A/N: Hello all! I know the posting on this work has been spotty at best. I'm hoping to get it back on track in 2023. As an aside, I don't usually get emails when reviews are left on FFN (despite notifications being on), but I want to thank everyone who's left comments to encourage me to go on. I really appreciate your support, and hope to have more frequent updates in the coming weeks!
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Remus surveyed the Quidditch pitch with apprehension. He, Tonks, and Sirius, like the other guardians of the champions, were invited to tour the Quidditch pitch ahead of the third task, to assuage their fears over its safety.
The pitch was subdivided into four quadrants, with the Triwizard Cup set in the center. Six-foot-tall hedges divided the quadrants, which were thick and tall enough that the champions couldn't see what the others were doing but were short enough that spectators above them could observe their actions.
Amelia Bones, the new Minister of Magic, led the group through one of the quadrants.
"We're placing every manner of enchantment on the Quidditch pitch and the surrounding area," she announced. "Each champion will have an Auror with them to oversee their safety. Aurors will also be located at all checkpoints in and out of the Quidditch pitch, including the center. This will be the most secure event in Britain."
"Like 'ze World Cup?" Apolline Delacour said derisively. "Zat was a disaster, non?"
Bones, to Remus's surprise, kept her cool expression.
"We understand your concerns, Mrs Delacour, which is why we've invited Aurors from your Ministry and the Bulgarian Ministry to join us. Healers will be available as well."
"Vat is the point of these magics?" asked Ivan Krum, Viktor's father, a man with bat-like ears and shaggy, dark hair.
"As you may have heard," Bones replied calmly, "one of our Triwizard judges was found murdered in his home. A previous judge, Mr Ludo Bagman, has been cleared of all wrongdoing and will take Mr Crouch's place. We are simply ensuring the safety of our judges, champions, and spectators."
Krum didn't appear convinced and muttered angrily at his wife. The Delacours were scarcely less enthused; Mrs Diggory had a similar expression of trepidation. Only Amos Diggory, Cedric's father, maintained his confident smile. Cedric was still using a wheelchair to get around. It was unlikely he'd ever walk again, but Amos was nothing, if not overly optimistic, that his son would win the tournament and learn to walk again.
Remus felt his arm squeezed by Tonks, who walked at his side. Sirius limped behind them. He was released from St Mungo's earlier that day, partly out of his insistence that he be at Hogwarts for the guardians' meeting before the third task. He was two inches shorter than he used to be and he had unsightly scars on his chest, arms, and back, but he'd otherwise recovered from his near-death experience.
Remus noticed that his friend struggled to keep his breathing even, but he said nothing. Sirius wasn't well enough to go back to teaching—the Healers stressed he needed at least a fortnight—but he'd demanded release from the hospital to return to Hogwarts, to keep an extra eye on Harry. While Remus was back at Smeltings, teaching Dudley and his peers, Sirius would wheeze his way around the castle for Harry.
Remus, Tonks, and Sirius all agreed on this point: they didn't care if Harry finished last, so long as he was safe and alive. Luckily, Bones was on their side. She admired and respected Dumbledore, and he'd managed to convince her to increase the security for the third task. The new Minister, to her credit, wasn't making the information public, but the only reason the last task was to be so highly surveilled was due to Harry's participation.
From the information Dumbledore had pulled from Pettigrew's mind, Voldemort would stop at nothing to get to Harry.
"Can you tell us anything about the task, Madam Bones?" Mrs Diggory said, as they walked further onto the pitch. "My son uses a—"
"We're aware of your son's needs." Bones stopped the group and sighed. "The obstacles planned for the third task are not dangerous or life-threatening. They were designed to challenge the mind, not the body."
The Diggorys and Delacours looked pleased, while the Krums frowned. Remus, Tonks, and Sirius shared relieved glances. Harry didn't need any more threats to his life.
Bones finished the tour at the center of the pitch.
"Whoever touches the Triwizard Cup first wins. Second, third, and fourth places will be decided by the time it takes for the champions to get to the center. The champions' current scores will determine the order in which the champions begin."
The tour ended with a few inane questions from the other families. While the others went on their way, Remus, Sirius, and Tonks hiked up to the castle to meet with Dumbledore.
They settled into the office almost an hour later (Sirius had to stop to rest a few times and refused Tonks's playful offer for a Levitation Charm).
When they were finally in the Headmaster's office, Remus was taken aback by the number of people jammed into the circular space. Various professors, including Snape and McGonagall, the Tonkses, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Arthur and Molly Weasley, and a few other familiar faces were sitting in mismatched chairs around Dumbledore's desk. Three empty seats remained, which Remus, Tonks, and Sirius filled.
"Thank you for coming," Dumbledore greeted. "Now that our last three have arrived, we can begin the first meeting of the newly reconvened Order of the Phoenix."
The back of Remus's neck prickled with a sense of foreboding. The last Order meeting he'd attended was in 1981; he thought he'd put those days behind him, but the last few weeks taught him they'd only experienced a temporary armistice since those days.
"While we await the announcement of our next Minister of Magic, it will be wise for us to be aware of what challenges we face. The information I gathered from Peter Pettigrew's patchy memory gives us an idea of what Voldemort is planning."
Dumbledore began with the public version of Pettigrew's trial, which began with a damning indictment of Barty Crouch Sr. The greater wizarding population was told that Barty Crouch Sr., moved with pity by his late wife, had her switch places with her son in Azkaban. Pettigrew, seeing an opportunity to escape with Fudge, joined the only 'friendly' face he was aware of - Barty Crouch Jr.
The two of them were purported to be planning to bring back the type of terror Voldemort spread in the 70s, with the goal of killing Harry Potter as revenge for the 'loss' of Lord Voldemort. The press and Wizengamot were convinced that Pettigrew and Crouch Jr. set the Imperius Curse on Crouch Sr., intent on having Crouch Sr. rig the Triwizard Tournament to kidnap and kill Harry. Crouch Sr., in this fabricated tale, was said to have fought off the Imperius Curse enough that Pettigrew and Crouch Jr. were said to have murdered him.
The Wizengamot was told that Pettigrew, regretting his mistakes, tried to stop Crouch Jr. from killing Harry, only to have his life threatened. It was then that Sirius appeared, 'by sheer, dumb luck,' to spare Pettigrew from his fate and live to tell the tale.
It was a massaged version of the truth; there were simply some parts of the story that couldn't be revealed to the public, or so Dumbledore felt.
The truth was darker. Crouch Sr. had been put under the Imperius Curse by his son. He'd been tasked with delivering Harry to Voldemort, who was still alive, though weak, so that Voldemort could use Harry's blood to resurrect himself. Crouch Sr. had fought off the Imperius Curse enough that his son panicked and murdered him, but addled Winky's memories to convince her that she'd accidentally killed her master.
Because of the high-profile, grisly murder of Crouch Sr., which meant he'd no longer be involved with the Triwizard Tournament, Harry couldn't be targeted easily. Pettigrew, recalling that Harry had a cousin through his mother, convinced Crouch Jr. to kidnap Dudley Dursley. They planned to bring Dudley to Voldemort as an alternative for his resurrection, to make up for the discovery of the plot against Harry. Dudley, to his credit, noticed the men's faces, which tipped off Dumbledore to their escape.
From what Dumbledore gleaned from Pettigrew's mind, Voldemort's fury was violent and intense. Not only had the plot to kidnap Harry been completely derailed, but their alternative, Dudley, hadn't been captured either. Voldemort, seeing no other recourse for his resurrection, ordered the snake called Nagini (which Dumbledore now suspected was a horcrux, though he hadn't divulged that information beyond the circle of Tonks, Remus, and Sirius) to murder Pettigrew.
It was at the Gaunt shack that Sirius found Pettigrew, seconds away from his death, and snatched him from Nagini's jaw. The other bits of Pettigrew's memory were scrambled, possibly from repeated Crucios, but Dumbledore had pieced enough to gather that there had been a horcrux at the shack, and Nagini took it with her.
Dumbledore also suspected that Crouch Jr. had gone with Nagini and Pettigrew on Voldemort's orders, to set fire on both the Gaunt shack and the old Riddle mansion, virtually destroying any evidence left behind.
Voldemort's current whereabouts were unknown. Dumbledore relayed his suspicion that Crouch Jr. was still with him, helping him somehow, and that the two traveled with the large snake. Dumbledore was convinced that they were still after Harry or Dudley. Thus, the Order's new mission was to protect Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley from being kidnapped and to find Voldemort, Crouch Jr., or Nagini the snake.
"There is good news in all this," said Dumbledore, over the hushed silence in the room. "Amelia Bones, our new Minister of Magic, is open to my suggestions and is willing to take Crouch Jr.'s threats seriously. New protections are in place for his safety."
Chilling silence persisted in the office. Most of the Order members were new this time around; the Tonkses, Weasleys, and Kingsley hadn't been inducted in its first iteration. Their pale, worried faces, compared to the seasoned members' grim, resigned ones, left Remus feeling older than usual.
He was the first to clear his throat when a new thought popped into his mind.
"The new protections are only for Harry? If what you say is true - Voldemort's after Dudley as well - will she or the Ministry protect him too?"
"Dudley will be the Order's responsibility," replied Dumbledore, in a tone that sounded as if he had more to say. "Are there other questions?"
Pointless chatter over schedules and potential missions followed. Remus waited patiently while the others left to return to their normal lives. When the last two witches, Emmeline Vance and Hestia Jones, left together, Dumbledore turned to Remus, Tonks, and Sirius.
"What did he do with the horcrux?" Tonks blurted. "The one the snake took from the shack?"
Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles and sighed. "I'm not certain."
"Is it possible he combined it with his weak body?" asked Sirius. "Is that possible?"
"I'm not certain," Dumbledore repeated. "The unnatural, dark magic of horcruxes is, understandably, poorly studied…though I cannot imagine he destroyed or changed his own horcrux without considerable difficulty. They are not meant to be reunited with others."
"You think that snake is one of them," said Tonks, glancing at Remus and biting her lower lip nervously. "The one that almost killed Remus."
Dumbledore laced his fingers together and set his hands on his desk. "Even with his Parseltongue," he replied, "Voldemort would not have been able to control a creature like Nagini without having some possession over it. She is either a horcrux or he found a means to possess her."
Remus spoke next. "And Dudley? He's still a target?"
"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore said heavily, his bright blue eyes unusually downturned. "In addition to Kreacher and Dobby, two Order members will be on regular patrol at Smeltings. Hestia and Emmeline are there now."
"Albus," Sirius said heavily, a look of comprehension dawning over his face. "Do you think – does he know we know about them?" Remus's eyes flew open; to his side, Tonks had paled.
"It is possible, yes…" Fawkes flew out of his cage and landed on Dumbledore's desk. He stroked the top of the phoenix's head and added, "Pettigrew's memories suggested Voldemort was unaware of our knowledge or actions. It seems he blames our presence in Little Hangleton on the missteps of his servants, who were punished accordingly."
"You mean Peter and Crouch," Remus murmured, unable to forget the image or the sounds of Peter's battered body and piercing screams as he was dragged out of the Wizengamot to be Kissed.
"If he does find out," said Tonks, leaning into Remus, "what does that mean for us?"
Dumbledore hadn't stopped stroking Fawkes's feathery head, but he stilled as he turned his face to Tonks.
"The consequences would be dire, to say the least. Voldemort might consider making more horcruxes, even in his weakened state…he may pursue us all as aggressively as he has Harry." Remus noticed, for the first time in his memory, that Dumbledore was overwhelmed.
"We'd know if we were being followed," said Sirius, clearing his throat. "Wouldn't we?"
"Not necessarily," Tonks countered, turning to face him. "Even the best Aurors can get ambushed. It helps, I think, he's only got Crouch Jr. and that snake with him."
"Correct, Tonks," Dumbledore confirmed. "Voldemort's decision to kill Peter may have been shortsighted, as having a rat Animagus on his side likely helped. As far as I'm aware, Voldemort hasn't yet reached out to his other followers. He's operating covertly. "
"We're no better off than we were before," said Remus, "but we're not worse off?"
"It appears so, Remus."
Sirius rubbed his hands together and raked his fingers through his slow-growing, patchy hair.
"No point dwelling on this, then," he muttered. He turned to Remus and Tonks and added, "We ought to see Harry. He's been sulking."
Remus and Tonks agreed; they and Sirius had received letters from Ginny, Ron, and Hermione telling them that Harry had been isolating himself from his friends and avoiding them.
"I very much agree," Dumbledore said. "Harry oughtn't be alone."
Remus left the office with Sirius and Tonks to find Harry, trying not to panic over the possibility that their lives were in greater danger than before.
….
The third task had arrived sooner than Remus expected. The date had loomed in the back of his memory for so long, but with the worries over Voldemort, Harry, and horcruxes, he could scarcely believe how fast time had flown.
In the three weeks since they toured the Quidditch pitch, the hedges separating it into quadrants had grown thicker and taller. From the stands, Remus could see all four champions in their starting places. He, Sirius, and the Tonkses had come to see Harry off and wish him well. From where the champions stood, Harry could see the small faces of the crowds above, but couldn't see the champions on either side of him, Fleur and Cedric.
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had also seen Harry off before the third task. After Pettigrew's trial, Harry had retreated into himself. When Remus and Sirius spoke to him about it, the day of the first Order meeting, Harry was reluctant to share much, but they'd worn him down enough to learn that he was terrified his friends and family would be targeted next.
Harry, having lost so much over the years, didn't want anyone else to die for him. He'd begged Sirius to leave Hogwarts and let Dawlish finish out the cursed post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but Sirius wouldn't budge. He was back in the classroom with a permanent limp, but he refused to leave Harry's side, or his post.
Harry was distraught enough to ask Remus to take back the adoption to keep him and Tonks from harm's way. They'd refused as well; unsurprisingly, Tonks told Harry that they were family now and she'd rather die trying to keep him safe than give up on him.
After much cajoling and encouragement, Harry returned to his friends. Sirius kept abreast of his friends; Hermione and Ron, despite their squabbles, wouldn't leave Harry's side. Ginny was often in tow, and though Harry hadn't said a word about it, Sirius knew it was more than friendship that his godson felt for the youngest Weasley.
Remus and Tonks saw the lingering hug between Harry and Ginny as they left him to the third task; they said nothing, though the small, knowing smile on Tonks's face confirmed Sirius's suspicions.
Amelia Bones announced the start of the third task moments after the champions' families took their assigned seats. The June air was warm and thick with excitement. Remus felt the excitement wash over him too; everything was going to plan. The Quidditch pitch was secure, Harry had Kingsley Shacklebolt with him to ensure his safety, and Dudley was in the hands of the Order for the night.
Through their binoculars, they saw the magical boundary dissipating before Cedric Diggory, who had the most points. Once the boundary was gone, the first of seven obstacles to get to the center of the pitch was revealed.
"A charmed chessboard!" said Tonks, pointing below, her binoculars shaky in her hands. "Clever bit of Transfiguration from McGonagall, I'm sure, though it doesn't look as big as it should be."
The crowd roared for Cedric, who wheeled his way across the board. Fleur and Harry were sent off next; Remus craned his neck and anxiously watched Harry approach the chess pieces, which were about half his size. The board itself was smaller, containing only half the necessary squares and pieces, likely to speed up the task.
Harry wasn't a bad chess player—between Lyall and Ron, he'd gotten plenty of practice. From where they sat, Remus could see Cedric easily navigating the chessboard, Fleur struggling with it, and Viktor smashing the pieces in frustration. With each piece he smashed, a new one popped up in its place. McGonagall had charmed the chess board so that moves had to be repeated to win and move to the next obstacle. Harry made a few missteps before moving onto the second challenge.
Cedric was ahead, already sorting through various vials of potions.
"A puzzle," said Sirius, tapping his wand on his binoculars to enhance his vision. "Snape's doing. See—they've got to be drunk in the right order to get to the next step."
Harry was quicker than Cedric in ordering the potions. Fleur had caught up by then, easily sorting through the potions puzzle. Viktor lagged behind them all; Remus couldn't help but pity him as he struggled.
Fleur moved past the potions puzzle and Harry followed suit a few minutes later. The crowd was going wild, screaming the champions' names, with Cedric, Harry, and Fleur appearing well-matched.
The crowd sitting in Harry's quadrant roared with applause and whistles.
"Blimey, he's already onto the fourth one!" Ted said excitedly, pointing below and pumping his free fist.
"What was the third obstacle?" asked Tonks, reaching behind Remus to talk to him.
"Microwave and toaster! Genius!" Ted clapped loudly and whistled for Harry.
Remus looked down at the champions, amused to see them struggling with operating the microwave and toaster, clearly planted there by the Muggle Studies professor. The champions had to program the hour on the microwave and toast two slices of bread. It was no wonder Harry sped right through the task.
It was Andromeda who noticed the fourth obstacle.
"It's a runic riddle!"
Remus squinted through his binoculars, glad that his vision was so sharp. Harry was translating runes below, though not quickly. He was ahead of the other champions, who were still grappling with the microwave, but he was slowing down with the complicated runes. Unlike the chessboard that allowed the champion to try again, the runes were resetting themselves and changing.
"New riddle each time," remarked Andromeda, gasping under her binoculars. She tapped her wand against them too, adjusting the view. "Difficult, advanced magic, even for those well-versed in runes."
Harry was stuck on the runes. Fleur, though she was the third to get to them, solved them first. Viktor was behind and trying to extinguish the fire he set to the microwave. Cedric made a few mistakes while solving the runes, but he was progressing faster than Harry.
"He did it!" Remus said, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He swelled with pride when Harry made it past the runic riddle to the fifth obstacle.
Ahead of Harry was a large, solid brick wall. He tapped the bricks with his wand; some emitted sparks or shimmered with magic, while others did nothing. Confused by the task, Remus looked over the hedges to see Fleur and Cedric chipping away at their walls by discovering and lifting the charms put on the bricks.
"He's got to figure out how the brick is charmed and then reverse it," Remus explained, seeing the others' similarly baffled expressions.
"It must be charmed so he can't just—" Tonks mimicked an explosion with her hands and a whooshing sound that escaped her lips.
"He's certainly trying!" Sirius said, with a bark-like laugh. Harry was indeed trying to set the brick wall on fire; when that didn't work, he tried the Reducto curse to no avail.
A small pop interrupted their cheers.
Kreacher, wide-eyed and covered in blood, bowed before Sirius. Remus tore his eyes away from the obstacles for a moment.
"Kreacher?" he gasped. "What happened?"
"Master," Kreacher croaked, bowing to Remus, his bat-like ears covered in bloody cuts and his loincloth stained with scarlet, "Master Dudley has been taken from his school."
"Someone has to stay here," Tonks said, as Remus and Sirius got to their feet, alarming the spectators around them. "Harry needs one of you!"
"Stay here!" Sirius shouted at Remus, his voice almost drowned by the cheers for Harry, who had moved onto the last obstacle. "You're Dudley's adoptive father—if something goes wrong—"
"Go!" Remus urged. Sirius took Kreacher's tiny, leathery hand and they vanished.
"Someone's got to tell Dumbledore!" Tonks shouted. Her parents had taken off their binoculars and looked back at her, stricken. They got up from their seats and hurried down towards the pitch, where the heads of each school stood.
Remus didn't know where to look; on the pitch, Harry was trying to catch a demiguise, the last and seventh obstacle before getting to the Triwizard Cup. Where Kreacher had stood, there was a puddle of blood. Tonks's breaths were coming out in quick puffs. She wrung her hands and got her wand, but with Harry still on the pitch and Sirius gone, there wasn't much they could do.
"Why don't we know anything yet?"
Remus clenched his jaw. His wand was in his hand, aching to be put to use, but as neither the tournament had ended nor any word from an Order member, he felt trapped.
The crowd around them erupted in boisterous cheers. Remus glanced at the center of the pitch, where all four champions stood, each with a hand on the Triwizard Cup.
"They waited for Krum!" Remus heard someone shout.
"It's a tie!"
"They'll split it by points!"
"Why'd they do that?"
The cacophony of voices around Remus felt suffocating. He felt relieved that the tournament was over and Harry was safe—
"Remus, look!" Tonks shrieked, holding her binoculars to her eyes. Remus put his on; down on the pitch, a heap of slowly moving figures appeared before Dumbledore and the other heads of the school. Andromeda and Ted were down there as well, obscuring his vision. He shifted around and saw at least two motionless, bloodied bodies.
Dudley Dursley and Dobby were dead.