The Potter Twins and the Goblet of Fire
Chapter 19: The Dream
Hermione, "it comes down to this. Either Mr. Crouch attacked Viktor, or somebody else attacked both of them when Viktor wasn't looking."
Ron, "it must've been Crouch. That's why he was gone when Harry, Michael and Dumbledore got there. He'd done a runner."
Harry, "I don't think so. He seemed really weak, I don't reckon he was up to Disapparating or anything."
Hermione, "you can't Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds, haven't I told you enough times?"
Ron, "okay…. How's this for a theory? Krum attacked Crouch- no, wait for it, and then Stunned himself!"
Hermione, "and Mr. Crouch evaporated, did he?"
Ron, "oh yeah…."
Michael, "this whole thing just keeps getting stranger. So many details that just don't connect. Crouch was in Snape's office that one night, and yet he was running around the forest like a madman last night. And how would he be sending these letters to Percy if he was running around the woods, talking about all of those things he said…. It just doesn't add up…."
This continued to confuse the four of them as they tried to figure out what the bloody Hell was going on….
….
It was daybreak.
Harry, Michael, Ron, and Hermione had crept out of their dormitories very early and hurried up to the Owlery together to send a note to Sirius. Now they were looking out at the misty grounds. All four of them looked pale because they had been talking late into the night about Mr. Crouch.
Hermione, "just go through it again. What did Mr. Crouch actually say?"
Harry, "we've told you, he wasn't making much sense. He said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He definitely mentioned Bertha Jorkins, and he seemed to think she was dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault…. He mentioned his son."
Hermione, "well, that was his fault."
Harry, "he was out of his mind. Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."
Ron, "and…. Remind me what he said about You-Know-Who?"
Harry, "we've told you. He said he's getting stronger."
Michael, "how many times must we repeat ourselves?"
There was a pause.
Then Ron said in a falsely confident voice, "but he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving…."
Harry, "he was sanest when he was trying to talk about Voldemort."
Ron winced at the sound of the name.
Michael, "he was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and knew what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore."
Harry, "if Snape hadn't held us up, we might've got there in time. 'The headmaster is busy, Potter…. What's this rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just got out of the way?"
Michael, "because he loves making our lives a living Hell."
Ron, "maybe he didn't want you to get there! Maybe- hang on- how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you two and Dumbledore there?"
Michael, "not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something."
Ron, "wouldn't put it past him."
Hermione, "we need to see Professor Moody. We need to find out whether he found Mr. Crouch."
Harry, "if he had the Marauder's Map on him, it would've been easy."
Ron, "unless Crouch was already outside the grounds, because it only shows up to the boundaries, doesn't-"
Hermione suddenly shushed them.
Somebody was climbing the steps up to the Owlery. Harry and Michael could hear two voices arguing, coming closer and closer.
"That's blackmail, that is, we could get into a lot of trouble for that.'"
"-We've tried being polite; it's time to play dirty, like him. He wouldn't like the Ministry of Magic knowing what he did-"
"I'm telling you, if you put that in writing, it's blackmail!"
"Yeah, and you won't be complaining if we get a nice fat payoff, will you?"
The Owlery door banged open. Fred and George came over the threshold, then froze at the sight of the four of them.
Ron and Fred said at the same time, "what're you doing here?"
Harry and George in unison, "sending a letter."
Hermione and Fred in unison, "what, at this time?"
Michael and George in unison, "yeah, what of it?"
Fred grinned, "fine- we won't ask you what you're doing, if you don't ask us."
He was holding a sealed envelope in his hands. Harry glanced at it, but Fred, whether accidentally or on purpose, shifted his hand so that the name on it was covered.
Fred, "well, don't let us hold you up."
Ron, "who're you blackmailing?"
The grin vanished from Fred's face. Harry and Michael saw George half glance at Fred, before smiling at Ron.
Fred, "don't be stupid, I was only joking."
Michael, "sure you were, and I'm a Blast-Ended Skrewt!"
Fred and George looked at each other.
Fred, "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but-"
Ron, "it's my business if you're blackmailing someone."
Fred, "George's right, you could end up in serious trouble for that."
George, "told you, I was joking."
He walked over to Fred, pulled the letter out of his hands, and began attaching it to the leg of the nearest barn owl.
George, "you're starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you'll be made a prefect."
Ron, "no, I won't!"
George carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off.
George turned around and grinned at Ron, "well, stop telling people what to do then. See you later."
He and Fred left the Owlery. Harry, Michael, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another.
They had an uneasy conversation about whether the Weasley twins would actually blackmail someone in order to start their joke shop. They hoped that wasn't the case.
They eventually went to history, which seemed to go on forever until they got to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and had a talk alone with Moody.
Harry, "did you find him? Mr. Crouch?"
Moody simply said, "no."
Michael, "did you use the map?"
Moody, "of course. Took a leaf out of your book. Summoned it from my office into the forest. He wasn't anywhere on the map."
Ron, "so he did Disapparate?"
Hermione, "you can't Disapparate on the grounds, Ron. There are other ways he could have disappeared, aren't there, Professor?"
Moody's magical eye quivered as it rested on Hermione, "you're another one who might think about a career as an Auror. Mind works the right way, Granger."
Hermione smiled with pride.
Harry, "well, he wasn't invisible. The map shows invisible people. He must've left the grounds, then."
Hermione, "but under his own steam? Or because someone made him?"
Ron, "yeah, someone could've pulled him onto a broom and flown off with him, couldn't they?"
Moody, "we can't rule out kidnap."
Ron, "so, d'you reckon he's somewhere in Hogsmeade?"
Moody, "could be anywhere. Only thing we know for sure is that he's not here."
Michael, "but if he was searching for something in Snape's office, that must mean he needs to have easy access to Hogwarts."
Moody, "good thinking kid. Now, Dumbledore's told me you four fancy yourselves as investigators, but there's nothing you can do for Crouch. The Ministry'll be looking for him now, Dumbledore's notified them. Potters, you just keep your mind on the third task."
Harry, "what? Oh yeah…."
Michael, "almost forgot about that after the incident with Crouch."
Moody, "should be right up your streets, this one. From what Dumbledore's said, you've managed to get through stuff like this plenty of times. Broke your way through a series of obstacles guarding the Philosopher's Stone in your first year, didn't you?"
Ron, "we helped. Me and Hermione helped."
Moody, "well, help him practice for this one, and I'll be very surprised if they don't win. In the meantime…. Constant vigilance, Potter's. Constant vigilance. And you two", counseled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and Hermione, "you stick close to these two, alright? I'm keeping an eye on things, but all the same…. You can never have too many eyes out…."
….
Sirius sent their owl back the next morning. It fluttered down beside Harry and Michael at the same moment that a tawny owl landed in front of Hermione, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in its beak.
She took the newspaper, scanned the first few pages, and said, "ha! She hasn't got wind of Crouch."
She then joined Ron, Michael and Harry in reading what Sirius had to say on the events with Crouch.
"Harry, Michael, what do you think you are playing at, walking off into the forest with Viktor Krum? I want you to swear, by return owl, that you are not going to go walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Hogwarts. It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing Dumbledore and you two were probably feet away from them in the dark. You could have been killed. Your names didn't get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If someone's trying to attack you, they're on their last chance. Stay close to Ron and Hermione, do not leave Gryffindor Tower after hours, and arm yourselves for the third task. Practice Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn't go amiss either. There's nothing you can do about Crouch. Keep your heads down and look after yourselves. I'm waiting for your letter giving me your word you won't stray out-of-bounds again. Sirius."
Harry, "who's he to lecture us about being out-of-bounds? After all the stuff he did at school!"
Hermione, "he's worried about you! Just like Moody and Hagrid! So listen to them!"
Harry, "no one's tried to attack us all year. No one's done anything to us at all-"
Before Hermione could say anything, Michael said, "except put our names in the Goblet of Fire. That alone has nearly gotten us killed all year."
Hermione, "yes, they must've done that for a reason. Snuffles is right. Maybe they've been biding their time. Maybe this is the task they're going to get you."
Harry, "look. Let's say he is right, and someone stunned Krum to kidnap Crouch. Well, they would've been in the trees near us, wouldn't they? But they waited till we were out of the way until they acted, didn't they? So it doesn't look like we're their target, does it?"
Hermione, "they couldn't have made it look like an accident if they'd murdered you in the forest! But if you die during a task-"
Harry, "they didn't care about attacking Krum, did they? Why didn't they just polish us off at the same time? They could've made it look like we and Krum had a duel or something."
Michael, "chances are that Dumbledore or even Snape would figure out that it was something else."
Hermione, "look, I don't understand it either, I just know there are a lot of odd things going on, and I don't like it…. Moody's right, Sirius is right, you've both got to get in training for the third task, straight away. And you make sure you write back to Sirius and promise him you're not going to go sneaking off alone again."
….
Harry and Michael spent quite a bit of time learning about various spells and curses they would need to get through the maze. Michael already had a strategy; use his Animagus abilities to sneak around the maze better, and his fire magic would do well against most creatures.
….
During Divination, Harry and Michael had fallen asleep.
And both of them had very frightening dreams.
Harry's had involved him riding atop a giant eagle before he saw events similar to the dream he and Michael had had before the World Cup.
But this time, the strange voiced man had tortured Petigrew with the Crucio curse! And he felt it!
Michael's dream had involved him slow dancing with a figure whose features he couldn't quite make out, before he saw what looked like a graveyard, where a horrifying voice was cackling as it launched different spells at someone!
And he felt the pain they felt!
In both of their dreams, they kept hearing, "Harry…. Michael…."
….
"Harry! Michael!"
The twins opened their eyes. They were lying on the floor of Trelawney's room with their hands over their faces. Their scars were still burning so badly that their eyes were watering. The pain had been real. The whole class was standing around them, and Ron was kneeling next to them, looking terrified.
Ron, "you alright?"
Trelawney, "of course they aren't. What was it? Premonitions? Apparitions? What did you two see?"
Harry groaned as he sat up, "nothing."
He sat up. He could feel himself shaking. He couldn't stop himself from looking around, into the shadows behind him; the voice had sounded so close….
Michael, "all I see is a nosey fraud looking at me!"
Trelawney, "you were clutching your scars. You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scars! Come now, I have experience in these matters!"
The twins looked up at her.
Harry, "we need to go to the hospital wing, I think. Bad headaches."
Michael, "yeah, and only getting worse."
Trelawney, "my dears, you were undoubtedly stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room! If you leave now, you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever-"
Michael, "we don't want to see anything except a headache cure!"
They stood up. The class backed away. They all looked unnerved.
Harry muttered to Ron, "see you later."
The twins picked up their bags and headed for the trapdoor, ignoring Trelawney, who was wearing an expression of great frustration, as though she had just been denied a real treat.
When the brothers reached the bottom of her stepladder, however, they did not set off for the hospital wing. They had no intention of going there. Sirius had told them what to do if their scars hurt again, and they were going to follow his advice: they were going straight to Dumbledore's office. They marched down the corridors, thinking about what they had seen in the dreams…. It had been as vivid as the ones before…. They ran over the details in their minds, trying to make sure they could remember them….
Harry had heard Voldemort accusing Wormtail of making a blunder…. But the owl had brought good news, the blunder had been repaired, somebody was dead…. So Wormtail was not going to be fed to the snake…. Harry, and Michael were going to be fed to it instead….
Michael couldn't get the haunting laughter or the sight of such curses and spells being cast in front of his eyes out of his head.
The two of them had walked right past the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office without noticing. They blinked, looked around, realized what they had done, and retraced their steps.
Harry, "Sherbet lemon?"
The gargoyle did not move.
Michael, "let's try some other ones. Pear Drop. Er- Licorice Wand?"
Harry, "Fizzing Whizbee. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans…. Oh no, he doesn't like them, does he?"
Michael, "nope. Ugh, just open, can't you? We really need to see him, it's urgent!"
The gargoyle remained immovable.
Michael kicked it, achieving nothing but an excruciating pain in his big toe.
Michael, "gah! Dammit! Chocolate Frog! Sugar Quill! Cockroach Cluster!"
The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside. Harry and Michael blinked.
Michael, "Cockroach Cluster? I was only joking…."
They hurried through the gap in the walls and stepped onto the foot of a spiral stone staircase, which moved slowly upward as the doors closed behind them, taking them up to a polished oak door with a brass door knocker.
They could hear voices from inside the office. They stepped off the moving staircase and hesitated, listening.
"Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all", it was the voice of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, "Ludo says Bertha's perfectly capable of getting herself lost. I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all. As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's!"
They then heard Moody growl, "and what do you think happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?"
Fudge, "I see two possibilities, Alastor. Either Crouch has finally cracked, more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his prrsonal history, lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere-"
Dumbledore, "he wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius."
Fudge, "or else- well…. Well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"
Dumbledore, "I consider her to be a very able headmistress, and an excellent dancer."
Fudge, "Dumbledore, come now! Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favor because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless, if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got-"
Dumbledore, "I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid. I think it is possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."
Fudge, "I am not. I'm just a little wary of those you trust. Like that one Potter boy…. I believe Michael is the one I'm thinking of."
Dumbledore, "and what is wrong with Michael?"
Fudge, "well, um…. Uh, he's, uh…. Well, haven't you read what's been said about him in the Daily Prophet?"
Dumbledore, "indeed I have. And it doesn't matter. I accept Michael, and trust him with my life. And you should not judge him simply for his ways!"
The room grew silent for a moment.
Moody, "can we wrap up this discussion?"
Fudge, "yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then."
Moody, "no, it's not that. It's just that the Potter's want a word with you, Dumbledore. They're just outside the door."
….
Reviews:
Canadude2029: yeah. Things are just gonna keep getting crazier and crazier.
Bailey Radcliff: thanks. It means a lot. Also, no, Micheal isn't gonna die. And I answered your question in the update to Titans Elemental.
….
Sorry this chapter came out a date late. Personal matters got in the way...
