AN1/
After reopening the notes and outlining and fleshing out the story, I have it half finished after about 7 hours of writing, correcting, and rewriting. It stands at 22,000+ words currently and has six bullet points to deal with before it is done.
Here is the 1st chapter of the story. The story should end up about 50,000 words in total. I hope you enjoy it.
AN2/
I am in the process of doing a little rewriting as time and muse permits.
Bindweed Chapter 1
The Morning
Harry awoke. Before jumping from his bed, he took the time to take a deep breath and center himself. He hoped the third Tri-Wizard Tourney event should be the final day of this headache. All the work and planning since All Hallows Eve will come down to this last event. After winning each task with all possible points awarded to him, he would be 1st to enter the Maze. He would be 20 minutes ahead of all the other champions.
Harry recalled all the visions he had during his Summer Holidays. Visions of Voldemort plotting a ritual to restore his body. Harry was ready to disrupt those plans if he could. He and Hermione had studied all sorts of Ritual Magic since his first dream vision of Voldemort plotting to get a new body.
He was worried that the plan they had made would fail somehow. There were too many factors that had to occur at the precisely right time. He knew at some point, when things went tits up, he would be winging it. But, one of his most significant abilities was to guess the right course of action and see the little openings and how to use them.
He had practiced doing the spells, a few he could do silently and without a wand. He could do the other six wandless but not silently. His accuracy wasn't as good as he wished. He had options. If he were wandless wouldn't be defenseless.
Months and then years of trying to keep his summer holiday activities off Dumbledore's radar were not always easy. He often avoided the discussions and agreed to go along with Dumbledore's plans. Then once he left the Hogwarts express, he would disappear by hiding in plain sight.
Harry had to apply himself after his 1st year. That was when he realized he couldn't allow Ron to distract him from doing his best in class. Finally, the hard work paid off. The results were that he took a different set of elective courses and insisted on dropping Divination before day one and picking up Arithmancy. Even after the Headmaster tried to play his legal Magical Guardian Card, Professor McGonagall agreed with Harry. She reported to the Headmaster that she had handled the situation, and Dumbledore dropped the issue into the waste bin, think he had won.
Headmaster Dumbledore's loss of control was due to the pitfalls of a person with too many distractions and three full-time positions. He ended up doing none of the jobs 100%, and most time, he was closer to 10% effective. That was because he was always sticking his nose in other people's jobs and trying to micromanage their departments and positions.
Harry shoved all those conflicts aside and tried to clear his mind. He took three more deep breaths and exhaled each breath slowly. Then, he reviewed the plans for today.
Shower; dress; meet up with Hermione; breakfast; a quiet walk; lunch; prep for the third and final event; win the damn thing and move on; take the end-of-term tests; escape for the summer.
Swinging his legs out of bed and gathering his shower stuff, he headed off to start the day. Fifteen minutes later, with his hair still damp, Harry wandered down the stairs leaving a slumbering Ron Weasley snoring loudly, still sound asleep.
As he descended the steps toward the Common Room, he recalled Ron's problems and how he and his dorm mates had resolved Ron's issues.
During a dorm meeting, Neville suggested everyone stop babysitting Ron. After a few days, the no babysitting rule had become an unwritten law in the dorm and the Gryffindor House. It spread to the entire tower. Everyone had stopped babysitting Ron. No reminders about homework, no waking him up, and even no telling him to shower or change clothing. This act triggered many of his famous Ron rants about missing breakfast and most morning classes for four days in a row. Then, Professor McGonagall got involved after Ron had missed even more morning classes. She read Ron the riot act. Then she placed Ron on academic probation, and he was given detention for a month. While in detention, he was required to write essays and do schoolwork that he had not been doing all year.
This punishment for Ron ended up with him resenting his life at school. He focused his resentment on Harry and blamed him for everything wrong. Ron still took his irritation out on everyone but had focused several specific anger issues on Harry.
The straw that broke the camel's back severing his friendship with Ron Weasley, occurred the night of October 31st of this years 1st term.. The night when Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, Harry stood before Ron could even say anything. Standing on the bench while everyone was staring at him, he had made a Magical Oath. "I, Harold James Potter, didn't enter my name into the Goblet of Fire. I didn't ask anyone to enter my name in my stead. I swear this by my Magic and upon my life. So Mot it." And a flash of light signified Magic had accepted his oath. "Well, Folks, I am still alive, right? Had you expected me to drop dead?"
Looking around at the mouths hanging open, he cast: "Expecto Patronus," and a large silvery stag coalesced from the mist that had flowed from the tip of his wand. "Magic still works, so everyone knows I didn't enter my name. End of story." and sat back down.
That's when the fight nearly started. Ron blew up and yelled, "Cheater."
Dumbledore made his way down, with several of the organizing committee following behind him to where Harry sat.
The 1st words out of Dumbledore's mouth were, "Harry, my boy, you must complete. The Goblet of Fire has entered you into a binding contract, waving the slip of paper under Harry's nose.
Harry eyed the slip carefully, "Nope! Albus, my man, you're mistaken."
Dumbledore asked with a dumbfounded look of amazement on his face. "How is that?"
Harry took a deep breath, "Well, Headmaster, your instructions stated, 'For one to enter the tournament, you must be an 'of age student,' right? Guess what? I am not 'of age' and, therefore, not eligible to enter. The second of your instructions was, 'Any student who is 'of age' that wishes to enter was to sign your name and write their school's name on the slip of parchment.'" Pointing at the slip of parchment. "That is my name and is printed on the parchment, not a signature, and there is no school name. That is not even a valid entry slip. Ergo, only a fool would call that an entry slip. That is three things you have which are just wrong, Headmaster."
Barty Crouch interjected, "See here, child, you must compete in the Tournament. It is in the rules and contracts."
Harry exhaled, "You just called me a 'child.' A 'child' can NOT be entered into the contest. Then, I have to ask you what rules and what contract. I have neither seen any rules nor a contract. Only a total fool enters into a contract without informed consent. Have any people who entered their names seen any rules or contracts? Why should I take any of you at your word about what is in or is not in the rules and contract? You said, pointing at the Headmaster, "That 'no one not 'of age' could enter the Tournament,' right, Headmaster?" He breathed air and tried to control his rising temper, "Did you lie then, or are you lying now? How can I tell which time have you lied?"
Harry turned around to sit down. Ludo Bagman said, "You have to compete!"
Harry laughed, "Let me see the contract and rules, then I can decide for myself. I am sure you have some illegal betting scheme cooked up. How much did you lose at the World Quidditch Cup? How much do you still owe?"
Dumbledore said, "As your Magical Guardian I can make you comply and compete?"
Those words set Harry's temper off. "Now you claim and play that card. Where was my Magical Guardian on my 11th Birthday? Was that day the absolute deadline by law for my real Magical Guardian to explain all my rights and duties as an Heir to Nobel and Elder House? Well, where was my so-called self-proclaimed and self-appointed Magic Guardian?"
Taking another deep breath he fired a second verbal volley. "It was also the absolute deadline for my parents' will to be read and executed. Where are my parent's wills? Why haven't they been read and executed? After all, that is the basis of all your claims. But the great and mighty Albus Fucking Dumbledore is the person that sealed the wills. Who knows what is in their last wills and testaments? No one, but you, Headmaster."
Hesitating for a breath as he allowed his words to sink in, Harry fired another salvo, "However, after all of that, you failed. If you keep insisting on playing the role of Magical Guardian, maybe I need to see you in front of the Wizengamot for gross abuse of power and position and that you are criminally negligent in your claimed duties. You either did ignore the laws and customs and are a common criminal, or you are not and never were my Magical Guardian. Maybe we have an attempt at line theft. I can and will ask the Goblins for an audit of the Potter Vaults. Suppose you took any money, and I find out you are not my Magical Guardian. In that case, I will demand that you are sent to Azkaban Prison. Either way, you are way off base, Headmaster." spoke Harry as he turned his back to the group.
Spinning around, he leveled a last shot at the old man, "The lack of logic in your legal construction that if I must compete, and only 'of age' students are allowed to enter, then I must be 'of age' and have no need of a Magical Guardian."
"Oh, and by the way people," Harry finished off with these words and with an affectation of talking downward to inferior people, "I understand that contracts are complex and most often misunderstood. If I, a minor, compete in the Tournament, I could breach the contract and the rules. What then happens to you because you signed the contract which stated I must be 'of age'? If you allow me, a minor, to compete, you would also be in breach of that contract. The way things stand right now, I am a minor, and if I fail to compete, I lose my Magic and maybe my life. If I do compete I lose my Magic and maybe my life. However, you all are party to the contract. If I don't compete, you are also in breach of contract. Now this last item, if you allow me to compete, then you, the organizing committee, and that are all of its members are in breach. If I don't compete, the organizing committee is in breach. You lose no matter what I do. Get me the contract and a copy of the rules. I will need tomorrow off to contact a Wizarding Barrister at Law. Why? Because not one of you idiots is a barrister, and you cannot understand what is and isn't contract law. It could be that if I compete in the Tournament, the other champions will be in breach of contract because I am a minor. What will happen to them?"
Standing up once more, he motioned to Hermione, and she stood. They both walked out of the room. The explosion of noise erupting behind them was deafening.
Striding down the steps from his dorm, Harry reached the Common Room and spied Hermione.
She hugged Harry. "You are too tense.", stated Hermione. "You need to relax and center yourself. Then, the plan will work."
"Just remembering stuff. It makes me edgy. Old memories about the Halloween feast." Then Harry explained his biggest fear. "There are just too many things that could go wrong. The plan counts on each one of our guesses are exactly right, all the time. It all hinges on the idea that Voldemort will make his move after I win this event. But we don't know how he will get to me."
Harry and Hermione sat in the Great Hall and ate their breakfast in companionable silence. When both were ready, they left to walk down by Black Lake. Harry sat down and mindlessly stared off into space. He attempted to order his mind, viewing and putting the restless thoughts away.
That Halloween Eve was one of the worst ever for him. The following weeks were a mix of some students calling him a coward and others still calling him a cheater.
Over the following few weeks, the Wizard Barrister, Theodore Edwards Tonks, made a small fortune in legal fees. The Wizarding Barrister filed a suit before the Wizengamot on Harry's behalf. When the Barrister Tonks explained what the people that wrote the contract had done, the Wizengamot was fit to be tied. The Organizing Committee had secured every member who had voted to restart the Tournament as part of the committee as a whole. If the Tri-Wizard Tournament needed extra funding, those members of the Wizengamot would have to pay out of their own pockets. Also, because of the age clause, the Wizengamot was forced to declare Harold James Potters was an 'of age' wizard. If they didn't, they all would lose their Magic. The Wizengamot then turned around the stripped Albus Dumbledore of his Chief Wizards post and his appointment to the ICW. The Wizengamot then passed a law stripping the Headmaster of all magical guardianship and assigned that role to the appointed Head of the Student's House—the same as it was for Magical children.
Harry again reminded himself of the need to force all those issues out of his mind. The past was over, and today was what he needed to concentrate upon.
Hermione sat beside him as they both watched a piece of parchment. It had all the same appearances as the Marauder's Map but was specialized to show the only Maze and creatures within it.
Harry said "There goes Barty Crouch into the Maze carrying the Winner's Cup to the Maze's center. I thought someone said that Mad-Eye was supposed to do that?"
"Maybe he is busy, or the Headmaster changed his mind." posited Hermione. "Hagrid is there with his Blast-Ended Skrewts. Wow, 8 of those things are being turned loose."
There are already two Bogarts and Sphinx in the Maze." Remarked Harry. "Is that a Lethifold? These people are insane."
Hermione nodded in agreement as four Acromantulas were stationed inside the Maze. "Insane indeed. Take no chances today, Harry. Stick to the plan."
Harry nodded in agreement watching the maze shift.
*/*
Soon it was lunchtime on the day of the third event.
Harry and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall met them, and she said to Harry, "Your family is here to share lunch with you."
Harry asked, "My Family?"
McGonagall says, "Yes, the Weasleys are awaiting you for lunch. All arranged by Professor Dumbledore."
Harry said with an even, almost detached voice, "I might consider my Family to be Ted Tonks, his Andi, and Nymie because they are actual blood relatives, cousins. But, other than Malfoy and his Mother and Crazy Cousin Bellatrix or Sirius, I have no close relatives. The Twins are my friends and teammates, not Family. Ron isn't even my friend, and if you recall, Molly sent me six howlers when Ted Tonks forced the Wizengamot to nullify the unlawful marriage contract with her daughter, which 'Professor Dumbledore' also arranged. So, the Weasleys are not my Family, now or ever." Harry turned and walked with Hermione into the Great Hall.
As the two sat down, Harry said, "Family? Hermione, one day I expect you and your parents to have that title."
Hermione sat there blushing at his words.
After lunch, Harry had an hour before he was required to report to the contestants' tent.
When Harry arrived, he parted ways from Hermione, and her last words to him were, "Remember the plan. All of the plans. Stay Safe!" followed by a kiss that left a future that she had promised.
At the Maze, Harry stood patiently waiting as Bagman read the final instructions to the contestants and the public. It seemed those instructions were more for the crowd than the Champions. Harry could not pull out his map and look at it. Instead, Harry was counting minutes as he recalled the reiterations of the Maze's configuration. If the cannon sounded on the minute, he had a straight run into the Maze. It might make 1/3 of the way into the Maze before it shifted.
Harry raced into the Maze as the cannon sounded, following the plan they had developed slowly since his name came out of the accursed Goblet of Fire. Harry stopped when he reached a solid wall of green. Turning to his left, Harry ran 125 feet, stopped, and turned toward the Maze's center. Then, referring to his map, He waited for the labyrinth to shift.
Standing there waiting for the Maze to change, Harry's mind drifted and recalled the many months of fighting with the Ministry of Magic, Wizengamot, and Dumbledore. All of those appeared at one time or another to want to kill him or steal from him. However, the true realization that not all was as it seemed took place after his 1st year. After getting help from the twins in escaping his relatives, Harry went to St Mungo's for his injuries from his so-called Uncle.
While in the Hospital and showing the bars on his window to Dumbledore, Dumbledore backed off his demands that Harry return that summer to the Dursley. Instead, he got a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the summer between his first and second year.
Catching himself, he called his awareness back to the present. Harry felt the magic build just before the Maze shifted. He ran forward again. Harry ran until another solid wall of the hedge stopped him. There he turned right and ran 45 feet and stopped and turned to face the center and waited until the Maze shifted again. The Maze reformed again, and Harry ran forward again. He stopped before he reached the wall, which would have prevented him from moving forward. This time, he turned left, ran a few yards, stopped to face the center of the Maze, and waited.
Harry thought about his second year absentmindedly. How hard he had worked. Harry had become lost when Hermione got petrified, how he struggled and worked alone. Forced to become a better student by her absence, Harry worked at taking notes for Hermione. Notes as she would take. He would set and read aloud the chapters assigned for reading. His grades improved over time during that year even more. He revised his notes aloud, reading them to Hermione.
After being un-petrified, Hermione told him she remembered every word he spoke. Harry felt all his hard work was worth the effort. The hug he received as a reward made him realize how much he valued Hermione and how much he had missed her daily companionship
The second summer, he didn't even go to the Dursleys but went directly to Leaky Cauldron. He again paid for and got lessons from the Goblins just like the prior year. As they preferred being called, the Petra encouraged him to read and study. Over time he knew what questions to ask of them.
Harry's attention was pulled again back to the present as he felt the subtle buildup of Magic around him. Harry scolded himself for being allowed to be distracted. Harry prepared for the Maze to shift. When the Maze moved, an opening appeared directly in front of him. Ahead he saw a straight path to the center of the Maze. The trophy cup was finally gleaming within his sight. Without glancing left or right, he raced forward. As soon as he reached the goal, he allowed his fingers to close, grasping the Cup.
The crowd cheered when the Maze flashed with the multi-color display of a Portkey. Harry was gone!
Harry felt the wrenching feeling as if someone had hooked him just behind his navel and pulled him across the fabric of the universe. The dizzy swirling of colors filled his eyes. The wonder of Portkey travel, he thought. Harry remembered the harsh lessons he had learned after the World Cup Portkey trips.
The trip to the World Cup. What a cluster that turned out to be he recalled. The Game itself was great. It was what had happened after sunset, which still made his stomach clench. The explosions. The fires, the screams of pain and terror.
Then when he was separated from Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys, he stumbled upon the three Death Eater scum, raping those two girls. Without a second thought, he cast the Bombarda charm three times quickly and watched as their heads disappeared in a red mist. It was so easy. A slash and a three-syllable word. Then the memory of picking up the youngest girl and carrying her out of harm's way to the edge of the woods. Hearing more screams from the camp, Harry made four more trips to rescue people.
He was then being called in front of the Wizengamot. They demanded an explanation of why he had killed rather than stun the people he claimed were raping. During that trial, he was prosecuted by Dumbledore. During the entire ordeal, Albus had, what Harry called, Dumbledore's disappointed Grandfather's face on the whole time.
When asked about his actions, Harry replied, "I protected the innocent."
Dumbledore asked, "What about those you killed? They were not given a chance to repent."
Harry asked, "How many times and how many chances have they had and still didn't repent? They made their choice. I made mine. I stand by my choices and my actions. He turned to look at the Wizengamot Chamber and gallery full of people. If those had been your daughters, grandchildren, or even your wives, Would you have wanted those criminals to get a third or a fourth or more chance to 'repent'? Would you have stunned them if you were in my shoes?" Harry asked as he stared at a scarred Auror. "No! You would have done just as I did. I put them down like the animals they were. That night I made five trips taking Witches and Wizards to the safety of the woods. Each of them was in danger of losing their life. One group of people was being subjected to the pain curse. The men in Death Eater garb yelled, 'Crucio'! and laughed at the screams. What should I have done? Just ask them to 'stop, please?'"
Harry was cleared of any wrongdoing when the vote was taken and tallied. He was allowed to leave, and the vote was that no charges were pressed. He learned later during the following debate that many wanted him rewarded with an Order of Merlin. The person who stopped that accolade was Dumbledore.
Harry finally put the distractions out of his mind and concentrated. Opening his eyes, the flashing lights had diminished. The spinning slowed, and he started kicking his feet. Total focus on what is happening now, he reminded himself.
Harry was successful as he landed on his feet without the minute of disorientation or falling over he had felt the last two times he used this method of travel. Dropping the cup to the ground, he crouched and took in his surroundings. A graveyard. The one that had filled his mind during his recent visions. He rolled slightly to the right as a red curse beam flew over where he had been crouching. Before he could rise, the rapid footfalls of a single person running towards him were heard. He played as if he had been really stunned.
Freezing still, Harry waited. Then when the person stood over him, casting a shadow on his face, Harry cast a silent Stunner, thinking, "Stupify" at near point-blank range, dropping his unknown foe to the ground.
Standing up, Harry looked down at Peter Pettigrew. "Stupify" was cast again for good measure using his wand. He quickly looked around and then began searching the unconscious man. He secured another wand, several pouches, and bottles of potion ingredients. Stunning the man a 3rd time, he felt safe exploring the nearby area. He found a large cauldron and fire burning and a book of rituals sitting next to it on a wooden table. He quickly realized what was going on.
Harry continued to look around in a general search pattern until he heard someone screaming "Wormtail" in a nearby mausoleum. Peeking through the doorway, there he found Voldemort, well actually Babymort. He appeared to be tiny, like a baby in size. But the thing also appeared like an old man, twisted and gnarled with great age. The body Voldemort was currently occupying was horrible in appearance, a twisted unnatural something. The abomination was weak and had been screaming for Pettigrew to feed him. Harry stunned Voldemort picking up the bundle and carrying it to the cauldron.
The prankster's blood ran through his veins, and he thought aloud, "No, No, No. That ritual won't do." After he had read through the prepared ritual,
Harry decided to rewrite the ritual. That extra reading he had done during his second summer holiday would be put to good use now!
Three critical things he had learned three things about Magic. It was the Focus of the caster, the caster's intent, and the power which the caster could call up. The caster's purpose in all rituals like this was far more critical than anything else. Harry didn't take the time to worry about the unintended consequences which might take place as he altered the intent of the ritual. He started by modifying the wording and content of the ritual.
Harry found a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink in the bag of supplies that were near the cauldron. Then, thinking back to the classes and extra reading he had done, Harry planned.
Harry reread the words on the original parchment, starting with: Bones of the Father, unknowingly taken, will restore his body and the rest of the ritual.
He started writing the new ritual he would use in the original ritual's place:
"Spirit of Magic, hear my voice.
The voice of Tomas Marvolo Riddle's named enemy.
Hear the voices of all victims calling for justice."
Stone of the Earth. Solid and unmoving,
You will give his body material form.
You will contain his person and
all his branded followers until the end of time.
Winds of the world. Swift, free, and unbound
You will carry all parts of his fractured soul here,
From wherever they are hidden or locked away.
Looking around, he noticed the last symbolism he needed. Harry silently thanked Neville for his fascination with plants and plant trivia. Then, walking over to one of the graves, he picked up a few spindly, long green vine growths with five white petaled flowers. He noted some of the blooms had already started going to seed.
Bindweed, grown out of the Earth, The keeper of life
You will join the souls within the unchanging stone
and bind them inside the stone, unliving and unmoving until the end of time.
The first three lines spoke of his authority to call upon Magic.
Then he followed with the actual command lines of the ritual, giving his intent to Magic.
Three lines and three commands. Three by three. Hermione lectures about Arithmancy are paying off.
Intent: Check; Authority: Check; Symbols: Check; Permanence; Check. All set.
Harry started casting his rewritten ritual.
He carefully placed the potion ingredients in the cauldron in the proper order as originally written. Then waiting for the appropriate interval to pass between each component. As the time came, Harry picked that perverted, twisted travesty of nature, Babymort, and dumped him without ceremony into the cauldron.
Harry fixed his intent and goal firmly in his mind.
"Spirit of Magic, hear my voice.
The voice of Tomas Marvolo Riddle's named enemy.
Hear the voices of all victims calling for justice."
Picking up a dark red stone with green and green spots which looked hard and solid, he held it over the cauldron reciting:
"Stone of the Earth. Solid and unmoving,
You will give his body material form.
You will contain his person and all his branded followers until the end of time."
After dropping the stone into the cauldron,
Harry threw his hands open wide:
"Winds of the world. Swift, free, and unbound
You will carry all parts of his fractured soul here,
From wherever they are hidden or locked away."
Carefully and gently he had rolled up ball of dozens of vines of Bindweed with Flowers and seed pods intact. He held the ball up while he was a few feet away from the Cauldron.
"Bindweed, grown out of the Earth, The keeper of life
You will join the souls within the unchanging stone
and bind them inside the stone, living and unmoving until the end of time.:
As soon as he tossed the ball of Bindweed into the cauldron, a large column of white light and red sparks burst into the sky.
The wind appeared to swirl around the cauldron from the sides like a small tornado. The wind was whipping and blowing debris around the cauldron. Then it changed slowly into a giant whirlwind. Harry watched as a tendril of green light came out of the cauldron and struck his forehead. Just before Harry passed out from the pain, he witnessed the beam of green light seizing a blackness and ripping it out of his scar. As the pain overcame him and he slid into the darkness of unconsciousness, he had a stray thought: Oh! My scar contained a piece of Riddle's soul. What joy!
Harry wouldn't be awake to see the seized piece of Riddle's soul drawn into the cauldron. Over the next several minutes, objects would swiftly arrive, and the Magic of the ritual would extract and seize the pieces of Riddle's soul, drawing them into the cauldron. After the bit contained in Harry's scar, next was a large snake. The green light removed the Snake's head and two feet of its body. Next to arrive flying through the air was a ring; then a locket; followed by an ornate cup; A silver locket; a tiara; then a shadowy form of a young teenage boy trying to struggle to escape. If Harry had been awake, he would have recognized the form as young Riddle, which had been sent to his afterlife when Harry killed the diary, was finally that spirit was seized by the green light and drawn into the cauldron.
The ritual was completed.
The graveyard suddenly grew silent as the wind stopped
.
The angry hissing of a white column streamed up into the air. As fast as it appeared, the beam of light shrank into a smaller beam as it suddenly grew brighter, only to slowly turn into an oblong oval-shaped blob of light sitting inside the cauldron. With a loud crack, the cauldron shattered and split apart, and some parts of the cauldron slowly turned to dust as a figure emerged from the quickly dimming light. The huddled figure was in a fetal position. Slowly it stood up, and as it stood, a glow encompassed it, gradually moving from its feet upwards. The figure was tall and slender. It stood fully erect, But before it could move more than to open its mouth, forming what would become a silent scream of torment and pain, the body froze in place, unmoving and still.
A little more than an hour later, Harry slowly awoke. On top of being groggy, he was stiff and sore from laying on the damp ground for so long. It seemed to take far too slowly to become aware of his surroundings.
The blood from his forehead had run down his face and dried into a thick cake. As he moved, a little more blood wept from what had been his scar running down into his eye.
Harry took his time and looked at the aftermath of the ritual. What was left behind? The cauldron lay split and broken. Harry guessed the stresses the Magic had placed upon it had been too much. The lifelike statue of Voldemort's face had a look of pain mixed with rage. It would be forever carved upon his face. Voldemort's unblinking eyes were filled with unmistakable look anguish and pain. The body was still deformed, and the face had many of the features of a snake.
Harry stood and carefully went looking for Pettigrew. When he found him, he was lying still where he had fallen after Harry had stunned him. Harry's eyes widened as he realized Pettigrew was stone-cold because Peter had been turned to stone.
Harry developed a worried look. Sooner or later, the Ministry or Dumbledore would come looking for him. One can not do this much Magic and not go undetected. The light show should have attracted the Muggle police or military by now.
Harry hid the parchment with his changed ritual inside his shoe. He left the litter of the potion bags and bottles lying on the ground around the overturned table. Harry noticed the items laying around where the cauldron had stood. He gathered the ring, a cup, a tiara, and a necklace and put them in a different bag. He went through the bag with the original ritual parchment, book, and inks and left it all near the small table, which had overturned in the aftermath of the ritual.
He fired a few more "Stupify" curses for good measure to ensure it looked like a fight had occurred. He recalled the original ritual; Harry found Tom Riddle's grave and pulled lots of dirt up, churning the ground, making it appear the tomb had been violated. He found the ritual knife and carefully cut his arm allowing it to bleed after smearing blood down his arm and allowing it to soak his shirt. Harry carefully wrapped it tightly with a strip of cloth torn from his shirt. He even used one of the wands he found on Peter to conjure a set of ropes and wrapped them around a tombstone so that it appeared he would have been tied.
Having the scene all set and his lines all laid out in his mind. Harry found a broken tombstone and sat down to wait.
He ended up waiting for several hours to pass before help would arrive. Then, smiling at the imaged look he would get to see on Dumbledore's face when he sees Voldemort, bound into stone.
A different point of view.
Back to the beginning of Harry's adventure, the center of the Maze was filled with a flash of an outbound Portkey. Everyone turned to watch the platform where the Winner would appear.
Seconds turned to minutes as Dumbledore's worried look slowly appeared. The magical Maze started to disappear as soon as Harry touched the Cup.
The Headmaster watched as various trainers moved to secure their assigned beasts. Of the three contestants two that remained outside the Maze were Krum and Diggory. When Harry touched the Cup, Fleur had only made it about 40 feet into the Maze. the confusion started as Fudge peppered Dumbledore with questions. The other officials from other Ministry Officials added to the chaos.
Professor McGonagall came up and reported plainly "Mister Potter was not to be found, and the Cup was missing."
Seconds later, as the degree of confusion increased, she was followed by Professor Flitwick and his report to Dumbledore. Professor Flitwick task was to examine the Maze's center and try to detect what had happened.
The Professor stated, "The Cup's Portkey had been activated and appeared to have taken Mister Potter off the school's grounds. So who changed the Portkey's target the Winner's platform to someplace else? The Aurors are trying to do a trace on its signature as well as the person who modified the Cup."
Dumbledore spied his friend, Alastor Moody standing on the far side of what had been the Maze, stunning two of the Acromantulas that were supposed to be part of the Maze challenges.
Frowning, Dumbledore yelled, "Silence!" Then, with a calmer voice, Dumbledore instructed, "Get the other competitors into the medical tent. Then order all the students to return to their Common rooms until we sort out this little hitch. Don't let anyone leave the grounds."
Nearly 18 minutes had gone by since the Portkey had taken Harry away. Everyone heard several different screams of pain or shock. Sounds and shouts of panic and uncertainty followed those. Finally, Albus looked and saw the closest person screaming was Narcissa Malfoy.
Dumbledore's long legs made the distance shrink. He made his way to her and saw the reason for her screams. Her husband had turned to stone. He was sitting in his seat, looking down at his hand, which was clutching his arm.
As the Headmaster scanned the crowd, he noted several new stone statues had appeared where before they stood or set as a living person. The oddest one was an Auror, Part of Fudge's protection detail. Yaxley had also turned to stone. Scanning the crowd, he found Severus. His Potions master had also turned to stone. Of the known and many suspected but marked Death Eaters had magically been turned to stone, he summarized to himself.
With a concerned voice, Dumbledore turned to Madam Bones and suggested, "Send an Auror to check on Azkaban. Most all of the people here who have been turned to stone were accused or suspected Death Eaters."
Albus quickly cast several different diagnosis and detection scans on the statue of Lucius Malfoy. Then, with panic, he said, "These were not like the prior petrifications in our second year. These are not people turned to stone. These are stones and appear to have the person's soul locked inside. Alas, I know no cause and no reversal process."
Fudge screamed, "Find who did this? We will push him through the Veil of Death! Look at how many purebloods' lives he ended. It was Potter. Find him Dumbledore."
Dumbledore cast "Point Me Harry Potter" and held his wand in the palm of his hand. The wand slowly spun around in a circle. "He is located someplace which has been magically hidden." He declared.
An Auror flew up the path from Hogsmeade on a broom. Upon spotting Madam Bones, he veered in her direction. Stopping beside Madam Bones, he leaps off his broom and stands at attention. After she acknowledged Him with a nod, he reported, "A large outburst of Magic in a Muggle area in the Yorkshire area. We are having trouble locating the exact place, but three teams are working on it. One of the magical signatures in the play seems to be Harry Potter's. Still, nothing is showing up in the magical under-age detection network. No Magical Trace violations."
Madam Bones turned to Dumbledore, "Albus, do you know why Potter would have been taken to someplace magically hidden in Yorkshire? I have three squads searching in the area, now."
Albus frowned. "I expect this was an attempt to return Voldemort to a new body. I believe this was all part of Voldemort's original plan with the final result of Harry Potter's abduction. The goal was to force him into some dark ritual to restore Voldemort's body. If I recall correctly, Voldemort's Mother and Father were from Little Hangleton in Yorkshire."
Fudge's face turned an ugly color of puce, and shouted, "He is dead! The Dark Lord is DEAD! Dead people do not come back to life."
Dumbledore frowned, "Speak to the Unspeakables, Cornelius. I know of four or five ways. The Ancient Egyptians and Chinese both had different ways."
Continuing in his teacher mode, Albus recited, "stories about Atlantis are said to have been destroyed because their method of attempting immortality was so abhorrent to Magic, that Magic refused to allow it. The few who escaped the island became the Dementors. Many people have used different methods to gain a sort of immorality, including Vampires, which are humans that have died once and returned to a life of a sort. So you see Cornelius just because you don't know how it is done, doesn't mean it is impossible."
Fudge stared at Dumbledore, "He can come back?"
Dumbledore asked a simple question, "Did anyone ever see his body?
That is evidence of death. A lack of Prima Facie evidence, is a clue, Minister. There are many ways to trap a soul on this side. Ask any ghost in the castle.
Necromancy is the name of one of the darkest of arts. It does exist and isn't talked about in polite circles. All our books on these subjects are in the Headmaster's private library. All access is restricted to an 'on a need-to-know basis'. I understand Gringotts' curse breakers know about them and how to deal with them. The Unspeakables and Headmasters are charged with keeping the books, so we know how to fight these dark arts. I know Voldemort made at least one anchor, and it was destroyed two years ago by Harry Potter."
"Why is Potter always in the thick of everything? Last year it was the nonsense about Sirius Black and the lie he was innocent, and now he has cheated his way into this Tournament." Fudge blurted out.
"Well, Minister," Dumbledore explained. "Harry Potter was the person Voldemort went to kill that night in October. Not his parents" Albus smiled as Fudge shuddered at the name. "Harry fought his shade during his 1st year here, and then again in his second year, he destroyed one of Voldemort's soul anchors. Last year Potter cast a Patronus strong enough to drive off all the Dementors you had stationed around the school grounds. This year he won every segment of this Tournament, competing against students three years older than him.
Between you and I, Minister, there is a good reason Harry Potter is in the thick of things. Now, I believe that he has become Magic's Own Champion. I know he didn't enter himself or ask someone else to enter his name into the Goblet of Fire because of his oath on his Magic. His entry slip was a parchment torn off one of his old school assignments. No school name was listed as required by the rules. Now that I have been thinking about the matter. His doing Magic doesn't show in Under Age Officer of Magic because Barty and Ludo forced him into this Tournament. They declared him 'an of Age Wizard' when they wouldn't let him withdraw his name because he was an underage wizard. The Wizengamot even ruled that Potter was 'an of age wizard' because of the contract. The goblet might have stripped us all of our Magic otherwise. We have Miss Granger to thank for that. Harry insisted on getting a copy of the contracts and rules. She discovered the problem and a simple solution for it. We can strip him of that declaration after the Tournament is over if it becomes a problem."
Fudge looked pensive for a moment. Then, before he could speak, Dumbledore pointed out, "Did you know Sirius Black never had a trial or hearing? He was sent to prison on Barty Crouch's authority alone. I don't believe Bagnold signed off on it. Twelve possibly innocent people went to Azkaban without hearings or trials. Simply on the orders of one person. Would you think it right if Madam Bones decided on her whim to send you to prison? What about Delores, Weasley, or Marchbanks, Even two years ago, you sent Hagrid to prison on just your say-so, just to be seen doing something. You kept him there even after the attacks continued."
"Now, it is up to you to set the course of the next few moves. Today could be your highest or lowest moment in history for you. How are you to be remembered in the years to come? A weak man or a strong man. Either way, the next few minutes may be the most important decision of your career. There is a reason only Death Eaters and accused Death Eaters have been turned to stone, Cornelius. Lucius is no more. Make a clean break while it is possible." Warned Dumbledore.
Madam Bones said," I have an idea. Have Dumbledore make a Portkey to Little Hangleton, and we can do a sweeping search of the area and see what we can find."
She nodded in the affirmative and called aloud, "All Aurors to me. She designated 5 to stay and provide security. The rest are coming with us."
Albus Dumbledore summoned a considerable length of rope, charged it with the Portkey Charm, "Portus," and watched as the rope glowed a soft blue color.
When Madam Bones signaled all were ready, Albus commanded, "Activate!" and 20 Aurors and the Minister of Magic, the Head of the DMLE, and Albus Dumbledore spun away in a rainbow of colored lights.
Harry looked up after hearing the fourth set of whirling sounds. He understood that was the sound of an incoming Portkey. This one was the loudest, so maybe it was the closest or a larger group of people. It had been nearly two hours after the first Port Key sound by his reckoning. Harry responded again by shooting up red sparks. That was the signal of a Wizard in distress. He was afraid of leaving the graveyard, and the evidence contained inside. He knew he would need the stone bodies of Pettigrew and Voldemort to explain what happened. And to free his godfather, Sirius Black. He didn't know what sort of wards or charms were around the graveyard. Still, there had to be some reasonably heavy ones because no notice had shown up for underage Magic.
Harry sat exhausted and sent yet another streak of red sparks, and finally, he heard a voice in the distance calling, "Harry!"
Harry strolled towards the voice. Every few stopping feet send up red sparks. Finally, when he reached the graveyard's edge, he stopped and called out and shot up red sparks.
Finally, after many minutes of this magical cat-and-mouse game, he saw figures in the thick evening mist slowly appear. He called for help, and a few people heard him, and they blindly entered the warded space.
Harry Potter felt a rush of relief. Harry thought to himself 'safe at last'. My rescuers have finally arrived.'
Professor Dumbledore reached and grabbed him, then gave him a careful once over. "Harry, my boy, what happened?"
Harry started off yelling out, "It was Voldemort and Pettigrew. They kidnapped me and did this ritual to give him back a body. I ruined the ritual by kicking dirt, rocks, and stuff into the cauldron. It seems to be a blur. Let me show you. That will be easier."
Harry leads the rescue party deeply into the graveyard. He pointed to the grotesque and gruesome statue of Voldemort and the shattered remains of the Cauldron. "After the ritual, the Cauldron shattered, and the pieces flew. I think that thing came out of the Cauldron and froze. It hasn't moved since then."
"Peter is over here and looks just the other statue." Harry led them about 15 feet away and pointed to Pettigrew's stone body huddled behind a tombstone. There is the body of a giant dead snake too, but his head is missing,"
Dumbledore asked, "Harry, where is the Tri-Wizard Cup?"
Harry pointed to a spot, "Over there. I dropped it when I landed and was afraid to pick it up again."
Dumbledore nodded wisely. "Once burned, twice warned. An excellent saying to remember. Sometimes the safest recourse is to sit down and wait. You did that well, young Harry."
Fudge looked around and called Dumbledore over to a table that had been overturned and pointed to a book. "Look, a ritual... 'Bone of father; Flesh of the servant; and blood of the enemy.' It is all here just like you said," as the Minister stared at Harry's bloody arm.
Madam Bones called to one of her Aurors over, "Get the boy medical care, Tonks. Albus, can you figure out who changed Portkey's destination? Voldemort and Pettigrew had to have someone in the school who helped set this up. We need to find that person."
Albus summoned a small piece of rope, charmed it, "Portus!" and looked at Tonks and Harry. "If you would take care of Harry for me, Nymphadora?"
The Auror in question frowned and said, "It is Tonks! Just Tonks, please."
She took the rope in her hand, grasped Harry's uninjured arm, and said "Activate."
As Tonks and Harry Potter disappeared, three new people garbed in gray robes entered the graveyard. Albus turned to them and said to his people standing around him, "Unspeakable. Watch your words, or you could cost us all our memories."
The one in the lead spoke, "Minister, Madam Bones, Albus, what have you found?"
Albus took the lead and spoke, "A resurrection ritual gone bad, it seems." Watching as the other two Unspeakables wandered away. He continued, "It seems the potion part of the ritual became contaminated with elements outside the required symbolic objects. The required enemy fought and kicked rocks and dirt into the Cauldron and some plant material. See, Bindweed has been kicked up and may have influenced the ritual. The sacrifice was awake and spoke and yelled, interrupting the ritual.
As you know, the intent is powerful, and all words inside a ritual have different meanings and can change a ritual. Even a stray thought can be a disaster for the ritual caster. Being awake, aware, and a potent wizard allowed Potter's intent to change the ritual, substantially it appears."
"Indeed! Maybe a memory of the happenings today from Potter. So that we can document what took place." The lead Unspeakable voiced.
One of the other Unspeakables wandered back to the group. "That's Voldemort without a doubt, and according to the readings we have made, his entire soul is intact—100% contained inside the stone. The stone is harder than a diamond. He is trapped inside, not dead but then not alive either. Time inside the stone doesn't exist. There is only now. The stone is frozen in time. So Voldemort gained a type of immortality. A type he didn't want."
"The prophecy!" gasped Dumbledore. "I was given a prophecy years ago. '...he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and one must end at the hand of the other for only one can live while the other survives…' Like all prophecies, they are puzzles and enigmas until they come to fruition. This result is certainly a surprise. Voldemort, the Dark Lord, here only surviving, not living, and Harry is 'living' and doing well."
The two Unspeakables nodded in agreement, "It does appear the prophecy has been fulfilled. We will check the orb in our department and make sure later. Then, we suggest you allow us to clean up the mess, and we will take charge of the 'statues' and move them to a secure place for study."
Albus spoke, "We also have a collection of statues at Hogwarts. I think the full set will be every marked Death Eater. I suspect a few in Azkaban, which Madam Bones sent someone to check on their disposition. There could be an interesting experiment: allow a Dementor to try to kiss a statue. See if they can remove the captured soul. Or maybe try to send a statue through the Death Veil. You will also need to check the homes and places of work of all the suspected Death Eaters. I am sure there will also be several to found in Nockturn Alley."
Fudge instructed Madam Bones, "Tell your Aurors to assist the Unspeakables. Have you examined the Cup yet? Who modified the destination?"
The last Unspeakable nodded behind his veil. "Barty Crouch Jr modified it it seems."
Fudge said "But he has been dead for 12 years. How can that be?"
"Simple he wasn't dead, because that modification was cast this morning. But, Albus, you have had a dangerous Death Eater in your school lately. Do you think you had better find him?' asked the Unspeakable.
Dumbledore's eyes went wide with a full realization that Crouch must have been filling the role of Moody all year. If he wasn't turned to stone Albus needed to return to the school. Albus made his quick excuses and quickly Apparated away. Being the Headmaster granted some privileges. The most important was Apparate out of and onto the castle and school grounds.
Albus quickly located McGonagall and quickly closed the distance between them. "Harry's been found and is now in the Infirmary here at Hogwarts. He was slightly injured and needs to be attended to by Madam Pomfrey. Any report or a full listing of the number of statues here. Madam Bones will be expecting a full list."
Minerva shook her head "22 is the count, and that number includes Professor Snape and someone trapped between transiting between looking like Mad-Eye and Barty Crouch Jr. It is very gruesome looking, and the man appears to be in a lot of pain. I put Percy Weasley to work doing the actual count and mapping where each of the statues is. We have three Aurors who are now statues and Lucius Malfoy and Richard Abelson, both Board School Members. Madam Edgecomb from the Office of Magical Transportation and her Husband at both statues. Doyle and Crabbe are statues sitting not far from Parkinson and Malfoy."
"Oh, Dear!" Dumbledore exclaimed, "I wonder where the real Moody is being held? He had to be alive for the Polyjuice potion to work." He turned and started moving quickly towards the castle.
/AN: This was what I had written after a single writing session.
I added notes on how I wanted to wrap up the story. And then the second storyline popped into existence.
