledore smiled slightly and leant down to speak to him quietly. "Hold the beginning of the memory in your mind and place you wand inside the window. The Projector will do the rest."
Harry nodded and closed his eyes, swallowing hard. His mind cast back to the events of what had occurred that night. Briefly, his mind floundered as he tried to find an appropriate place to start. Eventually, he settled on the battle with the spider and he set about memorising every detail of it: the large gaping mouth with razor-sharp fangs, the long hairy legs with hooked claws at the end, the eight beady black eyes… He shuddered involuntarily. Maybe he was trying a little too hard. Shrugging mentally, he grasped his wand and shoved it into the box.
For a moment, nothing happened and Harry wondered if he'd done it right, but abruptly there was a high keening wail and the silvery substance seemed to expand to envelop him. There was a brief flurry of noises and colours that Harry couldn't comprehend but recognised as his life, rushing up to the one part he had focused on. The disorientation halted and Harry saw a momentary image of the spider lunging towards another him before his senses were swamped with the Pensieve liquid and his mind went blank.
* * *
Albus Dumbledore blinked briefly in surprise as Harry was engulfed by a swirling mass of light and sounds. The room shimmered once, twice and then began twisting out of shape, distorting everything the eye could see. With a short but loud *whump*, the room went black and the entire court room was propelled into Harry's memory.
When he found his balance and orientation again, he was able to discern that he was standing, along with the rest of the court room, in the middle of a large field with what appeared to be high hedges hemming them in. It was Hermione who first realised where they were.
"We're in the maze of the Third Task…"she breathed, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
Once the majority of people had sorted themselves out and managed to disengage various limbs from each other and the gaps between the hedges, they started looking around. Whispers grew in volume as they waited for something, *anything*,to happen until even Dumbledore wondered where the hell Harry was.
But it was Ron, rather than Harry, who first drew everyone's attention. Suddenly, his entire body seized up and he let out a blood-curdling scream, pointing ahead of him and gibbering incoherently. Almost expecting Voldemort to materialise from nowhere, Dumbledore whirled around and almost laughed out loud when he saw what had got Ron so terrified.
A giant, monstrous and purely *ugly* spider had just finished appearing in the confines of the maze. Thankfully, however, its attention wasn't fixed on them but on…Cedric. Dumbledore's eyes widened as he watched the spider hurtle along the passageway towards Cedric, at the same time wondering how Harry figured into this equation. The answer presented itself almost immediately in the form of Harry rushing around the corner and coming to a sliding halt, wand pointed at the monster. Cedric turned around and immediately focused his own wand on the large cluster of eyes situated in the centre of the beast's head.
Behind him, Dumbledore could hear Ron whimpering in fear and Hermione trying to comfort him and he smiled despite the situation. He turned back to the scene just in time to see the spider crash heavily to the ground with a loud thud. Harry was sitting upright nearby with an expression of mild pain and annoyance on his face. Cedric straightened and walked over to Harry. Everyone leant in closer to hear what the two were saying.
"Take it, then. "Go on, take it. You're there." This was Harry.
"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."
"That's not how it's supposed to work. The one who reaches the Cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you, I'm not going to win any races on this leg."
The conversation continued in this vein for quite some time. The audience listened with amused expressions occasionally rolling their eyes or shaking their heads at the sheer stubbornness of the two teenagers. Eventually however:
"Both of us."
"What?"
"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."
"You-you sure?"
"Yeah."
This decided upon, the two teenagers made their way to the plinth that held the cup. And even though Dumbledore knew what would happen next, he couldn't stop the gasp of surprise that escaped his lips as both boys disappeared without a sound. Abruptly, the scene before them went blank before shifting into a new one. One of a graveyard.
Looking around, he could tell that the graveyard had been filled to its maximum capacity. It looked dirty and un-kept, although the occasional bouquet of flowers resting on tombstones destroyed that illusion. Dumbledore watched with a sad air as the events Harry had told him of began to unfold in front of his eyes.
The audience fell unnaturally silent when Cedric fell to the ground, eyes blank and lifeless. Several people threw nasty looks at Fudge who fidgeted nervously. The image of the graveyard blurred and slipped a little every now and then, no doubt brought on by the ambiguity of Harry's memory and impairment of his vision at the time. It was still clear enough, however, to witness the horrifying scene as Wormtail tied Harry to the tombstone and started the spell.
"*Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son*" Several people shrank back in fear and disgust as they saw a fine trickle of dust rise from the earth and settle softly into the cauldron, hissing quietly.
"*Flesh--of the servant--w--willingly given--you will--revive--your master*" Vision blacked out abruptly before they could see the dagger connect with flesh, Harry having worked out what was going to happen a split second faster than the audience who were by now regarding each other with abhorrence and fear, wondering what was to befall Harry.
"*B-blood of the enemy…forcibly taken…you will…resurrect your foe*" Vision snapped back instantly with frightening clarity to allow the audience to see the dagger Wormtail held and to witness the sight of Harry struggling helplessly, before it blinked out again as they saw the knife lowered to Harry's skin. Even in the blank void, the feelings of pain and fear, with an underlying tone of anger and determination, mired them as they floundered helplessly, trying to block out Harry's emotions.
Sight appeared again slowly and cleared with each passing second to finally focus fully on the image of a thin man with nightmarish features: White as a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes, and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils…the face of Lord Voldemort.
Several people screamed and others reeled back in loathing and horror. Dumbledore remained stonily silent waiting for what he knew would come next and what would be the largest shock to the presently assembled. The audience was still in complete disarray when the Death Eaters apparated in and, for most, it only served to increase their fear. They all fell silent, however, when Voldemort began to address them one by one.
"Lucius, my slippery friend. I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me Lucius…your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay…but might your energies have been better directed towards finding and aiding your master?"
The Ministry workers watched in disbelief as Lucius Malfoy grovelled before Lord Voldemort and whispers spread throughout the crowd as to the best way to punish the traitor. Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
"Macnair…destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair, Lord Voldemort will provide…"
More whispers followed this and even more as the next Death Eaters were revealed: Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Nott…
They listened, dumbstruck, as Voldemort related what had happened and where he had been in the thirteen years of his absence. The largest shock came to them, however, when Voldemort turned to Harry and spoke softly.
"Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."
They watched in disbelief as Harry stood up, if a little drunkenly, and faced Voldemort, ready to duel. They saw Voldemort let loose a volley of curses that barely missed Harry and gasped as he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse several times. The fight that ensued was fast and furious and even Alastor Moody had to admit that Harry's reflexes were probably the only things that saved his life.
Dumbledore surveyed the scene, letting nothing escape his gaze. Others may not have seen the doubt on Wormtail's face, but he did. Others may not have noticed the gleam of fear in Voldemort's eyes as he taunted Harry, but he did. Others may not have heard the sounds of quiet sobbing from somewhere, but he did. There was a sudden burst of light and the air was filled abruptly with the soothing sound of phoenix song, and he knew that Priori Incantatem had begun.
There was a stunned silence as Harry's wand connected with Voldemort's: most people had no idea that the wands were brothers. Aside from Harry and himself, only Sirius and Mr Ollivander had known. As it was now, many more people knew now and there would no doubt be an article in the next *Daily Prophet*, claiming that the poor boy was the next Dark Lord. Dumbledore sighed and watched with the others as the echoes of Voldemort's victims circled him.
Suddenly, Harry raised his head and yelled "NOW!" breaking the contact with Voldemort's wand. He fell to the ground and landed lightly. Details of the most obscure things possible suddenly became crystal clear, as if Harry had tried to take everything in at once. The shades were still around Voldemort, closing in on him to bar him from Harry.
And Harry ran. He ran faster than anyone had ever seen him run before as if he had several Blast-Ended Skrewts on his tail. He knocked aside two Death Eaters in his headlong dash for freedom and zigzagged all over the place, narrowly avoiding the curses and hexes sent his way. Even Moody seemed impressed as Harry ducked behind a stone angel and then ran on, mini- seconds before the angel's head was blasted sky high.
And then, finally, Harry reached Cedric's body and made a lunge for it. The multicoloured hues of various curses lit the sky as Harry summoned the Cup to him. As Harry caught the Cup and vanished from sight, a great roar of fury echoed throughout the graveyard and it sent shivers down everyones' spine. Then the scene faded and they were left in a void of nothing with only Harry's pain to accompany them.
* * *
Dumbledore's feet touched the ground lightly and he found himself stumbling a little in the small court room. He briefly scanned the room. Almost every expression was the same: a mixture of sorrow, awe and fear. All except Fudge who's face was red enough to pass as a beetroot. Dumbledore smiled slightly. This was the end of the line for the incompetent fool. Maybe he'd finally be able to do something about the upcoming war now without the Ministry interfering at every turn.
His thoughts were brought back to Harry as the Projector hastily released him and sent him lurching backwards. Dumbledore stepped forwards swiftly and let the boy fall into his outstretched arms. Harry looked up at him in surprise and tried to struggle against him but he was unexpectedly weak. Dumbledore frowned. Harry needed rest but he was positive the boy wouldn't like to spend yet more time in the Hospital Wing. He smirked as he thought of just the right place: away from prying eyes and it had a decidedly anti- Slytherin theme, something he was sure Harry would appreciate. With a brief nod to the Ministry workers who were already apprehending Fudge and setting out to arrest Death Eaters in the Ministry, he cast a sleeping charm on Harry, lifted him easily and carried him rapidly from the room.
A/N Sorry about the wait. I'll use the same excuse as everyone else…exams, the bane of my life and ff.n buggering up... Well, no cliff hanger this chapter *gasp*. There's a pleasant surprise next chapter and this is the end of the torture and nasty stuff until the run up to the climax which will probably be in about five or so chapters.
I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage people to read my new Harry Potter fic: In the Hands of Fate. It's not related to this fic in any way but It's got a plotline I haven't seen anywhere. Basically, the gods decide to play a game of chess with the Harry Potter characters as the pieces. Chaos ensues, more literally than you think. Readers so far seem to think it's good and quite funny.
Thanks to Amy and Kat for helping me come up with the idea of the Pensieve Projector. Kat, I promise more Mission Nuclear will be on the way sometime soon…
Sorry not much time for shout outs today…
Thanks to Gia, Lily Evans, Nuts, keroberous, Bob, Sirius Black, Quaila, iuvat equus, Shadow Chaser( get a move on with your fic), Miranda Flairgold (still love your fics), Sailor Vegeta( looking forward to Sunday), Ashie (where've you been girl?), butterflygirl, Esmeralda, Arizosa, Hyper Princess(hugs back) and The Red Dragons Order.
Due to the number of people who said they wanted everything I mentioned last chapter, I'm pleased to announce that I will be doing all of them but it may take a while.
Luv baasheep
Xx