Chapter 41
Family
Contrary to expectations, the day of the Third Task dawned cold, dull, and dreary. Harry and Fleur ignored it as they trudged into the Great Hall, both feeling that the weather reflected their mood almost perfectly. As prepared as they were for the Task, they still wanted nothing to do with it — even Fleur, who had entered by choice, Maxime's manipulations notwithstanding.
But alas, they had to participate.
The first annoyance of the day arrived partway through breakfast in the form of the Daily Prophet. Skeeter had been quiet of late, seeming to have been supplanted by writers who were actually competent rather than mere muckrakers — which Harry figured was Sebastian's doing — but now she was back, and in fine form. His mood darkened ominously as he read the article:
TOURNAMENT FINALE TONIGHT!
Will Potter Cheat Again?
by Rita Skeeter
The world-famous Triwizard Tournament, being held at Hogwarts Castle, will conclude tonight with the final Task of the competition. But as the big finish approaches, one cannot help but wonder: will the legitimate Hogwarts Champion even have a chance? Cheating has run rampant, and an honorable young man like Cedric Diggory would clearly never stoop to that level, which creates an extremely uneven playing field.
While recent events have diverted our attention, we must not forget that the fix has been in right from the start, beginning with the illegal entry of Harry Potter. Our one time hero, seeking attention due to his fading fame, forced his way into the tournament, and he certainly succeeded in making more headlines as a result. It makes one wonder what else the child has done, and the lengths he might go to in order to win this most prestigious of contests.
Even the mysterious events of the now infamous Second Task are suspect. Nobody saw what went on in the lake, so how do we know what really happened? His unfortunate wife is, as a Veela, rather beautiful. What young boy would not want her?
We also saw his questionable performance in the First Task. He may have succeeded, but his methods went against the very spirit of the competition. If world famous Seeker Viktor Krum did not fly, then was it really acceptable for Harry Potter to do so? Or perhaps he thought he could show Krum up by cheating the Task with his broom?
And what will his appearance at the Third Task portend?
Given how lethal previous competitions have been, one can only hope that Potter is not as bloody minded as his recent actions have made him appear. Could one or more of our brave competitors come to harm at Potter's hand as he tries to steal the show? Only time will tell.
This reporter will be solidly rooting for Cedric Diggory, the legitimate Hogwarts Champion. He, at least, can be counted on to compete fairly, and to produce a respectable win for Hogwarts. Unless Potter cheats again, of course.
Harry stared at the article in a curious mixture of anger and astonishment. Her implications regarding the second task were particularly vile (not to mention absolutely ridiculous), and that she practically accused him of wanting to hurt his fellow competitors? He didn't even have the words to express his feelings on that!
But did she really think she was going to get away with this? Anyone with a brain had realized by now that Harry Potter was no longer the defenseless orphan with nobody to protect him. He hadprotectors now, and they were likely to go after her with both barrels, as the Muggles said.
And Fleur clearly agreed. "Papa will 'ave seen zis," she growled, obviously on the same wavelength as he was. "She can say goodbye to 'er career. She forgot zat people are looking after you now."
"I don't understand how she's been getting away with it in the first place," frowned Hermione from across the table. "There should be laws against this sort of thing!"
"There are," Neville put in. "But you have to press charges to make anything happen, and you know how biased our government is."
"Of course, if Dumbledore actually did his job, it would never have happened anyway," grumbled Harry. "He could easily have neutered Skeeter. He just doesn't care about his students."
"Only zat zey do 'is bidding," agreed Fleur.
Hermione nodded thoughtfully, but elected not to pursue it further. She was learning to cut her losses when something was pointless.
"Papa will deal wiz 'er, mon amour," repeated Fleur. "Zat will do 'er career in. She 'as made a living from ensuring zat she cannot be blamed for 'er lies, and she 'as overstepped 'ere. Badly."
Harry nodded his agreement, but his attention was already wandering. He was too busy noticing that there had been no comment from the Slytherins. It seemed that they were much less interested in bothering him without Snape and Malfoy there to egg them on. It was a pleasant surprise really.
Looking back, things had been much less tense in the castle since Snape's departure, and even more so since Malfoy's. To Harry, it was just another indication that Dumbledore was an abject failure as a Headmaster. Had he reigned them in from the get go, the school would have been a much more pleasant place.
And had he reigned them in from the get go, Draco Malfoy might not be serving ten years in Azkaban Prison for attempted murder.
The more he thought about it, the more he laid the blame for the more obvious of their society's ills right at Dumbledore's feet. He had even taught Voldemort, for Merlin's sake! His attitude had not done anyone any favors.
Harry could not wait to haul him up on charges and get him out of his positions of power.
===[~]===
As the breakfast hour wound down, Professor McGonagall informed the Champions that their families were congregating to spend the day with them. And for the first time in his life, Harry Potter was actually happy about such an arrangement. He had never had family to care about him before.
The surprise was clear on his face, however, when he entered the room with Fleur — his attention centered on where he had spotted the Delacours standing with Sirius — only to be blindsided by a stifling hug from someone he didn't expect.
He knew who it was without even thinking about it, but could not for the life him imagine why Molly Weasley would even be in the room.
Where he'd been merely unsettled by her overbearing hugs before, now it was deeply uncomfortable — especially given the incident with the Howler before the wedding. He allowed it out of shock for only the briefest of moments, but then came back to his senses and pushed her away. From the corner of his eye he could see his wife's narrowed gaze. She was not happy with the intrusion.
"Mrs. Weasley?" he asked, a little more faintly than he would have liked. "What are you doing here?"
The woman herself looked startled that he'd pushed away from her. Harry also noted that Bill was present, standing behind her with his hands in his pockets and a deep frown on his face, looking very uncomfortable with being there at all. The whole situation was rather confusing.
"We're here to support you, of course, Harry dear," she replied. "You need your family, so of course-"
"But you are not family, Madame Weasley," interrupted a frowning Fleur. "Zat would be my Maman and Papa, and 'is own Godfazzer."
Harry struggled to keep his thoughts off his face. He had never truly considered how the Weasleys behaved before, but he suddenly saw with crystal clarity how they had tried to usurp the title of Family upon meeting him. He doubted it was in any way malicious on their part — they weren't that kind of people near as he could tell — but it was still fairly offensive.
He only hadn't noticed before because he hadn't any living family for them to usurp the title from, but however well intentioned, it was truly disrespectful — not least to his late parents.
Fleur's family, at least, had earned the title properly through his marriage to their daughter.
And suddenly he found himself having to think quickly before the situation devolved into something ugly. He had no doubt that Fleur was thinking similar thoughts, and so likely were the Delacours and Sirius. But as wary as he was of Molly Weasley, he truly didn't think her actions malicious. Naïve and unintentionally offensive, perhaps, but not malicious.
Nevertheless, he had to set the record straight; there was simply no other option here. And also—
"Dumbledore invited you, didn't he?" he finally sighed, drawing everyone's attention once more.
"Of course," she frowned. "He said you didn't have any family to support you, and that you thought of us as family."
"And now eet ees clear," grumbled Fleur.
"Easy, love," he told her in nearly fluent French, hoping that the Weasleys didn't speak it. "This is the Headmaster playing his games again, and they're as much victims of that as we are."
Fleur tilted her head slightly, and he met her gaze, impressing upon her that he truly believed that. He could see it when she accepted the truth of it only an instant later, and deflated back to a more relaxed stance even as she nodded at him.
Turning back to Molly, he switched back to English. "The Headmaster likes to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong, Mrs. Weasley," he told her bluntly. "While he might want you to believe that I saw you that way, and I mean no offense when I say this, but it just isn't the case. Fleur's family is my family now, and my Godfather is my family. Those are the only family I've ever recognized beyond my late parents. I appreciate your care over the years, but you're my good friends, not my family."
The conversation had, of course, drawn the Delacours and Sirius over to them. In the background he could see the Diggory family and the Krums trying to look like they weren't listening in. Harry didn't care about the latter two; it wasn't his reputation that would suffer.
"Albus 'as a truly un'ealthy and 'ighly inappropriate interest in my son-in-law, Molly," noted Sebastian, finally joining in the conversation. "I do not know what 'is purpose was with this, but mark my words, 'e 'ad one. And it was certainly not for 'arry's benefit, nor for yours."
It was clear that Molly Weasley didn't know what to say, and was far too shocked to even bother being offended. Her mouth was opening and closing without any sound coming out, and she was staring, almost horrified, at Sebastian as she processed the implications of what he was saying.
Only Harry and his family knew the probable reason for Dumbledore's interest; the rest were clueless of the existence of the Prophecy, and that made it look that much worse from an outside perspective.
"On behalf of House Weasley," Bill suddenly intoned, "you have our sincere apologies for any offense we may have caused. It was not intentional, and as Heir of the House, I will inform our Head of House and ensure that it does not happen again."
Molly paled at this declaration. Harry had barely scratched the surface of true Wizarding culture, but he recognized that this was serious.
"As Head of House Potter, your apology is accepted," he replied as formally as he could. He didn't know the proper forms yet, but would do his best. "But really, it's unnecessary, Bill. This is Dumbledore's doing, not your family's."
"Thanks, Harry, but they should have known better anyway," he smiled. "I'll take care of it and make sure it doesn't happen again. Let me get Mum back home, but I'd like to speak with you on an unrelated matter if you have a few minutes before the Task tonight."
"Of course," nodded Harry.
They all watched as Bill herded a lost and confused Molly Weasley out of the room. Harry felt a pang of sadness at that — she truly had meant well, he thought — but he also agreed with Bill that she should have known better. It was one thing before he was married, but now? She should have been far more suspicious of Dumbledore.
"Remind me to bring you up to speed on the proper forms for things like that, Harry," Sirius finally said, "but that was very well handled, especially given that Dumbledore didn't see to your training as Heir or Head of House like he should have."
Harry saw this statement as the theatre that it was — Amos Diggory would likely have it all over the ministry by tomorrow that Dumbledore had failed the Heir of the Potter family. Frankly, however, he had other concerns, like the fact that his Godfather was here in person, and in public, without dementors swarming around.
He couldn't help the grin that came over him.
"Sirius!" he burst, grabbing his Godfather in an uncharacteristic hug. "I'm so glad you're free!"
Sirius chuckled. "So am I," he grinned. "And that's all thanks to you, Harry. So thank you!"
===[~]===
The rest of the afternoon proceeded splendidly. There was no real need to show the Delacours or Sirius around the campus, so they simply found a convenient location where they could enjoy the beauty of the day. It was an almost surreal experience for Harry: he had never simply spent time with his family before.
That simple first was one he would truly never forget.
They were all spread out on a blanket at the edge of the Black Lake, and Harry was leaning back into Fleur's warm embrace. He still couldn't believe that he was married to her, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. Her mere presence made everything seem lighter and happier.
And it wasn't her allure, of that he was certain.
The conversation meandered aimlessly over the course of the afternoon. Little of real substance was discussed by some strange unspoken agreement. The closest it got was a question from Sirius about what Fleur would be doing with herself after graduation.
Since Harry and Fleur had discussed that, it was easy enough to answer.
Both of them categorically refused, however, to share their strategy for the Task — or even that it was a shared one in the first place. They were looking forward to seeing their family's reaction to what they saw as a major prank on the Tournament and its organizers. In their mind, it was definitely going to be one for the record books!
Finally, though, they were brought back down to Earth by the return of Bill Weasley. They hadn't discussed that situation at all either, but really, what was there to discuss? Dumbledore's motives were generally unclear even when he was being transparent about things; in this case, they would probably never know why he had bothered with such a scheme.
"Sorry to bother you," said Bill when he finally found them. "But do you have a minute, Harry?"
Harry looked up at him and smiled. "Have a seat, Bill," he offered. "If it's about what I think it is, then everyone here is in the know."
Bill nodded and joined them on the blanket. The elder Delacours had left Gabrielle at home with Caterine; they weren't letting her anywhere near Hogwarts after she was literally kidnapped for use in the Second Task. That meant that only Sebastian was unknown to Bill, and it was relatively obvious that he was trusted.
"I just wanted to give you a quick update," he offered. "The Goblins hate these things, and they've been tracking them down as their highest priority. They actually found one in the Bank, if you can believe that."
"Someone was foolish enough to place a 'orcrux within Gringotts?" gasped Sebastian. "That is a death sentence for that person, wizard or not! It is in the treaties!"
Bill smirked. "Unfortunately for us, the vault belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange," he informed them. "So she probably won't die by Goblin steel since she's in Azkaban. Her vault is another story, though. They confiscated it, and Harry and Fleur will get a significant chunk since they reported it to Gringotts through me."
Harry figured that the satisfaction that shone in Bill's expression was probably mirrored in his own. He couldn't care less about the money, but anything bad that befell a Death Eater was music to his ears.
"Zis is excellent news," noted Fleur. "But what of ze ozzers? You said zere were five or six."
"And at least half of them have been collected and destroyed. There was a locket in the Black home in London," he continued. Clearly, Sirius knew of this, as he wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Then there was the one at Gringotts, and an object they found here at Hogwarts. How they found it and got it out, I don't know, but it was also destroyed."
Harry nodded in satisfaction. To see so much progress made in such a short time was a revelation. Why hadn't Dumbledore done this a decade ago? Surely Voldemort would be naught but a memory had he done so. It was disturbing, really. What was Dumbledore playing at?
"And ze ozzers?" asked Arienne.
"Those will be more difficult," sighed Bill. "We know they're at or near the ancestral Riddle estate, but we're going to have to be careful. We're fairly certain that's where Voldemort himself is right now."
Everyone present groaned in annoyance. It was one thing to dig something up that wasn't being watched, but quite another if the madman himself was sitting right on top of it. Say what you would about Voldemort, he was known to be exceptionally dangerous. It was easy to understand the Goblins' caution.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Harry after a moment.
"Not that I know of," Bill denied. "Just get through the Tournament and we'll worry about it this summer. Worst case we can lure him out and see about it then."
"Two or three more," sighed Fleur, giving him a squeeze, "and zen it will be over for good."
Harry couldn't wait.
===[~]===
Bill excused himself shortly after bringing them up to speed — and after delivering another heartfelt apology for what Molly had tried to do. Her actions had been highly offensive by Wizarding standards, and while Harry wasn't going to hold it against her due to her good intentions, the Weasley Heir was another matter entirely.
Bill said he expected that his father would be equally disturbed by it once he understood the magnitude of the transgression.
As the afternoon gave way to evening, they all trooped back up to the castle for dinner. That was where Hermione finally rejoined their party. While she no more had exams than Harry did — an advantage of having transferred to Beauxbatons — she, unlike Molly Weasley, had recognized his need for time with his true family.
Harry was deeply grateful to her for being such a good friend.
As dinner started to wind down, she just couldn't keep it in any longer, though. "Are you two ready for the Task?" she asked worriedly.
Harry and Fleur chuckled at her though. "Relax," he told her calmly. "This Task will be easier than the first two. We've both got it covered."
Next to him, Fleur nodded her beautiful head. "'E is right, 'ermione," she smiled. "Zere is no need to worry."
"Well I, for one, hope you win," grinned Sirius, to Harry's amusement. "Imagine the look on their faces when a fourth year student beats Hogwarts' supposed Champion!"
It had to be said that Sirius was not impressed with Diggory — or rather, with Diggory's father. The man had, to Cedric's obvious embarrassment, made a nuisance of himself earlier, effectively trying to proclaim that his son was better than Harry Potter. It was a rather appalling display that was likely to have earned him a rollicking from his wife when he got home.
"Just be careful," said Sebastian, with not a trace of humor. "I would rather you lose than win at cost of a permanent injury."
"True, that," agreed Sirius.
Harry exchanged a smile with his wife. If only they knew! "It'll be fine," he offered. "Like I said, we've got it covered."
Besides, he thought to himself, it's not like we don't already know that the consequences this Tournament inflicts can be permanent…
Chapter 42
Teamwork
Excited chatter filled the air all around them as the Champions waited for the Task to officially begin. The stands surrounding the Quidditch Pitch were packed full of people, including many dignitaries. Fleur could spot the British, French, and Bulgarian Ministers of Magic right off, and there were many other notables besides.
It looked like half or more of the British Wizengamot had also turned up to see the spectacle.
She could only shake her head at the sheer insanity of it all. A Tournament with only four contestants, all of whom were only just into adulthood (or flat out underage in the case of her new husband), competing in an event that they as spectators would barely even be able to watch. That was what they were here for.
To be fair, she doubted that most of them knew the latter fact and indeed would be very disappointed by it, but the first two facts remained.
Why children competing in deadly tasks was such a draw to them mystified her. If anything, it should have horrified them! But here they were, waiting to see a spectacle that they knew could rapidly turn deadly. It had already had life changing consequences in her and Harry's case, and they were all too aware of that fact.
It did not speak well of magical society.
"Did the Weasley twins come up with anything?" wondered Cedric from his position next to Harry.
"Not that we know of," Harry replied. "They were looking into it, but they don't want to get caught interfering with an international event."
"Which was probably smart of zem," nodded Fleur. "Especially given what we 'ave planned."
Krum, on her side of the gaggle they formed, smirked. "It vill be amusing," he grinned.
Fleur couldn't help but grin back. At least their fellow Champions weren't sticks in the mud. The spectators were going to be disappointed to learn that they travelled all this way for a task that only took two minutes to complete…
"Still nothing to stop us," noted Harry, having finished examining the pitch. "So we're clear to go with it."
Cedric opened his mouth again — probably to ask if they were all still in — but Bagman arrived before he could say anything. The man made Fleur's skin crawl; he was a disgusting pig in her view.
And before he started announcing, he cast a charm that would allow the audience to hear everything that both he and the Champions said. It was a two-part charm that Fleur was only vaguely familiar with. Someone competent had clearly cast the complicated part earlier, and Bagman's spell merely activated it.
Fleur rather thought it was likely going to backfire on him.
===[~]===
In the stands behind the entrance to the maze, Sirius Black sat with the Delacour family and watched the Champions while keeping a weather eye on everything else around him. He found it a novel experience being out in public like this. It had been far, far too long since he was able to live his life.
No thanks to Dumbledore, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.
Watching Harry with Fleur was a balm to his tortured soul. He had no idea if he would ever find love himself — he was damaged goods to be certain — but that his Godson had managed it, no matter in what fashion, warmed his tarnished heart. Fleur and Harry, to his eyes, were simply meant to be.
Remus would likely have been reminded of James and Lily, but not Sirius. Harry was a very different person from James Potter, and Fleur was nothing at all like Lily. On top of that — and as much as he hated to say it — their love was far deeper than he had ever observed between the late elder Potters.
Not that James and Lily weren't very much in love — they were — but Harry and Fleur took it to a whole new level.
Those who had known playboy Sirius Black in school would have been shocked to learn that he was a closet romantic, and that he truly did know what love was. Then and now, he simply didn't think he would ever find the sort of love he craved for himself. He enjoyed very much seeing it in others, though.
And Harry and Fleur were sterling examples in his book.
He continued to watch as they stood and chatted with the other Champions. Even the manner in which they stood spoke of their love for one another. It was subtle, but it was there. He had to admit that he was jealous, and not because she was Veela.
"They look so good together," he sighed to himself.
"Don't they?" asked Sebastian from his left. "I never would 'ave thought of this match for 'er, but 'e really does complete 'er in a way I could never 'ave predicted."
"And she him," nodded Sirius. "I don't know him as well as I'd like for obvious reasons, but I know he's not a very social sort. She seems totally immune to that, though. He's completely comfortable with her."
"You're not wrong," came Hermione Granger's voice from his other side. She had followed them out and joined them in the stands. "I know him better than anyone, except maybe for Fleur now of course, and I can tell you that the way he is with her is totally unlike the way he is with anyone else."
"Even you?" asked Arienne softly from Sebastian's other side.
It was clear to Sirius that she was fishing to see if the magically-forced marriage had disrupted something else, but Hermione rose to the occasion. "Even me," she nodded decisively, with a wry smile lingering on her lips. "Besides, I've always thought of him more like a brother. I don't know that I could ever give him the kind of comfort she does."
And then the conversation was interrupted by Ludo Bagman announcing the start of the Task. Sirius listened intently as the aging former Quidditch star explained how things were supposed to work, and then finally blew his whistle to send Harry and Cedric Diggory into the maze.
Neither boy moved, and Sirius blinked. Something was up. And fortunately the area around the Champions had been charmed to project what was said to the audience, which meant that they were about to find out exactly what that was.
"Well, go on!" Bagman urged, his voice echoing around the arena due to the charms work on the platform. "The clock is ticking!"
To Sirius' increasing amusement, Harry looked at the man like he was crazy. "But that wouldn't be sporting, Mr. Bagman," he said, his voice projected into the stands with perfect clarity. "We want to be fair about this, right?"
"I agree with Harry," added Diggory. "It wouldn't be sporting to go ahead of the others."
Sirius grinned and glanced over at Diggory the Elder Arse, but the man was just sitting there staring. He looked quite shocked by his son's behavior. Poor Cedric; he was likely to get a talking to when he got home.
In the mean time, he couldn't help but giggle aloud this time; he hadn't had this much fun since before Azkaban!
===[~]===
It was quite clear to Harry that Bagman had no idea what to make of his and Cedric's behavior, or what to do about it. That made him want to laugh, but he somehow managed to keep a straight face. Luckily for Bagman, though, Professor Moody soon made an appearance.
"Problem, Ludo?" he asked curiously.
Bagman just sputtered. "They're apparently going to wait and go with the others," he admitted, clearly forgetting that everyone could hear him. "Don't know why they'd want to give up such a big advantage."
Moody's eye spun for a moment before landing on Harry. "This true, Potter?" he asked.
"Wouldn't be sporting otherwise," Harry shrugged.
"Well, there you go," he said to Bagman. "Maybe you should just get on with it, Ludo."
Bagman appeared reluctant. "But—" he started.
"Moody's right," interrupted Cedric. "Might as well get on with it. We're not changing our minds. Right, Harry?"
"Right, Cedric."
===[~]===
While there was a fair bit of laughter at the Champions' antics and the flummoxed former Quidditch star, Sirius was finding it far too difficult to stay quiet. Next to him, Sebastian raised a curious eyebrow, clearly not understanding the reason for his mirth. Sirius chortled again before turning to speak to him, though he still kept one eye on the action — or lack thereof.
"Ten Galleons says they're going to prank the Tournament," he grinned at the man.
"No bet," smirked Sebastian. "My mother did not raise a fool, Sirius."
When he turned to Hermione, she rolled her eyes. "Before this year I might have actually taken you up on that," she admitted. "But now? No, thank you."
Sirius grinned and refocused on his Godson.
"Fine," grumbled Bagman, to the audience's rising amusement. "Then next up, we have Viktor Krum of Durmstrang!"
And with that, he blew his whistle again — only for Viktor to continue standing there lazily.
"Not you, too?" whined Bagman.
Laughter rang out, far more prevalent than before. Sirius was grinning like a loon. Whoever had planned this prank had done a bang-up job! They were, at the very least, making Bagman look like the idiot he was.
"Da!" retorted Viktor. "Am sportsman! Must be sporting!"
Sirius was already suppressing more giggles when Viktor's response came through, and Hermione's abrupt face-palm almost sent him into gales of laughter. It was only his need to hear whatever was next that kept him silent.
Hermione, for her part, was clearly horrified. She had gone to the Yule Ball with Krum, he recalled.
"Am Sportsman?" she repeated faintly. "Like Me Caveman? I know for a fact that Viktor's command of the English language is muchbetter than that!"
Sirius kept silently giggling away.
"Fine!" groused Bagman uncharitably. "Fleur Delacour, Beauxbatons, last place! Go!"
And the final whistle was blown.
Predictably, Fleur simply stood there with the others. None of them made a move to enter the maze.
"And now my daughtair is involved!" grinned Arienne. "Oh, this ees so very amusing!"
"Definitely worth coming to watch," agreed Sebastian.
Sirius could see Moody down on the platform, also looking truly amused. "Have fun with this, Ludo," smirked the old Auror. And then he wandered off.
"Well, are you going in or not?!" Bagman finally burst, utterly exasperated with them, causing the audience to roar with laughter.
"Hmm," mused Harry. "Maybe we should get going. I mean, they did go to all the trouble of setting this up and all."
"Oui," nodded Fleur. "And ze sooner zis is over, ze bettair."
"Da," agreed Viktor.
"Definitely," nodded Cedric.
Then all four of them moved into a line and raised their wands.
"ACCIO BROOM!"
Their entire area of the stands burst into cheers as the Champions' intentions became clear. Sirius had actually read the rules, and knew beyond doubt that this was a perfectly legal move. The entire Task was a joke, really, if you looked at all the various "cheats" that the rules failed to disallow.
Sneaking a peek at Dumbledore almost made him lose his composure once and for all. The man looked like he needed medical attention for a common bowel condition. He clearly did notapprove of the Champions' antics.
"Magnifique!" gushed Arienne.
"A perfect solution," grinned Sebastian. "No real danger to the Champions, and they reduce the entire Task to little more than a broom race."
"Oh, I don't think it's a race," smirked Hermione.
"Oh?" asked Sebastian.
Hermione turned to Sirius with an evil grin. "Ten Galleons says they're going to tie it," she offered. "Deliberately."
There was a brief silence in their section of the stands before laughter suddenly erupted from almost everyone. Even Sirius had missed the obvious. She was right! He was chortling so much that he had to shake his head at her to decline her bet.
Then they watched as the Champions flew up over the hedges and out to the middle of the maze before losing altitude and disappearing from view. It would probably be only moments before the Task was over.
===[~]===
The laughter coming from the stands at their antics was long and loud, much to the Champions' pleasure. Making the organizers look foolish was a good thing in their opinion. Fleur could practically feel her husband's satisfaction as he flew along beside her.
He, more than any of them, had the right to make a mockery of the Tournament.
It took less than fifteen seconds to reach the cup in the center of the maze. The only potential obstacle was an acromantula of all things, but it was stuck behind another wall and would take some time to arrive if it had even seen them coming. The looks they exchanged made their opinions of this task utterly clear.
"Well, that was easy," grinned Cedric. "Shall we? Three… two… one…"
Cedric had reached his hand out as he spoke, as did the rest of them. They had discussed this ahead of time: they wanted it to be a tie with no way for the judges to say otherwise. If they grabbed the cup at exactly the same time, then there would be no contest. No loopholes.
And so they did.
And then all hell broke loose.
===[~]===
"Whoever designed this Task was a moron," Sirius noted. "At least from a spectator's point of view."
"Hear, hear!" was shouted back from various other spectators.
And then fireworks shot up into the sky from the four corners of the maze, and the hedges began to crumble away. It was clearly an effect designed to signal the end of the competition — a "self cleaning maze" he would have said in his youth — but something was wrong.
In the center of the maze, where should have stood four Champions with their brooms, was nothing more than a lone acromantula.
"What the…?" he breathed.
His mirth vanished instantly, like someone had flipped a switch. Suddenly he was deadly serious, his instincts screaming at him that something had just gone terribly wrong.
Turning quickly, he scanned the area in front of the judges, and saw nothing and nobody there either. Turning all the way around, he couldn't spot them anywhere. If the cup was a portkey or something, it hadn't taken them anywhere he could see.
"Where are my children?" asked Arienne as it became clear that something was decidedly wrong.
But that was all the time they had left to worry about their missing family members.
People throughout the stadium were starting to scream, and it wasn't because the Champions had gone missing. Whoever had designed and set up the maze and its disintegration had forgotten one key fact: that all of the various creatures would completely fail to disintegrate with the hedges. And with the Champions having bypassed all of them, none of them had been eliminated beforehand. With no hedges to pen them in, the creatures were free to roam.
Most of them were incredibly deadly, and all of them were unhappy!
One acromantula had already started toward the stands — and as luck would have it, was heading right at their section. Sirius quickly drew his wand and made his way down to the front; he was once an auror, and knew the drill. He was dimly aware of Sebastian and Hermione following him.
It wasn't long at all before he was forced to behead the giant sentient spider; it was not for being shifted from its chosen prey.
All around them, the place dissolved into utter chaos. Hagrid's skrewts were heading toward various points in the audience; a second acromantula was heading toward another part of the stands; and a manticore of all things had honed in on the judge's box. Toward the center of the maze a lonely, disgruntled Sphinx stood quietly and waited to see the upcoming carnage.
And those were just the obvious threats.
With a shake of his head, and working seamlessly with Sebastian and Hermione, Sirius focused in on the next threat and tried to ignore both the stampede of the spectators behind him and his worries over his missing godson and goddaughter-in-law.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 43
Anticlimax
Harry's nerves snapped taught when his hand seized up on the trophy's handle, his other locked around the shaft of his broom. He clearly felt the hook that yanked him away from the center of the maze. Every instinct he had was screaming at him that this was wrong.
I knew it was too easy, he mentally groused.
As the trip continued past the first second or two, he knew they weren't simply being transported to the judges. Wherever they were going, it was likely to be the point of the whole exercise. From the moment his name had been entered, there had been a purpose — and now they were going to learn what it was.
Possibly to their great cost.
All he could do right now, though, was mentally tally the situation. He could feel his wife bumping against him on one side, and could see Viktor and Cedric directly across, also carrying their brooms. This was a small comfort: whatever was happening, it was likely that whoever was on the other end only expected one person, not four.
A few moments later they all hit the ground and went sprawling.
"What the hell?" groused Cedric.
Harry, however, wasn't listening. While he was helping Fleur to her feet, he was otherwise busy taking in their surroundings — and what he saw was far from promising. They were in a graveyard, likely miles and miles away from Hogwarts.
A mouldering old mansion was visible atop a hill in the distance, and an old church off to one side, but other than that, there was nothing but trees and grave markers as far as the eye could see. Well, that and an ominous fog clinging to the ground, like something out of a Muggle Halloween special.
"This is not part of the tournament," noted Viktor.
"Non," agreed Fleur quietly. And then, showing that they were totally on the same page, she added, "Whatever zis is, it must be why 'arry was entered."
"I agree," Harry said. "I don't see anyone else around, though."
"They probably didn't expect us to be this fast," noted Cedric. "Let's get out of sight until we figure out what to do."
There was no need for any further prompting. Cedric quickly took the lead, drawing them over to and then behind a sizable mausoleum. Harry could tell that he had thought of entering the structure but decided against it.
It didn't matter, though; what mattered was what was written on a headstone that Harry spotted in the distance. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. It spelled Trouble, with a capital T.
"'Arry?" prompted Fleur, finally dragging him — almost forcibly — back behind the mausoleum with the rest of them. "What ees eet?" she asked nervously.
"I know where we are," he said faintly.
"Where?" asked Cedric.
Harry turned to look Fleur in the eye, since she was the only one present likely to understand the full implications. "That house on the hill?" he quietly gestured. "It's probably the Riddle estate."
The other two Champions were baffled, but Fleur's eyes widened, and her grip on him tightened. "You are certain?" she asked.
"That's what one of the gravestones said. I doubt it's a coincidence."
Fleur let go and started cursing in French so fluently that Harry fancied he could almost literally see the air turning blue.
"Whoa, slow down," put in Cedric. "Want to share with the class? What is the– the Riddle estate, you said?"
Harry shook himself out of his daze, resigned to explaining things. He had no idea how long they would be alone, however, so he needed to be quick about it. There was no time to be gentle.
"As in Tom Marvolo Riddle," he told Cedric, with Viktor listening in off to the side. "He uses a different name these days. He got it by rearranging the letters until they said 'I am Lord Voldemort.'"
Cedric and Viktor both immediately lost all color. "Please tell me this is a joke," choked out Viktor.
"Non," said Fleur quietly but firmly. "Eet ees no joke. We are in very great danger."
"The question is, what do we do about it?" mused Harry. "I have no idea how to get us home."
"Out of time," noted Viktor; he was currently peering up the hill toward the house. "Someone is coming."
It took Harry all of ten seconds to figure it out. "The brooms," he decided. "We stay low behind the gravestones until whoever that is passes, then we get up in the air. Worst case, we fly away as fast as we can and make our way back to the school. He can't chase all of us at once, so if we're spotted, we split up."
They all exchanged looks, and then nodded their agreement — nobody had a better idea — and nothing else was said. Harry led the way this time, slaloming silently through the graveyard, his wife hot on his heels. He hoped the other two were there as well — not that he was worried about Krum's chances on a broom.
He wasn't worried about Fleur either, truth be told; Cedric was actually the weakest flyer in the group, and he wasn't half bad in Harry's opinion.
It took some doing — and nearly five minutes of meticulous flying — but they slowly circled around the graveyard until they were behind the unknown party. Then Harry pulled up sharply, and they rapidly gained altitude, finally gathering directly overhead nearly a hundred feet up. Once on high they could see that, in their hurry, they had overlooked the presence of an enormous cauldron.
The unknown person was carrying something toward it.
"What on earth?" asked Cedric.
"Dark ritual," suggested Krum.
"If I had to guess?" said Harry, "Dark resurrection ritual."
"Merde," breathed Fleur.
"What now?" asked Cedric.
And that was the million Galleon question. On one hand, Harry felt like they should run and not look back. Getting involved in this was only going to get someone hurt or killed.
On the other hand, it was clear that Tom had a purpose here, and it probably involved having Harry present. Would he simply use someone else if Harry didn't show? It was highly likely.
"We should stop zis," said Fleur after a while. "I do not know what 'e is planning, but it cannot be good."
"Da," agreed Viktor. "Dark rituals are never good. Vill hurt many people if ve do not stop it."
"This is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named we're talking about," shuddered Cedric. "Can we even stop him?"
"Yes," said Harry flatly. "Tom is nothing more than a psychotic wizard. He's not a god. We can stun him just like anyone else. Just don't try to kill him."
"What? Why not?" gasped Cedric. "He's a monster!"
"Oui," agreed Fleur quietly, "but 'e is a monster zat 'as taken precautions. Eet ees not zat we do not want to kill eem, eet ees zat we cannot keel 'eem. It weel not end well."
It was the thickening of her accent that clued Harry in to just how calm Fleur was not — which otherwise did not come through in her voice. He quickly slid his broom closer to her and caught her in a one-armed hug. For all that she was a capable adult, she had never before been in a situation like this one.
Neither had the other two, but that was neither here nor there — they weren't his wife.
"Easy love," he soothed. "It'll be fine. We have the advantage here. He only expected one of us, and he doesn't even know where we are, or maybe even that we're here yet."
Fleur stared into his eyes for a long moment before suddenly grabbing his head and kissing him thoroughly — something she never did in public beyond a mere peck. "You will come home in one piece," she growled in French. "You hear me, husband?"
Harry couldn't help but smile. "I do," he replied in the same language. "And the same goes for you, love."
"Bon," she said finally, and then forced her mask back into place. He knew it to be an aspect of Occlumency; she was using it to suppress her feelings — and her nerves.
Turning back to the graveyard, Harry quickly took in the situation. Whoever was down there had put the bundle down, and appeared now to be tending something in the cauldron. Harry also spotted movement off to the side — something slithering through the underbrush nearby.
"Snake," he noted, pointing it out to the others.
"Da," nodded Krum. "Big, too."
"Probably belongs to He-Who," agreed Cedric.
"Zat one we can kill," noted Fleur grimly. She was clearly taking this all very personally.
Silence reigned as they studied the area. There was a town off in the distance, but it was unlikely to be of any help. The unknown person tending the cauldron was the only human visible for miles. The only other party they could see was the snake.
"Y'know, this could be relatively simple," Harry finally said. Then, looking at Krum, he suggested, "Wronsky Feint, attack at the bottom, right before we pull up?"
A smile slowly spread across Viktor's face. Harry'd had little contact with him since the Yule Ball, but he had seemed fairly boring then. Now, though, with that look in his eye, Harry understood. Krum found his fun in the air.
"Da," he said slowly.
"You take the snake," suggested Harry. "That might actually be the more difficult one. Use a cutting hex. I'll deal with our unknown down there with a stunner."
"What about us?" asked Cedric, motioning between himself and Fleur.
"Backup," explained Viktor.
"Exactly," agreed Harry, looking Cedric in the eye. "If something happens to us, it's up to you to save the day." Then, with an amused smirk he added, "I'd ask you to get Fleur to safety, but I don't feel like being char-broiled."
"Bon," smirked Fleur. "You are learning!"
They all had a good chuckle over that, but Harry felt their time was up now. They needed to get this done — before something elsecould happen.
"Alright, let's go," he decided. And then he and Viktor lined up on their respective Firebolts.
"Good luck," he told Viktor.
"Da, same," Viktor replied.
"Three, two, one–"
And they were off.
Harry forgot all his fears in the rush of air on his face as he streaked toward the ground, dimly aware of Viktor doing the same right beside him. If this had been a Quidditch game, it would have been immensely fun. But then the moment was over, and he raised his wand, poised to strike.
They crossed the distance in less than five seconds, and Harry roared his curse into the night, even as Viktor did the same.
"STUPEFY!"
"REZACHKA!"
Harry's curse slammed into the back of the person tending the cauldron, slamming his head into it with a resounding clang. Even as Harry pulled out of his dive, however, he heard Viktor's curse having a very unexpected effect, and forcefully yanked the broom around to see what had happened.
He was just in time to see an image of Voldemort screaming into the night as it disintegrated into nothingness where it hovered over the headless body of the snake that Viktor had targeted.
Viktor swore in his native language. "Vhat vas that?" he asked as he landed with a thud.
"Just be glad it's gone," said Harry quietly, choosing not to answer the question. He had a guess, and really didn't want knowledge of that topic to spread. Instead he also landed, and then turned to the unknown person and pulled its hood down.
"Wormtail," he growled upon recognizing the idiot.
He looked up and was just about to motion Cedric and Fleur down from the heavens when heard something that made his blood run cold.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
===[~]===
Fleur watched silently as her husband of three months lined up next to an internationally-renowned Quidditch star like it was no big thing. One would have thought that he flew with the famous Viktor Krum every day. And that was to say nothing of what awaited them at the bottom of their respective dives.
She had tremendous confidence in Harry, but that did not stop her from worrying over his safety. If whoever was down there saw them coming, it could get very ugly, very quickly. She could only hope that their presence truly was still unknown.
"Three, two, one–"
The look on his face as he dove was unsurprising to her. He adored flying, and if not for the fame aspect she would have recommended Quidditch as a potential career. He was, by all accounts, an excellent Seeker.
She saw as the spells flashed out, and then came the most unearthly shriek she'd ever heard. It sent shivers up her spine, and she had no idea what had caused it. Unlike Harry, she had never heard that sound before.
"What was that?" asked Cedric nervously.
"I do not know," she shrugged. "But zey do not seem to be worried about it."
She watched as Harry went over and examined the unknown person, but was quickly distracted. Her heart nearly stopped when a sickly green spell flashed out from the bundle on the ground, very nearly striking Krum in the back. He was barely able to dive out of the way.
She was in her own dive before she even consciously registered what she was doing.
By the time Fleur reached the ground, however, it was already over. Harry had quickly stunned whoever was in the bundle, and was now staring at it with a deeply disgusted expression on his face. She quickly landed and looked for herself — and promptly wished that she hadn't.
It was all she could do to keep her dinner down.
"Zat is disgusting!" she snapped, even as Cedric touched down next to her.
"I think it's Tom," said Harry faintly. "I have no idea what he did to himself, but yeah, that's disgusting."
"Homunculus," said Krum as he brushed himself off. "Am surprised it can cast."
"Looked like it almost got you," noted Cedric.
"Da," agreed Viktor. "Lucky I vas paying attention."
"Who is ze ozzer?" asked Fleur curiously.
"Pettigrew," explained Harry darkly. "He's not going anywhere."
Fleur had the sense that it was over; there was nobody else about, and as creepy as their surroundings were, they were now relatively safe. She could see that Harry was holding something back, but she would ask him later.
"What now?" asked Cedric.
"Now you go to the Ministry and find Madam Bones," ordered Harry. "Get her here with a gob of Aurors, and whoever else she needs to deal with Riddle and Pettigrew. Oh, and tell her I said that Gringotts needs to be involved. There's something here they're looking for, and you don't want to get in their way on that one. We'll be here when you get back."
Credric blinked in shock at Harry's decisive orders, but quickly shook himself out of it. "Right," he nodded. He closed his eyes for a moment to center himself, and then he suddenly twisted and vanished with a crack!
Fleur couldn't help staring hungrily at Harry. His take-charge attitude just then did funny things to her insides. He blinked back at her in shock when he spotted it, and that brought her back to herself. She gave him a look that promised many things that night, and then moved off to start cataloguing what was here.
There really wasn't much to see.
The cauldron had some sort of liquid in it, but she wouldn't have been surprised if it was little more than water. There was no smell, which supported that possibility. The thing had a base that allowed for firewood to be placed underneath, but there was none present. She wasn't sure if that meant the ritual would have taken place elsewhere, or if they just hadn't started it yet.
Harry had Pettigrew trussed up like a Christmas turkey alongside it, and the bump on his head doubly ensured that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
On the other side of the cauldron, the massive snake – now headless – lay cooling in the grass. It was positively enormous. Good thing they had decided to target it, or things might have been far worse.
"That was a horcrux," said Viktor suddenly, his voice hushed and laced with clear disgust. "In the snake."
Fleur's gaze snapped to Viktor at the same time as Harry's did. She had no idea what to say. While they had not been sworn to secrecy, this was not the sort of knowledge that should be shared.
Harry took the initiative, though. "Yes," he said flatly. "But please don't ever repeat that. Nobody needs to know that Tom made them. The Goblins are dealing with it, and if this really is him, then he'll be dead for good very shortly."
"Good," nodded Krum.
"Is zat what zat shriek was?" she asked curiously.
"Da," nodded Viktor. "Looked like him, too."
Fleur could do little more than blink in surprise. This was turning out to be a very productive night. Her only complaint was that they could have stopped it all if they'd gone after Riddle as soon as they knew he was present.
Then again, how would they have known that he was little more than a homunculus?
Giving up that train of thought with a heavy sigh, she leaned her broom against a headstone and wrapped herself around her husband from behind. The adrenaline was already leaving her system, and she was definitely feeling the effects. She rested her chin on his head, and as she closed her eyes she saw Krum smiling softly at them.
She hadn't known he was capable of that.
===[~]===
Harry wanted to close his eyes and melt into Fleur's embrace, but would not allow himself to do so. They were still in hostile territory. He doubted there would be further trouble, but one never knew. For one thing, he suspected that there was another horcrux somewhere nearby. If it was alive like the snake was, then there was no telling what could happen.
Ten minutes later, Harry was getting worried. Cedric had been gone for quite a while, and there were still no Aurors on the scene. He could feel Fleur's tension once more increasing through the grip she had on him, and even Krum was starting to look fidgety.
Could something have gone wrong?
Another ten minutes after that, and all three of them were considering leaving the scene together to try to get help. They were deeply worried that something might have happened to Cedric. As such, they were all on a razor's edge when help finally arrived.
It took all of Harry's considerable self-control to prevent himself from casting a stunner at Amelia Bones when she appeared in the graveyard — and with his recent power boost, it would have been one hell of a stunner indeed.
Her auror robes looked like she'd already been through a war tonight. They were singed and ripped in places, and on closer inspection, he could see that there was dirt streaked across her face. The aurors she brought with her weren't much better off.
"Mr. Potter?" she called. "What exactly happened?"
Harry blinked.
"I could ask the same of you," he frowned. "Are you alright?"
"We're fine, Mr. Potter," she sighed. "I'll explain in a minute. You first please."
Harry studied her for a moment longer before finally relenting and explaining what had happened. Cedric returned halfway through the explanation with a familiar pair of goblins in tow, causing him to have to start over again. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that Riptooth and Ragnock were both taking a personal interest.
By the time he finished the story, most of the newcomers were in shock. Only Bones and the Goblins had taken it with any level of equanimity.
"Quite the night," said Ragnock in his gravelly voice, nodding in respect to Harry. "We will scan for what we require." Turning to Madam Bones he added, "The rest is yours. The People take no interest outside of certain… artifacts."
Madam Bones took that in stride. "I'm aware of your interest," she admitted, "and I have no intention of stopping you. All I ask is that you let me know when they've all been found." Then, eyeing Harry, she added, "or at least let Mr. Potter know."
Ragnok chuckled. "That will not be a problem, Madam Bones. He is, after all, the one who alerted our employee to their existence."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "More my wife and her mum, but that's neither here nor there," he grinned. But then he turned serious again. "So that's here, Madam Bones. What happened to you?"
Her grimace was not reassuring.
She took a moment to direct her people to start dealing with the scene, and then conjured a chair to sit down in. The Champions followed suit — and Fleur also conjured a pair of chairs for the two goblins. Harry would have, but he wasn't that good at it yet.
"What happened was a cock-up of massive proportions on the part of the Tournament organizers, Mr. Potter," she finally sighed.
Harry blinked at that description. "You mean beyond having a Task that involved the spectators watching hedges grow for an hour or so?"
Both goblins roared with laughter at that question, and Madam Bones rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, yes," she said. "Those hedges were spelled to self-disintegrate when the cup was taken."
The first stirrings of horror made themselves known deep in Harry's gut, and could almost feel the blood draining from his cheeks. "Please tell me that they had the creatures locked in place," he said quietly.
"Unfortunately, no," she replied. "Nobody was killed, but it was a close run thing. There were numerous serious injuries. If not for your Godfather and father-in-law, and a student named Hermione Granger, things would be quite a lot worse. They managed to subdue all but the manticore, with only scattered help from others, most notably the Weasley twins. It took Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Maxime and Mad-Eye all working together just to contain the manticore. We had to help them take it down."
"Zere was a manticore in zat maze?" asked Fleur faintly. "What were zey thinking?"
"Did not sign up as a sacrifice," growled Krum darkly.
"You're not the only ones saying such things," nodded Madam Bones. "Manticores are illegal for a reason, and the Tri-Wizard tournament did not rate an exemption, nor did it have one. I have people looking into the records, and whoever is behind that will face the full force of the law. I consider it four counts of attempted murder, at an absolute minimum. The only thing worse would have been a basilisk."
Harry couldn't help but agree. He knew enough about manticores from reading ahead in Care of Magical Creatures to know that they were utterly deadly. As Madam Bones had said, there was a reason they were illegal. A single manticore could have killed a sizable percentage of the audience before they could take it down.
They were lucky that it hadn't.
"Are my parents alright?" worried Fleur. "And 'arry's Godfather and 'ermione?"
"Yes, they're fine," nodded Amelia. "All of them have minor injuries, but nothing serious. I think Granger might be up for an Order of Merlin, too. She spotted one of those Merlin-bedamned skrewts targeting a group of Wizengamot members and managed to stop it with some dramatic transfiguration at the cost of getting slightly mauled by a rampaging hippogriff. Your Godfather managed to divert the hippogriff before it could do worse."
Shaking her head she added, "And she still kept going after that, even though she was obviously in pain. I'm hoping to recruit her when she graduates, she would make an excellent Auror."
"Good luck with that," chuckled Harry. "I don't know what she has planned in the long run, but I can't see her as an Auror."
"Non," agreed Fleur. "A teacher or a researcher per'aps, but she is too, 'ow do you say… black and white? for law enforcement."
"Da," agreed Krum.
"Department of Mysteries for that one," Cedric agreed. "She's certainly smart enough."
"We'll see what happens," chuckled Amelia. "In the mean time, we need to get you back to Hogwarts. My people can handle things from here."