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Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Thirty: After the Duel
Ding!
Mandatory Quest Alert Notification
Defeat the Cheat
Progress:
Complete
You Gain 10 Levels
You Achieved Excellent Completion
Up to Five Individuals of your Choice May Also be Granted 10 Additional Levels
All Individuals Must be in the Gamer's Party to Receive the Levels
On any other day Harry would have been ecstatic when he saw his rewards completing the Game's quest. Not only was he improving himself with the Game, but it was also providing him a way to improve those around him as well. Which, in Harry's book, was beyond wonderful.
But thoughts for the future would have to wait. The message Harry had just gotten from his godfather had gripped his heart like a vice.
The short message from Sirius had been rather scant on the details. The man had only told Harry that Ministry Aurors had surrounded him, that he was being taken to a hospital, and that Harry would need to grab Andromeda. Then the 'Party' had been broken, leaving a frantic Harry to rush back to the Cottage where he found Andromeda waiting for them to return from Harry's duel.
After Harry managed to blurt out what little he knew – that Sirius and the others were hurt while protecting him from one of Malfoy's plots and had been taken to a hospital – Andromeda had leapt into action.
The woman had grabbed his shoulder and immediately apparated them to a building Harry had never before seen. A faded sign hanging in what appeared to be a large atrium declared it to be St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, a statement backed up by the large number of wizards and witches milling around in various states of odd injury. A rather unenthusiastic receptionist then directed them to a place called the Spell Damage Ward on the fourth floor and was left gaping as both Andromeda and Harry ran off without so much as a thank you.
Harry followed Andromeda as they sped along.
The sound of her heeled shoes drummed a steady 'clack clack' sound as they made their way through the hospital's winding corridors. A chubby man wearing the white and grey robes of a Healer greeted them at the ward's entrance.
"Please halt!" The rotund man blurted as he held up a hand. "This area is currently restricted, and visitors are not allowed in at this time."
Andromeda took one look at the man and kept going. "If you try to stop me from seeing my daughter and my cousin, sir, I promise you will regret it."
The sound of flapping sandals came as the Healer rushed ahead and tried to stop them a second time. "B-but please! Mrs. Tonks, you can't go there just yet. This area has been closed off by Aurors as part of an active investigation. It would be illegal for me to let you through until they have finished their business."
Harry gave the man a dour look. If he knew who Andromeda was by sight, then chances were high the man had recognized Harry as well. Having his fame ignored by someone for the first time would have been wonderful were it in any other situation. But right now, all it did was increase Harry's agitation. What use was his unwanted fame if no one cared for it when it could have made a difference?
Instead of dwelling on it, Harry took a leaf out of Andromeda's book.
"It is also illegal to stop me from seeing my legal Guardians," Harry bit out angrily. "Both of whom are here for treatment."
"Unless, of course, they are suspected of either being or having assisted criminals," Andromeda said icily. "Are they?"
"Umm… I don't think so?" The chubby man hesitated. "They didn't say anything about that to me."
"Then you shall take us to the Aurors so that we may ascertain whether they are or are not. Otherwise, I promise to use the full might of the Daily Prophet to launch a complete investigation of this entire hospital. With a particular focus on yourself"
Andromeda's eyes flashed with barely hidden rage as she stared at the man. "Am I understood?"
The chubby man's face fell at her words. "You wouldn't…"
But after looking at Andromeda's still icy face and that of Harry's equally stony face beside her, the man seemed to cave. His shoulders hunched in and he bowed his head.
Andromeda curtly gestured for him to move. "Good. Now lead on."
Cowed, the Healer turned around and led them into the ward. He led Harry and Andromeda past a number of rooms with patients. For a moment Harry swore that he could hear Lockhart's voice coming from one of them, but when a quick swivel of his head failed to spot the man Harry gave it up.
After a minute of walking, the group halted by a room at the farthest end of the ward where the Healer rapped his knuckles against the closed wooden door.
Several seconds later an annoyed looking man stuck his head out from within.
"Barbelsprout, the Minister was very clear we were not to be disturbed until the suspects have…" the man's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Harry and Andromeda. His eyes locked with Andromeda's as his right cheek twitched.
The man then tried to hastily close the door, but Harry shoved his foot between the frame before it could shut. The heavy piece of wood collided with his foot hard enough to make Harry swear like a sailor.
Meanwhile, Andromeda shoved aside Healer Barbelsprout and confronted the new man with a bone chilling glare.
"I think not, Dawlish!" Andromeda snapped. She had her wand out and levelled at the man's face. "I don't care if Minister Fudge and half of his governing cabinet are inside that room! If you do not open the door right this very instant, then I promise you will regret that action to your dying day!"
Dawlish's eyes hardened as the man matched glares with Andromeda. He tried to close the door a second time, but Harry's foot kept it jammed open. "Are you threatening an Auror who is performing his duties, Mrs. Tonks? Because that would be a very unwise decision for even you to make."
Andromeda smiled sweetly at the man. But her smile was still cold enough to freeze an active volcano. "Not at all, Dawlish. But trying to stop a mother from seeing her injured daughter, or Harry Potter from seeing either of his injured Guardians, would be a publicity nightmare the likes of which the current ministry is ill-equipped to handle when considering the ongoing crisis over my cousin's improper sentencing."
Dawlish's pursed lips turned into a sneer as he looked at Andromeda's uncompromising expression. He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off before he speak.
"There's no need to worry, Dawlish. I think we can call it done here for today," came a disgustingly cheerful voice which was all too recognizable to Harry. "Besides, Mrs. Tonks is quite right about herself and young Harry. It would be unconscionable of us to keep them apart from their loved ones for any longer."
With a dark glower directed at both Andromeda and Harry, Dawlish stepped back and opened the door.
Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge stepped out, a beaming smile present on his reddened features. Seven other men filed out of the room behind Fudge, who doffed his black bowler's hat upon seeing them and gave Andromeda's hand a polite kiss. The tall woman yanked it back the moment he was finished, not-so-subtly wiping the back of her hand upon her expensive dress robes as he smiled at her.
Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on Andromeda and the Minister, Harry used the cover of his sleeves to cast 'Observe' on everyone he could see. All but one of whom came back as too high to be read.
Yet the one 'Observe' which did display results was the most important one of all.
Cornelius Fudge
Cornelius Fudge is the current Minister of Magic for the Nation of Magical Britain. Driven by an insatiable need to be praised by those around him, Cornelius has dedicated himself to the pursuit of political power. He likes to appear as an affable and well-natured gentleman, but that is only a facade used to conceal his arrogant and fearful nature. Though not possessed of the strongest of wills, he will use any and all means at his disposal to protect himself from any perceived threat. (See Character Page for Further Information)
Minister for Magic
Age: 58
Level 147
Stats:
STR: 71
DEX: 65
CON: 69
INT: 100
WIS: 65
CHA: 316
Traits:
Amoral
Dedicated
Prideful One
Envious One
Uncontrolled Ambition
Prude
Gossipmonger
Gambler
Calculating
Faint Heart
Vain
Quidditch Fanatic
The Minister's stat page felt like a future version of Draco's before the boy had undergone the evil ritual with Pansy. Aside from a moderately high intelligence level and an absurdly high Charisma number, the Minister's stats were complete garbage. Harry was nearly a hundred levels lower than the man but still managed to beat him across the board. How he had ever been chosen as Minister was beyond Harry's comprehension.
A belief which was only furthered when the man began to speak.
"Andromeda, you are as beautiful to see as ever," Fudge said heartily. The man did not seem to be bothered by Andromeda's wiping of her hand. "And Harry my boy, it's a pleasure as always to see you! I spoke with Sirius and Remus at the World Cup several times, but they never brought you along with them. I've been dying to introduce you to some of the many dignitaries currently visiting our fine nation. The Ministers for Magic of Bulgaria and France, in particular, have been pressing me to arrange a meet and greet with you. I think you would hit it off famously with both of them."
Harry gave a snort at that. And when Dawlish glared at him over the blatant disrespect Harry had just shown to the Minister, Harry glared right back at the man. Harry would sooner ride the Knight Bus after eating a full course meal than he would follow the Minister's suggestion.
"Another time, Cornelius." Andromeda's cold voice contained barely restrained fury as she towered over the much shorter man. "For now, we would greatly appreciate if you would leave and take your companions with you."
"Ah yes, yes indeed. My apologies to you both. 'Tis the burden of a politician to always think of politics. But a great man must never stop working for the good of his people, am I right?"
As he spoke, Fudge gave Harry a conspiratorial wink that made him want to vomit. "But you are right; it's high time I left. Women and children should always be concerned with their loved ones, and I should stop getting in your way."
Turning to look behind him, Fudge gave a sharp gesture towards two men who could not look more unalike. "Come along now Bartemius, Rufus. You may ask your follow-up questions at a later date."
Two men nodded their heads at the Minister's order.
The one who had a grey mane of hair which made the man look like a grizzled lion looked at Dawlish and the other men stationed around the Minister. The group began to file out with some moving in advance of Fudge and others flanking him on the side.
While the other man, who wore a perfectly pressed Muggle suit that made him look like a Muggle stock broker, paused as the group walked away.
Once they were out of earshot of the Minister's group, he walked up to Andromeda gave her a short nod of his head. The man's flinty eyes flickered between Harry and Andromeda as he spoke in a dry tone of voice reminiscent of an accountant. "I feel the need to inform you, Mrs. Tonks, Mr. Potter, that the individuals in this room are currently being treated as material witnesses in an active investigation."
Andromeda's eyes flashed angrily at the man's words. "Oh? Do tell, Bartemius."
"Certainly. As lead agency during the Quidditch Cup, the Department of International Cooperation is working with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on this matter and has full jurisdiction. To this effect I have asked the Ministry to issue a gag order on any and all information pertaining to this incident for the time being. A request which was granted and went into effect as of 4:15 this afternoon. Anyone who violates this order can and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Andromeda's dark brown eyes glittered with fury at the man's high-handed delivery. Her delicate lips curled into a faint sneer as she responded. "What are you trying to tell us, Crouch? I am not sure that I fully understand your point."
"I think you do, Madam Tonks, but I will be explicitly clear for the sake of the boy."
Crouch's dry tone of voice did not flicker in the slightest at Andromeda's fury. Meanwhile, Harry felt his own anger rise even further at having been so clearly disregarded by the man. He may have been quiet, but it was because he was thinking, not because he was some witless child who couldn't understand what the adults were talking about.
"As close relatives to two of the three material witnesses beyond this door, you and Mr. Potter are also included in this gag order," Crouch continued. "This means that I do not want to see any stories running on this matter in the Daily Prophet – or any other such publication – until the Ministry has made an official announcement on the matter. If I do, then I will ask the Auror's to place you under arrest for interfering in an official investigation."
"That would be a breach of our civil liberties. Something which not even the Minister is empowered to do under our nation's constitution." Andromeda's eyes narrowed at the man. "And considering your personal track record when it comes to breaking civil liberties, Crouch, I do not believe your reputation can withstand so much as a whisper of public discontent in our current political climate."
"Perhaps. But times change, Mrs. Tonks. As do the fortunes of men." Crouch gave her a wan smile which failed to touch his eyes. "In any case the Minister has made his intentions clear on this matter and I am in agreement with them. I advise you to let this matter drop and walk away with grace."
The two adults locked stares, with neither one giving an inch.
Harry gripped his wand tightly, uncertain if it would come to blows, but knowing what he would do should it come to pass. He moved to place himself behind where Crouch was standing. A stunner to the man's back was not the most gallant of strikes, but it would be effective.
"Ha! That's rich, Crouch. Your career's already flushing down the drain thanks to what you did to me and now you're clinging to the Minister in a desperate attempt to stay afloat." Sirius's acerbic voice rang out from the room behind Crouch. Hearing it brought a flash of comfort to Harry's worried heart. "Go on and get out of here already, you toothless old warmonger. A good bootlicker shouldn't be separated from their master for very long."
Crouch's body rigid posture stiffened even further under Sirius' verbal assault. The man's left hand twitched as though gripping a wand.
Seeing it almost caused Harry to let loose the and knock the man out cold with a spell of his own.
But the moment passed and Crouch's empty hand smoothed down along his side.
After a stiffly muttered 'good day' and a hateful glare towards Sirius' room, Crouch moved past Andromeda and followed the path taken by Fudge's group. The man's posture never lightened in the slightest as his wing-tipped shoes clacked against the Hospital's polished stone floor. Andromeda followed the man with her eyes and muttered something about 'chauvinistic fools' and 'kangaroo courts.'
As for Harry, he was too busy rushing into the room and dashing to his godfather's bedside to pay the pompous ass any further attention. He spared a quick glance at the room's other two occupants, enough to note that Dora and Remus were in the room as well. But it was Sirius' beaming smile that drew Harry's worried gaze.
"Sirius! You're okay!"
Harry looked the dark-haired man over. Aside from a bandage wrapped around his head Sirius seemed to be as fit as a fiddle. An observation that the man furthered when he drew Harry in close for a tight hug.
"Yeah kiddo, it's alright. I'm okay. And I'm really glad to see that you are too." The man's dark eyes flashed in sincere delight as he looked Harry over from head to toe. "Though it looks like you haven't stopped to get yourself healed after that duel of yours."
Harry blinked and looked at himself. He was still covered in dust, dirt, and dried blood from his duel against the possessed Draco. But the pain from the cuts and lingering spell damage was not too terrible and could wait until later to be healed.
"Trust me Sirius, it could've been far worse if you guys hadn't stopped the possession spell when you did." Harry's free hand went to his other arm where an oozing wound from one of Malfoy's spells remained. "But that's all over and done with on my end. I've got some new developments to share with you, but first I really want to hear about what happened to the three of you and why Fudge of all people was in here."
Sirius shook his head in annoyance. "Bah! That stupid fool of a man wants to cover up what happened at the Cup so that people don't get scared; his poll numbers are sinking rapidly enough without reports of 'Dark Wizard mischief' happening at the World Cup. He came in here asking us all sorts of questions about why we were searching for trouble in the first place. Then he started to make veiled threats against us once we told him a bunch of Dark wizards were up to no good and that we had caught them in the act."
Sirius looked over at Andromeda and gave her a lopsided grin. "The man cares more for his re-election campaign than he does for the safety of his people. I'd be careful if I were you, 'Dromeda, because he doesn't seem to like the coverage your paper's been giving him recently."
Andromeda sniffed at the statement. "Tell me something I don't already know, Sirius. Though it's good to see that your charm and irrepressible humour remain intact."
"If a decade spent in Azkaban couldn't knock it out of me, there's no way some toady like Fudge could do so."
Meanwhile, Harry nodded thoughtfully at his godfather's words. They were in line with how Fudge had acted after Harry had saved Sirius' life from the Dementors. The Minister had displayed little interest in seeing justice served that evening and had chosen to instead rail against Dumbledore for failing to adhere to the Ministry's 'Kiss on Sight' order.
It seemed that that incident was not an outlier, but a case in point as to the Minister's true character.
"Oh, and trust me when I say that waking up and seeing the face of Bartemius Crouch staring at me from three feet away was not an experience I ever wanted to have." Sirius continued. He gave a visible shiver of disgust as he spoke. "After what the man did to me, seeing even Snivellus' greasy face would have been preferable."
"I think the feeling was mutual, cousin." Dora chimed in wryly. "Ol' Crouch's face looked like he had bitten into a sour lemon the entire time he was interrogating you. If it weren't for Kingsley and Scrimgeour being present, I'm pretty sure he would've hexed you towards the end. The comment you made about his wife really set him off."
"Hey! It's his own damn fault I never heard of her death. The rotten bastard was the one who sent me to Azkaban without a trial in the first place!"
"Yeah, but then you followed it up with a comment saying that his son took after him. And you knew what had happened to Crouch Jr."
Sirius scoffed at Dora's reply. "The only difference between Crouch and his son – aside from the fact that dear old junior is dead – is that one was mad for power while the other was purely insane. If dear old daddy Crouch had been his son's age, I'm pretty sure he would have joined Voldemort's merry band of pureblood fops."
As the two relatives began to bicker with one another, Harry looked over at Dora.
She looked to be in much worse shape when compared to Sirius. Both of the young woman's arms and hands were covered in gauze, while the off-white medical gown that covered her chest and hips showed signs of further bandaging underneath. A worried looking Andromeda had her wand slowly moving over Dora's body as if to diagnose exactly what had happened to her daughter.
The pretty young woman cut off her argument with Sirius and waved Harry away when he tried to walk over to her. "Don't worry about me, Harry. I got a few burns and cuts in our little scuffle that the Healers couldn't clean up right away, but I've been told I'll make a full recovery. Four weeks of bed rest and potions in me and I'll be right as rain."
"While I for one should be back on my feet in about a week." Remus nodded in Harry's direction. The brown-haired professor was currently lying on his stomach and had used his elbows to lift himself up as he spoke. Bandages covered his back from his neck down to his buttocks. "Werewolves heal rather quickly even outside of our transformed state. It's one of the few good perks that come with the condition."
"I seem to recall a certain change in one's anatomy also being one of the perks…" Sirius chimed in. His dark eyes glittered with mirth as he pointed towards his crotch.
Remus, however, was not in a joking mood. His drawn face shifted and shot his old friend a glare. "Shut it, Sirius. Now is not the time."
"Remus is right," Dora said, the usually cheerful woman suddenly looking rather sombre. "We weren't the ones who had our memory wiped like you did."
The room fell silent at Dora's statement. Andromeda even stopped waving her wand over her daughter to stare at her cousin in shock.
While Harry… just stared at his godfather in horror.
From Sirius' physical appearance and good humour, Harry had assumed that the dark-haired man was okay. But he had been wrong. Oh, so wrong. Because there was little else on this planet that was worse than having your memories wiped, for who knew what could have happened to you before the wiping occurred.
Sirius gave the group a wan smile. "It's really not that bad, everyone. There's no need to stare at me like that. According to the Healers I only lost about ten minutes worth of time and there's even hope of one-day recovering it."
"B-but Sirius! This is your mind we're talking about," Harry shouted. Memories of Lockhart's failed attempt to Obliviate Ron and himself at the end of their second year flashed through Harry's mind. "You might've seen something important before it was wiped. Or learned some vital piece of information. Or they might even have done something to you before they wiped your mind!"
"Which is why I'll ask Dumbledore and a few others who are specialized in this area to take a look at me the moment they become available. But beyond that there's little I can do except drive myself crazy worrying about it, kiddo, and that I will not do."
Sirius' eyes firmed as he spoke. Gone was the usual look of ever present cheer. In its place was the haunted look that he had worn back when Harry had first met the man. "The last thing I can remember is chasing Wormtail into the forest and beating him within an inch of his life. And seeing his disgusting face twisted in fear as I stood over him is a wonderful last memory to have."
Harry stayed quiet as he took in Sirius' statement. He disagreed with his godfather. Nor did Harry want to wait for Dumbledore or someone else to come around when there was a chance that he could use his own abilities to learn the extent of Sirius' condition.
Harry ignored the fact that Andromeda and Dora were staring at him as he pointed his wand at his godfather's temple. "Observe."
Sirius Orion Black (Injured)
Age: 34
Heir Apparent to the Black Family
Marauder
Avenger
Level 210
Stats:
STR: 65
DEX: 80
CON: 57
INT: 401
WIS: 93
CHA: 663
Traits:
Loyal
Expert Duellist
Survivor
Animagus
Auror Trained
Battle Hardened
Transfiguration Adept
Mental Arts Adept
Dark Arts Adept
Ancient Runes Adept
Charms Adept
DADA Adept
Survivor of Azkaban
Big Spender
Headstrong
Prankster
Pureblood
Family Outcast
True Friend
Blue Blood
Don Juan
Having seen all of Sirius' traits and titles before, Harry ignored them and focused in on the 'Injured' status next to Sirius' name. He used the Help feature to bring it up, scanning over its information as quickly as he could.
Injured:
This status is applied to individuals who have suffered a recent injury of some sort. It lasts until the affected individual is either healed or has the injury become permanent.
Sirius Black has suffered physical and mental damage as a result of recent combat. His physical stats suffer a -10 penalty to all categories while his non-physical stats suffer -30. His injuries will fully heal with proper treatment.
Only when he reached the end of the description did Harry give a sigh of relief. The Game of Death had yet to be proven wrong. Which meant that his godfather would be okay.
Then Harry had a bucket of cold water dumped over his head when Andromeda's voice raised in question. "What was that spell you used just now, Harry? I'm not familiar with it."
"Yeah! Me neither," Dora said. "Which reminds me, Sirius, you did something back in the tent that was pretty odd too. Is it related to what Harry did just now?"
The next few minutes before Barblesprout and two other Healers returned to finish treating Sirius and the others were some of the most tense of Harry's recent life. He managed to avoid telling Andromeda and Dora about the Game of Death, but only after confessing that it was a secret which Dumbledore had asked him to conceal. Neither woman had appeared happy to hear that, especially Dora.
But after Sirius and Remus backed Harry up on it and said that keeping the information secret was for Harry's protection, both women had grudgingly accepted Harry's word on the subject. After which the discussion turned to Dora and the others relaying what had happened to them while Harry had been duelling.
After a while the Healers came in and brought an end to the review. The professional medical workers had bustled about in a frenzy, double checking their patients' injuries and stuffing more potions down their throats while they changed bandages. Remus took their ministrations with quiet acceptance while both Dora and Sirius were anything but cooperative. The two relatives squirmed and complained non-stop as the healers went about their work.
It would have been rather amusing to watch had one of the Healer's not taken a look at Harry's ragged appearance and dragged him off to a separate room for a full-body check-up.
The last thing Harry heard as the elderly woman hauled him away was the sound of Sirius and Dora chortling at his expense and competing over who could the most scandalous catcall. Which, more so than even the Game of Death's 'Observe', put Harry's mind at ease.
He kept quiet as the Healer worked on him, lost in a tangle of his own thoughts. All of which centred around the battle that had just ended.
Three people Harry knew and cared for had gotten hurt while trying to protect him. Each of whom were stronger, more experienced, and just plain better at magic than either Harry or any of his friends from school. And though they had survived and would eventually return to normal, it had been far too close a shave for comfort.
Standing still would not be enough. Harry needed to grow stronger. To grow more knowledgeable and skilled than even the best of wizards.
Because next time those around him might not be so lucky.
A/N: This terrible, rotten, no good and quite horrible Pandemic sweeping across the world gave me more time to write than I initially expected. I figure that during a time of horror and tragedy, maybe I could help distract some of you from your troubles for a time and bring a few smiles back to people's faces with this story. Expect updates to be sporadic (being cooped up in a house with a small child who seeks attention from any and all nearby adults is not conducive to long stretches of writing) but know that I am working hard on getting chapters completed and out.
May you and your families be blessed with good health and safety during this time of crisis. And please, reach out a hand to those who are in need around you. We're all human beings and we are all in this together.
Until Next Time,
~Elsil