Disclaimer: I own none of the things you already know of.
Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.
Chapter 30. Fourth Year, Part 12. 1995.
Harry woke to the sound of an obnoxious bird singing as though it were welcome. His head throbbed like a Hippogryph had kicked him and the bird singing didn't help.
He opened his eyes, only to close them a moment later as the sun's light blinded him.
Harry kept his eyes closed and felt a weight on his left side. He shifted a little before he realised he bore a weight on his right side as well.
He cracked his eyes open slowly to allow them to adjust to the light, and saw the white ceiling of the hospital wing.
Memories trickled into his mind of walking along the lake, of two mysterious women who fought. A fluorescent blue potion.
The potion.
Harry closed his eyes tight and pushed back into the bed as images from his underwater battle entered his mind.
The clouds of Grindylow bits, the destruction of the Selkie village and its inhabitants by the Giant Squid, more like a Kraken.
His breathing sped up, and he felt lightheaded before a cool hand touched his forehead and he let out a deep sigh.
'Relax. You're safe now, everyone is safe now.' A familiar voice soothed.
Harry felt his muscles slacken and his breathing returned to normal, and he opened his eyes. His mother smiled above him and pulled her hands away from his face.
'What you did was heroic, and I wish you would never do anything like that again.' She whispered.
Harry blinked at her.
'How do you know what happened?' he asked, his mind still filled with images of tentacles in the gloom.
Lily sighed.
'A few of the Selkies survived and once the potion was removed from their bodies, they told the Headmaster what happened.' She explained.
Harry moved to sit up, but the weights on his arms stopped him. Fleur slept on his left arm and Holly on his right.
He sighed and lay back on the bed.
'What did the potion do, exactly?' he asked, and Lily ran a hand down her face.
'I'd rather not say while you're still recovering.' She looked away.
'Please, tell me. It'll help me recover.' He whispered, and she sighed.
'It was a potion that not even Severus had seen before. But it affected all the creatures in the lake that ingested it.' She began and Harry gasped.
'The Grindylows and the Selkies became frenzied and attacked anything they saw, even each other.' Lily said and looked away.
Harry narrowed his eyes.
'Mum?' he asked, and she nodded.
'They found twenty Selkie spears embedded in the Giant Squid, so they'd been fighting it, and each other for a while before you got there.' She explained.
Harry stared at her in horror.
Lily cupped his cheek with her hand.
'What you did down there was nothing short of amazing. How did you get so strong as to set the squid on fire, under water?' she asked, incredulous.
Harry groaned.
'I was trying to heat the water enough to make the thing flee.' He admitted, and she smiled.
'It was a good plan; it would have worked in any other situation. I never knew the squid was that large.' Lily admitted.
Harry lay back and let out a deep breath.
'Harry, when you get up later, have a look at the lake. There's an iceberg out there with the squid caught inside.' She smiled, and Harry groaned.
On either side of him, both girls woke and looked up at him with great, beaming smiles.
''Arry.' Fleur cried as she threw her arms around him.
Holly rolled her eyes.
'If being a hero didn't come naturally to you, I'd think you were trying too hard.' She smirked.
''Arry, thank you for saving me and the hostages.' Fleur whispered into his neck.
Harry used his now free right hand to brush a stray hair from Fleur's face and smiled down at her.
'You rescued the hostages, I just rescued you.' He disagreed.
Harry frowned at his arm, now that he could see it. His skin was covered in bandages, a yellowish paste seeped through the white bandage and his lip curled.
'Your body is completely covered with those bandages honey. Apparently, the squid left you with lacerations that covered seventy percent of your body.' Lily said.
Harry groaned.
'Only seventy? It felt like it was tearing me in half.' he muttered, then shook his head.
He blinked and looked up at his mother.
'What about the other Champions?' he asked.
Fleur and Holly both turned to Lily as she gave a soft smile and patted Harry's leg.
'Don't worry about them.' She said.
'Mum?' he asked, and she sighed.
'Grindylows attacked Cedric. Then Neville, who was using Gillyweed, also attacked both the Grindylows and Cedric. Viktor followed soon after, he had partially transformed into a shark.' She said and Harry blinked.
'Why would they attack Cedric?' Holly asked.
Harry gasped.
'The potion?' he asked, and Lily nodded.
'That's right. Cedric was using the bubblehead charm, like the two of you did and didn't ingest any of the potion.' Lily explained before she looked around the hospital wing for a moment.
'Neville and Viktor were both affected by the potion because it entered their bodies through their gills. They both tried to attack anything they saw, which was Cedric and the Grindylows.' Lily finished.
'But they're, okay?' Harry asked, and Lily nodded.
'Neville and Viktor were both in here for a few hours while Severus purged their bodies of the potion. Cedric was fine after Madame Pomphrey healed a few cuts and scrapes.' Lily said, and Harry let out a deep breath.
Harry looked around the room.
'Where's dad? How did I get out of the lake?' he asked
Holly took his hand in hers.
'Dad led the Aurors down into the lake and brought you out in his arms. The crowd was horrified by all the blood.' Her eyes teared up and Harry squeezed her hand.
'I'm sorry for worrying you so much Holly.' He whispered, touching his brow to hers.
Fleur trailed a hand down his face.
'Your papa is dealing with the fallout of the Second Task being interrupted.' She said, and Harry turned to her.
'Did you win? Or did the Task get cancelled?' he asked, and she gave him a tight smile.
'Points have not yet been awarded. Last I heard, they're considering holding an alternate Second Task.' She explained.
Lily patted his leg.
'Try to get some rest. You exhausted yourself with all your heroics. Your body will take some time to recover. Let it.' She ordered with a smile.
Holly looked between her mother and Fleur, then at Harry, then back to Fleur and grinned.
'Enjoy yourselves.' Holly smirked and left the hospital wing alongside Lily.
Harry and Fleur remained in place for a moment before she buried her face in his neck, one of the few areas where his skin wasn't covered in bandages soaked in some kind of fluid.
'I was so worried 'Arry.' She whispered.
'Shh, it's okay. Things were just a little crazy for a while, but our training helped a lot.' he murmured in her ear.
'How's Gabrielle?' he asked, and she raised her tear-stained face to his.
'She's well. My parents are with her in the Great Hall having breakfast. I'm sure they'll be up soon.' She said, and Harry smiled and leaned forward.
'Is there anyone else in the room?' he whispered.
Fleur pulled out her wand and cast a silent 'Homenum Revelio.' before shaking her head.
Harry sighed.
'The two women were there again. The one who attacked you is called Elizabeth Creevey. I saw it on the map.' He said.
Fleur gasped, then her eyes narrowed and met his gaze.
'Creevey. I know that name, didn't you already ask that boy if he had a sister?' she asked, and Harry nodded.
'I did, and he doesn't. I didn't think to ask him what his mother's name was though.' he said and ran a hand through his hair.
'Fleur, she poured half a dozen cauldrons of the fluorescent blue potion into the lake, corrupting it. It's clear that she is the one trying to harm you.' Harry muttered and took a breath.
'The other woman, she called me by name and told me to rescue everyone in the lake. She had silver hair and a Rosewood wand. Before I jumped into the lake, she said to call her Crocus.' Harry said.
Fleur frowned.
'What do you think?' she asked, and he groaned.
'There's something about her that is familiar, but I don't know what it is.' He scowled, and her frown deepened.
'How far along has your time turner research progressed?' she asked, and he blinked.
'Wait, you think Crocus is from the future? You think that maybe it's you?' he asked, and she shrugged.
'There's no way to know. We don't know if this Crocus is from the future at all, or if she's the future me, or anything really. All we have are hunches and I know you've been working on that advanced time turner with your mum for years.' She mused; her gaze locked outside on the distant mountains.
'It's just a hunch at the moment, and judging by the last two tasks, you'll be seeing her again for the third.' She muttered, almost like she was talking to herself.
Fleur turned back and met his gaze.
'Next time, we'll be ready to get some answers.' She declared, then frowned.
'You didn't see Crocus on the map?' she asked, and Harry shook his head.
Fleur shrugged.
'If my hunch is correct, this Elizabeth Creevey woman is also from the future, so she could be that Colin boy's daughter or something, depending on how far from the future they come, if they're from the future at all.' She mused.
Harry groaned.
'My head isn't up to all the mystery yet.' He complained.
Fleur gave him a warm smile and kissed his brow.
'It will be okay; I'll just have to kiss it better for you.' She whispered.
And she did.
The next week passed with Harry being released from the hospital wing. Each night, after walking Fleur to her carriage, Harry returned to his dorms and checked the map regularly for suspicious names on his way.
One night he saw Snape and Karkaroff in Snape's quarters, while he saw Bertha Jorkins and Bartemius Crouch roaming the corridors of the Castle.
Harry narrowed his eyes as he entered the Entrance Hall and pulled out his Potter mirror.
'James Potter.' Harry said into the reflective surface, which moments later showed his father's face.
'Harry? What's up?' James asked, and Harry frowned.
'I keep seeing two names on the map, always with each other. One of them is Bartemius Crouch, the Triwizard Judge.' Harry said, and James cocked his head.
'Who is the other?' he asked.
'Someone named Bertha Jorkins?' Harry replied.
James swore.
'Harry, stay away from those two names.' He ordered and Harry blinked.
'Why?' he asked, and James ran a hand down his face.
'I have a hunch. Thanks for telling me, I'll look into this and update you in a few days.' James explained, and Harry blinked as his mirror disconnected.
Harry frowned and tucked the mirror away in his robes.
'Well, that was weird.' He muttered to himself and walked back to the Hufflepuff common room.
Halfway through March, while Harry was studying in the library with his friends, his Potter mirror vibrated.
It was James.
'Dad? What's up?' Harry asked as his father's face appeared in the mirror.
'Harry. I want you to keep an eye out for those two names on the map. Call me if you see them again.' James said, and Harry nodded.
'Sure, can I ask why?' he asked.
James sighed.
'Auror reasons?' James asked hopefully.
Harry shrugged.
'Works for me. I'll let you know if they show up. Shall I let the others know to do the same?' he asked.
James paused for a moment, thinking about it before he nodded.
'Yeah, that would be great. See you.' James said and disconnected.
Harry looked up at Holly and Susan.
'You two heard him, right?' he asked, and they nodded.
A few days later, it was Saturday.
Harry and Fleur stood panting in the Room of Requirement after a hard-fought duel in the Roman Coliseum. It had become a favourite of them both.
With a thought, a couch appeared between them, and they fell into it, catching their breath.
'Have you checked your map recently 'Arry? Didn't your father ask you to keep a close eye on it?' she asked, and Harry groaned.
'Time runs differently in here. Outside, it's only been like half an hour or something.' He said as he held out his hand toward the Marauder's Map, which sat on a seat in the stands of the Coliseum.
Fleur walked over and pressed the large red button to return the room to normal time.
The map shot through the air and into his hand a moment later.
He looked at the map and within moments noticed the two names near the Quidditch Pitch.
Bartemius Crouch and Bertha Jorkins.
He pulled out his Potter mirror from his robes as Fleur watched, her eyes wide.
'James Potter.' Harry said and a moment later, his father's face appeared in the mirror.
'Harry?' he asked, and Harry turned the mirror toward the two names on the map.
'Dad, those two names, they're at the Quidditch Pitch right now.' Harry explained and turned the mirror back to his own face.
'Harry, stay away from the Quidditch Pitch. I've uncovered some horrible things and I'll tell you later.' James ordered, and Harry nodded.
'Can I help?' he asked, and James shook his head.
'No, stay out of this one Harry.' He said, his face bore an uncharacteristically serious expression.
Harry shared a look with Fleur before he turned back to his father and nodded. It wasn't often that his father was serious about anything.
'Good luck and safe hunting, dad.' Harry said.
James nodded and disconnected his mirror.
Harry sighed, tucking away his mirror. He looked over at Fleur, whose gaze was locked on him.
'Did you want to continue?' he asked, and she shook her head.
'With this going on, I don't think I can focus on anything.' She muttered and stowed her wand in her holster.
Harry nodded and his gaze roamed the room before it returned to her.
'How about we go hang out with the others? That might distract us?' Harry suggested, and she smiled.
'That would be nice, but first, I need a shower. And no, you're not joining me, mister.' She winked, and Harry shook his head with a smile.
A few hours later, Harry sat on the grass overlooking the Black Lake.
Fleur, Holly and his friends sat with him, and he basked in the unseasonal warmth.
After a few minutes, he blinked, his gaze roamed across the lake.
'What happened to the squid?' Harry asked.
Holly sighed, then looked at their friends for a moment before she turned back to Harry.
'The Aurors took it away. I heard it is being held in the Department of Mysteries.' She explained.
Harry nodded.
'I suppose that makes sense.' He mused and felt a vibration in his robes.
His mirror.
Harry leapt up from the grass, which drew strange looks from everyone before he brought the mirror to his face.
'Harry.' James said with a smile.
'Hey Dad, say hi to everyone.' Harry said
He moved the mirror around so James could see everyone who waved at him.
'Harry, are you happy if news is shared with everyone?' James asked, and Harry nodded.
'Of course, go ahead.' Harry said as he sat down beside Fleur and everyone else crowded around them to see James' face.
James looked at Harry, then Holly and Susan, before back to Harry.
'My team and I discovered Bartemius Crouch has been under the Imperius Curse from his son, Barty Crouch Junior. Barty has been working with a witch named Bertha Jorkins to resurrect the Dark Lord, according to Bartemius anyway.' James said.
Harry stared at the mirror.
'Wait. Those two names we've been seeing running around Hogwarts all year have been Death Eaters?' Harry asked, his eyes narrowed.
'At the very least, they are sympathisers. I don't know if Barty and Bertha have the mark.' James answered, and Harry sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
Fleur gripped his leg with a hand.
James gave a solemn nod.
'After you told me that Barty and Bertha were at the Quidditch Pitch, I took my team to apprehend them. But the two are damn powerful. They escaped after a duel with a full Auror team of four.' James growled and Harry gasped.
'How is everyone?' Harry asked, and James cringed.
'Tonks will sport bruises for a while, but Winters and Symons are in St Mungo's.' James explained.
Fleur gasped.
'Those two beat the four of you that badly?' she asked, then covered her mouth.
'I'm sorry.' She gasped.
James shook his head.
'No, it's alright. You're right. They did.' James admitted before he turned his gaze to Harry.
'Harry, do not go anywhere near them. They're up to something and I don't want you or your friends anywhere near it, especially you two, Susan and Holly.' James said, and they all nodded.
'If you see them on the map, tell me, day or night and I'll send two teams this time, three if I can get them.' James urged and Harry nodded.
'Sure dad, if possible, I'll stay away from them.' Harry agreed.
'Okay. Now everyone, remember, this is all confidential, so don't go spreading it around. Harry trusts you all, so I do too.' James said, as his eyes met each member of the group.
The mirror went dark, and James disappeared.
Harry tucked the mirror away and turned to the others.
'It's about time for dinner, who's hungry?' he asked and was met by stares.
Harry sighed and sat back down.
'Okay, looks like we have a bit to talk about.' He said, and Daphne rolled her eyes.
'Yeah, you could say that.' Daphne shot and Harry rubbed the back of his head.
'Okay, okay. I'll try to explain everything.' He said.
The Easter break came and went and at the end of May, Bagman took the four Champions out onto the grounds to discuss the Third Task.
That night, as Harry lay in bed, Fleur called him on their mirror.
''Arry, the Third Task is a maze being held at the Quidditch Pitch.' She blurted, and Harry groaned.
'That's where Barty and Bertha were last seen. There has to be a connection.' he mused.
'You think they're in league with Elizabeth Creevey?' Harry asked, and Fleur shook her head with a frown.
'We don't have enough information to draw any conclusions. We'll have to plan for both options, that they are working together, and that they are two different enemy groups.' She said, and Harry nodded.
'At least we have another month till the Third Task. We'll be prepared for whatever the Task throws at us and anything else that happens too.' Harry said, and Fleur gave him a bright smile.
'You always know what to say to make a girl feel better 'Arry.' She said.
(A/N: It's come up a few times in comments that its a little weird that Harry isn't better after spending so much time in the Room. I thought I had covered this in previous chapters, but its clear to me now that I missed the mark there. Harry has roughly the same power as canon Harry, except this one has trained to use it. Harry hasn't been able to fight Death Eaters and win so far because the room's training dummies cap out at the approximate skill of a fifth year student. There's a massive difference between a fifth year student and a Death Eater. Now that Harry has been training with Fleur, someone with greater skill than him, he has improved dramatically.
I also wanted to mention that his time in the Room of Requirement has been by himself, he hasn't had an expert to train him in there. The combat training he has done is entirely solitary, there is only so much a book and your own imagination can help when you're teaching yourself how to fight. Again, now that he has Fleur in the room with him, someone who has been trained by experts. Harry no longer has that limitation.
He's also working on a number of projects, each of which would be NEWT level projects, at least. So far, we've seen the mirrors, each of the different types of protective charms for the charm bracelets. Not to mention designing a time turner from scratch. Each of these projects would involve a detailed understanding of most of the Hogwarts classes, equal to or above NEWT level.
Sorry for the long note, but I wanted to address the few comments that have popped up that said Harry should be better than he is. Hopefully this note has helped in some way to explain why Harry isn't yet able to run around and smash Death Eaters into the ground.)