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Stand Tall

Chapter XI

The Missing Girl


Lamplight flickered across the stonework of Professor McGonagall's office, giving strange illumination to the two professors across from Harry. All things considered, he couldn't be in more intimidating company had he actually done something wrong or broken any rules. He glanced at Snape's impassive, stony face. On second thought, he was pretty intimidated even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

The fact that the potions professor was missing his customary sneer and venom normally reserved for him was telling. The attack on a second Ravenclaw, Cho Chang had forced the professors into action. This wasn't the same as when the Chamber of Secrets opened - it wasn't a mysterious creature unseen. This had been done by a person, a student most likely, and the school needed to be seen to doing something.

"As you know Mr Potter, the school is interviewing people regarding the recent attacks and appealing to people for any information that they might have which could help us find the culprit." McGonagall began professionally, though her face lacked any of the severity that normally came with a dressing down.

"I thought it was just Ravenclaw being called for interviews though?"

"For the most part, yes. However several of the Ravenclaws have noted to us your involvement in what they consider to be their house affairs." McGonagall's face showed what she thought of that level of territoriality. "Mr Entwhistle has corroborated the story of his house mates, though in far more charitable terms."

Harry felt his temper begin to fray. Snape's face stayed miraculously impassive, though for some reason that managed to aggravate him even more than the git's usual disdainful sneer. "So I'm a suspect because I've been speaking to Ravenclaws about problems in their house?" Harry asked heatedly.

"No Potter, which you would know if you had bothered to allow Professor McGonagall to finish." The remark was delivered without customary venom and Snape's cold, black eyes stared at him giving no clue as to what thoughts or feelings lay behind them. It was incredibly unsettling. He rubbed his scar anxiously.

"Indeed, Professor." McGonagall cut in with a vaguely reproachful look at him. "The reason you are here is to provide your perspective on the issues within Ravenclaw House and how that might pertain to the attacks. Those within Ravenclaw itself have closed ranks - Professor Flitwick is dealing with that as we speak. Even Mr Entwhistle gave us only cursory details. He merely implied that we should speak to you."

Professor Snape's eyes seemed to bore into him as he took up from where McGongall had paused. "It is highly irregular for a student to be reached out to like this Potter. It is imperative that you are forthright with us so that we may help."

Harry was a moment away from a snort at the idea of Snape helping with anything but something about his attitude made him pause. Everything about Snape was off, different.It was almost as though he knew his usual vitriol would stop Harry from talking and so was deciding to be civil. The only reason he would do that though, was a genuine desire to help. And yet, the teachers had been approached before about the bullying in Ravenclaw. Nothing had been proven, so nothing had been done. Luna had suffered even more for that.

That said, he knew exactly how McGonagall felt about bullying; and if Snape genuinely wanted to help...

Merlin help anyone that these two caught.

He long out a long sigh. "I ran across Luna Lovegood in the corridors between classes at the start of the year - she had no shoes and didn't really seem like she was fully aware of what was happening around her." A small bending of the truth but this was one duo he didn't want to be casually talking about his midnight wanderings in front of. "It just didn't seem right to me so I decided to ask Kevin about it the following day."

"What Kevin told me, if I'm being honest, made me pretty angry. Luna is being bullied by her own house. They take her things, insult and curse her - she has a horrible time here. From what Kevin told me, Cho Chang went to Flitwick in Luna's first year to try and stop it. Luna denied anything was happening - frightened, if I had to guess - and nothing was done. Luna's been bearing it without complaint since."

"...And now Miss Chang is in the Infirmary." Snape added; glare intimidating, voice dangerously silky and low. Harry swallowed.

"Why didn't you bring this to us, Mr Potter? Even if this is unrelated to the attacks, we could have helped Miss Lovegood." McGonagall looked about as reproachful as she had ever but Harry was no easily quashed first year.

"I thought about it Professor. But I have no proof, and people tried telling the teachers first. It didn't work, and if that happened again Luna's treatment would probably get even worse in retaliation. I'm not stupid enough to go after the bullies myself but I couldn't come to the teachers without proof unless I'm willing to risk that Luna's treatment could be escalated in retaliation."

"Did it ever occur to you Potter, that the teachers would be capable of gathering the proof without risking Miss Lovegood?"

"It did, Professor Snape." Harry shifted to meet Snape stare for stare, refusing to be intimidated into backing down. "But correct me if I'm wrong, but there are procedures and rules you have to follow when dealing with this kind of situation - even in magical school - aren't there? You'd have to start pulling people in and talking to them, which would be all the reason Luna's bullies would need." He took a breath, glancing back over to McGonagall, who was listening with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Of course, you could break the rules but then you put yourselves at risk. I was hoping I'd be able to find some proof before bringing it to the Professors so that they wouldn't have to do that. If I still couldn't find anything, I was going to bring it to you either way. Obviously, this was before the attack on Cho. If I hadn't been called in, I probably would have gone to Professor McGonagall anyway today in case this is all connected."

Harry finished and met the two Professors eye to eye, trying to maintain his confidence even with the nagging guilt in the back of his mind. He had known about the bullying from pretty much the start of the year - if it was connected to the attacks and he hadn't gone straight to the teachers... His stomach turned at the thought that a different decision may have prevented these attacks. Daisy and Cho both hospitalised, and it may have been his fault.

"Mr Potter, it is not your job to protect staff interests." McGonagall began with customary sternness, which softened almost imperceptibly as she went. "But it is a measure of our failure to provide a safe environment for you and the other students at Hogwarts that you don't see it that way."

Harry offered a sheepish smile. He knew that was the closest he would get any time soon to an apology for his concerns and ideas about dangers to the school being brushed off in prior years. "If it makes you feel any better Professor, I'd still take the Basilisk and being put in this ridiculous tournament over the Dursleys."

His comment seemed to have the opposite effect to what he was intending. The transfiguration professor seemed stricken for a moment but before he could think about that any further, Snape's voice reminded him that the man was even still in the room.

"Whilst I agree that it is a sign of considerable ego that Mr Potter feels as though he must protect us, I do... agree with his course of action. It would be impossible to predict these attacks without foreknowledge of them; and alerting us would have provoked retaliation from the culprit. There were other things that could have been done, but Mr Potter acted with surprising consideration of the consequences of his actions."

Harry simply stared. There had been a cheeky insult, sure. And that might have been the most reluctant use of the word 'agree' that Harry had ever heard, but Snape was looking at him as though he were some strange creature the Potions Professor had never seen before and needed to be figured out. It was an astounding shift from the acidic treatment he had received until this point in his Hogwarts career.

After that, the meeting wound itself down. Now aware, the professors would surreptitiously look for evidence of bullying as well as the culprit behind these attacks but urged Harry to come forward as soon as he heard anything - though McGonagall stressed that he was no longer to look for the culprit himself. The paradigm had shifted. It was no longer simply a case of bullying, the possible link between Luna's bullying and the attacks now meant that the teachers had more leeway in finding out who was responsible.

Still, away from the adrenaline from having to face down both Snape and McGonagall to defend his actions; the guilt that had started creeping in once a link had been made between Luna's bullying and the attacks started to seep back into his mind as he walked back to Gryffindor Tower. What if they were connected and he had said nothing? Maybe it was his fault? His fists tightened and his paced quickened through darkened corridors.

His fault. The Tournament and Ron's betrayal. Voldemort. Rita bloody Skeeter parading the parents he'd never known in front of him to provoke a reaction. It was too much all at once. He had no idea how he was supposed to cope or deal with any of this, let alone all of it at the same time. Hagrid had helped. His friends were still helping. He wasn't alone - that was about all he had to hang on to at this point.

But it was a thin thread, Harry knew. He could feel it in his head, pulled taught and straining. How much more would it take before it snapped and sent him tumbling off into the the dark?


...Given his fragile mental state, one is forced to wonder whether these two 'ambitious' social climbers should really be permitted to so brazenly take advantage of the Boy-Who-Lived's vulnerability. Did he cheat his way into this tournament to win their affection? Who's to say?! But dear readers, I know where I would be placing my bets...

Skeeters article went on to question Dumbledore's sanity and mental acuity for letting such brazen girls near him, but Harry scrunched the paper in his hands and slammed it down on the table. It was easily the most humiliating experience he'd had in his life and a quick glance around the hall as Hogwarts ate breakfast confirmed that it was a humiliation the entire school was taking enjoyment from. He had never seen so many copies of the Prophet, nor had he ever seen this many people reading it and laughing. The less than conspicuous snide glances from across the hall on the other hand, he was well used to.

Worse still was Ron's reaction. He could feel the Weasley's glare from here and he knew his ill-tempered former friend would be bright red and practically frothing. What Harry didn't know was whether Ron was petty enough to be mad that Harry had gotten into the newspaper, or whether he was mad because the article had implied that he and Hermione had done things in a Hogwarts broom closet. It seemed to be an act of masochism at this point but Harry couldn't help searching the Slytherin table for Malfoy and his reaction.

Draco Malfoy spotted Potter's look from across the hall, having spent the last few minutes watching the Gryffindor squirm and smirked with everything he had. The fury that bloomed across Potter's face made it well worth it in his opinion. All in all, this had been a rather fantastic morning. Reading the article with breakfast, and then being treated to the spectacle of the school reading it in front of a thoroughly humiliated Potter? Far and away one of the best mornings Hogwarts could possibly have offered.

It was only a trifling amusement for him now though. His previous infatuation with Potter and his ilk was a mere childish remnant of who he had been. Things had changed. He had changed.

His Father had seen to that.

Now he needed to be focused and driven, cunning and bold. Squabbles and petty feuds could not interfere with work and there was now work to do. Slytherin needed to be united and the other houses as fractured as possible. That said, if the focus of previous petty feuds happened to align with the goals of his work... Well it just wouldn't be very Slytherin not to take advantage.

His eyes slid to one of the few at his houses table not enjoying Potter's misery. Blaise Zabini had always been a thorn to him. He refused to be drawn to confirming where he stood despite his family loyalties and he had spurned, always politely, any outreach from the Malfoy scion. Bad enough to warrant action, but now all accounts indicated that he had thrown in with Potter and that was unforgivable. Draco could have admired the bravery of it, if it weren't so repulsively Gryffindor.

It posed a problem to his work however. As much as Zabini kept to himself, he possessed the respect of a good portion of the house. Those not turned off by his association with Potter may well align with him and split the house. This was utterly unacceptable. Blaise Zabini needed to be brought down a peg.

Unite his house. Divide the others. Ravenclaw was a mess as it was and Hufflepuff almost wasn't worth thinking about. Gryffindor needed to be his first target and the stroke of fortune that was the Triwizard Tournament had given him the means. The article was an opportunity. Potter was vulnerable and like him, was the focal point for his house. All he had to do was target the right weakness and Gryffindor would split around the scar-headed moron.

His target already in mind, he rose out of his chair, eyes focused on his prey like a hawk.

"Draco? Where are you going?" Pansy's curious whine came from beside him, but he hardly heard it, waving her off dismissively. He positively stalked across the room and had to force down a triumphant smirk as he arrived at his destination, his target loudly mewling his disdain for Potter.

"Weasley, a moment?" He kept his voice as steady as he could. His prey had a temper, and if he sensed mockery this would never work.

"What the hell do you want, Malfoy?" Wesley half-shouted, off-balance and still foaming with anger at Potter.

"Didn't come to pick a fight Weasley, just talk - over there." He said evenly, nodding towards a quiet alcove in the corner of the hall. He had chosen the spot with care. Far enough away from prying but still within sight that the other Gryffindors wouldn't worry about him being cursed. Weasley looked torn between not wanting to go and worried that he'd be called a coward and in the moment of hesitation Draco cocked his eyebrow. No words spoken, but the implication was clear. Unless you're scared of me, Weasel.

"Fine, whatever." He grumbled before clumsily getting to his feet. Reluctant compliance was still compliance.

"Look, " he started carefully, trying to preclude any aggression from the redhead. "Before anything else I wanted to apologise for my actions since we have started at Hogwarts. I've done a lot of growing upt his Summer, Weasley and my behaviour has been inexcusable. The Wesley's, like the Malfoy's are old blood and even if you don't think that's important, you're still deserving of more respect than I've ever shown. I'm sorry." Draco thought he'd done a reasonable job of being sincere but it was clear even Weasley wasn't that thick.

"Bullshit, Malfoy. Now get on with it - I've already lost most of my appetite from seeing you this morning. I'd like some bloody breakfast."

Draco bit back his own fury at insult. The end goal made temporary frustrations worthwhile. "Fine. I just wondered for how much longer you're going to take this from Potter. Lying, cheating and betraying you is cold enough, but now he's shacking up with Granger? His heads gotten too swollen Weasley. Your family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight - does he even know what that is? What it means? You are important, Weasley. Even the Potter's aren't on that list. Can you tell me honestly that he ever gave you the respect you deserved?"

Silence, blissful silence followed and Draco revelled in the turmoil that played out across Weasley's face.

"What's your point, Malfoy?"

"I say he needs to brought down a peg. A little constructive humiliation if you catch my drift. Take a leaf from your older brothers' book. Teach him a little lesson about what it means to betray a Wesley. After all," and now for the killer blow, "he's friends with the rest of your family - you're little sister too. If he'll betray his best friend like this, what might he do to them?"

Wesley held for a moment, then snorted. "Piss off Malfoy." He stomped off back to his table and Malfoy finally allowed himself a smirk.

The damage had been done.

Harry watched Malfoy and Ron separate with a concerned frown. He felt as if hell had frozen over and Snape had smiled and that he'd seen pigs fly all at once. Admittedly, that last one was no longer that unexpected but Ron and Malfoy having a conversation that didn't end in wands being drawn was utterly alien to him. Ron had sold them out to Snape, no matter how much he denied it. But Malfoy? There was no way - Harry wouldn't believe it. He certainly was worrying about it now though. The thought of Ron hanging up with Malfoy against him alongside everything else was too much to bear.

A light tinkling from the front of the hall stopped him from thinking about it for any longer. A hard looking man had taken to Dumbledore's podium at the, flanked by a man Harry recognised from the Quidditch World Cup - Ludo Bagman. The two were at complete odds with each other. The first looked severe, almost machine made with a toothbrush mustache and business-like black and grey robes. The other, relaxed and somewhat portly, waved good-naturedly at the assembled schoolchildren.

"Good morning boys and girls." Dumbledore intoned softly. "Alongside myself and the Heads of the esteemed Durmstrang and Beauxbatons schools; it is my pleasure to introduce the final two judges of the Triwizard Tournament. Mr Crouch, the Head of the Department of International Co-operation; and Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sport. Not to mention," Dumbledore added with a wry grin, "a former professional Beater with some, not inconsiderable, skill."

Bagman smiled broadly and the Quidditch-mad among the student broke into a round of cheers and applause that the man responded to with exaggerated waves and bows. He probably thought he looked pretty regal - Harry thought he looked like Uncle Vernon several beers into a Saturday.

"Yes, thank you Professor Dumbledore, and assembled students of Hogwarts." Crouch's dour voice cut through the fun neatly, magically amplified and incredibly boring all at the same time. Only Fred and George remained clapping for an awkward series of seconds but their smirks told that they knew exactly what they had done. "Quite." The man intoned severely, eyes boring towards the severely unrepentant twins.

A quick glance at Dumbledore and Harry saw that the Headmaster was not exactly displeased with the twins. His face was impassive but his eyes shone with unrestrained amusement.

"The Ministry has given us the incredibly exciting and vital task of announcing the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament." Harry felt suddenly aware of his incredibly dry throat but couldn't quite help turning to Neville next to him and whispering.

"Exciting? Someone should tell his face." Neville snorted loudly, and Crouch scanned the room looking for the culprit. He never did, but McGonagall's stern eyes had. Neville coughed nervously and they returned their attention to Crouch.

"The First Task will take place on the 24th of November and shall be a challenge designed to test both your courage and your minds. As such, you shall be given no other information about the nature of this challenge. Prepare broadly and for anything." Harry frowned. That was ominous and vague, something that put him even more on edge than he was already. It would be almost impossible to plan ahead for this one without cheating, so they were looking to see who was best able to come up with a plan on the fly as well as which of them had the breadth of magical knowledge and skill to be able to carry it out.

"Furthermore, across two days - the 8th of December and the 16th of March; there will be an inter-school dueling competition as a supplementary round in which the Champions will be obliged to complete. Each champion's placing will earn them points to carry forward into the tournament. The duels will be refereed by an independent body according to International rules and will be open only to Seventh Years." Crouch coughed quietly into his closed fist, before nodding his head towards the utterly silent Great Hall. "That is all."


Harry sidestepped a fizzing red spell, before casting his Shield charm to absorb two well-paced follow-ups. Blaise was seriously getting good. Everybody was, in all honesty but it was Blaise who he being forced on the defensive by. The Slytherin packed a steady punch with his spells - not the wallop that Harry had been told he packed, nor quite as much as Neville could on the odd occasion he seemed to really connect with a spell. But still more than Hermione could deliver consistently, or Ron before he had stopped coming to their meetings for that matter.

Still, it was pleasing to experience the progress Blaise had made even as he launched his own series of spells. Stunner first, several leg-lockers and a full body-bind. It was a series that seemed to go together well, something that Harry was only beginning to notice about his spells. All spells seemed to force a gap in casting with their wand movements but some spells seemed to flow somewhat naturally from one to the next with their movements allowing for smaller gaps. Smaller gaps meant less opportunities for the opponent to counter or defend. Stunner, leg locker twice and a full body bind was his longest 'chain' of spells, mostly because he hadn't found a spell that naturally followed the body bind.

That said, four spells was enough to get Blaise on the back foot and that was all he needed to put into motion something he'd wanted to try since Skeeter had brought his parents back to the forefront of his mind. The Slytherin smoothly stepped away from the body bind that had pierced his own shield charm; but Harry was already casting. Wand pointed at a table, it's top slammed to the floor even as it's legs slithered out from underneath it.

"Restrain him."

Blaise' eyes widened as he realised what had happened but Harry threw another chain at him before he could defend himself.

"Accio table!" Blaise cried and another table came spinning towards him, intercepting Harry's spells with a vicious splintering of wood. "Incendio!" Flame erupted from his wand, incinerating Harry's snakes. It wasn't enough though. Even as Blaise scanned for Harry to cast again, a black shape bundled into him from his side, sending him to the floor and his wand skidding across the concrete floors.

The black labrador retriever pinning the Slytherin to the floor gave Blaise a cheeky lick to his face, before reverting back to a chair.

"Pretty sure McGonagall hasn't taught that yet, Potter." He paused long enough to drag himself to his feet and wipe the drool from his face. "And I'm pretty sure she teaches it to be cats."

Harry shrugged unapologetically. "My Dad was supposed to have been amazing at Transfiguration. I asked Hermione to give me the heads up on what we would be studying this year so I could study ahead." He smiled, mostly to himself. "Plus, I prefer dogs."

"Harry, that was amazing! I'd never have thought to use Transfiguration in a duel like that!" Harry and Blaise both snapped their heads round to see Hermione with a muggle notebook and pen, eagerly scribbling notes.

"How long were you here, Granger?" Blaise asked, eyebrow raised.

"Only for the last part of the duel." She stated, and then she scowled at Harry. "You could have told me you were coming to practice early, I would have come too."

"Sorry Hermione, we didn't arrange it beforehand. I met Blaise in the Great Hall and asked if he fancied an early duel to warm up." Harry responded, a little sheepishly. The last thing he wanted was for Hermione to feel left out. He really didn't need to alienate another of his first and closest friends.

"It's fine, Harry. I'm mostly joking - I know you wouldn't leave any of us out on purpose. Want me to read out the notes I made on what I managed to see?"

"Why not? Always happy to take some critique - especially when it's as detailed as your-"

Suddenly, the door to the practice room burst open with a crash, to reveal a panting and slightly sweaty Neville.

"Harry, quick - we've got to move! The Professors are all up and about and searching the castle, we'll be caught if we hang about!" Neville was wide-eyed and pale and a quick glance at the map on the wall lent credence to what he was saying. Even Dumbledore was marching down a corridor on the sixth floor with a purpose.

"What on earth's happened Neville?" He asked nervously, almost dreading to hear the answer. Please not another attack. Please not another one...

What Neville said though, was perhaps even worse for him than that.

"It's Luna, Harry. She's not been see in the castle since yesterday evening - didn't come to any of her lessons, and hasn't gone to her dorm tonight." Neville looked like he might cry and Harry didn't blame him. "She's missing, Harry. No-one knows where she is. What are we going to do?"