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 two main pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them certainly 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 51: The Die is Cast, Part I - Death at Hogwarts
It was the night before the third and final tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. The Hogwarts Quidditch pitch had been modified radically, being turned into hedge maze and outfitted with many obstacles that had to be overcome in order to win the final prize. Right at the moment however the deep silence of the night had fallen over the dark maze, nothing hinting that the next evening it would be the center of the decision which school would claim victory.
Strangely enough, the pitch was not being guarded at all, despite the irregularities at the previous two tasks. That was due to the Minister himself sticking his head into the sand and insisting that there was no problem and guarding the maze could be interpreted as mistrusting the other schools. Not that Fudge cared what France and Bulgaria (Norway couldn't care less now about the tournament) thought about them, he was in his shortsightedness only truly concerned with the domestic response.
The peacefulness however was being disturbed.
Этослишкомпросто. Онидаженеохраняютего, [That is too easy. They are not even guarding it,] Karkaroff thought, feeling that only guarding the outer perimeter of the school grounds was a stupid oversight.
Thanks to it being a clear night, he could see the maze ahead and it would make his task easier to manipulate things so that Diggory and Delacour would not get the cup at the end of the maze. He knew such things looked irrelevant compared to his survival in light of the Dark Lord's impending return, but he simply couldn't help himself and hated to lose.
Once the tournament was done, he would leave Britain, hide behind the walls of Durmstrang, and then wait out on how things would develop. After all, he sincerely doubted that the Dark Lord would be able to penetrate the defenses of Durmstrang after the Norwegian Ministry had failed to do so for many years. He would be very safe at Durmstrang and then his fears would finally be put to rest.
Only two more days and he would escape the danger.
Then he noticed something, his old instincts telling him everything he needed to know, but didn't show any outward reaction. Похоже, янеодин... [Looks like I'm not alone...]
In the shadows under the stands meanwhile, an attempt was made to observe Karkaroff without being seen.
Sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night had not been easy. The Fat Lady needed some coaxing to promise she would let them back in after they had done whatever they wanted to do, then they had to sneak through the corridors without being caught - which at that time of the night mainly was Filch who in general seemed to need little sleep - and then they had to manage to get to the Quidditch pitch without being caught by a patrolling Auror.
That they had managed all those things didn't exactly speak well for the current security measures.
At least it being so easy was explainable for Harry, who was wearing his invisibility cloak to spy more closely on Karkaroff after they had watched him on the map making his way to the pitch. While the map was capable of following his movements, it up to tonight had been useless since they'd had little idea when Karkaroff would actually do something to further his plots and couldn't watch the map all the time.
They also had tested earlier if they could use their omnioculars to actually record Karkaroff from further away so they could keep be a safe distance and have more tangible proof. However, those things didn't work well at all in low-light environments, so they were forced to do the spying personally and thus put themselves into danger.
Let's hope he won't catch us, or I fear what he could do, Hermione thought, knowing what a Death Eater would be capable of.
Harry was standing closer to Karkaroff than them, since he had the advantage of invisibility, while they had to hide in the shadows. They didn't dare to move much, since while the pitch was grass, the area under the stands was gravel and it would make a sound if they walked too much on it. Their best bet was Harry observing Karkaroff more closely and thus getting something incriminating. The man actually sneaking onto the pitch in the night already was quite damning and would cause questions.
Harry meanwhile felt nervous, being relatively close to Karkaroff while the man had has wand out and was inspecting the hedge maze that had been grown on the pitch. From what Hermione had read in old newspapers, he knew Karkaroff was a cold-blooded murderer who most certainly would do something nasty should he catch them. That they were still doing this anyway spoke volumes.
Uncle Sirius will want to pull my ears off once he hears of this, Harry thought, knowing the reaction of their parents and guardians wouldn't be good. Nonetheless, he felt this had to be done.
Several minutes went by and Karkaroff seemingly was still observing the maze. What the hell is he waiting for? Harry wondered.
Suddenly Karkaroff turned around and waved his wand in an arc. No words were spoken, but Harry felt it right away when a force pushed him away hard, slamming him against the boards wall that acted as the boundary of the pitch! -Bom- "Ooouch!" The impact caused Harry's hood to slip off, revealing his head.
His friends let out gasps, which proved to be an error when conjured ropes bound them and then dragged them out next to Harry, who was now bound like them. All of them were now completely at Karkaroff's mercy!
"You snots really thought you could outsmart me, did you?! Too bad that you are several decades too young for that and I noticed you. Even an invisibility cloak has its flaws and I know them. Don't use it standing on soft grass, as it shows footprints. I'm pretty sure it was you who tried to break into my cabin as well," Karkaroff said with a snarl.
"I knew this day would take a bad end..." Neville gasped when realizing they now were at Karkaroff's mercy. All of a sudden their agreement to spy on the man proved to be very foolish.
Karkaroff then gave them a very dark look. "You little shits have no idea that you just got me into an untenable situation, do you?!"
Knowing that the only thing they could do was to stall for time, Harry decided that distracting Karkaroff with conversation was best. "How do you mean? Aren't we at your mercy?" His fear at admitting that was not an act.
Karkaroff snorted. "Yes, but I can't buy anything from that! Should I kill all of you now, then it would result in a fine-combed investigation where my status wouldn't protect me. Get rid of your corpses to win time? Exactly the same thing due to six missing students. Wipe all of your memories or put a curse onto you? Same result, as it's too obvious. And of course I can't let you go, either."
"So... why are you trying to sabotage the tasks? Is the fame really worth it?" Ron wondered, catching up on how Harry was stalling for time.
Karkaroff gave Ron a look that was downright condescending. "Oh yes, it would have been. I knew from the start that Viktor is way too noble to even consider cheating, so I tried to give him a leg up without his knowledge. Fame can be turned into power after all. However, with you being here, that dream just died..."
Seeing how Karkaroff was getting angry again, Luna decided to be bold. "Why did you try to kill Harry? It was you, correct?"
Now Karkaroff actually showed fear. "The Dark Lord is returning, I have no doubt about that. He is... not exactly pleased with me."
"Because you sold the others out to get a pardon?" Hermione guessed, though she already knew the answers.
"You brats have no idea of how powerful the Dark Lord's wrath is! The one punishment for treachery is death - a slow and cruel one at that. However... I still have the hope to bargain with the Dark Lord." Karkaroff gave Harry a greedy look. "You caused his downfall, Potter. Me bringing him your head is bound to make him consider showing mercy to me and lessen my punishment."
They knew this was now a dead end for them, so Harry actually chuckled darkly. Karkaroff was confused by that reaction. "What's so funny, Potter?!"
"You honestly think that killing me with make Voldemort reconsider?" Harry saw Karkaroff flinch at mention of the name. "How wrong you are."
Karkaroff did pale a bit and gripped his wand tighter. "Explain, now!"
"You obviously don't know your Master well." Ginny also knew they now had nothing to lose anymore and felt strangely calm. "The events all these years ago showed that Voldemort reserves the right of killing Harry only for himself. What you did only made him more angry with you."
"No... that... that can't be true..." Karkaroff looked like he was falling into a dark pit of despair.
"It is. He wants to be the one to kill me, so you really ticked him off with what you did and dug your own grave," Harry rubbed the salt into the wound.
Karkaroff looked like a trembling wreck, before all of a sudden he became calm, which looked alarming to the Six. "So no way out of it. My life is ruined either way..." He started to raise his wand. "At least I shall have the pleasure of putting you out of my misery."
"Meowwwfchchchchch!" "What the...? Ahh! Argh!"
Regardless what Karkaroff had tried to do, he was unable to do so when all of a sudden an orange ball of fury attacked him, jumping up his front and starting to claw at his face violently. "Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!" That was quickly followed by two owls - one white and one rather tiny - attacking Karkaroff from the air, pecking at him harshly and hurting him with their claws.
In the ensuing chaos Karkaroff was flailing wildly with his arms to try and ward off his attackers and the small owl's claws did hit their mark on his wrist. "OW!" Karkaroff's wand flew out of his hand, directly at Ginny's feet, and the girl did not hesitate to stomp hard onto it, causing it to break in two. The bindings fell to the ground with the destruction of the wand, like it had powered them staying on the entire time.
"Get off you pests!" Karkaroff screamed.
"Get off him, we have that under control now!" Harry called and the animals indeed returned to their respective owners.
The orange furball had been Crookshanks, who did look very pleased with how badly scratched Karkaroff's face now was while sitting next to Hermione. Little Pigwidgeon landed on Ron's shoulder, looking very excited at what he managed to do. Finally, Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder, despite her normal demeanor clearly being pleased at how badly they had hurt Karkaroff.
"Look at you now, deafeated by thee loyal pets," Ron mocked Karkaroff, all six of them holding him at wandpoint. He right now didn't question how these three had known.
"Now all of a sudden you feel powerful while moments earlier you were about to crap yourselves," Karkaroff said darkly, his bleeding face only making him look more sinister.
"They might not be that powerful yet... but I certainly am, you slime."
Karkaroff did look unsettled when all of a sudden an invisibility cloak was taken off, revealing Alastor Moody also holding Karkaroff at wandpoint. "Brave of you children. Brave... but also incredibly dumb, ignoring many of my lessons. What were you thinking trying to spy on a Death Eater?"
"What are you doing here, Mr. Moody?" Neville asked in complete surprise, wondering what was going on.
"You six didn't honestly believe that after the stunt with the forest I would let this scum out of my sight, do you?" Seeing the looks of bafflement they gave him, it was clear they had not considered that. "Teenagers... The six of you better believe you are in a heapload of trouble now."
"I know you know due to that damn eye of yours, but how are you here?!" Karkaroff wondered. "I made sure you are in your rooms and I know yours has no floo connection to get out without me knowing. Mere minutes ago my spell told me you are still in there and the door stayed closed."
Moody snorted. "Apart from the fact that I'm wearing an invisibility cloak? I used a spell to fake my presence and then used a broom and left through the open window to make sure you would feel safe. I know your kind; very unimaginative when it comes to such things."
"I see..." Karkaroff looked awfully calm now.
"Better believe I will enjoy seeing you cool your heels in Azkaban - where you belong," Moody said, then clearly was about to restrain Karkaroff.
"There is just one problem... I also came prepared." Then before Moody could react, Karkaroff dropped something out of his sleeve and when it impacted the ground, it set off a bright flash, blinding all of them, even Moody's magical eye.
They heard him make a run for it but it took several moments before they could see enough again. Moody cursed, since thanks to his artificial leg he could hardly run after him. Then he saw with his magical eye someone blast off on a broom and fly away. "He must have hidden it there in advance just in case..."
Moody clearly was angry that Karkaroff had gotten away while conjuring his Patronus to raise the alarms. Once that was done, he gave the Six a telling look. "Don't think the six of you are not in trouble as well."
The Six had known that would be the case regardless what happened, but knowing it now was inevitable felt quite different.
...at little later...
Despite the teachers trying to keep it under control, it had been impossible to stop the rumors and now the whole castle was awake, the hectic activity of the law enforcement in Hogwarts and on the Durmstrang ship being impossible to hide, having initially woken up many students. Granted, the students were being restricted to their dorms, but that did not deter some of the more determined students, much to the frustration of the teachers.
The rumors flying around after all were fantastic enough; that Potter and his friends has played vigilantes in order to catch Karkaroff sabotaging the final task and that things somehow had gone sideways. There was no way in hell this could be covered up.
The Six however had different problems.
All of them sat in the Headmaster's office where they had each recounted the events to the Aurors and then had copies of the memories of said event extracted from their heads by Unspeakables, who then before witnesses confirmed under oath that the memories were indeed not tampered with before locking the vials into the secure evidence carrier. The same was being done with Moody, who knew the procedure by heart.
The procedure itself was not concerning them, knowing that it would help to prove Karkaroff's guilt. They also were not concerned about Dumbledore and McGonagall giving them silent looks of disappointment that six of their students had been foolish enough to end up in such a situation.
Harry also would not get into trouble for having an invisibility cloak, since that was an officially registered family heirloom and thus he had every right to own it and there wasn't any proof had had used it for anything other than this incident (which was not the truth but they didn't know that).
No, what was truly concerning them were their parents and guardians watching them in silence as well, giving them looks of great disappointment. They had been woken up in the middle of the night with the news that their children had done something truly foolish which easily could have cost them their lives if not for the fact of their pets defending them and Moody actually having been ready to save them.
Said pets were still loyally at their side, at least giving Harry, Ron and Hermione something of a comfort, though Crookshanks seemed to find Hermione's lap a little too comfortable while Pigwidgeon's attention deficit threatened to emerge, with Hedwig already clearly dreading that happening.
Needless to say that the adults were less than impressed with the six teenagers but held back with saying anything until the official part of the investigation was done. If anything, that made the teenagers only more nervous, feeling dread at what was about to happen. The looks of sheer disappointment the adults were giving their children were unbearable.
At least not all of them were present. Diane, Jean and Veronica had stayed at home since they didn't want to leave their children alone at home even if they were sleeping. Pandora had stayed at home since she had no wish to to stress herself during her pregnancy. That however was little consolation for the teenagers.
Finally, the official part was done and the Aurors and Unspeakables left.
As soon as the door was closed, it was Arthur who spoke out what all of them were thinking. "What were the six of you thinking when doing something that foolish?!"
There was no answer coming, since in retrospect what they had done was objectively foolish and not well thought-through.
Hearing that there was no answer, Thomas put what they all thought into words. "You thought that no one is doing anything and thus it's up to you to somehow prove that Karkaroff is as guilty as he truly is, right?"
"You see, when we thought he's using his position..." Hermione tried to explain, but then fell silent when feeling the stare of Moody's magical eye on her.
"Looked to you as if we were doing nothing due to him hiding behind his shield, eh? As if we simply allowed that slime to do as he pleases and were impotent to get anything done, right?" The expression on their faces told Moody everything he needed to know. "-snort- Teenagers... After that stunt with the forest, I kept a constant eye on Karkaroff and was ready to nail him tonight."
"Yes, but WE didn't know that! Would have been helpful to know something was being done instead of just leaving us alone with our worries," Ron then complained, feeling this all was highly unfair.
While the adults looked unimpressed with his outburst, they reluctantly admitted that Ron did have a point that no one had communicated to them that Moody had put Karkaroff into his crosshair. "It looks like we have suffered a mutual failure to communicate properly," Dumbledore brought it to the point.
"Granted... Even then however what they did still was incredibly foolish. That man is a proven Death Eater and you knew that." Right now Xenophilus had little of his normally laid-back personality, the worry for Luna making him unusually serious. "Did the six of you honestly think you could go against a man who murdered countless people for fun?"
Luna took it upon herself to answer. "We thought we could outsmart him and not be seen."
Sirius shook his head, having heard enough. "Again, that was naive of you, considering how experienced the man is. Your intentions might have been good, but we can't ignore that you carelessly endangered yourselves. If not for Moody already keeping an eye on Karkaroff and your pets feeling the need to protect you, Karkaroff would have murdered all of you. There have to be consequences."
"Eh... when you put it like that, we were not thinking that through," Neville admitted.
"Well, that is obvious," McGonagall said with a slight snort, showing how unimpressed she was with them.
"What I don't understand is how your pets knew you are getting into trouble. Crookshanks hardly can be a mind reader," Ian then wondered, remembering that Crookshanks mostly acted like a normal cat.
"No idea about that." Ron looked to Pig, who barely managed to control himself. "They just appeared, as if they somehow knew."
There was some silence, but Dumbledore did exchange some knowing looks with Sirius and McGonagall. All three of them know of the strange bond between the Six, but this new development hinted at their pets being so close to them had somehow influenced those as well. They would have to talk about that later.
"Eh... what kind of consequences do we have to suffer?" Ginny then asked, only to then gulp hard when seeing the look her mother was giving her.
"Well, for one thing you and Ron can forget about enjoying the summer. Oh yes, you are so grounded once you are home for risking your lives like that. We are doing this because we care for you so much and hopefully this will teach you to think before you act," Molly told Ginny and Ron.
"Oh yes, the same goes for you, Neville," Alice told her son. "You better be prepared for some serious lessons with Augusta and less of the greenhouse work you like so much."
The others quickly followed with their respective children and the Six knew that their Summer would suck but they had no one to blame but themselves for that. McGonagall, having watched the entire thing, nodded in approval. "So close to the end of the school year with only two days left, an official punishment would have been difficult. Seeing how your parents are taking appropriate measures, the six of you hopefully learn from it."
"I guess we deserve this..." Hermione was mortified, since she had been a well-behaved child in the past, ensuring that her parents had never been forced to use such measures... until now.
"Let's hope all of you are that insightful," Ian said, already knowing that Hermione was feeling bad after being told how dumb it all had been.
Knowing their guardians had spoken, Harry sighed. "And Karkaroff still got away. Now he'll never see consequences for what he has done."
"I want to see him try to get out of the country now," Moody snorted. "Without his wand that will be really difficult for him. At least good instinct of you to snap it right away and rob him of most of his power."
"Alastor, don't praise them for solving a situation the got themselves into due to their own errors," Frank reminded Moody.
"Eh... what will happen now? I mean... Durmstrang is now short a headmaster and one judge is missing," Harry then asked.
"I will contact Durmstrang after our conversation. They surely will send his Deputy to take over the judging position and then guide the students back to the school," Dumbledore told Harry, knowing it wouldn't be a fun conversation.
"Not that the man will take Karkaroff's place as Headmaster. From everything we know, Karkaroff did not tolerate any possible contenders to the throne, so his Deputy is just a weak paper pusher. Won't be pleasant when the vacancy is filled for real," McGonagall explained that point, knowing that would be a serious power struggle.
Honestly, none of them wanted to be at Durmstrang once those struggles would break out.
o
"Блин! Они пожалеют, что перешли меня!" [Damn it! They'll regret crossing me!] Karkaroff cursed while flying throught the Scotish night on his broom.
Karkaroff was letting out one curse after the other in his anger while trying to gain as much distance as possible between himself and Hogwarts. Thanks to a bunch of snot-nosed brats and that bastard Moody - he tried not to think of those infernal animals - all of his plans had failed. Now instead of retreating behind the safety of Durmstrang once the tournament was over, he had become fair game to the Dark Lord without any kind of protection against his wrath.
Thus as much as he was pushing his broom with anger, fear slowing rising within him also was a good part of it. He knew getting out of the country would be incredibly difficult now, thus his best bet was to attempt and hide, hoping that it would be enough. However, considering how good the Dark Lord was at finding his prey, Karkaroff himself knew it was more wishful thinking than anything else.
Even if he did managed to escape the country, where would he go? He knew for sure that in Durmstrang the vultures were already circling. Back then he had only gotten the position due to the Ministry officially giving him a white vest, stating all his past misdeeds were being forgiven. However, now with him being on the run, his position at Durmstrang had collapsed as well.
Looking behind himself, he saw no one trying to catch up with him, meaning they had no idea where he was. That at least was good news in this clusterfuck. He sooner or later would have to find someone to steal a wand from as well.
He then saw a paved road down below and knew it would lead him to the next bigger town. Кактолькоядоберусьдолюбогоместа, ясмогуначатьпрятатьсякакможнолучше. Неидеал, но... [Once I've reached whatever place that is, I can start on working on hiding as best as I can. Not ideal, but...]
-pshwoiii!- -POF!- Karkaroff was ripped out of his thoughts when all of a sudden a flare shot up into the sky and then exploded rather close to him.
"AH!" The sudden, blinding light caused his vision to go white and he was starting to lose control of the broom, and only instinct prevented him from falling to his doom. Still, he was quickly spiraling towards the ground and moments later crash-landed hard, being thrown off the broom and into a bush in the process. Lying there, he was trying to understand what had happened, his vision only slowly clearing, when suddenly...
"Get out of that bush, and no funny moves!"
Hearing the harsh words shouted in his direction, Karkaroff knew that he was caught. Without his wand at hand, he knew his options were limited, but he could still try to apparate away. Jumping up, he tried exactly that, though he knew his limited knowledge of the land would only allow him to go to more public places. -plop- -plap- -plop- -BOF!-
At least that had been the plan, but his attempt at apparating backfired, instead feeling like a fist slamming into his stomach. Doubling over in pain and wondering what had went wrong, he suddenly was grabbed, forced to the ground, and then put into handcuffs.
Finally trying to see who his captors were when being pulled to his feet, Karkaroff looked in surprise when seeing men wearing Muggle clothes, some wearing what looked like combat uniforms, while others, watching him from further away, were wearing dark suits. The whole thing was highly confusing to Karkaroff.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?!" Karkaroff snarled, feeling contempt rising at even being touched by these magicless apes.
"Clearly you don't understand the situation you are in, Mr. Karkaroff. Typical behavior for a terrorist like you," one of the suited men snorted. "Too bad you didn't fall off your broom, as it would have been amusing to see you bounce off the ground like a beach ball. And don't again try to apparate away, since we put in countermeasures."
Wondering for a moment what the man meant, and putting the question aside how they knew about magic, Karkaroff spotted two women in civilian Muggle clothes, both of them holding wands. That of course made the whole situation even more confusing. "Who the hell are you? You are clearly not working for the Ministry."
"Answers will come soon enough."
Karkaroff put up little resistance when he was escorted to a number of vans parked under some trees. One of the vans looked especially notable due to the rotating antenna on its roof. Karkaoff did hear whispering that he looked like his face got run over by a lawnmower, reminding him all too well how scratched-up and bloody his face was.
"Target secured! Everyone pack up right away!" With that order given, everyone filed back into the vans. Karkaroff was forced into one, armed guards sitting left and right of him, while one witch sat next to the suited man, casting a spell Karkaroff didn't know.
The van started moving, while the suited man gave Karkaroff his full attention. "You surely wonder how we managed to locate you?"
If Karkaroff was to be honest, he did wonder about that. "How did you know?"
"Actually, it was easy. Broom riders might normally not show up on radar or it looks like a minor glitch. However, with the proper adjustments..." The man saw that Karkaroff did not understand what he was talking about. "To make it short, we had the right means to look for broom riders and we had cause to watch the airspace in the vicinity of Hogwarts."
"What do you want from me? This is kidnapping!" Karkaroff then said, having a faint hope it could help.
"Who we are? We are part of Her Majesty's government - most certainly not part of the corrupt Ministry from which you bought your freedom despite all of your crimes. That won't fly this time and for all the crimes we can prove you commited, and that's quite the list, you'll spend the rest of your life in a cozy cell."
Karkaroff paled, realizing that his life pretty much was over, since whoever these people were, they would never let him go free again. That finally caused him to lose his cool. "My life? Hah, that won't be for very long! The Dark Lord will ensure that I'm killed soon enough. I'm as good as dead!"
Hearing this caused unrest with the witch and the man now looked interested. "Really?"
Karkaroff knew he now had nothing to lose anymore and pulled up his left sleeve with his teeth, due to him being handcuffed, to show his Dark Mark, which had gained quite some contrast. "Look at it! The Dark Lord is alive again, I know it! He'll soon enough come for me and his punishment for my treachery is death!"
Watching Karkaroff go half into hysterics showed the MI-X agent that the man was not lying.
They had been keeping an eye on the airspace surrounding Hogwarts for almost two months now with numerous teams and today they had hit the jackpot. They had gone into high alert when their contact in Hogsmeade had reported something big going on at Hogwarts, and it had paid off, allowing them to catch this terrorist.
However, despite this success, Karkaroff's revelation was highly disturbing. While their agents with magical abilities did not even want to entertain the idea of magic bringing someone back from the dead, it would be foolish of them to reject the possibility.
I have to get into contact with London as fast as possible. This could be really bad, he thought, honestly hoping that Karkaroff was just imagining things.
...the next day...
The next morning, the official confirmation of the rumors that had been flying around had hit like a bombshell. After all, while it officially still was an ongoing investigation, the press had gotten wind of the fact that there was good evidence of Igor Karkaroff not only trying to manipulate the tasks in the tournament, but he also had tried to kill Harry Potter multiple times. Of course there had been a leak somewhere.
Such news pretty much overshadowed the anticipated the final task of the tournament.
Everyone was talking about it or reading it in the newspapers, which clearly had scrapped the already printed editions to instead report on this. At the Gryffindor table however, the Six really wanted to leave and hide due to their role in the night's events also being reported on, but considering the looks McGonagall was giving them, having to endure this clearly also was part of their punishment.
Even worse, Percy and Penelope had just come over to them.
"I hope that will teach you to never do something that foolish again." Percy made little secret of his disappointment. "You are supposed to avoid danger, not seek it. Mum had actually visited me during the night and told me how scared she had been."
"Oh yes, that was really reckless of you, so we have decided to make sure for the journey home," Penelope added, also looking very disappointed with them.
Ron and Ginny both knew especially well that Percy and Penelope were very justified in feeling disappointed. "What do you mean with that?" Ginny then asked.
"We talked to the Headmaster and he agreed with us that right now all six of you need to feel the consequences of your actions. You will not enjoy the journey home, since both of us will ensure you will behave," Percy explained what would happen tomorrow.
There was loud groaning, since none of them were eager to have two babysitters during the journey.
"No protest! You have done that to yourselves," Penelope reminded them, before she and Percy left back for the faculty table.
"Oh, that's wonderful..." Ron grumbled while looking at his breakfast. That he still hadn't eaten yet was a sign of how lousy he felt.
"It is not like we don't deserve it." Even Luna had trouble to keep her usual aloofness. Having messed up so royally was a new experience for her. "And no, I don't blame Harry. None of us should, since us deciding to help him was our own decision alone."
There were silent nods of agreement. They all knew Harry had had valid reasons for wanting to make something stick on Karkaroff, since it had been his life in danger, and they indeed had all agreed on their own to help him with spying on Karkaroff. Harry for his part was relieved that his friends were not holding it against him. Luna's blunt honesty was good for some things at times.
They all were already relieved enough that despite yesterday's events, their role in helping to stop the libel had not come out. In their current mood the adults would not have been amused hearing how they were blackmailing Malfoy and Parkinson, which had resulted in Skeeter being cut off and losing her protection.
It was close thing when Sirius asked us if we had something to do with it, since he knows Malfoy had fed Skeeter the information. Good thing all of us played dumb, Harry thought, not wanting to imagine the additional trouble they would have been in otherwise.
"Hey, guys."
Looking up, Harry saw Dudley and the girls walk over. No one at the table was blinking an eye at three Slytherin students approach the Gryffindor table, everyone by now knowing the Six were friends with them. Also, things had changed during their years at Hogwarts - much to the anger of the higher Slytherin years who were entrenched in the old ways.
"You know, somehow I'm relieved you didn't tell us what you were planning to do, I don't want to imagine this being reported to my home," Dudley said while they approached.
"In retrospect the idea was dumb... Please don't rub it in, all right?" Harry asked Dudley, really not wanting to talk about it.
"I shudder trying to imagine how our parents would have reacted to it," Daphne commented, the mental picture not being the best. Her parents probably would have been quite pissed at her for doing something that dangerous. "How did yours take it?"
"No comment," Hermione said, her face looking like it tried to hide behind her bushy hair, being too embarrassed about it to go into detail. Though, her short non-answer said a lot.
"That bad?" Millicent knew the non-answer said a lot indeed. "I can't even imagine the kind of trouble I would be in. I guess my parents would think a whole summer of hard labour would be a fitting punishment."
"Yikes, at least our parents didn't go that far." Neville gasped, suddenly feeling no greenhouse and lessons from Augusta was actually a mild punishment.
"Though... honestly, I think all of you had a partial blackout when you thought that was a good plan. Don't get me wrong, I agreed two years ago to walk into the Chamber of Secrets knowing it could be dangerous, which in retrospect was rather dumb, but poking a bear like you did just called for trouble," Dudley voiced his thoughts.
Millicent said nothing, but knew Dudley was not regretting at all his 'dumb' decision of back then, since it helped saving her from certain death. She then noticed something. "Hey, who is that bloke at the Durmstrang table?"
Indeed, looking to the Durmstrang table, they spotted a balding, nervous-looking man who was busy with talking to the Durmstrang students. "My guess would be he's Karkaroff's Deputy. The Headmaster said he'd contact him," Ginny commented.
"I don't envy him. He looks more like an accountant and as if a small breeze could fell him. No way he manages to get Karkaroff's old position," Hermione added.
"Over at the Beauxbatons table it looks like Madame Maxime seems to be venting about the whole thing," Daphne then said.
Indeed, Madame Maxime was openly venting over Karkaroff now officially being not only a murderous bastard, but also a terrible cheater. It was not directed against any students and more to the heavens while she was letting out all the pent-up frustration about Karkaroff. Considering how all of her students kept a healthy distance, it was obvious she needed to calm down first.
"Eh, Harry...?" Dudley walked closer so they could talk without being overheard while the others watched the scene at the Beauxbatons table.
"Something you need, Big D?" Harry asked.
Dudley tried not to roll his eyes at the nickname. "I know it's maybe not the best of times, but you know how my home life is going to shit and Mum honestly asked me if I could spend as much time as possible outside the house. Is it still possible I can spend time at your place occasionally?"
Harry knew Thomas and Veronica had not yet fully forgiven Dudley for his bullying years, but he also knew they would give him a chance. "Better ask them first if it's alright, especially with my punishment upcoming. Aunt Verni still remembers the past very well, after all."
Dudley remembered that the normally nice woman did have a scary side. "I do remember. Others can say what they want, she it as protective of you as a mother would be."
Meanwhile, Ron had a different question for Daphne and Millicent. "I bet their majesties really enjoy that we messed up and now look like reckless idiots?"
"Actually, no. Not at all," Daphne corrected him. "If anything, they are rather angry."
"They hardly have any reason to be angry at us for our misstep. That's very strange," Luna observed.
"We can only tell you what we have seen and heard, but Malfoy and Parkinson are both mighty pissed that the six of you again are in the spotlight. I guess they are jealous and feel even if it paints you as dumb teenagers endangering themselves, you still made the news," Millicent tried to explain it.
"That is really self-centered. After all, not always are bad news good news." Neville knew at least part of it was still their anger due to their failed scheme.
Speaking of which, things had finally gotten somewhere in the courts and those gossip rags learned a valuable lesson that pissing off too many influential families was a really bad idea. In the end, each impacted family suing for each libel article in a separate lawsuit had, while at first causing a flood of lawsuits, resulted in in huge pile of fines for Skeeter and those magazines alike. Not pocket change at all.
Funny enough, all the money squeezed out of them had went straight onto the accounts of the injured parties. While Harry, Neville, Daphne and Millicent could only shrug about it due to coming from wealthy families, Ginny and Ron were feeling satisfaction at this financial windfall. Hermione's parents had convinced her to set the money aside for her further education. Luna had not told them what she tought about the matter.
Funny thing was, even Dudley had gotten a reasonable sum, despite his family not having sued directly. Instead, Dudley had written to Remus, asking for advice - it was interesting in how high esteem he held him - and somehow Remus had managed to get Petunia's written agreement that he could represent Dudley in the matter and take care of everything, including the financial side. Vernon had no idea about it.
That had come as a surprise to everyone, but fact was that the account with Dudley's profits from the basilisk now got additional money. Dudley himself had admitted that his mother now knew of him having some serious money, him having told her all about his account and how he got the money in the first place. Petunia had written back she had nearly fainted, but also was relieved that Dudley had money that was his alone.
That aside, those magazines would lick their wounds for some time. Skeeter herself basically was now facing financial ruin due to all the fines piled onto her. If not for a little wonder, she soon enough would end up as a hobo on the streets, especially since she now was radioactive even to the worst of gossip rags.
Hopefully, they would never have to deal with her again.
o
The space behind the greenhouses was a rather beautiful meadow in the summer, yet due to the temperatures, the students did prefer staying closer to the lake. That made it ideal for a private conversation. Right after the end of breakfast, they had expected to hear something from one of the champions. However, all three of them was a bit of a surprise.
"Ehm, don't get me wrong, but it's a bit surprising that all three of you want to talk with us," Neville admitted while they walked to behind the greenhouses.
"Well, normally that would be the case, but all three of us met before breakfast and felt we need to talk with you at the first opportunity. You know, the whole thing really put everything on its head, you know?" Cedric admitted.
"Oui. You have seen how angry Madame Maxime is. None of us are happy to have confirmation that we have been sabotaged during the first two tasks. It devalues the whole tournament quite a bit, you know," Fleur admitted, making little secret of her disappointment. "Though reading first hand how that man was murderous against Harry..."
"Eh, Viktor? How do you feel about that?" Ron wondered. It was him who asked due to him actually being the closest to the man due to their shared passion for Quidditch.
Krum grimaced. "To be honest... I'm quite bitter over the fact that Karkaroff felt the need to rig the contest to give me a leg up. Delacour is right, it does devalue the whole thing a lot. I can't even enjoy the fact that Karkaroff is finally gone, since it's my last day in school anyway. And then to hear that what we whispered about Karkaroff over the years turned out to be very true..."
"What will happen now at Durmstrang? We know it won't impact you personally anymore, but still..." Hermione was a bit concerned about the consequences of Karkaroff now being on the run.
"Stogardson is a weak Deputy. No way he can take over. Since Karkaroff had made Durmstrang his personal regime, and the manner in which he now no longer is its headmaster, it will come to a power struggle. It will get very violent. I don't think many parents want their children to return the next year while the school is being busy with taking itself apart." Krum made it clear he held little hope for the future of the school.
"You expected that to happen?" Ron asked Krum, remembering Krum encouraging them to find dirt on Karkaroff.
"Yes, but not only me. Basically everyone knew that after Karkaroff there would be chaos due to how he led the school. All of us have grown sick of what Dirmstrang has become under Karkaroff, and if it gets burned to the ground, so be it," Krum explained.
"Is that a figure of speech or you expect it to be literally burned to the ground?" Neville then saw Krum's expression and understood. "Wow..."
"It is very interesting to observe that a school that prides itself so much for only catering to the elite is now so ready to tear itself apart in a power struggle," Luna observed.
Cedric meanwhile put attention to what Karkaroff had tried to do to Harry. "To think we for most of the year had been so close to a murderous madman... To even think he wanted to murder you, Harry, in order to protect himself from his former boss. Also, the man has to be delusional. After all, the dead can't return to life."
They knew better; knew that Voldemort was still alive, but could hardly say so without looking like complete loons. "The whole thing has been putting a lot of stress onto me this year. After the whole chamber business and the threat of Greyback, that's the third year in a row... Sorry, not your fault."
"No offense taken. I don't think I would have managed so well had I been in your place," Cedric admitted.
"To be honest, I don't think I would have fared as well as you did with the constant threats against your life," Fleur admitted. "I probably would have suffered a psychotic break."
"Actually, without all the support I get, I most likely would have broken under the pressure," Harry admitted, not feeling ashamed of that fact.
"So, how will the three of you now deal with the final task this evening? I mean, whe whole tournament has been made somewhat absurd with all the tampering being done," Ginny asked them.
"The three of us came to an agreement. The final task will not be a cut-throat competition. Regardless what the task will be, we agreed that all three of us will ensure the decision will be made in a fair way," Fleur explained what they had agreed on. "I know, it sounds like we are fixing the competition, but after it was made a farce anyway..."
They had to admit that Fleur sounded quite determined and that she had gained confidence during her year staying at Hogwarts.
"Yes, while at first we were giving our all for the tournament, after learning all the other things. It's not only Karkaroff, but also what Bagman tried to do as well as how the Ministry is using the tournament to make themselves look good," Cedric added.
Krum agreed with a nod. "Politics and interference made the tournament meaningless. Oh, we still will determine which one us wins, but on our terms."
"Eh, and once the tournament is over?" Ron asked.
"The goblins want me work for them as soon as possible, so no relaxing break for me," Fleur admitted, looking a bit annoyed that it also meant less time with Bill.
"Ahhh, once this is over, I'll spend the entire summer with my family. No more obligations until the national team starts playing again. Finally free of the curse that is Durmstrang." Krum clearly was not shedding one tear that his school days were over.
Cedric was last to answer. "Guess I'll go job searching, but Cho comes first. I promised her a great summer and I won't break my word. She is worth it."
Hearing it like that, the champions all had prepared for life after the tournament.
...later that day, the third task...
Finally, the time had come for the final task of the Triwizard Tournament, where it would be decided which of the champions would gain the cup and thus win the tournament together with the prize money. Yes... the events of the previous night did cast a shadow over the event. Karkaroff's manipulations of the previous two tasks as especially his repeated attempts to kill Harry Potter were omnipresent in conversations.
That of course came to the great embarrassment of Cornelius Fudge. It was his Ministry which had invited Durmstrang, and therefore Karkaroff. The news coming out how Karkaroff was a massive cheater and a murderous bastard - even more of a bastard than he was proven to be in the past - had turned many in the press against the Ministry. Not to speak of how the foreign press was tearing Fudge and the Ministry apart verbally.
Thus it was little wonder that Fudge looked like someone had crapped into his cornflakes while sitting in one of the VIP seats. It only was made worse by the French Minister always giving him hostile looks; relations to Magical France having gotten damaged severely in the wake of the tournament. At least to his relief Magical Norway had not sent a representative, while Minister Oblansk had refused to attend any event where Fudge was present, citing what happened at the World Cup as his reason.
Inside of Fudge, anger and jealously were burning.
Anger, because the tournament, which was supposed to give him a reputation boost, now had been turned into a farce. Unfairly, Fudge directed part of that anger against Harry Potter, reasoning that had the brat not stuck his nose into matters that were not his, he now would have been on the winning road to gain enough goodwill for a re-election.
Jealously, because he saw the press Harry was getting. He honestly didn't care that despite many publications praising Harry's courage and need for justice, they also called what happened reckless and unthinking. In his eyes, even bad publicity was good publicity - at least when it came to Harry. Harry was not even trying to be a public figure, and yet managed easily to get the attention of the press.
Fudge had conveniently ignored that Harry's friends had become prominent together with him in the recent news.
Up in the stands meanwhile, everyone had sat down, having gotten the usual supply of snacks and drinks. The Six knew that would be their last entertainment for some time, so they wanted to make it count. The area around them also was quite crowded. Besides, Dudley, Millicent and Daphne, there also were Astoria, Sabrina, Marc, the Delacours and the Diggorys (they suspected Cedric having pulled some strings). Viktor had told them his own family couldn't come due to several reasons.
Right at the moment Daphne was groaning when seeing Astoria chat with Gabrielle in French. "Right now I wish these two had never met. She is a bad influence on Astoria."
"I fear it is a mutual thing," Pierre Delacour added, also looking a bit exhausted. "They are both giving each other bad ideas. The Deputy at Beauxbatons told us to be more clear to her why such things are not permitted."
"We should be glad that they are not going to the same school. I shudder to think what kind of mischief they would then be up to." It seemed Madame Delacour also remembered to meetings with the Deputy of Beauxbatons too well.
Meanwhile Ron laughed when watching Fudge through his omnioculars. "Take a look at Fudge! He looks like he's eaten ten lemons."
"Little wonder, considering his plan to milk the tournament for his own gain went up in smoke," Hermione commented, instead looking over the playing field for the final task.
The hedge maze that had been grown on the pitch - much to the horror of all the Quidditch enthusiasts - was easily twenty feet tall and sported an entrance but no exit, thus most likely the goal was to reach the center of the maze. The three towers that would provide the usual coverage of what the champions were up to had been moved to the edge of the maze and the wizards with the transmission crystals were waiting on the platforms to start their brooms.
"After the things that were in the first two tasks, the maze must be filled with obstacles, but I wonder what the final goal of the task is?" Hermione wondered aloud.
"Considering how brightly lit the center is, there has to be something of worth there they have to reach," Neville added his thoughts. "Too bad the angle is so bad I can't see whatever it could be. Though I did spot some nasty obstacles in the maze."
"Good thing none of us have to go through all of that," Harry commented, then to a look to the panel of judges. "Karkaroff's Deputy looks like a nervous wreck. Not that Bagman's replacement looks much better, since she looks like she could piss herself at any moment."
"It does create the interesting question from where they got those people for high posts in the Ministry. After the replacement for the late Mr. Crouch, this is starting to show a pattern. Not to mention that the fish always stinks from the head," Luna thought aloud.
That was insightful of Luna and held some truth. Fudge, the nominal head of the Ministry, was incompetent and unsuitable for such a post. The replacements for Crouch and especially the one for Bagman have shown themselves to not be stong in their positions. The end result was an increasingly weak Ministry that was being controlled by outside forces.
"I can't wait to see our Cedric win this!" That was Mrs. Diggory, looking perhaps the most excited.
"Yes, dear. There's no way he can lose this now," Mr. Diggory agreed.
M. Delacour raised an eyebrow at such confidence. "You sound very sure of yourself. Remember that all three of them can still win the entire tournament. It could very well be my daughter."
That resulted in an argument and Mme. Delacour could only shake her head. "Just like the people we meet at the horse races, who are so sure that the horse they bet on will win..."
While that was going on, Dudley and Millicent were trying to relax, preparing for watching the final part of this absurd tournament. "You know, many would find it weird that I'm sad school is over."
"Considering what I know about your home life, that's little wonder." Millicent really wanted to hug Dudley, hut right now, in such a crowd, she felt a bit shy about doing so.
-dong dong dong- -dong dong dong-
That was the signal that the task was about to start. The audience quietened down while Bagman's replacement rose to speak to everyone. If anything, the woman now looked even more nervous. "I -eh- I welcome you... to the third task... of the ... well ..."
Many people were rolling their eyes. "How did she actually manage to get such a position in the first place?" Ginny wondered aloud, feeling this already was turning into a farce.
Hermione, who had not said anything about that woman before, now snorted. "Believe it or not, she was directly below Bagman at the sports department and took over once he got arrested. He actually gave her the job. You better believe he only gave her the position for one thing."
Ron, never shy to speak his mind, could only roll his eyes harder. "You mean because she spread her legs the widest? Bizarre that they kept her after Bagman was thrown out on his arse. She's completely useless."
Finally, it seemed Fudge had enough of the embarrassment and gave a nod to Dumbledore, who took over, the woman knowing she wouldn't keep her job for much longer. "Now, I welcome you to the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. Today it is decided which of the three champion will win the tournament, as all three still have the chance to do so."
Dumbledore speaking so professionally finally got things rolling. "The final task is a simple and yet difficult one. The three champions have to enter the maze and reach the Triwizard Cup, which is displayed at the center. The first to take hold of it is the winner and will be transported, since the cup does double as a portkey, to before us judges, while the maze will vanish."
"No way it's that easy..." Harry remarked, knowing from the observations what the catch is.
Dumbledore clearly had expected the thought. "Of course it's not that easy. The maze holds dangers and obstacles. In this final stage, should a champion get overwhelmed and their health or even life be in danger, they will be disqualified and taken out of the task. This after all is a contest between schools, not a struggle for life or death. Also, trying to sabotage another champion also will lead to an instant disqualification."
"Dumbledore is really good at bringing things to the point. What a contrast to Bagman." Ginny now wished Dumbledore had commented the first two tasks as well.
The champions were escorted to the entrance, seeing it would quickly branch into three separate paths. Cedric gave Fleur and Krum a look. "Both of you do remember what we talked about?"
"Da. It is time that we will do this on our terms," Krum agreed, hoping this would put their stamp onto this trainwreck of a tournament.
"Oui, this tournament already has become a farce due to all the meddling. We will show we no longer play along," Fleur added, knowing this would shock many.
All three of them then entered the maze.
Watching the entire thing from the stands, especially with the luxury of always seeing what each of the champions was doing. Interestingly, unlike the first two tasks, where the champions treated it like a race, they this time took their time and were careful while they advanced through the maze. That might look disappointing to the spectators, but actually was a good idea.
"They don't even look like they are in a competition. What is Cedric doing? What are all of them doing?" Mr. Diggory wondered when watching how none of them were in a hurry.
"Fleur also doesn't look like she is in any hurry," Mme. Delacour observed, wondering what her eldest daughter was playing at.
"They decided to do this task on their terms." Luna saw that she had the attention. "This morning they expressed how unwilling they were to contribute to the farce this tournament has become, and so agreed to determine the winner in a fair way. It is very likely to be irrelevant who reaches the center of the maze first."
Ron couldn't help but to laugh. "You mean they are pulling a joke on everyone and are turning the whole task into a red herring? Awesome!"
"Ronald, am I known for joking about such things?" Luna pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Obviously Minister Fudge won't take it well how these three articulate their protest, making him angrier than he already is."
They did turn their omnioculars to Fudge, and indeed the man must have caught up with what was going on and looked incredibly ticked off that the champions were turning the tables and making a mockery of the task without breaking any rules. All three champions taking on the obstacles one after the other in a calm and slow manner was not forbidden, but a bit boring to watch.
Harry's group and those around them however had a blast once understanding what was going on.
"Ha ha! I should have known Fleur would pull such a move!" Sabrina laughed, seeing the humor in it. "All three of them have made a gentleman's agreement and are giving the whole tournament a big middle finger."
When put that way, what the three champions were doing actually gained a lot of entertainment value. Watching them neutralize dangerous creatures carefully, find ways beyond traps safely in at times creative ways and take their time to solve riddles was quite funny when viewed in that light. Fleur, Cedric and Krum clearly enjoyed doing this on their terms.
Most spectators were confused about the whole thing, some annoyed that the task looked rather tame. With the judges meanwhile, Dumbledore couldn't help but look amused and Madame Maxime, once understanding what was going on, also barely held back her laughter. Stogardson on the other hand looked ready to freak out, knowing this was some sort of revenge Krum had cooked up to humiliate Durmstrang.
"You know, I had no idea Krum is that good at holding a conversation with a sphinx," Hermione said with a small giggle after watching it.
"Sphinx live for more than just riddles. It was very nice of Krum to have a proper conversation with her," Luna added, remembering her father's interview with a sphinx, which he then had printed in the Quibbler.
"Though it also was impressive how Cedric caused those big spiders to trap themselves in their own webbing," Dudley said, impressed with the quick thinking.
"Yeah..." Ron said, having refused to watch that at all, his phobia having acted up at the sight. "But nothing can top Fleur simply cutting through a hedge to go around an obstacle. No one said that is forbidden."
They knew Fleur must have asked if that was allowed before the task and considering she did cut through the hedge, it was obvious that it was and that the task was rewarding those who could think outside of the box. Realizing that you could simply cut your way to the center of the maze and not bother with the obstacles most certainly would fall under thinking on your feet.
Krum actually reached the center first. The Triwizard Cup, a quite spectacular looking trophy made of silver and crystal glass that sported a dragon motif on the handles, sat on the pedestal in the exact center of the maze, being brightly lit and ready to be claimed. However, instead of doing so Krum just sat down and waited.
"I knew it!" Millicent said, laughing in glee at how baffled many were when seeing Krum doing that. "They are making the task look absurd and have another surprise ready."
After some minutes Cedric joined Krum and also waited, now causing some serious unrest in the spectators, who had hoped for something great and now partially felt cheated out of it. Only a minute later Fleur joined them and they addressed the wizards holding the transmission crystals hovering above them on brooms.
"This was meant as protest against how all the interference made the tournament meaningless," Cedric announced, his voice being transmitted since the wizards had enabled sound transmission.
"But we will not withhold a decision from all of you," Krum added.
"Yes, now we will decide our way which one of us wins this tournament," Fleur finished.
The center of the maze was circular, and each of them walked to the hedge surrounding it, thus standing in a perfect triangle to each other, all of them being an equal distance from the cup. It was obvious what they were about to do - a short race and the one who got hold of the cup first would win. All of a sudden there would be an exciting finale to the whole task after all.
"These teases..." Astoria remarked, being amused by the whole thing.
There was an unspoken signal, and then all three of them started to sprint, each of them hoping they would get hold of the cup first. All three of them gave it all, but in the end, Cedric proved to be a bit faster and took hold of the cup first. The portkey took effect and Cedric vanished, while the maze quickly collapsed into the ground, handlers from the Ministry walking forward to handle the creatures that needed handling.
However, it only took a few moments for everyone to realize something was wrong. Cedric had not appeared in front of the judges.
"Eh, what? Where is Cedric?" Harry wondered, not seeing the Hufflepuff anywhere down on the now clear pitch.
Cedric was nowhere to be seen, which caused unrest among the officials.
...at an unknown place...
"Eh... what?"
Cedric was disoriented for a moment. Despite what they had been told, this portkey actually had felt quite violent. However, once things stopped spinning, Cedric realized something was wrong. Instead of the cup having brought him in front of the judges to be declared the winner, it had deposited him in the middle of some forest, the dying rays of the setting sun putting everything into a spooky twilight.
Had something gone wrong? Looking around, Cedric spotted the cup lying at his feet. Perhaps touching it again could return him to Hogwarts? He was about to try that, when all of a sudden vines shot out of the ground, wrapped themselves around him and dragged him to the next tree to tie him to it!
"Damn it! ... What is...?" Cedric tried in vain to free himself, but he had lost his wand in the process, it having fallen out of his pocket during the struggle.
"You are just the catch we wanted to make. Fortune must be smiling on me."
Cedric froze when hearing that voice. It was rather high-pitched but sounded utterly frightening to him while its owner mocked him for his situation. He couldn't see whoever that voice belonged to, but that man had to be quite close and that caused Cedric's neck hair to rise. However, things then only got worse.
Out of the forest people wearing dark, hooded robes appeared, all of them wearing skull masks that concealed their identity. Cedric did remember the events of the World Cup and what his father had told him later on who these people were. Death Eaters, the followers of Voldemort. Considering their reputation, he knew he was in deep trouble.
It was a dozen Death Eaters and they formed half a circle, all of them watching him silently. He honestly could only tell that a few of them were women but that was it. The only one having any distinguishing features was one who had an iron hand attached to his left arm.
Then the man he couldn't see talked again. "But where are my manners? You are after all our guest of honor and right now I'm a bad host."
The first thing Cedric saw was a big... no, a huge snake slithering its way towards him before stopping mere feet away, staring at him with an intelligence that made Cedric uneasy. There was no doubt that snake was big enough to eat him in one piece and that even some of the Death Eaters were uneasy around it spoke volumes.
Then he saw him.
He was wearing a black robe like everyone else present, but unlike them he had his hood down and also was not wearing any kind of mask. Cedric however honestly wished he had. The man was not only completely bald, but by the lack of eyebrows actually completely hairless - unless of course he had some fetisch for removing his own eyebrows, that is. The man's skin was deathly pale, bordering on looking unhealthy. His nose had somehow atrophied, leaving behind snake-like nostrils. And then there were these red eyes that watched him intently.
Voldemort meanwhile enjoyed the look of horror from Cedric. "Ah, I see you now start to realize the situation you are in, don't you?" he mockingly asked Cedric.
"Who... who are you?" Cedric asked in horror.
Now Voldemort looked hurt, though is had to be an act. "Today's youth... so uninformed. You recognized my followers, so you should know."
Cedric's eyes widened in fear, remembering his words to Harry about the dead not coming back to life. "Voldemort?! But he's dead! The dead can't return to life!"
"A mere technicality for someone like me," Voldemort waved it off. "Now, my boy, I'm really glad it was you who won that little contest, since unlike the other two, you are perfect for what I'm planning. With the other two it would have been such a waste of effort."
Cedric watched one Death Eater picking up his fallen wand and handing it over to Voldemort. The Dark Lord looked at the wand. "Your wand. Surely you want that, right?" Voldemort then snapped the wand in front of Cedric's eyes. "Oh, that's too bad." He then mockingly put the snapped wand into Cedric's pocket.
"W-why am I here? H-how am I here?" Cedric knew with his wand gone there was no hope left, so hopefully at least he would learn the why and how first.
"The things I do for someone who doesn't have much longer to live..." Voldemort told himself with a small chuckle. Cedric paled at how casually he said that.
"Well, my boy, all this here is going according to my plan and thanks to your timely win in the tournament, you will take a leading role. Had one of the other two been sent here, they just would have been sent back roughed up without my involvement. You however are fair game. It's a problem restricted to Magical Britain, no need for anyone outside of it to give too much attention, since no harm was done to them after all," Voldemort started to explain, talking as if explaining things to a dumb little kid.
Cedric knew he would live as long as Voldemort felt like talking, regardless how little time that was. "How was I sent here? I mean, the cup..."
"Oh, that was too easy. It's like the Ministry is willfully ignorant of Polyjuice Potion. Of course that will change once Lord Voldemort takes his place as its proper ruler. It had been trivial to then reprogram the portkey." Then Voldemort gave Cedric a nasty grin. "Now, boy, you should feel honored. You will be the star in me sending a message that things will never be the same again."
Cedric knew that was it. Voldemort would kill him. All of a sudden his fear calmed down when realizing what was about to happen. Perhaps there now being no other possible outcome had numbed his feelings. Voldemort also was confused why Cedric all of a sudden no longer looked afraid. Considering the situation, he had expected Cedric to start to beg and piss himself in terror.
"You know, there is something I have to tell you first. Just between you and me," Cedric finally said.
Voldemort leaned closer, his red eyes staring into Cedric's. "Oh, really, and what would that be?"
Suddenly Cedric spat Voldemort directly into the face! "You can go to hell, bastard!"
The other Death Eaters started to shout in anger, some even drawing their wands at this show of disrespect against the Dark Lord. The snake also looked angry and ready to attack Cedric, baring its venomous fangs. They were up and about to teach that brat a lesson he wouldn't forget.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort shouted and they did fall silent at that command.
Voldemort wiped the spit off his face, his earlier amusement having transformed into anger. "Insolent little fool! I had just planned to kill you and be over with it, but now we will send an even stronger signal and you have no one to blame but yourself!"
Voldemort's eyes seemed to have acquired a red glimmer and Cedric knew Voldemort was no longer amused. "The first cut won't kill you. The second won't, either. Nor will the third... But before we are done you WILL beg for me to put you out of your misery."
Cedric gave a small prayer to whatever powers there be when seeing the Death Eaters approach him on Voldemort's signal. Mum, Dad, Cho... Sorry, I won't come back...
...minutes later back at Hogwarts...
If anything, the confusion and unrest had only grown ever since Cedric had disappeared but not reappeared in front of the judges. The remaining two champions were questioned on the pitch to see if they had seen anything that could give a clue about what had happened. Something was seriously wrong, so they had started to empty the stands, younger students first, wanting everyone out just in case something was seriously wrong. Students up to third year had just all been ferried out and soon enough they would continue with students from fourth year. Adults would go last.
In the VIP-section, Fudge looked like he had drunk spoiled milk, completely ignoring that something serious must have happened and that a student now was missing. Instead, he was bemoaning that now their entire tournament was for nothing since its effect for him surely had evaporated fully. First the final task had been turned into a farce and now everyone just was concerned about the missing Diggory.
It was self-centered and egoistical how little he cared. That was a stark contrast to almost everyone else, who was taking this situation very serious and showed concern for Cedric.
Up in the stands, the Diggorys were already panicking, wondering what had went wrong and what happened to their son. The other adults present tried their best to calm them down, but it was to little avail.
"I have a really bad feeling about all of this..." Harry said while they were getting in line to leave next. "Where did Cedric go?"
"Hermione, any idea if a portkey can go wrong?" Ron wondered.
"That is impossible. Either it transports to the programmed destination, or it doesn't. If a portkey is not properly enchanted, it won't do anything. At least that's what I read about them," Hermione explained, also wondering what had happened.
Suddenly there were gasps.
"What in the...?" Ginny wanted to say more, but her words failed her when she saw what had happened.
The transmission crystals had all been set down to point at the middle of the former maze, where Cedric had disappeared. The picture was still being transmitted and now everyone saw what had just reappeared at that exact spot. It was not a nice sight.
It was Cedric... or what was left of him. Considering the state he now was in, he was very, very dead.
All over his body huge nails had been driven into him, nailing him to a big board he was lying on. His arms and legs had been hacked off at the joints, his hands and feet impaled with huge nails that held burning candles on their top in a sick display. His chest had been cut open and parts of his innards were hanging out. All of his corpse was covered in his blood while his face sported an expression of pain and horror in his final moments. As if to mock the dead Cedric, the Triwizard Cup had been put onto his chest.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Screams of terror echoed through the stadium. It was a good thing the younger years were already outside, so they wouldn't have to see this. Next day, the vast majority of Hogwarts would be able to see the Thestrals.
Mrs. Diggory fainted from the sight while many other people started to vomit at the sheer horror they were witnessing. The screams also didn't lessen at all.
"Oh fuck! Shit, no!" Dudley cursed while having become pale, this having hit out of nowhere. While Millicent had gone pale as well, Daphne was throwing up her snacks.
"Dead... he's dead..." Neville said while close to hyperventilating. They'd talked to the bloke just a few hours ago, and now he was dead.
Suddenly green light exploded from the Triwizard Cup. There was a moment of silence when everyone watched what was shooting up from it, but then the panic reached new heights, and this time it couldn't be stopped. People screamed while trying to get out of the stands in a blind panic, completely overwhelming the attempts of Aurors and other officials to have an orderly process.
Their panic however was not entirely unfounded.
Over the Quidditch pitch of Hogwarts, the Dark Mark in all its green, terrible glory sat in the sky, telling everyone that death had happened.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"The Die is Cast, Part II - The Express Under Attack"
Notes:
Here the notes.
The confrontation with Karkaroff. I reasoned that there is no way that the Six know enough to outsmart a hardened Death Eater like Karkaroff, who got years of experience. Interestingly enough, due to Moody watching they never had been in actual danger, as he would have interfered in that case right away. How the pets knew will be explained later on.
Of course the Six are in a heapload of trouble for such a dumb stunt. Let's be honest, if your children had done that, you would be mad with worry as well and make sure they won't do something like that again.
However, Karkaroff doesn't get very far. I bet you didn't expect him getting nabbed by the MI-X. Admit you did see that one coming.
Also I hope you like how I made the champions decide to turn the final task into a mockery to show how they feel the contest had become worthless due to all the meddling, but still want to give everyone an exciting end, where they make it fully fair who wins it all.
But then holly emotional rollercoaster. I hope I showed what kind of psycho Vodlemort is (I let him channel some Palpatine as well). The condition in which Cedric is sent back I based on a scene in Ultima VII (that one is easy to look up).
Voldemort is dramatic in setting the Dark Mark over Cedric's corpse, but also knows without him appearing personally, there still will be denial - only different from the one in canon.