[A/N: WOW, 214 favorites, and 248 followers~! I'm glad that so many of you like it! To those who just subscribed to my story or 'favorite' my story, thank you all at the bottom of my heart! I'm glad that so many of you are still following me even though things in the story are progressing slowly. I have taken direct quotes from the movie and books, so credits to JK Rowling. As usual, the foreign languages in this story are translated from Google Translate so, please let me know if something seems off. As always, please, comment, subscribe, and favorite this story and stay tuned for the next chapter. PS: I hope you all will have an amazing time during the holidays with these trying times and I hope to see you guys next year.]
I=Italian M=Morse Code P=Parsel Tongue F=French R=Russian
Chapter 19
March 30th, Tuesday
"What information do you have, Karkaroff? Make it quick, I have lessons to attend to." Diana said in a snippy tone. The day had just started and she already got a headache. The rest of the gang was having a rough start to their day as well. "Moi izvineniya, moya ledi. Chtoby shpionit' za Mudi, potrebovalos' nemnogo bol'she vremeni, chem ozhidalos'. Severusu i mne udalos' sdelat' eto, ispol'zuya produkt Miss Weasley." (R) (My apologies, my lady. It had taken a little longer to spy on Moody then it was expected. Severus and I have managed to accomplish it using Miss, Weasley's product.) The man said as he quickly glanced up at her from his kneeling position before looking back down at his foot. Her green eyes were more intense this time.
"Tebe luchshe imet' khoroshuyu informatsiyu." (R) (You better have good information then.) Diana said coldly as she started tapping a manicured nail against the armrest. That caused the man to quickly started talking again. It wouldn't do to keep the Dark Lady waiting. "YA mogu podtverdit', chto Mudi ubil Barti Kraucha. On dazhe skazal eto Dambldoru. On skazal, chto prichina byla v tom, chto muzhchina stanovilsya pomekhoy, i reshil izbavit'sya ot cheloveka ran'she, chem pozzhe. Oba muzhchiny do sikh por ne imeyut ni maleyshego predstavleniya o tebe ili Temnom Lorde." (R) (I can confirm it was Moody who killed Barty Crouch. He even told it to Dumbledore. He said the reason was that the man was becoming a hindrance and decided to get rid of the man sooner than later. Both men still have no clue about you or the Dark Lord.)
Diana was pleased with this and nodded. "Khorosho. Vy uvoleny." (R) (Good. You are dismissed.) She said with a sweep of her hand. The painting closed with a thud once the man left, leaving the gang alone. "That bastard..." Diana hissed as she steepled her fingers under her chin. "What would you like for us t do?" Neville asked after a little bit of silence. Diana shook her head. "No, we will do nothing. For now, anyway."
June 2nd, Friday
"Constant vigilance!" Moody barked out for what seemed like the hundredth time in that class. " Il est plus paranoïaque aujourd'hui que d'habitude." (F) (He is being more paranoid today than usual.) Draco mumbled over to Diana. She nodded in agreement. They were discussing the three Unforgivable curses once again. The old man loves talking about them. "Longbottom! Stand up for a demonstration!" he barked. "A demonstration?" Diana thought, immediately getting a bad feeling about this lesson. Mad eye jabbed at the spot right in front of him where Neville will stand. "Try to resist, Longbottom." Mad eye said however, Diana realized it wasn't a sincere warning by the way his eyes gleamed with the maddening glee just barely hidden underneath those eyes.
"Crucio!" The class gasped when the man bellowed that word before their attention turned to Neville, who seemed to be clenching his jaw with all his might. "- ... .. ... / - .- -. / .. ... / .- -... ... - .-.. ..- - . .-.. -.- / - .- -.. -.-.-" (M) (This man is absolutely mad!) Diana felt a tingle come from her ring and she gave a side glance towards Blaise. ".- . / ... .- ...- . / - - / -.. - / ... - - . - ... .. -. -. -.-.-" (M) (We have to do something!) Pansy tapped away frantically. ".. ..-. / - ... .. ... / -.-. .- .-. .-. .. . ... / - -. / ..-. - .-. / - ..- -.-. ... / .-.. - -. -. . .-. -..- / .. / ..-. . .- .-. / ... . / .. ... / -. - .. -. -. / - - / -... . / .-.. .. -.- . / ... .. ... / .-. .- .-. . -. - ... -.-.-" (M) (If this carries on for much longer, I fear he is going to be like his parents!) The rest of the gang gave Pansy a quick look, letting them know that they understood. Neville's knees had buckled and was now kneeling on the floor, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Good, Longbottom! Let's see how much longer you can withstand!" Mad-Eye snarled with glee. It seemed Pansy wasn't about to let it go on further. She only stood up for a split second when the gang felt taps on their rings. It was rushed and he was in a lot of pain but his words were enough to soothe them a little. "-.. - / -. - - / .- - .-. .-. -.- / .- -... - ..- - / - . .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- .. / ... .- ...- . / .- .-.. - - ... - / - ...- . .-. -.-. - - . / .. - .-.-.-" (M) (Do not worry about me...I have almost overcome it.) With a gentle tug on her arm, Daphne managed to get Pansy to sit back down. The class watched with bated breath as they watch Neville, slowly but surely, managed to raise his wand arm, his forehead glistening with sweat. "Confringo!" He managed to gasp out. The blasting cure completely missed Mad-Eye but it caused the wall behind him to explode, breaking the crazed teacher's concentration. The students let out screams as shrapnel fell on them as they fell to the floor to take cover.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"What in Merlin's name was going on?!" McGonagall exclaimed in a shrill voice as she, Snape, Dumbledore, aurors, Board of Governors, Mad-Eye, and the gang; minus Pansy and Neville, were in the Headmaster's office. The news of what had happened during Defense Against the Dark Arts had reached the other professors and students. "Surely, there must be an explanation for this," Snape asked in a soft voice but his eyes conveyed every inch of anger he felt as he looked over to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Said professor had the nerve to look somber and apologetic under the scrutinizing gaze of the other adults. "I must say, these accusations are most extreme." Shacklebolt frowned as he let out a sigh.
Those words caused the gang to blurt out in unison to protest, catching the head auror off guard. "It's true! Why would we lie about something as outlandish as that!" Diana yelled out at last once Shacklebolt waved to them to all calm down. The door to the headmaster's office opened and Madame Augusta strolled in, her lined face filled with worry and anger. The men in the room bowed slightly out of respect upon her entrance but the elderly woman didn't seem to acknowledge their efforts, her eyes veering immediately to the head auror. "You better not be letting this heathen of a man get off after doing such a horrible thing to my dear grandson, Kingsley." She said, giving the man a scathing look like he should have a good answer.
Shacklebolt seemed to start sweating bullets under her gaze. "I wish I could do that, Madame, but I have a duty to do a thorough investigation. But let me assure you, I will get to the bottom of this." The man promised. Augusta pierced her lips, still not satisfied with that answer before she turned her attention to the gang. "Il l'a fait, n'est-ce pas?" (F) (He did it, didn't he?) She said and she got a lot of head nods. Satisfied with that answer, se turned back to Shacklebolt. "Fix this, Kingsley." She threatened before leaving with a sharp turn.
June 23rd, Wednesday
"Christopher, knock it off." Hermione giggled softly as he kissed a rather ticklish spot behind her ear. "I have to go over the checklist with you again." She said softly, biting back a moan from passing her lips as he kissed down her neck slowly. "We already went over it yesterday. All I need is for you to be there tomorrow when I come back." He mumbled against her soft creamy skin before putting away to look down at her. "You know I will." She said softly, her brown eyes expressive to those who really know her. Christopher was silent for a second before leaning forward to kiss her.
June 24th, Thursday
The spectators' stand was packed to the brim, filled with students from all four magical schools and parents. "Welcome to the third task of the Tri-wizard Tournament!" Dumbledore's voice erupted through the cheers, causing them all to quiet down. He then went on to explain the rules to the spectators as the champions stepped up to each entrance of the maze with their prospective mentors. "Temnyy lord khotel, chtoby ya soobshchil vam, chto obo vsem pozabotilis'. Po mere vypolneniya zadaniya vse dolzhno idti po planu." (R) (The dark lord wanted me to let you know everything is taken care of. Everything should go as planned as you go through the task.) Misha said in a hushed tone as Christopher's eyes scanned the stand. The young man absentmindedly nodded in understanding as his eyes feasted on Hermione's.
"I love you." He saw her mouth with her perfect pink lips. He couldn't help but smile slightly and nodded his head a fraction of an inch to let her know he got the message. "Professor Moody has placed the Tri-wizard cup deep within the maze." Dumbledore continued. "Only he knows its exact position. Now, as Mr. Diggory," The Hogwarts students roared with cheers for their fellow school mate. "and Mr. Ivanov," The stand roared with beastial chorus. "tied for the first position, they will be the first to enter the maze. Followed by Mr. Krum and Miss, Delacour." The last two schools clapped with excitement. "The first person to touch the cup will be the winner!" Dumbledore continued. "I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. Should at any point a contestant wish to withdraw from the task, he or she need only send up red sparks with their wand." The old man said before moving away from the podium.
"Contestants, gather around." He then said, motioning towards the champions to come around him, placing a hand on Krum's shoulder and Diggory's. "In the maze, you'll find no dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead, you'll face something even more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh, find the cup if you can, but be very wary. You could just lose yourselves along the way." Christopher had to hold back a snort at the blatant weak advice. Typical. "Champions, prepare yourselves!" The old man said and the Hogwarts band started blaring out a happy tune while the champions moved to stand at their perspective maze entrances.
"Uvidimsya, kogda ty vernesh'sya." (R) (We will see you when you get back.) Misha said with a kind smile. Christopher gave a small nod seconds before a canon went off and he started stepping into the entrance of the maze. The sound of the band playing in the background as the green shrubbery merged together behind him. He was n the maze now. He took a deep breath to slow his breathing down as he whipped out his wand from his holster. He mumbled Lumos before venturing into the foggy depths.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
A third red spark shot up into the night sky. Christopher had finally eliminated Delacour from the task. Now it was only him and Cedric Diggory. Just as it should be. Having the Hufflepuff 'witness' his death will cause Dumbledore to panic and possibly force his hand to reveal his true personality.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Stupify!" The Dark Lord shouted the moment Diggory got off the cold cemetery ground once Christopher and he got portkeyed to Little Hangleton. "Do you have the potion?" Christopher asked his father as he dusted himself off while the death eaters part of the inner circle joined them. "Of course." The man said a light fond smile appeared on his lips. "Severus has modified the potion so it will last up to the point your body is placed into the wicker basket your school arrived in." Christopher nodded. I'll be like this for a day. He thought as he uncorked the vial. "Bottoms up," Christopher said, looking one last time at his father's eyes before downing the Draught of Living Death.
He didn't feel the effects of the potion as he walked back to lay close to Diggory to appear he has been killed on sight, only to feel tranquil as the potion started working. His heart rate slowed down, his eyes closing as he started feeling sleepy. The Dark Lord strolled over, taking a quick peek at his son before turning his attention to Diggory.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Loud cheers erupted when two people appeared back on the field with the Tri-Wizard cup. Was it a tie? Will there be a tie-breaker between Koldovstoretz and Hogwarts? "He's back!" Diggory could barely be heard shouting over the cheerful notes of the band and cheering. "You-Know-Who is back!" Diggory shouted louder, and that seemed to catch everyone's attention. The band stopped playing as Dumbledore and Misa quickly rushed over. "I saw him! I saw him come back! H-He...He killed Ivanov with the killing curse." Diggory choked out, his voice seemingly echoed through the silent spectators' stands. Misha quickly covered her mouth with a shaky breath as tears streamed from her eyes. Mournful wails and heart-wrenching roars erupted from the stands as people rushed to their feet with worry.
Diggory staggered to his feet as Diana, Hermione, Stepan, and Valentina rushed over. "Moy syn!" (R) (My son!) Valentina wept as she pulled Christopher to her chest, cradling his head close. The four were shedding tears as the Tri-Wizard officials scrambled to speak with all the headmasters and headmistress'. "Professor!" Diggory shouted, trying to catch the old man's attention. "Professor!" He shouted louder, this time catching their attention. "What is it, my boy?" Dumbledore said, making sure to not have the annoyed look from his face as the officials listened from the side. "You-Know-Who wants me to pass a message to you." He said as the Hogwarts professors escorted the students back to their respective locations.
Dumbledore couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this but motioned for the young man to continue on with delivering the message while the officials mumbled in an almost panicked tone. "He says that he knows what you did fourteen years ago. He says he will make you pay one by one." He said.
June 25th, Friday
Mumbled Russian filled the headmaster's office as Dumbledore and Tr-wizard officials patiently waited though the old man was barely holding on to his. "Mr. and Mrs. Ivanov wishes to get back to Russian with their son to put his body to rest," Misha said as she placed a comforting hand on Valentina's hand which was resting on her lap. "Of course," Dumbledore said, his face feigned with condolences for the couple. "And they would like to take Natalya with them." The headmistress added. Dumbledore held back from pursing his lips and bowed his head. "Rest assured, I will have all the paperwork filled out by the morning, Valentina." He said in a sad tone.
"I don't understand how this could have happened." Valentina finally could say without breaking into sobs. The Tri-wizard officials bowed their heads for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. "You-Know-Who possesses powers that we can only dream of, Madame. We didn't think he would attempt to attack during the Tournament." One official said in a sullen voice.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The sky was too bright for the depressing occasion. Birds chirped through the air as they soared through the blue sky. Students from all schools made a pathway for the funeral procession, all leading down to the giant wicker basket waiting below with the forest giant waiting silently by the side. In the front was Anton Ivanov being carried on a stretcher by a couple of students, a white sheet drapped over his pale features. His family filed behind them, dressed in black with the professors following close behind. Soft weeps could be heard as they walked through the temporary pathway, handkerchiefs dabbing at fat tears leaking from their eyes. Reporters from the Daily Prophet was there taking photos for the front page of the evening edition.
The funeral procession finally reaches the bottom of the large steps leading up to the castle. The rest of the party stayed at the bottom of the steps as Anton was shuttled into the wicker basket through the door that magically appeared. Valentina could be seen talking to Misha in a hushed voice before she climbed into the wicker basket first before her husband, daughter, and brother followed after her. With a low thud, Misha closed the door behind them and then let out a sharp whistle. The forest giant let out a low hum as it slowly made its way over to the wicker basket, the ground trembled with each footstep. An enormous green hand reached down to grab the basket by the leather straps and lifted it up into the air.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Christopher took in a deep breath when the potion finally ran its course just as the forest giant took them into the forest surrounding the castle. His heart pounded heavily in his chest as he tried to catch his breath while looking up at the ceiling from his laying position. "Take easy breaths, Christopher," Stepan said as he placed a claiming hand on his shoulder as Tom whipped out his wand to do a short diagnosis charm on him to make sure he was ok. Severus had mentioned that this would be the first time he did alterations to the Draught of Living Death and was unsure of the effects on whoever would be under this potion for the long term. A green glow shined from his wand and Tom gave a sigh of relief. "Everything is good." He said.
June 27th, Sunday
Even though Diana was gone, the gang stilled had their last mission before the school year ended. Only the head of houses remained behind to make sure none of the students were causing trouble while Dumbledore and the select few professors, including Moody, speak with the Minister of Magic about the Triwizard. Daphne whispered all the detection spells she could think of on the door. Nothing. "All good, I think." She muttered to the gang, who gave a sign to open said door. Anything could happen as the gang held their breaths, wands trained at the door as Daphne opened it. They had heard many stories about Moody from their parents. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that the man would have spells around his door to warn him, to ward off attacks, and strong protection spells.
Again, nothing. "Are you sure the old coot is gone, Nev? I swear this plan is going too smoothly." Draco asked out loud as the gang moved forward to crowd around at the door. Neville flashed the blond male a short glare for even asking. "Of course, I'm sure." He snapped. "I wouldn't have informed Our Lady if I wasn't sure." No arguments there. The gang stepped into the dark office, their eyes swiveled in the dimly-lit room. You never know with a man that screams 'constant vigilance' all the time. "Hermione?" Draco asked over his shoulder. The brown-haired girl silently performed a final detection spell. "All good." She said and the gang placed their wands away. "Now, let's see...a lot of interesting items," Theo said off-handedly as he observed the area. The gang made a sound as they strolled around each desk.
"Ew...I can't believe he has more of these things." Pansy whispered loudly. She was standing by Moody's desk with a look of disgust on her face as she looked at the familiar jar with the arachnid-looking creature scurrying around on the bottom. "Don't touch that, Pans. I'm keeping that." Neville called out. Pansy made another face and she shook her head as the young man walked up to take the jar. "Just make sure you keep the lid closed. I prefer not to see it crawling around." She grumbled a little. Neville chuckled at her reaction. "Oh come on, I'm sure I'll get you to like him soon enough."
July 3rd, Saturday
"Je ne peux pas croire que nous nous en sommes vraiment sortis." (F) (I can not believe we actually got away with that.) Pansy said. The gang was on the Hogwarts Express on route to King's Cross station. Many were eager to put the incident behind them during the summer. "Je sais. Quand Dumbledore et Moody sont entrés dans la salle commune, j'ai pensé que nous étions perdus." (F) (I know. When Dumbledore and Moody came into the common room, I thought we were a goner.) Blaise commented. Neville nodded in agreement. "Pensez-vous qu'il sait secrètement? Vous ne pouvez jamais savoir avec son œil bizarre." (F) (Do you think he secretly knows? You can never know with that freaky eye of his.) Daphne asked, hints of worry in her eyes as Theo gently squeezed her arm in comfort.
Draco shook his head. "Il ne devrait pas. Nous avons fait un balayage complet pour effacer toutes les indications que nous étions là." (F) (He shouldn't. We did a thorough sweep to wipe away any indications we were there.) That seemed to wipe away the last of any doubt in the gang's mind. Eyes veered over when they heard Pansy gasp. "Must you heave him out right now, Nev?" She whined out as the arachnid-looking creature crawled up his arm. Neville simply smirked as the creature released a slight hissing sound.
July 12th, Monday
"There is no need to follow me in. I can manage to find it on my own, Collins." Dumbledore said in a grandfatherly tone and smile. "If you say so, Headmaster." The young man said, finding nothing wrong with leaving the old man in the Hall of Prophecies by himself. The old man looked capable to find what he needed. Dumbledore sent a final inconspicuous smile towards the young man as the door to the chamber swung shut. Now, he was all by himself. He always checked on it every few months. A forged document from Fudge helps with any suspicion. He mindlessly wandered through the eerily lit chamber since he made the same trip past the shelves for the past fifteen years. He stopped in front of a familiar shelf and immediately looked up to see that familiar globe with the number tag attached to one of the small legs of the stand holding up the globe.
He nimbly took the globe off the stand into his hand. He had placed a small charm before it got to the Ministry so he would know if anybody had tampered or attempted to steal it. All was the same. His fingers tingled as he recognized his own magical signature around the structure. It won't do to have this leak out, or worse yet, have the Wizarding world know this prophecy was fake. It always helps to have an old bat like Trelawney to make up prophecies for him.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Diana gave a sigh of relief. She had finally perfected the spell that will be used to mark her followers. "I believe that should do it," Severus said, looking a little worn out since they had been working on the spell for several days now, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. Diana gave a nod. "Alright. Go let my father know that everything is ready for my birthday." The potion master bowed his head. "Very well. Your father will be pleased to hear about this development." With a sharp turn, the man exited the room with the list of people she wanted there to take her mark when the day comes.
July 31st, Saturday
Though the party won't be as loud as yesterday's for Neville, it will still be a monumental occasion. Everyone arrived at the Ivanov manor in black robes and their Death Eater masks. Instead of Tom sitting on the throne, it was Diana. No one dared say a word about this. "Those taking the mark tonight, come forward," Diana called out, her voice echoed throughout the chamber. Soft murmurs appeared as several cloaked people stepped up close to the dais. They were the next generation of Death Eaters. "Are you ready, Princess?" (P) Tom asked Diana in a low voice while the red eyes scanned over his Death Eaters. "There will be those who will oppose your choices tonight." (P)
Diana silently nodded. "Come forward, my right-hand man." She called out. The murmurs increased when Draco pulled his hood down, his parents standing next to him to witness their son getting initiated. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, do you wear to devote yourself to me?" Diana asked, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "I swear," Draco said, his cobalt eyes glancing into her green eyes, a roguish smirk on his face. "Do you swear to never put me and our organization in jeopardy?" Draco affirmed his answer. "Good. Have you chosen the spot to put the mark on?" She asked, causing the rest of the Death Eater's curiosity to spike.
The blond male simply opened his robe to reveal the fact he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath. "I want it right here." He said, pointing a finger at a spot right under his pronounced collarbone. Diana smirked slightly as she stood up from the throne just as Draco knelt down on the bottom of the dais. She whipped out her wand as she stepped up to him. She reached down to gently grasp his shoulder to keep him still as she pressed her wand against his flesh. "Eto budet bol'no." (R) (This is going to hurt.) She warned him softly, her eyes boring into his to make sure it was okay to proceed. Draco gave a tiny nod to her and she mumbled the spell. A design of a skull with a cluster of lilies shooting out of its open mouth formed on his alabaster skin.
Draco barely winced from the pain, his jaw clenching slightly to stop the low groan threatening to leak from his lips. His father had warned him about the pain and that the feeling shouldn't out-weigh the pleasure of being part of Diana's rank. Diana felt pleased that the mark turned out so well as she lifted her wand from his skin. Since his skin was so pale, every single detail seemed to jump out to whoever looked at it.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The entire gang has the mark now. The Death Eaters didn't dare protest about her choices. Well, some could barely hold their tongue when Ginny's name was called. Why would the Dark Lord's daughter want a blood traitor to be part of her rank? All thoughts were squashed when the Dark Lord gave them all silent scathing glares before dismissing them all with a wave. Diana stood up once the rest of the Death Eaters had left. "Il reste une étape de plus pour terminer le processes." (F) (There is one more step left to complete the process.) She said as she stood with her new followers, looking at them all carefully in the eyes. This was an important step and would make everything worth it as well as their friendship if they all agreed to this.
"Vous pouvez choisir de le faire avec votre autre significatif ou non. Le choix vous appartient." (F) (You may choose to do this with your significant other or not. The choice is up to you.) With that, Diana fished out a piece of parchment paper from her robes with instructions on it. "Sokhranite eto v pamyati. Ne razglashayte eto nikomu." (R) (Commit this to memory. Do not divulge this to anyone else.) She spoke as she passed the paper over to Draco first. One by one, each one of them read the instructions. Once it came back to her hands, she crumbled it up in her hand, tossing it to the floor, and with a quick flick of her wand, the crumbled paper burst into flames.
"Etogo ne nuzhno delat' segodnya vecherom." (R) (This doesn't have to be done tonight.) She said when she saw the looks on their faces as they glanced over to their significant other. "Kogda kto-nibud' iz vas primet resheniye, dayte mne znat'." (R) (When either of you has decided, let me know.) The gang bowed their heads slightly to signify they understood what she was saying. With a simple wave of her hand, they were dismissed. They all had much to think about.