Will you look at that...I almost done with Book Four...I'm so proud of myself :D

The next morning left Harry furious. Fudge had had the Dementor's Kiss performed on Barty Crouch despite the efforts of four people to stop him. Snape was angry. Dumbledore was livid. Harry was nearly crazy with anger. He had shouted names (but he didn't mention "Nott" for some reason) and Dumbledore had tried to reason with the man about planning ahead, so that Voldemort could not regain the power he had held before, but Fudge seemed determined to ignore such advice.

As it turned out, Petunia had had enough, much to the shock of everyone, including Dumbledore.

"You office-loving self-preserving insulent little..." She struggled momentarily for a word and then spat, "Toadstool!"

"See here, woman." Fudge was taken aback. "I am Minister of..."

"I don't care what you call yourself." She pointed a finger at him. "You're still a toadstool. My sister and her husband did not die for you to let their sacrifice go to waste now! You are getting sound advice from a wise man who could more than replace you! Take it, you idiot! Use it to your advantage because if he turns out to be right and you've done nothing, you can kiss that..."

Harry's eyes were nearly bulging out of his head by the words his aunt used. It was enough to make Minerva gasp and Dumbledore's eyes practically sparkle.

"You will sorely regret it if your arrogance and your greed is the reason behind more people's deaths." She spat and she was right up to him, her finger pointed at his nose and poking it with every word of importance. "Do you think the people will want you as their Minister then? They'll all be calling you a toadstool!"

"I actually highly doubt they'd call him a toadstool." Snape drawled. "Probably something more along..."

Minerva gasped as he basically repeated what Petunia had said only a moment before. "Severus! We are at a school! In the presence of a student!"

"I hardly think Potter minds." Snape hissed at her.

"He can't be back..." Fudge finally whimpered. "He can't be."

Snape finally strode forward, lifting his left sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. Fudge recoiled and Sirius gave a disgusted look. Lupin whimpered and Minerva straightened. Dumbledore didn't seemed fazed at all while Petunia's brows rose high on her forehead. "There. It is completely dark now. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago when it burned black, but it is there."

Fudge whimpered some more and finally consented that the Dark Lord had returned. Weakly, he passed Harry a bag, muttered it was his winnings from the Tournament, and left the room, Dumbledore following him out, a comforting arm around his shoulders. The elder wizard only returned to pass out another round of instructions, giving his final one to Snape, which was merely a "You know what it is I ask of you."

Finally, the only ones left in the room were Petunia, Harry, and Dumbledore. The wisened wizard turned to Petunia, eyes sparkling, and said, "You would have made a fine witch, Petunia."

She stuck up her nose in a dignified way. "I don't need to be."

"No, no. Not at all." He smiled pleasantly. "You make a fine Muggle as well. You have done one of the most amazing things today for today you have helped the wizarding world with a whole year's worth of trouble. I hope it is not wasted."

She didn't say anything, but Harry swore he saw pride in her eyes.

"There is a House-elf." Dumbledore told her finally. "Just outside the door named Dobby. He will be taking you home. I'm afraid it is time."

She gave a sure nod and then turned to Harry. "I will see you then in a few days."

"Yeah." He wanted to hug her, but refrained from it. "Thank you...you have no idea...how much this means to me."

"I think I could guess." She mumbled and then with another nod and a pat on Harry's shoulder, she left the hospital wing.

"How did you convince her?" Was the first question out of Harry's mouth. "How did you get her to come?"

"She was much easier to persuade than you may have thought." Dumbledore answered, but did not elaborate. "Harry, I want you to know that this was inevitable, that the Dark Lord was always destined to return."

"I know." Harry murmured. "It's just...it's my fault again, sir. It's my fault that all those people got hurt. That Krum used Imperio and Delacour was stunned and that Cedric...that Cedric was bit by a werewolf."

"Lupin will see to him." Dumbledore replied. "Cedric is not alone and his parents still love him."

"I want them to have the gold." Harry stated sternly. "It should have been Cedric. I cheated. I flew over the hedges, but I saw it was him who was coming that way. If I hadn't cheated, he'd have won."

"And died for it." Dumbledore added. "It was a good thing you flew, Harry. If you had not, the fate of Cedric Diggory would have been death instead."

Feeling miserable, Harry scowled at his feet. "Sir...those Death Eaters I've named...will they be caught?"

"If the Ministry believes you, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "They should be caught...I do wonder though, Harry, if perhaps you may have...forgot any names?"

Harry stiffened slightly. "No. I haven't forgotten any."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Could you tell me them again?"

"A-Avery, Goyle, Crabbe, Malfoy, and Macnair...but Macnair is...dead...Voldemort cast the killing curse at me, but I dodged and it hit Macnair instead."

"Yes. The Dark Lord never seemed to mourn the loss of his Death Eaters and frequently killed his own. You are sure there were no more."

"There were none." Harry said quicker than he probably should have.

"Very well." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be laughing now. "There is someone here to see you."

Harry's head lifted and his eyes widened at the sight of Theodore Nott standing just beyond Harry, looking nervous and uncertain. Dumbledore excused himself and closed the infirmary door behind them. Approaching cautiously, Theodore told Harry that they didn't have much time alone as Cedric Diggory would be brought up soon.

"Were there really only five?" Theodore asked after a pause.

Harry hesitated and then whispered. "No...there was another...N-Nott..."

Theodore stared at Harry for a long moment, his eyes filled with worry. "You...lied? F-for me?"

"Yes." Harry swallowed hard. "I shouldn't have...but...it's you...I don't want you to get in trouble or...hurt."

Eyes now downcast, Theodore began to shake slightly. "Are an idiot...Harry...are an idiot..."

They didn't speak for a whole minute until Theodore regained control over himself and muttered, "Will use it to his advantage, your kindness..."

"I know."

Sighing, Theodore looked at Harry sternly. "I have something to show you."

Just then the doors opened again and the Diggorys call came in, Cedric being helped into a bed. Harry was surprised to see Lupin there as well, dressed in his ragged clothes and looking as if he'd just lived through hell.

"Easy does it." Lupin helped Cedric into a bed. "We'll get you comfortable there, Diggory."

"Professor..." Cedric sounded like he was in tears and in a lot of pain. Madam Pomfrey was bustling about in her potions cabinets. "D-does it hurt, transforming?"

"A bit." Lupin admitted in a low voice as Cedric's mother wailed openly. "But you'll be okay. You're strong."

"Will it happen tonight?" Cedric croaked.

"No...it won't happen until the next moon." Lupin reassured him. "You have time to prepare and there will be the potion."

"What about school?" Cedric begged. "I can't keep coming to Hogwarts...like this...I'll be a danger..."

"There is a potion that Professor Snape is more than capable of preparing." Lupin told him in a pleasant tone. "And there is a place you can go where it'll be safe for you and the students. Professor Dumbledore let me attend seven years of school here as a werewolf and that was without the potion. I'm sure he'll let you finish school, Cedric."

"You are sure?" Amos asked in a squeaky voice.

"I am positive." Lupin stated sternly before returning his attention to Cedric. "And I will help you through this. I promise."

"I need to clean the wound, Lupin." Pomfrey bustled over. "Please, everyone, step back and give us some privacy."

Before anyone could complain, curtains had appeared and the Diggory couple and Lupin had been ushered out. Lupin remained there with the Diggorys, assuring them that their son's condition would not affect his schoolwork here at Hogwarts nor would it change who he was as a person. "It is merely a disease like any disease. It just happens to be volatile, but the potion will make him a pleasant harmless werewolf as you saw I was."

"Thank you." Amos wiped furiously at his eyes.

Harry, knowing he shouldn't, but he got up and approached them. After profuse apologies, he offered them the gold as he believed it should have been Cedric since Harry cheated.

"I..." Amos hesitated, voice cracking. "I know this will sound selfish, but...I am so glad you did cheat. Keep the money. Cedric wouldn't want us to take it."

"I don't want it!" Cedric called from the other side of the curtain amidst his groans of pain. "Keep it, Harry! It's yours. You won it fair and square."

"But..." Harry complained. "I don't want it!"

"Well, then..." Lupin smiled at Harry. "I have an idea for who you could give it to."

Fred and George were absolutely flabbergast the moment Harry offered them the gold a few days after Harry was finally released from the hospital wing.

"You want to give this to us?" Fred asked, mouth dropped.

"Yeah." Harry nodded surely, still holding out the gold. "Lupin told me you were planning to start up a Joke Shop and, well, more laughs is certainly what everyone will be needing. Besides, you need it more than I do and I owe you for second year when you saved me from the Dursleys. Why did you anyways?"

George shrugged. "I don't really know. We heard what was going on and we just felt...bad."

"Wouldn't have wanted ourselves or anyone else in that situation." Fred added.

"Didn't think it was right that Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, was stuck in it."

"Well, thanks." Harry smiled. "And that gold...just...take it...and...I don't know. Do what you want with it, I guess...just...don't share with Ronald..."

They agreed and happily parted ways with him, talking ecstatically about their plans for the gold.

"Foolish as always." Theodore came out of hiding and crossed his arms as he leaned against a wall. "Giving away that money."

Harry shrugged. "I didn't want it."

Theodore simply shook his head and then said, "I have something for you."

"That's right. You said something back in the hospital wing all those nights ago. What is it?"

Theodore held up a jar with a beetle in it. "Meet Skeeter."

"She's an Animagus!"

"An unregistered Animagus." Theodore elaborated, grinning evilly. "And currently she's my pet beetle."

"How long are you going to keep her in there?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"As long as she needs." Theodore snickered. "Thinking a couple years should be good. Already sent letters under her name to all the places she used to write saying she's taking a vacation after the horror of the Tournament's final task."

"You're a little bit evil." Harry joked and Theo smiled.

"Oh, not as evil as I almost was." Theodore's eyes flashed a wicked glint. "Almost squashed her."

On the train home, the two of them sat together in a compartment with none other than Cedric Diggory who didn't quite feel comfortable enough to join his old friends.

"It's weird, you know." He mumbled to them. "I don't feel right...like I shouldn't be near anybody."

"You'll be all right, Cedric." Harry reassured him. "Look at Lupin. He was able to come and teach a whole year at Hogwarts."

"He got loose though, didn't he?" Cedric asked worriedly. "At the end of the year. He was loose without the potion."

"He didn't hurt anyone." Harry told him, though not as certainly as he had before. "And it was a rare instance because of a rare circumstance. That won't happen to you."

Eventually, Cedric did leave to accompany his friends when said friends begged him to return to his compartment because they missed him.

Alone together, Harry asked Theodore to show him the beetle again. They poked fun at her for a little while, shook the bottle a couple times, tempted a large spider Theodore had captured earlier with her, and eventually dropped her some water and bread crumbs before putting her away again.

"Will everything be all right?" Harry finally questioned, looking at his friend. "With you and your dad?"

Theodore shrugged. "No idea. Helps you didn't rat him out, but I don't know."

Harry scooted closer to his friend and rested his head on Theodore's shoulder. "We won't see each other this summer, will we?"

"No...we won't." Theodore admitted. "No one will trust me...only you...and my dad...you shouldn't be coming around me when I'm at home...and I can't be coming around your house either."

Harry nuzzled his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault." Theodore mumbled.

They stayed like that the rest of the journey and, when they got off the train, shared an awkward embrace as neither of them had ever really hugged each other. Finally, Theodore wished Harry well before starting on his way towards his waiting father while Harry approached his uncle and aunt.

"Another year wasted I see." Vernon growled at Harry. "Up to nasty peculiarities. Heard you almost got yourself killed in that Tournament."

"Bet you're disappointed." Harry shot back.

Vernon spat. "You damn well bet I am!"

"Vernon." Petunia scolded, glaring at her husband and then motioning to the families around them who were giving them strange looks.

"Right." Vernon cleared his throat. "This way...freak..."

As they started off, Petunia turned to look back at Harry and, though Harry wasn't sure, he swore he saw her wink right before she returned her gaze forward.

Maybe...he hoped and crossed his fingers...maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad after all...

YAY! I FINISHED BOOK FOUR! I THOUGHT I'D NEVER GET THROUGH IT! This makes me happy. :D Hope you enjoyed. Review if you want.