Last Time on Black and White:
"How did you know?!"
"I will admit, it took me a while to notice you this time around, but when you took a step, your shoe scuffed the ground and I heard it. I figured you were behind me, but I didn't know where until a saw a shimmer out the corner of my eye when you, I guess went to raise your wand? Then I knew for sure."
Andrew sighed, okay, it looked like he would need to learn to stack spells. He really didn't want to do too much and overexert his core, but if Harry could see him within a five minute frame, the dragons would do it, in a much quicker time.
"Alright, I guess I'll have to really push. Let's go again."
Book 4 – Chapter 18: Halloween Havoc
Andrew shot a Silencio at his shoes and once more applied the Disillusionment charm on himself at a much higher output, almost the same amount as when he would cast the Shield charm and waited patiently. Harry had so far caught him a total of 18 times, they had 20 trial runs. This would have to be the one, if he wanted to learn the transfiguration of the Air Horn and Animation Charm by tomorrow.
He moved, feeling slightly confident, that Harry wouldn't pick up on him as easily as before and got into a position he thought was perfect before lifting his wand. He paused again, reminding himself that he had time, and not to rush, lest the quality of Disillusionment dropped and he was discovered. He found this spell to be a bit taxing. Much like the Shield charm you had to concentrate on the spell in order to have it sustain itself while you did whatever you did.
He took a silent breath and raised his wand again, and waited once more. Harry glanced around a few times, looking for movement of some kind or any other tell to alert him of his brother's presence, but Andrew was happy to find that Harry had absolutely no idea where he was. He shot the spell off and was rewarded by a surprised shout and slight curse.
"Great! Okay. Hell, that takes a lot out of you." Andrew said as he released the spell and began breathing heavily.
"Fantastic Andrew. I almost missed you there, really great job. I would suggest practising everyday though, yes? If you truly wish to keep the dragon unaware, you will need to have the spell be at the very least at a sixth year level, before you confidently go for the first task." Flitwick told him with a nod.
Andrew agreed, the spell would need to be much more powerful than it was currently. But he knew he could get there. But this just meant that he could now focus on the Transfiguration and Charms work he'd have to do next. While they did not need to be perfect, they certainly needed to work for at least 5 minutes.
HP-AP-HP-AP-HP-AP
Once the boys thanked their professor and left, they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room, for a much needed shower and sleep.
"Hey don't forget to finish your essays before Monday." Andrew reminded his brother.
Harry's eyes widened in shock before he groaned loudly.
"Dammit, I forgotten about that. Alright, I'll do them in the morning. Will you help me out?"
At Andrew's stern look Harry groaned again.
"Oh, come on... just this once! You have to admit, I've been rather good at keeping up with my work load this year. So please. As a brother... please."
Andrew seemed to assess Harry's words for a moment before sighing in defeat.
"Yeah sure. Why not?"
Harry cheered happily as the two made their way up the Fat Lady – Christ, what was her name?! - spoke the password and made their way up the boys dorm to finally pass out and sleep.
The next morning was calming, the chill late November air almost made Andrew snuggle back into his bed before he figured that it wouldn't be beneficial. He forced himself up and made his way to the showers. Later in the morning, the rest of his friends decided to start their mornings, and they found themselves enjoying breakfast, before going off to complete their essays which were due.
Once they had finished, Harry and Andrew were back in Flitwick's classroom, practising the Disillusionment charm. It took another 2 hours before the charms professor was pleased with the result and told Andrew that he had the spell down well.
This led to the next item on their list; Transfiguration, specifically the Air Horn.
"Hmm, I do admit, Transfiguration isn't my strongest suit. But this should be easy enough, you have learnt how to change one thing to another, so now you just to replicate that."
Andrew was then given multiple loose items which the Professor insisted he had no other use for. Andrew then began practising. Flitwick was right, seeing as they had done this before, this was rather easy.
At that moment, there was a knock on the Charms classroom door and before they could respond, in walked Hermione, Ron, Su and Luna. The four made eye contact with Andrew and Harry while they stared back in shock and confusion.
"Did you really think, we'd let you off to go study by yourself! You really have to learn to let us in more, Andrew!" Hermione yelled angrily.
Which led to Andrew now having more people to bounce ideas and notes on his work off of. Hell they were so engrossed with the Air Horn, the small group of students didn't even notice Flitwick slip out for some tea with McGonagall.
"So, you make it larger and a the noise will be a lot louder, making the Dragon way more annoyed." Ron suggested with a nod.
"That's a good idea. Well, we'd better test it out." Andrew agreed while he shot the spell at an old quill holder. The change happened smoothly and they all sat staring at the cannister, there was a beat of silence before Andrew spelled the horn to be heavier and regretted it immediately when the horn went off.
"Ah, shit!" he cursed while he covered his ears.
"Shut it off!" Harry screamed.
"Oh my God!" Hermione added before casting a silencio on the device and rubbed her ear gently.
"Well, at least we know it works." Luna said with a slight frown.
"What?!" Ron yelled as he squinted at her.
The group continued to practice as many times as they could for the upcoming week, when finally Halloween arrived. They decided to take a break for the day and go over the plan the next day, seeing how Andrew would be battling the first task in three days.
The festive holiday had the entire school buzzing as it usually did, Harry had caught Andrew with... that look in his eye more than enough times the days leading to the day to expect something big to go down. He smiled though when he saw how much easier his brother seemed to be smiling these past few days once they had built on the plan for the first task.
The group sat in the Great Hall enjoying their breakfast when owls entered the hall and started depositing the Prophet on a few students heads. Harry frowned, did the Prophet always have an edition out on Halloween? He heard Hermione gasp and was immediately curious to the contents.
He peaked over her shoulder and felt his eyes grow wide at the headline alone:
Champion v. Champion! Potter and Krum in heated waters!
By
Rita Skeeter.
Good Morning Dear Readers!
It has been a little while since I've reported on the happenings of the Tri-Wizard Tournament currently under way at Hogwarts, where controversial student Andrew Potter is competing.
I had the pleasure of interviewing the champions a few days ago and it was truly a surreal experience.
Miss Delacour, a half Veela from the French school Beauxbatons, was a delightful young lady who spoke highly of the tournament and her fellow champions, calling them capable young men, she is excited to beat during the tasks. A fine challenge issued by the young lady. When asked about her thoughts on Andrew Potter's entry she had claimed, that she believed him to be innocent of entering his own name into the tournament, even going as far as to call him a friend. I do have to wonder what seventeen year old would call a fourteen year old boy a friend. Could there perhaps be more under the surface that the young Veela is hiding?
Next up is Cedric Diggory, a charming young man sorted into Hufflepuff and seeker for the house team. He too claimed to be excited for the tournament, saying even if he didn't win that he would just be happy having made some friends with the other students. Truly a Hufflepuff through and through. When asked about Andrew Potter's entry he admitted to being doubtful of his innocence, but later changed his tune when he realised that young Mr. Potter was usually very honest about whatever he did. The fact that he had to specify that Andrew Potter "usually" spoke the truth makes us here at the Prophet wonder if this is one of his "usual" behaviours or if Andrew Potter is being "unusual".
Andrew Potter himself, accompanied by his lawyer, Mrs Xia Li, attended the interview and refused to answer a few key questions we at the Prophet had wanted him to answer for. Of course it is widely known in the school of Mr. Potter's close relationship with the daughter of Mrs Li, Su Li. We have wonder if he had requested the help of an attorney so that he could get away with not answering questions we are curious about. When questioned on his biological parentage Andrew became increasingly aggravated, stating that he had no memory of them, nor even their names. It is no secret in the Wizarding community that Andrew Potter was adopted by the Potters a mere few weeks before they were attacked and killed, we are not saying Andrew Potter is connected to these events at all, after all; the boy was merely a baby when these events took place, we just cannot help but wonder just how much of a coincidence that was and how Harry Potter, would feel about the entire event.
Finally we move on to the youngest professional seeker, Viktor Krum. I was lucky enough to speak with this young man, when every other reporter had been turned down during his professional career. Mr. Krum is excited for the chance to prove himself not only a competitor in the skies but also a fierce competitor in the tasks. When questioned about the other champions, he spoke highly of Mr. Diggory and Miss Delacour, but when asked about the youngest competitor, Mr. Krum became rather annoyed:
Krum: He is a child, nothing more, nothing less.
Skeeter: It would seem as though you and Mr. Potter have no love lost between you.
Krum: He is disrespectful, calls the tournament a waste of his time and thinks all that enter are fools.
Skeeter: Yes, he did seem rather uninterested in the entire event, do you happen to know why he said these things?
Krum: As I said, he is disrespectful, thinking he knows everything but is merely a boy. I wonder what Hogwarts teaches if he is the example of the types of students to go here, I am glad my family sent me to Durmstrang.
Skeeter: Those are some strong words, Mr. Krum.
Krum: Yes, but I mean them. Andrew Potter even claims that he shall not try to win the tournament, such behaviour is seen as cowardly in Bulgaria and he would be treated as nothing more than a inconvenience by others.
Skeeter: Well, how do you plan on going about the tournament?
Krum: Like the champion I was chosen to be, let Andrew Potter shiver in the corner of each task like the scared child he is. I will win this tournament and prove that Durmstrang is superior.
There you have it readers, Krum issued a challenge to Andrew Potter, now the only question is, will Potter accept it. I will be giving you all play by play events of the tournament when the tasks are held and we shall see how Andrew Potter conducts himself then.
For more information on the Tournament, see page 3
For more information on Andrew and Harry Potter, see page 6
For more information about Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, see page 11
"Oh... I'm going to fuck that Bulgarian up..." Harry heard beside him.
He turned to see Andrew glaring at the paper hotly, as if willing the pages to burn. Then as if everything couldn't get worse, he arrived.
"Oi Potter!"
"Fuck off, Malfoy. I'm warning you, not today." Andrew growled as he turned to leave the hall.
"Aww, what's wrong, Potter? Did what Vikor say in the prophet hurt your feelings?"
There was a guffaw in the background before Andrew stopped turned back to Malfoy and approached him, his fists shaking with rage he had never felt before. As he got close to the boy he grabbed him by the his collar, spinning him around and slammed him against the wall of the hall. The laughter stopped when they saw his actions.
"I'm. Fucking. Warning. You. I'm not in the mood for your pathetic attempts at humour or your view of the situation. If I see you anywhere near me for the next two months, I will make sure you're paralysed for a month, do you understand me?" Andrew said in a soft tone. He slammed Malfoy against the wall. "I asked you if you understood me!"
Before Malfoy could respond though another voice spoke up.
"Potter 2! 25 points for assaulting another student! Let Mr. Malfoy go this instant!" Yelled Snape appearing from nowhere as he usually did when his favourite little student got bullied.
Andrew shoved the boy against the wall and turned to face Snape.
"You've got something to say, Potter 2?"
"One day, Snape..." he responded, his anger rising to new levels.
"That's another 50 points for threatening a teacher plus a months detention with Filch."
There were groans before someone from the Gryffindor table spoke up.
"Shut up, Potter, before you lose us more points!"
Looking around the dungeon bat he saw McLaggen glaring at him. Andrew frowned and felt a sharp pain in his head before he blinked again his eyes went wide. McLaggen had attacked him that day, pushing him from the landing of the staircase, the guy had basically tried to kill him.
Andrew would not remember what happened from that moment on, for all he saw was red and all he heard was the blood pounding in his ears, before everything went black and he awoke in the hospital wing groggy, tired, confused and his knuckles wrapped in bandages.
He sat up in the bed and looked around confused when he heard Dumbledore's voice.
"Good afternoon, Andrew."
"Headmaster." Andrew greeted with a nod of his head. "What am I doing in the Hospital Wing? What happened?" he asked nervously.
Dumbledore regarded Andrew with a look the boy couldn't quite place before he moved and sat in a the chair beside the bed.
"You do not recall?"
"No, sir. I just remember seeing McLaggen and remembering that he had been the one to push me off the landing of the moving staircase, then everything from that moment goes blank.
Dumbledore nodded and turned to the boy. "Before I tell you, would you be kind enough to show me your memories so that I may verify that that is in fact the case?"
Frowning at Dumbledore's cautious behaviour Andrew nodded and lowered his mental shields so that Dumbledore could look in his head. After a few minutes the Headmaster pulled back and sighed.
"It seems as though you are in fact telling the truth, which makes this even more worrying." Dumbledore said before looking back at Andrew.
Then he explained what happened; Andrew had attacked McLaggen, pushing past Snape with enough force to knock the man over and approached McLaggen before repeatedly punching him in the face, students tried to intervene with little results. When Seamus Finnegan shot a stunner at Andrew it seemed to hit him but not affect him at all, as he had pulled his own wand and shot a disarming spell at the Irish boy sending him crashing into the Hufflepuff table behind him. Snape then attempted to stun the boy, but now being alert to others around him he blocked the shot and sent a few freezing spells back at Snape. It was only when Hermione, Harry, Ron, Su and Luna had stepped in that they had any luck before Dumbledore himself stunned the boy in the back.
"I did all of that?" Andrew asked in a tight whisper.
"Indeed, there have been many who are against you even remaining in the castle, the most vocal of course being Severus, claiming you should be expelled. But I've managed to quell most of the calls for expulsion. I don't believe Mr. McLaggen will be championing for your expulsion either seeing as he was the one to nearly kill you himself, he'd probably decide to keep that to himself. But now, I'm afraid, public opinion of you as rather decreased, my boy." Dumbledore said in a sad tone.
"Sir, I don't know what to do..." Andrew said as he sat up in his bed and brought his knees up to his chest.
"What do you mean, Andrew?"
Andrew paused, something similar had happened before when he had attacked Dudley after the boy tried taking his family ring. Why was he so angry all the time? Did this have something to do with the curse his family suffered back in Tabitha's time? Most of all, why did he enjoy the feeling? The pure freedom of letting his emotions run over his logic and the results be damned. Was he becoming evil? He turned back to Dumbledore and saw the man watching him curiously.
"Nothing, sir. I'm sorry... I think I just lost it after seeing Skeeter's article."
"Ah, yes. The assassination piece."
"Why is she targeting me?" Andrew asked in a small voice.
Dumbledore looked at the young man in front of him and was immediately reminded that for all of his actions and the way he spoke, Andrew Potter, was still just a fourteen year old boy.
"I don't think it's anything personal, my boy."
"Well, it sure as hell feels personal."
"You are Andrew Potter, a high profile name, in a high profile tournament. They are simply using your name to get more readers. I would honestly be more cautious of Viktor Krum, it seems he may have something personal against you." The Headmaster provided with a small nod.
"Ah, yeah Krum... thinks he can get away with calling me a 'child' and a 'boy'? Oh, I'll make that son of a bitch eat his words."
"Language, Andrew."
"Sorry, sir."
"What did you have in mind? Do you plan on winning the tournament?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"No, I just plan on beating Krum. In everything. He gets 30 points, I'll get 31, he gets a perfect score, I'll get a perfect score and more positive reviews. I'll make sure he realises that he isn't better than me, nor that I am someone he should underestimate. I will destroy his conviction..." Andrew answered while glaring at the wall before turning back to Dumbledore.
The man nodded and stood before addressing Andrew once more.
"I believe I should be going now Andrew, I believe your wand is in my office, I'll go and collect it. Also, I understand your anger and frustration, but please do remember, Andrew; this tournament is about fostering a relationship with the other schools... Making friends, now I'm not saying you should go and be all buddy buddy with Mr. Krum. But revenge is a path not many are able to get off of once they are on."
With that Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing and made his way to his office, he fished Andrew's wand out of his pocket, where he was certain there was now a welt the exact same size as the wand on his thigh. He brought out his own wand and froze Andrew's, hoping to reduce the heat. The wand burned like it had been on fire, it honestly made Albus nervous. Was the boy out growing his wand or was the wand rejecting the wizard? It seemed to work perfectly so that wouldn't be the case. He decided he'd call Mr. Ollivander over and ask him directly.
Another thing that bothered Dumbledore was the look in Andrew's eyes, not the glare so much, even though it did house a look of rage Albus had only seen a few times before, no it was the colour of Andrew's eyes which made him nervous. Gone were the hazel orbs he had inherited from his father, replaced by bright grey, nearly silver eyes which shone brightly and angrily. What did that mean? Andrew had been a wild card for Albus since before he was born, he had no way of knowing if he would inherit the curse placed on his family or if it would skip him, but slowly Dumbledore was beginning to realise that Andrew seemed to be the next carrier of the damned curse, which had claimed the lives of many Potters and Georges over the past few centuries.
And now, with Andrew seemingly beginning to show symptoms of the curse leaking through, Harry would be in danger. He needed to talk to the raven haired boy and prepare him for what would happen next, which Albus hoped would eradicate the curse forever and give the boys a chance at a normal life.
