Ch. 14

As the Third Task drew near, Bagman had all the Champions meet him in the Quidditch field. The field was no long and smooth, but now had tiny hedges growing in long, crisscrossing lines. The Third Task looked like it would be a maze.

Bagman explained that they would have to face several different creatures and spells in the maze to make it to the trophy. Cedric and Harry would go first, then Fluer and then Krum.

As they were leaving, Krum turned to Harry.

"Could I haff a vord?"

"Sure," Harry said, slightly surprised.

Krum led him away from the Quidditch field to behind the Beauxbatons carriage. It was obvious that Krum wanted to talk to Harry alone, but Harry would have rather stayed in sight of the castle.

"Vat is between you and Hermy-own-ninny?" Krum asked, glowering.

It took Harry a second to realize he meant Hermione. "Nothing. We're just friends."

"Hermy-own-ninny talks of you often," Krum said.

"Because we're friends. Listen, we've never dated. She's just a friend, not my girlfriend. I have never thought of her like that." Harry said.

"And vat of Sloane?"

"I never think of him like that either."

Krum glowered. "I mean, vat does he think of Hermy-own-ninny."

"I won't lie. Sloane likes Hermione, but she only thinks of him as a friend, almost like a brother." Harry said. "I think he knows this, but he's the kind of guy who'll flirt with her because he knows it makes her feel special. He's done that since we started school here."

Krum looked slightly happier at this. Harry had a feeling that Krum had seen him as the rival and not Sloane and knowing that Harry had no intentions towards Hermione, it made him happy.

"You fly very well. I vos votching you at the first task." Krum said.

"Thanks. I saw you at the World Cup. You were really awesome." Harry said.

Just then, Harry saw a shadow behind the trees in the Forbidden Forest. Having some experience with things from the Forest, Harry grabbed Krum and pulled him around. He pulled his wand out, wary.

"Vot is it?"

A man staggered from the Forest. It took Harry a second to recognize Mr. Crounch. He was no longer the overly neat man who could pass for a CEO of some high stock company. Instead, his hair was wild and his clothes were torn and dirty. His skin was pale and it was very evident that he hadn't bathed in a long time. Crounch was mumbling, talking to the trees.

"Vasn't he a judge?" Krum asked.

Harry cautiously made his way towards Crounch. The man looked like he had lost half of his marbles, and the other half were broken. It reminded him of a Muggle saying that his cousin Roger was fond of repeating. "That man is a French fry short of a happy meal."

When Crounch saw Harry, he began to ask for Dumbledore, wanting to tell him something. Harry tried to listen for the real message among the crazed talk, and his blood ran cold.

"I . . . escaped . . . must warn . . . Dumbledore . . . my fault . . . all my fault . . . my son . . . tell Dumbledore . . . Harry Potter . . . the Dark Lord . . . stronger . . . Harry Potter . . ."

All Harry heard was the Dark Lord and stronger. He turned to Krum, who was hanging back and watching Crounch nervously.

"Stay here with him," Harry said. "I'm going to get Dumbledore. I'll be back in a few minutes with help."

"Hurry, von't you?" Krum called out as Harry sprinted across the lawn towards the castle. He didn't stop until he was in front of the headmaster's office.

"Sherbet Lemon," Harry panted. That had been the last known password to Dumbledore's office. When the gargoyle guard didn't move, Harry groaned. It had changed!

Harry debated about trying every single sweet known to man, or find a teacher to let him in. He turned and started to sprint towards the staffroom when a voice stopped him.

"POTTER!"

Harry turned to see Snape had just emerged from the office. Well, maybe it was his lucky day? Harry turned and ran back to Snape, skidding to a halt in front of the man.

"What are you doing here, Potter?"

"I need to see Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, rubbing his aching side. "It's Mr. Crounch! He's just turned up in the Forbidden Forest and something's wrong. His mind has gone or something."

"What is this rubbish?" Snape asked, his eyes glittering. "What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Crounch! From the Ministry!" Harry said. "Please, Professor, he's ill. I need to get Dumbledore."

Snape stared down at him. A part of him wanted to deny Harry's request, just out of spite. However, he had said please.

"Please, Professor, this is an emergency. I have to speak to Dumbledore." Harry was careful to keep any anger out of his voice. A little respect always went a long way, and right now he needed to get past Snape to Dumbledore.

"Very well, Potter. Since you seem to have finally learned some manners, I'll get the Headmaster." Snape said, smiling unpleasantly. He turned back to the gargoyle, but it had moved and Dumbledore was standing in its place, a mildly curious expression on his face.

"What is going on?"

"Professor! It's Mr. Crounch - he's in the Forbidden Forest and he's not right. He's ill or something. He needs your help."

"Show me the way," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded and took off with Dumbledore trailing behind him. Harry took him towards where he remembered Crounch being, but there was no one there.

"It was around here," Harry said. "I was talking with Victor Krum when we saw him. I left Krum here to watch him while I got you."

"Really?" Dumbledore's voice was sharp. "Did anyone else see him?"

"Not that I'm aware off." Harry said before he lit his wand. It took him and Dumbledore a few seconds to find Krum, unconscious on the ground and Crounch was gone.

Krum revealed that someone had hit him from behind. Karkaroff had to be called because Krum had been attacked. The head of Durmstrang was angry, believing that it was some kind of conspiracy by Hogwarts to sabotage the Triwizard Tournament. He accused Dumbledore of sneaking Harry into the competition and now attacking his champion.

Hagrid and Moody arrived to help search for Crounch. Dumbledore sent the boys away and turned to help with the search. When Harry got back to his Common Room, he told Ron and Hermione what had happened.

Hermione actually tried to reason out how Crounch could have vanished while Ron came up with one wild theory after another. Harry rubbed his scar as he tried to figure out how Krum was attacked and why.

"What did he say about You-Know-Who?" Ron asked tentatively.

"I told you," Harry repeated for what felt like the fifth time. "He said that Voldemort was getting stronger."

"Don't say that name!" Ron hissed.

"Harry, write to Sirius. He wants to know what's going on." Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "I should also send a note to mom."

Harry sent off his letters before breakfast the next day. He got a reply from Sirius almost immediately. His godfather was furious that he had been alone with a student from Durmstrang. Until they knew how Harry's name was put into the Goblet, Sirius wanted Harry to stay with those who would protect him. Apparently, even Sloane was off limits.

Tori's letter, when it came, cautioned him as well. However, she also included the results of the tests run by the New York branch, something that Harry had been looking forward to all year.

They think that the scar and your visions are connected to the Killing Curse. Since no one else has survived, there is no other way to find out for sure. Personally, we don't believe that these visions are just dreams. If you have any more, tell us right away. Your Uncle Clive will be sending down some of his best people this summer to look at your scar.

"Not very comforting." Harry muttered. It didn't really answer any of his questions. He had learned, from Dumbledore his second year, that he had gained some abilities from Voldemort because of the backfire of the Killing Curse. His Parseltongue for starters. What if he was able to see what Voldemort was up to through his scar? And if that was the case, could Voldemort see him?

These fears followed Harry up to his Ancient Runes class. Before class started, he quickly told Sloane about the letter, speaking low and in Italian. Draco and Hermione watched them, wanting to know what was being said. The Mars brothers were being secretive, and neither friend liked the looks of it.

Things were going well in Ancient Runes until Harry's scar started to hurt. He hissed in pain, his hand going automatically up to rub the burning wound. Pictures flashed before his eyes of Voldemort and Wormtail.

"You are in luck, Wormtail," Voldemort's cold voice sounded in Harry's mind. "Your blunder did not ruin my grand plan. He is dead."

"My Lord!" Wormtail gasped, his voice sounding distant, not as clear as Voldemort's voice had been. "I am relieved, My Lord . . . and so sorry."

"However, Wormtail, I think you should be reminded of why I will not accept another blunder from you . . ."

Wormtail screamed as Voldemort placed him under the Cruciatus Curse. The pain in Harry's mind increased and he was barely aware of two hands holding him up, or that he had screamed.

"Harry! Harry!"

He opened his eyes to find that Sloane was holding him. His scar was pulsing with pain, making him feel nauseous. The whole class was watching him, a mixture of fright and curiosity on their faces.

"Mr. Potter, are you all right?" Professor Bomin asked, peering cautiously at Harry.

"I've got a migraine, sir. May I be excused?" Harry asked.

"L'emicrania?" Sloane whispered.

"Mi cicatrice." Harry answered.

"Nuovo! Daniel, andare dal direttore Dumbledore." Sloane whispered. Harry nodded, picking up his book bag.

"What did he say?" Professor Bomin asked.

"He needs to go the hospital wing, sir. Before his migraine makes him nauseous." Sloane said. Professor Bomin waved for Harry to leave.

Harry waited until he was far enough away from his classroom before he ran to Dumbledore. When he got to the stone gargoyle, he realized that he didn't know the new password. With a sigh, he started naming off all the sweets he saw in Honeyduke's. When he got to 'cockroach cluster' the gargoyle moved to reveal the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

Outside of Dumbledore's door, he heard Karkaroff, Bagman and Moody arguing over who had attacked Krum. Harry couldn't believe that they hadn't solved that mystery yet. Crounch had vanished, and no amount of searching had found him. Karkaroff, however, was blaming Madam Maxine since they were near her carriage. Harry thought that Karkaroff was way off since there was no way Madam Maxine could have sneaked up and whacked Krum.

Finally, Moody revealed that Harry was waiting outside. Dumbledore opened the door and told Harry to wait while they went over the grounds another time. Fudge, who was also there, gave him a fatherly smile before he left.

Harry sighed, sitting in the now empty office. He absently petted Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. A little bored, he looked around the office and something glowing a silvery white caught his eye. Walking over, he recognized a Pensieve, a magical bowl used to hold memories. Often the memories are too painful for the person to keep, though some people just make it a habit of dumping memories when they feel as if their brain is too full.

Curious, Harry leaned over the Pensieve, wondering what kind of past Dumbledore was gazing into. When his nose was practically touching the liquid inside the Pensieve, the world seemed to dip and throw him into the memories.

Harry looked around the memory. It was of a courtroom, filled with witches and wizards. He was sitting next to Dumbledore. He decided that it couldn't be from the distant past, since this Dumbledore looked much like the one he was used to.

Suddenly, a door across the courtroom opened and two Dementors brought in Karkaroff. Karkaroff was younger; his hair and goatee black. However, the Dementors caused him to shake and there were shadows under his eyes.

The Dementors sat Karkaroff down on a chair. Once he was seated, chains appeared and snaked around him. He was bound and could not run away.

"Igor Karkaroff," a curt voice sounded. Harry looked over and saw Mr. Crounch. "You have been brought here from Azkaban on the charges of being a Death Eater. However, you have said that you can reveal names of some of your fellow Death Eaters for a shorter sentence. Depending on the information you give us, we may consider your offer."

Karkaroff tried to sit up straighter in the chair. "I have names, sir. I wish to be of use to the Ministry. I wish to help."

"Name your names," Crounch demanded.

"Antonin Dolohov," Karkaroff said. "I saw him torture countless Muggles and non-supports of the Dark Lord."

"And helped him do it, I imagine," a gruff voice sounded next to Dumbledore. Harry leaned over and saw Mad-Eye Moody. He didn't have his magical eye, but his nose was still missing a chunk.

"We already have Dolohov. He was taken shortly after you." Crounch said.

Karkaroff's eyes widened. "Really? I-I am delighted to hear that."

"Any others?"

"Yes! Rosier! Evan Rosier!"

"He is dead. He was caught shortly after you as well and decided to fight instead of surrender."

"And took part of me with him," Moody muttered, pointing to his nose.

Karkaroff looked slightly disappointed. Two of his names were useless. He looked desperate as he searched his mind for more information.

"What about Travers - he helped murder the McKinnons! Mulciber - he specialized in the Imperius Curse, forced countless people to do horrible things! Rookwood, who was a spy for You-Know-Who in the Ministry."

Harry thought that Karkaroff had hit pay dirt with that list of names.

Crounch didn't seem impressed. "Travers and Mulciber we have, however, we will look into Rookwood. If that is all you have, Karkaroff, then it's back to Azkaban with you."

"Wait! I have more!" Karkaroff cried. "Snape! Severus Snape and Tori Mars! Severus supplied the Dark Lord with potions used to interrogate and torture non-supporters and Tori Mars was the Dark Lord's secret lover!"

Harry saw red at the mention of his mother's name. He knew, from listening in at keyholes with Sloane, that at least three people had used Tori's name to buy their freedom. Now he knew one of those three.

"Severus Snape was a once a Death Eater, but he joined our side as a spy before Lord Voldemort's downfall." Dumbledore said. "Tori Mars was never a Death Eater or involved with Lord Voldemort, this I know as fact."

The courtroom dissolved into a mist and then came back into focus. It was a different trail, the air was thick with anxiety. There was no sound beyond a woman crying near Crounch.

This time, when the door opened, the Dementors led in four people and had them chained to the chairs. One was a heavyset man who stared blankly at Crounch; one was a thinner and more nervous-looking man; a woman with thick dark hair and heavily hooded eyes who gave off an air of superiority; and a boy in his late teens with milk-white skin and straw-colored hair.

Crounch stared down at the four present, a look of pure hatred on his face.

"You have been brought here for crimes most heinous -" Crounch started, but the boy interrupted him.

"Father," the boy cried. "Please, Father!"

"-so heinous that we can barely even think of it. This court has rarely ever had the likes of you brought before us, witches and wizards so foul that your mere presence dirties our existence."

Crounch glared down at them. "We have evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of kidnapping Auror Frank Longbottom and using the Cruciatus Curse on him until he was made useless."

"Father, I didn't!" the boy shrieked. "Please, listen to me!"

"You are also accused of kidnapping Frank Longbottom's wife, Alice Longbottom, and holding her under the Cruciatus Curse until her fate was the same as her husband. You stand accused of plotting to bring back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

The boy was screaming for his parents to listen to him, that he was innocent. The witch that had been crying was now sobbing so hard that she was gasping for breath.

"All in favor of life in Azkaban," Crounch said and, in unison, the witches and wizards along the right wall raised their hands. The Dementors surged forward and dragged the four away. The boy screamed as the Dementors took him.

Suddenly, the heavily hooded woman turned to look back at Crounch. "The Dark Lord will rise again, and we will be rewarded. We are his most faithful followers! We will wait!"

The court dissolved with the boy crying for his father. His cries echoed until the next court scene presented itself. This time, the accused was standing, not sitting. It was Tori, and in her arms was baby Sloane.

"Tori Mars, you are accused of being a Death Eater and the Dark Lady of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. How do you plead?" Crounch demanded. The tone of his voice suggested that he already believed her to be guilty.

"Not guilty. I was never a Death Eater or a Dark Lady. I worked with your Ministry to try to capture You-Know-Who." Tori said.

"Tough old girl, she is. Took a big chunk out of me when I dared to touch her son," Moody hissed to Dumbledore, pointing to his magical eye. Harry grinned, cheering on his mother. "Threatened to do worse when I moved too close to the room with her other son."

"Other son?" Dumbledore whispered. "She had no other children when she left England."

"You have been accused by no less then three Death Eaters. How do you explain that?" Crounch hissed.

Tori shrugged and gently bounced Sloane in her arms when he gave a half-hearted attempt at crying. "People who are facing hell will often call out names to save their lives. We had a few cases like that in America. You should read the Muggle case reports on the Salem Witch Trials. Hundreds of innocent people imprisoned and thirteen died all because of spectral evidence given by a few kids who were caught doing things they knew they weren't supposed to do."

"Is that your defense?" Crounch asked, disbelief in his voice. "You're innocent because three Death Eaters happen to use your name to save their own skins!"

"Makes more sense then me being a Death Eater or Dark Lady. I worked towards helping the Light side find him and destroy him. I didn't work for him." Tori seethed. "Or sleep with him."

Harry let his gaze travel around the room. He knew from Tori that Sloane's father was in the courtroom at the time. He saw several familiar faces, including Snape, Mr. Malfoy and Lupin.

"Tori Mars was never involved with Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore said, standing up. "I have already presented my evidence on this matter to you, Mr. Crounch."

"Why did you flee England then?" Crounch demanded.

Tori sighed. "My son, Sloane, was dying. He was born with a hole in his heart, but the spells placed on him at St. Mungo's were growing weaker. I took him to see il dottore from my family. I didn't even know about You-Know-Who's demise until almost a week after I was in America."

"Any proof to that claim?"

"I can call Signor Dottore. You can also view the records of Sloane's birth to see that he had problems with his heart." Tori said. "Now, if you are done accusing me of a crime I didn't do, I have another son at home who needs me!"

"Who is the father of your other son?" Crounch asked.

"None of your damned business!" Tori yelled, surprising Sloane. She lowered her voice as she tried to comfort her son. "If you must know, I wasn't pregnant when I left for America, and I have a second son now. That right there rules out Voldemort!"

"I think, Harry, that we should return to my office."

Harry turned to see another Albus Dumbledore on his left. This one gently pulled him up by his elbow and he exited the Pensieve.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I was a little curious . . . and I guess I fell in." Harry said.

"You know about what a Pensieve is?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded. "My grandfather Richard had one. When he died, it was passed to Hayden. He was in charge of clearing out any memories that he didn't think his father would want future generations to see. Then it was placed in a library where we are planning on leaving other Pensieves of future Heads of the Family."

"Interesting. Now, what did you want to talk to me about before we got lost in my memories?" Dumbledore asked.

"I had a vision about Voldemort. It wasn't really clear, but some part of his plan had gone wrong and was corrected. I think it was that someone that he was keeping alive had escaped and was now dead - or something like that." Harry explained. "It made my scar hurt again."

"Has your scar hurt you at all this year besides that time during summer?"

Harry looked startled and Dumbledore smiled. "You are not Sirius' only corespondent."

"Do you have any idea why my scar hurts me?" Harry asked. "We've tried asking the New York branch of the Mars Family - they're the Curse Callers, people who study curses and their effects - but they didn't know why my scar would act this way."

Dumbledore looked intently at Harry for a moment. "I have a theory. I believe that your scar reacts to Lord Voldemort's emotions and when he is near you. If he is feeling a strong surge of hate, you feel pain."

"That doesn't really explain the visions," Harry muttered.

"That scar connects you to him. You have some of his powers, remember that, Harry."

Harry nodded. It wasn't a comforting thought. "Sir, about the trials I saw . . . How did mom's end?"

Dumbledore gave him a sad smile. "She convinced us that Daniel was nearly two years younger then Sloane, and thus not the son of Voldemort. She won over the witches by having them feel sympathy for her and her children. It wasn't until after she was released did she come up to me and showed me a picture of you. She had you so bespelled that I couldn't find you. We struck a deal that day, and here you are."

Harry smiled. "Here I am. Thank you sir."

He turned to leave when Dumbledore stopped him. "Do not tell anyone what you saw in the Pensieve. Especially about Frank and Alice Longbottom."

Harry nodded. "My lips are sealed."

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L'emicrania - Migraine / Mi cicatrice - My scar / Nuovo! Daniel, andare dal direttore Dumbledore - Again! Daniel, go see the Headmaster Dumbledore