Harry Potter's POV

I was lying in bed, having just come up from the Yule Ball. Ron still wasn't in yet. On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, Ron and I had run into Hermione and Viktor. I wasn't exactly sure how it all happened, but Hermione and Ron got into a shouting match.

Hermione was screaming at him, "Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?"

Ron shouted right back, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

Ron had mouthed soundlessly like a goldfish out of water as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up to bed.

Though they were my two best friends, I somehow felt that I shouldn't be there, listening to them argue. I had quickly turned away, not wanting Ron to know that I'd seen what had happened. Ron was still standing there, muttering to himself, "Well – Well, that just proves – completely missed the point -" and started to head up to Gryffindor Tower.

I was halfway up the marble staircase that led to the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Towers when I heard someone yell my name, "Hey, Harry!"

I turned around to see Cedric racing up the stairs to meet me. My heart jumped when I saw Cho waiting for him in the entrance hall below.

I should've let Cedric deal with the dragons on his own, I thought, a bit miserable.

"Listen," Cedric said to me when he reached me. He lowered his voice. "I owe you one for telling me about the dragons. You know that golden egg? Does yours wail when you open it?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Well... take a bath, okay?"

I gave Cedric a blank stare. "What?"

Cedric paused. "Take a bath, and - er - take the egg with you, and - er - just mull things over in the hot water. It'll help you think. . . . Trust me."

What in Merlin's name…? I thought to myself. What kind of advice is – take a bath with a golden egg? Is he just trying to make a fool of me?

"Tell you what," Cedric went on, looking a bit bemused himself at the advice he'd just given me, "use the prefects' bathroom. Fourth door to the left of that statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. Password's 'pine fresh.'"

"Erm," I said awkwardly, "all – all right?"

Cedric grinned at me. "Right, then. I've got to go. I want to say good night." He hurried down the marble staircase again to meet with Cho.

My mind buzzed unpleasantly as I walked back up to Gryffindor Tower. Why would a bath help me work out what a wailing egg meant? I gave him pretty explicit advice about the dragons. Why does he have to give me such a bizarre clue? Seriously, is this just a joke to make me look even more stupid in front of Cho? Maybe Cho let slip that I asked her to the Ball, too…

I groaned out loud, but there was no one around to hear it, for the dormitory was still empty of my usual roommates.

Just forget it, Harry, I told myself. Forget about Cho and Cedric… Forget about the Tournament, even. Let's just get some sleep.


Apparently, though, it was too much to ask for even one day of respite.

At least Hermione and Ron seemed to be on speaking terms despite the row they'd had last night, though they seemed to be more careful than usual around each other, as though not to offend each other. I was grateful that they were speaking with each other because I felt like I'd just got Ron back as my best friend and I was keen on keeping it that way. The three of us were having breakfast together when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle swaggered over, with Malfoy brandishing the Daily Prophet at us.

"It's nice to see that the world's finally catching on with what a crackpot Dumbledore is," he said loudly.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked angrily. "Get back to your own table."

"I'm merely passing along the news, since I figure you lot of idiots don't get news from the magical world, especially the…" Malfoy's eyes flickered over to Hermione… "Mudblood. Do they even send the Daily Prophet to Mudbloods?"

"Shut up!" I growled, standing up and pulling out my wand.

Ron, too, was pulling out his wand.

"Oh, don't, don't," Hermione said to us. "It's just Malfoy! Don't get in trouble now."

"Bye, scarhead," Malfoy spat at me, grinning deviously. Then, he turned and left, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

By the time Ron and I had sat down, both fuming, Hermione had ripped open the newspaper.

"Oh, no," she said.

"What?" Ron asked impatiently.

Hermione put down the newspaper, and the three of us gathered our heads over it. It read:

DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE

Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. For many years running, Dumbledore has defended his appointment of Raylynx Kingsley, a woman known for her infamous campaign to free mass murderer and fugitive Sirius Black, despite having no proof whatsoever. She has been long since deemed a nuisance at the Ministry, even going so far as to vandalize it with misguided "Free Sirius Black" posters. It took the Ministry Cleaning Crew four days to undo her handiwork. She remains an ongoing suspect in the hunt for Black. In fact, though details have not been released, a general Auror report shows that she was once again under questioning in the past week on the matter of Black. There are strong suspicions that she is harboring the fugitive. Despite this, Dumbledore has never put forth his reasons for hiring a woman who continues to defend a murderer who killed thirteen Muggles at once. Furthermore, considering Raylynx Kingsley is Muggle-born herself, her defense of Black suggests mental instability based on a form of self-hatred and insecurity due to her being Muggle-born herself. The fact that Kingsley is employed to teach Ancient Runes also hints at a possibility that she is a Squib, which would explain her aversion to Muggles and her defense of Black.

Then, in September of this year, Dumbledore hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.

Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates. An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."

"I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."

As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror…

"W-What?" I sputtered. "What is this?"

"Rita Skeeter again!" Hermione said indignantly.

Ron alone pointed at the actual lines in the article. "Blimey," he said gruffly, "I always though Hagrid got in the way of a bad Engorgement Charm when he was a kid or something. No wonder he keeps it quiet…"

"What's wrong with being half-giant?" Hermione said, shooting Ron a nasty glare. "It's just the same old bigotry as against Muggle-borns, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah…" Ron replied. "I mean, of course no one who knows Hagrid will care, because he's not dangerous. But the way Wizarding folk think about giants is… Well, they're seen as vicious, they are. They like killing. Everyone knows that."

"But Hagrid's not like that," I said. "So, it shouldn't matter."

"It doesn't," Ron agreed. "What I'm trying to say is – is…" He faltered for a moment. Then, he looked up at the staff breakfast table. "Look, he's not here…"

"We should go visit him," I suggested.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, let's go."


As we left the Great Hall and hurried down to Hagrid's hut, I wondered, "The Dailey Prophet mentioned Professor Kingsley… It said that she was under questioning in the past week. But she's been at Hogwarts. What d'you think that sentence meant?"

Hermione slowly shook her head. "I've no idea…"

She nearly tripped over a stone as she spoke. Ron managed to grasp her shoulder just in time to keep her from actually falling.

"Let's just focus on one issue at a time," Ron said sagely. "Let's just get to Hagrid's for now."

Too lost in thought about Professor Kingsley and Sirius, I didn't notice how Hermione blushed faintly and how, when Ron let go of her arm, she shot him a furtive glance.


Raylynx's POV

Dumbledore warned me not to leave Hogwarts for the next few weeks.

"The Ministry is sure to be looking for every opportunity to put an arrest warrant or search warrant on you, Professor Kingsley," Dumbledore told me knowingly. "As long as you stay on Hogwarts grounds, however, I can offer you protection."

"Besides," he reminded me rather sternly, "your godson is here. I might humbly suggest that you remain in his vicinity."

"I will stay by Harry's side. I simply need to know that Sirius is safe," I said quietly.

"Do you doubt Mr. Lupin's Patronus message?"

"No. It's just that… I would like to see him with my own eyes."

"You must realize that your going to see him would put him at risk of capture yet again," Dumbledore said, frowning deeply at me. "You told me that the Aurors found Sirius' hiding place within your house. You must know that you will be tracked as soon as you step outside of this castle. Hogwarts has magical barriers that prevents outsiders from looking in, but outside of our perimeter, there can be no doubt that the Ministry and other unfriendly eyes will follow you."

Seeing my stolid expression, Dumbledore sighed quietly. Then, he said, "Well, I have just the task to distract you, Professor Kingsley."

"Distract?"

"Yes. Please, follow me."

Dumbledore led me out on the grounds. He took me down to what was usually the Quidditch Pitch, only now the hedges for the maze for the Third Task was beginning to grow. The hedges were about waist-high now.

Dumbledore led me past the hedges, however, and deep into the Forbidden Forest.

"Headmaster?" I said warily.

Dumbledore raised his wand and waving it gently in the air, he murmured a complex array of spells.

I gasped when a huge golden cage seemed to materialize out of thin air. In truth, Concealing Spells had been removed to reveal the cage that was there at all times, but it seemed to the eye as though the cage had appeared. And within the cage –

"A sphynx," I breathed out, seeing the creature with a woman's head, and the body of a winged lion pacing around inside the cage.

Dumbledore raised his wand again and pointed it at the the lock on the cage. It opened. The sphynx immediately headed for the door. Pushing it open with one strong push of her paw, she then slunk out of the cage.

Seeing Dumbledore and I standing there, she plodded forward.

"Hello," she said elegantly.

Dumbledore bowed his head to her. "It is good to see you again. I trust you will remember my friend, Raylynx Kingsley."

To this, the sphynx merely gave a mystic smile as her eyes passed onto me.


About an hour later, I was lying on my bedroom floor. My mind was spinning as I stared up at my ceiling.

Quincy had his paws pressed up against the glass and was craning his neck as much as he could to look down at me. Then, he suddenly jumped up, frightened, accidentally thudding his paws against the glass, before scampering into his flaming log.

I paused. What's got Quincy so scared?

Then, I realized that my owl, Artemis, was knocking against my window.

Oh, I recognized, owls hunt salamanders and other lizards.

I walked over to the window and opened it. With wings still flapping, Artemis held out his leg. I took the letter from him.

"Are you leaving already?" I asked Artemis. "Don't you want water?"

But Artemis hooted, nipped affectionately at my fingers, and then, he flew away from me at once, eager to return to his brood.

I shut the window and looked back to see a quivering tail sticking out from the log in the tank.

I walked over to the tank and bending down a little, I murmured, "Quincy, don't be scared. Artemis will never eat you."

Quincy didn't come out from his tank.

"Quincy," I said, trying a different tactic, "don't you aspire to be a dragon? Dragons aren't afraid of owls, you know."

At this, Quincy sullenly dragged himself out, but his eyes were still full of nervousness.

I opened his tank and put my hand in, hovering just above the flames. Quincy eagerly jumped up into my palm. I carried him over with my to my desk, which I sat at. With Quincy curling up on my shoulder, I opened the letter. It was from Sehtzer.

Raylynx,

Regarding your question about using Runes directly, as mental Runes, I must say that the realm of mental Runes is a somewhat mystical aspect of Runes in my people's history. Though I cannot reveal too much to you, I will say that etching mental Runes directly has only ever been used for important ceremonies amongst our people, and the old scrolls warn of the seduction and possible entrappings of using mental Runes. For one, using mental Runes to affect yourselves or others is extremely unpredictable. Even the wisest humans do not truly know what our subjective states are, and Runes, once etched, lock us into that state. Thus, in our community, the use of mental Runes is not banned nor necessarily regulated, but it has been treated with caution.

Sehtzer

I paused. So, mental Runes have been used before…

Quincy, exhausted now that his sudden bout of adrenaline had worn off, was starting to fall asleep on my shoulder.

When I gently put him back in his tank, he bleated feebly before shutting his eyes and wrapping himself snugly in his tail.

Meanwhile, I walked around my room, thinking about the Runic Circle I wanted to try. As my mind was still buzzing after my session with the sphynx, I decided to go with "Mend the Mind."

I etched these Runes repeatedly into a Circle. Then, I stepped within that circle before sitting down. Closing my eyes, I waited patiently for the Runes to take effect.

A very slow stitching began in my brain. Unbeknownst to me, there were more breakages in my mind than I was aware of…

I slid to the floor, eyes shut, unconscious of everything around me.

When I woke up, I was loudly shouting a single name, over and over again. Quincy was staring down at me with tired, but quite wide eyes. It took me a minute to realize the name coming out of my mouth in a terrified tone: "Gaunt! Gaunt! Gaunt!"


There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January.

I went down to the Three Broomsticks to meet Remus. I knew that even if someone followed me there, the crowd gathered at the Three Broomsticks would make it difficult for anyone to overhear any conversation we might have. I purposefully took a seat besides a group of goblins who were chattering quite loudly, almost angrily. They seemed very intent on their own business, and their loud argument would cover up whatever conversation Remus and I would have.

I felt bad about asking Remus to come because the full moon had only been two days ago, but he had agreed. To my surprise, Remus was in even worse shape than I expected when he showed up.

"Remus?" I said anxiously, standing up at once.

Remus waved me back down. He grimaced as he sat down himself.

"Remus, why…?" I began.

Remus glanced around us subtly before leaning in and murmuring to me, "Turns out Buckbeak doesn't take well to werewolves – even calm, curled up ones."

"Oh, Merlin," I breathed out.

"I'm all right, though. Snuffles stopped the worst of it," he sighed. "And then, he took Buckbeak away to the caves somewhere. It's just me and Snuffles now…"

"And is he all right?" I asked softly.

Remus nodded. "He's fine. Don't worry, Raylynx."

"Are you sure?" I whispered. "He was hurt before, you know. On his side."

Remus' eyes flickered up to mine in surprise. "You knew about that?"

Suddenly, the goblins besides us stood up.

Remus and I both started, shutting up at once, but the goblins weren't interested in us. Instead, they went rushing after a wizard who had just passed by their table – Ludo Bagman.

One of the goblins had raised his voice at Bagman. "I demand to know where Crouch is immediately!"

"Can't help you," Bagman said, flinching. "I'm afraid I don't know where he is."

"You're lying, Bagman! Covering up for your fellow Ministry worker, eh?"

"No, no," Bagman replied quickly, looking aghast. "I mean it! He's… stopped coming to work. Been absent for a couple of weeks now."

"Where is he?" the goblin demanded.

"I've no idea. Young Percy, his assistant, says he's ill. Apparently he's just been sending instructions in by owl."

Upon overhearing this, I hesitated. Now that I think about it, I didn't see Barty Crouch at the Yule Ball. I saw Ludo there, as well as all the other judges, but not Barty. I assumed he was simply at work or with family, but… I haven't seen him for a while, possibly since the First Task.

"You Ministry have a knack for 'losing' people of yours," another goblin sneered. Unlike the first goblin, this second goblin clearly did not believe Bagman. "First Bertha Jorkins, now Crouch…"

"We're looking for Bertha Jorkins!" Bagman said indignantly. "She definitely arrived in Albania, because she met her second cousin there. And then she left the cousin's house to go south and see an aunt. . . and then, well -" Bagman suddenly cut off before he mumbled uncertainty, "she seems to have vanished without trace en route. Blowed if I can see where she's got to ... she doesn't seem the type to elope, for instance . . . but still. . ."

"Anyways!" he said importantly, suddenly puffing up his chest. "Don't be putting all this on me now! The Ministry's doing all it can, so stop trying to blackmail us!"

With that, he rather hurriedly turned away from the group and dashed off.

As soon as Bagman disappeared, Remus and I looked at each other, sharing a concerned look and a deep frown.

"I didn't realize Crouch was missing," I whispered.

Remus slowly shook his head, thinking very deeply.

Just then, a bright voice interrupted us. "Professor Kingsley! Professor Lupin!"

We both turned to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione waving enthusiastically at us.

At this, Remus and I couldn't help but smile back at them as they dashed up to us.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry said. "I didn't know you were coming to Hogsmeade!"

Then, Harry frowned as his eyes traced Remus' fresh scars.

Remus tried to smile again, but it came out as a bit of a grimace.

"It's good to see you, Harry," Remus said. "And you, Ron, Hermione."

Hermione beamed at Remus, for he was still one of her favorite professors.

"Sit down, if you'd like," I said to the three of them. "Though I imagine you'd rather spend time among yourselves, and not with us oldies."

"I'd fancy a Butterbeer," Ron said thoughtfully, scratching his chin.

I laughed. "A round on me, then. Sit down, everyone."

It made for a very crowded table, but the five of us sat together. As we waited for our drinks to arrive, Hermione looked at me with curiosity in her eyes.

"What?" I asked her, immediately catching her gaze. I knew her inquisitive expression well, having seen it nearly every Ancient Runes class.

"Well, I saw the Daily Prophet a couple days ago," Hermione said cautiously. "And there was an article that mentioned you."

"Oh," I said, sighing, "yes, I saw it as well. I got a handful of letters from parents after that article came out. But I suppose it's nothing compared to what Hagrid's going through…"

"Hagrid hasn't been coming to classes," Harry said grimly.

"Still?" I asked sadly.

"Yes, and he won't let us see him."

"Well," Remus said quietly, "sometimes it takes time for people to let themselves accept help."

Our drinks arrived. Remus helped to pass them around.

"Blimey, that's quite an impressive scar," Ron blurted out, as he caught the new scar running down the back of Remus' hand as Remus handed him his Butterbeer.

"Ron!" Hermione kicked Ron not-so-subtly under the table.

"Ow!" Ron grunted. "What? I didn't mean it in a bad way. It looks wicked, if you ask me."

"Why, thank you," Remus said dryly, but his eyes flashed with a soft fondness for Ron's casual compliment.

Just then, Harry muttered, "Uh-oh."

I followed his gaze, and I found that he was staring at the door. Rita Skeeter had just entered, wearing banana-yellow robes and sporting shocking pink nails.

Before Harry could duck, Rita, as though she had some sixth sense of finding celebrities nearby her, suddenly zeroed in on Harry.

"Harry!" she said delightedly, running over. I noticed that her notebook and Quick-Quotes quill popped up at once behind her. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join -?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," said Harry furiously.

Remus coughed delicately, but Harry continued on, "What did you do that to Hagrid for?"

Rita raised her eyebrow contemptuously. "Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"

"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

The whole pub had gone very quiet.

"Harry," Remus said quietly.

But Rita was not in the least abashed. Instead, she asked Harry excitedly, "How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know, Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"

At this, both Remus and I stood up.

"Ah, Professor Kingsley," Rita said, appraising me with a scornful look. Her jewelled glasses flashed in the light as she turned her head to address me. "And how goes your mad campaign to declare the mass murderer innocent?"

"According to the Auror reports, it looks as though you've made progress, seeing as you're being questioned again," Rita said snidely. "You must love it, being taken seriously for you baseless belief that Black could be innocent. Do you feel like less of a Squib when the Ministry takes notice of you?"

"Would you like to see how much magic I have as a Squib? I could make a little progress on you, if you'd like," I snarled, drawing my wand out of my robes.

"Raylynx," Remus said wearily. "Put your wand aw -"

But Remus' voice was streamrolled over by Madam Rosmerta, who, sensing trouble in her pub as quickly as McGonagall sensed it in her classroom, yelled out, "Raylynx Kingsley! You control yourself over there!"

"Anyways, as it turns out, I'm not interested in you today," Rita told me snappily. Turning back to Harry, she said, "Are you sure you won't give me a word or two about Hagrid?"

"Yeah," Harry said savagely, glaring up at her. "You can have a word – good-bye."

With that, we left, though we'd barely touched our drinks. Only Ron was smart enough to bring along his Butterbeer. That night, when Madam Rosmerta counted her mugs, she was one glass short.


Remus walked all of us back towards Hogwarts. Once we made it to the grounds, Harry, Hermione, and Ron left us to try their luck with Hagrid again.

Remus looked up at Hogwarts wistfully for a moment. "Sometimes, when I'm stacking books at Flourish and Blotts, my mind slips for a minute and I think I'm back in the Hogwarts library again…"

The phrase "mind slips for a minute" suddenly reminded me of the favor I had meant to ask Remus, which I'd forgotten about thanks to the goblins besides us and our run-in with Rita Skeeter.

"Oh, right," I said abruptly. "Remus, I was going to ask you something…"

"Yes?"

"Does the name 'Gaunt' mean anything to you?"

Remus mused for a second. Then, he shook his head. "Can't say it does."

He cocked his head at me. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," I said honestly.

Remus looked at me, bemused. "You don't know? But you asked me…"

"I know it doesn't make much sense," I admitted. "Any sense. But I feel like the name ought to mean something to me, if you know what I mean…"

"You mean, it feels like a memory?"

"Yes. Exactly."

"Well, again, the name doesn't ring any bells in my head. But I'll get some rest and think again," Remus told me.

I nodded. "Also, here's this." I handed him a wrapped parcel I'd been carrying around all day inside of my cloak. "I realized I never got you or Snuffles Christmas presents."

"Raylynx, there's really no need..."

"I know there's no need. I wanted to. That's all." Putting my hand gently on his shoulder, I said fervently, "Thank you. It can't be easy."

I couldn't say anything more, but Remus immediately knew what I meant.

"Take care," he told me. Then, he walked away a little distance before Apparating back to Diagon Alley.


Remus Lupin's POV

"Padfoot," I hissed at the invisible figure besides me, using his wands to stack books from beneath a Demiguise Cloak. "As much as I appreciate you being here, you're not helping. Save me from another heart attack and just get back into my flat, please."

"Moony, you're exhausted, I know it," Sirius replied. "Just let me help. There's not that many books to shelve if there's two of us."

So, ignoring my feeble protests, Sirius helped me stack that night's shipment of books. Afterwards, he followed me into the famous book collection in the secret vault in Flourish and Blotts. I closed the door behind us and locked it before putting down Raylynx's parcel on the small stool in the room.

"What's that? Did you buy something at Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked. He took off his Cloak, though he kept it on his shoulder just in case.

"No, it's from Raylynx. She said it's our Christmas presents."

Before I could say much more, Sirius had reached over and ripped open the parcel.

Two very fluffy scarves came tumbling out. Sirius barely managed to catch them.

"I knew it," he said, almost victoriously.

"That's nice," I mused, picking up one of the scarves. "This will help at night, won't it?"

As my flat had never been intended to be a flat, and was only meant to be a storage warehouse, we didn't have heating at night. We only had it during the day, when the store was up and running. Of course, I had usually risked a bit of magic, putting bluebells flames in large jars and placing them around the room, but that had been impossible with Buckbeak around. Even with Sirius and I, it was sometimes a bit of a fire hazard. What was the more, the bluebell flames went out after a certain period of time, so we always woke up shivering.

"There's this, too," I said, spotting a small pouch still in the wrapping paper. There was a little tag on it. I turned it over and read aloud, "Woof, woof - Snuffles' allowance." I opened the pouch to find a fair number of Galleons in there.

"Ha ha," Sirius muttered, not in the bit amused at the tag.

"Cheeky, isn't she?" I murmured, but I was grateful. I'd had no idea how on earth I was going to pay for Sirius and myself. Sirius had reassured me that he could write to Gringotts, as the goblins didn't give a damn, but I reminded him that the goblins would give a damn knowing they could see his corpse on the black market. Sirius had fallen silent, knowing I was right.

"Anyways," Sirius said, looping his scarf around his neck. I thought he vaguely resembled a Pygmy Puff with it on. "You came straight here after Hogsmeade. You didn't tell me how Raylynx is doing."

"She's fine. I saw Harry, too." As I spoke, I began looking up at the shelves, scanning the titles.

"You did?"

"Yes. He's doing all right, it seems. He was with Ron and Hermione."

"Good," Sirius said, satisfied. "Did you see anyone else?"

"No. Although…" I paused, thinking about what I'd heard today. I thought carefully, knowing that Crouch was sore subject for Sirius. Crouch had been the one to send Sirius to Azkaban without a trial, after all. But still, the news kept bothering me and frankly, I didn't know what to make of it.

Finally, I said, "It seems like Barty Crouch is ill."

"Ill?"

"Yeah. I overheard Ludo Bagman at the Three Broomsticks. He was telling a group of goblins that Crouch hasn't been showing up to work for weeks now."

Sirius looked troubled at this. "That's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."

"Well, Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That was a very full-on job back then, when Voldemort first rose," I remembered. "I reckon the stress of that job and old age have finally caught up to him."

I knew that I was being overly optimistic, trying to save myself from anxiety. But Sirius, in his usual brunt and cynical way, methodologically tore away my feeble attempt at false hope.

"No, I don't think so, Moons," he said thoughtfully. "Crouch was never the type of person to let anything get in his way of doing his job. His stress comes from not being able to do his job, not the other way around. Besides, he was too strong-minded and too power-hungry to ever be held back by something like illness, and I reckon that hasn't changed."

"Don't you remember?" Sirius said quietly, and his eyes shadowed over. "He sent his own son to Azkaban. Let his own child die by the hand of dementors… All because he thought that would allow him to become Minister of Magic."

"His son…" I said, thinking back. "Barty Crouch Junior? Wasn't he at Hogwarts with us? And a Death Eater, too…"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "He was only nineteen when he was brought into Azkaban. I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though . . . They all went quiet in the end, except when they shrieked in their sleep."

I looked over at Sirius. For a long moment, Sirius' eyes became dark and haunted. "He died about a year after they brought him in," Sirius recounted quietly. "Crouch and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it."

"Is that why Crouch never became Minister of Magic?" I wondered.

"Exactly," Sirius replied. "After that debacle, old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made. One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic...next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored. So, Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"They took him out of Law Enforcement entirely? That's interesting," I noted. "You'd think they would at least keep him in the same department." Vaguely, I started to remember the entire debacle with Crouch. I hadn't been focused on Barty Crouch when the news broke, for the fact that Barty Crouch's son was involved paled in importance compared to the fact that Alice and Frank Longbottom were mentally gone. I still remembered seeing how broken Raylynx had been afterwards. She should have been happy to have caught the Lestranges, but she was destroyed. It was only after I went to St. Mungo's myself that I understood why.

"Well, I know that Crouch was still obsessed with catching Dark Wizards, though, long after he was demoted. It was a bit of a mania with him," Sirius said thoughtfully. "He continued to authorize Aurors' search and arrest warrants for Dark Wizards, despite the fact that he technically didn't work in Magical Law Enforcement anymore… But no one had the heart to question him after so public a fall. If you ask me, Crouch still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater."

"You?" I supplied dryly.

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe."

"And that's not all," Sirius said, now pacing and murmuring to himself, "Crouch's mysterious 'illness' coincides too well with Bertha Jorkin's disappearance."

"The Ministry has addressed Jorkin's disappearance, though," I said, thinking about what Bagman had told the goblins. "They're finally doing something about it."

"Are they, though?" Sirius asked cryptically. "I saw the paper today. Bagman was quoted in there."

"Was he?" I said curiously. "I haven't read the newspaper for today."

"Yes, he talked about how bad Bertha's memory is," Sirius relayed. He looked over at me and asked, "But don't you remember Bertha? She wasn't forgetful at all."

"Right," I agreed. "She had an excellent memory for gossip. She wouldn't stop going on about that prank she caught us doing. It landed all four of us in trouble. I remember that. She used to sit in front of me in Charms sometimes, too, and I'd learn things about other students that I never wanted to know. It drove me mad. James loved it, though."

"Exactly," Sirius said. "I can see Bertha being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic . . . maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long."

"Well..." I said, thinking that Sirius was completely right, but not wanting to admit it.

Sirius began to analyze the situation in his head. Calculatingly, he murmured, "Then, there's Karkaroff and Snape at Hogwarts."

"Sirius…" I murmured tiredly. Everything he says sounds so right. Sirius has always been like this – shrewd and distrusting. I reckon he's right on the mark about everything he said, but it feels exhausting and overwhelming to consider all of these things together. It makes me feel as though there's no hope, as though we've already lost.

"Sorry," Sirius said gruffly, seeing my expression. "I'll stop." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's just… I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June."

"Same," I said grimly.

"Anyways." Sirius shook his head lightly, as if to clear his head of further thought on the matter. "What are you looking for in here, Remus?"

"A name," I replied. "Raylynx asked me if I recognized a name. I didn't, but I have a feeling it's an old name…"

"What's the name?" Sirius asked me interestedly.

"Gaunt."

Sirius paused. His brow furrowed, and his eyes became hard and grim. "Gaunt," he said, and the name nearly came out as a snarl. "Well, I can tell you all about them..."


Raylynx's POV

Moody and I were both on night watch. He arrived twenty minutes late.

"Whatever happened to 'constant vigilance?'" I muttered, as we began walking down the hallway together.

At this, Moody hit me on the back of my legs with his staff.

"Ouch!" I complained.

"Shush. You'll wake up the whole damn castle," Moody told me, completely unsympathetic to the sting on my legs.

"Well, anyways, this is new," I said, gesturing between me and him. "We've never had night watch duty before. I thought our schedules would never line up."

"It didn't," he replied gruffly. "I requested for us to have patrol together."

"Did you? And why's that?"

"For follow-up," he grunted. "After I saved your arse the other day, and Black's arse, too, I reckon, I figure I deserve a bit more information."

"Oh…" I kept my voice low as I said, "Well, I have to tell you that I'm a bit in the dark myself. I was surprised to see you with all of the other Aurors. Did the Headmaster send you?"

"Yes," Moody replied shortly. "Anyhow, what happened afterwards? Where's Black now?"

"Didn't Dumbledore tell you?"

"If he did, would I be asking you?" Moody asked, fed up with me.

"Right. Well -" I was cut off by a suddenly piercing wail ringing through the air. It sounded like it was in a corridor a floor down from us.

Moody and I ran down together, though his stumped leg slowed us down considerably as we made our way down. Strange, I found myself thinking, I don't remember Moody ever being held back by his leg before. He never had an issue keeping up with me and the other Aurors when we'd chase after Death Eaters together…

We burst out of the staircase and made our way down the corridor. Then, we turned the corner and looked up at another set of stairs – only to find Filch and Snape squabbling at the foot of the stairs.

What is Snape doing out? I wondered. It's not his night for watch. Sure enough, Snape was in a long gray nightshirt, instead of his usual robes.

Ugh, that's a sight I never wanted to see, I thought.

My eyes passed from Filch and Snape arguing to Mrs. Norris, slinking around and hissing at Filch's feet. But then, I immediately did a double take – for Filch was holding a TriWizard Champion's golden egg.

What in the world? How did he get that?

"The thing is, Professor," Filch was saying, "the headmaster will have to listen to me this time. Peeves has been stealing from a student, it might be my chance to get him thrown out of the castle once and for all -"

"Filch, I don't give a damn about that wretched poltergeist," Snape snarled at him. "It's my office that's -"

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

The sound of Moody's wooden leg thumping along alerted Filch and Snape to our arrival.

Snape immediately shut up.

"What is it?" I asked at once.

"You're not needed," Snape snapped at me.

"Well, then, pajama party, is it?" Moody growled. "Filch. Speak."

Filch replied at once, "Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor. Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual - and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off -"

"Shut up!" Snape hissed.

At this, Moody shifted forward.

"Someone brought into your office, Sna -?" Moody suddenly cut himself off.

I paused. "Moody?"

His magical eye was pointed in an entirely different direction than his normal eye. His normal eye was still on Snape's furious face. But his magical eye was pointing up the stairs. I followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

However, Moody's magical eye abruptly aligned with his normal eye and he stared intensely at Snape as he repeated, "Did I hear that correctly, Snape? Someone broke into your office?"

Snape replied stiffly, "It's unimportant." The obvious subtext here was, "It's none of your business."

But Moody wouldn't have it. "On the contrary," he said, "it is very important. Who'd want to break into your office? And for what? What are you hiding in there?"

Snape's face suddenly turned sallow. "You know I'm hiding nothing, Moody," he said in a soft and dangerous voice, "as you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself, after you brought Malfoy up to my office."

"Auror's privilege, Snape," Moody grinned, and his scarred face folded up into a twisted smile. "Dumbledore told me to keep an eye -"

"Dumbledore happens to trust me!" Snape protested angrily. "I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office!"

"I think we're all getting magnificently side-tracked here," I cut in. I nodded at the Golden Egg in Filch's arms. "How did you come by that? Was it wailing when you found it?"

Filch nodded vigorously and clutched the egg tightly in his arms. "I'll tellin' ya, it was Peeves."

"Where did you find it? Did Peeves have it when you found it?" I asked, frowning. This doesn't sound like something Peeves would do. Peeves knows not to do anything that would get him in trouble with Dumbledore or the Bloody Baron.

"I found it bouncing down the staircase," Filch replied. He seemed a bit irked that no one would believe him that it was Peeves, as Filch was determined to use the egg as evidence to get Peeves thrown out once and for all.

I started to climb up the stairs when my eyes alerted to a patch of beige color on the otherwise stone staircase. I paused.

What is that? Spare bit of parchment?

I knelt down to pick it up. My heart leapt into my throat as I instantly recognized now. It's the Marauder's Map!

I made to stuff it away, but Snape had already seen the piece of parchment in my hand.

We both made the connection at the same time – That egg, this Map – Harry!

We spoke aloud at the same time:

"Potter!"

"No!"

Snape glared at me, his black eyes glittering with fury. "What do you mean 'no'? That egg is Potter's egg. That piece of parchment belongs to Potter. I have seen it before, I recognize it! Potter is here! Potter, in his Invisibility Cloak!"

"What – What piece of parchment?" Filch said, bewildered, for he had not seen me shove the map in my cloak.

Snape stretched out his hands like a blind man and he began to climb the staircase quickly.

Damn it, I thought. I'm certain Snape is right and Harry is under his Invisibility Cloak somehow, meaning I've no idea where he is! I don't want to run into him. How do I avoid him?

I slid over to block Snape, but I tried to be deliberate and slow in my movements, so that Harry would see me coming and get out of the way.

Snape's nostrils flared when he ran into me. "Get out of the way," he spat at me menacingly.

"Snape!" Moody suddenly barked out. "There's nothing there! But I'll be happy to tell the headmaster how quickly your mind jumped to Harry Potter!"

Snape paused. Then, he turned back and said unpleasantly, "Meaning what?"

"Meaning that Dumbledore's very interested to know who's got it in for that boy!" said Moody. "And so am I, Snape."

Snape slowly lowered his hands and stepped back a few steps down, away from me. In a voice of forced calm, he murmured, "I merely thought that if… if Potter was wandering around after hours again, he should be stopped. For his own safety."

"Oh," I scoffed softly, "got his best interests at heart, do you?"

Snape looked up at me with narrowed eyes. Then, he looked back at Moody, slowly turning his head between the two of us. There was dead silence.

Abruptly, Mrs. Norris gave a loud meow.

Finally, Snape said, "I think I will go back to bed."

"Best idea you've had all night," Moody grunted.

"Here, Filch," I said, reaching out my hand, "please give me the egg. I'll see to it that whichever Champion has lost -"

"No!" Filch protested. "This is evidence of Peeves' treachery!"

"It is first and foremost the property of the Champion he stole it from," Moody stated impatiently. "Hand it over to Professor Kingsley, now."

Once the Golden Egg was safely in my hands, the scene broke apart. Snape swept away, back to his Chambers. Filch sullenly walked away, and Mrs. Norris, who had been sniffing incessantly at the air for the past ten minutes, gave a confused and irritated "meow" before following Filch out of the corridor.

I hesitated, wondering how to get rid of Moody so I could coax Harry out of hiding. But to both my surprise and my relief, Moody said first, "Close shave, Potter."

Harry's head appeared out of his Invisibility Cloak. I gasped. He'd been right behind me.

"Er – thanks, Professor," Harry said weakly. His forehead was shining with a light sheen of sweat. "I thought for sure I was – was going to get caught."

Then, Harry looked over at me and said, "Professor Kingsley. Could you help me out? My foot's stuck in the staircase."

I reached under his arms and heaved, tugging him out.

"Thanks," Harry said in a voice full of relief. He reached down and rubbed his feet to nurse it back to life, for it'd gone bloodless. He winced as the buzzing sensation passed through his foot and shin.

"Harry, what in the world are you doing out at this hour?" I berated him.

"Sorry, Professor," he said, giving me a guilty smile. "I was trying to figure out my egg."

"Why did that require being out of bed?" I wondered. "Because of the wailing?"

"That, and… Well, I think the egg has to do with water," Harry told me.

"Water?"

"Yes. When I opened the egg underwater, I could hear a song. I think it has to do with mermaids."

My eyes lit up. "Oh…"

"I have to think some more about it, but you see, I was up in the prefects' bathroom where I wouldn't be disturbed," Harry explained.

I nodded, but I said softly, "It was still dangerous, Harry…"

"Sorry," he repeated.

"All right, you should get along before someone else runs along," Moody remarked. "Not all of your Professors are as easy-going as us, Potter."

Harry grinned. "Right."

"Here." I handed Harry his egg. Then, I pulled out the Marauder's Map and also gave it back to Harry.

"What is that?" Moody asked, with interest. "How come Snape recognized that piece of parchment?"

"Oh, it's a Map of Hogwarts," Harry said succinctly.

"May I see it?"

"Sure." Harry passed it over to Moody, who unfolded it.

A moment later, Moody's normal eye was as wide as his magical one. "Merlin's beard!" His voice was hushed with awe as he commented, "This… This is some map, Potter!"

"Were you looking at the map while you were coming down the stairs?" I asked Harry. "Is that why you missed the trick step?"

"That, and trying to balance the egg," Harry told me. "And something on the Map had caught my attention…"

He paused before saying, "Actually, I saw who was in Snape's office."

Moody suddenly went so stiff that he actually shivered all over. I glanced over at him, alarmed.

Moody stumped even closer to Harry and with his magical eye fixed on Harry's face, he asked, almost feverishly, "You saw? You saw who broke into Snape's office?"

Harry, who was also a bit startled by how dramatically Moody was reacting to this piece of news, stammered, "Er – yeah, I did."

"Who was it? Who?" Moody pressed, getting right up in Harry's face.

"It was Mr. Crouch."

It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

"Crouch?" I repeated, stunned. "As in Bartemius Crouch?"

Harry nodded. "That's what the Map said."

I knew better than to doubt the Map now, after what had happened in Harry's third year, what with identifying Peter on the Map.

Moody suddenly stepped back, nearly slipping backwards on the steps. "Crouch," he said hoarsely, "that's very… very interesting."

"I thought Crouch was ill," I said, frowning to myself. "He hasn't been around the castle and he hasn't been showing up to work. Why on earth would he appear on the Map in Snape's office at one in the morning?"

Moody's magical eye was on me now. His voice was dry and hoarse, almost menacing as he whispered, "Well, put it this way. They say old Mad-Eye's obsessed with catching Dark Wizards. But I'm nothing – nothing – compared to Barty Crouch."

Harry and I both shared a puzzled look. I ventured a guess, "You mean like Sirius Black?"

"Yeah," Mad-Eye said quietly, "exactly like Black."

Thinking about Sirius and everything that Sirius had warned Harry about – the Dark Mark appearing in the sky, Karkaroff being a Death Eater, Bertha Jorkins and Albania, and so on, Harry asked hesitantly, "Professor Moody, d'you think that… I mean, Mr. Crouch wouldn't be sneaking around for no reason, right? Maybe he thinks something's going on?"

"What do you mean, Potter?" Moody asked sharply.

"A lot of odd stuff's been happening," Harry replied. "The Dark Mark at the World Cup, and the Death Eaters and everything… What if Mr. Crouch knows something we don't, and is trying to find proof or information? Kind-of like how you searched Snape's office before. It seems to me like everyone is looking for information about what's going on, in some way or another."

Moody's eyes widened. "You're sharp, Potter."

"Perhaps you're right about Mr. Crouch. After all, he's in a position to know better than anyone what's going on…" For a moment, it seemed almost like Moody's tongue had flickered out on his face. But the next moment, I was sure that it was only a flicker of light passing over his face from the nearest torch. "Oh if there's one thing I hate, it's a Death Eater who walked free."

Harry was staring at Moody, almost frightened.

"Moody," I said quickly, "Harry should get to bed."

"Oh, right," Moody said gruffly, breaking out of his thoughts.

"You should give him back his Map," I told Moody, nodding at the Map in his hand.

Moody nodded. He began to hand it back to Potter, but then, he abruptly jerked it away. "Say, Potter. Could I borrow this map? I can make good use of this. Might be exactly what I was looking for."

"Oh, um, yeah, okay," Harry said, realizing that he was very much in Moody's debt tonight.

"We'll walk you back," I said to Harry.

I thought Moody might protest about walking Harry all the way back up to Gryffindor Tower, but Moody simply followed as I put my hand on Harry's shoulder and led him forward.

"Listen, Harry," I said intently, "I'm proud of you for finding out about the egg, but you can't be roaming the corridors at night like this, all right? I can't help you if I don't know where you are…"

"I didn't mean to worry you," Harry responded honestly.

"Of course you didn't, but despite your intentions, you are worrying me, see?" I replied gently, trying to make him genuinely understand my position.

Harry nodded. "Sorry, Professor, I guess I'm just not used to being worried about in that way."

We both paused, and a slightly embarrassed mood arose between us.

Right, I'm not his actual parent, I reminded myself.

We walked up the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower in silence.

Thankfully, Moody broke the awkward quiet by saying to Harry, "Potter, you ever thought of a career as an Auror?"

Harry blinked, taken aback. "No."

"You might want to consider it," Moody said. "I'm surprised you haven't got the idea in your head already, given who your godmother is." Moody jerked his head at me.

Harry's eyes flashed wide with surprise as he looked over at me. "Were you… an Auror?"

I shook my head slightly, "Not for long, and not a very good one."

"Hmph." Moody gave me a meaningful, almost odd look – somehow both condescending and amused – as he reminded me, "She was the one who captured Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Though…" Moody's voice turned thoughtful as he murmured, "she didn't kill her. No, Bellatrix was arrested with Rabastan and Rodolphus and then, there was a fourth, wasn't there? Barty Crouch's son…"

"Moody," I said shortly, putting a stop to his talk. I was pretty sure that Harry didn't even know who Bellatrix Lestrange was. To my knowledge, he was only really aware that the Malfoys and Karkaroff had been Death Eaters.

"It's nearly two in the morning. Now is hardly the time to reminisce," I remarked. I looked down at Harry, who was staring up at me in a slightly dazed way.

"But you're the Ancient Runes Professor," Harry said, almost to himself.

"Off to bed with you," I said sternly. "And don't you lose your egg again."

At this, Harry snapped back into reality. "Night, Professor Kingsley, Professor Moody," he mumbled. Then, waking up the Fat Lady, who received him most irritably, he spoke the password to enter Gryffindor Tower and to go to bed.

Meanwhile, Moody and I headed back down towards Dumbledore's office to give him our nightly watch report.

"How's that Map going to help you, Moody?" I wondered, as we made our way down towards Dumbledore's office.

At this, Moody gave me a satisfied grin as he replied, "I'll let you know once it does."

"Will you?" I said, amused.

Moody gave a grunt as he nodded. "Don't you worry, Kingsley," he promised, "you'll be the first to know."