Author's Note:
Thank you to all for your patience — I know I spoiled you with my 2 updates a week. I will hopefully get back to that but for now, it will be once a week posted on either Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday depending on my week. Thank you again!
At this point in the story, I am steering further and further away from canon. Some things may of course still play out, but with the Horcrux Hunt and with the changes I have made, I just wanted to give people that head's up. Thank you as always!
Thank you for all of the amazing reviews! I think I hit a new review record for one chapter! You guys rock!
Reviews and Comments: To iKingAnomalyII: Ha, yes death is pretty permanent way to break up a couple. I'm glad you liked my more leader-ish qualities of Voldemort. Thank you! To LifeonEarth: Sorry to disappoint, but yes, Viktor and Cedric are both dead. I'm glad that managed to be a surprise. Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Yes, I killed Krum. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: I love that you could hear your heart beating while reading that chapter, thank you! Yes, Cedric and Viktor were both killed! I am glad that I surprised most of you with Bagman being the big bad though some of you did guess! Thanks for loving how Harry used his Patronus in his duel and yes, I wanted James and Lily to let Remus and Sirius know how much they approve of of them and of Tonks and Zee. I know it was a while ago, but back when Harry was in Georgia in chapter 152, Misha was showing him that he could learn how to do wandless magic while in his Animagus form, and he managed to light his wand from a few metres away Misha went on to explain to him that some witches and wizards had even managed Apparition in their Animagus forms. More will be explained later. Thank you!
To coloredwords: Ha, I love that you were not prepared for both Viktor and Cedric to die. Cedric did set off red sparks, but Bagman stopped them from being seen. Thank you! To Pieter Baines: Thank you! To Guest: I will take your love and your anger. Thank you! To Sparhawk537: Thank you very much! To supersandman86: Thank you! I love knowing it was a surprise for me to kill off both of them. Riddle is a coward, he needs to feel superior by duelling a badly injured fourteen-year-old who still escapes. Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: Thank you for saying "this by far the most scary, thrilling, nerve wracking, spooky, terrifying, and nail biting chapter of this god-blessing story." You're welcome. And don't worry, there will be lots more cliffhangers lol. Thank you! To smallwjl: Thank you! To SilverMidas: I'm glad you knew it was Bagman. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! I love that I left you speechless! Thanks for saying you think my story is getting better than the books, what a compliment! Thank you!
To AlexTheMischiefer: Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed my Beginning Series back in the day and that you think ASC is a gem. Thank you! To alix33: I'm sorry you're mad at Sirius, but how was he to know Harry isn't in the maze? Thank you! To GWPotter: Sorry I made your anxiety rise, but yes, you do have to wait. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! I love that you got emotional when James and Lily showed up. To Wolf's scream: Cedric was trying to be realistic. He hoped he could defend himself, but he also knew there was a chance he couldn't so he sent up sparks in hopes someone would come. Yes, Bella's mark is on her right arm, everyone else's is on their left. Harry heard the Phoenix song in Goblet of Fire, I assume Voldemort heard the same, but doesn't associate it with goodness and Dumbledore the way that Harry does (but JKR never said if Voldemort heard the song as well). Concrete walls are unforgiving, but I only said it felt like a concrete wall, not that he actually hit one. Thank you!
To scrappy8: Thank you! To x-shadow-x-kisses-x: Thank you for saying this was an intense chapter! To Denisa: Yes, poor boys indeed. Thank you! To cha-chris: Thank you Killing both Cedric and Viktor was mean, but I never said I was nice. Hermione and Viktor's sisters were be devastated. Thank you! To aj613: Thank you! Sorry I made you cry. To PlumCrazyRangerBabe: Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! Yes, Ludo Bagman is kind of a Death Eater, but I wouldn't say a wannabe one. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! To Steelcode: Lord Jerk Face lol. Thank you! To jadely31: The clues from James and Lily were helpful but you'll have to wait and see. Thank you! To Keyblade: You weren't surprised about Krum, eh? Did Harry process what Voldemort was saying? You will see. Thank you! To purplevictory: I'm honoured that your addicted to ASC. It does make Harry look guilty leaving the bodies like they were. Thank you!
To sexinurse: Yes, lots of heartbreak. Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Always appreciate incoherent typing lol. Thank you! To ClarieRoss: Yes, a cliffhanger. Thank you! To nesciamema: Thank you! To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To xcherry91x: Thanks for being so excited! To LilyAlice5: Yes, I killed Viktor. Thanks for saying this story is an amazing rollercoaster. Thanks for loving Theo. He has a special place in my heart. Thank you! To Inhaled Atoms: Thanks for applauding me for killing off a well liked character. Thank you! To midnitewanderer: I like to break hearts. I like to compare myself the Evil Queen. Thank you. To HGRHfan35: Nope, I do not shy away from the hard stuff. You think the she is Jameson? Yes, it does confirm Zabini's mum. Thank you! To Matt9917: Thank you! To ninaz08: Yes, poor Hermione indeed. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you so much for spending so long reading ASC. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the pranks and the relationship between Sirius, Remus, and Harry. The swimming pool may have been inspired by a very potter musical LOL. Hinny will come! Thank you very much!
To Saz: Yes, I did kill Krum! Glad I've shocked you! Thank you! To littlehughesy: How dare I play with your emotions like that? LOL. I dare. Thank you so much! To alucardgal: Sorry, had to stop there, the chapter ended. Please don't cry huddled in a corner of despair. Thank you! To Guest: Yes, I am going to make you wait a week. Thank you! To CelinaGryffindor: Thank you very much. Ginny has a big part in this story, but she will be in it more once Harry and Ginny get together. Thank you! To Skyfire Forged: I did give you hope that Cedric had survived lol. (Cooly blows on nails). Thank you! To mkat93: Thank you very much! To Love4lupinalways: Thank you very much! I'm sorry I broke your hear over Hermione and Viktor. Yes, fucking Ludo indeed! Thank you! To Hellpony: Yes, poor Hermione. Thank you! To HpF2: I consider pants and a shirt just clothes, the robes overtop is what I think of as non-Muggle clothes. Thank you!
To Savageness321: I told myself I could play with your hearts like that lol. I have lots of plans for Theo and I can't wait to share them! You should be a bit scared for him and for the other Slytherins. Thank you so much! To WhovianLeiaGranger: Thank you! Yes Savegeness321 did sum it up rather well. To Bosma18: Thank you, but sorry, I still killed Cedric. To kyciona: Thank you! You will survive weekly updates. To Yami_Faerie: Yes, I did break a girl's heart. Thank you! I'm glad you found the whole thing delightfully creepy. To RedheadLover: I love that you summed up your thoughts to "well, fuck." LOL. Thank you!
To Clupeidae: Puns are ALWAYS appreciated. Keep them coming LOL. I'm so glad you decided to give ASC "a second chance." LOL. Thank you! To LadyPhoenix: Hermione is going to be crushed, and yes, I did leave you to believe Cedric was safe. No one is safe. Thanks for loving the graveyard scene. I wanted Harry to be smarter and to have prior knowledge. He didn't know 100% that the wands would react like that, if he or Voldemort had been a second off on their casting, he could have died, but it was the only option he had left so, he took it. He needed the distraction. Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Thanks for the kudos. Yes, I killed Cedric and Krum and yes, it was Bagman. Thank you!
DISCLAIMER I: I do not own the little bit of Dumbledore's speech from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
DISCLAIMER II: I do not own the lyrics to the song at the end, those belong to Iain Camshroin, but I love the cover of this song sung by the Rankin Family.
Thanks as always for the wonderful comments and reviews!
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Once a week and sometimes on weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT:
The One With the Lullaby
At least that's what it felt like.
Upon landing he had changed from dog to man and his head was splitting as he made to stand, falling forward as he stumbled. He realized that his head splitting was mostly due to the fact that his nose was broken and bleeding profusely. His whole body was trembling in pain as if he had broken every bone in his body just as hands grabbed him tightly and he was suddenly wrapped up in strong arms that smelt like leather, wood, and forest. His face was crushed against the strong chest and the familiar arms and scents alerted him immediately and he began to shake as he fought the urge to cry.
"Uncle Siri!"
Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Shh, I got you, baby, I got you!"
"He's back! He's back!"
"Shh," Sirius whispered, kissing the top of his head. "I got you, baby. You're safe now, you're safe."
Harry clung to Sirius, trying not to hyperventilate. He heard Remus say something about the wards, but he didn't know what that meant. He was holding onto Sirius, clinging like a steel vice.
Lord Voldemort was back.
He had returned and he had seen it. He had seen his followers. He knew who they were by name.
He shuddered as Sirius' hands ran up and down his back soothingly. And then he remembered; someone had brought him to that graveyard.
"Uncle Siri! Uncle Siri — its Bagman! He's a spy! Bagman is the spy! He said it! He said that Abraxas convinced Bagman and he submitted my name and turned the cup into a portkey! The TriWizard Cup was a portkey and it took me and Cedric to a graveyard with Voldemort!"
Harry's green eyes were wide with panic as he stared at his father, gushing to get the words out as fast as he could.
Sirius nodded at him, cupping his face in his hands. "We'll find him, Prongslet," he assured him, pulling him back into his embrace as Harry's hands fisted in the back of his shirt.
"Sirius, did Harry just say that the cup took him to a graveyard with Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked sharply from behind them.
Sirius nodded sharply. "He's back, Albus."
Dumbledore said something to McGonagall before he moved away for a moment.
"Sirius, he's bleeding everywhere," Zee said, her voice slightly panicked. "We need to get Poppy to look at him."
Harry ignored her and burrowed his face closer to Sirius' chest to block out his surroundings. His whole body hurt. He felt like he'd been run over by something. His bones were burning and aching in ways that he had never imagined possible. His head was pounding and his scar felt like it was on fire. He could feel the blood still oozing slowly from his cuts. His lips burned and he could taste the silk that was still threaded through them. His face was on fire. He burrowed closer, clinging tighter to Sirius and ignoring the pain in his body.
"Harry! Harry! Prongslet, where are you hurt?" Sirius demanded, his eyes moving over as much of his son as he could see.
Sirius attempted to lift Harry's head to look into his eyes and Harry pushed his face further into Sirius' chest and clenched his fists tightly into Sirius' shirt again, refusing to let go. Sirius' gaze met Remus' and he nodded.
Remus stood up to go, but Harry's hand snaked out and gripped his wrist tightly, head turning to stare at Remus desperately. "Don't go!"
Remus leaned in close to Sirius and pressed his lips to Harry's head. "Siri will be here, little Prongs. I'll be right back. I promise."
Harry only nodded, but he didn't let go of Remus' wrist and he clung tighter to Sirius, his eyes still wide and panicked.
Tonks touched her mate's arm. "I'll go. Stay with him."
Remus nodded as Tonks hurried off to look for Bagman.
Zee hurried over to get Madam Pomfrey, returning a moment later. She reached out and was stroking his hair as Sirius half carried him from the pitch and towards the castle, his arm around his son's waist and Harry's across his shoulders. McGonagall whistled for Nyx and pointed at them and the large tiger stood up and stretched before following them, her eyes searching. It was only once Sirius had sat Harry on the sofa in Remus' suite did he start shaking.
Zee wrapped her arm around him as Sirius moved in from the other side. Remus knelt in front of him, holding his hands tightly as Nyx stretched out in front of the door as if she was keeping guard.
"Harry, what happened?" Remus asked gently, his gaze staring intently into his son's face.
"He's back," he whispered, his wide eyes staring intently into Remus' gold ones. "He used my blood." He held up his blood soaked arm and Zee made a strangled sound at the sight of it.
Remus cupped Harry's face with one hand, still holding Harry's other hand tightly. "You're safe here, Harry. It's okay. Madam Pomfrey is on her way up to check you over. You're safe."
Not two minutes later the school matron burst through the door with some supplies and shooed Remus and Zee away, but Harry wouldn't let go of Remus' hands. She made to protest, but one look into his terrified eyes and she nodded sharply.
"Broken ankle," she said. "It's fairly clean, but broken in two places. Broken nose. Possibly broken or at least fractured ribs. Broken cheek bones. Massive blood loss. Stings. Cuts. This was badly healed whoever sliced your arm."
"Malfoy," he whispered. "Abraxas Malfoy."
Sirius nodded, his eyes dark as he watched Madam Pomfrey carefully un-sew his lips, tugging out the silk thread that still dangled there as Harry winced. She forced a blood replenishing potion on him followed by a pain potion, a healing potion, and a calming draught. He drank them all, still holding onto Remus with Sirius' arm wrapped around him. She told him that she needed to heal the broken bones and fractures, but due to the large amount of them she wanted the potions to kick in first before administering a mixture of Skele-Gro and Skele-Heal to help heal his broken and fractured bones. He only nodded, green eyes still wide in panicked shock.
It was only once the matron backed away did Remus lean in and kiss Harry's forehead tenderly.
"Harry, can you tell us what happened?"
Harry stared at Remus. He had stopped shaking and when Sirius leaned in and rested his cheek against his uninjured one, he let out a slow breath, feeling calmer.
"He's back. Voldemort's back."
~ ASC ~
Bagman looked up at the sound of the wards breaking, his eyes wide. He hurried around the side of the maze in time to see Harry Potter collapse in front of Sirius Black, bleeding and panic filled. He felt his own blood drain from his body.
How the hell had the boy escaped?
He gulped slowly and hurried around the edge of the maze, heading towards the Forbidden Forest. He caught side of Flitwick, Carthaginian, and Birmingham coming around the bend and he increased his speed to avoid them. He walked quickly, slipping into the trees and glancing behind him, but no one seemed to have noticed his absence. It took him ten minutes, but he made it to the bridge leading to Hogsmeade. He took one final look behind him, saw no one in sight, and Disapparated on the spot.
He went to his flat straight away, throwing things together quickly. He had to get out of the country as quickly as possible. He thought about his ex-wife and his daughter and he cursed himself.
How had he let himself be so stupid?
Bagman grabbed his bag and his wand and headed straight to his ex-wife's home. He banged his fist on the door and paled when Walden Macnair opened the front door.
"Why hello, Ludo! It seems Brax was correct in assuming that you'd run straight here to the home of Constance Thompson-Bagman."
Bagman swallowed slowly as he stepped into the house. "I did everything that was asked of me! You can't hurt them!"
The front door closed behind him as Macnair merely nodded towards the living room. Bagman moved inside and his eyes widened when he saw his ex-wife tied to the chair and his daughter tied up next to her, both with tears in their eyes.
"On your knees, Ludo."
Bagman trembled as he knelt in front of his ex-wife and daughter. "I'm sorry, Connie. I owe Malfoy more money than I even know! I lost at the World Cup. Twenty thousand Galleons."
Constance Bagman's eyes narrowed as Macnair removed her gag. "Twenty thousand… Ludo… you said that you'd stop! You promised me and Cordie that you would get help! You lost all of our savings! If I hadn't left you, if I hadn't… we almost lost this house! If my father hadn't chipped in to help me we would have! And now you dared to get into bed with a Malfoy?"
Bagman bowed his head in shame. "I thought that I could win it back! I was confident that Krum would pull through and he did catch the Snitch, it was glorious, but Ireland won and… I lost everything."
Macnair snickered, moving behind Constance and touching her hair. "She's a beauty, Ludo. You lost her because of your stupidity. And Cordie, is it?" he asked, moving to touch the little girl's golden hair. "Bet she would have been a beauty when she grew up too."
He waved his wand and the ropes tying Bagman's daughter to the chair vanished and she immediately ran to her father, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Daddy! Daddy, he hurt me! He hit Mummy and then he hit me!"
Bagman held his daughter tightly and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I love you."
Macnair sneered at him and held up his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
The little girl collapsed to the ground, eyes open wide and lifeless, and Bagman began to sob as the woman screamed.
"No! Not Cordelia! No!"
Macnair backhanded her and petrified Bagman. "That was mercy. She was merely collateral damage."
Constance Bagman glared at him. "How dare you! How dare you call my daughter collateral damage!"
Macnair smirked and stroked her hair again. "Trust me, love, you'll be thankful that she's not around to see what I'm going to do to her Mummy while her Daddy watches."
She paled as Macnair reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver snake figure and glanced up at the clock.
"We're right on time as well. Never doubt Abraxas Malfoy, he always knows exactly who he is dealing with." He grinned down at Bagman. "After you watch what I do to your lovely Connie, Ludo, the Dark Lord wants to have a private word with you. So does Brax."
He held onto both of them, tucking the statue into his waistband and counted down from ten as the statue worked as a portkey and the three of them disappeared in a flash leaving nothing behind but the dead body of the child staring lifeless at the ceiling.
~ ASC ~
Tonks moved around the maze meeting Misha as she came around. "No sign of him?"
Misha shook his head. "I found tracks heading towards the Forbidden Forest. It looks like he made a run for it. I know I do not have authority here, but I vould be villing to follow the lead if you'd like?"
Tonks nodded, her eyes searching the forest behind him. "I would like, thank you. I'm officially deputizing you, Misha. I appreciate the help. I'm going to head into the maze."
Misha nodded and hurried off along the edge of the forest as Tonks headed into the maze. The hedges rustled as she moved along, cautiously, and when she saw the giant python resting ahead of her she gasped and petrified the snake. The python's yellow eyes glared at her and she knew before she had even taken one step towards it that the spell wasn't going to hold. The snake was too powerful. She sent a stunning spell at it and when that did nothing, but make the snake angry she used a reducto curse and the large python disintegrated before her.
Tonks let out a slow breath of relief and headed deeper into the maze. It took her almost ten minutes to find the TriWizard Cup stand. All of the other obstacles had been taken care of by the champions, much to her relief, and when she saw the glow of the cup up ahead she picked up the pace and hurried forward.
The two dead bodies lying next to it made her heart clench. Diggory's hands were still touching the cup and Krum lay next to him, his wand broken in half as if someone had crushed it with their boot. Both were staring straight ahead, eyes wide in horror and she swore angrily.
This was needless death.
Two young men on the verge of greatness and their lives had been coldly snuffed out as if they had meant nothing to the world. She sent up red sparks from where she stood and only had to wait a moment before Snape moved into her light. His eyes moved coldly over the bodies of Diggory and Krum, but they showed no emotion.
"No sign of Bagman, then?"
Tonks shook her head. "He rabbited. I have an Auror trying to track him down."
Snape shook his head. "It's no use. The moment Potter left the graveyard someone would have been sent after him. My guess is that he's already dead or he'll soon wish to be."
"Well, until I know otherwise, we're tracking him down," Tonks said hotly. She sent her Patronus out with a message to Kingsley and closed her eyes as the wolf took off through the hedge. "What's happening out there?"
"Black and Lupin took Potter up to the castle with Black's girlfriend. Pomfrey was getting supplies and then checking him over. Dumbledore's announced that the task has been cancelled and is trying to get the students back up to the castle."
"The Krums and the Diggorys are both in the stands tonight," Tonks said softly.
Snape nodded. "We'll levitate the bodies to the edge of the maze, but we'll keep them hidden until the families can be properly informed."
Tonks nodded her agreement and the two of them did just that before emerging from the maze at the front where Jameson and Fudge were talking with Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"You can't just cancel the Third Task, Albus!" Fudge exclaimed, boisterously. "There are people here to watch this unfold! I want a damn explanation!"
"And I've given you one, Cornelius," Dumbledore declared sharply.
Fudge merely shook his head, his eyes livid. "He is not back!"
Tonks stepped up next to the Minister. "Snape and I just found two dead champions in the maze, Bagman's missing, and Harry Potter showed up badly injured, bleeding profusely, and claiming otherwise. Do you have a better explanation, Minister?"
Fudge paled and shook his head. "He is not back!"
McGonagall glared at him. "Pull your head out of your arse, Cornelius! The evidence clearly states that he is! We need to get on top of this as quickly as possible! You need to check on Azkaban and make sure that the Dementors are removed from the prison and Aurors need to be sent to stand guard. He's going to want his followers back straight away!"
Fudge shook his head. "I'm telling you, he is not back!"
Minister Oblansk approached carefully, his eyes guarded. "Is vere someving I can do to assist here?"
Tonks smiled at him. "Yes, thank you, Minister. We have a terrible tragedy that has occurred in the maze."
Oblansk raised an eyebrow. "Da?"
"Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory are both dead."
Oblansk nodded, his face pale. "How?"
"We don't know the specifics yet, but we do know that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned."
"He — is — not — back!" Fudge declared adamantly, the vein in his forehead practically jumping off his head.
Oblansk turned to look at him. "Vhy deny vat is happening? It only makes you foolish man. Va signs have been here for months. Ve've seen them in my country. You know for sure?"
Tonks nodded. "Harry Potter was a witness. He escaped."
"Why should I believe the words of a fourteen-year-old-boy?" Fudge demanded angrily.
Tonks glared at him. "Are you calling him a liar? Harry is my family and I can promise you, Minister Fudge, he does not lie! If he says that You Know Who is back then it must be so!"
"You're out of line, Auror Tonks!" Fudge exclaimed, his eyes flashing.
"No, she's being honest," McGonagall said hotly. "Why would we lie about such a thing, Minister? We would not say it if it wasn't true! Do you think that we want it to be true? Do you think that we want to create some sort of panic? I remember the war and who we lost and I have no desire to become caught up in another one!"
Oblansk's eyes darkened as he nodded. "I vill alert my ministry immediately. Let me know vat you vould like for us to do. Anyvay ve can help you, ve vill."
"Us too," President Richelieu said from behind him, glaring suspiciously at Fudge. "I remember 'ow bad it was before and we will not let 'im return to full power again. Le Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France will 'elp in any way possible."
Tonks smiled gratefully at them as Fudge continued to bluster. "Thank you both. Having both the French and the Bulgarian Ministries on our side will be a great asset. Minister Fudge, perhaps you could check on the Dementors now?"
Fudge's mouth opened and closed like a codfish before he finally caught himself as Kingsley Shacklebolt approached them.
"Auror Tonks, I received your message. What is going on here?"
"Sir, I deputized Special Auror Misha Zacarias from the Russian Ministry. He's the Head of the Russian Auror Department. He's currently chasing the tracks of Ludo Bagman."
"Ludo Bagman?" Kingsley asked in surprise.
"It looks like he was the one behind entering Potter into the TriWizard Tournament," she began, quickly explaining how Harry had returned (claiming Voldemort's resurrection), how Bagman had been working for the dark wizard, and the two dead champions in the maze (who had presumably been killed by Bagman).
Kingsley nodded solemnly. "Excellent work, Tonks."
He turned to Fudge. "I'll send a few of my Aurors to Azkaban immediately with your permission, Minister?"
Fudge continued to stare at them, his eyes wide. "He cannot be back!"
Dumbledore, who had been coordinating with McGonagall and Flitwick on the side to fix the broken wards, turned to stare at Fudge as if he was an impertinent child throwing a tantrum. "I do not have the details yet, Cornelius, but what I do know is that when Harry touched the TriWizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort. He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth."
Fudge stared at Dumbledore for a long moment. "You're honestly willing to take Potter's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"
"Certainly I am," he answered calmly. "He has no reason to lie, as Auror Tonks and Professor McGonagall have just informed you. I will go speak to him once I have finished dealing with this situation, but two champions are dead, Cornelius — Bagman seemingly the culprit — and Harry shows up gravely injured and terrified, and you would think that he has what, made it all up? Whatever for?"
Fudge swallowed slowly. "But he can't be back, Albus, he… can't be back," he said desperately.
"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated. "If you accept that fact straightaway then the necessary measures must be taken. We may still be able to save the situation. Minister Oblansk and President Richelieu have already offered their support. The first and most essential step as Minerva has already said is to remove Azkaban from the control of the Dementors —"
"— Albus, I'd be kicked out of office for even suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know that the Dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!"
"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant that he asks them!" Dumbledore declared. "They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the Dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him from regaining the sort of power that he had thirteen years ago!"
Fudge was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage.
"The second step you must take — and at once," Dumbledore pressed on. "Is to send envoys to the giants."
"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?"
"Extend them the hand of friendship now, before it is too late," Dumbledore advised cautiously. "Or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedoms!"
"You — you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants — people hate them, Dumbledore! It would be the end of my career!"
"You are blinded," Dumbledore said, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more. "Blinded by the love of the office that you hold, Cornelius! I tell you now — take the steps that I have suggested and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic that we have ever known. Fail to act however, and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world that we have tried to rebuild!"
"Insane," Fudge whispered, still backing away. "Mad!"
Oblansk put a hand on Fudge's shoulder. "But true. Ve must all vork together now, if ve vant to stop this. Simone and I vill vork vith our own ministries; reach out to our own Aurors. Ve vill make a stand together."
Fudge only stared at the Bulgarian Minister. "He can't be back. He just can't be…"
Jameson, who had been staring eyes wide between them, finally spoke up. "Fudge, we have to stick together in this. Chavdar is correct and I am grateful that the Bulgarian and French Ministries are willing to assist us in any way that they can. We have to keep the Ministry strong for the public. Dumbledore is right, anyway that we can prepare for this, we have to take the steps in doing so, and immediately."
Snape strode forward at that moment, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes and stuck his forearm in front of Fudge, who recoiled at the tattoo there.
"There," Snape said harshly. "The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was half an hour ago, when it burned black and inked over, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's, too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the mark burn. We both knew that he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."
Fudge only stared at him, his eyes moving to Kingsley. "It's preposterous!"
Kingsley stared at him. "I'm sending Aurors to remove the control of the Dementors from Azkaban, Minister."
Fudge only nodded and fumbled in his pockets for a moment, pulling out a large bag of gold and pushing it at Dumbledore. "I guess this belongs to Potter."
Jameson nodded. "He did get to the cup, did he not?"
Fudge grumbled something under his breath. "Take Potter's winnings."
As Dumbledore accepted the bag of coin, Fudge turned and headed off towards the castle, clutching his lime green bowler hat in his hands and seemingly muttering to himself. Jameson hurried after him, her eyes wide.
Tonks only shook her head. "I still don't think that he believed us."
Dumbledore shook his head. "We shall see. Kingsley, please go ahead with the Dementors, anything that you can do to help."
Kingsley looked hesitant, his eyes on the retreating back of the Minister before he nodded and headed towards the castle.
"Filius has most of the wards back in place already," McGonagall said carefully. "Have you spoken to Harry?"
"Not yet," Dumbledore said carefully. "Sirius, Remus, and Zee took him to up Remus' suite. Madam Pomfrey went to tend to him. We need to tread cautiously with this."
Tonks nodded as the Diggorys and the Krums waited with the Delacours on the edge of the stands. "Someone needs to tell them the news. They are looking for their sons."
Dumbledore nodded, his eyes sad. "Yes, someone does."
He took a slow breath before he began to march purposely towards them and Tonks watched as the two families worlds fell apart.
~ ASC ~
Hermione had been sitting with Viktor's family in the stands with Molly, Arthur, Bill, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna, Fred, and George. She'd been holding hands with Desislava, Viktor's nine-year-old-sister as they watched anxiously. They could see the maze moving and occasionally there was a spark of light indicating that a spell had been used, but mostly they were kept in the dark.
It had been almost two hours and yet only Fleur had emerged from the maze and was sitting between her parents, holding her little sister's hand. Something had to be happening in there, she thought. It didn't make sense for it to be taking so long.
She had barely formed a thought on it when the whole pitch seemed to tremble. At first she thought that it was an earthquake, which was ridiculous because earthquakes just quite simply didn't happen in Scotland. The rumbling quaked the pitch and suddenly there was a flash of light as if a cosmic explosion was happening overhead. People gasped in surprise. Fred and George stared up at the sky, eyes wide.
"The wards have been broken," Bill exclaimed in astonishment.
"But that's impossible," Hermione said. "It's impossible to Apparate onto Hogwarts grounds!"
"Yet someone has," Bill said carefully.
Hermione glanced at him in surprise as she saw Harry throw himself into Sirius' arms and her heart stopped.
"Something's wrong."
Ginny nodded, standing up as well, her eyes wide. "Harry!"
Ron, Neville, and Luna followed them as they ran down the stands towards Harry and Sirius.
Ginny grabbed her brother's arm when she heard Harry speak.
"He's back! He's back!"
The absolute panic had her gasping as Ron put an arm around her.
Bill, who had hurried up behind them put a hand on both of their shoulders. "Let Sirius and Remus handle Harry. You guys stay here for now. Something's happening."
Hermione could only nod as she watched Dumbledore's eyes darken. The headmaster turned to say something to McGonagall as Sirius, Remus, and Zee led Harry away from the crowd and she turned to look towards the maze again.
Where was Viktor?
Where was Cedric?
She made to move into the maze herself without thinking and Ron grabbed her arm.
"Mione!"
"Viktor's still in there, Ron! He's still in there! What if he's hurt? Or trapped?"
Ron pulled her tightly into his arms as he watched Tonks and Snape head into the maze along with Misha as Jameson and Maxime moved around the edges. "They'll find him."
Dumbledore held up his hands and used a Sonorous Charm on himself. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Third Task has been cancelled. All of you are to return to your dormitories at once. Do not delay."
The crowd immediately began to whisper conspiratorially, trying to figure out what it could mean.
"It's cancelled? Why? Didn't Potter and Delacour make it out?"
"Where's Diggory?"
"Where's Krum?"
"Where's the cup?"
"Did no one win?"
"What happened?"
Ron looked up as Mandy hurried over to him.
"Where's Harry? Is he all right? What's happening?"
Ron shook his head. "I don't know. His family took him and Madam Pomfrey went after them. Come on; we'll go see him together."
Mandy nodded, her eyes wide. "He just appeared out of nowhere and there was so much blood! Is he going to be all right?"
"I don't know," Ron said again, putting an arm around her as the crowd began to disperse around them. "But Harry's pretty tough. I'm sure whatever it is, he'll get through it."
Hermione smiled at Ron and she clutched his arm as Tonks and Snape emerged from the maze, their faces grave. "Ron, wait — something's happening."
Ron nodded and turned to look where Hermione was pointing. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Fudge, Oblansk, Richelieu, and Jameson were huddled in front of the main entrance to the maze, talking. They couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever Dumbledore and Tonks were sharing with them was making Fudge recoil in horror. Soon Kingsley Shacklebolt approached them along with Snape as Flitwick and Bill worked to fix the broken wards with the help of Birmingham.
Then Fudge had stormed off, soon followed by Kingsley and Dumbledore was approaching the waiting families along with Fleur. The desperate scream that erupted made Hermione's stomach plummet and before Ron could stop her, she was running as Boyana Krum collapsed to the ground in front of Dumbledore and Amos Diggory cried out.
"My son! Not my son!"
Hermione's heart clenched as she stopped in front of Dumbledore, tears in her eyes. "Viktor?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes met hers, sadness etched in them. "I am very sorry, Hermione, Viktor is dead."
She heard the words, but she couldn't comprehend them.
"No! No, no, no, he's in the maze! He's still looking for the cup! He's going to win!"
Dumbledore reached out to touch her shoulder. "He was murdered, Hermione. He and Cedric both. I am very sorry for your loss, my dear."
Hermione shook her head. "No! No, you're wrong! You're wrong!"
Tonks came up behind her and pulled her into her arms as Snape levitated the two bodies outside of the maze. "Hermione, honey, I'm sorry."
Hermione's eyes found Viktor's dark hair and she stared into his lifeless eyes and her heart broke. She let out a loud sob before she could stop herself and she let Tonks engulf her in her arms as Kosta Krum reached down to hold his wife as his daughters clung to him. Amos and Piper Diggory had thrown themselves over their son's body and were openly weeping now. She watched it unfold as if it were a bad dream, her own sobs tearing through her.
Tonks held her close, rocking her gently in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. Harry told me how much he meant to you. I'm so sorry, honey."
Her body shook against Tonks as the sobs tore through her. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be! He loved her and she was going to go to Bulgaria and she was going to see him play Quidditch. They were going to spend their days kissing and laughing. He was going to come to London and stay with her so that she could show him her favourite Muggle book shop. He was supposed to win and come back to her.
He was supposed to come back to her.
"There's no sign of him, Albus. He's fled," Snape said carefully.
"Misha Zacarias is tracking him," Tonks said.
Snape merely nodded. "And I told you, it's too late for him."
Dumbledore stared at Snape for a moment as he watched McGonagall attempt to comfort the families. "Minerva, I need to go and find Harry."
She nodded, her eyes sad. "Poppy should be done healing him by now. I don't know how bad his injuries were, but Sirius took Nyx with them as an extra precaution."
Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "Severus?"
"I'm going. Find Potter. We need to know what he knows."
"Minerva, you can handle this?"
McGonagall nodded, her eyes moving to the hole in the sky where the wards were being repaired. "Filius is already getting to work on it. Bill Weasley has been helping. The wards are almost back up."
"I have to get to Harry, Hermione," Tonks said gently. "Do you want to come with me?"
Ron appeared next to them and he pulled Hermione into his arms. "I got her, Tonks. Let us know when Harry is ready to see us."
She nodded gratefully at him as Hermione curled into Ron's arms as she cried.
Ron gently ran his hands up and down her back, her face was buried against his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears, but he didn't let her go. Flitwick worked with Birmingham, McGonagall, and Bill to repair the wards in the distance. Bill was talking with Flitwick as they worked and Ron and Hermione could hear little tidbits.
Someone had managed to Apparate into the Hogwarts grounds. They had broken through all of the warding in one section which had created what felt like an earthquake. She knew instantly that it had been Harry. Her friend had appeared out of nowhere seconds after it had happened, his nose bleeding and his whole body covered in both wet and dry blood along with dirt and mud.
Krum and Diggory were both dead. They had been found in the middle of the maze next to the TriWizard Cup. Did that mean that one of them had won?
Hermione was trembling as she clung to Ron's tee shirt, her sobs still wracking through her. Neville and Ginny had appeared next to him, each touching Hermione in comfort and she watched as Luna tried to calm Mandy, who was demanding to see Harry.
Hermione finally managed to catch her breath. She didn't know what she felt. It was nothing. There was nothing. But she was aware of the strong hands patting her back and the strong arms gripping her. Her face stuck to the wet material of his tee shirt, soaked by her own tears. Her breath hitched as she pulled back and tilted her head to look up at Ron.
"I —"
"I'm sorry, Mione. I know how much you liked him."
"I loved him," she said softly, tears falling from her eyes again.
Ron nodded and gently used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "I know. Come on, let's go back up to the castle. We can try to figure out what's going on."
Hermione shook her head. She should go to Viktor's family. She should be with them, she thought. Ron seemed to understand because he nudged her along towards the Krums and let go of her just as Desislava threw her arms around her. Hermione held the little girl tightly, her body still trembling in her own shock and grief.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered as the little girl cried against her.
But she knew that the words didn't help the little girl anymore than they helped her.
~ ASC ~
Ron stood back with his hands in his pockets, his eyes sad as he watched Hermione for a moment.
Luna touched his arm and smiled up at him. "I'll stay with her. You, Neville, and Ginny take Mandy and find Harry."
Ron nodded. "All right. You'll bring her to us when she's ready?"
Luna smiled at him. "I will. Go, see Harry."
Ron nodded and turned back to where Ginny was comforting Mandy.
"Harry's the strongest person I know, Mandy. He's going to be all right. I know it. We just have to give him some time to heal. Madam Pomfrey is taking care of him right now and he's with his family," Ginny told her.
Mandy nodded, her eyes wide. "I just want him to know that I'm here. I want to be there for him."
Ginny smiled kindly. "We all will be. He knows that." She looked over when Ron's tall, lanky shadow fell over them.
"Come on; let's go see Harry," he said.
Ginny linked her arm through Mandy's as Neville came up on the other side of Ron and the four of them made their way back up to the castle, trying to comfort each other.
~ ASC ~
Sirius looked up when Dumbledore stepped into the suite, his eyebrow up. "What happened?"
Tonks came in behind him, hearing Sirius' question. "Bagman rabbited. No one saw him leave, however it looks like he made his presence known before he took off."
Remus raised an eyebrow in question.
"Krum and Diggory are both dead. They were found in the middle of the maze, near the cup. We think that he stopped them from taking it so that Harry could get there first."
"No," Harry said quietly causing everyone to turn and stare at him in surprise. It was the first words that he had spoken in over twenty minutes since Madam Pomfrey had first started to examine him. "Cedric and I took the cup together. A Hogwarts win. The cup was a portkey."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You said that earlier, Harry. It was a portkey that took you to Voldemort?"
Harry's eyes drooped as Remus and Sirius each sat on either side of him, arms around him and each holding his hands as he spoke. "Cedric and I took it together. It was a Hogwarts win, we said, but the cup was a portkey and it brought us to the graveyard. Selwyn, he… he tried to kill Cedric, but we tried to take the portkey home. It worked, but he cut me loose at the last second, and only Cedric got away. He got away."
Sirius brought Harry's hand to his lips and pressed it against the side of his face tenderly. "So, you were alone?"
"Not alone. Selwyn and Bellatrix and Malfoy were there. There was a big cauldron with the potion. Bone of the father and flesh of the servant and blood of the enemy… Malfoy cut me, from my wrist to my elbow… there was a lot of blood. Bellatrix sewed my mouth shut when I told her that you would save me, Uncle Siri. Selwyn said that Fenrir or Macnair would want to-to sodomize me, but Voldemort said… he-he said no, that I belonged to him."
Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "I'm sorry, I didn't save you, Harry."
Harry curled closer to him. "Voldemort came out of the potion. Then he touched the Dark Mark on Bellatrix's arm and… and they came."
"The Death Eaters?" Remus prompted.
Harry nodded. "Sleepy."
Remus kissed his forehead. "How did you get away, Harry?"
"Priori Incantatem, just like you told me, Uncle Moony. Mum and Dad… they came… they told me that I could get away …"
Remus nodded, his face pale. "Can we see the memory, little Prongs? So you can get some sleep?"
Harry nodded and closed his eyes as Remus used his wand to take the memory from his head. Within minutes, Harry was sleeping soundly, his head against Sirius' chest.
Sirius kissed the top of his head, wrapping his arms more securely around his son. "How long is this potion going to keep him out?"
"A few hours at least," Madam Pomfrey said, her eyes sad. "Is it true, Albus? Is You Know Who really back?"
Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes staring at Harry's sleeping form. "It seems so. Did Harry mention why Bagman did it?"
Sirius shook his head. "No. I had heard that he was cleared of being a Death Eater. Wasn't he charged with passing information onto Rookwood back in the day?"
"He was cleared of all those charges; claimed that he never knew Augustus Rookwood was a Death Eater. He was never thought to be one. Harry mentioned Abraxas Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Bagman owes a lot of people money," Tonks said quietly. "I wouldn't be surprised if Abraxas promised him gold in exchange for it. Bagman was getting pretty desperate by the Second Task, trying to make bets on Harry to win, Snape was telling me… it may have started off as fairly innocent, submit his name, urge him to win, nothing too bad… I don't know, but… money can change a man and he killed two students. Misha is trying to track him down now, follow his magical fingerprint, but Snape said that it's too late, and that he's probably already dead."
"Krum and Diggory are really dead?" Remus asked, his eyes sad as they looked at his mate.
Tonks nodded. "An Unforgivable. They were both lying in the centre of the maze next to the TriWizard Cup."
"Minerva and Filius have recruited some help in fixing the wards. Harry Apparated onto the grounds," Dumbledore told them.
Remus' eyebrow rose. "I thought that was impossible."
Dumbledore shook his head. "It should be. However, I have seen in certain circumstances, a child who is desperate for their family in times of great panic or great fear, can find a deep well of power within them. It's the only thing that I can think of to explain how he broke a hole through every ward placed around the grounds and landed directly in front of you and Sirius. Though it does probably account for how injured he is. It would be something akin to smashing directly into a concrete wall and then plowing straight through it."
Sirius held his son tighter, turning to look at Remus before he spoke. "He Apparated into the grounds… that's…"
"A lot of fucking power," Remus said simply.
Tonks nodded, her eyes on where Harry was sleeping soundly, his face pressed against Sirius' heart. "Should we move him into Rem's bed?"
"I don't want him to wake up alone," Sirius said honestly. "We'll take him home with us."
"He needs to be monitored," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "Keep him here or bring him to the hospital wing. This boy has been injured and tortured."
"You're right, Poppy, I'm sorry. I just want to keep him safe," Sirius told her.
Madam Pomfrey only nodded. "I'm going to go get some more potions and salves for him. His ankle, broken bones, ribs, and cuts need to be more thoroughly taken care of and I'd like to do that while he's out, if I can. He is going to have a painful few days in store."
Sirius nodded as he watched her hurry out of the room, dropping a kiss to Harry's forehead as Pomfrey stuck her head back in the door.
"Sirius? There are some students out here looking for Harry?"
Zee nodded at Sirius and stood up, moving into the hallway where Ron, Mandy, Neville, and Ginny were standing. "Hi guys. Harry's going to be okay."
Ginny let out a breath of relief, her eyes behind Zee on where Harry was passed out with Sirius and Remus. "What happened to him?"
Zee smiled sympathetically. "We don't know everything yet. What we do know is that Lord Voldemort has returned and that Harry witnessed it."
Mandy gasped, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide. "What? You Know Who? He's back!"
Zee nodded. "Yes. We're going to take care of Harry and you guys can see him tomorrow, all right?"
Ron looked like he wanted to protest, but Neville touched his arm.
"We'll be here first thing tomorrow morning, Zee," Neville said.
Sirius watched them leave as Zee stepped back inside, closing the portrait door behind her as Dumbledore started to explain what had happened with Fudge. He told them that that Kingsley was working with his department to try to get Azkaban away from the control of the Dementors.
"So, is Fudge on our side in this, or is he burying his head in the fucking sand?" Sirius demanded, his eyes flashing angrily.
"I'm not quite sure yet. But the Bulgarian and French ministries are looking to take charge. I told him that he needs to make an envoy to the giants, but I'm not sure if he's going to listen to me."
Remus nodded. "Are you still thinking of asking Maxime and Hagrid?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said carefully. "They might be our only option. Zee, any suggestions on an agent of the DRCMC that could assist them?"
"A few," she said carefully. "Tonks, was my mum still downstairs?"
Tonks nodded. "She was trying to help where she could and your father was following Bagman. Why?"
"Mama has a friend who trades in magical goods with the giants of Cornwall. She might be able to help us and I think that she would be a better asset than anyone from the DRCMC."
Dumbledore smiled. "Can you contact her?"
Zee nodded. "Yes."
"I need to meet with Adrian. I told him that I would come see him if I heard anything about Voldemort returning," Remus said with a sigh, his eyes on Harry's sleeping form. "I need to warn him before Voldemort makes a play with more than just Fenrir's pack."
Tonks gripped his hand in hers. "I'm coming with you."
"Dora, you should —"
"— No. I'm coming with you and I won't take no for an answer!"
Remus looked like he wanted to argue but he nodded. "Okay. Okay, you're right. You should come with me. Padfoot, you're still trying to get the old band back together?"
He nodded. "Between Dumbledore and myself yes. I did finally hear back from Tia and Diggle. They both want in. I'm still waiting on Dung. We need to get ahead of this as quickly as possible."
"King is dealing with Azkaban, Dumbledore's covering the giants, I'll deal with the packs, what about the centaurs?"
"You know that they won't join us, Rem. It's a wizard's war."
Remus nodded and let out a slow sigh. "I know. Dobby!"
The elf appeared immediately and when his eyes fell on Harry they widened to saucers.
"Harry Potter, Sir!"
"He's okay, Dobby," Sirius told him with a smile. "He needs to heal up and to rest. Can you bring him some clean pyjamas and his toiletries?"
Dobby nodded, reaching out to gently touch Harry's hand as if reassuring himself before he nodded again and disappeared in a snap as Remus swirled the Pensieve on the coffee table.
"Are we doing this now then?"
Zee gripped Sirius' free hand in hers and she nodded as Dobby returned a moment later with the supplies for Harry. To Sirius' surprise, he also brought with him Lady Godiva and Marauder. Both animals immediately flocked to Harry's side as Nyx growled. When the large tiger saw that they meant no harm, she settled back down near the portrait hole door as Lady Godiva and Marauder settled themselves on the floor in front of their boy.
"Harry Potter needs his Marauder, Lord Black. The panther wanted to come, too."
"Thank you, Dobby," Sirius said with a smile. "We'll take good care of Harry."
"Dobby will make sure Black Cottage is ready for Harry Potter's return."
And then he Dispparated with a loud crack.
Sirius nodded at Remus who continued to swirl his wand around the Pensieve.
"Projecto," Remus said and the memory of the Third Task played before them as they all watched, mouths open in horror at the scene that unfolded before them.
When Bellatrix sewed Harry's mouth shut, Sirius swore. "If I ever lay eyes on my bitch of a cousin, I'm going to kill her myself."
No one spoke again as they watched Selwyn, Bellatrix, and Abraxas Malfoy brew the potion and Lord Voldemort emerge.
Sirius' eyes widened when he saw Harry writing on the mirror and he reached into his pocket to tug it out. The bloody message on the mirror made him pale.
Riddle. Grave.
Harry had tried to warn him. He had got a message to him for help and he had failed him. With all of the commotion in the stands, he had never even felt the mirror go off.
"Siri, don't beat yourself up like that," Remus said carefully.
"He fucking sent me a direct message telling me where he was and I didn't even see it! I ignored it!"
"You didn't ignore it," Zee said darkly. "You missed it! Things happen, and Harry is back now, and he is safe — nothing else matters!"
Sirius only nodded, his eyes on his girlfriend before turning back to the memory.
Zee grabbed a spare piece of parchment and a quill from the table as Voldemort began to name some of the Death Eaters and she quickly jotted down the names as the memory continued to unfold before them.
As Voldemort became more involved in his speech, Sirius' eyes narrowed at the mentioning of how they had worked to get their hands on Harry; on his protection.
"But the blood of a foe… Woodrow wanted me to use any witch or wizard who hated me, but I knew that if I wanted to truly rise again, more powerful than ever, it had to be the one who stripped me of my power thirteen years ago. I wanted Harry Potter's blood; for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too."
The Death Eaters seemed to be waiting with baited breath.
"But how to get to Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think even he knows; protected by his blood traitor godfather and that half-breed Mudblood loving wolf with charms and protections keeping him well hidden; with his mother's protection blended into the charms… I could never find him, let alone touch him… Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup, but I was not strong enough to attempt a kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards nor foolish enough to send another in my place and then the boy returned to Hogwarts where he is under the protection of that crooked nose Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take him? Why, by using Bertha Jorkins' information of course."
He smiled cruelly, his eyes roaming around the circle.
"Ludo ensured that the boy's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire; to ensure the boy won the tournament; that he would touch the TriWizard Cup first which would be a portkey to bring him here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection and into my waiting arms. He was being watched by my faithful servant at Hogwarts and I saw the fear he possessed, but a little fear leads a loyal servant to be born to me. And here he is… the boy you all believed had been my downfall."
Voldemort moved slowly forward, turning to face Harry and his eyes gleamed in pleasure as he raised his wand said, "Crucio!"
The moment the spell hit Harry: Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Zee all gasped. Tears welled up in Zee's eyes and she squeezed Sirius' hand tightly. Sirius kept his arm more firmly wrapped around his son, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He knew what that spell felt like and being tied tightly to the tombstone while your body was fighting that curse made the pain worse. The body had no ability to move; making the pain more intense and more difficult to bear.
Remus' eyes were wide and he reached over to kiss Harry's forehead, his eyes meeting Sirius'. But neither could look away from the memory.
Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse and he screamed.
Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. He staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, one of them grabbed him and he heard a whisper.
"They know."
And then he was pushed back towards Voldemort.
"A little break," Voldemort said, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement. "A little pause… that hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
Sirius' eyes darkened. "I want to talk to Malfoy. What did that mean?"
"Shush, Sirius," Remus said darkly, his eyes on the wolf who had bitten him so long ago.
Voldemort hit Harry with the Cruciatus again and then they all gasped and when the two wands connected. Dumbledore stood up and began to pace the room.
"You told him that would happen?"
Remus nodded. "I thought that he should be prepared. I wanted to get him a second wand. He needs to be better protected and this way something like that can't happen again."
They watched in amazement as the ghostly apparition of Lily Potter came out of the wand.
"Mum?" Harry asked in astonishment, his eyes wide.
"Harry," she said, her voice like music to his ears. "My handsome boy. You're so brave, baby; hold on, just hold on a moment longer, okay? Dad's coming."
James Potter came out of the wand then, grabbing his wife's hand. "Hi, Harry. Hold tight okay, just a bit longer."
"Dad?"
Sirius paled. "Jamie."
"Used to be Dada, but I'll take Dad," he said with a smile.
More figures began to emerge from Voldemort's wand. It was vibrating so hard now that Voldemort had to use both hands to keep it steady. But Harry's eyes were on his parents, tears in his eyes.
James grinned widely at him. "I know you're scared, Harry; anyone would be. But you've been incredibly brave tonight; braver than anyone your age should ever have to be. We love you so much and we're watching over you. But you know what you have to do now."
Lily smiled. "I promise that you can do it, baby. Misha told you that it was possible and I know that you're scared, but you can do it. Go to them. We'll only stay a few seconds longer once you let go."
Harry nodded, his eyes wide and blurred with tears.
"Harry, tell them that it's about time that they found a strong woman to keep them in line," James said with a smile.
"Tell them we approve and that we love them. When we tell you, baby, let go. We love you."
Harry nodded, his vision blurred.
"Now!" James exclaimed.
Harry nodded and let his wand drop, transforming into his Animagus as the figures moved in around Voldemort. His wand hit the ground and he rolled, his teeth tearing through the ankle of the Death Eater who attempted to grab his wand as the man howled.
He scooped his wand between his bloody teeth, stumbling over his broken ankle and thought Sirius as hard as he could and he Disapparated with a loud crack just as he heard Voldemort scream.
"NO!"
As Harry landed in front of Sirius, the memory ended, and Dumbledore stared at the two men in amazement.
"He's an Animagus?"
Sirius nodded. "He is. He's only just fully mastered it in the last few months. Minnie's been helping him. We were going to register him, but we thought that it was a good way to keep him safe if we didn't. Now it doesn't matter. Voldemort knows."
Dumbledore stood up. "I need to talk to Hagrid and Maxime. Zee, can you find out from your mother about that friend of hers as soon as possible?"
"Of course," she said as he nodded at them and hurried from the room, the portrait door closing behind him as Nyx got up to follow and find her mistress.
Remus turned his eyes on the sleeping form of their son. "We have to get that thing out of him, Padfoot."
Sirius gently brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes. "I know."
Together he and Remus carried the sleeping form of Harry into Remus' bedroom and tucked him into the big bed. Sirius kissed his forehead, leaving the door open a crack before they returned to the living room.
Andromeda came into the suite with Ted, Madam Pomfrey, and Sorcha. "Everyone is gone now. Molly said if you need anything to let her know. She and Arthur are willing to help. The Diggorys and the Krums have taken their sons home and Luna has brought Hermione to the hospital wing."
Sirius paled. "Fuck, Hermione! I didn't even think… how is she?"
Andromeda shook her head. "Heartbroken and grieving, but she'll be all right. Madam Pomfrey gave her a calming drought and a sleeping potion. Dumbledore just filled us in outside. Remus and Dora need to head out and get the werewolves on our side in this. We need every available body that we can get to be on our side. Edward, you go on and talk to the people you worked with in the Order before. Convince them why they need to join up again. Zee, you need to do the same. You work with magical creatures. There has to be something that you can do to bring more help to our side."
Zee looked like she wanted to protest, her eyes on the open crack of Harry's bedroom door. "But —"
Sirius leaned in and kissed her softly. "I got him, baby. Go. We could use your help on this. Any help that you can get us."
Zee nodded and let out a long sigh. "I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. Mama, did Dumbledore ask about your friend?"
Sorcha nodded. "I'm going to send her an owl right away."
Remus' eyes stayed on his bedroom door. "It's going to take a few days to get the packs together for a council meeting. I don't know how long I'll be gone."
"I've got him, Rem. He'll be all right. Go."
Remus nodded as Tonks twined her fingers with his.
Andromeda glanced sharply at her cousin. "Sirius, what do you need from me?"
"Lucius said something to Harry in the graveyard about knowing something. You need to talk to Cissa and find out what that meant. Can you get to her?"
Andromeda nodded. "I'll take care of it."
She kissed her husband as she, Ted, Remus, Tonks, and Zee all hurried out of the portrait hole leaving Sirius alone with Harry and Sorcha. Sorcha moved into the bedroom with Harry, conjuring a rocking chair to sit next to him. Sirius simply crawled into bed next to his son, wrapping his arm around him tenderly and letting his head fall onto his chest, kissing his cheek.
Marauder settled himself at the end of the bed, his head resting on Harry's uninjured leg as Lady Godiva settled in front of Sorcha's rocking chair.
Madam Pomfrey started to examine his leg and arm more closely, adding more salve and healing it in stages, muttering under her breath. Sirius carefully removed his son's shirt so that she could examine his ribs.
Sorcha reached across the bed, gently brushing Harry's hair from his eyes and when she began to sing, Sirius glanced at her in surprise. Her voice was beautiful and melodic and no one spoke as she sang, her fingers brushing gently through Harry's hair lovingly as Madam Pomfrey continued to work on her patient.
"O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi gun dàil an t-àite 's an d'rugadh mi, Cuirear orm fàilt' 's a' chànain a thuigeas mi. Gheibh mi ann aoidh agus gràdh 'n uair ruigeam. Nach reicinn air thunnaichean òir. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi ann coilltean, chì mi ann doireachan, Chì mi ann maghan bàna is toraiche. Chì mi na féidh air làr nan coireachan, Falaicht' an trusgan de chèo. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Beanntaichean àrda is àillidh leacainnean. Sluagh ann an còmhnuidh is còire cleachdainnean. 'S aotrom mo cheum a' leum g'am faicinn. Is fanaidh mi tacan le deòin. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo."
As the last notes died away, Harry shifted slightly, his head burying deeper into Sirius' chest and Madam Pomfrey finished bandaging Harry's arm and leg.
"I've always loved that song, my grandmother used to sing it to me when I was a babe," Madam Pomfrey said as she carefully bandaged around Harry's torso over his injured ribs.
Sorcha smiled. "I used to sing it to our daughter when she was sick. My Irish granny sang it to me when I was a wee babe as well."
"What is it about?" Sirius asked her as Madam Pomfrey stood back, pulling the blanket up around Harry.
"Essentially it's about coming home to a place where you are welcomed and loved," she said with a smile.
Sirius nodded gratefully at her, kissing his son's forehead again.
Madam Pomfrey nodded before turning to Sirius. "There are signs that he was under the Cruciatus, more than once," she stressed. "He needs rest. This is all that I can do for him for now. I know that you want to hold him, Sirius, but let him get some rest."
Sirius nodded, the memory of Harry being hit with the Cruciatus enough to make his fists clench and he kissed the top of his son's head. "I will. Thank you, Poppy."
Madam Pomfrey nodded at them and hurried out.
Sirius wasn't leaving his son's side.
For anything.
End Author's Notes:
As to the song choice by Sorcha, this is one of my favourite songs, I personally love the version sung by the Rankin Family. The song is called "Chì Mi Na Mórbheanna" and the lyrics in English are as follows:
Oh I see, I see the great mountains
Oh I see, I see the lofty mountains
Oh I see I see the corries
I see the peaks under the mist
I see right away the place of my birth
I will be welcomed in a language which I understand
I will receive hospitality and love when I reach there
That I would not trade for tons of gold
I see woods there, I see thickets
I see fair, fertile lands there
I see the deer on the ground of the corries
Shrouded in a garment of mist
High mountains with lovely slopes
Folk abiding there who are customarily kind
Light is my step when I go bounding to see them
And I will remain there a while willingly
Thank you for reading and please review!