Chapter 19
The entrance door closed with one final click. Moody moved towards Harry and stood in front of him. He took out his wand and pointed it to the door. "Collorpotus!" There was another click, signaling that the door had been locked. He kept on pointing his wand to it and muttered another incantation, "Signaculum limine!"
The door glowed bluish momentarily.
Moody slowly lowered his wand. "The door had been sealed," he said. "Nothing will get in or out." He then lowered his eyes to Harry. "Nobody is going to save you now, Potter. Not when you're still under my control. Today shall be the day of your reckoning."
He held out his hand. "Your wand, Potter."
Harry looked up at him.
"Your wand," repeated Moody impatiently. "Give me your wand!"
Obediently, Harry tucked his hand inside his pocket and pulled out his wand. He then held it out to Moody.
Moody took it. He ran his fingers along the length of the wand, examining it carefully and admiring the wand's every detail. "This is a very good wand," he commented. "Impressive."
He then turned towards Harry. A triumphant smirk formed on his lips. "Don't worry. I will take good care of it. Not that you'll ever need it. This wand shall be the greatest present my master will receive. Well, apart from you that is."
Moody then bundled Harry's wand together with his wand and placed them inside his robe. He then gestured to Harry to follow him. "Come now. Let's go to somewhere more secluded. I need to prepare for our departure."
Harry stood and followed Moody towards the front of the class and they both climbed the spiral stairway that led to the entrance into Moody's office cum quarters.
"Get in," commanded Moody as he opened the door to his office.
Again, Harry obeyed. He entered the room ahead of Moody.
The office had been Moody's temporary living quarters for the past few months. It was full of exceptionally odd objects that belonged to the true Alastor Moody. A large sneakoscope stood on Moody's desk. At the farthest corner on a small table, stood an object that looked like an extra squiggly, golden television aerial. It was called a Secrecy Sensor, used to detect a person's lies and magical concealments. Hung on the wall to the left was a mirror, known as the Foe Glass. There was a fireplace built into the wall on his right. A large trunk with seven keyholes was placed directly under the window.
Back in Harry's old timeline, Moody's paraphernalia became part of the exhibits at the newly established Wizarding Museum in Diagon Alley. There were proposals from various parties that the equipment be used by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Minister Shacklebolt shot those proposals down. He wanted all the fallen wizards who fought in the Second Wizarding War to be remembered and Alastor Moody, given that his body had never been found with no pictures and no relatives, had only his equipment left with no one to inherit it.
Auror Harry wholeheartedly agreed with Kingsley.
Moody, satisfied that there was no one else inside the classroom down below, entered. He closed the door and locked it. He turned towards Harry and noticed that the boy was staring at the large trunk. He limped towards it.
"You want to know what's inside this trunk, eh boy?" he said. "I'll tell you. It's Alastor Moody! The real Alastor Moody! The greatest Auror of all time and the one responsible for my imprisonment. Besides that traitorous, good-for-nothing Karkaroff! Karkaroff is never an Auror – let's get that out of the way – but he was surely responsible for me spending my time in Azkaban. I'm no longer angry. He'll get his dues. I am going to make sure of that!"
Harry did not give any responses. He stared blankly at Moody.
"What? No response? No look of surprises? Not even an awe?" asked Moody, mockingly. "You're not surprised or feeling impressed that I defeated the greatest Auror of them all?! Bah! You're under my control. Of course, you're incapable of any of that."
Moody closed in on him. He bent forward until his scarred face just inches away from Harry's. "You want to know who I am, boy? Do you want to know my name? My real name? I'll tell you. It's Barty. Barty Crouch Jr. Surprised? Don't be. I might share the same name as my putrid father, but we're not related. Not anymore especially after he abetted that low life form Alastor Moody and that old hag Dumbledore and threw me into the Azkaban. Me, his own son! His only flesh and blood! But after today, there'll be payback. After today, he'll get what's coming for him, for what he did to me. It's a pity that you won't remember anything I told you but no matter."
He then straightened up. Both of his eyes, the magical and the non-magical ones, fixated on him. "The plan had changed, no thanks to Dumbledore. He placed too many protections on that stupid goblet! You are supposed to be nominated. You are supposed to be one of the champions! Things still work at my end as I expect it to be. I will be more than happy to kill you, Potter, just like what I will do to every former Death Eater who chose to betray my master. It'll save the trouble of smuggling you out of here. But unfortunately, my master needs you. I am to bring you in, alive and unharmed."
He then turned around and walked towards the trunk. "But before that, there shall not be any witnesses," he whispered.
Barty took a set of keys from one of the pockets of his robe. He carefully selected one of the keys and pushed it into one of the keyholes. There was a click when he turned the key. Using both of his hands, he opened the trunk. He then took out his wand and pointed it into the depth of the trunk.
"You have done a great service to me, Alastor," said Barty. "But it's time for you to retire for good. It'll be a quick and painless retirement, I can assure you that."
Barty slowly raised his wand. "Avada-"
BANG!
Something hit him from behind before he could complete the Killing Curse. It was so powerful that he tumbled forward, hit the wall hard in front of him, and ended up sprawling on the floor. He groaned in pain and felt something warm trickled down his forehead. He went to touch it and found that it was blood. His blood. He immediately turned to look. His eyes immediately widened.
"You!"
Standing not far from him was Harry Potter. His hand held out towards Barty. Traces of white smoke came out from every finger of the outreached hand.
There was a reason why he was called the most feared Auror of his time. There was a reason why during his reign, no dark wizard uprising ever happened. If there was one, he would be there to crush them into tiny little pieces. The look on Harry's face, as he stared down at the sprawling Barty, was more terrible than anyone could imagine. There was no benign smile, only cold and calculated fury within every line of his face. There was a sense of power that radiated from deep within him. It felt as if he was giving off intense heat that threatened to burn down everything within his vicinity.
Barty felt that power. Fear began to grip him.
"No one controls me," Harry said. Anger and hatred laced his every word. "No one. Not even you. Not even your master."
"That's impossible!" Barty stammered.
"And yet you're looking at it. That's the thing about the Imperius Curse, Barty," said Harry. "You can never really tell if it works on your victim or not unless you know what to look for. I threw off the curses just as fast as you placed them on me. Given that all those long years your father did that to you, I am surprised that you failed to see that I was simply faking it."
Barty slowly stood up. He pointed his crooked finger at Harry. "How did you know that?! Nobody is supposed to know! Did my father tell you?!"
Harry smirked. "He told me nothing. Your father is as proud and arrogant as you are but he did the right thing by throwing you into Azkaban. I applaud him for that. I know your story. Your history, how you impersonate Alastor Moody, and your motive in planting yourself as a spy in Hogwarts. It's all inside my head. I know you have been planning all along to put my name in the Goblet of Fire. You want me to become the fourth champion and you're planning to help me survive all the tasks laid out in front of me. And when comes the Third Task, you're going to turn the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey that will send me straight to Voldemort. I know why he needed me, Barty. He needed my blood so that he could be resurrected. He thought my blood would make him stronger. He sees me as the key to invincibility. That was his only weapon against me. Well, the jokes are on him."
Barty just stood frozen as Harry laid his plan bare. He began to sweat profusely. His hands clasped and unclasped. He began glancing towards the fireplace.
"But your original plan failed, didn't it Barty?" continued Harry. "I was there that night in the Great Hall. I saw you came in, impersonating Igor Karkaroff. You wanted to blackmail him, didn't you? And it's because he exposed you back then during your hearing. He wasn't blackmailing you, Barty. He was simply telling the truth. For your information, I am the one who fortified the wards around the goblet, not Dumbledore. I don't have to explain what those wards are for. You had already experienced their effects firsthand."
Barty's jaw tightened. His hands continuously clasped and unclasped. His eyes kept on darting towards the fireplace. Deep within his heart, he began to realize that the boy in front of him was not to be trifled
with. Even without his wand, he could still feel a strong aura radiating from the fourteen-year-old boy. If he was really a fourteen years old boy that is. Barty knew he needed a way to escape. Fast. That fireplace would be his only hope.
But first, he needed to distract Harry.
Barty's lip formed a smile. "So you knew everything, eh? Congratulations, Potter," he said. "Yes, it was my fault. But tell me, Potter, did you anticipate this?!"
Without warning, Barty took out his wand and threw a curse at Harry.
Harry, who had readied himself, conjured up a protective shield. Barty's curse hit it with a loud bang. Amid the chaos, he saw Barty making the run towards the fireplace. Harry who already knew that the fireplace would be Barty's only means of escape waved his hand and threw a powerful spell at the fireplace. The spell hit the fireplace before Barty could reach it. It exploded and shattered into many pieces.
Barty skidded to a halt and could only watch helplessly as the fireplace reduced to rubbles. He turned towards Harry. His eyes, there was fear in it.
"The real Moody wouldn't run away. He dives into battles like fish into the water. He wore his battle scars proudly. You on the other hand talk too much. You are nothing more than an embarrassment," said Harry. He waved his hand once again, sending various furniture and instruments inside the room towards every available window and door, jamming them in the process. "You can't apparate in and out of Hogwarts, Barty. That was Dumbledore's doing, I'm afraid. There won't be any escape for you. Not this time. This time, you're going to reap what you sowed."
Barty slowly raised his hand. With one finger pointed towards Harry, he asked, "Who are you?! You're not Harry Potter!"
"As a matter of fact, I am Harry Potter," said Harry calmly.
"No, you're not! You're… you're an impostor!" shouted Barty. "Show yourself! Show who you truly are!"
"An impostor you say? Like you?" Harry snapped his finger. A small flask flew out of one of Barty's robe pockets towards Harry. It stopped and floated just inches away from Harry's face. "I have no need for Polyjuice Potion, Barty."
Harry waved his hand over the floating flask. A small glowing sphere began to envelop it. Once the sphere was fully formed, he sent it away. "Don't want to get my fingerprints all over it. That will be the proof they'll need to send you back to Azkaban. Now…" He turned his gaze back to Barty. "What do we need to do with you?"
Barty sneered. "Your arrogance blinded you, Potter. You forgot that I still have your wand!" He then reached into his pocket, took out the holly wand, and held it high.
Harry smiled mockingly at him. "What are you, a dark lord from somewhere far-far away? I took away your precious flask. Why do you think I won't be able to do the same with my wand?"
Barty paused at this.
"That's right, Barty," continued Harry. "I attacked you. I've also eliminated your only means of escape, all without using a wand. I want to thank you for keeping it safe for me. In which case..." He waved his hand.
His wand escaped Barty's grip and flew towards him. With the unerring skill of a Seeker, he caught it easily and pointed it towards Barty. "Admittedly I don't like wandless magic. The spells produced aren't as strong but it served me well. I have endured the Cruciatus Curse before. I even survived the Killing Curse. The Imperius Curse has nothing on me. But enough talk. Let's dance and we'll see which one of us lights up the stage better."
Barty seemed to have enough. He immediately attacked Harry, throwing spells upon spells at him.
Harry stood his ground. His wand slashed and twisted, deflecting every spell and curse thrown at him and attacking Barty in return. There was no more pretense. Jets of light flew from each wand as they both fought to kill.
Barty dodged left and right, trying in vain to avoid volleys of spells Harry threw at him. That move quickly tired him. His energy continued to drain out of him. His targeting became more erratic than ever as seconds went by. He snarled as he grew frustrated by his inability to hit Harry. Harry would simply deflect his spells or conjure up a strong invisible shield in which none of his spells were able to penetrate. At one point, he threw caution into the wind – his master's anger be damned - and fired a Killing Curse at the boy.
Harry remembered he survived the Killing Curse but he also remembered that he wasn't arrogant and overconfident. In the current arena, he knew he lacked the advantage needed to survive another hit. He quickly pointed his wand towards a chair nearby and willed it to fly towards the incoming blob of green death. The chair and the curse collided midair in a deafening explosion.
Barty's energy continued to diminish as the duel raged on. Harry on the other hand remained energetic. His rate of attack increased ferociously with no sign of slowing down or even stopping. At one point, three of Harry's spells seared Barty's right arm and his left thigh. He screamed in pain and fell backward onto the floor. He took the advantage by targeting Barty's wand-holding hand. He shot a spell. It hit the back of Barty's hand squarely. Barty screamed in pain and accidentally let go of his wand. Harry flicked his own wand and Barty's wand flew towards him. It stopped just a few inches from his face. And as before, he wrapped the wand in a protective sphere and put it somewhere unreachable by Barty.
"I would like nothing more than to break it," said Harry, turning his attention back to the fallen Death Eater. "But they also need to know what kind of shenanigans you got yourself into after your parents broke you out of prison. Your wand will tell them everything."
Barty just watched helplessly. That was it. He had become powerless. His fate was now in Harry's hands. He slowly held up his hand in defeat. "Stop. Please stop," he begged. "That is enough."
"You should have died, Barty," said Harry, his wand still pointed toward the terrified Death Eater. "You should have died for your crimes. For what you did to the Longbottom. And to your mother."
"Don't you dare speak of my mother, Potter!"
"Your mother died for you, Barty," said Harry, ignoring Barty's warning. "She sacrificed her life for you and you repay her love and sacrifice with this!"
"She is weak!"
"She is strong!" interjected Harry. "Strong enough to face her own mortality so that you - her only son - could live! And you repaid her by becoming something she despised. She had done nothing wrong to you and yet you insulted her! You've insulted her memories. Do you think Voldemort cares for you or anyone? Death Eaters are just a tool. You're a tool… and a fool!"
What Harry said seemed to touch Barty's nerve. He slowly got off the floor and without warning, lunged towards Harry.
Harry easily sidestepped him. He twisted on the spot and landed a kick on Barty's back, sending the Death Eater headlong into a desk in front of him. He hit his head on the desk really hard and went unconscious.
Harry stared at the unconscious Barty for a while. "You're a really good impersonator. You had everyone fooled. But as good as you are at impersonating Moody, there's one thing that you could never copy. His fighting skills. To be honest, I'm truly disappointed. You didn't even put out a real fight."
He then flicked his wand. A wooden chair from the other part of the room flew towards him. He caught the chair and placed it in front of him. Using his wand, he raised the unconscious Death Eater from the floor and carefully placed him on the chair. He then conjured up a steel chain and wrapped the chain tightly around Barty's unconscious figure.
But before he could do anything else, all of a sudden, Harry felt a painful surge all over his body. He trundled towards a chair and sat down. He drew his breath, long and deep, trying with all his might to minimize the effect of the surge.
It didn't work.
Without warning, he coughed. Violently. He felt something warm trickling out of his mouth. He went to wipe it and saw blood on his hand. His own blood.
"Wha- what is happening to me?"
Harry began to feel that his body was beginning to break down. All of his internal organs felt like they were screaming in protest. The pain intensified as the seconds ticked. Copious amounts of blood continued to seep out of his mouth.
"Arrgghh!" he groaned as the pain became too unbearable. At this point, he began to wonder if there was an end to his suffering. He wondered if he truly was going to die this time.
It took a while, but the painful surge finally subsided, leaving Harry sitting on the chair with his chest heaving. His whole face was sweating. He slowly reached up and wiped his mouth off his blood. He looked down and saw the front of his shirt was also drenched with blood.
He turned to look at Barty. The Death Eater had yet to turn back into his original form. It won't be long now.
Silently he pondered on what just happened. In all his years of living, he had never experienced such pain. Not even by the Cruciatus Curse. Then again, he had become numb to that curse, thanks to the events that led him to be 'killed' by Voldemort inside the Dark Forest so he couldn't really tell how painful it would be. But at least, the pain had gone away. For now. Still, his insides still felt like they were in an unending war.
Satisfied that Barty was still unconscious, he made his way towards the opened trunk and peered into it. Deep inside the trunk, the real Alastor Moody lay unconscious. Slowly and with much difficulty, Harry climbed into the trunk and lowered himself into it. He fell lightly on the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him and began to check for his pulse.
The retired Auror was still alive but Harry knew the old man needed help. He took out his wand and magicked Moody out of the trunk. He then carefully laid Moody on the floor, not far from where Barty was.
His own problem will be dealt with later on. Now, he had a Death Eater need taken care of and a teacher that needed help. But he knew that all of that must be done covertly without raising any attention.
And there was one man he knew who could help him.
He raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"
A ball of bright light shoots out of his wand. It immediately formed into a stag. The silvery stag hopped around the room until it stopped in front of Harry.
"Prongs," he greeted the Patronus.
The stag bowed to him. Prongs had changed over time. He was now much bigger and muscular than before and his antlers had certainly looked more majestic than ever.
"I need your help," said Harry. "Seek Dumbledore. Tell him to come here with haste. Tell him not to bring anyone else. Go."
Prongs once again bowed. He kicked off the floor with his strong hind leg and disappeared through the wall.
Harry glanced at the two unconscious figures. Never he thought that it would end like this but things already happened. Barty could have waited. He could have continued playing the role. That would make it so much easier for Harry.
There was an unbroken mirror hung on the far side wall of the living quarters. He stared into it. He brought up his wand and placed the tip on his shirt and began siphoning all the blood.
He then waited.
It did not take long before the door into Moody's office burst open. Dumbledore barged in with his wand outstretched. He immediately skidded to a halt upon seeing the state of the room. There was a look of surprise on his face.
Broken furniture and instruments littered the whole room. Each window was completely blocked and to make matters worse, there were two Moodys, one lying on the floor and another tightly bound on a chair within the same room.
"What?"
"My apologies, Professor."
Dumbledore turned around towards the source of that voice.
From the farthest corner of the room and out of the shadows, Harry emerged. He looked calmly at Dumbledore.
"Harry, what happened?" asked Dumbledore as he lowered his wand. "Are you alright? Who did this?"
Harry said nothing. He walked towards Dumbledore and the moment he arrived in front of the headmaster, he produced Barty's flask and gave it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore took it. He unscrewed the flask and took a sniff. His face cringed. He turned towards Harry. "Polyjuice Potions?"
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore put down the flask and walked towards the two unconscious Moodys. He began to examine both of them. He noticed that the one that lay on the floor had his wooden leg missing and one of his eye sockets was empty. "This is the real Alastor," he said as he knelt beside real Moody. "The one on the chair is the impostor."
Dumbledore stood up. "Do you know who he is, Harry?" he asked as he directed his wand towards Barty's chest.
Harry walked up and stood beside him. He gently grabbed Dumbledore's wand-wielding hand and lowered it. "It won't be long, Professor. I know how Polyjuice Potions work. You know me. Give it another minute or two."
Dumbledore nodded.
It certainly did not take long. Right before their very eyes, Barty began to change. The scars disappeared and the skin smoothened. The mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. The long mane of
grizzled gray hair withdrew into the scalp and turned black. With a loud clunk, the wooden leg fell away and in its place, a normal leg grew. Another loud pop was heard. The magical eye was ejected from its socket and in its place, a normal eye grew. The magical eye started to roll away on the floor. Harry bent over and caught it. Within his palm, the eye continued to swivel in every direction.
"Barty Crouch Jr.," muttered Dumbledore the moment the transformation was finished. He turned to Harry. "How long have you known this?"
"Way back before he tried to put my name in the Goblet of Fire," answered Harry.
Dumbledore was taken aback by his answer. "Harry, there is no possibility that the Goblet will allow you to enter the tournament. Why would he want to do that?"
Harry nearly chastised Dumbledore for his answer but he managed to hold back. He took a deep breath and pushed his anger down. "Ask him. I'm sure you know how to dig out a confession from a potentially very resisting suspect. Let him tell you everything. As for the Goblet, I think I know about it more than anyone else here. Trust me when I say the protections you placed around it were highly inadequate."
Dumbledore went silent. From the look of it, Harry knew that the headmaster somehow agreed with him.
"You're right, Harry," said Dumbledore. "We, or at least I, wouldn't know about it. Forgive me. But I need you to tell me everything."
"And I will," said Harry. "But we have a Death Eater and a teacher needs to be taken care of."
"Yes I agree," said Dumbledore. "I'll have Alastor sent to the Hospital Wing. As for Barty, I think we may need to keep him here for a while for interrogation. Then we'll turn him over to the DMLE."
"You can't do that," said Harry. "You can't turn him over to the DMLE."
Dumbledore was taken aback. "And why is that? Harry, Barty is an escaped prisoner of the Azkaban. We have to return him to them."
"And you will," said Harry. "But not yet. We must keep him here. For now, until the time is right."
Dumbledore closed in on him. He put his hands on Harry's shoulder and asked softly, "You have a plan?"
Harry stared into the blue eyes. He took a deep breath and said, "I do and it all depends on secrecy. If you turn Barty over to the DMLE, Britain's magical community will know about it. Everything that transpired here must not be made known to the public. It has to be kept in secret or everything will fail."
"Fail?"
Harry nodded. "Yes. And there's more. The switch between the real and the impostor Moody must also be done covertly. Very few should know about it."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, Harry. If that is your request, I shall oblige. But first, let us get Alastor to safety."
Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and magicked Moody onto it. He then paused. "You're not allowed to apparate within the castle," he said to Harry.
Harry just stared at Dumbledore. "Well, obviously."
Dumbledore let out a small chuckle. He pointed his wand towards Harry.
Harry felt warm. His body glowed yellowish momentarily.
"There," said Dumbledore once the glow completely faded. "I give you permission to apparate anywhere within the castle but just for twenty-four hours. Now come. Let's go to the hospital wing. It seems to me that you also need a little bit of checking up as well."
"I'm fine, Professor."
"No. You look pale and tired and that is not good," said Dumbledore firmly. "Now come."
And with a loud pop, the three of them disappeared from the room.
The Hospital Wing, moments later…
"Albus! Never thought you would come for a vis-"
Madam Pomfrey suddenly paused. She saw Moody, lying on a floating stretcher with Dumbledore and Harry standing beside it. She raced towards him and began to check on him. She then turned towards Dumbledore. "Good heavens! What happened to him, Albus?"
Dumbledore did not answer at first. He took out his wand and waved it towards the door. The door immediately closed. A click sound indicated that it had been locked from the inside. He then replaced his wand back into his robe and turned towards Madam Pomfrey. "Something that we did not expect, Poppy. I need you to treat him. Place him inside a private ward. I don't want anyone else, especially the visitors, to see him."
Madame Pomfrey nodded. She took over the floating stretcher and pushed it toward the private ward located at the end of the hospital wing.
Dumbledore watched as Madame Pomfrey and Moody disappeared behind the door into the private ward. "It will take Alastor some time to get back on his feet," he muttered. "And I've already run out of teachers."
Harry was about to speak when all of a sudden, he coughed violently. It was a bloodied cough, just like before. However this time around, he felt his head spinning as well. He swayed. His hands flayed around as he tried to grab anything that could be used as a support.
Dumbledore raced to his side and grabbed under his arm in an attempt to support him. "Harry! What happened? Did any of Barty's curses hit you?"
Harry just shook his head. He continued to cough.
"Poppy!" called out Dumbledore.
Madame Pomfrey came hurriedly from the private ward. "What is it, Albus?" Then she saw Harry.
"Potter!"
She ran towards him.
By this time around, blood once again completely drenched the front of Harry's shirt.
"My goodness," cried Madame Pomfrey. "Help me, Albus!"
"I am!"
With Dumbledore holding Harry on the other side, the two of them brought Harry towards the emergency ward. They laid Harry onto the bed and Madame Pomfrey immediately set to work
Dumbledore stood beside Harry. He ran his fingers through Harry's hair.
"Everything will be fine, my boy. Just hold on."
Bottles and beakers clang as Madam Pomfrey hastily and desperately prepares a potion that could help stop what appears to be a massive hemorrhage Harry currently experiencing.
In the meantime, Harry continued to cough out blood. Lots of blood. His shirt and part of the bed he was lying on was completely drenched in it.
His chest heaved heavily as he gasped for air. The blood had appeared to disrupt his air passage, he was choking on it.
Dumbledore stayed beside him all the time. He held Harry's hand tightly as he continued to whisper words of encouragement into Harry's ears.
"Harry, please hold on. Madam Pomfrey is doing everything she can."
But even the best word of encouragement anyone can come up with could not help Harry at that time. The headmaster knew he needed more.
"Poppy."
"It's not easy to conjure up the potion that can stop massive hemorrhage, Albus!" said Madam Pomfrey as she cut, measured, and weighed various ingredients before mixing it all within a glass beaker at high
speed. "One tiny mistake and he could bleed to dry within seconds! Nothing could stop it if that happens! Blast! I knew I should have prepared every potion in advance before anyone needed it!"
"In which case, you're doing a fine job, Poppy," said Dumbledore upon realizing the gravity of the situation. He turned to look at Harry. "We can wait a little bit longer."
It was a lie. He knew that Harry did not have much time. The boy was getting extremely pale as his blood continued to drain out of him. His breathing while still labored, began to weaken. Dumbledore knew he had no choice but to make sure Madam Pomfrey remained calm as she prepared the potion. All he could do now was pray.
Madam Pomfrey poured the smoking content of the beaker into a steel goblet. She grabbed a small bottle of Blood Replenishing Potion from a nearby cabinet and together with the smoking goblet, rushed towards Harry's bed. She handed the small bottle to Dumbledore. Stepping over to Harry's side, she pinched Harry's nose and immediately began pouring the content of the goblet slowly and carefully into his mouth, making sure that the boy swallowed every single drop of the potion. It was not easy. Harry's incessant coughing means that some of the potion, mixed with his own blood, spilled out and his nearly blocked airway means that it was difficult for him to swallow anything, let alone the potion.
"Potter, please! You have to swallow the potion! Please try!" said Madam Pomfrey.
He tried. Slowly and painfully at first. He held his breath momentarily and took small gulps, one at a time until the potion was finally successfully administered.
The effect was immediate. Harry's bloodied cough immediately ceased. His breathing while still heavy, began to stabilize. He was still extremely pale, however, no doubt the result of his massive blood loss. His eyes were closed as his body began to relax.
Madam Pomfrey breathed a sigh of relief and so did Dumbledore. The venerable headmaster knew that Harry survived.
"Didn't realize I was sweating this much. In all these long years I've been here I never had this kind of emergency before. He was so close to death!" said Madam Pomfrey as she wiped her sweaty forehead with her apron. She then took out her wand and began to wave it up and down Harry's body. "Half of all his major blood vessels are ruptured. His main organs are still intact though. Lucky for him the blood vessels within his brain were spared. He could have suffered a major stroke if the rupture pattern followed through to his head. We were lucky, Albus."
"Lucky isn't the word I would use to describe it, Poppy," said Dumbledore. "I credit it all to you."
Madam Pomfrey did not answer. Instead, she continued to wave her wand up and down Harry's body. She suddenly paused moments later. "Wait! I'll be damned!" she said in astonishment. She stared at Harry in disbelief.
"You saw it, didn't you?" asked Dumbledore.
Once again, Madam Pomfrey failed to answer. She held out her hand to Dumbledore. "Albus, the bottle if you will."
Dumbledore handed over the Blood Replenishing Potion to Madam Pomfrey.
Madam Pomfrey patted Harry's shoulder gently. "Potter?"
Harry opened his eyes a little. There were senses of fatigue in it. He looked directly at Madam Pomfrey.
"There's another potion that I need you to take," she showed the bottle to Harry. "Then I'll let you rest."
Harry, knowing what the potion was for, nodded weakly.
This time unlike before, the potion was successfully administered without any difficulties. Color immediately returned to Harry's face as soon as the potion set to work.
Madam Pomfrey cocked her eyebrows. "That was fast," she muttered. "Rest, Potter. I'll give you something to help you sleep later."
Except that he did not.
His eyes might be closed but his sensitivity to his surroundings heightened with each second passing by. From where he lay, he could sense where Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore were standing in the Hospital Wing which was just outside the Emergency Ward.
"-normally a wizard's or a witch's magical core grows in tandem with their physical growth. This is to ensure that the body can safely contain the power and that one's magic won't end up killing its own master. While there were a few examples where a wizard had his magical core outgrow him, the rate of growth isn't much. Their body would be able to match the magic eventually. Potter's magical core is not normal for a fourteen-year-old," said Madam Pomfrey. "It's too powerful, too advanced, and too well developed. He must have been utilizing it to the fullest when he fought the impostor. It put quite a massive strain on his physical body. That's why he bled. It nearly killed him. It's a miracle that he survived."
Even from where he lay and with his eyes closed, he could sense that Dumbledore was busy scrutinizing him from the entrance into the emergency ward. Dumbledore must have told Madam Pomfrey about the incident within the Defense of the Dark Arts class.
Dumbledore sighed. "I know of one whose magical core outgrows him. He survived but not without… undesirable circumstances. I was made aware of an event no one ever predicted could happen prior to his arrival at Hogwarts but I was too busy with the preparation for the Triwizard Tournament. The incident within Moody's living quarters will speed up things apparently."
"What event?"
"I am at liberty to tell neither you nor anyone. I am sorry."
"Well, whatever it is you should explain to him how important it is for him to be careful with his own magic. I could arrange for some tests with my colleagues at St. Mungos, see if there is a way to tone down his magical core a bit," said Madam Pomfrey. "Prevent it from hurting him again. Maybe find the reason behind his changes."
Dumbledore however shook his head. "I wish it would be that simple, Poppy. You and I, both know that it's virtually impossible to tone down one's magical power. It will either stay in the same state or grow. The only way to ensure that Harry won't overuse his magic is to deprive him of his wand. I don't want to do that in all honesty. As for the reason, I think we could simply ask him."
"If it helps him to survive, I see why not," argued Madam Pomfrey. "At least until we can determine a way to put it under control."
"My dear Poppy, I fear that simply depriving Harry of his wand won't change a thing. It is possible that he may not need it," stated Dumbledore. "And I also do not intend to take his wand from him. His wand will stay with him. Until the matter has been thoroughly investigated, everything will chug along as usual. I am sure that Mr. Potter will know his limit the next time he tries to do magic. I have a hunch that Harry was merely scratching the surface when he fought Barty. He may have yet tapped fully into, I dare say, his talent."
Madam Pomfrey stared at Dumbledore, wide-eyed. "You can't be serious, Albus."
"I'm afraid I am, Poppy. But you're right. His latent power could prove to be his own undoing if he's not careful," said Dumbledore. "Harry and I will have a long talk tonight. Now if you will excuse me, there's a Death Eater that needs taken care of. I will come back to check on Harry later."
Dumbledore then turned and left for the Hospital Wing's entrance.
He took a peek through his half-opened eyelids.
Dumbledore had gone. He must be on his way to Moody's living quarters. He was not sure how Dumbledore would handle the Death Eater. Earlier on, he had made a request to Dumbledore not to hand over Barty to the Ministry. He was pretty sure the headmaster would keep to his promise. Guess he will have to wait until tonight to know what Dumbledore will do.
He closed his eyes when he saw Madam Pomfrey approach him.
The resident nurse began to check on him, placing his hand on his forehead and inspecting the various parts of his body, most likely to see if he suffered wounds elsewhere. Once she was satisfied that there was no wound, she took out her wand and began to siphon Harry's blood that wetted his shirt and the bed. She then went away and returned with a jug of pumpkin juice and a goblet. She placed them on the bedside table together with a small bottle of Dreamless Sleep potion. She then once again exited the room. This time, she did not return.
Harry opened his eyes. He knew that Madam Pomfrey had gone back to her office.
As he lay on the bed, that day's event and the conversation between Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey flew through his mind. Lucky enough for him, everything that happened managed to be contained just in time. He was not sure for how long but still, he knew that he needed to keep it that way for as long as possible. Besides a chosen few, no one else must know what transpired.
And that, in his mind, could cause some problems.
His friends especially Hermione would become curious and throw difficult questions at him if they failed to see him at dinner. They were already a little bit jittery back at the DADA class. He also needed to attend the Quidditch meeting in the Common Room right after that. He knew that he needed to make his appearance on both occasions.
If only Madam Pomfrey would be lenient enough to grant him a temporary leave.
That would be just his wishful thinking. The resident nurse won't allow him to leave the Hospital Wing. His only option was to sneak out unnoticed, straighten out his affairs, and return that night to the Hospital Wing. He had a hunch that the meeting with Dumbledore would happen there any way instead of the headmaster's own office.
He glanced at the emergency ward's clock. It was already 5.30 pm. It will be another hour before dinnertime.
Madam Pomfrey returned to check on him at five minutes before six. Seeing him fully awake, she asked him a few questions. He answered her truthfully. Once she was satisfied that all was well, she took leave but not before reminding Harry to take the potion before he slept. She also told him that he would have his dinner inside the ward and it would be sent to him in half an hour.
Harry slowly got off his bed. His legs felt wobbly, a sure sign that his full strength had yet to return. He tip-toed towards the Emergency Ward's entrance and took a peek into the hall of the Hospital Wing. No one was there. Madam Pomfrey must have been inside her office.
Thinking fast, he took out his wand and conjured up a piece of parchment and a quill, and began to write:-
Dear Madam Pomfrey,
I must apologize for my absence. I need to take a temporary leave from the ward. I will be having my dinner at the Great Hall and I will return to the ward later, I promise. Please tell Professor Dumbledore that I will be waiting for him here tonight at 11.00 pm.
I'm sorry I can't explain anything to you right now. Please don't worry about me. I will be fine.
Yours sincerely,
Harry James Potter.
After re-reading the letter a couple of times, he folded it and placed it on top of the pillow. He then made his way toward the entrance to the Hospital Wing.
The Great Hall, a few minutes later…
He arrived early despite the fact that he was not able to walk as fast as he would have liked. He had to stop and leaned against the wall several times along the way to catch his breath. He suspected that he might have overestimated his current strength. He was in fact feeling weaker than usual.
He knew why.
While the Blood Replenishing Potion did a fine job of replenishing his blood, the amount that was lost was a lot. Harry could still feel the potion still doing its job at that time.
Besides him, only a few Slytherin boys occupied the Great Hall. The House Tables were still devoid of food. Dinner won't begin for another ten minutes. Ignoring the Slytherins, he walked towards the Gryffindor table and sat down at his usual spot.
Minutes pass by. Students began to trickle into the Great Hall and at exactly 6.30 pm, the food magically appeared on the tables. Harry helped himself to treacle tart as he watched students pouring into the hall.
He saw the Gryffindor, the Hufflepuff, the Ravenclaw, the Slytherin, few of the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students entering the Great Hall. He saw Daphne, who bore a surprised look on her face when she saw him sitting alone at the table. Her stares didn't stop at the entrance to the Great Hall. She continued to observe him from her seat at the Slytherin Table.
He found out that he did not need to wait long for Ron and Hermione.
He saw them and the rest of his dorm mates entering the hall. They saw him. He was about to wave at them when he saw Viktor, who pointed at him just as he arrived at the entrance.
Hermione was the first to arrive.
"Harry! Are you alright?" she asked.
"You okay, mate?" asked Ron. He arrived just after Hermione and was seemingly a little out of breath, just like Hermione. "What happened?"
Harry thought that this was a little bit odd. Both Hermione and Ron looked like they had just come in from a run. "I'm fine. You both look sweaty," he pointed out. "What? You both finally find out that jogging is good for you?"
By this time, Viktor Krum and the rest of his friends arrived and congregated around him. Viktor sat beside him, and spoke, "Harry, this is not a joke. Your friends here are clearly vorried."
"Worried? Why?" asked Harry, perplexed.
Hermione proceeded to sit on the other side of him. "You went missing the whole day," she said. "You didn't show up at all this whole afternoon. What happened? What does Professor Moody want with you?"
"Nothing," he said. "Nothing happened."
Hermione's eyebrows creased. "Are you sure?" she asked.
Harry began to feel that Hermione was suspecting that something had gone amiss. He never suspected that she would be this intuitive. But then Hermione would always be intuitive when it comes to him, just not at this level. He looked around and saw everyone was watching him intently. "If I'm not okay I won't be here, am I?" he said. "Look, what's really going on, Hermione?
Hermione proceeded to tell the tale. "We were waiting for you outside the class right after Professor Moody dismissed us. Well, not just me and Ron but Daphne and Tracy as well. Minutes went by and still you haven't come out. It was when one of us tried to open the door and found that it was locked that we began to panic. We tried everything - spells, manually prying open the door - all of them didn't work. We called out for you but you didn't hear us. Dumbledore arrived just as we decided to alert other teachers. He asked us why we were there. We told him everything."
Harry stiffened when he heard this. "Everything?" he croaked.
"Yeah. We were in the class with you, remember?" said Ron this time. He was sampling one of the treacle tarts at the same time. "We told Dumbledore what happened inside the class. Come to think of it, I can't really remember what really happened though."
"That is because of the Imperius Curse he put on us, Ron. You were still skipping and giggling like a little girl on your way here," said Hermione.
"I certainly did not!" replied Ron hotly.
"Everyone else saw it, Ron," said Hermione. "It was embarrassing."
"So, what happened then?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore took a look at the door," continued Hermione. "It was as if he was trying to take a peek into something. It went like that for a while until he told us to go back to the Common Room. He told us that you're going to be fine. We refused but he insisted. We had no choice. Ron and I went back to the Common Room. Daphne meanwhile muttered something about 'needing to tell her' before she took off in a hurry. Not sure what she meant by that."
Harry went silent. In truth, he wasn't prepared for this. He had no idea what to tell them. He of course couldn't tell them the truth of what really transpired.
"I-… Moody gave me quite a tongue-lashing," said Harry, trying to look casual. In truth, he really felt bad about it. He did not like to tell lies but in this case, he had no other choices. "For urm… my inability to throw away the curse."
That excuse came out of nowhere. It was so sudden that it surprised even himself.
"But Harry, nobody would be able to throw away the Imperious Curse!" exclaimed Ron. "Nobody! And we're still young. We're just fourteen… fifteen years old tops! How can he expect you to do that?!"
Harry tried really hard to not roll his eyes. If only they knew what he knew. If only they knew that he wasn't the only one who managed to throw away the Imperius Curse. "Yeah, I know that, Ron. He told me I'm a special case, that I need to possess that skill."
"So vhat happened then?" asked Viktor, intrigued. "Did he teach you how to throw away the curse?"
"As a matter of fact he did," replied Harry. "I ace it. It wasn't easy, I can tell you that."
Viktor smiled. He was genuinely impressed. He gave Harry a pat on his back and said, "Congratulations! You know at Durmstrang, ve learnt how to defend ourselves from dark curses. Trying to overcome the effect of the Imperius Curse is one of them. Not many manage to do it. All the students in my year failed to do it."
Harry cocked his eyebrows. "Including you?"
"I vas supposed to pass actually," said Viktor. "But Professor Karkaroff said it vas not enough. He told me I passed because the curse thrown at me vas not strong enough. He told me that in real life, they vill take over my mind very easily so he gives me a fail. He told me to continue practicing."
"I see."
Something all of a sudden stole his attention. Madame Maxime, together with her students, had just entered the Great Hall. Professor Karkaroff was with her. They were in the middle of a conversation when Madame Maxime noticed him.
Well, not only her. Fleur and her friends saw him as well.
Harry saw Fleur speaking to her headmistress. Madame Maxime could be seen nodding several times. He then saw Madame Maxime instructing her students to their seats.
Fleur gave Harry a look of concern before she and her friends departed for the Ravenclaw Table.
Both Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff walked up to him.
"You looked very pale, dear boy," said Madame Maxime the moment she arrived. "You looked unwell. You will want to 'ave someone checking on you. I suggest zhat you go to zhe 'ospital wing after you take your dinner. I shall 'ave a word with your headmaster to make sure zhat you receive treatment. Ah! Zhere 'e iz."
Harry turned to look at the High Table and indeed there he was. Albus Dumbledore had just entered the Great Hall through the door usually reserved for Hogwarts' staff. The headmaster paused as soon as he noticed Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff were standing close to Harry.
Madame Maxime turned briefly towards Harry. "Remember what I said, Monsieur Potter. I will keep a close watch on you right from zhis moment," she reminded him. Without waiting for a reply, she then set off towards the High Table.
Professor Karkaroff stared at the receding back of Madame Maxime with great amusement. "She hated the idea of you being taught by Mad-Eye," he said, smilingly. He then turned to Harry. "She probably vill try to get your teacher fired and have him removed from this school by tonight. Not that I'm complaining. You know I don't like that man but I agree that it is essential for you to learn that skill. It vill help you someday. You have become close to Viktor. Maybe Viktor could learn a thing or two from you. Viktor told me that he invited you to our ship. I give you my permission to come to visit at any time you vish."
"Thank you." That was all Harry could say.
Professor Karkaroff nodded and left for the Staff Table.
There was a momentary silence at the Gryffindor Table.
Viktor was the first to break the silence. "This Sunday," he announced. "Morning at ten after breakfast. Do you think you could come?"
"Yeah, I think I can make it. I don't have anything planned so far."
Viktor nodded satisfactorily. "You can invite your friends too, Harry. You vill have school vorks too, no? I don't vant to stretch you thin."
"I can make it work. My friends will love that. That's mighty thoughtful of you, Viktor. Thanks."
"You're velcome," came the reply. He then proceeded to pile food into his plate and began to eat.
"I suspect there are a few more details purposely left out of what was going on with you two today," Harry addressed Hermione and Ron this time. "Might as well spill it out."
"Like I said you didn't reappear for the whole afternoon, Harry," said Hermione. "We went back to the DADA class. We tried to get in but the door was still locked. We didn't know what to do. It was then we thought-"
"What?"
"She thought that you were hanging out with Viktor," interrupted Ron.
"No, I did not!" contested Hermione.
"Well you were the one who suggested that we knock on the Durmstrang's door," stated Ron. He then turned to Harry. "I told her to wait and give it some time. I told her that if you're still missing, we'll go straight to Dumbledore but she wouldn't listen. For some reason, she was strongly convinced that you're with Viktor Krum."
Harry turned towards Viktor. His eyebrows lifted.
The Durmstrang's Seeker just shrugged. He was munching on a chicken nugget. "It is true. Your friend here vas in bit of hysteria - I hoped I used the term correctly - vhen she came to our ship. She banged on our door, demanding that ve let her in. She vanted to barge into our ship looking for you. Your friend here however managed to restrain her."
Hermione's face reddened at this. "Well I-… she stuttered.
"Hermione, I only got permission from Professor Karkaroff like five minutes ago," Harry said in a very serious tone. "I definitely, positively did not hang out with Viktor in his ship this afternoon."
"Well, I-… where were you then?!"
"I already told you," said Harry calmly. He then leaned forward towards Hermione. "Look into my eyes, Hermione," he instructed her.
The girl did as told.
Harry looked deeply into her eyes. It was then he saw her pupils shifting abnormally. Her eyes also seemed to go out of focus from time to time. He then understood. Hermione was suffering from the after-effect of the Imperius Curse which rendered her temporarily unable to think normally. As an Auror, he recognized the symptoms. He had seen it many times before during his days as an Auror and Hermione definitely was not the only one suffering from it. The Imperious Curse not only placed the victim under the control of others but also addle the brain, causing delusions, distress, hallucinations, and in some extreme cases changed the victim's personality completely. It also could cause various mental disorders such as dementia and amnesia at a young age.
Well, they didn't teach you that in school, he thought savagely. His anger rose upon remembering what Barty did. He'll pay for what he did.
But for now…
Harry grabbed a nearby goblet and poured pumpkin juice into it. He then pushed the goblet into Hermione's hand. "Drink it," he told her. "Eat, Hermione. Once the dinner is over, I want you to go to bed early tonight. Ron and I will escort you to the Hospital Wing tomorrow morning."
But Hermione shook her head. "I can't. I got homework to do and pages to read."
Hermione is still Hermione it seems, he thought. Still, he needed to put his foot down when it came to her welfare.
"You'll do no such thing," said Harry firmly. "Our homework needs only to be sent early next week. I think you can afford to relax this one night."
"But-"
"No, but! You'll do as I say. I'm not accepting excuses, Hermione."
Hermione sighed. She looked down at her goblet. "This is a payback for blowing things out of proportion, isn't it?" she muttered. "I'm sorry."
But Harry waived off her apology. "There's no need for an apology, Hermione. Bart-… I mean what Moody did mess up your brain. You just need a good night's sleep, that is all. You were worried about me and I thank you for that. Anyway, tomorrow is Friday. You can use the weekend to do whatever it is you want to do, just not this night. Now drink the pumpkin juice and eat something before you go to bed. We'll see Madam Pomfrey early tomorrow morning before breakfast. Maybe she could give you something to calm your nerves a little bit."
Hermione had no choice but to oblige.
The rest of the dinner time that night went without a hitch. Ron gave him a rundown about the incident at the Hogwarts harbor where the Durmstrang ship made port.
"Madame Maxime came to us. She probably saw the commotion from her carriage. She looked livid at that time, you know. I thought she was angry with us but she wasn't. She was scary, mate. I never saw that level of anger from anyone before," said Ron. "Not even Snape. It's because of you, isn't it?"
"Why do you think it all has to do with me?" asked Harry.
Ron gave out a thoughtful look. "Because she asked us about you. She asked us what Moody did to you. Professor Karkaroff is right. Poor old Moody is going to get his arse whipped I can tell you that."
"Yeah," agreed Harry, thinking about the poor and innocent real Alastor Moody. He had a hunch that Dumbledore would urge the retired Auror to take over from Barty in teaching the DADA. There would be fewer problems if Moody agreed. However, given what happened, he silently hoped that Dumbledore would be able to protect the old ex-Auror from Madame Maxime. Dumbledore owed Moody that.
Speaking of which…
He turned to look at the High Table and saw Professor Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and Professor Karkaroff in serious discussion. He was indeed curious about the kind of explanation Dumbledore would give to the other headmasters. And he was curious to know if Dumbledore really gave Barty permission to teach the three Unforgiven Curses to the students. Knowing Dumbledore, he probably did.
Harry continued to observe the headmaster's conversation for the next few minutes. It seemed to him that Dumbledore managed to put things under control given the way Madame Maxime responded to him. Harry would not worry about Karkaroff. The Durmstrang's headmaster already made it clear that he had no problem with what the impostor taught. Chances were he would support Dumbledore. Still, it would be interesting to know what they were talking about. He made a mental note to ask Dumbledore when they meet later tonight.
He tore his eyes away from the headmasters and inevitably, it landed on Fleur. Their eyes met momentarily before the Delacour heiress returned to her food. He could see that she and the rest of the Beauxbaton students were having their dinner in a hurry. They probably did not want to be late for their night classes, he mused. But just as he was about to return to his own dinner, he noticed Cho Chang. The Ravenclaw's Seeker was glancing every now and then toward him and Fleur. There was something in the way she looked at him and Fleur. More like curiosity and maybe a little bit of jealousy.
Harry decided that he did not want to know so he returned to his dinner and ignored everything.
The Beauxbaton delegates left for their carriage Hall early that night. But before they disappeared behind the entrance into the Great Hall, once again Harry and Fleur's eyes met. She was getting up from her seat at that moment. She looked at him and – ignoring everyone else who was gawking at her - mouthed 'Be safe, please' at him before following her friends out of the hall. She gave him one last look before she disappeared into the Entrance Hall.
Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, and the Weasley twins congregated around him near the end of the dinner. They were concerned about him given the rumors that flew around that day.
"You sure you're alright?" asked Angelina gently. "We could postpone the meeting, Harry."
"Yeah I think that would be a good idea," supported Fred. "Let Harry have some rest tonight."
"Agree," nodded George. "You look a little bit peaky by the way, mate. We'll get you something once we're back in the tower."
Knowing the twins, Harry suspected that that 'something' would be a bottle of butterbeer or firewhisky. As much as he loved both drinks, he decided to have none that night.
"That's okay, George. I'm fine," he declined. "I think we should continue on with the meeting tonight. We need a consensus on how to go forward now that Oliver isn't able to join our rank. The sooner we decide everything the better."
"Are you sure, Harry?" asked Angelina.
Harry nodded. "More than sure." He looked around at his teammates. "Let's get to it."
"Alright."
Dinner time was finally over. Professor Dumbledore ushered all the remaining students out of the Great Hall. Harry joined the rest of the Gryffindorians on their way back to the Tower.
"You should go back to your dormitory, Hermione," said Harry the moment they were inside the Common Room. "Take some rest tonight."
"Can I just-"
"No, you can't!" said Harry firmly. "Go to your dorm Hermione, and stay there. If you try to sneak out, I'll find out. Goodnight."
Looking dejected, Hermione turned and left for her dormitory.
"You're a little bit harsh on her, Harry," commented Ron as he and Harry watched Hermione walking up the steps towards her dorm. "You know you could give her a little bit of slack."
Harry sighed. "I know, Ron," he said. "If you must know, Hermione is suffering from the side effect of an overpowered Imperious Curse. I just found that out during dinner tonight. I'm doing this for her safety. God knows what she'll do if nobody watches her."
Ron cocked his eyebrows. "How do you know this?"
"Well, I could explain to you in the simplest terms. Both of you went to the Durmstrang ship because she thought that I would be there, hanging out with Viktor. A normal Hermione definitely won't make such a baseless assumption," Harry explained. "Plus there are other symptoms that we could look out for. It's better this way, Ron. We'll take her to see Madam Pomfrey tomorrow."
"Why do I have the feeling that you knew more than you're willing to admit? Anyway, if her condition is really that bad perhaps we should bring her to the Hospital Wing tonight," suggested Ron. "Madame Maxime already told you to go to the Hospital Wing to have you checked, remember? We could bring her along."
Harry gritted his teeth. He knew Ron was right but given what he intended to do that night, bringing Hermione along would put a damper on everything. But at the same time, he could not bring himself to say no, especially when it comes to Hermione and Ron.
Harry sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll take her to see Madam Pomfrey later after the meeting's finished."
Ron nodded satisfactorily. "Alright then. I'll tag along. I'll help."
But Harry declined, much to Ron's disappointment. "I can handle her myself, Ron. Besides, we have classes tomorrow. I'm not sure what time I'll be back."
"Are you sure?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. It's best that you get an early shut-eye tonight. Get some rest. You had a hectic day today."
Ron was about to retort when George called out to Harry.
"Hey, Harry! Come on. The meeting is about to begin."
The rest of the team had already gathered at the farthest corner of the common room. Seamus, Lee Jordan, Dean, and many others joined in as well.
"Coming," replied Harry. He then gestured for Ron to follow him.
"So we already know that we lack a keeper for our upcoming match against the Durmstrang," said Angelina. "And our situation doesn't get any better with the arrival of Oliver's letter. We need to discuss our options and hopefully, we could come up with some sort of agreement before we turn in tonight."
"You're forgetting that we are also in dire need of a captain," reminded Fred.
"Yeah and that too."
"Choosing a captain is easy," Katie pointed out. "You acted as Oliver's deputy when he was still in Hogwarts. It's natural, isn't it? That you should be the one to replace him."
"I'm not sure I'm the perfect fit for the job. Besides, house captain selection is solely the head of the house's prerogative and Professor McGonagall hasn't said anything yet about Oliver's replacement," said Angelina. "I prefer to let her choose. Like always."
"That doesn't mean she won't accept the nomination," pointed out Alicia. "The only reason why we don't have a captain yet is because of the Triwizard Tournament. And as of now, you're the best candidate we have. You worked with Oliver before. Some of his skills rubbed off on you, plus we need someone who knows strategies."
"Guys, please-"
"I agree," said George, ignoring Angelina's plea. He stood and looked around at his teammates. "Angelina is our new captain. Let's agree on it."
Fred's hand shot up before Angelina could say anything. "Agree!"
"Fred!"
"We already made up our mind, Angelina. You're now our new captain," said Katie smirking. "There is no way you're getting out of this one."
Angelina pouted her lips. "Actually I can. Professor McGonagall still has a say on this, remember?"
"She will agree once she hears what we have to say, Angelina," said Katie, still smirking. "Anyway, why won't you want it? You have already done half the job of what Oliver did. You're talented as his assistant and you know how he works. Plus you'll get to enjoy all the privileges those prefects get."
Angelina was about to retort when Harry who initially contended to simply observe the proceeding interrupted.
"Katie and Alicia are right, Angelina," he said. "You're the best candidate for the job. We need someone who is as effective as Oliver and you being his prodigy means that you're the most suitable among us to take over from him. You're results-driven, you're energetic and you have the same determination as he is, maybe even more. We won the Quidditch Cup last year under his leadership. I'm confident that we can repeat the feat this year under your leadership. Just agree to it. We won't have anyone else to lead us but you."
"But Harry, we're going to face the Durmstrang and Viktor Krum," stated Angelina. "They got a World Cup player amongst them."
Harry stood up. Looking around at his teammates, he spoke, firmly, "I am the one who will face Viktor Krum. Remember that the rest of their team is just students like the rest of us. They can be beaten. We currently have the best package in years. We got the best Chasers." He gestured towards Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. "And we have the best Beaters," he continued, gesturing towards Fred and George.
"And don't forget that we have the best Seeker who never fails to catch a snitch," pointed out Fred.
"And he nearly beat Krum," added Lee Jordan.
Harry tilted his head. "Yeah, that too," he said, smirking. "So all we need now is a good keeper and a brilliant strategy. The Durmstrang will have weaknesses and we are going to exploit it to the fullest. They're not going to lay around and do nothing until the day of the match. They will train and we will observe and we will use what we learn against them."
"I don't think they will allow us to watch them training, Harry," said Seamus who until just now simply watched the proceeding. "They will want to keep it a secret."
"Ah but you forget that we already have talented secret breakers among us," said Harry. He then pointed towards Fred and George. "I'm sure they will do well."
Fred and George, upon realizing what Harry was insinuating, smiled widely.
"Just leave it to us, Harry," said George.
"We'll break into their secrets in no time," added Fred.
"But Harry, you know that they also going to spy on the Gryffindor," said Dean. "They're going to know our secret as well."
Harry paused, but moments later, he grinned widely. "Don't worry. I know a place where we can practice without anyone else watching."
They gawked at him.
"Really? Well where is it?" asked Seamus.
"You'll see. So here is what we're going to do. Once we solve the captain and keeper problem, we're going to set the date of the match with the Durmstrang. I prefer it to happen after the winter break. I know they haven't done anything yet but once they know when the match will happen, they will start training. The pitch probably will be out of bounds every time they train. Fred and George will spy on them. We saw how Viktor played in the World Cup but we know nothing about their teammates. That's where you two come in. This is important. Our strategy then will be heavily based on what you feed us," said Harry. "Just remember. They're all students like us. Viktor might have the upper hand but the rest of his team may not. I have a feeling that their pooled talents may be lopsided with it leaning heavily toward Viktor, just like the Bulgarian team. If what I suspected is true, we're going to have quite an advantage over them in the match."
"What about their brooms?" asked Ron. "We're going to be severely outmatched if all of them use Firebolt."
Harry gestured towards the Weasley twin. "That will be their job to find out. Remember that two years ago, the Slytherin team used Nimbus 2001 and yet we were the one who won the game. We even outpace them during the match. We can do it."
Everyone there murmured in agreement.
"I think we have found our new captain," Angelina who was watching Harry keenly suddenly spoke. For some reason, she was grinning madly.
"Of course we have," said Harry. "It's you. We already agree to it."
But Angelina shook her head. "Actually it's not going to be me. It's going to be you, Harry."
"What?!"
"Haven't you realized Harry, that you're already doing the captain's job for the past five minutes?" she asked. "And you were brilliant at it."
"Yeah," agreed George. "Come to think of it, you were acting like a captain for the past five minutes. You spoke like a captain. You give Fred and me instructions like a captain. You'll be the greatest dictator to ever live!"
"Come on guys! We already agree that Angelina is the new captain, not me," said Harry irritably.
"You set up the match. You came up with a brilliant plan. You told us and guided us on what to do. You motivated us when we were unsure of ourselves. You're just like Oliver," stated Angelina. "Those are the captain's job, Harry. You did it really well."
"But I know nothing about game strategies, Angelina," groaned Harry.
"I can help you with that," said Angelina. "Look Harry, I'm going to leave Hogwarts in less than a couple of years. Oliver held his spot for more than three years. You already know that he became captain in his fourth year. Now, you will be able to do the same. For once, it would be good to see another potentially brilliant captain holding his reign for an extended time. It will do a lot of good for the team."
Silence.
"You know, I miss Oliver," Katie spoke softly. "I miss him being the captain. But Angelina is right. You have potential, Harry. You have the same mindset as Oliver. He never knows when to quit. It looks to me that you also have it. I know you're going to be a brilliant captain just like him. I vote for you." She then looked around towards her teammates. "We all vote for you."
"Agree!" announced Fred and George in unison. "From this moment on, Harry's the new captain of our Quidditch Team! Hurray!" The rest of Harry's teammates and those around them including other Gryffindorians within the common room began to clap, cheering and celebrating the unexpected inauguration of the new Gryffindor Quidditch Team captain.
"Our dorm mate is the captain of the Quidditch team!" Seamus and Dean declared loudly. "Our dorm mate is the captain of the Quidditch team! How cool is that?!"
Ron and Neville meanwhile were grinning madly at Harry.
Harry meanwhile could only stand and watch as the event unfolded in front of him. That night really did not go the way he was expecting it to be.
"Well, this is unprecedented. So what now, captain?" asked Alicia, smirking at Harry.
Harry did not answer. Instead, he shook his head and sighed. He pinched his nose bridge and said, "Alright fine. I'll do it."
There was another thunderous applause and cheering.
Harry held up his hand. The noise immediately died down and everyone looked at him with utmost respect.
"There's one last issue we need to solve," he announced. "We need a keeper and a really good one. Given the amount of time we have until the day of the match, there is a possibility that we won't be able to train a new one. We need someone who's already well-trained. From there, all we need to do is sort out the coordination between us and make sure that the new keeper will be able to work seamlessly with us."
"You're talking about accepting the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's offer," stated Angelina a-matter-factly.
Harry nodded. "Yes. But we're not going to accept the offer just like that. We're going to have tryouts. We will grill them and we will grill the candidates hard. From there we'll choose. The one who loses, we'll place him as a reserve. Both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw House want their people to be part of the team to battle the Durmstrang. This way, we will be able to avoid disappointment and those tryouts will further legitimize our decision. They won't be able to complain."
Fred and George stared at Harry impressively.
"Brilliant plan, Harry," said George.
"We know we did the right thing by putting you in the captain's chair," said Fred.
Harry could only roll his eyes.
The time was 10.30 pm. The meeting was finally adjourned.
Angelina told him that she would put forward his name to Professor McGonagall early the next morning.
"I'm pretty sure Professor McGonagall will agree. It was a unanimous decision after all. You'll receive the captain's badge tomorrow, Harry," she said to him before she left for her dormitory.
Harry simply nodded.
"So Harry, what now?" asked Ron who was standing beside him. "Hey, since you're now the captain, do you think I could have a chance? You know I always play the keeper whenever we practice at the Burrow."
"Yeah sure," said Harry. "There will be tryouts for a permanent keeper. I'll keep you posted. Just remember to practice hard, Ron."
"Sweet," said Ron delightedly. "So you're going to the Hospital Wing?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Wait, hold on. Parvati?"
Parvati was on her way back to her dormitory which she shared with Hermione. "Yes, what is it, Captain?" she said, emphasizing the word 'captain'.
"I really wish you stop doing that," said Harry with no small amount of annoyance. "Can you get Hermione for me? Please?"
Parvati just smirked and gave him a captain salute. "Of course. Whatever you say, Captain."
She then set off towards her dormitory.
Harry just shook his head. "Damn this people," he muttered.
"Are you sure you don't want me to tag along, Harry?" asked Ron as they both waited for Hermione at the bottom of the spiral stairs.
"Yes I'm sure," confirmed Harry. "Like I told you, I don't know what time I'll be back."
"It'll be that long? Are you saying that you're really sick, Harry?" asked Ron, worriedly.
"No Ron, I'm fine," said Harry. "Look, I have an appointment with Dumbledore later tonight. He wanted to see me."
Ron cocked his eyebrows. "Dumbledore? For what?"
"Dunno," replied Harry simply. "I'll know when I meet him."
Ron nodded understandably.
"Harry!"
They both looked up, expecting to see Hermione. Instead, they saw Parvati standing at the top of the stairs.
"She's already asleep," she said. "Do you want me to wake her up?"
"No. That's okay," said Harry with no small amount of relief. "Let her sleep. Thank you, Parvati."
"You're welcome."
"Well, I guess I better get going," he said to Ron. But all of a sudden, he remembered something. "I need to get something first."
Together, he and Ron headed towards their dormitory.
Claps and cheers greeted them as they entered their dormitory. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were there too. Fred who was sitting on Neville's bed walked up to him and pushed a dusty bottle into his hand.
"As promise. Drink up, Harry," he said.
Harry stared at the dusty bottle. "Firewhisky?"
"Straight from Hogsheads. That's our last bottle," said Lee Jordan proudly. "But we figure that your need is more important than us."
"So for the good of mankind, we sacrificed," said George with mock patriotism.
"Hear! Hear!" said Fred.
Harry stared at them. He already knew how the twins managed to smuggle all the drinks and sweets into the castle. He though silently wondered if they knew that Professor Dumbledore's brother was the one who ran the out-of-the-way pub, the Hogshead.
"Guys, I'm not going to see Madam Pomfrey while being drunk," he said.
There was a momentary pause.
"You're going to see Madam Pomfrey?" asked Dean.
"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Neville.
"I'm fine, Neville. I'm just going to have a check-up, that's all. I can't drink this." He held up the firewhisky bottle.
"Well in that case," said George. He got up and grabbed the firewhisky bottle from Harry and handed him another bottle. "Butterbeer."
Harry looked at the bottle. It was indeed butterbeer. He smiled. "That's more like it," he said. He popped the cork open and drank it all up in one go while at the same time enjoying the warm sensation as the liquid flowed down his throat.
Another clapping and another cheering.
Seamus, who was eyeing the firewhisky held by George, looked at him impressively. "Woah! You're quite a drinker, Harry."
"Yeah," he said, handing over the now-empty bottle back to George. "Thanks. I got to go."
He opened up his trunk and took out the horcrux list and the folded black cloth containing the Ravenclaw's Diadem and the basilisk fang and placed the item inside his jacket. He had been keeping it locked inside his trunk since the early next morning after the event within the Room of Requirement.
"What are those?" asked Dean, curiously.
"Nothing," said Harry dismissively. "I'll see you guys later."
With that, he exited his dormitory.
The first half of the journey back to the Hospital Wing was uneventful but as he climbed the stairs that led to the upper corridor where the entrance to the Hospital Wing was located, he suddenly felt dizzy. The inside of his head felt like it was spinning. The corridor, the portraits, the wall. He saw them spinning around him faster and faster. The vertigo caught him all of a sudden and he ended up losing his balance.
It was a long way down the stairs.
To be continued…
A/n: I would like to thank everyone who responded to my author's note in the previous chapter. Yes if it comes to it, posting this story on a different website is a possibility. I prefer not to.
I already am using a DNS service in order to access this page. It is currently my lifeline here. I was hoping to continue posting on this website hence the importance of being able to circumnavigate the possible DNS/VPN ban. So if any of you guys have experience/knowledge in networking/IT, I would appreciate some help.
Anyway, there you go. This chapter is quite long. It'll make up for my absence last month. Or not. I'll try to post another chapter before the end of this month. I'll see you guys in a few weeks.