Note: Thank you all for your reviews (More please!). Here's chapter 12.
From this chapter onwards I will focus on the training and the tournament
itself but there still will be snippets concerning school. I'm open to any
suggestions that might make the story more interesting so please do write
what you want to see in your reviews. Thanks and Enjoy!
The next day, both Harry and Ron woke up extra early as they were anticipating their Quidditch training, which was a first as they usually were reluctant to leave their beds for training. However, it was special this year due to the tournament.
They got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they got there, they realized that they weren't the only ones who were anticipating the Quidditch training. The entire Gryffindor team was there having breakfast. Harry and Ron grinned at each other before Alicia ushered them to the table.
They sat down and helped themselves to bacon and eggs as the others chatted among themselves. Finally it was time to head down to the changing rooms for Alicia's speech. However, Alicia instead told them to head for the pitch as she wanted them to start training immediately and knew that giving pep talks was a waste of time as she to had endured Wood's rambling talks two years before.
They mounted their brooms and began soaring through the air, Alicia giving orders to each and every one of them as she flew out to meet them. She seemed to feel that this was a better way to train them as it allowed them to try any new tactics first hand and without the pep talks. This new method was greeted with wild enthusiasm as they all enjoyed themselves.
Soon, the stands filled with students from all three schools that were eager to see them training. Colin was standing, camera pointed at them, and was snapping quickly. Erik was in the stands too. He was waving at Harry when he was joined by none other than Malfoy. Harry dreaded this for a moment but was pleased to see that Erik had managed to shake Malfoy off fast. Harry had a feeling that Erik too had an intense dislike for Malfoy and this made Harry feel satisfied.
The rest if the training went on well and all of them had an immensely good time and felt a bit frustrated when training finally ended for the day. Harry and Ron went back to the castle to change before going for lunch before joining Hermione in the Great Hall.
During lunch, which consisted of many exotic dishes that Harry had fun trying, Hermione told them in a muffled voice that there had been an attempted break-out from Azkaban, which was now heavily guarded by hundreds of Aurors. Thankfully, it was prevented as the Auror's had managed to stop the surprise attack and once again lock up the perpetrators. Harry had a knowing feeling in his stomach that Lucius Malfoy was one of them.
After lunch, as Harry and the others headed back to Gryffindor Tower, he was stopped by Erik, who was looking apprehensive. 'I need to talk to you in private' he said. Harry nodded and followed Erik into an unused classroom.
'That Malfoy boy came up to me earlier today and asked me a few questions about you. He seemed unpleased when I mentioned how nice you were. But what shocked me the most was when he asked me whether I wanted to become a Death Eater.' Erik said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
'What! This is serious, Erik, I think that you should tell Dumbledore about this. If he knows about this, he'll know that Voldemort is recruiting new members from within Hogwarts itself' Harry said hastily.
'I know, but I'm afraid of the repercussions. All of us should by now know what Voldemort and his followers are capable of and I don't want to put all our lives into jeopardy. I really am unsure of what to do right now and I need more time to think about it. Please Harry, don't tell anyone about what I told you, not even your closest friends.'
Harry was slightly taken aback by his words and actually was going to tell both Ron and Hermione about what Malfoy said. But since Erik had asked him not to tell them, he had no choice but to agree.
'Alright, but if he approaches you again, say that you need more time and immediately inform Dumbledore about this. I'm sure that he'll be willing to listen.'
Erik nodded and both of them left the classroom and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, where Ron and Harry had a thrilling chess match that Ron won again. The then headed down for dinner, which consisted of even more exotic and unusual dishes for them to sample. Hermione was busy dictating to them what to try and what not to.
'Oooh, try this one Harry, it's escargot with melted cheese.' Harry apprehensively sniffed at it and asked what escargot was. When he heard that it was snails, he quickly pushed the plate away, much to the amusement of the rest. When dinner was over and they were heading back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was steered aside by Hagrid.
'Oh, hullo Hagrid, did you enjoy your dinner?' asked Harry in a conversational tone.
'Yes I did, Harry, but I need to talk to you about something. Why don't you follow me back to my cabin.' Hagrid seemed worried.
Harry nodded and followed Hagrid to his cabin. As they walked out the castle doors, Hagrid started walking faster than usual, making Harry nervous.
'Er Hagrid, why are you walking so fast?'
'I need to tell you some urgent news that might alarm you but you must swear to me that you will tell no one, not even Ron and Hermione about it.'
For the second time in a day, Harry gave his word to keep a secret for someone. They then hastily proceeded to his cabin. As they entered, Fang barked and bounded happily to Harry, but he was pulled back by Hagrid.
'Harry, did you read this morning's Daily Prophet?'
'Yes, did you hear about the attempted breakout from Azkaban prison?'
'That's what I need to talk to you about. The breakout was successful.'
'What! But the Prophet said that it was prevented.'
'That was to ensure that no one panicked. The breakout was successful and all of Voldemort's supporters have escaped.'
'But what about the guards stationed around the prison? Surely they would have stopped a few of them from escaping.'
'The guards were powerless against Voldemort's forces. They all were given the Dementor's kiss.'
Harry reeled from the shock of the news. He couldn't believe it. Voldemort's supporters were now free and back with him and he had the Dementors to do his bidding.
'Why did they want to hush the matter up when it was better to have let the public know what was going on?'
'Because it would cause the wizarding world to be plunged into pandemonium worse than when he was at the height of his powers fifteen years ago.'
'What is the Ministry going to do about this?'
'I don't know, but they better do something fast if not Voldemort's power base will once again be solidified.'
'I need to tell Ron and Hermione about this. They have a right to know.'
'No! If word gets out, there'll be no telling what would happen.'
'But what about Ron's family? Surely they need to know? Come on, Hagrid, I give you my word that no one except Ron, Hermione and I will know about it.'
Hagrid thought for a moment before replying. 'Alright' he said in an exasperated voice. 'But only Ron and Hermione. Don't let anyone else know about the truth.'
Harry nodded again and was then escorted back to Gryffindor Tower by Hagrid, who left him at the Fat Lady. Harry's mind was buzzing about what he had just heard and he was feeling distraught. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and then proceeded into the common room. He spotted Ron and Hermione sitting in front of the fire and quickly pulled them to a corner table where he explained in a hushed voice about what he had heard. Both Ron and Hermione were horrified.
'I better tell my parents about this, can't be too cautious you know.' Ron said in a frightened voice.
'Ok, but only them, no one else. Hagrid swore me to silence about this and I expect the same from you.' Harry said.
Both of them nodded. It was then that they realized that it was past midnight and that they had to wake up early the next morning and so they headed back up to their dormitories.
Both Harry and Ron changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Soon, the dormitory was filled with snores but both Harry and Ron were still awake.
'You think You Know Who will attack anytime soon, Harry?' said Ron from the bed next to him.
'Call him Voldemort, Ron. Fear of a name leads to fear of the thing itself. Dumbledore told me that. As for your question, I don't know. But I'm praying that we have time to gather up our forces.'
'Yeah, we better get to sleep too. Goodnight, Harry.'
'Nite, Ron.'
Harry closed his eyes and soon drifted off. Things were getting more interesting by the day.
Author's Note: Well, what do you think about this chapter? Do review and tell me what you think and also do tell me about any suggestions that you have. Thanks and Cheers! A happy Thanksgiving to all!!!
The next day, both Harry and Ron woke up extra early as they were anticipating their Quidditch training, which was a first as they usually were reluctant to leave their beds for training. However, it was special this year due to the tournament.
They got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they got there, they realized that they weren't the only ones who were anticipating the Quidditch training. The entire Gryffindor team was there having breakfast. Harry and Ron grinned at each other before Alicia ushered them to the table.
They sat down and helped themselves to bacon and eggs as the others chatted among themselves. Finally it was time to head down to the changing rooms for Alicia's speech. However, Alicia instead told them to head for the pitch as she wanted them to start training immediately and knew that giving pep talks was a waste of time as she to had endured Wood's rambling talks two years before.
They mounted their brooms and began soaring through the air, Alicia giving orders to each and every one of them as she flew out to meet them. She seemed to feel that this was a better way to train them as it allowed them to try any new tactics first hand and without the pep talks. This new method was greeted with wild enthusiasm as they all enjoyed themselves.
Soon, the stands filled with students from all three schools that were eager to see them training. Colin was standing, camera pointed at them, and was snapping quickly. Erik was in the stands too. He was waving at Harry when he was joined by none other than Malfoy. Harry dreaded this for a moment but was pleased to see that Erik had managed to shake Malfoy off fast. Harry had a feeling that Erik too had an intense dislike for Malfoy and this made Harry feel satisfied.
The rest if the training went on well and all of them had an immensely good time and felt a bit frustrated when training finally ended for the day. Harry and Ron went back to the castle to change before going for lunch before joining Hermione in the Great Hall.
During lunch, which consisted of many exotic dishes that Harry had fun trying, Hermione told them in a muffled voice that there had been an attempted break-out from Azkaban, which was now heavily guarded by hundreds of Aurors. Thankfully, it was prevented as the Auror's had managed to stop the surprise attack and once again lock up the perpetrators. Harry had a knowing feeling in his stomach that Lucius Malfoy was one of them.
After lunch, as Harry and the others headed back to Gryffindor Tower, he was stopped by Erik, who was looking apprehensive. 'I need to talk to you in private' he said. Harry nodded and followed Erik into an unused classroom.
'That Malfoy boy came up to me earlier today and asked me a few questions about you. He seemed unpleased when I mentioned how nice you were. But what shocked me the most was when he asked me whether I wanted to become a Death Eater.' Erik said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
'What! This is serious, Erik, I think that you should tell Dumbledore about this. If he knows about this, he'll know that Voldemort is recruiting new members from within Hogwarts itself' Harry said hastily.
'I know, but I'm afraid of the repercussions. All of us should by now know what Voldemort and his followers are capable of and I don't want to put all our lives into jeopardy. I really am unsure of what to do right now and I need more time to think about it. Please Harry, don't tell anyone about what I told you, not even your closest friends.'
Harry was slightly taken aback by his words and actually was going to tell both Ron and Hermione about what Malfoy said. But since Erik had asked him not to tell them, he had no choice but to agree.
'Alright, but if he approaches you again, say that you need more time and immediately inform Dumbledore about this. I'm sure that he'll be willing to listen.'
Erik nodded and both of them left the classroom and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, where Ron and Harry had a thrilling chess match that Ron won again. The then headed down for dinner, which consisted of even more exotic and unusual dishes for them to sample. Hermione was busy dictating to them what to try and what not to.
'Oooh, try this one Harry, it's escargot with melted cheese.' Harry apprehensively sniffed at it and asked what escargot was. When he heard that it was snails, he quickly pushed the plate away, much to the amusement of the rest. When dinner was over and they were heading back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was steered aside by Hagrid.
'Oh, hullo Hagrid, did you enjoy your dinner?' asked Harry in a conversational tone.
'Yes I did, Harry, but I need to talk to you about something. Why don't you follow me back to my cabin.' Hagrid seemed worried.
Harry nodded and followed Hagrid to his cabin. As they walked out the castle doors, Hagrid started walking faster than usual, making Harry nervous.
'Er Hagrid, why are you walking so fast?'
'I need to tell you some urgent news that might alarm you but you must swear to me that you will tell no one, not even Ron and Hermione about it.'
For the second time in a day, Harry gave his word to keep a secret for someone. They then hastily proceeded to his cabin. As they entered, Fang barked and bounded happily to Harry, but he was pulled back by Hagrid.
'Harry, did you read this morning's Daily Prophet?'
'Yes, did you hear about the attempted breakout from Azkaban prison?'
'That's what I need to talk to you about. The breakout was successful.'
'What! But the Prophet said that it was prevented.'
'That was to ensure that no one panicked. The breakout was successful and all of Voldemort's supporters have escaped.'
'But what about the guards stationed around the prison? Surely they would have stopped a few of them from escaping.'
'The guards were powerless against Voldemort's forces. They all were given the Dementor's kiss.'
Harry reeled from the shock of the news. He couldn't believe it. Voldemort's supporters were now free and back with him and he had the Dementors to do his bidding.
'Why did they want to hush the matter up when it was better to have let the public know what was going on?'
'Because it would cause the wizarding world to be plunged into pandemonium worse than when he was at the height of his powers fifteen years ago.'
'What is the Ministry going to do about this?'
'I don't know, but they better do something fast if not Voldemort's power base will once again be solidified.'
'I need to tell Ron and Hermione about this. They have a right to know.'
'No! If word gets out, there'll be no telling what would happen.'
'But what about Ron's family? Surely they need to know? Come on, Hagrid, I give you my word that no one except Ron, Hermione and I will know about it.'
Hagrid thought for a moment before replying. 'Alright' he said in an exasperated voice. 'But only Ron and Hermione. Don't let anyone else know about the truth.'
Harry nodded again and was then escorted back to Gryffindor Tower by Hagrid, who left him at the Fat Lady. Harry's mind was buzzing about what he had just heard and he was feeling distraught. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and then proceeded into the common room. He spotted Ron and Hermione sitting in front of the fire and quickly pulled them to a corner table where he explained in a hushed voice about what he had heard. Both Ron and Hermione were horrified.
'I better tell my parents about this, can't be too cautious you know.' Ron said in a frightened voice.
'Ok, but only them, no one else. Hagrid swore me to silence about this and I expect the same from you.' Harry said.
Both of them nodded. It was then that they realized that it was past midnight and that they had to wake up early the next morning and so they headed back up to their dormitories.
Both Harry and Ron changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Soon, the dormitory was filled with snores but both Harry and Ron were still awake.
'You think You Know Who will attack anytime soon, Harry?' said Ron from the bed next to him.
'Call him Voldemort, Ron. Fear of a name leads to fear of the thing itself. Dumbledore told me that. As for your question, I don't know. But I'm praying that we have time to gather up our forces.'
'Yeah, we better get to sleep too. Goodnight, Harry.'
'Nite, Ron.'
Harry closed his eyes and soon drifted off. Things were getting more interesting by the day.
Author's Note: Well, what do you think about this chapter? Do review and tell me what you think and also do tell me about any suggestions that you have. Thanks and Cheers! A happy Thanksgiving to all!!!