Chapter 967 - Ch: 22-24

Chapter 22: The Evening Edition.

Rita Skeeter had sent an advance copy of her article for the evening edition of the Prophet to the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

That was why Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore found themselves in a meeting with Lucius Malfoy and the other eleven Governors.

Lucius Malfoy was enjoying himself. Any chance to make Dumbledore and one of his supporters suffer was to be exploited in his book.

When they were all seated around the conference table, Dumbledore spoke up, "Now that we are all comfortable, why don't you tell us why you called this meeting?"

'He doesn't know, oh how I'm going to enjoy this' Lucius thought to himself gleefully. His aristocratic drawl was crisp, his annunciation perfect, as he said, "We are here to discuss why you two deliberately endangered one of your students against her parent's wishes."

Lucius found the whole situation the height of irony. Here he was defending the rights of a Mudblood to a man that most would consider a champion of. He knew better though, Dumbledore talked about equality but he never did anything to advance the cause. Normally, Lucius wouldn't lower himself to care about muggles and mudbloods. However, this situation was too good to pass up. It would make him look like a caring member of society while making two of his least favorite people look cold and uncaring.

With a small smile gracing his face, he pulled out two copies of Skeeter's article and slid them across the table while saying, "Perhaps you two should read this, and then we can discuss why you felt it was in a student's best interest to put her in mortal peril."

Minerva was about to retort, but Dumbledore forestalled her with a raised palm and a nod to the article. Inwardly, he was seething. He had not predicted any type of response from the purebloods. Muggle-borns were usually beneath their notice.

With a start, Dumbledore realized that he was holding an advance release of Rita Skeeter's article for the evening paper. Staring back up at him was a picture of Harry Potter snapping at him angrily before diving into the lake. 'Oh, this is not going to be good.' he thought to himself as he read the headline, 'Headmaster endangers top student's life!'

After finishing the article, Dumbledore had to admit that it was a brilliant piece of journalism. Not once did it mention Ms. Granger's name or blood status, which was probably why Lucius Malfoy had been so willing to jump at the chance to censure him and Professor McGonagall.

The article went on to paint a picture of a bright, vivacious, student that trusted the Headmaster and how he had betrayed her trust, and the explicit written directions of her parents, by using her in the second task. The caption just below another photo, a picture of Hermione Granger, read, Betrayal in the dead of night!' It was a picture of her all dressed to the nines for the Yule Ball, looking the part of a perfect pureblood princess.

To make matters worse, Skeeter made it appear it was Dumbledore's fault that Harry Potter had become a murderer at the age of fourteen. She pointed out that it was Dumbledore's Age Line that the boy had gotten past to enter his name in the Cup.

By comparison, Professor McGonagall got off light. She had been called to the mat for not protecting her student's best interests. There was even a direct quote paraphrased from Minerva herself that was damaging. There really was no getting around the fact that they had taken Miss Granger in the dead of night while she was sleeping, never giving her the chance to say, 'no.'

When Albus looked over at Minerva, he was surprised to find tears in her eyes. Concerned, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Her Scottish brogue was thick with distress and her voice full of self-loathing when she spoke, "No, I'm not, Albus." McGonagall turned to face the Governors and said, "I am ashamed of my actions and have nothing to say in my defense. I will comply with whatever decision the Board renders." Rising from her chair, Minerva said, "Please excuse me, I need a moment alone. I will wait outside until you send for me."

Albus watched Professor McGonagall leave the room, her posture stooped in defeat. He sighed in resignation and turned to face Lucius and the rest of the Board. His goal shifted to keeping his position as headmaster.

"You have gone too far this time, Dumbledore." Lucius drawled.

"You deliberately endangered that young witch's life by placing her in the lake against her parent's wishes."

When Dumbledore just sat there looking at him, Lucius snapped, "Don't you have anything to say with regard to your despicable actions?"

Dumbledore continued to gaze at the other members of the board, skimming their surface thoughts with practiced ease. It always amazed him how few wizards and witches guarded their minds, or even knew how.

He had gathered enough information from the board members to piece together that they didn't know that Miss Granger was the student in question. It seemed that Lucius had kept that information to himself. It was time to out that little secret. In a voice that sounded like he could have been chatting about the weather, Dumbledore said, "You must be referring to our muggle-born student, Miss Granger. When she is here at Hogwarts, I am her legal guardian. As such, Professor McGonagall and I did nothing wrong."

One of the other members present spoke up, "What about the fact that her parents wrote a letter stating that she was not to participate in the second task?"

Albus folded his hands on top of the table, giving off the appearance of being deep in thought. In reality, he was skimming their thoughts again, looking for how they felt about the issue. A majority of the members were surprised, and disgusted, that they were defending a Mudblood. There were a couple that truly cared but they were in the minority.

With enough information to proceed, Dumbledore said in his best Wizengamot voice, "Thank you all for your concern regarding Miss Granger's safety. I can assure you that at no time was she in danger. Now, is there anything else for us to discuss? Perhaps we could re-open the issue of increasing the budget for enrolling muggle-borns?" He knew that nothing would make the Board of Governors flee faster than asking for more money to help muggle-born students enroll.

After a few moments of discussion, the members of the board began filing from the room. A few nodded to Dumbledore as they exited while the majority left without so much as a backwards glance.

Minerva McGonagall was sitting on one of the benches outside of the meeting room, waiting to be summoned to face her fate. She was surprised when the school governors began filing out of the room, completely ignoring her presence. Confused, she stood up and walked back into the conference room.

Looking around, she saw Dumbledore sitting serenely in a chair, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Albus?" she asked.

Dumbledore looked up from his ruminations at his Deputy Headmistress; he had completely put her out of his mind during the later part of the meeting. It took him a moment to realize that she wanted an explanation. His voice was back to that kind, grandfatherly, tone that everyone associated with him when he spoke, "Everything has been settled, Minerva. You may return to your duties." He patted her on the shoulder before heading off for the Great Hall to catch the end of dinner.

Lost in her thoughts, Minerva turned and headed off towards her quarters. She needed some additional time to reevaluate her views on many different things in the Wizarding World.

Harry and Hermione were about halfway through the article when they found the part re-hashing Harry's killing of the merman.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Harry finished reading the article. Overall, the article really stuck it to Dumbledore and that pleased him. It was nice to see the headmaster take some grief for a while. Especially after Dumbledore had brought to light the details of the second task to Rita Skeeter, which resulted in the front-page article in the morning paper.

Hermione was having similar thoughts to Harry with one exception. She realized that Rita Skeeter must not know that Dumbledore was her source. If she knew, she probably wouldn't go after him in the press as she was currently. She was about to tell Harry her thoughts on the subject when he pushed her roughly to the ground from her seat on the bench.

Just as she was about to snap at him for pushing her, a spell impacted right where she had been sitting. Quickly she rolled to her feet, drew her wand, and turned to face her attackers.

Harry had just stretched his magical senses out when he felt the spell coming their way. He realized that it would hit Hermione so he quickly pushed her out of harms way and spun around, wand already in hand, to face the cowards.

Students were scrambling away in their haste to get out of the line of fire. The ones already at a safe distance stood there, entranced; as they watched the events unfold in front of them.

"We know you attacked Professor Snape, Potter! Now you are going to pay." A stocky boy yelled from the Slytherin table as he brought his wand up for a second spell.

Harry thought that the boy's name was Montague or something. He recognized him from the Quidditch Pitch but that was all he really knew about the boy. His voice was low, almost menacing, as he calmly replied, "Put your wand away if you know what's good for you and tell me what you are going on about."

Hermione felt the shift in Harry's emotions as he calmed his mind. It was the second shift that she felt that sent shivers down her spine. It was a cool, calculating, anger. The type that meant nothing good would happen to the next person that provoked him. 'Is this what he felt in the lake or is this something else.' She thought to herself.

Deciding to see if she could diffuse the situation, Hermione said in a placating voice, "We were in a meeting with Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore this morning. Then we spent the afternoon out on the grounds."

Montague snapped, "Shut your mouth, you filthy little Mud…"

Harry's cold voice cut across Montague's, "Finish that sentence and you are going to regret it. I never want to hear that word again."

Power was beginning to radiate from Harry. The promise of violence was palpable in the air.

Hermione shifted to the side to give herself a different angle should things get messy.

The students around, and in between, Harry and Montague began backing away even quicker. Most of them didn't want to be anywhere near them when spells were exchanged.

Neville and Ginny had pulled their wands in support of Harry and Hermione. They didn't know that many spells but to do anything less just felt wrong to them.

Dumbledore strode into the Great Hall just in time to hear Harry practically hiss at Montague. He could feel the power swirling around the boy from fifteen feet away. It wasn't the same feeling that he got whenever he was around accidental magic. This maelstrom from Harry was like a caged beast waiting to be unleashed upon some poor soul.

Not wanting things to degenerate any further, Dumbledore shouted, "Enough! What is the meaning of this?" Several people began trying to speak at once so everything was jumbled. He was still able to piece together enough to get the basics. The rest of the information he lifted from some of the student's minds. He stayed well away from Harry and Hermione's thoughts. He wasn't sure how proficient they were in Occlumency, so he took no chances.

Holding up his hands for silence, Dumbledore said authoritatively, "Mr. Montague, that will be fifty points from Slytherin and two weeks detention with Mr. Filch for your unprovoked attack on a student. Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, please follow me." He led them into the antechamber just off the Great Hall where Harry was informed that he would have to participate in the tournament.

The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had wisely stayed silent, and apart, during the whole ordeal. A few of them marveled at the display of power from Harry Potter. 'Perhaps,' they thought, 'there was a good reason why he was a champion after all.'

Krum seemed to like Harry Potter and as far as the students from Durmstrang were concerned, that was enough for them to reserve judgment until they knew him better.

Fleur's first reaction to Harry Potter being in the tournament was disdain and that tainted some of her classmate's views towards him. Now that two tasks had gone by, and he was leading in points over Fleur, many of the Beauxbatons students had mixed feelings towards him. They all noticed that he was mainly friends with a very small group of people and somewhat shy. In short, the majority of the Beauxbatons students were now taking a very French attitude towards Harry Potter, Laissez-Faire.

Ron Weasley had watched the entire confrontation with a sense of longing. He noticed how his sister and Neville had drawn their wands in support of Harry and Hermione. 'Perhaps,' he thought longingly, 'I should make an effort to talk to them soon.' He really did miss them for the most part. Seamus and Dean were nice enough blokes, but pretty boring. Ron missed that sense of adventure that came with being friends with The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Professor Moody had watched the entire conflict with a different agenda than most. He was very interested in how Potter reacted to being attacked. It was a pity; Dumbledore had stepped in before the spells started flying fast and furious. He knew that the boy was powerful; he had been the only one to throw off the Imperious Curse in the entire school. The question that he wanted answered was how would Potter react to being attacked by multiple people? He already knew what happened when Miss Granger was threatened. Rita Skeeter saw to that tidbit of information.

Taking a swig from his hip flask, Moody stumped back up to his office to update his dossiers on a few people based upon this little altercation. 'One can never have too much information about how someone reacts in a given situation.' he thought to himself as he limped down the corridor. An owl would leave his quarters in half an hour, heading to parts, and parties, unknown.

While all of the commotion was taking place in the Hogwarts Great Hall, a different type of event was taking place back at Grimmauld Place.

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were arguing while the portrait of Phinneas Nigellus looked on in amusement.

"What were you thinking, Sirius? We could have talked to him about it. Instead, you landed him in the Hospital Wing. He could have died!" Remus said in exasperation.

Sirius sat there gazing at his best friend. He loved Remus like a brother, but sometimes he was too passive for his own good. Some people only understood one thing, power. Severus Snape was one of those people and he had just been delivered a very clear message. Mess with Harry Potter again and it would not be a set of steps and a trip to the Hospital Wing, it would be an unmarked grave.

The information that Phinneas had delivered to the Head of the Family had sent him into a towering rage. Sirius had wanted to storm up to the castle and simply kill Snivelous for his treatment of Harry. Phinneas had convinced him to send a warning message first.

Sirius had worn his finest robes. Ones he knew that Snape would recognize. They were the Head of Family set, something that Snape would know from his Death Eater cronies. Lucius Malfoy wore his often enough that there was no way for Snape to mistake them for anything else. Regulus had worn a similar set of robes and he knew Snape had seen the Black Family trim while they were in Slytherin House together during their Hogwarts days.

Breaking from his reverie, Sirius finally spoke up, his voice was surprisingly calm despite the heated topic, "Remus, you know what Snape is like. Talking to him is like banging your head against a cauldron. He was a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake! Do you honestly believe that I could have reasoned with him? He still hates me and tried to have me kissed by a Dementor in case you forgot."

Remus was frustrated. He wanted to protect Harry as well. He just didn't think that it was time to take such drastic measures. Years of suppressing the wolf inside of him had taken a different type of toll on him beyond the physical. By denying the wolf, he had altered his personality into something it should not have been. A docile shadow of a man, instead of the dominant alpha male, was what had emerged. He just didn't know if he could bring himself to embrace what he was and become what he should.

Defeated, Remus whispered, "You're right, Sirius. Snape wouldn't listen to reason. I think that it is time that we start taking a more active role in protecting Harry from now on. Consider this the beginning of a new era. Deal?"

Sirius was shocked. He did not think that he would live to see the day when Remus tried to change his personality. Automatically, he stuck out his hand to shake on it and said, "Agreed. We do everything that we can to protect Harry, even if it means being more proactive."

Phinneas had watched the entire exchange with interest. He didn't like what Dumbledore was doing to one of the members of his family, no matter how distant. While he owed allegiance to the school, he felt that his first duty was to his family. With so few decent members left alive, Phinneas felt it was even more important to keep a watch over them if he could. That was why he had informed Sirius of what was happening with Harry Potter and why he had directed the portraits away from the stairwell where Snape was given his message.

Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione were seated in the antechamber off the Great Hall.

The feelings of anger were still palpable around Harry. He was desperately trying to clear his mind. It would not help matters if he were too angry to think clearly.

Hermione was pushing her feelings of calm and love through the bond in an effort to help Harry calm down. She was grateful that he had pushed her out of harms way. Silently, she reached over and clasped his hand under the table in a show of support.

Harry felt Hermione's calming influence through the bond and that was helping him immensely. When she clasped his hand in hers, a feeling of serenity washed over him and his mind cleared instantly. The physical touch of her soft hand was acting like a barrier against his anger. It was hard to feel angry when she touched him and he was thankful. Turning his attention outward, he focused on the Headmaster sitting across from him.

Dumbledore had watched the storm raging in Mr. Potter's eyes and he was wondering if he could use that to his advantage. He was a little shocked to see it vanish completely in a matter of seconds. The boy must be much better at Occlumency than he originally figured.

His gaze was so focused on Harry that he didn't notice Hermione reaching over and clasping hands with Harry under the table or he might have started to put together the true extent of their relationship.

After a few moments, Dumbledore finally spoke in his kind voice, "Mr. Potter, why did you threaten Mr. Montague? You could have reported him to a professor instead."

A flash of irritation swept through Harry at Dumbledore's question. 'Was he that far out of touch with reality or was this all part of his secret agenda?' he thought to himself before he replied, "He did fire a spell at Hermione's back, sir. He was also about to call her, I'm not going to use that word, something nasty. Why should I stand for it?"

Albus fixed Harry with a penetrating stare. It was sorely tempting to test the boys Occlumency Shields but he knew that would further damage their relationship. Instead, he said calmly, "It is imperative that you forgive others for their transgressions, lest you risk becoming like them."

'That's it, he's barking mad.' both teens thought simultaneously.

Harry's voice was like ice, but it was in that low, melodic, tone when he spoke, "Why? Do you honestly think that they are feeling guilty about what they did? I have yet to receive one apology for the buttons, lies, and the attack on my person."

Hermione was furiously trying to figure out what Dumbledore's agenda was. 'Why does he want Harry to constantly forgive everyone for everything that they do to him? It's like he wants him to keep turning the other cheek in sacrifice.' she mused. Suddenly, she had a very disturbing thought, one that chilled her to the bone far worse than the coldest of winter winds. 'Dumbledore wants a martyr and he is trying to mold Harry into one. Was that the reasons behind everything in his life so far?'

Harry felt the flash of panic flit through their bond. Hermione had just had a serious revelation and he knew it wasn't good.

Dumbledore was framing his reply. He knew he had to be careful. They were on a precipice and he needed to make sure that Harry continued to develop according to his plans. Very calmly, he said, "Their guilt or remorse isn't the issue, Mr. Potter. A good person will always strive to see the best in others and I know that you are a good person. Don't let your anger cloud your emotions and you will see that it is always best to give others another chance."

Hermione was silently fuming in anger as she thought, 'That manipulative, clever, man.' It was subtle, but Dumbledore was trying to guilt Harry into doing what he wanted. She wasn't about to let that happen, so she finally spoke up, "Sir, what about justice? How can someone deserve forgiveness if they haven't repented their actions?" 'Take that!', she thought viciously, pleased with herself that she was either going to force him to admit what he was trying to do or end the meeting to avoid the question.

Realizing that he had been cornered, Dumbledore wisely retreated and tried a slightly different angle, "It is always best if they repent, Miss Granger. However, some people won't repent without forgiveness."

Harry was watching the verbal tennis match with interest. Hermione was trying to prove a point and Dumbledore had just changed tact slightly, he was sure it was very important. Now he just had to figure out why without being able to talk to her.

Hermione understood that Dumbledore was not going to budge in his reasoning. Knowing that this was a lost cause, she said, "I understand. Is there anything else, sir?"

Dumbledore was trying to figure out if Miss Granger had acquiesced or if she truly agreed with his point of view. Mr. Potter had not so much as moved a muscle since they started talking and that surprised him. He thought for sure that Harry would have interjected his views into the conversation at some point. Testing the waters, he said, "Do you agree, Mr. Potter?"

Knowing that Hermione had somehow thrown Professor Dumbledore off for a moment, he readily agreed, "Yes, sir."

Beaming at his two students in relief, Dumbledore said, "Good, good. Now run along and grab some desert."

Albus watched as the two Gryffindors got up and left the room together. His was going over the entire conversation in his thoughts, trying to see if he had missed something. Deciding that he hadn't, Dumbledore got up and headed into the Great Hall for a spot of tea and a few sweets.

He never realized that Hermione had caught on to his scheme and that Harry had trusted her blindly and followed her lead.

Neither teen noticed that Dumbledore didn't deny that Harry had attacked Professor Snape. They were too focused on the hidden meanings behind what he was saying and it had slipped their minds.

Later that evening an owl would deliver Moody's missive to a large, dilapidated, manor house near a graveyard. Its contents would make their recipient very happy.

Chapter 23: The calm before the storm.

The two Gryffindors were making their way back to their house table, ignoring the muttering and stares from their classmates. They knew that appearances were very important to keep, so they sat back down in the same seats as before, acting as if nothing had happened.

When the rest of the students realized that nothing else was going to happen, they began turning their attention back to their own meals and conversations. There were a couple of students that didn't take their eyes off the two Gryffindors right away. They were busy trying to sort their thoughts on what they had just witnessed.

Draco Malfoy had been quietly observing his handiwork. He had been the one that had begun the rumor that Potter had attacked Professor Snape. His goal had been revenge for his stint in the Hospital Wing courtesy of Potter. He never saw his attacker, but he knew that it was the Gryffindor Golden Boy. Turning Slytherin House against Potter was something that would keep his hands clean while providing him with entertainment and keeping him away from him and his Mudblood whore.

Another figure sat alone at the end of a house table, watching everything. No one ever sat with her, or even talked to her unless they had to. Her isolation allowed her time to think about events more than your average teenager did. As a result, she knew much of what went on, in, and around Hogwarts. She knew that events were coming to a head around the school and that Harry Potter and Headmaster Dumbledore seemed to be at the center of most of them.

The winds of change were beginning to blow. Now she just had to decide where her loyalties were going to lie.

Harry and Hermione settled into the Room of Requirement thirty minutes after they finished dessert. They wanted to discuss the meeting that they just had with Dumbledore.

The room looked just like the library at Hermione's house and Harry couldn't figure out why the room had morphed into this particular replica. He supposed that it was because it was the first place that he felt safe in since the tournament started. He hoped that one day he would have a home where he would feel safe and loved. 'As long as Hermione is with me I would be happy,' he thought wistfully while he looked around the room.

Hermione guided Harry over to the love seat that they had fallen asleep on while visiting her parents. She sat him down and then proceeded to lay down with her head in his lap so she could gaze up at him.

Harry began absent-mindedly playing with her hair when she lay her head down in his lap. He found it very calming to run his fingers through her hair. He noticed that it had grown quite long during the school year and he really liked it that way. It had lost a large portion of its bushiness with the added length and weight.

He spoke in a whisper using his regular voice, not the one carefully modulated from Occlumency, and he lovingly said, "I love your hair longer. It makes you even more beautiful."

Hermione looked up into the eyes of the man that she loved, "Thank you. You're actually one of the first ones to say anything about my longer hair. Ginny noticed it when we were getting ready for the Yule Ball but I think that it's gotten a touch longer since then." She had pulled a few strands in front of her face to examine them idly while she spoke.

Harry was mesmerized. Hermione's hair had fanned out around her head and across his lap when she pulled a few strands loose. It made her look like her head was wreathed with a caramel colored halo. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and said, "I love you. Now, what were you going to tell me before all of this mess started?"

Hermione's insides were dancing in pleasure. She so rarely heard his real voice that she had almost forgotten how much she loved its timbre. It was at that stage between a boy and a man where it was starting to deepen into what it would become one day.

Resignedly, she ended her ruminations and returned to the task at hand, "Professor Dumbledore is Rita Skeeters anonymous source. It's the only thing that makes any sense and she must not know whom it is either. Otherwise, I don't think that she would be going after him so vigorously in the paper."

Harry had begun to seethe, his anger a slow boil, as he thought about the ramifications of Hermione's statement. His voice held a hint of regret as he spoke, "I had been hoping that Dumbledore wasn't as manipulative as we thought he was. I fear that he may actually be even worse. Has any of my life actually been free from his influence?"

Hermione's reply was just a whisper, "I wish that I knew. The worst part is that I think that he wants you to sacrifice yourself for some reason." She broke down into sobs at the thought of Harry dying for some cause where only Dumbledore knew the complete details.

His voice was laced with concern as he spoke softly to her, "Shhh. It's okay. I'm not planning to throw my life away for some cause that only Dumbledore seems to believe in. Especially since he hasn't seen fit to tell me what it is I'm supposed to become a martyr for."

After a few minutes, Harry snuggled down on the sofa and Hermione draped herself across his chest, her fingers idly stroking his shoulder as she lay listening to his heartbeat. It was a reassuring sound and she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Neither teen knew what time it was, just that it was way past curfew. They day had been a very draining one for them, physically and emotionally. Harry pulled her tighter to his chest, kissed the crown of her head, and whispered, "I love you."

Hermione was halfway between sleep and wakefulness; her response to Harry's declaration was to grip his body tighter as she wriggled into a more comfortable position.

He didn't know how long he lay there, holding her in his arms, before he drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, he was pleasantly surprised to find that she had not moved at all. Her hair had come free from its plait and fanned out over her back and his arm. It was little moments like these that Harry cherished the most. They were so pure, almost innocent, that he felt like crying and he didn't know why.

What he did know was that if it weren't for her, he would have succumbed to the darkness inside of him. Harry wasn't sure if it was his own darkness or something from his connection with Voldemort. She kept him grounded in the here and now and that was a good thing. Lately, he had been getting flashes of anger from Voldemort and it had been affecting his moods, pushing his budding skills in Occlumency to their limits.

Harry knew he was no light wizard. He was more of a shade of dark grey. The tournament and Albus Dumbledore had seen to that. 'How ironic, Dumbledore wants a passive martyr but he's going to get a lion amongst the sheep,' he chuckled quietly to himself as he thought, 'well, some sort of big snake actually.'

Looking down at the beautiful young woman sleeping on his chest, Harry reached up and stroked a few loose strands away so he could see her face clearly. He knew that she had trouble sleeping in the tower since the second task but she didn't want to admit it. It was times like these that Harry wished that he could take all of her burdens away. She deserved to be free of their oppressiveness. Unfortunately, only time, or leaving Hogwarts, would solve the problem.

Morning dawned and they awoke to the smells of breakfast on a table set for two. When they were almost done with their food, Winky popped in to check up on them and to deliver fresh clothes.

"Here are some fresh clothes and a new vest and cloak for each of you." Winky said proudly.

Confused, Harry said, "Thank you, Winky. Why do we need to wear a vest?"

Winky's voice held a hint of laughter as she said, "It is a dragon hide vest to help protect you. Just wear it under your robes. The pants, boots, and gloves are not finished yet. When they are ready, I will deliver them to you."

While holding up the vest, Harry said curiously, "Winky, did you make this? It's really impressive."

The tiny elf blushed at the praise before replying, "I did. Please wear them every day for your safety. Before I go, here is the dragon's tooth and tail spike that you requested. Have a good day and please call if you need anything." Winky bowed low before popping away, leaving behind a pair of semi shocked teens.

"Wow, she really sounds different doesn't she?" Hermione said in awe. "It's like they are completely different people."

Harry was still staring at the tooth and spike when he replied distractedly, "Yes, she does sound different." He was turning the tooth over in his hands, looking for any cracks. Finding none, he slipped the tooth into his robe pocket and began examining the spike for imperfections.

Hermione was curious about the tooth and tail spike that Harry requested, "What are you going to do with those, Harry?"

"Hmm." he replied distractedly. Realizing that she was asking about the tooth and spike, he answered, "Oh, I'm going to make them into knives of some sort. As I have discovered, wounds from a magical creature are very difficult to heal and they take a very skilled healer to fix them properly."

She didn't really know how to reply to that so she chose to stay quiet. Hermione had noticed that Harry went everywhere with his potions knife strapped into his robes in addition to his wand. Quietly, she asked him, "Do you think that I should start carrying my knife around too?"

Part of him wanted to say no, she didn't need that extra burden. In reality, he knew that the better defended she was, the likelier that she was to come out of a situation alive. He gazed directly into her eyes as he spoke in a voice full of resignation, "Yes, I do. You have already been targeted twice this year."

She reached a hand up to her neck, her fingers tracing the contours of her throat in a reassuring gesture. She understood what he meant so she replied earnestly, "I will carry my knife on my person at all times from now on."

They sat in companionable silence for a while longer, both of them enjoying the quiet before they returned to the hustle and bustle of Hogwarts.

Severus Snape was in pain and he didn't know how he ended up in the Hospital Wing. The last thing he could remember was walking down towards his office when something smashed into the back of his skull. There was another tiny detail flitting at the edges of his awareness but he knew it would come with time.

With a groan, he tried to sit up but found that the world spun with the effort. Slumping back down into the soft hospital bed, he called out, "Poppy?"

A few seconds later, the matron came bustling up to his bedside with her wand in her hand. Relieved to see him awake, she said concernedly, "You gave us quite the scare, Severus. Do you remember anything about the attack?"

That seemed to jog his memory. He experienced a brief flashback as a memory returned, triggered by Poppy's question. He remembered a boot sailing straight for his face that appeared to be wreathed in a black cloak with green trim. Hesitantly, he said, "I do."

After a few moments of silence, Madam Pomfrey couldn't take it any longer and asked, "Well?"

Severus gazed back at her, his face an expressionless mask, but he refused to speak any further on the subject.

"Fine, be that way." she huffed in annoyance, "I'll fetch Professor Dumbledore. He wanted to be informed when you awoke." She stepped over to her office and sent the portrait off to tell Albus that his tight-lipped Potion's Master was awake.

Ten minutes later, Dumbledore strode into the Hospital Wing and headed straight towards Snape's bed. Without any preamble, he asked, "What do you remember?"

Snape took a moment to reflect on the situation. He was sure that the attack was a message to him about his treatment of Harry Potter. His voice had resumed its low, silky, tone when he replied, "I was attacked as a warning. I could have just as easily been killed; instead, I was put into the hospital." Seeing the look on Dumbledore's face, he quickly added, "It was not a student, headmaster."

Albus was relieved that it wasn't a student that had attacked Severus. However, he was worried that an adult had gotten into the castle with the intent purpose to cause serious injury to a member of the staff. In his grandfatherly voice, he said, "Is there anything else you would like to tell me about the incident?"

Severus almost snorted in laughter at Dumbledore's obvious attempt to wheedle more information from him. His voice flat, he said, "No, sir."

With a sigh, Dumbledore said, "If you think of anything else, please let me know." before turning and walking out of the room.

Angrily, Severus thought, 'Oh, I know that Black attacked me. I'll have my revenge against him and Potter. The boy obviously tattled about the treatment he received at my hand.'

Over the next couple of weeks, the rumors finally began to die down about Harry Potter attacking Professor Snape. Unfortunately, those two weeks were two of the longest that Harry had ever experienced while at Hogwarts. He was constantly on edge when around the Slytherin students and in Snape's class.

Professor Snape had found some way to give Harry zero marks each day in class. Blatant sabotage of potions and vanishing the contents of his cauldron were the two most common methods of payback. His plan was to fail the boy for the year and force him to re-take the class with the fourth years while he was a fifth year next term.

Harry was at a loss about what to do in regard to his potions grade. He knew what Snape was doing but he didn't know how to get around it. Harry had even owled Remus and Sirius to let them know what was going on.

Surprisingly, Remus was furious. He took teaching children as a sacred thing with no place for petty grudges and revenge for other people's sins. Sirius thought that dropping potions all together was a better idea.

Hermione had been wracking her brain in an attempt to figure out what they could do to stop this nonsense. In the end, she went to Professor McGonagall and explained the situation in the hopes that she would intervene on Harry's behalf.

The resulting row between the professors in the staff room one afternoon was clearly heard in the hall by passing students. By dinnertime that night, the whole school knew that Harry Potter was flunking potions and the teasing began by the Slytherins. There were even rumors that Harry had tried to get preferential treatment because of his status and that Snape had turned him down on principle.

The only things keeping Harry from lashing out at everyone was the extra training and snogging sessions each night in the Room of Requirement. He was able to take out his anger on the training dummies that looked just like the person that had irritated him the most that particular day. Hermione also rewarded him with kisses for keeping his temper in check. The good news was that Harry's Occlumency skills were progressing rapidly.

Remus was frustrated. Snivellous was doing his best to avoid being caught unaware again. Nor was he ever alone in the halls. There was always someone with him, student, or teacher, when he was active in the castle.

As the days to the start of the third task grew shorter, Hermione had been trying to work out what Harry's plan was going to be to no avail. He would smile and dodge the question.

They did get the map of the maze completed with help from Remus, Winky, and Dobby. The map now boasted the exact locations of every trap, creature, and the location of the Cup.

By the time the third task rolled around, Harry was looking forward to it because it would distract everyone from what was going on in his personal life.

Chapter 24: The Dark Lord Arisen.

The evening of the third task was upon them. Harry had eaten a light meal in the Room of Requirement with Hermione, Dobby, and Winky before getting dressed in his new tournament robes.

Looking them over, Harry said with pride, "Winky, you did a fantastic job on these robes."

"You're welcome, Master Harry." Winky replied with a light blush visible on her cheeks. No matter how often her Master or Mistress complimented her, she still felt amazed, hence the blush.

The new dragon hide pants and boots were surprisingly light for such a thick material. Harry figured it must have something to do with their ability to fly. If they were too heavy, they wouldn't be able to get off the ground. He already knew that their bones weren't hollow like a bird so it made sense to him that their hide was light and durable.

"We need to start heading down to the Quidditch Stadium, Harry." Hermione said as she took his hand.

He gave her hand a soft squeeze and then knelt down in front of their two elves. "Thank you both for the hard work these last few weeks on the map and the clothing. I don't know what we would do without you."

After hugging the happy elves goodbye, Harry and Hermione left the Room of Requirement and headed down towards the Quidditch Pitch.

Hermione had the map of the maze in her hands, studying it. She and Harry had completed the charms work a few weeks ago with the help of Dobby and Winky.

Dobby had confirmed that every path was correct and Winky had focused on the areas where it looked like challenges or traps could be placed. The two elves had done a final walk through and updated the map that morning. It now showed the exact type and location of each creature, trap, challenge, and the cup itself. They had taken the updated version to Remus so that he could make a few copies for everyone.

The plan was to have her, Remus, Tonks, and Sirius each armed with a copy of the map to keep a watch over things in the maze and the immediate surroundings. The change to the maps that Hermione had suggested was to connect them. Remus had set them up so that they could highlight a dot on one map and it would change color and flash on the others. This way they could alert each other about possible dangers.

Remus was stationed nearest the cup in the stadium while Sirius was hiding beneath the stands in his Animagus form. Tonks had been assigned to the Minister's security detail; her job would be patrolling the perimeter of the maze. She had volunteered for the detail since the entire veteran Aurors Corps wanted to watch the tournament.

Remus had approached Nymphadora just after the second task. After about a month, Remus was able to gain enough of her trust to get her to agree to meet with Sirius and they convinced her of his innocence. Her position as an Auror trainee was a big advantage for them. She was able to pick up a lot of information into the workings of the ministry and pass it along.

Hermione was sitting with Neville and Ginny in the student section of the stands. They chose seats right in front instead of higher up in one of the towers. She wanted to be close in case she was needed.

Harry and the other Champions were milling around in the starting area. Each of them was a bit anxious about the task but Harry's anxiety was for an entirely different reason.

His scar had been prickling all day. It was as if he could feel the darkness closing in. He was glad that Remus, Sirius, and a woman named Tonks all had copies of the map and were looking for signs of trouble.

Harry wasn't actually bothered about the maze; he had a plan for that part. It was the hidden dangers that they hadn't found that worried him. He began going over his checklist as a way to help stay calm while he waited for the Third Task to start.

He was wearing the new dragon hide boots, vest, pants, and gauntlets that Winky had made for him and Hermione. His wand was in his forearm holster along and the dragon spike dagger in the other. The dragon tooth dagger and his silver potions knife were in the built in holsters in his boots. Winky had added them after seeing the completed daggers. Overall, Harry didn't think that he could be any more vigilant in his equipment needs. The psycho defense teacher would be proud, he was sure.

His fingers traced the handle of his new dagger. It had taken him a solid month of hard work and patience to complete them and he was quite proud. Honing the blades had been the hardest part. He had been extra careful while making the blade from the tooth because he wasn't sure if Horntails were poisonous like the Ridgeback that bit Ron during their first year. Since he didn't want to find out the hard way, he took his time.

He had gotten the idea of making the knife during one of his swimming lessons with Hermione. She had been tracing her fingers along the thick, ropey, scar very slowly. It was as if she were realizing how close she had come to loosing him. That reminder also made him realize how close to death he had truly come that day.

Harry was broken out of his musing when Dumbledore's magically enhanced voice boomed out, "Attention! The Third Task is about to begin. Viktor Krum will enter the maze first, followed by Cedric Diggory, Harry Potter, and finally Fleur Delacour. Champions, prepare yourselves. The Triwizard Cup is located somewhere deep within the maze. The first one to reach the Cup will be the winner."

Dumbledore paused to let the cheering and applause die down. Turning to face the Champions, he motioned Krum to the entrance of the maze. Facing the crowd again, he said, "Let the task begin!"

Harry felt a sense of calm wash over him when Viktor darted into the maze. He was comfortable with his plan; now all he had to do was wait.

Hermione was watching Krum's progress through the maze with interest. She wanted to see how he fared and how much he knew about the maze. 'He doesn't seem to know the layout of the maze,'she thought to herself as she watched him double back for a second time.

She heard Dumbledore send Cedric into the maze and her eyes shifted to begin following his progress. As a result, she never noticed the dot labeled, Viktor Krum wander next to another labeled, Barty Crouch, Jr., someone that was supposed to be dead. Nor did she see how Viktor's dot seemed to be heading away from the Cup and towards Cedric Diggory.

Nymphadora Tonks was scanning the map when she noticed something wrong. In front of her stood Mad-Eye Moody but on the map he was labeled, Barty Crouch, Jr. Confused, she alerted everyone about the anomaly and began making her way towards him with her wand in hand.

Remus looked down at the blinking dot on his map and frowned. Harry hadn't even started yet and there was already trouble. 'Why had Dora flagged Barty Crouch? Wasn't he missing?' he thought to himself as he made his way towards them. His pace picked up considerably when he noticed the Jr. tacked on at the end of the name.

He turned the corner and saw Dora talking with Moody at the edge of the maze. Confused, he looked down at his map and realized the problem at once, Polyjuice Potion.

Stepping up to the pair, Remus called out, "Hello, Mad-Eye. Hello, Dora. Everything okay here?"

Moody's voice was gruff as he barked back, "Hello, Remus. Everything is going well here. I need to get back to patrolling the perimeter. Please excuse me."

Just as he turned his back to them, Remus struck. "What's that?" Remus cried out in alarm while pointing towards the edge of the maze. When Moody shifted his attention, Remus hit him as hard as he could on the temple. The blow was so great that Moody's magical eye popped out of his head and came to rest on the ground next to Dora's feet.

Before Moody could hit the ground, Remus pulled the unconscious imposter upright. Turning to Tonks, he said, "Disillusion him and grab that eye. The real Moody will want that back if he is still alive."

Tonks performed the spell on the fake Moody and pocketed the magical eye. When she stood back up, she levitated the body and said, "I'll have to return to my patrol. Can you handle him alone?"

Remus nodded and said, "Yes. I'll be taking him somewhere secure before beginning to question him." He grabbed the unconscious, levitating, body and headed up towards the castle.

They had been so wrapped up in apprehending Barty Crouch, Jr. that they never noticed that Harry had entered the maze.

Harry had memorized the entire layout of the maze in preparation for the task. He quickly turned left and after about fifteen meters, he stopped and stood there, waiting for Fleur to enter the maze.

When her turn came, Fleur ran forward and turned left. She was a bit shocked to see Harry Potter standing in the middle of the path, blocking her way. Annoyed, she said, "What do you think you are doing, Harry Potter?"

Harry quirked an eyebrow at her tone and silently stepped aside for her. He knew what was around the bend and he wasn't sure if he wanted to face a Boggart right now. He was pretty sure what his greatest fear was and that was something best left for another time.

When he heard Fleur shout something in French, he figured that she had found the Boggart. Deciding that enough time had passed, Harry turned towards the hedge wall leading to the center of the maze. With a sharp jab, and a twist of his wrist, flames shot out of the tip of his wand. When he ended the spell there was a hole large enough for him to slip through. 'Only five more to go.' He thought to himself happily. He had checked and re-checked the rules and they only said that he had to reach the Cup to be considered the winner. They didn't mention how.

Inwardly chuckling at the Wizarding World's stupidity, he began burning his way towards the center of the maze where the Triwizard Cup was waiting to be claimed.

The moment Harry's dot seemed to appear in a different row for the second time, Hermione almost broke out in laughter. She had been trying to wheedle his plan out of him for weeks but all she got was that sly smile of his and a peck on the cheek.

Sirius thought that his map was malfunctioning when Harry's dot seemed to melt through a wall for the second time. It took a few seconds before he figured it out. 'This was a prank worthy of his father. Now all we have to do is train him to be an Animagus.'Sirius thought proudly as he watched Harry's dot slip through another wall. He focused on Harry's path and noticed that he was heading right for the giant spider.

Harry knew that there was only one more hedgerow to pass through before he reached the cup. His problem lay in how to deal with the very large Acromantula on the other side. He stretched out his magical senses fully and began burning his way through the final hedge. When the hole was large enough, he peered into the next chamber.

The giant spider was already moving towards him. Sighing in resignation, Harry leveled his wand at the large insect and took aim. He thought, 'Aranea Exanimus.' as the spider bore down on him. There was a brilliant flash of white as the beam shot out of his wand and hit the spider right between the eyes.

There was a loud crashing noise as its lifeless body thudded to the ground. Bits of dirt and grass were sent flying from the spider's momentum.

Ironically, Voldemort taught this spell to him inadvertently in his second year. Translated, it meant lifeless spider. 'How appropriate.'Harry thought sardonically as he looked at the lifeless arachnid in front of him. He didn't feel nearly as bad for killing the spider compared to the dragon. The oversized arachnids were definitely on his list after they had tried to eat him and Ron during his second year. Harry's disgust and disappointment came from the fact that he had killed something in each task.

Turning his attention fully to his surroundings, Harry noticed that there was so much magic emanating from the Cup that he didn't know what to do. His skill at sensing magic was still developing and he lacked the experience to identify spells and enchantments quickly.

Slowly, Harry circled the plinth that supported the Triwizard Cup, looking for any signs of a trap. Ruefully, he thought, 'The problem with ancient artifacts is that they are so heavily magical that it could take me weeks or months to figure out the magic on this blasted Cup.'

Remus Lupin had finally reached his old office, which the unconscious imposter had obviously been using for quite some time if he was able to fool Dumbledore for so long. He ended the Disillusionment Charm and was pleased to see the black and blue bruise already forming where he had slugged Crouch.

He sat the figure down in a chair and conjured ropes that bound the prisoner tightly. With nothing to do but wait, Remus sat down in another chair to watch for the signs that the Polyjuice Potion was wearing off. He didn't have to wait long; it seemed that Crouch had forgotten to take another dose to continue the charade.

When the transformation was completely reversed, Remus sat there shocked and a little bit dismayed. Growling in disgust, he began removing everything that was on Crouch's person. When everything magical had been removed, Remus performed a Switching Spell on Barty's clothes with a blanket that he had conjured.

Satisfied that Crouch wouldn't be moving at all, he enervated him.

Barty realized almost immediately that something was very wrong. For one, he could see out of both eyes normally and wiggle both of his feet. He knew that he was in his office at Hogwarts, tied naked to a chair, unable to move. Looking up, he saw the face of a man that he didn't want to. He was hoping to see Albus Dumbledore if he were caught, not Remus Lupin.

There was something in Lupin's eyes that made him feel like a cornered animal. Involuntarily, he gulped in his nervousness.

In a low growl, Remus said, "Hello, Barty. You look very healthy for a dead man. We really need to chat but I'm afraid that I'm rather short on time and I'm all out of Veritaserum at the moment."

Crouch sneered up at Lupin and said, "You'll get nothing from me, werewolf. My Lord shall come for me and he will reward me above all others."

'He's insane,' Remus thought resignedly, 'this is going to make this a bit easier then.' His voice still held that hard edge as he spoke, "Oh, you're going to talk, one way or the other."

Pulling out his wand, Remus conjured a hammer and held it up to show the Death Eater. "Do you know what this is?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "It's a hammer. Non-magical people use them for building and breaking things."

Barty laughed at Remus in his insanity before he cackled out, "I'm not afraid of some muggle tool. Get buggered you tame were…"

He never got to finish his rant because Remus swung the hammer with enough force that it shattered Crouch's left big toe upon impact. Instead, his howls of pain echoed through room.

Remus gave the howling man a few moments to wallow in pain before he spoke in a voice that promised more pain very soon, "You have nine more toes to go. Every time you don't answer me, I'm going to crush another one. Now, what does Voldemort want with this tournament?"

Crouch was having a hard time focusing through his pain. 'This wasn't supposed to happen;' he thought miserably, 'Dumbledore wouldn't do this to me.' In desperation, he cried out, "Get Dumbledore and I'll tell you everything!" He noticed that the look upon Lupin's face when he mentioned Dumbledore was very out of place for one of the members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Remus' voice was low, he let some of the wolf come to the surface as he spike in a menacing tone, "Oh, I assure you, Dumbledore won't be coming to talk to you. He doesn't even know that you are here." Leaning down next to Crouch, he hefted the hammer again and said, "Do you feel like talking yet?"

The threat was simple; talk or get pummeled again. When Lupin drew back his arm to swing, he cried out in panic, "WAIT! The Dark Lord wants Potter for something. I turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey and was supposed to assist him to win the task."

Remus was feeling a very strong sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach. 'Harry was already in the maze!' flew through his mind. His fist lashed out, almost of its own accord, and smashed Crouch across the jaw. There was a sickening crunch and the man slumped against his bonds, unconscious.

"Dobby!" Remus cried.

There was a pop and Harry's elf was standing before him.

"Take this man and everything in this room. Put him into my cage in the basement of Sirius's house and the items into the parlor. He betrayed Harry to Voldemort." Remus said angrily.

The look of fury on Dobby's face was fearsome. He snapped his tiny fingers and the items around the room began packing themselves. Dobby looked up at Remus and coolly said, "I will take care of this, sir."

"Please don't tell Winky, that is her old master. We can tell her together." Remus said in a hurry as he was heading for the door.

With a nod in acceptance, Dobby grabbed the Death Eater and vanished from Hogwarts.

Remus pulled out his map and began searching for Harry's dot. When he found it, his heart began to race in fear. Harry was already at the Cup! "Bollocks!" he muttered as he tapped his wand on Harry's dot, alerting everyone that there was a problem with Harry.

"Expecto Patronum!" Remus said, and then he watched as a magnificent timber wolf erupted from the tip of his wand.

It stood there, waiting for instructions, so Remus spoke hurriedly, "Dora, Harry is in trouble. The Cup is a Portkey!" The Patronus zoomed out of the room heading for Tonks after receiving its instructions.

Remus ran as fast as he could towards the Quidditch Pitch, praying that one of them would make it to Harry in time.

Tonks was just making her circuit of the perimeter when Remus' Patronus appeared and gave her the message. "Shite!" she yelped as she drew her wand and ran into the maze. Taking a page from Harry's book, she began blasting the hedgerows apart in desperation to get to him.

Sirius saw Harry's dot illuminate on his map and he bolted from his spot under the stands. Since he was fairly close to the starting area, he ran into the maze and began following Harry's scent.

Hermione saw Sirius dart into the maze from his hiding spot. Looking down at the map, she noticed Harry's dot flashing up at her. Ms. Tonks was moving thorough the maze towards Harry and Remus was still not back on the map.

She wasn't getting any feelings of panic from Harry. She could sense his confusion and wariness though. Deciding that she would only get in the way in the maze, she began scanning the area for Professor McGonagall.

Albus Dumbledore was watching the maze with interest. 'Why was Mr. Potter circling the Cup?' He was startled from his thoughts when he saw Sirius Black in his Animagus form come tearing out from underneath the stands and run straight into the maze.

Quickly scanning the sky, Dumbledore didn't see any red sparks marking a champion in trouble. Realizing that they obviously knew something that he didn't, he began to make his way down to the maze. He saw Remus running flat out towards the maze so he picked up his pace to meet him at the entrance.

Remus saw Dumbledore heading straight towards him, looking concerned but determined. Not willing to stop because time was of the essence, he ran right by a shocked Dumbledore and into the maze in search of Harry.

Hermione finally found Professor McGonagall sitting with a few of the other professors. Her voice held a pleading note to it when she spoke, "Professor, Harry is in trouble. He needs help now."

Minerva looked over at her favorite student. She was about to dismiss her concerns when she realized that Miss Granger was not one to spout a load of tripe. When she saw Remus Lupin run into the maze right past the Headmaster, she said, "Very well. Follow me and we will see if we can get to the bottom of this."

Harry stepped in front of the Cup. He was running out of time if he wanted to win this blasted tournament before another champion showed up. He was just reaching out to grab the Cup when a woman's voice rang out from his left.

"Harry, STOP!" Tonks screamed when she saw him reaching for the Triwizard Cup.

Her shout startled him and as he spun to face her, his hand grazed the handle of the Cup. There was a mighty jerking sensation behind his navel and the stadium vanished in a swirl of color as he was Portkeyed away.

Tonks stood there open mouthed in shock. The very thing that she was hoping to prevent had happened anyway when she startled Harry.

Sirius had just entered the enclosure to see Harry Portkeyed away. In his despair, he threw back his head and howled a mournful note.

Remus skidded to a stop next to Sirius and slumped to his knees when he realized that they were too late. He felt as if he had failed Harry all over again.

Dumbledore carefully stepped through the hole that someone had burned through the hedge. The scene that greeted him was worrisome. There was a dead Acromantula a few feet from the hole that he had just stepped through, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black in his Animagus form, and Nymphadora Tonks all had a looks of despair on their faces.

He had numerous questions running through his mind as he cautiously made his presence known. Slowly, he walked over to where they were all gathered. In a soft voice, he asked, "What happened here? Where is Mr. Potter?"

Professor McGonagall and Hermione had just entered the area through the same hole as Professor Dumbledore when they heard his question.

Remus shot to his feet in a towering rage. His eyes were a brilliant shade of amber. The wolf had finally broken free. He strode over to Dumbledore and growled out, "Voldemort has Harry." He ignored the gasps from Hermione and Minerva and continued in a menacing tone, "This is what happens when you use people like pawns and young men as bait!"

Pleadingly, Dumbledore said, "Remus…"

The angry werewolf cut him off in mid sentence, "Merlin help you if something happens to Harry." His fury spent, Remus stepped over to Hermione and pulled her into a hug and said softly, "We will do everything that we can to find him."

Hermione felt as if her world were crashing down around her. She knew that Harry's scar had been bothering him all day but there wasn't anything that they could have done about it at the time.

A dry sob wracked her body as she desperately clung to Remus. She had sensed fear and anxiety from Harry when he was Portkeyed away.

She was just about to speak when pain, terror, and revulsion, flooded through their bond from Harry. Her heart clenched tightly in her chest and she knew that Harry had just come face to face with Voldemort. She latched onto Remus even tighter, praying that Harry would return to her safely.

Sirius was seconds away from reverting to human form when four new people stepped into the area. Resigned to waiting, he strode over and lay down at the feet of Hermione and Remus.

Fleur Delacour was helping Cedric guide a very disoriented Viktor Krum into the clearing. When they had him resting comfortably on the ground, they made their way over to Professor Dumbledore.

Minister Fudge had followed Dumbledore into the maze a minute later when he didn't return. He noticed that all of the Champions were accounted for, except Harry Potter. 'What a political nightmare if the boy is dead.' He thought to himself. His only concern was for his position, not the boy.

He waddled over to the assembled group of people and said in his nasal tone, "What is going on here, Dumbledore?"

No one had even noticed the Minister's approach because they were so wrapped up with what had just happened.

Dumbledore turned to face the pawn of Lucius Malfoy. His voice was full of concern as he spoke, "Voldemort has taken Harry Potter."

The news was quite the shocker for Fleur, Cedric, and Fudge. If it were true, all of their notions about being safe were gone.

After a few tense seconds, Fudge blurted out, "What are you talking about, Dumbledore? Everyone knows that You-Know-Who is dead. Now tell me what happened to the Potter boy!"

A tall, thin, woman in Aurors Robes answered his question before Dumbledore could speak.

Tonks was fuming, Harry was missing, maybe even dead, and Minister Fudge refused to see reason. Angrily, she said, "Minister, I saw Harry Potter touch the Triwizard Cup. It was a Portkey. Voldemort has him and we need to do everything in our power to get him back."

Staring at the auror in front of him in incredulity, Fudge said heatedly, "Absolute rubbish. This is probably the work of Sirius Black. Everyone knows that he betrayed the Potters. The tournament is the perfect cover for that insane murderer to finish off the job he started thirteen years ago."

Sirius, still in his dog form, growled a low and threatening note at the minister. Before he could attack, a strong hand grabbed his collar.

Remus said, "Down, Padfoot. He'd probably give you a stomach ache."

Fudge had backed up when the large dog growled at him.

Dumbledore shot Fudge a look of disbelief before he turned and said, "I am afraid that all we can do now is wait." He was hoping that Harry would get lucky and finish off Voldemort again. He knew that there was a chance that Voldemort had made more than one Horcrux, it was something that he would have done if he were him.

When Harry realized that the Cup was a Portkey, he tried to let go. Instead, he found that this Portkey trip was very different from his last one; his hand was stuck to the Cup.

Upon arrival, he was slammed into the ground. Unfortunately, he grazed his head on a gravestone during his tumble. He was trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind when he noticed a very familiar figure walking towards him with a tiny bundle in his arms.

Shakily, he brought his wand up and pointed it at Peter Pettigrew and hissed, "What do you want, traitor?" His voice held a combination of hatred and pain towards the rat of a man in front of him.

Pettigrew kept walking towards Harry, his wand in one hand and the tiny form of his master in the other.

Harry's scar exploded in pain when Wormtail was about fifteen feet from him.

Voldemort was pushing on their connection with all of his strength to cause the boy pain. He wanted the Potter boy incapacitated because he wasn't positive that Wormtail was competent enough to get this right.

Harry's scar hurt so bad that he winced and grabbed his forehead.

In that brief moment, Wormtail struck, "Expelliarmus!" His aim was true and Harry's wand slipped from his slackened grip.

Harry tried to lunge for his wand but ropes shot out of Wormtail's wand and bound him to the gravestone that he was slumped against.

Peter knelt down and pocketed Harry's wand before gently setting his master's body on the ground in front of him. He then turned to fetch the necessary items for the ritual to restore his Lord to a body.

While Pettigrew was pushing a large cauldron over to the fire pit, Voldemort was studying the boy that had been his downfall thirteen years ago. His voice was weak and raspy, as if his throat wasn't made for speech, "Harry Potter. We meet again."

Pushing past the pain, Harry began trying to occlude his mind. When he had regained some semblance of control, he said in a low voice, "What do you want with me?" His voice was shaking with the effort of blocking out the pain that Voldemort was trying to inflict.

The Dark Lord was looking at the Boy-Who-Lived in curiosity. He was powerful, resourceful, and if pushed, violent. According to the reports from Crouch, Jr. there was also a keen intellect hidden behind a façade. He was also a Parselmouth. Hissing his reply, Voldemort said, "You are to be the guest of honor at my rebirth. My servants will bear witness to my triumph over you before the night is through."

Harry wanted to keep Voldemort talking. He figured that the longer they spoke, the more likely that he would either find a way to escape or someone would send help if they could find him.

He glanced over to see how Wormtail was doing with the giant cauldron that he was moving towards the fire. Realizing that he was running out of time fast, Harry asked Voldemort a question that had been bothering him since he found out why he was famous, "Why me?"

Voldemort was surprised by this question, "Surely, you know why I tried to kill you?" Not receiving an answer, he continued in his tiny, snakelike voice, "We are fated, tied together by a prophecy." He paused, not wanted to give the boy any more information than absolutely necessary.

Deciding upon a plan, Voldemort continued, "Didn't Dumbledore tell you the prophecy? He was the one that heard it after all." He was focusing on the boy's facial features, looking for anything he could use. He wasn't disappointed, fury flashed through their connection and across Harry Potter's face.

Voldemort had been aware of the connection since he had constructed this rudimentary body. He wasn't strong enough to take advantage of it yet, but he would be soon.

The smile that graced the tiny creature's face was horrifying. If Harry could have recoiled, he would have. His fragile hold on his Occlumency Shields shattered when Voldemort told him that Dumbledore had known all along why but had never told him. His inner turmoil was so great that he never noticed Wormtail pick up the tiny form of Voldemort and drop him into the cauldron.

The splash startled him back to attentiveness. He was watching with rapt attention as Wormtail levitated a bone from the grave of Tom Riddle, Sr. and dropped it into the cauldron. He had missed what was said but Harry knew enough about rituals to know that each step was very important.

When Wormtail slashed off his own hand as a sacrifice, panic began to well up inside of him. Desperately, he thought, 'What would the ritual require from me? Can I disrupt the ritual somehow?' He was desperately trying to come up with a plan to escape the awful mess he was in.

Peter clutched his arm to his chest and turned towards Harry to complete the ritual that would restore his master to a proper body. His voice was shaky, and full of pain, as he stammered out, "Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

Before Wormtail could slash him with that wicked looking dagger, Harry said, "I give my blood freely to resurrect my foe."

Peter paused, unsure of what to do. He was panicking now. The ritual had to be completed; there was no turning back once it was started. He stepped up and slashed Harry's left forearm and collected the blood on the blade.

When Wormtail dropped the blood into the cauldron, Harry's scar exploded in pain. However, it was familiar to him and he instinctively knew what to do. Reaching out with his magic, he began to tear at the tendrils of dark magic that was connected to his scar.

With a massive effort, Harry snapped the remaining tendrils free from his scar. The pain was immense and he screamed aloud in pain as he felt something leave his body. Right before he passed out, saw the naked body of Voldemort rising up from the cauldron, alive and looking directly at him.

Voldemort stepped forward and pulled on a robe and picked up his wand. He felt the familiar rush of magic rushing through his veins as he was re-united with his wand after thirteen long years.

Slowly, he turned to survey the scene in front of him. Harry Potter was slumped, unconscious, on the ground next to the Triwizard Cup. Wormtail was huddled on his knees, trying to bow down before his master.

Voldemort began taking stock of his new body. There was something that was slightly off. He couldn't feel his connection to Harry Potter. There were other small differences that he was becoming aware of. First, he had no hair, anywhere. He figured that it was from the reptilian construct that he had inhabited for so long. It was a small price to pay for a new body.

Second, his eyes were different somehow. His vision wasn't changed, but something was a touch off. Waving his wand, Voldemort conjured a mirror to look at himself.

Overall, he looked human with the exception of his eyes and nose. They definitely had a reptilian quality to them. His eyes were slits and his pupils were ringed in red. His nose was gone; in its place were two long slits, just like a snake's nose. 'Minor flaws that I will repair later after extensive research.' He thought idly as he examined his fingers.

With a wave of his wand, he concealed his true features behind a Glamour Charm. He now looked just like he did at the height of his powers but without the damage done by all of the dark rituals. In short, he looked like the perfect picture of a handsome, pureblood, head of house. His hair was a longish dark brown and his eyes their old shade of blue green.

When he spoke for the first time in his new body, he noticed that his voice had a sibilant quality to it that he liked, "Wormtail, give me your arm."

Immediately, Peter held out his left arm, the Dark Mark was plainly visible after being faded for so many years. "My Lord?" he asked.

Voldemort was looking at the mark on Wormtail's arm. The Dark Mark was one of his finest creations. It tied him to his servants so that he was always able to call upon them and they could alert him in an emergency.

The mark burned black on Wormtail's arm when Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand to it. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the links re-establishing themselves after being dormant for so long.

Within minutes, black cloaked figures wearing white masks began Aparating into the graveyard, responding to their master's call. They began arranging themselves in a semi circle around their Lord, kneeling, while awaiting his acknowledgement.

Voldemort stood in the center of his followers, slowly turning to regard each one as he counted their number. There were three at Hogwarts and one of those was a dead man walking, one was a hero, and the other was in a grey area that would be defined later.

He could sense fear, apprehension, and guilt coming from the group in front of him. In a voice full of menace, Voldemort hissed, "How is it that my lowliest servant managed to find me when the rest of you couldn't?"

It was a question that had been bothering him for a while now. The answer that he came up with was that they didn't try very hard as the years went by.

Crabbe, Sr. couldn't take the silence anymore and he nervously spoke, "My Lord, we tried to find you but we couldn't."

Voldemort's wand lashed out, quick as a striking snake, and he snarled, "Crucio!"

Crabbe immediately fell to the ground screaming in anguish. Thirteen years as a wraith had not dulled the Dark Lord's power or wrath.

The screams woke Harry from unconsciousness. When he opened his eyes he was greeted with the sight of Voldemort torturing someone.

He realized that no one was watching him. They were all caught up in the spectacle in front of them. Quickly, Harry transformed into his Animagus form and slipped his bonds. He moved as quietly, and slowly, as he could. Once he was behind a gravestone, he transformed back.

It was the longest that he had been able to stay in his animal form yet and he was exhausted. Something felt different about his Animagus form since the first task. He also noticed that his connection to Voldemort was gone. Harry figured that he would ponder those things if he got out of this mess alive.

Realizing that Wormtail still had his wand, Harry drew the dragon tooth dagger from its sheath. Cautiously, he peered around the gravestone to look for the traitor.

Peter looked up from his spot on the ground. He had been completely forgotten by his Lord in all of the commotion. His stump was still bleeding and he was in terrible pain. His gaze drifted over to where Harry had been tied up, only the ropes remained to his shock and dismay. Quickly, he stammered out, "M-My Lord! The Potter boy is missing!"

Voldemort ended the curse on the screaming man at his feet. He was furious, through clenched teeth, he snapped, "Find him, NOW!" His eyes fell upon the area where the boy had been, he couldn't have gotten far.

"Wormtail, come here." When the rat of a man stumbled over to him, Voldemort said in a deadly whisper, "Find the boy. I want him alive. Do not return without him." With a quick wave of his wand, he stopped the bleeding and created a silver hand to replace the one that had been sacrificed to give him a body.

The Death Eaters began to spread out to find the Boy-Who-Lived. Unfortunately, two of them were heading towards Harry's position. One of them was Wormtail and the other was the man that was being tortured moments ago.

Coming up with a quick plan, Harry transformed again and coiled himself up in a shadow. When both men had passed him by, he began to slowly move after Wormtail. He needed his wand back if he were going to get out of this nightmare.

Peter was franticly searching behind the larger gravestones searching for Harry. The implied threat from the Dark Lord could only mean pain in his future if he failed. Lost in his thoughts, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings or he might have noticed the large snake coming up behind him.

Harry struck quickly, his fangs sinking deep into Wormtail's calf. The bite caused the tiny man to scream in pain and fall down. Before he could turn around, Harry had reverted to his human form.

Screaming in pain, Wormtail dropped his wand and clutched at his leg as he fell. Suddenly, Harry Potter was standing right over him, holding a knife poised to strike again.

Harry took a quick step forward and kicked Wormtail as hard as he could in the face, knocking him unconscious. He could hear the shouts from the other Death Eaters as they tried to locate their fallen comrade. He plucked his wand from Wormtail's robes and pocketed the traitor's.

He had only gone a few more steps when he heard a voice that made his blood run cold.

Voldemort had seen Wormtail go down, clutching his leg, while screaming in pain. In the next instant, Harry Potter was standing over him with a knife in hand. 'Where had the boy come from?' he thought curiously as he began making his way towards his fallen servant.

He watched as Harry Potter lashed out with his boot, knocking Wormtail unconscious, before he spoke in his low sibilant tone, "Leaving so soon, Harry? We still have much to discuss."

Turning around slowly so he didn't startle Voldemort, Harry was shocked to see an older version of the Tom Riddle that he had met in the Chamber of Secrets. Putting two and two together, he realized that Voldemort was hiding his true form beneath a glamour. He would try to figure out why later.

Trying to sound as relaxed as he could, Harry's voice was an even tone as he spoke, "Yes, I think that my part in this ritual is over don't you?"

Before Voldemort could reply, Wormtail started to convulse on the ground. White foam was spewing from his mouth as his body was wracked with spasms. With a last gasp, Peter Pettigrew died.

Amused, Voldemort's low voice rang out, "I'm impressed, Harry. May I call you Harry?" Not bothering to wait for a reply, he continued speaking, "I didn't think that you would resort to a poisoned dagger to kill Wormtail. Didn't Dumbledore teach you better than that?"

He was trying to provoke the boy's anger to get a better measure of his powers. Crouch's reports had been very insightful, but there was no substitute for first hand experience.

Harry was shocked; he didn't realize that his Animagus form was poisonous. Belatedly, he realized that with Wormtail dead, he would have to bring the body back with him if he escaped to clear Sirius.

Voldemort knew that Harry needed Wormtail's body to clear Sirius Black so he decided to prevent it from ever happening. Quick as lightning, he incinerated Wormtail's body. When the magical fire burned out, there was nothing but ash left of Peter Pettigrew.

"No!" Harry shouted when Voldemort lit Wormtail's body on fire. He realized that Voldemort had just removed any chance of ever clearing Sirius. Angrily, he shouted, "You bastard!" With a flick of his wrist, Harry sent a silent Blasting Hex at Voldemort with as much power as he could muster.

Voldemort's eyes widened in surprise as the spell impacted upon his hastily conjured shield, sending him flying backwards. The force of the spell was immense. Crouch had been unable to give him an exact idea of Harry Potter's full power, plus it had been cast silently. All of this went through Voldemort's mind in a fraction of a second before he Disapparated in mid-air. He reappeared in almost the exact spot that he had been standing moments before.

The only problem was that Harry Potter was no longer standing where he had been.

As soon as his spell hit Voldemort, Harry sprinted in the opposite direction trying to put as much distance between them as he could. The familiar sound of Apparition told him that Voldemort was not injured. Suddenly, a thought hit him; he had Apparated before as a child when Dudley and his gang were chasing him at school.

Concentrating as hard as he could, Harry thought of the first place that came to mind. With a thunderous clap, Harry Apparated away from the graveyard to the only place where he felt safe.

Voldemort's howl of rage echoed through the graveyard and sent shivers down the spines of his followers as they approached their master.