Last Time on Black and White:
"Really? I heard from father it wasn't supposed to be a violent task at all. Is that what happened to Potter 2?"
"Vhat you mean?"
"He came back with a hole in his stomach, nearly drowned and a bite and scratch marks." Draco informed him. "Serves him right. Walking around this school like he owns it."
Viktor leaned on his hands and thought for a moment. Why would the boy be attacked and yet he received no trouble at all for being partially a shark? What did the boy do?
Book 4 – Chapter 33: Downtime
Andrew groaned before sitting up slowly and was shocked to discover that he felt no pain at all.
"Man, Pomfrey really knows what she's doing." he muttered as he stretched his back.
"Madam Pomfrey is not here."
Andrew jumped at the familiar voice and turned to see Tabitha, one of his ancestors, and the originator of the curse.
"Ah, it's you."
Andrew saw the woman tilt her head in confusion for a moment before speaking again. "I sense anger in you."
"I'm not angry."
She tilted her head in the other direction and spoke. "But I sense-"
"I'm not angry!"
There was a pause.
"Apologies for my assumption."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Okay damn it, I am angry!"
"... I know."
Andrew huffed angrily before rounding on the woman.
"Why couldn't you have just killed that fucking hag?! You had to have your sick need for punishment drawn out, didn't you?! Now I'm suffering!"
Tabitha was silent for a moment allowing Andrew to vent his frustrations. She sat on a chair within the room she had provided in the realm of the ring.
"I know. I regret my actions more than you or any other could possibly know. I sense the curse beginning within you."
"Yeah? I didn't notice!" Andrew responded sarcastically. "Of course, it is. I'm just... so angry. All the time."
She once more nodded in understanding.
"Some have managed to keep it at bay for longer than intended, they studied a special technique to calm the mind and lock the curse away for as long as they could."
"Occlumency. I've heard of it."
"Have you studied it?"
"Of course, I have but it doesn't work."
Tabitha tilted her head once more. "Going by your memories the curse should have fully manifested itself by the age of 12, but you were actively studying the magical art of Occlumency by that stage. You have left the lessons for too long now."
Andrew was about to yell at her when he paused and actually considered her words. He found that she was right. After the whole debacle when he was trapped within his mind with Harry, Andrew had forgone his mental shields. And judging by what Tabitha said, it seemed as though that was what was keeping his mind in check.
"So, what do you suggest?"
"Practice to calm your mind once more. That should allow the curse to pause, until you can find a way to be completely free from it."
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Dumbledore sat back in his seat. What could he possibly do to help the boy? He had still found nothing new about the curse, and he was worried he would find something to help once it was too late. Voldemort's mark had been growing more powerful according to Severus' observations, in fact he had been approached by Karkaroff about the darken of the mark.
Voldemort would more than likely return soon and Andrew or Harry or both would be targeted by the madman. They needed to be ready, what they couldn't afford were the Potters forming their own faction, lord knows what would happen should the people have to choose between the three. The Headmaster glanced down at his rotting hand and sighed, he needed to shape Harry faster. The curse was deteriorating much faster than they had anticipated.
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Andrew's eyes snapped open as he suddenly sat up in his bed in the infirmary and gave a shout at the sudden pain in his side.
"Bloody hell!" he groaned.
Almost immediately Pomfrey was by his bedside running tests on him and forcing him to lay back down. He knew it was futile to argue against her and just allowed the woman to continue harassing him.
Time passed and he was flooded by well-wishers and gifts from many students. He had received a visit from Dumbledore where he had to explain that he didn't know what he did to cause the mer-people to try and kill him, but he hoped the man would punish the creatures somehow.
His brother and friends visited regularly with the exception of Hermione, which was fine, he assumed they wouldn't be on talking terms for a while. It was on his third day in the hospital wing when Harry and Ron walked in looking, unhappy.
"Well, what is it?" he asked with a frown.
"Skeeter." Was all Harry had to say before dropping an extra-large edition of the Daily Prophet on his bed. Andrew picked up the paper and read the headline.
Andrew Potter, attacked during second task!
Tensions between Ex-Lovers! Hermione Granger vs Viktor Krum vs Andrew Potter!
Harry Potter exclusive interview without the Prophet?!
"Looks like she's really covering her bases, isn't she?"
"Andrew, the subjects of the articles themselves aren't the problem." Ron jumped in as he sighed a bit. "The problem is how did she know?"
"Well I mean, the attack is basically common knowledge at this point, right? Everyone would have heard about it. Harry's interview was meant to get the prophets attention... Wait, there's trouble between Krum and Hermione?"
"We'll get to that in a bit, but the issue stands, Skeeter shouldn't know about any of this, so how is she getting her information?"
"Disillusionment, maybe?" Andrew suggested.
"Possibly, but with everyone around, she would've gotten noticed, especially by Fleur and I, we were the only ones there. We would have noticed footprints, or cold breath or something, but it was just the two of us." Harry explained.
"Alright, so, listening charms?"
"Also, possible but that would mean she would've had to have been in the area to cast it, and again, Fleur and I would have noticed."
Andrew frowned. "Well, then, I'm not too sure. Maybe Hermione and Su could figure it out? I'm kinda stumped here."
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Unbeknownst to the three boys, the three girls were doing just that. Sat in the library in a secluded corner, being sure that they would not be overheard by anyone as they spoke.
"So Disillusionment and Listening charms are out, so are tracking charms and compulsions." Su reiterated as she made a few notes.
"So what else does that leave?" Hermione asked in frustration.
"Well, magic is vast in its uses, maybe she found some obscure branch and just studied that?" Luna provided as she worked on her Charms homework.
"Maybe, but an obscure branch of magic that allows you to spy on people?"
"Maybe not that exactly, maybe it's like Occlumency?"
"But that would require her to know where to look for certain memories. Never mind getting the person being read to think of that particular memory at just the right time." Su jumped in.
"She has to be in the perfect place at the perfect time, to hear whatever news is happening, without being spotted, or heard. She would have to be so inconspicuous that it'd be impossible to even consider her a spy. God, I wish I could hear her planning how to get information, that'd sure help!" Hermione groaned.
"Yes, that would be helpful, like a fly on the wall."
Hermione paused. Looked up and caught eyes with Su who also had a frown and look of bewilderment on her face.
"Luna, what did you just say?"
"Hmm? That all of these variables don't make sense for the incendio to work, are we creating friction that makes something burn or are we just causing it to spontaneously burst into flames? I should ask Professor Flitwick when I have the chance."
The other two girls mentally filed that away, for neither had really thought about the mechanics of spells before and would surely be researching them.
"No, Luna about the fly on the wall comment, what did you mean by that?"
"Oh! That's a muggle expression isn't it? I heard a journalist in America use it when Daddy and I went two summers ago, and honestly it's pretty accurate representation of what many journalists wish to be; A fly so that they can heard all the juicy information without being caught."
Su and Hermione once more turned to one another.
"Surely not."
"But, we have seen it done before."
"True, but how convenient would that be?!"
"Well, think about Pettigrew. How fitting is a rat for his character?"
"But..."
"Sirius is a dog, a loyal animal, man's best friend and he was James Potter's best friend."
"Hermione, this doesn't prove anything."
"Listen, we were told that magic is ALL about intent in first year, right? That nothing will work unless your intent is rooted in making it work."
"Yeah...?"
"So, who's to say that doesn't apply here? Magic would feel the intent to do something and based on your personality type, shift you to that creature."
"Andrew told me that James Potter was a stag though, how would you equate that to him?"
"Well, according to what Sirius told us that night, they learned in order to help Professor Lupin when he turned, right? And as much as I hate to say this; Snape's assessment of James Potter must have some small amount of truth in them, even if they are inflated now."
Su nodded along, she was following Hermione's train of thought so far.
"So, he did it to protect his friend and keep him safe, while being a proud and potentially cocky teen. Stags are very proud creatures and you can tell by the way they carry themselves; they're antlers are capable of piercing predators and they have ridiculous speed and strength, but are ultimately gentle creatures, not ones to look for trouble."
Su frowned. "So, James Potter was proud of himself, but was ultimately gentle and cared about his friend's wellbeing, thus magic turned him to an animal that represented both. A proud potentially cocky teen, but more than that; a caring friend"
"Exactly! And if we go off of this assessment of how magic assigns a creature to an animagus potential..."
"Then being a bug, would fit Skeeter perfectly."
"Now the only question is; what bug is she?"
"That's the bigger issue."
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Andrew was finally released from the Hospital Wing and was flanked by his brother and Ron who insisted that he return to the common room to at least take a shower and get a change of clothes. The braided boy was ready to deny and go back to where he had been camping out, but that option was no longer on the table.
"Speaking of, where have you been hiding out?"
"You didn't check the map?" Andrew asked with a frown.
"No, because we respect your want for privacy. But we're getting kinda worried." Harry responded.
Andrew paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell the two boys where he had been the entire time.
"Well, there are two places in the castle that I go to the most, one of them is a secret and I can't tell you because I share it with someone else. The second place is on the seventh floor, I found it in second year and have been using it for... a project. But apparently it can be changed to fit whatever you need it to be, so I've been sleeping there."
"Seriously?!" Ron asked with raised brows. "Two secret rooms?!"
"Yeah... I'm more than sure that there are more, you've just gotta find them."
"So that's where you've been. At least I know you're alright." Harry sighed in relief.
The three boys fell into a respective silence as they continued on their way. They were on the landing of the seventh floor when Andrew spoke once more.
"So, you and Fleur, huh? What's going on there?"
"Yeah, I've been wanting to ask for a while." Ron agreed.
Harry watched the two before sighing a bit.
"I don't know? We get along and the Yule Ball was fun-"
"I imagine it was, did you see that kiss?" Ron asked with a grin.
Andrew smirked in return before turning back to his brother.
"As I was saying; the Yule Ball was fun, but we haven't really hung out since then and I don't know. What if it was just a one-time thing?"
"Did you talk to her about it?" Ron asked.
"No, what am I supposed to say? 'Oh, hello Fleur, it's been a while. So, what did that kiss during Yule mean?' That's a bit-"
"No, say exactly that! Just be straight forward."
Harry looked horrified, Andrew looked stunned and Ron looked confident.
"Harry, you have to figure out what it is you feel exactly. Do you want to date Fleur?"
The raven-haired teen blinked a few times.
"I mean, I think so... she's great but..."
"You're not sure if you're in her league, right?"
Andrew frowned deeper. "Hold on! How are you so in tune with feelings and emotions all of a sudden?! Just last year you were thicker than expired yoghurt, what happened?"
Ron turned to Andrew. "I don't know, I just started reading those magazines Lavender has around her all the time and I just kinda... get it, you know?"
"We'll discuss you and Lavender being this close another time, but he's right, Harry. You have to confront your feelings with Fleur, get some answers for yourself."
Harry looked panicked but knew he was cornered. Sighing in defeat he nodded his head in agreement. "Fine, I'll talk to her next time I see her, how about that?"
"Fair enough."
"I agree. Now Ronald... You and Lavender, hmm?"
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Days passed in a blur once the excitement of the second task had died down around the school. The girls had mentioned they had a lead on Skeeter and would be investigating it. As such they practically demanded Harry's map with the promise to return it once they were done. Not really sure on what else to do say the boys just agreed and let them do what they do.
As always Andrew's attack in the lake was shrouded in mystery causing many students to gossip on the affairs which occurred in the depths of the Black Lake. None could conclude, but that didn't stop them from making assumptions from Andrew being a merman all the way to him having an epic battle with the creatures.
Only a handful of people knew, thanks to Dumbledore explaining what he believed to be the cause of the attack from the Mer-People. The boys along with his brother and Ron had once more resumed their Occlumency training. Dumbledore had tried to have them trained by Snape but the boys immediately shut that idea down, claiming they would rather have someone they trust rummaging around in their heads.
As such Ron was offered the chance to learn the skill from his eldest brother Bill. The same brother who had decided to spoil him with the new set of Dress Robes for the Yule Ball. Being a Curse Breaker meant the elder brother had to learn such a skill, in case they came across a curse that tried to somehow influence their thoughts or emotions.
The Potters were offered the same courtesy but instead opted to have someone like Sirius teach them, as they both trusted the man far more than they did anyone else. Dumbledore also suggested that Hermione, Su and Luna receive some Occlumency training, he didn't reveal why he thought so, and simply insisted that they would benefit from the lessons, as such Professor Flitwick was tasked at giving the girls their lessons.
About two weeks passed when the Champions were once more gathered, this time by the Quidditch field. What awaited them caused the boys to gasp in shock.
"The Quidditch pitch..." Cedric moaned softly.
"What did they do to it?"
"Ahaha! Welcome, Lady and Gentlemen to the stage of the final task!" a face none of the Champions recognized called out excitedly.
The large stands had been removed, the three goals posts had been pulled out and the usually smooth grass pitch now had what seemed to be hedges growing from it.
"If you haven't figured it out yet, the final task is a maze! This task will utilize all the skills you have demonstrated during the course of the tournament and will stand as the final obstacle between you and eternal glory!"
Andrew scoffed softly at that, eliciting a small smile from Fleur and Cedric and a scowl from Krum. Now the final task will take place on June 24! Good luck to you all!"
The champions took that as a dismissal and turned to head back to their respective places of thought when Andrew felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.
Turning he came face to face with the scowling visage of Viktor Krum.
"Ve must talk."
Andrew wanted to tear the fat hand away and curse out the older student but decided he was not going to do that. Just because he didn't like him, didn't mean he had to antagonize him.
"What?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Not here, dere, more private, yes."
He followed the pointed finger and saw it leading towards the Forbidden Forest. He frowned and shrugged. "Whatever."
As the two walked however Andrew contacted his brother.
"Harry, I need a favour."
"What's going on?"
"Krum says he wants to talk, we're headed near the Forbidden Forest right now, I don't think he's dumb enough to try anything especially after Fleur and Cedric just saw us, but just in case..."
"If I don't hear from you in ten minutes I'll let a professor know."
Andrew smiled at his brothers' words and turned back to Krum when they came to a stop a few trees into the Forest.
"So, what is it?"
"You vere injured during last task."
It didn't sound like a question.
"No shit Sherlock. I got a bloody whole in my shoulder."
"You attack me first."
"And I'm not denying that, but maybe, just maybe, don't try to sneak up on someone while looking like a fucking shark when they're on high alert because of some bloody game they're forced to play, hmm?"
Krum regarded the younger boy in front of him and frowned.
"You do not know respect."
"And you don't know that respect is earned not just faithlessly given."
The two stared at each other heatedly for a moment before Andrew sighed. "Well, was that it?"
"What is your relationship wiv Herminy?"
Andrew's eyes widened for a second before he frowned.
"What's it to you?"
"She cares very much about you."
"Again, how do you filter into this?"
Before Krum could respond though a battered and bruised man tumbled out of the forest, scaring the two boys half to death. Once his heart rate dropped a bit he approached the collapsed man and stared at him in shock.
"Krum, go get a Professor, now!"
"Who is it?"
"We don't have time! Go!"
With that the older boy rushed out of the forest and made a beeline for the castle leaving Andrew with the man. His face was covered in cuts and had a small layer of blood caked over it. He frowned as he thought the man looked familiar.
"Mr Bagman?" he whispered in shock.
"C- Call… off…" the man gasped weakly before he fell silent and his hand dropped down beside him limply.
Andrew's eyes were wide in shock.
"Mr Bagman, call off what? What are you trying to say?!"
It was no use however as the man stayed silent. Only shallow breaths left his mouth and nothing else.
