Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket

by Red Phoenix Dragon

A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. As they approach the Leaky Cauldron to leave Diagon Alley, Hagrid decides to present Harry with his gold ticket to the Hogwarts Express, while Harry was really expecting to go directly to Hogwarts with Hagrid now. Harry asks a different question. And that changes everything. HHr NLLL T for Characters deaths.

12. Plan B

Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket.

A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid.

Chapter 12: Plan B.

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

Summary: A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. As they approach the Leaky Cauldron to leave Diagon Alley, Hagrid decides to present Harry with his gold ticket to the Hogwarts Express, while Harry was really expecting to go directly to Hogwarts with Hagrid now. Harry asks a different question.

And that changes everything. HHr NLLL T for Characters deaths.

21/11/22 Beta by alix33. Thank you.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Please note that the events of this chapter happen the same day Harry met Hermione in Diagon Alley and Rita Skeeter Beetle is waiting outside the office of the Minister of Magic.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Previously.

It had taken Croaker and Sirius a few days to calm down after the rat's capture and extraction of its memories. Viewing those memories was very emotionally difficult. Discovering the extent of the betrayal of Peter Pettigrew, and all the evil things he had done to so many poor young witches at Hogwarts under the big crooked nose of Albus Dumbledore. Sirius wondered why he never noticed the dark side of the rat. But that paled into insignificance compared to the betrayal of the rat as a Death Eater after they had left Hogwarts. All their friends that they had lost were betrayed by the rat. Even the occasions when James and Lily, and Frank and Alice faced and thrice defied Voldemort had all been set up by the rat. Even leading Bellatrix and co pass the wards and into Longbottom Manor to torture poor Frank and Alice was another betrayal set up by the rat.

The memories of the rat showed that the headmaster knew all along as they could see his smirk as he read the rat's sick mind. The headmaster certainly didn't miss any tricks as far as the rat was concerned, and he forgave the rat each and every time, so that he could give him yet another second chance.

Towards the end, everyone in the headmaster's Order of the Phoenix suspected that there was a traitor in their midst, but now in the rat's memories they could see how the rat used fear and lies to misdirected everyone attention to suspect Remus with him being a werewolf.

And he had fallen for it. If only Sirius had known of the rat's continued betrayals, he never would have suggested the swap of the Secret-Keeper that doomed his brother in all but blood.

Sirius had worked out a lot during those long cold nights in Azkaban as the Dementors helped his Black heritage to come to the front of his mind for him to consider the matter. He had quickly realised that he was in Azkaban because the headmaster wanted him there and away from Harry. Back then he couldn't fault the headmaster after all it was his stupid plan to make Pettigrew the Secret-Keeper that cost the lives of James and Lily. But now he was not so sure and wouldn't put it past the headmaster to be involved right up to the hair on his chinny chin chins, for his Greater Good.

But many times he asked himself why was he still alive? His Black Heritage answer was that his brother Regulus had disappeared a year before Voldemort fell, and that could mean that he was now the Black heir. The headmaster had witnessed his will that made young Harry his heir, and if Sirius had died before Grandfather Lord Arcturus Black, then the Black Family fortune would have gone to Draco Malfoy. Just as Lucius Malfoy had planned and the headmaster couldn't afford for that to happen.

Croaker had informed Sirius of the recent sudden mysterious death of grandfather Arcturus, and that Lucius Malfoy had already taken over the Black seat in the Wizengamot, and moved into the ancient ancestral Home of the Black Family in Wiltshire. Even changed its name to Malfoy Manor. So that meant that Lucius Malfoy was a clear and present danger to Harry and himself as they stood between Malfoy and the Black Family fortune.

Sirius got serious as he prepared his mind and they were ready for the next step in their plan of Freedom for Padfoot. And if Slippery Lucius ended up in Azkaban for life, then it would be a very good day.

That morning Harry, Neville and Luna were under the watchful care of Governess Nymphadora Tonks, and Sirius and Croaker snuck out of Longbottom Manor to carry out their reconnaissance of Crouch Manor. They discovered that Barty had turned his modest home into a fortress with stone walls and some very powerful wards that covered the surrounding area up to the property lines. Including an anti-Dark Mark ward that was developed by the Department of Mysteries to keep out Death Eaters and that had been set up around very important Ministry Officials during the Blood War. Except at Fortress Crouch, the anti-Dark Mark ward had been set up reversed to keep someone with a Dark Mark trapped inside. They realised the strength of the Fortress Crouch, and that Fudge and Malfoy wouldn't be able to just bash the front door down, and capture, er, arrest Barty. As they would need a body to present to the Wizengamot and the sheeple, so Malfoy couldn't follow the standard operation mode of the cowardly Death Eaters by sealing the building and burning it to the ground with the victims trapped inside burnt to ash. And casting the Killing Curse or Imperius Curse on Barty wasn't an option either if you couldn't get to him.

So Croaker and Sirius figured that it would take time to breach the defenses of Fortress Crouch and arrest Barty. Time the Aurors would need to arrive and capture all of them red-handed.

Croaker cast a special DoM version of the Homenum Revelio charm to reveal two wizards inside. Barty Crouch senior and Barty Crouch junior. Just as Severus had said there would father and son. Sirius told Croaker how he remembered the day when Barty and his very ill wife had come to visit junior just before junior supposedly died suddenly. And now he quickly worked out who really had died cold and alone in Azkaban ten years ago. The Homenum Revelio charm had also revealed that the younger was suffering the terrible affects of the Dark Mark plague and was very very weak, and his anger and rage just made it worse. They decided to advance their plan and take the rat to Madam Bones that very afternoon. (This was the same afternoon that Harry met Hermione in Diagon Alley.)

Croaker took Sirius and the rat back to his home and then used his private direct Floo connection to travel directly to his office in the Department of Mysteries, and avoid all of the lax security of the Ministry of Magic.

The first thing Croaker did in his office was to scan for any spying hexes. He was happy when he found none. Then he opens a secret drawer in his desk, and pulled out a folded blank sheet parchment, and lightly touched it with his wand as he said.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Sirius snorted when he heard the words as at once, the parchment unfolded itself as thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that Croaker's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment, then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

THE MARAUDER'S MAP OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC.

It was a map showing every detail of the Ministry of Magic, every level and the surrounding area of London. But the truly remarkable things were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing.

Astounded, Sirius considered it very closely. A labeled dot in the center showed that the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was in his office, with Madam Umbridge in the next office. Madam Bones was in her office in the DMLE and the unknown Death Eater Auror Corban Yaxley sitting at his desk in the Auror Squad room.

Sirius turned to Croaker and choked. "Did?"

"Yes, Lily made it for us to keep us safe. We were losing too many juniors in the maze that is the Department of Mysteries. It was the last project she did before Dumbledore forced her into hiding and we lost her." Croaker sadly said. "It is a brilliant piece of magic. Her next project was to set up wards protecting the Veil in the Death Chamber to prevent arrogant idiot neophytes from accidentally touching the Veil and being sucked through."

Sirius nodded. "That would be a great idea."

"Yes, it would. And would save a mountain of parchment-work. Well, Sirius, everyone is in their right place. We better get on and do this." Croaker asked. "Are you ready Sirius?"

"Oh, sweet Merlin yes! For James and Lily and Harry!"

Croaker with Sirius disguised as Unspeakables, took the unstunned rat in an unbreakable cage to the DMLE office, and followed Severus' very Slytherin plan to topple and neuter Fudge and Barty Crouch. Two Unspeakables appearing in the office of the DMLE drew everyone's attention, and the wards over her department that Madam Bones controlled, warned her that there was a very important Unspeakable in the DMLE. They smirked as they spotted Yaxley walk to the water cooler outside Madam Bones' Office.

Sirius fist pumped as their target came closer as they surreptitiously let the unknown Death Eater Auror Corban Yaxley see the rat in the unbreakable cage.

The rat squeaked when he saw Yaxley and tried to hide in the far corner of the cage.

Sirius spoke In a loud whisper. "You will be soon squeaking all your secrets, Pettigrew, secrets of you and all your little Death Eater buddies. Especially Malfoy!"

Croaker watched the unknown Death Eater react while he moved his wand that was hidden under his Unspeakable robe, and pointed it at Yaxley and cast numerous tracking and listening charms and hexes on his clothes, hat and shoes.

Yaxley picked up some parchment to make himself look busy as he tried to overhear more information from the two Unspeakables. His ears were ready burning at the mention of the words; Pettigrew, Death Eater and Malfoy. He moved closer to overhear them speak to the witch on reception.

Croaker asked. "Is Madam Bones available? We need to see her immediately."

The witch replied. "Madam Bones is very busy."

"Madam Bones is always very busy. Please tell her that the late Peter Pettigrew has been found alive, and there might be a problem with the 'conviction' of Sirius Black by Barty Crouch."

Hearing the magic words, 'Sirius Black', Madam Bones opened her office door and signaled for the black robed Unspeakables to enter and closed the door.

Yaxley went back to his desk to ponder what to do.

Croaker and Sirius then stunned the rat, took him out of the unbreakable cage and placed the rat on to the desk of the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and gave Madam Bones the short version of the sad tale of Sirius Black. She used her wand to transform the Animagus back to his disgusting human form. She cursed as she confirmed the rat's identity, and his Dark Mark. She transformed the rat back and locked him the cage. She already knew of the lack of a trial for Sirius Black. She had her assistant check for that when Sirius didn't die with the other Death Eaters in Azkaban. She locked the rat and cage in her secret office safe so she could question him later and immediately sent a Communiqué Patronus to Mad-Eye Moody, and ordered him to come to her immediately, with a code Black! She quickly realised what the arrest of a Death Eater Peter Pettigrew would mean to many important and dangerous Ministry officials and their far more dodgy cunning friends. Not to mention a certain headmaster. With the way the Ministry leaked information, she feared that something big was about to go down.

Croaker and Sirius left her office and noticed that Yaxley had watched them leave as they returned to Croaker's office.

Madam Bones cursed as she saw Yaxley disappear out of the door and decided to send a Communiqué Patronus to gather together all of her most loyal and experience team of Aurors, including Head Investigator Connie Hammer, Anna Daily, Gawain Robards, Proudfoot, and Williamson. Whatever was going down was happening now.

Croaker and Sirius returned to Croaker's office where they used the map of the Ministry to follow Yaxley as he rushed to the Office of the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic.

Sirius cast his Communiqué Patronus in the shape of a big silver Grimm and sent him to Sev with the message.

'The rat is in the building!'

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Corban Yaxley rushed in the Office of the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and found the Toad evilly cackling away as she was scheming her latest plan to take over the Magical Britain and destroy all the hopes and dreams of Muggle-borns and the other lesser beings unworthy of magic.

"Madam Umbridge. We have a problem."

"Calm down Yaxley. Wherever is the problem?" Madam Umbridge asked sweetly.

"The rat Peter Pettigrew has been found alive."

"Alive? Impossible?" The Toad questioned. "Fudge and I watched him explode. Sirius Black murdered him."

"Black didn't kill him with all those Muggles, Pettigrew is alive! And Bones has him in her office right now."

"Are you sure it is Pettigrew?"

"Yes, he recognised me and I overheard them saying his name, that he is a Death Eater, and Malfoy's secrets, and talking about a problem with Sirius Black's conviction. If Pettigrew talks to Bones all our plans will be ruined and the Death Eaters will be exposed. Worse still, Sirius Black could be free to become Lord Black."

"Oh? We can not allow that to happen." The Toad replied. "I will floo call Lucius."

The Toad hopped over to the fireplace and threw some floo powder into the flames. "Lucius, are you there?"

A few moments later a tired voice came back.

"Madam Umbridge, What can I do for you?" Lucius Malfoy replied through gritted teeth and pain.

"Yaxley has terrible news. Pettigrew has been found alive and has been given to Bones." The Toad answered.

"Bones has the rat?"

"Yes, Yaxley saw him and overheard them talking about Sirius Black."

"Well that is terrible news. Pettigrew would know too many secrets. He must be eliminated immediately. Black too!" Lucius ordered.

"Black will be difficult. He has already disappeared from Azkaban. He was not on the list of the dead Death Eaters. Fudge had me check." The Toad replied.

Then the Toad turned to Yaxley.

"Go and kill Pettigrew, and Black if you find him, and Bones if you need to. Don't get caught or pretend that you are under the Imperius Curse. Go now!" The Toad ordered.

Yaxley turned and rushed out.

"I am coming through." Lucius said and stepped out of the fireplace.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Sirius and Croaker were listening to Yaxley, Umbridge and Malfoy, and Croaker had to grab the back of Sirius' robe to stop him from rushing in to save Madam Bones. Croaker turned his attention to a special familiar looking map of the Ministry and pointed out to a name that just appeared in the office of DMLE.

"It is okay, Sirius, Mad-Eye has arrived and is with Madam Bones, and there are more of her Aurors arriving." Croaker said.

"Mad-Eye never trusted Yaxley." Sirius replied.

They watched the map in silence as Yaxley made his way to the DMLE. He entered the office, cursed under his breath, and immediately turned around and left to run back to the Undersecretary.

"Mad-Eye does have that effect on Death Eaters." Croaker chuckled.

"Mad-Eye has that effect on everyone." Sirius chuckled as they watched Yaxley rush back to the office of the Toad.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Yaxley returned to the Office of the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and found that Lucius had come through the Floo and was talking to Umbridge.

Out of breath, he tried to say. "No good." Puff. "Mad-Eye! DMLE Lockdown!"

"Damn!" Lucius responded.

"Double damn. We still don't know where Black is." The Toad wailed.

Lucius took charge. "We need to quickly get ahead of this and find a scapegoat. There were three people involved in sending Black to Azkaban. Dumbledore, Bagnold and Barty Crouch. Bagnold is dead and Dumbledore is in Hogwarts. So that leaves Crouch. I say that we call the boys together, and go and arrest Barty Crouch!"

"I will have to run this past Fudge to make it official. He got the Minister of Magic gig for his capture of Black. He will want to make sure Barty takes all the blame." The Toad explained.

"I concur." Lucius replied.

As all his friends had an issue with Barty Crouch, Lucius Malfoy used his wand to conjure short invitation letters and gave it to his personal elf, Dobby to deliver. He summons them all to an old-fashion black-hooded robe get-together. The invitations were sent to all remaining Death eaters, including Pius Thicknesse, Fenrir Greyback, Walden Macnair, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Snape and ten others including an old wizened wizard called Baldrick, who was the mastermind of all of their cunningly devised plans. Pius Thicknesse was the first to arrive in the Office of the Undersecretary and was given the job of keeping the fireplace open for the others to Floo in. While Umbridge, Malfoy and Yaxley went to see the Minister.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Croaker and Sirius weren't the only ones interested in what was about to happen in the office of the Minister of Magic as a certain innocuous water beetle with horrible dark marking around its eyes like outlandish glasses, was looking for her next big scoop. She managed to attach herself to the hat of the aforementioned Yaxley and got a free ride into the corrupted inner sanctum of Magical Power and Intrigue.

Then in the office of the Minister of Magic, there was one more interested party that was there listening surreptitiously, a magical portrait of one of the former Headmistresses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Madam Eupraxia Mole by name. She had been the headmistress of Hogwarts for twenty years before Phineas Nigellus Black, and her most favourite student of all time was, you guessed it, Albus Dumbledore. Unfortunately Eupraxia's spy master was currently in a magical coma and couldn't do anything with this vitally important information that threatens all his plans, schemes and manipulations.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was happy to see his favourite benefactor but it was Delores who gave him the bad news.

"Pettigrew has been found alive and has been given to Bones for questioning." The Toad stated.

"Pettigrew is alive?" Fudge said slowly as his mind tried to process the implications.

He was well aware of the difficulties and the threat posed by Sirius Black to his supporters and their generous donations, and their future plans for the Black Family fortune.

The Toad continued. "Yes, Black didn't murder him, and with Black not dying with the other poor Death Eaters in Azkaban we have a problem. The sheeple are asking questions and doubting that Black was ever a Death Eater."

"But we saw Black annihilate him. I will go and order Bones to release Pettigrew immediately. He is after all a recipient of the Order of Merlin and one of Dumbledore's boys!" Fudge decided and started to move towards the door.

"Minister." Slippery Lucius moved to blocked him. "If Pettigrew was one of Dumbledore's boys, why was he hiding? Black was in Azkaban!"

"What do you mean?"

"Black didn't perish with the other Death Eaters, and has since disappeared from Azkaban because he never had a trial and was never convicted." Lucius explained. "If Black was not a Death Eater, then Pettigrew could be, that would make him the true betrayer of the Potters."

"Sweet Merlin, Black could be innocent? But Dumbledore said that Black was the Potter's Secret-Keeper!" Fudge reasoned.

"Were those the exact words Dumbledore used?" Lucius spun his trade. "When has he ever given a straight answer?"

"Well, no?" Fudge tried to think back really hard. "He may have said something to that effect. It was just after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named disappeared and Dumbledore had called an emergency Wizengamot meeting to have them appoint him, Harry Potter's Magical Guardian. But we didn't have a quorum and agreed to appoint Dumbledore as an acting Magical Guardian pending confirmation at the next full Wizengamot."

"And with Dumbledore the Chief Warlock, that confirmation never came up again. Did it?"

"Well? No, it didn't!" Fudge still thinking, and then he remembered. "Sweet Merlin! Sirius Black was and still is Harry Potter's Godfather. He could never be a Death Eater! Black was innocent!"

Lucius smirked as he watched the gears turn in the Minister's brain. "And so Pettigrew was hiding because?"

"Sweet Merlin. Pettigrew was hiding from Dumbledore? But Dumbledore pushed for Pettigrew to be given the Order of Merlin!" Fudge reasoned.

"On your witness that Black had killed him. The Order of Merlin was a clever subterfuge to flush the rat out, and then how will you look?" Slippery applied his craft.

"Like a complete imbecile and I would lose my Minister gig." Fudge realised as he stamped his foot. "Curse that Manipulative Old Fool!"

Lucius continued. "Dumbledore is up to something. I don't know what, but both Black and Pettigrew are a bigger threat to you as Minister, and to us, as your generous supporters."

"You want me to have them eliminated?" Fudge feared.

"Oh, no, no, no, my dear Minister." Slippery said and then whispered. "We already tried that but Bones was too quick."

"What?"

"I mean that I never trusted Pettigrew. Even at Hogwarts. He was too ratlike. It would not look good for you to be associated with Pettigrew. We need them both ignored or silenced or disappeared like yesterday's news. And if Pettigrew proves to be a Death Eater, I am certain Bones won't let him go without a fight, and she already has Mad-Eye with her. And the DMLE has gone into lockdown."

"Pettigrew a Death Eater? Black is innocent? Mad-Eye Moody and DMLE lockdown? This is bad, very bad!" Fudge lamented as he asked the obvious question. "What can we do?"

"Time is of the essence now as Bones already has Mad-Eye with her." Lucius prepared his melodic theme. "We need to go to Plan B, and quickly get ahead of this. We need to find a scapegoat. A big scapegoat. There were three people involved in sending Black directly to Azkaban. Dumbledore, Bagnold and Barty Crouch. Bagnold is dead and Dumbledore is in Hogwarts. So that leaves Crouch. I have called the boys together and say we go and arrest Barty Crouch before Bones does, and make him our scapegoat!"

"Never did like Crouch." Fudge smiled. "A big dramatic arrest of a corrupt former DMLE director will take the wind out of Bones' sails and show that the Ministry is doing something. Then we can spin and control the narrative before Bones can do anything. Pettigrew and Black will be yesterday's news."

Lucius smirked. "And next week we can go and arrest the last corrupt official, Dumbledore himself, and make Hogwarts safe for the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Yes, of course! We must make Hogwarts safe for the Boy-Who-Lived!" Fudge could see his approval rating go thru the roof.

"Let's do this!"

The Minister led them back to the Office of the Undersecretary.

Lucius Malfoy smirked; it felt good to be doing something to distract himself. The increasing drain on his life force through his dark mark had already been driving him half mad. And he wanted to make sure that Crouch was a dead scapegoat, terminated with extreme prejudice, for all the trouble and expenses he had caused him and his friends ten years ago. While Fudge wanted to be there to see Crouch arrested like he had arrested Sirius Black and be the hero again. Umbridge wanted to be there because she enjoyed the pain and suffering of others. But Barty was special. He knew her darkest secret and the shame of her ignominious heritage, so any opportunity to silence and put him down painfully was a great idea for her greater good.

While a certain water beetle was reeling at what she had just heard. Pettigrew has been found alive, and a Death Eater. Black was innocent after ten years of rotting in Azkaban, and Fudge wanted them both gone. The DMLE going on the warpath with Mad-Eye Moody leading the charge. And Dumbledore's long sticky fingers were over everything. She had hit the mother lode of all scoops. And there was more, now they were going after Barty Crouch. She attached herself to Yaxley's robe to make sure she didn't miss anything.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Meanwhile, in a storage room in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle, Severus Snape was checking his inventory and stock of ingredients when a huge silver grim came through the wall and barked at him.

"Woof, woof!"

Severus chuckled. He didn't speak dog but could imagine what Sirius had said. He hoped for Harry's sake, the idiot wouldn't go all Gryffindor and get himself killed.

A little while later a house-elf popped in behind him. Sev recognise the disgustingly dressed personal elf of Lucius Malfoy, Dobby by name, and took the parchment letter as the elf popped away. He quickly read the invitation to an old fashion black hooded robe get together and to come to the Office of the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. He smirked as he knew what that meant, and wandlessly banished the letter. He decided to pass and went to the Great Hall to be seen in the castle.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Minister Fudge entered the Office of the Undersecretary and was happy to find so many of Lucius' friends there including some Aurors like Dawlish whom he had worked with before. Except for Severus Snape. But he always had an excuse to be late and didn't really have the stomach for this. So they wouldn't wait for him.

Lucius sent Umbridge to order Edgecombe to do an emergency unscheduled maintenance shutdown of the Floo connection to the home of Barty Crouch. When Umbridge returned they all touched the Ministry Portkey and left. Ready for trouble with their wands out.

They all plus one water beetle, left the Office of the Undersecretary via a Portkey and landed just outside the walls of Crouch Manor only to find that Barty had been very busy over the last ten years turning his modest home into a prison fortress.

Lucius ordered Yaxley and Dawlish to knock on the door and arrest Crouch.

But Barty Crouch didn't answer the door.

Now, they all felt a little silly wondering what to do next.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

A grieving Barty Crouch had just buried his only son next to his beloved wife. He son had died of the terrible dark mark wasting disease, and he really didn't want to see any visitors. Especially the hostile group that had just tripped all of his alarms for evil-intent. He smiled grimly as he recognised all the Death Eaters who had corrupted his son, and whom Dumbledore had prevented him from sending them all to rot in Azkaban. With so many there he knew this wasn't a friendly house call. They were there to terminate him with extreme prejudice.

So the grieving father and former head of the DMLE wished he could take them all to hell with him. His alarms wards for Evil Intent were still connected to the DMLE, so he didn't have much time before the Aurors would be there.

Only the water beetle without the Dark Mark would be able to depart from the wards that surrounded Fortress Crouch.

For Barty had set up a reversed anti-Dark Mark ward around his home to prevent his son from straying.

Once trapped inside the anti-Dark Mark ward, there was no escape.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Meanwhile, in the office of the Director of the Department of Mysteries. Croaker and Sirius were listening to the audio of their tracking charms. They had been shocked how quickly everything escalated in the Offices of the Undersecretary, and the Minister of Magic to an all out attack on the home of Barty Crouch.

"Bloody hell, Sirius, if Yaxley had found you, you would so dead."

"And Madam Bones too. Thank Merlin for Mad-Eye."

They watch the map as Yaxley went with the Toad and Malfoy to the Office of the Minister of Magic to get his support. They marvelled how smooth Slippery Lucius was to convince Fudge to agree to Plan B and approve the arrest of Barty Crouch and make him their scapegoat.

Lily's map of the Ministry showed them how many of Malfoy's friends had gathered in the Toad's office to go on the raid. They watch the Toad go to order Edgecombe to do an emergency unscheduled maintenance shutdown of the Floo connection to the home of Barty Crouch and cut off that path of escape. When Umbridge returned they all vanished from the map and Ministry of Magic.

Croaker's tracking charm on Yaxley tracked the Portkey to Crouch Manor and they chuckled as they heard Malfoy's reaction to see the Fortress Barty had built.

Croaker and a surprised Sirius looked at each other as they heard Lucius Malfoy demand that the Aurors go and arrest Crouch.

But Barty didn't come out of his Fortress.

Then they heard Malfoy, Fudge and Umbridge loudly argue what to do next. What was said became cleared as Yaxley returned.

"Crouch didn't come out, Boss." Yaxley reported.

"I can see that you moron. Damn! We don't have time for this!" Malfoy cursed.

An old wizened wizard called Baldrick came up with a strange suggestion. "My Lord, I have come up with a cunningly devised plan."

"Well, what is it Baldrick?"

"Well, to get Old Barty to come to us we need to use the right bait."

"We are not fishing here!"

"No, but there is one thing that will bring Old Barty out that he can not resist."

"Go on."

"Well, Old Barty really hates Death Eaters, and he will do anything to catch one." The old wizard replied.

"You can't be serious!" Fudge wailed.

"We only need to "pretend" to be Death Eaters and Old Barty can't resist to try and catch one." Baldrick explained with a wink to Lucius.

"You know, that might work." Lucius replied.

"You can't be serious!" Fudge wailed.

"There is no one here to see us, and we are running out of time, Cornelius." Slippery Lucius reasoned. "And if Barty started talking about being arrested by "Death Eaters", (with air quotes), well, everyone will think he had gone batty and insane."

"That might work, Cornelius." The Toad agreed. "Barty really hates Death Eaters after what happened to his only son."

"Well, if you think it would the best plan." Fudge capitulated.

"Right boys, we are going to pretend that we are Death Eaters to attract Crouch's attention, and entice him to come out of his fortress to play. Then we stun him! Only, stun him, Boys!" Lucius ordered with a wink wink.

"Alright, Boss!" The Boys replied with a wink wink.

With a sneer, they waved their wands at their heads and cheerfully chanted.

"MORSMORDRE!"

Their clothes transformed into the feared black hooded Death Eater robes complete with white bone masks.

Fudge was surprised that they knew the correct charm to use and he took a step back and gasped at how creepy they all looked in Death Eater robes.

Even the Toad sounded blithesome as she cheerfully chanted, "MORSMORDRE!"

And changed into her Death Eater robe, but you could easily tell which one she was as she was the short and dumpy one in pink.

In the office in the Department of Mysteries, Croaker and Sirius couldn't believe what they just heard over their listening charms on Yaxley. They heard the old wizened wizard Baldrick make a strange suggestion for some to dress up and pretend to be Death Eaters to entice Crouch to come out of his fortress. They heard Slippery Malfoy convince the Minister to the merits of that insane cunningly devised plan, as there was no one to see them and they were running out of time. Surprisingly a befuddled Fudge agreed to it.

Sirius checked the map and found that the DMLE was on lockdown and high alert as more Aurors gather together with Mad-Eye, and preparing to answer the alarms from Crouch Manor of an attack of doers of evil-intent. It wouldn't be long now before Mad-Eye come charging in.

Back outside Fortress Crouch, Lucius stood tall in his favourite Death Eater robes and watched his friends about to enjoy themselves.

"Okay Boys, Reductos on three to let Barty know we are out here." Slippery Lucius ordered. "Knock, knock, Barty! One. Two. Three!"

"REDUCTO!" They all chanted.

The curses lit up the overcast afternoon, but as they were so weakened by the Dark Mark plague, that their curses had little effect on the hard stone walls of the fortress.

But the short and dumpy Death Eater in pink was hopping around evilly cackling with glee.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Back in the Department of Mysteries.

Then a moment later Croaker and Sirius heard the Reductos Curse being cast, followed by an evil witch cackling with glee that sent a shiver down Sirius' spine as the cackling sounded so much his dead cousin Bella. Then what sounded like a loud flash, immediately followed by a Killing Curse being cast, and then a very loud roar like the roar of a blast furnace before all of their tracking and listening charms went dead.

Sirius wondered. "What in Merlin's Name had just happened? The plan was for the Ministry Sensors to detect the evil intent, Dark Marks, dark magic and forbidden curses being cast at the home of the former Head of the DMLE, and for the Aurors and Hit Wizards to come charging in with Mad-Eye Moody in the lead for one Great Last Hurrah."

"Yeah, that was the plan with the Aurors there to capture and arrest the surviving Death Eaters." Croaker agreed. "I don't know what that flash sound was, but I recognise that voice. That was Lucius Malfoy that cast the Killing Curse."

"I concur, but at who and what was that roar?"

"The only curse that could sound like that for that long is Fiendfyre." Croaker reasoned. "But the Death Eaters would need at least a body to show that they had captured Barty. That was the problem Dumbledore had with Voldemort's take down. He didn't have a body to show."

"If not the Death Eaters, then who cast the Fiendfyre?" Sirius questioned. "Could Barty?"

"Barty would have known it was all over when the Minister arrived. They would find his son and discover that he had broken him out of Azkaban and controlled him with the Imperius Curse for ten years. His son would get the Veil for escaping, while Barty would be sent to Azkaban for ever." Croaker explained. "And he does have a vicious streak that only his beautiful wife could control. And it was Bellatrix that cast that dark curse that slowly killed his sweet beloved wife."

"Bloody hell."

"Think about it. What would you give for the chance to send all of your hated enemies to Hell?"

"Sweet Merlin!"

"It looks like Barty Crouch had other plans and spectacularly resolved that little problem with one Great Last Hurrah of his own."

"Should we go check?"

"No, Moody and the Aurors will be there soon and they will likely request a team of Unspeakables to check for anything nasty left behind." Croaker explained.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Meanwhile.

In the DMLE, Retired Senior Master Auror Alastor Moody aka Mad-Eye to his friends and enemies, was in his moment and was enjoying assembling his troops.

"And remember, Constant Vigilance!"

"Damn!"

They heard from the Alarm Monitoring Room.

Senior Auror Gawain Robards came out of the AMR and rushed to Moody.

"Mad-Eye, bad news. We have detected the presence of about twenty hostiles of evil-intent outside the home of Barty Crouch, and situation has gone critical. We have detected: The "Morsmordre Curse, The Reductos Curse, The Killing Curse, The Fiendfyre Curse and a second Killing Curse."

"Damn!" Mad-Eye cursed. "The Morsmordre Curse is the Death Eater Curse. They have gone old school! We need to go now!"

Madam Bones spoke. "Constant Vigilance, Alastor. No one wants to Portkey into the middle of a Fiendfyre firestorm. Adjust the Portkey to land two hundred feet away from the Fiendfyre."

"Constant Vigilance." Moody replied as he made the adjustment.

Robards continued. "Madam Bones, the floo connection to Crouch Manor is shut down."

"Not blocked from Barty's end?" Madam Bones checked.

"No, shut down from the Ministry." Robards replied.

"Damn! Go to Magical Transport and arrest whoever did that and throw them in the holding cells. We will deal with them later." Madam Bones ordered, and turned to Mad-Eye. "Alastor. Take your team and secure the area. This is one of our own. Neutralize any hostiles with extreme prejudice. We will follow on the all clear signal."

Mad-Eye nodded and grinned as he turned to his team. "You heard the nice lady. Let's go, wands out and be ready to rumble! Constant Vigilance!"

"Constant Vigilance!" They said as they touched the Portkey rope and disappeared.

Madam Bones smirked when she saw Robards return with the terrible duo, Etta Edgecombe and Mafalda Hopkirk, and made them do the perp walk with magic suppression handcuffs to the holding cells. Robards handed her the order for the emergency maintenance shutdown of the Floo connection to Crouch Manor, signed by Delores Umbridge. The Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, herself.

"Gotcha!"

Madam Bones filled out a parchment plane with a request from the Department of Mysteries for assistance to check for any nasties left behind at Crouch Manor, and sent it to Croaker.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Moments later a parchment plane flew into Croaker's office with the request for assistance. He quickly assembled a team of himself and Sirius with three other Unspeakables, and left for the DMLE.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Madam Bones wasn't surprised how quickly Croaker responded as five Unspeakables trooped into the DMLE.

They didn't have to wait long before they received the all clear signal and the second team touched the rope Portkey and left.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

While a certain mistreated house-elf called Dobby, suddenly found himself free upon the unexpected death of his bad master, and went to comfort his friend, Winky, for she had lost her family and took her to stay with her grandmother elf, Princess.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

If you, my dear reader, are wondering what on earth had just gone down at Fortress Crouch. I am so sorry but you will have to read all about it in tomorrow's Daily Prophet, where the shocked witch behind the water beetle will tell the whole earth shattering tale.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Thank you for reading.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

AN: I suppose this would be a reversed Cliffhanger with pike. You know the sort of result but are no wiser to whatever happened. My Muse is channeling her inner Dumbledore.

So, what did you think has happened at Fortress Crouch? Leave a review with your best guess?