(A/N: What, and update so soon? I guess I felt a bit inspired so here you go, the next chapter.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my mistakes.
Chapter 13: ICCS
"I think my mum kept that book, you know she was like Lily, hated to get rid of any book. I'll go check. But if we have it and it has the counter curse then Harry has to agree to stay with us until the end of the school year." James offered. It would give them a chance to see just what damage the been done to Harry and get a better feel for their other son. Hopefully over the next few months they'd be able to bond as a family and help him.
Sirius bit his cheek to keep from exploding at them. He knew Harry would accept those terms in a heartbeat to help Hermione. It might just be easier to see what Crissy wanted, reinstating her into the Black family along with her spawn would be the better deal as far as he was concerned.
"The decision will be up to Harry-" Sirius began.
"You'd let Harry decide something like that?" Lily asked in shock. She was sure Daniel would do something noble like that but she had no idea how Harry had been raised. And after some of the things Dumbledore had hinted at her imagination had run wild.
"Yes, I would." Sirius stood and walked to the door before he lost his temper. "I'll let you know what he says."
0-0
James and Lily had rushed to Dumbledore's office and informed him of their conversation. Dumbledore immediately suggested that something was off about the entire encounter and suggested that Hermione might not have been cursed at all but that Sirius could be attempting to play on their guilt to get the book.
He also suggested that it could very well be that there was something else in the book they were interested in. It was quickly decided that if the Potters still had a copy, he would search through it to try and discover what their true motivation for wanting it was. He advised them to only turn over a copy of the counter curse and not the entire book.
James's split-second idea to offer the counter curse in exchange for Harry moving into their rooms for the next few months was a stroke of brilliance as far as Dumbledore was concerned. It would finally allow them to discover what Black was up to and he hoped answer several questions about how Daniel could finally defeat Voldemort.
As the Potters left his office Lily felt ill. "Are we doing the right thing? What if the poor girl really is cursed. After what she suffered through with the troll…"
"We've been over this Lily, we had to watch after Daniel first. He's our son and the only one who can finally defeat Voldemort. Daniel just made a mistake with a bad prank, there was no way he could have known about the troll or that it would find her. By the time everything settled the girl and her family had left the country so there was nothing we could do for them." James put an arm around her shoulder. He knew how much that decision ate at her. Even if it had been the correct one.
"I know." Lily mumbled.
"Look once Harry is staying with us, we can invite her around for a family dinner sometime? We can see how they interact and if there isn't something else that we can do to try and make amends." James suggested.
"A family dinner with both Daniel and Harry sounds wonderful. I'd love for them to get along without this damned tournament getting between them." Lily said.
"We'll have plenty of family dinners once we get Harry the help he needs." James said.
0-0
Sirius knew that there would be fireworks when he told everyone about the Potters offer. He just hadn't expected Hermione to be faster than Harry. Before Harry had been able to say anything Hermione had clamped a hand firmly over his mouth and made her opinion on the entire matter very clear. Thankfully the other children weren't in the room at the time.
It took several moments for Hermione to calm down and stop swearing. "Harry Black if you think for one moment that I'm going to let you go live with those prats, well you are wrong. I will go and drag you out of their rooms myself if I have to."
Dobby stood in the corner, listening as Harry tried to convince Hermione that he would do it to help her whether she wanted him to or not. He was surprised that both were being so stubborn but the argument never turned overly heated. They didn't yell or throw things, just refused to back down. It was very different than how Daniel Potter acted.
He had been listening since the start. Dobby knew what the curse was and what it did. To his immense surprise he found himself angry, they had helped him when he had been ordered to steal from them. They had freed him and let him keep his freedom even as he worked for them. They had fulfilled his greatest wish and now someone dared to try and harm them.
The question was what could he do?
A small smile spread across Dobby's face as a plan formed. If there was one thing, he was good at it was finding loopholes in his orders, a close seconding being how sneaky he was. While Harry and Hermione were still arguing Dobby vanished.
0-0
"So, what does Crissy want?" Sirius asked. They had finally gotten Harry and Hermione to agree that no decisions would be made until they knew all their options. The dean had put in a request with the North American Ministry to check their records for the counter curse but no one was hopefully about that.
"To be reinstated into the House of Black with the option for Draco to inherit if there are no other male members." Andy said.
"I guess that means they figured out that I altered the house laws to let females inherit." Sirius said.
"It would seem so, and it is easier to kill two people then most of the house." Andy nodded.
"Couldn't we just order another copy of the book?" Dan asked.
"No, it's a restricted book, if any come on the market they are immediately to be turned over to the ministry. I suppose one of the shadier stores might have miss placed a copy but it's a long shot."
"Still better than the alternatives."
"We could always-" Sirius began before he was interrupted by a pop.
Dobby stood next to Andy with a sheet of parchment. "I is finding the counter curse for, Hermione." Dobby had to work to remember to use proper names. The other elves had been very insistent on that.
Andromeda snatched up the sheet. "Where did you find this?"
Dobby looked away sheepishly.
"Dobby you won't be in trouble." Sirius said. Hell, the house elf could admit he stole it from Merlin himself and Sirius would still congratulate him. "But will you please tell us?"
"When Dobby is first going to serve the Potters, Lady Lilly is saying that Dobby is always being welcome in their house. They is never taking that back when Dobby is leaving so Dobby can still go there. Dobby just went to their library and found the courter curse. Dobby is not wanting to bother other elves so Dobby is being sneaky."
Whatever Dobby was expecting it was not be hugged by Sirius. "You are officially the most devious and best house elf I have ever known. Let's go tell everyone the good news."
The next hour was perhaps the strangest in Dobby's life. Everyone congratulated him and thanked him. it was so different than anything he had experienced before. Normally a few kind words for a job well done were the height of what a house elf could expect. To be treated so well was completely new. Not that Dobby wasn't swelling with pride. Even the other elves let him know that what he had done was a great thing.
It was when they offered Dobby a reward that he saw a chance to help another house elf. "Dobby is knowing an elf who was dismissed by her family. She is very unhappy and wants a new family so she can help take care of children again."
"Well, we could use the help with Cordelia." Emma said. A dedicated elf would take a lot of the stress off her and Dan.
0-0
Dobby noticed the strange coincidence that he had worked for both of the families that could have helped Hermione but wanted something in return. He took great pleasure in following Sirius unseen when he went to inform the Potters that they had located the counter curse elsewhere.
"Where?" James demanded. His plans to reunite with Harry, who he had started to consider his stole son suddenly breaking.
"Not that it is any of your business but there are still those who remember how to act like decent people and not purebloods." Sirius said. He took some satisfaction when the Potters reacted as if he had slapped them.
0-0
Dumbledore frowned as he looked over the latest scrolls to cross his desk. It was nothing short of an insult! Beauxbatons had withdrawn their students from Hogwarts classes and moved them to Wandwood! The reason was that Hogwarts was providing substandard education and Wandwood had offered them the use of their facilities.
Worse because of that damned contract Hogwarts was being billed for it!
Then there was the miraculous recovery of Miss Granger, the official story was that the counter curse had been located somewhere else. Dumbledore wouldn't fall for that though; they must have had it all along. That was if she had truly been cursed in the first place.
James had been good enough to bring the book Sirius had wanted though and Dumbledore was searching through it for what their true goal had been.
Perhaps the only bright spot was a new idea that he had for the second task. Of course, as Madam Bones had pointed out things could go very badly. But that didn't mean he couldn't use others to tip the tournament in Hogwarts favor.
It had been easy to discover that Madam Umbridge had young Mr. Weasley looking for some type of loophole that could be used against Harry. It had been easy during a conversation with the young man to make an off handed comment about some of the more obscure rules of the tournament. That had lead Percy to find the proper loophole and report it to Umbridge.
He was sure that she would act on it in some way and that could only help Hogwarts while keeping Dumbledore safely out of it.
0-0
Winky was happy to be part of a family again but confused as well. She didn't like that she had to be paid but finally given in when the Grangers and the Wandwood elves had explained that it was the law and she couldn't bond with them without being paid.
Once she saw little Cordelia though Winky forgot about her shame at being paid.
The confusion really came from the Grangers wanting to be involved with Cordelia and not just expecting Winky to do all the work. Most magical families that had a house elf to watch the children ignored them unless there was some social event or lessons.
Emma had explained it best. "You feel joy when you look after children, well so do we. You can do things that we can't though to help her. That's why we hired you. To do what is best for her."
Winky had nodded her understanding. Even if it went completely against everything that she had seen before.
0-0
The Wandwood group, along with Cedric and Victor sat around the large table in the war room. Wendy stood near a map of the Black Lake. "To make sure we're all on the same page, the clue from the golden egg suggests that the task will take place under water and the champions will need to retrieve something that was taken.
"The only source of water large enough for the event on the grounds is the Black Lake, so it will either be there or off site. The clue was in mermish, so we assume that it will be the lake as there is a merman village located here." Wendy pointed to a location just south of the center of the lake.
Cedric and Vicktor nodded. They had already figured that much out, minuses the location of the village. They were both willing to work with Harry though after his easy win in the first task.
"Since you'll be expected to remain underwater for upwards of an hour, we've modified some scuba gear." Wendy waved her hand and several students entered carrying piles of equipment. They had consider using gillyweed but decided that would be better as a backup. "Warming charms on the wetsuits, impervious and anything else we could think to throw in. Theoretically they can withstand a bite from a crocodile. Though we haven't tested that, yet."
Thankfully the rule about charmed protective clothing from the first task had only specified the first task. Probably no one had thought further ahead than that.
"These things are going to get several of us our masteries." Another apprentice chimed in. For them the entire trip had been well worth it. Nearly half of them had already finished their mastery projects.
"Yes yes we've really outdone ourselves." Wendy said. "The helmets will provide enough air for five hours. So far, we have a dozen ready for use."
"Why so many?" Vicktor asked.
"Spares in case something go wrongs with any of yours, and enough for several of us to go down and test them out as well as get a better map of lake." Wendy explained.
"Alright hold on. I can understand working together but Vicktor and I are competing against Harry. Why would you give us suits too?" Cedric asked holding up the black suit with yellow trim along the arms and legs.
"Harry, would you like to answer?" Wendy asked.
"My main goal is to survive, if I win great but I was never supposed to be in this mess in the first place. Helping both of you helps me and we all have a better chance of surviving." Harry explained. "Plus, it'll probably piss off Dumbledore which is a nice bonus."
Cedric and Vicktor traded looks before they both agreed. Anything that increased their chance of survival was welcome. And as much as they would prefer not to acknowledge it, Wandwood seemed better prepared than their own schools.
"Next, we've compiled a list of every known creature from the lake. We can't guarantee that it's everything down there, just what we've found information on. Our test runs might reveal something we've missed." Wendy passed out stacks of papers with information on a number of creatures.
0-0
The first expedition into the Black Lake was scheduled for Saturday. The day before Harry and Hermione had done another check of the Hogwarts library for anything on the Black Lake. And once again they found any book relating to it either checked out, missing or removed by Dumbledore.
Harry was doing a final check of the stacks for anything else that might be helpful while Hermione straitened her meager notes. Mostly consisting of information on Northern European Merpeople. She hoped that they would have a better place to work from after their first dive and actual experience in the lake.
"Miss Granger?"
Hermione turned and found Lily Potter standing behind her. "Mrs. Potter."
"I've been trying to speak to you for some time. I want to apologize for what happened on that Halloween. We tried to help but your family had already left the country before we could." Lily explained. She was desperate for Hermione to believe her because the girl might be her best chance to help her son.
"I would find that easier to believe had Daniel ever bothered to apologize for what he had done. However, since I've been back, he has done nothing but ridicule me and Harry. There is also the matter of what all of you attempted to do at the end of our second year. Begging Harry for help then arresting him once you were done? I don't seem to recall you ever apologizing to Harry for everything you've done to him either. Yes, I can see how much to regret everything." Hermione got ahold of herself before she continued to rant. Instead, she glared at Lily.
"You don't understand. When Sirius took Harry, he was a squib but now he has magic. Only the darkest rituals can do this. We were trying to help him." Lily said, she knew the girl was smart, she had to see what was happening.
"Help me?" Harry asked. Lily jumped and spun around to face him. Hermione slipped her wand out when she saw Lily nervously fingering her own. Harry didn't seem concerned. "If you wanted to help me you wouldn't have tossed me away. But if you're so desperate to help me, why don't you go find a healer that specializes I children and ask them about ICCS."
Harry grabbed his and Hermione's bags. They walked out of the library without a glance backwards, leaving Lily behind. Hermione waited until they were out of the castle before she asked what ICCS was.
"Infant core collapse syndrome."
0-0
The Wandwood group along with Cedric and Krum were preforming various stretches to see how much their new wetsuits limited their mobility. Or in Harry's case trying not to focus on Hermione in her skin tight suit as she bent over and stretched her arms.
The wetsuits were made of a black hide that Wendy assured them would protect them from most of the creatures in the lake. Both Cedric and Krum admitted that the wetsuits were much better than their planned swimwear. The warming charms were also welcome.
Wendy held up a small breathing mask. "This will keep a bubblehead charm around your face, it lasts four hours. We have to sacrifice some time but it should also allow everyone to talk to each other."
"Should?" Cedric asked.
"Well, they do above water just fine but that's why we are doing this test." Wendy said cheerfully.
Each of them put the breathing masks on and made sure that they worked correctly before they made their way down to the edge of the lake. They waded into the water and swam around a bit before they began to dive down into the shallow water.
The first thing they realized was that the lake was far murkier than they had expected. Wendy's voice interrupted their first exploration. "Sound off, can everyone hear me?"
Everyone chimed in and they moved deeper into the lake. The group spent nearly three hours exploring, mapping out the lake and cataloging the creatures they encountered. Thankfully most of the creatures were wary of such a large group.
After their first dive the older students tweaked the diving masks, adding charms to help them see underwater. They made several more dives and began to play while underwater. Harry discovered that Hermione was completely at home in the water and swam circles around them.
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Minster Fudge grumbled as he walked down to the shores of the lake. The dean of Wandwood had contacted the other school heads as well as his office and demanded, demanded! That they come down and see some supposed fatal flaw in the second task. Couldn't even tell them in the headmaster's office like a civilized person.
Well, he'd see what had the slack jawed idiot was so upset about, put her in her place and go back to doing important things. He along with Dumbledore and the others found the dean standing with a young man along the edge of the lake. A large wooden box sat next to them.
"So, what is this supposed flaw that you somehow discovered when no one else saw it?" Fudge asked.
"You've sold a number of tickets to the second task-" The dean began.
"That is the opposite of a flaw." Fudge pointed out as he clearly thought she couldn't tell the difference.
The dean ignored him. "The second task takes place here where the champions will rescue something from the merperson village-"
"We know all this." Fudge interrupted again.
"I am curious what exactly all the spectators are supposed to watch." The Dean said.
"The task of course." Fudge's opinion that all foreigners were idiots was reenforced.
"The task taking place under the water and completely unobservable to the spectators. While I was against it, I am willing to admit that the first task at least gave them their money in morbid entertainment. To go from fighting dragons to watching a lake in winter for an hour. Personally, I think they will be disappointed." The dean couldn't help but smirk as Fudge paled and turned to Dumbledore in a panic.
How could they have over looked that? When Dumbledore had explained it to him, he had envisioned the champions in pitched underwater combat, spells shooting everywhere, sea monsters surrounding them. It was just what the people demanded. Now to realize all of that would be taking place where no one could see it. Fudge was ready to cry.
Dumbledore was more annoyed than anything else. Such an obvious mistake made him look the fool. Never mind everything else had did correctly. "I assume that you have a purposed solution and are not just gloating?"
"Of course. This is Mr. Togen and he will present a solution I think you will like." The dean stepped off to the side.
"Thank you, Dean Horsefeather. My company has created a device that we call a golems eye." He opened the box and pulled out a bludger sized ball made out of an unknown substance. It had a glass lens fitted onto one side surrounded by runes. Togen tapped it with his wand and it began to float.
Several more spells summoned a large white cloth that unrolled itself and floated above the box. A small box also positioned itself. Suddenly the golems eye moved and staired at fudge. The image of a surprised Fudge was projected onto the cloth. "The Golems eye can function underwater and follow a target. I purpose one follows each champion and then everyone will be able to see what is happening."
Fudge almost clapped, this was just what they needed. Dumbledore was less pleased. He didn't want more foreigners involved, demonstrating their magic. "And how much will this cost us?"
"Normally each eye would cost the equivalent of 526 galleons, plus the screens and projectors. However, since Dean Horsefeather asked we're willing to provide them to Wandwood for a fifth of the cost." Togen explained. He had original offered the dean the eyes for free just for the publicity but she had insisted that he charge them since the British Ministry would be required to pay.
Fudge was less thrilled about losing some of the profit from the task but agreed, as without the golem eyes the spectators were likely to demand their money back. Dean Horsefeather also pointed out that the third task suffered from the same problem. Fudge promised himself that he'd tare strips out of Dumbledore soon for such a mistake.
0-0
James returned to his and Lily's quarters to find a visibly upset Lily with healer books spread out around her. He noticed all of them were on young children. "What's wrong dear?"
"Read this." Lily thrust a book into his hands a pointed at a passage.
ICCS, Infant Core Collapse Syndrome, is the result of a strain on an infant's magical core. Most often the result of a violent burst of accidental magic. The violent magical release damages and drains the undeveloped magical core of the child. While in a stabilized core the result would be magical exhaustion in an undeveloped core it will cause the core to collapse into itself. There is no current treatment for ICCS. There is a 90% chance for the child to become a squib with a 10% recovery rate.
"Does that sound familiar?" Lily demanded.
"Not really." James answered, confused as to where his wife was going with this.
"Harry, this is what happened to him but he recovered…" Lily burst into tears.
James wrapped his arms around his distraught wife. "We don't know that this is what happened to Harry."
"But what else could it be? Neither of us wanted to believe Dumbledore when he told us that Sirius used dark magic on Harry and here is proof of another way. What have we done? My poor baby, I only agreed to let him go because Dumbledore said there was no chance his magic could recover." Lily said.
"We don't even know that's what happened. And even if it was there was hardly any chance for Harry to recover." James tried to calm his wife.
"We should have waited!" Lily wailed.
"Let's go show Dumbledore and see what he has to say." James suggested. Hoping that the headmaster would be able to help.
0-0
Dumbledore watched as James and Lily left his office. They had come to him upset and it had taken the better part of an hour to reassure them that he would investigate the matter of their wayward son. He had to tip his hat to Black; this ICCS was the perfect cover for what he did to Harry.
It was something worth looking into, but it would have to wait until after the second task. He was pleased with his plans for it, if everything went right Daniel would soon have a way into Blacks group. And if it failed then he had taken steps to ensure that he was beyond reproach.
0-0
Draco had been enraged when he learned that the mudblood had been saved from his curse. True he hadn't really expected her to remain around long enough for him to use the other curses in the series and allow herself be enslaved but had at least expected her to flee. And he had considered tracking her down over the summer to finish the job.
What really upset him though was that since the curse had been removed, they must have found the counter curse. That ended several plans he had made since he had cursed the mudblood. He needed pay back.
As he looked down at the cauldron he had been brewing a potion in he decided to just add her into it as well. A love and lust potion that would send anyone who consumed it after Potter. He had planned to use it on that idiot Weasley, the blood traitor would eat anything.
He'd send a dose to the mudblood as well. Valentines' day would be the best time. He sneered as he imagined the mudblood and blood traitor fighting over Potter. With any luck their reputations would be ruined. And Black would have to suffer the knowledge of what his precious mudblood went through.
But he had heard some nonsense about the mudblood not liking sweets or something. Her parents were supposed to be tooth healers, though for the life of his he couldn't understand what that had to do with anything. He'd need to get a bit more information. Weasley might eat anything but he couldn't count on the mudblood doing the same.
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Umbridge walked down the corridor to the department for the control and regulation of creatures. She had insured it would be empty except for her target. "Macnair."
"Madam Umbridge, so good to see you again." Macnair grinned, the ugly little woman often had some of the best hunts. Just last year she had learned of a pack of children that were believed to have become werewolves. Didn't matter if they had, he still did his duty and slaughtered them.
"I have another job but it will require you to act beyond your normal methods." Umbridge began. She despised the man but he was one of the few in the Ministry who could do his job and not ask silly questions, such as if something was legal. "I need you to find a way to make the next task more interesting."
"Oh?" That did pique his interest. "What were you thinking of?"
"I want you to find a suitably nasty creature that we can introduce to the lake, something that we can control and send after that upstart Black." Umbridge said.
Macnair leaned back and stroked his chin. Ideas already swirling through his head. "Yeah, yeah, I think I can do that. Give me a week to talk to some contacts. I'm sure I can find something. You'll probably have to tag Black though."
"Tag him?" Umbridge asked in disgust.
"Not too hard, just slip a scent tag onto him before the task. It'll either be the mating scent of what I get or something that makes him smell like easy prey. It'll be the easiest way to insure he's the one attacked, A disposable tag will also vanish pretty fast, no evidence." Macnair had used that method more than once when he wanted entertainment.
"That can be arranged." Umbridge said, relived that she wouldn't need to do anything more drastic.
Once she left Macnair left a note in the office and made his way out of the Ministry. He took his time, not going directly to his destination which was a sea cave on the eastern shore of Scotland. He'd paid a pretty penny for the wards that protected the area.
While he enjoyed killing creatures that was when they were restrained, helpless. He wasn't in it for the sport but the rush of ending a life. Sometime though he found something special. The cave had once held a family of sea dragons that he had helped kill off in his first year at the Ministry. Since then, he had erased all information on the location and used it to store one of his biggest prizes. In the cave was a massive lake that held a Jormungand.
He'd found it during a raid on some smugglers years ago and been raising it since then. It was a magnificent creature, even if it was still small. Barely 30 meters, it could easily reach ten times that length when it was full grown. It was a shame that it would never get the chance now but he was more than willing to sacrifice it to kill off Black's adopted son.
And who knew the Jormungand might even survive, he'd feed it a portkey stone before he released it into the lake. If it lived, he'd bring it back and keep raising it.
(A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter and a bit more of a peek into the Potters.)