I do n't own Harry ceramist. I wish I did ...



Harry lay on his backbone on his bed with his mother locket dangling above him. The bloody affair was taunting him he was sure. He had run some detection appealingness over it and been shocked to find that the thing was wrapped up six fashion from Lord's Day. Harry flicked through one of the record book laid around him but found aught he hadn't already seen before.

"What now Harry."Neville had asked him earlier that day when Harry was dragging his way through some antediluvian runes homework."With the programme, what do we need to do now ?"

"We have to hold off now Neville."Harry had looked up and met his admirer eye with a grin."Which could end up as the firmly part. But we can't do anything until some stuff plays out. Bear with me…"Harry added as his friends face fell."… for now we ‘ re bang on objective. You know the plan."

In realness the plan was far from on target, in fact it had taken a hideous stagger. It had happened one breakfast not long after Christmas…

"Harry…"Harry looked up from his bowl of cereal at the step of everlasting horror in Ron's voice.

"Yes ?"But Ron just pointed wordlessly over at the Slytherin tabular array. Malfoy was holding a heather with a look of give tongue to felicity on his face."So he has a new broom ? We knew his father would buy him a new one."

"F… ff… Firebolt."That was all Ron appeared to be able-bodied to say. His face was ash white as he fumbled a Quidditch powder magazine out of his bag and pass around it out in front of Harry, his hired hand shaking as he pointed to a long article.

Harry's expression went from confused to fearful then moving swiftly to terrorize as he read down the Firebolt's specs. The Chimera was in force but there was no way she could compete with the raw power of the Firebolt.

"Does this shift the plan Harry."Harry glanced up and saw that Fred and George I had moved down the table. Their usual grin dulled to concern frowns."I, mean… It ‘ s a Firebolt."Harry tossed the clip back at Ron and rock his head.

"The heather only as respectable as the rider. We can still pull this off."Harry tried to make his spokesperson comforting and unbendable. He kind of succeeded."We will."

But the Slytherin Ravenclaw game gave them ample evidence that even with a bad rider a professional broom still kicks ass. When the snitch finally appeared Malfoy was at the other end of the pitch and flying much low-toned than it and he had still snatched it comfortably before Cho could get anywhere near it. That, coupled with the Nimbus 2001s the rest of the team had had equaled a devastating departure for the Ravenclaw team.

The most irritating affair was that he really could do null right now. They needed to wait at to the lowest degree until after the next match before the plan could build. Waiting and watching helplessly was torment. When he had been working on the chimaera it had been like there was a big puzzle laid out in front of him and he could lick at it until it was finished. Waiting was a great deal harder because there was goose egg to do. Yes he had preparation and yes some Slytherins had mysteriously had their place filled with frogspawn while they dried beside a fire but he had no puzzle to solve. He had tried to concentrate on practicing with his guitar but it wasn ‘ t enough. Then he remembered the locket.

So now he worked on finding direction to short-circuit its many charms and spells. Working on that unmanageable ( but eventually solvable ) problem kept his mind off other apparently unsolvable trouble. Like why he had had part of last Monday twice. Twisting the locket up near the luminance he tried a few things.

"Lilly. genus Petunia. Prefect. Open Sesame."The locket remained mesh and he dropped his helping hand in frustration. At least he had worked out that it was a password and not some other method of opening but that was about all he had discovered. He had thought of swallowing his pride and asking prof lupine his advice. The teacher hadn't known it was a locket but he might experience had some thought or at least be able to give him the figure of her childhood pets."James. Sothis. pecker. Rose."Harry tried then gave up and overgorge the thing back into his pocket.

"I chose an irritating mystery."Harry growled then rolled over.

And fell twenty animal foot onto cold stone.
*


"Ouch !"Harry had all the air blown out of his lungs and fell into a fit of coughing before lifting his brain from the floor. There was no tugboat above him and the rampart nearby were patched and had gaping cakehole in them."Well this is new."Harry commented as he levered himself up against a wall.

"Yes very much so."A pleasant lilt interpreter sounded out of the shadows down the hall."New, but not finished as yet."A tall man with a broad whiskers and a head of hair of red hair, barely held down by a battered hat, moved into thought and knelt down by Harry. His speech pattern was archaic and his apparel matched that description as did the jeweled sword in his hand. A deep suspicion seeped through Harry.

"You wouldn ‘ t be Godric Gryffindor would you ?"Harry said. Hoping for a no.

"You've heard tell of me."The man seemed pleasantly surprised. He whipped his hat off his head then stuffed his blade into it, appeared to rummage around for a moment then drew out a inadequate rod topped with a lechatelierite bollock. As he waved the verge over Harry it emitted a warm light and Harry felt the bruise of his declension disappear even fast than Madam Pomfrey could consume managed."There, all better."The man smiled and dropped the rod back into his hat.

"You got a rabbit in there too."Harry quipped. Falling back on flippancy as the more sane circumstances of his mind waved fiddling Theodore Harold White flags.

"A rabbit ? Why would one preserve a rabbit in a headpiece."The founder smiled."Wouldn ‘ t it make rather a quite a little on the head ?"

The sparkling eye reminded Harry of Dumbledore, comforting him somewhat.

"How did you come to be here ?"Gryffindor asked as he helped Harry to his feet."Or more accurately speaking ; How did you get along to be a good XXX straddle above here ?"

"I don't really know."Harry shrugged."I was lying in bed trying to open… say ?"Harry dug the locket out of his air pocket. If anyone could work this matter out…

"I ‘ ve been trying to form out the password on this thing. You got any approximation ?"

Godric Gryffindor appeared to like a honest enigma as much as Harry and pulled what looked like a jeweller eyeglass out of his hat before using it to examine the piffling sideslip of silver. Without appearing to notice what he was doing he reached into the hat again and pulled out what looked like a Cornish fowl pasty. Munching on it he turned the locket over and over in his other deal."Have you attempted a peeling yet ? It would certainly be effective."

"Peeling ?"Harry had never heard of a magic spell or while like that."No, what's that ?"

"An orchard apple tree peel."Gryffindor finished off his pasty and made a dipping apparent movement."soaking an apple in diviners broth that also has the locket soaking deep within it. Then peel the fruit in one strip with a silver knife. Toss the Robert Peel over thy left articulatio humeri and it should forge the shape of the password."Gryffindor handed the locket back."But you still have not told me how you got here."

"I honestly don't know. I ‘ ve been jumping around in prison term all this year. Never this far though."Harry shook his head.

"Truly ?"Gryffindor sounded sad for a moment and looked at him through the jewelry maker glass. His eye fell on Harry's chest on the give position and he let out a bully sigh."Oh, I am truly sorry my boy."

"What ? What is it ?"Harry unbuttoned his shirt and bit back a cry as he saw the monumental red scar stretching over the left one-half of his chest. It was pockmarked and splotchy, almost like someone had spilled acid on him and it had only ate him away where the droplets had fallen."That's never been there before ! And I can ‘ t feel it !"

"You can not feel it because you have not suffered it yet."Gryffindor bowed his head, a shoot down bloom in the corner of his eye."Also you will only see it when you are out of your lawful time. You are caught in the torrent of years now and there is no way to pull round. It will get bad and uncollectible until the outcome that caused it in the first place occurs. I wish I had better newsworthiness niggling one, but I am afraid you are doomed."

The two figures stood silently in the corridor. Harry spoke first.

"But if it hasn ‘ t happened yet, can ‘ t I stop it ?"

"The constabulary of causal agent and event must be followed, even if they do not happen in the traditional order."

"well I don ‘ t buy it."Harry shook his head and crossed his arms angrily."I will not eat up this bullshit you ‘ re peddling. And I want to go back !"Harry felt his rage rising, a burst of accidental magic made a flagstone crack."I want to go back to my own time, NOW !"Harry pushed his middle closed then snapped them open. Gryffindor was gone, and the castle was whole again.

"That's better."He said to the castle as a whole.

"WHERE THE hell on earth DID YOU COME FROM !"

Harry spun and made shushing noises to quite the fat lady who was now slumped over the vertebral column of her hot seat with her hand over her chest, breathing heavily.

"It ‘ s alright, it ‘ s alright. balm is the password isn't it ?"

Still staring at him in jolt the fat lady nodded and opened for him. Harry went quickly through the vacuous night-time rough-cut room and slipped back up up into the third-years bedroom.

Gryffindor's dustup troubled him though, even though the whole experience still felt kind of surreal. Should he go to Dumbledore ? Would the master help or just say the same thing as his long-time predecessor ?

Suddenly Harry remembered something and smiled. He did have someone eminently qualified to answer interrogation about time and destiny. Grabbing a flight feather and lambskin Harry jotted down a long note to his Greek pen-pal. Originally he only meant to ask about the torrent but as he wrote he began to include everything that had happened since his net letter until the missive was several sheets long.

"excavator will not be happy."Harry chuckled as he got out of bed for the second time that Night. Not wanting to wake the fat madam again after the scare he'd given her he padded over to his favourite window, climbed through it and set off in the focussing of the owlery.
*


"Is that a hair growth potion ceramicist ?"

"No sir."

"It isn ‘ t ?"

"No sir."

Snape took a cryptical breath, he was going to savor this.

"For the first meter ever in my family you are chastise. You have not brewed a hair development potion. You have not even attempted to brew a hair ontogenesis potion. Can you explain to me why you have brewed a different potion, from a different book. Brewed what appears to be a diviners broth that is not even on the Hogwarts syllabus. And can you explicate why, even when you have chosen your own potion, you have still managed to utterly fail."

The insufferable boy glanced at the scummy green good deal that filled his cauldron.

"I blame society sir."

"social club ?"

"Yes sir."

"fifty dollar bill level from Gryffindor."

"well deserved sir."
*


Almost a week later Harry was out hunting for an apple. He had finally acquired some passable diviners broth by the simple dint of asking any of the marauder if they could bewilder it out. The potion wasn't that hard, it was just beyond Harry's abysmal stratum of science. Somehow the two solidification to Twin had puzzled it out. Harry smiled to himself, had he just referred to Fred and George I as vulture ? Well, they almost were, but Vinca minor didn't like them because they had throw a pail of treacle through her once so they'd have to apologize before they could be officially sworn in.

But now he was tromping through the rain, looking for an apple. Or at least an apple tree, he knew a charm to realise it carry a fruit out of season. When he'd record up on the peeling it had said that it worked best when you picked the fruit yourself so Harry had asked Hagrid where all the apple tree's on the primer were ( the ones on the safety face of the wards obviously ). Unfortunately what he hadn't counted on was that they were mostly small wild tree with yield not nearly large enough to farm a salutary peel. He needed a big cooking apple or something.

Harry preformed the magic spell on another sodden flower only to be rewarded by another tiny crab louse apple.

"Sod this."Harry grumbled and pulled his gown closer around himself. On innate reflex he checked the peel on his allow side, knit and unmarred, to reassure himself that he was still in the right time. His finger moved to his pendent hanging on its new Chain. Pythea hadn't written back yet, but then it took a while for an owl to fly to Hellenic Republic and back and Harry had asked power shovel to stay on there until the oracle had a response for him to salvage her making four trips.

"I ‘ m testing one last Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree then getting inside where it ‘ s warm."Harry stomped through the mud down to a wizened old tree by the lakeshore. And performed the appealingness one hold out time.

"Bugger."Sir Thomas More small-scale fry. Harry was about to turn away and walk back up to the castling when he saw a splash of color on the far bank. Scrambling out on the ancestor of the old tree to get a secure look he bit back an swearing. There was a footling girl lying on the Orient bank, half in and half out of the bushes near the edge of the tabu forest. She wasn't moving and she was facedown in the water.

"HEY !"Harry yelled for anyone hearing."SOMEONE ! HAGRID !"But the wind took his words away."Oh my god. Why does this stuff always bump to me ?"

Harry looked around for an option selection but saw nothing.

"I hate my life."Harry said before tugging his shoes and robe off and leaping into the dark water.

For a moment the piddle closed over his head and he breathed in a mouthful of water in shock and threat but he bobbed to the airfoil and coughed it up before striking out for the afflicted figure on the far bank. He had to go a lilliputian way out from the bank to avoid the bound of the Aaron Montgomery Ward but then he could fare back in and eventually dragged himself up onto the far bank.

"I am never doing that again."Harry breathed as he staggered towards the girl."No more than lakes."

As he neared the girl the half of her that had been hidden in the bushes came into survey and he stopped in electric shock. She wasn't a girl at all, she was a centaur. And she had a massive bite on her side of meat, red and scabbed. Harry moved forward and dragged her face out of the water.

"young lady ?"Harry slapped her face and tried to listen for external respiration. She was still warm."Wake up !"

Suddenly the centaurs middle shot open and she coughed up a slew of lake water into Harry's lap.

"You alright ? Hey ?"

"Of course of study, I am alright."The young lady vocalism was weak but she seemed to be working her legs as if trying to get up."We are not fragile like humans."

"Not fragile eh ? Looks like person managed to break you a little."Harry said, glancing back at the wound.

"Werewolf."Harry stiffened but the centaur-girl laughed."It will be gone now."She pointed at the slightly waning moon in the sky."This raciness is day old. I was just disoriented and I wandered away from my herd."

"volition you… I mean are you…"

"Infected ?"She used the word like a smirch."Of course not. Lycanthropy is a homo illness."

"Shall I get Dumbledore ? Or Hagrid ?"

"Unnecessary."She waved a homo arm and finally managed to get up on her hooves."My herd are nearby, I can smell them."

"You got disoriented before."Harry followed her as she began to hitch off into the forest.

"The bite was infected. It has healed now."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to Hogwarts instead ?"Harry pointed back at the palace being rapidly obscured by Tree."It ‘ s right there."

"I do not involve Humans."

"Sure."Harry said mockingly"Because you were picking yourself out of the piss just fine by yourself."

"Shut up foal."

Harry frowned but followed the lame centaur deeper into the forest. After half an 60 minutes or so Harry heard something Brobdingnagian approaching and tensed. But then relaxed as three centaur emerged from the undergrowth.

"Lachesis !"One of them cried and ran forward to embrace the little centaur."You are safe."

"Of course father."The girl replied get to and pushed him away.

"We ‘ ll this worked out mulct. I ‘ ll just be…"But Harry trailed off as the elder centaur turned to him.

"You !"The largest Centaurus tiff and Harry suddenly found two arrowheads pointed at his cervix."Abomination !"

"scourge, we need to kill him now !"The thirdly centaur said jounce and fear dripping from his voice. Lachesis and her beginner were standing off to one position."We can not risk him living."

"I thought we did not harm foals."The beginner moved in closer and reached out for the leaders shoulder.

"He is an exception."The third spoke."Do you knot know how deviant he is ? How dangerous ?"

"Um…"Harry's top dog just kept flicking from English to side, trying to follow the conversation. Running was insufferable, he was in their forest."Is this about the torrent…"But Lachesis interrupted him.

"He saved my lifetime Padre. The herd has life-time debt to him."They did ? commencement Harry had heard of it. The leading Centaur had still not spoken but grimaced and lowered his bow.

"For the debt the youthful one bears you…"He began, his voice deep and malign."… you live today. But heed me foal, if we find you in our forest again not even Lachesis will waffle to pop you."Harry looked at the young centaur and saw her springiness a confirming nod.

"Understood. But the thing is I don ‘ t know if I can find my way back."Harry glanced apologetically over his shoulder.

"Damwain, show him to Hogwarts."nemesis was already turning and moving off through the underbrush. Harry was relieved to see that Damwain was Lachesis'Father of the Church and not the third base Centaur who had been so intent on killing him. Damwain set off the way Harry had come and Harry had to trot to keep up. After a while the silence began to grate on Harry and he decided to break it.

"Why did the former Centaurus want to kill me ?"Harry asked as he stumbled over a root.

"Not other."The Centaurus said curtly.

"What ?"

"Not other centaurs. I also want to kill you, but I will keep to the laws of our kind that prohibit harming the young and I acknowledge my daughter debt to you."

"But why ? What have I done to so royally piss off the entire Centaur res publica ?"

"You have done nothing. You merely are."Damwain shook his principal."As you heard before. You are aberrant."

"It this about the soaker of ages ?"Harry guessed. The centaur looked up and the stars and sighed.

"The torrent ? It is at the centre of it."The Centaurus lapsed into quiet again but didn't seem angry or anything. Harry decided it was probably alright to ask another question.

"Does the deluge have anything to do with why the lycanthrope are gathering ?"

"What possible connection could there be between those things ?"The centaur scoffed."No the wolfman gather for an altogether different reason."

"Which is… ?"

"Their drawing card had come."Damwain sounded angry now."A man almost as a good deal an abhorrence as you. He has gathered them here. He seems to opine he has some way to enter Hogwarts."

"Does he ?"Harry asked.

"I seriously doubt it."Damwain scoffed."The Hogwarts Montgomery Ward have stood against the corking minds in contemporaries. They will not fall to something little more than an animal."Damwain fell unsounded then came to a halt. He turned to Harry and said…

"parting now."Harry started, then realized that he could see the castle through the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. They had returned by a much more channelize mob than he had left."Take bane ‘ s warning seriously, to be caught in the woodland again means demise for you."And with that the centaur turned and galloped off into the wood.

"Do you think I want to keep visiting the all-fired taboo forest !"Harry yelled after him.
*


"A leader ?"Padma leant over the marauders table and spoke just above a whisper.

"That's what he said. row he also said I was an abomination."

"A man who knows what he ‘ s taking about."

Harry stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh be severe !"Hermione chided them."This is important."

"You're telling me. The centaurs want to pop Harry !"Ron said, aghast.

"I meant about the werewolves !"

"But the wards celebrate them out."Ron narrowed his eyes. Harry groaned, an argument was about to start."I think a solid mintage who want to replete Harry with arrows is More important."

"Then Harry just doesn't go into the wood. Which he shouldn ‘ t be anyway."Hermione gave Harry a piercing stare.

"If he hadn ‘ t we wouldn't know about the centaur or your valued werewolves."Ron crossed his subdivision triumphantly.

"That doesn ‘ t make it a full thing ! We should…"Hermione continued talking as Harry gently stood a bombastic Book up on its edge between the arguing pair and the rest of the marauders. The literary argument safely contained Harry turned and asked…

"Any comments from the non-old-married-couple section of the mesa ?"The marauders grinned ( except for Anapurna who was moping a little. She hadn't liked having her illusions about centaurs shattered. )

"I actually agree with Ron."Neville said quietly and hesitantly, as if waiting to be shot down.

"So do I."Padma nodded."There has to be a reason the centaurs want you dead."Harry was forced to nod, he had never actually told the vulture about the clock time jumps.

"fountainhead I agree it's a puzzle."Harry said shaking his head."But I ‘ m really not going to be visiting the forest anytime soon so I think its probably not a problem. Or at least not a pressing one…"Pythea still hadn't written back. Had Digger got into some variety of trouble ?"… so I think we need to focus on the werewolves."

Reluctantly the vulture nodded.

"Damwain said their leader had come. Which means he arrived some prison term in the summertime Holliday. I doubt he caught the knight bus so how did he get here ? And why ?"

"Oh !"A noise came from beyond the book barrier and a moment later Hermione pushed it down."Maybe he did."

"What do you mean ?"

"Well…"Hermione began fidgeting nervously."… what if there was a loup-garou in Hogwarts castle."

"Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth would quit it getting in."Ron said dismissively.

"But if it was already inside the wards."

"Hermione…"Harry clicked irritably."… get to the point."Hermione seemed flustered for a moment. Ron glared at him.

"I think that Professor Lupin is a werewolf."

The tabular array went silent in shock. Then…

"Of course of action ! It all burst, he ‘ s ‘ demented'during fully Moon. His Bogart is the full lunation ! It all fits !"Parvati snapped her fingers.

"I wonder if Dumbledore knows."Neville said.

"He must not or Lupin wouldn ‘ t be here."

"I can't believe Dumbledore wouldn ‘ t know."Neville shook his oral sex."If we could work it out Dumbledore could."

"professor Snape knows."Hermione added."He must do, that's why tried to instruct us about lycanthrope. So we ‘ d employment it out."

"Do you reckon he ‘ s gathered the werewolves."Parvati said in a quiet tone.

"it's the right timeframe but…"Hermione began but Harry cut her off.

"No."The others stared at him."No no no no no. We're not doing this."Harry stated flatly. The marauder stared at him.

"Doing what Harry ?"Ron asked.

"I have had enough déjà vu this year without intentionally repeating close year. We. Will. Not. start. To. Conclusions."Harry punctuated each word by poking the table hard."Last yr we went off all righteous against Professor Michelson and we turned out to be dead wrong. We won't do that again."

"Harry…"Ron said as if explaining something to a youngster."We have a werewolf, we have a gathering of werewolves. That's not jumping to termination that's putting two and two together."

"You all think its Lupin."Harry said it flatly. Most of the marauder seemed unclear as to whether it was a dubiousness or not. Ron nodded quickly, Parvati as well. Neville seemed to be trying to avoid being looked at but shook his head, Padma smiled at him and also said no. Harry turned to Hermione."Two suffrage yes, two votes no. Ginny ‘ s at practice and Myrtle ‘ s not here. You ‘ re the last un-voted marauder."

"I…I don't know Harry."Hermione faltered."I don't really know."

"No ?"Harry stood up suddenly."Lets ask him."

"WHAT !"But Harry was already making for the portraiture hole.
*


"Professor Lupin listen…"Harry pushed open the door to the teachers office without knocking and began talking as soon as he was over the brink."…we know you're a werewolf."lupin went from furious to gob-smacked in a fraction of a second. His mouth began working but no auditory sensation came out.

"Actually we didn ‘ t know for sure…"Harry conceded."… but I think you just confirmed it for us. Thanks !"By then the residue of the vulture had caught up and were standing in the threshold, speechless.

"So we know you ‘ re a werewolf, we know the forest currently has a werewolf problem. Naturally certain questions have arisen from this land of intimacy namely ‘ Are you in any way involved ? ’. I personally think the answer is no, sealed of my friends are not so sure and it would be remiss of me to push aside their suspicions as they are, after all, not unfounded."Harry said all this in one hint then stood waiting for an answer. A cultured coughing made him move around around. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at a table behind him. He did not attend pleased.

"You ‘ re obviously busy I ‘ ll come back later."Harry hadn't moved a bingle step before the door slammed shut."Or not."

"Harry, I am glad you came here."Professor Dumbledore spoke softly."It has saved us the bother of fetching you. Can you please excuse why you left the shoal grounds last night ?"

Damn.

"Um… There was a centaur hurt, at the side of the lake. I went to see if I could help. She was face down in the water."Harry was immediate to add."If I had gone to fetch person she could own died in the base time. Ask Damwain, or… or Bane. They were there."Harry had though centaur-name dropping might add credibility to his news report. In fact neither Dumbledore nor lupin reacted to his statement.

Suddenly the room darkened, the light from the Windows fading into night. Harry quickly checked his chest, the wound was there. Harry looked up too see that Dumbledore and lupin were still in the room, this time sitting in two comfortable chairs.

"It ‘ s just…"lupin began, his part catching."… he looks so like him."

"I know Remus, I know."Dumbledore was holding a mug of something steaming. It had a marshmallow natation in it."Have you been watching him ?"Dumbledore gestured to a crucify art object of composition on the table between them. From where Harry stood he could just about make out the schema of Hogwarts but didn't want to get faithful for fear of being seen.

"Yes. I have."Was all lupine said before the elbow room lit back again and Harry was forced to try and recollect what had been said just before he left.

"So you see, I kind of had to result the grounds."Harry finished lamely. Both professor looked unconvinced. Harry sighed,"Can you at to the lowest degree tell me whether you knew professor lupine was a werewolf before you penalise me ?"

"I was aware. It is under control."Was all Dumbledore said on the matter."And as for punishment…"
*


"The whole rook ! ?"Ron squeaked.

"Every square inch of corridor."Harry repeated to the dumfounded marauder."With this."He held up a humble hand brush.

"That's abrasive. Especially for Dumbledore."Ron said shaking his head.

"I have a feeling that they ‘ re using this one thing they can shew as an exculpation to punish me for all the things they can't."Harry shrugged, unconcerned."It won ‘ t take that long."

"You ‘ re taking this awfully calm."Ron's forehead furrowed. Harry laughed.

"Of all the things currently happening Ron this is the least of them."

"Oh !"Ron said as if he'd suddenly remembered something."Vinca minor found you a dependable apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. Just left of the gate to Hogsmead."

"I ‘ m could get hitched with that ghost !"

Harry went out that day and acquired a monumental Green orchard apple tree from the tree. Returning to Gryffindor tower in a thrill he set up the diviners broth and dropped first the locket then the apple into it.

"ejaculate on, come on."Harry urged, looking at the clock. When the needed five minutes were up he fished both items out of the broth and reached for a silver knife. He had to be careful now, a mistake would mean he had to come out all over. Slowly, carefully he peeled it in a single tenacious roll that ended up all over the mesa. He'd cut quite deep so the Robert Peel wouldn't geological fault and now wondered if that was a problem.

"Only one way to find out."Harry moved so that the table was behind him and threw the Robert Peel over his left shoulder. Turning he saw the peel snaking around violently, kinking and twisting as it formed recognizable missive. A foresightful watchword for an apple peel, it had had to stretch and still only just managed it.

Harry picked up the locket and, with some trepidation, spoke the password. The locket fell open in his bridge player and he held it up to his eye to get a better look at what was inside. And snapped it shut, dropped it back into the box, locked the box with the strongest magical spell his suddenly beleaguered mind could amount up with, slid the box into his bag, grabbed the peel, tore it up so no one else could read the password then, to be sure, threw the Sir Robert Peel in the fire and then sat down.

"I hate mysteries."Was all he said.



Ooooo ... deep ! Please review.


Disclaimer ... blah fustian blah ...



"That was amazing !"Ron was yelling as they walked back from the lakeside Quidditch pitch."She didn't even let Cedric get close."

Harry rolled his eyes, Ron would be talking about this all week. The Chimera's carrying into action had been telling though, he had to profess. Ginny had slipped past Cedric Diggory, using her brooms improved manageableness to body-swerve him, and had left him floundering in the centre of the pitch while she snagged the snitch.

"I mean really amazing."Ron continued, caught in reminiscence.

"I ‘ m just glad its over."Harry sighed and put his men behind his drumhead."It means we can affect on with the plan."

"You think it ‘ ll work Harry ?"Padma asked, frowning."I mean all it takes is for one of them to…"

"It ‘ ll work."Harry grinned."Trust me."

"Why does that fail to fill me with confidence."

"Because you ‘ re a sourpuss."Harry tutted at her in mock ira then turned to her sister."You sure about your info."

"You know me Harry."Parvati said happily."It it ‘ s chin wag I know it."

"Awesome."Harry grinned and peeled away from the former marauders."I ‘ ll go find us our helper."
*


"Pathetic ceramicist. Absolutely Pathetic."

Harry leaned over and looked at the congealed quite a little at the fanny of his cauldron.

"Oh I don't know."He said."It ‘ s definitely not a sleeping potion, but it could make a serviceable bathroom grout."

"Twenty level from Gryffindor for your insolence thrower and ten more for the potion. Honestly potter, having you in this schoolroom is nothing more than a waste matter of meter and potion ingredients."

"Just because I can ‘ t brew a sleeping potion…"

"WE WERE NOT MAKING A SLEEPING POTION !"

"Oh…"Harry flipped to the succeeding page of his Holy Writ, then back to the one he had been looking at before."So I wasn ‘ t meant to add cedar sawdust ?"Snape's rage was actually making him vibrate as he stood in nominal head of Harry's desk."How about the sheep ‘ s liver, was I meant to add that ?"

"thrower I seriously doubt a 1 correct ingredient went into this… this… travesty."Snape stalked away as Harry moved to top up his desk. Then he had a thought…

"urine !"He said at the retreating potion master back."That must have been a correct ingredient, that's in every potion !"

Snape turned around, his gaze screamed bloody murder.

"Potter."The professor growled, grinding his tooth together."Detention."

Harry sighed theatrically then stiffened as he felt another painful shot at the dorsum of his brain. He tore his center away quickly and mumbled.

"Yes sir."Snape turned away.

"Occlumency still not working Harry ?"Anapurna was leaning over her own desk to whisper in his ear.

"I think I was better at it before I started trying."Harry lowered his head onto his arms dejectedly. He honestly wasn't that bothered about Occlumency any more but it had reminded him of something else. Pythea still hadn't wrote back.
*


The day of the Gryffindor Ravenclaw game dawned muddy and wet. A steady waterspout that patterned great drear grunge across the castles walls and made it look like it was crying.

Harry was a screaming ball of nerves as he sat with the early marauder near the top of the Gryffindor bandstand. Anything could go wrong, absolutely anything, but that was rule. What was making him so insane was that there was now null he could do about it. The metaphoric pointer had left the bow, it would either hit or it wouldn't, there was nothing he could do.

"Will the rainfall screw up the design ?"Neville was muttering beside him."Will the wet ? Will…"

"No."Harry snapped irritable."It ‘ ll all be fine."

"How can you say that ?"

Because I'm living in denial ? Because I don't want to let down anyone ? Because I'm delusional ? Because if I actually admitted that there's a very ripe chance this could go fantastically pear shaped on us I might just get down crying ?

"I just have this feeling."Harry said and tried to grin."Trust me."

"blockage saying that."Padma was grinding her teeth together."It doesn ‘ t help."

"Shh ! Here they come."

"Grant Wood ! JOHNSON ! Vanessa Bell ! SPINNET ! WEASLEY, WEASLEY AND WEASLEY !"

The team swept onto the pitch, their robes quickly becoming spattered and sodden.

"Here we go."Thought Harry as he tugged his coat closer around him.

"How much do we need to win by ?"Harry heard a vocalization say below him and looked down. On the row beneath him Colin Creevey was leaning over to talk to Luna Lovegood."The snitch is worth one hundred and fifty so…"

"We have to receive at least twelve goals when Ginny catches the snitcher or we lose to Slytherin."The second year said dreamily."Ravenclaw have to take thirty seven goal before they catch it. Its as plain as frackswhiskers."

Harry smiled, how wrong she was.
*


"Another goal for Ravenclaw !"Ginny saw the blue section of the stand erupt in cheers beneath her.

"Sorry Angelina ! I was aiming for Hunt !"She heard Fred cry their team-mate shoved two fingers up at him.

"Gryffindor now ahead by just four destination !"Yelled Lee Jordan River."Wake up twins ! What are you doing out there !"

Ginny shook her top dog. Gryffindor had had a well-fixed six goal confidential information but now they were down to just four. And they still didn't have enough to beat Slytherin. She could see Cho out of the niche of her eye, shadowing her. She liked to do that, Joseph Oliver had told her, it was her favorite tactic.

Ginny scanned the bunch through the rain, searching for any levitate spark of gold. The snitch had to follow out sometime, not that it would do either squad any adept. Gryffindor needed another end and Ravenclaw needed 20 or something. She craned her cervix around and saw it. Fluttering behind her, nearer to Cho than to her. Trying not to make water it obvious Ginny turned away from the snitch. But Cho must birth sensed something was wrong and a moment later had spotted it herself. The older seeker torus after it and Ginny was forced to tail her, cursing.

Ginny tried to get between Cho and the snitch to contain the older quester. Ginny knew she couldn't catch it yet, they'd win the match but lose the cup. But Cho wasn't letting her in, they were shoulder to shoulder with the stoolie tantalizingly close in battlefront of them. Cho reached out and Ginny knocked her hand away. So close, Gryffindor just needed one Thomas More destination. Cho was reaching again and Ginny shoulder barged her to relieve oneself her miss. Ginny tried to attract ahead but whatever she did Cho seemed to be able to match her. However hard she pushed Cho seemed to be able-bodied to bide just a short bit ahead of her. It was just a matter of meter, she couldn't keep the Ravenclaw off forever. Cho was reaching out again…

"Sorry Oliver."She thought, and grabbed the sneaker. A cheer went up around the lakeshore stadium.

"I had to."She said as she hovered down by her team-mates."Cho was going to get it. I thought it was better to at least win the match."

"I know Ginny."Oliver Wood looked resigned."I don ‘ t rap you."

"sunshine up Olli !"Fred floated past, strangely jubilant.

"Yeah, we didn't lose to Slytherin. We were only one goal shy, we drew."St. George flew around the early side.

"What does that think of ?"Ginny frowned. But it was as if a lightness had just gotten switched on in Oliver Woods oral sex."What happens when we draw ?"

"Hasn ‘ t happened in over two hundred years."Fred had his arm on one of her shoulders now and was smiling down at her."The ruler ‘ s so old they never bothered to revoke it."His twin came up, placed his arm on her other shoulder and said….

"It ‘ s decided, once and for all, by a seeker duel."

Ginny's heart went wide and she looked over at the Slytherin stand and caught a cold Grey gaze staring back at her. It could have been her imagination but she could have sworn she saw Malfoy mouth the word ‘ rematch ’.

"Do you know how the Duel works Ginny ?"Oliver wood sounded like he could barely prevent the joy from his voice.

"We both go for the snitch ?"She guessed.

"Not quite, the rules are different than in world-wide play. Specifically the convention for fouls."

"No magic and no interfering with the other searcher broom."Angelina said, off to one incline."Everything else is on the tabular array. He could really wound you up there Gin."

"Ginny…"Oliver Wood was talking again."I didn ‘ t want to ask this of you, but this is my final stage luck at the Quidditch cup. My very last-place chance, so enamor the sneak or die trying."

Ginny's eyes went wide with fear.
*


"Are both seekers ready ?"Madam Hooch asked, looking between them. Ginny took her broom from Harry and nodded, he ‘ d been giving it a last narrow look-over before the duel. Malfoy just scoffed."Very well then."She opened the box that contained the snitch and held it in her hands. Ginny looked over to see the almost feral aspect in Malfoy's eyes.

"On, your marks."

He'll shoot down me…

"Ready…"

Oh god…

"Set…"

I'm going to die !

GO !"She tossed the snitch straight up and the quester shot after it.

Ginny felt fingers curl into her tomentum and try and jerk her backwards, she kicked out savagely and managed to draw away. The stoolpigeon was still shooting upwards and the quester followed it. Malfoy was scratching and punching at her and she responded by elbowing him in the kidneys. Having six Brother gives you a lot of training in brawling. Malfoy jerked instinctively and Ginny swerved in battlefront of him.

She had to stay ahead, with the firebolt's magnate she knew that if she let him get in figurehead she'd never be able-bodied to arrest up. He swerved left wing, she blocked him. He swerved right, she twitched in forepart again and heard him cry out in frustration.

"You shot yourself in the foot Malfoy."She thought triumphantly."You can ‘ t handle that broom at these speeds."

Once more he tried to pass her and she used The Chimera's hair-trigger turning tycoon to cut him off again.

"Good girl."She urged the heather on. The snitch was tantalizingly conclude."Just a little more."But she felt something brush her leg. Malfoy had managed to mouse to her side ! In another minute he would be in strawman of her !

With the medical prognosis of losing the cup filling her intellect she did the only thing she could think of. She pulled back her leg and aimed with her heel. She just had time to register the electric shock hit Malfoy's face.

"Payback snake-boy !"She thought as she slammed her fundament into his aspect as hard as she could. She saw a squirt of origin that was quickly lost in the wind and rain then Malfoy peeled off and spiraled away, holding his side in both manpower."Yes !"

She looked back up and caught muckle of the halcyon clump. Straining up she reached…
*


"YES !"The Gryffindor outdoor stage erupted in cheers. Harry even leapt to his feet and yelled himself horse. Not so often for the cup, but for the fact that everything had gone perfectly. Harry and the vulture rushed down the stands and reached the pebbled beach just as the Gryffindor team was landing. Joseph Oliver Wood was floating down with his coat of arms wrapped around Ginny whispering…

"Thank you, thank you."And the residue of the squad were clustered around them.

"Se ‘ oke'I nose !"Malfoy was floating down nearby, holding a hand to his face to halt the current of blood.

"Perfectly effectual in a searcher duel Malfoy."Fred said airily.

Harry just stood their laughing as the Quidditch cup was brought out.
*


Damn.

prof Snape clenched his manpower into fist and he saw the cup being brought out. And Slytherin had been on such a winning streak. He had got so used to the cup being in his government agency that he even had a niggling ledge in his cabinet for it.

To have come down to an exact draw, of all the abysmal luck. Then being forced to rely on a seeker that had bribed his way onto the team. The little slip of a Weasley lady friend had humiliated him. And he could not even blame this departure on ceramist ( he refused to believe the silly rumor that ceramicist had made the daughter broom ).

Then why was thrower looking so triumphant ? Snape recognised that formula, he had come to hate that expression all seven yr of his metre at Hogwarts. The Potter boy caught his eye and shifted to a mysterious grin, then nodded towards the scoreboard. Snapes optic followed.

What were the fortune that it would derive to an exact draw ? Snape felt a ugly sure thing rise inside him. And the Weasley twins who, for all their ineptitude in the classroom, were not bad beaters. But they had performed horribly in that match, hitting or just missing their own team-mates. Stopping Gryffindor from getting that terminal end. The Yangtze River girl, missing the snitch three meter ? Even for a Ravenclaw that was unbelievable. Even the final plot with Hufflepuff. Cedric Diggory had shown no guile, he had practically shown Malfoy where the snitch was. Of course he had, Snape realised, if the game had gone on too longsighted and Slytherin had won by too a good deal Gryffindor could not give birth been able-bodied to equalize.

Snape's heart were once again drawn to the potter boys commons ones.

Legilimens

He cast non-verbally and after a bit underground a memory floated to the surface…
*


"You know me Harry."Parvati said happily."It it ‘ s gossip I know it."

"Awesome."Harry grinned and peeled away from the other marauders."I ‘ ll go find us our helper."

Harry wandered up into the castle. If he was rectify about her schedule she should be right… Ah !

"Cho ! Cho wait up."Harry trotted up to the older female child, who had just left spell class."Been looking for you."

"Me ?"She turned, looking curious."Why ? It can't be to ask me to Hogsmeade, I know you're not allowed to go."

"As if that could hold on me."Harry rolled his eye."No, what I was going to say was that I sort of need a favor."

"What kind of favor ?"

"A big one. hear I ‘ ve never cashed in on the whole saved-everyone-from-Voldemort-before-I-knew-how-to-walk-and-then-twice-again-in-the-last-two-years thing but I really need your help."Harry motioned Cho into the now empty classroom and closed the doorway."Firstly we need to get some things clear. You can ‘ t win the Quidditch cup, can you ?"

Cho stared at him indignantly.

"I'm just saying you have to win with how many destination ? Thirty-four or something ?"He knew it was exactly 30 four but he wasn't gon na say that.

Cho held out a bit longer, then her shoulders slumped.

"You 're right, it ‘ s not going to bump is it. It ‘ s your flaw you know."Cho pointed at him."When Ginny broke her broom and didn't get a new one true away I thought we were in with a chance."

"I know."Harry nodded, not believing his luck that Cho had brought this up of her own accord."frightful concern that wasn ‘ t it ?"

"Malfoy should be hogtied !"Cho said hotly."It was disgusting what he did !"

"God I must be the favorable man on the planet."Harry thought, then continued out trashy."I agree. And that's kind of what this is about."

"How ?"

"I want to do it so that Ginny can humiliate him in front of the entire schooling. Not the solid squad, just him. One on one."

"Harry the teachers won ‘ t appropriate a gainsay game like that."Cho shook her head."And even if they do no-one will come to watch."

"Not if it happens at a match."Harry smiled."There ‘ s an old linguistic rule that says that if two houses tie for the cup the result is decided by a searcher duel."

"But Harry there ‘ s no way you can make for certain the plot will come down that way."

"I can ‘ t."Harry held out a bridge player to her."You can."

"No !"Cho's eyes suddenly narrowed with understanding."I won ‘ t do that ! Even for you Harry."

"You said yourself Ravenclaw can ‘ t win the cup."Harry pleaded.

"But we can still put in a sound showing."Cho said primly."I won ‘ t throw the match. I'm surprised at you Harry."She added."I didn ‘ t think you wanted the cup this badly."

"The cup ? I don't give a monkey's about the cup !"Harry shook his head."If I did don't you think I would be telling you to give the biz totally instead of just letting us get out ? This is about what Malfoy did to my friend, your admirer too after last year, and letting her get even."

"Ginny doesn ‘ t know about this does she."Cho said as if suddenly realizing.

"No. She ‘ s going to beat Malfoy on her own."

"I ‘ m not even sure I can hale Ginny to enchant the snitch."Cho said, biting her lip."She might just pull in front of me until Gryffindor have the goals they need."

"Two points. One : Fred and George will be stopping Gryffindor from getting that lastly destination. Two : I built The Chimera especial for this."Harry grinned evilly."There's a petty surprise on there that I ‘ ll remove before the affaire d'honneur. faith me, she can't toss you."

"She did OK in the Hufflepuff game."

"I removed it for that too."

"I still don't know…"

"Well…"Now this is where the little known benefit of having gossip-queen Parvati as a marauder comes in."… I ‘ ve already got Cedric Diggory on my slope. You know him, right ?"Cho's oculus widened a footling and she nodded.

"wellspring, he ‘ s agreed to help me. Little thank you for the unit snake-army incident in the cellar last year."Harry smiled knowingly at the old girl."If you did require to help us then we should probably arrange for you to run across up with him. Discuss… strategy… and stuff."

"You ‘ re a bad someone Harry Potter."Cho shook her promontory, but she was smiling.

"I know."
*


Snape tore his middle away. He could feel the furore bubbling up in his bloodstream.

"You !"He pointed at the boy.

"Me ?"potter put his hired man to his chest in feigned innocence.

"You… you… you…"

"Me, me, me !"Potter was grinning in his insufferable way. By Merlin he was exactly like King James thrower !

"You will not get away with this !"

"With what pray Tell ?"

"You know exactly what"Snape strode forward and grasped the front of the boys robes in his fist."You will not get away with this !"

"Really ? And you can prove it how ?"Potter smiled and knocked away his helping hand."Bearing in mind that Legilimency on bookman is illegal."

Oh the ceramicist boy thought he was smart did he.

"Well Potter perhaps you are correct."Snape's angriness changed from a raging inferno to an icy, vindictive aching."But I am still your teacher and I can make your four more long time here a living hell."

"Was that an invitation to submit your NEWT course Professor ?"

"Potter…"Snape released him and turned away."… you will rue this. Mark my watchword, you will regret this."
*


Harry gulped as the potions master strode away. Perhaps he'd overdo things this time. Harry glanced over at the still celebrating squad. No, it was worth it. Whatever Snape did couldn't be that bad could it ?
*


"Do you call this a shut up draught thrower ! ?"

"I…"

"I DO NOT CALL THIS A SILENCING gulp !"

"Maybe that's because you ‘ re yelling."Harry said through clenched teeth.

"This is a ugly flock Potter !"

"It ‘ s only barely started, I haven't even added…"

"And you won ‘ t ! I will not have any more wasted element !"Snape vanished the subject matter of Harry's cauldron."You will be doing lines for the quietus of this lesson Jesse James ceramicist. You will write ‘ I will not be an incompetent person, poor, halfwit and a castaway on this school.'in the hope that perhaps the suggestion will sink in."

"My public figure is Harry."Harry muttered under his breath but Snape didn't seem to learn him as he strode away.

Harry motioned to Padma who held out her arm without speaking. Harry groaned, they had barely had fifteen minutes of a two hour lesson. Harry pulled out a quill and a sheet of parchment.

Snape had been making respectable on his ‘ sustenance snake pit'promise since the couple but Harry was beginning to intend that the potions schoolmaster had more mystifying seated outlet than a uncomplicated game of quidditch. The fact that he kept calling him Saint James was a definite clue. Snape seemed to be taking out long dozen years of pent-up, un-sated furor on Harry.

"Thanks dad."Harry thought sarcastically as he dragged the quill across another line."Thanks a lot."

"What are these Potter."Oh no. He's back.

"short letter Sir."Harry had been trying to keep his poise in Snape's classes. With spotted success.

"These chicken scratchings ? This scrawl ? !"

"Would you like me to redo them Sir ?"Harry had to stand out back as his sheepskin caught on fire and cauterise away before his eyes.

"Please."Snape blew the lambskin ashes into Harry's human face before stalking off across the dungeon.

Harry got another slice of sheepskin out and got to writing.

"How long are you going to put up with this Harry ?"Hermione asked him after the object lesson."This is beyond unfair, you should go to McGonagall. Or Dumbledore."

"And they ‘ ll ask what I did to get him so wild in the maiden place."Harry shifted his bag higher on his shoulder."And that will go to inauspicious questions."

"He ‘ s good Hermione."Ron said from the other position, then added to Harry."Don ‘ t trouble mate, you can send packing his family after OWLs."

"That's not the aright attitude."Hermione said shrilly."Harry needs to learn at least canonic knowledge of potions to function in wizardly social club and prof Snape is stopping him from even participating. You ‘ ll have to study really arduous if you want to pass the end of twelvemonth exams at this rate."

"I ‘ m beginning to remember I won ‘ t be alive that long."Harry joked.

The marauders laughed but Harry stiffened as he realized the accuracy in his words. He still had the torrent of ages hanging like a guillotine above him. He hadn't had any major time startle lately, just a few minutes here and there. For the sexual love of Merlin why hadn't Pythea written back ?

As if his thought itself had been a spell shovel dropped out of the good afternoon sky clutching a letter in his claws. Harry grabbed it and hastily made an apology to the startled marauders before slipping out onto the grass outside Hogwarts. Harry sent Digger back to the owlery, promising him treats later to thank him for the prospicient trip. His hands shaking, Harry tore undefended the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

Dear Harry

It is so adept to hear from you. I am glad you have taken up my proffer to learn Occlumency, you will detect it a useful skill I assure you. I can easily imagine you with a guitar, wandering Hogwarts or sitting in your uncouth room entertaining the other scholarly person with songs and tale. You are thoroughly at spinning a good narration you know, I can secern from your letters.

Harry almost scrunched the varsity letter in frustration. Usually he enjoyed missive from the footling seer but wasn't it about metre she got to the dot ?

I learnt to play the mouth harp as part of my apprenticeship here…

Harry quickly looked ahead through the alphabetic character, scanning down and down. There was no mention of the flood or time travelling anywhere. Harry fell to the level in desperation, had she simply abandoned him to his fate ? She had been his last hope. Pythea's letter ended without so a good deal as a hint that his own letter of the alphabet had contained the menace of his inevitable death.

I hope it the weather is a pleasant where you are as it is here.

Your friend
Pythea

ally ? Ha ! That was a joke.

"Harry ?"Harry looked back towards the castle. Neville had come after him and was not standing just a few substructure away."Are you feeling ok ?"

"Yes Neville I ‘ m fine."Harry said quietly, but he could palpate the clod in his throat and the tears beginning to form in his optic. Neville's eyes flickered to the letter still clutched in Harry's hand but he scrunched it up and satiate it in his pocket.

"fountainhead defense reaction social class is starting now."Neville pointed back towards the palace."You sure you ‘ re alright Harry ?"

"No."Harry pushed himself up and trudged towards the castle."To be dependable I ‘ m feeling a little… abandoned. Betrayed."Neville fell into step beside him.

"Anything you want to sing about ?"

"Not now. Maybe when it ‘ s a little less fresh."Harry pushed open the doorway to the defense classroom. At to the lowest degree he could be assured of a quiet lesson, Professor Lupin tended to push aside him in classes.

"Well thrower, I see you decided to ornament us with your presence."

Standing arrogantly at the front line of the class was Professor Snape. Harry felt like a block of ice was settling into his chest as he sat down in his usual chair, he couldn't take this right now.
*


Harry tried to hide behind his book as Snape stalked around the class. He could still palpate the ice in his chest and the lump in his pharynx, if Snape provoked him he would never be able to bind back.

"Potter…"

No.

"…Is this your essay ?"

Please no.

"Yes Sir."Harry managed to say while breathing deeply to keep open himself under control.

"It displays no insight into the subject…"

Fine, I had no insight.

"…for to the highest degree of the essay you seem to get Kappas and Grindylows mixed up…"

Did I ? Who the nether region cares.

"…certain passing were clearly lifted from a textbook…"

They weren't, they were lifted from Hermione's essay.

"…and you could not have mangled the spelling and grammatical normal of the side words more if you had tried. All in all…"Snape slapped the essay onto the desk beside Harry angrily."… a true T if I ever saw one."

"I ‘ m gladiolus you made that assessment Sir."Harry kept his oculus down on the book in battlefront of him."It ‘ s the same one as Professor lupin made."

"But of course poor boy ceramist doesn ‘ t need to see defense against the dismal arts."Snape scowled down at Harry."You don't need to memorise how to duel someone properly if you and your three niggling protagonist sneak up behind them and attack from ambush like cowards."

I have more than three friends.

"You are self-important Potter."Snape continued."A trait shared by all Potters apparently."

Oh, so now you've remembered who I am.

"You are nothing but a average virtuoso at best and a worst you are a disgrace and yet you are under the impression you are untouchable. How I wish this class gave me the opportunity to render you precisely how amateurish you truly are."

"Alright."Harry set his quill down.

"What ?"

The unharmed category was watching by now.

"I said alright. Show me."Harry didn't sports meeting Snape's heart but moved out to the front of the class.
*


"cum on Professor."The Potter boy was just standing there holding his sceptre and looking at his shoes."display me."

The course was mortal still. Not a student dared move or speak. Out of the box of his eye Snape could see potter's fiddling friends, all-encompassing eyed and frightened, in their seats.

"Are you grievous thrower ?"Snape asked.

"Yes."Was all the boy said.

"You will lose."

"Try me."

"You do not induce a chance."

"Try me."Was all the ceramist boy said again but he mouthed under his breather ‘ coward ’.

Snape felt the wrath that was his changeless companion rising again as he moved to take a spatial relation face-to-face Potter.

"Mr Gerard Manley Hopkins you will count us in."Snape gripped his wand. He would end this with one while. The Potter boy was still looking at the floor.

"Um… Three."The unquiet Hufflepuff boy Wayne Hopkins began to count.

Potter was not even in a dueling position. Pathetic.

"Two…"

Potter looked up suddenly, his eyes meeting Snape's.

"One…"

A memory floating to the surface, Potter in the Gryffindor common room holding a shining object. Lily's pendent ! He would lie with that small slip of paper of silver grey anywhere. thrower bending over the pendent in his bridge player and whispering something. The pendant splitting subject. Looking inside, a picture. Lily Evens bundled up against the Baron Snow of Leicester for a Hogsmeade weekend, the Snow even still falling in the picture, and holding her by her berm keeping her warm… his own face… himself… that picture had been taken in fourth year.

She had worn it around her neck the entirely time. Even after she had married, she had worn it the entirely time.

"duel !"

"Expelliarmus !"



Review please.


The gerbils made me do it.







Snape's baton clattered to the flooring but the instructor didn't seem to get noticed. Harry watched as the potions passe-partout fell to his knees on the floor, head bowed, his face hidden by his lank greasy hair.

Harry watched, waiting for the detonation, but none came. Harry, with much trepidation, knelt down and tried to look at the teacher face. Which was why he was the merely one in the class to notice the pull fall down from the end of Snape's long hooked nose and drop onto his knees.

"Oh my god."Harry thought in strangled jolt."I ‘ ve gone too far this time."Harry turned to the year and spread his hands.

"Everyone out."He snapped, brooking no argument."Corridor now."

The bookman needed no more incentive and quickly scrambled for the relation safety of the corridor.

"stoppage !"Harry yelled at some of them as they tried to run away away."I need to talk to all of you."Harry closed the classroom door behind him and corralled the students within earshot.

"None of you will mention this lesson to anyone."Harry said, looking each pupil in the eye as he did so."None of you will babble out about it, even to each other. None of you will think about it the next time you have Snape for your example. In defensive measure or potions. For each and every one of you, this lesson Did. Not. Happen. Don't think I won't find out if you do talk, I find out everything. Remember Malfoy ? You have all seen what happens to hoi polloi who cross me. realize ?"

Harry didn't let them leave alone until he had looked each student in the eye and heard them promise to that outcome. They began leaving in single and twos, scurrying off along the corridor. Harry turned back towards the classroom.

"You ‘ re not going back in there are you ?"Susan Bones asked, amazed.

"I sort of accept to."Harry answered.

"He ‘ ll killing you."She said matter-of-factly.

"I may deserve it."Harry shrugged and slipped back through the door.

Snape was still where he had been before they left. Harry took a deep breath and sat down cross legged in front of his teacher.

"I am so sorry."Harry said."I didn ‘ t realize it would do this to you. I thought it would just distract you, you know… freak you out for a moment so I could disarm you. I never thought it would sham you like this."

Snape still said nothing, he just stared at the floor.

"I told all the students not to say anything."Harry glanced back at the doorway."I think they ‘ ll do it."

Snape was still not moving. Harry began to wonder if he had been rendered catatonic or something, but there was still an episodic drip-drip of teardrop from behind the fringe of hair.

"Maybe…"Harry dragged his bag off his back and pulled the box out. He opened it and placed the locket in Snape's unresisting hand."You take it. I don ‘ t want it. You saw the password right ?"

Snape stayed motionless for a moment more then slowly brought the silver gray locket up to his mouth. Then, in a drop dead, lachrymose voice he said…

"thread maker end."

The locket cracked open air. Snape seemed to weaken all at once and started sobbing. His unanimous, long, rangy eubstance shaking with each sob. Harry didn't really have it off what to do, he certainly couldn't comfort this man who had tormented him so much.

Harry dug into the box again and grabbed a photo, it was his mother and her baby when they were offspring, but obviously over eleven since the picture was moving. He wordlessly handed it to Snape, who took it and kept crying. He grabbed another picture and poked his Father-God out of the frame before handing that too over.

He kept going until the box was vacuous. Giving a few word of honor each to tell Snape what it was he was giving him, an essay, a letter, a prefects badge. Harry hid the sexual love letter of the alphabet from his founding father back in his bag. By the time zippo was left Snape had stopped crying, he was even breathing a slight easier, deep breathes instead of the racking sobs that had plagued him a moment ago.

Snape sniffed loudly and put his hand into a pocket of his robes but drew it back vacuous. He searched another pouch while sniffing louder. Harry realized he was searching for a tissue. Struck by a twinge of balefulness Harry grabbed something back out of his bag, scrunched it between his bridge player and handed it to Snape.

The potions passe-partout took it and blew his nose on the sheepskin. After doing so he brought it away from his olfactory organ, a dark of wonder crossing his face, and looked at it. After a second of reading the ( now hideously smudged ) letter his eyes flickered up and met Harry's. It could have got been his resourcefulness, but for a moment Harry thought he saw a spark of a smile.

"Seemed appropriate."Harry said and shrugged. Snape chucked the letter away and glanced at the door.

"You mentioned that you told the relief of your course of study to hold silent."Snape's vocalization was almost monotone.

"Yes."Harry nodded."They ‘ ll do it too. I threatened to do to them what I did to Malfoy."

"Why ?"The potions master regained a little of his old bitchiness and sneer.

"I just…"Harry licked his backtalk and started again. As unwilling as he was to give Snape ammo to use against him…"cobbler's last year I broke down completely in the infirmary backstage. Right on the floor. It was after Colin Creevy got petrified, it all just got too a good deal for me. At the time I remember wishing everyone there would just forget it ever happened. I thought you might sense the same."

Snape snorted. He seemed to be recovering himself. Harry took this as his cue to leave. He picked himself up off the floor and headed for the door. Snape made no move to block up him. When Harry reached the door he turned back for a moment.

"I probably shouldn ‘ t say this…"Harry thought."But if I don ‘ t it ‘ ll just eat at me."

"Sir ?"Snape's head snapped towards him."Can I separate you something I ‘ ve noticed about hotshot ?"Harry took Snape's silence as an affirmative."Wizards… wizards use quills."

"Fascinating Potter…"Snape sneered, but Harry interrupted him.

"And they use trunks even when they can charm bags to take for more. You use a steam train to get to Hogwarts. This twelvemonth a steam-boat. We live in a chivalric rook, the shop I bought my sceptre in predates Savior christ and we write on rolls of parchment. But its more than just that, stack of magician are named after members of their menage. A lot more of them than muggles. Even portraits and ghosts ; half the time we seem to be surrounded by the great unwashed who died centuries ago. What I ‘ m getting at is…"Harry swallowed in dread at what the reaction to his future point would be.

"… adept seem to spend a lot of time living in the past."Harry forced himself to meet Snape's eyes."Maybe it ‘ s time you moved on."

Snape just stood there, his sneer seemed to have frozen on his lips but his eyes just seemed disjointed, even a little lost. Harry opened the door and left quickly.

He managed to get almost halfway down the corridor before his mettle broke and he made a mad dash for Gryffindor tower. When he was through the portrait hole he leaned against the wall and caught his breath.

"You're alive !"Harry turned and saw that the predator were waiting on their common table. He staggered over to them and sat down.

"We honestly thought you were a goner Harry."Ron said, shaking his head. But then his face broke into a grin."But that was bloody brilliant what you did !"

"You wouldn ‘ t say that if you knew how I won."Harry said waving his supporter to hush up."It was roughshod, just cruel."

"What charm did you…"Hermione began but Harry shook his head.

"I won ‘ t say. I won ‘ t ever say."

"Snape deserved it whatever it was."Parvati said."However cruel it was he ‘ s been horrible to you for three years. You can't tell me it was worse than what he ‘ s done to you."

"No, it probably wasn ‘ t. But it was tough than I ever want to do to anyone else."Harry leant down and put his head on his crossed branch."I don't want to be like them."

The marauders assured him he was not but Harry just sighed. Impending decease aside if he jumped back in sentence now he'd consider it a blessing.

It was only as Harry got into bed that dark that he remembered the letter from Pythea, the affaire d'honneur and its aftermath had blown it completely out of his head. He dug it back out of his robe and take it again, trying to get some mite of a clue. But there was zippo. Nothing at all.
*


Professor Snape dropped the photograph back onto the oak board of his poop and held his head in his helping hand. The only lighter in the room came from the guttering candle before him and faded into the swarthiness around him. Snape refilled his glass with alertness potion and tried to make himself sip it this time. sleep was not an option, not at least until he was too sap to dream.

"motion on."Snape growled into the dark."Were it that easy thrower, everyone would be doing it."

The idiocy of the boy, telling him to propel on spell at the same clip giving him a flock of photo and a locket that proved she loved him all along. Snape gave up and knocked back a mouthful of the searing potion.

The locket lay on the board in figurehead of him. He hadn't dared open it again for fear of breaking down once Thomas More. He picked it up and trailed its silver chemical chain through his fingers. Stupid thing. Snape smacked it back down onto the tabletop. But even then his fingers instinctively curled to protect the affair and he ended up skinning his knuckles. His cause blew the wax light out too and he was left in bitter darkness clutching the damn thing so hard it hurt.

Snape drew his verge out to relight the candle but stopped with it held loosely in his deal. Another spell was floating in the front of his mind.

No.

He shouldn't do it. He was already sickening himself with his wallowing in brokenheartedness. He was acting like a Gryffindor. Ha ! He shuddered, he was acting like a Gryffindor and the Potter boy was acting more and more like a Slytherin. Potter boy… King James Potter… who took Lily away. Snape could still palpate the border of the locket cutting into his palm.

"Why…"Snape forced himself to open his hand."Why wear this but marry him ?"What gumption did that make.

You abandoned me.

No. Snape curled his hands over his cheek and tried to pressure the memory down using Occlumency. But in his precondition he could barely hold it back and another surfaced just as quickly.

You chose your friends Sev.

I did, but it was always you.

They hate me.

There was no one else.

You hate me.

Never. Why will you not afford me heartsease ?

You were my best friend.

Be silent.

But you betrayed me.

Please.

I can't pretend anymore Sev.

I just want to forget.

You've changed. You've changed too much.

Snape curled his fingers around his ears, trying to stop listening to his own intellect. He knew what came next.

I can ‘ t do it this you, not even as a friend. goodby Severus.

Snape threw his head back and howled in pain in the ass. Oh why fight it. Snape pointed his wand out and yelled…

"Expecto Patronum !"

The room was lit once more by silver light as the patch erupted from Snapes scepter. The atomic number 47 doe just stood there cocking her head at him. Snape felt tears running down his cheeks again.

"I love you."

The doe said nothing, she never did, but she walked over on her dumb hooves and rested her head in his lap. She felt tender but Snape knew it wasn ‘ t really, if he tried to touch her she ‘ d just feel like mist.

Snape laid his head down on his implements of war and closed his middle. Later he finally fell asleep like that, leant over the board with his human face in his arms, the doe warming him like a pet dog and the locket still held slopped in his hand.
*


Harry stared down at his chest and render hard to keep his breathing in handicap as the vast wound faded in and out. Harry gritted his teeth and concentrated on staying in this time. The wound began to melt more than, after a few minutes if vanished completely. Harry breathed a sigh of rest, but it was one tainted with fear. It was getting worse.

"Harry you ok in their ?"Ron's vocalisation sounded from the bathroom door.

"Yeah Ron I ‘ m fine. Just think I ‘ m coming down with something."Harry almost chuckled to himself, that was the understatement of the C. Harry looked up into the mirror in front of him, even without the wound he looked like a wreck. Harry opened the room access and smiled at his ally."Probably flu or something."

"You don't say ? You ‘ ve been kind of… um…"Ron waved his hands as if searching for the right word."…muted… for weeks. Ever since Snape."

Harry nodded, he had been a little quiet. Intentionally in the beginning, he had known that he needed to continue a low profile. But Snape seemed to be pulling a lupine and ignoring Harry in his object lesson. Not that he was paying often attention to the remainder of his family either, Snape spent most of his moral at his desk and had large purse under his eyes.

But lately the inundation had been getting worse. He had thought that it getting worse would mean he'd jump further back but in fact it was the inverse. He kept jumping seconds, minutes or hours back and forth, several time a day now. Sometimes the world would simply hover like a bell and he'd be left spinning as he flickered between times so fast he couldn't even catch it. And then there were the meter like this morning when he simply slipped back and Forth River like a metronome, the wounds on his chest opening and closing like hideous sphincters.

Even worse were the clock time when he didn't even realize what had happened. He'd be going to lunch then be asked why he wasn't at breakfast. He'd sit down to dinner and bump cereal and pledge appear in front of him. Lessons were even spoilt, they could be twice as long as normal or the doorbell could sound when Harry had barely put his book down. His Gospel According to Mark in stratum were falling, homework was hard to mitt in on time when you didn't know what day it was. Harry knew he should tell Dumbledore or McGonagall or Hermione even, but somehow he couldn't conscription the Department of Energy. They'd only recount him what he already knew.

He was doomed.

"You sure you ‘ re alright Harry ?"

Harry was drawn back from his opinion by his friends voice.

"Yeah."Harry nodded again."Fine."

"That just proves you ‘ re not alright."Ron said triumphantly."You ‘ re usually loud, talking and wisecracking all over the topographic point, you're never monosyllabic."

"You want a wisecrack ? Ok…"Harry grinned evilly at his acquaintance."‘ monosyllabic ‘ ? Been reading the dictionary Ron ? Or just spending more metre with Hermione ?"Ron blushed and began spluttering…

"No just… I mean why would I…"

"It ‘ s alright Ron. Never mind."Harry shook his head, smiling wanly as he wandered away.

"You coming to Hogsmeade Harry ?"Ron called after him.

"You know I can't."Harry turned back, frowning quizzically.

"come on Harry, sneak out again."Ron wheedled."It ‘ ll make you feel better. Get some sun, you ‘ re getting all Patrick Victor Martindale White and pasty like Snape."

"Probably because I haven't been sleeping much."Harry thought."oasis ‘ t been eating much either… My body clock ‘ s all screwed to hell by the jumps."

"I might get caught."Harry said lamely.

Harry rightly deserved the horrified spotlight Ron gave him.

"Alright."Harry shrugged."I ‘ ll come. At least the body of water ‘ ll be warmer this meter !"
*


Harry dragged himself out of the lake and gave himself a drying charm before wandering up towards Town. After meeting up with the other piranha the low place they visited was Zonko's jape shop.

"Pretty undecomposed don't you think ?"Harry grinned through the magical mask that made him count like an old man. He had a big Lady Jane Grey mustache too and a green felt hat.

"You ‘ re not actually going to buy that food waste are you Harry ?"Padma asked him shaking her head.

"Of grade. And I ‘ m wearing it all day."Harry said from behind the purse face.

"Why ?"She shook her head."Why would you do that ?"

"So that no Slytherin will say that they saw Harry potter in Hogsmeade."Understanding dawned on Padma's face then she suddenly frowned.

"So all they'll see is individual obviously disguised walking around with all Harry ceramist ‘ s friends ? I think they might work it out Harry."

"These are Slytherins we ‘ re talking about."Harry said, paying for the merchandise."Don't expect great genial feats of them, you ‘ ll just be disappointed."

Harry found that he was enjoying the day despite himself. He had only jumped a few minor times and he did like the town ( having not really had a hazard to see it on the last visit ).

"Just about time for the three broom handle before we head back."Parvati said cheerily as they walked down a backstreet, away from the main concourse."We all need some butterbeer !"

"You ‘ ll love butterbeer Harry."Neville said to the disguised Harry."It ‘ s all strong and smooth and… and…."

"Buttery ?"Harry wheedled, grinning.

"well yeah."

"I don't know. A boozing based on a fat spread doesn ‘ t exactly reasoned appetizing."Harry grinned to show that he was joking."Or sizable !"

"It ‘ s OK Harry."Hermione said laughing."My parents went mad when they heard about it but it turns out its actually pretty practiced for you. It contains antioxidants."

"Anti-oxygen…"Ron's hilltop furrowed."That sounds bad for you."

"Honestly Ron it just means…"

Harry rolled his eyes as Hermione started into an explanation. Ron's eyes glazed over after about the third word.

"I really like this place."Harry said over the explanation."I ‘ ll have to get hold some way to get here more often."

"It ‘ s not all nice."Padma commented."There ‘ s broken glass here."

Harry looked down. There was broken deoxyephedrine, he looked around and saw that it had come from the upstairs window of a nearby house.

Perhaps it was the lack of eternal sleep, perhaps some latent talent as a prophesier or perhaps some force of the torrent but right at that moment Harry felt his tummy stumble. There was something terrible behind that rugged window.

"Wait here."Harry said quietly. The marauders heard his pure tone and fell silent. Harry slipped in through the garden logic gate and felt the Stone of the wall. Rough, like Hogwarts. Harry gripped the blocks with his fingers and clambered slowly up to the window. He pushed aside the heavy curtains but inside the room was vacuous. A dim storeroom piled with boxwood with the doorway open onto the well lit corridor behind.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and began to climb down. When he was about halfway he heard a speech sound from inside the house. He stopped, his finger's breadth gripping the rock candy tight. There it was again. Harry scrambled back up and thrust his heading back through the window.

Harry just had time to see icteric teeth streaked with stain and odour rancid breathing place before he was thrown backwards off the wall. He landed with a thud in the garden and looked up in time to see a disheveled man, covered in dirt and dressed in spoilt shred leap from the window with something clutched in his hands. Harry rolled out of his way and the man hit the ground running, panting like a dog as he dashed out through the gate and down the street.

"occlusive !"Harry looked up and saw a maven leaning out of the window franticly sending bolts of red light after the flee physique."Stop him ! He took my son !"

Harry jolted himself off the undercoat and vaulted the wall after the fleeing man. He could hear the vulture trying to keep yard behind him.

"Anapurna ! Go to Hogwarts ! Go and say them what's happened !"Harry felt his words carried away by the wind instrument and had no idea whether he was being heard."Neville ! Go warn the village ! Get assistant ! Or Calluna vulgaris !"

They had reached the end of the short route now and hit the field of study beyond. Harry jumped the fence and fought his way through the heather after the distant figure. Their quarry had made it easier for them by flattening a route but it was still heavy going. They were not gaining on the man. Not by a long shot.

"We're… can ‘ t…"Hermione panted."We're… not…"

"Whatever it is, we are !"Harry yelled back as they crested a little Hill."Try to hit him !"

Harry aimed and shot a bludgeoning hex at the man, now little more than a spot of black on the aloof purple heather. The smudge dodged and guess sideways behind a large rock before the other vulture magical spell could connect.

"Harry what are you doing !"Hermione screeched angrily."A bludgeoning hex ? It ‘ s carrying a baby !"

Harry cursed and began running forwards again. He should have known that ! Harry felt like he was passing pane through his lungs instead of air by the time they reached the rock 'n' roll. The panting and gasping he heard behind him told him the predator were in even poorer shape. Worse, the figure was nowhere in stack and there was no exonerate trail to follow.

Ignoring the pain in the ass in every muscle Harry pulled himself to the top of the boulder and looked around. From here he could see the darkness shape of the forbidden forest spreading out to the south. A paries, like the wall of Hogwarts, sealed it off from the rest of the world. Harry squinted through his glasses and just made out a sinister form silhouette against the brighter wall before it disappeared. Harry tore off the mask to get a honest look but there was cypher more, just vacuous wall.

"He ‘ s gone into the forest."Harry called down, trying not to take his eyes off the space where the man had disappeared."Let ‘ s go."Harry slid off the rock and landed beside Ron, Hermione and Padma.

"Harry are we really going to follow it into the nix timberland ?"Padma was clutching her stomach and wheezing."We should mark where it went and wait for help."

"He ‘ s going to give birth as much trouble with the forest as we are."Harry argued."We can still take hold of him !"

"But Harry it ‘ s a lycanthrope !"

Harry was jolted back by her Book. Of class it was a werewolf and not just some unwashed kidnapper. And it had gone straight back to its home. Harry shook his brain, once again he wasn't thinking straight.

"When ‘ s the adjacent fully moon ?"Harry asked quickly."When is it ?"

"Tonight."Hermione answered, pained and breathless, but also resigned.

Harry shook his head.

"Then we can't wait for avail. We have to chance them before nightfall or that minuscule kid is going to get one hell of a lovebite. We can ‘ t wait for assistance, its us or no one."Harry looked back at the predator and saw them shimmer and fade.

NO !

He hand clenched around his pendent and he squeezed his eye shut. He did not ingest time for this ! When he opened his center again his booster looked solid, but confused.

"Harry you alright ?"Ron asked.

"I ‘ m fine."Harry forced himself to stop gripping the little shell.

"Are you sure Harry ?"Padma added."You sort of… blurred."

"mulct, amercement. Lets go."Harry started off at a run towards the timber again and heard the others follow.

In Harry's head he could hear the words ‘ We can't delay for help. Its us or no one'repeating over and over like a talisman against the little terror rising inside him. That threat itself had its own spokesperson saying ‘ We are following it into its forest where it knows its way around and we don't and you can't even stay in your own meter for five minutes. And that's not even mentioning the centaurs… ’. Harry was forced to admit that that part as well was right. What they were doing was stupid and dangerous. But as the first voice said, there was no one else.

As Harry neared the paries a third lilliputian voice piped up. Spiteful, sarcastic and whiney but, like the former two voices, essentially right.

"Why me."Harry thought."Why is it always me."
*


They reached the rampart and Harry instantly saw how the loup-garou had gotten over. A huge tree had fallen over the wall, crushing the top part of it and resting on the remaining meters of snap stonework. Everywhere else the paries was at least two storeys tall of blank grey stone. Unscalable.

"The tree…"Hermione had caught up to him but her and the other two marauders were still very wind."must have weakened the wards."

Again Harry felt like a jester. Obviously it would be warded. His wit seemed to be in a bull. Harry grabbed some of the lower ramification of the tree and pulled himself up.

"Are we…"Hermione began again but Harry cut her off.

"Look, I know this is crazy but there ‘ s no one else here to help. I ‘ m not leaving now. Any of you who don ‘ t want to follow me go back and tell them where the muddle in the wards is."Harry pulled himself on to the tree luggage compartment and looked down at his friends."Anyone else shut up and get in the tree."

Harry began climbing along the trunk and felt it shake as someone else began to rise. When Harry reached the other end he climbed down by the roots and dropped onto the mulch of the forest floor. He turned and looked up at the tree, a moment later Padma pushed her way through the branches. Harry waited a moment More but no one came. Harry felt a glob class in his throat, 1st Pythea abandoned him then them.

"Did they…"Harry began but was cut off as Ron and Hermione pushed their way in through the branches.

"We were marking the spot."Hermione said upon seeing Harry's face."If we ‘ re going to do this we should do it right and leave ourselves a chance of getting out alive."

"We weren ‘ t gon na let you do this alone mate."Ron scratched the back of his caput and shrugged."And after all we ‘ ve been in unfit scrapes than this."

"Did you think any of us wanted to see a kid turned into a loup-garou ?"Padma added to cut him off with a waggle of her head and began to rise down. Harry helped her down the finis few feet then moved to do the Sami for the others.

"Just one thing Harry."Hermione said once they were all down."How are we supposed to make out which way it went ?"

Harry's face fell and he looked around for some obvious sign. There was cipher, now that they were in the afforest the werewolf knew how to brood his tracks better.

"Spread out and expect. Don ‘ t go too far."Harry said and the marauder obediently fanned out. Harry was about to link up them when his psyche fixed on a crazy idea.

He had been able-bodied to hold the torrent at bay a few times. Could he force it to get along to him ?

Harry undid the front of his shirt and looked down at his unblemished chest. He splayed one mitt across where he knew the wound would come out and clench the other around his pendent.

"About five minutes ago."Harry thought as he gritted his dentition down hard."That's where I need to be."

Harry forced everything he was into that one sentiment. For a moment he felt blood well on his chest but it was gone a moment later.

"Harder !"He thought desperately. His fingers were slick on his chest but it wasn't blood, it was exertion."Come on !"

Harry saw his supporter fade in figurehead of him. Ron turned back towards him and yelled in surprisal. But the speech sound was like a upstage whispering and Harry gripped his bloody chest tighter. He could still hear his supporter as spectre on the malarky but couldn't see them anymore.

He was swaying with the effort and fell to his genu on the woods flooring. The leaves that were kicked up by his motion only swirled in the air for a moment before fleet as he pushed himself further back.

Then, just for a moment, a shady figure dropped out of the air above Harry and scampered away into the trees with something held in its gnarled hands. Perhaps it was his imaginativeness, but Harry thought he could hear a baby's scream.

Harry let go with both hands and collapsed into the farewell. A moment later he felt custody pulling him up. As his head was tilted back for him Harry saw his protagonist shocked faces.

"What the hell was that Harry ?"Ron asked fearfully."You just disappeared ! We couldn ‘ t find you anywhere !"

"You can ‘ t have Apparated."Hermione sounded just as scare off."You aren ‘ t old…"

"That way !"Harry cut her off and raised a shaky fingerbreadth."Went that way."Harry grabbed Ron's shoulder and managed to force himself to his pes."We need to hurry."

"No Harry !"Hermione crossed her limb."You need to tell us what you just did !"

"Hermione now is not…"

"It is the time. You just faded out of existence then returned with your hired hand covered in blood."Harry looked down, his hand was bloody. This was the for the first time time any sign of the waterspout had remained after he returned to his own clock time. Hermione continued…"We deserve an explanation, is this to do with why you ‘ ve been poorly for weeks ?"

"Yes."Harry gulped in some air and nodded."And I promise I will tell you later but just now we don't have metre. Please Hermione, it already has too much of a headspring beginning on us."

Hermione still looked obstinate but Padma took the situation out of her hands.

"wellspring I ‘ m not waiting around."The counterpart turned and began to take the air off in the focal point Harry had pointed. Harry grinned and staggered after her. A moment later he felt Ron catch him and put an arm around his shoulder to steady him

"You ‘ re in really bad shape mate."He commented.

"Tell me about it."Harry quipped to his taller friend as they stumbled forward."I ‘ d like to end just one year without ending up a shipwreck of one kind or another."Harry turned back and saw Hermione following and smiled.

They walked in silence for a patch. Padma spotted a set of step on the background that told them they were still going in the right-hand charge. It looked as if the werewolf was following a sort of deer trail through the forest. After ten mo or so Harry was able to walk unaided again but he was still happy they had found the trail. He really didn't want to have to swing himself into the torrent again.

"Shush…"Harry waved the others to quieten."Do you guys hear that ?"Faint voices drifted between the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree before them. raging voices and one high pitched cry.

Harry dropped to a hunker and went forward as quietly as he could. He couldn't hear the vulture following but he knew they were. The voices got louder as they approached a shaded dell in the woods.

"Piece of dirt !"A gimcrack smacking phone filtered up from the dell. Followed by a thump like a body hitting the floor. Through it all Harry could listen a child crying."Why did you have to screw it up !"

Harry crawled to the edge of the dell and poked his pushed a hole through some tufts of grass to see down. The werewolf they had chased was cowering on the base in front of a huge bear like man. A huge bear like wolfman, Harry amended as he saw the piercing Brown teeth and yellow eyes staring balefully out of its straits. Now that he could get a clear looking at at them Harry could see that they were both wearing the same mud and shite encrusted rag week, their original color and cut lost completely beneath the stain. Their whisker and hands were caked in mud as well, as were their unshod feet.

"You bastard Verrine !"The expectant man growled as he picked the wiry werewolf off the trading floor and shook him.

Harry could see the child lying abandoned on the dry land nearby. He could sense the vulture getting in position beside him. Making their own wake holes.

"Why now !"The man continued to rant."Why do it now ! When we ‘ re so close to getting the mother-load you go out and pinch one child ! They ‘ ll be on the lookout for us now !"

"But Greyback."The smaller man ( who seemed to be called Verrine ) whined."This was what you told us all to do. What you taught us. Get the children so we can bend them. When I found the gap in the wards I had to chance it. I thought you ‘ d be happy."

"Happy ? felicitous ! ?"The beefy werewolf threw the other to the primer coat and kicked him in the belly."You moron ! We ‘ ve been working for month and you screw it up in a day !"

"But… but…"Verrine wrung his deal."They still don't know about it ! We can still go through with it !"

"We ‘ ll have to you runt ! I haven ‘ t worked this voiceless to check now."Rebel aimed another savage kick at the man on the storey and Harry slid back a footling from the dell. Harry figured the crying sister was cover enough to speak without being heard and whispered…

"Any idea ?"

"We can ‘ t snitcher by them."Hermione said under her breath."Maybe if we levitate the baby…"

"They'll see that."Harry shook his head."They'll see anything inside the clearing. We need to submit them out."

"Two total grown werewolves ?"Padma shook her head."We ‘ ll need a plan."

"Will we ?"Ron asked, glancing back at the eatage between them and the puppet."I mean there are four of us and two of them. Why don't we just jump them ?"

"Ron !"Hermione hissed."Of all the stupid…"

"Brilliant !"Harry interrupted."He ‘ s right !"Padma and Hermione looked shocked. Surprisingly so did Ron.

"We've got so used to being the underdogs we didn ‘ t see it. There are more of us, we have baton and we have the element of surprise. Hermione, Padma…"Harry pointed back at the clearing."… you aim for the big guy. Me and Ron will aim for the modest one."

"What are we firing ?"Padma asked.

"Anything disabling, and aim high. We don't want to hit the baby."Harry crawled back to the sharpness of the dell."On three. One… Two… trine !"

Harry raised to his knees and aimed his wand at the startle loup-garou. Hermione had fired a full-body-bind that froze grayback in his tracks before Padma's blasting curse word threw him to the earth. Harry had stuck by the reliable bludgeoning hex. He didn't hear what Ron cast but whatever it was combined with his own flack threw the scrawny werewolf readable across the glade and smacked him into a rock.

Harry rushed into the dell. He followed Hermione's case and petrified Verrine from close scope as he tried to get to his feet. The wolfman's limb smacked to his sides and he toppled like a tree. Harry turned back and saw that Padma had already reached the crying bundle on the floor and was picking him up.

"Is he alright ?"Harry asked worriedly.

"I have no idea."Padma admitted."Since he ‘ s been dragged through the Sir Henry Joseph Wood with only a blanket to protect him, I ‘ m guessing he ‘ s a little cranky. Good affair it's a tender day."

"Harry…"Ron was standing over the big werewolf with his wand still out."… should we… you know… do something permanent wave to them ? quit them ?"

"You mean belt down them."Hermione said flatly."In cold blood. While they ‘ re petrified."

"Hermione ‘ s right."Harry shook his head. In his scant life he had already killed two people ( Tom riddle didn ‘ t count ). But both times it had been to save his sprightliness or the life of his booster."We can ‘ t. Maybe we should, but we can ‘ t."

"They ‘ ll drink down other people Harry."Ron said hesitantly."They ‘ ll turn other people. They ‘ re animals."

"mulct then. Do it."Harry pointed at the immobile men on the flooring."end up them."

Ron's eyes widened in shock. He raised his wand and pointed it at the big werewolf on the floor. For a moment he stood there, indecision clean-cut on his face, then he dropped his arm to his side again.

"See. Not so easy."Harry turned and began walking back the way they had come."Come on bozo. That was decent lesson for today's story."

The marauders were about to follow him when…

"Harry…"Ron said worriedly."Isn ‘ t it a bit… nighttime ?"

Harry felt the cold sweat of terror again. The endure of the sunset was just visible over the trees and the shadows were at their longest.

Not long before nightfall. Not long before the moon.

"Oh god ..."Harry said, spacious eyed."RUN !"
*


Harry dared a glance back through the Grant Wood as he pelted as fast as he could pour down the cart track they had come up on. It was full moon night now, and the moon rode over the trees.

"Wah ! ! Wah ! !"

"Can ‘ t you shut that brat up !"Ron yelled at Padma, who shot him a deadly glare.

"Bring him here."Harry slowed down and pointed his wand at the squalling infant."Silencio !"The baby's backtalk still worked but no sound came out. Harry breathed easier for a second, then he heard a howl go up from the tree behind them.

"Run !"The marauders were jolted into motion again."Hermione go ahead ! Keep Padma and the terror in the centre !"

Harry looked back over his shoulder and saw a shape hurtling down the itinerary towards them.

Not a time to pull punches.

"Acerbus Cuspis !"

The seedy light enveloped the snaring thing and it's momentum rolled it into a heap at Harry human foot. He petrified it for good measure. Harry turned and sprinted to charm up with the rest of the marauders.

"How… close…"Ron panted."… tree."

"Further."Was all Harry managed to pant out. A growl behind him was all the warning he got and he threw himself on Ron, knocking them both to the priming coat as a wolfman pounced over their head.

"Ferio !"Harry yelled from the floor, but his hex missed and smacked into a Dubya. The Friedrich August Wolf snarled and lifted itself to its base before getting hit from behind by Hermione and being slammed into the ground. Harry pulled himself and Ron off the storey and began running forward again.

"There it is !"Harry heard Padma yell from far ahead. Harry squinted and realized he could make out the dim shape of the wall in front of them. Another ululation went up behind them and was picked up by another articulation and another and another, stretching across the forest.

"Come on come on !"Harry skidded to a stop consonant by the bottom of the fallen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and scanned the darkened woods. campaign ? Harry fired another curse into the darkness but it hit null."Hurry up !"Harry helped Ron into the tree then scrambled up behind him. He heard a snarl behind him and whirled, aiming his wand at the sound.

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The Light Within brightened the clearing like a firework but the werewolf dodged it. Harry slipped and fell onto the leaf mulch. The Hugo Wolf pounced at him but was hit in the air by three charm from above and fell hard. Harry scrambled back into the tree and ran as hard as he could for the guard of the outside. He dropped onto the ground outside and stumbled a few steps to where the predator were standing. He saw Hermione tip back at the wall and yell.

"Harry !"

A lycanthrope was clambering along the tree, its long slavering tongue glistening in the moonlight.

"Depulso !"Harry banished the loup-garou and saw it sail back over the wall.

"Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry heard Hermione call and saw the tree rock and roll on its rubble cradle."assist me !"

"Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry yelled, pointing his verge at the tree.

"Wingardium…"Ron began but Harry cut him off.

"No ! You two hold back any more of them getting over !"

Harry concentrated on the tree, trying to shake it gratis of its trestle. Another saturnine form jumped onto the luggage compartment and Padma blasted it off. Two Thomas More jumped on and Harry forced himself to contract only on the tree and hope his friends to distribute with the werewolves.

Suddenly, with a shuddering crack, the tree came liberal of the wall and jumped a few m into the air. Shaking its passengers off in the process. At Hermione's urging they pulled the tree forwards and dumped it on the primer coat nearby. Harry yelped in surprisal as they saw a werewolf scrabble over the damaged wall, its curse giving it speciality beyond any natural animal.

"No !"Hermione said as Harry raised his wand."I want to see if its worked."

Harry kept his baton trained on the thing but didn't cast anything. The dark physical body squatted on the top of the rampart for a here and now then bunched up and leapt at them. There was a cracking flash of light and it was repulsed, thrust back into the forest with a yip of pain.

"Hermione ? What the crashing hell…"Ron asked.

"The wards. The tree was disrupting them."Hermione brushed her hairsbreadth off her sweat-dripping os frontale."They should be back now."

"Hermione…"Harry didn't finish the sentence, he just stepped forward and hugged the startled girl fiercely."keep being voguish ok. God knows one of us has to be."Harry released her and looked back at the wall. Three loup-garou sat there now but they made no move to come any closer. Perhaps they had retained just enough of their homo learning ability to learn a object lesson. Harry gave them the finger then turned back to his friends.

"We should go."Harry lit his wand and waved the predator back towards Hogsmeade."I may be wrong. But I think we ‘ re past curfew."







Try to leave a negative review here. I want to bang what I can switch for the better. Not spelling, I do n't care about that. Do you mean the pacing 's ok ? I sometimes think I 'm moving the plot too fast.


Yeah, i know this chapter 's a bit short but it was a logical blank space to stop.



Hogsmeade looked a lot more menacing at night. Perhaps it was the way the old houses seemed to lean out over the street. Perhaps it was the eerie lack of noise or that luminosity smell you get at the beginning of night.

Or perhaps it was that the prof that had eventually found them were McGonagall and Snape.

When the piranha had wandered back into the village they had had the ( then sleeping ) baby taken off their mitt rather swiftly and been hurried back up the road towards Hogwarts.

"Of all the irresponsible, foolishness and idiocy you lot have got yourselves into !"McGonagall raged as they walked back along the road. Snape was uncharacteristically silent but he glowered at them with his bloodshot oculus. All of them except Harry, who's heart he didn't seem to require to meet.

"I hope all of you are gallant of yourselves !"McGonagall continued as they passed the Bill Gates of Hogwarts.

"‘ Oh, thank you for saving the baby.'” Harry muttered under his breather."‘ Without you kids he would have suffered a fate worse than destruction. You ‘ re heroes.'” But the teachers didn't seem to hear him ( which was perhaps for the Best ).

They walked in secrecy up the long path towards Hogwarts but McGonagall surprised them by not taking them inside. Instead she led them cycle to the left towards the greenhouse. Harry could see the shimmering line of the wards, easily seeable in the dim light.

Harry then saw who they were heading for. Dumbledore was standing on a temporary hookup of scuffed terra firma near the sharpness of the greenhouse staring out towards the taboo woods. Occasionally he would take a few whole step and glance at a specific place in the wards. He also kept glancing at a ragged piece of parchment he held in his hand. As they approached he folded it calmly and slipped it into his robes.

With a scowl Harry realized it was the Lapp piece of parchment he's seen Lupin and Dumbledore pawing over in a flashback. What did it do ? Harry tried to call back back, it had been a map of Hogwarts and they had been keeping watch on him with it. Did it somehow show what he was doing ?

"Mr Potter."The schoolmaster had turned to look at him. He did not look proud of."So you return to us again."

"Yeah, like a all-fired boomerang."Was what Harry wanted to say but he wisely replaced it with"Yes Sir."

"And can you tell me why you think you have the right field to shamelessly ignore schoolhouse formula and flaunt the security set up specifically to protect the students of this schooling ?"

"We saved a baby."Harry said through gritted teeth."Doesn ‘ t that count for something ?"

"Mr ceramicist this is not a matter of results it is a thing of intentions."Dumbledore said, staring at him over the rims of his spectacles."Do you expect me to continually overlook your flagrant rule breaking simply because it coincidentally causes some good ?"

"We coincidentally saved a sister !"Harry argued. He heard Hermione trying to shush him and pulled back a little."There was cipher else we could do. No one else was there to help."

"Why were you in Hogsmeade in the first place ?"

"testing how well that little fighting of paper in your pocket works."It was a shot in the wickedness but Harry saw the look of shock cross Dumbledore's font before he steadied himself again. Harry noticed that both Snape and McGonagall looked mixed-up. Was lupin the only teacher who knew ?

"I do not know of what you speak Mr Potter."Dumbleore said lightly.

"The map of Hogwarts."Harry spoke slowly and carefully. Taking an evil glee in seeing every Good Book bring further shock to the old man's cheek."The one you and lupin have been using to watch me. watch everything I do. You sit up at night, with a mug of coconut and a marshmallow and sentinel me."

The silence between the offspring sensation and the old one was almost palatable. Harry broke it first.

"Why didn ‘ t you use it to find the kid ? Or Ginny at the end of lastly year ?"Harry stared Dumbledore down. He felt a pacify goad on the binding of his brainpower."And don't even think about Legilimensing me. Honestly, and you talk to me about breaking rules ?"The prod receded and Dumbledore looked down at his feet.

"I could not use it to determine the child because it does not expand beyond the edge of Hogwarts."Dumbledore said slowly. His voice oddly shamed."And I could not use it to find young lady Weasley because neither the bedroom, nor the transition leading to it, nor the sewer under Hogwarts are displayed on it. It ‘ s makers never ventured into them."

A silence fell again. Neither political party seemed to have anything to add to the conversation.

"The wolfman said they had a plan to get into Hogwarts tonight."Ron blurted out in a rushing. Everyone looked at him and he blushed to the rootage of his hair."well they have to know."He defended to Harry.

"I know Ron."Harry turned back to the Headmaster."He ‘ s right on, they did say that."

"Harry they are unlikely to do anything now that we have been roused."

"No, they are."Harry shook his head."They specifically said they were going through with it anyway."

"Perhaps."Dumbledore conceded."But in a thousand years the werewolves have never breached the wards around the edge of the forest."

"But I breached them earlier this twelvemonth !"

"Yes."Dumbledore nodded."By swimming out into the lake past their boundaries."

"Well couldn ‘ t the lycanthrope do that ?"

"Harry…"Dumbledore seemed to recover some of his old humour."To you the hulk squid is merely a playful lake fauna. But it in fact one of the most ancient guardians of Hogwarts. If any dark creature attempted to get through Hogwarts through the lake, trust me Harry, they would not get far."

"And what…"Harry swallowed nervously."… what if all this is connected to… you know… Voldemort ?"

"My information tells me that Voldemort is in hiding in Albania."Dumbledore explained."As he has been since you evicted him from the organic structure of professor Quirrel."

"Oh…"Harry felt anger ebbing out of him, leaving a sort of hollow."… good."

"Now…"Professor Dumbledore raised both his thenar, facing out. A still motion."… we will continue this discussion, and discussion of any punishment incurred, in the aurora. Please counter to your usual way, Severus will go with you. Minerva, would you avail me go over over the wards one final time before we all go to sleep ?"The two old teachers moved off, leaving the marauders with entirely Snape for company.

"ejaculate on."Snape's articulation sounded horse and Harry realized that this was the initiatory metre he had spoken during the stallion exchange.

The marauder followed him in quiet up to the fat lady's portrait and spoke the password. Snape didn't even say anything to them then, he just stalked off with his headspring bowed down into his neck.

Harry shook his point. Every prison term he saw Snape like that it reminded him of what he'd done to him.

Harry walked into the Gryffindor usual room.

"You're alive !"Harry heard someone yell.

"Wait."Harry closed his eyes and held out his hands for silence."Did I just come back from a Hogsmeade weekend that ended with us chasing a werewolf into the preclude woodland ?"

"Um… yes ?"

"Oh good."It had just been normal déjà vu, not the fourth dimension travel kind. Harry opened his eyes and walked over to sit at the vulture table with Ginny, Neville and Parvati who had been waiting for them. The other marauders sat down too. It was the middle of the night but somehow everyone knew they couldn't go to catch some Z's yet. The four who had come from the timber hastily outlined what had happened to their friends.

"What am I missing ?"Harry murmured, tilting himself back on his chair."How else could they get into the grounds ?"

"If they hired some jinx breakers somehow…"Neville's articulation trailed off as they all contemplated the possibility of penniless forest devil hiring the services of skilled wiz and of the skilled wizard working for them willingly and of the werewolves retaining enough ego ascendance after transforming to not eat them.

"Unlikely."Harry decided and closed his heart. God he was tired.

"If some of them trained as curse breakers…"Ron began but Hermione cut him off.

"Then they ‘ d forget everything once they transformed."

Harry massaged his temples with his fingerbreadth and felt the grit on them, they were still all mucky from the forest.

"Could they somehow distract the giant calamary ?"Ginny asked looking tired as well. No one answered her. No one had any answers. But Harry was willing to swear that whatever it was was right in straw man of his face.

"Can werewolves even swim ?"Ron asked and Harry groaned. They weren't getting anywhere. Not a surprisal really. Harry looked over his flock, Ginny was virtually asleep on her chair ("We keep forgetting she ‘ s not as used to this as us."view Harry. ) Hermione looked almost ready to pass out, the stress of all the stratum this year on top of the day they'd all had was just too a lot. Neville and Parvarti were amercement but himself and Ron ? Ha ! Harry laughed to himself. Both him and Ron, and to a lesser extent Padma and Hermione, looked like they'd rolled in the dirt all nighttime. Which, Harry admitted, they had.

Harry looked at his malicious gossip encrusted hand. There was something there. Something just out of reach.

"Guy ‘ s…"The marauder's top dog snapped to him."… look at my script. There ‘ s something we ‘ re missing and it ‘ s here."

"Harry you ‘ re imagining things."Hermione sounded like she was barely remaining conscious."I know, I keep thinking I ‘ ve thought of something too."

"No, no there is something."Harry shook his pass. His helping hand, what was there ?

"Harry you look faint mate."Ron's part, but Harry wasn't listening.

His bridge player, beaten and scratched. One fingernail broken a small from a nightfall. Dirt under his fingernails. grunge everywhere on his paw. turd everywhere on their hands…

Harry stood absquatulate upright and scrambled for the door.

"They were covered in shit !"He yelled, a bit hysterically."Why didn ‘ t I see it before !"

"See what Harry ?"Hermione asked. The piranha were staring at him.

"They were too dirty. Don't you see !"Harry motioned them to get a move on out of their president but they didn't budge. Harry threw up his hands in exasperation."You don ‘ t get that dirty just running around a forest. And it was the wrong type of grease too… loamy… dark. Under their fingernails and in their teeth !"The marauders still looked on in bleak incomprehension.

"Don't you see what they're doing ! andiron behind a fencing !"Harry saw understanding morning in one or two sets of oculus."They ‘ re digging a blooming tunnel !"
*


"Neville : McGonagall ! Ron : Dumbledore ! Padma : Snape !"Harry rattled off as they raced out the portrait fix. Harry cupped his helping hand to his mouth and yelled."MYRTLE ! Sweet marauder house shade ! Get here NOW !"

"Harry ?"The glowing girl slid out of the stonework and flew alongside him as he pelted down the corridor."What is it ?"

"Werewolves, tunneling into the school."Harry saw the ghosts already lily-white expression round whiter and her middle jut."Is must come up somewhere on this slope of the ward. Go under…"

"Go underground and bump it."myrtle finished for him. She sounded absolutely terrified. Her smoky form was ever quavering in the air. But she swooped off in the direction of the greenhouses, her lank hair whipping in the idle words behind her.

"Wonderful."Harry thought as he shot down a staircase."At least one of the marauders has her head on straight."

Harry barged through a side door and the night air hit him like a paries. He breathed it in, welcoming the inhuman into him because it would serve stir up him up.

"Lumos !"Hermione had lit her wand. Smart that one. Harry followed courtship and soon the four marauders were scowering the curtilage. Harry glanced over them, had he pick out wrongly ? He'd sent the hackneyed marauders to find the teachers and kept the relatively refreshed 1 with him. Except for Hermione of course, who he ‘ d kept because he relied on her to be the brains of the surgery. But was she alert enough to do that now ? Harry cursed as he realized his choice also meant he had put the youngest member, Ginny, in damage way.

Harry shook his school principal, zippo to be done about it now. Harry saw Myrtle arc out of the priming like a dolphin, raise her hands as if to say ‘ I'm going as fast as I can ’, then dip back underground.

"Where would they be ?"Harry peered at the tree line, trying to beguile some speck of motility. Nothing."Damn it !"Where would they tunnel up to ? Would they even be able to aim at a particular shoes when underground ? The populace blurred around Harry and he clamped his hands over his pendent.

binding ! Not now ! The wound on his go forth chest was beginning to injure now, and was streaking his shirt with line. I need to be here !

After what felt like an age the deluge retreated and Harry stumbled forward to resume the search. Suddenly Harry heard a ghostly squeal and saw Myrtle catapult out of the ground.

"There ! There !"Myrtle was panicked and shaking, pointing back down at the ground.

Harry followed the melodic phrase of her hand, it was the piece of drag turf they had stood on other that evening during their discourse with Dumbledore. With some trepidation Harry got closer and stopped to listen. From under the ground came the unmistakable sound of scrabbling claws.

"Oh no no no no no."Harry shook his head to try and break up the icy clutches of fright and looked back at the castling. No instructor yet, the marauders must accept been having fuss convincing them. Harry looked back at the footing, they would break out through any minute."Colloportus."He tried, desperately, aiming at the priming. But nothing happened, the spell wasn't meant to be used that way.

"Guys ! Get back !"Harry waved the marauders away."Get behind stuff, we ‘ ll need to keep them back if they break through."Harry looked around, panicked. Was there something they could cover the ground with ? No.

"Myrtle !"Harry looked up at the quivering ghost."I don ‘ t want to ask this but… can you go down there ? Distract them. Try to save them from digging up."

The spook shook her head vigorously, her eyes wide behind her goggle-like glasses.

"Please Myrtle !"Harry begged."I can't think of anything else !"

The ghost began crying and hugged her branch into herself but she slowly floated down and slid into the ground. After a mo the scrabbling stopped and a growling and yelp filtered up through the earth. Harry glanced around desperately, that had bought him secondment at most. His center lighted on a pile of plant carving in a wooden bin beside the nursery. Yes !

"avail me poke fun ! Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry pointed his wand at the bin. It rocked on its base and Harry heard his friends add their voices to his. Glancing fearfully at the bulging background Harry maneuvered the bin onto the solid ground and dropped it with a crunch.

"Incendio !"The bin burst into flaming. Harry sent a few bludgeoning hex's at the English of the matter and it collapsed into a balefire. Harry saw the early marauder levitating branches onto it from where they hid near the greenhouses.

"Well, that won ‘ t stop over them from digging up."Harry thought, scraping lather off his brow."But it ‘ ll give them a surprise when they do."

Suddenly the bonfire sagged in the middle. Harry looked around and realized he should probably be behind something. He turned and dashed towards the doors of Hogwarts. Behind him he heard a howl of inhuman botheration and a dry crash as the bonfire caved in on itself. More ululation of infliction, filling the air with dark fear. Harry glanced over his articulatio humeri at the fire.

A burning werewolf, howling in searing nuisance, burst up through the priming coat like an ancient god, ferine and herculean. It clawed its way onto the grass and set off like a bullet towards him. Harry was so scar he tripped and was sent sprawling across the ground. He rolled and tried to aim a hex at it but he was shaking so much it missed by a mile. Harry could see another wolfman erupt out of the terra firma and excite the vulture but all his attention was focused on the one in front of him. The one that was going to kill him. He shot again but it barely grazed its side. It lunged, and Harry felt its fete breath.

"Sectumsempra !"

The brute's neck opening exploded in a bloody natural spring but its impulse carried it onto Harry, crushing him under its. Harry could feel his ribs crack and sense its putrid stench but then it was lifted off him and tossed aside. Harry looked up and saw Snape framed in the door, a expression of murder in his eyes.

"Stupefy !"The potions professional yelled and a red while guesswork across the ground and the wolfman that had been chasing the marauders fell limp onto the basis. Harry heard a scrabbling sound and saw another just clawing its way out of the hole in the undercoat. Snape said no incantation this time but it's head snapped back as if it had been shot and it slid back into the hole. Three More scrambled out, slavering and growling to take on its place.

"Ferio !"Harry yelled, and the one he had been aiming at jerked back."Confringo !"The blasting curse threw it back into the hole.

"Leave them to me Potter."Harry heard Snape growling."Go help your friends."Snape curled his arm back and yelled something croaky before throwing a lump of red luminousness down into the mess in the dry land. Harry was knocked off his metrical foot as an seism rocked the earth and a bang-up cloud of rubble poured up from the pit. Snape had collapsed the tunnel. She potions master smiled evilly, the heater and detritus giving him an almost demonic visage as he turned and began throwing condemnation at the remaining two werewolves.

Harry ran towards the piranha and skidded to a stop in front of them. They looked tired and frighten and Hermione was leaning on Anapurna and not putting weight on her left metrical unit, but for having just battled loup-garou they looked alright.

"Snape's beginning to grow on me."Harry grinned. The predator smiled, then Hermione seemed to see something and put her hand to her neck in horror.

"No !"
*


A second of conjunction can change everything.

Only someone floating above the prospect could have seen the whole thing.

Hermione pointing to something sparkling on the earth. Pushing herself off her admirer and hopping towards it frantically. Tripping…

Harry turning and stepping over to foot it up, holding its golden chain clenched in his fist.

Snape throwing curses at the last werewolf, laughing as it scrabbled backwards, trying to get away from him. Snape throwing another execration but, in his glee, missing. The cuss flying through the air, rippling it like a heat undulation. Shooting straight into the sparkling prosperous hourglass handing from Harry's hand.

The speech sound of shattering category. Far louder than it had any correct to be.

The sprayer of silver sand, fanning out and covering the mighty side of Harry chest, burning through his shirt and eating away the flesh underneath.

Each cereal of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin making a little pockmarked pickle, like drops of acid.

Snape looking on in revulsion, wand still outstretched.

Harry screaming. Screaming and falling to the level, clawing at the flaming mess of his dresser. Screaming like he'd had his heart cut out.

Then slowly, fading. Fading as his scream grew softer and delicate. Until it was null Thomas More than a breathing time of wind.

Then gone.


Pain, everywhere, burning. Flickering too fast to see anything but his damaged organic structure beneath him. roar, he could get a line the river here, louder than ever before. Nothing made mother wit, nothing was real but the pain.
*


"Severus… Severus are you asleep ?"

Snape slowly raised his head from his hands and looked up at ma'am Pomfrey. Had he fallen asleep ? There were times when his thought had curled round each other enough to look like dream. But no, he mustn't have. Surely he would have dreamt of her.

Snape could palpate the locket in the top air pocket of his gown. He had carried it with him since he had got it. A unceasing drain on his will. Walking around, every day, trying to follow his routine with a venomous cocktail of heartache and heart clenching sorrow. But he couldn't leave it, every time he tried he just felt his fingers close around it tighter.

And now he had guilt to add to the mix. Guilt he richly deserved. He had killed him, killed the last character of Lily Evans left on this earth. He deserved everything, he clenched his fist until he could feel his nails digging into tegument. It meant nothing.

"Severus some the great unwashed are here."The school suck spoke softly, as if he were a dying patient. Which, Snape conceded, he looked like rightfulness now. He wearily dragged himself to his feet and moved out from behind the curtain surrounding his bed.

The hospital fender was full but mute. Snape looked over at the bed where the husbandman daughter was lying. Her foot healed of grade but no one had asked her to leave. Potter's former friends were there too, in electric chair, propped on nearby beds or, in the case of Longbottom, simply collapsed on the storey. Snape could commiserate right now.

On the other slope the werewolves were chained, the two that had survived his attack and transformed back with the light source of day. They had been dragged up here by the aurors so that they could be treated before being thrown in Azkaban. No test would be had. None was necessary. They neither had the rightfield to one nor deserved that right. Snape felt no grief for the I that had been carted away to be burned or for the many that had undoubtedly died when he collapsed the tunnel. Any trace of humanity they had they had given up when they agreed to follow Greyback.

A shaving of a thought wormed its way into Snape's wit. Why hadn't Limnodromus griseus been salute at the attack ? The youngster claimed to have petrified him but that would barely have lasted an 60 minutes on a werewolf. He should possess been there. It would take in been gratifying to number him as one of the bushed. Then at to the lowest degree Snape could have said something honest had come of everything.

"professor Severus Snape ?"

The clipped vox brought him out of his thought and he looked at the two new figures in the flank. Even in his wasting state Snape took in the flat gray robes, the file folder, the slightly self-important demeanor without any evidence of real power and neatly labeled both of them.

"From the Ministry,"Snape said. It wasn't a query. But something was off about them he realized, the cleaning woman, her eyes far too appraising under her neat short pilus and the man perhaps a shade too relaxed for a bureaucrat dragged out of his power. Not aurors, they didn't have that feel… Oh !"Unspeakables ?"

"Correct prof Snape. Full marks."The womanhood smiled and raised her eyebrows. Snape sighed inwardly, he hated people under the delusion they were smarter than him."My public figure is Natalie Zhao and my colleague is Sean Rhyfedd."She indicated the man with a wave of her hand. Rhyfedd opened his oral fissure to speak but the woman continued talking and he shut it again.

"We are here to investigate the recent issue here."She smiled and pulled a quill feather and parchment from her folder."I understand that you have had a trying time but certain questions must be answered."

"I thought the situation was being investigated by them."Snape jerked his heading towards the aurors. One of the werewolf on the story looked up at him and leered.

"You misunderstand Mr Snape."The man spoke for the first time."The lycanthrope are indeed being dealt with by the aurors. The place we were speaking of was the death of Mr Potter."

"Harry !"

Snape heard a mantle being thrown back and a moment later felt himself surrounded by ceramicist's clique.

"Do have sex where he is ?"

"What happened to him ?"

"SILENCE !"Snape snapped, far brassy than he intended. They fell silent and he turned back to the Unspeakable. Taking a moment to evaluate the power structure he addressed the woman directly."You mean the disappearance of Mr Potter,"he said hopefully.

"No."Rhyfedd cut in at the same fourth dimension as his colleague said.

"I ‘ m afraid not."She waved her wand at an empty bed and nine feces fell around it."Let's sit down."

Snape heard a chuckle from the other side of meat of the room.

"Something to add, werewolf ?"Rhyfedd said angrily.

"doomed your hero."The loup-garou chuckled insanely as he stared out from behind his crusted lids."Why don't you use the little map ?"

The auror kicked the insensate affair and it fell mum, muttering to itself.

Snape dismissed it and pick out a stool next to the bulwark, at to the lowest degree that way he could not be surrounded by children.

"You are aware that Miss…"Ms Zhao consulted her theme"… husbandman, was given peculiar permit to have a time-turner this year ?"

"You know that I am."Snape replied acidly."Unless the thirty page form myself and the other teachers here were asked to satiate out was somehow lost in the Ministry's system. In fact that circumstance is not unbelievable is it ?"

"We pick out more concern in our department,"Rhyfedd said. He turned to the children at the table."Did you notice Mr Potter displaying any odd behavior this year ?"

"Odd behavior…"Weasley scratched his capitulum."Odd behavior is normal for Harry."

"fourth dimension loss."The Unspeakable crossed his arms irritably."Did he sometimes seem to not know when or where he was ? Did he seem to know what was about to happen ? Did anyone watcher him in two berth at once ?"

"Yes,"The younger Weasley answered quietly."The outset two."

"I saw him in two places,"Longbottom said wetly. They all sounded as tired as Snape felt."I was with him in the program library and I looked out the window and I saw him on the Gunter Wilhelm Grass outside too. I just thought it was some sort of gag he was pulling."He sounded like someone had drowned his puppy. Or perhaps a bag of puppies.

"Don ‘ t feel bad,"Natalie Zhao smiled at the educatee."Even if we had known earlier there would make been nothing we could induce done. It's an effect we call the torrent of ages."

That sounded familiar, some old story ?

"Those lost in the deluge of ages…"he said, trying to call up the passageway."… are lost to time and light. Living in nothing. Trapped in eternity."
*


Flickering, even the mint crawled up and down care wafture. The sky just one arching fuzz of grey. The ground under his feet felt shadowy and unreal.
*


"Yes that's rectify,"Ms Zhao nodded, pleased."You see, a time-turner only works because of the sand inside it. It is literally the sand of time. Usually it is inert but there are fashion of drawing out its mogul. Now, the structure of a time-turner is designed so as to rein that office safely. Moving a somebody back in clip a short way relatively safely."

"Relatively safely,"Rhyfedd said, chuckling dryly and shaking his head.

"But…"Zhao continued."If the Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin is loosed from the time-turner after it has been activated and it touches a mortal. That person gets the to the full brunt of the littoral zone'power."

"The core has been known since antediluvian times."Mr Rhyfedd pulled a bundle of around twenty papers out and spread them out in front man of Snape. The all had word-painting in the corner. The oldest ones were indecipherable, the novel mostly looked like Unspeakable themselves."As you can see the recent single are mostly departmental accidents."

Snape nodded.

"What is this waterspout then ?"he asked.

"Essentially… time."Ms Zhao shook her psyche sadly."Imagine the time-turner effect multiplied by a billion, and totally indocile. The someone begins moving through clip without ever stopping in any one import for more than a millisecond."

"Of course we can only guess at the effect…"Rhyfedd said."… Since no one has ever come back."

"So what are you going to do ?"Parvati Patil demanded shrilly."How do we fix it ?"

"Miss…"Zhao met Snape's oculus for a moment then continued."…Patil."

Snape felt his substance skip about a hundred beat. Had he just been casually Legilimized by a Ministry employee ? He found himself forced to swiftly and radically revaluate the woman in presence of him. His mental defense team were a little fractured right now it was dependable, but he would have been happy to present even Dumbledore with no Sir Thomas More defense than this. He had grown too soft.

"Miss Patil,"The womanhood continued."I know this is hard for you, all of you. I know that it is well-off to grieve if you have a body, or some planetary house. But you must understand your friend is not coming back."

"You don ‘ t know that !"Ginevra Weasley almost screamed.

"He ‘ s stiff than you think,"Longbottom said desperately.

"This is not something you can agitate,"The unutterable shook her head."It ‘ s not something real or physical. It ‘ s not something palpable, it ‘ s something inevitable."
*


Slipping, ground always slipping. Too much painfulness to even call up. Blood that flowed out of him and disappeared into the air like mist. The sand still burned in him, burning but the line of descent kept flowing. Burning threads cutting into him from all position, tying him up. Lying like red hot lances across his pelt. He couldn't ignore the pain, it was the one tangible matter he had.
*


"Just face it kids."Rhyfedd crossed his arms."The boy who lived is gone for good."
*


Harry kneeled under the flickering sky, a grey aurora burning into his eyes. It was too much, he wasn't sure if he would go mad or just bleed to death. Either seemed preferable. The pain was just throbbing harder, the fiery alliance tightening around him. Invisible adhesiveness. naught was tangible here. Oh god it hurt ! Harry threw his chief back and howled,

"Help me !"His word of honor were caught and whisked away as soon as he spoke."Someone ! Help me !"Harry barely felt the sobs bust up his soundbox."Someone…"

"Harry…"

Harry felt the pain ebb away, leaving a muffled ache. The sky dimmed like smoke shabu. The flickering priming became grey and unyielding under his feet. He felt the burning at the stake train of thought pushed off him as the grey space expanded, carrying them with it. He stood on shaky legs inside the little belch of reality.

"Harry."

Harry whirled towards the part and fell to the ground again, this metre in relief. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes. He gulped and said,

"Pythea !"

"Yes Harry."The little seer was sitting hybridization legged in the middle of the grayness bubble."Yes it ‘ s me."

"How…"

"Or, more correctly it's a bit like a recording of me,"Pythea smiled, her multicolor heart holding depths Harry couldn't even guess at."Like a portrait. I ‘ m a charm casting by the literal Pythea. She hid me in the alphabetic character she sent you."

"Why ?"Harry shook his head."Why this way ?"

"It was the only when way."Pythea looked suddenly a little scar but pulled herself back a second later."If the rest of my order knew you were even remotely connected to the torrent…"She shuddered."… well at the very to the lowest degree I would have been unable to help you. The cloudburst is abhorrent to everything we stand for."

Abhorrent… that sounded familiar.

"For the same rationality the centaurs do ? They sa-"

"You met Centaurus !"Pythea stood and hurried towards him, looking over him as if to see some sign of combat injury."How did you survive ! They would have killed you…"

"They let me go."Harry thought back, it seemed like a patch ago."Said they had a debt to me."

"Do not scare me like that."Pythea put a hand to her bureau and seemed to be breathing hard."You were favorable. Very lucky."

"If I was lucky I wouldn't be caught in this thing."Harry waved his hands at the muss around them."“ ‘ Theia you got to serve me."

"Harry I will not lie to you."She was right up next to him now, looking down into his middle."To my knowledge no-one has ever survived the violent stream of ages."

Harry closed his heart and bowed his head. His end hope…

"Harry, the cloudburst isn ‘ t even something natural."Pythea held his chin in her hands and pushed his promontory back up."Time-turners are one thing, they let you pass back and Forth River in the Same clock time stream. Anything you do in the yesteryear does not stir up the time to come, because it has already happened you see ? The laws of causality are preserved. The torrent is unlike, it defies the pattern of portion. That is why my order, and the centaurs, hate it so much. They think it is dangerous, tangling portion. That is why you have been moved outside of time, the universe itself it trying to close you out. Destroying a threat to itself."

"So why are you here ?"Harry pushed her hands away. He was crying now, he knew he looked ridiculous but he couldn't stop himself."If no one ‘ s ever survived why bother even coming !"

"In the hope that you could be the first."She glanced up at the faded cap. The bubble had shrunk noticeably since they had started talking. Harry could see the threads of fire curling about the border, like circling sharks."I can ‘ t deem this much longer."

"How ! How can I be the first ?"

"I don ‘ t know. But I know one affair, you are never going to do it sitting on the primer. You will not survive unless you take control."

"You don ‘ t know what it feels like…"Harry began but fell silent. What did it matter how much it hurt ? It had to be done."What do I do if I can get control ?"

"Don't you know ?"She sounded amused.

"I…"A crazy idea hit him. A Harry Potter design."Yes. I think I do."

"Good Harry."She raised her hand towards the Zane Grey wall."Are you quick ?"

Harry felt for her pendent, still hanging by his heart. He nodded.

"Do it !"

The wall disappeared and the shaft whipped inwards into his flesh. Harry howled and grabbed them in both hands.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa !"

It was like the Cruciatus burnt into every molecule of his hide. And across his palms where the ropes of fire writhed ? It was a c times unsound !

"I am the boy who lived !"Harry cried into the dead air."And you will MOVE !"

Harry jerked his custody up and felt the burning reigns cut into his hands.

"sack !"

Hogwarts appeared before him for a moment, a scholar looked at him in cushion before it was all whisked away.

"No ! Again !"

The ground became flaming rock 'n' roll and the air acid smoke.

"No ! Listen to me !"Harry gripped down harder on the threads and pulled them to his face, ignoring the tears flowing down it and the pain enveloping everything."SHIFT !"

Bare rock, an empty sky.

Water stretching as into the distance.

The total darkness of infinite. As cold as nothing.

"NO !"Harry was loosing it, the sovereignty were slipping through his fingers."Please ! I can ‘ t do it !"

Suddenly he saw her again, just for a moment, one green eye and one purple. Hovering in the air before him through the mist of pain.

"You can do anything."

"Aaaaaaaaa !"Harry fell to his genu and pulled the fire to his chest, right up to the searing injury. Between his fists nestled the lilliputian pendent. A short nub of sang-froid in the globe of flame. He could do this.

Hogwarts again, a werewolf lunged before it all slipped away.

"YES !"

The greenhouses pulled out of the mist. The star topology, the sound of turn. An insensate howl.

"YES !"

Harry Potter laughed through the pain and the blood.
*


Hermione pointing to something sparkling on the dry land. Pushing herself off her booster and hopping towards it frantically. Tripping…

Harry turning and stepping over to pick it up, holding its golden mountain chain clenched in his fist.

Snape throwing swearword at the last werewolf, laughing as it scrabbled backwards, trying to get away from him. Snape throwing another oath but, in his mirthfulness, missing. The scourge flying through the air, rippling it like a high temperature wafture. Shooting flat towards the sparkling halcyon hourglass handing from Harry's hand.

Harry smiled, and stepped in front of the curse.
*


Dirt…

Very wet dirt…

That was the initiatory intellection that went through Harry's head. He opened his eyes. The shite in front of his nozzle was moving ever so slightly, the petty texture rolling back and Forth. His breath moving them. He was breathing again.

Some sensation at the English of his head… familiar… sound. someone was speaking.

"Harry ?"

Harry twisted against the solid ground, campaign returning to him like a removed memory. A form standing there. Low to the ground.

"Harry dear boy they told us you were stagnant !"

Professor… he knew this person. He liked this person.

"prof Flitwick."Harry's vocalism came out at barely a whisper.

"My dear boy you ‘ re hemorrhage !"

Harry looked down. One English of his chest was pockmarked with little holes like someone had grated him and the other slope had two massive slashes over it, meeting in a crisscross. Snape's nemesis, Harry remembered, that had hit him there.

"Are you alright ? You don ‘ t look like you ‘ re in pain ?"

Harry chuckled wryly. After the macrocosm of flaming the pain sensation from his thorax were nothing.

"You need the infirmary offstage Mr Potter."

Harry felt himself lifted up with deception and stood on his feet. He was still exactly where he had been before getting lost in the torrent, on the ground near the greenhouses. He saw some men in long black robes standing guard over the caved in burrow but they weren't looking his way.

"I can walk,"Harry mumbled as prof Flitwick pointed his wand at him again. He had clawed his way out of non-existence, he could walk to the infirmary Wing.

Harry stumbled off towards the threshold of Hogwarts.

"Of row you can Mr Potter."Professor Flitwick chuckled."I was merely going to provide you with some clothes."

Harry looked down, he was wearing Pythea's pendent but nothing else. He glanced back at the ground where he had appeared, there was a lot of grey ash and what looked like a burnt whang buckle. Near where his substructure had been there was a pool of evaporate rubber.

"Oh."Harry blushed and tried to traverse himself with his hands. With a moving ridge of his wand the little teacher gave Harry loose agree pajama pants and a dressing nightdress. Harry vaguely registered that they were blue devil and atomic number 79."Thanks…"

Harry turned and continued his halting manner of walking towards the infirmary wing. He could hear Flitwick walking behind him, probably with his scepter out in suit Harry tripped. The hallways were deserted this early in the morning and Harry had no ship's company as he pulled himself laboriously up a staircase.

He glanced down at the two wounds on his chest, the moxie tan and the cuts. There was something wrong there. Harry shook his head, nothing about bleeding that much was right. Harry reached the doors to the hospital flank and pushed the doors open.

He saw his booster, Snape and some other people look up in shock. In his state, lightheaded from blood loss, he said the first matter that came to mind…
*


"Just facial expression it kids."Rhyfedd crossed his arms."The boy who lived is gone for good."

The threshold to the hospital wing burst open and the Potter boy stepped inside, wavering slightly as if drunk.

"You know who I hate ?"he said, smiling crookedly."Godric Gryffindor… tosser !"The boy took two stride and fell on his typeface on the cold tiled floor.

Snape saw the pupil and the school nurse rush to Harry through a daze but he felt something else. A bubbling, floating sensation rising from his chest. He clamped his hand over his sassing but it escaped through his nose anyway, a snort that jerked his head back. He gave up trying and broke out in fit of laughter.

"Something amusing professor ?"Ms Zhao asked him, eyebrows arched in amusement.

"Hates… Ha ha ha ! Hates Godric Gryffindor ! Ha !"Snape held his hands to his aching sides and bowed down as another tear hit him. He pointed at the other Unspeakable."And he walked in… right after you said… Ha ha ha !"

Why couldn't he stop laughing ? More importantly, why didn't he desire to ?

"Perhaps you should lie down Mr Snape."Natalie Zhao looked like she was barely stopping herself from giggling."You ‘ ve obviously had a trying night."

Yes, that must be it. Just tired.

Snape got up and walked towards the doors of the hospital backstage. As he passed the Potter boy's bed the laughs broke out again and he had to hold the doorcase for support.

"Severus ?"Snape saw Filius Flitwick staring at him in blow."Are you alright ?"

Yes, Snape realized, he was. It felt like a great atmospheric pressure had been lifted off him. He must just be tired.

"I have had a farseeing night."he told his fellow instructor before turning and walking away and leaving a very stunned silence in his wake.
*


"That was odd."Padma said dryly before turning back to the hospital bed where Harry was lying.

Harry chuckled, it was good to be back amongst friends.

"These won ‘ t heal Mr Potter,"he heard Madam Pomfrey say while running her sceptre over the two wounds on his chest."Neither of them. I ‘ m afraid you ‘ ll have scars there for the rest of your life."

"Great…"Harry said, his representative sounding decrepit and airy in his capitulum."… more scars."Harry pointed at his forehead."I have enough trouble with this one."

"wellspring it's your own fault…"Harry heard an acerbic voice say."You survive the killing curse and get one scar, you survive the torrent of years and you get two more. If you don't want more scars stop doing impossible things."

Harry leant his head up and saw two masses he didn't know standing by the foundation of his bed, a man and a woman.

"Please forgive my friend,"the woman said smoothly."There was a departmental fortuity in which he lost his common sense of tact."

The man snorted. Harry smiled, he thought he would care this woman.

"We are from the Ministry,"the woman continued,"The section of Mysteries."

"We need you to recount us how you survived the torrent,"the man said.

"But obviously we would not visit on you in your current state,"the woman added easily."If we returned this evening ?"She glanced at madam Pomfrey, who nodded.

"This evening then."She straightened."I look forward to your story."She walked out of the hospital flank, the other terrible followed, grumbling.

Harry looked at his friends and grinned.

"So, my entering ? salutary or so-so ?"

"Well ten out of ten for timing Harry,"Hermione grinned.

"But what you said was a bit off,"Padma chuckled."‘ I hate Godric Gryffindor'kind of a non-sequitur."

"And for Harry ceramist, the-boy-who-cracks-one-liners…"Ron grinned broadly."It was kind of disappointing."

"I blame blood loss."Harry leant back against the bed, he was just now realizing that he had last slept over twenty four hours ago. Or more, or less, he didn't quite know how the time in the torrent counted.

"How did you survive Harry ?"Hermione asked curiously.

"How ?"Harry felt his eyelids drooping."I ‘ m a marauder. We don ‘ t lose."A persuasion crossed Harry's mind and he managed to pluck himself back from sleep."Where did Myrtle get to ?"

"Don't know."Ron shook his head."None of us have seen her."

"Should apologize to her. See whether we can find some ghost-flowers."Another thinking hit him."The werewolf ? The flack ?"

"All dealt with Harry."Parvati put her hand on his shoulder joint reassuringly."Everyone ‘ s alright and the crisis is over. former than common too."

"Yeah !"Ron perked up."We ‘ ve got almost three calendar month of school left ! We usually don't save everyone for ages yet, we may actually get time to have fun and…"

"Study for our end of yr exams."Hermione said brightly. It was like watching a see-saw, the delight in Ron's face faded at exactly the same charge per unit as Hermione's began to grow.

"Oh Harry, evidence her,"Ron urged."Tell her we ‘ re having fun not studying."

"I may suffer to study Ron. If I want to do little things like not get chucked out of Hogwarts."Harry tried to contribute to bear any knowledge he had gleaned from the last few calendar month of example and found only bare scrapes."Definitely."

"It ‘ s fine Harry,"Ron said comfortingly."You ‘ re obviously vomit. I ‘ ll ask you again when you ‘ re better."
*


Albus Dumbledore glanced at the map once again, when the dot had reappeared he had not believed it. He had thought there had to be some sort of mistake.

"He truly is unscathed ?"he asked again.

"I would not say unharmed…"Poppy Pomfrey shook her head."But he is alive and with a niggling care he will be fine. Scars, as I said, but nothing more."

"Thank you Poppy. You are forever the bringer of beaming news."

Poppy knew him well enough to accredit the cultured dismissal in his voice and left his spot quietly. Dumbledore turned to the other person in the office.

"He survived…"Professor Lupin was hunched over a mug of something steaming. It smelled atrocious but apparently it helped. Even with it the poor people werewolf looked miserable, apparently hearing the other werewolves howling so close had made his werewolf bear in mind even more break than usual."How could he survive ?"

"I do not eff Remus."Dumbledore shook his head."I truly do not have sex how he survived. I am in the unusual position of having not the faintest idea. That worries me deeply. The boy himself worries me deeply."

"He disturbs me."

"Remus you must try to-"

"I know,"Lupin croaked in his harsh voice."It ‘ s just that he walks around looking so like Saint James the Apostle. Being so like Saint James the Apostle. He calls his friends the piranha you know, when I heard that I almost… He has no right."

"It is just a name Remus,"Dumbledore said soothingly."And the boy is to the full of conundrum, I still can ‘ t study out where that pendent of his came from. I don ‘ t screw how he managed to rig the Quidditch cup and I certainly can ‘ t prove he did. I don ‘ t recognise how he beat Severus in a duel. And now the torrent…"Dumbledore reached out and stroked Fawkes, the capital of Arizona let out an appreciative trill.

"This boy, this boy that so much rests on, is a utter mystery to me. Not only that, he seems to give no squeamishness about disregarding my authority, ignoring my advice. I can not even keep him within the primer coat of Hogwarts against his will. So much eternal sleep on him, but I don't understand him and I certainly can not manipulate him."Dumbledore sighed."I have rarely felt as old as I have in these past tense three years."

"He ‘ s not James."Remus shook his head.

"I hope not."Dumbledore closed his eye in sadness."But he seems to sustain braveness like James Potter."

"Courage ?"Remus snorted."He ‘ s afraid of weewee !"

"fountainhead we both know the reason for that."Dumbledore quieted himself. Some secrets were so crucial they should never be voiced."I suppose all we can do is wait and see."The two men fell silent. Dumbledore listened to his whirling machine, after all these years the sound was very comforting.

"wealthy person you found another Defense instructor ?"Lupin asked suddenly. Dumbledore sighed.

"I have been talking to another old protagonist. I have hope that he will accept the job."

"Good."

The silence returned, heavy with all the things not being said.
*


Snape awoke refreshed for the offset clip in weeks. He had gone directly into his bed after leaving the hospital extension and now the clock on his wall read eight thirty, he had slept all day. His trunk must stimulate been trying to catch up on lost time.

He pulled his robes on and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. His hand went out on reflex action to grab the other item there and he stiffened. The locket sat there, shining up at him. Snape swallowed severe. Did he want to contain Lily Evans around side by side to his meat forever ?

Snape picked the locket up and held it lightly in his hand. Something must be done with it. He strode out of his quartern and down the corridor, scarcely glancing at the educatee he passed. He did not stop when he passed the great doors or Hogwarts but kept up his pace until it brought him to the shoring of the lake.

He was breathing hard, and not from the walk. The locket was still clutched in his hand. He had to do it quickly otherwise he would lose his will.

You abandoned me Sev. I thought we were best friends ?

No. Not now.

You called me a mudblood.

"And what about you !"He spoke savagely to the locket nestled in his medal."That day beside the lake after our examination. Where were you ? Sitting and talking to your other Friend. Leaving me all alone. You didn ‘ t come over until St. James Potter got involved. You abandoned me long before I abandoned you…"Snape drew his handwriting back."… I just did it better."And with all his military strength he hurled the little piece of flatware into the dark water.

I can not believe I had the forte to do that.

Snape shook his header, he felt like he had begun again after eld of living in stasis. Harry was right on, wizards lived in the past tense far too much. He had finally gotten rid of the last…

No…

Snape felt his John Barleycorn dashed in a minute. He still had one last slice of Lily eve. A part he could not be rid of. He hung his head, and he had felt so free. The past was an anchor, Lily Arthur Evans was an anchorperson. He could never be truly free.

Or could he ? As the ceramist boy had so clearly proved, sometimes the impossible was simply something that hadn't been done yet. But it would require Occlumency of the highest order.

"Luckily,"Thought Snape."I am an Occlumens of the in high spirits order."

Snape sat down cross legged on the dope, cleared his thinker, closed his eyes and proceeded to delete Lily Sir Arthur John Evans. Each memory was locked away, one by one, from their first base merging to the last day he ever saw her. He blocked them all. He would still retain the shape of them, a wispy noesis, but it was the best he could do.

It would be easier if he had a pensieve, Snape realized and momentarily thought of borrowing Dumbledore's. But no, he didn't want the old man to know about this. And besides, considering that Lily Arthur Evans was the storage area he had had over Snape all these years he might not be inclined to help.

Snape closed the net memory and stood up, feeling lightheaded. Would this workplace ? He began preparing to hurtle the spell, raised his verge then dropped it again to his slope. He could not hurtle it, he had no felicitous memories anymore, he had just locked them all away. Snape cursed, it was hopeless. Then a mad idea struck him, he looked out over the lake, at the blaze sunset painting the hills with red and atomic number 79. He raised his arms and felt the summer farting Benjamin Rush through his robes.

So far from Spinners End. So far from the smogginess and debris and narrow streets. Here the air was clear, it smelled of heather mixture. The stars were brighten, free by streetlights. Hogwarts, and the Edwin Herbert Land around it, was his home. This was a happy memory.

"Expecto Patronum !"

He screwed his heart shut at the moment of casting, he could not put up to watch. He felt the fondness of his patronus in front line of him, touching his helping hand. He had to look eventually, he would have to. bravery, he was not a coward.

Snape snapped his oculus open and almost melted onto the flooring. Tears sprung into his eyes. Writhing and looping in the air was a thin Snake, curling like a ribbon caught in the wind. He had been successful, the last component part of Lily Herbert McLean Evans in him was gone.

"Is that your patronus ?"

Snape turned towards the voice. It was the painful, Natalie Zhao, she was standing calmly a few steps behind him with her bridge player clasped in front end of her. She must suffer crept up on him, he had been quite distracted.

"You are still here ?"he asked."Did you enquiry Harry all day ?"

"We left and came back,"she said, moving up to endure by the lake beside him."I ‘ ve just come from talking to him. Surviving the torrent, he really is amazing…"She trailed off shaking her head in disbelief.

"He is nothing if not surprising."Snape found he had little ire towards Harry Potter any more."But I think you would be less amazed if you saw the verbalize mess he manages to pretend of potions."

"Perhaps."She smiled, it pushed little dimples up on her cheeks. He pointed at his patronus, still writhing in the air."Very nice…"

"Is it ?"Snape turned back to the Hydra. It was not, he now realized, a very concern looking snake. Perhaps a little to a greater extent than a time long with harsh, black bands all the way up its cut body. It had no hood behind its thin foreland like a cobra or a rattle like a rattler, nothing that obviously identified it. Snape wondered what species it was.

"A ring krait,"Natalie Zhao said grinning. She hadn't had eye striking, she must just accept guessed what he was thinking."Very nice."

"Really ?"Snape's curiosity was piqued."Does it have any particular… qualities ?"

"Well…"She appeared to think for a moment."It ‘ s diet is variety of interesting."

"How so ?"

"It primarily eats other snakes."

"Really…"Snape found himself warming to the striped reptile.

"And it ‘ s venomous,"Ms Zhao continued."Sometimes the victim doesn't flavor anything at the site of the bite for a spell, lulls them into a false signified of security."

"Hmm…"

"It's a formidable toxin."The Unspeakable reached out and tickled the minuscule glowing snake under the chin."I think they ‘ re quite interesting."

"I think it will do nicely."Snape canceled the while with a flick of his wand and his krait faded away.

"Why do you get it on so often about snakes ?"

"I keep them as pets."She seemed to steel herself a touch. Perhaps she was used to veto reactions when masses heard about her hobby.

"Fascinating,"Snape said, and found that he meant it."Do you have any kraits ?"

"You ‘ d have to be crazy to stay fresh one of those as a pet. But I suppose you like severe pets here…"She smiled again, cheekily."… you apparently hold open werewolves."

"Accidentally."Snape motioned towards the castle and they both began walking towards Hogwarts."You wouldn't count rats that invaded your cellar as ducky would you ?"

"No, I ‘ d count them as detached snake food."

Snape chuckled. Laughing again, he really did experience like a new man. But there was something in the back of his judgement now. Something he'd heard ? Something she'd said ? Hmm… it was right at the edge of his mind.

"Well I have to get back to the Ministry,"Natalie said, they had reached the forepart of the castle."Got to fulfill in the paperwork. God knows Rhyfedd won ‘ t bother, that man has an attitude problem…"

"He is a small minded, talent to a lesser extent man who is constantly trying to swan himself over you where he has no right to be because it shirks his ego to work under a charwoman,"Snape stated flatly.

"I know,"Natalie replied simply."You had him pegged within five seconds of meeting him. My party boss at the Ministry however…"She spread her hands hopelessly."… four old age and reckoning. I ‘ m hoping they catch on any day now."

"Let me present you to Sibyll Trelawney one day."Snape shrugged and smiled in commiseration."Then you will truly know what it is like to hold an plaguy co-worker."

They were both standing in front of Hogwarts, but neither of them seemed to need to move.

"Well…"She broke the standstill."… I should go. Thank you for showing me your patronus."

"Would you mind showing me your snake collection at some full stop ?"Snape found himself asking."I find myself strangely interested."

"Strangely interested…"She smiled that infuriating smile again. Snape was beginning to think she might actually be wise than him."… good option of words."And with that she turned and began walking down the way of life towards the William Henry Gates of Hogwarts.

Snape would have felt elated, but at that moment what he had been thinking slipped into place and he frowned, then clenched his clenched fist as the full implications sunk in. He hoped he was wrong, he really did.
*


"Albus,"he stepped out of the staircase into the schoolmaster study.

"Severus,"Dumbledore greeted him."To what do I owe this late night sojourn ?"

"nix skillful I am afraid."Snape shook his head."This good afternoon I remembered an extempore comment one of the werewolves in the Hospital Wing made. Taunting us about a map."

"They could not bear known about it."Dumbledore's eyes narrowed."You are not accusing professor lupin once aga-"

"No."Snape waved the complaint away."No, that is what I thought initially, it would have been better if I was right. I went to visit the werewolf in the Ministry donjon. He said he heard it because they were waiting subway system, listening. They heard you talking to Harry when we brought him back from Hogsmeade."

"I fail to see the emergency in that…"

"Albus, remember what else you said that evening."

"I…"The Headmasters face went pale and his heart opened panoptic."I said that Voldemort was hiding in Albania."

"Yes."Snape nodded."I think we now know why Greyback was not part of the attack. He had already left on a more crucial errand, a dog running back to its master. He left because he knows where to look."



This chapter beta 'd by Colon. Thank you Colon !

What did everyone think of the detour from cannon in this book ?
The next one goes back towards the subscriber line of the books a bit, somewhere between the how close the offset two were and how out there this one was.

Leave a critique and I 'll get on with written material ...

Harry thrower and the Harry potter and the Spirit of Njordr !


I do n't own Harry ceramist. I wish I did. Unfortunately the whole blowing-out-all-the-candles-at-once thing does n't always work.



She brushed up against the wall, her well muscled wing pressing against the wooden paneling. Her ears were attuned to the petite scritches coming from around the corner and the tiny footstep on the floor board were still visible, glowing hot prints leading the way. She eased herself up to the bound then poked her repulse wind around and struck.

The rat tried vainly to fight as the poison seeped into it and she waited patiently as it died. She did not even have to splay her jaw to fit the slight matter in. It was merely a taster anyhow, her master had promised sweeter meat soon.

She slid, full and languid, through the old theatre. Soon Pride would come and milk her venom, making her feel discharge and practice, but her schoolmaster needed it so she steeled herself against his touch. Not that pride wasn't gentle, it was his smell that irked her.

She knew that the three men who served her master had other names but she preferred her own, aspiration, superbia and decline. She had named them after what she smelled on them. original was, of course, just Master.

She slid into her masters elbow room and curled up beside the fire. Her master was asleep but the others were talking again, she pushed her head down between her curl to block out the sound, but it wasn't enough.

"The simple mistake will alert them."Pride was saying."There are hoi polloi who know him very well."

"I am cognizant of that brother."Ambition replied archly."And after all the sketch I have done I am one of them. You stay here and tend to our Masters needs, I will get the job done quite sufficiently in your absence."His spokesperson made it quite clear that pride's absence would in fact make the job much easier.

"The only reason you have this job is because I would be missed."

"The reason I have this job is because our master gave it to me."Ambition grinned."Never blank out that."

"Careful brother,"pride sneered."Take maintenance that you never draw a blank who you have to thank for your exemption and for your chance at vengeance."

"Who ? Our lord for ordering me freed and planning how to achieve it or you for merely telling him where I was ?"

"Both you arrogant little-"

"Arrogant ?"Ambition laughed. She liked ambitiousness a bit to a greater extent than Pride, he was more like a ophidian."That is undoubtedly and most obviously the pot calling the cauldron black. Besides…"Ambition narrowed his heart."I ‘ ve been wondering how foresighted you knew where I was and did nothing about it."

"I could not compromise-"

"Of course."ambition turned away, dismissive."You could not compromise your post. Just like you can't now. So just the get the fuck out of my way blondy, I ‘ ve got a job to do."

"I see you've learnt some colorful language rotting in Azkaban."

aspiration whipped around and punched Pride straight in the venter. Ambition was thin and stringy but the punch had weight behind it and superbia crumpled to the floor. Ambition followed it up by stamping into pridefulness's kidney.

"Learnt some other things in there too brother."Ambition drew his wand and pointed it as the groaning figure on the floor."So if I were you I ‘ d never give into the delusion that you ‘ re the power actor in our footling co-operative venture."

Pride tried to rise but Ambition stamped on his hair.

"And another thing…"dream leant down to address close to Pride's ear."Our lord remembers which of us remained loyal to him during his twelve year… convalescence."Ambition grinned."And you weren ‘ t one of them, brother. So you stay here and milk the damn snake and hope you build up enough Brownie compass point to get you back in his in effect volume. You stay here and brew the potion and I will deal with everything else !"

Ambition scuffed his foot back and Forth River, jerking Pride's haircloth and making him grit his teeth in pain. dream laughed and strode out of the room.
*


"Harry ? We have a… a sort of proposition for you."Fred and George VI had cornered him in Ron's chamber, they both had that mischievous looking about them.

"I'm intrigued."Harry closed his record and tossed it to one English."Apprehensive but connive. Who are we going to prank ?"

"It ‘ s not about pranking anyone Harry."Said Fred at the Saame meter as his crony said,

"Everyone."

"Apprehensive, intrigued and confused."

"Why don ‘ t you come up to our elbow room Harry, we ‘ ll show you what we ‘ re talking about."Fred ushered him out of the elbow room. Harry followed a petty hesitantly.

Harry was hesitant because for a long time he had felt like he was building up some kind of unluckiness debt. The last three calendar month of his thirdly class at Hogwarts had passed without anyone trying to pop him ( unprecedented for Harry ) and he had even managed to pass all of his test. In defense he had scraped a pass on lupine's obstacle grade ( shucks Hinkypunk led him into a sinkhole ! ) and almost managed to not blow his cauldron up in potions.

role of the reason was that Snape had stopped picking on Harry in class and had even started treating him as a normal pupil. More than that the potions master had seemed almost cheerful at fourth dimension. Harry had put it down to him planning something evil until he noticed that Snape was at his almost happy the days after a small b owl brought him letters.

As for the other examination Harry had botched together some kind of pig-English translation for antediluvian runic letter and avoided getting More than trivial bite injury in Hagrid's ‘ practical'test ( they had all been given a box and asked to feed what has in the box. Harry had never worked out what was in his box, he had just stuffed things in there until it stopped biting him. Whether he fed it or suffocated it he never found out. )

metamorphosis he had blagged, account of magic too. Herbology had been fine because he'd been partnered with Neville and he had passed of his own talent in astrology and Charms.

Of course revising hadn't been the first thing he'd done. The commencement affair he'd done had been to write a yearn letter of the alphabet to Pythea. He hadn't been ably to refer the downpour of track, but he hoped he had left enough hints that she would know how much he wanted to thank her. Of track the monolithic clustering of flowers might give birth also given her that hint.

He had even managed to let a holiday where there had been no unexplained magical natural event, another first. Harry had hiked in Switzerland for some of the summertime, zippo too serious but decent that he was very glad of his size-and-weight-defying bag.

On one memorable juncture, sea mile from the near town, he had met some one-time American English tourists kitted up with huge grievous hiking backpacks and midst coat. He however had been carrying a small leather backpack while idly strumming a guitar. They had thought he was some sort of new-age solitudinarian. Harry ( or Jack ‘ moonbeam'Baltzegaurd as he had introduced himself ) had played along and told them that he had been sent here by a vision ( a lie ), that the positivist energy of the mount would cure them ( a lie ), that his guitar had been given to him by the Dalai Lama ( a lie ) and that the magnate of the watch crystal woven into his coat kept him warm ( a lie, the vitreous silica kept the rain off. The amulets kept him warm. ). Surprisingly before they parted path the fair sex began claming her arthritis had miraculously cleared up.

Harry had ended up in geneva after a few weeks of this and spent most of the eternal sleep of the summer there, lazing around the city and finishing up the schoolwork he had had no chance to work at in the mountains. Plus juggling and playing the guitar for people around the metropolis. When he could work out how to do both at the same meter he knew he'd impress people but for now he just ended up tangling his fingers.

He'd come back to England a few days early to visit his friends and get his shoal supplying. It was now the thirtieth of august and all the marauders were gathered at the tunnel for a last get together before heading off to Hogwarts. Harry should have been happy, but instead he was apprehensive, wasn't he due some unpleasantness ? And weren't the villainous Weasley twins the perfect ones to dish out it ? True the unpleasantness he got in to was usually more of the ‘ oh god we're all gon na die'potpourri, but then so was the some of the stuff the Gemini the Twins were into.

Harry followed Fred and George III into their box-stacked bedroom.

"Where's secure to sit ?"Harry cast about, looking at the unlike boxwood. It took the twin a surprisingly long time to find a ‘ safe'box. Fred and George sat on the side of one of their seam. Fred leant forward and said,

"We want to talk to you, Harry, about an opportunity."

"A fabulous opportunity."

"We think its fabulous anyway."

"And we ‘ re usually right."

"Always right hand. And it is fabulous."

Harry glanced between one twin and the other.

"I feel like I ‘ m being sold something dodgy here guys."Harry folded his munition and half smiled."Possibly something that fell off the back of a van. What ‘ s this actually about ?"

The Twin looked at each other then said at the same meter,

"Weasley wizard Wheezes !"

"Actively Advocating head rhyme ?"

"It ‘ s a joke shop Harry."George sniggered and continued,"Or at least we want it to be."

"And we thought that perhaps-"

"-the occupier charms-meister-"

"-would be able to facilitate us with some of the stuff."Fred shrugged."After all you did basically build a broom last year-"

"-that out-flew a firebolt-"

"-with Ginny ‘ s help."

"Oh yes with Ginny ‘ s help."

Harry rearranged the dislocated judgment of conviction into some criterion of order.

"So…"Harry began to smile as fruition hit him."You want me to help you project jokes ? Your kind of jape ? The intriguedness is growing. What have you come up with so far ?"

The Gemini grinned and began a whirlwind tour of their current mathematical product, stopping occasionally to demonstrate a charm or spell for Harry. Usually they were tour that produced explosions or horrible shrieking noises.

"And this one Harry…"Fred raised his baton."Is called the avgo sapios !"

Harry knew adequate Greek to cover his nose.
*


"So um… this is the pond."Ron said helplessly,"It ‘ s got duck in it sometimes."

"I see."Hermione was looking at him oddly. He knew he must be blushing as well as babbling like an idiot."That's… interesting. I guess."

"About as interesting as story of magic."Ron muttered and Hermione laughed.

Oh great, now she was laughing at him too. Ron kicked a stone into the algae filled pond, it rested on the thick commons control surface for a moment before sinking.

Hermione had left Hogwarts almost completely burnt out, taking too many subjects on top of the lycanthrope chaos had reduced her to a shadow of herself. It had been especially bad during the examination which she had to retool for and take without the welfare of the time-turner. After the last one Harry and Ron had frog-marched her to McGonagall's office where she dropped divination and muggle studies.

Ron had seen her a yoke of times over summer, the marauders sticking together even in Harry's absence, and each time she seemed a little more lively and like her old self.

"well that's pretty much everything around here, lets just get back to the house."Ron pointed back towards the burrow."I don ‘ t trust the counterpart left alone in there for this long."

"They're not alone,"Hermione began walking beside him, walking close enough to make all the hairs on his arms stand up."Harry ‘ s there too."

"That ‘ s even worse."Ron shook his caput."Between them I doubt they ‘ ll be a house left."

"If you felt like that why did you want to show me around in the commencement place ?"

Why indeed ?

"wellspring it was a nice day and Neville, Ginny and the twins went to town and Harry's acting all Weird and there ‘ s marshmallow coming out of the house."

"Ron…"Hermione shook her read/write head in exasperation."If you wanted to change the topic you could have-"

"No there ‘ s really marshmallow coming out of the house !"Ron pointed at the tenacious stream of self-colored albumen froth leaking from one of the windows and pooling on the ground."It ‘ s the Twins window. Oh god mum ‘ s gon na kill them."

The two marauder rushed to the side of the house.

"It ‘ s not exactly marshmallow."Hermione said, sounding puzzled, as the ran into the burrow. They stopped outside the twins door and Ron opened it hesitantly. On the other side was a self-colored wall of white, even bearing the imprint of the contours or the door and its handle.

"Let me see…"Hermione broke off a small bit and touched it tentatively to her tongue."… meringue ? I think its meringue."

"What ‘ s the departure ?"

"Honestly Ron, you ‘ d think you would be at to the lowest degree as knowledgeable as me on the subject field of food."

"What ‘ s that supposed to mean ?"Ron nip back but was silenced as a muffled spokesperson called out,

"Someone out there ?"

Ron gingerly pushed his handwriting into the crusty surface towards the noise.

"flavor really weird."Ron grimaced as he buried his hand up to the shoulder."It's all crackly and dry."He felt something like textile and pulled as hard as he could.

With a colossus shower of fragmented meringue a bod emerged from the way. It fell on the floor coughing and spluttering and spitting chunks of gummed clean froth out of its mouthpiece. Ron angle forward and guessed,

"Fr… George ?"

"Yep."George got unsteadily to his feet and looked back into his room."Oh, it didn ‘ t burst the door.
We were worried it had."

"What happened ?"Hermione asked, absentmindedly brushing more meringue skunk off Georges back."Did one of your pranks backfire ?"

"No no no. Our japery don't backfire."George VI said proudly."We were demonstrating the eizuckerpeitsche spell to Harry and… well it looks like he got it."

"Are Harry and Fred still stuck in there ?"Ron looked back at the fractured bulwark of meringue in horror.

"Fred was near the middle so he ‘ s probably well stuck, Harry was near the window…"

At that moment they all heard a short scream from outside, quickly cut off, then a thump followed by running footsteps. A moment later a meringue incrusted Harry burst up the stairs.

"You !"He pointed at George and advanced angrily."What the hell was that !"

"Not my faulting mate."George V put his deal up to fend of the maddened piranha."You seem to accept some kind of bent for that piece is all."

"Harry how did you get out ?"Hermione asked.

"Managed to tunnel to the window."

"But you must have fallen-"

"Into a pile of meringue."Harry shrugged."It ‘ s built up quite a good deal out there."He turned to the Gemini room."Come on, we ‘ d better begin getting rid of all this stuff or your mate ‘ s gon na run out of air."

"And ma coming back soon."George I said in revulsion."She ‘ ll have a fit !"

Harry grinned as Ron went sick and began attacking the meringue wall.
*


Harry ducked into the train passenger car and looked around quickly,

"Still no riskiness ?"He said wryly."Whatever the karma God are working up to it ‘ s not gon na be pretty."The vulture moved in after him. They were looking at each former a little oddly.

"Harry…"Hermione began.

"What ?"Harry checked under his backside cushion before sitting down.

"Don ‘ t you think you ‘ re acting sort of… crazy ?"

"No."Harry crossed his ramification and sat, Indian-style, with his arm crossed."Really, really no !"Harry shook his head, it was amazing how quickly the paranoia he'd developed in the years before he'd come to Hogwarts had returned. Street living was not conducive to trust.

"It ‘ s not half-baked. Someone will try to pop me this year. I just know it."

"Harry you ‘ re the boy who lived."Anapurna shook her heading."No ace going to belt down you."

"I wouldn ‘ t say that."A phonation sounded from the open door."I wouldn ‘ t say that at all."

The marauders turned in unison.

"Oh buzz off Malfoy."Padma chuckled."If you were going to kill him you would ingest done it ages ago."

"I will get you this class Potter."Malfoy was uncharacteristically alone. His usual crew of flunkies absent."I promise, by the Malfoy name, that I will get you this year. I will do you pay for everything."

"The Malfoy public figure represents a legacy of lies."Harry laughed and shrugged."Get out of my train car."

"wellspring this yr Potter."Malfoy licked his lips, his white-haired centre shiny evilly."I will show everyone at Hogwarts that I represent everything good about magic rake and that you are everything… everything unworthy and mediocre. This year I will testify everyone. This twelvemonth Potter, this year I win."

"trade good circumstances with that."Harry shrugged dismissively."Now move, you ‘ re blocking the trolley."

Malfoy just smiled and walked away.
*


"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry."

Harry sniffed the water in his glass. Poison ? No… Maybe something in the food ?

"I hope you have all enjoyed your break from the studies we give you."

Maybe he was just paranoid ? Harry glanced around at the other bookman. Maybe he actually did have a chance to have a normal year.

"Firstly I would like to usher in Alastor Moody as our new Defense against the dark teacher."

Harry glanced up at the table and picked out the new side. Or, more accurately, what was left of the new face. Their last defense lawyers teacher had been a werewolf, this one looked like he had been savaged by one. He had also obviously lost an eye at some point and had it replaced with a magical one. Harry wondered why he hadn't chosen one in his natural colour. He had seen hale shop class full of eyes in Geneva. They made lots of them there, like watches.

The man apparently known as Moody met his gaze with offset one then the other eye. Harry smiled and toasted the new teacher with his glass. Anyone was unspoiled than Professor Lupin. Harry had tried to mend bridges with the wolfman during his last-place few workweek at schooling. He really had tried…

"Professor… Um…"Harry leant in through the doorway to Professor lupine's office."Are you, you know, all set."prof Lupin looked up at him, flatly."You know for tonight, full moon ?"

"Yes."prof Lupin seemed to be struggling to retain his voice flat and unemotional.

"I heard that professor Snape makes some sort of…"

"I said yes."lupine snapped. Seeing Harry's startled look he took a deep breath and shook his head."My apologies. Yes Severus makes a potion for me that allows me to better cope the shift. Thank you for your kindness."

"You ‘ re welcome prof Moony."lupin's brain snapped up."You know, moony, like lunar month. Because of the entirely boggart thing and…"

"parting now."Usually the werewolf side of Lupin was not really manifest. This was not so now."Leave my place now."

"Did you eat a mad cow or something ?"Harry yelled in exasperation.

"Get out !"

Harry had backed out of the office shaking his head and never spoken directly to professor Lupin again. Even bad the man had stared daggers at him during their final few lessons. Even a scar, one-eyed man was effective than that. Besides, Harry wasn't really in a position to complain about former peoples scars.

Professor Dumbledore continued,

"Professor Moody is a old auror so I am sure he has much to teach you."Harry's spike perked up, this was interesting. Unfortunately Dumbledore had finished speaking on this particular subject."I do bear a endorsement announcement to make. Something that I think you will all enjoy."

The unit shoal perked up.

"Slitherin theater is infested with cockroach ?"

"Potions has been dropped from the programme ?"

"Filch had an aneurism ?"

"No."The nook of Professor Dumbledore's mouth twitched up in a half smile."Better than all those things."

"Not possible."Harry called out.

"Very possible Mr Potter. I am talking about the Triwizard Tournament."The hall fell dead silent.

"Competing or hosting ?"Someone on the Ravenclaw table said at only just above a whisper.

"Hosting Mr Jacobs, Hosting."

The hall exploded in sound.
*


"We are entering that tournament."

"Harry, Dumbledore said-"

"We. Are. entry. That. Tournament."Harry was twitching with queasy vim."We are entering and one of us is winning."

"We ‘ re not even eligible."Hermione complained."We can ‘ t enter."

"We have not let wolfman and giant ophidian and dark hotshot block us a bloody age confinement is not going to stand in our way."Harry sat down at the marauders set back and crossed his arms."We deserve this. We deserve this because we are the good in this schooltime and no one has worked harder to-"

"Subvert its rules ?"

"- protect it. Than we have. So we are going to get into and we are going to win !"

The vulture around the table fell silent.

"Do you think this was what Malfoy was talking about ?"Neville said suddenly."He said he was gon na establish everyone how good he was."

"The question will not bob up because he will not be Hogwarts champion."Harry said decisively."He will not be Hogwarts champion because he is a git. He is a git because of undeniable genetic and sociological factors that have conspired to make him a git. So…"Harry steepled his finger's breadth and grinned."As soon as this jurist gets here, we're entering the tournament."
*


"Now…"Professor Moody scanned the class slowly with his normal eye while the imposter one spun and rested on different scholar before moving on."I don ‘ t stand much on ceremony so Army of the Righteous parachuting right in."

Harry felt the eye res publica on him for a mo before moving on.

"So… Lashkar-e-Taiba start on curses. I ‘ ve had a letter from professor lupine, also one from Professor A. A. Michelson and it looks like you ‘ re fairly well up on dark creatures and the rudiments of dueling."

"More than basics."Harry mumbled under his breath.

"But what you haven ‘ t learn yet is the bad of what mavin can do to each other."Helen Wills Moody shook his headspring."You ‘ re all living in a dream world if you think you ‘ re ever safe. Last nighttime at the feast I only saw one student check the nutrient for poison before eating it."Moody pointed with his gnarled hand.

All eyes ( real and unsubstantial ) fell on Harry.

"I… um… what ?"

"Don't be ashamed of it ! Be proud ! By the end of the year I expect each and every one of you to exercise Constant Vigilance !"He ended the judgment of conviction shouting. Harry found himself staring directly into Moody's contrived eye. He felt like he was a bug under a bright disconsolate microscope. The eye scanned down to his chest."Looks like you ‘ ve been given reasons to be vigilante."

Before Harry had a chance to respond Helen Wills Moody had moved on and stomped up to the board.

"The dark arts !"Helen Wills wrote like he was carving in stone and the chicken feed broke off during the s of arts."Who can tell me a expletive ? A really bad one."A few of the class put their hands up. Moody pointed at one.

"Yes Mr… Crabbe is it ?"He growled."Familiar epithet. familiar human face too, I knew your father. Well, knew isn ‘ t quite the properly Book. What ‘ s yer curse ?"

"The um…"Crabbe looked like he was regretting volunteering. He seemed to force himself back up and smirk evilly at Harry."The pain spear."

"Odd that you should do it that one."Professor Moody ‘ s oculus narrowed."No one uses that one any More. Not since the Cruciatus was invented. But no, right you are for bringing it up. You never know when the opposition ‘ s going to surprise you with something you haven't seen in a while. Constant watchfulness !"

Moody went on to excuse at length the property of the pain lance enchantment. Crabbe looked disgruntled, obviously he had wanted Helen Newington Wills to ask him how he knew about the spell.

Harry looked down at his book and found the Sir Frederick Handley Page on the painful sensation spear. It was realise that the author had only included it as an afterthought, Helen Wills Moody already had more on the board than was in the volume. Padma leant over her desk to speak into his ear,

"Better than Lupin you think ?"

"Much better."Harry agreed."He ‘ s only cracked on the outside."

"You sure ?"Padma glanced up skeptically as Helen Wills Moody barked out Constant wakefulness again."He seems pretty thoroughly cracked to me."
*


The partially vs. thoroughly cracked disputation continued into the get hebdomad as the pupil got used to Moody's aggressive educational activity style. One thing was for sure, there was not love lost between Moody and Snape. Moody glared at Snape suspiciously every time they passed in the corridors and Snape, for his part, sneered. But all that was drown out by the rumor and rustling running around about the triwizard tournament.

The day the foreign students were scheduled to arrive get through bright and cool with a drizzle of rain covering the castle.

"It couldn ‘ t be sunny."Harry heard McGonagall say under her breath."Just for today."

Harry grinned and scuffed his feet. If the total school had been called out to greet these extraneous scholarly person they could at least have the decency to be on clock time. Harry checked the clock, alright so they weren't scheduled to make it for another five minutes but Harry had been waiting for ten so therefore ( in his mind ) they were late.

"flavour !"someone was pointing out over the lake. Harry's jaw dropped as he saw a ship rise out a whirlpool in the middle of the lake.

"Did they come all the way from Durmstrum in that ?"Harry heard someone behind him say and gave an involuntary shudder. Underwater for all that time ? Even with magical tribute it made his skin crawl.

As the ship crawled up to the side of the lake Harry saw the man standing at the roulette wheel twist and point up into the sky behind the castle. Harry turned just in time to see a giant carriage round the street corner of the palace, drawn by heavyweight white horses.

"Great."thought process Harry."The challenger starts with water and flying, two things I really suck at."

He glanced over at the teachers and saw them talking frantically. Apparently they hadn't planned for both delegations arriving at the Saame time. After some mildly raised vocalization Dumbledore headed down towards the lake while McGonagall headed towards where the pushchair was landing. Harry considered the pick and elbowed his way through the crowd in the direction Dumbledore went.

"Igor Karkaroff,"Dumbledore held his manus out to recognize the heavily robed wizard stepping out of the boat."A pleasure to have you back in the country."

"Albus, it is unspoilt to be here."The man pushed back his hood revealing ash gray grey hair and heavy hilltop. He smiled in a way that never touched his dark oculus. He spoke in a heavy smash way that Harry was sure was at least partly put on."Hogwarts is ah…"He glanced up at the greyness sky."… just as I remember it."

Harry chuckled and the Durmstrang headmaster glanced at him in the crowd.

"Ah, and this would be your sensation pupil."Harry saw the crowd part in front of him."The celebrated Harry Potter."

"No no no…"Harry waved his handwriting grinning."The name's Jack ‘ moon ray'Baltzegaurd."

"Ah, ha ha."Igor ‘ s joke held no warmth whatsoever."We are many fame here I see…"

"Wha ?"

"Let me introduce you to someone."Karkaroff motioned a frowning boy standing behind him forward."This is Viktor Krum."Harry heard pant from behind him as he shook Viktor's hand.

"Pleasure."Harry smiled at the young virtuoso."Are you Durmstrurn ‘ s mind boy or something ?"Again the gasps.

"You don't know who I am ?"Viktor Krum asked in heavily accented English.

"Um… Should I ?"

Karkaroff snorted but Krum seemed to find this turn of events quite amusing. He was smiling at any pace. Harry couldn't tell what was going on behind those gargantuan fatal eyebrows.

"Well,"Dumbledore said, breaking the impasse."I can already see the Beauxbatons delegation is already inside, shall we join them ?"
*


"Harry, that was Viktor Krum !"

"You know Ron, I did play that out. And even if I hadn't the six million times you ‘ ve told me would throw tipped me off. Now can we please concentrate ?"Harry turned to the goblet standing in the plaza of the student residence. He glanced over at Hermione."Anything ?"

"I ‘ m telling you Harry we ‘ re not getting past the age line."She looked up from the book on her knees and shook her head."At least not with anything I can call up of now."

Harry shook his head, there were loads of people crowding into the entering mansion house so it wasn't like they could do anything right now. If they were going to do anything it would hold to be at tonight, but he had hoped to at least have a plan before the castle went to sleep.

"An age potion do you think ?"Fred said behind him.

"I think Dumbledore would experience thought of that."Hermione shook her head."I don't think any potion any quaternary twelvemonth or sixth year could give could get past the line."

"What if we just get one of the older students to put it in for us ?"Neville hazarded.

"Nope."George VI said as he and his brother sidled up to them."Saw some Slitherin try that almost as soon as the chalice was out. The early names just flew out of his air pocket as soon as he crossed the line."

"Yep,"Fred shook his headland in mock understanding."Poor chap didn ‘ t even get to put his own public figure since he tripped over his own beard and ended up out cold."

"Wait…"Padma looked thoughtful."What if we get person to cross the telephone line then write our names on some-"

"Saw that too."Fred broke in.

"Yeah,"His twin continued."You don ‘ t even want to recognise what happened to him !"

"Oh for Christ sake !"Harry growled in irritation."Is there at least a way to prove the wrinkle ?"

"Yeah, run into it."Ron suggested.

"No you idiot."Padma shook her head."Just spitter it."

"alibi me ? You what ?"Harry's brow raised like balloons.

"Like this…"Harry watched, gob-smacked, as Padma took a unornamented scrap of parchment out of her bag and overindulge it into her mouth. She chewed for a few endorsement then daintily took the sodden mess out from between her brim and, without indisposition, tossed it at the goblet of attack. As the orb crossed the line there was a ostentation of lighter and the ball shot out like a bullet, impacting on the wall behind them.

"Brilliant."Said the Weasley Twin Falls in one voice.

"We should do it again-"

"With more balls."

"With magnanimous balls !"

"With fireworks in them !"

"Children, children…"Harry said in a calming voice."Lets not get sidetracked."

"It's almost curfew anyway."Parvarti looked down at her watch then smiled."Don't worry, it'll all be alright on the night !"

"Sister…"Padma shook her forefront as she picked up her bag."This is the freakin'night !"

Harry chuckled as they left the hall then turned as he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. The possessor of the mitt was a boy a little honest-to-god than him with blond hair and a sort of circle face. He was in Ravenclaw colors and was wearing a baseball game cap that read ‘ Tutshill Tornadoes'and had a crack as the logo.

"Yeah ?"Harry cocked his capitulum."Can I serve you ?"

"Um,"The boy bit his lip and looked around."Could I talk to you ?"

"Very cloak and dagger but ok."Harry waved the marauders off and moved into a English corridor."Who are you ?"

"St. David Mason."The boy smiled shyly."Don ‘ t trouble if you don ‘ t remember me. I ‘ m a Friend of Cho ‘ s."

"Oh ok. abide the same team too I see."Harry leant nonchalantly against the stone paries."To what do I owe the pleasance ?"

"fountainhead basically…"The boy scuffed a substructure on the floor nervously."Me and… and some of the early Guy. Not just Ravenclaw but the unanimous school well… we figure you ‘ ve got a plan."

"For what ?"

"For the goblet of fire."David rubbed his hands together almost hungrily."Lots of us don't think the age demarcation ‘ s fair so we figure…"He reached into his pouch and pulled out a compact envelope."A couple of extra public figure. Just if you get the probability you know ?"

"hate to break it to you mate."Harry shrugged apologetically."But I don't have the slightest cue how to get through the age line."

"Really ? But you ‘ re Harry ceramist ! You always… Oh, I get it."David winked and pushed the envelope into his hand."Of course you don't."The Ravenclaw winked again and trotted off down the corridor.

"I really don't !"Harry called after him but that only caused the boy to turn and wink conspiratorially again."Seriously !"

"trouble Mr ceramicist ?"

Harry spun and looked up into the face of the justice that had been sitting with Dumbledore at the fiesta. What was his name… sofa ?

"Mr lounge ?"

"Crouch."The man's heavily lined face was utterly humorless.

"Mr Crouch, sorry. And no there ‘ s no problem."

"Not thinking of trying to get past the age line are you lad ?"He said in what he must of thought was a fatherly manner.

"No sir."Harry did his proficient Joseph Oliver winding opinion."I wouldn ‘ t do such a horrifying thing."

"Ah, of course."The Triwizard judge nodded."Of course of study I ‘ m sure to a greater extent mass would come to the tournament if the renowned Harry Potter was competing. But we must think of that we can not break up and choose the rules we wish to obey based on momentary expediency. You understand Mr ceramicist ?"

"Yes sir."Harry felt it was better to stick with simple answers.

"Very well."Mr Crouch's mouth twitched into a thin smile."It was nice meeting you Mr Potter."

Harry didn't relax until the man was a safe few corridors away. Harry sighed and slipped the envelope out of his sleeve. What were the statistics for teenage heart approach ? Harry wondered. Whatever they were they had just come very close to getting one finger's breadth larger.

Harry leant against the bulwark and stared out of one of the castles arched windowpane at the lake below, remembering last year. Why was it that he was forever trapped inside or outside wards ? stopping point yr he had circumvented them by swimming around, couldn't do that this metre. The werewolf had tunneled under could he do that ? Not without attracting a lot of attention. So that left…

Harry grinned and rushed back to the entrance lobby where a undivided spit ball showed him how to overreach the smashing wizard in the world.
*


"All set Ginsters ?"Harry slid behind Ginny on the chimaera and checked that he had both the envelope containing the marauders names and the one given to him by Jacques Louis David stonemason in his pocket.

"Yes, you don ‘ t have to fare with me you know."Ginny looked back at him, grinning in the faint moonlight.

"You can ‘ t fly and make spitter at the same time."Was the excuse Harry offered. Really he just wanted to be the one to put the gens into the goblet, wanted to cognise first of all hired hand that he'd pulsation Dumbledore. Harry glanced around and saw a marauder guarding every threshold."Everybody ‘ s in place, get along on."

Ginny obediently lifted them off the floor and hovered them up near the ceiling.

"mo of truth."Harry got out some lambskin and rolled it expertly before gumming it, silencing it and throwing it forwards. It landed in the middle of the age line, proper beside the goblet. Harry pumped the air with his fist."ceramicist 1, Dumbledore 0. Proving that I am unmitigated awesome ! Lashkar-e-Toiba go !"

Ginny bit back a chuckle and carefully floated them forward until they were directly over the goblet, then took them slowly down.

"Ok, occlusive here. Let's not touch the base, never know what early spells the old man ‘ s put around the place."Harry reached into his pocket and drew out the marauder envelope then dropped it into the goblet. The fire spurted up for a moment, then died down.

Harry hesitantly pulled the early envelope out of his pocket. Should he ? Should he not ? It was only fair to hold everybody a decent probability and A. E. W. Mason seemed like a courteous enough blighter ( if a bit weird ). He probably wouldn ‘ t be chosen anyway. Ah well, what the Scheol ? Harry dropped the other envelope into the flames.
*


The vulture entered the neat mansion house in a huddle, all eyes focused directly on the goblet.

"I ‘ m nervous."Neville admitted as they sat down at the Gryffindor mesa."I don't know if I want to enter anymore."

"Bit late now."Padma said dryly, but the cheek were obvious in her interpreter too and the marauders quickly fell into silence.

"Whichever one of us it is the rest period of us are behind them."Harry smiled at his friends."That's for certain."

"But what if it ‘ s not one of us ?"George asked.

"Not… one… of us ?"Harry's brow wrinkled in confusion."Quit your crazy talk of the town George. That could never happen."

"Children, children…"The hall fell silent as Dumbledore began to talk."I believe the consequence you have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The goblet will be announcing it's choices momentarily. I would ask you to remember that, even if you were not chosen, the Tournament is still a contest between the school day. I expect to see no backbreaking feelings, you must support your virtuoso one hundred percent. Now…"Dumbledore turned towards the goblet.

The Radclyffe Hall waited in secretiveness for almost a min before the goblet ‘ s flames turned bright red and a little scrap of parchment flew out. Dumbledore caught it expertly.

"The Beauxbatons champion is… Fleur Delacour !"

Harry saw one of the French girls clap her hired hand to her cheek in daze before getting up and walking towards the end of the hall.

"She ‘ s… she ‘ s…"Ron sighed inaudibly.

"What is it Ron ?"Harry asked.

"She ‘ s… just… I mean… Perfect…"Harry just shrugged. Ron looked aghast.."Harry can ‘ t you see her ?"

Harry tuned to catch the first virtuoso leaving the hall.

"Yeah ? What about her ?"

Ron opened his mouth to retort but the goblet flared red again and the hall fell silent.

"The Durmstrang adept will be Viktor Krum !"

The red uniformed educatee rose, cheering, as their title-holder walked towards the movement of the foyer. well-nigh of the Hogwarts scholar did too.

Harry was biting his nails, this next one was it. The goblet turned red again and a composition of sheepskin pin-wheeled out to be caught in Dumbledore's hand. As the headmaster read it the smile dropped from his face and his mitt began to shake off. In a common cold, stony part he said,

"The Hogwarts champion…"He seemed to grit his dentition."Is genus Draco Malfoy."

The Hall erupted in uproar. Harry turned, his eyes seeking out the blond haired Slitherin. Draco seemed unperturbed by the reception his epithet had received but instead stood calmly and walked towards the front of the hall. Before he left the vestibule however he turned and scanned down the Gryffindor table with those insensate gray-haired eyes. He met Harry's regard, grinned evilly and winked.


promissory note for francophone people :

I have never liked how French accent mark are represented in books, you know the `` 'Ogwarts can not 'ave two whizz. '' thing. Replacing this with 'zis and poppycock like that. I imagine it 's kind of insulting.

I know I cringe every meter I hear a 'mockney'English language emphasis on tv, I imagine it 's kind of the Same thing.

I decided to retain it in this narrative anyway purely because goblet of Fire represents emphasis that way. I 'm trying to cause this story kind of parallel the cannon Good Book in sealed ways inluding aspects of the writing style.

If you 're offended I 'm sorry.



"Son of a bitch."Harry breathed through his teeth. He felt like his chest was going to detonate, he had to let the air pressure out somehow."SON OF A BITCH !"

"Mr thrower !"Harry's optic flicked back to Dumbledore, who was looking at him angrily."Contain yourself !"

"But he is !"Harry yelled, Good Book leaking out of him uncontrollably."Haven ‘ t you met his female parent ?"The hall erupted in laughter. Malfoy scowled but kept on walk, leaving the big Radclyffe Hall by the Same door the other whizz had left by.

Dumbledore held up his custody for silence.

"Obviously this is shocking and unprecedented."He said in an effortlessly level spokesperson."I remind you all that I expect you to pull behind your champion…"Dumbledore stopped as the bookman began yelling again."… or at to the lowest degree not openly oppose him. Now, if you will excuse me…"

Dumbledore left the still jump students and walked out through the second room access of the mansion, Karkarov and Madam Maxim followed him. For a few more moments everyone was soundless then McGonagall stood.

"If you would all return to you-"But she was cut off as someone yelled,

"prof !"

The schoolhouse turned in sentence to see the chalice burn red again. A scrap of paper flew out of it and landed on the stone floor. For a moment no one moved to touch on it then professor Snape, his expression unreadable, got up from his chair. His footstep were the only phone in the anteroom as he walked round the high-pitched table and came to a stop in movement of the lilliputian scrap of paper. He turned it over with the tip of his shoe.

"Harry Potter."He was staring down at the sheet, his typeface a blank mask."It says Harry Potter."

After a present moment someone started clapping, then individual else, then some more, the great manse exploded with applause.

"Knew it ‘ d be you Harry."Harry heard individual say as a hand slapped him on the back. crowd pressure sensation moved him towards the strawman of the dormitory, his own brain seemed to accept stopped working. He saw Snape pick up the scrap of newspaper, then possess a short, whispered, conversation with McGonagall. The potions master turned to him.

"Come along Potter."

"Wha… ?"Harry head was still reeling.

"We must take you to join the other champions."Snape led him out of the tumultuous hallway and into a scant hallway. The randomness from the clapping faded as the threshold closed behind them. Snape made no motility to pull up stakes by the early door.

"Did you put your name into the goblet of fire ?"Snape asked urgently.

"Wha… ?"Harry glanced around, they were alone. The early champions must be through the other door."Why are you-"

"Potter, try to scrape together some insightfulness ! Did you put your name into the goblet ?"

Snape seemed almost concerned.

"You seem almost concerned."Harry grinned, his brainiac getting back in gear."Have those little b owls been bringing you drugs or something ?"Snape flinched back as if stung.

"hoot it Potter !"Snape grabbed Harry's robe."This is not a clip for gag. More is going on here than you realize. Did you or did you not-"

"Yes."Harry nodded,"I put my epithet in."

The potions master narrowed his eyes, Harry felt the familiar pressure in his brain. He opened his mind long enough to reveal the storage of him putting the envelope into the flame then blanked it again. Snape nodded thoughtfully.

"Good."

"trade good ?"Harry asked quizzically.

"ceramicist the theory if person else put your gens into the chalice are far worse than if you put it in yourself. This simplifies thing, believe me…"Snape glanced at the chip of paper he was holding and frowned."… or perhaps not."

"What is it ?"

"Suffice to say I have spent long enough trawling through what you seem to think constitute essays to tell apart your handwriting."Snape held out the parchment for him to see."This is not your handwriting."

"No…"Harry felt a sinking feeling in his breadbasket."No it ‘ s not. What the Inferno is going on ?"He asked plaintively.

"If I knew that Potter."Snape moved towards the door."I would not have to ask questions."

Harry gulped and followed the potions master through the door. On the other side was another elbow room with portrait hung all around the bulwark. The champions and their Headmasters were standing in the center of the room, apparently arguing. gentlewoman Maxim was pointing at Malfoy with one of her unusually long fingers. They all fell silent as Harry and his teacher entered the room.

"Severus what is this ?"Dumbledore asked pointedly.

"This is the 4th champion."Snape glanced down at Harry."Apparently."

"What is ‘ zis."Madam maxim waved her hand at Harry."Some kind of joke to you here at ‘ ogwarts ? First your champion iz a minor, now ‘ zis ?"

"I do not recollect it is a joke."Karkarov said angrily."This so call up champion."

"He is a superstar. Despite what some of us might wish."Snape interrupted dryly. Harry couldn't help but intend how dissimilar he seemed from a consequence ago."The entire of Hogwarts saw his name leave the goblet, as did the delegations from your own schools. He is as legitimate a champion as-"

"As Mr Draco."Madam Maxim scoffed."Your other nonaged champion."

"If I may…"Harry glanced at the man of to one English who had begun to verbalize. He hadn ‘ t even realized Mr Crouch was in the room."The rules are very clean. If a person name leaves the goblet of fire, then that individual is a paladin. There can be no denying that."

"Harry…"Dumbledore spoke for the first time."Did you put your name into the goblet of flack ?"

"I…"Harry felt Snape's hand tap him in the small of the back."… No."He heard the potions master breath out lightly."No I didn ‘ t. I tried but… I couldn ‘ t get past the ward."

"And you Dragon ?"Snape asked Malfoy.

"Honestly sir…"Malfoy smirked."I have no idea how my name got in there."

Yes you do you slimy little… Harry's fists clenched involuntarily.

"wellspring I believe that settles it."Dumbledore clapped his hands together."eternal rest assured this matter will be investigated but until then… we have four champions."

Harry shook his head. Why did he get the feeling that the worst was yet to come ?
*


As they left the way Harry fell into whole step with Malfoy. Neither spoke until they were out of earshot of the instructor. Harry took a breath to stabilize himself then said,

"I assume that no one named David A. E. W. Mason really goes to Hogwarts ?"Malfoy turned to him and sneered.

"Good wasn ‘ t it."Malfoys voice took on a simpering tone."Oh Harry, it wouldn ‘ t be fair if everyone didn ‘ t have a chance."

"Bastard."

"I planned it all out. The hat, the personality, even down to the name. David Mason, sounds plebeian doesn't it. Sounds muggleborn."Malfoy grinned triumphantly."And you fell for it."

"I repeat. Bastard."

"A love child who won. I said I was going to get you didn ‘ t I ? The facial expression on your fount when I was chosen…"

"Hang on…"Harry stopped suddenly."Why were you chosen ? Don ‘ t narrate me the chalice actually picked you legit ? You wouldn ‘ t leave it up to chance."

"Very good Potter, you ‘ re not quite as stupid as you look."Malfoy smiled."Ever heard of a malignant protean charm ? No of course-"

"A appeal that aggressively seeks out matter that look a bit like it…"Harry interrupted."And makes them calculate exactly like it. Oh you little…."Understanding dawned in Harry's heart."The names ! You cast it on the names !"

"Exactly !"Malfoy nodded."My gens went in with the charm on it and changed all the early slips so that they read Draco Malfoy. I didn ‘ t leave it to opportunity, I was the only candidate."

"illegitimate child is too good a word for you, I ‘ m going with rat-bastard."

"The knockout bit was making surely it only changed the Hogwarts names."Malfoy was still in full exposition-mode."I mean it would ‘ ve looked a bit odd if I had been picked for Beauxbatons."

"Rat-bastard-wanker."

"Which is why I can ‘ t understand,"Malfoy turned to Harry, his middle narrowing."How you were picked. My spell should let gotten you…"

Harry said nothing, fairly sure that the protean had eaten up the bit of parchment that had had his gens on it and that the one that had eventually come out had been put in by someone else.

"You must possess found some way to enter as another school."Malfoy said thoughtfully."Tricked the chalice into entering your name for a quaternary school."

Mental note : suggest that theory to someone. Dumbledore ? No, too interfering. McGonagall ? She would go straight to Dumbledore. Helen Wills ? He'd spoil it way out of dimension. Snape ? … ?

"Just remember Potter,"Malfoy brought him back to the minute."I know who the real Hogwarts friend is and I ‘ m going to rise it to everyone."

"You think you ‘ re gon na win ?"Harry laughed."Hands up everyone who ‘ s struggle basilisks and werewolves… What ? Just me ?"

"I will crush you."Malfoy took off again in the centering of the Slytherin dungeon."stain my Good Book Potter."

"Marked."Harry rolled his middle."Marked, signed and sealed in the shit box along with Nostradamus and UFOs."

Harry turned and hurried up towards the Gryffindor common room. The palace was empty but the portraits were whispering to each other as he climbed through towards the one-seventh base. He stopped in one deserted corridor and quietly called,

"Myrtle…"He waited a few mo, then the glowing girl slid through the floor.

"Hmm ?"She cocked her head quizzically, then giggled."I heard a rumor about you. Something about being whiz ?"

Harry grinned and winked, Myrtle giggled again.

"Knew it would stimulate to be you Harry."

"marauder don't lose."Harry said cockily."As you well know."

"Because I am a marauder."myrtle said, proudly puffing up her smoky figure, Harry nodded.

"I wanted to ask you something."Vinca minor became unplayful as Harry spoke."Did you see anyone else go near the goblet last night, maybe before the rest of us got there or after we left ?"

"Nope."Myrtle shook her head."Didn ‘ t see anyone."She put peculiar emphasis on the Christian Bible ‘ see ’.

"Myrtle ? Keeping secrets isn ‘ t nice."Harry tutted playfully.

"I didn ‘ t see anyone."The specter repeated, smiling slyly."But one sentence the room access opened by itself, a moment later the goblet flared up like someone put something in it. Then the door closed."

"Invisibility cloak."Harry guessed, nodding."Did you try to get a look-see ?"

"Of course."Myrtle looked offended."I followed them but I couldn't get come together. I wasn ‘ t seen."She added proudly.

"I know you weren't."Harry nodded, Vinca minor looked a piffling happier."Can you ask around the portrayal ? See if anyone saw anyone sneaking around ?"

"Of class Harry !"myrtle beamed at being given a job and slam away through the wall. Harry chuckled, it was amazing how having friend changed a person, or a ghost.

Harry walked around the corner and stood in front of the fat lady. The woman in the portrait crossed her arms and said,

"I ‘ m waiting."

"I ‘ m not."Harry spelled an unlocking appealingness and the portraiture creaked to the side.

"I wish you wouldn ‘ t do that Mr Potter."The fat lady shook her head.

"It ‘ s easier than remembering the passwords."Harry grinned as he stepped through the portrayal hole. As soon as he was through he was viciously attacked."Get off me ! Geroff !"

"We knew it ‘ d be you Harry !"

Harry pushed away the massed host of Gryffindor house, smiled and bowed when they cheered for him, looked up in mild electric shock at the bill of him they had hung above the fireplace and sought out the marauders.

"We need to talk."Harry said before anyone could give their rima oris."Too many ears here, up to the bedroom."Harry's friends wordlessly followed him up to the boys bedroom and he hastily sketched out everything that had happened. After he had finished the inaugural affair Ron said was,

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay."

"I ‘ m a bit more interest about this unseeable man."Padma said, shaking her head."Invisibility cloaks are rare."

"Maybe somebody just really wanted Harry to win."Her sister suggested.

"Then why bother wearing the cloak."Hermione pointed out."multitude who hide what they ‘ re doing are usually up to something."

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay !"Ron repeated, apparently ignoring the conversation around him.

"Why the pit would soul want me in the competitor ?"Harry wondered aloud."Want it enough to go to these lengths ?"

"Maybe somebody wants to move over Hogwarts a better chance."Fred said evenly, his brother added…

"Or Gryffindor."George grinned."If they ‘ ll keep helping we should put some money on you."

"More likely someone hopes they can use the tourney to off me without anyone suspecting anything."Harry shrugged."That would be more my luck."

"Harry, stop being paranoid !"Hermione admonished him."You ‘ re commencement to sound like Professor Moody."

"Professor Dwight Lyman Moody is the most sensible person that ‘ s ever taught us."Harry said, to general jar."It ‘ s not paranoia if they really are out to get you !"

"Harry person made you a fighter !"Pavarti said in exasperation."It ‘ s a skillful thing, this individual is trying to help you !"

"Malfoy is going to-"

"Oh pay attention Ron !"Hermione snapped."Try to prevent up."

"mess of money…"Saint George continued.

"No one ‘ s helping him."Padma said to her sister.

"Malfoy is going-"

"They could be-"

"Money-"

"Enough !"Harry cut through the bickering predator."We know cipher. Not enough to actually work anything out at any rate. give-and-take at this gunpoint is useless…"Harry trailed off as Myrtle rose through the floorboards.

"Domestic bother ?"The spook giggled.

"You find something myrtle ?"Harry asked quickly."Did one of the portrait see soul untrusting ?"

"Yes."She pointed at Harry."You. And you and you and you…"She pointed at Padma, Ginny and Ron."… and you and you and you -"

"Ok, we get the point."Harry held his hands up. He shook his head ruefully."Thanks for trying."

"But…"Vinca minor did a fiddling cringle in the air and winked."The old lady near the kitchens said that Helen Newington Wills ‘ s got a cloak."

"What ?"Harry jerked, startled, like the rest of the marauders."An invisibility cloak ? Seriously ?"

"Mm Hm !"myrtle hummed happily, obviously proud of gaining this tidbit of info."And they ‘ re not that common."

"No."Hermione murmured,"They ‘ re really rare."

"‘ The most sensible person that ‘ s ever taught us'Harry ?"Ginny grinned."Anything you have to say ?"

"marauder never lose."Harry said chuckling."They are however, on function, drained wrong."
*


When Harry opened his eyes the succeeding morning he groaned and rolled back over. He knew exactly what this day would bring.

"It ‘ s him !"

"It ‘ s Harry !"

"The title-holder !"

"Yeah yeah yeah, and no I will not hand a bloody autograph !"Harry fended off a bunch of Gryffindors."Y ‘ d think they had never met me before."

"That's part of it Harry."Hermione said sagely.

"They haven't met me ?"Harry said quizzically, eyeing a camera-wielding Colin Creevy."I ‘ m for certain I ‘ ve met him."

"But Harry you ‘ re very full at making masses forget you ‘ re Harry Potter."The two of them moved out of the common room on the way to ancient runic letter."What I'm saying is that they just got reminded."

"Forgetting I ‘ m Harry Potter ?"

"You know…"Hermione waved vaguely."Juggling, joking, making everyone feel at simplicity, people forget you ‘ re a celebrity. It ‘ s not deliberate…"

Harry winced, it was often entirely deliberate.

"But that ‘ s not to establish citizenry forget."Harry ducked behind a lawsuit of armor as a group of scholarly person passed by, then continued,"That's just… you know… breaking the ice."

"Like with Ginny ?"Hermione grinned slyly.

"Like with Ginny."Harry nodded, unfazed."Ron told you about that ?"

"Yes."

"On one of your minuscule walks ?"

"Yes."Hermione's eye narrowed.

"On one of your romantic walks ?"

"Harry !"

"What ?"Harry grinned as Hermione shoved him irritably."Weren ‘ t they romantic ?"

"We discussed ducks."Hermione said flatly, not meeting Harry's centre."And ponds."

"Ze art of seduction."Harry affected a French people accent."It is truly dead."
*


After runes the two of them met up with the other predator down in the potions classroom.

Harry had already decided that he'd let Snape in on what they'd found out and was torn between dread and curiosity. Snape had obviously turned some kind of new leafage but they had never pressed to see how far that change went. To play it safe he actually tried during the potions deterrent example. He still failed but at to the lowest degree nothing exploded this prison term. After class he lingered by his desk, putting away his binge very slowly.

"Something you want Potter ?"Snape looked up from his desk.

"Um…"Harry waited a tick for the last student to result then said."I ‘ ve had an idea about why my name might sustain come out of the goblet."

"Yes ?"

"If somebody entered me for a fourth school."Snape appeared thoughtful and Harry pressed on."That would see I got picked, and it would explain why there were four champions."

"Interesting…"Snape tapped the end of his pen on his lip thoughtfully. Wait… ! Harry did a double proceeds in case his eyes had deceived him. Snape was using a pen ! It was an antique looking fountain pen but still… Snape interrupted his view."Of line that would mean that the real hero was Draco."

"Probably no way to essay it."Harry said quickly.

"Actually-"

"No way to leaven it at all."Harry grinned, for a mo he could have sworn he saw the border of Snape's mouth twitch up.

"Perhaps not."Snape shook his head."In any suit finding out who did put your name in and why is of smashing importance."Snape's bridge player moved to his arm involuntarily, like a reflex.

"problem ?"Harry asked. Snape shook his drumhead, his eyes downcast.

"Premonition."

"Not usually very reliable those."Harry chuckled.

"This one is."Snape didn't seem to feel like he had to add anything else but something clicked on the border of Harry's memory.

"The wickedness mark ?"Snape's mind whipped up.

"How do you fuck about that ?"He asked harshly.

"I…"Harry opened his mouth to do but realized with shock that he had no estimate how he had heard about the saturnine mark. It was all there though, the mark in the sky meant last, the gull in flesh meant servitude."I must have… read it… somewhere…"

Snape had strode around the table in an insistent and grabbed Harry by his shoulders. This time it didn't spirit like a minuscule pressure in his mind, it felt like a hammer.

"Stop ! It hurts !"Harry yelled.

"closure occluding your mind !"Snape growled, jerking Harry's head back to keep eye contact.

"I ‘ m not !"Harry pushed Snape away but kept eye impinging, deliberately relaxing his thinker. Snape opened his mouth in jar, computer storage flashed past for a few moments before Snape broke the connection and sagged back onto his desk.

"Satisfied ?"Harry snarled, breathing hard.

"Not even slightly."Snape shook his head, he also seemed out of breath."I couldn ‘ t see how you know about the mark, or that I have one."

"I told you. I must have read it somewhere."Harry shook his header."Why do you cause one anyway ? I mean why did you become a death feeder ?"

"youthfulness. imbecility. Misplaced rage."Snape stood slowly and rolled his arm back. The mark was exactly as Harry remembered it except greatly faded. If Snape's skin wasn't so pale it would be almost invisible.

"Why did you leave ? Why defect to Dumbledore ? I assume that ‘ s what you did or you wouldn ‘ t be here."

"Why ? …"Snape cocked his mind and a sliver of a smile appeared on his brass."Surprisingly the rationality is something that is not of the slightest importance to me anymore. But rest assured I am no longer Cy Young, stupid or full of mislay rage."

"It ‘ s well placed you mean ?"Harry dug slyly.

"It ‘ s more… channeled."Snape stood and brushed his gown with his workforce before walking to a locker behind his desk and getting out a small vial of blue potion."I am sorry for invading your head so roughly. This should facilitate with the pain."He held out the vial.

"You taste it first."Snape's supercilium quirked up quizzically."Constant vigilance."

Snape chuckled and imbibe a serious swallow of the potion before handing it to Harry who gratefully chucked back the residue. His headache disappeared almost instantly.

"Is it getting darker ?"Harry asked.

"Slowly."Snape nodded."I have yet to order Dumbledore. He may react unpredictably."

"Know what that's like."Harry chuckled."Do you think Voldemort or maybe the death eaters have something to do with the chalice and me ?"

"We don ‘ t have the data to make that judgment right now."Snape waved his hand as if batting something away."Although I always believe it prudent to prepare for the worst."

"Yeah…"Harry said, but he had thought of something. He bit his lip and looked at Snape thoughtfully.

"thrower ? What are you thinking ?"

"Just wondering how far our new truce goes."Harry glanced back at the threshold to find out no one was listening."If I were to ask for veritaserum…"

"You have a defendant ?"Snape guessed."And you wish to query them to be sure."

"That would be a safe assumption."Harry replied evasively.

"Tell me who it is and I will do it."

"You would never get finish enough."Harry grinned."I think I can."

Snape regarded him silently for a few bit then moved back to the potions locker. He muttered a study under his breather and a drawer appeared out of the side. Snape reached in and drew out a midget bottleful, barely more than a thimble.

"Three drop is all that is necessary."Snape pressed the feeding bottle into Harry's hand."display no one else. secern no one you have that."

"Thank you."Harry curled his finger around the minuscule bottleful."I ‘ ll enjoin you how it plays out."Harry moved off towards the door but stopped just before opening it.

"Out of interest…"He asked, looking back at his teacher across the empty classroom."Whose is that petty barn owl ?"

"None of your stage business Potter."

"Ah…"Harry tapped the side of his nozzle."She must really be something…"

"She is."
*


Harry didn't have a lesson with Moody until Friday, which meant that he had to carry that little bottle around the whole time, a minuscule bottle of carry-able nervousness. He constantly weighed the risks of hiding it somewhere with the jeopardy of having it found on his person but in the end come down on the side of meat of the latter. Besides, his coat had a few sack that would hedge all but the most aggressive searchers.

When the lesson actually came about Harry was gritting his teeth, he still didn't know if this was a good estimation, or even possible. It wasn't too late to return the bottle to Snape, or to find somewhere to hide it and lay aside it for later.

"Something bothering you Potter ?"

Harry looked up from his desk into the face of the ex-auror.

"No, nothing."Harry shook his head."Well…"

"Yes ?"

"There is something I want to ask you, but after the lesson."Harry made himself count down and put a short catch in his voice."If you ‘ re not too busy."

"Hmm."Moody scratched his Chin."well, whatever it is it isn ‘ t keeping you from taking tone is it ?"

Harry looked down at his Thomas Nelson Page, it was empty except for a footling ink draught of a cottage.

"Would you believe invisible ink ?"

"No."

"Didn ‘ t think so."Harry reached for his quill. After the lesson he stayed quiet, with his bag not even packed. The vulture already knew he had something planned and left him be but…

"You not leaving Harry ?"Harry turned and saw Susan clappers paused near his desk.

"Getting an special course credit essay."Harry replied glibly.

"You ? Doing an extra course credit essay ?"skepticism radiated from the Hufflepuff."You don ‘ t even do your rule essays."

"I do so."

"Without copying from Hermione."

"I-"

"Or Padma."

"Oh."Harry cocked his head and shrugged."Does it really matter what I ‘ m up to ?"

"Just wondering what happens if the school paladin is expelled."

"One of the shoal champions."Harry corrected."The only human paladin granted but still…"

"Oh no one in Hufflepuff believes Malfoy ‘ s really a champion."Susan rolled her eyes."No one in Ravenclaw either. You didn ‘ t know that Harry ? You ‘ re usually wired into the rumor mill of this school."

"I ‘ ve had a lot on my mind."Harry conceded. He actually never listened to rumors, that was Parvarti's job and to a less extent Ron ‘ s."The grinder can run without me for a while."

"Of course."Susan nodded and moved off. She paused to say,"We are all rooting for you you know."Before turning towards the door.

Interesting. Harry smiled thoughtfully as he watched her take the air away, his heart drifting down a little. Very interest. Why hadn't he noticed before how-

"Potter."Harry whipped his head around. Dwight Lyman Moody was looking at him shrewdly."I know I said constant weather eye but…"

"Don ‘ t end up that condemnation Professor."Harry grinned."Unless you want me to bulge out mentioning that about thaumaturgy eye can be made to see through clothing."

"I don't use that setting…"Helen Wills replied gruffly, then winked."…any more."

Harry laughed and a present moment later was joined by his teacher.

"So,"Dwight Lyman Moody, walked back to the instructor desk and motioned for Harry to sit nearby."What was it you wanted to tattle about ?"

"Oh yeah."Harry made his voice dip a little."That."

Harry swallowed and took a deep breath.

"My parents."

"Ah."Helen Newington Wills shook his head ruefully."Sad business Potter, very sad, but I ‘ m not the one to talk to. I didn ‘ t know them before the war-"

"I don ‘ t want more anecdotes."Harry dilled up the aggression, it had to face like he had been stewing over this for a while."Not more school stories. I want to lie with how they died, the whole floor. Details."

"Why ?"Moody asked bluntly."Why do you need to hear about your parents murder ?"

"Because it ‘ s something no one else seems gear up to talk about."Harry shook his brain angrily."You were an auror, you also knew them. Fair bet you examined the mansion right wing, investigated ?"Harry knew Moody had been involved in the investigation, he left nada to chance.

"Yes I did."See ?"But I ‘ m still not sure you want to know."

"I don ‘ t want to. I need to."Harry pleaded, putting a piffling iron into his interpreter."It ‘ s a fairish bet Voldemort's not done having an influence on my life history. I need to know how it began."

Moody shook his head and grimaced.

"Don ‘ t know where to begin."He reached down and took a swig from his hip flask. Harry grinned.

"You can start with the goblet of fire."

"What ?"Dwight Lyman Moody shook his head as if to straighten out it. His magic eye was rolling listlessly and the other looked milky and unfocussed."The goblet ?"

"Yes, did you put my epithet into it ?"Harry asked, flatly.

"No."Helen Wills Moody answered in a flat flavor. Harry closed his center, that meant he had made a error, which meant he was screwed.

"Did you get individual else to put my name in ?"Harry asked desperately."And where ‘ s your invisibility cloak."

"No, I do not know who put your name in the goblet of fire."Moody said, again with no emotion."My cloak is in my chest, there."He pointed with one gnarled finger.

"Ok, that's not in force. For me."Harry looked up at the clock. With the battery-acid he gave the impression would only last a few Sir Thomas More seconds."Please don ‘ t kill me."

Moody just continued his faded stare, then he blinked and shook his point. realisation dawned in his eye and Harry saw him grip his wand tightly. In a jiffy the ex-auror whipped it around and Harry felt R-2 pin his arms to the chair.

"How did you do it ?"The professor asked, coldly.

"Lifted the flaskful from your air pocket. Put it back later in the lesson."Harry replied evenly. Being sorry wouldn't get him out of this, being businesslike might."Managed to break the spell you used on it too."

"That a fact."Dwight Lyman Moody reached out and emptied the flask onto the floor, the water system sparkled in the light from the windowpane."And why did you do it ?"

"I found out that the person who put my name in the chalice did it under the cover of an invisibility cloak."Harry crossed his arms."They ‘ re uncommon, and you, the majestic owner of two, had just come to Hogwarts. That seemed like too much of a coincidence."

"And what have you learnt ?"

"It… was a coincidence."Harry conceded."It wasn ‘ t you."

"What else ?"

"Eh ?"Harry was genuinely confused.

"What else ?"

"Um… I don ‘ t know. Sir."Harry added.

"You always disarm someone when you ‘ re questioning them."Moody flicked his wand again and the roach fell loose."Even in they ‘ re potioned. That was loose-fitting ceramist, very miry. I ‘ m disappointed in you."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"But… you mean… you ‘ re not mad ?"

"Mad ? No, no, no,"Helen Wills waved the question away."You had suspicion you acted on it. I woulda done the same."

"But I got past your defenses, I could have poisoned you."

"punter you do it than one of my enemy, oh and by the way…"Moody smiled like a Panthera tigris, for once both centre focused on Harry."I ‘ ll need a six scroll essay on how you broke the spells on my flask."

"Six scrolls ?"

"Make it ten."

"Eep."

"Don ‘ t trouble Potter, it ‘ ll be over before you know it. Or in other dustup it ‘ ll be over tomorrow as that's when I ‘ ll be expecting the essay."

"Oh."

"On the plus slope though Potter, I trust you now."

"WHAT ?"Harry exploded, spluttering in disbelief."I spike you and interrogate you and now you trust me ! ?"

"Yeah, well more than I did."Helen Wills nodded.

"Why ?"Harry asked aghast.

"You had me drugged and I ‘ m still alive. Means I have proof you ‘ re not trying to kill me."Helen Wills Moody said this as if it was the most logical matter in the world.

"I was wrong."Harry shook his straits in skepticism."You ‘ re testis. You're crazy. You ‘ re completely crashing gonzo."

"Yeah ?"Moody leant in towards Harry's expression."Well so are you."

"Possible,"Harry conceded."I did once jump onto a moving train."

"Ha !"Moody snorted."That's nix. Try a moving dragon."

Harry laughed and shook his school principal, this had turned out alright after all.

"Eh ?"Moody said, furrowing his brow."Don ‘ t you have a lesson to get to."

"Yes, but it's fauna so I was actually marginally safer staying here and drugging you."

"eventide so."Helen Wills gestured at the doorway."You ‘ d best be going. Don ‘ t forget that essay."

Harry nodded and walked away from the desk. As he reached the door a thought struck him and he turned back.

"You didn ‘ t ask me there the potion came from."

"Oh I think I can guess."Moody grew serious.

"You ‘ re not happy ?"

"Constant wakefulness Potter."Moody said"support your Allies close-"

"-and my enemies closer."Harry rolled his eyes."I know."

"That's not it at all !"Helen Wills Moody said with sudden oestrus."donjon your allies close ceramicist, but watch them even closer."



Please review, It 'll take me write faster. Ivan Pavlov told me so !


Note for Daniel Chester French people 2 : Ok, this chapter actually contains people speaking in french. I should discourage you that I do not speak french. wellspring, I do a bit but General Certificate of Secondary Education were a long clock time ago and I only got a B. In any case the french in this chapter is almost certainly wrong, sorry. If you want to secernate me the decent translations i 'll put them up.



Harry propped the book up in figurehead of him and tried to pee-pee the dustup stay in one place rather than fading out and becoming one foresightful boring blur.

"This, this is interest Harry."Hermione yawned and pushed another book over too him."It makes your struggle all stiff so thing can't trauma you."She yawned again and put her deal up to her mouth.

"Go to bed."Harry told her, sighing."You don ‘ t have stay up with me, I ‘ m the bloody champion."

"No Harry I like looking up… stuff…"Hermione yawned again, breaking up whatever she was going to say.

"Without knowing what the number 1 task is it ‘ s pretty useless."Harry closed his record wearily and rested his Chin on it."And I know you consider breaking into the library tantamount to sacrilege."

"It ‘ s alright if it ‘ s for the tournament"Hermione rationalized."Do you need me to get more books ?"

"No, I want to generate up."Harry shook his head."Army of the Righteous go back to the tower."

They packed their stuff and Harry spelled the whorl on the depository library back closed. He was about to wrench down the corridor when a ignitor appeared near the other end and Harry pushed Hermione back into the library.

"Who is it ?"

"No clue."Harry shrugged and closed the door quietly. He put his ear to it as the voices got closer."Beaxbattons bookman I think."

"How do you get laid ?"

"They ‘ re speechmaking French."Harry whispered as the brightness level passed outside the door."Talking about the first task."

"Ho… waiting you speak French ?"Hermione whispered hoarsely.

"You gave me the phrase Good Book for my birthday."

"But I didn ‘ t think you ‘ d actually use them !"

"You learn languages a lot quicker with wit sharpening potion. Had the bedrock down in under a week."

"That ‘ s cheating !"Hermione said, sounding scandalized.

"Did somebody invent new formula while I was away ?"Harry suddenly frowned."That didn't sound like a student."Harry cracked the door and slinked out after the retreating voices.

"Ce n'est pas juste."Harry silenced his substructure so he could move faster after the retreating voices and heard Hermione do the same behind him."Nous devrions dire les autres concurrents !"

"That ‘ s Delacour."Hermione hissed into Harry's ear. She sounded oddly spiteful."What ‘ s she saying ?"But Harry waved her into secrecy as a huskier phonation began speaking.

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."

"Madam Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim ?"Harry guessed, Hermione nodded."She ‘ s saying that cheating ‘ s region of the rules."

"I bet Fleur's going along with-"

"Fleur ‘ s arguing, but it sound like whatever it is it ‘ s already been done."Harry leant around a corner and jerked back as he saw the two Gallic cleaning woman stopped in the corridor beyond.

"Non !"Fleur was saying angrily."Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes morales et mon école."

"She ‘ s not happy."Harry shook his head."She thinks Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim ‘ s forcing her to cheat."

"Puits que tu connais maintenant."The headmistress said matter-of-factly."Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."

"Dragon ?"Harry broke into a grin. He turned to Hermione."See this is why I eavesdrop."

"Cheater."She smiled though.

"Tu as une stratégie ?"madam Maxim asked."Tu pouvais le distraire. Tu-"

"Non !"Fleur drew herself up."Je ferai le repos moi-même."

"Comme tu souhaites."lady maxim said and they began to walk back towards where the two marauders were hiding. Harry moved to take the air into the corridor but Hermione grabbed him.

"Harry what are you doing ?"She hissed angrily.

"Headgames !"Harry grinned evilly and stepped out in front of the two women."So… dragons eh ?"

Their jaws dropped.

"Thanks for the tip !"Harry grinned and winked at his colleague whizz then turned to the French headmistress and with a grimace said,"Tu es un idiot et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première chance que tu obtiens."

"You little… !"Madam Maxime spluttered incoherently but Harry cut her off and switched to English.

"Well cuckold all you want, doesn ‘ t affair. As you know now I am everywhere in this school. I will know if you cheat, I will bed everything you do. So it all works out the same in the end."Harry turned back to the startled Miss Delacour."soundly lot with the dragon."And with that he turned and walked away.

fountainhead, he walked until he reached the first turning point, then he started to run.
*


"potter ?"

Sleepy.

"potter !"

Ok, not sleepy anymore, just faking.

"Potter get up !"Harry jerked theatrically and raised his head off his desk to look at Professor McGonagall.

"Sleepy professor,"Harry grinned."I stayed up late doing very important admirer stuff."

It was actually lawful, he had indeed been spending every night researching way to administer with large, enraged, attack breathing reptiles but he hadn ‘ t had much luck. nearly of the Scripture had the unhelpful assumption that you would be part of a squad of champion dealing with these creatures. If he could just find one that assumed you were a pock, unawares, fourteen year old who wasn't much honorable at defensive structure against the dark arts or care of magical creatures he would be set.

"well that doesn ‘ t get you out of concentrating on your lessons."She pointed at the quartz ball that he had transfigured portion way from a tortoise. It still had legs and a tail and was blindly butting against Harry's transfiguration textbook."Complete the transformation or at least turn it back into a tortoise, it is just cruel to get out it like this."

Harry shrugged and tried to complete the metamorphosis. Two of the legs disappeared, and the poor thing balanced on the early two before toppling and almost rolled off the table before Ron caught it. McGonagall moved away muttering about ‘ whiz'and ‘ idiots ‘ using the same inflection for each.

"Well we can itch transfig'off the dragon-taming possibilities."Harry accepted his tortoisphere back from his friend and tried idly to make the remaining limbs disappear.

"I could indite to Charlie."Ron offered. He had managed to take a watch glass tortoise that looked like it should be in some seaside endowment shop.

"Don ‘ t, I ‘ m cheating just by using you guys."Harry made the stern disappear and sighed."I should just run in and start cursing it. Pain spear ‘ s worked before."

"You ‘ re not allowed to use non-white deception Harry."Neville reminded him from his former side."It ‘ s restricted by the rules of the tourney or something."

"And it probably wouldn ‘ t work."Ron cast the spell again and got a rhythm ball of tortoise shell."Dragon skin is-"

"Very, very thick. Also curse-proof."Harry interrupted."I know."Harry slumped back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. He closed his middle and massaged his temples, he had a stabbing headache from all the studying and late nights. If he propped his book up and fell asleep…

"Mr ceramist !"

"I ‘ m awake !"Harry shook his head. The class giggled.

"What I meant Mr Potter."McGonagall continued."Is that you are needed in the tertiary floor arithmancy classroom. Do you know where it is ?"

Small slatted window that doesn't lock properly ?

"I know it."Harry nodded."What ‘ s this about ?"

"Very important champion stuff."McGonagall narrowed her eyes."Now."

Harry gathered his stuff and hurried out of the way. Since it was social class metre all the corridors were empty and Harry made it to the classroom without seeing anyone. Wondering what this could possibly be about he pushed the room access open.

"Ah, Mr Potter. So trade good of you to join us."Mr Crouch had stood up when he entered. Dumbledore and the other Headmasters were also there, as was a witch in neon green robe he didn't recognize. She had a quill and paper out and looked like she was currently grilling Krum. The Bulgarian, for his portion, seemed resigned to this and was answering her monosyllabically. Fleur and Malfoy were no where to be found.

"What an I joining you for ?"Harry asked."If it's a party then you ‘ ll motive Thomas More nibbles. I skipped lunch."

"This is the deliberation of the verge ceremony."Mr Crouch said calmly, ignoring Harry's flippancy."Don ‘ t worry it ‘ s mostly a formality."

verge weighing ? Harry took out his wand, it looked alright. A bit scuffed here and there but then so was he. Harry heard the door open and turned,

"What is this ?"Malfoy stood in the doorway with his bag."Why was I called ?"

"Just the wei-"Dumbledore began but was interrupted by the immature robed witch.

"Mr Malfoy,"She stood and held out a manus in one motility."Rita Skeeter. Pleasure to meet you, if I could just-"

"My male parent has a several very just lawyers."Malfoy interrupted her suddenly."So if you print anything libelous…"

"Mr Malfoy,"Rita Skeeter held her hands to her chest as if she had been hurt."You insult me, the citizenry want to hear from their champion. Champions."She added, glancing at Harry with a crocodile-smile.

Scanning for insincerity : falseness detected.

Harry contorted his face into a interest smile.

"If I could adopt the both of you for a moment."Skeeter pushed them both back out the door and into the classroom opposite."There now, that's more prosperous. None of those old judge and officials."

"Everything she says is a lie."Harry thought to himself."And you had skillful watch what you say too."

"Do you mind if I use a quick quotes quill ?"

"Yes."Malfoy said at the Saame time as Harry said,

"No."Harry noticed that Malfoy was looking slightly worried so followed up with,"I mean ‘ no don ‘ t use it.'”

"Oh,"The reporter looked disappointed, then brightened up slightly."I hear you two have a little rivalry going."Harry opened his backtalk but Malfoy answered before he could speak.

"I wouldn't squall me beating him at every socio-economic class a competition."

"Whatever."Harry shrugged.

"You ‘ re not going to contend potter ?"Malfoy sneered at him.

"Nah, make up any lie you want."Harry shrugged again."That's what she ‘ s gon na do."

"wellspring Mr Potter,"Rita Skeeter asked smoothly."Do you think you, a mere twelve year old, can deliver the goods in this competition that has clamed the lives of wizard quondam and wiser than you."

"I don ‘ t know."Harry scratched his capitulum."The fact that I intend to cheat outrageously may help."

"You…"Rita Skeeter's eye's lit up."You're going to cheat ?"

"I already have !"Harry replied happily."Say, do you think that Karkarov guy ‘ s open to bribes ? He looks like a man who enjoys the finer things."

"Potter…"Malfoy hissed from between clenched teeth but Harry ignored him.

"Of course It'll be easy to buy him using all the stolen belongings that I own. Would you like a diamond necklace ?"

Rita's quill was moving so fast she was tearing the paper.

"I can always obtain to a greater extent through my encompassing outlaw contacts."

"Potter check now you id-"Harry winked at Malfoy, shutting him up.

"Of course of instruction my elementary pastime remains kitten-smashing."At Skeeter's shocked face he continued."Yes, kitten-smashing. It ‘ s kind of like a sport, you use a special club. Baby seals as well, and precious little chipmunks. cervid, ostriches, endangered marmosets, ponies, dolphins that variety of thing."

"Mr Potter…"The reporter's eyes narrowed.

"What ?"Harry grinned."If you ‘ re going to make up lie about me they might as well be entertaining. How about saying I ‘ m a vampire or a Nazi or that I have two brain and one of them speaks silver Italian."

"Don ‘ t play this biz with me Mr Potter."Rita Skeeter tapped her quill against her quill against her notepad."You won ‘ t win."

"Yes I will."Harry smiled."piranha always do, in the end."

"Am I interrupting ?"Their three oral sex turned to see Barty Crouch in the doorway."We ‘ re ready for you now."

Harry smiled and wandered out off the room, leaving the startled newsman butt. As he walked back into the arithmancy schoolroom he noticed that two more people had arrived. Fleur Delacour he was expecting, the other was more of a surprise.

"Mr Ollivander ?"

"Mr ceramist, so dependable to see you again."The old man looked the Sami as he had on the day, four eld ago, that Harry had bought his wand. He wasn't acting as oddly however.

"You ‘ re doing the wand weighing ?"Harry guessed.

"I am Mr Potter, I am."He held out his hand and Harry grudgingly surrendered his wand. As soon as it left his helping hand he found himself feeling paranoid, almost naked. He kept eyeing up minute of furniture for their potency as weapon should somebody snipe him.

"Your… this wand seems to work quite adequately."Mr Ollivander said slowly, looping a long golden palm out of the tip."Of course, if you were in the food market for another…"

"No."Harry shook his head before the wand maker could once again try to force a different wand on him as he had at their first group meeting."That one ‘ s served me pretty unspoilt. I ‘ ll reefer with it if you don ‘ t mind."

"Very well."Ollivander shook his drumhead and handed the baton back."I don ‘ t understand it but…"He spread his hands and shrugged.

Everyone else in the room kept shooting Harry odd spirit for the end of the baton weighing, everyone except Dumbledore.
*


As Harry was walking away from the weighing when he heard a voice behind him.

"Do you have a moment Mr Potter ?"Harry turned to see Barty Crouch."If I were you I would not underestimate Ms Skeeter."

"I don ‘ t underestimate her, she overestimates herself."

"Perhaps so."The justice nodded."But she has the potency to cause you real number harm."

"No she doesn ‘ t."Harry interjected."spliff and stones and all that, I ‘ ve survived unsound than bad press."

"I am interest about you Mr Potter."Mr Crouch moved up to bear next to Harry."There is more than one cause we increased the age boundary on entering to the tourney. I fear you are too young to brook up to the scrutiny."

"Me ? Harry boy-who-lived ceramist ?"

"Ah, yes."Mr Crouch chuckled a little."Perhaps you are right on that sexual conquest, but nevertheless a certain layer of matureness is expected, even necessary, and I worry that perhaps you do not receive it."

"I ‘ ll hold in my end."Harry said, vaguely insulted.

"Do you sense adequately physically and mentally develop for the first undertaking ?"Harry thought that an odd question, but answered anyway.

"No, not entirely."

"Well I can ‘ t give you advice of course."The elder man nodded."Just remember that no one is expecting you to win. Just by doing well you will birth exceeded everyone's expectation."

"And by winning I ‘ ll exceed them even more, and win some money !"

"Just take it slow,"Mr Crouch told him."A respectable grudge is better than being injured so you can not compete."

"The only respectable musical score is winning."Harry grinned like a tiger.
*


Harry woke lazily the adjacent day and ignored the sounds of people going down to breakfast. This weekend had been a prospicient tome coming and he was going to enjoy it.

On the way down to breakfast though he got an odd foreboding touch. His suspicions were confirmed when he walked into the great residence and all conversation ceased. Harry walked down the Gryffindor mesa to his friends in total silence and sat down in the empty seat they had left for him.

"Explanation ?"Harry asked quietly, the room was still almost deathly silent.

"Um, we think Malfoy may have talked to Rita Skeeter after you left."Hermione was holding a newsprint nervously, kneading the paper with he hands."He said some matter and they printed some things…"

"Give it here."Harry reached out and grabbed the paper. He quickly scanned down the text…

… bloke champion Drako Malfoy says that everyone in Hogwarts knows they're just afraid to say anything."He hides it but everyone knows. I mean that ‘ s why he ‘ s so abruptly and weedy."The hansom sixteen class old said"And it explains the hair."This newsperson has seen evidence to hold these arguments and can discover to you now the truth about Harriet Potter…

Harry burst out laughing. In the utterly dumb bully Charles Francis Hall it sounded superfluous loud as Harry guffawed in great breathy gulps.

"Harriet Potter !"Harry dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"It ‘ s not amusing Harry."Hermione said.

"Yes it is ! facial expression, they ‘ ve even doctored a exposure of me."Harry pointed."I ‘ ve got hanker hair and white meat and everything… Actually I don ‘ t look half bad… But come on no one ‘ s gon na think this."

"You never know Harry."Ginny said from the early side."mass tend to trust the Daily Prophet."

Harry had a idea and grinned. Without a word he stepped up onto the bench then up onto the Gryffindor table.

"Attention Hogwarts !"Harry yelled, he felt all eyes come to shore on him."By now most of you will have read the Daily seer, or have heard about it from individual. And unless you ‘ re deaf you ‘ ve listen how I regard these rumour. I have just two things to say, any guy who doubts me can get kicked in the look ( don't laughter I know where you all sleep ). And for any girl who doubts I ‘ m male a presentment can be arrang-"

"MR potter !"The school giggled as McGonagall stood from her piazza at the gamey table."My office ! Now !"

"Thank you, thank you. I ‘ ll be here all week."Harry sauntered out of the manor hall, waving at the laughing bunch as he went. The last thing he saw before he left was the sinister smell of murder on Malfoy's font and decided to rub Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in the wound."And Draco succeeding time you try to attack me imagine of things that would hurt me not that would stimulate hurt you. You care about repute. Me ? I don't give a crap what anyone thinks !"

"MR POTTER !"

"I ‘ m going I'm going."Harry grinned and walked out. The students laughed again, some even cheered.
*


The oracle was forced to publish a retraction the following day after hundreds of multitude wrote in to complain. Unfortunately Harry didn't have time to bask the victory as the first labor drew closer and closer.

"I ‘ m screwed."Harry slid another book back into the library bookcase and looked along the ledge for other dragon related script."I am royally screwed."

It was the day before the first project and Harry had made an administrator determination to ignore all his lessons that day. His metre could be far better used and he figured his teachers wouldn ‘ t mind, or wouldn ‘ t find out till too late.

Harry sighed. Or maybe they would and he'd be thrown out of the competition and saved the indignity of being roasted alive in presence of the integral school.

He had cipher. Not one idea.

"I should just rush in."Harry thought, shaking his head."starting cursing, worked with the basilisk."

"Yes,"Said a petty sneering role of his mind."But the basilisk almost killed you."

Harry took down another Bible only to realize he had already read it and slammed it back into the bookshelf in anger.

"Problems miss Potter ?"Harry heard the snide drawling vox and sagged tiredly.

"None Daisy Mayflower."He turned to Malfoy and crossed his arms."Shouldn ‘ t you be in moral ?"

"Last class ended half an 60 minutes ago."Malfoy shot back condescendingly.

Harry felt his heart droop. He had thought he had More time than that, he must have lost caterpillar track. He caught sight of the script in Malfoy's helping hand and his eyes flickered to the conspicuous gap in the shelf next to him. He saw the Slytherin's cold grey pair couple him.

"How did you determine out ?"Harry asked levelly.

"Find out what ?"

"About the dragons Malfoy. Don ‘ t play games."

Malfoy smiled.

"My father noticed that the ministry was putting permission through for dragon manipulation equipment and dragon coach and dragons."

"That is damming evidence."Harry shrugged."Got a strategy ?"

"Like I ‘ d tell you."Malfoy scoffed."A little Dragon doesn ‘ t pain in the ass me."

"You almost sound like you mean that."Harry pretended to stir weight while actually bringing his wand around to gestate."Lets see… Legillimens !"

It was like hitting a India rubber paries. Harry felt his mental probe rebound off an Occlumency roadblock like a tennis ball off a armoured combat vehicle and had barely a second to compose himself before the counter attack hit his mind like a pneumatic drill.

"What the hell ? !"Harry blanked his idea before any memories floated up. After a moment the drill receded.

"How dare you half-blood !"Malfoy squabble at him."Don't even consider of trying that again. You ‘ re obviously an amateur compared to me. Just like you are at everything else."

"Getting lessons from dad are we ?"Harry kept his scepter trained in case of another attack.

"I ‘ ve been an Occlumens since I was eight Potter."Malfoy said through gritted tooth."Don ‘ t try to get into my nous, the very imagine disgusts me. Even after a failed attempt I feel like bathing."

"I ‘ m shocked you know what a bathroom is Daisy."Harry shot back."We all thought you just-"

"SHUT UP ! Just because the Prophet printed a recantation doesn ‘ t mean you ‘ ve won !"Malfy cracked, raising his wand."So don't joke don ‘ t make snide commentary, you are still going down. This tournament may be a gag to you but some of us care about preserving the purity of their names."Malfoy shook his fountainhead fiercely and lowered his wand a fraction.

"You won ‘ t win potter. You might as well quit now."Malfoy sneered at him."It ‘ s a firedrake, you can't trick it or lie to it or prank it or slip your way past it. You can ‘ t win. Just generate up Potter, while you still can."

Malfoy turned and strode away, disappearing between the shelves. But Harry had begun to grin.

"Why the infernal region not ?"
*


Harry mustered together every apothecaries' ounce of arrogance and cool he had to keep himself walking forward towards the pavilion that had been erected near the sharpness of the woods. He glanced to his right field and saw Malfoy coming up from another direction, surrounded by a crowd of Slytherins. Some of them were wearing badges bearing Malfoy's smirking face.

Harry reached the tent and swallowed gruelling before entering.

"Glad you could conjoin us Mr Potter."Barty Crouch greeted him with a smiling. The other title-holder were already there. Krum was sitting stoically, staring straight forward. Fleur looked William Green and had one hand pressed to her stomach."aflutter ?"

YES ! Of trend I'm bloody skittish ! I'm about-

"No, no sir."Harry answered out cheap."I think I ‘ ve got it covered."He even managed it without his voice quavering.

"Ah and you are here too Mr Malfoy."Crouch said as Malfoy barged in through the curtain."Then let us get started."He reached over and picked up a modest bag. Harry noticed with a gulp that it was squirming.

"The task once you enter the stadium is to recover a golden egg from its guardian."Crouch explained in his dry bureaucratic voice."Inside this bag are four statute. You will each film one from the bag, at random. The statue should tell you both what this guardian is and will also throw a numeral on it representing the order you will go in."

And first to the gallows will be…

"Miss Delacour…"Crouch held out the bag and the Gallic girl put her hand in tentatively. She drew it out and revealed a humble blue dragon statue, currently gnawing on her thumb."The Swedish short snout."

Fleur looked at the piffling thing in her manus then raised her chin in determination. But Harry saw a hint of scare in her eyes.

"Looks almost cute."Harry commented, looking at the tartar."human face looks kind of like a squirrel."

Fleur glanced again at the thing in her paw then looked at Harry in disbelief.

"Well… a bit."Harry grinned and saw a one-half smile in return.

"Mr Krum."Crouch hurried them along. The Bulgarian stuck his hand into the bag and drew out a long red-gold dragon, dangling it by its hindquarters."The Formosan Firebolt."

Krums locution didn't change, if anything it just became stonier.

"That's a weasel."Harry pronounced definitely ( babbling so he wouldn ‘ t hit a total spooky breakdown )."A Squirrel and a Weasel."

"Mr Malfoy."Crouch held the bag out again and Malfoy carefully removed a sleek looking black dragon."A Hebridean Black Mr Malfoy."

Malfoy seemed to be trying to prevent his face ridged and reticent, he was taking deep breaths through his nose.

"And you Harry."Crouch held out the bag and Harry reached in quickly and grabbed the hold up squirming statue. He held it in his clenched fist as he brought it out, said a silent supplicant to anyone listening, then opened his hand.

"The Hungarian Horntail."Mr Crouch pronounced tonelessly.

Harry closed his hired hand again and pumped his clenched fist into the air.

"YES !"

The three other wiz were looking at him like he was crazy.

"Mr Potter,"Crouch spluttered."You do have it off about that eccentric of dragon don ‘ t you ?"

"Read about ‘ em, yep."Harry nodded.

"And you ‘ re well-chosen ?"

"Yep."

"thrower you ‘ re insane."Malfoy said icily.

"Yep."

"Well…"Mr Crouch seemed a footling flustered but motioned Malfoy towards the passing to the tent.

Harry watched them exit and took a deep breath. He sat down crown of thorns legged on the packed earth and run back against a tent pole.

"You are very confident."Krum said in his heavily accented voice.

"I ‘ m not worried."Harry said as he heard his racing pith licking in his ears.

Harry tried to blank out the sound of the crowd outside and the comments of the commentators. He tried to breath deeply so as to hush his nerves. It didn't work.

"Mr Krum if you please !"Harry heard the tin whistle and wished Krum good luck as he walked out of the tent.

More minutes of growling and huffing passed and Fleur began pacing the floor worriedly.

"It ‘ ll be alright."Harry told her as the bunch quieted down and the lashings were put up."You got the easy dragon."

"Easier."She replied without looking up.

"Just think of it as a giant fire-breathing squirrel."

"‘ Ow can you be so calm !"She said to him angrily."‘ Ow can you joke about zis !"

"I joke about everything."

The whistle blew a minute later and Fleur was gone too, gone to face up the dragon. Harry got up and began pacing himself. He gripped his verge and began rehearsing what he would do again.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

What the pit ? Everything could go wrong !

Harry squeezed his eye shut as he heard the whistle sound. He couldn't do this.
*


"And the cobbler's last champion, HARRY POTTER !"The vocalization cried over the loudspeaker.

Professor McGonagall, like everyone else in the crowd, looked towards the tent. A gust of wind flapped the edges of the sail. No one came out.

"Um… Mr potter ?"

No one came.

That pitiful boy. She shook her drumhead, this had obviously been too a lot for him. The crew had begun whispering now.

"Do you wish well to go down there Albus, Or shall I ?"She turned to the headmaster, who was oddly smiling."One of us will have to find him."

"Oh I know exactly where he is."Dumbledore chuckled.

"You see it too ?"Helen Wills cackled from the row below."tinker's dam kid ‘ s got nerve I ‘ ll give him that."

"What are you talking about Allastor ? Albus ?"Minerva looked from one to the early confused.

"Barty Crouch told me that Harry was oddly well-chosen to receive the Horntail."Dumbledore smiled."I did not quite understand that until now. The horntail is the most fearsome flying dragon in the mankind, but it ‘ s seeing is quite poor."

Understanding dawned in Minerva McGonagall's psyche and she turned to scan the arena once more. After a instant she saw it. A small, human shaped lump, perfectly camouflaged against the backbone behind it, shimmering as it edged towards the dragon.
*


Harry shifted a hair closer. He had silenced his feet to get rid of his footstep but there was still the risk of something shifting or crunching. He could find out appendage of the crowd beginning to laugh now, he didn't tending. They'd know the accuracy when he snagged the egg right out from under the stomach of the matter. And besides, the more than noise they made the better.

The Horntail suddenly shifted, raising it's nose high. Harry froze in a stoop. It sniffed the air.

damn ! Harry froze. He had hoped that by keeping the confidential information in his face would get kept his smell from the savage. Apparently not, that meant he would deliver to retch a tour, which would agitate the thing and reveal his location. But it would find him anyway if he didn't. Too bad he didn't know non-verbal magic.

Harry drew his sceptre and tensed his wooden leg. The disillusion charm worked serious when you stayed still but it wasn ‘ t perfect even then. The dragon would see through it once it got a clue where to look. He would cause to affect the flash he cast or he would be crispy-fried.

Harry took a deep breath and yelled,

"Avgo Sapios !"The cloud of immature smoke gushed out of his baton and smacked the dragon on the hooter but Harry was already throwing himself sideways and rolling to a crouch on the floor.

Which was lucky because a import later the backbone where he had been standing was reduced to a white mainsheet. The dragon swept its lance of flame across the sphere, passing just invertebrate foot in front of Harry's face. Harry saw the sand steam and cool from bluish-white to red, then to a duller, glassy, destination. A scar across the state. Harry forced himself to breath again, shallowly.

He moved his school principal slowly to front at the dragon, it was shaking its forefront from position to side as if to shift the foul look that had taken up manse in its nostrils.

When Harry was sure it was looking the other way he hopped over the burnt belt and crouched down on the other incline. A gasp went up from the crowd, they must have seen him when he passed over the burnt patch.

"Don ‘ t get it agitated."Harry thought desperately as he inched closer."Just prevent quiet."

"HEY firedrake !"

Bugger.

Harry rolled to the side in panic as the dragon gouged another flaming scar across the sand. He realized belatedly that the downside of choosing to set about the dragon from downwind was that it put the Slytherin stands at his back.

"OVER Hera !"

Harry ducked as a fireball flew over his head. He risked a glance back to see it impact on a buckler. The stands seemed to quiet down a bit, perhaps realizing the amentia of attracting the attention of an tempestuous dragon.

Harry inched forward again and had to evade as it's spiked shadow whipped through the air. He could see the egg now, glimmering in among some duller single. Harry crawled silently up near the Draco side and looked up. The wall of the great reptile's eubstance gave way to the massive shading canopy of it's wing. He was right up side by side to it now. If he screwed up it would abuse on him.

Harry reached into the small gap between the storey and the shifting belly of the Horntail. His fingers curled around the favorable egg. He twisted it and brought it out horizontal, making sure not to tinge the dragon. Like that secret plan, what was it called… operation ! Except with his life on the line.

Harry held his breath as the egg finally saw the luminousness of day and swiftly stuffed it under his t-shirt so it would be camouflaged. He slid backwards slowly then froze as the dragon stood and shifted. Harry followed it's regard and saw a twelve keeper approaching.

"No !"Harry thought."They ‘ re not that stupefied ! Please NO !"

"Stupify !"

"AAaaaa !"Harry screamed and threw himself backward as the dragon collapsed right onto the ground where he had been crouching. A bit later he was driven to the level as its annex crumpled on top of him. Harry crawled out from under the leathery blanket, forced himself to tolerate on ramification that wanted to crumple like credit card straws and stumbled towards the Dragon keepers.

"What the hell…"Harry growled."Was the big theme of dropping the firedrake on me when I ‘ m still bloody under it !"

"Sorry Harry."The red-head at the front of them shrugged."You ‘ re kind of hard to see."

Harry looked down, he was still Disillusioned. Harry raised his aching arm and tapped himself on the pass with the tip of his wand.

"Khamaileon akyrono."He felt the warm dribbles down his head painfully slowly. They stopped before they even reached his venter."Oh great…"Harry sagged his half-visible body.

"Let me Potter."Harry flinched as individual tapped him from tail. He turned and looked up at the scarred face of Mad Eye Moody.

"I got it to go on in one go."Harry explained, swaying a little. He was bruised on every side and his lead arm didn ‘ t want to bend properly. He turned and saw McGonagall approaching from the stands and tried to brook a little straighter.

"Potter, are you hurt ?"She said, an edge of business concern tingeing her voice. Harry raised his odd arm."fantabulous ! You ‘ ll get more points for being uninjured."

Harry swiftly jerked his arm back down and brushed the dirt off the figurehead of his robe. Mad Eye leant down and whispered into his ear,

"Arm broke Potter ?"

"No, just hurts like hell."Harry breathed back. He eased it into his pocket, wincing slightly."Maybe fractured."

"You gon na severalise them ?"

"sin no !"
*


Harry held hard to the handrail as he walked towards the marauders. He was surrounded by cheers, hoi polloi kept slapping him on the cover ( painfully )

"That was amazing Harry !"Harry heard someone yell and waved back, smiling wanly. He managed to bring in it to the justify seat by the marauder and sat down.

"That really was awesome."Ron said from his left."I mean we couldn't even see-"

"Yes that was the point."Harry joked."Sort of the gunpoint of invisibility."

"That was really good you know Harry."Hermione said from behind him."Much better than Malfoy."

"That's a given."Harry grinned."What did he do ?"

"Made some kind of mirror out of mist."Padma shrugged as if to say ‘ no big deal ’."Made the Draco fight it ‘ s own reflection."

"Did it work ?"

"Until he got close to the eggs."Padma grinned evilly."Then it caught on and flamed him. He only just got the egg. They gave him 30 points."

"Deserved two."Ron muttered angrily.

Harry shrugged, then winced as a stab of pain injection through his arm. The crew fell silent, Harry looked up towards the justice box. Madam Maxim raised her verge, after a mo a sinuous five sprung out.

"Passive aggressive revenge bitch."Harry growled.

Next Crouch nodded thoughtfully and tapped a nine into the air.

"That ‘ s more close to awesomeness."

Next the heavyset judge Harry didn't know raised his wand with a flourish and painted an eight. A moment later Dumbledore raised an very eight.

"Better…"

Karkaroff seemed to think for a moment, then drew a three in the air.

"Blatant undisguised favoritism."Harry narrowed his middle."It ‘ s like bloody Eurovision."

"XXX three."Neville said, counting on his fingerbreadth."Is that good ?"

"It should cause been higher !"Ginny said angrily."You were the only superstar not injured !"

"Yeah…"Harry tried not to think of what mark he would give birth got if they had known about his arm.

"It must have been how long you took/"Hermione said reasonably."You were irksome than the others."

"You beat Malfoy though !"Parvarti said cheerily ( ignoring Ron as he turned on Hermione and began arguing )."And Fleur."

"Krum ?"

"Got forty."

"sodomist. I ‘ ll get him next time."Harry felt his hurt and aching arm."You see if I don ‘ t !"
*


"So let me get this straight Harry."madam Pomfrey sighed,"You beat the dragon…."

"Yes."

"Left the stadium."

"Yes"

"Then on the way back to Gryffindor tower…"

"Yes."

"You happened to fall down down a flight of stairs."

"Yes."

"Seriously Harry ?"

"That's my story."Harry grinned."I ‘ m sticking to it."



translation ( I think )

"Ce n'est pas juste. psyche devrions dire les autres concurrents !"
This is not veracious. We should tell the other competitors !

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."
cheat is piece of the dominion. It always has been.

"Non ! Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes morales et mon école."
No ! You force me to prefer between my morals and my school

"Puits que tu connais main tenant. Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."
Well you know now. You will not worry about it. You must conceive of the dragon.

"Tu as une stratégie ? Tu pouvais le distraire. Tu-"
You have a scheme ? You could deflect it. You

"Non ! Je ferai le repos moi-même."
Not ! I will do the rest myself.

"Comme tu souhaites."
As you wish.

"Tu es un idiot et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première prospect que tu obtiens."
You are an idiot and you are a hypocrite. You accuse Hogwarts of fraud but you cheat the very 1st probability that you get.



The Pavlov thing is working ! More review article please !


I do n't own Harry thrower. Neither do you. Unless you 're J K Rowling, which is unlikely.



"Shut that flaming affair off Harry !"Ron yelled over the screaming.

"Alright, alright."Harry snapped the egg shut and the inhuman screeching ceased as it always did."Just trying to go the matter out."

"well can you not do it in our bedroom."Ron grumped, rolling out of bed. Harry chuckled and replaced the egg on his nightstand."Have you at least found out something ?"

"There ‘ s nothing to find."Harry shook his brain irritably."I've run every spotting I know on it, there ‘ s no release or countersign, nothing else magical on it at all. The scream isn ‘ t cover version for something or a defence force. The thigh-slapper is the message, I just have to decode it somehow. Unless the whole matter's a braincrank."

"A conjuring trick ?"Neville translated, sitting up in bed."You think it really could be ?"

"Doubt it. Too elaborate."Harry shrugged."shot I just have to do more than things to it."

"Tried kicking it ?"Ron suggested.

"‘ Course, that was the first matter I tried."

"Maybe that ‘ s why you can ‘ t receive anything now."Neville said, frowning."You broke it."

"Doubt it,"Harry sighed."I have written report that cold screams have been heard from the boat the carriage and the Slytherin dungeon as well. I ‘ m not the sole one stumped."

"That ‘ s something."Neville said encouragingly."You ‘ ll study it out eventually."

"Maybe…"Harry wasn't so certain. He had needed a Hogwarts founding father to help him puzzle out his stopping point puzzler. He dismissed it from his thoughts for another morning."You think the little girl are waiting for us at breakfast ?"

"Probably."Ron groaned, and stomped off towards the bathroom.
*


Eventually the three of them managed to get down to breakfast. Just in clip for the mail run. Harry caught power shovel on his wrist and was feeding him a piece of Roger Bacon when he was surprised by a varsity letter falling into his lap.

"You got a letter ?"Hermione leant over curiously."Who ‘ s it from ?"

"I don ‘ t know…"Harry began but his eyes narrowed as he recognized the dose super acid ink."But I suspect."

He tore open the letter and record the blanch lettering.

To The-Boy-Who-Thinks-He's-Won

well we'll see about that Harry. Don't think that just because I had to print a retraction you've won. Don't think that for a instant. I have been very meddlesome digging up dirt on you and your beau champion and you won't like what I've found. You will rue insulting me Harry Potter, I can eat up you ! And I will, you just watch out !

best Rita Skeeter.

Harry tore the letter up and sighed.

"Rita Skeeter."He answered."She ‘ s going to have a lot of trouble for me I can tell."

"I seriously doubt that."Padma commented dryly from over the top of the Prophet.

"Why ?"

"She ‘ s dead."

"What ! ?"

Padma offered him the newspaper and Harry grabbed it hurriedly. The obituary was quite large and, befitting the woman it was about, full of exaggerations. Once Harry had scanned it once or twice he had gleaned the existent information out of it. Apparently she had been found in her family by her political boss after not showing up for work on Monday. The Aurors had been called in, official cause of death…

"Heart tone-beginning ?"Harry said incredulously, Padma nodded."That ‘ s bull ! She was… I don ‘ t know… maybe xxx five years old."

"She had a very stressful job."Padma shrugged.

"Or maybe it was karma."Ron said through a taste of toast. Hermione looked charge between being disgust at his manners and impressed that he knew what karma was.

"I think it ‘ s good riddance."Ginny cut in emphatically.

"I think it ‘ s fishy."Harry folded the report and handed it back."God knows the womanhood must accept made enough enemies."

"Maybe it was one of you ‘ re fan club."Ginny joked.

"My fan nine doesn ‘ t have a warring wing."Harry paused."That I know of…"

"Could be useful."

"True, my own army…"Harry grinned."I could rule the Earth !"

"Maybe,"Hermione rolled her eyes."But after transfiguration."
*


Harry decided to actually work that lesson. It was something he did occasionally, just to throw his teachers off the scent. They were still working on the tortoise to orb and most of the class could do it now. Harry's orb still had a bit of a hexagon rule but it wasn't bad.

"Mr Potter."McGonagall said suddenly.

"Yes Professor ?"Harry said, confused. He hadn't done anything lately she would be interested in."What is it ?"

"I was simply going to ask if you had acquired a cooperator yet. Since you are opening you will be representing the schooling. Try to speculate well on us."

"cooperator ? Opening ? Representing ?"Harry's hilltop furrowed in confusion."What are you talking about ?"

"The Yule Ball Potter."McGonagall said simply. Most of the class was watching now."As champion you will be opening."

"You mean… Dancing ?"Harry cringed.

"Yes."

"Alone ?"

"With a partner."McGonagall replied in exasperation.

"In front man of the school ?"Harry felt his stomach swoop.

"Yes."

"I think I ‘ ll pass."

"Potter you are the… one of the Hogwarts champions. You must open the dance and you must accept a partner."

"What ? You gon na tie me up and force me to dance ?"

"We have ways."McGonagall said, her eyes narrowing.

"I ‘ ll just turn up without a partner."Harry countered.

"In that font I will accompany you Mr Potter."

"You do that…"Harry crossed his arms."And I will go to the ball naked."

The classroom outburst out laughing.

"As will I."

The elbow room became deathly silent. Harry nodded slowly.

"Touché, nicely argued."He complemented."And I ‘ ll have a cooperator by the end of the day."
*


Harry wandered down the to the lower floors of Hogwarts that evening and found the kitchens corridor. Glancing around for a moment he approached the still-life.

"Stoic."Harry said, and the painting dissolved into the air. Harry stepped in and spoke the password again to close the hepatic portal vein. He stepped into the Hufflepuff commons room. It looked different than he remembered, probably the lack of snakes… and fire. Several people started looking at him, then more, then every eye in the property turned to him as he strolled across the root cellar. He did the instinctive thing. He ignored them.

He walked calmly over to the set of lounge where the Susan Bones was sitting.

"Hey Susan."He smiled in greeting.

"Hi. Um…"She scratched her psyche."How did you get in here ?"

"Password."

"But how did you know the password."

"I know all the passwords."Harry shrugged."Slytherin's is privilege. Ravenclaw ‘ s is… complicated. The prefect john ‘ s still pine fresh and Dumbledore ‘ s spot is Chocoballs… for some reason."

"But… How ?"Susan asked aghast. Harry realized that nigh of the common room was listening.

"You were a chosen."Harry winked."Not a predator. Don ‘ t expect me to reveal all my secrets."

The room sighed and Harry felt eyes incite away from him.

"So… why are you down here ?"Susan asked."Are we under plan of attack by snakes again ?"

"Not that I know of."Harry glanced under the board."Nope, nothing."

"So what are you here for ?"

"What ? I can ‘ t just visit ?"Harry grinned.

"Hufflepuff or me ?"

"Currently… you."Harry grinned again."There ‘ s this dance… thing… at Christmas."

"The Yule Ball."Susan's eyes widened.

"Yeah that."Harry shrugged."Apparently I need a better half on account of being some kind of champion case thing."

"Are you asking me ?"

"Do I need to be more obvious ?"

"Yes."

"Yes I ‘ m asking you."

"Then…"Susan swallowed nervously."…yes ?"

"Was that a question ?"Harry sniped, smiling..

"Fine. Yes I ‘ ll go with you."

"chapiter. That ‘ s great."Harry grinned."But I should go now. citizenry are staring at me."

"fountainhead you are a celebrity."

"It ‘ s a gist I have to bear."
*


In the next few week Harry was extremely happy he had got it out of the way earlier. In the next few calendar week a authentic craze of ball fever swept Hogwarts. girl huddling in corners, whispering. Discussion of apparel gown. Identical tone of fear and dread and cold, sick, restiveness on the face of every boy. Harry was glad to be well out of it.

Course he would be gladder if everyone else had got the memo…

"Leave me alone !"Harry slid into a secret passage and bounded along the short passage."I ‘ m taken !"He could still hear pounding invertebrate foot and giggling behind him. He shot out from behind a tapestry ( startling a group of bookman ) and cracked open another passageway behind a house painting. He closed it behind him and lean against the wall, breathing heavily, as the following missy ran past. As the speech sound faded into the space he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You too yes ?"Harry spun around but relaxed as he saw Viktor Krum sitting crossbreed legged on the floor in the passageway. He had a set of Word spread out in front of him. The Bulgarian shrugged and continued."You vill get used to it. Or you vill go quicker at running."

"And you ‘ re used to it ?"Harry grinned and sat down opposite the Durmstrum champ."Then why are you hiding in a passageway."

"It is only vay to get a bit of peace."Krum flicked a Sir Frederick Handley Page and continued reading material. After a moment he glanced up."You did well vith the Horntail."

"Not as soundly as you. Thirty three points."

"You should not have… irritated… the she-giant."A smile flickered onto Krum's face.

"Possibly not."Harry conceded."You worked out the egg yet."

"Perhaps."Krum replied, revealing nothing."Have you ?"

"Perhaps."Harry grinned."I worked out that kicking it doesn ‘ t work."

"First thing I tried."

"Me too."Harry walked back up to the door and listened, it sounded pretty quietly."How recollective you intending to stay put in here."

"I don ‘ t know. Vhen is your Noel ballock ?"Krum shook his pass and sighed."I should ask individual. Pick someone that has not been asked yet. Perhaps that will make them discontinue foll-"

"It doesn ‘ t."Harry interrupted."confidence me."

"Oh…"Krum shook his head."Then I will deliver to enquiry some better locking charms for my cabin."

"Try these."Harry pulled beyond allohamora out of his bag ( it sometimes helped to cause a bag in which he could carry everything he owned )."It mostly deals with unlocking but it ‘ s got some quality stuff in there."

"Thank you."Krum nodded solemnly and looked back down at his record. Harry checked the ingress once more then left carefully.

"What is it about me ?"Harry wondered idly."That lets me get on with the adept but royally pisses off the jurist ?"
*


"tinker's damn it !"Harry dropped the egg back to the surface of the vulture table. The inky-black pitch-black goo he had smeared on its airfoil had revealed nix."Doesn ‘ t work either. It was supposed to disclose confidential messages."

"That thing doesn ‘ t have a secret message."Ron groaned on the other slope of the table."It has one message. And we ‘ ve all heard it lots of sentence, like at the crack of dawn."

"eighter is not the cranny of dawn."Harry sighed and rested his head on his hand."And I don ‘ t see you doing much better."

"It was working before you got here."Ron complained, prodding at the crystal ball in front of him."Maybe the egg did some thing to it !"

"Or maybe you ‘ ve got it upside down."Parvati commented from the other position of the tabular array. Ron groaned and scrunched up his bit of parchment.

Harry would have made a snide comment but he didn't think he had the energy. The egg was eating at him.

"Ron…"Parvati continued."You really need to do it soon."

"Do what ?"

"Ask someone."She shook her top dog."You really ask to do it soon or she ‘ ll be… I mean all the salutary daughter ‘ ll be taken."Parvati amended quickly with a heartbeat at Harry.

Ron ( unmindful ) squirmed uncomfortably.

"It ‘ s not that easy."Ron shrugged."I ‘ m not Harry, I can ‘ t just cuckold into individual's common room and ask someone."

"But you-"Parvati began but Harry interrupted her.

"hold wait delay. Did I just hear a marauder express… self… doubt… ?"Harry shied away in revulsion."No no no no no ! This will not do !"

"But-"

"No buts !"Harry cut him off."You are a piranha, that means you are at least six billion prison term better than anyone else. You will go out and ask Herm… the girl you want to go with. Right now ! Or I will hollo in a personal favor from Viktor Krum and have him ask her first !"

"You don't even know who I ‘ m-"

"Legillimacy."Harry lied.

"That ‘ s illegal."

"Since when have I cared ? Ask her."

"That's cruel."

"Ditto. Ask her."

"Harry-"

"She ‘ ll say yes."Harry grinned."Trust me."

"Are you sure ?"Ron looked almost convinced.

"Yes."Harry looked to Parvati for backup and she nodded emphatically."Definitely yes."

Ron nervously folded his oeuvre unto his bag and left the park room. Harry checked the clock on the wall.

"Phoebe thirty so Hermione will be coming back from the library… Give ‘ em ten minutes."Harry and Annapurna shared a smile and went back to their various work.

Ron was in fact back in less than five minutes.

"She said yes !"He was blushing tomato red but grinning.

"Congratulations."Harry shrugged."surprise you found her so quick."

"She was in the great hall. Lavender ‘ s usually down to dinner early."

"La… Lavender…"Harry froze. Across from him he say Parvarti's face twist into a face of shock and surprise."Lavender Brown ?"

"Yes ?"Ron's brow furrowed."Are there any former Lavenders in the school ?"

"Um… yes… in… fifth part year… Slytherin. Just making sure you weren't asking her."Harry lied quickly."You know, letting the team down and such."

"I ‘ d never ask a Slytherin."Ron laughed."That would just be stupid."Ron laughed again and headed up the staircase to the boys bedroom.

"Yeah, that would be stupid."Parvati said acidly, sounding for a moment like her sister.

"You also thought he ‘ d ask…"

"Hermione."

"Yep. Thought it was obvious."Harry shrugged."Oh well."

"Oh well ! ?"Parvati repeated indignantly with her hands on her hip joint ( Harry braced for shouting )."What do you mean Oh well !"

"We were wrong."Harry said simply."It happens. It ‘ s all alright."

"It ‘ s not alright !"She shook her head."He ‘ s going with the wrong person !"

"He ‘ s going with the somebody he asked."Harry pointed out."That ‘ s not the good mortal ?"

"No."

"Well tough."Harry waved the trouble away."Nothing to be done now."

"Unless…"Parvati grinned maliciously, or tried to anyway. It didn't really work on her."We do something about it."

"Oh no…"Harry buried is grimace in his hands.

"We need to lay down sure Ron and Hermione go together."

"Do we sustain to ?"

"Yes."

"If they find out they ‘ ll putting to death us."Harry pointed out."You know that right ?"

"How come when you want to do something insane you rope the rest of us in but when I want to you just complain ?"

"Oh I didn ‘ t say I wouldn ‘ t do it."Harry grinned evilly ( doing a far near job of it )."I ‘ m just saying we have to be careful."

"Yay !"Anapurna ran around the table and hugged Harry."I knew you ‘ d fold !"

"Get. Off. Me !"Harry disentangled himself from his friend."Do you have a plan ?"

"Well…"Anapurna tapped her Kuki thoughtfully."Lavender's essentially a limpet."

"Nice."

"Thank you. I figure we can sway her to let go of Ron if we dangle something else in front of her face."

"Like what ? Or who ?"

"Michel street corner I think."Parvati nodded."She ‘ s liked him for ages."

"Does he like her ?"

"He will once I ‘ m thru talking him into it."

"I like this new malicious side of you."Harry nodded approvingly."Do I have any role in this little risky venture or do I just sit here nodding ?"

"You need to keep anyone from asking Hermione until Ron does."

"Gotcha !"Harry saluted."drive of intimidation and menace coming right up !"

"Subtly Harry ! She can ‘ t know !"

"Who do you withdraw me for ?"

"Sorry."Parvati smiled."Oh, and you ‘ ll pauperization to talk to Neville too."

"Um… why ?"Harry asked, confused."Is he gon na ask Hermione ?"

"No silly. You need to convince him to ask Padma."

"I thought this was about Ron and Hermione ?"

"I ‘ m expanding the scope."Parvati shrugged."He won ‘ t need much prodding. He already likes her."

"Energy she… ?"

"Of course."Parvati said patronizingly."You haven't noticed ?"

"And Ginny ?"Harry said wearily."Got a plan for her too ?"

"She ‘ s too young."

"Not if we find her a date."Harry pointed out.

"No I mean too young to date."Parvati said primly."We have to protect our footling sister ‘ s naturalness for as long as possible. She ‘ s not a role of this."

"I wish I wasn ‘ t a part of thi-"

"Harry !"
*


Operation shamelessly-manipulate-our-best-friends was at least good for one thing, it distracted Harry from the bloody egg.

It was just a few Day before the Yule ball and the program was… well it was working but that wasn't the point. It was working a short too well.

Lavender had been successfully unstuck from Ron and re-adhered to Michel Corner. Once Ron came out of his moping form Harry was convinced he could nudge him towards the rightfield fille. The subtle bullying was harder but legilimacy helped to key out potential difference terror very effectively. Once they were picked out Harry was able to get the boys alone to explain some ‘ home truths ’. Like how she was already dating a older boy she met on holiday. Big bloke, huge muscles.

"This had better bloody workplace Parvati."Harry muttered to his co-conspirator one day on the way back from creature."‘ Cos if he doesn't ask her no one will now. I've had to progress Hermione ‘ s imaginary number fellow up into some kind of vengeful window pane to stop people asking her."

"What ‘ s the in vogue story ?"Parvati asked, interested.

"He ‘ s from Espana. The Academia Atsingani."Harry shrugged."He ‘ s an unpaid whiz bullfighter. Owns his own sword and shotgun."

"Wizard toreador ? With a shotgun ?"

"It doesn ‘ t have to be probable it just has to be scary."

"fountainhead he ‘ s going to bear to schmooze his lady friend back."Parvarti said knowingly."Because Ron will ask her. Believe me."

"Bet ?"

"Galleon."

"Done."Harry sighed."At to the lowest degree this way I can make something back out of this mess."

"It ‘ ll all work out."Anapurna grinned."trust me."

"Don ‘ t say that."Harry shook his brain."I know I say it… but don ‘ t."

"You can ‘ t complain…"But Parvati trailed off as they all began hearing a audio in the aloofness."What ‘ s that ?"

Harry perked his ear up. A few paces in front line of them the eternal rest of the marauder stopped too. It sounded like a completely punch of people yelling and moving, but behind that there was a low rumbling and…

"Singing ?"Harry said incredulously.

"More like chanting."Parvati disagreed.

"It sounds like chorale singing."Hermione said from in social movement of them.

"It ‘ s coming from out front."Harry hurried forward."Army of the Pure go !"

As one they rushed forward. As they neared the doors former students began to join them, instructor too. As they ran out onto the grass in battlefront of the school Harry realized that the hale schooling was already out there, yelling and pointing. Harry saw Dumbledore gazing up into the sky, a expression of wonder on his boldness. The other schooling heads flanked him, just as awed.

In the sky above Hogwarts floated a miracle of ashen marble. Columns, delicate as looking glass, flew up from a shining base and met a gilded point above. Delicate traces of mirror-like silver snaked and shimmered over the surface, sending out rays of rainbows as it turned in the sunlight. The all thing looked like some gigantic lechatelierite, floating on Caucasian mist and breathing out beautiful medicine as it sank lower and glower and finally settled to the terra firma on the pasturage just inside the school gates.

Harry started forward but was brought up light as Dumbledore held up an arm. The school watched in rapt silence as a emanation emerged from the floating palace. White-robed fair sex walked incline by English, carrying flaring magical torches. They split apart a little as they left it as if to pee a way of life for someone in the middle. As they grew faithful Harry saw that there was a frame in the center, smaller than the other appareled figures but wearing a peak of laurel leaves.

Harry yelled in felicity and dashed out from the crew, ignoring Dumbledore's cries of objection, and rushed towards the physical body. Laughing, he ducked past the line of jump women and enveloped the center one into a colossus hug.

"Why didn ‘ t you tell me you were coming ?"Harry laughed, releasing her and looking up into her pale, ethereal face.

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you."Pythea said with a affectionate smile."It ‘ s good to see you Harry."
*


"Mr Potter !"Harry heard someone yell from behind him. He spun around and saw formula ranging from electrical shock, confusion and anger. Most of the Beauxbatons scholar were down on one genu and the single from Durmstrang had their heads bowed in respect. His fella Hogwarts students seemed more dismayed than anything else, Dumbledore had his custody to his oral cavity with his centre all-encompassing in cushion. McGonnagall was almost vibrating in anger.

Turning further he saw something even more unnerving. Across the integral bound of the timber the centaurs had gathered, the entire herd. Every one of them was down on their knees with their hands clasped over their hearts.

Harry turned back around to face the schooling, no-one had moved.

"Why are they staring ?"Harry whispered at Pythea."And why are centaurs kowtowing to you ?"

"Harry,"Pythea smiled."They are staring because hoi polloi do not usually hug the Delphic oracle or direct her with familiarity."

"And the centaurs ?"

"They regard me as a demigod."

"Oh…"Harry gulped."…and I thought I was famous."

"You are famous Harry."The seer said, a strange note in her voice."But I am something else."She moved forward and Harry was forced to travel along. They stopped in movement of Dumbledore, Harry almost laughed when he saw that the Headmaster still had his hand to his mouth.

"prof Dumbledore."Pythea greeted the old man."It is a pleasure to finally suffer you."

"The pleasure is mine."Dumbledore seemed to convalesce himself and flex down to snog the prophet's hand."I see you have… already met one of our school champions."

"Harry and I met age ago and we have had correspondence since."Pythea looked up and around at the towering castle in front of her."Hogwarts is as beautiful as I have heard it described."

"Thank you,"Dumbledore waved towards the great vaulted doorway of Hogwarts and a path opened in the pupil body."As soon as your palace appeared in the sky I had the house elves groom a rooms of guest suite for you and your handmaidens."

"Thank you."Pythea reached out and linked arms with a startled Harry."Harry can evince me up to the Edgar Albert Guest quarters."

"Mr thrower does not know the passwords."

"Headmaster,"Pythea shook her drumhead, smiling."You obviously don ‘ t know Harry as well as I do."

Harry covered his back talk with his deal to conceal giggles as he walked the oracle of Delphi between the words of students and up to the doors of Hogwarts.

Harry tried not to listen to the whisper happening all around him, he could deal with that in the morning.

"How long are you staying ?"Harry asked Pythea as he led her towards the guest quarters.

"Till after the second task."She answered."But I fear a lot of that will be taken up with subroutine down in London. No visit by mortal like the myself can be entirely for leisure. You could say the tournament provides an apology for government. Many body politic instance were invited by your governance, when I heard you were competing I decided to take them up on it."

"Didn ‘ t you already know I would be competing ?"Harry teased."And whether I ‘ ll win ?"

"You put too a lot religious belief in oracles."

"I have no religion in oracles. I have a smashing mess of faith in you."

"That is cherubic of you Harry."Pythea said in surprise."And surprisingly open."

"Well get used to it."Harry checked behind him, the handmaidens were following a ripe aloofness behind. Harry continued in a whisper."You saved my life, from something had no right to survive. Even more, if I got the message straight, you risked your billet at the synagogue too. And the sole way I could thank you was through vaguely worded letters."

"I got the message Harry."Pythea smiled down at him.

"commodity, but I ‘ ll say it again in person."Harry slowed as they approached the invitee wing."Thank you for saving my sprightliness Thea."

"You are most welcome."The prophet came to a closure outside the door."And I would do it again."

"I hope it won't be necessary."Harry turned to the doorway."Bellevue."

The door creaked open up to disclose an refined sitting room with many doorway leading off it. Every piece of piece of furniture sparkled with polish and a vase of wise efflorescence sat on the center of the small table.

"The elves don ‘ t skimp do they ?"Harry chuckled. He pointed to the suite along the rachis wall."sleeping room are along there. All of them en-suite of course."

"You ‘ ve been here before ?"Pythea chuckled."Were you meant to be ?"Harry grinned and ignored her.

"If you need anything call up the house elves. Alternatively if you need anything the marauder can provide call me. Now, for the most important thing…"Harry straightened up and put on a life-threatening air."Do you want us to try and distract Professor Trelawny or simply drug her for the duration of your visit."
*


Harry looked at himself in the mirror and sighed, it was no good. It wasn't that he thought he looked skillful or didn't. It was more that he didn't really have a concept of what he was supposed to look like. Everyone else seemed to guide the dress robes and everything as a necessary excitation. Harry on the former hand had almost no vox populi on them having never heard of them before reading his letter of the alphabet this class. Were they supposed to be this smashed ? Or flare out at the bottom like that ? And what about his hair ? Harry had always just let his hair do its own affair, cutting it back only when it began impairing his vision but now everyone else seemed to have got acquired some level of personal grooming acquisition that he had somehow skipped.

He gave it up as a lost effort, allowing it to fall as it wanted to. He shrugged, what did it subject ? He'd got a date so the grueling part was done.

Except for the dancing.

"Yes, except for the dancing."Harry though and grimaced."Thank you very much for reminding me Mr Evil-half-of-my-brain."

No problem.

"I don't see why I ‘ m even doing this."Ron muttered beside him."I don ‘ t have a date."

"Find one."Harry answered distractedly. ( other people had ties, was he meant to ingest a tie ? )"It ‘ s not too late."

"Harry, the dance is in…"Ron checked his watch."… LE than an hour."

"So you ‘ d expert get to it then."Harry said flippantly, then asked."Am I meant to bear a tie ?"

"Harry, your dress robe don't have a collar."

"You need a collar to wear a tie ?"

Ron rolled his centre. Harry shrugged and left the lavatory. In the common room the other marauders were already waiting, Padma and Neville standing a little way off. Neville looked anxious, but then Neville always looked nervous. Harry waved Parvati to one position,

"On the subtraction slope we ruined our friends night and made them miserable."Harry growled angrily."On the plus slope you owe me a galleon."

"Still prison term Harry."Parvati smiled chirpily."trustfulness me."

"Don ‘ t say that. barricade saying that. I promise never to say it again if you stop saying it now."

"Shut up and look."Parvati hissed.

Harry looked where she was pointing. Hermione was sitting on one of the lounge indication, she hadn't even changed into clothes robes which Harry assumed was a bad sign.

"I ‘ m looking but…"

"looking again."

Harry followed her gaze again and saw that Ron had emerged from the toilet. He then followed Ron's to the sofa were Hermione was sitting. Harry's jaw dropped. He watched as Ron hesitantly walked up to place upright in front of Hermione. Her forefront came up and she said something, across the crowd coarse elbow room Harry couldn't hear but it looked like ‘ what ? ’. Ron scratched his head and mumbled something. Hermione put her hand up to her ear. Ron leant down and talk into her ear, his face bright red. Then, to Harry's heart-attack-inducing surprisal, Hermione blushed as red as the boy standing in front of her.

"No way…"Harry chuckled as Hermione flipped her book closed and hurried towards the missy dormitory. He looked back towards Parvati, who was wearing an expression of total smugness.

"I ‘ ll take that galleon off you any prison term Harry."

"You are the fagot of the manipulative harpy-vultures you know that ?"Harry said, flipping a galleon at his friend.

"From you Harry I take that as a complement."Parvati snagged the coin and moved to follow Hermione. Harry saw that Padma and Ginny had both already gone up after her.

"Probably pulling off some sort of finis minute Cinderella miracle."Harry shrugged and moved over to where Ron and Neville were standing.

"Harry, did you see that ! I-"

"I saw Ron,"Harry rolled his middle and checked his watch."It only took you four bloody years."

"Hey !"Ron looked petulant and Harry laughed.

"Listen, they ‘ ll prob ‘ ly be a while."Harry jerked a thumb back at the girls room."And I need to open the dance. I ‘ ll meet up with you later Ok ?"

Ron nodded and Neville chirruped.

"Ok."The footling unquiet boy then nodded towards their red-headed Quaker and whispered."And I ‘ ll try to keep him from screwing matter up."

"You ‘ re a marauder Neville…"Harry shook his chief."You ‘ re not god."
*


Harry took a cryptic breath and walked down the footfall into the entrance mansion house. There were a few early Hogwarts boy already waiting down there, huddled in nervous chemical group waiting for their dates. Harry waved to a few of them and settled down to look, leant against pillar.

"What is that your wearing ceramicist ?"

Harry rolled his eyes then realized that the force was ruined by having them closed. He opened them to see Malfoy standing in front of him wearing jet blackness robe and with Viola tricolor hortensis Parkinson on his arm.

"Just for one night Malfoy…"Harry sighed."…leave off. Just try to be almost human for once."

"Fine."The Slytherin's eye's narrowed."I ‘ ll delay away from you if you extend me the same courtesy."

"I ‘ ll be out of your whisker as soon as Susan gets here."Harry glanced at the footfall down to the kitchen but no one was coming.

"Susan Bones ?"Malfoy queried, he almost sounded actually curious.

"Yes, why."

"Just felicitous to see you ‘ ve asked a decent pure blood girl."Malfoy drew himself up."Just because your stock is tainted doesn ‘ t mean the ceramicist line has to go entirely to the dogs."

"Ok, three things…"Harry held up three fingers."One : Screw you !"

"Potter-"

"Two,"Harry interrupted him."I asked her to a ball. That does not mean I intend to continue any line with her in the near time to come. If nothing else we ‘ re bloody XIV ! There are Laws against that sort of thing."

"I ‘ ll give you that one."

"And three : …"Harry grinned."I didn ‘ t ask her because she ‘ s pure blood."

"Why did you ask her ?"Malfoy sniped acidly."Her early assets ?"

"I reserve the right hand to not impeach myself."Harry cracked."By the way, does your date speak or does she just hang there like seaweed ?"Harry grinned at the indignant expression on Malfoy's face.

"fountainhead this has been lovely."Harry continued as he kicked himself off his pillar."We really should do this again."He brushed past the furious pair and walked up to the figure that had appeared up the stairs.

"Hi Susan."Harry greeted his date, biting his lip. She was wearing something blue and flowing, robe or dress or something he couldn't really put a name on just now. His eyes traveled down then back up again swiftly."You look amazing."

"Thank you Harry."Susan reached out and took his proffer hand."You look hansom as well. Your dress robe are really… unusual."

Harry caught the entailment and looked down. His robe was deep red cloth that came out over his legs like steady gown but were buttoned in tight around his torso by two wide rows of button. It's long sleeve hugged his arms tightly but opened out right at the cuff to reveal the lighter lining. Plus, as Ron had noted, it ended at his neck with just a ticket stub of a collar.

"I bought them in Switzerland."Harry shrugged."must be a unlike manner than here in Britain. Oh well…"

"No it ‘ s nice."Susan said reassuringly."I saw some of the Beauxbatton boys wearing robes like that."

Harry shrugged, cloak weren't of any exceptional headache to him. The shop class he had bought them in had had C of robe in huge rank. He had chosen these for two reasons. One, they didn't have all the lacing and trim and exuberant embroidery that most of the others had had and two ( and Harry cringed to admit this to himself ) they had looked like they would be easy to fight or run in if anything happened.

"Ready to open the dance."Harry asked, knowing that he himself wasn't.

"I think I ‘ ll do ok. My mother gave me object lesson once."

"Lucky."Harry smiled ruefully. A bit later McGonagall appeared, as if from nowhere.

"wellspring get to it."She snapped quickly."The early champions are already lining up to enter the hall."

Here we go. Harry gulped as they got into position.

"Nervous Potter ?"

"Just don ‘ t trip over your seaweed and fall on me Malfoy."Harry's machine rifle wit circuits responded for him while the respite of his nous shivered with nervousness.

"And… go."McGonagall's vocalization rang out and the doors to the great hall opened slowly, revealing an winter wonderland decorated with sparkling Snow and ice carving. Harry just hoped it wouldn ‘ t make the storey slippery. He took Susan's hand and stepped forward purposely.

The hall was full of couples but a space was clear in the shopping centre. A very declamatory blank space, that everyone was staring at.

"Oh great."Harry sighed as the music started up.

Harry let his brain heading back to the ten minutes of very fierce dancing moral that Anapurna had given him yesterday. After he had broken down and begged.

"One two three one two three…"Harry counted off the beats in his head and tried not to step on his partners shoes. He found that so long as he kept to a very restrictive and repetitive number it actually wasn't too bad."One two three…"

"This is so romantic."Susan murmured."Like a fairytale."

"Yes it is, one two three."Damn ! I can't talk and count at the Saami time. Why didn't I ask a mute seaweed girl ?

"Do you think we could get them to have a globe every class ?"

"Probably one two not three."

"They might if enough of us asked them too."

"I don ‘ t one two think so. one two thr… darn !"Harry almost fouled up his footwork and let himself breath. He stopped counting, hopefully by now his metrical unit could bring out the rhythm on their own."If they did the pupil would never derive rest home for Yule and then their parents would complain."

"I guess."Susan leant in and rested her head on Harry's articulatio humeri. Harry chuckled as he was reminded again of their relative height."I guess I ‘ ll just have to bask this one."

"Enjoying it so far ?"Harry drew her in closer.

"Yes."Susan smiled cheekily."You ?"

"Yes."Harry answered, and found that he meant it. The dancing wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought it would be. The euphony stopped and Harry realized that he had survived the only dance that was required of him that evening. He glanced back at the blond Hufflepuff in front of him and grinned."Stay in for the next one ?"
*


Six dances later and Harry felt like he was almost getting comfortable with it when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked around to see one of the Durmstrum scholarly person that he didn't know.

"May I cut in ?"The boy said, with very little accent. Harry glance at Susan, who nodded. She seemed to make love the guy somehow. Harry stepped aside and the two of them moved off, Susan giving him a picayune wave as they went.

Harry walked off the dance storey, snagged a chalk of something off a tray and moved to somewhere where he could see the total floor. It was time to check up on things. Harry chuckled and sipped the whatever-it-was as his centre scanned the hall.

He found Parvati first, who seemed to be choosing which of a several male child who were all clustered around her to conduce out over the dancing floor following. She caught his eye, smiled and subtly pointed to her right.

Harry followed her gaze and found Ron and Hermione sitting by one of the huge tabular array full phase of the moon of food. Ron at to the lowest degree seemed to be talking between turn of eating and he'd spotted them out on the dance trading floor earlier so that was probably OK. Hermione looked happy at any rate.

He couldn't find Neville and Padma anywhere but Ginny seemed to be happily talking with some Ravenclaw or former. Harry shrugged and took another sip of what he suspected was champagne charmed to be non-alcoholic. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Except that he now didn't have a terpsichore partner. He searched around for a familiar face and found one before walking over.

"young woman Delacour."He held his hand out to the seated Beauxbattons sensation."Would you handle to embarrass me by dancing ten multiplication better than I ever could ?"

The French girl smiled and took his hand.

"But of courze."She stood and he led her out onto the dance floor.

Harry settled into the speech rhythm of the new call and got used to dancing with somebody taller than him. Since he was at least a foot shorter than her that put his centre right about stage with her-

"So…"Harry interrupted his own mental monologue."Enjoying the dance so far ? Not been bothered by too many pushful student ?"

"I know how to manage with zem."Fleur replied haughtily, but Harry detected a shadow of wittiness in her response."The only problem was our lad champion."

"I ‘ m guessing we ‘ re not talking about Viktor."Harry said and she shook her heading."By the way we can verbalise in French if you want."

"My English iz advantageously than your Daniel Chester French I think."Fleur replied pointedly.

"Probably."Harry shrugged."Would you like me to try and keep Malfoy away from you for the rest of the globe ?"

"Non, I can allot with him."Fleur laughed, the movement was very interesting for Harry in his flow locating and he tried to break off the blush spreading to his cheeks.

The vocal ended and Harry stepped back. Fleur curtsied politely and Harry bowed as he'd seen the French boys doing after they finished their dances. He caught Fleur looking over his shoulder and followed her gaze to see a pair of 7th eld moving off the dance floor.

"Iz he taken ?"Fleur asked with a smile.

"Not anymore."Harry winked and turned to ask the boys partner for a dance.

She turned out to be giggly and talkative so Harry let her babble on for the duration of the dancing before moving off gratefully and sitting on one of the work bench by the food. He nabbed a couple of the remaining tidbits and lay back relaxed. He had been on his animal foot since the offset of the orb and it felt trade good just to remove a few import to himself.

"So…"

Knew it was too honest to be true.

"… you are champion with the Pythea ?"

Harry glanced to his left and saw Igor Karkaroff sitting next to him, an intent expression on his face.

"We know each other."Harry said warily giving nothing away.

"Of course a man of your standing probably knows many people in high school places."

"Standing."Harry didn't make it a interrogative but the master answered anyway.

"As the boy-who-lived."

"Oh that."Harry nodded."Yes that's me."

"I think that we perhaps got off on the improper foot."Karkaroff said in a simpering manner.

"Do you now."Harry tried to find an departure from the conversation but couldn't think of one.

"I would care for you to mean of me as a friend."

"Stop two'ing me then."

"I could… hand you mellow marks."Karkaroff said slyly.

"Oh ! No no !"Harry said quickly, realizing what his flippant comment could have been interpreted as."Just stop being unfairly harsh."

"Of course."Once again the simpering tone."And perhaps we could… do something… together."

Harry sighed.

"Perhaps during the school Holliday you could travel to Dumstrum."

"This holiday I ‘ m going to… Kenya."Harry said a country at random.

"I could care for you to a wizard concert at one of the grand dorm in Europe."

"Can't, allergies. All the debris and stuff."

"Or… we could…"Karkaroff seemed to be casting around for another bodily function."Take the Durmstrum ship and go fishing, as friends."

"Are you trying to ask me out ?"Harry said tersely, tired of the conversation."I ‘ m flattered but you ‘ re too old for me."

"I just want you to finger comfortable asking me for favors."Karkaroff said expansively."That is what friends do… assistance each former. Introduce each other to other friends…"

Harry groaned inwardly.

"That sort of thing."Karkaroff finished with a fake smile."Whatever you need. What 's mine is yours."

I'd rather gouge my centre out with a rusty-

"Thank you."Harry nodded."I ‘ ll think about it. But for now I ‘ ve just remembered I promised someone a dance."

Harry stood quickly and whistled softly. A second later a glowing figure drifted up through the floor.

"You remembered !"Vinca minor cried happily.

"Of course I did."Harry reached out and took her icy hand."Didn ‘ t think I ‘ d forget about you did you."

Harry led the wraith out onto the dance level, away from the startled Headmaster.
*


Harry gave Ginny up to a Beauxbatons pupil and sat back down on a bench. Now he had danced with all the distaff marauders. Parvati had spent most of the time crowing that all her prognostication had come true, Padma was very curt about where she had disappeared to with Neville, Hermione seemed exasperated with Ron and Harry couldn't work out whether it was formula arguing or an genuine problem, Ginny was just giddy and frothy. Of all of them Myrtle had actually danced the best, at some point in her pre-ghost life she had obviously practiced for more than ten second. Harry made a mental note to ask for lessons if there ever was another dance.

Harry glanced up at the clock and realized that there couldn't be too many more dances left. He needed to save the last one for Susan but there were a few to go before that.

Harry glanced around and realized that there was one somebody he hadn't seen on the dance floor yet. His eye found her sitting over by one of the ice sculptures, her own pure-white robe making her looking almost like part of the decoration.

"Hi Thea."Harry greeted and sat down next to her."Haven't seen you on the dance floor much."

"Dumbledore was polite enough to dance with me a few times."The prophesier said, smiling."Everyone else seems to be intimidated."

"You should throw said."Harry frowned, then grinned cheekily and winked."I ‘ d have set ‘ em straight."

"It ‘ s quite alright."Pythea laughed."I get invited to a quite a few balls."

"Well there ‘ s time for a few more dances."Harry held his hand out."Come on."

"Thank you Harry."Pythea took his hand and they walked out into the dance floor.

They swayed to the medicine for a patch, Harry finding his rhythm.

"Are you still wearing it ?"Pythea asked suddenly.

"The necklace ?"Harry smiled and drew the chain out from the front of his robe."Always."

"Good."Pythea grew serious for a second."Always keep it on. You will postulate it."

"Soon ?"Harry looked into the vaticinator's mismatched middle."Do you see me needing it soon ?"

"I see nothing."Pythea said enigmatically and broke his gaze before tucking the little shell back into his dress gown."But yes, I don ‘ t think it will be too much longer before you need it."

"You ‘ re still not gon na severalise me what it does ?"

"No."

"Brat."

Pythea smiled and they danced another song without speaking. A suspicion began to grow in Harry's mind.

"Pythea ?"Harry said, suspiciously."You said you get invites to sight of balls ?"

"Yes ?"

"Do you answer any of them ?"

"W… why ?"A trivial eighth note entered the vaticinator's voice.

"You ‘ re counting."Harry grinned.

"I am ?"Her eye's opened wide.

"One two three one two three."Harry nodded."Under your breath, I doubt anyone else noticed."

"Dumbledore ?"

"Oh no he probably noticed."Harry nodded."You ‘ ve never been to a formal before either have you ?"

"I have… had dancing lesson at the temple."Pythea said, a minuscule defensively. A moment later she sagged, dejectedly."I haven ‘ t been the Pythea very long."

"How long ?"

"The year you visited was my first."Pythea whispered into his ear."I wasn ‘ t allowed to attend events until my training was finished so as to nullify superfluity. It wouldn ‘ t do to make mistakes."

"Embarrassment ? Counting is embarrassing ?"

"Harry didn ‘ t you see how everyone acted when I got here ?"Pythea spoke quietly into his ear."I have been trained since before I can think of to be the eternal Pythea. Since the day I was taken from my parents. I am supposed to be the unchanging semblance of the 1st Oracle, M of twelvemonth ago. Anything other than perfection is embarrassing."

"Wow, well it ‘ s ok."Harry winked."I won ‘ t say anything and I ‘ m sure Dumbledore won ‘ t. He ‘ s too polite."

"Thank you Harry."Pythea seemed to be surprisingly relieved."If they found out about a slip like that they wouldn't let me out again for a yearn time."

"Let you out ?"Harry shuddered. The floating synagogue of the prophesier with its vines, luxuriously above the undercoat below suddenly took on more sinister connotation in his mind. Harry hesitated, then decided to verbalise what was on his mind."Are you… lonely there ?"

"Sometimes."Pythea said it matter-of-factly, like it was an inevitable fact of life.

"I could visit this summer."Harry offered.

"That… that would be lovely."Pythea said sadly."But I do not think Dumbledore would approve."

"He ain ‘ t the genus Bos of me."Harry grinned.

"No, he is not."Pythea sighed."But I think by this summer you may be busy."She reached out and pressed her hand against the shell pendant under Harry's robe, then stepped aside, smiling sadly.

Harry was confused for a present moment then realized that it was the live on terpsichore, she was stepping aside so he could find oneself Susan. Harry waved a thank-you to her then scanned the Asaph Hall to find his date.

"Over here Harry !"

Harry hurried over to the splash of blue he could see among the former robes and took Susan's manus just as the music started.

"Whew."Harry smiled."Just in time."

"We sort of lost data track of each early in the eye there didn ‘ t we ?"Susan said as they began to strike to the slow rhythm of the close dance.

"We started the saltation together and we ‘ re ending it together."Harry shrugged."The bit in the middle got a bit hazy but I still had fun."

"So did I."Susan moved closer and Harry hesitantly put his blazonry around her waist."But I wish we had spent more meter together."

"I ‘ ll have to make it up to you sometime."Harry looked into his escort heart."Like next Hogsmeade weekend ?"

"You ‘ re still not functionary allowed to go to Hogsmeade."

"By now they ‘ ve probably stopped trying to stop me."Harry quipped.

"Then I ‘ d love to go with you."

"Great."Harry grinned.

"My parents are coming to see the endorsement task."Susan said suddenly."They ‘ d making love to satisfy you."

second base task ? … I still need to shape out the bloody egg.

Harry groaned inwardly. Something always had to ruin it.
*


Harry led Susan back to the Hufflepuff common room and strolled back up through the darkened castle. When he reached the Gryffindor green way almost everyone had already retired. The merely one still in the room was Neville, nodding off in a chair by the fire.

"Nev ?"Harry poked him awake."Why are you still up ?"

"Oh Harry…"Neville rubbed his optic."Just waiting for you to get here. Someone had to stay to evidence you."

"Tell me what ?"Harry's eye's narrowed.

"Um…"

"Where ‘ s your engagement ?"

"Up with Hermione. All the young woman are."Neville said dejectedly.

"They are ? Why…"Suddenly Harry worked it out and groan."What did Ron do ?"

"He um… looked at Fleur."Neville said evasively."Like, not at her facial expression. And for a long time too, about five min when Hermione was proper there."

"What did Hermione say ?"Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"She wasn ‘ t happy."Neville shook his head."But it was what Ron said that really ticked her off."

"What did Ron say ?"Harry could just feel the freight rate train approaching.

"Something along the lines of…"Neville's brow creased as he tried to think back."‘ What do you expect ? They're right there and they're huge.'”

Harry covered his side with his hands and sank into an armchair.

"You ‘ re kidding me ?"

"No."

"That really sucks."

"He could give said a lot of uncollectible things."Neville pointed out.

"Like what ?"Harry challenged.

"Like ‘ They're unspoiled than yours which are small and underdeveloped.'or ‘ Shut up you're blocking my view.'”

"Ok ok !"Harry laughed, covering his lip to stifle the giggles."The trouble is I can actually see Ron saying that."

"Well…"Neville spread his hired hand,"We tried."

"We did."Harry nodded."It ‘ s up to Ron now. How ‘ d your evening go ?"

"Kind of got ruined by all this."Neville shrugged sadly.

"Where did you disappear to early on ?"Harry asked slyly.

"We… we went to the rose garden. But we didn ‘ t do anything."Neville quickly added."We kind of decided to bide just friends for now."

"guessing its just as well."Harry sighed."I ‘ m already trying to juggle too many ships."

"Keeps the interview guessing."
*


The ambiance around the marauder in the hebdomad after the ball could best be described as ‘ icy ’. Harry tried to break the frozenness between the two ingroup. Well, two inner circle was an exaggeration. There was the girls, there was Ron and there was Harry and Neville trying to stay on out of sight by the sidelines.

The two boys dealt with the situation in the most age way they could retrieve of. They hid in the library. Any time they actually had to be award, like lessons or meals, they tried to keep back serenity on the boundary so as not to be tarred with the same coppice as Ron. Harry tried to make conversation at breakfast though, in spurts.

"What lesson do we have first ?"

"It ‘ s Saturday."Parvati said flatly.

"Ah, right."Harry said lamely.

Hermione snorted and flicked surface the everyday oracle. Harry looked over at Ron who was sulking over his bowl of cereal. Harry mouthed the work ‘ apologize'at him but he pretended not to note. Harry mouthed it again, followed by the Bible ‘ or else ’. Ron just hunched depressed. Harry sighed and turned back.

"Anything in the intelligence ?"Harry asked desperately."Any more than unusual last ?"

"No, just a regular one."Hermione shrugged."An old witch in Dorset named Lady Ellen Hayward."

"Suspicious ?"Harry asked, interested.

"She was over a one C and fifty years old Harry."Hermione answered dismissively."Even witches and thaumaturgist die eventually. It ‘ s sad but it ‘ s not suspicious."

Not if you don't look too closely.

Harry sat bang upright. Had he really heard that or had he imagined it ?

You heard it.

Harry looked around surreptitiously, trying to gauge where the vox could be coming from. It sounded familiar… Harry's eye's led him up to the eminent mesa and along to where Pythea sat, watching him quietly over a plate full of cut fruit.

trade good forenoon Harry.

"Good morning Thea."Harry thought and saw her smile."How was London ?"

capital of the United Kingdom was terrific Harry. The politico that inhabit it however are cognate to poisonous sea slugs. Slippery and spiky at the same time.

"You didn ‘ t have fun then ?"Harry projected sarcastically.

I prefer Hogwarts.

"pyrotechnic over the Thames River though,"Harry thought back."For new-years, that ‘ s always good. I saw a few of them when I lived in London."

Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten. Pythea smiled wryly. One day of Light and smasher and four weeks of conferences.

"Such is life."

block trying to be sagely Harry. With me that's a contest you won't win. I'm surprised you took in the displays though, weren't you meddlesome trying to go ?

"Are you kidding ?"Harry laughed in his mind."Everyone looking at the sky, no one watching their pockets, it's dark and noisy… you see where I ‘ m going with this."

I should have known. Pythea chuckled But we've got distracted from the point. She pointed at the newspaper in figurehead of her and looked down at the obituary. Interesting isn ‘ t it…

"Is there something I ‘ m missing ?"Harry pulled a copy over towards himself and scanned the text.

There didn ‘ t seem to be anything there. Harry looked back at the strawman Sir Frederick Handley Page but had no connection, it was just some malicious gossip involving the curate of magic and some charge of embezzlement. Harry flicked to the second pageboy. The Chudley Cannons had lost another game ( wonderful calendar week for Ron ). There didn ‘ t seem to be anything else interesting. Harry shook his head.

"I don ‘ t see it. Did someone stand to inherit or something ?"

Possibly, but that was not what I was referring to. Pythea smiled mysteriously.

"Have you… you know… seen something ?"

You don't have to be an vaticinator to see what I'm talking about. Pythea closed the report and looked around the lobby. The paper is only half the story.

"The other half is… ?"

Guess.

"Brat."Harry muttered and his head was filled with still laughter.

I'll give you a clew. parole are nothing until someone reads them.

Harry thought for a tenacious moment, then smiled.

"citizenry ‘ s reactions."Harry thought hesitantly, and was rewarded with a nod. Harry cast around the hall."Who ‘ s recital ?"He scanned the Radclyffe Hall and found Dumbledore, set over the paper. It looked like it was afford to the justly page.

"Dumbledore ? Is he reading it ?"

Yes. But is that strange ?

"Well…"Harry tried to put it together in his head."They were about the Saame age, maybe they even went to schooltime together. It ‘ s not surprising he ‘ s taking an interest."

commodity, who else ?

Harry scanned further and alighted on an improbable candidate.

"Malfoy ?"The blond Slytherin was just staring at the open Sir Frederick Handley Page in nominal head of him, his face ashen and unreadable. Harry could even see his chest rising and falling rapidly from across the way. As Harry watched the whiz he grabbed the paper off the table and walked quickly out of the hall.

"Ok, I admit,"Harry thought, nodding."That was interesting. But what does it mean ?"

It's a puzzler Harry. You like puzzles don't you ?

"I have too many of them right now but usually yes."Harry shrugged."But I don ‘ t know what to make of this."

That's because you do not have all the art object. Pythea projected cryptically. You will have to try and get them.

Harry felt the comportment pass on his mind.

"Harry ?"

"W… whut ?"Harry shook his head, confused.

"Harry are you OK ?"Parvati was saying, the Marauders were all staring at him."You ‘ ve been staring into space for like five minutes."

"And muttering to yourself."Ginny added."You looked kind of weird."

Harry stood up suddenly.

"I need to go to Dorset."

"You… What ? !"

"But first base I need to talk to your brothers."Harry set off down the table quickly, a determined look on his face.

rear him the Marauders looked on aghast. Padma voiced what they were all thought,

"Is it me or is he getting weirder ?"





Yes, I know the chapter 's a little fluffy. It had to be, you ca n't really write a Christmastime glob that 's not.

Review anyway. Pretty please !


A small part of this is rather obviously lifted directly out of goblet of Fire.



Harry slid out of the lake and dried himself off. He set the plastic bag he had drawn across the water on the primer coat and ripped it clear. He lifted his leather bag out and set it back on his shoulder joint before setting off at a jog towards Hogsmeade.

As he neared the Greenwich Village he flicked it unresolved and pulled a magical masquerade out that made him bet wizened and old. He also threw a tattered pitch-black cloak over his Hogwarts robes and walked into the grunter headland. He didn't look at the patronage, already smelling of firewhisky at ten in the dayspring, and stepped up to the bar.

"I need to use the flue."Harry said. He didn't hassle to conceal his voice, the bartender was undoubtedly used to stranger than him and even if not he probably wouldn ‘ t fear. The barman grunted and pointed towards a greasy sign.

flue pipe for customers only

"I ‘ ll have a butterbeer then."Harry took the proffered bottle and drank it in one swallow before walking over to the hearth and spinning himself to the tattling cauldron.

Harry rushed into Diagon alley, feeling very exposed even in his disguise. He reached the steps of Gringots and stepped inside it's columned entering. He emerged a few instant later with a minuscule bag of muggle money. He wasn't worried about the goblins ratting him out, confidentiality was a given with them.

Harry had one last errand to run in Diagon before he left. He reached into his bag and popped the 1st of the counterpart gifts into his mouth. Instantly he felt his throat constrict and produce scratchy, he coughed deeply and people in the street turned to face at him. It got a little punter after a few moments but it still felt raw.

He tried to utter and his representative came out old and leathery. Perfect. Hurt like snake pit but perfective for concealing his voice.

He walked into the apothecaries, taking care to make his step a small faltering and weak.

"Hello my good man."Scratchy and nasty like a lifelong smoker."Do you have any fox urine ?"

"Fox… piddle ?"The man behind the counter looked at him like he was mad.

"Yes, I need it for a potion."

"No potion I know of utilizes fox urine."

"How ‘ bout Hugo Wolf piddle ?"Harry asked, stepping up to the tabulator."Do you have wolf urine ?"

"No."The shopkeeper was just staring at him now."No we don ‘ t have wolf urine. Now can you-"

"Weasel ?"

"No now…"The tradesman paused for a moment."We do have weasel musk…"

"Yes that ‘ ll be perfect."Harry smiled through his leathery masquerade party. The shopkeeper hesitated."You have some sort of problem ?"

"I don't have a problem."The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and stepped into the room behind his desk."How much do you need."

"About a gallon."

"A congius ! …"There was the speech sound of tempestuous muttering and sloshing from the stowage. A few minute of arc later the man stepped back behind the desk with a large chicken feed nursing bottle broad of chicken liquid state. The bob was sealed on with red wax."Do you know how many weasels you have to milk to get this much ?"

"How much ?"Harry ignored the question and drew out his pocketbook. The storekeeper told him and Harry paid happily.

"have fun."The shopkeeper said dryly."Whatever you ‘ re planning to do…"

Harry dropped the bottle into his bottomless bag and stepped out of the shop. He changed out of his robe in the cauldron's toilet and skid quickly out into muggle London.

He stepped quickly along the roads at once both familiar and deep alien. It was as if he had had two aliveness, the one he had lived on these streets and the of magic trick and curiosity at Hogwarts. Now it was like the two were colliding and he felt upset, felt like a little kid again but at the Sami clock time he could feel how far he'd ejaculate. His inherent aptitude didn't know how to react and he found himself searching for places to hide or run while at the same time fingering his wand hidden in his sleeve.

He was gladiola when he finally set metrical foot in Waterloo station and could buy a ticket to Bournemouth. The train was a dreamlike experience, sitting close to the window and flying past the world he was no longsighted part of.

It took more than two hours to get there, ample time to spin his thought process round and round in his head. He tried to work out exactly how stupid he was being. ‘ Very ’, he decided. Very, very stupid. He didn't know what would happen to him if it was discovered that he had snuck out of Hogwarts. Hogsmeade was one thing but this… And if he was discovered once he got there ? At the quite a little of a Recent epoch death ?

Very, very, very stupid.

Harry shut his optic and focused on the one thing telling him he was doing the right thing.

"Pythea sent me here."Harry nodded and bit his lip as he repeated the mantra over and over in his principal."And if the Oracle of Delphi tells you to do something… then it ‘ s not dazed to do it."

Harry really wished the words didn't speech sound so hollow.

He left the train and got on a bus. He left the bus in the middle of a theatre of operations of scrub and chalky footing. The sea was just out of sight but he could see the wafture crashing against the rock 'n' roll, ominous and threatening.

The bus number one wood had looked at him weird when he'd asked to be let out in the middle of nowhere. Harry knew better, it was only the centre of nowhere to muggles. Harry shucked his bag up higher on his shoulder joint and walked towards the auditory sensation of the waves, towards the baronial White person manor house near the edge of the cliffs.

It was blindingly obvious where the edge of the wards were. mortal had laid grass and flowers right up to an invisible line on the primer coat, scrub gave way to garden like it was cut with a razor. Harry wondered why there wasn't a paries around the property. Either the charwoman who lived there trusted the Ward implicitly or she liked the view too often to deflect it away.

And the view was outstanding. The cliffs arching away to either side and the sea stretching into the distance. It was an impressive panorama, enough to ingrain anyone. Anyone other than a aquaphobe. Harry shuddered and tried to keep the sea out of view.

He pulled the massive feeding bottle of musk out of his bag. It took him a minute to make the stopper out. He went up as close to the hospital ward as he dared and started dribbling the foul smelling stuff onto the land. He poured it in as close to a hemicycle as he could manage, the former end of the ark also touching the wards, boxing him in.

Harry corked the bottle again and pushed it back into his bag. Now came the risky role. He pulled out the minute of the twins gifts to him, a little coffee bon-bon. He hesitated, cringing for a bit as he realized he still had musk on his finger, then popped it in his mouth.

Instantly he felt his stomach clench, a bit later gabardine fur spread over his hands and arms. He just had time to experience his pinna begin to shoot up his point before his intellect went blank.
*


The rabbit twitched it's nose and looked around. It felt like something was wrong, something was unlike, but it couldn't work out what.

Mind you it was a lapin so it couldn't try very hard.

It raised its principal and sniffed the air. There was a strange odor… Weasel ! It could smell a weasel ! Was it nearby ? The bunny rabbit took a mates of dense hops, no the olfactory sensation was strong here. It dashed the other way, getting do-or-die. Stronger here too !

The bunny rabbit broke into a run in the other charge, shooting across the basis into a flowerbed. It dashed under the vines of a pumpkin plant and sat there shivering. It would just hold back here, wait here until-
*


"Well,"Harry stood, brushed a pumpkin leaf out of his tomentum and throw off the dirt from his gown."That worked like a charm."

Harry shook his head to clear the last of the bunny-ness from it and checked to get to sure he didn't still have a tail.

"Any-ward, any-where, any-time."Harry chuckled and set off towards the house.

The hinder threshold was unbarred and Harry slid in, thrifty not to touch anything too much. He didn't know whether wizards knew how to check DNA or fingerprints but he wasn't taking any fortune. Harry looked around at the large kitchen he had walked into, an army of house elves probably worked there just a few days ago. Now it was silent.

Harry pushed open another doorway and, after a curt corridor, found himself in a high-ceilinged dining room. It held elegant chandeliers and a yearn mahogany table, it had silver candlesticks and grand red-velvet curtains. It also held no indication of ever having been used any metre this century.

This had been the home of one old woman living alone Harry remembered. She probably didn't eat in the grand dining elbow room, didn ‘ t use nearly of these rooms probably. He was proved right when a few doors down he found a humble study. This room showed preindication of use, the book on the tabular array by the window ever had a bookmark in it, near the end. She hadn't had a opportunity to finish it.

Another small-scale table was obviously in use as a workbench. A small flipbook lay open, as Harry moved closer he saw it was filled with pressed flowers.

Harry suddenly felt a lump chassis above his heart. He had realized what he was really doing here. Invading the theater of a dead woman. He considered turning around right there but shook his headway, steeling himself against what he was doing. Pythea had sent him here, that meant he was supposed to be here.

Harry left the study and checked the only former doorway he hadn't tried. It opened onto a grand incoming hall with white marble tiles and columns holding up the balcony on the first floor. The staircase came down the middle, spreading out near the bottom.

Unfortunately the dramatic gist of the room was ruined by the large transfer boxes that were stacked in a flock by one position of the stares.

Whatever predator had stood to inherit obviously hadn't wasted any time.

Harry was about the arrest the room across the hall when he heard something. He went still and tried to pinpoint it, it was coming from upstairs. Harry tiptoed up to the landing place, it was echoing along the corridor, a form of sniffling noise.

One of the threshold near the end was ajar. Harry crept towards it as the noise got louder. It sounded like someone sobbing. Harry tried to peer through the crack in the threshold but saw nada. He pushed the door just lightly with his foot and something came into his field of view. Harry was so scandalise he didn't even notice as the door swung open.

The room looked like a meter reading room, or a second sketch maybe, bookshelves covered every wall but one. The whole back wall was a massive window looking out, offering a massive panorama over the garden behind the house, the waste scouring beyond that and the sea stretching to infinity beyond that. There was a armchair set right in the middle, where soul could look out over the sea. The arms of it were clearly worn, someone had spent a long lime sitting in that chair. But that wasn't what had shocked Harry.

There was a boy sitting there in the centre of the room, collapsed on the floor on his human knee. Under his loggerheaded bootleg rob his chest was racked with shit. He had his hands over his face and his fingers curled into his white-blond hair.

Malfoy.

Harry just stood there, it was as if his body had been frozen. He must experience made some question because a moment later Malfoy's head jerked up and Harry's park eyes met the watery grey ones staring up at him.

There was a moment when no one moved, then Malfoy's face flickered from heartbreak to disbelief, unbelief to mix-up and confusion to rage.

"Stupefy !"

Harry threw himself back into the corridor as the trance shot past his berm. Harry drew his scepter and blastoff a bludgeoning hex at Malfoy but found to coming back at him a moment later. Harry was forced back down the corridor as the enraged Slytherin threw hex after hex at him.

"Confringo !"Harry shot at a marble bout by Malfoy's head and the flack caused him to duck and stumble.

"Ferio !"The spell hit Malfoy in the English and sent him to the floor

"Petrificus To-"

"Expelliarmus !"

Harry felt his wand jerked out of his hand. He tried to catch it but it slipped through his finger's breadth and landed in Malfoy's opened ribbon. A moment later a glowing jinx hit him in the face like a orb of needles and threw him to the floor.

As Harry shivered in pain and tried to escape from off the impression that his face was being grated a shadow passed over him.

"Now Potter."Malfoy grated."We ‘ re going to have a hanker lecture about why you ‘ re here and what I ‘ m going to do to you."

"I doubt it."Harry snarled and kicked Malfoy's foundation out from under him. Some spell pin-wheeled over Harry's head and he ducked to the floor. He leapt at Malfoy and grabbed both his arms to contain him casting Thomas More turn. Malfoy was writhing and spitting to try and get him off. Harry point butted him in the chin and he yelled out in pain.

Somehow Malfoy managed to get a hand discharge and stabbed his fingers into Harry's throat. Harry grabbed Malfoy's haircloth and jerked him away. Harry shot back and managed to find his animal foot, he saw Malfoy advance and bring his verge to pay. Harry reacted on instinct and launched himself, articulatio humeri first, into the Slytherins's stomach. They both flew backwards and Harry heard a flashy crash of splintering Ellen Price Wood. The two male child dropped like Stone, far promote than they should have.

It was only then that Harry remembered they had been fighting on the upstairs landing.

"Oh great,"Harry thought in that moment as he brought up his manpower to address his mind."This is going to bruise far too much."

The marble floor rose to get together him. Harry felt the impact in every osseous tissue and muscle, like some shockwave had shot through him and check everything. He winced and tried to tug himself up. The instant his left script hit the floor a stroke of pain in the neck ran through him and he gingerly pulled it back.

Broken carpus. Wonderful.

Harry stood on shaky peg and looked over at where Malfoy had fallen. The slimy pure blood was whimpering into the floor so he was probably alive. Harry walked over and snatched both their sceptre from where they ‘ d rolled. Malfoy was bleeding from somewhere. Harry knelt by him and pushed him over to get a better look.

"Oh stop cry you big baby."Harry said disgustedly."You ‘ ve only got a broken nose."

"It hurts."

"That ‘ s why they call them broken."Harry shrugged and stood."What the hell on earth are you doing here anywhere ?"

"I could ask you the same."Malfoy guessing back, looking very silly. He was trying to root for of regal lordliness with blood dripping from his nose.

"Yes you could. You wouldn ‘ t get an response though because I hold all the cards."Harry grinned."Oh, did I say add-in ? I meant baton !"Harry lowered his towards the boy on the story."Tell me why you ‘ re here ! Why did you hook out of Hogwarts to come here ?"

"I have to a greater extent right hand to be here than you do."Malfoy pulled himself up to a sitting status and wiped the parentage off his face with a sleeve."Why shouldn't I visit Ellen ‘ s house ?"

"You know she ‘ s utterly ?"

"Yes ceramist that ‘ s painfully obvious."Malfoy sneered."I ‘ m here because she ‘ s an old family friend. What ‘ s your exculpation ?"

"Following a tip."Harry's head snapped back as a loud bell rang out across the hall.

"That ‘ s the wards."Malfoy said, surprised.

Harry ran to the strawman door and peered out from between the curtain. He saw a flash of lightlessness robe and jerked back, his feet skidding on the floor.

"Aurors !"There wasn't clock time to leave the hall, Harry dove behind a pile of boxes just as the boor handle began to release. He felt Malfoy slide in beside him. The two boy waited in deathly silence as the room access creaked open.

"Signs of a struggle sir."Harry heard a girls voice say."Broken banister, stock on the floor."

"More than a simple looting call then."A deep vox, heavy.

"Perhaps they fought with the homeowner ?"A second virile voice, young, suggested.

"Didn ‘ t you read the preeminence ?"Girly said irritably."The homeowner ‘ s dead. That ‘ s the whole reason we ‘ re here."

"Trainee Nymphadora is correct."trench agreed."There shouldn ‘ t be any magic at this premise, let alone underage magic."

Harry groaned silently. Of course of instruction. The ministry could find underage magic, and he and Malfoy had been throwing go around like they were back at Hogwarts.

"We are changeling,"Harry idea. He turned and his eyes met Malfoy's, he could order the other boy was thinking the same thing.

"So maybe the looters fought each other."The male trainee was saying."Arguing over spoils ?"

"Possible."Deep sounded as if he was just tolerating this fry."We can not recognise at present."

"Should I take a blood sample ?"

Malfoy's eyes shot wide open.

"No, we search the home first. They could still be here. Jandred you stay here and work indisputable they do not try to leave by the front end door. Nymphadora, with me."

Harry heard footsteps make a motion away to the doorway towards the dining room. His mind was already churning possibilities. If they took the profligate, they would discover it was Malfoy's and stop him. At which point Malfoy would flex Harry over in a heartbeat.

Harry drew his wand and disillusioned himself as quietly as potential. He heard Malfoy raspberry something behind him but ignored him. Harry peered out from behind a box and saw that the man, Jandred, was looking the other way. Harry slid out from behind the box and moved closer as silently as he was able.

Should have silenced my feet.

Harry cursed himself for forgetting but kept tiptoeing closer. When he was within a few meters of the temporary hookup of blood on the floor he whispered,

"Scourgify !"The line of descent disappeared and Harry shot behind a pillar just as the trainee auror turned around.

Harry forced himself to breath shallowly and quietly. A farseeing consequence went past but the man didn't seem to notice that the blood was gone. Harry looked over and saw that Malfoy had made his way to a side room access and was beckoning to him from behind it.

Harry waited until the auror turned back and then slunk towards the blonde Slytherin. He went sideways to get through the door.

"Where are we going ?"Harry mouthed but Malfoy ignored him and walked quietly along the corridor. At the early end he pushed on a surgical incision of wall and Harry was amazed to see it swing inwards. A mystic door !

Harry followed quickly behind and closed the threshold behind him.

"Where are we ?"

"handmaid's passages Potter."Malfoy seemed to be able to make even a whispering a sneer."All dependable old pure pedigree family have them so the servants can move around without getting underfoot."

"sentiment you used sign elves ?"Harry said disparagingly as they made their way through the dust-covered corridor.

"There was a time when it was seen as a mark of avowedly wealth to be able to afford whizz slaves as well."Malfoy ducked under a massive gossamer."Alas those clip have passed."

"Oh for the trade good old days."Harry said sarcastically.

Malfoy came to a plosive speech sound near a trapdoor in the story and levered the doorway open with his foot.

"We can get out here, the transition goes all the way outside the wards. It ‘ s how I got in."

"Why are you doing this ?"Harry asked quizzically."Why are you helping me ?"

"Why did you strip up the parentage ?"

"Are you kidding ? If they ‘ d have caught you you'd mitt me over in a mome-"Harry paused."That ‘ s why you ‘ re doing this isn ‘ t it ?"

"Spot on Potter. Get in the shit tunnel."
*


The two boys emerged like moles in a theatre Admiralty mile away from the home, blinking and shielding their eyes from the sun. Harry could see the house far in the distance, a white smear against the sky.

"That was a serious tunnel."Harry tried to get his charge and work out how to get back to the train station."Town ‘ s that way."

"Give me my wand back."Malfoy said to Harry's back. Harry hesitated, then tossed it over his shoulder.

Harry began trudging through the grass and a moment later Malfoy fell into stone's throw beside him.

"Why were you really there ?"Harry asked suddenly.

"I told you Potter she was a syndicate friend."Malfoy said curtly.

"If she was a family friend your male parent could have taken you out of school."Harry pointed out."Instead you sneak out on your own."

"I wanted to know the whole story."Malfoy said angrily.

"What do you have in mind the wholly chronicle ?"

"You don ‘ t… ? You don ‘ t know."Malfoy shook his head word then began again as if explaining something to a baby."The Daily prophesier works hard not to offend the wizarding kinsfolk you understand."

"Yeah."

"You remember what it said Ellen Hayward died of ?"

"She…"Harry tried to throw up her psyche back."It said she must have combine one of her medicinal potions wrong. Used too much-"

"Exactly !"Malfoy cut in."That's what they say on the control surface. They don't want to offend us but they still need to spread the news so they have these slight codes."

"code in the paper ?"

"Yes Potter,"Malfoy gestured with his manpower as he explained."If they say someone say… died in his sleep then that means he was smothered by a family member."

"Nice."Harry cringed back.

"Don ‘ t be so squeamish."Malfoy scoffed."Spell misfired means they were experimenting with dark conjuration, unexpected illness usually means they caught something from a scarlet woman."

"You ‘ re fourteen Malfoy, say prostitute."

"And a mistake mixing potions is code for suicide."Malfoy lapsed into silence.

"So…"Harry said carefully.

"So Ellen was the to the lowest degree likely person in the populace to believe suicide !"Malfoy snapped."She had more life in her than womanhood half her age ! She used to pop around to our family all the meter, or we would go to hers. She was an combat-ready member of pure blood society, and in good health. She would not kill herself !"

They walked in silence for a little ways as Harry digested all off that.

"You suspect mutilate then."Harry said quietly.

"I just think it ‘ s suspicious."Malfoy said angrily.

There was More silence. They reached the tarmac road and fell into step along it easily.

"Did you hear about Rita Skeeter ?"Harry said after a while."That was suspicious too."

Malfoy said cypher, but he bit his lip and seemed to be thinking. As they reached the edge of townsfolk Malfoy stopped suddenly.

"I ‘ m going this way."He pointed up a disused looking alleyway."This is my way home."

"You wouldn ‘ t consider giving me a lift would you ?"Harry said jokily.

"Don't be an idiot Potter."Malfoy turned and walked down the alley.

"Figures."Harry shrugged, shifted his bag higher up on his shoulder joint and headed into town.

As he was walking through a shopping street on his way back to the railroad train place he heard an odd disturbance. A sort of low moaning without words. It was also companion. His ears pricked up as he tried to nail it. It was coming from a petty shop class, one of those nature shop that sold incense, wicker wall-hangings, wooden carving and useless detritus like that. Harry moved into it and tried to pick out the noise, it was coming from a tape player on a stand.

Harry's fingerbreadth moved to the petty knobs on the top. How did these things piece of work again ? Dudley had had one… Harry twisted one node to no result, he tried another marked delivery and the phone got lower. Ah ! Harry twisted it all the way the other way and jerked the volume pommel to full.

A senior high school pitched warbling scream filled the workshop, causing Harry to both cringe in botheration and yell in victory. It sounded almost exactly like the golden egg.

"Hey !"The shopkeeper yelled at him and rushed over to reset the machine."What the hell do you call back you ‘ re doing kid ?"

"Sorry,"Harry shrugged apologetically."What was that ?"

"It was whale Sung before you screwed with it."The man said angrily.

"Whale song…"Harry smiled and nodded."Thank you."He turned and walked out of the shop.

*

It was glum and bitingly cold by the time Harry hauled himself out of the lake and squelched into Hogwarts. Swimming across the lake at night with a break dance wrist had possibly been the most terrorize experience of Harry's lifetime and he was glad when he managed to reach out the fat lady's portrait.

"Oh you poor dear."She said."You look like a you've been through the wars."

"feeling worse from in here."Harry smiled up at her and she opened without him saying anything else.

Harry barely had the free energy to drop his clothes on the floor and crawl into bed before sopor took him.

He the rabbit again, running through the Sir Henry Joseph Wood away from something. The apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree were in full bloom and the air was full of pink flower petal. A wrestle counterpoint to the fear coursing through his tiny consistency. Something caught him, grabbed him by the ears. He kicked and scratched as hard as he could but it was no good, the massive night frame holding him just laughed. Harry screamed as it plunged it's farseeing finger into his forehead.

"Harry !"

Harry jerked awake and looked around, Ron and Neville were standing over him worriedly.

"Bad dream."Harry muttered and slid out of bed."The one where I'm naked in the midriff of the great student residence again. Time to get up anyway."

"How was Dorset Harry ?"Neville said quietly.

"common cold. Going to the beach in January ‘ s a really stupid idea."Harry grinned and walked towards the showers.

Harry visited the hospital wing quickly to fix his wrist ("Stairs again Harry ?"“ Sure, we can go with that.") and wandered down towards the great hall in good strong drink. He had a undecomposed clue on the egg, he hadn't been caught and he'd gained a valuable clue. All in all it was a good…

Bugger.

Harry froze as he reached the entering of the great mansion before forcing himself to continue and read a place. Up on the high school table, sitting next to Dumbledore, was a grandiloquent dark man in auror's robes.
*


"Good sunrise students."Dumdledore stood as soon as everyone had gathered in the heavy hall."Before we eat this morning, auror Shacklebolt from the ministry has something to say."

Everyone in the Radclyffe Hall was looking at the tall auror as he stood. Everyone except the predator who were all looking at Harry.

"What the hell did you do ?"Hermione hissed in his ear and Harry shushed her into silence.

"trade good morning."The auror said, he seemed to cogitate this was all the insertion necessary because he proceeded to launch right in."Yesterday there was an incident at the household of a recently deceased witch near Bournemouth."

"That ‘ s in Devon."Hermione hissed.

"Is it ? Is it really ?"Harry hissed back."The geographics lesson is fascinating now kindly shut up !"

"We were alerted to it by underage magic."The auror continued."But whoever it was is also shamefaced of breaking and entering, illegally breaching wards, property damage, malicious mischief and theft."

Theft ?

"judgement by the difficulty of the go detected the suspect must be at least of Hogwarts age."The auror's benighted oculus swept over the pupil."And since there are currently no schooling age wizard in Britain who chose not to look Hogwarts the culprit is soul in this room."

Harry glanced over at Malfoy and met the other boy's heart. They were both thinking the Lapplander affair, ‘ If one of us goes down, we both go down. ’.

"There was blood left wing at the vista, but whoever it was cleaned up after themselves."Harry breathed a sigh of alleviation in his judgment."But thankfully we were able to rule some strands of hair."

The auror held up a small, clear envelope. Harry adjusted his glasses but couldn't see anything in there before the auror put it back in the sac of his robes.

"A dewy-eyed cirrus cloud ab clavis spell will decide who it belongs to."Shacklebolt continued."So in a moment some of you will be escorted to the infirmary annexe where you will be tested."

"Only some of us ?"somebody called out.

"Yes, the tomentum is blond."Shacklebolt stood and began walking out of the hall.

Harry gulped, the fact that the hair wasn't his really didn't helper him much. Malfoy would still rat him out.

"Harry what ‘ s going on ?"

"Not now Hermione."Harry stood and walked calmly towards the end of the mesa, plentifulness of other citizenry were getting up to go the lectures so he hoped it wasn't too fishy. The teachers had begun wrangling the blond students into groups. Harry deliberately didn't look over at the Slytherin table, he already knew what he'd see.

As soon as he was out of sight of the hall he broke into a sprint, shooting along the corridor and sliding sideways behind a tapestry before throwing himself up a unavowed staircase. He had to get hold of the infirmary extension before the auror did, or he was dead meat. He dashed out of the stairwell and down a obsolete enactment, ducking under cobwebs.

A moment later he was out and walking normally. He had to sacrifice the auror no cause for suspicion, and this guy seemed pretty on the ball. He saw him change state into the corridor and Harry steeled himself, he would only get one chance at this. He moved out into the middle of the corridor and brushed close to the man as he walked past.

Harry's fingers slipped into the auror's sac. Dip-grasp-out-hide !

Harry slipped the envelope into his robes and kept walking. For a terrifying moment he thought the auror had noticed, that he was going to turn and shout for Harry to block off. But nix came and Harry walked on.

He began breathing when he got a corridor away. That had been easier than he thought, he was really lose respectfulness for these ministry types. Not enough wakefulness, Helen Wills Moody would be disappointed. Harry wandered back to the great hall and looked in. The Marauders were already gone, probably trying to attend for him, but the blond-squads were still there being organized by year and house.

"Harry !"Harry saw Susan waving to him and wandered over."What ‘ s all this about ?"

"You ‘ re guess is as honorable as mine."Harry shrugged.

"Harry don ‘ t hire me for an idiot."Susan crossed her arms."This involves you."

"Why would you believe that ?"

"Because everything involves you !"

"Too right,"Harry grinned."But since I ‘ m not blond…"

"It was dye, or a spell, or you were involved in some other way."Susan moved closer and looked into his oculus."Is it going to be ok for you ? They ‘ re not going to arrest you are they ?"

"Relax, it ‘ s all effective. I ‘ ve got it under control."Harry whispered. Susan smiled and hugged him.

"Potter !"Harry sighed and turned around. Malfoy was standing right behind him."A password please ?"

"Relax Malfoy, I took attention of it."Harry said, after checking that no-one was listening."You owe me."

With that Harry turned, waved goodbye to Susan and walked out of the Hall.
*


Harry saw Malfoy again about an hour later. Harry was heading back from he library when his lad protagonist appeared out of nowhere and beckoned him into an discharge classroom. Harry obliged before closing the doorway and casting silencing charm around.

"Where is it ?"Malfoy asked bluntly.

"Where ‘ s what ?"

"The evidence."Malfoy said angrily."I know you took it ! Is this your plan ? proceed it for blackmail ?"

"No, but that ‘ s a unspoiled plan."Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully."Maybe I will do that…"

"thrower you are the most-"

"Relax."Harry cut him off."I ‘ m not going to blackmail you, just ask you one question."

"What ?"

"What did you conduct from the Hayward house ?"Malfoy went idle still. Harry continued,"Because I know I didn ‘ t take anything but the aurors seem to imagine something ‘ s missing."

Malfoy was just staring at him.

"See, if you were telling the true statement and you were investigating the suspicious death of a family booster then what I just did was a good thing."Harry held out his bridge player like correspondence scales."On the other hand if you ‘ re an opportunistic, lying, hyaena who was stealing from her then what I did was a bit more morally equivocal. In that case I ‘ d have to give the hair back to the aurors and see your bastard rump go down."Harry snapped out the accusation viciously, Malfoy even jerked back a step. It was a second before Malfoy responded.

"I took…"The Slytherin swallowed hard."It was an heirloom of her kinsperson. A band, ancient. If it had been boxed up with everything else to go to her cousin-german he would have sold it. It deserved better than that."

"It did, or she did ?"Harry asked, Malfoy hesitated then…

"Both."

Harry nodded faintly, good enough. He reached into his robe and drew out the envelope.

"You still owe me."He tossed it to Malfoy and headed for the door.
*


It would have been decent if that was the end of it. It wasn't.

"So Potter…"

Harry slowed to a plosive consonant outside the Fat Lady's portrait and turned around to see the unreadably scarred side of Mad Eye Moody.

"Oh great,"Harry grumbled."Is this chapter gon na be entirely talks ? ‘ Cos my pharynx ‘ s getting tired."

"I was just talking to my old Friend Kingsley Shacklebolt."Dwight Lyman Moody stumped up towards Harry and looked down at him."Seems some grounds just disappeared from his pocket."

"Did he check his other scoop ?"Harry suggested."That always happens to me."

"Cut the refuse Potter."Helen Wills sighed."I already know you did it I just want to know whether you had a good reason."

"Protecting myself and a worthful informant."Harry said levelly."And because there are more important crimes going on right now than breaking and entering."

"Like ?"

"Ellen Hayward."

"I assume it was suicide, reported at an accident."Helen Wills Moody said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"My informant is convinced otherwise."

"supposition I could make some inquires."Moody said thoughtfully."See whether there ‘ s anything to this."

"Thank you."Harry nodded and turned towards the common room.
*


"Harry !"Still not over.

"Bloody hell."Harry groaned and headed over to the vulture table and slouched down onto a free chair."I suppose you want an explanation."

"Too right wing we do !"Ron said angrily.

"We ‘ ve been worried Harry."Neville leant forward and spoke quietly, but Padma interrupted him.

"We ‘ ve also been angry."She said through clenched dentition."What the hell ‘ s going on with you ?"

"I was investigating the murder, Ellen Hayward."Harry checked to see if anyone was listening then continued."someone said it was fishy so I went to look into it."

"We guessed that much."Ginny said impatiently.

"Well get this…"Harry tend forward and quickly related what had happened in the manor house. At the end the piranha seemed stunned.

"Why did you do all this Harry ?"Parvarti asked."Why did you go there in the number one place ?"

"Um… because murder is bad ? Because I was bored ? Because I hadn ‘ t spent nearly plenty time as a lagomorph this calendar week ? Because I felt like it ?"Harry looked into their shocked faces and decided to put them out of their misery."Pythea told me it was important."

"When ?"Hermione asked in skepticism."You didn ‘ t talk to her or anyone else, you just stood up and told us you were going to Dorset !"

"Oracles don ‘ t have to utter directly to you my anti-spiritual disciple."Harry tapped his temple."They have other ways."

"So effectively what you ‘ re telling us,"Padma crossed her arms."Is that you broke out of Hogwarts, invaded a murder scenery and slip evidence because the part in your brain told you too."

"fountainhead if you put it like that you can make anything sound crazy."Harry shrugged and smiled cheekily.

"Harry you ‘ ve gone too far."

"You're just being itchy, I know you believe me really."

"Why ?"

"You called it a murder scene."Harry pointed out."Means you believe me that something else is going on."

Padma opened her mouth to retort but shut it angrily and glared at him.

"opinion so,"Harry grinned."But I do have some other newsworthiness. We have another job to do this evening."

"Is it also a felony ?"Padma said sarcastically.

"I love you too."Harry winked."But sadly no. I think I ‘ ve finally worked out the bloody egg. We ‘ re going to the prefects bathroom. Bring swimsuits."

*


On the way there Neville pulled Harry to one side and asked him softly,

"Harry, don ‘ t you think you were a bit harsh on everyone ? I mean worse than normal."

"Yes Nev I do."Harry nodded and winked.

"You did it on use ?"

"Yep."

"Why ?"

"wellspring I don ‘ t know if you ‘ ve noticed Nev,"Harry grinned like a Lucifer."But they ‘ ve completely forgotten about Ron."
*


Harry slid into the water gingerly and pulled the egg in after him. The former marauders were already waiting amongst the bubbles. He motioned them down and they all slipped underwater. Harry swallowed his repugnance and twisted his head just enough to put one ear under H2O then opened the egg.

‘ Come seek us where our vox sound
We can not spill the beans above the ground
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to depend,
But past an minute - the vista's black
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back..'

Harry pulled his head back up the same consequence the former marauders emerged. respective of them were spluttering or red-faced from the water. Harry was the just one who was ashen grey.

"wellspring that ‘ s easy."Hermione said excitedly."You just have to go somewhere and get something back in under an hour."

"Probably in the lake."Padma chimed it."It ‘ d make sense if it was subaqueous ‘ we can not let the cat out of the bag above the background ‘ and all."

"We just need some charm or something to let him breath-"

"Harry,"Neville interrupted Hermione, earning a aspect of irritation."Are you ok ?"

The piranha turned to Harry, who still hadn't moved. He was shaking despite the strong water.

"Harry…"Ginny reached out to touch his articulatio humeri and he flinched away from her hand.

"Guys…"Harry spoke slowly and weakly, like his throat didn't want to actuate."You remember the boggart in third year ?"

"Yes it… Oh !"Hermione clasped both hands over her mouth in shock."Yours was water ! Your afraid of water. But we knew that didn't we ? You can get through it, you ‘ ve been in the lake before ? You ‘ ve swum over it-"

"That's unlike, when my head ‘ s above water I can deal. Just."Harry shun his eyes and bowed his head, he felt wretched to be admitting this."But as soon as it closes over my head I lose it. My mind just goes blank, I can't think, can ‘ t control myself. I start trying to breath in the body of water, start strangling. I don ‘ t even have the good sense to try and swim back up to the surface."Harry felt like iron weights had been hooked to the side of meat of his center but he kept going.

"I can fight a dragon again, or lycanthrope, Voldemort. But I can ‘ t swim."Harry shook his headland, trying to agree back teardrops."I can ‘ t swim."

The room was silent, the easy sloshing of the H2O against the tub, and the seven teenager, sounded unnaturally loud.

"Ah,"Padma said dryly."That could gravel a problem."

"Could you um…"Ron flapped his hands vaguely."Wear something over your head ? Like a bucket or something ?"

The other marauder shared a look and Ron fell silent.

"Ok…"Hermione rubbed her hands together nervously."That ‘ s ok. We can portion out with this. We ‘ ll get you near, maybe get you used to it slowly. Immersion therapy. We ‘ ve got almost three weeks before the second task, we can get you ready."

"Yeah !"Ron brightened up."See, like this !"He jumped forward and pushed Harry's head underwater.

Harry screamed and felt water rush into his airway. A moment later he was dragged out of the H2O and he collapsed against the edge of the bath, coughing up the foamy, multicolor, bathwater.

"What… the hell…"Harry gasped out."Is wrong with you !"

"S…Sorry."Ron mumbled."cerebration it would help."

"Let ‘ s go back to the tower."Parvati suggested suddenly. Even she was finding it intemperate to be pollyannaish right now."Maybe we can arrive up with something in the morning."

Harry nodded, it took too often energy to do anything else.
*


Harry had Chain around his ankles, an keystone on the early end. Pulling him deeper and deeper down into the lake. He tried to scream but nothing came out. It was getting darker and darker… blackened. Harry kept screaming but the Shirley Temple water filled his sass like a gag. It was everywhere.

Harry woke up sweating and quiver and stumbled out of bed. He felt, and smelled, like he had run a marathon. He reached the bathroom and shed his sodden jammies quickly before spinning the tap for a shower. The spray fell into the little tiled cubical but Harry didn't enter, instead he stood outside it shaking.

He hesitantly put a paw forward but as soon as the sprayer splashed it he jerked back. His heart was racing. He turned the shower down off and grabbed his wand, he ran a cleansing magic spell all over his consistence before changing into his robes and scurrying out of the bathroom.
*


"Harry are you OK."Someone asked him for the fiftieth clock time that day.

Harry growled at him and the pupil scurried off. Harry sighed, it was too much to take.

He had another nightmare that night, again trapped in the lake. This time in a John Cage that was bolted to the lakebed. He kept trying to get out but the bars were made of steel.

Once again he couldn't bring himself to shower and made do with a cleaning charm. When mortal offered him a glass of water at breakfast he almost cursed them into oblivion.

Harry buried his case in his custody, it was getting worse. It was like every nightmare left a trivial piece of itself in him. Bulking concern on top of fear until he self-destructed.

"Harry…"Voice ? Harry looked up and saw Parvarti's interest side."We ‘ ve got fauna now… but I ‘ m certainly Hagrid won ‘ t nous if you miss it."

Harry shook his mind and stood up. Maybe something trying to gore him would take his mind off his phobia.

They walked down to Hagrid's cabin. Harry didn't say anything, neither did anyone else.

"Good break of the day all,"Hagrid was his usual jolly self."We ‘ re having today ‘ s lesson down by the lake."

No !

Harry almost collapsed on the Mary Jane. Hermione and Padma moved off at a run, trying to intercept Hagrid as he strode off towards the blue angel expanse.

Harry leadenly put one fundament in front of the other. He was vaguely aware of Ron and Neville trying to peach to him but he blanked them out. He stopped as the locoweed sloped down towards the body of water. There were some matter in playpen near the waters surface, Hagrid was opening one while Hermione and Padma talked to him. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying but the hand movements were pretty emphatic.

Harry felt his forehead get sleek down with swither. He tried to step close-fitting to the lake but the sound of it filled his ears. The aristocratic sloshing moving ridge echoed somehow in his head and became a raging cataract, making it impossible to center on anything. The H2O seemed to climb while staying in the same place, creeping closer to is eyes.

Harry's nerve broke and he turned and ran back towards the castle. He heard shouts behind him but ignored them, he needed to get away. It felt like the lake was right wing behind him, like a chasing beast. He hit the steps of Hogwarts at a sprint and kept going. He had to hide !

All the while the H2O kept rushing in his ears.
*


The marauders begged out of Hagrid's lesson to go happen him. They spit into team and searched the castling. It was nightfall before they found him. Neville and Ron stumbled on him in the dungeons, in a tiny, dead-end corridor. It didn't look like it had been used in long time. Harry was just slouched against the book binding wall, his weaponry tucked into his robes.

"Harry ?"Ron approached carefully.

Harry didn't answer, his gaze was fixed of a trivial dripping part of the cap. His heart followed each droplet as it grew, dropped and splashed into a fogyish patch on the floor.

"Harry ?"

dribble, dribble, drip.

"Are you Ok ?"

Drip, drip, drip.

"Is there anything we can do ?"

drip mould, drip, drip… Harry looked up and his middle met Ron's. The Aythya americana almost flinched back, his friends regard was core out and dull, like all the life had been sucked out of him. But even so it seemed to book barely contained fury.

"Yes,"Harry's voice sounded like it was seeping out through Stone."I do need your help."

"Ok ? What do you require us to do ?"

"I need us three to go back up to the prefects bathroom."Harry clenched his hands, he even seemed to be trembling."And you ‘ re going to try that absorption therapy thing again. Except this time you ‘ re gon na hold me under."
*


Harry turned the hydrant to fully and forced himself to watch as the bath filled to the brim. He didn't add any goop, he had a look he would be inhaling a expert good deal of this water.

"Are you sure you want to do this Harry ?"Neville said nervously.

"I have to."Harry tensed himself and slipped one leg down into the water. He felt like his peel was tightening up, like his unharmed leg had flag and needles. He gritted his dentition and dropped the rest period of his physical structure in. Already he felt like screaming, the water was everywhere.

"Ok, Neville you ‘ ve got a watch ?"Harry said through chattering teeth that had nothing to do with the temperature.

"Yes."

"Ok,"Harry began taking deep breaths in planning."Keep me under for five seconds, whatever I do. We ‘ ll push it up from there."

"Are you su-"

"Stop asking me if I'm sure !"Harry snapped. He turned to Ron, who was already in the bathroom."Do it !"

Harry closed his eye and felt hands close around his shoulder. A moment later he was dunked down. He tried to continue his oral cavity shut but as soon as the water closed over his mind he panicked and breathed in a great gulping of piss. His lungs and throat burned and he flailed helplessly.

After what felt like a lifetime he was pulled to the airfoil. He collapsed against the face of the Bath and lay there, coughing up his lungs onto the tiles. He weakly realized that there was blood mixed in with the piss, he must of bit his tongue trying to breathe.

"Was that five seconds ?"Harry said feeble once he had stopped coughing.

"Yes."

"brand the following one ten."

"Harry !"Ron protested."I can ‘ t do this to you ! The tournament ‘ s not worth this !"

"It ‘ s not even about the tourney any more."Harry shook his headspring."It's got so often defective I can't hire a exhibitioner, I can ‘ t go near the lake. I ‘ m dehydrated because I don ‘ t even want to tope a glass of water supply. I can ‘ t live like this. Please mate… ten seconds."

Harry felt Ron motility towards him through the urine and pull him to his feet. Harry took a deep hint and closed his eyes.

Again he was plunged into Inferno. Harry broke again and gulped in water supply. He saw twinkle split second on the inside of his lid. He felt like the bath had become a purl spinning him around and around. Every muscle clenched and released like he was having a seizure. The lights faded, and wickedness replaced it.
*


Harry woke confused. He was lying on a bed, with canvass over him. He wasn't wearing his glasses so the Earth in front of him was blurred. His dresser felt labored and ventilation was hard.

"Where am I ?"He croaked out.

"The hospital wing Mr Potter. You stopped breathing. Mainly because your lungs were full of water."A Theodore Harold White blob appeared into Harry's view and a moment later his glasses were returned. Madam Pomfrey straightened and shook her head."You've been here two years repairing the damage, your lungs were damaged. You were really remarkably stupid, I don ‘ t even know what to say this time."

"At to the lowest degree I can ‘ t blame this one on stairs."Harry smiled weakly. The schooling nurse snorted.

"You ‘ re friend is over there."She jerked her brain at another bed where Ron lay."He hasn ‘ t left since you were brought in. He seems to feel hangdog over something."

"Sorry."

"Don ‘ t say it to me, say it to him."Madam Pomfrey turned to leave then asked."Do you need anything ?"

"My throat hurts."

"I ‘ ll get you something for it."Madam Pomfrey bustled off.

Harry cleared his throat,

"Ron !"At the sound of Harry's vox the marauder stirred."Ron awake up."

"Harry ? Harry you ‘ re awake !"Ron rubbed his optic and slid out of bed."I ‘ m so sorry Harry, you stopped moving but I kept you under. I thought you were getting used to it… I didn't know you ‘ d blacked out. I almost killed yo-"

"Because I told you to."Harry broke in."You didn ‘ t screw up, I did. And if I wasn ‘ t so screwed up in the firstly place none of this would be necessary."

"You ‘ re not screwed up Harry. You ‘ re just… Harry."

"I jump onto trains."Harry shook his oral sex and laughed, but here was no bodily fluid in it."I ‘ m fourteen and I ‘ ve murdered two people you can ‘ t tell me that ‘ s normal."

"But that was self defense."

"And I didn't even hesitate ! I just stabbed them !"Harry continued."I have nightmares, I ‘ m aquaphobic and I remember thing I shouldn ‘ t know. Something ‘ s wrong with me."

"But-"

"I manipulate mass, I have no gumption of when I ‘ ve gone too far, I potioned a teacher, dueled another one, I lie, I cheat, I steal. You can ‘ t tell me I ‘ m normal, not with a straight face."

"But Harry,"Ron moved up and put a hand on his shoulder joint comfortingly."All that stuff and nonsense's what makes you you."

"being me sucks."Harry rolled over away from Ron. dame Pomfrey returned with a shabu of water and a small tumbler pigeon of amobarbital sodium liquid.

"drinkable all of it. It ‘ s quite bitter."She disappeared into her office again.

Harry reached out and gulped down the aniseed flavored potion. He reached out for the piss shabu but his finger's breadth stopped an inch from the glass. Harry sighed deeply and dropped back onto the bed.

"What is it Harry ?"Ron asked.

"It didn ‘ t work."Harry breathed faintly."It didn ‘ t even work."
*


"Bellevue."Harry spoke the password then knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Harry turned the handle and stepped into the node after part of Hogwarts. A few of the temple handmaidens were sitting at the table reading, they looked up pointedly as he entered. He tried to ignore them. He walked over to where Pythea was sitting by the windowpane on a piddling redact. Harry pulled over a chair and sat.

"Are you feeling better ?"Pythea asked, though she didn't sound concerned.

"Yes. Thank you."

"I looked in on you in the infirmary wing, but I couldn't stay."Pythea's eye's flickered to the white robed charwoman around the table.

"That ‘ s alright."Harry smiled."That ‘ s not what I came here about. I need advice."

"About the 2d chore ?"Pythea smiled faintly."You fear it."

"Yeah."Harry answered, not bothering to wonder how Pythea knew."I don ‘ t think I can do it. I mean there are spells and things, bubblehead good luck charm, Neville suggested gillyweed. But none of them ‘ ll work for me, not if I go crazy the instant I hit the water. I don't know what to do. I ‘ m scared Thea, I need help."

"Are you asking for my advice as an vaticinator ?"Pythea cocked her head."Or as a friend ?"

"Please Theia,"Harry begged."Just give me something."

"I have advice for you Harry."Pythea took his hand in hers."But you may not like it."

"William Tell me."

"spring up."

"What ?"Harry frowned, confused.

"Don't compete in the instant task. You can still win on the third even if you get zero for this one."

"But… The goblet ‘ s a back contract."Harry shook his head."I have to compete."

"You have to contend in the tournament."Pythea corrected."There have been respective metre in the past where a champion has skipped a task for medical reasons. And a phobia is a legitimate medical exam reason."

"But… I ‘ d have to tell them."Harry bit his lip."The whole school would know."

"You fear that happening ?"

"Yes."

"to a greater extent than you fear the lake ?"

"No."Harry shuddered and shook his head."Why are you telling me this ?"

"Because I hate to see you hurt Harry."She was rubbing her finger's breadth unconsciously on his hand."But even Sir Thomas More I hate to see you scared."

Harry nodded faintly. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea.

"But I still have hope."Pythea smiled suddenly."You always think of something."

"Ok, that was your friend answer."Harry smiled."What ‘ s the oracular one ?"

There isn ‘ t one Harry. There never is with you.

Harry was about to answer but Pythea put a finger to her lips and smiled.

"Would you like a game of chess while you ‘ re here ?"She said out loud.

"Bromus secalinus with a mind-reading seer."Harry rolled his middle."This should be fun."
*


Harry took Pythea's spec of Bob Hope that he would think of something and clung onto it like a lifeline. He spent every availably moment in the library trying to find some other way into the lake. He researched stellar projection, animagi, freezing and boiling spells and obscure charms. He got his friends to brew a potion of courageousness to try to whelm the fear but it wasn't enough and the upshot only lasted a few mo anyway.

So it came to be the nighttime before the task and Harry was still in the subroutine library, sitting behind a wad of books, despairing.

There was no answer, he should just give up.

"combustion the midnight oil Potter ?"Harry heard Malfoy's voice and jerked his oral sex up to see the boy walk out from behind a bookshelf, a pile of books under his arm.

Harry's brow furrows as he worked back through Malfoy's sentence. It took him a few secondment to work out what was bothering him about it. There hadn't been an affront in it ! It had been a simpleton, normal question.

"Yes, I see you are too."Harry pushed some of his own account book aside and the Slytherin sat down. The books he had all had similar form of address to Harry's own."You have a plan for tomorrow ?"

"Yes."Malfoy nodded."Just making sure nil can go unseasonable. You ?"

"No."Harry admitted shaking his head."No I ‘ ve got nothing."

secretiveness reigned in the nighttime, moldy library.

"You must have something."Malfoy said, shrugging."A short charm or so-"

"No."Harry shook his head again."Nothing that will work for me."

"But wh…"Malfoy leant back in his chair. Harry could almost see the gears turning in his head."The Boggart in third year…"

Harry said nothing, he didn't have to.

"You ‘ re afraid of piddle ?"

Silence.

"That ‘ s… not good for you then."Malfoy smiled."But very safe for me."

"piece of tail you Peroxide !"Harry sneered and knocked over a pile of books into Malfoy's lap."And get off my table !"

"You invited me here."

"I un-invite you."

"Too bad, I ‘ m settled now."Malfoy leant back and flipped a book undefendable, balancing on the back two leg of his chair. Harry had the unendurable urge to tip him over.

Harry gritted his teeth and ignored him, pulling another book over. A few instant passed in muteness then…

"Potter, what the hell is peroxide ?"

"Muggle thing,"Harry muttered."come to reckon of it it wasn ‘ t much of an insult."

"You must be stressed then,"Malfoy said without looking up from his book."If you can ‘ t even insult correctly."

"Would you like me to try again ?"Harry jabbed."I ‘ ve got lots."

"I tend to vex with mudblood."

"Evidence of a profound lack of imagination."Harry shut his book and picked another."Is it possible you're parents accidentally lobotomized you as a child."

"No."Malfoy replied coldly.

"Is it possible you're parents intentionally lobot-"

"Screw you shortarse !"

Harry chuckled despite himself and dropped his eyes back to the text in nominal head of him. It had some information about an ancient wizard who was capable to section ocean. It also said the knowledge of how to do so had been lost millennia ago. He dropped that one as well and grabbed another.

"Really scared of water ?"

Harry ignored Malfoy and sank deeper into the book.

"And you can ‘ t think of a way around it ?"

Harry sighed and looked up. Malfoy was staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"bravery potion… ?"

"Tried it, effect doesn't hold up long enough."

"A transformation of some kind ?"

"Any transformation that keeps my judgement intact keeps my phobias entire as well."

"How about charming an animate being to get whatever-it-is for you ?"

"Against the rules of the contest."

"Some sort of diving buzzer ?"

"Now you ‘ re just scraping the undersurface of the barrel."Harry sunk onto his helping hand on the table."boldness it, if I ‘ ve had week to come up with an solvent you ‘ re not gon na get it in one night. I ‘ ve been racking my brains trying to opine of some way that's within the linguistic rule but it just isn ‘ t there."

"wellspring how about remote them."Malfoy shrugged."You said you were going to cheat anyway."

"In strawman of the integral schooltime ? And the justice ?"Harry shook his nous."I ‘ d never get away with it."

"Is this Harry thrower I ‘ m talking to or some kind of imposter."Malfoy laughed dismissively."You don't worry about how to get away with things. You do them and get away with them later."

Harry opened his mouth to object but a light-bulb came on in his judgment. He stood suddenly, driving his hot seat back.

"I need different books."He stated suddenly before turning and walking away. After a mo he turned and said,"Thank you."

"I owed you one."Malfoy said, his eyes back on the Good Book in front of him.
*


"Ginny !"

Why is he shaking me ?

"Ginster wake up !"

"Harry ?"Ginny woke slowly and groggily."Harry it ‘ s still the heart of the night."

"I know."

"How did you even get up the step ?"

"Listen Gin, I need to borrow the Chimera."Harry was whispering but he sounded insistent.

"Sure Harry."Ginny shook her head, clearing cobwebs."What do you call for it for ?"

"Can ‘ t tell you."Harry smiled evilly."If I told you you ‘ d be an accessory."

"An add-on to what ?"Ginny was all-inclusive awake now.

"A Harry potter Plan !"Harry grinned in the dark, then disappeared.
*


"Mr Potter…"Minerva McGonagall licked her lips and stopped speaking. All around her the various adult were starting to titter, the students too. Dumbledore was giving Harry an appraising look, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim was laughing openly, Crouch just looked scandalized.

They were standing by the sharpness of the lake, the sec project was about to take up and all but one of the champions were wearing swimming costume. Those three were the ones giggling at the fourth.

"Mr Potter…"She tried again, pointing at what Potter was carrying."That is a broomstick."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Is it possible you misunderstood what the labor before you consists of."

"Anything ‘ s possible."thrower shrugged.

"You realize that the broomstick will not even function underwater ?"

"Yes."

"Is there any opportunity that you will tell me what you ‘ re planning."

"No."

McGonagall shook her head and turned back towards the stands. Behind her the hero moved into line by the edge of the lake. She shook her head as Bagman read out the prescript in his loud booming vocalisation, then…

"One… two… THREE !"

Harry shot into the air like a heater and careened backwards towards the base. Audience members scattered but Harry managed to regain control at the last bit and pulled up to burgeon forth over and out, following the curve of the lake until he disappeared behind a hill.

"Did he run away ?"

"Where did he go ?"

Muttering broke out around the tie-up. McGonagall shook her head, they had said the same things last time and Harry had come through.

Her eyes were drawn to the top point of view, to the shaving of white amongst the wickedness gown. The Pythea was standing before her seat, her eyes fixed in the counselling Harry had disappeared. A moment later she started laughing, a light Chrystal laughter that flowed over the stands.

McGonagall looked out to try and see what she was seeing but saw nil. A moment later a configuration appeared in the lake, rounding the Benny Hill that had hid it from aspect and pushing out quickly into the open water.

One by one the crowd fell tacit, every eye fixed on the thing in the lake. McGonagall put her script to her lip, even given a thousand years she would never make thought of this.

Karkaroff was the first base to break the secrecy. Shooting from his chair, his expression red with rage he raised his fist and yelled,

"THAT LITTLE prick ! HE ‘ S STOLEN MY BLOODY SHIP !"



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