Disclaimer: Harry Potter is J K Rowling's property, not mine.
Student of the Foul
Chapter 11
Fouling at a World Cup
In front of him, he saw a wall. A large stone wall, at least 30 feet high. He could see no end, neither to the left nor to the right. He looked up and saw the blue sky.
He smiled and closed his eyes. A bright aura surrounded him as his eyes shot open. He placed his hand on the wall, and the section of the wall he touched, crumbled. He smiled and closed his eyes. Opening them again, Herpo saw Harry covered in sweat, looking at him in shock.
"A good defence Harry, but not enough to keep one as skilled as me, out." Herpo chuckled at Harry's distraught expression, "Don't fret, it will protect you from mild probes like those of you have previous felt from Headmaster and your potions professor, but it will not be sufficient against a more powerful and direct attack. The shield was rather thin, and as a result, crumbled with a more forceful push.
Harry nodded and asked, "How do I go about with that? Improving the shield, I mean."
"As I may have said before, you could make your shield thicker and stronger, you could even layer it such that they face wall after wall. Or you can be more inventive with your ways. It is all up to you. But, for now, you can be more confident in your ability to fend off minor attacks to your mind."
"Thanks, Herpo." Harry said graciously. Herpo smiled at the boy.
"You have improved greatly Harry. You are very powerful for your age, and you have the mental fortitude to use it the right way. But always remember, the more powerful you become, the more difficult it is stay humble."
"Your now able to do spells rather easily without your wand, and silently too. That is excellent, Harry."
"Silently?" asked a perplexed Harry.
"Have you not noticed? Astounding! You have an affinity to magic that I have rarely seen, lad. It seems to allow you to gain more and more control of your magic and your mind. Absolutely remarkable my boy!" cheered the old man as he placed a warm hand on Harry's shoulder. "At your age I was just learning to control my magic and here you are accomplishing feats that I could only perform 8 years after."
Harry smiled shyly at the praise and looked at his teacher, "I never knew until you taught me Herpo. It is all because you are the best teacher in my life. You showed me what magic can truly accomplish. No, that's not right. Correction, you showed me what magic I could truly accomplish."
Harry turned away with a faraway look, "I cannot ever regret touching the orb in the chamber. I can only imagine how my life would have been without focus or knowing so much magic."
"I have taught a lot of students, Harry Potter, and I can definitely say that you stand out amongst them." Herpo said as he squeezed Harry's shoulder and walked back to his chair.
Harry stared at the chair for a moment before asking, "Herpo, at what point can I begin learning things like the wandless conjuration that you do so easily?"
"Patience, Harry, you will get there soon. For something as advanced as conjuration you will first need to excel at transfiguration. Your focus and visualisation have to be at their peak to be able to conjure something. First, begin to try transfiguring objects wandlessly. I am sure we will get to wandless conjuring soon enough."
Seeing Harry deflate, "You must learn patience young man, I learnt wandless conjuration eighteen years after my master began teaching me magic. Admittedly, I was not the most powerful wizard, especially in comparison with my master, but I learnt from the best and never gave up in my pursuits. Patience and hard work will help you go a long way, Harry."
-(HHoHH)-
It was the morning of the Final. Harry woke up a little later than usual at 6AM. He looked around at his surroundings and grinned in realisation that he really was at the world cup. Quickly he scampered out of bed and got fresh while allowing his godfather to get a little more sleep.
Half an hour later, Harry was ready. He had packed everything they had deemed necessary for the game in his backpack. He walked to Sirius' quarters and pulled open the curtain, only to find the bed empty. Confused, Harry looked around the room, only to pause when he heard the sound of soft breaths coming from the other side of the bed.
Silently walking to the other side of the bed, Harry saw Sirius in his animagus form curled up between the bed and the tent's canvas. A sense of pity welled in Harry, seeing that his Godfather had still not fully recovered from his incarceration.
Slowly Harry called out, "Padfoot, it is time to wake up."
The large black dog's eyes shot open and turned in the direction of the voice he had heard. Upon seeing his godson in front of him, the dog's eyes softened. The dog slowly got up from its curled-up position and stretched. The dog then transformed back into his human form.
Harry gave Sirius a knowing look before saying, "Why don't you get ready, I'll get some food ready and then we can go to the stadium."
Sirius stretched again and groaned out, "Oi, I'm the one who should be saying that. Who is the adult here?"
Harry snickered and walked out of the room and into the pantry, only to stop in surprise when he saw Kreacher already working on something.
"Kreacher? What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"Master Harry, Kreacher is making food for Master." Kreacher replied, without stopping his work.
"Kreacher, if you are here who is managing the house? Mooney is still at home, and you know he cannot be allowed in the kitchen." Harry shivered at the thought of Remus' last creation.
"Kreacher be going back after Master Harry leave for match. Not worry, Kreacher be looking after Master Harry's wolf man. Sandwiches be ready soon. You must get ready for match Master Harry."
Harry shook his head, "I'm already… ready. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Maybe Master Harry should go run or walk? Breakfast will be ready in half hour." Replied the elf snidely.
Harry sighed and decided to do just that. He informed Sirius while he was in the bathroom. Hearing "Okay, stay close" in reply, Harry grabbed the site map and walked out of the tent. He looked around and finally decided to climb to the top of the hillock behind the tent, knowing he would be close enough to get back in a pinch.
As he reached the top, Harry found it eerie how the pomp, loudness and celebrative furore from the previous day suddenly devolved into silence around the campsite. There were only a few people who had the same idea to be present early at the stadium in order to avoid the last-minute rush.
Harry sat on top of the hill and watched as a few more families began trickling in through the entrance gate of the campsite. One specific family he recognised immediately. In the early sun, the seven red heads of the Weasley family stood out. It seemed Hermione had accepted her invitation after all.
Harry watched her as she helped Mr. Weasley pay the Muggle at the entrance. A few moments later another man suddenly appeared, casting a spell on the Muggle man. Harry guessed that Arthur must have said something to the muggle which might have triggered his suspicion.
Wanting to know where his friends would be staying, Harry's eyes followed the family as they walked towards the middle hill and occupied a tent close to the base of the hill. It was on the other side to where he had been the night before. Harry looked at the watch Sirius had bought him as his birthday gift and confirmed that his half hour was up. He turned to walk down the hill.
An hour and a half later, Harry followed Sirius as they climbed the stairs up to the top box of the stadium. He was glad that they had scouted the stadium the previous day. They might have otherwise spent over an hour admiring the outer architecture and the stalls.
As they climbed up, he saw Sirius pause at the sight of a tall black wizard with broad shoulders standing guard at the entrance of the top box.
"Kingsley! How are you, old chap?" Harry heard Sirius call out to the black man.
"Sirius, I see freedom is treating you well." He heard the man reply in deep voice. Harry felt intimidated at the man's presence.
"Oh yes, and this is my godson. Harry, meet Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's an Auror. I know him from when we used to fight dark wizards together before you were born. He has worked with your father too."
Harry struggled to speak, feeling intimidated by the man. Still, he managed to raise his hand which the man shook in greeting.
"Well met Mr. Potter." The man said in greeting. The man stood to full height and gestured for them to enter the Top box, "No one is in there yet, so you'll have a few minutes of peace. Though, I would also advise you to be prepared. I have heard that the minister plans to show Mr. Potter off to dignitaries from the other nations."
Harry grimaced and Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, "You'll be fine Harry. Just do as you just did with Kingsley. Just smile and wave. No need to say anything." Harry gave him a weary nod in return.
They entered the back of the empty box and were offered a welcome drink by one of ten members of staff. Harry had a glass of butterbeer, while Sirius took a glass of wine.
At the back of the box was where the on-site catering was located. The menu to which had been placed near the door side. There were an assortment of dishes ranging from simple fried snacks to gourmet dishes from different parts of the world, along with a range of assorted sweets,
Glasses in Hand, the duo went down to the railing and looked down at the pitch. It was Mesmerising. There were six tiers of seating, and the duo were in a box that stood alone on a seventh level. The box itself only had forty seats, but the seats seemed different to those that he saw in the level below. They were more padded and had better spacing between them.
Harry noticed the goal posts were taller than the ones in Hogwarts. He sat down on a seat in the front row, dreaming of playing at such a venue. Sirius sat beside him and smiled at Harry's wistful expression before looked up through the transparent roof at the sky.
A few minutes later, Sirius and Harry were in the catering area enjoying a shared plate of canapes. That was when others began to arrive. First being the Minister of Magic for Britain, Cornelius Fudge himself, surrounded by a handful of his staff and the Malfoys, which did not surprise Harry. The minister gave Sirius and Harry a wide grin and rushed forward to greet them.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. It is good to see that you're here bright and early. I expected us to be the first to arrive, but it seems you had the same idea as us. Well, how have the arrangements been? Have they been to your liking? We are trying to outdo the previous world cup you know." Said the Minister whilst shaking their hands.
"They have been splendid Minister. I must say the food is delectable, and I urge you to try some while you have the chance." Replied Sirius while pointing at his plate.
"Wonderful, we do have some time now, why don't we all do just that. Oh, forgive me, here I am just assuming you all know each other. Perhaps we should just introduce ourselves to each other over a drink before any others arrive. Come along then." said Fudge darting back up to the bar counter.
"Why don't you wait here by the rails, Harry. I'll be back soon." Said Sirius with a smile, though Harry could see it did not reach his eyes. Patting Harry on the shoulder, Sirius handed the plate to Harry and walked to join the other adults with his charming smile on.
Harry leaned back against the railing and looked at the adults and watched Lucius sneer at Sirius as he reached them. He watched as Narcissa glared at Sirius, most likely due to the fact that Sirius had removed her and Bellatrix from the black family, thereby removing Draco as well. Harry turned his gaze back to his plate, trying to ignore Draco Malfoy sidling along to stand next to him.
"My family are here as personal guests of the minister himself, Potter." Draco said, trying to get a reaction from the spectacled boy. Harry just munched on a canape, relishing the taste of goat's cheese with apricots.
Seeing no reaction, he continued, "I surprised you're here without your usual entourage; finally managed to lose Weasel and the mudblood?" still nothing. Neither a peep nor quiver, nothing.
"I'm not surprised Black is here. My father told me that he only has the minister's charity to live off. Pity, I wish the dementors had finished him off, such a waste of money." Draco scoffed in victory when Harry pushed off the railing and turned towards him.
"If we're here because of the minister's charity, Malfoy, what about you? Isn't the minister paying for your tickets too?" Harry said, smiling sweetly while looking at Draco directly in the eye. It unnerved the blonde Slytherin. "If not, then by your own logic, we're guest of the minister too, aren't we?" Harry was grinning within as the unnerved Malfoy boy darted back to his parents.
"I see why Luna does it. It's bloody effective." Harry muttered to himself while smirking in triumph. Finishing his plate, Harry too walked back to the catering area to join the adults. He collected a glass of iced tea and moved to stand beside Sirius, who he saw was talking to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. They had separated themselves from the minister and his entourage who were greeting dignitaries from Bulgaria and Ireland.
"I don't understand why you seem to care so much, Lucius. There isn't much to care about anyway. Most of the wealth is gone and I'm just making sure the remaining is used in a proportionate manner to keep the black family alive and well." Said Sirius.
"I disagree Black, I too am interested in keeping the black family alive and well. I am married to one after all. It is well within my interests as to what happens to the house of Black." Replied Lucius. Harry frowned at the wording and realised the political play going on.
"While I appreciate your concern Lucius, there is no need. I'll handle my family's matters. You manage yours. Let us all just enjoy this game and after that, focus on our own lives." Said Sirius with a sly grin.
The group heard Fudge call out to Sirius and Harry, beckon them to join him.
"You're right Black, you should enjoy it…. while you still can. You too Potter." Lucius said ominously as Sirius and Harry walked towards the minister. They heard the minister screaming, "Where is Ludo! it's almost time to begin!" as they reached him.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, may I introduce Mr. Whelan, Ireland's minister for sports and their ambassador to Magical Britain."
The next few minutes whizzed by as Harry was shown-off by Fudge to the dignitaries from various nations. Harry could only do as Sirius had advised, he just 'smiled and waved' and shook hands, much to Fudge's delight. It was just like when he entered Diagonalley for the first time.
He was relieved off of trauma when a man entered the box drawing the minister's attention. Based on Fudge's reaction, Harry realised this was Ludo Bagman the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Bagman was followed by a group of familiar faces. As Arthur and Molly greeted the Minister of magic, the Weasley children and Hermione made their way to Harry.
"Harry, mate, good to see you." said Ron as he pulled Harry in for a one-armed hug.
"Hey Ron, Hermione, everyone. Hope you were able to get in easily. Sirius and I came in early trying to avoid the crowd." Said Harry. He was once again perturbed when Hermione only gave him a smile and a wave, while Ginny still shyly looked away from him. "By the way, fair warning, the Malfoys are here." Everyone grimaced at that.
"What took you guys so long? I saw you arriving here at around 6 am." Asked Harry.
"Have you seen the crowd? We had to get through that and then climb all those stairs to get up here. Add to that, Mr. Bagman, kept going off talking to everyone he saw. I swear, Fred and George were about to bring him up in chains." Replied Ron.
"He looks like he's gained a little in the height department, eh George?" said one twin putting an arm around Harry.
"Right you are, oh brother of mine. And he's grown his hair." Said the other twin on Harry's other side, mirroring his twin.
"Oh yes, dear brother. And look at the new clothes. He must be looking to impress, eh Harry. So… who is it?"
"Yeah Harry, who is it you're looking to impress?" asked the other twin as Harry struggled to get himself out of their grasp.
"Alright, enough you two. Leave him be." Said Percy, chuckling as he took control of the situation, and forced the twins to let Harry go. "How are you, Harry? I hope the holidays went well for you?" Harry nodded.
"Definitely Percy. Also, congratulations on your new job. The Department of International Magical Co-operation seems like a great place to start off your career." Said Harry, giving Percy a hug, much to the shock of the other Weasleys and Hermione.
"When did you tell him?" asked Ron.
"Oh, he was there when I got the ministry's acceptance letter. I promised to write to him when I was assigned a department, and so I did." Said Percy as he smiled at Harry.
"Guys, come on, you have to see the pitch. It is amazing!" said Harry. He led them to the railing.
"Don't do that, Ron, you might fall!" screamed Hermione as Ron leaned over the railing to get a look at the lower stands. Harry's eyebrows raised when he realised that this was the first time, he had heard Hermione's voice since she had arrived at the box.
The group gazed out at the pitch in awe. The stadium had begun to fill up, with one side almost painted red by Bulgarian supporters and the other painted green.
"I bet you Ireland's gonna win." Said George, probably.
"Nah, it will be Bulgaria. They have Krum and he's the best seeker in the world. Nothing against Ireland, but if Krum catches the snitch, the Irish chasers will have nothing to play for." Said Ron.
"Well, we've made a wager with bagman on the way up." Said one twin.
"Ireland will win, but Krum will catch the snitch." Said the other twin.
"Yeah, we put in all our saving for that result." Said the first twin.
"If we win, the odds are at Seventy seven to ten, we will make a fortune." Said the second twin.
"Mr. Potter, I see we meet again?" said a familiar voice behind him. He turned around and found the Greengrass family standing behind him.
"Mr. Greengrass, Mrs. Greengrass, it's nice to see you again." Said Harry neutrally. Beside him, all his friends stiffened at Harry addressing the man with familiarity.
Harry himself finally had a good look at the people he had met the previous night. Mr. Greengrass looked to be in his forties with a thinning hairline of dark hair, which had kept neatly. He had large, sharp dark brown eyes with an oval face and a sharp nose. He wasn't a tall man and looked to be a little shorter that Sirius. Mrs. Greengrass was a beautiful woman with high cheek bones, a sharp nose, and soft blue eyes. Her light brown fell until her shoulders. She was about the same height as her husband.
"The feeling is mutual Mr. Potter. These are my daughters, Astoria, she will be going into her third year now. And I believe you already know Daphne." Said the man gesturing to the girls.
In appearance, the girls were an amalgamation of their parents. Daphne with the dark hair and facial features of her father, had her mother's blue eyes. Astoria had her mother's softer features and the dark hair and eyes of her father. While both girls greeted them politely, Harry did not miss the cold scathing look he received from Daphne. Was a Gryffindor helping a Slytherin that much of a slight.
"Unfortunately, we could not abide by your godfather's plan to be here early, Mr. Potter. Yesterday's ordeal managed to delay our sleep and as a result we got caught up in the mayhem downstairs." Said Mr. Greengrass before turning around and looking at the catering area where all the adults had corralled themselves.
"Well, I will allow you all to enjoy the proceedings. My wife and I must join our minister and the others in entertaining our esteemed guests. Would it be alright if I leave the girls with you and your friends, Mr. Potter? I feel they would rather be around people their own age." asked Mr. Greengrass. His friends' eyebrows shot up when Harry nodded his head in acceptance.
Smiling the adult Greengrass members walked up to join the adults, leaving the girls behind. Glaring at Harry, Daphne pulled Astoria towards the railing a little away from Harry.
"Why did you have to do that, Harry? Now they're just gonna listen in on everything we say and report it to the rest of the Slytherins." Hissed Ron, beside him Ginny and Hermione too looked pensively at the two Greengrass girls.
"We're going to have to be careful not to divulge any plans now, eh George." Said Fred, presumably.
"No, we don't. I mean what possible plans would good upstanding people like us have Fred." Said George, probably.
"Oi, we're just here to enjoy the game, and so are they. I mean you are just as bad as them. They can't accept you and you can't accept them. Why does a badge on a school uniform have to cause so much hate?"
"And for your information, I am the only Slytherin here. My sister is a Ravenclaw." Daphne called out from beside Percy on the far side of the group.
"Anyway, I saw Seamus, Dean and Neville. Also, I know Lavender is here, though I didn't catch her yesterday when we went through the stalls." Said Harry trying to divert the subject.
"Yeah, we met them outside while waiting in line. Along with the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team." Said Ron
"I still can't take the image of Wood painted green out of my head." Said Hermione. At Harry's raised eyebrow, Ginny waved her arm to gesture that Wood had painted his entire body green.
"You visited the stalls, yesterday?" asked Ron quizzically. Harry nodded, "Yeah, we came in just before noon, yesterday. It was fun, there are stalls selling foods from different countries. I really liked the jerk chicken from the Jamaican stall, and I even tried candy floss for the first time in my life." Harry did not realise that Ron's face wasn't smiling anymore.
Daphne snorted at that, "Really Potter, you never ever had candy floss. Stop lying for everyone's sake."
Harry frowned at that and decided to do what he did to Malfoy. Walking up to her he said, "Oh, since you seem to when I've had candy floss before, please tell me. I can't seem remember when my aunt and uncle treated me to it. Please let me know, for if I have been memory charmed, I'd like to take it up with the authorities." The irritating smile was back along with the direct stare into her eyes.
Daphne blushed and quickly turned away from him, while Astoria snickered behind her hand. Harry grinned triumphantly while the remaining members of the group stared at him flabbergasted.
"Is anyone hungry or thirsty? There is a catering area up there. We can go and get something to eat or drink before coming back down here." Said Harry point up the stairs.
Twenty minutes later, As Ludo Bagman began the proceedings to the final of the world cup, the group along with everyone else in the Top box seated themselves for the final of the world cup.
Harry was seated next to Sirius and behind the row of Weasleys, specifically the twins. Sirius chuckled as he saw Ron gorging on a full plate of food that he a had collected from the catering area.
"You weren't kidding about his appetite, pup. It seems like he could eat a whale." Whispered Sirius.
"The guy loves food. In his defence, he missed out on what we did yesterday. I think he needs it." Replied Harry.
"Ugh, that doesn't mean we deserve to see him eating like a pig. Oi, Weasley, keep those scraps to yourself. They're getting my hair." Screamed Daphne, causing everyone around to chuckle, including her parents. She had the unfortunate situation of being seated behind Gorging Ron.
"And now Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the national Quidditch team of Ireland!" came the announcement by Ludo Bagman.
Everyone got out of their seats as the team flew out wearing green quidditch robes with the player's name written in silver on each player's back. They were followed by a troop of Leprechauns. The tiny humanoid creatures began flying around on their own tiny brooms throwing gold coins to the cheering Irish fans. The whole stadium cheered loudly as Ludo announced the team members for the game, making it difficult for anyone to hear Bagman through the din.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the Bulgarian Quidditch team!"
The Red section of the stadium erupted in cheer, screaming in unison, "Krum! Krum! Krum!"
"It's him! It's Krum!" Screamed Ron as the team flew out to assemble and greet the fans, decked in Red with gold player names on the back. Following the team were the mascots a group of Veela cheerleaders who danced onto the pitch while letting their allure out free. The men of the stadium began to react to the allure of the Veela on the pitch. Many rushing towards the rails in a trance, drawn by the magical beauty and allure of the women below. Women rushed to grab onto their men before they fell off the rails.
Harry felt the allure, but it was more like a tingling at his brain. Pulling up his occlumency barrier to it maximum strength, He smiled when manged to block the allure in its entirety. He then smacked Fred and George in the back of their heads to snap them out of their trance like state as they tried to get out of their respective chairs. He saw Sirius too wasn't affected, though he did whistle in appreciation of the beauty on display .
"Aren't you affected?" asked Astoria to Harry and Sirius as she gestured to her mother holding on to her father.
"After facing dementors for so many years, this is nothing." Said Sirius. When the youngest Greengrass looked at him for his answer, Harry replied, "Same as him, I faced dementors thrice last year. Compared to that experience, this is nothing." Harry turned his attention to the field. The Mascots were led off the pitch and once the pitch was clear, the referee blew the enchanted whistle signalling the start of the 422nd Quidditch world cup final.
-(HHoHH)-
The match ended exactly as the twins had predicted, with Ireland winning the world cup and Krum catching the snitch. It had been an exhilarating hour of quidditch. The Irish chaser dominated their opponents and quickly built up a healthy lead. The two pairs of beaters were evenly matched, regularly cancelling out each other's plays. It was really a match between Krum and the Irish chasers with the latter winning out at the end.
The stadium was painted green, and when the Irish team along with Mr. Whelan lifted the trophy, fireworks were let loose. Even the red side of the crowd cheered to an excellent final match of the world cup. The post-match celebrations continued out of the stadium and into the campsite.
The Weasley family, Hermione, Sirius, and Harry celebrated with the other fans in the camping grounds. They were joined by all their other schoolmates who were fortunate to be at the event. The celebrations lasted late into the evening before Parents began to call close to proceedings for the under-aged revellers. Many were forced to drag their charges with force to their respective tents for some much-needed rest.
Sirius and Harry also called it a night and departed to their tent. In their tent they found two cups of warm cocoa waiting for them. "I think it was worth coming, don't you think?" asked Sirius as he sat down in one of the lounge chairs. Harry grunted in agreement as he walked towards his quarters in the tent.
Harry paused at the entrance to the quarters, "Padfoot, thanks for bringing me to this. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I will never ever forget it." He walked into the quarters, kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed, too tired to even take his socks off. He did not catch Sirius smiling in delight at Harry's appreciation.
-(HHoHH)-
"Harry, wake up!" He heard Sirius scream. With a jolt Harry shot out of bed and on to his feet. He heard commotion from outside the tent. People were screaming and shouting.
"Good, now, come on, we have to get out of here. The camp is under attack." Screamed Sirius.
As he rushed to put his shoes on, Harry asked, "By who?", "I don't know, come on!" came Sirius' reply from the entrance. Harry ran out of the tent just as Sirius collapsed it and shrank it into his bag. "Wand out, be ready to cast at anything." Instructed Sirius. They turned towards the entrance only to see all the people running away from it. they saw men dressed in Black cloaks with skull shaped masks, harassing the muggles who ran the campsite. Harry saw the man who directed them to their tent the previous day, floating in the air and screaming in peril.
"They're blocking the entrance; we'll need to go to the woods." said Sirius. The death-eaters, splitting into smaller groups, fanned out and began creating chaos. They lit tents on fire and began harassing random wizards and witches. Spells began to fly as people ran in all directions trying to get to safety. Sirius doggedly navigated through the mob, never letting Harry go.
"Can we not apparate?" asked Harry to which Sirius shook his head, "They have placed anti-apparition, OOF!"
Suddenly, he saw Sirius get hit by a piece of firewood and collapse to the floor. He quickly squatted down to check on his godfather when he heard laughter to his left.
"Direct hit, Avery. Expelliarmus!" cried the death eater, hitting Harry with the charm before he could react. Harry felt himself flung over Sirius as his wand was wrenched away. Anger bubbled in him as he looked up to see the Death-eater on the left grab his wand from mid-air while the one in the middle laughed, "Hahaha, we've done it boys, Let's wrap it up here and back to the others."
Around him, he heard people screaming and running away from the area. Harry tried to get up but was hit with a blasting curse, flinging him a good distance away from Sirius. He landed on the ground hard and needed a moment to catch his breath.
"We still have time. Why don't we have some fun with our little prize over there." Said the death-eater on the left as he grinned evilly and snapped Harry's wand in half. Harry watched in Horror as the death-eater dropped the pieces to the floor.
Still on the ground, Harry saw his attackers clearly now. There were three of them, garbed in black cloaks, with skull masks covering their faces. The one in the middle walked over to him as the other two stood over Sirius. Harry began to think of a way to get himself and his godfather out of this situation.
"Well then, Boy who lived. I wonder how you might live past this." Said the death-eater, before chuckling menacingly as he leaned over Harry. Harry gritted his teeth as he saw Sirius begin to come about. He needed to act immediately.
"Lumos Maxima!" Yelled Harry, shooting his open palm in front of the death-eater's face. The sudden bright light blinded his immediate foe,
Using the distraction, Harry quickly cast silent disarming charms at the other shocked death-eaters. The death-eaters flew back away from Sirius at the power Harry put behind his spell, their wands landing a long way behind Harry.
The blinded death-eater screamed in anger, and swung his wand around wildly, "You Bastard! Avada…" Before he could complete the spell, Harry punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Growling in anger for his snapped wand, Harry cast stinging hex after stinging hex at the downed man. The man wailed in pain at each hit as Harry poured all his power into each hex.
"That's enough, Pup." Harry heard as he felt Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. Harry relaxed and looked at his godfather. Sirius had a large gash on his head which was bleeding a little. Sirius hit the groaning death eater with a stunner and a full body bind, before sitting down.
Harry turned around and saw that the Sirius had done the same to the other two death-eaters. Turning away from their downed foes, Harry went to the spot where his wand had been dropped. Kneeling down, Harry silently wept as he cradled the pieces of his precious wand. The first thing in his life that had made him feel free. It had made him feel special.
He turned back to his godfather and found him sitting beside the downed death-eater. "Are you okay, Sirius?" Harry asked. "I just need a breather, Pup. Let me just get my bearings in order, alright." Said Sirius.
Harry snapped to attention when he heard a group of people rushing towards them. Harry stood up and got in front of Sirius as the wizards arrived at the scene with their wands drawn. Seeing the wands, Harry frowned and prepared to face them when he heard Sirius call out to him, "It's alright Harry, it's the aurors. Late as usual!"
"Stand down boy! Identify yourself." Said the leader to Harry as they approached the group. It was Kingsley who answered for him, "That's Harry Potter, sir. Harry, are you alright?" Harry nodded, before pointing to Sirius. Seeing Sirius' head wound, the head auror called out, "Bring the healer, now!". He was shocked at the sight of the captured death-eaters. "Who is responsible for this?" the man asked.
"That would be me, Scrimgeour. Nice to see you again." Said Sirius with a chuckle before cringing in pain. "They attacked us and one of them even snapped Harry's wand. I managed to hit them with stunners and then caught them with a body bind." The Healer arrived at the scene and immediately began tending to Sirius's head wound. Scrimgeour cast Prior Incantato on Sirius' wand to verify the spells cast.
"Right, Kingsley and Williamson, both of you secure the prisoners and take them back to the ministry once the warding team bring down the anti-apparition wards. The rest of you, continue your sweep of the area. Robards, take lead. Make sure everyone is safe. Keep an eye out for downed or captured death-eaters like these." As the team moved away Kingsley and another male auror levitated the captured Death-eaters to a single spot.
"Well, at least we have three. The rest of them seemed to have gotten away." Scrimgeour muttered to Kingsley. "It looks like you haven't lost your touch, Black. Write to me if you want to be back on the force." Sirius scoffed and shook his head, before grimacing in pain, earning a look of disapproval from his healer.
"Williamson, remove the masks. Let's see who we have here." Said Scrimgeour. The masks were removed to reveal faces familiar to the senior Aurors, "My, my, look who we have here. Jugson, Gibbon and Avery. Kingsley, weren't these three acquitted by claiming to be under the imperius?" "I believe so, Sir." Replied Shacklebolt. Both men shared a grin.
"Great job everyone, including you Black." Said Scrimgeour.
Suddenly another group of people arrived on the scene. Harry recognised Mr. Weasley amongst them. Arthur rushed to Harry and gave him a once over. "Harry. I'm so glad to see you are alright." Arthur said in relief. "Are the others safe?" Harry asked. Arthur nodded.
"Stand aside, Weasley. The boy and Black have been found at the crime scene and must be taken in for questioning." Said a man behind Arthur. Harry saw a gaunt faced man with short grey hair and a tooth-brush moustache. He had a stern demeanour and had his wand pointed at Sirius, causing Harry to narrow his eyes at the man.
"I'll be deciding that, Crouch. It is my job after all. Not yours." Said Scrimgeour before turning to the two Aurors, "The wards are down, take them to the holding cells. We can question them there." Kingsley and Williamson touched the three captured death-eaters and apparated away.
"Well do your job then. Black has clearly been meeting with his associates. I'm sure he was in it to try and kidnap Harry Potter." Said Crouch.
"Do you plan to throw him in Azkaban without a trial again, Crouch?" a voice called out behind everyone. Harry was surprised to see Daniel Greengrass as he continued, "Why are you even here. You were supposed to guide the Ghanaians to their portkey." Crouch was thrown off by the question. It was clear to Harry that he wasn't meant to be here.
"But…It is a matter for the department..." Crouch began to respond, but was cut off by Mr. Greengrass, "Of which you are no longer the head, I am. It was for foolhardy decisions like this that lost you the role. Get back to your assignment Crouch, or I will ask the aurors to bring you in, for questioning in relation to the crime."
Harry watched as Mr. Crouch walked away with his shoulders slumped. Harry felt little pity as he realised that this was the man who had put his godfather in Azkaban without a trial. This was the man who had lost his credibility after Sirius' trial.
Harry sighed and walked up to his godfather and looked him over as the healer finished closing Sirius' head wound. "Will he be alright?" Harry asked the healer.
"Yes, Although the injury is minor, he has lost a little blood causing to be dazed. I have fixed the injury and given him some blood replenishment potion. He should be alright to travel in a few minutes. Getting up the healer nodded to Scrimgeour before turning to proceed in the direction the other Aurors had departed.
Suddenly everyone jerked upon hearing a loud scream from some distance away. They saw a flash as a spell was fired into the sky. As the spell reached its zenith it exploded into a green haze. From the green Haze emerged a glittering green skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth.
"The dark mark." Harry heard Mr. Weasley whisper behind him.
"Everyone, get to that spot! Arthur, look after these two." Said Scrimgeour gesturing to Harry and Sirius.
The Aurors rushed off. Arthur looked at the godfather and godson and asked, "If you can move, why don't we get you two to the portkey zone and get you home."
Sirius nodded and got up gingerly. Checking himself again, Sirius nodded and said, "I'm alright, let's go. We've had quite a couple of days. Lead the way, Arthur."
As they followed Arthur Weasley, Sirius tapped Harry to draw his attention. He pointed to Harry's hands and gestured to him to that they would be talking later. Sirius then put an arm around Harry's shoulder and held him reassuringly as they followed Arthur.
Soon they made it to the Portkey zone where a number of ministry officials were creating portkeys for all members of public present.
"Harry!" screamed Hermione and Ron as they caught sight of him and Sirius. They rushed to him and asked, "Are you okay?" The rest of the Weasley family followed, with Mrs. Weasley pulling him into a bone crushing hug.
"We were so worried when we didn't see you here, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Yeah mate, mom was about to go a war path in search of you." Said Ron, earning a gentle slap on the shoulder from his mother.
"They were attacked by some of the miscreants. Sirius was able to capture them all." Said Arthur.
"I'm so glad you both got away relatively unscathed." Said Percy.
"Unscathed?" Harry asked as he revealed his broken wand.
-(HHoHH)-
The Aurors rushed towards the location from where the spell had originated. When they reached the spot, they saw two young girls crying as they held each other. At their feet was a woman, whose vacant eyes made it evident that she was dead.
"What happened here?" asked Scrimgeour softly, as he knelt down before the girls. The younger girl buried herself into her sister as the older girl responded.
"This man attacked our mother suddenly. He hit her with a stick and took her wand. He asked us…" the girl sobbed loudly. Scrimgeour patiently waited for her to continue, "He asked, 'Isn't it nice to be alive?' before he killed our mother with the killing curse. He cast that spell into the sky and ran away." The girl hugged her sister tightly.
Scrimgeour put a hand on the girl's back and asked, "Which way did he go?", the moment the girl pointed, the Aurors rushed in the direction in search of the murderer.
Scrimgeour stepped back as the healers took charge of the girls and their deceased mother. He sighed and rubbed his eyes knowing the sleepless night that were about to follow. For the woman at his feet was Sophia Greengrass.
-(END)-
AN: Huge thanks to all who have taken the time to read, review, follow, and/or favourite this story. I've seen an uptake in numbers recently and I really appreciate it.
I see some of you have worded your speculations on the 'ships' yet to sail.
They will need to be built and tested. This arc may decide on the feasibility based on the strength of the skeleton built. If feasible, the hull will be constructed around the skeleton.
As you can tell, this tale will most likely be a long one. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review if you did or even if you didn't. I'll appreciate the feedback.
Until next time.