Chapter 49 - Fruition
On the last the weekend before the task, Cedric, Fleur and Harry met up in the last of their regular meetings. It had started with Harry dragging Fleur along to hear about the second task's worrying complication. After that, they had made it a point to meet up for a chat about the Tournament each Saturday just before lunch.
Cedric smiled at the other two. "Looking forward to Saturday?"
"A little," Harry allowed, "it'll be good to get it over with, at least. This school and its lethal threats to students, I tell you!"
Fleur smiled somewhat at the way he made light of the real dangers he had faced. "I agree, zis Tournament 'as already done for me what I wished, non? I 'ope to get zrough it without any further problems."
"On that note," Harry said, "would either of you like a clone on guard? Same terms as the other tasks, they only move in if you ask or you're already in immediate danger."
"But you heard Bagman." Cedric said. "You'd be disqualified if you helped us."
"Sure, mate, but I would also have my friends alive and able to finish the task. And that's only if they catch me." Harry grinned devilishly. "We all know they haven't been too good at that, have they?"
"You'd risk that, though?"
"I would. The rewards could be useful I guess but I never wanted to be in their stupid Tournament in the first place. Getting disqualified for doing the right thing wouldn't be a bad way to finish it."
"There's that. Plus you would get a reputation for being a good guy rather than someone who valued wealth and fame over his friends."
"You're getting cynical, Cedric. Keep it up!" Harry smiled. "And you're right, that would be a likely result but I'd rather have my friends either way. So, guards?"
"No thanks, Harry. I want to try this on my own." Cedric's reply surprised Harry. Fleur hesitated then nodded.
"Both of you? You're sure I can't talk you out of it?" Harry asked.
"I'm sure you could, Harry, but please don't." Cedric's dry reply made him smile ruefully.
"Alright, I guess. You're both old enough to make your own decisions. It's just-"
"-that you want to keep us safe." Fleur smiled. "We know, 'Arry."
"Thanks, Harry."
They talked about their preparations, aware that this would reduce the element of surprise but the advantage of having others able to pick over their ideas for dangers was worth it, they felt.
At lunch, their decision to turn down Harry's help met a mixed reception. There was some satisfaction that they were standing up for themselves but also the fear that their friends were making the wrong decision. Added to that, Hermione had the suspicion that the organisers were saving the worst for last. Still, they left it alone and talked about other things, from the Quidditch scores to just why Mr Crouch had taken so ill yet refused a Healer.
"Maybe he doesn't want people to know just what he got up to?" Nym asked, her naughty expression telling the others where her mind was.
"Or maybe he knows his time with the Ministry is nearly up." Hermione growled. "He could just be milking the Ministry for all the money he can get before they get around to firing him at last."
"While I'd love for them to do just that, Hermione, I hate to say they're unlikely to do it without a push. He's already weathered the storm over Sirius' false imprisonment. Technically, he hasn't even been punished for it." Harry growled then took a breath to calm down. "No, my money is on him having something he really doesn't want to get out."
They didn't come to an agreement on the matter but that was fine. It just meant more betting, really.
That evening, the Jewels enjoyed another Hufflepuff pyjama party. They had moved it up since the following week would be the end of the Tournament and a reason to have a more exuberant party and celebration. While they honestly expected Harry to win, just surviving the bloody thing would be good enough excuse.
With the coming dangers, Fleur was feeling more in need of reassurance and support, and as a result she unconsciously let out more of her Allure. Harry had held her close and whispered to her that she didn't need to do that to get his attention which helped for a little while. Then Harry's presence and caresses merged with her own emotional state and she pulled him on top of her on the loveseat they were using and she released her control on the Allure again, wanting Harry so much.
When Harry gave her the kisses and passion she needed, she moaned into his mouth but felt something was missing. She pulled back a little confused, exposing her neck to Harry's kisses then realised that she had never truly been in control of their lovemaking. Looking up into his lust-filled eyes, she asked "May I be on top, mon cher?"
His response was to flip them over in an instant and she blinked at the change before looking down at him and pressing herself against him, feeling his hard chest beneath her as she ran her hands all over him. The trust he had for her and the control she felt spoke to her Veela side, saying this is how it should be for her. Fleur had never really valued that part of her that much. Her Veela nature had been something for Fleur to master, never to master her. Now, she found the pleasure in doing things that seemed right to that side of her and she was hooked.
Only then did Fleur look around and see what she had wrought on what was supposed to be a night for cuddling.
The party turned orgy went on late into the night and even with Harry's help to remove the worst effects of lack of sleep, it was a blessing to be able to sleep in.
That extra sleep had consequences though. As a result of her later start to the day, Hermione dispelled her clones later. When they did, the rush of memories overwhelmed both the real witch at Hogwarts, who simply started making love to Harry again, and the clone she left behind to live with her parents.
That one was sitting at the table with her mother on the Sunday morning while her father was still sleeping off the effects of a late night with a loving, active wife. Liz asked "So how are things going at Hogwarts?" assuming that as usual her daughter had kept to her routine, updating the clones' memories around six o'clock over an hour earlier. Hermione closed her eyes as the rush had an unexpected effect on her. She and the others had gone wild the night before and just the memory of what she had done to the others, and they had done to her, got her motor running in a big way.
Before she could stop herself, Hermione moaned sexily. "Ohh wow that was hot." Hermione whispered, unaware her mother was even in the same room.
Liz's voice, so similar to her own, asked the obvious question. "What was hot, Hermione?" She knew there were some things she shouldn't ask, but this was her daughter and she wanted to know if she should try to interfere or not.
Her eyes still closed as the glorious scenes played out again and again in her memory, Hermione started to tell her mother how they had had another of the pyjama parties, her voice tumbling forth as she described the orgy of the night before in explicit detail.
Liz was surprised by how wanton, how open her daughter was about the things she had done and seen but most of all when her own body reacted to the story, and shocking her but not enough to make Hermione stop. This was better than any of her special novels, hotter than any of her dreams. Liz couldn't hold back her own moans at the images playing out in her mind. Luckily for her, Hermione didn't hear her over the sounds she was making, the two blending in nicely.
Leaning back, eyes closed and face flushed, Hermione was a sexy young woman and under the table her legs rubbed together as she kept talking on and on about everything that had happened, every sweet, sexy or depraved act she had witnessed or done herself.
Liz got up quietly before Hermione was finished and headed to her bedroom, waking up Matt with an urgent mission to scratch a certain itch.
Downstairs, Hermione opened her eyes, finally remembering that she had been talking like that to her own mother. She looked around for her mum but failed to see the woman.
Liz came downstairs later with Matt to find that one of Harry's clones had visited and prepared breakfast for the pair then went on an errand. He'd left a note, saying he had to pick up some supplies from home for Athena's training or he would have stayed longer to say hi, and that he hoped they enjoyed the meal. Athena had a smile and rosy cheeks from her morning run training with Harry.
She found Hermione curled up with a book, refusing to meet her eyes at first. When Liz just ignored the whole affair, talking about the book on late Roman history rather than criticise her earlier behaviour, Hermione relaxed and opened up again. It had been painful to see her elder daughter afraid of her, especially when Liz was sure that she held most of the responsibility. It was Liz, after all, who had asked the question and Liz who failed to stop Hermione's confession. It was also Liz who got turned on by her own daughter's story while Hermione got lost in memory.
That afternoon, Matt sat down to watch the telly later and Athena went outside warming up before doing katas under Harry's watch. Liz gathered Hermione and led them to Hermione's bedroom before shutting the door. After taking a deep breath to gather her courage, she looked at her daughter. "I want you to know that I heard what you said. While I didn't imagine you would like girls as much as boys, I can't say I am as surprised as I thought I'd be. When I was your age, well, I did have thoughts too." Ignoring Hermione's blush, she forged on. "You also seem to have inherited my, um, drive. Now, I am glad you are having fun, but I am more glad that you are being safe. I am far too young to be a grandmother."
Hermione was horrified and now felt more sympathy for how Harry had endured his own far too detailed Talk from the Clan. As they talked, she got over that initial reaction, and she talked some more with her mother about the various things she did. According to her mother, this was purely to make sure Hermione wasn't hurting herself but her daughter couldn't stop the thought that it might also have been to let her mother enjoy the stories, too.
It was a different kind of mother-daughter bonding from their previous talks, but it was just as effective at cementing their friendship and trust. That night, they ate some Indian takeaway and played games as a family, just like the times before she started at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hermione had confessed the following day to Harry what she had done, what she had said and thought, as she cuddled close to him. The clone of hers had enjoyed the soothing family ritual at the end of the night and right now the real girl was being soothed by Harry's loving arms around her. "I wish you hadn't told her, but what's done is done, Hermione. That certainly could have gone much worse! It looks like she's supportive too, which is really great."
"I know, and I'll try to be more careful in future, Harry. I don't think that's ever happened to me before, though, so I didn't even know it could."
"That's true, and the others have been warned, too, so hopefully we won't have more accidents." Harry sighed. "I just want everything to go perfectly, I guess." He shook his head. When she looked amused, he nodded. "Yep, silly of me, I know. This could have gone so badly, though, it scares me. Especially if it had hurt you both here and at home."
Hermione snuggled closer, shivering at how close they had all come to disaster. Harry's warm hands rubbed her shoulders then he gave her a short backrub, something that relaxed both of them and letting them breathe easily again.
During the week that followed, Harry gave his first magical friend all the support he could as the last days before the final task passed them by. While the other girls were disappointed in her for slipping, they forgave her easily enough. None of them wanted to stay mad with any of the others, not when the rewards for helping each other were so good.
The important points were that she knew what her mistake was and that it shouldn't happen again. After all, Hermione was a very intelligent young witch who learned very quickly. That and the way she cared about other people were big reasons why she was well loved among the Jewels.
As the day of the task dawned, Harry was to be found taking an invigorating run in the Room of Requirements. Cedric and Fleur were in their own enclosures inside the mile long running track Harry had 'required' from the room, getting in some last minute practice on their spellcasting as Harry's feet pounded the track. None of them could really sleep too well the night before, the excitement and anxiety preventing the true rest they wanted. Even Harry was feeling it, wondering just what they would throw at him this time.
The alarm Harry had set blared out and he slowed to a walk at the ten minute warning before it was time to hit the showers. He looked over at his friends, noting approvingly that they were cooling down too from their training, an extra glance taking in Fleur's sweaty form. Once that period was over, he gave Cedric a grin then headed to the shower. Fleur followed him inside where they had a little fun before heading down to the Great Hall to make an appearance at breakfast, all of them now hungry enough to eat a proper meal.
They had worked off their nervous energy and their nerves, letting them laugh and joke with their friends. The large group had taken the step of taking the day off studying for their exams to be with the three Champions. Off with Karkaroff, Viktor Krum had been forbidden from 'revealing any of his secrets to the enemy' and ensconced on the Durmstrang ship where he engaged in a number of odd forms of practice.
Harry was sure that the pair of wizards fondly imagined themselves to be private but he had developed a number of counters to the array of privacy charms thrown up by wizards and witches. The simplest was to be within the warded region when they went up, usually hanging onto a wall or the ceiling since most people didn't bother looking up too much.
During the day, the Delacours and the Diggorys got to visit their children, letting them know they would be there to watch the task. Naruto and Ino were there too, discussing privately various plans for the task. "I already have a number of options prepared." Harry had explained, going on to list them. By the end, they nodded seriously and were about to remind him not to get overconfident, only for Harry to say it first.
"Very good, my son." Naruto beamed at him.
"So where are the others going to be watching from?" Harry asked.
"You think we'd gatecrash an official Ministry of Magic event?"
"Of course you would, for the prank if no other reason." Harry shot back.
"You're right, and we'll be watching from the same box as the other families, along with our pet foxes." Ino-mum answered, smiling fondly at him.
Harry returned the smile. "Thanks, I'll be sure to wave to them." They headed off to join the other two families, exchanging pleasantries and keeping away from business for once.
After a light pre-dinner, the Champions were all called down to the former Quidditch pitch. True to advertising, the hedges were now twenty feet tall, blocking all sight.
"Mr Bagman, how are the people going to see what's going on? Once we're in there, won't the task be incredibly boring for the audience?" Not that it would slow down Harry either way, but it was something he had been meaning to ask.
"Ah, yes, you see, one of the junior staffers in my department had this wonderful idea, she enchanted some panes of glass to 'capture the image', she called it, then sending it to other bits of glass that will display the images. Each of the first sort are set to track each one of the Champions and an extra one will give a sort of overview of the maze with your progress marked on it in gold. Wonderful idea, really smart those Muggleborns, you know." Bagman gushed in his enthusiasm. "Shame we can't promote her but you know how it goes."
Harry smothered his instinctive reaction to such a casual display of bigotry. The wizard in front of him simply didn't see any problem with what he was saying and would protest strongly any accusations that he was prejudiced. He could take it up later, for now there were more important things. Firstly, his preferred method of getting through the maze by going underground and skipping it and its dangers was now out of the question. Too many people would want to know how he did it. Likewise burning a path would be too showy and too conventional. Jumping over the hedge walls, while easy enough for him was also out for similar reasons.
Harry decided to treat the crowd to a performance. Since they were already expecting him to do something impressive, it would be in character to continue that line. It would mean his enemies got a false expectation of him, thinking him to be unwilling or unable to use subtlety. As for the task, Harry treated it like the Gordian knot and used the Alexandrian solution.
While Bagman trotted off to his place, Professor McGonagall came out with Professors Moody, Flitwick and Hagrid to talk to the Champions. "We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze. If you get into difficulty and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air and one of us will come and get you. Do you understand? Very good."
The teachers split off to take their sections of the maze as Bagman announced the Champions and their standings with Harry firmly in the lead, then Cedric, Fleur and Krum. That gave Harry a small lead on the others, entering the maze ahead of them, and he used it well, hurrying into the black shadows.
Where the others would have problems with the darkness, Harry's eyes adjusted easily to the conditions. Once out of sight of the competition, Harry reached into his pouch. The rules had again stated the only magical tools allowed were wands but that wasn't a hindrance to Harry. Making a single seal with his left hand, wand waved in his right, he created a blazing flare that ascended into the air above him and covering him from sight.
He pulled out a kunai, one sharpened and reinforced especially for this maze, and got to work slashing and hacking a path through the leafy wall. It took only seconds to get through the hedge thanks to the encasing wind-natured chakra on the blade backed up by Harry's own strength and by that time the flare had faded.
Another flare, another slash, and Harry was through the next hedge, repeating with each one after that as he took a path almost straight to the Triwizard Cup. A side-effect of what he was doing allowed Cedric and Fleur to follow him though Viktor Krum took his own path, thinking that he was better off going his own way. He would later regret that choice before accepting years after that there was no way he could have beaten all the others to the Cup.
It was rather odd how quiet it was in here, really. Harry figured they had used some sort of silencing spells to achieve that effect.
There weren't that many obstacles on the way other than the walls of the maze itself. Harry decided that Bagman had been right about the fire spells not being sufficient to get your average wizard to the centre, not with any power reserves worthy of the name. Only minutes after entering the large maze, Harry was nearly at the centre.
Harry estimated there were still a few walls remaining between himself and the clearing around the Cup when he came face to face with the very first of the promised challenges he had encountered.
He didn't know where they had obtained one, but they had placed an Occamy in the maze. Its serpentine body stretched a full fifteen feet, indicating it was large for its kind and its eyes were already showing the aggression for which the breed were infamous. As it lunged at him, Harry stepped to the side, his kunai already coming up and slicing off its head in a single economical stroke.
In the next passage, a sphinx was waiting patiently as she guarded one end. Harry grinned at her and cut his way through the hedge instead of facing her challenge. The proud being didn't take well to being ignored and moved to attack, breaking off at the last second as she spied the deadly weapon held expertly in his hands. Holding her hands up in a warding gesture, she backed away to her guard post and bowed to him. Chalking it up to a learning experience for both of them, Harry completed his new entrance and stepped through.
He was through at last. The Cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away and he bounded forward at a good pace for a wizard, confident that the end was near.
Making sure he was putting on the right front for the audience, he pulled up near the Cup, reached down and grabbed it to hold it aloft. As soon as he grabbed it, he felt a weird sensation like a hook behind his navel as he was pulled through space, disappearing from the maze entirely. His momentum from his short dash proved his undoing. He came out of the Portkey travel upside down, heading face first into a gravestone and that was all he knew as the blackness of unconsciousness took hold.
When Harry woke up with a terrible headache, it was to the after-effects of the Rennervate spell, the magic of it sending a wave of fire down his nerves. He opened his eyes fractionally to check his surroundings but that was enough of a signal for the traitor Pettigrew to notice. In response, the rat animagus jerked the knife in his grasp across Harry's skin, collecting the blood on it and taking it to the cauldron Harry belatedly noticed. Taking in the situation more thoroughly, Harry noted that he was in a graveyard somewhere, tied down thoroughly to the gravestone behind him with his hands separated.
Rather than wasting words on Pettigrew, Harry tried to free himself while hampered by the pain and tremors in his limbs. Just as he had worked one of his knives into position and cut the first of the ropes, Pettigrew cast a Stunner at him and he again knew no more until a second Rennervate brought him around to a sight he had never wanted to see.
The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry … and Harry stared back into the face that had appeared in night mares over the last three years whenever Harry felt his training was slipping. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils …
Lord Voldemort had risen again.
Harry blinked as he broke free of the distracting sight. Next, he was trying to break free of the ropes. He saw Pettigrew had his wand and the knife Harry had used previously. Importantly, Pettigrew hadn't taken Harry's other weapons. Around the pair, wizards were appearing in every free space. He knew his time was growing short.
Frantically, Harry decided to hell with it and ripped out of the ropes by pure strength, channeling chakra into his body to do so. The sound drew attention, just as he expected, but it was worth that price in order to regain his freedom. Harry stealthily created a shadow clone which immediately switched places with him, putting Harry on the other side of a gravestone from the terrorist who had killed his parents. The perfect place from which to launch a surprise counterattack or...
Harry ran.
He ran to the yew tree then up its trunk, out of sight, while his clone was the recipient of hostile stares. A quick flare of Harry's chakra gave the clone the signal to start the diversionary attack, drawing off the enemy away from him.
From the tree, Harry created another five clones that dashed away silently, ready to take up the slack if the first clone was defeated. With that done, Harry searched around, looking for a way to get out of there. He felt like slapping himself when he realised that the Cup may still be an active Portkey. He also wanted to retrieve his wand since if it was used to do anything, everyone would believe Harry was responsible.
As the so-called Dark Lord sent his minions out to bring back Harry alive, Harry felt like scoffing. The fool was posturing rather than dealing quickly with an enemy. Obviously he didn't take Harry seriously. That was useful. The downside was that Harry was still surrounded by an unknown number of enemies of unknown identity or competence. While he was free of the ropes, he was still trapped in an unknown location chosen by the enemy.
With silent steps, a second clone moved behind Pettigrew who, like the other Death Eaters, was spreading out as they each tried to be the one to bring back Harry and win their Master's favour. Quickly, the clone tied back both of Pettigrew's arms before knocking him out with one of the soporific poisons he carried. Before the rat animagus had a chance to call out a warning, the clone had already Body Flickered away his maximum distance. Now off in a wooded area adjoining the graveyard, the clone took the opportunity to strip Pettigrew of anything useful, including his and Harry's wands and the knife Harry had used. The money and food were also pocketed.
Harry knew it was a big risk trying to capture the bastard but he wanted Pettigrew to pay for everything he did.
Trussing up the pathetic wizard securely was something Harry allowed himself no pleasure in doing. He couldn't risk a sloppy job with this one that might let Peter escape or die before it was time so he stomped down his emotions. Once it was done, the clone picked up Peter and took to the tree branches, jumping from tree to tree as he made his way back to where the real Harry was waiting. It was the work of a moment to stuff the unconscious wizard into one of Harry's magically expanded bags.
The first clone now had a chance without people watching, taking the time to dash over to the Triwizard Cup and using wires to pick it up without touching, just in case. There was now rising chaos and even spellfire flying around as the Death Eaters tried to find Harry in the dark.
Another signal and the clones each launched themselves into the fray, dodging and weaving among the enemy's feet as they used ninja wires to unmask each of the wizards and witches present tonight without being spotted. Unfortunately for Harry, his clones barely got a dozen identified before the rest realized his goal and took care to protect their secrets, slowing him down. Of the fifty or so against him, only a few were even trying to work together yet but they were managing to get closer and closer to hitting the clones with their randomly aimed spells.
With a final Death Eater identified, the clones started to pull back before they stayed too long. They threw all their ready kunai in Riddle's direction, hoping the switch in tactics would create enough surprise to cover his escape as the leader dodged the slow attack. Harry's last sight as he took the Cup from his clone was Voldemort looking more like a bloody pincushion and his head sprouting shuriken.
'What do you know, it looks like Dark Lords around here don't know when to duck,' Harry thought to himself as he endured another Portkey ride, dropping twelve feet to the ground and landing in a crouch.
He returned to chaos.
Getting up, Harry looked around him. He was standing by the edge of the maze he had entered only fifteen minutes earlier, a quarter-hour that felt a lot like a lifetime given the weight of the events in between.
Since he had been gone around ten minutes, the Clan had been scouting for him for at least nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds. As soon as he got his bearings, the shimmer of an Illusion went up around him and they exited the earth following their Underground Move jutsu to his location.
"Report!" Naruto ordered.
Harry created a clone in response. The clone crisply told them, "Read these memories." A second later to the outside world, three days for the mind of Harry's clone, and his parents had all seen the Tournament from Harry's eyes. His clone nodded at Harry and he barely relaxed an inch before Hinata-mum was hugging the stuffing out of him, making sure he felt their continued support. Naruto accepted the bag holding Peter and hid it on him.
"Bloody incompetents!" Tsunade-mum growled with others echoing her. "Whoever they had on security ought to be put on trial."
"Moody." Harry put in. "It looks like Moody is the only one who was really concerned with security for the Tournament."
"And he's coming this way." Temari noted.
"Be here any second now." Tenten agreed. "Try to get some information out of him, Harry, without giving away too much yourself."
"Right." Harry nodded. "After all, Dumbledore trusts him which means I can't, not without proof."
The Clan vanished again, not far away, letting the Illusion fall away with Harry apparently breathing hard from his exertions. Their clones were slowly making their way to him, supposedly delayed by the crowd.
"What happened, lad?"
"The Cup was a Portkey." Harry began with the bleeding obvious.
Moody nodded shortly, "Aye, we saw that, lad."
Taking a breath to make it look like he was calming down, he said, "I was taken to some sort of graveyard. I fell wrong when I was spat out of the Portkey and was knocked out for a little bit, then I woke up. After some hunting, I found the Cup and picked up and I came back.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Professor, but what the hell happened to security on this?"
Moody chuckled. "I imagine you're not the only one who is going to be asking that question. They overruled me on that. I wanted to get everyone checked for Dark Magic before entering Hogwarts grounds but Albus objected, said something about trusting people. The most they let me do is check their tickets."
"So you didn't think to check the Triwizard Cup hadn't been switched for a fake or turned into a trap?" Harry demanded.
"Oh I checked the Cup alright. It worked fine." Moody replied.
"Fine? You call that fine?"
"Aye, lad, now come with me. I want to get the full story and I don't want anyone listening in." Moody's growl was deeper than ever.
"No, Professor." Harry's voice was firm and he put some space between them.
"I said come with me, Potter."
"And I said no, Professor. I won't be going anywhere with you until I have heard a proper explanation for what went wrong."
Rather than speaking, Moody pulled his wand as fast as he could. He might as well not have bothered. With his magical eye on Harry the whole time, Moody had failed to spot Madam Bones walking up behind him with her bodyguards. Seeing the retired Auror pulling a wand on the Harry Potter, the same young man who made such wonderful food for them, they drew their own younger reflexes granted them the speed to match him.
By the time they did, Harry had dashed behind Moody with a knife to his neck and wires tying up the dark wizard hunter. Harry had left Moody just enough freedom to comply as he coldly ordered "Drop the wand, Professor. Right. Now."
Moody looked around, surprise showing through the scars and he tried to jerk around to attack. All he managed to do was struggle enough for the knife to slice a long, shallow cut that started to seep blood. When he felt the trickle of warmth on his neck and the knife staying steadily in position he relaxed and submitted to Harry. His mind was whirring with escape plans. A Portkey was out. With all that movement, he would be as good as dead. He couldn't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds without special permission to get through the wards. He wasn't an Animagus, either, nor would turning invisible help since he would still be tied up with a knife to his neck.
His thoughts were cut off when Amelia ordered Harry to back away.
"Let us take him in for questioning, Mr Potter." Madam Bones ordered him formally. When Harry noted her firm resolution, he nodded and backed away slowly with his senses trained on the criminal Professor. As soon as they had a clear line of fire, all three of Amelia's guards fired Stunning Spells at Moody. The lead guard added a second spell to levitate the wizard.
"Thank you, Harry." Amelia smiled at him. "We'll take it from here."
"You most certainly will not!" Albus Dumbledore interrupted. "This is Hogwarts and your Aurors have just assaulted one of my Professors."
"Not a chance, Mr Dumbledore. That Professor tried to attack Harry Potter right in front of us."
"I'm sure he did nothing of the sort." Albus replied, trying to placate the insane woman. "Alastor is one of my most trusted friends and a warrior for the Light."
"Should I arrest you too as his accomplice?" Amelia hit back. "You know very well that I am well within my rights to arrest him and anyone interfering in my investigations."
"Don't be absurd, Madam Bones. Still, I am wondering just what could make Alastor change like that."
His words couldn't have been better timed. Later, Harry would wonder if that was on purpose as Moody's unconscious body chose that moment to start changing. Harry was startled to realise that he recognised the process. "Polyjuice!" he cried.
Both of the arguing adults looked at him, then at 'Moody' as Harry's words registered.
"This is not Alastor Moody." Dumbledore said quietly. "The real Alastor Moody would never have assaulted Harry, you see. So simple, so brilliant, for you see, for Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The imposter needed to keep the real Moody close by, of course, so that he could continue making the potion."
Amelia's guards were already ordering some of the other Aurors who had gathered around them into the castle to the DADA Professor's office by the time Dumbledore realised what he had let slip. He opened his mouth to protest only to see that Harry and Amelia were following them. Swallowing his words he hurried to catch up.
A pair of remaining Aurors were leading the fake Moody away to the edge of the wards where they could safely Apparate when Professor McGonagall's voice rang out. "Good heavens! Barty Crouch!" Since this obviously wasn't the disgraced head of department, somehow it must be his son. They took a more paranoid view of the prisoner's safety and hotfooted it out of there, disappearing with the loud 'pop' of hurried Apparation to the designated ingress point at the DMLE where they processed him.
A house elf turned up at the DMLE asking about "Master Barty" then she was taken away for questioning. Since the creatures could be ordered to lie for their masters and Veritaserum didn't work on them, they couldn't give testimony in court, but their evidence could be used to help guide an investigation's direction. When the distraught little creature cried about it all, her words were very informative indeed. A warrant was quickly sought and issued for the arrest of the elder Bartemius Crouch on charges of use of an Unforgivable.
Minister Fudge had heard McGonagall's cry and knew he would finally have the leverage to get rid of his onetime rival for the job. What he didn't realise was that not only would there be no need for him to take action himself but he would soon be following the man out of the Ministry entirely. Harry and the others had had far too much of his corruption and arguably even treason and it was his efforts as Minister that were paving the way for an easy takeover by the Death Eaters.
In the castle, however, the two Aurors made it to the office first with Harry next then Amelia and her guards and Dumbledore bringing up the rear. A pair of Reducto curses blasted down the door when it failed to yield either to the standard unlocking spells or a couple of lesser known variations and Dumbledore's own control over the wards failed to help.
Dumbledore was reduced to an onlooker in his own school as the Aurors turned over the office looking for clues. Finally with the other places exhausted, they resorted to opening Moody's trunk. Since they didn't have the keys, they had to try to break in and Moody was notoriously paranoid. With one doing the cursebreaking and the others guarding her, the others waited tensely as first one, then another and another painful, lethal or plain crazy curse placed on the trunk was activated and then countered, dispersed or (rarely) blocked. For his part, Harry was standing ready to shield himself and Madam Bones first, with the others on an as-available basis.
When the first Auror began to tire quickly, the second took over, then the third. After nearly half an hour of tense waiting, they were through and looking into the trunk. It was really more like six trunks in one and a one-room apartment for the final, seventh 'compartment'. In that last, the Aurors saw a body, thin and starved in appearance but recognisably the basis for the impostor's deception.
While one Auror headed to the Floo and called St Mungo's, the wizard hospital, a second descended into the trunk, carefully examining everything before drawing his wand to levitate the scarred man up to office proper. Another Auror had created a cot and took over, lowering Moody to its surface.
Dumbledore's comments were mostly ignored except for filing away for later use.
Amelia curtly ordered Dumbledore to enable the Floo in the office so they could get Moody some proper medical treatment. Albus, too caught up in other things for the moment, did so unthinkingly, watching his friend disappear into the green flames.
As the flames returned to their normal colour, the old wizard turned to Harry. "Harry, my-" he caught himself. "Mr Potter, could you tell us where you were after the Portkey took you?"
It was a reasonable question and one Harry knew Amelia wanted answered. So did Harry, for that matter.
"I believe it was some sort of graveyard, Chief Warlock. I was knocked out by landing headfirst into a gravestone and later I was revived by a Rennervate spell. It was Pettigrew and I was tied up quite securely to the same stone I had crashed into.
"He stole some of my blood, I think it was for some sort of potion since there was a cauldron in front of me. I tried to free myself but he knocked me out with a Stunning Spell. When I was woken the next time, I saw that insane bastard Riddle standing in front of me. Don't ask me how he got a body back, though. I thought you wizards couldn't bring back the dead, right?
"Anyway, he was standing there, looking just the same as he did back the night he tried to kill me. I ran. I had been kidnapped, assaulted and used as a handy source of ingredients for some ritual or other and had no idea where I was. I still don't, mind you. These other wizards were coming in by the dozen, all dressed up just like Death Eaters should be.
"I managed to remove some of their masks as I used a couple of tricks to slow them down. As I ran away, I threw one last spell in desperation behind me, hoping to get them to let up long enough to escape.
"I grabbed the Cup hoping it was still a Portkey. It didn't much matter at that point where it took me since almost anywhere was better than there as they chased me. I looked back as the Portkey took me away and saw Riddle get hit by the knives my spell conjured. He would probably have been angry with me if one of them hadn't landed right between his eyes.
"I landed back at the entrance to the maze and then 'Moody' came over, demanding to know what had happened." Harry finished up, giving his first honest expression, a smile of relief that it was over.
Of course, his ordeal wasn't over just yet. "Mr Potter, I am formally requesting that you come to the Ministry to give a full statement." Amelia's voice told everyone that the request was just a formality to her.
Harry nodded. "Very well, Madam Bones, I will check with my parents."
"Oh there is no need for that, Mr Potter." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as a side-effect of his attempt to project trustworthiness in the extreme.
"In a criminal investigation, I trust Madam Bones' expertise, Mister Dumbledore." Harry's deliberate omission of his titles startled Dumbledore who narrowed his eyes. "Besides, I want to help."
"Then let's go get your parents, Mr Potter." Amelia was well pleased, she knew there was more to this story than Harry had let on just yet.
"I am afraid I cannot countenance this ordeal for one of my students." Albus put in. "As Harry is a Hogwarts student, it falls to Hogwarts to protect him."
"A good point." Amelia put in. "One that I didn't think you'd want brought up when it was your Hogwarts at fault for getting him into this ordeal you mentioned."
Albus nearly paled at that. He had been trying hard to suppress any suggestion that he might be liable for Harry's involvement, especially when it had been part of his long-term plans to remove that Prophecy from play. That may have happened tonight, though certainly not in any way he would have expected when the boy's spell supposedly destroyed the Dark Lord's body.
"Very well, if I cannot persuade you from this foolishness I will have to provide an escort." Albus' response was a ploy to make sure he was in the room for any interview. He couldn't allow others to know more than he did. He was the most respected wizard in the Wizarding World.
"That's a great idea," Harry enthused, "I'll take Professor McGonagall. I'm sure you have much to do talking with Headmistress Maxime and 'Headmaster' Karkaroff about all the excitement."
"I am afraid she will be busy with her duties," Albus replied with those grandfatherly tones that made Harry want to choke him.
"Fine, Professors Sprout, Vector or Sinistra would also be acceptable."
"How about Professor Snape?"
"No chance in hell." Amelia objected. "You have just had one Death Eater plotting against Harry Potter all year, right under your nose. I will not take the chance that you don't have another plotting against the young man."
"Severus is no more a Death Eater than I am!" Albus cried, echoing his defence long ago before the Wizengamot.
"I don't have time for your games tonight, Albus," she replied, "we both know I am not allowing your pet to sit in on such a sensitive matter. I will ask Professor McGonagall if she would like to attend. If she truly is as busy as you claim, then Harry's parents, his legal guardians, will be more than sufficient protection for him."
Without a further word, she swept up Harry and left the DADA office, Harry's signals guiding them on the quickest route to Professor McGonagall. A quick question and she was delighted to be invited along. She summoned Professor Flitwick, gave him a few brief instructions and a short explanation, then accompanied the others. Together, McGonagall, Madam Bones, Harry, Naruto and Hinata, along their Auror escort, hurried through the Floo direct to the DMLE.
Harry's clones quickly informed the Jewels what was happening and why he had agreed to go along. While still anxious about everything, they understood and went to dinner without him. Harry was given a meal by his parents as Amelia's staff set up an interview room and made it sufficiently private. He gave his testimony under Oath to Amelia and her staff (ones who he could trust to keep his secrets) as his parents supported him. The Illusion he crafted to show the event made the interview very short even with Naruto's insightful questions bring out details Harry hadn't consciously noticed. Harry also produced Peter Pettigrew from the enchanted bag. Peter was in better shape than Barty Crouch had been, and from another pocket Harry handed over the various items he had confiscated from his prisoner.
Naruto asked what would be told to the press and the public. That was an interesting question. On the other hand, it didn't require the real Harry's presence and he returned to Hogwarts with Minerva who gave him a hug when they reached her office. The clone he had left behind would be able to represent him and inform him of what took place.
In the end, they decided to leave out any mention of plots by a Dark Lord. It would create a panic that wouldn't provide much benefit. Nearly as much security could be provided by issuing lesser warnings of Dark Wizard activity and Amelia would be happy to have her Aurors backed up by clones, making their patrols more survivable. In addition, the Clan would station some clones in Diagon and Knockturn Alleys. They wouldn't have the power to arrest or detain in the same way as her Aurors or Law Enforcement Patrol but they would allow her to shift more of her people onto the offensive. In an emergency, the clones would act to stop any attack they could, though it was hoped they wouldn't be needed.
The final story fed to the Daily Prophet was that "Harry Potter was kidnapped by Pettigrew and Crouch Jr. He managed to turn it around on the criminals, capturing Pettigrew and delivering him to the DMLE. Harry has turned down the reward offered, donating it to a registered charity. Barty Crouch Jr had been smuggled out of Azkaban by his own father who would be getting the cell next to his son if the Wizengamot failed to vote for the death penalty. Pettigrew would be getting the cell once occupied by Sirius Black."
Back at Hogwarts only half an hour later, Harry was engulfed by all his Jewels and taken straight to the Room of Requirements. There, they got the full story while other clones were making sure his friends and allies in Hogwarts weren't left out. He had the option to inform them straight away and they knew it.
Inside, once the recriminations died down for the chances he took, they completely undid any hurt he might have felt by praising him for his success. Fleur had tried her best, arriving a few minutes after Harry at the plinth where the Cup had been in what would have been an incredible record-breaking effort if he hadn't beaten her there. Cedric arrived just after her and they saw the Cup was missing and deduced Harry had taken it. They hadn't heard anything about the task being over, or the commotion about his disappearance, due to the silencing magic and after performing a quick search had retreated to the safe area at the centre to wait for news.
With the Jewels settling down, Harry sent a clone back to get some drinks and snacks and other things for the party they had already planned. He noticed that several of the girls were still a little unsettled at the idea of Voldemort getting a body again. Harry couldn't exactly blame them for that since he didn't like anything about the prospect himself. The brief encounter drove home how the Wizarding World was becoming a more dangerous place, split into various factions with a rising tide of violence.
Amelia had informed the various adults in the alliance about the increase of incidents against those 'tainted' by influences from the wider world. It was mostly name calling but some threats and graffiti and worse. The worst included raids on homes. So far they had hit mostly hit abandoned homes but there were three so far where the family were simply out when their properties were destroyed. That was one reason she was overjoyed to get the information from Harry which included the identities of more marked supporters of the briefly-breathing Voldemort. They would be taken in on suspicion, charged, given a fair trial, then chucked into Azkaban, she hoped.
That didn't matter to the girls right then, however. What they wanted and needed was to feel safe and to think about happier things, and that's what Harry gave them,. They threw themselves into the celebration of life and love, the party soon featuring dancing, singing, games of one sort or another, and lots of kissing. Within an hour, partying hard became something more primal, more sexual with Fleur the first to lead the way, pulling in Hermione, Susan and Daphne as the foursome danced with each other and one of Harry's clones in the centre, rubbing against him as they tried to outdo the others in getting his attention.
Half an hour after that, the foursome had moved on to kissing, fondling and sucking each other as several of Harry's clones pumped into them to the beat of the music.
Thank you for reading and for your feedback. I read all my reviews and do my best to answer any questions you may have for me. Thanks again to my hardworking betas, Cloud Zen and Daisy Duck.