As the year progressed, Eric pursued his classes with renewed vigor. The fact that everything he had learned and was studying now has a reason gave him an intensity that he had never known before. Along with this was a sense that things had finally begun to settle into a sense of order. The snidgets were getting along fine and had, in fact, laid a small clutch of three eggs. The grades on his papers were mostly O's and E's, with Snape offering his lowest grade ('A'). The Peals sent word that their coffee shop was doing well, and Eric's owls were pleasantly occupied carrying correspondence between him and the Romuls.
As he set plans for the coming months, he felt a certain relief that he could. Now that he knew what to expect from Professor Frugilagus, he established a schedule that would allow him enough time to work properly on his essays. He considered his topic for potions extremely carefully, wanting nothing more desperately than to force Professor Snape to give him at least an 'E'. Deciding on a complete dissertation of how the parts of a Norwegian Ridgeback can be used in potion making, he set to his studies with vigor.
His afternoons, however, were given to more social efforts. He had missed spending time with Dorian, Neville, and the rest of his friends. The discussion sessions they had last year had fell apart over the summer, and the Tri-Wizard Tournament brought in too many distractions, between the event itself and the formation of the Interhouse Irregulars. While it was true that the quidditch practices gave them an opportunity to get together again, it still wasn't as much as the year before, and Dorian was getting bummed over it.
To make up to his friend, Eric made a point of setting up dueling practices. Dorian enjoyed them immensely, for although he didn't study the Dark Arts directly, he had a gift for jinxes and hexes that was unmatched. Eric found it difficult to match his friend, but Sheena's teaching helped. Naomi and Tylena participated regularly, mixing practice days and library study, seeking to develop new techniques. Neville also improved, but only slightly. As much as Eric wished that he could help Longbottom, he knew in his heart that Neville's problems were his own to sort out. Until he gained the drive necessary to excel, his inner talent would remain what it had always been: more of a stumbling block than a benefit.
Finally, when his circle of friends weren't busy trying to sharpen themselves against each other, they watched the tournament with a moderate amount of interest. They also made several visits to Hogsmeade for materials, breaks, and the chance to mingle with the locals. The village, at the moment, had swollen to twice it's normal size to hold all the observers, reporters, and migrants who had come to get first news of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
The advantage to this was the large amount of rumors that were milling about. The three of them took turns listening in at the Hogs Head for new information. Through months of gathering intelligence they learned that the Death Eaters were nervous, many of them fearing the return of their old master. Word of the Draconians was far less pervasive, except to say that they were gathering in secret to prepare for a coming conflict.
More than once the group caught sight of Saurus Canun. However, he never made an offensive move towards anyone, and would do little more than wink at Eric. Since the Ministry never learned about the Draconian Order or it's plans, it would have been pointless to accuse Saurus of anything. He was as free a citizen as anyone.
With all of this happening, it wasn't surprising that the months passed quickly. Soon it would be time for the final task of the Tournament. A final feast after that, then they could all go home to rest. However, the day before the task, Professor Frugilagus called his students together.
"All year you've been training for conflict. We now have a unique opportunity to use these talents." He paced the room. "Saurus Canun has been in Hogsmeade for the entire Tri-Wizard Tournament. I've been watching him carefully, for I believe that he has some nefarious purpose in mind. I don't know what it could be, but I am sure he intends to use the tournament as cover.
"However, Professor Dumbledore has also asked me to assist in guarding the Hogwarts grounds while the tournament is taking place. He seems certain that Voldemort or the Death Eaters will try to interfere with the final task, resulting in Harry Potter's injury or death. Now, I can't deal with Saurus and guard the Hogwarts grounds at the same time, so I'm leaving the second task to you. Divide up your talents as best you can and watch over the school while I confront Saurus."
Examining their resources, it was decided that Sheena would watch the main gate, and be their agent on the ground. Eric and Naomi would take brooms and patrol the school borders from overhead. Naomi would use the crystalline spell to reduce her chances of being seen. Eric, on the other hand, would depend on his broom's speed and agility to help him find discreet places quickly.
The time came for the tasks, and the three of them took to their jobs. As the time passed, Eric began to feel that the Professor and the Headmaster were mistaken. In order to get into Hogwarts, it would take at least half a dozen wizards. Any such gathering would be easy to spot, and a quick call would bring enough attention to stop any attackers.
It was this conclusion that caused him to relax his concentration. As such, he didn't see where the hex came from. However, he did feel it as it struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him off his broom and onto the ground. As he lay there stunned and confused, three cloaked and shrouded wizards gathered around him. "Are you sure he's the one?"
One drew out a stone; rose quartz, by the look of it. The wizard passed it in front of him, examining it closely as an inky-silver substance seemed to grow from within, ultimately giving the stone the shiny-black appearance of hematite. A feminine voice rose from within the cloak's hood. "He's the one. His bloodline is as dark as any I've seen."
A stronger male voice responded. "Excellent. The master will be pleased that we finally have the Dark Lord's spawn." Eric's limbs screamed in pain as they gathered him up in a gray blanket. "We'll cut over onto the main road after the bend. The Slytherin she-devil will never see us."
Eric tried everything he could to move again. Within a few minutes, he could feel his fingers and toes clench, but little more, for he could tell it was belted up.. He could see little from inside the blanket he was wrapped in, but once in a while a small flash of gold would zip into view, only to shoot away again. This happened four times before he was sure that it was one of the snidgets he was seeing.
He hoped that this meant something, but he couldn't imagine what. Time still passed and he was still stuck in his bindings, until there was a bright yellow flash. The wizard carrying him screamed, and Eric felt himself falling, ultimately landing on a twitching body. The sound of flying brooms and exchanged spells filled the air, then stopped. Eric felt himself being tumbled about before the belts were loosened and the cloth drawn away, revealing Naomi's unusually worried face. She locked him in a fierce embrace for several seconds before Sheena finally spoke. "Hey, hey! He's alright. Let's get these morons bound up before they wake up."
Looking about, he saw that his three co-workers were joined by Dorian and Tylena. He looked to Naomi as he pointed his thumb at them. Her reply was simple but honest. "We wanted to at least outnumber them."
Eric backed up to a tree, as his legs were still weak. "How did you know I was in trouble?"
Naomi looked about, then pointed to a small cluster of golden objects, currently zipping through the branches. "Them. You did know that snidget eyes have clairvoyant powers, right?"
Eric rubbed his head slightly. "I may have run across something about that."
She sighed. "Why do you think they were so valuable? Anything they see can be viewed by someone looking into them. They saw where you were shot down, and they kept following you, taking turns to make sure they didn't ultimately lose sight of you. That gave us enough time to get help."
As his captors started to wake, Sheena turned to them. "Ok, you scumballs – what's the big idea?"
One of the figures hissed at them. "As if you have any authority to question us."
Sheena stared back, grinning menacingly. "You've got us confused with the Ministry. As far as I'm concerned, abducting one of my friends gives me all the reason I need to tear your fingers off one at a time. The beauty is that once I'm finished, I get to dump your bodies into the Forbidden Forest. You'll be bones long before anybody's the wiser."
The voiced grumbled. "You have a point." At this, a loud cracking sound was heard, followed by the hissing of gas. Everyone jumped back from the prisoners as a purple cloud billowed from their cloaks, covering them all. Strangely, it didn't dissipate in the wind, swirling around the figures for several minutes before finally settling.
Sheena tore back the hood and mask of one prisoner. Blank, unfocused eyes stared back at her. "Aww nuts! Amneserum – and a powerful dose at that. We might as well give these guys to Professor Sprout."
She turned to Dorian. "Get a wagon, wheelbarrow or something. I'm not carrying these meatsacks back to the school."
Once they returned to the school, the group of them migrated to the dungeon rooms. Eric rested, frustrated yet again to find him languishing in a cot while his friends hovered around him. At least this time it was in the Erised Room, rather than the hospital wing. This kept the number of worried faces to a minimum.
Professor Frugilagus had returned and was informed of the days goings on. He, in turn, filled the group of students gathered in on the extremely unsettling developments that had come from the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Cedric Diggory was dead, Mad-Eye Moody was really an infiltrating Death Eater, Voldemort was restored, and the Ministry was in denial.
Eric turned to the Professor. "I don't understand, sir – why won't the Ministry accept the possibility that, well, he's back?"
"There are a few possibilities, but I'd like to think that the reason is the least malevolent of them. Put simply, Cornelius Fudge doesn't want his neat little world to be upset with another wizard war. They were not able to deal with Voldemort effectively the first time, and there's no reason to expect any better from them now. In order to deal with such a threat, Fudge would have allow a more effective leader than himself to rise to the occasion. Fearing what that would mean to his career, he'd rather deny the whole thing."
Corvin then turned his attention to Dorian and Tylena. "Now, here we have a special problem. You two now know our secret. Whatever shall we do with you?" They looked at each other anxiously while the professor paused. "Well, there are many ways to deal with such a matter. My favorite, if you are so inclined, is to make you as culpable as we are."
He drew himself up grandly. "Dorian Moon and Tylena Vrye: I am Corvin Frugilagus - Professor of Alternative Studies. A course series you will be entering next year."
The two of them looked at each other with shocked expressions. Finally, Dorian turned back to the Professor. "Thank you, sir!"
"Don't thank me. The knowledge I teach comes with a great deal of responsibility. You may soon regret joining our number, but I can't see a more appropriate way out of this situation." He walked across the room towards the exit. "I will make the arrangements with Professor Dumbledore. Eric will inform you of the materials you will need for the course."