Why was he out here again?

It was dark, very dark, the middle of the night in fact. He'd been wandering with Harry after the third task. And then Mr Crouch had come staggering through the treeline towards them. He'd been muttering… something. And then Harry ran to get Dumbledore.

Then Mr Crouch stood up, calm as anything, and said that it was all a big misunderstanding and took his leave.

So why was he still out here? He'd tried twice to head back towards the castle, but something kept nagging at him. Telling him he couldn't go yet.

He could catch Dumbledore, explain that it had all been a misunderstanding. That Mr Crouch had simply gotten a little bit lost and had now headed home to continue his bed rest on the road to recovery.

So why couldn't he just do that?

He heard the crunching of grass nearby and almost dreamily turned to face whoever was approaching.

Harry and Dumbledore were running along the edge of the forest, eyes scanning wildly. Dumbledore caught sight of Y/N first and together they hurried over.

'Where is Mr Crouch?' asked Dumbledore sharply. His tone conveyed great distress, but Y/N couldn't see why. It had all been a misunderstanding.

'He's alright,' said Y/N dreamily, 'He just got a bit confused, ended up in the wrong place. He's gone home to get some rest.'

'What? Y/N, what are you talking about?' asked Harry. 'He clearly wasn't okay, why did you just let him leave?'

'I wasn't going to stop him,' said Y/N, still in the same dreamy voice. 'He needed to get home. He has to write in and give instructions to Weatherby.'

'Professor-' began Harry, but Dumbledore nodded at him and then turned back towards Y/N.

'Y/N, did you see anyone else out in the grounds tonight?'

'Fleur, Cedric, Viktor, Bagman, Harry, Crouch, Dumbledore,' listed Y/N, swaying slightly.

'And what happened after Harry left you?' asked Dumbledore.

'Mr Crouch stayed silent for a while, then boop-' and Y/N dreamily clapped a hand to his forehead in demonstration, '-did that and said, "I'm not supposed to be here. Terribly sorry, fevered induced dream. Need to be going now." And left.'

'How did he leave?' asked Dumbledore.

'He just did,' said Y/N, 'wandered off into the forest. I was going to head back up and tell you guys, but I thought it'd be best to wait.'

Did he think that? Hadn't his body been stopping him?

Dumbledore shook his head and then turned to Harry.

'Someone has beaten us here and caught Y/N off guard. His memory has been modified.'

'No no, I remember quite clearly Mr Crouch moving away into the forest. He seemed to be doing just fine.'

Dumbledore sighed, raised his wand, and a silvery something shot out of the end and flew across the grounds towards Hagrid's cabin. Y/N turned to watch it in amazement.

'Y/N will most likely remain delirious for another few hours,' said Dumbledore to Harry. 'We need to get him up to the Hospital Wing. There are ways to revert memory charms, but we need to be quick, and none are perfect or instantaneous.'

'But I remember what happened clearly, Professor,' said Y/N.

Dumbledore turned to look at Y/N, and Y/N felt compelled to hold his gaze.

Memories flashed through his mind of his encounter with Mr Crouch, but this time, instead of seeing Mr Crouch leaving, he simply saw darkness once they reached that part.

'You remember what someone told you to remember clearly,' said Dumbledore. 'We have both seen that you do not truly remember what happened. You need treatment, Y/N.'

Y/N felt his mind racing in the background, fighting to get back to the front.

If what Dumbledore was saying was true and he was acting delirious, then someone had caught him off guard. But who? He almost never let his guard down after this last year. It would need to be someone he trusted. He needed to remember, had to think.

Y/N hit himself hard in the forehead and Dumbledore stepped in at once, holding Y/N's arms steady.

'That's good, Y/N. Fight it, but don't fight yourself,' said Dumbledore. His voice sounded a million miles away.

His mind was rolling backwards. Trying to lull him back into his odd dream like state. Mr Crouch had just walked away. He was fine. But now Y/N could feel himself fighting it. No, Dumbledore had proven it. He couldn't actually remember what had happened. It was as though someone had stuck a sticker over his own mind.

He could no longer see or hear what was going on around him. He could feel his mind swimming, his entire body fighting itself. One half determined to return to the dreamlike state, the other fighting to accept that his memory had been changed, that he'd let himself get trapped.

It wasn't long before he felt something heavy and oddly warm scoop him up, but it was all he could do to keep fighting. His mind felt like it was collapsing in on itself and the next few hours were a blur. He felt multiple different points of pressure. Felt like he was fed several different things, but nothing helped and eventually he felt himself drift off from pure exhaustion.

He awoke the next morning, bleary and with his body in almost complete exhaustion. Even opening his eyes took a monumental effort as he gazed up to the marble ceiling of a room he recognised far too well.

The Hospital Wing.

He let his body rest. Not that he had much of a choice, his head relaxed and fell to the side. Hoping-

And there she was. Curled up in a chair next to his bed. Her arm wrapped tight around his. All he could see was the bushy brown hair but that was all he needed to see. She was there, he was alive.

He instead let his mind roam backwards to the night before. The memories came rushing back, Crouch, the struggle in his mind, and…-

-the emptiness that followed.

So, someone had modified his memory. They'd reversed the modification. But instead, now there remained a dark patch. A gap in his memories. One second, he'd been kneeling next to Crouch and the next… nothing.

He took a deep and shaky breath.

Why hadn't whoever it was killed him? Wouldn't it have been quicker? Though it would have drawn a lot of attention. The memory charm made sense if Y/N would have recognised them, reinforced by the fact that Y/N had let them cast the charm on him. Well, let was a strong word, but still.

He felt his girlfriend stir from next to him and as gently as he could, he softly spoke.

'Morning babe.'

She was on her feet at once, staring down at him.

'Oh, thank goodness,' she said, throwing herself at his chest. There was force behind it, but not a lot. He could tell that she was trying her best to hold back, no doubt because of how tired he was.

'How long have I been out?' he asked weakly once she'd pulled away.

'Only overnight,' she said, 'but you were thrashing and yelling really badly when I got here. Dumbledore said you were fighting a memory charm.'

'I was fighting something,' said Y/N, 'and whatever it was packed one hell of a punch.'

'Part of me was worried you'd wake up forgetting everything,' said Hermione weakly. 'Forgetting about me.'

'Not a chance,' said Y/N. 'If I fought that hard over whatever this is, how hard do you think I'd fight for you? I broke an Imperius curse cause someone tried to get me to hurt you. No way a memory charm would stop me.'

'I know,' said Hermione, 'And I told myself that same thing. I knew you'd be okay. You're Y/N. You've come back from worse.'

'Ah, good, you're awake.' Said Madam Pomfrey, hearing the voices and bustling over. 'How do you feel?'

'I don't really,' said Y/N. 'Most of my body is numb, head hurts and I feel exhausted, but that's about it.'

Madam Pomfrey nodded, looking as though this is what she'd wanted to hear.

'You'll be tired for a long while. Hopefully we've done enough. A reversal of a memory charm takes great effort, and most methods require torture. However, the theory is more important than the method. Your body has to go through intense unrest and distress in order to break a memory charm. The Headmaster began that process by forcing your addled mind to see the truth. I then simply guided it through the rest of the process.'

'Wait… but I still can't remember what happened,' said Y/N.

'No. But that will return with time,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'You can remember that you can't remember, don't you? Which is an improvement on last night from what I heard. I'll be sending for the headmaster shortly, he asked to be informed the moment you awoke.'

Y/N nodded and crawled his hand over to Hermione's. She intertwined their fingers and then wrapped his hand in both of hers before kissing it softly.

'You'll be okay, Y/N. And once you remember, we'll finally get whoever did all of this.'

'You can go if you want,' said Y/N weakly. 'You have revision to do.'

'I also have a sick boyfriend in the Hospital Wing. And this time, it's actually not his own fault,' said Hermione stubbornly. 'It's not like I've never worked from here before. I'll manage. Early warning though, Ginny wants to murder you.'

'She always does whenever I get caught out,' said Y/N. 'You'd think I can't make mistakes.'

'You're certainly confident enough to claim that you can't.'

'Confidence and arrogance are a very fine line,' said Y/N.

'One you like to wave aggressively around your head shouting for the world to dare cross you,' said Hermione, smirking at him. 'It's the only reason I don't think you're invincible. You'll get yourself caught out before someone else manages it.'

'Since when have I ever-'

'Troll,' said Hermione flatly.

'Sure, whatever, bring that up,' said Y/N moodily.

'Ah, so when you bring it up, it's okay. But when I do it-?'

'I bring it up for jokes. You're using it against me,' said Y/N.

'I can use one of the other examples instead if you'd like?' said Hermione innocently.

Y/N glared at her, and she stuck her tongue out playfully at him before both of them began laughing.

'Glad you're here, 'Mione. You make it all hurt less.'

'Good. Now rest. Dumbledore will ask you enough questions once he arrives.'

Sure enough, it only took around twenty minutes after Madam Pomfrey had mentioned the Headmaster before the double doors flew open and he came striding up the ward towards them. Hermione detached her hand from Y/N's and shimmied out of the way, but Dumbledore shook his head.

'I have learnt it is best not to interrupt you two,' he said warmly. 'Please stay with him, Miss Granger. The warmth of a loved one is an infinite comfort.'

Hermione nodded before snaking her arm back around Y/N's.

'How are you feeling?' Dumbledore asked him.

'Horrific,' said Y/N, 'but Madam Pomfrey tells me that's a good thing.'

'Unfortunately, it is,' said Dumbledore. 'I would like to start by apologising for what I put you through, Y/N. I made your mind question itself, question reality. A mental prison that it felt trapped in until finally it could rationalise what you saw.'

'What do you mean, Professor?' asked Y/N.

'When you had your memory modified, whoever did it was extremely powerful. The overlap was so strong, it left you disoriented. You weren't yourself. It was almost as though you'd had your memory changed by running into a wall. They over-estimated you and cast powerfully. They knew you were strong and weren't expecting you to hesitate. And in doing so, allowed us to catch the modification early. If they'd cast it with less power, we may not have noticed until it was too late.

'There was quite obviously something wrong with you once me and Harry arrived,' continued Dumbledore, 'not least of all because you'd let Mr Crouch out of your sight, something you'd never do. But your entire stance, demeanour, speech, something seemed off. It didn't take long for me to figure out what had happened.'

'Then… you made me see the modification, didn't you?' asked Y/N, thinking back, 'it's all a bit blurry.'

'I did,' said Dumbledore, 'using something known as Legilimency. It allows you to search through the memories of another individual. I searched through yours and found the modified memory. However, Legilimency attempts to show the true memory, meaning it showed a blank spot rather than what you believed to have seen. By forcing you to see this as well, I began the reversal process.'

'Madam Pomfrey mentioned something about torture?' asked Y/N.

'Yes,' said Dumbledore gravely. 'The only known reversal to the memory charm is torture. Mostly because Lord Voldemort discovered it. We captured a member of the Death Eaters during the first wizarding war and wiped their memory. Once Voldemort found out, he tortured the Death Eater simply for getting tricked. However, after several days of this. The memory charm broke. The Death Eater remembered.'

'Horrible way to discover that,' said Hermione gravely and Dumbledore nodded.

'However, the theory held true. I need not torture you physically. By forcing your brain to see the truth despite what it believed, I made it question itself. In normal circumstances, this would be nothing more than a question of beliefs. However, because of the power of the spell, it began a war inside of you. Mental torture. Your brain was forced to pick one reality over the other. Either you remember what you were told to remember, or you remember what you truly remembered. You, as a very logical mind, discarded the new truth and instead stuck to what you knew, which is that there was a lapse in your memory. As the other solution made no sense to you, why would you allow a clearly weakened and vulnerable Mr Crouch simply wander away?'

'Wait, so I could have remembered the modified memory as the reality as well?' said Y/N and Dumbledore nodded.

'Yes, that was a risk, however leaving the memory charm to fester would have had the same result. This was the only chance we had to reverse it. If it failed, we were back where we started anyway. But if it succeeded, we were very close to the finish line. And as I mentioned, you have a very logical mind. I knew of the two, your brain would favour the reality. There was a chance either way. But it's a risk we had to take.'

'And that's why I now remember an emptiness after Harry went to get you instead of that fake memory of Mr Crouch just leaving,' said Y/N.

'You are in the process of remembering. Pieces will come back to you. But it will take time. I'm sure it goes without saying but the moment you remember who cast the spell on you, whether in class, in exam or wherever you or I may be, inform me at once.'

Y/N nodded and let out a long breath. Now he just had to wait. And that annoyed him, he felt so close to figuring it all out.

Dumbledore asked Y/N a few more questions about the prelude to the memory charm just to ensure he had every detail possible from both Y/N and Harry before he bowed to the two of them and left.

By now, feeling had come back to much of Y/N's upper half, his waist, legs, and feet. They still felt like they were vibrating slightly, but he was at least able to readjust himself.

Though the absence of the numbness had simply brought an aching. And whilst it wasn't painful, it was constant.

He had several more visitors throughout the day. Fred and George dropped by not long after Dumbledore left simply to ensure Y/N was okay and that he remembered everything. Harry and Ron dropped by just after lunch and Ginny and Luna arrived in the evening. Hermione, meanwhile, did not leave his bedside all day.

Harry told Y/N the aftermath of Y/N fighting the memory charm. Apparently, he'd hunched over and began convulsing, his entire body writhing as though trying to throw something off him. He stayed much the same until Hagrid arrived. The silver something that Dumbledore had cast was apparently a patronus that could deliver a message. Hagrid had scooped Y/N up and carried him all the way to the Hospital Wing, where he'd spent the next couple of hours doing much the same thing.

He and Ron also told Y/N and Hermione about the note they'd written to Sirius and Remus that morning explaining the situation. Hermione had been at Y/N's bed side since the night before so had not known.

'Did Crouch say anything else after I left?' asked Harry once he'd finished.

'I'm pretty sure he did,' said Y/N, rubbing his temple, 'but I don't remember any of it. It's just empty space now.'

'That's better than yesterday,' said Harry. 'You seemed so sure that he'd just walked off.'

'Yeah well, Dumbledore says the memory charm was a bit too powerful. Think they were expecting me to block or resist it. But for some reason I didn't.'

'But… it's you,' said Ron. 'That never happens.'

'Troll,' said Y/N, 'alongside other examples. But also, it just means that whoever it was, I trusted them enough to lower my wand for a split-second.'

'Well. Now what?' asked Harry.

'We prepare for the third task,' said Y/N. 'I remember all of that, maze with obstacles, creatures from Hagrid, other traps etcetera. Unfortunately, there's no guaranteed way of saying exactly what Hagrid will provide so I'll just need to teach you the major danger points on powerful creatures and hope it's enough.'

'I think there's a spell that turns your wand into a makeshift compass as well,' said Hermione thoughtfully, 'that one would probably help.'

'Basically, anything to help with navigation or basic self-defence,' said Y/N. 'It could be anything, so we need to prepare for everything just like the first task.'

'How are we going to do that though?' asked Harry. 'You have exams soon.'

'Actually, I don't,' said Y/N 'Dumbledore asked me to protect and train you because whoever is after you will most likely make their move soon. As that's become my new assignment, I've also been made exempt from the end of year exams.'

'Excellent!' called Ron as Harry beamed. 'Now there's nothing stopping you two.'

'Bar this,' said Y/N, gesturing vaguely at the room. 'Once I'm recovered, we'll get started immediately, but I've got a bit to go yet.'

'We're going to dash off,' said Ron after another fifteen minutes or so, 'we've got classes soon and we wanted to catch Moody before them.'

Y/N felt something twist in his stomach, but he didn't understand why.

Ron and Harry waved and left.

'You not going to class?' asked Y/N, trying to ignore the horrible twisting feeling.

'Nope,' said Hermione. 'The teachers know what I can do, they won't mind me taking a day or two off to spend with you. They'll know I'm working hard either way.'

Ginny and Luna's visit was much the same. After Ginny had lightly told Y/N off, it became theorising as to who had managed to alter Y/N's memory. But they came up as empty-handed as everyone else had so far and so it was that they were shooed out of the Hospital Wing at the end of visitation hours none the wiser.

Y/N was discharged from the Hospital Wing the following morning but under the guise that he does not perform any training for another two days until his body had fully recovered. He and Hermione made their way into the Great Hall just in time for the post-owls to come swooping through.

They seated themselves down opposite Harry and Ron, the former of which opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted as an owl landed in front of him, a letter tied to its leg. Harry detached it, slipped it open and read.

'Harry

This isn't good. Whoever placed the memory charm on Y/N must have been directly seen by him. And based on the fact Y/N didn't fight back, he recognised them. Meaning someone is hiding in plain sight, and they know they are barely an inch away from being discovered. Thanks to the steps Dumbledore has already told me he's taken, it most likely won't be long before Y/N remembers whoever it is. Meaning they don't need very long, or they'd have made an escape. Do not leave Gryffindor tower unless Ron, Hermione or Y/N are with you and prepare everything you can for the third task. There's nothing else we can do for now, but I refuse to believe that they won't make a move during the third task.

Make sure you're ready.

Sirius'

'He sounds as dark and foreboding as ever,' said Ron grimly.

'I worry he's right though,' said Y/N. 'I know I recognised whoever it was, even if I don't remember them. Meaning it is someone hiding in plain sight. It could be anyone in this room and I just don't know. We have to be prepared for anything.'

And so they did.

They prepared for everything and anything Y/N could think of. Reducto, Diffindo, Stupefy, Protego, Impedimenta, Expelliarmus and the spell to turn your wand into a compass pointing north amongst others.

Harry was a quick study when allowed to practice it on repeat. Unfortunately, it was hard to track his progress. Hermione and Ron were needing to focus on exam preparation, and Y/N had become so powerful throughout the year that Harry at his best could still barely contest Y/N's shield charm.

Eventually, Y/N conceded that he would have to forgo the shield charm and allow Harry to just stun him and hit him without Y/N fighting back.

Then, one Monday lunch, they rounded off their training and went their separate ways. Y/N and Hermione heading over to Arithmancy whilst Ron and Harry vanished for Divination.

The arithmancy began mostly uneventfully. Professor Vector was sweeping around the room trying to help the students with exam prep. This did mean that she wasn't really speaking to Y/N, but he didn't mind. The work wasn't particularly difficult. At least it wasn't without the threat of the exams looming over him.

Towards the end of the lesson however, there was a knock on the door. Professor Vector flicked her wand and the door opened to reveal Professor McGonagall.

'Good afternoon Septima,' said Minerva as she entered. 'Very sorry to disturb, but could I take Mr L/N?'

'Of course,' said Professor Vector, gesturing Y/N down to join them. 'He doesn't exactly need the work.'

'I'll see you later,' whispered Y/N to Hermione. He kissed her cheek, scooped up his books and stashed them in his bag as he hurried down alongside his mother.

She smiled warmly at him as she led the way out of the classroom, the door swinging closed behind them.

'What's up?' Y/N asked at once the moment they began moving off.

'I'm not sure of the exacts,' said Minerva, 'but Professor Dumbledore is speaking to Mr Potter. He has asked for me to bring you, apparently what they're speaking about involves the other night.'

'Brilliant,' said Y/N darkly. 'No rest.'

'Speaking of, how are you? Haven't had the chance to catch up since it happened,' said Minerva.

'Truthfully? Annoyed. I was so close to figuring this all out and then just like that, had it snatched away from me again. But I'll remember, and once I do. I'll make sure we get whoever it is.'

'Good,' said Minerva proudly. 'That's the best thing we can do now.'

The two of them made their way to Dumbledore's office chatting idly, Professor McGonagall gave the password and them with a nod and a smile she took her leave. Y/N ascended the stairs and knocked on the door.

'Enter.'

Y/N opened the door and stepped inside. Dumbledore was sat behind his desk and smiled warmly at Y/N's arrival. Harry was sat across from him, looking pale and ill, but his face perked up a little once he saw who'd entered.

There came a soft cry and Fawkes lifted off from his perch and flew down to Y/N's shoulder, settling comfortably on it.

'Hi Fawkes,' said Y/N softly, 'and hello Professor, Harry, what can I do for you?'

'Mr Potter here has had a dream,' said Dumbledore, gesturing for Y/N to take a seat, 'or rather, a vision. And one I believe you will want to hear.' Dumbledore turned his attention back to Harry. 'Please continue.'

'Well…' said Harry slowly. 'Well, I had a dream. A dream about Lord Voldemort. He was torturing Wormtail. Then Voldemort got a letter from an owl. He said something like, Wormtail's blunder had been repaired. He said someone was dead, but that it was close and Wormtail would have to hope Y/N didn't recover in time. Then he said, Wormtail wouldn't be fed to the snake-there was a snake beside his chair. He said- he said he'd be feeding you to it instead,' and Harry looked at Y/N.

'Good to know he's thinking of me,' said Y/N grimly.

'Then he did the Cruciatus Curse on Wormtail, and my scar hurt,' Harry said. 'It woke me up, it hurt so badly.'

Dumbledore merely looked at him.

'Er, that's all,' said Harry.

'I see,' said Dumbledore quietly. 'I see. Now, has your scar hurt at any other time this year, excepting the time it woke you up over the summer?'

'No, I- how did you know it woke me up over the summer?' said Harry, looking at Y/N immediately.

'Why do you instantly assume I told him?' said Y/N indignantly.

'You are not Sirius's only correspondent,' said Dumbledore. 'I have also been in contact with him ever since he left Hogwarts last year. It was I who suggested the mountainside cave as the safest place for him to stay.'

Dumbledore got up and began walking up and down behind his desk. Every now and then, he placed his wand tip to his temple, removed another shining silver thought, and added it to the Pensieve. Y/N sat in silence too, his brain whirring.

It had to be someone who was in contact with Voldemort. The blunder had most likely been Mr Crouch, who presumably was now dead. That thread was tied off either way. Nothing else could be done. But that leads to ex-Death Eater. The only ones of those at the castle were Karkaroff and Snape. Maybe it was Snape? That might make Y/N hesitate. Karkaroff definitely wouldn't have.

'Professor?' said Harry quietly.

This seemed to snap both Y/N and Dumbledore out of their thoughts, Dumbledore stopped pacing and looked at Harry.

'My apologies,' he said quietly. He sat back down at his desk.

'D'you… d'you know why my scar's hurting me?'

Dumbledore looked very intently at Harry for a moment, and then said, 'I have a theory, no more than that. It is my belief that your scar hurts both when Lord Voldemort is near you, and when he is feeling a particularly strong surge of hatred.'

'But... why?'

'Because you and he are connected by the curse that failed,' said Dumbledore. 'That is no ordinary scar.'

'So, you think that dream… did it really happen?'

'It is possible,' said Dumbledore. 'I would say probable. Harry, did you see Voldemort?'

'No,' said Harry. 'Just the back of his chair. But there wouldn't have been anything to see, would there? I mean, he hasn't got a body, has he? But… but then how could he have held the wand?' Harry said slowly.

'How indeed?' muttered Dumbledore. 'How indeed…? Any theories Y/N?'

'Me?' asked Y/N in alarm.

'Yes you,' said Dumbledore with a small smile. 'I do not see another Y/N here. You have a deductive mind. What do you think?'

Y/N cast his mind back to the story Harry had told him over the summer, in regard to the old muggle and the snake, and now this story.

'He says he's weak. And he says Wormtail is needing to move him place to place. But he's obviously still alive. So, he must just be a part of himself. Like a fragment. He's obviously not full strength but a small part, enough to hold a wand and talk.'

Dumbledore gave a smile and nod as though this was exactly the answer he wanted to hear, but he did not elaborate any further. So, Harry stepped in.

'Professor, do you think he's getting stronger?'

'Once again, Harry, I can only give you my suspicions.'

Dumbledore sighed again, and he looked older, and wearier, than ever.

'The years of Voldemort's ascent to power,' he said, 'were marked with disappearances. Bertha Jorkins has vanished without a trace in the place where Voldemort was certainly known to be last. Mr Crouch too has disappeared… within these very grounds. And there was a third disappearance, one which the Ministry, I regret to say, do not consider of any importance, for it concerns a muggle. His name was Frank Bryce, he lived in the village where Voldemort's father grew up, and he has not been seen since last August. You see, I read the muggle newspapers, unlike most of my Ministry friends.'

'That lines up with Harry's other dream as well,' said Y/N. 'An old muggle man ran into Voldemort in an old mansion back in August.'

Dumbledore nodded.

'These disappearances seem to me to be linked. The Ministry disagrees.'

Harry nodded.

Y/N wasn't really sure what else to say or ask, but it was Dumbledore's turn to ask something next.

'Y/N?'

'Yes sir.'

'I have a favour to ask. The evening of the third task. I will have members of staff patrolling the outside of the hedges keeping an eye on things. The champions will be allowed to send up red sparks if they get in trouble. They will be recovered but will forfeit the task. I want you to be amongst the guards.'

'Are you sure Professor?' asked Y/N in surprise.

'I am positive. I want you to help defend all four champions. A strong enough reductor curse will clear the hedges from the outside, enough to rescue whoever may be trapped and I believe your magic will be capable of this.'

'Then, yes of course,' said Y/N. 'I'll be happy to be on hand'

They fell silent, but it wasn't for long this time before Harry spoke again.

'Professor?'

'Yes, Harry?' said Dumbledore.

'Er... could I ask you about... that court thing I was in, in the Pensieve?'

'Court thing?' asked Y/N.

'When Mr Potter arrived at my office to tell me about this vision, I was speaking to Mr Fudge and Alastor,' said Dumbledore. 'I left him here whilst I did a sweep of the grounds with them. Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he entered the Pensieve, in which he saw the trial following the first wizarding war of Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr for the crimes committed against Frank and Alice Longbottom.'

Y/N felt his entire chest tighten. He knew too many of those names, and the last two brought nothing but misery.

'You could,' said Dumbledore heavily, turning back to Harry. 'I attended it many times, but some trials come back to me more clearly than others, particularly now…'

'The trial you mentioned-' said Harry '-with Crouch's son? Well… were they talking about Neville's parents?'

Dumbledore gave Harry a very sharp look.

'Has Neville never told either of you why he has been brought up by his grandmother?' he said.

Harry shook his head, but Y/N spoke up.

'Mum told me a while back. Neville knows that I know. We spoke after Moody's first lesson. He asked me not to tell anyone.'

'Yes, they were talking about Neville's parents,' said Dumbledore. 'His father, Frank, was an Auror just like Professor Moody. He and his wife were tortured for information about Voldemort's whereabouts after he lost his powers, as you heard.'

'So they're dead?' said Harry quietly.

Y/N laughed bitterly. The noise was full of malice and anger.

'No,' said Dumbledore darkly. 'They are medically insane. They are both in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I believe Neville visits them, with his grandmother, during the holidays. They do not recognise him.'

Harry turned to look at Y/N in shock, Y/N simply gave a grave nod.

'I owe Bellatrix, both for my father and for Neville's parents. I promised him I'd get her, for both of us.'

'The Longbottoms were very popular,' said Dumbledore. 'The attacks on them came after Voldemort's fall from power, just when everyone thought they were safe. Those attacks caused a wave of fury such as I have never known. The Ministry was under great pressure to catch those who had done it. Unfortunately, the Longbottoms' evidence was, given their condition, none too reliable.'

'Then Mr Crouch's son might not have been involved?' said Harry slowly.

Dumbledore shook his head.

'As to that, I have no idea.'

Harry sat in silence once more, watching the contents of the Pensieve swirl.

'I do ask however,' said Dumbledore, 'since Neville has already asked Y/N not to say a word, that you don't either Harry. It is his right to tell people as and when he feels he is ready.'

'Of course, Professor,' said Harry.

Y/N got to his feet, Fawkes still swaying slowly on his shoulder, and turned to Harry.

'We should go. We need to prepare.'

Harry nodded and Fawkes gave a soft cry, nuzzling the top of his head against Y/N's cheek before taking off back towards his perch.

'Good luck with the third task,' said Dumbledore to both of them, 'and remember my words, Y/N.'

'I will, Professor,' said Y/N.

()()()()()()

Harry was learning with a burning ferocity, one Y/N had never seen from him. Spells that had previously been taking several dozen attempts were rare to take more than ten, and regularly Y/N was needing to throw up shield charms to subdue the spell somewhat before allowing it to hit him.

The conversation with Professor Dumbledore had sparked something in him. And not just him.

Harry had already sent a letter to Sirius telling him everything once they'd left Dumbledore's office and then had recounted it all to Ron and Hermione once they'd found the duo training.

'So, Dumbledore definitely reckons Voldemort is getting stronger?' asked Ron.

'Of course, he does,' said Y/N as he parried off two of Harry's spells simultaneously, 'But he has to prepare for the worst, especially where Voldemort's concerned. We all do. He won't be quiet forever.'

The run up to exams was pandemonium for Harry and Y/N. With the increasing pressure on other students not applying to them, they regularly found themselves being allowed to skip classes simply because they were being turned into revision sessions. This in turn meant it was almost non-stop practice. Y/N wouldn't be surprised if Harry's spells added to the bruising and scarring he already had.

Meanwhile, Sirius was now sending owls daily giving safety and spell advice and pushing for Harry to remain indoors and around teachers or Y/N at all times. He also responded to the initial letter Harry sent after his dream.

'If Voldemort is really getting stronger again, my priority is to ensure your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under Dumbledore's protection, but all the same, take no risks: Concentrate on getting through that maze safely, and then we can turn our attention to other matters.'

And sure enough, all of these caused the days to blur and before long, June twenty-fourth had arrived.

Breakfast was a very noisy affair that morning. The Gryffindor's were cheering for Harry the moment they entered and a few even patted Y/N on the back, no doubt knowing that he'd been the one training Harry.

They settled themselves down alongside Ginny, who beamed widely at all of them.

'You alright?' she asked Harry.

Harry nodded.

'I'm the most ready I can be. Y/N has taught me everything he can. If he thinks I'm ready…?'

'You are,' said Y/N.

'Then yeah, I'm fine,' said Harry.

The post owls arrived shortly after, and Harry showed them all a postcard he'd gotten from Sirius. It was only a piece of parchment folded over with a paw print on it. But the thought was there. Hermione meanwhile was detaching the Daily Prophet from the owl delivering it to her.

She unrolled it and leant in towards Y/N so they could read it together, they both read the headline. Hermione began coughing whilst Y/N snarled.

'What?' said Harry, Ron, and Ginny at the same time.

'Nothing,' said Hermione quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight, but Ron grabbed it. He stared at the headline, with Ginny reading over his shoulder, and said:

'No way. Not today. That old cow.'

'What?' said Harry. 'Rita Skeeter again?'

'No,' said Ron, and just like Hermione, he attempted to push the paper out of sight.

'It's about me, isn't it?' said Harry.

'No,' said Ron, in an entirely unconvincing tone.

Draco Malfoy then apparently chose that exact moment to step in and shouted across the Great Hall from the Slytherin table.

'Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure, you're not going to go berserk on us?'

Malfoy was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet too. Slytherins up and down the table were sniggering, twisting in their seats to see Harry's reaction.

'Let me see it,' Harry said to Ron. 'Give it here.'

Ron looked to Y/N who nodded.

'Let it fuel him. Anger helps a lot.'

Very reluctantly, Ron handed over the newspaper. Harry turned it over and began to read:

HARRY POTTER

"DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"

The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behaviour, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School.

Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying.

It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.

"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."

The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.

"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a duelling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."

Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defence League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation.

Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence."

Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.

'Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?' said Harry casually as he folded up the paper and putting it down.

'How does she know about your scar?' asked Ron. 'It happened in Divination, we're all the way at the top of North Tower!'

'The window was open,' said Harry. 'I opened it so I could actually breathe.'

'Your voice wouldn't travel that far though,' said Ron.

'I've got a theory,' said Hermione quietly. 'Y/N gave me the idea actually, but I haven't been able to do anything just yet.'

'I did?' asked Y/N, bemused.

'You'll see,' she said with a small smile.

Around ten minutes later, Hermione gave Y/N a kiss as she Ron, and Ginny stood up and began to move off to take their last set of exams. Y/N reached over, picked up the folded Daily Prophet and threw it into the fire.

'Hope whatever Hermione has planned pays off,' he said as he watched the parchment curl and blacken in the flames. 'That woman deserves some retaliation for what she does.'

'What should we do then?' asked Harry. 'Last second prep?'

'Guess so, assuming this isn't an emergency.' and he nodded towards Professor McGonagall, who was swiftly and obviously approaching the two of them.

'Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast,' she said.

'But the task's not till tonight!' said Harry, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down his front, afraid he had mistaken the time.

'I'm aware of that, Potter,' she said. 'The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them. You may go see them too if you wish, Y/N.'

She moved away. Harry gaped after her.

'She doesn't expect the Dursleys to turn up, does she?' he asked Y/N blankly.

'I am keeping everything crossed that they have,' said Y/N, his eyes lighting up. 'I am going to give them the time of their lives.'

One by one, the other champions vanished off towards the side room as Y/N and Harry sat there planning what to prepare. They both knew the Dursleys wouldn't be there so didn't see the point in going to the chamber. However, a few minutes later, Cedric poked his head out of the door and called over.

'Harry, come on, they're waiting for you!'

He looked at Y/N in shock.

'They can't be-?'

'Let's go find out,' said Y/N, pushing himself to his feet. Together, he and Harry made their way over to the side room and stepped in.

Cedric and his parents were just inside the door. Viktor Krum was over in a corner, conversing with his dark-haired mother and father in rapid Bulgarian. He had inherited his father's hooked nose. On the other side of the room, Fleur was jabbering away in French to her mother. Fleur's little sister, Gabrielle, was holding her mother's hand. She waved at Harry, who waved back, grinning.

Then he saw where Y/N was walking towards. Mrs Weasley and Bill standing in front of the fireplace, beaming at them.

'Surprise!' Mrs Weasley said excitedly as he smiled broadly and walked over to them. 'Thought we'd come and watch you, Harry!'

She bent down and kissed him on the cheek before pulling Y/N into a hug.

'You alright?' said Bill, grinning at them and shaking their hands. 'Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said you were incredible against the Horntail.'

Fleur Delacour was eyeing Bill with great interest over her mother's shoulder. Y/N could tell she had no objection whatsoever to long hair or earrings with fangs on them.

'This is really nice of you,' Harry muttered to Mrs Weasley. 'We thought for a moment… the Dursleys.'

'We hoped,' corrected Y/N. 'I wanted to show them what wizards can really do.'

'Hmm,' said Mrs Weasley, pursing her lips.

'It's great being back here,' said Bill, looking around the chamber (Violet, the Fat Lady's friend, winked at him from her frame). 'Haven't seen this place for five years. Is that picture of the mad knight still around? Sir Cadogan?'

'He replaced the Fat Lady for a while last year after the Black break-in,' said Y/N, 'That was a weird time.'

'The Fat Lady too?' said Bill in slight surprise.

'She was here in my time,' said Mrs Weasley. 'She gave me such a telling off one night when I got back to the dormitory at four in the morning-'

'What were you doing out of your dormitory at four in the morning?' said Bill, surveying his mother with amazement.

Mrs Weasley grinned, her eyes twinkling.

'Your father and I had been for a night-time stroll,' she said. 'He got caught by Apollyon Pringle, he was the caretaker in those days, your father's still got the marks.'

'Fancy giving us a tour?' Bill asked the two of them.

'Yeah, okay,' said Harry, and they made their way back toward the door into the Great Hall. As they passed Amos Diggory, he looked around.

'There you are, are you?' he said, looking Harry up and down. 'Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedric's caught you up on points, are you?'

'What?' said Harry.

'Ignore him,' said Cedric in a low voice, frowning after his father. 'He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament, you know, when she made out you were the only Hogwarts champion.'

'Didn't bother to correct her, though, did he?' said Amos Diggory, 'Still, you'll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, haven't you?'

'Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos!' Mrs Weasley said angrily. 'I would have thought you'd know that, working at the Ministry!'

Mr. Diggory looked as though he was going to say something angry, but his wife laid a hand on his arm, and he merely shrugged and turned away.

'She's been on our case all year,' said Y/N darkly as they left the room.

'Yes, I saw the article,' said Mrs Weasley gravely. 'Love triangle, honestly? What rubbish, as if anyone could believe you and Hermione have eyes for anyone but each other.'

Y/N felt a rush of relief wash through him. At least those from outside of Hogwarts knew the article was trash as well.

They had a very enjoyable morning walking over the sunny grounds with Bill and Mrs Weasley, showing them the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship. Mrs Weasley was intrigued by the Whomping Willow, which had been planted after she had left school, and reminisced at length about the gamekeeper before Hagrid, a man called Ogg.

'How's Percy?' Harry asked as they walked around the greenhouses.

'Not good,' said Bill.

'He's very upset,' said Mrs Weasley, lowering her voice and glancing around. 'The Ministry wants to keep Mr. Crouch's disappearance quiet, but Percy's been hauled in for questioning about the instructions Mr. Crouch has been sending in. They seem to think there's a chance they weren't genuinely written by him. Percy's been under a lot of strain. They're not letting him fill in for Mr Crouch as the fifth judge tonight. Cornelius Fudge is going to be doing it.'

They returned to the castle for lunch.

'Mum, Bill!' said Ron, looking stunned, as he joined the Gryffindor table. 'What're you doing here?'

'Come to watch Harry in the last task!' said Mrs Weasley brightly. 'I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook. How was your exam?'

'Oh... okay,' said Ron. 'Couldn't remember all the goblin rebels' names, so I invented a few. It's all right,' he said, helping himself to a Cornish pasty, while Mrs Weasley looked stern, 'they're all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean; it wasn't hard.'

'It's bad, but I'm fairly sure Bodrod the Bearded actually is one of them,' said Y/N, causing Ron to whoop into his food

Ginny arrived shortly after, hugging her mother and brother, and was followed by Fred and George.

Then finally, Hermione dropped into the seat next to Y/N, looking worriedly at Mrs Weasley.

'Hello Hermione, dear!' said Mrs Weasley warmly. 'How are you?'

'Very well, Mrs Weasley,' said Hermione, letting out a breath. Y/N realised she too, must have been worried about what Mrs Weasley had thought of the article.

Harry, Y/N, Bill, and Mrs Weasley whiled away the afternoon with a long walk around the castle, and then returned to the Great Hall for the evening feast.

Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table now. Bagman looked quite cheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting next to Madame Maxime, looked stern and was not talking.

Madame Maxime was concentrating on her plate, and her eyes looked red. Hagrid kept glancing along the table at her.

There were more courses than usual, but Harry was evidently eating less. The concern was beginning to set in. And Y/N could feel it too. He had to watch over the maze after all.

Then, finally, Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, and silence fell.

'Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now.'

Dumbledore gave Y/N a small nod to signify that he was to go with them.

Y/N turned to Hermione.

'Guess this is me.'

'Please be careful,' said Hermione, clutching his hand. 'Don't get into anything too reckless.'

'It's hardly like Voldemort is going to be lurking amongst the twigs. But of course I will,' said Y/N, before leaning in and kissing her. 'I'll see you later.'

'I love you Y/N.'

'Love you too.'

He gave Ginny a one-armed hug and with a nod to everyone else. Harry moved over towards Bagman whilst Y/N ascended towards Dumbledore.

It was an odd feeling, like his entire body was vibrating. He was ready for this. Ready to prove himself.

But no one could predict the evening that was in store for him. Because even now, down the staff table sat Mad-Eye Moody. His arm tucked in his coat, rolling his wand between his fingers. Both of his eyes locked on Y/N. Practically burning a hole into him.

He knew what he had to do. The Dark Lord wanted them both gone. And he wanted it done himself. Dumbledore had never questioned Moody's suggestion to put Y/N forward as a guard of the maze, simply agreed that he was capable.

Moody had been expecting to need to fight for it, but Dumbledore seemed quite readily prepared to send this fifteen-year-old wizard to defend the champions. But it worked in his favour. It would be easy to get the boy alone now.

And the Dark Lord would have both of his targets.

Barty Crouch Jr took out the hip flask and took another swig. The Polyjuice potion burning his throat on the way down. He only needed to tolerate it for a few more hours.

It was nearly time.