Chapter 69: This is Why We Can't have Nice Things

The other figure walked toward Harry and Hermione, stopping only to make sure none of the Veela were hurt. He kicked the Death Eater Hermione bound as he approached.

"Covards," the man spat as he approached. "Thinking they can take vhatever they vant."

"Viktor?" Harry recognized the voice.

"Do I know…" Krum looked Harry in the eye and stopped when he realized who he was talking to. "Potter? Granger?"

The duo nodded just as the group of adults approached. Harry heard a dull clunking from behind him before he ever saw the group approaching. Turning, he saw Amelia at the head with a larger man flanking her. The man had two different-colored, different-sized eyes. One of them was electric blue with a yellow iris and was moving all around. He was wearing a thick glove on his right hand and his left leg was gone, a wooden one in its place ending in a clawed foot that looked more like a table leg than a human one. His face looked like the topographical map of Utah, it had so many scars. Everything about him screamed that he was not to be messed with.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter," Amelia spoke. "I see your usual luck is holding true."

"Unfortunately, Madam Bones," Harry said.

"Are any of you hurt?" She looked from Harry to Hermione, passing through the Grangers before landing on Krum. They all shook their heads in turn. "Alright, tell me what happened."

Hermione took Amelia through their night with details of the attack near the tents to the Veela that were rounded up in the wood.

"I have a few of the perpetrators with snapped bones," Amelia said. "Was that you?"

"That was me," Richard said, standing tall as he spoke. "The first one reached for my wife with hostile intent. I broke his wrist to incapacitate him. I also broke the big man's arm after he punched Harry and advanced on Hermione."

"That was very precise," Amelia said.

"Learned it in the army, ma'am," Richard said, making the disfigured man chuckle. "Best way to keep someone from harming you is to keep them from using their arms."

"He's a soldier alright," the man's gruff voice was heard for the first time.

"Well that corroborates what this gentleman told us," Amelia gestured toward Master Roshi who stood at the back of the group. "I can excuse you using magic to defend yourselves but I'm not sure the self-defense argument works for this group. By your admission you charged into the scene."

"If it vas not for him, the Veela vould be hurt or vorse," Krum was vehement. "Ten men cornered these women; guests of your country I might add. Vhen my teammates vere evacuated, I noticed some of the Veela vere missing. I vent back to find them and vhen I did, they were surrounded, about to be raped. I know their kind; just like Grindelvald's forces. My grandfather vas killed fighting them. Vithout Potter and Granger, I would not have stood a chance. They heard somevone in trouble and did not hesitate to help. Even if you are admonished for doing the right thing, thank you for vhat you did."

Krum finished his speech by glaring at the adults around.

"Thank you Mr. Krum. I assume you are of age?" Amelia asked the boy, receiving a nod in response. "Considering the circumstances, you will both be given strict warnings. Thank you for what you did; please don't do it again."

"No promises but we'll try," Harry said. "Assuming I stop being a magnet for trouble, that is."

Krum bade them farewell and promised to be in contact should they need anything but he said he needed to get back to his teammates.

"Now that that's settled, let's see who we got," the man stumped toward the three bound. "We already got Yaxley and two lower levels- O'Shaughnessy and Herbert. Ah well done, you lot."

Crabbe's mask was already off. Moody pulled the masks off the other two and seemed impressed. A dark-haired wizard with big ears and black eyes was under one and a blonde-haired man under the other.

"That used to be Parkinson," the man addressed pointed to the dead one whose face was melted. "Then we've got Jugson and another lower-ranked one, Karlsson by the looks. Good luck getting off on an imperious defense again. You two fought well for students. My compliments to the person who trained you."

"You can't be serious, Alastor," One of the aurors scoffed. "They're nothing but children who got lucky."

"Lucky, eh?" Alastor, whoever he was, stooped to investigate the remains of Parkinson. As he stood, he pulled up a branch and threw it at Harry who dodged it. Harry shifted to a defensive stance while Hermione slipped behind his shoulder and cast a shield. "That's not luck, that's training. Flitwick? It has to be. Has his style all over it."

"Yes," Harry was still on edge and this man was not making him relax.

"Relax, laddie," the man threw his hands up to show he was unarmed. "Alastor Moody. Former Auror, brought on for security just in case something like this was to happen."

"Ease off, Alastor," Amelia scolded the man. "Thank you for what you did, you included Mister Krum, Master Roshi. Did any of you happen to see who cast the Dark Mark?"

"We did," a voice Harry recognized as Cedric's father came from deeper into the woods. "We were just coming to find you."

Amos threw down a house elf in front of them. With him were Crouch, Mr. Weasley and Sirius, all looking annoyed.

"Found this creature with a wand," Amos said. "Thought she'd steal it from a wizard and cast it, she did."

"Do you know whose wand this is?" Amelia said, sounding annoyed.

"It is my son's," Mr. Weasley said as he glared at the other man. "Apparently he was missing it since we got back from the match."

"Did you test the wand to see that it had done the spell?" Amelia gave them her full attention and stood taller. Even Harry felt like backing away and she wasn't even asking him questions.

"Well… no," Diggory had the sense to look abashed. Amelia pulled her wand to test that the last spell was, in fact, the Dark Mark.

"Did anyone hear the spell be cast?" Amelia pressed the attack.

"My daughter and son did, as did my wife," Mr. Weasley said. "They all said the voice sounded deeper, male to be precise."

"And did you find anything else in the area?" Amelia glared at Amos.

"We found the elf unconscious, holding a wand," Amos shuffled his feet. "So we brought the creature to you to deal with."

"And I told you," Crouch spoke for the first time. "There is no way my elf would know the spell, let alone cast the spell. She was not where she should be and she will be punished but she is not a criminal."

"And so instead of calling for help, you contaminated the scene, bringing me an elf who, by all witness accounts, did not cast the spell?"

Harry could swear he could see steam pouring out of her ears. He now knew why she was among those most feared in the Ministry.

"Well let's at least see what we can discover," Amelia's nostrils flared. "Enneverate."

The small elf's eyes snapped open, fear evident in her eyes as she looked up in the adults.

"Elf!" Amos snapped his fingers to get her attention. "You have been found under the Dark Mark, holding a wand. Explain yourself."

"I…" the elf's squeaky voice was even higher due to terror. "I is not casting it. I is just seeing the lights in the sky and when I looks down, I is finding the wand on the ground, sir."

"So you admit to picking up the wand," Amos said. "That's a felony for a creature to steal a wizards wand."

"I is not stealing," the elf looked frantic. Hermione watched with tears in her eyes, her heart breaking for the little creature. "I is finding."

"That's enough," Amelia cut across. "Did you notice anything unusual when you found the wand?"

The elf's eyes flicked around the group. She swallowed hard and spoke.

"No ma'am," she said.

"Thank you," Amelia stood up. "There's nothing wrong here that I can see. She did not steal the wand, she found it. I would have liked to see the scene but with what I have, there's nothing we can do. And before you say anything Amos.-"

Amelia held a hand up as Diggory opened his mouth.

"-Casting the Dark Mark is automatically the purview of the DMLE, not your department," Amelia said. "You have no authority in this scenario to punish the elf."

"That will not be necessary, Amelia," Crouch took out his handkerchief and threw it at the elf. "You did not follow my orders. You left the tent and in doing so you embarrassed me. Get out of my sight. Don't come near me ever again."

Crouch turned about-face and strut away in his shined shoes while his former elf howled in agony.

"Please Master Barty," she cried and cried. "Winky is a good elf. Do not send Winky away. Winky needs a family."

The little elf tried to follow but appeared to walk into an invisible wall every time. On the third time, she collapsed onto her hindquarters and bawled her eyes out.

"Alright," Amelia called everyone back to order. "That's that. We'll need to haul the four we caught away and interview them alone, see if we can figure out who the mastermind of this was. Podmore, you are in charge of processing the body. Get your caffeine now, everyone; it's going to be a long night."

When nobody moved, Amelia snapped.

"Now!" Amelia shouter. "Step to or I swear I will have every last one of your badges."

The group startled as if electrocuted. The captured Death Eaters were hauled to their feet and portkeyed away. All the while, nobody noticed the small creature slamming her fists onto the dirt.

"Please Master Barty," the elf screamed into the night. "Please don't send Winky away. Winky is a good elf."

You could almost see the magic leaving the elf as she wailed. Her skin became waxy and her ears drooped. Hermione couldn't take it anymore. Tears streaming down her face, she kneeled next to the elf.

"Winky?" the elf looked up into Hermione's teary eyes. "Is that your name?"

"Y-y-yes," she sobbed. "Winky the ba-ba-bad elf."

Winky dissolved into fresh sobs.

"Winky…" Hermione said. "You are not a bad elf. I see your dedication. You are a good elf."

"Winky is a bad elf," Winky pulled her knees up to her chest and curled up into a ball. "A bad elf who will never have another family."

"That's not true," Hermione lightly patted the elf on the back. "In fact, our family has an elf who I think could use some help. Would you like to help him?"

"You is wanting Winky?" Winky's sobs lessened. "Winky can be your family?"

"Yes Winky," Hermione gave the elf a watery smile. "We would love to have you as part of the family, if you want."

"Winky… Winky would like that," Winky lightly hugged Hermione.

"Go find Dobby," Harry said. "He will help you get settled."

"What is your names?" Winky slowly stood.

"I am Hermione," the bushy brunette pointed to herself. "That's my boyfriend Harry and my parents Richard and Helen Granger."

"Thank you for taking me into your family," Winky said. "Winky won't let you down."

Winky popped away and Hermione stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I love you," Harry cradled Hermione in his arms. "That was an incredible thing you just did."

"Thank you, Hermione," Helen said. "That was horrid what that elf had to go through; being treated as sub-human."

"Come on," Richard pulled on Helen's shoulder and gestured out of the wood. "I think I see Sirius beckoning us."

When they walked up, Sirius was discussing something important with Amelia.

"Hey guys," Sirius turned. "I'm going to stick around to help Amelia. We've called the Knight Bus. They'll take you back to the house. Amelia has arranged you to be the first stop. Keep your wands out and your wits sharp. You did good today, all four of you. Thanks to you we might get to the root of who planned this."

The Grangers and Harry boarded the Knight Bus back to the house. Harry sat down on the bench seats on each row, feeling more like pew than a bus seat. Harry cast a sticking charm on the bench while Hermione cradled into his chest.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"I don't know which part I hate the most; the attack or the way people responded to it," Hermione said. "They were looking for someone to blame instead of investigating. What they did to Winky was awful."

"Agreed," Harry's eyes hardened. "It felt very much like what Vernon and Petunia would do. I know elves need the bond to survive but they need to be treated better."

"First thing when we get back to Hogwarts, I am researching house elves and elf rights," Hermione said, her voice steely. She was not simply angry; she was determined.

"If we can't find it there, we'll find one elsewhere," Harry said. Richard and Helen smiled, both proud and sad. The bus pulled to stop at the park a block away from the house. The four walked off the bus and turned to corner into a nightmare. Standing on the street, they looked up and watched their house burn. Two fire engines stood outside, trying to put the out the inferno.

Hermione sank to her knees and cried openly as she watched the house of her childhood go up in smoke and flame. She looked to the second floor, to the window where she would sit and read which was now more akin to a fireplace. Her room was no doubt ash now. The library? Undoubedly gone. No more meals in the kitchen, no more reading in the study. Internally she worried about Crookshanks, Hedwig and Tybalt.

Richard held a sobbing Helen back as she fought to walk toward the house. It was a battle he was rapidly losing. Choking back sobs and choking on smoke, Richard held tight.

Harry, his mind still reeling from the attack, pushed down his rage and his grief to grab Richard and Hermione.

"Richard!" Harry got his attention. "This could just be the beginning. We're not safe here!"

Helen sobbed and fought against Richard.

"We have to get out of here," Harry held up his hand to point to his ring. Richard nodded and grabbed Harry's elbow. Hermione grabbed her mother and touched her ring.

"Once more unto the breach," Harry and Hermione both shouted. In a whirl of color and smoke, the four disappeared and landed back in the foyer of Potter Manor. As they arrived, Hedwig and Tybalt flew to them, their feathers askew. Crookshanks sprinted down the stairs into Hermione's arms.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione wept tears of joy while her cat purred in her arms, nuzzling Hermione with his chin. "I'm so glad you're okay. How are you okay?"

Dobby answered her question, popping in with Winky, both of them coughing, their clothes covered in soot. Once the shock wore off, they noticed behind him was all the furniture from the Granger house sitting in the foyer.

"Dobby…" Harry was afraid to finish the question.

"Dobby was alerted to a fire at the Granger house," Dobby said. "He could not let Hermione's family lose everything. Winky came as well, said you sent her to find me. Dobby just made one last trip for these."

Three books came tumbling out of his arms while Dobby swayed on the spot.

"Our photo books," Helen crawled across the floor to grab them.

"Dobby could not live with himself if his family lost those precious books," the elf said, his eyes drooping in fatigue. "Winky took care of the trunks and clothes, Dobby took care of the furniture and the animals."

Helen collapsed and advanced on Dobby all at once, throwing herself on the small elf.

"Thank you," she wept, thankful for the elves to safe all of her most important affects from the house. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Dobby awkwardly pat Helen on the back, not used to this kind of response.

"The Grangers are family," Dobby said through his coughs. "Dobby could not let them lose their memories and things if he could help it."

Dobby then collapsed in Helen's arms.

"Dobby!" She frantically called his name. "Dobby wake up! Please be okay."

"Dobby is fine, miss," Winky said. "He is just exhausted. Pushed himself too far, he did. I will take care of him."

"Thank you, Winky," Hermione said. "When you're done, come back and we'll make it official but for now: welcome to the family."

Winky bowed and popped herself and Dobby out. For the rest of the night, the four sat on the floor of the foyer, leaning heavily on one another until, one-by-one, sleep overtook them.

When Harry fell asleep, his dreams were filled with an old manor.

"Is it done?" a raspy voice called from a winged chair.

"Yes my lord," a long-haired man kneeled in front of him. "The house is burned and I sealed every door and window. No way the parents escaped."

"And I assume you scanned the house to assure they were inside."

"Well… no," the man said. "They're muggles. What would they do on the weekend?"

"Fool!" the voice sounded angry. A spell shot from the chair and the man writhed in agony. "You got sloppy."

"My lord," the man screamed while he writhed on the floor. "If nothing else, I destroyed the house. I'm sure Granger will get the message."

"Idiot. I should feed you to Nagini for your incompetence. I assume the two of you had better nights."

"I found the potion ingredients you asked for, my lord," the shorter one said. "We will be ready when the time comes."

"The bug-out signal went off without a hitch," a third voice came from thin air. "We are all set to collect our final piece and then our board will be set."

"Wonderful," the raspy voice laughed. "Thanks to the information from Bertha, we finally have our opportunity. Potter will be ours and then everyone will remember why the name Voldemort is one to be feared."

A snake entered the room and hissed.

"It seems we have an audience. Lucius, pick yourself off the ground and let him in."

Lucius hauled the man in.

"It is rude to listen in on other people's conversations but it won't matter. Nobody will miss you."

A flash of green came from the chair and Harry startled awake. Seeing the Grangers safe around him, he settled his breathing, pulled Hermione closer and dropped back off to sleep.

(A/N: I have had it in my mind that Lucius would burn down the house but this chapter changed a lot for me at the end of December when a fire ravaged a neighborhood in my hometown. It's really visceral to see houses on fire with the Christmas lights still up and on. I used a little of that emotion to write this.

I don't often include casting choices but I saw a video that recast Harry Potter for a purported series and in it they cast the Hound from Game of Thrones as Mad-Eye Moody. That's stuck around for me so much that it has become my go-to picture for Moody. A disfigured man who is world-weary but still a warrior when the moment calls for it.

I also couldn't resist picking a song that had nice in the title for Chapter 69.)