Chapter 4: The Outcasts
Sirius Black sat angrily on a small velvet stool that he had conjured. Something had gone wrong here, and he was determined to find out what. He knew it had to do with Crouch Jr., but the how and why eluded him.
Crouch Jr. was trying very hard to stay out of Sirius' line of sight. He was keeping Dumbledore between himself and Sirius. As well as Madame Maxine and Albrecht Wisner. Dumbledore himself was addressing the Champions, or more specifically, the fourth Champion, Angelina Johnson.
"Did you manipulate the Goblet of Fire in any way?" asked Dumbledore, his face calm.
"No," said Angelina, her face looking a bit pale, "I came down late, there were lots of people present when I put my name in."
"Of course she is lying," said Madame Maxine contemptuously. The other students were looking at Angelina a bit angrily.
"Not necessarily," said Sirius, "It is possible that another student tried to engineer their own entry into the tournament and messed it up."
"Quite so," agreed Dumbledore, "Perhaps Professors Snape and Solaire will shed some light on the matter."
"Still, this is another security incident here at Hogwarts Headmaster," said Sirius, "I'm sorry, but we are going to have to do an investigation."
"Who are you?" demanded Wisner.
"Sirius Black, Chairman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors," said Sirius.
"I am aware of your responsibility Sirius," said Dumbledore. And Sirius knew he understood why Sirius had said that. He was trying to avoid a diplomatic incident. Dumbledore would let Sirius play the cop if it led to the other Headmasters trusting him.
Morgan and Snape both walked into the room. Morgan looked a bit annoyed, while Snape looked… well, like Snape. The glance he shot Sirius was pure venom, but otherwise his expression was unreadable.
"Any news?" asked Dumbledore.
"I thought this would be simple, a confundus charm to confuse the Goblet into picking for a fourth school, then a name added under that school. No such luck," said Morgan, her annoyance becoming even more obvious, "Someone painstakingly reprogrammed the conditions of the Tournament in the Goblet to add a fourth school. A very tricky thing."
"Could you do it in one night?" asked Dumbledore.
"Possibly," said Snape, "You would have to be very sure of yourself to do so though. It would be simpler to modify in stages, but the possibility can't be dismissed."
"We did discover one thing," said Morgan, looking at Sirius worriedly, "This was the only name that was enrolled in the fourth school."
She held out a piece of paper that read "Harriet Potter."
"I don't believe it," said Angelina immediately.
Sirius wasn't paying attention though. He had begun to advance on Crouch Jr., and only stopped when Morgan put a hand on the center of his chest to restrain him.
"You did this," snarled Sirius at Crouch.
"You are just distracting from the truth," retorted Crouch, "Your goddaughter caused this."
"Could the famous Harriet Potter have done this?" asked Wisner, "She is a fourth year student. Is she capable of it?"
"Harriet could have forced the Goblet to put forth her name, if she so desired," said Snape, causing Sirius to start to growl, "But it is not possible for her to have done this."
"What do you mean?" demanded Madame Maxine, "If she could force the Goblet to put forth her name she must be a suspect!"
"Harriet is a sorceress," said Morgan, almost reluctantly, "She is very powerful, with an exceptional will. If she had used her sorcery to command the Goblet to put forth her name, it would have done so. But that is not what happened. Someone used advanced Arithmancy, including some very tricky calculus, to modify the magic of the Goblet. Harriet is a moderately skilled fourth year arithmancer. She lacks the skill to do this. And as for her sorcery, she can imitate spells she is familiar with, and unleash large torrents of power. But she couldn't manipulate so finite a spell with sorcery without obliterating it. She just lacks the control."
"Someone else was trying to enter Harriet into the tournament," said Snape.
"To kill her?" asked Sirius.
"The Tournament wouldn't kill Harriet," insisted Morgan, "There might be tasks she couldn't complete properly, but she would be able to survive anything that was thrown at her. And I fear the person who tried to enter her knows this. No, there is another plan at work here, but what it is, I have no clue."
"So… why did my name come out instead of Harriet's?" asked Angelina.
"Very simple," said Snape, "The person who set this up made a mistake."
"A huge fuckup more like," said Morgan, who failed to hide her eyes focusing on Crouch Jr., "Instead of the Goblet being set to only select from the list for the fourth school, it excluded that school. Angelina was picked because she was the second best option from all the schools put together."
"There was some other magic balancing the scales towards you as well," added Snape, "We couldn't quite figure it out."
"It was some form of intent based magic," said Morgan, "It wasn't recognizable. But it did act as a tiebreaker for you."
"Well, fun," said Angelina. Sirius suddenly felt bad for the girl. Cedric and Krum still looked angry, though Fleur's expression had grown sympathetic.
"Can't I just withdraw?" asked Angelina.
"No," said Crouch Jr. wearily, "The Goblet is a binding magical contract. You must compete."
Sirius felt anger taking him again. "One way or another, this is your doing Crouch," he roared, "I will be taking action against you."
Crouch sneered. "What can you do?" he said tauntingly.
Sirius actually smiled back at him. "Oh, I can do a lot," said Sirius, his face suddenly vicious.
Crouch's face fell as he realised that Sirius was serious.
XXXXX
Morgana made her way back to her living quarters, but was accosted along the way.
"What did you do?" snarled Crouch Jr. angrily, but quietly.
Morgana looked around swiftly. No one was there. Still… "Have you completely lost your mind?" she demanded, "I am undercover!"
"What did you do?" insisted Crouch.
"I put in the name, and I did it correctly as Snape will confirm," said Morgan irrittatedly, "Harriet's name was in the fourth school. It isn't my fault that you screwed up the spell."
"I didn't! I know I didn't," refuted Crouch.
"You did," said Morgana, now feeling a bit guilty, "Don't worry, I will pull your bacon from the fire. Tell your master that I know how to handle this. Tell him that my plan will give him what he wants and almost as easily as the first plan. You'll have to burn yourself as an undercover agent though."
"I'm already toast," said Crouch angrily.
Suddenly Morgana heard a sound. Footsteps approaching. "Now leave," she said loudly, "And if you follow me again I will do something very, very unpleasant to your spine."
Crouch scowled and fled. As he turned the corner, Dumbledore and Snape came around towards Morgana.
"What did he want?" asked Snape, his face almost as sour as Crouch's.
"I'm not entirely sure," lied Morgana, "I think he might have heard some rumours about me. Voldemort may know my true identity, which is… disconcerting."
"How would he have learned it?" asked Dumbledore.
"I have told more people than I should have," said Morgana, "Hell, there are at least 4 children in this school who know it. But I was even less careful among some of my childhood friends. I would call it a little known fact as opposed to a secret at this point."
"It was probably inevitable then," said Snape.
"Perhaps," admitted Morgana.
XXXXX
Hermione sighed in relief as she threw her Hogwarts robes on her bed. "What a day," she said, exhausted from all the excitement.
"Tell me about it," said Harriet, who had torn out of her clothes and into her pajamas with a speed Hermione couldn't quite believe. Well, almost…
"You are still wearing your tie," said Hermione, as she began pulling her own tie off.
"Yeah, I noticed," said Harriet, tugging her tie off, "I hate them. If you think about it, ties are really just a symbolic penis."
"And you don't want a penis on you?" joked Lavender.
Parvati punched Lavender in the shoulder, but so lightly that it was more of a caress than a punch. "Be nice," Parvati said firmly, "It is rather tacky."
Lavender laughed. "My kind of tacky!" She said as she leaned back and stretched herself.
Hermione had finished unbuttoning her uniform shirt and now pulled it off. She pulled off her slacks as well, and pulled out her pajamas, when she saw Harriet looking at her oddly. As Hermione turned to look at Harriet it seemed that Harriet was now looking anywhere but at her.
"Something wrong?" asked Hermione.
"Umm, no, I just… sorry, I saw your bra and I didn't remember seeing it before," said Harriet, "I didn't mean to stare."
"Harriet, we've taken a bath together. I don't care if you look at me in my underwear," said Hermione, turning to face Harriet. Parvati threw her hands over her mouth, as if to prevent someone from seeing her expression. Didn't want Harriet to see she was laughing at her probably.
Harriet actually blushed. "That's true," said Harriet, forcing herself to look at Hermione.
"I actually think I haven't worn this bra more than twice before," admitted Hermione as she pulled on her pajama bottoms, "So it isn't brand new, but it is fairly new. I guess you aren't that familiar with my underwear though."
"No," said Harriet with a strange lilt to her voice. Was that regret in her voice? Parvati made a strangled sound as she tried to stifle a laugh. But Hermione didn't think this was funny.
Hermione sat down next to Harriet. "I know you still have body image issues Harriet, but I think your body has been coming in fantastically these last few months."
Harriet was now beet red. "Body issues. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's what this is," she stammered.
"You are going to be beautiful," said Hermione, and she hugged Harriet. Not a shoulder hug, but a full close contact hug.
And it was as she hugged Harriet that she felt the soft fabric of Harriet's pajamas on her skin, and the slight curve of Harriet's breasts underneath her pajamas. Hermione felt a heat enter her cheeks.
Hermione let go of the hug regretfully. "Hot, isn't it," she said before realizing what had happened. She had been turned on by hugging her best friend!
Harriet hadn't missed it. There was a brief incredulous look in Harriet's eyes. Then she shook her head. Hermione breathed an inward sigh of relief. That could have been embarrassing! Hermione had noticed the attractiveness of other women before, but this was the first time she had gotten aroused. Harriet would not appreciate that.
Parvati's eyes were bugging out of her skull. Hermione rolled her eyes as she went over and put on her pajama shirt. Parvati hadn't missed it. She wouldn't say anything though.
A knock came at the door. Fay got up and opened it. Angelina Johnson was standing there.
"Harriet, I need to talk to you," she said urgently.
"Can Hermione come?" said Harriet reflexively. Hermione felt the warm surge come back strong. Dammit, why was this happening now?
"Yeah, of course," said Angelina. Harriet grabbed Hermione by the hand and dragged her along as they followed Angelina into the bathroom. When they got there, Harriet didn't let go of Hermione's hand.
"So, Professor Solaire and Professor Snape investigated the Goblet of Fire and they discovered something," said Angelina nervously.
"It was my name that was supposed to come out," said Harriet. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah," confirmed Angelina, "The caster fucked it up, otherwise it would have been. How did you know?"
Hermione felt Harriet gripping her hand tighter. She gripped back just as hard.
"Barty Crouch Jr. is a very predictable man," said Harriet bitterly, "I'm sorry, this is my fault."
"No it isn't!" shouted Angelina and Hermione at the same time. They both stopped and laughed briefly, and Hermione motioned for Angelina to continue.
"This is Crouch's fault for being an evil git, and no one else's," insisted Angelina, "Unfortunately I can't withdraw. Somehow the Goblet creates a magical contract that I don't have any control over."
"Forced magical contracts were very common until the seventeenth century," said Hermione, "Things like the geas, and artifacts like the Goblet were often used to trick people into becoming bound to another person. They've been banned for a long time though."
"I have heard a geas would control your actions," said Angelina, "I could refuse to compete, but there would be penalties."
"And the Goblet does require a signature," said Harriet.
"It does, doesn't it," agreed Hermione, "Well it seems to have a big security flaw."
"Tell me about it," said Angelina.
"Snape convinced everyone that you didn't put your own name in," said Angelina, "It was strange. As he did it, Professor Solaire seemed annoyed at him. It was a little odd."
"Well, I'm sure she had her reasons," said Harriet, "Barty Crouch Jr. was there, right?"
"Yeah," admitted Angelina.
"That could be why," explained Harriet.
"Maybe, but I sensed it was something more," said Angelina, "Just be careful."
"Thanks for the warning," said Harriet, "But I really can't see Professor Solaire doing anything to hurt me."
That got Hermione's attention. Harriet was well aware there were many reasons she should be wary of Morgan.
As they reentered their dormitory, Hermiome let go of Harriet's hand. "Maybe you should take Angelina's warning about Morgan seriously," Hermione suggested.
"Hasn't she proven herself enough?" asked Harriet.
"She has proven herself," said Hermione grimly, "That's the problem. She gave into The Darkness last year. I just want you to be careful."
"I am careful," said Harriet, "I just don't think there is anything to worry about."
Alarm bells were now going off in Hermione's head. Harriet had always had a good head on her shoulders in regards to Morgan before. She'd always treated her with caution. Something was very, very wrong.
"I care about you Harriet," said Hermione, "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I know," said Harriet, "But you always expect the worst of Morgan."
"You know, maybe I should come along to one of your tutoring specials," said Hermione.
"There's no point to that," said Harriet, "You would just be bored."
And Harriet laid down on her bed, and with a flick of her wand, drew the curtain.
Hermione sat down and drew the curtain on her bed before lying on her side. Harriet was behaving oddly. Something was wrong. But this wasn't enough to take to anyone as proof of anything.
Add that to the fact that Hermione had become aroused from hugging Harriet, and she realized that she wasn't going to get very much sleep tonight. She had a lot of thinking to do.
XXXXX
Angelina was not prepared for the reaction to her being named Champion from the rest of the school.
She supposed it was a foregone conclusion that she would face a certain degree of anger from the Hufflepuffs. They were constantly treated poorly by the other houses, and this should have been their chance to shine. But now the spotlight had been stolen from them by a Gryffindor, and that angered them. The Gryffindors were often seen as glory seeking, and most of the Hufflepuffs saw this as just another Gryffindor stunt.
What hurt the most about this was that Cedric did nothing to tamp down on the rumours. Cedric knew Angelina had not rigged the Goblet, he knew that this had essentially been an assassination attempt against Harriet Potter. Yet for once, this was a chance to have the entire school, or at least most of it, on the side of Hufflepuff. He seemed determined to take it.
Slytherin of course jumped on this opportunity. Angelina had already been treated to jeers from the House of the Snakes as she went down to breakfast. She knew that would get worse. Slytherin would attack a Gryffindor at any opportunity.
Ravenclaw was divided. Many did not know what to think. Others distrusted Gryffindor pride on principle. Still others wondered who would try to add a fourth Champion, if Angelina was not behind it. Only a few supported Angelina outright.
Only in Gryffindor were people supportive. Most of the Gryffindors knew at least a censored version of the true story, though most did not know that it was Harriet Potter that was specifically targeted for the tournament, though more assumed it was her than Angelina was comfortable with. Angelina was trying very hard to keep Harriet's name out of this, even if it meant she was facing a great deal of abuse from her fellow students.
Angelina's closest friends all knew the truth, of course. Fred had actually come fairly close to being supportive even. His awkward offer of a hug that first morning had been as close to a genuine emotional reaction as Angelina had yet seen from him. So despite her desire to play things slowly with him, she had hugged him. And he hadn't even tried to stick something disgusting down the back of her shirt!
Harriet was the big problem. Harriet was utterly opposed to Angelina taking all this suffering on herself. She had only agreed to keep the secret temporarily, and made it clear that if Angelina didn't clear her own name soon, Harriet would. Angelina couldn't blame Harriet. She would feel exactly the same in Harriet's place. But the last thing Harriet needed was the press openly speculating about someone possibly trying to kill her.
Things were going well enough that Angelina could handle them. Until the Slytherins got involved that was.
One day Angelina came down to breakfast finding a massive number of students wearing buttons that said "Support Cedric Diggory, The REAL Hogwarts Champion." That was all well and fine, Angelina could also have gotten behind that. But then the buttons all shifted, and they all said "Johnson Sucks." That was bad enough, but whoever had made the buttons wasn't done. The word Johnson faded in first, followed by the word sucks. But when they switched back, the word sucks faded out first, and the word Johnson stayed up for a suspiciously long time. The implication being, of course, 'Johnson sucks Johnson.'
Harriet was outraged, as were most of the Gryffindors. Angelina saw Harriet glaring at Cedric. But Cedric seemed to be embarrassed by the buttons more than anything else. On the other hand, several of the Slytherins seemed very smug.
Angelina finished her food with as much dignity as she could in a room where people were wearing buttons that were suggesting she was performing sexual acts. She quickly let everyone know her suspicions about the Slytherins. Then she left the Great Hall, with as much dignity as she could.
It was at that moment that McGonagall saw the way the buttons faded in and out. So as she left the Great Hall she was treated to McGonagall beginning to excoriate everyone in the other three houses.
Angelina made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She was upset, not so much by the actual content of the insult sent at her, but by the massive amount of disrespect so many fellow students had just shown her.
"Hey," said a voice. It was Fred Weasley.
"Hey Fred," said Angelina, trying to muster a little confidence.
"Why don't we go somewhere more private?" suggested Fred, "I think you need some space, and I don't think you are looking for pity."
"Where do you suggest?" asked Angelina.
"Well, George and Lee agreed to stay clear of our dormitory," said Fred.
"Boys dormitory?" she asked, "Are you trying to see if those buttons were accurate? Because I have to say, I'm not all that keen on sucking anyone's "Johnson," right now."
"Not even mine?" joked Fred, "But seriously, this is just so no one bothers you for a bit."
"Thanks," said Angelina as Fred led her up to the boys dormitory.
She was glad Fred was treating this so lightly. Their group of friends had always been a little on the risque side of things. They'd played truth or dare a few times, and they'd been more than comfortable with a little nudity and playing around. But that had all been in good fun, and all of them had been in on it. She was glad that Fred was still willing to joke with her about this. It added a sense of normalcy.
"I thought a lot of those people were my friends," she told him as she sat next to him on his bed.
"Well, a lot of times the bulk of people you meet are only fair weather friends," said Fred, "But you know none of the Gryffindors have abandoned you. And not all of the Ravenclaws or even the Hufflepuffs were wearing those buttons."
"Yeah, but the fact that Cedric didn't stop it stung," she said, not looking Fred in the eyes, "I thought better of him."
"Hmmm," said Fred thoughtfully. Suddenly there was a rustling.
"Hey, I'm doing a Cedric impersonation, I think I really caught his face!" said Fred excitedly.
Angelina turned to see Fred had thrown off his robes and dropped his trousers and pants, pointing his bare bum directly at her. He had grabbed each of his cheeks by a different hand.
"I am Cedric Diggory," said Fred and he pulled his bumcheeks apart and together as if they were a talking mouth, "And I have an arse face!"
Angelina laughed and lightly slapped one of Fred's cheeks.
"Oh, you can slap my face harder than that!" goaded Fred.
"By all means, slap him harder, Miss Johnson," said a stern and familiar voice.
Angelina couldn't help herself but laugh as she saw Professor McGonagall. Fred pulled his trousers up quickly.
"Professor! I was…" began Fred.
"Showing Miss Johnson your more intelligent side?" asked McGonagall acidly, "Or your more attractive side?"
"It is a cute bum," said Angelina, her face still smiling.
"It is not my place to argue with you," said McGonagall, "I just wanted to apologize for that shameful display down in the Great Hall. It was inexcusable, and we will do what we can to find out who is responsible for it."
"Thank you," said Angelina gratefully.
"That was all I had to say," said McGonagall, "If you go back to spanking his bare bottom I suggest you use a paddle… and a strength potion."
And McGonagall left.
"For some reason she seemed to enjoy the idea of you being spanked hard," said Angelina, "I think she just wishes Hogwarts had corporal punishment, and it's entirely because of you and George."
"My brother and I are very misunderstood," insisted Fred.
And suddenly Angelina leaned over and kissed Fred. It wasn't the first time they had kissed, but it was the first time that wasn't a dare. She let the kiss go on for a while, then pulled back reluctantly.
"Thanks," she said to him.
"Thanks to you too," he said, in a bit of a daze.
"I'm thinking we get everyone together tonight," said Angelina, "and we all do something inappropriate."
"Like?" asked Fred.
"Well I do have access to the prefect's baths," said Angelina, "And I wouldn't mind seeing your bottom again."
"Whenever you want," said Fred with a flourish.
Angelina smiled, now feeling much better. But she felt like she was forgetting something. Someone she should talk to before things got…
"Shit! Harriet!" she realised, her face turning pale. She didn't even want to think about what trouble Harriet was causing.
XXXXX
Luckily for Angelina, Harriet had decided she would try subtlety over ostentatiousness, for now at least. And only because Angelina didn't want a fuss.
So she went to Astoria Greengrass. Astoria hadn't been wearing a button, nor had Daphne. Nor had Draco for that matter. Harriet felt that Astoria might be amenable to her argument.
"So what is bothering you?" asked Astoria. They were meeting in the dungeons, near the entrance to the kitchens. Harriet wondered why here, but realised that Astoria probably just didn't want to raise suspicions by talking to a Gryffindor.
"What happened to Angelina today…" said Harriet.
"It was pretty tasteless," said Astoria, "There are better ways to get back at Angelina for cheating her way into the tournament."
"Angelina did nothing," said Harriet, "Someone tried to rig it so that I would be entered into the tournament against my will. They screwed up though, and made it so that the Goblet picked the fourth Champion from all the candidates but me. Angelina was simply the most qualified second best out of all the schools."
"What do you expect me to do about this?" asked Astoria.
"I don't care," said Harriet, "Make it stop."
And she looked Astoria straight in the eyes.
Astoria gasped and fell backwards, a look of absolute horror on her face. She was literally quaking with fear as Harriet stared at her.
"I will not let Slytherin house start another petty Inter-house war over some stupid petty bullshit," said Harriet, "I don't care who anyone supports, but what is going on between Cedric and Angelina and me is between Cedric and Angelina and me. Slytherin will mind its own business or I will make it mind its own business."
"I-I-I-I'll tell them," said Astoria.
Harriet turned her head away, not sure what had just happened. "Sorry Astoria, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just really angry about all this."
Astoria regained her composure and stood up. "You teach me how to light my eyes on fire like that, and I will call it even," said Astoria lightly.
"Eyes on fire?" asked Harriet.
"Your eyes turned red Harriet," said Astoria, "I have never seen anything like it."
"I… didn't know what was happening," said Harriet honestly.
"Well, I believe that," said Astoria, "I'll see what I can do."
XXXXX
Draco immediately called the other major purebloods together when he heard Astoria's story. This was a seldom done thing, but it was the only way Draco could hope to force the other Slytherins to listen to Astoria.
Nott was there of course, as well as Pansy and Millicent, who were the representatives of their families. On the other hand Daphne was there to support her sister. The other members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight that had students at Hogwarts had also sent representatives. Representatives of the Burke, Rowle, Selwyn and Travers families were also there, all of them from sixth and seventh year. There were others, but they weren't in Slytherin
"C'mon Astoria," said Burke, "At least Snape had to chew us out for what happened. It was his job. What's your excuse?"
"Typical Greengrass weakness," said Nott condescendingly.
"I tell you, I believe Harriet when she says she can make us stop," said Astoria, "Her eyes turned red."
Draco frowned at that. He dimly remembered something. He remembered a wand pointed at his face, and eyes flecked with red staring at him. Where had he read about this?
Luckily, Daphne did remember.
"Merlin," said Daphne suddenly as she put all the pieces together, "Harriet Potter is a sorceress."
Of course! Draco smacked his forehead. "Harriet doesn't use spells to draw in and focus her power," he said, "According to stories a sorcerer can draw in power and release it with her will. Supposedly when she draws in angry power… her eyes turn… red."
"Draco, you all right?" asked Astoria.
Draco stood trembling, remembering the red flecks from a time Harriet had been angry at him. Harriet hadn't just been angry in first year when she had come after him for hurting Hermione. She had been fighting down an urge to unleash a power against him that could have killed him!
"Sorry, I just realised how close Harriet Potter came to killing me. In first year," said Draco.
"Fuck," said Rowle.
"Maybe we should back off," said Travers.
Nott scowled, but Draco smiled. Whatever was going to happen next, Slytherin was well out of it.
XXXXX
The new status quo did not last even a full day.
The Slytherin retreat from attacking Angelina was so sudden that the Hufflepuffs were taken aback by it. In hindsight, Harriet had to admit that to them, it looked as if the Slytherins had decided a Hufflepuff wasn't worth supporting. Which was dumb, as the Slytherins were still supporting Cedric. It was just that many in Hufflepuff had come to equate attacking Angelina with supporting Cedric.
Not all of course. Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones both seemed to realise that if Slytherin had suddenly decided to stop attacking a Gryffindor, then something big was up. They had come and asked Harriet what was going on first thing that morning. Harriet had simply told them that things weren't as they appeared.
But there were still plenty of rumours going about the Hufflepuff table at breakfast. From Dark Magic to bribery, the rumours about Angelina were constantly being loudly told by many in that house. Harriet nearly snarled each time she heard one.
"Did you hear?" said one girl loudly, who was sitting near to Cedric, "Angelina was shagging Barty Crouch Jr., so he'd rig it so she could enter the contest."
Harriet saw Angelina trying to get her attention, as she had heard it as well. But Fred grabbed her arm and shook his head. Simply put, that was the one accusation that Harriet would not, under any circumstances, let stand.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" screamed Harriet as she leapt to her feet, "Say that again! Say it again so everyone can hear! Aren't you so proud of yourself?"
The girl looked at Harriet in horror and shrank down, trying to hide. Everyone in the Great Hall was staring at her. Harriet was done with her though. She wasn't the real problem.
She stared holes through Cedric. "What about you?" she demanded, "Why don't you tell your housemates the truth? WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE KNOWN SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING!"
Again, Harriet could not see herself. But to the eyes of the Hufflepuffs she appeared much as she had appeared to Astoria before, her eyes burning with literal fire. Cedric quailed at that gaze.
"Angelina did not enter herself," said Cedric, "Someone tried to force Harriet to be chosen, probably as a means of killing her, but they messed up and the Goblet chose from everyone else instead. The Goblet chose Angelina on her merits. All I know is that it wasn't Angelina or Harriet who did it."
Harriet felt the anger suddenly leave her. Her features returned to normal, and a sad look came upon her face. "Why did you not speak up?" she asked quietly.
"Everyone was supporting the Hufflepuffs for once," said Cedric, who was still quite terrified.
Harriet sighed. "I understand. Your house is often treated with a great deal of disrespect. But surely you see that getting that respect at the expense of an innocent woman was wrong?"
"Very wrong," admitted Cedric quickly.
Angelina was suddenly next to Harriet. "Well, then we will say no more about it," said Angelina, putting a hand on Harriet's back. Harriet nodded, and let Angelina guide her back to her seat.
Harriet looked up at the high table, where the teachers sat. And Dumbledore raised his cup to her. And suddenly Harriet's heart was light again, as she released her anger and let herself move on.
XXXXX
That evening, Parvati asked Harriet if she would take a walk with her. Harriet agreed, wondering what this was about. Parvati took them to the battlements a above the greenhouses. She led Harriet a ways down towards the Dark Arts tower.
"I uh, guess this is gonna be a bit awkward no matter what," said Parvati, "So I will just say it. I know you are a lesbian, and that you have a crush on Hermione."
"Uh, oh, okay," said Harriet awkwardly.
"I'm not trying to put you on the spot Harriet," said Parvati, "I just, well, you know I thought it might help if someone told you they knew and understood."
"Luna, Professor Solaire and Angelina have all beaten you to it," admitted Harriet, "Well I told Professor Solaire, but I think she suspected."
"Well Angelina isn't a surprise, given that you also have a crush on her," said Parvati.
Harriet blushed. "I respect her," insisted Harriet, "I just also acknowledge the fact that she is very attractive."
"I know, you only really have feelings for Hermione," agreed Parvati.
Harriet sighed.
"You should talk to her about it," suggested Parvati, "I am not certain, but I think she is at least somewhat attracted to you as well."
"I… I want that to be true, but I can't lie to myself," insisted Harriet.
"I don't think it's a lie, but I won't push you to do something you aren't comfortable with," said Parvati a bit glumly, "On the plus side, if Luna knows, she'll definitely kiss you."
"She did say something about that once," said Harriet with a slight smile.
"Well don't worry about me spreading this around," said Parvati, "but you are being really obvious. Fay, Sally and Lavender are going to figure it out sooner or later. I think Ginny Weasley already has as well. I heard her discouraging Ron from chasing you the other day."
"Fantastic," said Harriet, "This really isn't a secret anymore, is it?"
"No one who isn't close to you knows yet," said Parvati.
"Except Fleur Delacour," said Harriet bitterly.
"Oooh that's what that was about," said Parvati with a wince, "Ouch. You are going to have to tell Ron soon though. He thinks you like him."
Harriet grimaced. That she didn't want to deal with.
"Anyway, what was up with your eyes earlier?" asked Parvati, "They were red."
"I don't know," said Harriet, "Guess I am going to have to ask someone."
XXXXX
Morgana was surprised when Harriet asked about why her eyes had been on fire the next evening at their training session.
"You weren't doing it intentionally?" asked Morgana, carefully.
"No," said Harriet, "It just happened."
"Well, I guess this isn't the first time you've done something like that," said Morgana, "You have a tendency to give off an aura when you are emotional. I assumed that you knew you were doing it. You made yourself look meek and helpless for McGonagall and Griselda Marchbanks back when you rescued yourself from your uncle, and you made yourself look dignified and noble at your uncle's trial. It is more than an aura though, you can make people see minor physical changes. Like the fire in your eyes. It's an illusion of sorts. The aura can be resisted, but it is hard to see through the physical changes made by this power."
"Like a Metamorphagus or Polyjuice Potion?" asked Harriet.
Seeing Harriet was now occupied, Morgana began weaving the geas again. "Oh no. You could probably make yourself unrecognizable, but you have to change what you have. Having a light appear in your eyes is actually quite easy. But making your raven hair red, for example, would be practically impossible. You can't imitate someone else certainly, unless they look a lot like you. And it is a talent that only sorcerers have, well, along with those who are specifically talented for it, though some are better at it than others. Some people think it comes from a surge of power building in you, but it really is just you willing yourself to intimidate people. You really should try to control it better."
"I will try," said Harriet slowly. Morgana finished casting her geas.
"Arthur was very good at creating an aura, and changing his appearance," said Morgana wistfully, "It was his greatest talent actually. Why Gawaine convinced him he would be a good king. So he abandoned the Guardians of Atlantis. And so did I."
"How did things turn against Arthur, if he was so good at influencing the hearts of his subjects?" asked Harriet.
Morgana laughed. "I left his court, that was what happened. After I had used my geas on him, after I went to Wales to raise Mordred, it was 844 I believe. Hard to tell as the Gregorian Calender did not exist yet. Lancelot soon began an affair with Guinevere, without anyone to watch him. A real affair this time. If you do not have any respect for a man, their aura will do little to affect you. His Lords saw Arthur as a cuckold. His authority waned. Lancelot, spurred on by Guinevere and her family in Cornwall, rebelled. Percival was gone, gone to find the Grail. He had found it, we later discovered, and made himself its Guardian."
"When Mordred turned 14, he decided to press his claim as heir," continued Morgana, now lost in the past, "He was young and impetuous. I told him that all we needed to do was tell Arthur that he was my son, and he would be named heir. But he wanted to prove himself in battle."
"The little fool," ranted Morgana, "Gawaine supported him of course. But he moved late. Too late. For Arthur had regained most of his vassals."
"How?" asked Harriet.
"Guinevere had been unable to conceive with Lancelot either," explained Morgana, "When it became clear that she was barren to all who could see, she fled and entered a nunnery. Since it was now obvious that Lancelot and Guinevere's tryst could not have ended with a child who might contest the throne, suddenly most of the lords saw Arthur not as a cuckold, but as a merciful man who had not abandoned his wife even when she was barren and had betrayed him. His dignity was restored. His lords submitted once again. Even Lancelot, who was forgiven his transgression."
"And so it was that Mordred's army faced off against not a broken and divided foe, but a unified host, outnumbering them greatly. I went to Avalon, imploring Merlin to try to mediate. He agreed and sent an emissary. And Gawaine had already seen the folly of battle. They encamped near Camlann, and began negotiations."
Morgana closed her eyes. "And it was there that my son's foolishness undid all. Rowena Ravenclaw came to see him, and in an interview with her he admitted to being not just my son, but Arthur's son. So Rowena came to me at Avalon, and I admitted to using the geas. She told Merlin, and he banished me from Avalon."
"I spent many hours trying to re-enter Avalon, I admit, and I should not have, for in that time news of my banishment and the reason for it came to Camlann. Arthur formally refused to acknowledge Mordred as his heir unless I came before him. Mordred went mad. And the battle began over a stupid misunderstanding." Morgana sat still for a long time after this.
"What… what happened at Camlann, if you don't mind me asking," asked Harriet, "The accounts of the battle are a little…"
"Yes, accounts are rare," agreed Morgana, "and true accounts were rarer still. Gawaine took the offensive, his plan well laid out. He caught Arthur's army in a vise between the two halves of Mordred's army. A dominating position where the bulk of Arthur's forces could not engage. But Arthur's army did not lose heart, for he used his aura to inspire them. They held, and soon the hearts of the attackers began to falter."
"And then Mordred knew that his father had to die to win that battle. He rode forth and challenged his father. And Arthur rode forth to meet the challenge. Arthur struck down Mordred with ease. But then he realised that this boy that he had mortally wounded truly had been his son. He leapt off his horse and went to Mordred's side. And with Mordred's last breath, he plunged his sword into one of the gaps in Arthur's armor."
"Seeing Mordred fall, and seeing Arthur wounded, Gawaine advanced," continued Morgana. She saw that Harriet stood transfixed by the story, but it was not just the geas that held her. Something deep inside her seemed to resonate with this battle.
"One of Gawaine's spells cut a deeper wound in Arthur," said Morgana, "And he raised his hand to finish the job. But Lancelot intervened, ordering Arthur's men to carry him from the field. Lancelot, as I once said, was a muggle, but a masterful warrior and soldier. He carried a Goblin forged shield that reflected spells. He did battle with Gawaine, a battle that I arrived in time to witness. It was, I would wager, the most brilliant battle between a muggle and a wizard ever fought. Gawaine could not land a spell on Lancelot, but Lancelot constantly threatened to smite Gawaine down with his sword."
"In the end, Gawaine betrayed himself," said Morgana, "He landed a body bind on Lancelot. In his relief he let down his guard, only to discover that through some combination of rage and pain, Lancelot had shaken the spell off. Lancelot stuck him down."
"I came to Lancelot then. I knew my son was dead, but I also knew this was my son's own doing. What I wanted to know was what had become of my brother. I wanted to heal him. Lancelot told me that he had been sent away to Avalon. The one place I could not go. I did not take it well."
"What do you mean?" asked Harriet.
"Mordred's army was now in retreat, and most of Arthur's army remained on the field at Camlann, save those who bore him to Avalon. Yet I knew that the journey would make his wounds worse. I tried to follow. Lancelot tried to stop me."
"So," said Morgana simply, "For the first time, I unveiled my full power. No one in that army survived."
Harriet's eyes went wide, but she said nothing. Morgan smiled. The geas was indeed beginning to take.
XXXXX
Hermione had not been amused at the tale Harriet had told her that night. She had been horrified by Morgana's brutality, and the callousness with which she had dismissed her son's death. But worst of all was that Harriet tried feebly to defend Morgana's actions.
"Morgan would be the first person to tell you that what Morgana did was wrong!" insisted Hermione.
"But they hurt her so badly!" insisted Harriet.
So the next day Harriet resolved to speak to Morgan. Obviously something had gone wrong, and Morgan would need to adjust her training. She had suspected that Morgan wasn't using proper care in her training, and now she knew it.
She knew that Morgan had an office hour at 3:00 the next day, so she went to speak with Morgan then. She knocked on the door.
"Enter," said Morgan.
Hermione entered. She walked up to the desk, but remained standing.
"Is there a problem, Miss Granger?" askes Morgan.
"Yes Professor," said Hermione, "Harriet was telling me the story you told her last night. However, she didn't take it the right way."
"What do you mean?" asked Morgan.
"She seemed to think Morgana was correct, or at least the sympathetic one," answered Hermione, "She wasn't horrified at all."
"Disturbing," said Morgan, though Hermione thought she saw a hint of a smile on Morgan's face.
"I think you need to speak to her about this," said Hermione, now feeling very uneasy about this conversation.
"I will," said Morgan, her voice suddenly taking on an edge.
"And I think," started Hermione, her mouth suddenly dry with a fear that came from she knew not where, "I think you need to let someone in the room with you when you are tutoring her."
"That won't be necessary," said Morgan. The terror suddenly intensified. It was all Hermione could do to keep herself standing erect.
"I insist," snarled Hermione through her terror.
Suddenly the terror was too great, and Morgana was drawn up before Hermione, a terrible Lady of dark and horrible power.
"You will drop this!" shouted Morgana, "You will not tell anyone about this! You will not confront me again!"
Terror now completely claimed Hermione as Morgana towered over her.
"If you do not do as I say, Harriet will die," said Morgana, "Now go!"
Hermione fled, fully intent on never mentioning this ever again.
Author's Note:Sorry about the length of time on this one. I've been busy lately. But I was sitting in a queue for Final Fnatasy XIV, so I took the time to go over this and publish it. I probably would have done it ages ago, but one detail bugged me. Ultimately I was unable to resolve the problem, but honestly I doubt anyone else will notice.