The Wall of Stone

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

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Chapter 8 Preparation for Second Task

The students and public had no interest in the Second Task when February arrived with heavy snow and cold temperatures. Ludo Bagman who reappeared in January with a healthy tan from weeks spent in the sunshine somewhere warm, tried to stir up interest with lurid articles in the Daily Prophet about the deaths in the first task. Several tasteless photographs were reprinted to remind everyone about the bloody ends of the three students.

However, this tactic backfired spectacularly. Mrs Alice Diggory, wife of Amos and mother of Cedric, caught Mr Bagman unawares in Diagon Alley and removed his left leg and right arm with over-powered spells that burned away the limb so nothing could be reattached. The DMLE arrested the witch but her mental state of delipidating grief was so evident – she'd lost her husband and son that day at Hogwarts – that the Wizengamot refused to convict her or send her to Azkaban.

The day after she was released, Mrs Diggory vanished and was never seen again. The Daily Prophet covered the subsequent story when Bagman was unable to sue Mrs Diggory or her estate for damages because the goblins had settled the Diggory estate in just 24 hours after their Wills and Testaments department certified the witch as dead.

"How did she die?" inquired Auror Proudfoot who had been sent to Gringotts to meet and collect information when Bagman managed to get into the DMLE and file a complaint.

The goblin kept a bored expression on his face and in his tone when he replied, "Death by apparition. Alice Diggory was just not there anymore one morning last week. Her will had been updated and Gringotts distributed the estate that same afternoon."

"That was very fast," Proudfoot observed.

The goblin smiled when he replied, "Thank you, human. It isn't very often that a wizard will compliment a goblin."

When Bagman asked who received the proceeds of the estate settlement, the goblins told the wizard it was a closed matter and unless he had a thousand galleons, they would not share the information.

Bagman mourned his lost limbs and the missed opportunity to take the Diggory estate to pay for his care. Saint Mungo's suggested that the wizard purchase a house elf experienced in caring for a wizard missing two or more limbs but the only elves on the market were very expensive.

And worse for Ludo Bagman, he discovered that the loss of a leg and an arm upset his balance so badly that he could no longer apparate properly (and couldn't commit suicide in the acceptable manner for wizards). His future looked bleak.

Feeling the compulsion of the tournament contract holding onto his magical core, Bagman begged for house room at Hogwarts (where there were plenty of elves) and without any hesitation, Dumbledore granted the request. Looking ahead to the next school year, Albus knew that Alastor Moody would not survive the school year with his sanity or reputation intact and the school would need a new DADA professor in September 1995. Bagman would fit perfectly with Dumbledore's needs for another expendable DADA professor.

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The Goblet of Fire spent the months of December, January, and February at Hogwarts, 'reading' many books and ancient scrolls in the library. It had determined that it wished to remain at Hogwarts and establish residence within the library. The goblet debated just vanishing from the Great Hall and reappearing on a shelf in the Historical Section of the library.

'Madam Pence would love to add an ancient artefact to the library's collection,' it decided. Until then, the goblet had to deal with the two tasks of the Triwizard Tournament with a single champion. The rules wouldn't allow the judges to award the championship to Potter without completing the second task and then the third task.

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Interpreting the Song

A scroll appeared on the table in front of Harry Potter one morning in the Great Hall before breakfast was served. Ron Weasley, ignored for many weeks, grumbled about Potter getting special treatment. The red headed bottomless pit muttered, "Bet he's got a fan writing his homework essays now."

Hermione frowned at Ron and when Weasley noticed similar frowns on the faces of Lavender and Parvati, he turned his attention to the porridge, eggs, toast and bacon that had appeared in front of him. After his friends had lectured enough to raise Harry's situational awareness, the boy cast several detection spells on the scroll – the results told him it was a scroll from the archives in the library here at Hogwarts. Unrolling the scroll, he was pleased to find the text and interpretation of the mermish song contained in the golden egg. He'd dunked his head and the egg into the bathtub in the prefect's bathroom several times to capture the full text, but everyone had argued over the meaning of the song – something dear would be hidden underneath the waters of Black Lake.

The interpretation listed on the scroll was that 'someone' important to Harry would be kidnapped, placed under an enchantment, and left underneath Black Lake in the middle of the village of the mermen who spent their winters in the cold waters beside the castle. The text included a chilling line – the magic wasn't certain if the enchantment that Dumbledore planned to use would protect the hostage underneath the cold, dark waters for the whole of the time they would be held captive.

The scroll's conclusion was that Potter should get to the hostage as fast as possible and release them from the bindings so they could rise to the surface. Once the hostage's face broke through the water, the enchantment would end, and they would be able to breathe again.

Harry and his friends talked about the message (and determined to make certain the parents and guardians of the kids knew they might be taken as the hostage). There was another visit by Madam Amelia Bones, Augusta Longbottom, and several other adults at lunch two days before the scheduled Second Task where writs were served on Albus Dumbledore denying him any right to use any of the underage children in fourth year Gryffindor as Harry's hostage. Arthur Weasley arrived late but while the other adults were present, Mr Weasley stated clearly that he forbid Albus to use ANY of his children as the hostage for Potter. This aggravated Ginevra (and her mother) though Ronald was relieved.

The night before the tournament, Albus Dumbledore summoned Professor Pomona Sprout, Headmistress Maxime, Headmaster Karkaroff, Professor Severus Snape and Ludo Bagman to his office at late in the night. They were to discuss the selection of the hostage for Harry Potter's quest into Black Lake. Albus Dumbledore for some inexplicable reason had determined that Draco Malfoy would make the most suitable hostage for Harry to retrieve. He planned a thirty-minute discussion wherein the others would agree with him so that the blame could be shared when Narcissa Malfoy appeared demanding revenge on the judges. Albus smiled thinking, 'Since Lucius disappeared after Halloween, Cornelius has been afraid of his shadow and my – the light's agenda – is unchallenged in the Wizengamot. Narcissa is a pleasant looking bit of fluff but not a threat to anyone.'

As the others arrived in his office, Dumbledore became impatient when Bagman and Snape failed to appear. (Bagman was unable to stump his way to the office and the elf assigned to help him declined to pop him closer. Snape got lost three times – he was unable to remember the location of the headmaster's office because of the repeated brain trauma he'd suffered that year and took an hour to find his way back to his quarters in the dungeons).

"Let's begin," Dumbledore commanded.

While Pomona postured for a moment, Karkaroff cut through the dreaded lecture by Dumbledore and said, "Who are you going to use Albus? I have no objection to your choice whoever it is."

Maxime echoed Karkaroff and Sprout asked, "Then why are we here?"

The headmistress from Beauxbaton explained, "Dumblesdore hopes to spread the legal responsibility arounds to others. He doesn't want to bear all the blame if the hostage doesn't survive."

"No!" Pomona stated in a clear and cold voice. "There will be no more deaths in this stage production, Albus! The children…the students are not disposable pawns in some chess game you're playing!"

"Pomona!" Dumbledore began to complain when the four persons in headmaster's office all fell asleep and dropped over in their chair.

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