The Third Task was significantly more interesting than the one which had forced them to stare at a lake for an hour and Hermione was doing exceptionally well with everything that came her way.

Tom, who looked like Sullivan Crabbe today, was so focused on his daughter that it took Abraxas to nudge him and point to make him pay attention to something else that was going on in the maze.

The two other champions, Viktor Krum, Igor's student, and Cedric Diggory, were facing each other. Krum was attacking the other boy, while Diggory was just blocking.

Tom exchanged a look with Lucius and then looked at the boys intently. There was clearly something wrong. Why would Krum be stupid enough to openly attack one of the other champions when it was not allowed? He knew everyone was watching.

"What is he doing? That is against the rules!" Amos Diggory, who was sitting not too far away from them, sounded outraged.

When Hermione entered the scene, Krum, who stood with his back to her, just used the Cruciatus Curse and Diggory fell down screaming.

While the spectators were shocked, especially Amos Diggory, Hermione had the presence of mind to stun Krum.

Bagman hesitated, but then told the other two champions to continue.

There were some Aurors in the audience, among others Kingsley Shacklebolt, member of the Order of the Phoenix, and Head Auror. Tom knew him well. An exceptional duellist and a smart man. Pity he had fallen for Dumbledore. He wondered briefly what he thought now.

For said Aurors, the fun was over as they left the stands to take action. They went into the maze to recover Viktor Krum.

Igor was leaving the other judges to meet them on their way out. He looked confused and shocked. Tom wanted to join him, wanted to be there when they questioned the boy, possibly use Legilimency on him, see what was in his mind, but that would have been highly suspicious for Sullivan Crabb.

"Lucius." He didn't need to say more.

"On my way." Lucius got up and went down to join the commotion. This wasn't suspicious. Lucius was influential enough to not just be sent away and he was known to make everything his business that at least vaguely interested him.

Tom couldn't do anything about that situation now and so he focused on Hermione again, more intensely than before. Something was wrong here.

But for now, things continued to go well for her. Until she met a Boggart and froze.

Tom understood. He knew the man the Boggart was presenting as, he had paid him a visit when he had first come back to England.

"Who is that?" Abraxas frowned.

"The man who raised her for 11 years." Tom's voice was cold. He wanted to get up, wanted to go in there, protect her, the way he hadn't been able to protect her when she had been younger. He knew how the Boggart lesson with Lupin had gone. But then she raised her wand and the man stumbled and fell face first onto the ground. Hermione continued on her way and Tom felt a surge of pride.

That pride lasted while she solved the riddle of the Sphinx. The audience didn't hear what was said, but she did it rather quickly.

She ran towards the Cup, but so did Diggory, who had just emerged from the opposite side of the maze. He had faced fewer opponents, but had lost his way at some point and had gone around the centre.

Both leapt for the Cup … and vanished. The Cup, too, was gone.

Tom was instantly on his feet, so was Draco next to him. Once more, the audience was in disarray, Bagman stammered something, then gave up.

McGonagall and Crouch stated that no, that hadn't been planned.

Tom's eyes scanned the maze and the audience and he noticed something. Moody was no longer lurking around anymore, like he had before. He also hadn't joined his former colleagues to see what the situation with Krum was about, which Tom would have expected of him.

His voice was sharp. "Derwin, Warren, Cassius - find Moody. Now."

The three men hurried away.

Tom knew he had to drink the Polyjuice Potion that was in a small vial in his pocket, if he wanted to remain disguised. His eyes flew over the audience. There were several more Death Eaters than Aurors. They were all looking in his direction. They hadn't known that he would be here as Lord Crabbe, but he supposed when things had started to go wrong, they had automatically looked towards where his closest circle sat together for guidance and when he had given order to three of them – something Crabbe wouldn't have done – many of them had figured out who he really was.

He didn't know how all the other people would react, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was Hermione.

He dismissed the idea of taking the potion.

"We need to find out what happened," he faintly heard Shacklebolt's voice from far below him.

He used the Sonorus Charm to be heard over all the noises around him and felt himself change as he spoke. His voice changed from Lord Crabbe's slightly rough voice to his own smooth baritone. He ignored the unpleasant feeling, the pain of his body changing. "We know what happened, Auror Shacklebolt." Gasps all around. All eyes were on him and he knew the Polyjuice Potion had completely worn off. Abraxas, Draco and Narcissa were holding their wands. "The Cup was a Portkey. It was set up by the order of Albus Dumbledore. And I strongly suspect that Alastor Moody assisted him. He's nowhere to be seen, if you haven't noticed. Some of my men are searching for him already."

"That is Voldemort!"

Tom ignored the Minister. He was a bloody fool, nothing more.

Lucius, also using Sonorus, spoke up from where he still stood with the Aurors. "Viktor Krum cannot remember what happened, but I suspect that he was under the Imperius Curse. I used Legilimency on him and while his memory has been messed with, I could see remaining glimpses of Moody talking to him before he came here."

No one seemed to know what to think, what to do, but Tom was vaguely pleased that Death Eaters started to gather around him. He randomly pointed at a group of them. "Go check on every location that has ever been connected to Albus Dumbledore. Start with Godric's Hollow. Call me immediately, if you find him or Hermione."

About ten men and three women left without hesitation.

Shacklebolt had his wand out, pointing it at Tom. The remaining Death Eaters had their wands out as well. The rest of the audience either ran to get out of the way or stood frozen, unsure of what to do or what to make of the situation. All year they had slowly been led towards the truth; Tom could only hope that it had been enough to convince at least some of them. "I have no idea what the bloody hell this is about, but I know who you are and you can't just …"

"At least I'm doing something, Auror Shacklebolt. What are you doing to find my daughter?"

"And my son!" Amos Diggory joined in, looking at Tom before slowly making his way to join him. "Why aren't you looking for our children?"

Minister Fudge screamed something about Voldemort again and was thoroughly ignored by all sides.

Shacklebolt was still pointing his wand at Tom, every Death Eater present had their wands on him in return.

A voice could be heard from the lower stands. "Tom Riddle is not the enemy here. Have you still not understood that?" Tom admired Harry Potter's presence of mind here. The boy had not known he was alive, but he had adjusted to the situation extremely quickly and he, as The Boy Who Lived, had taken sides. People started talking among each other.

Tom had enough. With every minute that passed, Hermione's chances of survival became lower. "I don't know what you're going to do, Auror Shacklebolt, but I'm going to find my daughter. Death Eaters, with me."

"My Lord!" Barty Crouch jr., who was standing close to his father, was now clearly taking sides with his exclamation. Crouch sr. stared at him in shock as he pointed at the red sparks that were shot into the air from the edge of the grounds surrounding Hogwarts. Where apparition was possible.

Ignoring the Aurors, ignoring the Minister, and everyone else around him, Tom ran.

Hermione, still clutching Cedric's wrist with one hand and his wand with the other, let out a quiet sob as she found herself just outside the Hogwarts grounds. She had done it, she had managed to apparate away. But the others would still be by the Quidditch Pitch. What if Dumbledore followed her? She should have apparated to Malfoy Manor instead. It would have been less obvious and Bimsy would have helped her in immediately. The wards would have protected her.

In a momentary panic, she let go of Cedric and tried to get up, but her legs and arms immediately gave way and she fell back onto the grass. Frantically, she looked around, but no one was close-by. Then she remembered the wand she was still holding and shot up several red sparks.

It took a moment, but then people approached her. Many of them. Adults and fellow students.

Was that her father? Yes, he had been there, but as usual polyjuiced as someone else, today Vincent's father. She hadn't seen him before the task had started, but he had told her through the mirror.

She tried to lift herself up again, but again her arms wouldn't carry her. The muscles were twitching and cramping painfully.

But when her father reached her, she felt his hands on her shoulder and he lifting her upper body up gently. One arm was pulling her close, the other was cradling her head against his chest. "I'm here. You're safe."

Her hands clung to his robes as best she could, the pain of the cut on her right palm flaring up in protest, she heard Draco's voice next to her, saying her name, and then Amos Diggory's anguished cries. "My son! My boy!"

He fell on his knees next to Cedric's dead body and Hermione buried her face in her father's chest, sobbing quietly herself. His arms tightened around her.

Everything else was nothing but chaos.

Amos Diggory was still crying, wailing. Lucius was arguing with someone. Fudge tried to tell people to get back to Hogwarts, probably damage control.

She was so sick of damage control and then the Minister was talking about a tragic accident or maybe it all was Voldemort's fault after all, and something in her snapped. She flung her head around, looking at all the people around them. "That wasn't an accident." Her voice was still raw from screaming, it hurt to speak loudly, but she didn't care. Everyone fell silent. "It was Albus Dumbledore and he used the Death Curse on Cedric before either of us understood what was going on." Her voice broke, but she wasn't done. "He had no chance at all. Then Dumbledore disarmed me and he used the Cruciatus Curse on me to get me to confess that my father was alive. He wanted to kill me, too, to force him out of hiding. None of that was an accident, Minister."

Tom Riddle, still not getting up, still not letting go of her, turned his head. But Hermione immediately saw that he was not about to address Cornelius Fudge. She knew all too well what he thought of him. Nothing. Instead, his eyes met Kingsley Shacklebolt's. "Is that the man you who holds your loyalty, Auror Shacklebolt?" Then Minerva McGonagall. "Headmistress McGonagall? A man who murders and tortures children?" His voice, usually so controlled, was full of cold anger.

Another wail from Diggory, followed by a heavy silence.

Which was broken by Fudge. "Why would we believe Voldemort's daughter? She's playing her act well, I admit it …"

Now she felt her father was about to get up, the hand, that had rested on her head, reached for his wand, but before he could do anything, Abraxas Malfoy stepped forward and between the Minister and her father. "Have you lost what little was left of your mind, Cornelius? Does that girl look like she's acting to you?" He sounded genuinely angry, but his action was mainly for the sake of preventing her father from doing something he would come to regret. Hermione was grateful for that.

Shacklebolt lifted his hands. "With all due respect, Minister, the prosecution of crimes is my authority first and foremost. This is how we're going to do it. Lord Riddle, you're coming with me to the Ministry and I want the full version of the story from your view." It was not lost to Hermione that he had addressed him by title. That had to mean something, didn't it? He was not just going to throw him into Azkaban, was he? "Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, you take Miss Riddle home, and then I want, for now, twenty of the so-called Death Eaters and I want them soon. They will be thoroughly questioned, and I better not find a single inconsistency."

"I volunteer." Karkaroff stepped forward. "I followed Lord Riddle in the war and I follow him now." He pulled up his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark.

Others joined them, all of her friends' parents, at least those she could see, Professor Snape, and others Hermione didn't know by name, who had just been there to watch the Tournament.

"Narcissa and I will also volunteer for questioning. I was Lord Riddle's second in command in the war and was as thus privy to every single move we made."

"No Imperius Curse, Malfoy?" Fudge sneered.

Lucius just looked at him coldly. "No." He turned back to Shacklebolt. "We'll take Hermione home. My father can stay with her and call her a healer." Abraxas next to him gave a short nod. "We will come to the Ministry. Draco, you go home, too."

The Head Auror nodded his agreement and Lucius handed his wand to his wife before approaching Hermione and her father. He went down on one knee next to them. "I'll take her, my Lord."

Her father nodded, but before letting her go, he looked down at her. "I'll see you soon, Hermione." His voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "Don't worry."

She didn't want him to go, she was terrified that this would go wrong and he would be thrown into Azkaban instead of being declared innocent. And she didn't want him to let go of her. But she forced herself to nod and it was so very hard not to start crying again when he did let go.

Lucius gently picked her up, one arm supporting her back, the other under her knees. She put one weak arm around his shoulder as he lifted her up. Draco was by their side immediately. He looked pale and worried.

"Lord Riddle, will you voluntarily submit your wand? You will receive it back, if you are found innocent of the crimes held against you."

She saw how her father handed his wand to Kingsley Shacklebolt and stiffened in Lucius' arms.

"It's alright, Hermione," he said softly, so only she would hear. "It's going to be alright. This is the chance we needed."

~tbc~