A/N: Even though it is November in the story, spring is outside my window. So are the squirrels. They like me for some reason. Anyway, I put on some weight over the winter. The doctor told me I needed to lose the few pounds. There's only one way I know I can manage to do that. Does anyone know if there are gambling casino's in England?
Chapter 16: The First Task
It was the day of the tournament. Classes were cancelled so that everyone could relax. Draco chose to use the time to practice his guitar. In one of the deserted classrooms. Sitting behind the teacher's desk. It was there that his godfather found him.
"I will be honest. You sound better than the first time I heard you."
Draco smiled at the compliment. "Is there anything you would like to hear?"
"An answer to a question." Rodolphus Lestrange leaned against the teacher's desk. "Has anyone been by to see you? I thought not. You picked the best time to hide. As of one hour ago, you are an enemy of the Ministry. Expect things to happen. And don't expect them to be good."
"Why? Whot happened?"
Rodolphus Lestrange asked his godson if he had talked to Arthur Weasley. Draco admitted he had. The last day of the school year in June and the day the Americans arrived. As he answered, he couldn't help thinking there must have been something that he said, something that was important. But Rodolphus was frowning
"Then you did not talk to him before the witches arrived? That is odd. Because I know he left without talking to the witches again." The next line was spoken more to himself than to Draco. "There is something else going on here that I do not see."
Draco watched as the ever present smile faded. His godfather stood in thought as Draco sat in the chair holding the guitar. "Uncle. What happened?"
"I don't know the why of it, although I thought I did. You do know from the first that the
Americans refused to accept you as a student?"
"Yeah. They told me they used that as a bribe to make themselves a legitimate part of the tournament. Unless I can get an exceptional student to replace me. It's supposed to be a joke loophole, that's what Doctor McCudgeon called it . . ."
"Draco, shortly after you left breakfast this morning, and while the Great Hall was still half full, Doctor McCudgeon walked up to the Minister for Magic and told him, very loudly, that her school would not accept you as a student for any reason whatsoever. She also told him that she did not consider ANY previous agreements on the subject to be binding. Something happened during the night to change her mind completely. And, yes, I do know what was discussed in Dumbledore's office. I was also close enough to the excitement to know that Albus Dumbledore was as surprised as the Minister at what the good doctor said. Admittedly, he was not as angry."
"Jack? Did he say anything?"
"The young seer? To the witches? Not in private, I know that." A smile briefly surfaced. "He did, however, predict pizza for lunch."
Draco was confused. There was a perfectly good ruse planned for when the time came to take Draco to his new school. In May. On the other hand, there was pizza for lunch. He might as well eat before he went to the pitch for the first task.
"Where's Jack?" Draco asked as he sat down in the Great Hall. It was an obvious question because his sister, Abby, was sitting nearby with Dennis Creevey and some of the other first years.
Hermione smiled. "He'll be late to lunch. He's in the infirmary. Did you know he had a wand? Of course you did." Her smile faded. "You bought it for him."
"What did he do?" Draco asked.
Abby answered. "He did the Accio spell. But he forgot to catch it. The showoff."
"He's not letting you use the wand, then?"
Abby was happy she had someone she could express her anger to. "Only for the Lumos spell. And Floating Feather. YOU," she said accusingly, "said I had to wait until he got good at a spell."
She went back to eating her pizza.
Draco glanced at Hermione, expecting her to say something. "Whot? No remark?"
"Fine. I'll say something. At least you showed some discretion. We could have ended up with two children in the infirmary."
"Was that a compliment?"
"It's your big day. I wanted to keep your morale up."
Draco grabbed a slice of pizza and began eating. It was going to be an interesting day. Although he had no idea what he was facing. All he knew was that Ludo Bagman was too busy rearranging the first task to even consider dropping any hints. A quick question to Charlie Weasley over the weekend did not receive a direct answer, not that one was expected, but the man did reveal that the new task was still being designed. Charlie also said that he wouldn't be telling any secrets by saying that the first task would not be very difficult.
As he was thinking, Angelina Johnson came up to wish him luck, and asked if he had any ideas on what was going to happen. He had to honestly tell her no, but he would keep his ears open.
"Nervous?" Justin asked as they walked Draco to the tent where the Champions were to meet.
Draco smiled. "I don't know the meaning of the word."
Hermione retorted, "I'll give you a dictionary for Christmas."
"Good. Because I've got collywobbles and I have no idea what that means, either."
They walked up to the tent and Draco said goodbye to his friends. Justin and Hermione walked off to find seats in the stands. Draco pushed aside the flap and walked inside.
"He would finally show," The Minister said. He promptly turned away to talk to the other three champions, wishing them good luck and that sort of thing. Not that Draco cared. The Minister never struck him as the friendly type. And the man had no desire to be friendly to him.
Albus Dumbledore politely smiled, then he also turned to the other champions. Draco had the distinct impression it was not so much to snub the cheater but to keep an eye on the Minister. Draco turned and gave a polite smile of his own to Ludo Bagman. As the man was also the co-conspirator, it was no surprise that he smiled back. Nor that he quickly flashed three fingers as he knew no one was watching.
The person who did approach him and talk to him was Barty Crouch, Junior. As well as being the DADA teacher for the first three years, he was also Bagman's assistant. "Have you been keeping up on your lessons? Good grades are always important."
Draco eyed the man with annoyance. "I live for classes."
"That's the attitude. You will be last, so be prepared to be sitting here for a long time. Each of you is to be summoned by a whistle. Until then, each of you must remain inside the tent." He leaned forward. "And so no one can cheat, the tent is soundproof. Except for the whistle. And only the candidate whose turn it is can leave the tent."
"And you did that because of me?"
Barty shook his head. "No. That is the standard. I told you, personally, because it's you." He patted Draco's shoulder. "Just think about your lessons while you wait, and don't be afraid."
Before Draco could comment, he caught Bagman's look. If he understood that look correctly, the pair of cheaters was now a trio. And that comment was the only help they could give Draco in a crowded room.
"I will, Sir. Not be afraid, that is."
Barty smiled at him. Ludo Bagman, standing behind him was holding up one finger. He was also mouthing the word, troll. As the Minister turned around at that moment there was no chance for any more hints. Draco thought the first one was good enough. He had faced trolls before. As long as he kept his head, he would have no problems.
The Minister announced that the first task was to begin shortly. The whistle would be sounded as soon as they had taken their positions in the stands. He scowled at Draco, then led the group of adults from the tent.
Draco was smiling. Angelina said good luck to Draco. Fleur Delacour smiled at him and also wished him luck. Viktor Krum, the Dumstrang champion, looked at him with amusement. "Are you sure you did the vise thing, now?" he admonished.
"For One Thousand Galleons, yeah, I'm sure. Look, Victor," Draco said quickly, "I owe you, for the World Championship, but I don't know much. The First Task is in three parts, and the first part is a troll. And there's something about being afraid. I'm not too sure what that means."
Victor laughed. Angelina Johnson and Fleur Delacour both looked at him. Angelina demanding to know how Draco knew this when he didn't know anything at lunch. Draco explained that was why he was late. And if his informant had any more time "then this plucky lad could tell you the all of it."
"I vas right about you," Victor said, cheerfully. "You are vild card."
The whistle blew. Victor went toward the flap. Before he went out, he said, "I know vat to do vit' trolls."
"Trolls are easy, if you know what to do," Angelina said, more to herself than anyone else. He glanced at Draco. "I wonder why? Why a troll."
Draco smirked. In a drawling voice he answered. "I do have experience with trolls. Spent time in the infirmary after the first one."
Fleur, the Beaubatons champion, smiled at the thought that came to mind. "It iz perhaps to give you fear?"
"Naw. Knowing it's a troll makes me more confident. I think it means I'd better be worried about one of the other parts."
"I'll pay you back for the hint," Angelina said. "You have experience with trolls but did you ever fight one. Or have lessons on how to fight trolls."
The happy voice became hesitant. "No."
"Then you had better hope it knocks itself out with its own club, or you're never going to have a chance. They're impervious to magic. That means that none of your spells will work on it."
Draco swallowed hard. Trolls would be easy for a seventh year. All he had ever learned to do was avoid them. Angelina gave him a smug look. The whistle blew a second time. Fleur Delacour left the tent.
"No one talks to you, do they?" Angelina asked.
"They say things to me all the time but . . . no. Why?"
Angelina admitted that there was a rumour going around. That Cedric Diggory was better than her. That Draco cheated to give Gryffindor two champions. "I was wondering. How do I fight a rumour like that? Cedric even told me not to listen but . . . You're the expert. What should I do?"
"Crisp It," Draco replied. "'e's not the best," he said, unintentional anger in his voice, "The cup picked you. If."
He stopped speaking a little too quickly. Angelina, however, understood.
"You cunning little schemer. You only pretended to pick his pocket." She was smiling. "How did you do it? Who really put your name in?"
Draco smiled. "Can't tell ya. Professional secret." He leaned over and whispered. "I'll let you know everything I find out, I promise."
"Professional secret?" Angelina repeated, nodding his head. "Someone once told me that Professor Crouch never went anywhere in the Ministry because his father refused to show favoritism."
Draco took the hint and added his own. It might even have been true. "'eard that. Even 'eard he was top choice for a coupla jobs but his old man said no. Got ticked 'bout that."
The whistle blew once more. He was now alone in the tent, waiting. For all his bluster, it was time to show what he was made of. And he already knew how to get past a troll. As long as this one didn't kick him. He did think there was one thing he should have done differently. He should have brought his guitar. He would have had plenty of time to practice.
Finally, the whistle blew for the fourth champion. Draco would now find out what he faced. He raised the flap to the tent and stepped out.
The first thing he saw was a notice on a sign. It said, "Retrieve the silver chalice." It was a nice and simple way of letting him know what his goal was. He looked past the sign. The stands on all sides were packed, not only with students but also with plenty of visitors.
Ahead of him, some twenty meters, stood the troll. A stone wall was built on either side of him leaving a space only an opening slightly larger than the troll who stood at the end. They rose as high as the troll's waist. Walking closer to it, Draco kept his eyes on the club. He waited until he was just out of range and shouted to make sure the troll saw him, stepping back quickly as the troll began to swing its club. He had noticed something else. The troll had a metal collar around its leg. The collar was attached to a heavy chain. The chain was embedded in the stone wall.
The troll swung its club but Draco was out of range. He still needed to decide what to do. Climbing over the wall seemed like a better idea. Wisdom told him first to check to see if there was a trick. And convenience gave him a rock of sufficient size to try. He might make it past the troll by going over one of the wall, but something else could be beyond the walls. And so, he threw the stone.
The wall, below where the stone would pass over, suddenly grew to a sufficient height. The stone hit the wall and bounced off. There was nothing on the other side of the wall. The wall itself was the trick. To pass, Draco had to get by the troll.
Draco tried his wand. He couldn't stun the troll but maybe he could bind it. "IMPEDIMENTIA."
Ropes flew out of the wand and wrapped themselves around the troll, binding it tight. For two seconds. Then it roared angrily and snapped the ropes. To express itself more clearly, it swung its club against the stone walls and lurched forward. The walls smashed themselves to bits then obligingly reformed themselves.
Draco stared.
The troll was still lurching forward. When it smashed the wall, the imbedded chain came free. It was now coming for him. Draco took a deep breath as he prepared to take his chance at running past it. The chain would make it that more dangerous but he had no choice. He remembered what Angelina said and he didn't expect the troll to knock itself out. And Draco would need a club as big as the one the troll had if he wanted to do it himself. Not that he would be able to lift the club, much less reach the troll's head. He'd have to float himself up in the air in order to do that.
"Right!" Draco shouted to himself. It might not work but it was worth a try. He held up his wand and began yelling at the troll as he quickly ran withing range. The troll howled and raised its club. And Draco shouted, "Lignum Leviosa".
It was comical as the troll swung his empty hand down, then looked at its hand in amazement. It gave Draco a puzzled look and noticed that Draco was looking above it. The troll looked up. Draco released the spell. The club came down with a loud THUNK. It fell against the wall, which rose up to knock it back. It then landed on a spot that Draco had hastily backed away from. And Draco was still backing away. The troll was now falling as well. Then Draco stopped backing up. He was against the tent. And the troll was close.
The troll fell forward. Its head hit the ground almost at Draco's feet. But Draco was falling backward. The troll's arms were stretched out in front of him. They landed on either side of Draco, completely smashing the tent he was leaning against. As the canvas fell away, so did Draco.
"Bloody Hell," Draco said to himself. He could hear a mixture of applause and laughter as he stood up. Picking up his wand, he stepped off the downed tent and onto the downed troll. Continuing on, he reached the end of the path and stepped forward to meet his next task. He was in a small courtyard with only a cabinet on the other side by the exit. It was a cabinet he recognized from defense class. The one with the boggart in it. The boggart which Hermione had told him about. From one of the classes he deliberately missed. The one that Professor Lupin promised to let Draco test himself on, but never had the chance. The reason it was here was obvious.
They did it for me, Draco was thinking. The third part was probably the only difficult part. These first two were here to put the cocky boy in his place. Boggarts are easy if you have experience. And they knew Draco had missed his chance for that.
There was no more time to think. The doors to the cupboard were opening. The boggart would come out in a form that reflected Draco's worst fear. He would have to control his fear, think of turning it into something funny and cast the spell, whatever that was.
Draco waited, his wand drawn. A man was stepping out of the cabinet. And the look on his face said he disapproved of Draco. The boy had seen that look many times before. But not on this face. It was the face of Lucius Malfoy.
"Father?" Draco said, half forgetting what it was he was confronting. "Father?"
Lucius Malfoy stood there. An adult image of his son, but for the eyes and the pale blondness if his hair. It made a sharp contrast in the sunlight. It shone like ivory while Draco's hair was almost golden. But the look. Not anger. Disappointment.
Draco stared. A part of him kept saying it wasn't real. The rest of him wasn't listening. The rest of him was watching his father. Watching his father walk slowly toward him. And wondering. What did I do? What did I fail to do? What should I do?
Lucius Malfoy stood before his son. And Draco dropped to his knees and buried his head in his hands. He was on the verge of tears. He wanted to beg forgiveness. He wanted to beg his father to tell him what he had done.
A small voice reminded him it was not his father.
Draco looked up. It was his father. And his look had not change. It radiated disappointment.
The small voice said it was not his father.
Draco dropped his eyes into his hands, again. He could not bear to look at his father. Knowing how his father felt about him.
The small voice pleaded. It is not your father.
A voice from his subconscious spoke. Justin's voice. "Draco, do you have any relatives that are actually related to you?"
Draco snorted.
Draco looked up. He began snickering.
Lucius Malfoy did the impossible. He managed to look even more disappointed. Draco openly laughed. His father was not related to him. The idea seemed so funny. All he needed now was Casper to walk up and call him cousin.
Sensing what Draco was thinking, the boggart changed. It became Casper. Draco howled. The boggart was started changing. To Hermione. To Madam Pomfrey. To Professor McGonagall. To Albus Dumbledore. To Janice.
Draco kept laughing. He couldn't stop. It was worse than if someone were deliberately tickling him. He couldn't stop. It was too funny.
It became Alastor Moody.
It was like turning a switch. The humour was gone. But the fear did not return. Instead, it was annoyance. And a desire to return the favour. The boggart was able to look into a person's mind and find what it most feared. All he had to do was figure out what the boggart most feared. One thing he knew. It could sense what he was thinking.
Draco raised his wand and pointed it. He knew a curse that could cause pain. And he kept thinking how angry he was that he would use it. He would find out how much a boggart liked pain.
"OOF."
Draco looked up from where he now lay on the ground. It was as though a powerful gust of wind had suddenly blown him over onto his back. He was looking for the boggart.
The cabinet was there. The doors open. It was empty. He spun around onto his stomach and began picking himself off the ground. As he looked around, he saw no one. He saw no thing. It was as though the creature had disappeared.
He smiled. It had worked. Draco knew how he would explain it later. He found the form the creature had taken to be so funny, he couldn't think of a form to turn it into. So he tried the next best thing. He tried to make it afraid. And it worked. The boggart ran away.
Casting one last glance at the cupboard as he went past, Draco stepped out of the courtyard and walked into the arena proper. He did not notice that no one was applauding.
It was a wide-open area he was walking across. Almost three quarters the size of the Quidditch pitch. Directly ahead of him, about two thirds of the way, was the Silver Chalice he was supposed to take, sitting on a low pedestal. Off to one side, and coming toward him, was a spider. A big spider. And it was moving fast now that it spotted him. And this time, Draco wasn't worried. He knew exactly what to do.
The spider kept getting bigger. When it was close, Draco made a guess that it was slightly larger than Hagrid's hut. But the spell he was planning to use would be more than good enough. He had an affinity for fire spells. And although personal difficulties made it necessary to become proficient at shielding spells, he had a different one in mind. One he had practiced
He pointed his wand and screamed.
Three things happened. A rush of fire flew forward from the wand. A large spider, running at high speed was suddenly jumping to one side and trying to stop itself. Lastly, a familiar voice was heard shouting from the stands. And the word it shouted was, "NOOOOOOO!"
"Crisp it," Draco cursed as he recognized the voice. He cancelled the spell but held ready as he waited to see what the spider would do. The giant spider was staring at him. With multiple eyes.
"Sorry 'bout that," Draco said with as much regret as he could manage. "Din't know you were a friend of 'agrid." He remembered being awaken one night by two men. They had been to the Forbidden Forest. On a hunch he asked, "You Aragog by any chance?"
The spider started moving forward, slowly. "I am," it said. "I was surprised. I was assured I would not be harmed if I harmed no one."
"They shoulda tol' me. Woulda t'ought more 'fore I did anythin'." He paused. "Whot?"
"I did not understand what you said. Could you repeat it in English?"
Draco had the impression he had just been insulted.
"I apologize," he said in his fancy voice, "No one explained the rules to me, except that I need to reach that big cup over there. Otherwise, I would have taken more care in choosing which spell to cast." He paused and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess they forgot. I'm not known for following the rules, anyway."
"Your apology is accepted. And now I must ask to bite you."
Draco's wand was still up. And his voice was angry. "I'll give you a mouth full of fire, uh, mandible full of fire if you try that. Friend or no friend, I won't be bitten." It was a bluff, but Draco knew he had to try. The spider was being polite, but it was still doing the task assigned. And that task was to stop Draco.
"You are forbidden to hurt me," the spider said.
"And I told you. I don't always play by the rules." Draco was angry. He didn't want to be bitten. And he knew that hundreds of people were watching him argue with a spider. "Look, they want me to lose. If you try to bite me, I will use the flame spell. We both lose. If you don't try to bite me, you stay in one piece and I walk away and claim that cup. We both win." He began backing away. "Take your time to decide what you want to do. I need to be going, thank you very much." He paused. "I'm Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy."
"And I accept your suggestion that we both win, Draco Malfoy." A pause. "And I accept your logic despite my certainty that you will not follow through with what you say you will do. You can stop me, therefore you have. I will do nothing to prevent you from gaining the cup."
"Uh, thanks."
"I will tell Hagrid he has an interesting friend."
Draco had the distinct feeling he had been insulted again. The spider was going to let him win, just because he found Hagrid's friend to be interesting. To make matters worse, the spider did not stay where it was but even walked past Draco to go back to its resting spot.
Walked right past me, Draco fumed, like it couldn't be bothered. It's not a problem. You're that amusing friend of Hagrid's. "Lucky you're not a crab," Draco muttered to himself, "else we'd be having seafood for dinner."
With a careless swipe of his hand, he grabbed the chalice off the pedestal it was on and continued walking to the exit. Now the embarrassing part would begin. He would have to explain what happened. He finished the task because someone with eight legs decided to be nice to him.
Entering the tent at the other end of the arena was not what Draco expected. The other champions were not there. The Minister was, as well as the headmaster. Dumbledore directed him to see Madam Pomfrey first. She was through the door that he pointed to. In a makeshift infirmary.
"Are you hurt in any way?" She asked as soon as he walked through the door.
"Only my ego."
"This is not a joke." Her anger was evident, although the reason was not.
"NO. I am not hurt."
"That's one small blessing. Although you do have much to answer for. Why can't you follow the rules? The Minister is furious."
"WHAT RULES?" Draco shouted. "AND THE MINISTER'S ALREADY MAD AT ME."
"Could you please be quiet?" Angelina Johnson said from a nearby bed.
Draco looked and saw all three champions. Viktor Krum, at the far end, looked fine. Fleur Delacour looked like she was almost fine. Angelina looked like she would recover. Draco gave Madam Pomfrey a questioning look. She answered it.
"You've probably guessed that the first two parts were made especially for you. The third part was supposed to be a challenge. One that couldn't be won. The challenge was to see how well you handled yourself."
"Yeah, Aragog told me about that. But no one told me about the rules before I left the tent."
Madam Pomfrey would have none of his attitude. "The rules were posted outside the tent."
Draco laughed. "You mean about retrieving the chalice? I followed it. See." He held up the cup in his hand.
"The other one," Pomfrey fumed.
"What other one?" Draco convinced himself this must be some kind of joke. "That was the only thing posted." He hesitated. "Was there a second sign?"
Now it was Madam Pomfrey's turn to hesitate. "No. Only one sign. With two rules, one above the other."
"One sign. One rule."
"One sign, two rules." Angelina said, leaning up on her elbows.
"Dat is right," Viktor confirmed. Fleur was nodding her head.
Madam Pomfrey looked at Draco carefully. She turned to the other champions. "Could someone fetch Charlie Weasley for me? I have something I need him to do." She turned back to Draco as the French girl quickly left the room. "Expect a few surprises." She held up her finger. "The one thing you shouldn't be surprised about is that the few friends you have are now fewer."
Draco nodded. He was about to be blamed for something. He had better be ready for it.
"What should I do?"
Madam Pomfrey pointed to the other end of the tent. "Once Miss Delacour returns, join the rest of the Champions. I'll personally inform Dumbledore once Charlie gets back to me."
Angelina was already sitting up by the time Charlie left to examine the troll. Hagrid had come with him to the infirmary and left with him to help. Madam Pomfrey then waited. She took as much time as she could before letting them leave. When she opened the door and looked out, she smiled, then looked back at Draco and nodded. As Draco left, he saw Charlie Weasley and Albus Dumbledore talking. Neither man looked up. Hagrid, standing behind them, gave a nod of his head. Draco followed the rest of the champions up a wooden stair which led to a platform. From the platform, there was a clear view of the entire arena. Professor Karkoroff greeted his student warmly, although Viktor Krum looked like he could care less. Madame Maxime embraced Fleur Delacour and said something in French. Professor McGonagall was there for Angelina. She initially scowled at Draco, but her look became one of shock as Angelina told her about the sign. Doctor McCudgeon was more concerned about what Angelina was saying to pay any immediate attention to Draco. When she did, she told him it was no more than she should have expected.
Draco started to ask her a question but another voice could be heard. Ludo Bagman, using a charm to amplify his voice, was announcing the scores. Victor Krum was awarded 45 points. There was a loud cheer from the section where most of that schools students were sitting. Fleur Delacour was next. She also received 45 points. This time Beaubatons was the source of the loudest cheers. Angelina looked nervous when her name was called out. She then smiled when Bagman announced she had been awarded 50 points. The smile grew as the Hogwarts students, the largest group there, began shouting their approval. As the applause waned, Bagman announced the last name. Draco Malfoy. Zero points. The small amount of applause was mean-spirited.
"I guess the Minister hadn't heard," Draco quipped.
"I don't think he cares," Doctor McCudgeon replied. "We need to talk anyway, once we have a chance."
They were gathered in the makeshift infirmary, again The four champions, the four representatives of the competing schools, Ludo Bagman, Albus, Dumbledore, Barty Crouch, Junior, and Crouch Senior, the Minister for Magic. Also present, but not part of the group, was Madam Pomfrey and Charlie Weasley.
Crouch, Junior, explained that the chalice that each contestant held was also a clue to the next task. Part of that task was to find the clue. The champions were encouraged to help each other in this and to report, honestly, on their progress. He concluded his brief explanation by asking if there were any questions.
Draco raised his hand. He was angry. Barty asked what his question was.
"Why was I set up? Because I was too clever?"
"Set up?"
"Oh, sorry. Not used to the phrase? I'll explain."
"MALFOY!" It was the Minister. Angry. "You do not need to explain anything."
Draco didn't care. "Then the troll broke free for everyone else? Or was the sign changed for everyone else as well? Was it all a clever excuse to make sure I lost?"
Madam Pomfrey stepped forward. "Minister. Charlie Weasley took Rubeus Hagrid with him to see after the troll. I asked them to examine the sign. As the troll landed on top of it, the sign was still untouched."
Madam Maxime answered. "Zat iz good. We know one accusation iz correct." She glanced at the Minister, then at Dumbledore. "Because eet iz correct, I will want to change my score."
Dumbledore nodded. "You are right about that. Mister Malfoy should not be penalized because he was not informed of all the rules. However, there is the matter of the boggart."
Draco snorted. "Do you mean you can't find it? It couldn't have run too far."
"Unbelievable," the Minister uttered. "Do you honestly think that you scared it off?"
Draco hesitated. Dumbledore's face held no anger when he looked at him. It held pity. "You destroyed it, Mister Malfoy."
Draco was then asked what he had done. He explained how he had imagined causing it pain. Since it was reading his mind, he decided to try something.
"I only meant to scare it?"
The Minister laughed. "By silently casting the Cruciatus Curse? I know about your secret lessons. I didn't know they were so well advanced."
"Whot?"
Angelina Johnson felt she had to help Draco understand. She explained that they were taught to sub-vocalize spells in their sixth year. When Draco claimed that no one taught him to do that, the Minister sneered, saying he must have learned it on his own. When Draco tried to respond to the remark, he was cut off.
The Minister smiled with a grim pleasure. "With this last revelation, I've decided to put an end to the charade. Draco Malfoy, by my authority as Minister for Magic, you are hereby expelled." He stepped forward and grabbed the silver chalice from Draco's hand. "You may leave."
Despite the protest from Dumbledore, the Minister insisted that Draco be gone before any further discussion was held. Amid the mixed looks he received from the others, he departed the tent. This time, instead of walking up the stairs he stepped past them and walked behind the stands toward the exit.
He expected Justin and Hermione to be there. That Will and Casper had joined them was a surprise. That Hagrid was waiting was also a surprise but it shouldn't have been. And the giant was explaining something to the others. All looked at him anxiously. He decided to tell them at once.
"I've been expelled. Again."
Everyone began objecting that it was wrong, which made Draco feel better. Then Hermione asked why Dumbledore expelled him. If it was because of the sign. He told them he was expelled by the Minister, himself. That was when William Potter smiled.
"That's great." William smirked when everyone stared at him. "I mean, the Rite."
"The what?" Justin and Draco managed to ask this question at the same time.
"Of course," Hermione said, then gave Will a surprised look. "I didn't know you read 'Hogwarts, a History'."
"Didn't. I had to do a history paper. The person I chose went through the Rite."
"Well done, anyway." Hermione was still smiling. She insisted they wait. It shouldn't be too long. Ten minutes later, her eyes gleamed as she saw that people were approaching. She said to Draco, "let me handle this."
"Sure." He watched as she walked past him. Hermione walked directly up to the Minister. And shouted. "As The Legal Representative Of Draco Malfoy, I Claim The Rite Of Inclusion."
The Minister scoffed. "Fine. We'll hold the Rite before the evening meal." Draco noticed that while the Minister was laughing, Dumbledore made it a point to pat Hermione's shoulder as though to congratulate her. As she walked past, Madam Pomfrey stopped to give her a hug.
The Minister made it a point to sneer once more as he walked past Draco. Dumbledore merely smiled, as did Madam Maxime. Victor Krum wished him good luck with whatever the Rite was. Fleur Delacour did the same. Angelina simple shook his head as though it was all a joke.
"That's one smart girl," Madam Pomfrey said as she stopped to talk. "And all of you had better get busy. You do know what you have to do?"
"I'll explain it," Will offered, and left quickly with Justin and Casper.
"I'll pass the word to the other teachers," Hagrid offered and quickly followed the Hufflepuffs.
"Let me tell you that you were right, Draco," Pomfrey told him. "The sign you told us about. It was changed. The rule about not harming any of the creatures had been erased." She nodded toward Hermione who was talking with Charlie Weasley. "They found it, exactly as you said, when they moved the troll."
"Is the troll dead?"
A snort. "From being hit in the head? Not likely." She squeezed his cheek, mostly because he didn't like it. "And good luck."
Draco walked up to Hermione to thank her. She paused, looking at the Weasley standing next to her.
"I'm sorry, Draco. I was explaining to . . . Charlie what the Rite of Inclusion is."
"Good. I'd like to know, too."
Doctor McCudgeon stepped out of the shadows. "Make that three of us."
Hermione assumed her lecturing tone. "The Rite of Inclusion was started about eight hundred years ago. And it's only been invoked six times. Well, Seven, now that I invoked it. If any student is expelled by anyone other than the Headmaster or acting Headmaster, that student, through his legal representative, can invoke the Rite." She paused. "You should know, it was only successful once. The other five were still expelled."
"My chances aren't good. I can live with that. But what is this Rite?"
"It 's fairly simple. First they ask all the teachers if you should be permitted to stay. If any of them say no, then you're expelled. But if all of them say yes, they poll the staff, the ghosts, then the students."
Draco's eyes asked the question. Hermione nodded. The poll of students also had to be unanimous.
"I'll start packing."
