The Confession
"You didn't follow the plan!" Siria screamed while she and Cassius Warrington whipped through the air.
"Neither did you!" Cassius barked back.
"Don't let me be apologize for it," she said.
"Never," he assured her, as their feet hit the ground. Cassius yanked Siria by the elbow, to keep her on her feet. They stood, back to back and wands at the ready. Faces blurred around them. Someone had mowed the maze down to inch tall walls. She saw the backsides of the four mirrors, which hovered over their heads.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. The ground spun beneath her as bits and pieces of the murmurs caught her ears. "Is that blood?" Siria rubbed her face. "It's a prank, right?" She pressed her back closer to his. "How could it be?" She raised her head higher "What're they doing?" She dragged her foot back and into Cassius's. Neither of them could move without exposing the other.
"Cassius, Siria," the clear voice of Albus Dumbledore washed over and blanketed the stadium in silence. He approached them, alone, and with empty hands.
"I— I," Siria stammered. Cassius elbowed her. "Voldemort is back." The murmurs returned.
"Now, Siria," Cornelius Fudge, with his lime green bowler hat tucked under his arm, shook his head, "don't be ridiculous." Cassius looked over his shoulder and Siria's.
"You two have been through great deal tonight," Dumbledore noted. "It is only natural that you are on your guard, but your parents are here and we all know they are not Death Eaters." Her tear filled eyes swept through, to the massive man with curly dark hair. He was beside a heavily scarred man with greying hair and held the hand of a noble looking gentleman.
"Dad!" Siria cried as Cassius stepped away and called "Mother."
People parted in a flash. A great divide around Cassius and Siria. In the arms of Sirius, she collapsed as silent tears burst from her eyes. Remus put an arm over the two of them, but it was nothing to Hagrid, who swept all three of them into a hug. "DAD!" Siria wept.
"You're fine," Sirius assured her as much as himself. "You're safe. You're here." She clung to the back of his jacket and her head trembled in an attempt to nod. Hagrid placed them down, but kept them in a hug.
"How did Regulus do it?" Siria asked. "I tried, but— but my arm," Sirius shook his head and pulled her closer.
"No." He whispered. "There has to be another way. Remus and I—" Sirius leaned back to take in the tear stained, cut face of his daughter. "We'll find another way, together." Hagrid let out an earth shaking sob.
"Yer can— yer can bet yer bonnet on it!" Hagrid stammered. He swept them off the ground again and swung them from side to side as a child would their most beloved toy.
A hand reached through arms wrapped around Siria and tugged. Hagrid let go, as did Remus and Sirius. Siria turned to see Cassius's pale hand. "We should go to the Hospital Wing," He told her.
"Now?" Siria asked, with a hand still on Sirius's jacket. Her wide emerald eyes looked into his fogged marbles. Professor Moody's words, "it's all in the eyes," echoed into her head. How did she tell Sirius? Could the person controlling Cassius hear what he heard?
"Y—yeah," Siria agreed and tightened her grip on Sirius before she left him go and gave the spot a pat. She turned to look at them. "Looks like…" her eyes shifted from Hagrid to Remus then Sirius, "the Hospital Wing is calling Warrington like the Wil—low called me." Sirius gripped Siria's arm tighter from reflex then released her completely.
"Of course! We'll go…" Sirius's breath fell.
"Get Snuffles," Remus finished and placed his hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Madam Pomfrey can't say 'no' after the night you've been through."
"I ought ter go rangle those beauties from the maze," Hagrid said with a wink. Sirius and Siria pressed their eyes closed.
Cassius and, of all people, Cornelius Fudge led the way back toward the castle. Fudge told them "things'll be fine," and "it was just a trick of the maze," but Cassius didn't reply. Weighted worry filled Siria. There was a Death Eater at Hogwarts and while it wasn't the Minister of Magic, he was doing a poor job of convincing Siria. "Powerful wizard, Dumbledore. He's very good at enchantments— so sorry about that scare," Fudge patted Siria on the shoulder and her eyes rolled.
"STUPEFY!" Cassius cried the moment they stepped into the Entrance. Siria flinched, but it was Fudge that he had been stunned.
"Cassius!" Siria shrieked.
"He could have been a Death Eater," whoever controlled Cassius told her through him.
"Oh!" Siria exclaimed in her best rendition of a "yes, of course; I believe you" voice. "Duh!" She smacked her palm to forehead. When he continued to lead the way, she pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers.
"I'm glad we're taking the long way," Siria said with the hope of convincing his controller that she had not realised they were headed somewhere else. "Remus and Sirius went to get Snuffles— you know, the bear of a dog from the second task," Siria turned over her shoulder again. A consistent clank had followed them. "Please be Moody," she hoped.
Then they arrived. Any hope or trust Siria had after tonight plummeted through her when Cassius opened the door. "Are we hiding out here?" Siria asked through her constricted throat.
"He'll understand best," Cassius's puppeteer told her.
"Yeah," Siria forced a smile and stepped into the office of their professor, Moody. She suppressed a shuddered when Cassius closed the door behind them.
"STUPEFY!" Siria shouted and Cassius was stunned. She hoisted up and dragged him. "Urgh," Siria groaned while she pulled him across the ground, her elbows locked under his arms with her wand out and at the door. With another groan, Siria put Cassius down behind Moody's massive trunk. Even though Moody's magic eye could probably see her, she sat beside Cassius. "Gotta teach you how to resist," she sighed and patted his stunned head.
Six shadows in the Foeglass charged toward them. "Dumbledore, Remus, Sirius, Hagrid…" Siria listed, "McGonagall?" she wondered. They were all too tall to be Flitwick, but one had the sharp shoulders of Professor McGonagall. Clank. ClanK. Siria pressed her eyes closed. ClaNK. ClANK. She dashed around the trunk, to Moody's desk. CLANK. Siria pointed her wand to the door.
"Bombarda Maxima!" Siria's hoarse voice pierced the air beneath the blast of Moody's office door exploding. "Dumbledore trusted you!" She screamed at the man in the doorway. Yellow crackled toward her "Protego!" Siria sent it to the ceiling. "Flipendo!" She retorted, but it hummed along Moody's Shield Charm and hit the ground.
"Don't be like this, Potter," Moody growled and sent a jet of violet at her. Siria directed it into his bookshelf, which revved before it spat out the top shelf of books. She leapt over the desk. "Ebublio!" Nothing, "Petrifi—" she jolted to her left as crimson crashed into Moody's desk and ruptured it into splinters.
"Stupefy!" but it thudded off his Shield Charm like rain on a windshield. "Stupefy!"
"That only worked because of Granger," Moody cackled with another crackle of yellow. "You can't beat me on your own— just tell me, Potter, how did you get away?"
"What?" Siria gasped, breathless as she knocked another crackle to the ground.
"How did you escape the Dark Lord?" Moody roared. "What have you done to my master's wand?" Siria had inched back and into Moody's trunk. Panic hit her like a stun.
"You— you want to— to know?" Siria stammered. She lowered the very tip of her wand. The six figures in the Foeglass were so close that she could make out Dumbledore's glasses.
"Surely, you know all about how my mother sacrificed herself?" Siria asked, "to save me?" Moody's non-magic eye squinted at her. "Well, that's not quite it," she said. Though, as far as Siria knew, that was exactly it. "As one of his loyal—"
"His MOST LOYAL!" Moody howled.
"Most loyal, of course— his most loyal," Siria nodded. "As his most loyal servant you know why he came for me,"
"The prophecy," Moody cursed like it was a foul word that tainted the air.
"The prophecy?" Siria repeated, but the heightened pitch told Moody there was a question.
"LIAR!" Moody bellowed and sent green at Siria. She dropped to the ground and the Foeglass erupted into a shatter of black.
"Hewantstokillmehimself!" Siria spat out and jumped to her feet. "Expelliarmus!" Moody knocked her jet of red light down then froze. "Finally!" Siria groaned and, hand over her heart, sat down on Moody's trunk. She smiled at the people in the reflection of the shattered Foeglass, even if she was surprised to see Snape.
Before her, with his eyes lit with a fire she could relate to, stood Albus Dumbledore. The weight of his presences and severity of his glare conveyed to her why so many people feared him… and why Voldemort did too. No one moved until Dumbledore entered and surveyed the room. [B4, 679]
"Siria!" Sirius knocked the stunned Moody onto the floor. Still breathless, Siria raised her hand halfway then let it drop to her side. He hugged her. Hagrid lifted the imposter off the ground with a snarl.
"Don't," Remus cautioned, "however much he would deserve it."
"Cassius," Siria pushed Sirius back and pointed her wand to Cassius. "Rennervate!" He gasped and flew up.
"Don't!" He shouted. Cassius grabbed hold of Siria's arm. "I couldn't stop," Cassius confessed.
"I know; it's okay. Sorry for stunning you," she told him.
"Don't be," Cassius got to his feet.
"So, is anyone going to tell us why or even how the ex-Auror, known friend of Dumbledore, Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor turned out to be a Death Eater?" Cassius asked them.
"Because that is not Alistair Moody. You have never met Alistair Moody," Dumbledore informed them (B4, 680). With a flick of her hands, Siria gestured to the stunned Moody on the floor.
"The imposter is just a Master of Transfiguration or— or what? Polyjuice brewing?" Siria scoffed. Cassius's jaw dropped. Siria looked from him to Dumbledore. "Seriously?"
Dumbledore dumped the contents of the Moody imposter's flash onto the ground. A glutenous, burnt walnut smelling Potion poured out. Snape glared at it the way he glared at Siria. "You see the genius in the simplicity, for Moody only ever drinks from his own flask," Dumbledore explained [B4, 682].
"Minerva, please collect collect the house elf named Winky. Severus, please bring your strongest truth serum. Remus, if you would find the Warringtons, please have them join us." Dumbledore instructed (B4,680). The three nodded and set out immediately. Sirius wrapped an arm around Siria. She patted the spot beside them on the trunk and Cassius sat down.
"But where is the real Moody then?" Siria asked. Dumbledore removed a set of keys from the stunned imposter.
"I suspect, in there," Dumbledore told them. The three hopped off the trunk. Cassius took Moody's desk chair. Sirius leaned against the bookshelf, but Siria remained to watch Dumbledore.
[Book: B4, 681-682 the contents of Moody's trunk include Moody]
Hagrid reached down and pulled the real Alistair Moody from the trunk.
When everyone was collected again in Moody's office there was the real Moody, from the trunk, and a straw haired man Siria had seen once before. She slapped her hand to her mouth then pointed, wordlessly. Sirius nodded. They circled around as Winky sobbed and approached the man. "What has you done?" Winky sobbed, "Master's son! You have killed my master's son!" she shrieked (B4, 683).
[Book: B4, 683 Dumbledore gives Crouch Jr. the veritaserum]
Under the effects of the veritaserum, Bartemius Crouch Jr. explained how Voldemort and Wormtail found Bertha Jorkins. When they tortured her for information about the Triwizard Tournament and Mad-Eye Moody going to teach at Hogwarts; they broke the memory cham that Mr. Crouch had placed on Bertha Jorkins and learned Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive and loyal. Voldemort and Wormtail came for him, put his father under the Imperius Curse. He and Wormtail went to Moody's, where they stuffed him in his trunk and Barty Jr. took his place. [B4, 684-691]
In the monotonous voice, he continued to confess how he put Siria's name into the Goblet of Fire under a fourth school then helped her through each task. For the first he suggested she fly. In the second he planted the book in Neville's hands. Finally, he cursed things out of Siria's path and sicked the Blast-Ended Skrewt on Fleur, the firecrab on Krum, and the acromantulas on Cassius in the third task. [B4, 684-691]
"And now," Barty Crouch Jr. gave an almost tired grin, "my Master has returned," he finished (B4,691). Mrs. Warrington placed a hand on her son's shoulder. She and Mr. Warrington looked to Dumbledore, then Siria, before they fell back onto their son. Hagrid, Remus, and Sirius cradled Siria between them. She pressed her hands to her eyes, with her wand still in her grip. Silently, she screamed into the room. Sirius tapped his head against hers. Only the quiet hum of their combined breath sounded. Even Winky's sobs had stopped.
"Minerva, if you would stand guard here, please." Dumbledore requested. He looked to Cassius and his family then to Siria and hers. "If the six of you would join me at my office, for a moment before the Hospital Wing," he urged. Siria took a sharp breath, but nodded.
"Hagrid, would you please help Alistar to the Hospital Wing?" Dumbledore asked. Hagrid raised Moody in the air as if he were a straw doll then left. "Servus, could you please collect Fudge? He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself," Dumbledore instructed (B4, 692-693). Snape shot Sirius a glare before he swept out of the room.
Dumbledore led the way to his office in silence and summoned a semi-circle lavender sofa for them. Siria sat in the middle, with Cassius and his family to her left and Sirius and Remus to her right. "Let me guess," Siria sighed, as Fawkes the phoenix landed on her knee, "the Stargazers can't hear?" Sirius squeezed her shoulder. "Fair," she clicked her tongue and stared at Fawkes's soft eyes. "It'll be like the Chamber of Secrets," she reasoned with herself.
"Surely this can wait until morning," a gruff voice said to Siria's left. She looked to see Cassius's father had spoken. Mr. Warrington was tall, like his son, and had very little neck, like Uncle Vernon. "They've both been through an ordeal."
"Honestly, I agree," Sirius confessed.
"Cassius, Siria, if I believed that numbing your pain would make recounting your experience easier, I would. However, it is my experience that it would only make things more difficult on you," Dumbledore reasoned (B4,695) . "You two have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you demonstrate your courage one more time. Please, tell us what happened," he urged them (B4, 695).
Siria sighed, "Even though I didn't die?" Siria asked with her face toward her lap.
"Especially," Cassius blurted. He cleared his throat into his fist. "It's easier to die than keep fighting," he said. Siria smoothed Fawkes's feathers and nodded. Her chest raised with the deep breath she took.
"Kill the spare," Siria repeated. She scratched behind her ear and looked to Cassius. "That's what Voldemort said…"
"Then the other guy— Wormtail, he tried. I thought he was going to Siria," Cassius confessed.
"Thank goodness," Siria let out a soft chuckle. "It meant you got us both out."
"So you could tell me your 'plan'," Cassius elbowed her arm.
"Then stun you and do the real plan," she chimed.
Words fell out of them as they recounted their plan: Cassius cast an Invisibility Charm on himself and the Stargazer. Then Siria stunned him and stuck the Stargazer to the side of the little house, where it broadcast the rest. She recounted Wormtail's spell over the cauldron then pulled her sweaty, blood hair from her face to show where Wormtail drew blood.
"Voldemort said that he'd have my mother's protection, and he could touch me…" Siria rested her head to Fawkes's. It filled her with warmth. "It wasn't as bad at the Cruciatus Curse, but I wouldn't exactly sign up for a repeat," she added (B4, 696). Dumbledore rose and circled his desk. There was a light of triumph in his eyes, until he sat back down with an even more worn expression than Cassius or Siria (B4, 696).
"I left the Stargazer, so it might still be there, then Charmed the Triwizard Cup and freed it," Cassius explained. "The Death Eaters were so focused on You-Know— Voldemort," Cassius clenched his mother's hand when she flinched. "I'd seen Siria run, she always sprints like goblins are chasing her, so I hopped onto a tomb. I hoped to curse You—Voldemort," Cassius corrected himself, "I was going to curse Voldemort, but," he turned to Siria.
"But the wands connected and you could not be sure Siria would be safe," Dumbledore confirmed. "Priori Incantatem," he nodded. "Wands of the same core do not work well against each other. If their owners forced them to duel, one wand will force the other to regurgitate its most recent spells."[B4, 697]
"Then that really was James and Lily," Sirius uttered in barely a whisper.
"Not necessarily," Dumbledore said. "There is no spell to bring the dead back to life. What Voldemort's wand released were merely echos of them," he explained (B4, 697).
"It doesn't matter what they are," Siria shook her head, "they got me out alive"' She turned to Sirius and Remus. "My father told me to run like hell and call Kreacher because he'd get me to safety." Cassius coughed into his hand and Siria's face flushed.
"You forgot what you said," Cassius noted in a louder voice. She glared over her shoulder.
"I told them I got it," she snapped. Cassius grinned.
"Before that," he teased. Siria tsked and looked to one of the portraits on the wall. "I think your dad would want to hear."
"Hear what?" Sirius asked. Scarlet stained Siria's face.
"She told them that you're taking good care of her and she's really hap—" he winced when Siria elbowed him.
"Anyways," Siria shouted. "You all probably saw, but, when our wands broke apart, I ran like hell and Fiendfyred my way out. Tom," she placed her other hand over Sirius's and focused on the compassion, not the worry, in her father's eyes before she looked to the exhausted Dumbledore. "Little Tommy Riddle didn't much like my escape," Siria confessed. "He wanted them to stun me… in fact," Siria held her breath in a last attempt to steady her roaring heart, "the last thing I heard was him shouting he'll kill me." She clicked her tongue and tapped her feet together.
"Last I heard was him crying 'she's mine!'," Cassius bumped his shoulder into Siria's. "Didn't Wormtail read him the paper? You're not into snakes," he joked with the same grin as before still on his face. A smile cracked over Siria's lips though she shut her eyes to ignore it. Smiles cracked through the room. From her heart, a laugh escaped. It echoed into the room and out of Cassius, then Sirius and Remus. Mrs. Warrington didn't know why, but she chuckled as well. Mr. Warrington's chuckled followed his wife's. For one warm, short moment, there was laughter and that was what Siria had lived for.