Even after spending full year at Hogwarts, trying to find its many secrets Ness never thought about Hogwarts being…well, evil or at the very least very manipulative. He spent March awaiting the firestorm of letters from Paula and her rightfully terrified and angry parents to Dumbledore who had endangered several none students for the second challenge but, there was nothing.
The only sign that Paula was annoyed was the letter she had written to Ness with a strict message informing him to show NO ONE and to destroy it as soon as possible sent in mid-March. With slight hesitation, he did. Waiting for everyone to fall asleep he sat up in bed and sat by the window using the faint moonlight to read her letter in the dark.
His dinner churned in a violent manner as he read it once, then twice before leaning back. The message?
'Dear Ness, I write to you for fear of possibly being crazy and, fearing the safety of my life and others. When I returned home on a plane (I wasn't letting those cultists teleport me ANYWHERE.) my mother and father greeted me with cheerful smiles and asked how my SCHOOL TOUR went. Not, if I was safe or where I had gone, but simply how my tour of YOUR school went.
Rightfully confused I asked what they meant, and they revealed that they knew about the secret letter I got for my 'advanced' skills in Psychology offering to give me a brief tour and to see a fun 'school tournament' being held. Apparently, I agreed despite NEVER getting a letter from these people and my disappearance was merely a secret taxi ride to a private jet.
They weren't even mad that I had almost gone behind their back for a 'tour'! They were just glad my 'skills' were being recognized! And that's not the worse part, later I read their minds and discovered that SOMEONE had rewired it to make the lie a truth. Possibly with the same spell that had broken my shield and rendered my mind useless for a couple hours.
I take it back Ness, Wizards aren't cultists, their monsters with the power to 'rewrite' history with their magic. I was going to try and tell my papers about it, maybe warn other people about them but I was contacted by the Mystic Informant and a school principal who both warned me to stay quiet and informed me that wizards rewrote Muggles memories on a daily basis to keep their world a secret and that it would happen to me and most likely destroy my PSI powers.
The Mystic Informant was kind enough to use my statement as a flame war and blurred my name out for privacy reasons for bringing a 'muggle' into a tournament and urged me to warn you that you're not safe.
I recall you informing me of your attempts of performing magic and gaining nasty headaches as well as blowing things up in a mix of PSI and magic, they didn't give me to much detail for fear of overwhelming me but informed me that PSI and magic SHOULD NEVER mix and that as soon as your school year is over, they would be offering therapist services to you to ensure your mentally okay.
I understand your currently stuck there and trying to prevent that other Crouch from doing something but please, BE CAREFUL about what you may say or do. Hogwarts may be keeping your true abilities under wrap for now, but if that other guy is truly a follower of that Dark Lord then you may be forced to fight him and get your true status leaked to the magic world.
From a worried friend who may begin protesting wizards, Paula.'
That had been enough to seriously scare him about magic. He knew it was powerful beforehand but brushed it off thanks to his cure abilities and being mostly unaffected by it. But to even think about magic doing permanent damage to the powers blessed to him was terrifying.
No more animal insight, no more healing his little sister or friends who had gotten a small injury. He would go back to being boring old Ness, and possibly without his memories of his grand adventure or powers in the first place if the wizards decided to go the extra mile and wipe his memories.
"Wizards do not mess around." Ness sighed, folding up the many pieces of paper and slipping downstairs to burn them. He didn't want Paula to get in trouble or lose her memories because he was being careless.
For the rest of March, he was diligent, careful not to let Paula's letter slip to his friends (Who he trusted greatly, but didn't trust their parents who all seemed to have some speaking platform.) while trying to figure out how to steal Mad Eyed Moody's flask and what the third trial was.
They hadn't been given so much as a hint as what to expect. Leaving the champions on edge. Ness tried his best to relax but the looming thought of wizards being seriously dangerous and a loved one being kidnapped for this crazy tournament haunted his thoughts daily.
And his friends quickly noticed his subdued mood. "Earthbound, did you get sick or something?" Selvis questioned, absently reading a history textbook while he listened into conversations with the help of his magic stone.
"Nah…stressed." Ness replied, trying to be invisible as he read the Mystic Informant who was reviewing Hogwarts for their kidnapping attempt and life threatening challenge with not so thrilled reviews from American wizards and muggles. It brought a small smile to his face as he read, but not enough to ward off the giant knot of unease forming in his stomach.
"I wonder what's going to happen." Ginny mused as she and Luna played a game of chess with magic. Because why not? Ness was starting to notice how much magic was being involved on a daily basis. He had noticed signs of it when spending summer break with Ginny and having that awful, itchy cold food but he never noticed how everyone relied on magic first to complete tasks. In fact, it was unnerving to hear that one of the punishments the grumpy old janitor had was to wash the trophies down without magic, an everyday chore that normal kids would have faced daily.
Just how valuable was magic to these wizards?
"Chaos," Luna guessed, pulling Ness from his thoughts as the Ravenclaw nudged her pawn into place, "Just like last year."
"And the year before it." Selvis added with a small frown, "Chaos seems to be one of Hogwarts goals."
"Is Hogwarts always chaotic?" Ness asked, "I mean, before we enrolled?" they mulled it over before shaking their heads and recalling what their parents had said about the school.
The only real odd part was when Voldemort framed Hagrid for being the heir of the Chambers of Secrets and nothing else. Which was weird. Did all these crazy events merely happen because the Boy Who Lived was here? If so…then how? How had fate managed to keep young, muggle-like Harry alive and against the odds of death?
Something just didn't seem right.
"Hey, the Polyjuice potion is taken in doses, right?" Ness glanced up from his thoughts once more as Selvis continued, "So, wouldn't that mean that he's making more on campus to avoid running out?"
"Isn't it super hard to make?" Ness questioned.
"Yes, that's my point. He couldn't have made a whole bunch to tide him over the school year, especially since he jumped Mad Eyed Moody at the beginning of the year."
Selvis flinched as Ginny gasped and exclaimed, "Mad Eyed Moody must be on the school grounds then!"
"But where?" Luna questioned with a small frown, "It'll have to be secret and a place where no student would poke their nose into."
"Well…would a student poke his nose into a teacher's office?" Ness questioned already knowing the answer as the Boundless members exchanged looks then nodded.
A plan forming in their minds to rescue Mad Eyed Moody and hopefully, throw Barty Jr. back in jail.
The plan was simple, they would spend their time studying Barty Jr. picking up his habits and timeline for after class to see when he was out of his office. Then Ness would teleport into the office which, according to Harry was on the third floor by the bathrooms. And find the real Mad Eyed Moody.
Of course they tried to go to the teachers before they broke hundreds of school rules but no one really listened to them and were to busy being swept up in the odd formation of hedges growing out on the Qudditch Field. Something every Qudditch fan and player had greatly disliked when they spotted the growing lumps out on the field one night.
It was nerve wracking not to instinctively shy away from the imposter in class or to call him out right then and there (Something Ginny wanted to do.) or to confide in Harry who Ness wasn't sure was completely on board with their odd way of thinking. Harry would be a bit skeptical since Mad Eyed Moody was a renowned Aurora and seemed to greatly trust Dumbledore, like every other student. Probably enough to forget his bad luck with picking teachers.
It was agonizing as they patiently waited for a chance to sneak into Mad Eyed Moody's office, keeping careful notes of his usual schedule, while trying to seem normal when he sensed their presence with that annoying magic eye. It wasn't until late May that Ness got his chance to sneak into the office.
"He's gone!" Selvis breathless announced late one night, "He went outside for some reason!"
"You're joking!" Ginny hissed, sounding sleepy and also a little annoyed at being pulled out of her nightly studies.
"I wonder why." Luna mused while Ness slipped out of bed and hurriedly teleported to the room, flinching as every device inside went off like a mad tea pot, "Geez! This guy must have a lot to hide given the security!" Ness hissed as he searched around the office, careful not to touch anything that seemed important as he worked.
"Find anything?" Selvis asked as Ness ran his hands through his early bedhead and sighed, "No, not yet." Before he went to try the objects and books. Shivering as he opened one drawer and discovered crazed scribbles talking about the key to offering Harry to the Dark Lord.
He pocketed one of the scribbles when it mentioned a trophy to be used and resumed searching. A knot of worry growing in his stomach as he was left to search the trunk.
"Wish me luck." Ness whispered as he studied one of the locks, took a deep breath and used Rockin' Alpha on it, shattering it into pieces before he threw it open. In hindsight, finding a neater way to break open the lock was probably a better idea but he was greatly running out of time and he only had one more place to look.
Carefully rummaging through the contents with his almost forgotten wand he searched through every robe, book, scroll, trap and then, a false bottom.
"Just like in the books." Ness silently cheered and pried it open, his breathing suddenly to loud and the soft screech making it very hard to stay rooted to reality and not give into his fears and bolt from the room.
"I found him!" Ness cheered earning sighs of relief from the girls then a crisp, "Good, now hurry it up! He'll come back any moment now!" From Selvis.
"Hey, sir, are you alright?" Ness gently jostled the sickly version of Mad Eyed Moody and awaited an answer. He got no reply. "It's going to be alright, I'm going to get you out of here." Performing every healing PSI attack he had until he got some slight stirring from the most likely half dead man.
"I'm going to sit you up, alright?" Ness whispered as something in the room began to whistle, "Geez, you really love loud things, like I get your paranoid about everything but really." Ness noted with a small forced laugh as he steadied the swaying man, "Alright, this is going to be a bit tricky, and a little disorientating but I'm going to teleport us out of here."
"He's here." Moody mumbled with a croak, grimacing in pain from using his underused vocal cords, "Run,"
Ness frowned and was about to say that he wasn't leaving without him, or without giving him some help when he heard a cold voice hiss, "Impero!"
He gave a yelp as his senses were dunked under unforgivable icy water, angry whispers were ordering him to do something. He wasn't competently sure what as something that sounded like a river was drowning them out. It was even worse than the first time Barty Jr. had performed the curse on him.
"How did you know?" one of the whispers—orders, demanded.
"Not telling." Ness replied, cringing as he bit his tongue in the process. Was something impeding his speaking ability?
"How did you know!" the voice insisted as Ness tried to block him out, he wasn't going to be Junior's little puppet and sell anyone out. He was going back to jail, or get help since his mind seemed dangerously unstable and leaving him and Harry alone.
"Get out!" Ness ordered, a headache coming on as he struggled against Barty Jr.'s desperate grasp, fighting back against the angry ocean of magic as he prepared to use a Rockin' Alpha.
Ness swore that he heard glass break as Barty Jr. was sent stumbling back, a look of panic and pain written all over 'Mad Eyed's' gnarled face as Ness lunged forward and grabbed the metal flask opening it and dumping to misty liquid onto the floor.
"Adios importer!" with the flask empty and Ness feeling a little triumphant he turned to the imposter, prepared to use Paralysis Omega until the potion wore off. He froze at the wand pointed not at him, but at the real Mad Eyed Mood.
"One wrong move," Barty Jr. rasped, "And I'll kill him."
"And risk losing your potion income?" Ness challenged, forcing himself to relax and just attack, "Doubt it." With the silent command Barty Jr. froze, his eyes wide with disbelief as Ness snatched the wand out of his stiff hand and moved to break it over his knee.
"Go ahead," Barty Jr. rasped, struggling to move and regain control of his limbs, "Break it, but do it and I'll reveal to the entire wizarding world that you're a PSI user."
"And? I'll just blame Dumbledore." Ness coolly retorted, not liking the desperate grin attempting to form on the man's frozen face, "And Paula? Sweet, innocent Paula?"
He stiffened and felt a rare wave of protective anger crash over him. "Leave her out of this."
"But she's already in this mess. Thanks, your presence. One simple word…and you're both toast." Barty Jr. gave a small laugh and mercilessly mused, "I wonder how the Ministry would react to two PSI users being involved at the World Cup and being the sole reason behind the truth of Peter Petigrew, amusing, right?"
"Yea no, you're not saying anything. To anyone." Ness growled breaking the wand and glowering at the man.
"My friend will."
"Sure." Ness broke it into an extra couple pieces just so the man wouldn't be able to do anything with the remains but froze when Barty Jr. added, "Or, I could simply ask Peter to murder her for me. Lord Voldemort was quiet pleased to hear that I had a PSI student in my grasp, and even more so when the rat joined the girl back home."
Voldemort knew? About them? He had to warn Paula! And maybe her parents! Or maybe Jeff, he was working on a device to get rid of nasty rodents. Plus it would be a lot easier for him to deal with it since Peter wouldn't know about the boy genius and his smarts.
"Or…perhaps we could work out a little deal."
Ness shot him an annoyed look as the man continued, "During the final match, I need you to ensure that Harry gets to the end and wins the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
"Or else?" Ness said with a low growl, he wasn't liking the sound of this.
"Or else, the girl and everyone you care for will mysteriously die." Barty Jr. Gave another low chuckle, "Lord Voldemort has been very pleased with my work so far…it'll be easy to arrange a short trip to America and back."
"You wouldn't," Ness hissed, an odd weight of helplessness taking root as the man calmly looked back at him with a deranged glint in his eye, "I would."
Dun, dun, DUNNN! Cliff hanger! Wait, crude, cliff hanger! _ I really need to plan my writing out better...and maybe actually plan.
Also, more romance hints! (Seriously, am I dropping these hints right? I'm so lost...)