I certainly have no rights to Harry Potter, but this won't stop me writing this story. However, you probably already know this. As it is my specialty, and as in my other big stories, this shows how things go if something went different right at the beginning. Please note that I'm not a fan of bashing and also don't expect the pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them sertainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.
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Chapter 35: Plans of the Madmen
The inhabitants of the village Little Hangleton still called the big old mansion situated on a hill overlooking the village the 'Riddle House', even though it had been decades since the Riddle family had lived there, all three of them having been murdered in 1943.
The Riddles had all been found dead and by popular opinion the entire village had blamed the Riddles' gardener, Frank Bryce. Even after the police had released him due to there not having been any evidence for his guilt, people still thought of him as a murderer and were puzzled why he stayed in his house at the edge of the property. Bryce in return was deeply hurt by the treatment he got from the villagers and lived mostly isolated.
Truth was, Bryce did stay for two reasons. For one, as an injured war veteran he could hardly move away and find a new job, so his contract which was bound to the property itself was a lifeline for him. Second, this was his way to spite the villagers whom he had learned to think of as bigoted and petty. Several other people had owned the house over the decades, but none of them did so for a longer time and now it was left to rot, its current owner saying he'd bought it for 'tax reasons'.
Right at the moment however the constant petty war between Bryce and the villagers was paused, the silence of the night having settled over Little Hangleton.
No one noticed a small group appearing right next to the entrance to the mansion.
"Highly impressive, my Lord, though won't there be trouble with the owner? Not that some Muggle is any danger to us of course," Barty wondered when taking in the mansion.
Voldemort didn't mind the question, since Barty had already proven to be very smart, just what he needed. "No, there won't be a problem, since I am the owner. Of course I used a false identity, but the house is legally mine."
What Voldemort didn't comment on was the sheer irony that he would set up his headquarters in the house of his late Muggle relatives - relatives which he himself had killed to cut off loose ends.
Walking inside, the disrepair of the house became much more apparent once they created some light.
The paint and wallpapers were peeling off, the floor looked like a mess and the air in the building clearly smelled of mold and water damage. The furniture that had been left behind was either smashed or had suffered from the time gone by. There even were some nasty graffiti from from the local youth on the walls. It was a place no one normally would want to move into.
"What a pile of junk..." Nagini hissed in disappointment.
Voldemort had allowed her as the only person to use such frank words with him, so he took it in stride. "That may be, Nagini, but with some work it will again be worthy of me."
By now they were used to Voldemort talking to Nagini like that and didn't blink an eye. "As bad as this looks in here, the main problem will be keeping the Muggles away from the house," Amycus said while they explored the place.
"Let that be my problem! I already have a solution for that," Voldemort dismissed the problem.
Finally reaching the drawing room, they found a nice cushioned chair which Voldemort of course right away declared his. They made a fire in the fireplace, Nagini quickly deciding to coil up close to the fire to warm up, and then waited for what Voldemort would tell them, now that they were where they had planned to go.
Enjoying them waiting for him to tell them what would be next, Voldemort decided to break his silence. "Now... surely you wonder how we will continue from here?"
"Uhm, yes Master. This surely is a huge task and we wouldn't know where to start," Alecto admitted.
"Of course you wouldn't," Voldemort said matter-of-fact. "Good thing we now have Barty; he's got all the smarts that the three of you sadly lack. However, all of you will be important for my upcoming plans in one way or another."
Waiting a little for added effect, Voldemort then continued "Right now I have two overarching goals: to regain my body and to regain my power base. Of course both of those come with complications."
"We are fully confident that you have already planned how to regain your true form, Master, though I am at a loss how we could help you with that," Pettigrew admitted.
Voldemort chuckled darkly. "Do not bother yourself with that. I already have two of the three things needed for that. I will confer with Barty on how to acquire the third component once the time is right. For the moment we have to lay low and gather information on how to regain my power base."
Alecto grumbled darkly. "That however also means using all those who have been faithless and turned their backs on you, Master, to save their own skins."
"Oh yes. In time they will all learn that forsaking Lord Voldemort is not to be done!" Clearly that was a sore point for Voldemort. "They will learn that entering my service is a commitment for life! Unlike those who stayed faithful to me and accepted the consequences and will be rewarded for it, they will have to pay penance."
"And right at the top of the list would be Malfoy. Correct, Master? He has been the worst of the entire lot and tried to distance himself from you as fast as he could," Amycus said with disgust, remembering Malfoy's lies he'd spun to escape punishment.
"Right on the mark..." Considering the bizarre body he was in, Voldemort now looked downright diabolical. "Lucius has made many mistakes... So he will now be most helpful in me regaining my power base. It won't be important if it causes him inconvenience, of cause. He is the one we have to catch first. But that is for later, now more mundane tasks await. You three start to make the house habitable again, but Barty stays with me."
Voldemort waited until the others were gone, before he addressed Barty. "Barty, I am about to put the house under the Fidelius Charm. I have no wish to have Muggles interfere with our activities."
"That could prove to be difficult, Master. The mansion is most likely well known to not only the villagers but also in many other places. Would we use the stock spell, it could easily overload," Barty reminded Voldemort, having studied the spell in question.
"And again you have proven why you are invaluable to me, Barty. However, I wouldn't be Lord Voldemort if I didn't know how to modify the spell accordingly," Voldemort waved the concern aside.
Barty knew not to question his Lord. "I am correct to assume, that you yourself will be the secret keeper, my Lord?"
"Of course! However, you have proven yourself to me, so both of us will be the primary keepers," Voldemort decided.
"I will not disappoint the trust you have put into my Master," Barty said humbly, feeling very honored.
When the inhabitants of Little Hangleton awoke the next morning, the hill seemed to be empty, the Riddle House gone. However, all of them remembered the old house and knew it had been torn down a mere two weeks ago, thus why it was gone. They felt so sure of that fact that they had no reason to question it, accepting that the creepy old house was no more.
Frank Bryce for his part found a letter from the investor in his mailbox, in which the investor explained that the plot was what was of true worth to him, thus his decision to have the old house torn down. However, he had given Bryce orders to hire men to create a wall around the plot, fearing squatters. Bryce for his part could keep his house at the edge of the plot and would be paid to keep an eye on the premises.
Thanks to the account information and papers provided, building of the wall commenced quickly and from then on, no one would enter the seemingly empty plot.
...April 11th, Potions class...
"And again we come together so that I can impart my knowledge on you," Slughorn greeted his mixed Gryffindor/Slytherin class for Potions. "Today we will brew the Wideye Potion, the best solution against tiredness or unwanted unconsciousness."
As usual Slughorn had the potion already prepared in his own cauldron, so that everyone could see how it was supposed to look like. Slughorn then went on to quiz the class about possible situations the potion could prove useful in. Slughorn clearly enjoyed that part of class. He then made the exact instructions for the potion appear on the blackboard, encouraging students to ask for help if they are stuck.
"Now, I want to mix up things a bit," Slughorn announced dramatically, as if having waited for the best moment. "I noticed that all of you still prefer to not mingle with the other house. I do encourage you to seek partners from the other house for this potion. Don't be shy!"
Fat chance they'll go for it, Harry thought when seeing how disgusted Malfoy and Parkinson looked at the very idea. Also no way anyone would want to team up with Crabble or Goyle if they value their potions.
It was an open secret that Crabble and Goyle were both horrible at Potions - being unable to successfully follow the instructions since shortly after the start of second year - and stood no chance at ever making an OWL in Potions. Some students were even wondering, considering their overall terrible school work, how these two were hoping to save themselves into sixth year, since without making a single OWL they would be forced to leave school. Perhaps they were banking on getting through a single subject?
"Hey, Harry?" Harry saw Dudley approach him. "Maybe we can do this together? After all, the Professor encouraged it."
Harry's opinion of Dudley had improved significantly after last year, especially him standing his ground to fight at their side. He'd also shown that he did care for others. Harry had felt it would have been petty to hold the past against him when Dudley had changed so much, thus he got nothing against working together with him.
"Sure, why not?" Harry then looked around. "Looks like there's quite some mingling between houses."
Dudley looked around and was a bit surprised. All of Harry's friends had decided to partner with someone from Slytherin. Hermione had partnered with Millicent, Neville with Daphne, Ron with Tracey Davis, Ginny with Blaise Zabini and Luna with Theodore Nott. Only the four usual suspects would rather partner with each other.
"Your friends seem to be quite open to the idea," Dudley observed.
"Would it surprise you if I tell you they originally didn't? Especially the Wesleys had a low opinion of Slytherin and you can imagine why," Harry said while they prepared the ingredients for their potion.
Dudley thought about it for a moment. "Actually, no. Considering some of the stuff I've witnessed, the dislike for Slytherin was not exactly unfounded. I know Professor Slughorn is working hard to crack down on it."
Since learning about the structures inside of Slytherin, Slughorn was hard at work trying to break those structures. His success was partial, but the students in question simply became much more careful and covert and without evidence Slughorn couldn't do more drastic things. However, effects from this change were obvious, like Zabini and Nott no longer being threatened to take a side.
"To be honest, if been told a few years ago we would be brewing a potion together, I would have laughed and said it's a good joke," Harry admitted.
Dudley actually could see where Harry was coming from. "There's something to that. You know, the friends I've made here feel far more real than the crowd in primary school."
Over at a different table meanwhile Hermione listened to Millicent.
"...and I know there certainly is something between us, but right now I think both of us are still too young to really understand it," Millicent said while preparing the ingredients according to what Hermione read on the blackboard, sometimes looking to her book for clarification.
"Actually reasonable. At thirteen most of us still haven't discovered that side of the changes they are going through." Hermione then sighed. "Though at times it is frustrating."
"Is that because of a certain redhead?" Seeing how startled Hermioned looked, Millicent chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. However, better be sure that you yourself fully understand your feelings as well."
Hermione was silent for a moment, thinking about it. While it was true that she was the oldest and most physically mature of them, that didn't automatically mean emotional maturity. She was not too proud to admit that she perhaps needed some more growing up as well, so she should not be so impatient with Ron not noticing her signals. Being a young teenager was a confusing time, that was for sure.
"I'm better with books than with matters of the heart," Hermione admitted.
"Oh, my mother told me it will come to us naturally while our bodies change, just give it some time. I for my part couldn't have believed a year ago some of the things I'm doing now." Millicent stopped and bushed a little before she asked what the next step for the potion was.
I can imagine what she meant. Considering I do that as well I understand it's a private matter, Hermione thought, trying to banish the memories while reading the next part in the instructions.
Neville and Daphne thankfully had no such embarrassing topic.
"So things have improved inside Slytherin?" Neville asked before giving the next instructions, leaving brewing process to Daphne, since he was not good at that.
"Oh yes, it has become better," Daphne said while starting to add ingredients according to instructions. "Professor Slughorn putting closer attention to structures inside the house helped a lot. That, and these bigots not getting any new blood in the younger years. Still, I'm glad Astoria is in a different house."
"Must be great to have a sibling," Neville thought aloud.
Daphne chuckled at the idea. "It sure is, but while being a sweetheart most of the time, Astoria at times can also be a massive brat. Well, she has mellowed out considerably over the years and several spankings from Mum helped to speed up the process."
Neville knew better than to criticize the parenting skills of adults that weren't his own parents. He then looked over to where Malfoy and Parkinson were being busy with their own potion. "These two are strangely passive. Sure, they are still verbally abusive, but they are not doing anything."
Daphne grimaced at the reminder. "That's what concerns me. These two are clearly plotting something. The longer they keep the peace, the more I wonder what's going on."
Both of them had an uneasy feeling about it while they continued brewing.
At the same time Tracey Davis was still a bit surprised by her partner. "I honestly didn't think a Weasley would willingly work together with someone from Slytherin," she asked while cutting up some ingredients.
"A few years ago I wouldn't, but Dudley and his friends showed me that while you have lots of tossers in your house, you can't be all bad," Ron admitted, knowing a few years ago he would have thought of all Slytherins as evil.
"Still remarkable..." Tracey leaned a bit closer. "To be honest, I can't stand people like that bitch Parkinson. I just want to go through school in peace, not get told that I have to hate certain people or get pulled into a senseless pissing contest."
"And you just proved Slytherins can't be all bad. You want to be left alone to mind your own business. That's something I understand," Ron remarked.
Tracey actually was impressed while they continued brewing their potion. She'd had a certain picture of Ron Weasley in her mind, that he was not particularly smart, and now she was a bit embarrassed to admit that she had been off the mark. While Ron was not book-smart, there clearly was more to him than what was visible on the outside.
At the table next to them, Blaise Zabini and Ginny were working in silence.
Finally, Zabini couldn't hold back any longer. "Why did you partner up with me?" he wondered.
"Would you rather partner up with one of the idiotic duo?" she returned calmly, glancing to Crabble and Goyle, who seemed a bit clueless about the potion. "I have no personal grudge against you, so why shouldn't I partner up with you?"
Zabini honestly had no answer to that. He was a guy who generally minded his own business and kept almost everyone at arms-length. He honestly had expected the Gryffindors to be prejudiced against Slytherins, having never had any closer contacts with them. From a distance he'd seen Potter's group getting cozy with Dursley and his friends, dismissing it as a freak accident. Now however he honestly was out of his depth.
He was confused about that development, especially from a Weasley.
At one final table Theodore Nott had to try hard to concentrate on his task, due to certain... distractions.
"Uhm, sorry, what?" he asked, hoping he had heard right.
"Oh, I was only recommending that you better watch the cauldron while I stir the potion. After all, Cauldron-Eaters are a really nasty inconvenience. They are the reason why so many cauldrons fail," Luna told him nonplussed.
"Eh... and that's bad, right?" Nott asked to make sure.
"Very bad; it would after all ruin our potion. But at least we do not have to worry about potion-draining bugs being attacted by the fumes. I always wear a charmed necklace for this class to keep them at bay," It was impossible to tell if Luna was making fun of him or if she was dead serious.
If he was being honest, he didn't want to know.
After some time the potions were finished and Slughorn made the rounds to check which of them did really well. As expected, most of the potions were good, so it would be a close contest. He prided his own teaching skill for this success.
Well, and then he reached to potion which Crabble and Goyle had made.
The potion was supposed to be a nice shade of dark blue, but what he saw looked like boiled liquorice. It also had the consistency of such. Slughorn honestly wondered how these two had managed to do that, since it would have taken quite a number of blunders to reach this result.
Slughorn shook his head. "I'm sorry, boys, but this one sadly won't get a passing grade."
I see no way these two can manage an OWL in my subject, he added silently.
Soon enough the class was over.
"This went surprisingly smoothly. At first I thought Hermione's idea was a bit weird, but I got along with my partner surprisingly well," Ron admitted while they were on the way to the History classroom for the next subject.
"And that proves my point that these inter-house rivalries are more destructive than anything else. It's far better when we get along with each other," Hermione said, proud that this had been a success.
Over time Hermione had grown a bit disturbed at how divided students were along the house lines. Granted, the abandonment of the points system had lessened the divisions somewhat, but it still was difficult for students from two different houses to work together. With Slytherin it was even more difficult, due to the very real higher amount of nasty students in it.
"As usual however the problem are those that enjoy the status quo and don't want it to change. After all, it's them who gain from keeping the students divided," Luna said sagely.
"That shows again why the hat said Ravenclaw also would have been a good fit for you. You are really insightful," Neville commented, giving Luna an impressed look.
"Thank you very much," Luna said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I however doubt I would have liked it there. Ravenclaw puts too much emphasis on academics, not giving imagination and free thought the space they deserve."
"Too bad that our next subject is History. Magical history is kind of boring," Harry said while the classroom in question came into view.
"Granted, it's quite... repetitive," Hermione admitted.
"If even you think it's not that exciting, considering your school records, it means something," Ginny said, knowing how academically inclined Hermione was.
"It's just..." Hermione tried to put it into words. "The various magical countries are so isolated from each other that you don't have much exciting history over the centuries. Grindelwald's war and its aftereffects were a huge anomaly in that regard," Hermione explained her disappointment with magical history.
They were left to ponder that while entering the classroom for their next period.
...Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, April 16th...
The final game of the Quidditch season at Hogwarts had arrived. Unlike in years before, this one was held rather early, even before the end-of-year exams. Not that anyone was complaining. Unlike last year's final game, this time the stakes were high. Again Gryffindor and Hufflepuff would clash, but both teams had chances on the cup.
Ravenclaw had lost their final game against Slytherin, knocking them out of the competition, while Slytherin with only one win had no chance on winning the cup this year. Hufflepuff with another win could make a clear victory while Gryffindor, should they win, had to hope the point balance in the end would be in their favor.
That meant both teams would play with very different tactics in mind; something that Ron Weasley knew all too well while they were going through their tactic a final time in the changing room.
"All right, while I'm still the Captain for this final game, I'll give the word to Ron. He has summarized what is awaiting us perfectly," Wood said.
Ron for his part was not a great speaker, but once it came to tactics, he was in the zone. "The situation is difficult. Hufflepuff has already won two games, so they'll try to get the snitch as fast as possible to close the lid. They are strategically in a far more comfortable position. We on the other hand not only have to win the game, we also have to make as many points as possible, while denying them points."
"As many points as possible. You mean we have to drag out the game?" George asked, realizing what his brother was talking about.
"Yes, and that also means Harry at first is not there to catch the snitch at all, but instead has to actively stop Diggory from catching it," Ron explained further.
"I understand." Harry was not exactly happy that he was told to use such a tactic, something he more associated with Malfoy, but it was a legit tactic and he understood that the only way to win the cap was to win this game with as many points as possible. Dragging out the game for that was their only option.
"Cheer up, Harrikins, just because you have to stop Diggory from getting the snitch doesn't make you like Malfoy." George said, then gave him a strange look. "Unless of course you want to knock him off his broom."
"What? Why would I want to do that? I experienced first hand how horrible it is to crash down," Harry told George. The Weasley twin was stopped from an answer, when Ron continued.
"Now... Oliver is more important than normally, since we can't allow Hufflepuff to score too many goals of their own," Ron said, looking to Wood. "Katie, Alicia and Angelina have to be really aggressive about making points, meaning that at that point in the game, Fred and George have to protect them instead of Harry."
"Well, that we be something different, protecting the ladies," Fred said with a smile to the three girls, causing them to roll their eyes.
"Once we do have enough points, Oliver will give Harry a sign that it's time to catch the snitch. That's basically it, so let's get prepared," Ron concluded his explanations.
Outside in the stands meanwhile there was some discussion.
"I'm a bit torn. Your friends play for Gryffindor, but I want to cheer for my own house," Astoria told her sister while everyone waited for the teams to walk onto the pitch.
"That's actually perfectly understandable. I'm also conflicted when Slytherin and Gryffindor meet, because Dudley plays on my house's team. I've learned that it's best to then just cheer in general and enjoy a good game," Daphne explained to her sister.
"Not that we had a lot of serious playing in our last game against Gryffindor with all the rain and wind," Millicent reminded her, being thankful she had been able to sit that one out.
Astoria shivered a bit at the reminder. "Just watching it already was bad enough."
"Try playing in such a crappy weather," Dudley added. "If not for magical medicine, we all would have ended up in bed with pneumonia."
"Considering how angry Madam Pomfrey was after the fact, I don't think you'll ever have to play under such conditions again," Hermione reminded them. "Rumor is she gave everyone responsible such a fright they didn't dare to deny her demands."
"She does have a secret power to keep persons of authority in line," Luna said dead-serious, then looked at what Neville had brought along for them as a snack. "What is that?"
"My parents sent it to me, said they got introduced to them by Mrs. Black and want to see what I think. I only had to heat it up with a spell to make the cheese dip properly liquid," Neville said.
Hermione looked at it and sighed. "Great, your parents got introduced to fast food. Why nachos of all things?"
"To be honest, kind of weird to see nachos here," Dudley added, being well-versed with the world of fast food. "Daphne, better keep Astoria away from that. It was stuff like that which caused me to become severely overweight in the past."
Astoria pouted when her sister agreed with Dudley.
That moment both teams walked out onto the pitch.
"All right, I know what is at stake here, so I'll tell you this: I want a fair and clean game. Just because this is about who wins the cup does not mean I will tolerate the teams trying to send each other into the hospital wing," Madam Hooch warned both teams, know how out of control matches could get.
Diggory looked a bit offended that she'd thought he would need a reminded, then looked to Wood. "Look, Wood, a fair game does not mean having to touch each other with feather gloves, but as long as you play fair as well, we will do so as well."
"All right, no dirty play, but don't expect us to go easy on you," Wood agreed.
"I wouldn't have wanted it any other way," Diggory said with a nod.
Both teams quickly went onto their brooms and rose up into the air, waiting for the match to start. At the moment Madam Hooch blew her whistle, the game was on.
Watching the game for some time, the reactions of the audience were quite different.
"This is boring... even the attacks are all legal. Do they want to put us to sleep?" Malfoy complained.
Parkinson mimicked a yawn. "Don't we all know it? All of them sticking to their so-called honor. They won't make it far in life before getting eaten alive."
"Exactly, Pansy. Doing this they simply prove they are too weak to grab the opportunity," Malfoy agreed with her.
Are they really taking their vendetta so far that they even deny themselves entertainment? wondered Blaise Zabini, who sat in the row in front of them, having heard the exchange.
Elsewhere in the stands, Ernest Macmillan from Hufflepuff open voiced his opinion. "Damn it, they are not even playing for the snitch, they are dragging out the game!" he cursed loudly.
"Ernie, as vocal as you are about this, it's a legitimate tactic, especially considering the situation Gryffindor is in," Susan Bones reminded her fellow Hufflepuff.
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Mcmillan grumbled while returning his attention to the match.
Harry's friends meanwhile watched the game in anticipation.
"They are doing well so far. Harry has taken to guarding Diggory, not giving him any chance to get the snitch, and Harry himself doesn't go for it when he spots it. Fred and George meanwhile are doing really well at disrupting the Hufflepuff chasers and beaters so that our chasers can ramp up the score. And Wood is defending like a madman, only letting very few shots in," Neville observed how the game was going.
"This is all Ronald's tactic and it is quite successful. Hermione must be proud of him," Luna said unfazed before eating some nachos.
Hermione said nothing, trying to keep down a small blush.
Down on the reserve bench Ginny put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Your tactic works wonders. We can really get this one."
"Wait and see, Harry still has to get the snitch once the score is high enough," Ron said, knowing the game also had to be won.
Up in the air meanwhile Diggory had understood all too well what was happening.
So that's what they are doing? Smart... Of course as long as Potter keeps so close to me, I can't warn the team. They have to find out on their own, Diggory thought, having already tried to escape Harry to no success.
Back at the Gryffindor goal hoops Wood had watched the points and finally felt that it was time to change the game. Interestingly, everyone else would continue to do as they did, only Harry would change his behavior. So Wood quickly held up one hand and waved, making sure Harry had seen it.
All right, showtime, Harry thought, now actually actively looking for the snitch. There!
Diggory was taken aback when Harry suddenly changed his tactic and made a run for something. Realizing what was going on, he quickly followed Harry and managed to get him off-course. By the time he'd done so however, the snitch already was gone again.
"Smart idea, Potter! Now that your team has so many points, you are going for the snitch," Diggory called to Harry.
"Well, may the better of us get it, because my team won't stop trying to make even more points," Harry told Diggory, already again being on the look for the snitch.
Both boys tried to find it first, when suddenly both of them spotted it and made a dash for it. It was close... really close. They both had their hand grab it... and then wondered why the signal was not given that the game was over until seeing that both of them were holding onto it, thus the game was still being open.
"This won't do!" Diggory said, hoping they wouldn't accidentally pull the snitch apart.
"No, it won't. Sorry in advance, but I hadn't expected this to happen," Harry apologized before his other hand squeezed Diggory's wrist hard, causing him to let go of the snitch and the end signal to blare.
Diggory for his part looked actually impressed. "You did this, holding with your legs onto your broom. I'm honestly impressed. Now let's see if it was enough."
Since like in first year the points would decide who won the cup, it took a bit before the end result was known. Several minutes went by before the announcement came. "The final result is in. Due to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff having won the same number of games, the point balances determined the winner of the cup. Gryffindor has by a narrow margin the better point balance."
All Gryffindors cheered at the same time in relief at these news. However, the one person who was the happiest was Oliver Wood. He had managed to get a good send-off from school, and this also would get him more attention from professional teams. Winning the cup once? Can happen. Win the cup twice? That looked more interesting to them.
"Congratulations," Diggory said, actually shaking hands with his fellow Captain. "That was an excellent tactic. You've all really earned this win."
Despite his happiness at the win, Wood was impressed by such sportsmanship. "You are really the bigger man, Diggory, that you took the loss like this."
Soon enough the team accepted the cup from the Headmaster and posed for the photograph which would find its way into the hall of fame. The whole of Gryffindor celebrated the rest of the day and the teachers even made an exception to have some of them make an escorted shopping trip to Hogsmeade to get as many bottles of butterbeer as possible.
...April 27th...
It was a nondescript government building, housed in one of the many Victorian buildings in London. It contained many offices which all looked very unremarkable as well. However, it was here where the MI-X had their actual offices. they might meet in other government buildings - security measure - but it was here were the meat of the desk work was done. All their field agents in the end reported to this building.
It honestly looked like an arrangement out of a James Bond film, where the secret agency was housed in an unremarkable office building, only that the MI-X was not trying to cover itself as Universal Exports. Instead they just acted like they were general government offices under the Ministry of the Interior.
It also was here where the Chairman of the MI-X, who was directly subordinate to the Prime Minister, had his office. Right at the moment he was having tea with a guest while talking shop.
"...thus the sudden lack of Greyback's activities is highly suspicious. He stopped all his other activities after the failed kidnapping, which can only mean trouble," the unusually charismatic wizard working for MI-X said while stirring his tea.
"Yes, Downing Street is nervous about that as well. Violent terrorists like them suddenly going silent? That can only mean trouble," the Chairman agreed.
"It's even more worrying due to the failed kidnapping. I can only imagine that he took that as a personal slight. But that's something we can't anything about right now," the Chairman sighed. "Now, to other business at hand. Have you managed to get a ticket?"
"Yes. A ticket for the Quidditch World Cup finale in the top box is hellishly expensive, but thanks to us being able to mint our own Galleons, all the expenses should be covered," the wizard confirmed, playing on the fact that years ago MI-X had managed to trick Gringotts into giving them the means to mint magical money.
The whole issue with that sporting event had been a point of friction between the Prime Minister and Fudge. The Ministry of Magic had honestly planned for the event to take place next to a mundane camping lot, figuring they could constantly obliviate the owner, who lived right next to it. The plan had not only been stupid but also horrifying considering how casually it talked about constantly altering someone's memory.
In the end the Prime Minister had won that argument by pointing out they would take a lot of hassle off the Ministry and it wouldn't cost them a thing. If anything, Fudge was damn cheap and if he could save money, he would take it. Having the whole thing take place in a huge restricted military area - which at the time would be guarded at the outer perimeter by soldiers - meant one less headache for everyone involved.
"Sirius Black has a great love for the sport; add to it that he is a public figure and he will be present. That automatically also means Harry Potter and others on our list. This will be more than just an observation mission - try to interact with them like a random wizard," the Chairman reminded the wizard.
"I wish we could just approach them, but some people in our ranks are a bit too paranoid." The wizard shook his head before drinking some of his tea. "I guess things have to get really dire before they give us the green light to go ahead. Observing for over a decade is absurd."
"Almost fifty years of activity, but even we are prone to obstructive paper-pushers. But that aside, I finally got some news from our source in France. There had been an indiscretion and we finally managed to find out what these three schools are working on," the Chairman said.
"Must be big if they are so secretive," the wizard commented.
"It is - next year Hogwarts is to hold the revival of the Triwizard Tournament," the Chairman said.
The wizard nearly dropped his tea cup. "They want to do what?! That kind of tournament with students as contestants is madness, even by wizarding standards. Hell, even most adults wouldn't want to touch something like that with a ten-feet pole and they have revived it? There's a good reason why it was abolished in the first place!"
"I know. The source claims they tried to file off the mortal danger aspect, but I think no one should be fooled," the Chairman said, having informed himself about said tournament. "Thing is, this was not even initiated by the schools itself... at least two of them."
"I know Durmstrang is on really bad terms with the Ministry of Norway due to their policies and the Ministry establishing a rival school. Durmstrang must have pulled rank in order to compete in the tournament when the Norwegian Ministry tried to give it to their own school. The other two schools I can't imagine wanting to waste time on this nonsense unless politics forced them," the wizard concluded.
The Chairman nodded. "Yes, lots of political egos are at play here... though funny enough, the head behind the revival will never see his accomplishment. After all, Crouch got murdered a bit over three weeks ago."
"I heard of that one and no way that the culprits were simple criminals. The man got countless enemies, so one of them decided to kill him," the wizard concluded, always keeping up to date with the state of affairs on the magical side.
"Nonetheless, it was decided we need an observer in the spectators, since admittance is possible. We hope that you can do that job as well, since that's something only a wizard can accomplish properly," the Chairman asked.
The wizard knew while others were available, he was best suited for the job. Of course in the end he would be stuck with the job, simply due to the fact he had the highest chance of success.
...a petrol station near Inverness , May 2nd...
It was a very slow night in a petrol station at the edge of Inveress, the biggest city in the Highlands. The man doing the night shift, the only one manning the station, was a bit bored while doing some work on a plane geometry book. At this time of the night customers were a rarity, if any cars driving down the road. On the other hand, this was why he liked his shift as well - not too much stress.
He had just finished the next chapter, when... -vroppppoppp- Looking up he saw three motorcycles pull into the petrol station. Customers, and three of them at that. He watched the drivers get off, but they stood at the wrong place, nowhere near the smaller petrol pump for two-stroke engine fuel.
Seeing the driver of the lead motorcycle - a punk woman - approach the cashier window, he pulled it open. "Look, lady, if you and your friends want to refuel, you are at the wrong pump. The one for motorcycles is over there."
"Oh, thanks. Our bad..." She told him with a grateful smile while standing right in front of the open window.
In a split second she suddenly pulled out a big knife and jumped forward, through the open window! In one swift move she slashed open his throat, blood flying everywhere! The attendant fell to the floor, gasping, trying the breathe with his ruined throat. The punk woman watched his death struggle with visible amusement.
"You know, you are a very helpful chap. Lie down and have a loooong nap. We will be making this a self-service station," she told him cheerfully while he was dying.
Still giggling like a little girl who got a lollipop, the punk quickly turned on the fuel pumps with the correct buttons on the control panel before she walked over to the door, which she unlocked. "All right, people, start to fill up the canisters with the correct fuel. Remember Mr. Greyback's orders. Oh, and since they are so generous, also fill up our motorcycles... of course at the correct pump."
"No problem," one of the men said while they unloaded the canisters from the fastenings. "Don't forget the oil, we need that as well."
"Of course I won't forget. I'll also get us some snacks," the punk said before walking back into the station building.
She pulled several bottles of motor oil from the shelves, storing them in her backpack, before she walked to the shelves holding the snacks, being busy with deciding which ones she would take. She then noticed that there was a security camera. That however did not alarm her - after all that thing hardly was connected to a police station - and instead she gave the camera a smile and wave.
"With greetings from Mr. Greyback. Sorry that we were inactive for so long." She then continued to get snacks. Once her backpack was filled she grabbed a can of spray paint from the shelf and wrote 'Greetings from Greyback' on the wall before dropping the can.
"Sorry that I already have to leave, angel, but I'm sure wherever you are now, you must be making many new friends," she told the corpse of the attendant jovially before walking out of the door.
Some minutes later the three motorcycles left the petrol station.
The crime would only be discovered the next morning when the day shift arrived. When the police was reviewing the security recording, it was downright chilling to see how cold-blooded and insane the woman from Greyback's group had acted.
After a long time of silence, that attack had been a nasty reminder that they were not gone.
o
"What a damn mess..." one of two MI-X agents cursed while going through the police reports.
"Yes, whoever messed that one up will have their heads on a platter," the other agent confirmed while she looked at the photos.
Both of them were in the local offices of MI-X in Glasgow. Of couse the discovery of the murder near Inveress had become their problem very quick due to the involvement of Greyback's pack. This had come out of nowhere after the long silence and the shocking violence displayed on the security tape reinforced that these were dangerous people.
However, things had gotten off the rails before the normal procedures could be done.
"The police is still combing through their ranks to find out who copied the security tape and sent it to the media. I still wonder how this could have happened?" the first agent asked. He still was in disbelief at such a colossal mess-up.
The female agent snorted. "I can already imagine what these hacks will write in the newspapers tomorrow. They'll call her the 'insane night slasher'. There already is enough trouble that they actually showed the murder in full on TV."
That was the big problem - not only was the copied tape sent to the media, the privately owned channels had dared to show it to a vast audience in its full. The whole thing had been highly shocking and already sparked a heated debate over television going too far, but the damage was done. Just when the public had started to relax, this brought the fear back straight away.
"Wonder what excuse that bastard Murdoch will find for that... Well, it's no use to cry over it. Let's look at the facts. The food stolen is inconsequential, but why did they steal petrol, diesel and motor oil?" the male agent wondered.
"That's the big question. Certainly not for their motorcycles. It's the wrong stuff." The female agent then took a closer look. "You think they want to use that to set something ablaze?"
"What else could they use that stuff for?" The male agent then closed the folder and sighed. "All this secrecy prevents us from doing what we are here for - protecting people from the impending disaster that magical society is."
"We both know that most of them are people who just want to go through their lives like all of us. The problem is that thanks to magic meaning that even the lowest idiot has way too much power on their hands, the damage that can be done is so much higher." The female agent put down the photos. "I kind of understand why the big wigs are preparing for the worst."
That left both of them with this sobering thought while they continued their work.
...May 4th, Hogwarts great hall...
Lunch time had arrived during a school day at Hogwarts. The great hall was packed - though compared to the old times there still were less tables - and the students besides eating were also busy with socializing. Surprisingly, Harry and his friends were not doing so, having grown more hungry than usual and were busy with eating.
Other students however were using lunch time for such.
"So basically your parents have settled everything and are starting to pack up?" Seamus asked while cutting his fish.
"Yes, they are now just waiting for me to finish this year and then we are gone and show the Ministry the finger. My parents are deeply disappointed how badly they have been treated and have spread word around in our community," Stefan Schuster confirmed while pouring some sauce over his fish. "As soon as they meet me at the train station we board a train to the airport and are out of the country before the day is over."
Seamus looked a bit lost at a word foreign to him. "Airport? What's that? I know going by the name it must have something to do with flying, but other than that..."
"It's stuff like that which reminds me we come from almost literally different worlds," Dean sighed, knowing he had to explain that one to his friend.
"Regardless of that, I surprisingly do feel a bit sad about it, now that I've managed to open up to all of you. Still, neither me nor my parents will stand for the treatment we've received," Stefan said, feeling how their lives had been made difficult for three years thanks to bigotry in the system.
"Won't there be any trouble with the school if you just don't return?" Dean wondered..
Now the German boy actually chuckled a little. "Actually, the Headmaster is in on it, agreed how we were treated was crappy. There won't be any problem from his side."
That revelation took Seamus and Dean by surprise.
Close by two girls in their year were talking.
"Honestly, do there three always gossip about boys?" Kellah Miller wondered while watching Lavender Brown, Fay Dunbar and Parvati Patil.
"Well, if it's not boys, it's about other girls and whatever they think they can dig up about them. I can understand why Hermione and Ginny are so annoyed by them," Elizabeth Stone added before taking a bite from a potato.
That was the dynamics of that year's Gryffindor girls; the trio of Hermione, Ginny and Luna stood out. They did get along well with Elizabeth and Kellah, most certainly helped by the fact that they'd known them since magical preschool. Lavender, Fay and Parvati on the other hand had character traits like being way too nosy - that made it at times difficult for the trio to get along with them. While not dysfunctional, there was an invisible border in the girls' dorm.
"One day they'll go too far and suffer the consequences. I bet it's Ginny who'll do the deed. She's the most hot-headed," Kellah speculated.
Elizabeth shook her head. "That would be a sucker bet. Remember how we had to keep Ginny from doing something drastic when she realized Lavender was using her toothpaste."
Further down the Gryffindor table, a fourth-year boy was grumbling while trying to stab the fish on his plate with the fork.
"Doesn't need me, he says. Wood acts like Weasley is the next coming of the gods, not even giving me a chance," Cormac McLaggen grumbled while attacking his food.
"Man, Cormac, calm down. It's a sad that Weasley is Wood's favorite for the position, but it's a fact you can't ignore. Why are you still trying to get into the team?" one boy in his year wondered.
"It's a matter of principle." Clearly McLaggen thought that would explain it. "I've been trying ever since the beginning of last year, but Wood doesn't want to listen. Well, next year for sure."
"You mean once Weasley becomes keeper and the reserve position opens?" a girl interested in Quidditch asked. "You know that it still means reserve and that you most like won't play a single game?"
McLaggen returned his attention to his food while grumbling, clearly being too aware of that fact.
Meanwhile over at the Hufflepuff table, several first-year girls were gossiping.
"No, really, Melissa saw Diggory being a bit too friendly with Cho Chang," a girl said excitedly.
"Aren't they rivals? I've their the game where their teams played against each other and they certainly din't give an inch," Astoria Greengrass asked.
"Rumor goes that the whole thing started because of that game. You know, that 'worthy opponent'-stuff and all that. Looks like it developed into something more than that," a different girl threw in while refillig her cup.
"From rivals to a pair? Sounds like one of these romance novels Mum likes to read," Astoria said, not wanting to admit she had secretly started reading those as well. "Will be quite awkward for them next year when they have to compete against each other."
The other girls clearly had not considered that. "Ohhh, now that then will be the true test of love!"one of them then squealed in delight.
Over at the Slytherin table meanwhile...
"I honestly don't get what they are playing at. Yes, they are still assholes towards those they don't like - which if you think about it is the majority of the students - but they are not doing anything to them, which isn't in their character," Daphne concluded her observations about Draco and Pansy.
"For something they before did relish, them stopping it smells of trouble. Andy ideas, Dudley?" Millicent asked.
Dudley shook his head. "None, but I'm also not good at such stuff. The only activity I saw from those two is their politicking to climb in the ranks of their crowd. That, and their usual stuff to intimidate the younger years."
"I have the feeling these two are working on changing their tactic. But considering how late in the school year it is, they must have decided to wait until next year," Daphne concluded while glancing to where Draco and Pansy were eating their own lunch.
"Sometimes I wish our lives were less complicated," Dudley sighed before returning his attention to his lunch.
The objects of their conversation at the same time talked to a boy from the year above theirs.
"While many are glad you two have put your priorities straight, I can't help but wonder. What will you do instead? After all, I don't believe you are gluttons for punishment," the boy asked Draco and Pansy.
"Of course they will think we have become toothless, but don't be fooled. We are merely preparing," Draco reassured him.
"How?" the boy wondered.
"We've learned that the direct route always backfired on us. And while using hurtful words is nice, we've discovered there are safer ways to give them grief," Pansy explained. "Indirect methods can be very powerful and safe when using middlemen."
"Sounds interesting, but I guess you won't say more for the moment?" the boy guessed.
Draco chuckled. "Yes, that will be our secret for the moment. But be assured they most certainly won't like next year."
...May 14th...
Up on the balcony that ran around the outside of the owlery tower Harry and Ron right at the moment had an important mission: taking care of their owls. While magical owls in general were independent and could take care of themselves, they did like to get attention from their owners. Hedwig and Pigwidgeon were no different from that rule and greatly enjoyed the moment, though of course they showed their affection in vastly different ways.
"Pig, slow down!" told his owl while Pigwidgeon circled around him, giving off sounds of affection. "I know you liked this, but you are taking it a bit too far!"
"Are you sure there was no sugar in that treat, Ron?" Harry asked jokingly while caressing Hedwig. Said owl seemed to be embarrassed at this display, looking the other way. "Hedwig, could it be that you are a bit of a snob when it comes to Pig's behavior? You don't want to become like Trigon, do you?"
Hedwig shuddered, clearly showing she did understand Harry. The new Weasley family owl was highly snobbish and looked down on any owl that didn't meet his criteria - which practically was every single other owl. The few times she had met Trigon must have left a lasting bad impression on her to react like that.
Finally giving up on trying to calm down his owl, Ron looked to Harry. "Sometimes I wish he would be as well-behaved as Hedwig..." Ron then saw Hedwig's body language. "Guess she likes hearing that?"
"Hedwig is one of a kind..." Harry said with affection.
"Eh, Harry, can I ask you as my best mate about something?" Ron asked, looking a bit flustered.
Harry noticed that Ron looked a bit unsure. "Sure, what's wrong, Ron?"
"Have you noticed that Hermione acts... you know, a bit weird? But strangely enough only to me," Ron asked, looking a bit confused.
"She does?" Harry wondered, honestly not having noticed.
"Yes, she gives me a bit more attention than to the others. She also at times praises me a bit more than she normally does when seeing some do well with school stuff. I really don't understand it," Ron explained his observations.
Too bad that Harry also was a bit too young to yet understand these signs properly. However, he did understand enough to see that Hermione wanted Ron to acknowledge her efforts. "You know, perhaps she wants a bit more attention from you and that's her way to tell you?"
"You think so?" Ron wondered.
Harry shrugged. "I'm no girl, but that's what makes the most sense."
"Maybe I try that," Ron agreed, then saw Pigwidgeon make one final round before he few into the tower. Hedwig right at that moment took off as well back into the tower. "Looks like our owls want to tell us something."
Harry already knew the answer. "Yes, back to the grindstone. The exams are only a bit over three weeks away and after what we experienced last year, we know this time Hermione does have a point that we should start our preparations at this point."
That was putting it mildly. After the experience of first year, where they had found the exams at the end of the year too easy, they despite Hermione's fervent protests had thought they could allow themselves to slack off a little in second year. Big error, the head start they got from the preschool by this point had become irrelevant and the second year exams had become a small nightmare. Hermione giving them an 'I told you so'-look after the fact had convinced them not to make the same error again.
Walking back to Gryffindor tower, they were greeted with the sight that they were not the only ones who got that idea. The common room had pretty much turned into a big study.
"Ah, there are you two!" Hermione called when spotting them. "Done with spoiling your owls? Get your books and come to our table."
"As if you don't spoil that cat of yours," Ron told Hermione before they quickly went up the stairs to get their things.
Returning with their books and notes a little later, they dumped them onto the table. "So, what will we rehearse today?" Harry asked.
"We are doing Charms today," Ginny answered while Hermione was busy with checking something in a book. "Remember how Professor Flitwick told us after this year things would get more complicated and hinted very strongly that the General Counter-Spell and Full Body-Bind would definitely be part of the exams."
Ron laughed a little. "At least it's not stuff like letting a pineapple tap dance. I honestly never saw any practical use for that."
"Yes, while it certainly is noble of the teachers to try and liven up the classes with such things, it does hold little practical application," Luna of all people admitted. "Daddy once speculated that the Ministry is not exactly keen on students learning too much."
"You know that this sounds like a conspiracy theory?" Hermione reminded Luna.
"In my experience there are a number of things that at first sounded ridiculous but then turned out to be true. After all, making something sound ridiculous ensures that people won't think it is something serious and they thus won't stop it," Luna explained her reasoning.
"The idea is kind of depressing," Neville admitted. Luna had changed a bit over the years and while she still held a love for the esoteric, her theories started to be less wild and more grounded in reality.
"I hurt your feelings? That was not my intention." Luna indeed sounded a bit sorry for it.
"Let's concentrate on rehearsing," Ginny said quickly, hoping to distract from the awkward silence that followed. "After all, the work won't get done by itself."
For some time they only concentrated on their books, though it was clear that this approach was not optimal for all of them. Ron especially had to concentrate in order to not get bored by all the theoretical work. Hermione on the other hand seemed to really enjoy reading the books to renew her knowledge on the spells contained.
Finally, Ron sighed. "I was never good at just reading about things. I just wish we could do practical tests with these spells, but there's no way we can do that with the current situation."
Ron was playing on the fact that due to the school grounds being guarded by Aurors who wouldn't like students strolling around, they couldn't do their experiments outside. Normally the teachers wouldn't have minded students training up their spells where they couldn't do damage, but these weren't normal times and that option right now was not available.
"Bad luck ,mate. It's not like you can complain to Greyback for this," Neville said while looking at a diagram of a wand movement.
"Sometimes I wish I could tell him that to the face..." Ron grumbled while returning to his work.
...Greyback's hideout in the Highlands, May 22nd...
Many wizards probably thought that werewolves were living like animals, incapable of even imagining them using the perks of civilization. That of course had no relation to reality. Greyback's pack had been living in a camp made of mundane tents - sadly they were unable to steal magical ones - and tried to get every reasonable creature comfort possible, like them cooking their food over camp cookers they had stolen.
Right at the moment however there was no activity in the camp, everyone instead waiting for their leader to walk out of his tent.
Greyback's pack was waiting in anticipation. While they all knew that in three days, on the night of the full moon, they would attack Hogwarts to cause as much damage as possible, they still didn't know the details of said attack. Today their leader would give those to them so that they could do the final preparations.
"What do you think he has planned exactly? I mean we have gotten all these tools and this other stuff, but right now it doesn't make any sense," one man asked a woman.
"Well, it's pretty obvious what those Molotov cocktails are for, but the other stuff? I mean, axes, full fuel canisters, grappling hooks and all this other stuff?" the woman wondered.
"Whatever he's planning, he's quite thorough with the preparations," the man admitted.
Indeed, the past weeks had been all about organizing things for the 'big finale' as Greyback was describing it. Most pack members wondered by now what all these things were for. Hogwarts was being observed pretty much around the clock and Greyback insisted only every single detail being written down. He had even stopped any other terror activities, saying they should fully concentrate one 'the big one'.
Granted, the vast majority of the plan obviously had to be about how to actually get into the castle without getting stopped on the way, since the part about biting and killing as many students as possible was pretty straightforward. It seemed a bit paranoid that he didn't share his plans until this point, but they didn't question him and his decisions.
They fell silent when Greyback finally walked out of his tent.
"All of you are present, even those normally observing Hogwarts. Good. I bet all of you can't wait for me to finally reveal how we will attack the castle?" Greyback asked.
"Yes, Mr. Greyback," the punk said. "After all, we only have enough potion left for this moon, so now it's all or nothing."
That also was a reason why Greyback decided to go forward. Their stock of Wolfsbane potion was almost used up and they would not get a chance to acquire anymore ingredients, considering how well-protected those now were. They've had lots of fun but now it was time for the final clash, since they had little other choice. None of them felt giving up was even an option.
"Yes, good point," Greyback agreed. "First however, just to make sure. All of you know that this very much is a one-way ticket. Regardless how much success we will have, most of us won' come out of it alive. If anyone has a problem with that..."
No one said anything, showing they very much had accepted that fate. After all, people who literally had nothing left wouldn't be especially attached to living..
"All of you are determined! I'm very proud of you!" Greyback meant it; he was indeed very proud that his pack showed such dedication to accepting the consequences of their actions.
"We all would follow you to hell, Mr. Greyback," the punk said, looking like she couldn't wait for it. "Though we still don't know how you plan for us to reach the kids so that we can give them our gift and turn those who reject it into pork chops."
"I thought long and hard about that." Greyback enjoyed that many wizards still thought him to be little more than dumb brutality. It helped him to surprise them. "They simply can't imagine that we use every possible resource - especially non-magical stuff."
Seeing that he got their undivided attention, Greyback enjoyed the feeling . "Let me explain my plan..."
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"Bloody Moon, Part I - Hogwarts Invaded"
Notes:
Here the notes.
We see more of Voldemort organizing things. I feel what he's doing by repurposing the Riddle house is way more constructive than what he did in canon. It's the ideal headquaters. Again he proves that he's smart by modifying the Fidelius Charm that people still remember the house, but think that it has been torn down. In my mind that's the smart way to make sure no one looks, since why should you since (you think) the house got torn down.
We do get a nice Potions lesson and also some more thoughts about the inter-house situation. I also gave me the chance to show some Slytherin students interact with our protagonists.
The final Quidditch game of the year. I gave it a bit more attention and also used the chance to show Cedric playing as well as him being about fair play and being a graceful loser.
While we do hear more about the MI-X activities, Greyback's preparations, whatever they are, are almost complete. We again see sick behavior of the punk werewolf. I hope I showed how unsettling she is.
I felt we do need more scenes of everyday Hogwarts and our protagnonists doing normal stuff before things blow up next chapter. I feel that it's needed to make the contrast to what is coming next stronger.