Hi everyone, I apologize for the wait. Life has been a little unexpected. I didn't realize how much of my time wedding planning would take but it's been enjoyable so far.

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I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ORIGINAL HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS

"You control your destiny. You don't need magic to do it." – Princess Merida Brave

Chapter 29

Second Task – Part 2

The Aftermath

Narcissa stood in front of both of her sons, concern written on her face as she looked between them. The small family was tucked away in one of the private rooms in the hospital wing after both Harry and Draco had been checked over by Madam Pomfrey.

"What was that blasted old fool thinking?! Aside from the fact you are already forced into this tournament as an underaged wizard, every single one of the four used as hostages were as well." Lord Malfoy complained, pacing around the room. He attempted to speak with Dumbledore, but the meddlesome headmaster had managed to avoid all of the school Governors that disapproved how the second task had been handled. The fact that the Beauxbaton champion had been injured on top of the fact she hadn't been able to rescue her sister, the task having fallen to Harry who had ended up with his own injuries, infuriated him. He wanted to bring the matter up with the other governors but since the Tournament was approved and back by the Ministry it wasn't a matter he would be able to push without help.

Harry glanced at Narcissa as she draped a blanket over his shoulders, having noticed the faint shivers. He had been forced to go through far more than he should have for a boy his age and she was determined to offer some kind of comfort. Draco absently leaned against his twin's shoulder, soaking up the comforting feeling of their mother's magic. Lucius glanced at his wife for a moment before grabbing his cane, slipping out of the room with the intention of tracking down his sons' godfathers, wanting to talk to the both of them about how exactly Dumbledore had managed to trap his heir under that lake.

Severus paced his office, furious at how carefree and overjoyed the headmaster had seemed with Harry once again gaining enough points to remain in first place in the tournament. The meddlesome old man didn't seem to notice just how much his reactions had been affecting the relations between the other two schools. A firm knock on the door pulled him from his musing, taking a half step towards it when the flames in his floo flared, signaling someone was attempting to speak with him. The potions professor glanced between the two of them, internally debating which to answers first. It wasn't hard to guess that it was the headmaster attempting to contact him through the floo since he was the only one that ever seemed to use the floo network in the castle at any given moment instead of setting up a meeting. The old fool always seemed to think about what he wanted or needed before any of the other issues the professors could be attempting to handle. Normally the only ones that came to his office were one of his Slytherins or a student taking his NEWT potions class.

"Lucius, what a surprise. I didn't expect you to leave either of your…sons sides any time soon." He commented in surprise as he opened the door. Lord Malfoy stepped inside without offering a response. He knew that Severus was still coming to terms with the fact that Harry wasn't the biological son of James Potter like he'd believed for the last several years as well as still trying to come to terms with what he had discovered over the Yule holiday.

"I was hoping you could help me answer a question that I still haven't found an answer for. How did Dumbledore place Draco under the lake? He knows not to go into the headmaster's office without you in attendance as his Head of house. And I would think you would watch over my heir as you did make the Godfather's Oath." Lucius finally questioned after several agonizing minutes of silence. Severus couldn't help shifting as he listened to his best friend, having been wondering about the same question himself. Any time previous that Draco had received a message from Dumbledore needing to speaking with the young Slytherin he'd always came straight to him. He just couldn't understand why this time would have been any different.

"Is Draco not saying what happened?" the potions' master questioned, once again glancing at the fireplace as the flames sputtered to life. Lucius followed his gaze, pulling his wand to erect a silencing barrier in the case Dumbledore decided he was tired of waiting for Severus to respond and trying to interrupt them further.

"Draco hasn't said much of anything since Madam Pomphrey checked both the boys over. He is tired and cold. We don't know how long he was under that charm or how long he was in the water. I feel the need to remind you that Draco has poor circulation and has an issue regulating his body heat. Its why warming charms were some of the first accidental magic he performed before getting his Hogwarts letter." Lucius exclaimed, a dry tone to his voice. After Harry's disappearance as a baby Narcissa and Lucius had always attempted to keep Draco under firm protection and the thought of those means not working in the castle, a place he was supposed to be safe in scared him. Especially after learning about the many adventures Harry had gotten into just in the three years both boys had been attending Hogwarts.

"I have half a mind to pull Draco from Hogwarts after this mess." Lucius continued, glaring at his best friend. While he knew in the back of his mind that Severus wasn't the one truly at fault, the worry for both of his sons clouded his better judgement. The potions master couldn't help shifting slightly at the anger that was being directed at him. His attention once again went to the floo when it flared for a fifth time, pulling his attention from the conversation.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake. Just answer it!" Lucius snapped, glaring at the flames.

"Severus, my boy, I was hoping I could speak with you about Harry. I have noticed the boy has been spending more time with your Slytherins in the library. I was thinking perhaps you could convince the students to allow Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley to study with them." Dumbledore questioned, instantly launching into his normal it's for the greater good speech. Lucius sat in one of the chairs with his arms crossed, his anger continuing to grow as he listed to the older wizard's plans to force his youngest back into attending Hogwarts and return to Gryffindor tower for his own safety. He still hadn't managed to figure out just how or who had entered Harry into the tournament, but it was obvious that it had been someone inside Hogwarts. His money was on someone that answered to Dumbledore since it had been an effective way to get Harry to return to the school after everyone had lost contact with him during the summer.

"Headmaster, I will not force any of the students of my house into interacting with others. And from what I've seen since returning from the holidays Mr. Longbottom and the Weasley twins have been spending more time around Mr. Potter. Now if you don't mind, I do need to return to an important potion. Good night." Severus stated before closing off the floo.

"So even though Harry has continued to voice his concerns against Dumbledore, the old fool still wants to try to force him back." Lucius stated, having gotten lost in his thoughts since he'd been left to his own accord.

"It would seem the headmaster is unaware that Mr. Potter has learned about his titles and his true heritage." Severus commented, sitting at his desk. He couldn't help but sigh as his gaze landed on the reports from Gringotts. It had been a huge shock to learn that his grandfather had left him the Prince title after his passing and an even bigger shock after learning that somehow Dumbledore had placed himself as proxy. He seemed to have his fingers in just about everything to do with the wizarding world, having just enough control to make sure everything always went his way.

"There's something else on your mind besides just how that task went today isn't there?" Lucius questioned. He could read the expression on his best friend's face, always having been able to see through his masks.

"I learned some things during my visit to Gringotts with Lord Slytherin that…leave me with a lot of questions. I think…it's why I missed the signs of water Dumbledore was planning for the second task. I let my own personal matters interfere with my duties to my students." The potions master finally whispered.

"You haven't really said much of anything about that trip. What did you find out?" Lucius questioned.

"More information to add to our growing list for once we decide to take him down." Severus dryly stated, leaning back with his arms crossed, "The old man has apparently been meddling in my life since I started at Hogwarts as a student. There are memories I'm still trying to sort through but apparently…I was close with James Potter and his group. I have memories of spending the holidays and summers with the Potter family after my first and second years before something happened. The boys found pictures from first and second year at Potter Manor." Lucius leaned back; shock evident on his face as his pureblood mask slipped. He hadn't gotten close to Severus until his fifth year, the younger male's fourth when he'd decided to help him with some of the other Slytherins in the house after they'd learned he was the son of a witch and a muggle. He hadn't paid much attention to what went on outside the house with the younger years since he'd spent more time learning from his own father and godfather on what was expected of him to take over the Malfoy title.

"And added bonus, Dumbledore kept the fact that my grandfather on my mother's side left me the Prince title and assets. He's been using my seat on the Wizengamot." Severus added.

"After the tournament is over, I'm planning on introducing everything we've learned so far to Amelia Bones and to the Governors. So, with any luck Dumbledore won't be headmaster for much longer." Lucius explained.

Harry was silent as he lay on his side, watching the stars as they twinkled in the night sky from his window. He could hear the sound of Sirius' snoring over the crackling of the fireplace in the room. His mind continued to repeat the events of the tournament, thinking about the fear that had coursed through how from start to finish.

After lying in his bed for several hours unable to simply fall asleep, he finally gave up deciding to read the defense book that Snape had given him for Christmas. The glow from the fire cast an orange light over the pages as he opened the book, looking at Snape's familiar handwriting. Since his visit with the Goblins and the charms and blocks that had been placed on him during the Yule Ball had been broken, he hadn't felt that familiar bit of rage when it came to thinking about his…godfather or the Malfoys.

"What are you doing up so late cub?" Remus' voice suddenly questioned him, startling him. Harry closed the book, watching as his honorary uncle stepped into the room, slipping his wand back into his pocket.

"I couldn't sleep. I guess I'm still thinking about the task. And worrying about Draco. He seemed pretty out of it when we left the hospital wing." Harry commented.

"I think all the students that had been involuntarily forced into participating in that stupid task were out of it. It wasn't something that any of them were prepared for. They didn't seem to be given time to prepare like the champions were." Remus explained, sitting in the chair that Harry had chosen to ignore. Harry couldn't help agreeing, remembering how traumatized Fleur's little sister had seemed until she'd been reunited with her parents.

"Try to get some sleep. You still have lessons tomorrow with Tonks." Remus suggested softly before leaving Harry with his thoughts. Harry offered him a small smile with the assurance he would head back to bed soon before he reopened his book, intending to finish the article he'd been reading. A loose page in the book caught his attention as he turned the page, causing a moment of confusion as he was sure he was always careful with the journal. He carefully pulled it out, recognizing the blank type of parchment instantly.

"The Marauders map? I don't understand. I returned this to Sirius before we came to Hogwarts so he wouldn't have much trouble getting around during the day." Harry whispered. The familiar parchment didn't have nearly as many lined creases as he remembered during the time he had it. It honestly didn't even look like it had been used nearly as much as he knew for certain it had.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He whispered, pointing his wand at the parchment. As the ink spread over the paper another detail caught his attention. Alongside the four familiar names of Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs, two other names stood out. Nightwing and Fox. After seeing the photo album in Potter Manor, it wasn't difficult for him to guess those were the names Snape and Regulus used in the group, but it did cause him further questions. Sirius had said that they'd created the map during their fourth year but neither wizard had been seen with the Marauders after their 3rd year.

"Everything seems like such a mess." Harry whispered as he opened the map. The ink on the page didn't seem nearly as worn and faded as the one Sirius had. He found himself searching for Draco's name in the Slytherin Common room. His twin seemed to be sleeping in one of the dorms with Blaise and Theo, which gave him a small amount of comfort. He couldn't help searching the map for Daphne's name after a moment before moving onto Fred, George and Neville. Seeing the proof that the ones closest to him were safe in their dorms seemed to ease the unsetting worry that had been keeping him awake.

The following morning Sirius knocked on the door to Harry's room, poking his head in after a moment of not receiving any type of response. Harry was lying on the ground in front of the fire that died down to just crackling embers in the fireplace, the defense journal and map lying abandoned on the ground next to him. Sirius couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped as he walked further into the room. His gaze fell on the abandoned map that was still open to show the familiar grounds of Hogwarts. The older wizard bent down to pick it up, confusion evident on his face as he turned the parchment over in his hand to look at the back. He knew his copy of the map was safely stored in his trunk and as far as he knew James' copy was still at Godric's Hallow. Remus rarely ever used his, so it was still in one of their old school trunks and while Wormtail had managed to misplace or lose his, something in the back of his mind told him this wasn't the traitor's.

Unknown to anyone but the original creators, each of the Marauders had hidden their codenames on the back of the parchment so it would be easier to know which copy belonged to who. It was charmed to recognize a Marauders' magical signature but no one else.

"Nightwing." He whispered, trying to rack his brain for any memory of that name.

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You can also join a discord server that is easier to reach me that both readers and writers alike are welcome to join. C8zrjDCtRa or click the link on my linktree / StarStruckPanda

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Until next chapter,

Snowbeam12