I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. I hope you are doing well today. If you aren't then drink water, it should help you. Anyway, I have a longer chapter for you today. After how short the last few have been, I decided to spoil you a bit more and make a longer chapter. I don't know if its the longest chapter so far, but it's close to it.
That is all I have to say right now. Read on and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 41
Confusion and Confrontation
It was quite dull outside. Grey clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun. An elderly man lights a gas oven, to prepare some food, when he notices a light on in the house opposite his. A house the had long since been abandoned. Suspecting a break in, the man decided to investigate, to see if it was something that needed to be reported to the local authorities. Taking a torch with him, he approached the front door, the house looming ominously over him. The house was dark inside, dimly lit by the torch in his hands. Climbing up the stairs, to where he saw the light, he hears several voices talking. He stops by a door, peering through, where the quiet conversation was taking place. Inside he saw two people. One was a man with messy brown hair and a thin face, wearing a long, worn leather coat. The other was wearing a cloak, hood covering their face. The were talking to someone sitting on an arm chair. Someone who had thin skeletal arms.
"Are you sure Potter is that essential?" The person in the cloak asked, their voice signifying it was a man "From what I read, anyone could be used for…"
"YES!" The person in the chair snapped, voice raspy "Potter is important for everything! It cannot be done without him!"
"Fine" The cloaked man sighed "Just remember your side of the bargain"
"Yes, don't worry, the boy will be there for you, he is unimportant to me" The person in the chair replied, before pointing at the man in the leather coat "You make sure that everything goes how I say"
"Don't worry my lord" He replied "It shall be done"
"Good, first, gather a few of our comrades then give some of our…friends, a message"
The old man hears a hissing sound below him. He looks down, only to recoil, when he sees a large snake slithering past him. He watches as the snake slides up the chair legs and hisses to whoever was sitting there.
"Nagini tells me we have a visitor" He said, causing the man in the hood to turn to the old man
"Well, it will be rude to not welcome him" They said
"Indeed, let me give him a proper greeting" The raspy voice replied
The last thing the old man saw, was a bright green light, before everything went dark.
…
Harry woke up in a cold sweat. He was relieved to see was only a dream. At least he thought it was a dream. He couldn't be too sure. It seemed to real. Whatever the case he did have questions. Namely, who those people were. Whoever they were, they seemed to want him for, something. That is, if they were talking about him. He jumped slightly, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see James standing next to his bed. Over the last few weeks, he had changed his look slightly. With the help of magic, James' hair now went down to his lower jaw in smooth waves and he had 10mm stretcher plugs in his ears.
"You okay there Harry?" He asked "You look as pale as Nearly Headless Nick"
"Shut up" Harry replied, good-naturedly "I'm fine…just a dream"
"Well, as long as you are fine, you might want to get ready" James said "today is the Quidditch World Cup and Sirius wants us to leave shortly"
Harry nodded, which made James leave, heading downstairs. Harry rubbed his eyes, as he gathered some clothing and begun to get ready. He thought about telling James about the dream, but decided not to. If it happened again, then he will tell them. For now he will just leave it. He didn't want to spoil for mood for today. Fudge had remained true to his word and gave Sirius tickets to the Quidditch World Cup and they were excited. He and Sirius had grown closer over the past few weeks and the two had started to slowly become the family they were supposed to be. Harry wished that Kreacher, the Black Family House Elf wasn't the grouch that he was. Sirius had also been told that James and Harry were godbrothers, but wasn't surprised. James Potter and Malcolm Badger were close, but House rivalries meant they could spend as much time together. Harry finished getting dressed and sorted out his hair, which had also grown, now being just and inch or two above his shoulders, before he headed downstairs.
"Ah, Harry, you're finally up" Sirius said, when he entered the dining area "How are you"
"I'm feeling good" Harry replied, looking around the room "Where's Remus?"
"Still sleeping off his transformation, after the full moon, the other night" James replied, sipping some tea
Harry nodded in understanding, before he sat down, where a plate of food appeared in front of him. As his attention was on his food, he didn't notice Sirius give a questioning look to James, who looked at Harry for a moment before nodding. They sat in silence for a few more moments, before Sirius cleared his throat, causing Harry to look up at him.
"I was talking with James before you came downstairs" Sirius said "As I understand it, you haven't been able to visit your parents grave…if you want, we can visit sometime"
"You know where they are?" Harry asked
"Yes, they are buried at Godric's Hollow" Sirius nodded "I always assumed they would be, but after taking a look, I can confirm it…I plan to visit them at some point…I wanted to know if you wanted to come too"
"Of course I do" Harry nodded "I want to visit them…I have been told stories about them, but I feel like going to visit them will give me, closure I guess"
"I'll make plans as soon as possible" Sirius smiled, though it seemed sad in nature "Because with how busy we are, we won't be able to visit before you start Hogwarts, so I was thinking around Christmas"
"That's fine" Harry said, before he turned to James "Will you come with us?"
"Of course I will" James replied "I'd imagine you'd need some support"
"Thank you" Harry smiled
"Well, if that's everything, finish your breakfast" Sirius spoke "I want us to head out to the World Cup as early as possible"
Harry and James nodded, where they proceeded to finish up their breakfast in a slight rush. When they were done, they did a few checks to make sure they were ready.
"Is Jinx waiting to take your stuff?" Sirius asked James
"Yes" James nodded "As soon as she hears my call, she will bring everything here"
"Good, now, have either of you used a Portkey?" Sirius asked, pulling out a small round object, like a coin, to which the two boys shook their heads "Doesn't surprise me…this was given to us by the Ministry, I just need to tap my wand against it and the portkey will activate, sending anyone touching it to the given location…as the location is unknown to me, we will be using this method…I must warn though, it won't be pleasant"
"Sirius, what about Lupin?" Harry asked
"He isn't that much of a Quidditch fan, he'll join us when the match is over" Sirius replied "Now hold on to the coin"
James and Harry did as they were instructed. Due to the size of the coin, they could only place a finger against it, which they hoped was enough. Sirius placed the tip of his wand on the coin, muttering an incantation, where Harry immediatley felt a sickening feeling, like he was being sucked through a straw. It felt worse than Apparition. Everything around him seemed to swirl, twist and bend at lightning fast speed, he felt like he was going to throw up. Maybe using a portkey immediatley after breakfast wasn't the best idea. After another few seconds, Harry found himself falling onto rough ground and dirt, the wind knocked out of him. Sirius and James fared much better, with James only stumbling for a moment, before steadying himself, whilst Sirius didn't seem fazed at all. Harry grumbled slightly at Sirius' amused look, as James helped him up, until he looked in awe at the sight. For as far as the eye could see, there were tents, banners and lights with stalls and fireworks going off, with people flying overhead on brooms. The sight was incredible.
"Come on, lets find our tent" Sirius said "we were lucky in having a reserved tent for us"
Harry and James followed after Sirius, as they made their way down the narrow and twisted pathway, through the various tents, until they found a sign with the word: Black outside the opening of a large tent near the center. Heading inside, Harry was in awe to see it was much large on the inside. He guessed that another five tents could fit inside theirs. The center of the tent housed a seating area, with a small camp fire, with areas branching off into bedrooms, toilet facilities and a kitchen.
"I love magic" He said
…
Later that day, Sirius lead Harry and James into the Ministers Box, a place reserved for Quidditch Commentators, members of the Ministry from both England and other countries, the Minister himself and privileged guests. It also had a brilliant view of the pitch. Harry didn't know that many people in the Minsters Box, save for the Malfoys. He'd recognise their blonde hair anywhere. However, it was the first time he's seen Draco's mother. She sat with an impassive look on her face, with her hair being a mix of black and blonde.
"Ah, Sirius" Fudge approached "I'm glad to see you could make it"
"I wouldn't miss something like this" Sirius smiled "Its been a while since I have seen a Quidditch match"
"Well, don't let me ruin your fun" Fudge replied "If you need anything else, just ask"
James leant over the railing of the Ministers Box, seemingly enjoying the slight breeze, before he turned to Harry.
"Who do you think is going to win?" He asked "Ireland or Bulgaria?"
"I'm going to assume Bulgaria" Harry replied "Mainly because they have Krum, who is apparently one of the best players"
"Want to bet on it?" James asked, a small smirk "Five Galleons say that Ireland wins"
"Fine, I can afford to lose Five Galleons" Harry smiled "You're on"
A loud explosion occurred, before hundreds of fireworks went off, scattering across the pitch in an array of greens and yellows, where the Irish team quickly appeared, zipping across the pitch, causing cheers and applause to ring across the stands. Their cheers were quickly drowned out, by another set of fireworks, bursting into warmer reds and oranges. This time however, there were a set of cheerleaders on the pitch, doing a well-choreographed dance sequence. Harry soon noticed that a lot of men in the audience were practically swooning at the sight of the cheerleaders. Some looked ready to throw themselves over the railing. He was confused. Yes they were pretty, but he wouldn't try to kill himself for them. It seemed that, despite himself, the only people unaffected were Sirius and James.
"What is wrong with everyone?" Harry asked James, gesturing to the men in the crowd
"The Cheerleaders are Veela Harry" James replied
"Veela?" Harry asked "What are they?"
"Veela are Magical Creatures Harry" James said "They let off an allure that affects males around them…kind of like Sirens in Greek Mythology, I guess"
"How come I'm not affected, or you and Sirius?" Harry replied
"Some people aren't" James shrugged "Either by natural means or by some other reason, though its really uncommon for someone to resist a Veela allure…my family have always been resistant to such things, though I wonder why you're resistant"
Harry shrugged, as he turned his attention back to the pitch, just as the Bulgarian team began flying laps around the pitch. A referee came out, as the two teams met in the middle. Hovering calmly in the air, until the match started. Harry found it difficult to keep track of what was going on. Everything was just moving so fast. Things never felt this fast when he was playing.
"It's different watching a match isn't it?" James asked
"I can hardly tell what's going on" Harry replied
"That's sometimes it is for those in the stands" James said "Doesn't help that they are professional players"
Harry continued watching as the match went on. Both teams continued to score points, as the two Seekers chased after the Snitch, both of them flying all over the pitch, whilst they were also trying to get the other to mess up and crash into the ground. Eventually, the Ireland Seeker fell for Viktor Krum's Wronski Feint, causing him to crash onto the ground, allowing Krum to catch the Snitch, making Bulgaria win the game. As the crowd cheered, Harry looked at James, a small smirk on his face. James took out a small pouch of galleons, looking at it as if its offended him, before giving it to Harry, who couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face.
…
That night, Harry sat in the sitting area of the tent with James, Sirius and Remus who had indeed come round after the match was over. The two Marauders were talking about the things they got up to with Harry's father, when James spoke up.
"Sirius, with you being an Animagus" He said "I was wondering, if it was possible for you to teach us on how to be one"
"Wait, that is something that can be taught?" Harry asked
"Of course, if you are interested that is" Sirius nodded "Anyone can become an Animagus, if they try hard enough…I think we can get some Mandrake leaves before you head back to Hogwarts…it may take a bit of trickery to get you discreetly registered, but I think it can be possible"
A loud explosion interrupted their conversation, followed by sounds of people screaming. Wondering what was going on, they left the tent, to see people in dark robes and masks attacking the place, a large majority of people running for their lives.
"Why are they running?" Harry asked "They all easily out number whoever's attacking"
"Fear, Harry" Remus replied "We need to get word out to the Aurors and quickly…we need to stop them from attacking anyone else"
"No need to tell me twice!" James said, his wand flicking into his hand, as he ran towards where the attacks were coming from, despite Sirius and Remus' protests
Harry watched, surprised at James' actions. Usually he plans ahead before rushing in. After a second, he looked to Sirius and Remus, before choosing to follow after James, his own wand flicking into his hand. He followed the direction where James was going to see him trading spells with a few of the hooded figures. Wasting no time, he immediatley joined in, taking them down, where more of them seemed to come from nowhere. Whilst Harry used a few cutting curses, stunners and blasting curses, he watched as James' spells not only beheaded the robed figures, but also burnt them alive, hit a few with a blood boiling curse, as well as a heart imploder and a bone shattering curse. A spell he used the most though, after impacting the targets chest, caused its ribcage to fold in on itself and crush their heart and lungs, with a sickening crunch. Though Harry had seen James read spell books with such curses and had used some on training dummies, it was only now when Harry was realising just how brutal James could be. Though, Harry had to admit, the spells did intrigue him.
As Harry and James were too busy with the robed figures, they didn't notice what was going on around them. Awed by what they were seeing, many of the wizards and witches who were originally making a run for it, decided to help out, inspired by the heroic acts the boys were making. The robed figures didn't back down though, they continued to attack. That was until Aurors arrived, outnumbering them by a large amount, where they decided to then flee. Sweat rolled down Harry's forehead, as he looked around at the carnage that was left behind, feeling the heat from the burning tents. Through the flames however, he saw someone. Two people in fact. When the smoke from the flames cleared, he could see a hooded man and a man in a long leather coat. They were from his dream. They locked eyes for a moment, before Harry shot a blasting curse their way, which was effortlessly by the hooded man, where he quickly sent one back, to which James appeared and blocked it with a shielding charm. The man in the cloak seemed to tense up upon seeing James, before his head turned to the man with him, possibly talking to him.
The man in the leather coat smirked, before he lifted his wand in the air, where a jet of green light went into the sky, before the two quickly apparated away. Harry and James watched as the clouds seemed to shift, glowing an ominous green, until they turned into a skull, with a snake slithering out of its mouth. The sight of it, sent sinister chills down their spines. The two stood in silence, until they heard shouting nearby. After making their way through the destruction, they found Sirius and Remus standing with Fudge, who were yelling at some Aurors, wondering why they took so long to respond.
"Harry! James!" Sirius exclaimed, noticing their approach "You're okay, thank Merlin, what happened?"
"We're fine Sirius" Harry replied "Two men appeared, one made whatever that is in the sky, before they apparated away"
"That's the Dark Mark, Harry" Remus replied "Symbol of the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers"
"I can't believe this!" Fudge growled "Why would they attack, after being gone for so long? We're going to have to do some serious investigations on this…Aurors check the civilians, see to any injured and report any casualties"
"Yes Minister" The Aurors replied, walking off, where Fudge turned to Harry and James
"I must congratulate you two" He smiled "It's because of you people began to help out with the Death Eaters, when the Aurors were nowhere in sight…though I fear it's not over"
Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement at what just happened. If those two people from his dream were here then that must mean Voldemort must be back too. But that can't be true. Can it?
…
Done! Now we have entered the Goblet of Fire era! What did you think?
Just like with any of my longer chapters, there is a lot to go through. First off, I'm sure we know who the person in the chair was, right? No need to ask who he was. However, who was the cloaked man? He can't be Pettigrew, so who is he? And who is the 'boy' he is seeking? There is a bit of a mystery there.
As anyone who has read the books, or seen the movie would know, this leads to the Quidditch World Cup. Small side note: Am I the only one who liked Harry's and Ron's longer hair in the movie? Anyway, we do have a nice little moment between James and Harry betting on the winning team, which I thought was a nice little thing to include, which was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Early drafts of this chapter had Susan Bones included in the Minister Box, as well as Harry and James meeting Fleur Delacour and end up saving her when the Death Eaters attacked, though sadly, this didn't make it into the chapter.
Speaking of Death Eaters, we get another case of me not knowing how to do action. I didn't go into much detail about the fight, because I wasn't confident in writing out a massive fight section. In time I will get better and include longer battles if possible. Though, to make up for it, we did get a look into James' character and the kind of spells he uses and damn...he is pretty brutal. Will Harry end up learning spells from James in future chapters?
Small side note: If Harry and James become an Animagus, what kind of animals do you think they will become? I have chosen an animal for both characters, which I think makes sense for their character. I spent a long time looking through spirit animals and their meaning. When their Animagus is revealed I will tell you the descriptions I found and hopefully, you will agree, or at least understand the choice I made.
Until then, that is all for this chapter. There are a few questions that need answering. What's going to happen? Will Harry's name be placed in the Goblet of Fire? Who is the strange, cloaked man?
All will be revealed in time. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you in the next one!
Badger out!
