"Did you tell Harry about Tyler?" Sirius asked, crossing his arms.
"I tried, but he disconnected the call before I could say anything," Remus sighed.
"He has to know. Tyler could kill them, like you said," Sirius said.
"I know. I get the feeling Tyler might not let Harry talk if we call," Remus nodded.
"Why? Wouldn't that reveal who Tyler is and what he's doing? Harry and his friends obviously don't know Tyler's bad and against them," Sirius replied.
"Maybe, who knows. I'm just worried. If anything happens to Harry because of Greyback, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," Remus sighed.
"It wouldn't be your fault, Moony," Sirius told him.
"In a way it would be. I'm after Greyback and I'm supposed to protect Harry."
"We're both supposed to protect him. We always have and we always will. It just happens that right now he's doing something and we can't help him," Sirius answered. Remus looked at him and nodded.
That night, the trio and Tyler set up the magical tent behind the old Sawyer/Helga Hufflepuff house. They went in and put their bags in the bedrooms. Tyler was sleeping on the sofa. They all sat on the sofa and chatted.
After a bit, Ron went into the kitchen to make a small dinner, bringing Harry with him. "What's up, mate?" Harry asked when they arrived in the kitchen and began making peanut butter sandwiches.
"I don't think Tyler should come with us anymore. He already helped us. We only agreed for him to come along in San Diego," Ron said.
"We don't know if we're leaving and if we do, we might come back," Harry replied.
"But we'll probably know where to go," Ron argued.
"Does this have anything to do with Hermione and Tyler getting along?" Harry crossed his arms and leaned against the counter.
"No! Yes…maybe…I dunno," Ron sighed.
"Ron, you have to get over this. She is not into him. She loves you and doesn't want to be with anyone else," Harry stated.
"You think?"
"I know. I don't get it, but you're not acting like you. You're always angry lately. You better sort it out because you're pissing me off," Harry stated. He carried the plate of sandwiches and levitated the drinks into the living room. "I know it's not much, but we have to make our food last as long as possible."
"I understand. Out of curiosity, who had called you?" Tyler asked, taking a sandwich.
"One of my uncles. Remus."
"Remus Lupin?"
"Yeah, you know him?" Harry nodded.
"Not personally. Heard about him. My dad knows him from long ago," Tyler answered.
"Oh?" Harry said in surprise. "Who's your father again?"
Tyler's eyes noticeably widened. "Umm-he's, uh-he's-"
"Harry, I think I have our next destination," Hermione interrupted.
"What? Where?" Harry leaned over to her to see the book in her hands.
"Austria. Vienna, Austria in Europe," Hermione said.
"Why do we have to go to Vienna?" Ron wondered.
"There's a young woman who lives there named Cheyenne Hudson."
"Why do we have to see Cheyenne Hudson?" Harry frowned.
"She's a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Maybe she can help," Hermione answered.
"You're kidding?" Harry exclaimed.
"How do we find her though? I highly doubt Vienna is the size of Hogsmeade village," Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Thought you'd never ask," Hermione smiled. She turned the book and pointed to a picture.
"It's a house," Ron said.
"That's where Cheyenne Hudson lives, isn't it?" Tyler spoke.
"Exactly. We go here and talk to her. She might know something of value," Hermione nodded. Ron glared as Tyler gave him a smug look.
"Excellent. That's amazing, Hermione. We'll go in the morning," Harry grinned.
"I guess I'll leave in the morning. Our deal was that I help you in San Diego," Tyler said. A sad look seemed to pass over him.
"Tyler, you-" Hermione started.
Ron stopped her. "Let's talk about this," he marched into the kitchen, his friends behind him.
"Ron, don't," Harry said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter again.
"I just don't think he should stay anymore. He's right. The deal only said San Diego. Not Austria too," Ron responded.
"Why are you so against Tyler?" Hermione frowned. "He saved us."
"I don't trust him. It doesn't seem right that he just appeared in the forest," Ron shrugged.
"I can't believe you're still going on about that! Who cares why he was there! He saved us! He saved me!" Hermione said angrily. "He's coming with us to Europe." She left the kitchen.
Ron turned to Harry who hadn't said a word. "Still sure about her and Tyler?" Ron sulked out of the kitchen without letting Harry answer. Harry sighed. He really wanted to talk to his uncles. He was getting stressed even more dealing with his friends, not to mention trying to figure out who Tyler Grey really was. He exited the kitchen.
"I'm going to bed. I need to think things over. See you in the morning, guys. Good night, Tyler," Harry walked into the bedroom he was occupying.
"Night, mate."
"Good night, Harry."
"G'night."
Harry shut the door then laid on his bed. He had a hundred things swimming in his head. Even though he had no proof of anything, he knew Tyler wasn't exactly who he was saying he was. He had no idea what had happened at the wedding after he, Ron, and Hermione left. He knew Remus was ok, but was Sirius? Were the Weasleys all right? What about everyone else who had been there? He didn't have a clue what the next Horcrux was or where it was hidden. One thing he knew was that they had to ditch their wedding clothes. He didn't know what was happening in the world. Having not seen a Daily Prophet since they left, they were sadly behind on the wizard world news. After a couple more hours of thinking, Harry fell asleep as the others just went to bed. His sleep was not peaceful.
Harry looked around. He knew where he was but couldn't place it for some odd reason. His memory seemed to be clouded. He was having a hard time remembering things. Harry slowly continued walking down a corridor. He was passing a door to an office but stopped when he heard a very familiar voice. It was Sirius! Harry finally realized he was at the Ministry. He pushed open the door and saw Sirius pacing.
"I seriously wish Crouch would just drop dead," Sirius was telling another familiar person. Remus!
"Padfoot!" Remus scolded. "I know the man is horrid but be sincerely nice."
Harry looked down the hall when he heard footsteps. It was Barty Crouch Sr.! The very person his uncles were talking about. He was heading for Sirius' office. Harry jumped out of the way to avoid Crouch who entered the office.
"What do you want, Crouch?" Sirius spat. "You've already got me fired. Not done destroying my life yet?"
"Sirius," Remus whispered.
"I was coming to tell you to get Shacklebolt back here. There is no time for people to take days off. Especially because he's now the Head Auror," Crouch stated.
"He's in St. Mungo's with severe injuries. He needs to stay for at least a week. He can't come back yet," Sirius frowned.
"I don't care if he's seconds from death. Get him here," Crouch snapped and left.
"I'm gonna-" Sirius stood.
"Sirius, sit down. If you kill him, you go to Azkaban for good," Remus said and his friend sat.
"I hate him."
"I know. You make it obvious and you have good reasons. I don't like him either," Remus nodded. Suddenly there was a loud BANG that shook the building. People were screaming as Remus and Sirius drew their wands, running down the corridor. Harry followed. They turned a corner and were greeted by immense heat. An office had been set on fire. Death Eaters were at the end of the joining corridor. Harry gasped. In the middle of the hallway, Barty Crouch Sr. was on the ground, dead.
"Hi, Sirius," Bellatrix Lestrange said and spells started flying everywhere.
Harry woke with a start. He was sweating and breathing heavily. He sat up in bed and looked at the digital clock. It was four in the morning. the dream had seemed so real. Just like the dream he had had of the mass breakout from Azkaban in fifth year. Either he was imagining things or what he had just dreamed would happen that day.
Harry laid back down. He was still confused about Tyler. Should he and Ron learn to trust him the way Hermione did? Why had Tyler happened to be in the area in the forest they had been in. It seemed too real to be a coincidence. Though, Tyler did help them in San Diego and would hopefully be of some help in Austria.
He sighed and cleared his head. He closed his eyes and was soon asleep again.
The next day, Sirius left his office at ten and apparated to St. Mungo's. Tonks had come to work late the previous night and said Kingsley was doing fine and had finally woken up. Sirius hadn't seen Kingsley since the wedding and wanted to visit.
Sirius walked through the doors and to a nurse behind a desk. "I'm looking for Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was brought in yesterday."
"Mr. Shacklebolt is on the fourth floor. Room six eighty-one," the nurse told him.
"Thanks," Sirius hopped in an elevator and went to the fourth floor. He walked down a corridor, turned a corner, and stopped at the third door on the left. He opened it and poked his head in. Kingsley was in a half sitting position and reading the Daily Prophet. "Hey, Kingsley."
"Hi, boss. You're looking good," Kingsley put the paper aside.
"So are you. How are you?" Sirius pulled up a chair.
"All right for almost dying. I'm going to enjoy my week off though," Kingsley smiled.
"I bet you will," Sirius laughed. "I know this was a short visit, but I've gotta get back."
"See you in a week, Sirius."
"Bye," Sirius left and Disapparated. He pushed though the Ministry doors and headed back to his department.
"Padfoot!" Sirius spun around when Remus called him.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Crouch is looking for you," Remus said.
"Why now?" Sirius frowned.
"He found out we went to Godric's Hollow," Remus sighed.
"How?" Sirius said angrily.
Remus hesitated. "Kyle Smith told them."
"He is so-"
"Black!" Crouch's voice sounded out.
"Great," Sirius muttered and Crouch approached him. "What?"
"I heard an interesting story from one of your Aurors. Apparently, you and Lupin were at Godric's Hollow investigating the attack. You're suspended, Black, and you're on the verge of suspension, Lupin."
"Our nephew was involved. That's why we investigated," Sirius glared.
"You were not to be there. I have already spoken with the Minister. You're fired, Black, and, Lupin, you're suspended. I have already told Nymphadora Tonks that she's fired as well," Crouch stated and began to walk away.
"Why did you fire Tonks?" Remus cried.
"She concealed the fact that you two went to Godric's Hollow," Crouch stalked off and disappeared around a corner. Sirius stared after Crouch, his mouth open slightly. He had just been fired.
"Sirius, come on. Let's go back to your office," Remus stated. Without speaking, Sirius allowed his friend to lead him to his office.
Harry got out of bed and put on a pair of jeans, a blue T-shirt, and his favourite blue sweater. He slipped on his runners and put his wedding clothes in his bag. Walking out of the bedroom, Harry went into the kitchen to make a small breakfast. Sitting at the table, Harry ate his eggs and toast, letting his thoughts pass in his mind like traffic.
They were heading to Vienna that morning to talk to a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Hopefully they would be able to figure some stuff out by talking to Cheyenne Hudson. He began to think about Tyler. Harry didn't understand why Tyler had been so hesitant to tell about his father.
Who was Tyler's father?
How did Tyler's father know Remus.
Who was Tyler Grey?
The thought of his dream settled at the front of his mind. He still didn't know what to think about it. Had it been real or just a dream? How would he know if it happened or not? Harry sighed. He was seriously stressed out.
"Harry?" Tyler called.
"Kitchen."
"Morning."
"Morning, Tyler. Sleep well?" Harry asked.
"Quite. Thanks," Tyler replied. "So when are we leaving?"
"Probably around noon. Ron and Hermione need to wake up, change, eat. We have to take the tent down. You should eat too, Tyler," Harry said.
"I don't want to make you run out of food."
"Don't worry about it. You need to eat," Harry waved it off.
"Okay. Thanks, Harry," Tyler smiled and got a bowl of cereal. He sat across from Harry.
"So, I've been wondering. Why were you in the forest yesterday?" Harry wondered.
"Oh, umm, I-I live near the forest and I usually go for a walk. Just normally, I don't come across three teenagers being attacked by Death Eaters after running from a wedding," Tyler answered.
Harry laughed. "Not much is normal in the world lately."
"Definitely true," Tyler agreed.
"Harry? Tyler?" Hermione and Ron called.
"Kitchen," Tyler and Harry answered. Hermione and Ron entered the kitchen and immediately began making breakfast.
"When are we leaving, mate?" Ron asked, sitting beside Harry and across from Hermione.
"Around noon. Maybe earlier if we finish everything early. We also want to make sure Cheyenne Hudson is well awake," Harry replied, washing his dish.
"True. Hopefully this works as well as we're hoping," Hermione said.
"No kidding," Harry nodded. He gazed around the kitchen. Ron and Hermione recognized the look to be when he was thinking of telling them something important.
Hermione cleared her throat. "Tyler, could you excuse us? We have something we need to talk about privately," she said. She met Harry's eyes and he gave her a small nod. She nodded back.
"Of course," Tyler nodded and left the kitchen.
"What's going on, Harry?" Ron asked as Harry sat down again.
"I had a dream last night," he started. His friends gasped. "I don't know if it was real or not."
"What happened?" Hermione said.
"I was just watching, mind. I was in the Ministry and I stopped at Sirius' office because I heard him and Remus talking. They were talking about Barty Crouch Sr. You know, from the World Cup? Anyways, Crouch showed up and went into the office. Sirius asked what he wanted. Said Crouch couldn't do much more damage because he had already fired Sirius. Crouch said Sirius had to get Kingsley back to work even though he's in the hospital because he's the new Head Auror. After a small argument, Crouch left and my uncles started talking again. Then there was a bang and people were screaming. Remus and Sirius ran out, down a corridor, and around a corner. An office was on fire, Death Eaters were at the end of the corridor, and Crouch was in the hallway dead. Bellatrix said hi to Sirius and everyone started sending spells everywhere. Then I woke up," Harry told the dream.
"It must have been a dream. Sirius is Head Auror. He hasn't been fired and Crouch can't fire him," Hermione said logically.
"It seemed so real. I know those facts are wrong but this didn't seem like a normal dream," Harry replied.
"Hmm. It is strange that you may have had a dream that's real but parts of it are wrong. Has that ever happened before?" Hermione said thoughtfully.
"No, never," Harry shook his head.
"Weird," Ron stated.
"Very," Hermione nodded.
"We'll talk about it later. We have to get ready. We need to go to Austria soon," Harry responded, standing up.
"Okay. We'll go get changed," Ron nodded and he and Hermione went to their room. Harry walked from the kitchen and into his bedroom to get his bags. He emerged with them on his back.
"Sorry about kicking you out, Tyler. Private matters," Harry told the nineteen year old.
"Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'm just here to help, not learn about what you three are doing," Tyler shrugged.
"Thanks for the help, Tyler," Harry smiled. Tyler nodded in acknowledgement.
"Harry, how is this meeting with Cheyenne Hudson gonna work? She doesn't know any of us and what if she doesn't know she's a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff?" Ron pointed out.
"She must know. She's in a book because he's a descendant," Hermione answered.
"This will be an interesting visit," Ron said sarcastically. Harry and Hermione grinned. Ron came out wearing runners, jeans, a green T-shirt, and his maroon sweater made by his mother. Hermione also wore runners and jeans with her rainbow coloured belt. She wore a dark purple T-shirt and her pink-ish sweater. They looked like normal teenagers dressed for a day at the mall.
"All right. Grab your bags, we'll pack up the tent, and get going," Harry announced. The trio and Tyler exited the tent and Harry and Ron magically took down the tent. Folded up, Harry packed it away. "Let's go." They disappeared.
Sirius slammed his office door which skimmed Remus' arm. Remus looked at the door. It was just a matter of time before the office needed a brand new door. He sat in the chair by the door and faced Sirius who finally sat down. "I can't believe he fired me! And Tonks! And suspended you!"
"We did violate your suspension," Remus pointed out.
Sirius stood up and began pacing. "I seriously wish Crouch would just drop dead."
"Padfoot!" Remus scolded. "I know the man is horrid but be sincerely nice."
"He fired me and Tonks! He suspended you! Which means you can't work on the Greyback-Tyler case!" Sirius cried.
"I get that. As long as-" Remus stopped. Crouch was standing in the doorway.
"What do you want, Crouch?" Sirius spat. "You've already got me fired. Not done destroying my life yet?"
"Sirius," Remus whispered.
"I was coming to tell you to get Shacklebolt back here. There is no time for people to take days off. Especially because he's now Head Auror," Crouch stated.
"He's in St. Mungo's with severe injuries. He needs to stay for at least a week. He can't come back yet," Sirius frowned.
"I don't care if he's seconds from death. Get him here," Crouch snapped and left.
"I'm gonna-" Sirius moved towards the door.
"Sirius, sit down. If you kill him, you go to Azkaban for good," Remus said and his friend sat.
"I hate him."
"I know. You make it obvious and you have good reasons. I don't like him either," Remus nodded. Suddenly there was a loud BANG that shook the building. People were screaming as Remus and Sirius drew their wands, running down the corridor. They turned a corner and were greeted by immense heat. An office was in flames.
"That's Crouch's office," Sirius said.
"And that's Crouch." Sirius looked at Remus who was looking at something on the floor in the corridor. Crouch was on the ground dead.
"Hi, Sirius," Bellatrix Lestrange greeted at the end of the hallway. A large group of Death Eaters were standing at the end of the corridor. Automatically, Sirius cast a spell. After that, everything was a blur. Spells were flying everywhere. People were still screaming and running away.
"Stupefy!" Sirius shouted. The spell hit a Death Eater. The others grabbed the stunned Death Eater and disappeared.
Breathing heavy, Remus and Sirius walked to Crouch and stared at him. "I don't think our jobs are in jeopardy anymore," Remus sighed.
Sirius looked at him and nodded. "We need to find Tonks and all my Aurors. I have someone to fire."
"I'll find Tonks," Remus said and walked away. Sirius bent down to look at Crouch.
"Mr. Black!" Damian Sanders called. "Are you all right? I'm sorry I wasn't here to help. I had a couple Death Eaters to fight."
"It's fine. I'm okay. Remus was with me. Someone needs to know Barty Crouch Sr. is dead. Help me with this fire. The whole place will be burning soon," Sirius walked to the burning office with Sanders and put out the fire.
"Sirius!" Tonks yelled. Sirius turned. Remus was following Tonks. "Oh my God. Crouch is dead?"
"Seems like it," Sirius nodded. "Which means we have our jobs still."
"Good. I cried when he fired me," Tonks said.
"Have you seen Smith?" Sirius asked.
"No, I haven't," Tonks shook her head.
"I have to find him. See you later," Sirius walked off.
"Smith's fired, isn't he?" Tonks raised an eyebrow at Remus.
"Yeah."
"Here we are. Vienna, Austria, Europe. Cheyenne Hudson's house, specifically," Harry said.
"Let's go," Ron sighed. The trio and Tyler walked up to the one floor brick house. They arrived at the wooden door and Harry knocked.
A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a young, twenty-three year old woman. She had long, brown, curly hair and hazel eyes. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Are you Cheyenne Hudson?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Who are you?" Cheyenne Hudson frowned. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Tyler looked at each other, sighed, and looked back to Cheyenne Hudson.