The world came through in pained bursts of sound, feelings and sight. One moment Harry could see Ms. Weasley and his friends standing over him, then he could hear their worried yells followed by someone announcing everyone to be calm, then he would feel the cool air blowing against his numb body, the grass tickling the back of his neck and hands, the feel of someone's hands taking his pulse and moving his hair out of his eyes as his scar and head throbbed as if someone had played rock at the loudest volume.
Then it would repeat itself over, and over again until it stopped, and everything came through in a solid mishmash. "Oh thank god!" Ms. Weasley cried as Harry blinked his eyes and struggled to breath, "Don't do that!" Hermione ordered, looking a little hysterical as she and Ron hugged him to death.
"Whu?" he paused and moved his numb tongue around the inside of his mouth, trying to figure out why he couldn't speak as he heard someone yelling Ness's name. Ness.
"Ness isn't a wizard!" he blurted out, only it sounded like, "Ess is't a wizuard," thanks to his numb tongue. The recent events replaying in his mind as he tried to explain himself to Hermione and Ron who were looking at Ness with worry before focusing solely on him.
Understanding that Ness was involved somehow but not sure why as the boy merely studied the sky, his eyes still unfocused as his sister and mother shook him and tried to get him to respond.
"He's-," Harry tried when Mad Eyed Moody broke up the tight knot of family and friends, "Settle down." He ordered as Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey gently lead Ness's mother and sister way promising to do everything in their power to get Ness back to normal.
"This is too public," Mad Eyed Moody grumbled, glaring at the quiet crowd watching the scene with slight horror and confusion, "Come on,"
"Professor, Ness—Voldemort! He's back!" he stammered as Mad Eyed Moody gently lead him away, from the crowd slowly resuming their noise as Bagman announced something.
"You saw him?" Mad Eyed Moody questioned, his wooden leg clicking loudly against the marble floor as Harry nodded and tried to clarify what had happened in the maze before moving onto Voldemort.
As he spoke he noticed his teacher's working eye growing foggy with…something, he couldn't tell. Perhaps it was shock from Harry witnessing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's rebirth, or from Ness's betrayal and outburst or—
"Excuse me!" Mad Eyed Moody briskly picked up the pace, dragging Harry who had paused to try and see who was calling them, "Hey! Mate!" it was the camera man who seemed fond of Ness and his friends, what was his name…? Coco? Charlie? Chip? Yes, that seemed right.
Chip Adams…? Alright…but why was he here in the castle and jumping up and down trying to get Mad Eyed's attention?
"Professor, I think he wants to speak with you-," Harry started when Mad Eyed Moody jerked on his arm, his grip tightening as he grunted, "Ignore him, he just wants the latest scoop-,"
"Barty Crouch Junior!" Harry cringed as the man stopped and spun around, his eyes falling onto Chip who was pointing a camera at his face, his posture casually falling into an easy defense pose, "Is it true that you murdered your father and manipulated young Earthbound?"
"Murdered?" Harry repeated, feeling sick as he remembered an insane Barty Crouch muttering to himself about someone. He looked at his teacher who was growing angry as Chip pressed on, "Also, were you the one to attack the real Mad Eyed Moody and lock him up in a trunk? We have promising eye witnesses to the entire thing-,"
"Advada-," Mad Eyed Moody started his wand stabbing the air as he prepared the spell, "Cheese!" Chip yelped, abusing his camera's flash until the bright light bounced around the polished hall, blinding the imposter and Harry who took advantage of the distraction and ripped his arm away.
"Stupidfy!" a low thud echoed through the hall as the bright lights faded, allowing him to see Ginny and Luna in front of a group of bewildered teachers and Chip's partner.
"Cameras for the win." Chip muttered as Dumbledore calmly walked up to the stunned 'teacher' and summoned ropes to bound his arms and legs, "Snape, I do you have some truth potion?" Snape gave a small nod, "I believe we'll be needing that to interrogate our guest."
"Of course." Snape bustled upstairs while Dumbledore glanced at Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, who had Ness on a magical stretcher, "Minerva, could you inform Krakaroff and Madam Maxine that their students are awake and we have the true culprit captured?"
"Krakaroff fled a couple moments ago." Professor McGonagall informed him, "Maxine is already in your office."
"Splendid, come along Harry." He gave a numb nod as Dumbledore glanced at Luna and Ginny who was checking up on Chip, "You two Ms. Lovegood, Weasley and your other friend."
The girls stiffened, a flicker of apprehension on their faces before they nodded and dragged Selvis out of the crowd of teachers, ignoring his attempts to wriggle free as they followed them into the closest office available at the moment. Professor Moody's.
Ginny, Luna and Selvis quickly rushed over to the trunk, ignoring Harry's bewildered look as Selvis picked the lock and threw it open, allowing the girls to carefully pull out a limp and severally malnourished Professor Mad Eyed Moody.
"Sir, are you okay?" Ginny called as Dumbledore quickly joined them, his bushy white eyebrows moving a couple inches in surprise at the trio's prior knowledge.
"It appears that you three have been very busy over the school year." Dumbledore murmured, looking at Harry to see if he knew about this as well. He didn't.
"It's one of the few perks we have." Ginny state before she glowered at the imposter—Barty Crouch Jr., "So, are you going to start talking, or are we going to do it for you?"
"I'll never tell." Barty Crouch Jr. growled, flinching as Selvis's eyes lit up with delight, "Fine by me! We've wasted our entire school year trying to figure out who the heck you are!"
"Selvis has been attempting to make truth telling spells," Luna airily added, "So far they haven't been working properly…"
"It's quite painful." Selvis unhelpfully offered, tapping his wand against his hand. Dumbledore glanced at the trio then got down to business as they waited for Snape's return, "Perhaps you three could tell us your involvement with Barty Crouch Jr."
"Not it!" Selvis quickly offered as he busied himself with nudging Mad Eyed Moody awake to see how bad he was, leaving Ginny to explain. And explain she did.
Talking about how they were throwing theories around about the invisible voice and worrying about Peter who was still on the run, then how they connected Harry and Ness being involved in the very dangerous tournament in hopes of killing them both given their titles but failed along the way. (Thankfully.)
And finally about Ness, Ginny hesitated a bit and glanced to Selvis who scowled and took up the role of informant, "We suspected that Mad Eyed Moody was the bad guy thanks to him suddenly appearing out of nowhere and Winky blabbing about how Crouch was 'sick' and making it sound like he desperately needed her despite seeming just fine until the last few events. So, when he stepped out of his office one-night Ness sneaked inside while we acted as the lookouts, we kept in touch with my own invention to ensure that he didn't get caught."
"But he got caught." Harry deadpanned, a knot tightening in his stomach as the guilt in Ness's eyes made sense, "And Barty Jr. forced him to help."
"Somehow. He wouldn't tell us anything other than that he was worried about Paula." Ginny answered, "It clued us in that something was wrong since Paula um…doesn't appreciate wizards over here."
She didn't? Well…that explains the death glare she gave everyone when she stayed at Hogwarts for a bit. Actually, no, it didn't. What had they done to warrant such a hateful glare?
"I see…and you three were waiting on the sidelines to confront Barty Jr. The moment the event ended." Dumbledore guessed.
"Of course!" Selvis scoffed, "I've been collecting evidence the moment we started to notice something off about our dear old teacher. Originally it was to figure out Barty senior's mood but now…"
"Now we can use it to force a confession out of a certain someone." Ginny finished, glaring at Barty Jr who was biting his lip and focusing on the ground as if it might swallow him up.
"Agreed. Now Harry your side of the story."
Oh, right. With a shaky breath he did his best to explain noticing the worried glances the trio were giving each other as he explained Voldemort's proclaim of 'saving him from the enemy' after killing the 'thing', their attempt to duel and Ness's sudden rise from death and the earthquakes under his feet.
"It was terrifying." He recalled, his right hand rubbing circles into his wand, "The Death Eaters and Voldemort were terrified of Ness as he just went off like a madman, attacking with his bat and those weird earthquakes. And when it was just Voldemort they had an eerie conversation where Voldemort was calling him a filthy PSI user and Ness was ordering him to never threaten his family again and saying he would stay out of his business the moment this year ended."
The trio exchanged a small look of horror while Harry carefully studied them, then Dumbledore, then finally Barty Crouch Jr. who was trembling.
"Well…I know who I'm avoiding for the rest of the year." Selvis started to grumble when Barty Crouch Jr. suddenly muttered, "It wasn't supposed to go like that." And his body began to violently twitch just as Snape returned. He was about to hand Dumbledore the vial when the elderly wizard stopped him, his face grim as Barty continued, his voice tight with shock and fear.
"He wasn't supposed to live—he couldn't have lived—the pawn he wasn't supposed to—Lord Voldemort should have easily killed that thing but-,"
A shaky breath as Mad Eyed Moody's fake eyeball began to bulge and move out of the eye socket with a slow, disgusting pop. Revealing foggy grey eyes that moved around in a restless fashion, "I was supposed to help my lord—Bringing his rival to him, ensuring his safety and victory so he could be reborn and—But then—It was almost flawless—The pawn, he took out the others so it would just be Harry and him—he was going to go and die but-,"
"But you failed. And nearly got your master killed by allowing a powerful PSI user go." Selvis coldly interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he shook his head, "What a wonderful servant you must be. Nearly killing your master in the process."
They jerked back as Barty Jr. lunged forward in a drunken stupor, his hair returned to a faded strawberry blonde Harry had seen in the trail and his body shrank a bit with several loud pops.
"I wasn't going to fail! I just—He wasn't—that thing!" Barty Jr. rambled on as the fog hardened to murderous anger as he spun to Dumbledore, "You! Why would you let an enemy of our world into Hogwarts?! Did you plan this?! Did you intend for that thing to become one of us!? Has the Ministry taught you nothing?!"
Harry glanced at Dumbledore who coolly looked the clearly insane man down, the twinkle which had been dimming as the explanations had gone on completely gone, "I did what I thought was right." Dumbledore firmly stated, calmly pulling his wand out as Barty Jr made a mad lunge, forgetting that he was still tied down with rope as his disguise fell away completely, revealing a shell of a young man.
"Well Severus, it appears that we don't need that potion after all." Dumbledore murmured as Barty Jr dissolved into mad, intelligible screams of rage and terror as he thrashed around on the floor. It was only for a couple seconds before Dumbledore forced the man to sleep, but it was enough to leave an impact on the young minds watching.
"Fudge is on his way." Snape simple stated once the screams stopped bouncing around their heads, "And Ness's mother wishes to speak with you."
Dumbledore nodded and looked at Harry, who's mind was now spinning even faster than before. "Harry, could you, Mr. Karma, Ms. Lovegood and Ms. Weasley take Mad Eyed Moody to the Medical Wing?"
"Oh uh, of course-," Harry started when Selvis stepped forward, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "Hold on, what did Barty Nutjob mean when he stated that the Ministry hadn't taught you anything. And why is he calling Ness a thing for having a different range of magic?"
"Sounds like something happened in the past…" Luna mused, surprising Harry a little by how serious she appeared, the dreamy look in her eyes fading away as she focused on their headmaster.
"Is Ness not supposed to be here Dumbledore?" Ginny quietly questioned, her eyes burning with Gryffindor courage as she stepped forward, "Or is there something else you're not telling us?"
Had the world turned upside down or something?! Why were they challenging their headmaster for answers! He was the good guy here, and why was everyone—or at least every Death Eater so scared of Ness? He was just like Dumbledore, right?
A small burst of protective rage burst through his clouded mind as he stepped forward to make the trio back off when a scream ripped through the halls. Prompting everyone to give each other a look that silently stated that they weren't done yet before they rushed out, Selvis and Luna gently carrying Professor Moody out of the room.
A bucket of ice water fell on Harry's head as the air drained out of the room. Slowly climbing up the stairs with eager movements was a Dementor, it's hooded face was slightly turned away from them, aiming for someone behind them as a handler yelled at it to stop pointing his wand at its back.
He spun around, his stomach dropping as he heard his mother's voice and saw Ness's mother looking sick with Tracey doing her best to stand in front of her with Ness's bat in her shaking hands. Her eyes burning with a fearful desire to protect her mother as the monster reached the landing and began to pick up speed. If it wasn't for the angry yells of, "Expecto Patrum!" releasing a flock of ghostly white animals then it would have succeeded in its hunt.
"What is the meaning of this Minster?" Snape hissed as two men looped a mask and cuffs over the monster and began to move it into Mad Eye's office when Ginny shakily moved to block their way, sensing something was amiss.
"Ah, well." Fudge looked for a loss for words as the two muggles looked at him in horror and disbelief, "Minister?" Tracey echoed as motherly rage began to build behind the older woman's deep blue eyes.
"We heard that you caught the supposedly dead prisoner—Barty Crouch Jr.—and were performing the death row sentence before he could cause any more trouble."
"But he's a witness." Luna pointed out with a small frown, "One who just confessed his ties to Lord Voldemort." Fudge and the two handlers flinched as if someone had cracked whip, their reaction grew even worse when Ginny boldly stated, "Who Harry and Ness saw come back to life!"
"My dear, they were in a stressful environment. and could have made the thing up." Fudge answered, "What we do know is that we have an escaped convict who needs to be properly punished."
"What about his rights?" Tracey numbly whispered before she cleared her throat and tried again when she realized only Harry and Dumbledore had heard her the first time. Fudge blanched a bit probably just realizing that there were still two muggles in the hallway and hastened to explain without revealing too much.
"My dear, the man in that room is a known Death Eater who has killed many in his career before escaping and creating more trouble here at Hogwarts."
"Yea. To bring Voldemort back." Harry loudly interrupted, not liking where Fudge was going with this. Surely, he wasn't going to try and cover up Voldemort's return when he had a comatose boy and a witness to the entire thing. Right?
"Potter, you need rest, you aren't in the right state of mind." Fudge replied his tone a little dismissive as Tracey spoke up again, "Yea so? He's in a new situation, shouldn't that mean he gets a new trial? New prison?"
"He should," Luna prompted, "He's clearly violated several laws and needs to be testified to figure out the extent of the damage." Selvis nodded in eager agreement and sadistically stated, "After all, our only witnesses clearly need some rest before they can tell their side of the story. And I fear that it is far too stressful for us to rehash our story at the moment."
Fudge shot Selvis a glare and opened his mouth to retort when Ness's mother spoke up, "He gets to testify." Harry spun to face her like everyone else as the woman folded her arms, her nails digging into her skin.
"I want to know exactly what happened to my baby boy to put him in such a state." She firmly declared, "And clearly that man you were so nicely trying to kill holds all the answers."
"And is currently knocked out." Ginny unhelpfully added as Fudge looked at the woman in bewilderment, "Madam, I understand it is stressful and downright terrifying to learn that your son is gravely injured, but from what we can gather he was helping this madman and-,"
"So, you're going to kill Ness as well?!"
They looked back at Fudge, horror dawning on the children's faces as they moved onto the Dementor who was struggling to take advantage of all the rampant emotions in the hallway.
Fudge opened his mouth, thought better of it and tried again, "No, merely question him about his involvement! The Dementor is here just for Mr. Crouch Jr.-,"
"Which tried to kill us!" Ness's mother spat, "I don't know what kind of madness you wizards run in this castle but outright harming the innocent is disgusting!"
"It was an honest mistake madam," one of the handlers answered, sounding truly upset, "We didn't realize that the dementor's presence would have a strong effect on you to or that there was such a large group at the time."
If eyes could produce lasers than Fudge would be a pile of ash as Ness's Mother glared him down with Tracey tapping her brother's blood-stained bat on the ground, "I want to hear this man's story and I expect to read about it in the newspapers Minister."
Fudge recoiled a bit at the venom in the older woman's voice but managed a mute nod of agreement, "I also expect to read about this Voldemort person in the papers as well."
"R-right, of course." He stammered, managing a weak tip of his hat as she coldly declared that she was going to go visit her son and marched in the direction of the Hospital Wing with Luna and Selvis trailing behind her to drop off Moody. Tracey stuck around for a bit, clearly not trusting Fudge as she warily eyed the Dementor who was still struggling as the handlers yanked it away from its feast.
"Well then…this has been a busy evening. One that is sadly not over yet" Dumbledore managed, his eyes somehow still bright despite the heavy tension in the air and the tangible bone numbing desire for sleep. A haven to properly process everything and make sense of it in the morning.
Harry still had so many questions, questions that angrily swirled around Ness, the wizard who a wizard was not and his ability to survive a killing curse. Just like he had. Something that wasn't physically possible given his title and fame from doing absolutely nothing when he first started Hogwarts.
He jumped as Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze that soothed the screaming questions for a moment, "Your questions will soon be answered Harry, just wait a little longer."
He wanted to protest, maybe even use the frustration boiling within him to lash out a bit but stopped when he saw the haze of weariness that had been hidden behind Dumbledore's bright gaze.
It appears that Ness was weighing heavily on their Headmaster's mind as well. How worrisome…
March is cursed. I'm quiet sure of it since everything blew up that month. I also blame my little sister for taunting fate by noting how spring like the February weather was. (Feel free to blame me for April's brief snowfall since I was supposed to practice driving again. I don't like driving.) Anyway, hopefully everyone's safe, warm and not being killed the weather's mood swings. I think it's been giving my mom and I some migraines since they've came out of the blue for no reason.
CyberbeastFalzar: I used to like snow. Now I wish it could just move over to the North Pole after the snowstorm fiasco and weird weather mood swings and stay there until next winter. Hopefully you and your family have power and are safe. :)
HelenTheMoon: Thank you! :D I was a bit worried about how PIH was doing since I've been bouncing around trying to figure out where to go next and make sure everything's connected. Plus, I'm convinced that just hoards all the good stories since I usually find mine by snooping around people's favorites list or checking out the latest updates. Also as to how Ness survived, RPG power :3 (sort of jk but not really.) Also did I really spell 'Series nature'? Or was that an ab lib. Please let it be an ab lid! I hate backtracking to edit stuff _;
Naosj: Thanks for the review/recommenced statement! It gave me a bit of critical thinking to do since I have been trying to branch out from the main story line of Hogwarts but since I'm a bit tired of Harry Potter (It's. Freakin'. Everywhere!) and not very familiar with the Mother Series aside from reading wiki posts it's been tricky to do so. Although the idea of making Giygas just appear in the middle of London is hilarious and very tempting...
Now if you excuse me, I need to die in bed for a bit since my migraine just came back. THANKS MOTHER NATURE/HUMAN INVOLVEMENT OF RUINING THE EARTH. Although listening to bouncy Mario and Luigi ost probably isn't helping either... :/