Chapter 19. Separated Again
Harry woke up on the Quidditch field. His scar was throbbing painfully. The silence exploded into sounds, with people talking, yelling, and music playing. Someone touched his arm and turned him over. Opening his eyes, he saw the full moon in the night sky. No one here knew about the catastrophe except for him, Fleur, and Cedric. Thinking about them, Harry sat up and looked around. Cedric was squatting next to him, staring into Harry's face.
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm okay," Harry replied.
But he was thinking about how afraid he was to fall asleep tonight, although he couldn't find sleep in either eye. His nerves were still on edge, and his brain was processing information so quickly that he was ready to encounter the Death Eaters again at any given moment. But they weren't nearby, and Harry's heart felt lighter.
Next to him sat Fleur. By her appearance, one wouldn't suspect that she had the ability to thrust a sword into Voldemort's chest without fear or hesitation, and jump into battle to defeat one enemy after another. It was even scarier for him now to realize her true nature.
The crowd quickly surrounded them. Dumbledore led the way, followed by teachers, Aurors, and ordinary spectators.
"Well, you look a sight," someone from the crowd said, looking at Harry's face.
Indeed, even though Harry couldn't see himself, he could certainly say the same about Fleur and Cedric – they looked as if they had taken that ill-fated flight.
"What happened, guys?" Dumbledore asked.
"He's back…" Harry muttered. "Voldemort is back!"
"What happened? What is going on?" Dumbledore asked again.
From above, Harry saw Fudge's pale face.
"Tell me, son, is it true?"
Amos Diggory's face appeared in the crowd – it looked extraordinarily stern and serious, something Harry could never have imagined.
"He's telling the purest truth, Minister of Magic," Cedric stood up and addressed Fudge. "The cup turned out to be a portkey and transported us to some kind of graveyard."
"So that's where you've been for the past half-hour!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. "But who could have done it? We checked the entire area, nobody could have entered the maze."
- I also didn't see anything, - remarked Moody. - Whoever did it must possess exceptional stealth skills. Or it must have been the last rat, but we shouldn't exterminate all the rodents in the area.
Harry immediately had a guess.
- A Tail... - he muttered. - That's who did it. But how did they get to the cemetery so quickly?
- What are you talking about, young man? - Amos Diggory asked. - I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you're referring to.
- There was someone at the cemetery who helped resurrect the one who must not be named, - Cedric tried to answer. - He is a secret animagus and can transform into a rat. I saw it myself, - he lied without hesitation at the end.
- I knew it! - Moody cursed. - I was fooled by some animagus! We need to improve this thing. - he looked at Dumbledore and pointed to his artificial eye. - Crime has completely gotten out of hand. What if every criminal becomes an animagus? We must always be prepared!
- They are hurt... they need to be taken to the hospital wing... - Fudge stuttered.
- How about you, Harry? Can you go? - Hagrid asked, squeezing his way through the crowd.
- I'll be fine, Hagrid.
- Then let's go.
Harry was happy to leave the hustle and bustle behind and get away from all the noise and crowds. Snape and McGonagall accompanied them on the way.
- So what really happened there? - McGonagall asked.
- The cup transported us to the cemetery, - Harry spoke hesitantly. - Voldemort was there... Brewing a potion. He regained his body.
- I see, - Snape said. - And what did he use for that potion?
- He took something from his father and from Wormtail.
- What did he take from Wormtail?
- Flesh and blood.
Snape's lips twisted into a strange semblance of a smile.
- I suppose the Dark Lord wasn't pleased with his improvisation. It's more interesting to know what you three were doing at that time.
- We hid among the tombstones and watched, - Cedric answered.
- They wanted to kill us, - Jeanne replied.
Snape only snorted contemptuously in response.
- Were there Death Eaters there? - Snape asked.
- Yes... many, - Harry answered.
- We fought them later, - Cedric said. - And Jeanne hit the Dark Lord himself... I wish I had such courage.
- What? - Jeanne flared up.
Her cheeks instantly turned scarlet, and her lips trembled.
- And Harry dueled with the Dark Lord himself! - she retorted.
- And who won? - Snape asked.
Harry wasn't surprised by his question, as Snape was one of the two professors who taught him dueling skills in his second year, albeit briefly.
- The Dark Lord failed to give Harry his pet snake, - Jeanne answered.
Instead of a response, Snape only nodded approvingly.
- But something strange happened. Our wands connected... - Harry began. - I saw many people killed by Voldemort. It's so strange... don't you think?
- And Lily? - Snape's voice changed, barely trembling when he pronounced the name. - Did you see your parents?
- Yes, - Harry replied affirmatively.
For a moment, glancing at Snape, he saw something glimmer in the corners of his eyes. Or maybe it was just his imagination?
In the hospital wing, they were met by a large black dog. Shortly after, Dumbledore arrived. Then the large black dog transformed back into Sirius Black.
"Sirius Black!" Cedric exclaimed, surprised. "So it's true?"
"It seems Harry has already told you about Peter Pettigrew," Sirius inquired.
Cedric nodded in response. "If only there was a way to prove your innocence, other than just words," he said.
A year ago, we had wanted to do just that. Remus, Harry, and me. Unfortunately, our plans didn't come to fruition, and Peter escaped to his master," Sirius explained.
"Remus? Are you talking about Professor Lupin?" Cedric asked.
Sirius nodded. Cedric thought for a moment, then shook his head in confusion. "It's a shame I wasn't there with you."
"You're a good lad, Cedric," Sirius smiled at him. "Young people like you give me hope that Harry has found very good and kind friends during the Tournament."
"And Jeanne as well," Cedric defended her.
"Oh, Jeanne is a different story," Sirius mused. "We could talk a lot and for a long time about that, but wouldn't it be better for her to tell us everything herself?"
She became genuinely puzzled and embarrassed upon hearing those words.
"What is there to tell?" she asked.
"We all know you're not an ordinary person. Long ago, I read about people with abilities like yours. It was a book of very ancient legends and tales," Sirius reminisced.
"What did it say, Sirius?" Harry asked, amazed.
"They're called the Servants of the Holy Grail," Dumbledore answered from the doorway. He was accompanied by Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Molly, and Bill Weasley.
Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Harry felt a chill inside. Jeanne lowered her gaze and began studying her right hand.
"Is that true?" Ron turned to her with the eyes of someone who had won the lottery. "Does the Holy Grail really exist?"
"Yes," she answered coldly. "It exists."
"Then you are the embodiment of all the myths and legends about the real Jeanne d'Arc, who lived centuries ago?" Hermione's admiration knew no bounds.
"I bear her name, but I am not her!" Jeanne exploded. "My entire life, my face, everything in my life is a distorted reflection of hers! I will never be able to achieve her greatness and talents! I will never be able to become a hero and will always seek revenge for betrayal."
At these words, her face contorted as if in intense pain, as if she had been hit by the Cruciatus curse, and she covered her face with her hand.
"That's not true," Harry objected. "You are far more talented and a better student than most Hogwarts students."
"You are braver than many people who stood against the Dark Lord before," Cedric added. "It was an honor for me to stand beside you tonight against him and the Death Eaters."
"Really?" Jeanne was confused. "I don't understand... What have you found in me? Why are you saying all this to me?"
"Because someone severely underestimates themselves," Hermione smiled. "Will you tell us what really happened today?"
Everyone bombarded Harry, Cedric, and Jeanne with questions, and they answered them. The images of the events they had experienced replayed in Harry's mind.
- I want to repeat once again," said Dumbledore when the kids finished their story. "You showed remarkable courage today. I did not expect this from you. You displayed bravery, like those who died fighting against Voldemort when he was at the height of his power. You have been given the burden of adult wizards, and you have proven yourselves worthy of carrying it. And now you have given everything we could have expected from you. I do not want you to return to your dormitories tonight. Sleep potion and rest... Sirius, would you like to stay with them?"
Instead of answering, Sirius transformed into a dog and settled next to Harry's bed.
- I have one last question," Hermione spoke. "I don't understand, but what is the servant of the Holy Grail doing at Hogwarts? And where is your master, Jeanne?"
- I was sent here to prevent a catastrophe. In three years, in June 1998, Voldemort will possess the Holy Grail. My mission is to protect the Holy Grail.
- What will happen? Ron asked.
- Oh, Ron, as if you don't already know, - Hermione replied. - Nothing good."
- I wanted to find out from her," Ron started to defend himself, but Hermione pushed him towards the door.
A little later, Madam Pomfrey came from her office with a bottle of purple potion and a cup in her hands.
- You must drink all of it, Harry," she declared. "It's a dreamless sleep potion. This applies to you too, young ones," she addressed Cedric and Jeanne.
Harry took the cup, took a few sips, and immediately felt his eyelids getting heavy. The surroundings seemed to be shrouded in a mist, the lamps were winking at him through the haze, and his body felt like it was sinking into the soft warmth of the mattress. As soon as he emptied the cup, he fell asleep.
The next morning, Harry learned how difficult the night had been for the Minister of Magic. He had to overcome himself and admit Voldemort's return. The morning edition of the Daily Prophet informed him about it. The same issue also reported the crash of a passenger plane caused by a powerful Cruciatus curse.
On a fateful day, an Airbus A320 passenger airliner with 236 passengers on board was struck by a powerful spell. The spell was sent from the ground, although its source is still unknown. The only thing known for certain is that the spell was an incredibly powerful Crucio spell.
According to witnesses, the spell was cast by an unknown number of powerful and skilled wizards or witches. The spell was sent from the ground and appeared as a powerful surge of magical energy visible to anyone nearby. Witnesses reported seeing a bright light emanating from the ground, which may have been the spell.
The passenger airliner was passing over the area where the spell was cast at the time of the incident and was affected by the powerful magic. The airliner immediately began to descend and ultimately crashed into nearby urban structures, where the plane was destroyed. Aviation fuel leaked from its tanks and caught fire. Emergency services were immediately called to the scene, and rescue operations began.
There are still many speculations about why and by whom the spell was cast, and numerous theories are circulating. However, it has been discovered that the magical energy surge was likely the result of a battle between powerful wizards or witches. We do not have confirmed information on this matter.
As a result of the catastrophe, passengers and crew members aboard the plane tragically died or sustained injuries. This event caused shock in both magical and non-magical communities, leading to increased concerns and fear regarding air travel. Authorities initiated a thorough investigation of the incident to gather more information and hold those responsible accountable.
In conclusion, the crash of the passenger airliner with two hundred people on board was a devastating incident that resulted in significant human casualties. The use of magical spells capable of causing such destruction underscores the danger of magical powers and the importance of responsible magical behavior. It is crucial to discover the source of the spell and hold those responsible accountable to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge refused to comment on the incident, calling it a regrettable mistake that marked a crisis of secrecy and put the entire magical community at risk. He refrained from confirming or denying the potential return of the infamous Dark Wizard. This incident raises questions about the competence of the Minister of Magic. Some high-ranking wizards have already expressed their vote of no confidence in the Minister and initiated their own attempts to investigate the incident.
- Such a powerful Crucio spell can indeed kill. - Ron speculated.
- That's what happened. - Harry concluded.
He looked at Jeanne and tried to imagine what would have happened to her if she had been hit by that curse.
One person was conspicuously absent from the farewell feast. Karkaroff had secretly escaped on the night of the third task.
The farewell with the guests was sad and difficult. The parting was so difficult that even Ron, who had recently been jealous of Hermione, asked Krum for an autograph. Krum was surprised, but happily signed a piece of parchment for Ron. Fleur Delacour said goodbye to Harry, promising to come back, find a job, and improve her English. The final farewell took place on the train with Cedric and Jeanne, with whom Harry had already shared the winnings.
"Harry, it was an amazing adventure!" Cedric exclaimed.
"What will you do now?" Harry asked, slightly hesitating.
"I will become an Auror," Cedric answered without hesitation. "A difficult time is coming, and we must be prepared to meet the Dark Lord and his allies. What about you? What will you do when you finish Hogwarts?"
"I also wanted to become an Auror," Harry smiled.
"And what will you do once you complete your mission?" Cedric asked Jeanne.
"I will return home," she replied.
"Where is your home?"
She didn't answer.
"Rita hasn't written a word since the third task," Hermione said with a strangely tense voice. "To tell you the truth," she added, her voice trembling, "Rita Skeeter won't be writing anything for a while, unless she wants me to reveal her secret."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.
"I figured out how she was eavesdropping on conversations, even though she wasn't supposed to be on school grounds," Hermione blurted out.
Harry was sure that she had been dying to tell them this for several days, but she had held back because of everything that had happened.
"And how does she do it?" Harry immediately asked.
"And how did you figure it out?" Ron stared at her.
"Well, to tell you the truth, Harry, you gave me the idea," Hermione replied.
"Me?" Harry was surprised. "When?"
"The bugs," Hermione happily declared.
"But you said they didn't work..."
"Yes, electronic bugs," Hermione confirmed. "You see, Rita Skeeter," Hermione announced with poorly concealed triumph, "is an unregistered Animagus. She can transform..." Hermione pulled a tightly sealed glass jar out of her bag, "...into a beetle!"
"You're joking!" Ron exclaimed. "You're not... it's not her..."
"It's her, it's her," Hermione nodded, smiling, proudly displaying the jar. Inside were twigs and leaves, among which sat a large beetle.
"Never in my life... You're joking..." Ron whispered, holding the jar up to his eyes.
"I'm not joking," Hermione continued, glowing with joy. "I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look closely, and you'll see that the markings around the antennae are exactly like her dreadful glasses."
Harry looked closely and realized she was right. He also remembered something.
"When we heard Hagrid talking to Madame Maxime about his mother that night, there was a beetle on the statue!"
"Exactly!" Hermione confirmed. "And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair when we were talking to him by the lake. And if I'm not mistaken, Rita was sitting on the windowsill in the Divination classroom on the day your scar hurt. She flew around the school all year, collecting gossip."
"And when we saw Malfoy under the tree..." Ron began slowly.
"He was talking to her, holding her in his hand," Hermione said. "He definitely knew. That's how she got all those wonderful little interviews with the Slytherins. They didn't care that she was breaking the law if they could feed her all sorts of nasty things about us and Hagrid."
Hermione took the jar from Ron's hand and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily, banging its head against the glass.
"I told her I'll release her when we get back to London," Hermione continued. "You see, I cast an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, so she can't transform into a human. And I made her keep her quill with her throughout the year. Let's see if she can break the habit of writing dirty lies about everyone."
Calmly smiling, Hermione put the jar with the beetle back into her bag.
In less than a minute, Malfoy and Crabbe with Goyle entered the compartment. They clearly were in high spirits due to Voldemort's return.
Malfoy proudly boasted about his affiliation with the elite, proclaiming that he would rule the world after Voldemort's victory and using such foul language that he didn't even notice several wands being aimed at him. Spells shot out and the obnoxious Slytherins collapsed on the floor, defeated by Ron, Harry, Hermione, Jeanne, and the Weasley twins.
"He still doesn't know how his papa danced on the cemetery," Jeanne coldly remarked.
"Or how politely you greeted his boss," Harry smirked.
"Yeah, if he could see Voldemort's face at that moment," Jeanne snorted. "There was nothing poetic in his eyes, just prose."
Harry was consumed by curiosity the whole way. Finally, after playing his fifth round of cards with his friends, he decided to ask the question.
"So, will you finally tell us who you were blackmailing?" Harry asked George.
"Oh," George replied gloomily. "It's... "
"Never mind," Fred impatiently shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Not right now, at least."
"We dropped the whole thing," George shrugged.
But Harry, Ron, Jeanne, and Hermione bombarded them with questions, and finally Fred said,
"Alright, alright, if you really want to know... it was Ludo Bagman."
"Bagman?" Harry became wary.
"You mean he was involved with..."
"No," George said darkly. "Nothing like that. He's an idiot. He wouldn't have the brains for it."
"Then what?" Ron asked.
Fred hesitated before answering,
"Remember the bet we made with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About Ireland winning but Krum catching the Snitch?"
"Well," Harry and Ron said expectantly.
"Well, he paid us in leprechaun gold, caught at the stadium."
"And...?" Hermione interjected.
"Well," Fred impatiently replied. "The gold disappeared! It vanished by the next morning!"
"But... that was just a coincidence, right?" Hermione said.
George laughed bitterly,
"Yes, we thought the same at first. We decided to write to him, explain what happened, and he would return the money. Nothing of the sort! He simply didn't respond to our letter. We tried to talk to him a hundred times at Hogwarts, but he always ran away with some excuse."
"And then," Fred added, "he decided to show his true colors. He said we were too young for gambling and that he wouldn't give us anything back."
"So we asked him to return our money," George angrily added. "But he refused!"
"He refused?" Hermione exclaimed.
"Exactly," Fred replied.
"But that was all your savings!" Ron protested.
"And you're telling us now!" George said. "In the end, we found out what happened. Lee Jordan's dad had a hard time getting money from Bagman too. Turns out, he had big problems with the goblins. He borrowed a bunch of gold from them. The goblins caught up with him in the woods after the final match and took everything he had, but it still wasn't enough to cover his debts. They kept an eye on him at Hogwarts too. He lost all his money in gambling, every last bit. And do you know how he decided to pay off the goblins?"
"How?" Harry asked.
"He bet on you, mate," Fred replied. "A huge sum on you winning the tournament. He made a bet with the goblins."
"So that's why he kept trying to help me!" Harry exclaimed. "Well... I did win, right? So he should have given you your money back!"
"Not at all," George shook his head. "Goblins are just as slimy as he is. They declared that you won with Jeanne and Cedric, while Bagman bet on just you. In the end, Bagman had to simply run away. He disappeared right after the third task."
Uncle Vernon was waiting for him behind the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was standing next to him. She hugged Harry tightly and whispered in his ear, "I think Dumbledore will allow you to come and visit us later in the summer. Write to us, Harry."
"See you, Harry," Ron slapped him on the back.
"Goodbye, Harry!" Hermione said and did something she had never done before: she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"You've been great, Harry!" Cedric praised him one last time.
"Goodbye," Jeanne said, giving Uncle Vernon a cold smile as she walked by him.
"Harry...thank you," George muttered, and Fred, standing next to him, simply nodded in silence. Harry winked at the twins, turned to Uncle Vernon, and followed him towards the exit of the station. "No need to worry for now," he told himself as he settled into the back seat of his uncle's car.
As Hagrid had said, what will be, will be...and he would have to face what was inevitable.