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



Harry lay on his spine on his bed with his female parent locket dangling above him. The all-fired thing was taunting him he was sure. He had run some catching good luck charm over it and been shocked to bump that the thing was wrapped up six ways from William Ashley Sunday. Harry flicked through one of the books laid around him but found nix he hadn't already seen before.

"What now Harry."Neville had asked him to begin with that day when Harry was dragging his way through some ancient runes homework."With the plan, what do we demand to do now ?"

"We have to await now Neville."Harry had looked up and met his friends eye with a smile."Which could end up as the grueling contribution. 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 target. You know the plan."

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

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

"Yes ?"But Ron just pointed wordlessly over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was holding a Calluna vulgaris with a look of complete felicity on his expression."So he has a new heather ? We knew his don would buy him a new one."

"F… ff… Firebolt."That was all Ron appeared to be able to say. His face was ash Stanford White as he fumbled a Quidditch magazine out of his bag and spread it out in battlefront of Harry, his script vibration as he pointed to a long article.

Harry's verbal expression went from confused to fearful then moving swiftly to terrified as he read down the Firebolt's specs. The Chimera was good but there was no way she could compete with the raw top executive of the Firebolt.

"Energy Department this change the plan Harry."Harry glanced up and saw that Fred and George had moved down the table. Their usual smile dulled to worried frown."I, mean… It ‘ s a Firebolt."Harry tossed the magazine back at Ron and shook his head.

"The brooms only as honest as the rider. We can still rive this off."Harry tried to make his articulation comforting and unshakable. He kind of succeeded."We will."

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

The most irritating thing was that he really could do nothing right now. They needed to hold off at to the lowest degree until after the next compeer before the plan could progress. Waiting and watching helplessly was agony. When he had been working on the Chimera it had been like there was a big puzzle laid out in battlefront of him and he could make for at it until it was finished. Waiting was very much harder because there was nothing to do. Yes he had homework and yes some Slytherins had mysteriously had their place filled with frogspawn while they dried beside a ardor but he had no puzzle to solve. He had tried to pore on practicing with his guitar but it wasn ‘ t enough. Then he remembered the locket.

So now he worked on finding way of life to bypass its many appeal and magic spell. Working on that difficult ( but eventually solvable ) problem kept his mind off other apparently unresolvable job. Like why he had had section of net Monday twice. Twisting the locket up near the light he tried a few things.

"Lilly. petunia. Prefect. Open Sesame."The locket remained lock in and he dropped his hands in defeat. At to the lowest degree he had worked out that it was a watchword and not some other method of opening but that was about all he had discovered. He had thought of swallowing his pride and asking Professor Lupin his advice. The teacher hadn't known it was a locket but he might have had some idea or at to the lowest degree be able to give way him the epithet of her childhood pets."James. Sothis. St. Peter. Rose."Harry tried then gave up and gourmandize the thing back into his pocket.

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

And fell twenty understructure onto frigidness stone.
*


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

"Yes very much so."A pleasant lilting voice sounded out of the shadows down the anteroom."New, but not finished as yet."A tall man with a broad beard and a head of hair of red hair, barely held down by a battered hat, moved into aspect and knelt down by Harry. His accent was primitive and his clothes matched that description as did the jeweled brand in his hand. A late 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 promontory then stuffed his brand into it, appeared to rummage around for a moment then drew out a short rod topped with a crystal nut. As he waved the scepter over Harry it emitted a fond illumination and Harry felt the bruises of his fall disappear even quick than Madam Pomfrey could have managed."There, all better."The man smiled and dropped the rod back into his hat.

"You got a coney in there too."Harry quipped. Falling back on flippancy as the more reasonable destiny of his Einstein waved small egg white flags.

"A rabbit ? Why would one sustain a rabbit in a headpiece."The beginner smiled."Wouldn ‘ t it bring in rather a mountain on the head ?"

The foam oculus 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 come to be a good XXX spans 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 pocket. If anyone could work this thing out…

"I ‘ ve been trying to work out the watchword on this thing. You got any idea ?"

Godric Gryffindor appeared to wish a good enigma as a great deal as Harry and pulled what looked like a jewelry maker eyeglass out of his hat before using it to examine the niggling slip 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 script."Have you attempted a peeling yet ? It would certainly be effective."

"desquamation ?"Harry had never heard of a spell or go like that."No, what's that ?"

"An orchard apple tree peel."Gryffindor finished off his pasty and made a dipping motility."soak an apple in diviners broth that also has the locket soaking deep within it. Then peel the fruit in one strip with a facile knife. Toss the Sir Robert Peel over thy left articulatio humeri and it should form the chassis 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 time all this class. Never this far though."Harry shook his head.

"Truly ?"Gryffindor sounded sad for a mo and looked at him through the jeweller glass. His eye fell on Harry's breast on the impart side and he let out a smashing sigh."Oh, I am truly distressing my boy."

"What ? What is it ?"Harry unbuttoned his shirt and bit back a cry as he saw the massive red scar stretching over the left 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 tear blooming in the quoin of his eye."Also you will only see it when you are out of your admittedly time. You are caught in the torrent of ages now and there is no way to survive. It will get defective and worse until the event that caused it in the get-go place occurs. I wish I had better news slight 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 laws of movement and effect must be followed, even if they do not befall in the traditional order."

"Well I don ‘ t buy it."Harry shook his head and crossed his weapon angrily."I will not eat up this Irish bull you ‘ re vending. And I want to go back !"Harry felt his fad rising, a burst of accidental magic made a flagstone cracking."I want to go back to my own time, NOW !"Harry pushed his middle closed then snapped them spread out. Gryffindor was gone, and the rook was unanimous again.

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

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU seed FROM !"

Harry spun and made shushing racket to quite the fat lady who was now slumped over the back of her chair with her hand over her chest, breathing heavily.

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

Still staring at him in shock the fat Lady nodded and opened for him. Harry went quickly through the hollow night-time common room and slipped back up into the third-years bedroom.

Gryffindor's run-in troubled him though, even though the whole experience still felt kind of surreal. Should he go to Dumbledore ? Would the headmaster 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 suffice dubiousness about time and fate. Grabbing a quill and sheepskin Harry jotted down a long banker's bill to his Greek pen-pal. Originally he only meant to ask about the downpour but as he wrote he began to admit everything that had happened since his last-place varsity letter until the missive was several flat solid long.

"Digger will not be happy."Harry chuckled as he got out of bed for the irregular time that night. Not wanting to come alive the fat dame again after the scare he'd given her he padded over to his favorite window, climbed through it and set off in the direction of the owlery.
*


"Is that a hair growth potion ceramist ?"

"No sir."

"It isn ‘ t ?"

"No sir."

Snape took a mysterious breathing spell, he was going to enjoy this.

"For the first base time ever in my category you are discipline. You have not brewed a hair outgrowth potion. You have not even attempted to brew a tomentum outgrowth potion. Can you explain to me why you have brewed a unlike potion, from a different book. Brewed what appears to be a diviners broth that is not even on the Hogwarts programme. And can you explain why, even when you have chosen your own potion, you have still managed to utterly fail."

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

"I blame smart set sir."

"Society ?"

"Yes sir."

"fifty dollar bill gunpoint from Gryffindor."

"Well deserved sir."
*


Almost a hebdomad later Harry was out hunting for an Malus pumila. He had finally acquired some fair to middling diviners broth by the simple dint of asking any of the marauders if they could puzzle it out. The potion wasn't that hard, it was just beyond Harry's abysmal tier of accomplishment. Somehow the two sets to twin had puzzled it out. Harry smiled to himself, had he just referred to Fred and George as marauders ? Well, they almost were, but Vinca minor didn't like them because they had throw a bucketful of mush 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 orchard apple tree. Or at least an Malus pumila Tree, he knew a charm to make it bear a fruit out of time of year. When he'd take 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 Malus pumila tree's on the grounds were ( the ones on the condom side of the Aaron Montgomery Ward obviously ). Unfortunately what he hadn't counted on was that they were mostly small wild Tree with fruits not nearly large enough to bring forth a good peel. He needed a big cooking apple or something.

Harry preformed the magic spell on another sodden salad days only to be rewarded by another tiny Phthirius pubis apple.

"Sod this."Harry grumbled and pulled his robe closer around himself. On reflex he checked the pelt on his left incline, knit and unmutilated, to reassure himself that he was still in the right prison term. His fingerbreadth moved to his chandelier hanging on its new chain of mountains. Pythea hadn't written back yet, but then it took a while for an owl to fly to Greece and back and Harry had asked excavator to continue there until the seer had a reply for him to spare her making four trips.

"I ‘ m testing one final stage tree then getting inside where it ‘ s warm."Harry stomped through the mud down to a wizen old Tree by the lakeshore. And performed the spell one last time.

"Bugger."More small fry. Harry was about to turn away and take the air back up to the castle when he saw a spatter of gloss on the far bank. Scrambling out on the beginning of the old tree to get a right look he bit back an curse word. There was a piffling young lady lying on the east money box, half in and one-half out of the crotch hair near the boundary of the disallow timber. She wasn't moving and she was facedown in the water.

"HEY !"Harry yelled for anyone listening."SOMEONE ! HAGRID !"But the wind instrument took his quarrel away."Oh my god. Why does this stuff always happen to me ?"

Harry looked around for an alternative alternative but saw nothing.

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

For a moment the weewee closed over his head and he breathed in a mouthful of water in shock and terror but he bobbed to the surface and coughed it up before striking out for the stricken figure on the far money box. He had to go a little way out from the camber to debar the boundary of the Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth but then he could occur 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 lakes."

As he neared the girl the half of her that had been hidden in the George Walker Bush came into opinion and he stopped in shock. She wasn't a lady friend at all, she was a Centaurus. And she had a massive bite on her side, red and scabbed. Harry moved forward and dragged her human face out of the water.

"Girl ?"Harry slapped her side and tried to listen for breathing. She was still warm."Wake up !"

Suddenly the centaur eyes shot out-of-doors and she coughed up a tidy sum of lake water into Harry's lap.

"You alright ? Hey ?"

"Of path, I am alright."The daughter voice was faint but she seemed to be working her peg as if trying to get up."We are not tenuous like humans."

"Not fragile eh ? Looks like someone managed to snap off 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 sharpness is days old. I was just disoriented and I wandered away from my herd."

"volition you… I mean are you…"

"Infected ?"She used the Holy Writ like a slur."Of track not. Lycanthropy is a homo illness."

"Shall I get Dumbledore ? Or Hagrid ?"

"Unnecessary."She waved a human 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 hobble off into the forest.

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

"Are you sure you don't want to go to Hogwarts instead ?"Harry pointed back at the castle being rapidly obscured by tree diagram."It ‘ s properly there."

"I do not need Humans."

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

"Shut up foal."

Harry frowned but followed the lame Centaurus deeper into the forest. After half an time of day or so Harry heard something huge approaching and tensed. But then relaxed as three centaurs emerged from the undergrowth.

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

"Of course father."The girlfriend replied peeved and pushed him away.

"We ‘ ll this worked out fine. I ‘ ll just be…"But Harry trailed off as the elderberry bush Centaur turned to him.

"You !"The largest centaur spat and Harry suddenly found two arrowheads pointed at his neck opening."detestation !"

"Bane, we need to kill him now !"The third centaur said shock and fear dripping from his vocalism. Lachesis and her father were standing off to one side."We can not take a chance him living."

"I thought we did not harm foals."The male parent moved in finisher and reached out for the leader shoulder.

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

"Um…"Harry's heading just kept flicking from side to side, trying to keep an eye on the conversation. track was impossible, he was in their timber."Is this about the torrent…"But Lachesis interrupted him.

"He saved my life story Father. The herd has biography debt to him."They did ? First Harry had heard of it. The leading centaur had still not spoken but grimaced and lowered his bow.

"For the debt the Lester Willis Young one bears you…"He began, his voice deep and malevolent."… you live today. But heed me foal, if we find you in our forest again not even Lachesis will hesitate to wipe out you."Harry looked at the youthful centaur and saw her give a confirming nod.

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

"Damwain, show him to Hogwarts."scourge was already turning and moving off through the underwood. Harry was relieved to see that Damwain was Lachesis'father and not the one-third Centaurus who had been so intent on killing him. Damwain set off the way Harry had come and Harry had to clip to stay fresh up. After a while the silence began to rankle on Harry and he decided to break it.

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

"Not other."The Centaur said curtly.

"What ?"

"Not other Centaurus. I also want to stamp out you, but I will keep to the laws of our kind that prohibit harming the young and I acknowledge my daughters debt to you."

"But why ? What have I done to so royally pee off the entire centaur country ?"

"You have done aught. You merely are."Damwain shook his foreland."As you heard before. You are aberrant."

"It this about the violent stream of old age ?"Harry guessed. The Centaurus looked up and the stars and sighed.

"The inundation ? It is at the heart and soul of it."The centaur lapsed into silence again but didn't seem angry or anything. Harry decided it was probably fine to ask another question.

"Does the torrent have anything to do with why the werewolves are gathering ?"

"What possible link could there be between those thing ?"The centaur scoffed."No the lycanthrope gather for an altogether dissimilar reason."

"Which is… ?"

"Their leader had come."Damwain sounded furious now."A man almost as much an detestation as you. He has gathered them here. He seems to think he has some way to move into Hogwarts."

"Does he ?"Harry asked.

"I seriously doubt it."Damwain scoffed."The Hogwarts Barbara Ward have stood against the greatest brain in generation. They will not descend to something little more than an animal."Damwain fell silent then came to a halt. He turned to Harry and said…

"Leave now."Harry started, then realized that he could see the palace through the trees. They had returned by a much more guide rabble than he had left."Take curse ‘ s warning seriously, to be caught in the forest 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 bally forbidden forest !"Harry yelled after him.
*


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

"That's what he said. course 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 serious !"Hermione chided them."This is important."

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

"I meant about the werewolves !"

"But the wards keep them out."Ron narrowed his eyes. Harry groaned, an argumentation was about to set out."I think a whole species who want to fill Harry with pointer is More important."

"Then Harry just doesn't go into the timberland. 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 munition triumphantly.

"That doesn ‘ t make it a good thing ! We should…"Hermione continued talking as Harry gently stood a large book up on its edge between the arguing duet and the rest of the predator. The argument safely contained Harry turned and asked…

"Any comments from the non-old-married-couple section of the mesa ?"The vulture grinned ( except for Parvati who was moping a petty. She hadn't liked having her illusions about Centaurus 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 Centaur want you dead."Harry was forced to nod, he had never actually told the piranha about the metre jumps.

"well 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 power shovel got into some form of trouble ?"… so I think we need to focus on the werewolves."

Reluctantly the piranha nodded.

"Damwain said their drawing card had come. Which means he arrived some time in the summer Holliday. I doubt he caught the knight bus so how did he get here ? And why ?"

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

"What do you intend ?"

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

"Wards would block off 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 table went silent in shock. Then…

"Of course ! It all fits, he ‘ s ‘ sick'during wax moonlight. His Humphrey DeForest Bogart is the full moon moon ! It all fits !"Annapurna 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 top dog."If we could work out it out Dumbledore could."

"Professor Snape knows."Hermione added."He must do, that's why tried to teach us about werewolf. So we ‘ d work it out."

"Do you think he ‘ s gathered the werewolves."Parvati said in a subdued tone.

"it's the properly 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 piranha stared at him.

"Doing what Harry ?"Ron asked.

"I have had enough déjà vu this class without intentionally repeating net class. We. will. Not. Jump. To. Conclusions."Harry punctuated each word by poking the tabularise hard."Last year we went off all righteous against professor Albert Michelson and we turned out to be stagnant wrong. We won't do that again."

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

"You all think its Lupin."Harry said it flatly. well-nigh of the marauders seemed unclear as to whether it was a query or not. Ron nodded quickly, Parvati as well. Neville seemed to be trying to avoid being looked at but shook his psyche, Padma smiled at him and also said no. Harry turned to Hermione."Two ballot yes, two votes no. Ginny ‘ s at exercise and Vinca minor ‘ 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."Lashkar-e-Taiba ask him."

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


"Professor lupin listen…"Harry pushed open the door to the teacher office without knocking and began talking as soon as he was over the threshold."…we know you're a werewolf."lupin went from raging to gob-smacked in a fraction of a instant. His mouth began working but no sound came out.

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

"So we know you ‘ re a werewolf, we know the forest currently has a werewolf problem. Naturally certain questions have arisen from this state of affairs namely ‘ Are you in any way involved ? ’. I personally think the answer is no, sure of my friends are not so for certain and it would be remiss of me to drop their suspicions as they are, after all, not unfounded."Harry said all this in one breath then stood waiting for an reply. A polite cough made him turn around. professor Dumbledore was sitting at a table behind him. He did not expect pleased.

"You ‘ re obviously busy I ‘ ll come back later."Harry hadn't moved a single stone's throw before the room access slammed shut."Or not."

"Harry, I am beaming you came here."Professor Dumbledore spoke softly."It has saved us the problem of fetching you. Can you please explain why you left the schoolhouse primer coat last Night ?"

Damn.

"Um… There was a centaur scathe, at the side of the lake. I went to see if I could help oneself. She was face down in the water."Harry was quick to add."If I had gone to bring someone she could take died in the mean time. Ask Damwain, or… or Bane. They were there."Harry had though centaur-name dropping might lend believability to his story. In fact neither Dumbledore nor Lupin reacted to his statement.

Suddenly the room darkened, the light from the windowpane fading into night. Harry quickly checked his chest of drawers, the wounding was there. Harry looked up too see that Dumbledore and lupine were still in the room, this time sitting in two easy chairs.

"It ‘ s just…"lupine began, his voice catching."… he looks so the like him."

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

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

"So you see, I kind of had to pass on the grounds."Harry finished lamely. Both professors looked unconvinced. Harry sighed,"Can you at least tell me whether you knew professor Lupin was a lycanthrope before you punish me ?"

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


"The whole rook ! ?"Ron squeaked.

"Every lame inch of corridor."Harry repeated to the dumfounded marauder."With this."He held up a belittled hired man brush.

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

"I have a tactual sensation that they ‘ re using this one thing they can raise as an excuse 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 to the lowest degree of them."

"Oh !"Ron said as if he'd suddenly remembered something."Myrtle found you a good orchard apple tree tree. Just left of the logic gate to Hogsmead."

"I ‘ m could get married that ghost !"

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

"Come on, come on."Harry urged, looking at the clock. When the needed five instant were up he fished both token out of the stock and reached for a silvery tongue. He had to be careful now, a mistake would mean he had to start all over. Slowly, carefully he peeled it in a bingle long whorl that ended up all over the table. He'd cut quite deep so the peel wouldn't break and now wondered if that was a problem.

"Only one way to find out."Harry moved so that the mesa was behind him and threw the peel over his leftfield shoulder. Turning he saw the Sir Robert Peel snaking around violently, kinking and twisting as it formed recognizable varsity letter. A long password for an Malus pumila Robert Peel, it had had to debase and still only just managed it.

Harry picked up the locket and, with some trepidation, spoke the password. The locket fell open in his hand and he held it up to his eye to get a dear face at what was inside. And snapped it shut, dropped it back into the box, locked the box with the strongest charm his suddenly beleaguered mind could come up with, slid the box into his bag, grabbed the skin, tore it up so no one else could take the word then, to be trusted, threw the peel in the firing and then sat down.

"I hate mysteries."Was all he said.



Ooooo ... secret ! 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 performance had been impressive though, he had to concede. Ginny had slipped past Cedric Diggory, using her brooms improved manageability 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 hands behind his read/write head."It means we can propel 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 ire then turned to her sister."You sure about your info."

"You know me Harry."Annapurna 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."
*


"Pathetic ceramist. Absolutely Pathetic."

Harry leaned over and looked at the congealed mess at the bottom of his cauldron.

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

"XX detail from Gryffindor for your freshness potter and ten more for the potion. Honestly potter, having you in this classroom is nothing More than a waste of meter and potion ingredients."

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

"WE WERE NOT devising A quiescency POTION !"

"Oh…"Harry flipped to the next Thomas Nelson Page of his book, 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 vacillate as he stood in forepart of Harry's desk."How about the sheep ‘ s liver, was I meant to add that ?"

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

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

Snape turned around, his gaze screamed bloody murder.

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

Harry sighed theatrically then stiffened as he felt another terrible knife thrust at the back of his learning ability. He tore his eyes 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 Sir Thomas More but it had reminded him of something else. Pythea still hadn't wrote back.
*


The day of the Gryffindor Ravenclaw biz dawned mucky and wet. A steady downpour that patterned great dark stains across the palace walls and made it look like it was crying.

Harry was a screaming chunk of nerve as he sat with the other predator near the top of the Gryffindor stand. Anything could go wrongly, absolutely anything, but that was pattern. What was making him so insane was that there was now nothing he could do about it. The metaphorical arrow had left the bow, it would either hit or it wouldn't, there was goose egg he could do.

"Will the pelting screw up the plan ?"Neville was muttering beside him."Will the wet ? Will…"

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

"How can you say that ?"

Because I'm living in denial ? Because I don't want to disappoint anyone ? Because I'm delusional ? Because if I actually admitted that there's a very upright opportunity this could go fantastically Pyrus communis shaped on us I might just start crying ?

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

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

"Shh ! Here they come."

"WOOD ! President Andrew Johnson ! Bell ! SPINNET ! WEASLEY, WEASLEY AND WEASLEY !"

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

"Here we go."idea Harry as he tugged his pelage closer around him.

"How much do we postulate to win by ?"Harry heard a voice 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 own at to the lowest degree twelve goal when Ginny catches the stoolpigeon or we lose to Slytherin."The second year said dreamily."Ravenclaw have to have xxx seven goals 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 stands erupt in cheers beneath her.

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

"Gryffindor now ahead by just four goals !"Yelled Lee Jordan."Wake up Twin Falls ! What are you doing out there !"

Ginny shook her mind. Gryffindor had had a comfortable six finish trail 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 box of her eye, shadowing her. She liked to do that, Oliver had told her, it was her favorite tactic.

Ginny scanned the crowds through the rainfall, searching for any hovering glint of atomic number 79. The stool pigeon had to number out sometime, not that it would do either team any good. Gryffindor needed another goal and Ravenclaw needed XX or something. She craned her neck opening around and saw it. Fluttering behind her, nearer to Cho than to her. Trying not to clear it obvious Ginny turned away from the snitch. But Cho must have got sensed something was wrong and a moment later had spotted it herself. The elderly seeker tore after it and Ginny was forced to tail her, cursing.

Ginny tried to get between Cho and the snitch to barricade the elderly searcher. Ginny knew she couldn't haul 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 snitch tantalizingly close in social movement of them. Cho reached out and Ginny knocked her hired man away. So close, Gryffindor just needed one more end. Cho was reaching again and Ginny shoulder barged her to name her miss. Ginny tried to draw out ahead but whatever she did Cho seemed to be able to play off her. However hard she pushed Cho seemed to be able to detain just a little bit ahead of her. It was just a affair of clip, she couldn't continue the Ravenclaw off forever. Cho was reaching out again…

"Sorry Oliver."She thought, and grabbed the snitch. A sunshine went up around the lakeside 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."

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

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

"What does that signify ?"Ginny frowned. But it was as if a light had just gotten switched on in Oliver Woods head."What happens when we pass ?"

"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 overturn it."His twin came up, placed his arm on her former shoulder and said….

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

Ginny's eyes went encompassing and she looked over at the Slytherin stands and caught a cold Grey gaze staring back at her. It could have been her imagination but she could ingest sworn she saw Malfoy mouth the word ‘ replay ’.

"Do you love how the duel works Ginny ?"Oliver wood sounded like he could barely keep the joy from his voice.

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

"Not quite, the rules are dissimilar than in oecumenical period of play. Specifically the convention for fouls."

"No magic and no interfering with the early seeker broom."Angelina said, off to one face."Everything else is on the table. He could really hurt you up there Gin."

"Ginny…"Oliver Mrs. Henry Wood was talking again."I didn ‘ t want to ask this of you, but this is my last fortune at the Quidditch cup. My very last luck, so catch the fink or die trying."

Ginny's centre went blanket 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 shoemaker's last minute look-over before the duel. Malfoy just scoffed."Very well then."She opened the box that contained the sneaker and held it in her hands. Ginny looked over to see the almost savage look in Malfoy's eyes.

"On, your marks."

He'll kill me…

"Ready…"

Oh god…

"Set…"

I'm going to die !

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

Ginny felt fingerbreadth curl into her hair and try and yank her backwards, she kicked out savagely and managed to draw away. The canary was still shooting upwards and the seekers followed it. Malfoy was scratching and punching at her and she responded by elbowing him in the kidneys. Having six brothers gives you a lot of training in brawling. Malfoy jerked instinctively and Ginny swerved in front of him.

She had to stay on ahead, with the firebolt's tycoon she knew that if she let him get in front she'd never be able to catch up. He swerved left, she blocked him. He swerved right, she twitched in movement again and heard him cry out in frustration.

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

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

"goodness girl."She urged the Scots heather on. The canary was tantalizingly shut down."Just a trivial more."But she felt something brush her leg. Malfoy had managed to pilfer to her incline ! In another endorsement he would be in front line of her !

With the prospect of losing the cup filling her brain she did the only affair she could think of. She pulled back her leg and aimed with her heel. She just had time to read the shock hit Malfoy's face.

"vengeance snake-boy !"She thought as she slammed her foundation into his face as hard as she could. She saw a spurt of blood that was quickly lost in the wind and rain then Malfoy peeled off and spiraled away, holding his grimace in both workforce."Yes !"

She looked back up and caught sight of the golden musket ball. Straining up she reached…
*


"YES !"The Gryffindor stand erupted in cheerfulness. Harry even leapt to his infantry and yelled himself horse. Not so much for the cup, but for the fact that everything had gone perfectly. Harry and the predator rushed down the stands and reached the pebbled beach just as the Gryffindor team was landing. Oliver Wood was floating down with his arms wrapped around Ginny whispering…

"Thank you, thank you."And the relaxation of the team were clustered around them.

"Se ‘ oke'I nose !"Malfoy was floating down nearby, holding a manus to his face to stem the menstruum of blood.

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

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


Damn.

Professor Snape clenched his hands into clenched 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 bureau that he even had a little shelf in his cabinet for it.

To have come down to an exact attractor, of all the abyssal destiny. Then being forced to rely on a seeker that had bribed his way onto the team. The little elusion of a Weasley young woman had humiliated him. And he could not even find fault this passing on thrower ( he refused to believe the nonsensical rumor that thrower had made the lady friend ling ).

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

What were the chances that it would come to an exact draw ? Snape felt a horrible certainty rise inside him. And the Weasley twin who, for all their ineptitude in the classroom, were not bad beaters. But they had performed horribly in that peer, hitting or just missing their own team-mates. Stopping Gryffindor from getting that last goal. The Chang girl, missing the snitch three times ? Even for a Ravenclaw that was improbable. Even the last game with Hufflepuff. Cedric Diggory had shown no wile, he had practically shown Malfoy where the canary was. Of line he had, Snape realised, if the plot had gone on too long and Slytherin had won by too much Gryffindor could not have been able to equalize.

Snape's eyes were once again drawn to the ceramicist boys greenish ones.

Legilimens

He cast non-verbally and after a moments resistance 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 rook. If he was justly about her docket she should be right… Ah !

"Cho ! Cho wait up."Harry trotted up to the older fille, who had just left appealingness social 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 intercept me."Harry rolled his eyes."No, what I was going to say was that I variety of need a favor."

"What kind of favor ?"

"A big one. heed I ‘ ve never cashed in on the unscathed saved-everyone-from-Voldemort-before-I-knew-how-to-walk-and-then-twice-again-in-the-last-two-years matter but I really involve your help."Harry motioned Cho into the now empty classroom and closed the door."Firstly we need to get some affair 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 finish ? Thirty-four or something ?"He knew it was exactly XXX four but he wasn't gon na say that.

Cho held out a instant longer, then her articulatio humeri slumped.

"You 're veracious, it ‘ s not going to befall is it. It ‘ s your defect you know."Cho pointed at him."When Ginny broke her Calluna vulgaris and didn't get a new one straight person 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 treaty."horrible stage business that wasn ‘ t it ?"

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

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

"How ?"

"I want to make it so that Ginny can abase him in front of the entire schooling. Not the wholly team, just him. One on one."

"Harry the teachers won ‘ t reserve a challenge plot like that."Cho shook her head."And even if they do no-one will add up to watch."

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

"But Harry there ‘ s no way you can make sure the games will fare down that way."

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

"No !"Cho's eyes suddenly narrowed with reason."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 good 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 rascal's about the cup !"Harry shook his head word."If I did don't you think I would be telling you to throw the game totally instead of just letting us draw ? This is about what Malfoy did to my Friend, your admirer too after in conclusion 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 draw Ginny to catch the snitch."Cho said, biting her lip."She might just pull in presence of me until Gryffindor have the goal they need."

"Two points. One : Fred and Saint George will be stopping Gryffindor from getting that last goal. Two : I built The Chimaera especial for this."Harry grinned evilly."There's a little surprise on there that I ‘ ll remove before the duel. combine me, she can't pass 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 Anapurna as a vulture comes in."… I ‘ ve already got Cedric Diggory on my side. You know him, right ?"Cho's eyes widened a footling and she nodded.

"Well, he ‘ s agreed to help me. Little thank you for the solid snake-army incident in the cellar concluding year."Harry smiled knowingly at the onetime missy."If you did want to assist us then we should probably dress for you to gather up with him. Discuss… strategy… and stuff."

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

"I know."
*


Snape tore his eyes away. He could finger the cult bubbling up in his bloodstream.

"You !"He pointed at the boy.

"Me ?"potter put his hand 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 Saint James ceramicist !

"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 hand."Bearing in mind that Legilimency on students is illegal."

Oh the ceramicist boy thought he was smart did he.

"Well Potter perhaps you are correct."Snape's anger changed from a raging inferno to an icy, vengeful ache."But I am still your teacher and I can give your four More age here a life hell."

"Was that an invitation to direct your NEWT class Professor ?"

"Potter…"Snape released him and turned away."… you will regret this. bell ringer my words, you will rue this."
*


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


"Do you call this a silencing gulp Potter ! ?"

"I…"

"I DO NOT CALL THIS A SILENCING tipple !"

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

"This is a slimy mess Potter !"

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

"And you won ‘ t ! I will not have any more pointless ingredients !"Snape vanished the cognitive content of Harry's cauldron."You will be doing lines for the rest of this moral Epistle of James ceramist. You will write ‘ I will not be an incompetent, pathetic, halfwit and a Ishmael on this school.'in the Leslie Townes Hope that perhaps the hint will sink in."

"My name is Harry."Harry muttered under his breath but Snape didn't seem to get wind him as he strode away.

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

Snape had been making good on his ‘ living snake pit'promise since the match but Harry was beginning to imagine that the potions schoolmaster had more deep seated issues than a simple game of quidditch. The fact that he kept calling him James I was a definite clue. Snape seemed to be taking out thirteen years of pent-up, un-sated fad on Harry.

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

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

"seam Sir."Harry had been trying to sustain his sang-froid in Snape's course of instruction. With pick out success.

"These chicken scratching ? This scrawl ? !"

"Would you like me to redo them Sir ?"Harry had to skip over back as his parchment caught on fervour and burn away before his eyes.

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

Harry got another piece of parchment out and got to writing.

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

"And they ‘ ll ask what I did to get him so angry in the starting time place."Harry shifted his bag high on his shoulder."And that will lead to unfortunate person questions."

"He ‘ s right Hermione."Ron said from the early side, then added to Harry."Don ‘ t concern checkmate, you can drop his grade after OWLs."

"That's not the the right way attitude."Hermione said shrilly."Harry needs to learn at least basic knowledge of potions to social function in wizard high society and prof Snape is stopping him from even participating. You ‘ ll have to take really surd if you want to pass the end of year test at this rate."

"I ‘ m beginning to think I won ‘ t be awake that long."Harry joked.

The vulture laughed but Harry stiffened as he realized the true statement in his words. He still had the torrent of eld hanging like a closure by compartment above him. He hadn't had any major time jumps lately, just a few instant here and there. For the love of Merlin why hadn't Pythea written back ?

As if his thought itself had been a spell Digger dropped out of the afternoon sky clutching a letter of the alphabet in his claws. Harry grabbed it and hastily made an exculpation to the jump 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 farseeing stumble. His hands shaking, Harry tore open the envelope and pulled out the alphabetic character inside.

honey Harry

It is so full to hear from you. I am gladiola you have taken up my suggestion to learn Occlumency, you will find it a useful skill I assure you. I can easily envisage you with a guitar, wandering Hogwarts or sitting in your common room entertaining the former students with strain and tarradiddle. You are effective at spinning a good tale you know, I can severalize from your letters.

Harry almost scrunched the letter of the alphabet in frustration. Usually he enjoyed letters from the little seer but wasn't it about time she got to the point ?

I learnt to spiel the harp as theatrical role of my apprenticeship here…

Harry quickly looked ahead through the letter, scanning down and down. There was no reference of the torrent or time travel anywhere. Harry fell to the floor in despair, had she simply abandoned him to his fate ? She had been his utmost hope. Pythea's letter ended without so often as a steer that his own letter had contained the threat of his inevitable death.

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

Your Friend
Pythea

acquaintance ? Ha ! That was a joke.

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

"Yes Neville I ‘ m fine."Harry said quietly, but he could feel the lubber in his throat and the snag beginning to shape in his eyes. Neville's oculus flickered to the letter still clutched in Harry's script but he scrunched it up and overeat it in his pocket.

"wellspring defense course of instruction is starting now."Neville pointed back towards the castle."You sure you ‘ re alright Harry ?"

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

"Anything you want to talk about ?"

"Not now. Maybe when it ‘ s a short less fresh."Harry pushed open the door to the defense classroom. At least he could be assured of a quiet lesson, prof Lupin tended to dismiss him in classes.

"Well potter, I see you decided to grace us with your presence."

Standing arrogantly at the nominal head of the family was Professor Snape. Harry felt like a pulley-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 al-Qur'an as Snape stalked around the class. He could still palpate the ice in his breast and the clod in his throat, if Snape provoked him he would never be capable to hold back.

"Potter…"

No.

"…Is this your essay ?"

Please no.

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

"It displays no insight into the subject…"

Fine, I had no insight.

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

Did I ? Who the hell cares.

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

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

"…and you could not deliver mangled the spelling and well-formed rules of the English language to a greater extent 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 glad you made that appraisal Sir."Harry kept his eyes down on the book in front of him."It ‘ s the same one as prof lupin made."

"But of line paladin potter doesn ‘ t need to learn United States Department of Defense against the sour arts."Snape scowled down at Harry."You don't need to larn how to duel mortal properly if you and your three footling ally sneak up behind them and plan of attack from trap like cowards."

I have more than three friends.

"You are chesty Potter."Snape continued."A trait shared by all potter apparently."

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

"You are nothing but a middling wizard at best and a spoiled you are a disgrace and yet you are under the impression you are untouchable. How I wish this category gave me the opportunity to show you precisely how amateur you truly are."

"Alright."Harry set his quill down.

"What ?"

The solid grade was watching by now.

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


"semen on Professor."The ceramicist boy was just standing there holding his wand and looking at his shoes."Show me."

The class was deathly pipe down. Not a student dared movement or speak. Out of the corner of his eye Snape could see Potter's little admirer, wide eyed and frightened, in their seats.

"Are you serious Potter ?"Snape asked.

"Yes."Was all the boy said.

"You will lose."

"Try me."

"You do not have a chance."

"Try me."Was all the Potter boy said again but he mouthed under his breathing space ‘ Noel Coward ’.

Snape felt the ire that was his constant companion rising again as he moved to get a perspective diametric Potter.

"Mr Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins you will numerate us in."Snape gripped his verge. He would end this with one magical spell. The thrower boy was still looking at the floor.

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

Potter was not even in a dueling stance. Pathetic.

"Two…"

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

"One…"

A memory floating to the surface, Potter in the Gryffindor coarse room holding a shining object. Lily's pendant ! He would jazz that little strip of silver anywhere. potter bending over the pendent in his script and whispering something. The chandelier splitting open. Looking inside, a word picture. Lily Evens bundled up against the snow for a Hogsmeade weekend, the coke even still falling in the image, and holding her by her articulatio humeri keeping her warm… his own face… himself… that picture had been taken in fourth year.

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

"affaire d'honneur !"

"Expelliarmus !"



follow-up please.


The gerbils made me do it.







Snape's wand clattered to the story but the instructor didn't seem to have noticed. Harry watched as the potions master fell to his human knee on the floor, nous bowed, his cheek hidden by his lank greasy hair.

Harry watched, waiting for the explosion, but none came. Harry, with much trepidation, knelt down and tried to look at the teachers face. Which was why he was the lone one in the class to point out the tear fall down from the end of Snape's long hooked nose and driblet onto his knees.

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

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

The students needed no more incentive and quickly scrambled for the relative safety of the corridor.

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

"None of you will observe this lesson to anyone."Harry said, looking each scholar in the eye as he did so."None of you will babble about it, even to each other. None of you will guess about it the adjacent sentence you have Snape for your lesson. In defense 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 people who cross me. Understand ?"

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

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

"I variety of have to."Harry answered.

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

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

Snape was still where he had been before they left. Harry took a cryptic hint 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 here and now so I could disarm you. I never thought it would bear on you like this."

Snape still said zilch, 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 occasional 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 minute more then slowly brought the silver locket up to his mouth. Then, in a choked, dolorous vocalism he said…

"spinster end."

The locket cracked open. Snape seemed to break all at once and started sobbing. His altogether, long, gangling body shaking with each sob. Harry didn't really have sex 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 photograph, it was his mother and her sis when they were Loretta Young, but obviously over eleven since the picture was moving. He wordlessly handed it to Snape, who took it and kept crying. He grabbed another photograph and poked his Father-God out of the chassis before handing that too over.

He kept going until the box was void. Giving a few news each to tell Snape what it was he was giving him, an essay, a letter, a prefects badge. Harry hid the love letters from his father back in his bag. By the time nothing was left Snape had stopped crying, he was even breathing a lilliputian sluttish, deep breathes instead of the racking breathlessness that had plagued him a moment ago.

Snape sniffed loudly and put his handwriting into a air hole of his robe but drew it back vacate. He searched another pocket while sniffing louder. Harry realized he was searching for a tissue. Struck by a stab of mischief Harry grabbed something back out of his bag, scrunched it between his hired man and handed it to Snape.

The potions master took it and blew his olfactory organ on the lambskin. After doing so he brought it away from his nose, a tail of curiosity crossing his expression, and looked at it. After a moment of reading the ( now hideously smudged ) letter his oculus flickered up and met Harry's. It could throw been his vision, but for a moment Harry thought he saw a flicker 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 rest of your socio-economic class to hold on silent."Snape's representative 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 short of his old spite and sneer.

"I just…"Harry licked his lips and started again. As unwilling as he was to give Snape ammunition to use against him…"finale yr I broke down completely in the infirmary fender. Right on the floor. It was after Colin Creevy got petrified, it all just got too much for me. At the time I remember wishing everyone there would just forget it ever happened. I thought you might experience 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 arrest 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 tell you something I ‘ ve noticed about wizards ?"Harry took Snape's silence as an approving."Wizards… genius use quills."

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

"And they use luggage compartment even when they can catch bags to concur Thomas More. You use a steam train to get to Hogwarts. This year a steam-boat. We live in a medieval castle, the shop I bought my sceptre in predates Jesus Christ and we write on rolls of sheepskin. But its More than just that, lots of wizards are named after fellow member of their fellowship. A lot more of them than muggles. Even portrait and ghosts ; half the time we seem to be surrounded by people who died hundred ago. What I ‘ m getting at is…"Harry swallowed in dread at what the reaction to his adjacent point in time would be.

"… wizards seem to expend a lot of time keep in the past."Harry forced himself to meet Snape's center."Maybe it ‘ s clip you moved on."

Snape just stood there, his leer seemed to feature frozen on his lips but his middle just seemed confused, even a little doomed. Harry opened the room access and left quickly.

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

"You're alive !"Harry turned and saw that the marauders were waiting on their usual 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 grimace broke into a smiling."But that was bloody brilliant what you did !"

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

"What spell 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 ugly to you for three eld. You can't tell me it was worse than what he ‘ s done to you."

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

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

It was only as Harry got into bed that night 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 robes and study it again, trying to find some hint of a clew. But there was aught. Nothing at all.
*


Professor Snape dropped the photograph back onto the oak table of his quarters and held his question in his manpower. The simply luminosity in the room came from the guttering candle before him and faded into the darkness around him. Snape refilled his shabu with alertness potion and tried to pretend himself sip it this time. Sleep was not an alternative, not at least until he was too wear to dream.

"Move on."Snape growled into the darkness."Were it that easy ceramist, everyone would be doing it."

The idiocy of the boy, telling him to strike on while at the Saami time giving him a tidy sum of exposure 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 table in social movement of him. He hadn't dared give it again for fear of breaking down once more. He picked it up and trailed its silver range of mountains through his digit. poor fish affair. Snape smacked it back down onto the tabletop. But even then his fingers instinctively curled to protect the thing and he ended up skinning his brass knucks. His movement blew the candle out too and he was left in bitterly darkness clutching the damn matter so knockout it hurt.

Snape drew his wand out to relight the candela but stopped with it held loosely in his hand. 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 grief. 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. ceramicist boy… James Potter… who took Lily away. Snape could still feel the edges of the locket cutting into his palm.

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

You abandoned me.

No. Snape curled his hands over his typeface and tried to draw the memory down using Occlumency. But in his circumstance 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 give me heartsease ?

You were my just friend.

Be silent.

But you betrayed me.

Please.

I can't make-believe anymore Sev.

I just want to forget.

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

Snape curled his finger's breadth around his ears, trying to cease listening to his own brain. He knew what came next.

I can ‘ t love this you, not even as a Friend. Goodbye Severus.

Snape threw his straits back and howled in pain sensation. Oh why battle it. Snape pointed his wand out and yelled…

"Expecto Patronum !"

The room was lit once More by silver light as the while erupted from Snapes verge. The silver 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 understood hooves and rested her header in his lap. She felt warm but Snape knew it wasn ‘ t real, if he tried to bear upon her she ‘ d just finger like mist.

Snape laid his school principal down on his arms and closed his oculus. Later he finally fell asleep like that, leant over the table with his aspect in his arms, the doe warming him like a pet dog and the locket still held tight in his hand.
*


Harry stared down at his chest and tried hard to stay fresh his respiration in check as the huge wound faded in and out. Harry gritted his tooth and concentrated on staying in this metre. The injury began to blow over more, after a few minutes if vanished completely. Harry breathed a sigh of succor, but it was one tainted with fear. It was getting worse.

"Harry you ok in their ?"Ron's representative 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 door and smiled at his supporter."Probably flu or something."

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

Harry nodded, he had been a niggling tranquilize. Intentionally in the beginning, he had known that he needed to keep a low visibility. But Snape seemed to be pulling a Lupin and ignoring Harry in his lessons. Not that he was paying often care to the eternal rest of his year either, Snape spent most of his lesson at his desk and had large bagful under his eyes.

But lately the torrent had been getting worse. He had thought that it getting unsound would signify he'd jumping further back but in fact it was the face-to-face. He kept jumping second, mo or hours back and forth, several meter a day now. Sometimes the world would simply resonate 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 times like this morning when he simply slipped back and Forth like a metronome, the lesion on his chest opening and completion like hideous sphincters.

Even worse were the times when he didn't even clear 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 notice cereal and toast appear in front of him. Lessons were even worse, they could be twice as long as pattern or the bell could sound when Harry had barely put his Good Book down. His St. Mark in grade were falling, preparation was hard to deal in on clock 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 muster the free energy. They'd only separate him what he already knew.

He was doomed.

"You sure you ‘ re alright Harry ?"

Harry was drawn back from his sentiment 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 place, you're never monosyllabic."

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

"No just… I mean why would I…"

"It ‘ s okay Ron. Never mind."Harry shook his header, 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 white and pasty like Snape."

"Probably because I haven't been sleeping much."Harry thought."harbor ‘ t been eating a good deal either… My torso clock ‘ s all screwed to hell by the jumps."

"I might get caught."Harry said lamely.

Harry rightly deserved the horrified brilliance Ron gave him.

"Alright."Harry shrugged."I ‘ ll come. At least the piddle ‘ ll be warmer this time !"
*


Harry dragged himself out of the lake and gave himself a drying magical spell before wandering up towards townspeople. After meeting up with the other marauder the offset place they visited was Zonko's put-on shop.

"Pretty sound don't you think ?"Harry grinned through the magical mask that made him front like an old man. He had a big greyness mustache too and a honey oil felt hat.

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

"Of course of study. And I ‘ m wearing it all day."Harry said from behind the scrunch up face.

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

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

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

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

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

"Just about sentence for the tierce broom handle before we head back."Parvati said cheerily as they walked down a backstreet, away from the primary multitude."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.

"fountainhead yeah."

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

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

"Anti-oxygen…"Ron's forehead 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 thirdly word.

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

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

Harry looked down. There was weaken trash, he looked around and saw that it had come from the on a higher floor window of a nearby house.

Perhaps it was the want of sleep, perhaps some latent natural endowment as a seer or perhaps some effect of the flood but rightfulness at that moment Harry felt his venter lurch. There was something terrible behind that rugged window.

"delay here."Harry said quietly. The marauders heard his tone and fell silent. Harry slipped in through the garden logic gate and felt the stones of the bulwark. Rough, like Hogwarts. Harry gripped the stop with his finger and clambered slowly up to the windowpane. He pushed aside the weighed down curtains but inside the way was empty. A dim stowage piled with loge with the door open onto the well lit corridor behind.

Harry breathed a suspiration of relief and began to climb down. When he was about halfway he heard a phone from inside the theater. He stopped, his finger's breadth gripping the rock tight. There it was again. Harry scrambled back up and push up his drumhead back through the window.

Harry just had meter to see yellowness teeth streaked with grime and olfactory perception rancid breathing time 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 rags leap from the window with something clutched in his hands. Harry rolled out of his way and the man hit the basis running, panting like a dog as he dashed out through the logic gate and down the street.

"occlusion !"Harry looked up and saw a wizard leaning out of the window franticly sending bolt of red light after the fleeing design."closure him ! He took my son !"

Harry jolted himself off the earth and vaulted the paries after the fleeing man. He could hear the predator trying to hold pace behind him.

"Parvati ! Go to Hogwarts ! Go and tell them what's happened !"Harry felt his words carried away by the wind and had no idea whether he was being heard."Neville ! Go warn the village ! Get assistance ! Or brooms !"

They had reached the end of the myopic road now and hit the field beyond. Harry jumped the fence and fought his way through the heather after the remote pattern. Their quarry had made it loose for them by flattening a path but it was still sonorous 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 Alfred Hawthorne."Try to hit him !"

Harry aimed and shot a bludgeoning hex at the man, now little more than a smudge of black on the removed purple Scots heather. The slur dodged and shooter sideways behind a large John Rock before the other marauders spells could connect.

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

Harry cursed and began running forwards again. He should have known that ! Harry felt like he was passing acid through his lungs instead of air by the sentence they reached the sway. The panting and gasping he heard behind him told him the marauder were in even pitiable shape. high-risk, the anatomy was nowhere in sight and there was no clean trail to follow.

Ignoring the pain in every brawn Harry pulled himself to the top of the boulder and looked around. From here he could see the shadow shape of the forbidden timber spreading out to the south. A wall, like the wall of Hogwarts, sealed it off from the rest of the universe. Harry squinted through his glasses and just made out a morose frame silhouette against the brighter rampart before it disappeared. Harry tore off the masquerade party to get a sound look but there was nothing more, just blank wall.

"He ‘ s gone into the forest."Harry called down, trying not to take his eyes off the place 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 accompany it into the proscribed forest ?"Padma was clutching her tummy and wheezing."We should score where it went and delay for help."

"He ‘ s going to have as much trouble with the forest as we are."Harry argued."We can still catch him !"

"But Harry it ‘ s a werewolf !"

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

"When ‘ s the next full moonshine ?"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 helper. We have to find them before nightfall or that picayune kid is going to get one hell of a lovebite. We can ‘ t postponement for help, its us or no one."Harry looked back at the marauders and saw them shimmer and fade.

NO !

He hand clenched around his pendant and he squeezed his heart shut. He did not have sentence for this ! When he opened his eyes again his friends looked solid, but confused.

"Harry you alright ?"Ron asked.

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

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

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

In Harry's forefront he could hear the words ‘ We can't wait for assist. Its us or no one'repeating over and over like a talisman against the terror rising inside him. That little terror itself had its own voice 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 time for five minutes. And that's not even mentioning the centaurs… ’. Harry was forced to accept that that phonation as well was right. What they were doing was stupid and grave. But as the inaugural voice said, there was no one else.

As Harry neared the wall a third little part piped up. Spiteful, sarcastic and whiney but, like the early two voices, essentially right.

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


They reached the rampart and Harry instantly saw how the werewolf had gotten over. A huge Tree had fallen over the wall, crushing the top part of it and resting on the remaining meters of cracked stonework. Everywhere else the rampart was at least two storeys marvelous of blank grey stone. Unscalable.

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

Again Harry felt like a fall guy. Obviously it would be warded. His brain seemed to be in a fuzz. Harry grabbed some of the gloomy branches of the tree and pulled himself up.

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

"Look, I know this is dotty but there ‘ s no one else here to aid. I ‘ m not leaving now. Any of you who don ‘ t want to follow me go back and assure them where the hole in the Montgomery Ward is."Harry pulled himself on to the tree trunk and looked down at his friends."Anyone else shut up and get in the tree."

Harry began climbing along the trunk and felt it sway as person else began to climb. When Harry reached the other end he climbed down by the ascendant and dropped onto the mulch of the forest floor. He turned and looked up at the tree diagram, a consequence later Padma pushed her way through the branches. Harry waited a here and now to a greater extent but no one came. Harry felt a glob form in his throat, first 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 typeface."If we ‘ re going to do this we should do it right and reach ourselves a luck of getting out alive."

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

"Did you think any of us wanted to see a kid turned into a lycanthrope ?"Padma added to cut him off with a shake of her head and began to climb down. Harry helped her down the last few foot then moved to do the same for the others.

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

Harry's face fell and he looked around for some obvious sign. There was null, now that they were in the woods the loup-garou knew how to encompass his rail better.

"Spread out and look. Don ‘ t go too far."Harry said and the marauders obediently fanned out. Harry was about to join them when his mind fixed on a sick idea.

He had been capable to hold in the torrent at bay a few clip. Could he force it to make out to him ?

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

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

Harry forced everything he was into that one thought process. For a bit he felt parentage well on his chest but it was gone a import later.

"Harder !"He thought desperately. His fingers were slick on his chest but it wasn't stock, it was effort."seed on !"

Harry saw his friends fade in front of him. Ron turned back towards him and yelled in surprisal. But the sound was like a distant voicelessness and Harry gripped his bloody chest tighter. He could still see his supporter as ghosts on the wind but couldn't see them anymore.

He was swaying with the effort and fell to his knee joint on the forest floor. The leaves that were kicked up by his motility only swirled in the air for a moment before fleet as he pushed himself further back.

Then, just for a moment, a vague image dropped out of the air above Harry and scampered away into the Tree with something held in its knotty hands. Perhaps it was his imaginativeness, but Harry thought he could get word a baby's scream.

Harry let go with both hands and collapsed into the folio. A second later he felt hands pulling him up. As his mind was tilted back for him Harry saw his friends shocked faces.

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

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

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

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

"Hermione now is not…"

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

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

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

"well I ‘ m not waiting around."The twin turned and began to take the air off in the instruction Harry had pointed. Harry grinned and staggered after her. A bit later he felt Ron catch him and put an arm around his shoulder to calm him

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

"Tell me about it."Harry quipped to his taller champion 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 while. Padma spotted a set of footprints on the priming coat that told them they were still going in the right counselling. It looked as if the werewolf was following a sort of deer trail through the forest. After ten minutes or so Harry was able-bodied to walk unaided again but he was still beaming they had found the track. He really didn't want to have to drop himself into the torrent again.

"Shush…"Harry waved the others to still."Do you poke fun see that ?"swoon spokesperson drifted between the trees before them. wild voices and one high pitched cry.

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

"Piece of dirt !"A loud smack audio filtered up from the dell. Followed by a thumping like a soundbox hitting the trading floor. Through it all Harry could hear a baby yell."Why did you have to screw it up !"

Harry crawled to the edge of the dingle and poked his pushed a golf hole through some tussock of pot to see down. The werewolf they had chased was cowering on the floor in front of a huge bear like man. A immense bear like werewolf, Harry amended as he saw the sharp brown tooth and yellow oculus staring balefully out of its head. Now that he could get a net spirit at them Harry could see that they were both wearing the like mud and dirt encrusted rags, their original color and cut lost completely beneath the dirt. Their hair and paw were caked in mud as well, as were their unshod feet.

"You bastard Verrine !"The larger man growled as he picked the stringy loup-garou off the floor and shook him.

Harry could see the babe lying abandoned on the ground nearby. He could finger the marauders getting in locating beside him. Making their own viewing holes.

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

"But Greyback."The pocket-size man ( who seemed to be called Verrine ) whined."This was what you told us all to do. What you taught us. Get the tike so we can turn them. When I found the gap in the Montgomery Ward I had to fortune it. I thought you ‘ d be happy."

"Happy ? glad ! ?"The burly werewolf threw the early to the ground and kicked him in the breadbasket."You moron ! We ‘ ve been working for months and you screw it up in a day !"

"But… but…"Verrine wrung his hand."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 hard to finish now."Greyback aimed another savage kick at the man on the floor and Harry slid back a little from the dell. Harry figured the crying babe was cover enough to speak without being heard and whispered…

"Any ideas ?"

"We can ‘ t sneak by them."Hermione said under her breathing spell."Maybe if we levitate the baby…"

"They'll see that."Harry shook his head."They'll see anything inside the glade. We need to take aim them out."

"Two entire grown lycanthrope ?"Padma shook her nous."We ‘ ll need a plan."

"Will we ?"Ron asked, glancing back at the grass between them and the creature."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 rightfulness !"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 sceptre 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 little 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 edge of the dell."On three. One… Two… trine !"

Harry raised to his knees and aimed his verge at the start wolfman. Hermione had fired a full-body-bind that froze Greyback in his trail before Padma's blasting bane threw him to the ground. Harry had stuck by the dependable bludgeoning hex. He didn't hear what Ron cast but whatever it was combined with his own attack threw the skinny wolfman crystallize across the clearing and smacked him into a rock.

Harry rushed into the dell. He followed Hermione's deterrent example and lapidify Verrine from close range as he tried to get to his human foot. The werewolf's limbs 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 base and was picking him up.

"Is he alright ?"Harry asked worriedly.

"I have no idea."Padma admitted."Since he ‘ s been dragged through the woods with only a mantle to protect him, I ‘ m guessing he ‘ s a little cranky. Good thing it's a warm day."

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

"You mean kill them."Hermione said flatly."In cold stemma. While they ‘ re petrified."

"Hermione ‘ s right."Harry shook his foreland. In his brusque sprightliness he had already killed two people ( Tom Riddle didn ‘ t count ). But both times it had been to save his life sentence or the life-time of his ally."We can ‘ t. Maybe we should, but we can ‘ t."

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

"fine then. Do it."Harry pointed at the immobile men on the floor."Finish them."

Ron's oculus widened in blow. He raised his wand and pointed it at the big werewolf on the trading floor. For a moment he stood there, indecisiveness clear 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 guys. That was plenty moral for today's story."

The marauders were about to follow him when…

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

Harry felt the frigid sweat of terror again. The last of the sunset was just visible over the trees and the darkness were at their longest.

Not long before nightfall. Not long before the moon.

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


Harry dared a coup d'oeil back through the woodwind instrument as he pelted as fast as he could toss off the track they had come up on. It was to the full dark now, and the synodic month 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 baby."Silencio !"The sister's mouth still worked but no speech sound came out. Harry breathed easier for a bit, then he heard a howl go up from the trees behind them.

"Run !"The piranha were jolted into apparent movement again."Hermione go ahead ! bread and butter Padma and the brat in the middle !"

Harry looked back over his articulatio humeri and saw a shape hurtling down the path towards them.

Not a time to pull punches.

"Acerbus Cuspis !"

The sickly light enveloped the trap thing and it's momentum rolled it into a heap at Harry feet. He petrified it for good touchstone. Harry turned and sprinted to catch up with the rest of the marauders.

"How… close…"Ron panted."… tree."

"Further."Was all Harry managed to gasp out. A growl behind him was all the word of advice he got and he threw himself on Ron, knocking them both to the dry land as a werewolf pounced over their head.

"Ferio !"Harry yelled from the floor, but his hex missed and smacked into a Vannevar Bush. The wolf snarled and lifted itself to its feet before getting hit from behind by Hermione and being slammed into the footing. Harry pulled himself and Ron off the level and began running forward again.

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

"come on come on !"Harry skidded to a stopover by the bottom of the fallen tree and scanned the darkened forest. Movement ? Harry fired another curse into the wickedness but it hit nothing."haste up !"Harry helped Ron into the Tree then scrambled up behind him. He heard a tangle behind him and whirled, aiming his baton at the sound.

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The light brightened the clearing like a firework but the werewolf dodged it. Harry slipped and fell onto the leaf mulch. The wolf pounced at him but was hit in the air by three spells from above and fell hard. Harry scrambled back into the tree diagram and ran as hard as he could for the safety of the outside. He dropped onto the ground outside and stumbled a few tone to where the marauder were standing. He saw Hermione point back at the wall and yell.

"Harry !"

A werewolf was clambering along the tree, its yearn slavering tongue glistening in the moonlight.

"Depulso !"Harry banished the werewolf and saw it voyage back over the wall.

"Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry heard Hermione yell and saw the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree rock 'n' roll on its dust cradle."help me !"

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

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

"No ! You two stop any more of them getting over !"

Harry concentrated on the tree, trying to excite it free of its trestle. Another drear configuration jumped onto the trunk and Padma blasted it off. Two More jumped on and Harry forced himself to concentrate only on the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and hope his friend to address with the werewolves.

Suddenly, with a shuddering quip, the tree came free of the wall and jumped a few beat into the air. Shaking its rider off in the physical process. At Hermione's urging they pulled the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree forwards and dumped it on the ground nearby. Harry yelped in surprise as they saw a werewolf Scrabble over the damaged bulwark, its curse giving it strength beyond any natural animal.

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

Harry kept his wand trained on the thing but didn't cast anything. The dark shape squatted on the top of the wall for a mo then bunched up and leap at them. There was a great flash of visible light and it was repulsed, thrown back into the wood with a yelp of pain.

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

"The wards. The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was disrupting them."Hermione brushed her fuzz off her sweat-dripping os frontale."They should be back now."

"Hermione…"Harry didn't finish the prison term, 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 paries. Three werewolves sat there now but they made no move to come any closer. Perhaps they had retained just enough of their homo head to learn a lesson. Harry gave them the fingerbreadth then turned back to his friends.

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







Try to leave a negatively charged review here. I want to roll in the hay what I can change for the better. Not spelling, I do n't handle about that. Do you think 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 place to stop.



Hogsmeade looked a lot more menacing at night. Perhaps it was the way the old house seemed to lean out over the street. Perhaps it was the eerie lack of interference or that light smell you get at the origin of night.

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

When the vulture had wandered back into the Greenwich Village they had had the ( then sleeping ) baby taken off their hands 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 understood but he glowered at them with his bloodshot optic. All of them except Harry, who's eyes he didn't seem to want to meet.

"I hope all of you are lofty of yourselves !"McGonagall continued as they passed the logic gate of Hogwarts.

"‘ Oh, thank you for saving the baby.'” Harry muttered under his breath."‘ Without you tyke he would have suffered a destiny defective than death. You ‘ re heroes.'” But the teacher didn't seem to get a line him ( which was perhaps for the best ).

They walked in quiet up the farseeing course towards Hogwarts but McGonagall surprised them by not taking them inside. Instead she led them stave to the left towards the glasshouse. Harry could see the shimmering job of the wards, easily seeable in the dim light.

Harry then saw who they were heading for. Dumbledore was standing on a patch of scuffed primer coat near the border of the greenhouses staring out towards the interdict wood. Occasionally he would take a few steps and glance at a particular seat in the Mrs. Humphrey Ward. He also kept glancing at a ragged objet d'art of parchment he held in his hand. As they approached he folded it calmly and slipped it into his robes.

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

"Mr Potter."The schoolmaster had turned to attend at him. He did not see please."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 enjoin me why you think you have the right to shamelessly ignore school convention and flaunt the shelter set up specifically to protect the students of this school ?"

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

"Mr Potter this is not a matter of termination it is a matter of intentions."Dumbledore said, staring at him over the flange of his spectacles."Do you wait me to continually overlook your flagrant linguistic 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 nada else we could do. No one else was there to help."

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

"examination how well that picayune scrap of paper in your pocket works."It was a guesswork in the nighttime but Harry saw the look of shock cross Dumbledore's grimace before he steadied himself again. Harry noticed that both Snape and McGonagall looked confused. Was lupine the only instructor who knew ?

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

"The map of Hogwarts."Harry spoke slowly and carefully. Taking an iniquity mirthfulness in seeing every Scripture bring further shock to the old man's facial expression."The one you and Lupin have been using to watch me. Watch everything I do. You sit up at dark, with a mug of coco and a marshmallow and watch me."

The silence between the young wizard and the old one was almost palatable. Harry broke it first.

"Why didn ‘ t you use it to determine the kid ? Or Ginny at the end of finish year ?"Harry stared Dumbledore down. He felt a gentle goading on the back of his brainiac."And don't even think about Legilimensing me. Honestly, and you talk to me about breaking rules ?"The goad receded and Dumbledore looked down at his feet.

"I could not use it to find the youngster because it does not extend beyond the margin of Hogwarts."Dumbledore said slowly. His phonation oddly shamed."And I could not use it to find young lady Weasley because neither the chamber, nor the passage leading to it, nor the sewers under Hogwarts are displayed on it. It ‘ s makers never ventured into them."

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

"The werewolves said they had a design to get into Hogwarts tonight."Ron blurted out in a rush. Everyone looked at him and he blushed to the roots of his hair."fountainhead they have to know."He defended to Harry.

"I know Ron."Harry turned back to the headmaster."He ‘ s right, 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 age the werewolves have never breached the Montgomery Ward around the edge of the forest."

"But I breached them earlier this year !"

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

"well couldn ‘ t the werewolves do that ?"

"Harry…"Dumbledore seemed to regain some of his old humour."To you the jumbo squid is merely a playful lake brute. But it in fact one of the most ancient guardians of Hogwarts. If any dismal creature attempted to reach Hogwarts through the lake, rely me Harry, they would not get far."

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

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

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

"Now…"Professor Dumbledore raised both his palms, facing out. A calming motion."… we will cover this discussion, and discussion of any penalization incurred, in the break of day. Please return to your vulgar elbow room, Severus will go with you. Minerva, would you help me check over the wards one final time before we all recede ?"The two old teachers moved off, leaving the predator with solely Snape for company.

"ejaculate on."Snape's voice sounded gymnastic horse and Harry realized that this was the kickoff clock time he had spoken during the entire exchange.

The marauders followed him in secretiveness up to the fat lady's portrayal and spoke the parole. Snape didn't even say anything to them then, he just stalked off with his straits bowed down into his neck.

Harry shook his head. Every clip he saw Snape like that it reminded him of what he'd done to him.

Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room.

"You're awake !"Harry heard individual yell.

"Wait."Harry closed his eyes and held out his manpower for secrecy."Did I just come back from a Hogsmeade weekend that ended with us chasing a werewolf into the forestall forest ?"

"Um… yes ?"

"Oh good."It had just been normal déjà vu, not the time travel form. Harry opened his heart and walked over to sit at the marauders table with Ginny, Neville and Parvati who had been waiting for them. The early marauders sat down too. It was the middle of the night but somehow everyone knew they couldn't go to sleep yet. The four who had come from the forest hastily outlined what had happened to their friends.

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

"If they hired some nemesis breakers somehow…"Neville's spokesperson trailed off as they all contemplated the theory of penniless forest devil hiring the services of skilled wizards and of the skilled wizard working for them willingly and of the werewolves retaining enough self restraint after transforming to not eat them.

"Unlikely."Harry decided and closed his optic. 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 deflect the giant squid ?"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 correct in figurehead of his face.

"Can werewolves even drown ?"Ron asked and Harry groaned. They weren't getting anywhere. Not a surprise really. Harry looked over his troops, Ginny was virtually asleep on her electric chair ("We keep forgetting she ‘ s not as used to this as us."persuasion Harry. ) Hermione looked almost ready to conk, the tension of all the form this year on top of the day they'd all had was just too much. Neville and Parvarti were fine 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 dirt encrusted hand. There was something there. Something just out of reach.

"Guy ‘ s…"The marauder's promontory snapped to him."… expression at my paw. 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 intellection of something too."

"No, no there is something."Harry shook his head. His deal, what was there ?

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

His hand, beaten and scratched. One fingernail broken a piddling from a gloam. Dirt under his fingernails. shite everywhere on his manus. Dirt everywhere on their hands…

Harry stood gobble upright and scrambled for the door.

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

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

"They were too cheating. Don't you see !"Harry motioned them to get a move on out of their electric chair but they didn't Don Budge. Harry threw up his hands in exasperation."You don ‘ t get that dirty just running around a timberland. And it was the damage type of dirt too… loamy… dark. Under their fingernails and in their teeth !"The vulture still looked on in stark incomprehension.

"Don't you see what they're doing ! Dogs behind a fence !"Harry saw understanding dawn in one or two Set of eyes."They ‘ re digging a all-fired tunnel !"
*


"Neville : McGonagall ! Ron : Dumbledore ! Padma : Snape !"Harry rattled off as they raced out the portraiture jam. Harry cupped his hired man to his sassing and yelled."Vinca minor ! Sweet piranha house ghost ! 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 Edward Douglas White Jr. face turn of events whiter and her eyes bulge."Is must get along up somewhere on this side of meat of the wards. Go under…"

"Go underground and find it."myrtle finished for him. She sounded absolutely terrified. Her smoky figure was ever quavering in the air. But she swooped off in the instruction of the nursery, her lank hair whipping in the wind behind her.

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

Harry barged through a side doorway and the nighttime air hit him like a wall. He breathed it in, welcoming the cold into him because it would facilitate wake him up.

"Lumos !"Hermione had lit her scepter. Smart that one. Harry followed suit and soon the four marauders were scowering the grounds. Harry glanced over them, had he prefer wrongly ? He'd sent the weary marauders to witness the teachers and kept the relatively reinvigorated ones with him. Except for Hermione of course, who he ‘ d kept because he relied on her to be the brains of the military operation. But was she alert plenty to do that now ? Harry cursed as he realized his pick also meant he had put the young member, Ginny, in harms way.

Harry shook his head, nothing to be done about it now. Harry saw Vinca minor arc out of the ground like a dolphinfish, 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 descent, trying to catch some hint of effort. zippo."red cent it !"Where would they burrow up to ? Would they even be able to aim at a specific office when resistance ? The domain blurred around Harry and he clamped his hired man over his pendent.

Back ! Not now ! The wounding on his left pectus was beginning to hurt now, and was streaking his shirt with blood. I need to be here !

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

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

Harry followed the line of her paw, it was the piece of drag greensward they had stood on former that evening during their discussion with Dumbledore. With some trepidation Harry got closer and stopped to listen. From under the flat coat came the evident sound of scrabbling claws.

"Oh no no no no no."Harry shook his head to try and dispel the icy grip of awe and looked back at the castle. No teachers yet, the marauders must have been having trouble convincing them. Harry looked back at the ground, they would break through any minute."Colloportus."He tried, desperately, aiming at the undercoat. But nothing happened, the turn wasn't meant to be used that way.

"Guys ! Get back !"Harry waved the predator away."Get behind stuff, we ‘ ll pauperism to keep them back if they break through."Harry looked around, panicked. Was there something they could incubate the primer 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 celebrate them from digging up."

The wraith shook her caput vigorously, her center wide behind her goggle-like glasses.

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

The ghost began crying and hugged her arms into herself but she slowly floated down and slue into the soil. After a import the scrabbling stopped and a growling and yelping filtered up through the earth. Harry glanced around desperately, that had bought him seconds at most. His eyes lighted on a pile of plant life press cutting in a wooden bin beside the greenhouse. Yes !

"Help me guys ! Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry pointed his baton at the bin. It rocked on its floor and Harry heard his friends add their voices to his. Glancing fearfully at the bulging priming coat Harry maneuvered the bin onto the ground and dropped it with a crunch.

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

"Well, that won ‘ t kibosh them from digging up."Harry thought, scraping exertion off his supercilium."But it ‘ ll give them a surprise when they do."

Suddenly the bonfire sagged in the midriff. 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 howling of inhuman pain and a dry clash as the balefire caved in on itself. more than howls of pain in the ass, filling the air with dark fear. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the fire.

A burning werewolf, howling in searing infliction, burst up through the basis like an ancient god, savage and powerful. It clawed its way onto the grass and set off like a smoke towards him. Harry was so scared he tripped and was sent sprawling across the ground. He rolled and tried to aim a hex at it but he was shaking so a great deal it missed by a mile. Harry could see another wolfman erupt out of the ground and institutionalize the vulture but all his attention was focused on the one in presence of him. The one that was going to kill him. He shot again but it barely grazed its position. It lunged, and Harry felt its feted breath.

"Sectumsempra !"

The wolf's neck exploded in a flaming fountain but its momentum carried it onto Harry, crushing him under its. Harry could feel his costa crack and smell its putrid stench but then it was lifted off him and tossed aside. Harry looked up and saw Snape framed in the doorway, a feeling of slaying in his eyes.

"Stupefy !"The potions lord yelled and a red enchantment dead reckoning across the solid ground and the werewolf that had been chasing the marauders fell limp onto the reason. Harry heard a scrabbling sound and saw another just clawing its way out of the trap in the earth. Snape said no incantation this sentence 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 subscribe to its place.

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

"leave-taking them to me Potter."Harry heard Snape growl."Go facilitate your friends."Snape curled his arm back and yelled something guttural before throwing a ball of red light down into the hole in the land. Harry was knocked off his base as an earthquake rocked the dry land and a great cloud of rubble poured up from the pit. Snape had collapsed the tunnel. She potions master smiled evilly, the smoke and dust giving him an almost demonic visage as he turned and began throwing curses at the remaining two werewolves.

Harry ran towards the marauders and skidded to a stop in front of them. They looked fatigue and scared and Hermione was leaning on Anapurna and not putting weight on her left foot, but for having just battled werewolves they looked alright.

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

"No !"
*


A moment of coincidence can change everything.

Only mortal floating above the scene could have seen the whole thing.

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

Harry turning and stepping over to piece it up, holding its golden 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 execration but, in his glee, missing. The curse flying through the air, rippling it like a warmth wave. Shooting straight into the sparkling gilded hourglass handing from Harry's hand.

The sound of shattering class. Far louder than it had any proper to be.

The spray of ash gray backbone, fanning out and covering the right side of Harry chest, burning through his shirt and eating away the flesh underneath.

Each caryopsis of grit making a little pockmark hole, like drops of acid.

Snape looking on in repulsion, baton still outstretched.

Harry screaming. Screaming and falling to the floor, clawing at the bloody mess of his breast. Screaming like he'd had his warmheartedness cut out.

Then slowly, fading. Fading as his scream grew piano and subdued. Until it was nothing More than a breath of wind.

Then gone.


bother, everywhere, burning. Flickering too fast to see anything but his damaged body beneath him. Roaring, he could get a line the river here, gaudy than ever before. Nothing made sense, nix was real but the pain.
*


"Severus… Severus are you asleep ?"

Snape slowly raised his head from his hands and looked up at brothel keeper Pomfrey. Had he fallen asleep ? There were sentence when his thought process had curled round each former enough to seem like dreams. But no, he mustn't have. Surely he would birth dreamt of her.

Snape could feel the locket in the top pouch of his robes. He had carried it with him since he had got it. A constant drainage on his will. Walking around, every day, trying to follow his routine with a venomous cocktail of grief and heart clenching regret. 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-place portion of Lily Evans left on this earth. He deserved everything, he clenched his fists until he could feel his nails digging into skin. It meant nothing.

"Severus some hoi polloi are here."The school nurse spoke softly, as if he were a dying affected role. Which, Snape conceded, he looked like right wing now. He wearily dragged himself to his feet and moved out from behind the mantle surrounding his bed.

The hospital backstage was full but silent. Snape looked over at the bed where the Granger female child was lying. Her animal foot healed of trend but no one had asked her to leave. Potter's other champion were there too, in hot seat, propped on nearby bed or, in the case of Longbottom, simply collapsed on the floor. Snape could understand proper now.

On the other side the werewolves were chained, the two that had survived his blast and transformed back with the ignitor of day. They had been dragged up here by the aurors so that they could be treated before being thrown in Azkaban. No visitation would be had. None was necessary. They neither had the right field to one nor deserved that right. Snape felt no heartache for the 1 that had been carted away to be burned or for the many that had undoubtedly died when he collapsed the burrow. Any vestige of humanity they had they had given up when they agreed to trace Greyback.

A sliver of a thought wormed its way into Snape's brain. Why hadn't Greyback been present tense at the approach ? The minor claimed to deliver petrified him but that would barely have lasted an hour on a lycanthrope. He should induce been there. It would own been gratifying to phone number him as one of the utterly. Then at to the lowest degree Snape could feature said something good had come of everything.

"Professor Severus Snape ?"

The clipped vocalisation brought him out of his thought and he looked at the two new figures in the annexe. Even in his wasting commonwealth Snape took in the flat grey gown, the file pamphlet, the slightly arrogant demeanor without any evidence of real office and neatly labeled both of them.

"From the Ministry,"Snape said. It wasn't a dubiousness. But something was off about them he realized, the woman, her eyes far too appraising under her tasteful little fuzz and the man perhaps a shadowiness too relaxed for a administrative official dragged out of his bureau. Not aurors, they didn't have that feel… Oh !"Unspeakables ?"

"Correct professor Snape. full phase of the moon marks."The woman smiled and raised her supercilium. Snape sighed inwardly, he hated hoi polloi under the delusion they were smart than him."My gens is Natalie Zhao and my co-worker is Sean Rhyfedd."She indicated the man with a undulation of her hand. Rhyfedd opened his mouth to speak but the charwoman continued talking and he shut it again.

"We are here to inquire the Recent epoch events here."She smiled and pulled a quill pen and parchment from her folder."I understand that you have had a trying fourth dimension but sealed interrogative sentence must be answered."

"I thought the post was being investigated by them."Snape jerked his head towards the aurors. One of the werewolves on the level looked up at him and leered.

"You misunderstand Mr Snape."The man spoke for the firstly prison term."The werewolves are indeed being dealt with by the aurors. The situation we were speaking of was the decease of Mr Potter."

"Harry !"

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

"Do know where he is ?"

"What happened to him ?"

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

"No."Rhyfedd cut in at the Same time as his fellow worker said.

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

Snape heard a chuckle from the former position of the room.

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

"Lost your hero."The werewolf chuckled insanely as he stared out from behind his crusted lids."Why don't you use the footling map ?"

The auror kicked the inhuman thing and it fell still, muttering to itself.

Snape dismissed it and chose a stool next to the wall, at least that way he could not be surrounded by children.

"You are aware that Miss…"Ms Zhao consulted her papers"… sodbuster, was given special permission to experience a time-turner this year ?"

"You know that I am."Snape replied acidly."Unless the thirty varlet var. myself and the other instructor here were asked to fill out was somehow lost in the Ministry's organization. In fact that circumstance is not unlikely is it ?"

"We subscribe to a greater extent care in our department,"Rhyfedd said. He turned to the children at the table."Did you notice Mr Potter displaying any odd deportment this year ?"

"Odd behavior…"Weasley scratched his head."Odd deportment 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 witness him in two office at once ?"

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

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

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

That sounded familiar, some old story ?

"Those lost in the torrent of ages…"he said, trying to retrieve the musical passage."… are lost to time and Christ Within. Living in naught. Trapped in eternity."
*


Flickering, even the mountains crawled up and down the like waves. The sky just one arching blur of Grey. The reason under his feet felt shadowy and unreal.
*


"Yes that's correct,"Ms Zhao nodded, proud of."You see, a time-turner only works because of the sand inside it. It is literally the grit of prison term. Usually it is torpid but there are fashion of drawing out its power. Now, the anatomical structure of a time-turner is designed so as to harness that exponent safely. Moving a soul back in clock time a poor way relatively safely."

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

"But…"Zhao continued."If the sand is loosed from the time-turner after it has been activated and it touches a individual. That person gets the total brunt of the sands'power."

"The effect has been known since antediluvian times."Mr Rhyfedd pulled a big bucks of around twenty papers out and spread them out in front of Snape. The all had pictures in the corner. The oldest I were indecipherable, the newest mostly looked like terrible themselves."As you can see the late ones are mostly departmental accidents."

Snape nodded.

"What is this torrent then ?"he asked.

"Essentially… time."Ms Zhao shook her head sadly."Imagine the time-turner effect multiplied by a billion, and totally uncontrollable. The person begins moving through time without ever stopping in any one mo 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 eyes for a second then continued."…Patil."

Snape felt his heart skip about a 100 beats. Had he just been casually Legilimized by a Ministry employee ? He found himself forced to swiftly and radically revaluate the adult female in movement of him. His mental defenses were a little break right now it was true, but he would cause been happy to face even Dumbledore with no more defense than this. He had grown too soft.

"Miss Patil,"The adult female continued."I know this is hard for you, all of you. I know that it is easier to grieve if you have a body, or some sign. But you must realize your friend is not coming back."

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

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

"This is not something you can fight,"The unutterable shook her question."It ‘ s not something real or physical. It ‘ s not something touchable, it ‘ s something inevitable."
*


Slipping, ground always slipping. Too a good deal bother to even conceive. Blood that flowed out of him and disappeared into the air like mist. The sand still burned in him, burning but the blood kept flowing. Burning threads cutting into him from all sides, tying him up. Lying like red hot lances across his skin. He couldn't ignore the pain, it was the one veridical thing he had.
*


"Just face it kids."Rhyfedd crossed his weapons system."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. inconspicuous bond certificate. zero was real here. Oh god it hurt ! Harry threw his point back and howled,

"Help me !"His Logos were caught and whisked away as soon as he spoke."mortal ! Help me !"Harry barely felt the sobs wrack his body."Someone…"

"Harry…"

Harry felt the pain ebb away, leaving a blunt ache. The sky dimmed like smoke-cured chicken feed. The flickering ground became grey and unyielding under his metrical unit. He felt the burning ribbon pushed off him as the grayness space expanded, carrying them with it. He stood on rickety legs inside the little bubble of reality.

"Harry."

Harry whirled towards the vocalism and fell to the ground again, this time in relief. binge welled in the corners of his eyes. He gulped and said,

"Pythea !"

"Yes Harry."The picayune prophet was sitting cross legged in the middle of the grey bubble."Yes it ‘ s me."

"How…"

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

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

"It was the just way."Pythea looked suddenly a picayune scare but pulled herself back a present moment later."If the repose of my order knew you were even remotely connected to the torrent…"She shuddered."… well at the very least I would have been unable to avail you. The torrent is abhorrent to everything we stand for."

Abhorrent… that sounded familiar.

"For the Sami reasonableness the centaurs do ? They sa-"

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

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

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

"If I was golden I wouldn't be caught in this thing."Harry waved his hands at the great deal around them."“ ‘ Thea you got to help me."

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

Harry closed his eyes and bowed his top dog. His last hope…

"Harry, the torrent isn ‘ t even something natural."Pythea held his Kuki-Chin in her men and pushed his capitulum back up."Time-turners are one thing, they let you pass back and Forth River in the same prison term current. Anything you do in the past does not disturb the future, because it has already happened you see ? The laws of causality are preserved. The torrent is different, it defies the rules 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 shut you out. Destroying a terror to itself."

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

"In the Bob Hope that you could be the first."She glanced up at the pass off ceiling. The bubble had shrunk noticeably since they had started talking. Harry could see the screw thread of fervidness curling about the boundary, like circling sharks."I can ‘ t support this much longer."

"How ! How can I be the first ?"

"I don ‘ t know. But I know one thing, you are never going to do it sitting on the dry land. 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 mad estimate hit him. A Harry thrower plan."Yes. I think I do."

"good Harry."She raised her hand towards the grey wall."Are you ready ?"

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

"Do it !"

The paries disappeared and the lances whipped inwards into his figure. Harry howled and grabbed them in both hands.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa !"

It was like the Cruciatus burnt into every molecule of his skin. And across his palms where the ropes of fire writhed ? It was a hundred metre worse !

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

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

"SHIFT !"

Hogwarts appeared before him for a bit, a student looked at him in electrical shock before it was all whisk off away.

"No ! Again !"

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

"No ! hear 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."switching !"

Bare rock, an empty sky.

water supply stretching as into the distance.

The blackness of space. As common cold as nothing.

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

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

"You can do anything."

"Aaaaaaaaa !"Harry fell to his knees and pulled the flaming to his chest, right up to the searing wound. Between his fist nestled the niggling pendent. A little nub of sang-froid in the earthly concern of flaming. He could do this.

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

"YES !"

The nursery pulled out of the mist. The mavin, the audio of tour. An cold howl.

"YES !"

Harry Potter laughed through the pain and the blood.
*


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

Harry turning and stepping over to pick it up, holding its golden range of mountains clenched in his fist.

Snape throwing nemesis at the last werewolf, laughing as it scrabbled backwards, trying to get away from him. Snape throwing another curse but, in his gloating, missing. The curse flying through the air, rippling it like a passion wave. Shooting straight towards the sparkling golden hourglass handing from Harry's hand.

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


Dirt…

Very wet dirt…

That was the initiative thought that went through Harry's head. He opened his eyes. The dirt in front of his nose was moving ever so slightly, the small grains rolling back and forth. His intimation moving them. He was breathing again.

Some hotshot at the sides of his head… familiar… sound. somebody was speaking.

"Harry ?"

Harry twisted against the solid ground, movement returning to him like a distant retentiveness. A pattern standing there. Low to the ground.

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

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

"professor Flitwick."Harry's voice came out at barely a whisper.

"My lamb boy you ‘ re bleeding !"

Harry looked down. One side of his dresser was pockmarked with fiddling hollow like someone had grated him and the other side had two monolithic gash over it, meeting in a hybridization. Snape's curse, Harry remembered, that had hit him there.

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

Harry chuckled wryly. After the mankind of flame the nisus from his chest were nothing.

"You need the infirmary extension Mr Potter."

Harry felt himself lifted up with magic and stood on his feet. He was still exactly where he had been before getting lost in the torrent, on the ground near the nursery. He saw some men in long black robes standing safeguard 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 doors of Hogwarts.

"Of path you can Mr Potter."professor Flitwick chuckled."I was merely going to offer you with some clothes."

Harry looked down, he was wearing Pythea's pendent but null else. He glanced back at the priming coat where he had appeared, there was a lot of grey ash and what looked like a burnt belt ammunition buckle. Near where his feet had been there was a puddle of molten rubber.

"Oh."Harry blushed and tried to overlay himself with his hands. With a wave of his wand the petty instructor gave Harry on the loose try-on pajama pants and a dressing surgical gown. Harry vaguely registered that they were blue and gold."Thanks…"

Harry turned and continued his halting walk towards the infirmary wing. He could get word Flitwick walking behind him, probably with his sceptre out in case Harry tripped. The hall were deserted this former in the daybreak and Harry had no company as he pulled himself laboriously up a staircase.

He glanced down at the two lesion on his chest, the sand burn and the cuts. There was something untimely there. Harry shook his head, cypher about bleeding that a great deal was proper. Harry reached the threshold to the hospital flank and pushed the doors open.

He saw his friends, Snape and some other people look up in cushion. In his country, lightheaded from blood expiration, he said the initiative matter that came to mind…
*


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

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

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

Snape saw the scholar and the school nurse rush to Harry through a daze but he felt something else. A bubbling, floating whiz rising from his chest. He clamped his hand over his mouth but it escaped through his nose anyway, a snort that jerked his head back. He gave up trying and broke out in fits 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 side and bowed down as another bout hit him. He pointed at the early Unspeakable."And he walked in… right after you said… Ha ha ha !"

Why couldn't he stop laughing ? More importantly, why didn't he need 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 doorway of the hospital wing. As he passed the Potter boy's bed the laughs broke out again and he had to make the doorframe for support.

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

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

"I have had a long night."he told his fellow teacher before turning and walking away and leaving a very bedaze secrecy in his wake.
*


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

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

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

"Great…"Harry said, his interpreter sounding light and airy in his ears."… more scars."Harry pointed at his frontal bone."I have enough worry with this one."

"well it's your own fault…"Harry heard an acerbic spokesperson say."You survive the killing swearing and get one scar, you survive the torrent of ages 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 foot of his bed, a man and a woman.

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

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

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

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

"But obviously we would not impose on you in your current State Department,"the char added easily."If we returned this eventide ?"She glanced at madam Pomfrey, who nodded.

"This evening then."She straightened."I look forward to your story."She walked out of the infirmary offstage, the other unspeakable followed, grumbling.

Harry looked at his friends and grinned.

"So, my entrance ? Good or acceptably ?"

"wellspring 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 hr ago. Or more, or less, he didn't quite know how the time in the downpour counted.

"How did you live on Harry ?"Hermione asked curiously.

"How ?"Harry felt his eyelid drooping."I ‘ m a vulture. We don ‘ t lose."A thought crossed Harry's brain and he managed to pull himself back from sleep."Where did myrtle get to ?"

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

"Should justify to her. See whether we can bump some ghost-flowers."Another thought hit him."The werewolves ? The attack ?"

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

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

"survey for our end of class exams."Hermione said brightly. It was like watching a see-saw, the pleasure in Ron's aspect faded at exactly the Sami pace as Hermione's began to grow.

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

"I may possess to canvass Ron. If I want to do little things like not get chucked out of Hogwarts."Harry tried to bring to expect any knowledge he had gleaned from the last few months of lessons and found only bare scrapes."Definitely."

"It ‘ s O.K. Harry,"Ron said comfortingly."You ‘ re obviously sick. 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 unhurt ?"he asked again.

"I would not say unharmed…"Poppy Pomfrey shook her head."But he is alive and with a slight care he will be fine. cicatrice, as I said, but null more."

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

Poppy knew him well enough to recognise the polite dismission in his articulation and left his office quietly. Dumbledore turned to the other individual in the office.

"He survived…"Professor Lupin was hunched over a mug of something steaming. It smelled awful but apparently it helped. Even with it the piteous werewolf looked miserable, apparently hearing the other werewolf howling so close had made his wolfman mind even more break than usual."How could he hold up ?"

"I do not know Remus."Dumbledore shook his caput."I truly do not hump how he survived. I am in the unusual emplacement of having not the faintest estimate. That worries me deeply. The boy himself worries me deeply."

"He disturbs me."

"Remus you must try to-"

"I know,"Lupin croaked in his abrasive spokesperson."It ‘ s just that he walks around looking so like William James. Being so like St. James the Apostle. He calls his friends the Marauders 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 full of enigma, I still can ‘ t study out where that pendent of his came from. I don ‘ t know how he managed to rig the Quidditch cup and I certainly can ‘ t prove he did. I don ‘ t roll in the hay how he beat Severus in a duel. And now the torrent…"Dumbledore reached out and stroked Fawkes, the genus Phoenix let out an appreciative trill.

"This boy, this boy that so much quietus on, is a unadulterated mystery to me. Not only that, he seems to have no qualms about disregarding my authority, ignoring my advice. I can not even keep back him within the grounds of Hogwarts against his will. So much eternal rest on him, but I don't understand him and I certainly can not master him."Dumbledore sighed."I have rarely felt as old as I have in these preceding three years."

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

"I hope not."Dumbledore closed his eyes in sadness."But he seems to have courage like James Potter."

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

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

"Have you found another vindication instructor ?"lupin asked suddenly. Dumbledore sighed.

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

"Good."

The secretiveness returned, expectant with all the thing not being said.
*


Snape awoke refreshed for the first time in weeks. He had gone directly into his bed after leaving the Hospital flank and now the clock on his wall read eight thirty, he had slept all day. His body must have been trying to catch up on lost time.

He pulled his gown on and grabbed his wand from the bedside mesa. His hand went out on reflex to snap up the other particular there and he stiffened. The locket sat there, shining up at him. Snape swallowed gruelling. Did he require to gestate Lily Evans around succeeding to his kernel forever ?

Snape picked the locket up and held it lightly in his hand. Something must be done with it. He strode out of his quarters and down the corridor, scarcely glancing at the student he passed. He did not stop when he passed the capital doors or Hogwarts but kept up his stride until it brought him to the shores 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 mislay 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 laurel wreath."That day beside the lake after our examination. Where were you ? Sitting and talking to your former friends. 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 hand back."… I just did it better."And with all his strength he hurled the little piece of silver gray into the black water.

I can not think I had the strength to do that.

Snape shook his capitulum, he felt like he had begun again after years of bread and butter in stasis. Harry was good, wizards lived in the by far too much. He had finally gotten rid of the last…

No…

Snape felt his disembodied spirit dashed in a moment. He still had one last art object of Lily eve. A piece he could not be rid of. He hung his top dog, and he had felt so devoid. The past was an anchor, Lily Sir Arthur John Evans was an anchor. He could never be truly free.

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

"Luckily,"Thought Snape."I am an Occlumens of the eminent order."

Snape sat down cross legged on the pasture, cleared his judgment, closed his heart and proceeded to delete Lily Sir Arthur John Evans. Each memory was locked away, one by one, from their first meeting to the last day he ever saw her. He blocked them all. He would still hold back the contour of them, a vague knowledge, but it was the in force 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 postponement he had had over Snape all these days he might not be inclined to help.

Snape closed the finish memory and stood up, feeling lightheaded. Would this piece of work ? He began preparing to cast the turn, raised his wand then dropped it again to his side of meat. He could not cast it, he had no happy retentivity 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 blazing sunset painting the J. J. Hill with red and gold. He raised his arms and felt the summertime winding rush through his robes.

So far from Spinners End. So far from the smog and junk and constrict streets. Here the air was clear, it smelled of Calluna vulgaris. The stars were straighten out, unblocked by streetlights. Hogwarts, and the res publica around it, was his home. This was a happy memory.

"Expecto Patronum !"

He screwed his eyes shut at the moment of casting, he could not suffer to watch. He felt the warmth of his patronus in strawman of him, touching his hand. He had to look eventually, he would suffer to. Courage, he was not a coward.

Snape snapped his eyes open and almost melted onto the floor. crying sprung into his center. Writhing and looping in the air was a thin snake, curling like a medallion caught in the current of air. He had been successful, the hold out component of Lily Evans in him was gone.

"Is that your patronus ?"

Snape turned towards the voice. It was the awful, Natalie Zhao, she was standing calmly a few stone's throw behind him with her mitt clasped in forepart of her. She must take crept up on him, he had been quite distracted.

"You are still here ?"he asked."Did you question Harry all day ?"

"We left and came back,"she said, moving up to stand up 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 question in disbelief.

"He is goose egg if not surprising."Snape found he had little ire towards Harry Potter any more."But I think you would be less bewilder if you saw the utter mess he manages to make 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 snake. It was not, he now realized, a very interesting looking Snake. Perhaps a little more than a meter long with harsh, coloured bands all the way up its dilute body. It had no hood behind its thin promontory like a cobra or a rattle like a rattlesnake, cipher that obviously identified it. Snape wondered what species it was.

"A banded krait,"Natalie Zhao said smiling. She hadn't had eye striking, she must just take guessed what he was thinking."Very nice."

"Really ?"Snape's curiosity was piqued."Does it have any particular… quality ?"

"Well…"She appeared to reckon for a moment."It ‘ s dieting 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 feeling anything at the site of the bite for a while, lulls them into a false sense of security."

"Hmm…"

"It's a formidable toxin."The Unspeakable reached out and tickled the piffling glowing Hydra under the chin."I think they ‘ re quite interesting."

"I think it will do nicely."Snape canceled the spell with a flick of his wand and his krait faded away.

"Why do you know so lots about serpent ?"

"I keep them as pets."She seemed to steel herself a touch. Perhaps she was used to blackball chemical reaction when people 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 keep one of those as a pet. But I suppose you like dangerous deary here…"She smiled again, cheekily."… you apparently keep werewolves."

"Accidentally."Snape motioned towards the palace and they both began walking towards Hogwarts."You wouldn't count so-and-so that invaded your root cellar as ducky would you ?"

"No, I ‘ d count them as relieve snake food."

Snape chuckled. Laughing again, he really did find like a new man. But there was something in the back of his mind 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 front of the castle."Got to meet in the paperwork. God knows Rhyfedd won ‘ t bother, that man has an posture problem…"

"He is a small-scale minded, gift LE man who is constantly trying to assert himself over you where he has no properly to be because it shirks his ego to work under a woman,"Snape stated flatly.

"I know,"Natalie replied simply."You had him pegged within five seconds of meeting him. My hirer at the Ministry however…"She spread her hands hopelessly."… four eld and enumeration. I ‘ m hoping they catch on any day now."

"Let me introduce you to Sibyll Trelawney one day."Snape shrugged and smiled in commiseration."Then you will truly know what it is like to stimulate an irritating co-worker."

They were both standing in front line of Hogwarts, but neither of them seemed to want to move.

"Well…"She broke the stalemate."… I should go. Thank you for showing me your patronus."

"Would you mind showing me your Snake River ingathering at some point ?"Snape found himself asking."I find myself strangely interested."

"Strangely interested…"She smiled that infuriating grin again. Snape was beginning to think she might actually be voguish than him."… trade good choice of words."And with that she turned and began walking down the way of life towards the gates of Hogwarts.

Snape would have got felt elated, but at that bit what he had been thinking slipped into spot and he frowned, then clenched his fists as the wide conditional relation sunk in. He hoped he was wrong, he really did.
*


"Albus,"he stepped out of the stairway into the schoolmaster study.

"Severus,"Dumbledore greeted him."To what do I owe this late nighttime sojourn ?"

"Nothing skilful I am afraid."Snape shook his head."This afternoon I remembered an offhand comment one of the loup-garou in the infirmary Wing made. Taunting us about a map."

"They could not have known about it."Dumbledore's eyes narrowed."You are not accusing Professor lupine once aga-"

"No."Snape waved the complaint away."No, that is what I thought initially, it would make been right if I was right. I went to call in the lycanthrope in the Ministry dungeons. He said he heard it because they were waiting underground, 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 all-embracing."I said that Voldemort was hiding in Albania."

"Yes."Snape nodded."I think we now know why Johnny Reb was not part of the tone-beginning. He had already left on a more important errand, a dog running back to its master copy. He left because he knows where to look."



This chapter beta 'd by Costa Rican colon. Thank you Colon !

What did everyone think of the roundabout way from cannon in this book ?
The next one goes back towards the line of the books a bit, somewhere between the how close the first two were and how out there this one was.

leave a review and I 'll get on with writing ...

Harry Potter and the Harry ceramist and the feel of Njordr !


I do n't own Harry Potter. I wish I did. Unfortunately the entirely blowing-out-all-the-candles-at-once thing does n't always work.



She brushed up against the bulwark, her well muscled flank pressing against the wooden paneling. Her pinna were attuned to the flyspeck scritches coming from around the corner and the midget footfalls on the floorboards were still visible, glowing hot prints leading the way. She eased herself up to the edge then poked her snub horn in around and struck.

The rat tried vainly to shin as the poisonous substance seeped into it and she waited patiently as it died. She did not even have to dislocate her jaw to fit the little affair in. It was merely a taster anyhow, her master had promised sweeter meat soon.

She slid, broad and languid, through the old house. Soon Pride would come and milk her venom, making her look empty and utilize, but her master 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 early names but she preferred her own, Ambition, superbia and Decay. She had named them after what she smelled on them. professional was, of path, just Master.

She slid into her masters room and curled up beside the fire. Her master was asleep but the others were talking again, she pushed her head down between her gyre to block out the auditory sensation, but it wasn't enough.

"The bare mistake will alarm them."superbia was saying."There are people who know him very well."

"I am cognisant of that brother."aspiration replied archly."And after all the work I have done I am one of them. You stay here and tend to our master needs, I will get the job done quite sufficiently in your absence."His voice made it quite clear that Pride's absence would in fact make the job much easier.

"The lonesome reasonableness you have this job is because I would be missed."

"The reason I have this job is because our master gave it to me."dream grinned."Never block that."

"Careful blood brother,"pridefulness sneered."Take care that you never forget who you have to thank for your freedom and for your hazard 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 Ambition a bit more than superbia, he was more like a Snake."That is undoubtedly and most obviously the pot calling the cauldron disastrous. Besides…"ambition narrowed his eyes."I ‘ ve been wondering how long 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 office. 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."

ambitiousness whipped around and punched pride straight in the venter. Ambition was thin and wiry but the slug had weight behind it and Pride crumpled to the floor. Ambition followed it up by stamping into pridefulness's kidney.

"Learnt some other things in there too brother."ambitiousness 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 exponent player in our piddling co-operative venture."

pride tried to rise but Ambition stamped on his hair.

"And another thing…"Ambition leant down to speak close to Pride's ear."Our schoolmaster remembers which of us remained patriotic to him during his twelve year… convalescence."Ambition grinned."And you weren ‘ t one of them, brother. So you stay here and milk the bloody snake and hope you build up enough gremlin points to get you back in his good books. You stay here and brew the potion and I will deal with everything else !"

Ambition scuffed his foot back and Forth, jerking pridefulness's fuzz and making him grit his teeth in painful sensation. Ambition laughed and strode out of the room.
*


"Harry ? We have a… a sorting of proposal for you."Fred and George VI had cornered him in Ron's bedchamber, they both had that prankish look about them.

"I'm intrigued."Harry closed his book and tossed it to one side."Apprehensive but intrigued. Who are we going to prank ?"

"It ‘ s not about pranking anyone Harry."Said Fred at the Lapp time as his brother said,

"Everyone."

"Apprehensive, intrigued and confused."

"Why don ‘ t you come up to our room Harry, we ‘ ll display you what we ‘ re talking about."Fred ushered him out of the room. Harry followed a footling hesitantly.

Harry was hesitant because for a prospicient time he had felt like he was building up some kind of unluckiness debt. The concluding three month of his thirdly year at Hogwarts had passed without anyone trying to wipe out him ( unprecedented for Harry ) and he had even managed to excrete all of his exam. In demurrer he had scraped a pass on Lupin's obstacle grade ( blasted Hinkypunk led him into a sinkhole ! ) and almost managed to not blow his cauldron up in potions.

part of the reasonableness was that Snape had stopped picking on Harry in class and had even started treating him as a normal bookman. More than that the potions master had seemed almost cheerful at times. Harry had put it down to him planning something evil until he noticed that Snape was at his near well-chosen the days after a small barn owl brought him letters.

As for the former test Harry had botched together some sort of pig-English version for ancient runes and avoided getting more than trivial bite wounding 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. )

Transfiguration he had blagged, History of magic trick too. Herbology had been o.k. 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 outset thing he'd done. The inaugural matter he'd done had been to spell a retentive letter to Pythea. He hadn't been ably to mention the torrent of grade, but he hoped he had left enough tip that she would have a go at it how much he wanted to thank her. Of course the monolithic bunch of heyday might birth also given her that hint.

He had even managed to take in a holiday where there had been no unexplained magical occurrences, another first. Harry had hiked in Switzerland for some of the summer, naught too life-threatening but enough that he was very glad of his size-and-weight-defying bag.

On one memorable affair, miles from the skinny townspeople, he had met some onetime American tourer kitted up with vast heavy hiking packsack and thick coating. He however had been carrying a small leather backpack while idly strumming a guitar. They had thought he was some sort of new-age anchorite. Harry ( or Jack ‘ Moonbeam'Baltzegaurd as he had introduced himself ) had played along and told them that he had been sent here by a sight ( a lie ), that the electropositive energy of the mountain would heal them ( a lie ), that his guitar had been given to him by the Dalai Lama ( a lie ) and that the power of the watch crystal woven into his pelage kept him warm ( a lie, the crystals kept the rain off. The talisman kept him warm. ). Surprisingly before they parted mode the woman began claming her arthritis had miraculously cleared up.

Harry had ended up in Geneva after a few weeks of this and spent near of the ease of the summer there, lazing around the city and finishing up the schoolwork he had had no chance to cultivate at in the mountains. Plus juggling and playing the guitar for people around the city. When he could puzzle out out how to do both at the same fourth dimension 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 protagonist and get his school 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 unity to deal it ? True the unpleasantness he got in to was usually to a greater extent of the ‘ oh god we're all gon na die'variety show, but then so was the some of the material the twins were into.

Harry followed Fred and George into their box-stacked bedroom.

"Where's secure to sit ?"Harry shape about, looking at the different boxful. It took the twins a surprisingly foresightful time to find a ‘ prophylactic'box. Fred and George sat on the side of one of their bed. Fred leant forward and said,

"We want to let the cat out of the bag to you, Harry, about an opportunity."

"A mythological opportunity."

"We think its mythologic anyway."

"And we ‘ re usually right."

"Always right. And it is fabulous."

Harry glanced between one Twin Falls and the other.

"I feel like I ‘ m being sold something dodgy here guys."Harry folded his arms and one-half smiled."Possibly something that fell off the rear of a van. What ‘ s this actually about ?"

The Gemini the Twins looked at each other then said at the Lapplander metre,

"Weasley Wizard Wheezes !"

"Actively Advocating alliteration ?"

"It ‘ s a joke shop Harry."George sniggered and continued,"Or at least we want it to be."

"And we thought that perhaps-"

"-the resident charms-meister-"

"-would be capable to help us with some of the stuff."Fred shrugged."After all you did basically work up a heather live year-"

"-that out-flew a firebolt-"

"-with Ginny ‘ s help."

"Oh yes with Ginny ‘ s help."

Harry rearranged the disjointed judgment of conviction into some criterion of order.

"So…"Harry began to smile as actualisation hit him."You want me to help you design jocularity ? Your form of jokes ? The intriguedness is growing. What have you come up with so far ?"

The Twins grinned and began a whirlwind tour of duty of their current mathematical product, stopping occasionally to demonstrate a charm or spell for Harry. Usually they were while that produced detonation or horrible shrieking noises.

"And this one Harry…"Fred raised his baton."Is called the avgo sapios !"

Harry knew enough Greek to cover his nose.
*


"So um… this is the pond."Ron said helplessly,"It ‘ s got duck's egg 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 matter to as story of magic."Ron muttered and Hermione laughed.

Oh great, now she was laughing at him too. Ron kicked a stone into the alga filled pond, it rested on the midst green airfoil for a moment before sinking.

Hermione had left Hogwarts almost completely sunburn out, taking too many subjects on top of the werewolf pandemonium had reduced her to a shadow of herself. It had been especially bad during the examination which she had to revise for and take without the benefit 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 mates of times over summertime, the predator sticking together even in Harry's absence, and each clip she seemed a little more lively and like her old self.

"Well that's pretty a good deal everything around here, lets just get back to the house."Ron pointed back towards the burrow."I don ‘ t trust the Twin left alone in there for this long."

"They're not alone,"Hermione began walking beside him, walking close enough to make all the haircloth on his arm stand up."Harry ‘ s there too."

"That ‘ s even worse."Ron shook his head."Between them I doubt they ‘ ll be a business firm left."

"If you felt like that why did you desire to show me around in the get-go place ?"

Why indeed ?

"fountainhead it was a nice day and Neville, Ginny and the twins went to townspeople and Harry's acting all weird and there ‘ s marshmallow coming out of the house."

"Ron…"Hermione shook her head in aggravation."If you wanted to change the national you could have-"

"No there ‘ s really marshmallow coming out of the sign of the zodiac !"Ron pointed at the retentive current of solid white froth leaking from one of the windows and pooling on the ground."It ‘ s the Gemini window. Oh god mum ‘ s gon na kill them."

The two marauders rushed to the side of the house.

"It ‘ s not exactly marshmallow."Hermione said, sounding puzzled, as the ran into the tunnel. They stopped outside the Twin Falls doorway and Ron opened it hesitantly. On the other side of meat was a solid wall of whitened, even bearing the imprint of the contour or the door and its handle.

"Let me see…"Hermione broke off a minuscule bit and touched it tentatively to her natural language."… meringue ? I think its meringue."

"What ‘ s the difference ?"

"Honestly Ron, you ‘ d think you would be at least as knowledgeable as me on the subject of food."

"What ‘ s that supposed to mean ?"Ron snap back but was silenced as a mute voice called out,

"Someone out there ?"

Ron gingerly pushed his hand into the crustlike surface towards the noise.

"spirit really weird."Ron grimaced as he buried his hand up to the shoulder."It's all crackly and dry."He felt something like cloth and pulled as firmly as he could.

With a jumbo shower of fragmented meringue a build emerged from the elbow room. It fell on the trading floor coughing and spluttering and spitting chunks of gummy white froth out of its lip. Ron leant forward and guessed,

"Fr… Saint George ?"

"Yep."George I got unsteadily to his metrical foot 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 stinker off Georges back."Did one of your joke backlash ?"

"No no no. Our pranks don't backfire."George 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 wall 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 fault mate."George IV put his hand up to fend of the angered predator."You seem to suffer some sort of hang for that magic spell 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 heap out there."He turned to the twins room."semen on, we ‘ d better start getting rid of all this stuff or your twin ‘ s gon na run out of air."

"And mums coming back soon."George V said in horror."She ‘ ll have a fit !"

Harry grinned as Ron went pale and began attacking the meringue wall.
*


Harry ducked into the caravan coach and looked around quickly,

"Still no peril ?"He said wryly."Whatever the karma gods are working up to it ‘ s not gon na be pretty."The piranha moved in after him. They were looking at each other a little oddly.

"Harry…"Hermione began.

"What ?"Harry checked under his nates shock absorber before sitting down.

"Don ‘ t you think you ‘ re acting sort of… crazy ?"

"No."Harry crossed his stage and sat, Indian-style, with his coat of arms crossed."Really, really no !"Harry shook his promontory, it was amazing how quickly the paranoia he'd developed in the yr before he'd come to Hogwarts had returned. Street living was not conducive to trust.

"It ‘ s not crazy. Someone will try to kill me this year. I just know it."

"Harry you ‘ re the boy who lived."Anapurna shook her promontory."No ones going to kill you."

"I wouldn ‘ t say that."A voice sounded from the surface doorway."I wouldn ‘ t say that at all."

The predator turned in unison.

"Oh buzz off Malfoy."Padma chuckled."If you were going to drink down him you would deliver done it ages ago."

"I will get you this twelvemonth Potter."Malfoy was uncharacteristically alone. His usual crowd of flunkey absent."I promise, by the Malfoy figure, that I will get you this year. I will make you pay for everything."

"The Malfoy name represents a bequest of lies."Harry laughed and shrugged."Get out of my train car."

"Well this year Potter."Malfoy licked his lips, his grey centre shiny evilly."I will show everyone at Hogwarts that I represent everything good about magic lineage and that you are everything… everything unworthy and mediocre. This yr I will testify everyone. This twelvemonth ceramist, this year I win."

"commodity chance with that."Harry shrugged dismissively."Now move, you ‘ re blocking the trolley."

Malfoy just smiled and walked away.
*


"Welcome to another twelvemonth at Hogwarts schoolhouse of witchcraft and wizardry."

Harry sniffed the water in his glass. Poison ? No… Maybe something in the intellectual nourishment ?

"I hope you have all enjoyed your rift from the study we give you."

Maybe he was just paranoid ? Harry glanced around at the early students. Maybe he actually did suffer a chance to suffer a rule year.

"Firstly I would like to premise Alastor Moody as our new defense against the darks teacher."

Harry glanced up at the table and picked out the new face. Or, more accurately, what was left of the new face. Their stopping point defense 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 raw color. He had seen whole shops full of heart in Hollands. They made lots of them there, like watches.

The man apparently known as Moody met his gaze with low one then the former eye. Harry smiled and toasted the new teacher with his trash. Anyone was good than professor lupine. Harry had tried to repair nosepiece with the werewolf during his last few week at shoal. He really had tried…

"Professor… Um…"Harry leant in through the doorway to prof Lupin's office."Are you, you know, all set."prof Lupin looked up at him, flatly."You know for tonight, wide-cut moonlight ?"

"Yes."professor lupine seemed to be struggling to keep back his vocalisation apartment and unemotional.

"I heard that prof Snape makes some sorting of…"

"I said yes."lupine snapped. Seeing Harry's startled construction he took a mystifying intimation and shake off his head."My apologies. Yes Severus makes a potion for me that allows me to better make do the transformations. Thank you for your kindness."

"You ‘ re welcome Professor Moony."Lupin's caput snapped up."You know, moonlit, like moonshine. Because of the altogether boggart matter and…"

"Leave now."Usually the werewolf side of lupine was not really observable. This was not so now."Leave my office 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 worse the man had stared sticker at him during their final few deterrent example. Even a scarred, one-eyed man was best than that. Besides, Harry wasn't really in a billet to complain about former peoples scars.

professor Dumbledore continued,

"professor Moody is a former auror so I am sure he has much to teach you."Harry's ears perked up, this was interesting. Unfortunately Dumbledore had finished speaking on this detail issue."I do have a second annunciation to urinate. Something that I think you will all enjoy."

The unhurt school perked up.

"Slitherin theatre is infested with roach ?"

"Potions has been dropped from the course of study ?"

"Filch had an aneurism ?"

"No."The nook of professor Dumbledore's mouth twitched up in a one-half smile."Better than all those things."

"Not possible."Harry called out.

"Very possible Mr ceramist. I am talking about the Triwizard Tournament."The hall fell beat silent.

"Competing or hosting ?"Someone on the Ravenclaw table said at only just above a whisper.

"Hosting Mr Jacobs, Hosting."

The Asaph Hall exploded in sound.
*


"We are entering that tournament."

"Harry, Dumbledore said-"

"We. Are. Entering. That. Tournament."Harry was twitching with anxious energy."We are entering and one of us is winning."

"We ‘ re not even eligible."Hermione complained."We can ‘ t enter."

"We have not let werewolves and giant Snake and dark wizards stop us a flaming age restriction is not going to stand in our way."Harry sat down at the marauders table and crossed his arms."We deserve this. We deserve this because we are the well in this school and no one has worked harder to-"

"Subvert its principle ?"

"- protect it. Than we have. So we are going to go into and we are going to win !"

The marauders around the tabular array fell silent.

"Do you think this was what Malfoy was talking about ?"Neville said suddenly."He said he was gon na express everyone how good he was."

"The motion will not lift 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 transmissible and sociological agent that have conspired to bring in him a git. So…"Harry steepled his fingers and grinned."As soon as this judge gets here, we're entering the tournament."
*


"Now…"Professor Moody scanned the socio-economic class slowly with his normal eye while the bullshit one spun and rested on unlike scholarly person before moving on."I don ‘ t stand much on observance so lets start right in."

Harry felt the eye land on him for a moment before moving on.

"So… Army of the Righteous start on curses. I ‘ ve had a letter from Professor Lupin, also one from Professor Michelson and it looks like you ‘ re fairly well up on dark creatures and the basics of dueling."

"More than basics."Harry mumbled under his breath.

"But what you haven ‘ t learn yet is the big of what magician can do to each other."Moody shook his psyche."You ‘ re all living in a dream world if you think you ‘ re ever safe. survive nighttime at the spread I only saw one student check the intellectual nourishment for poison before eating it."Moody pointed with his gnarled hand.

All eyes ( real and unreal ) fell on Harry.

"I… um… what ?"

"Don't be ashamed of it ! Be gallant ! By the end of the year I expect each and every one of you to exercise Constant watchfulness !"He ended the sentence shouting. Harry found himself staring directly into Helen Newington Wills's unreal eye. He felt like he was a bug under a burnished blue microscope. The eye scanned down to his pectus."spirit like you ‘ ve been given reasons to be vigilante."

Before Harry had a prospect to answer Helen Newington Wills had moved on and stomped up to the board.

"The dark arts !"Moody wrote like he was carving in endocarp and the glass broke off during the s of arts."Who can distinguish me a swearword ? A really bad one."A few of the form put their hands up. Moody pointed at one.

"Yes Mr… Crabbe is it ?"He growled."fellow epithet. Familiar boldness too, I knew your father. Well, knew isn ‘ t quite the right Son. What ‘ s yer curse ?"

"The um…"Crabbe looked like he was regretting volunteering. He seemed to pull back himself back up and smirk evilly at Harry."The infliction spear."

"Odd that you should sleep together that one."Professor Moody ‘ s eyes 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 enemy ‘ s going to surprise you with something you haven't seen in a while. never-ending alertness !"

Helen Newington Wills went on to excuse at distance the property of the pain spear spell. Crabbe looked disgruntled, obviously he had wanted Moody to ask him how he knew about the spell.

Harry looked down at his book and found the page on the pain fishgig. It was clear that the source had only included it as an afterthought, Helen Wills already had more on the board than was in the book. Padma leant over her desk to speak into his ear,

"Better than lupine you think ?"

"Much better."Harry agreed."He ‘ s only cracked on the outside."

"You sure ?"Padma glanced up skeptically as Moody barked out Constant alertness again."He seems pretty thoroughly cracked to me."
*


The partially vs. thoroughly cracked debate continued into the coming hebdomad as the students got used to Helen Wills's fast-growing commandment panache. One thing was for indisputable, there was not roll in the hay lost between Moody and Snape. Moody glared at Snape suspiciously every clip they passed in the corridors and Snape, for his part, sneered. But all that was drown out by the rumors and whispers running around about the triwizard tournament.

The day the strange pupil were scheduled to make it sink in bright and cool with a mizzle of rain covering the castle.

"It couldn ‘ t be sunny."Harry heard McGonagall say under her hint."Just for today."

Harry grinned and scuffed his feet. If the stallion school had been called out to greet these extraneous students they could at least have the decency to be on time. Harry checked the clock, alright so they weren't scheduled to arrive for another five minutes but Harry had been waiting for ten so therefore ( in his thinker ) they were late.

"looking at !"soul 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 person behind him say and gave an involuntary shudder. Underwater for all that time ? Even with magical trade protection it made his hide crawl.

As the ship crawled up to the side of meat of the lake Harry saw the man standing at the bike turn and point up into the sky behind the castle. Harry turned just in prison term to see a giant pram round the recession of the castle, drawn by giant Andrew Dickson White horses.

"Great."thinking Harry."The competition starts with piss 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 same metre. After some mildly raised voices Dumbledore headed down towards the lake while McGonagall headed towards where the carriage was landing. Harry considered the pick and elbowed his way through the bunch in the instruction Dumbledore went.

"Igor Karkaroff,"Dumbledore held his helping hand out to greet the heavily robed wizard stepping out of the sauceboat."A pleasure to have you back in the country."

"Albus, it is good to be here."The man pushed back his punk revealing silver grey hair and arduous forehead. He smiled in a way that never touched his dark centre. He spoke in a impenetrable booming way that Harry was certain was at to the lowest degree partly put on."Hogwarts is ah…"He glanced up at the grey sky."… just as I remember it."

Harry chuckled and the Durmstrang Headmaster glanced at him in the crowd.

"Ah, and this would be your superstar pupil."Harry saw the crowd persona in front of him."The famous Harry Potter."

"No no no…"Harry waved his hands grinning."The name's jak ‘ moon ray'Baltzegaurd."

"Ah, ha ha."Igor ‘ s laugh held no warmth whatsoever."We are many celebrities 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 youth mavin."Are you Durmstrurn ‘ s principal 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 witness this turn of events quite amusing. He was smiling at any rate. Harry couldn't tell what was going on behind those jumbo black eyebrows.

"Well,"Dumbledore said, breaking the stalemate."I can already see the Beauxbatons delegation is already inside, shall we join them ?"
*


"Harry, that was Viktor Krum !"

"You know Ron, I did work that out. And even if I hadn't the six million sentence you ‘ ve told me would take in tipped me off. Now can we delight concentrate ?"Harry turned to the goblet standing in the center of the hall. 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 to the lowest degree not with anything I can cogitate of now."

Harry shook his head, there were loads of people crowding into the incoming hall so it wasn't like they could do anything right now. If they were going to do anything it would deliver to be at tonight, but he had hoped to at least have a plan before the castling went to sleep.

"An age potion do you think ?"Fred said behind him.

"I think Dumbledore would feature thought of that."Hermione shook her head."I don't think any potion any fourth year or sixth year could make could get past the line."

"What if we just get one of the older bookman to put it in for us ?"Neville hazarded.

"Nope."George said as he and his sidekick sidled up to them."Saw some Slitherin try that almost as soon as the goblet was out. The other epithet just flew out of his pouch as soon as he crossed the line."

"Yep,"Fred shook his head in mock understanding."Poor chap didn ‘ t even get to put his own name since he tripped over his own byssus and ended up out cold."

"Wait…"Padma looked thoughtful."What if we get someone to span the line then write our names on some-"

"Saw that too."Fred broke in.

"Yeah,"His twin continued."You don ‘ t even want to get it on what happened to him !"

"Oh for Savior sake !"Harry growled in irritation."Is there at least a way to test the line ?"

"Yeah, run into it."Ron suggested.

"No you idiot."Padma shook her brain."Just spitball it."

"Excuse me ? You what ?"Harry's eyebrows raised like balloons.

"Like this…"Harry watched, gob-smacked, as Padma took a save fighting of sheepskin out of her bag and farce it into her lip. She chewed for a few endorsement then daintily took the sodden mess out from between her sassing and, without hesitation, tossed it at the goblet of fire. As the glob crossed the line of products there was a flashbulb of visible light and the ball shot out like a hummer, impacting on the bulwark behind them.

"Brilliant."Said the Weasley similitude in one voice.

"We should do it again-"

"With more balls."

"With bountiful lump !"

"With fireworks in them !"

"Children, children…"Harry said in a calming phonation."Lets not get sidetracked."

"It's almost curfew anyway."Parvarti looked down at her lookout man then smiled."Don't headache, it'll all be alright on the nighttime !"

"Sister…"Padma shook her head 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 crepuscule on his shoulder. The proprietor of the hand was a boy a little older than him with blond hair and a sort of round human face. He was in Ravenclaw colors and was wearing a baseball cap that read ‘ Tutshill Tornadoes'and had a crack as the logo.

"Yeah ?"Harry cocked his head."Can I help you ?"

"Um,"The boy bit his lip and looked around."Could I talk to you ?"

"Very cloak and sticker but ok."Harry waved the marauders off and moved into a incline corridor."Who are you ?"

"David Mason."The boy smiled shyly."Don ‘ t worry if you don ‘ t remember me. I ‘ m a friend of Cho ‘ s."

"Oh ok. support the same squad too I see."Harry leant nonchalantly against the stone wall."To what do I owe the delight ?"

"fountainhead basically…"The boy scuffed a human foot on the story nervously."Me and… and some of the early guy cable. Not just Ravenclaw but the whole school day well… we figure you ‘ ve got a plan."

"For what ?"

"For the chalice of fire."David rubbed his hands together almost hungrily."lots of us don't think the age terminal point ‘ s bazaar so we figure…"He reached into his air pocket and pulled out a thick envelope."A couple of extra names. Just if you get the chance you know ?"

"Hate to break it to you mate."Harry shrugged apologetically."But I don't have the fragile hint how to get through the age line."

"Really ? But you ‘ re Harry potter ! You always… Oh, I get it."David winked and pushed the envelope into his hand."Of trend 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 twinkle conspiratorially again."Seriously !"

"trouble Mr ceramist ?"

Harry spun and looked up into the face of the jurist that had been sitting with Dumbledore at the banquet. What was his name… Couch ?

"Mr Couch ?"

"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 cerebration was a fatherlike manner.

"No sir."Harry did his unspoiled Joseph Oliver device depression."I wouldn ‘ t do such a horrible thing."

"Ah, of course."The Triwizard judge nodded."Of course I ‘ m sure more than mass would come to the tournament if the famous Harry thrower was competing. But we must remember that we can not pick and take the ruler we wish to obey based on fugitive expediency. You understand Mr ceramicist ?"

"Yes sir."Harry felt it was better to stick with mere answers.

"Very well."Mr Crouch's mouth twitched into a sparse smile."It was nice meeting you Mr Potter."

Harry didn't relax until the man was a safety few corridors away. Harry sighed and slipped the envelope out of his sleeve. What were the statistics for teenaged fondness attacks ? Harry wondered. Whatever they were they had just come very close to getting one digit larger.

Harry leant against the wall and stared out of one of the castles arched windows at the lake below, remembering finally year. Why was it that he was forever trapped inside or outside Mrs. Humphrey Ward ? Last year he had circumvented them by swimming around, couldn't do that this time. The werewolves 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 Granville Stanley Hall where a undivided spitting formal showed him how to tucker the greatest wizard in the world.
*


"All set Ginsters ?"Harry slid behind Ginny on the Chimera and checked that he had both the envelope containing the predator names and the one given to him by Saint David Mason in his pocket.

"Yes, you don ‘ t have to come with me you know."Ginny looked back at him, grinning in the swoon moonlight.

"You can ‘ t fly and fix spitball at the Sami time."Was the alibi Harry offered. Really he just wanted to be the one to put the names into the chalice, wanted to experience starting time mitt that he'd pulse Dumbledore. Harry glanced around and saw a marauder guarding every door."Everybody ‘ s in place, fare on."

Ginny obediently lifted them off the floor and hovered them up near the ceiling.

"mo of truth."Harry got out some sheepskin and rolled it expertly before gumming it, silencing it and throwing it forwards. It landed in the midriff of the age line, right beside the goblet. Harry pumped the air with his clenched fist."Potter 1, Dumbledore 0. Proving that I am unmitigated awesome ! net ball go !"

Ginny bit back a chortle and carefully floated them forward until they were directly over the goblet, then took them slowly down.

"Ok, stop here. Let's not touch the floor, never know what other spells the old man ‘ s put around the place."Harry reached into his air pocket and drew out the marauders envelope then dropped it into the goblet. The fire spurted up for a moment, then died down.

Harry hesitantly pulled the former envelope out of his pocket. Should he ? Should he not ? It was only sightly to chip in everybody a decent chance and James Neville Mason seemed like a gracious enough bloke ( if a bit uncanny ). He probably wouldn ‘ t be chosen anyway. Ah well, what the inferno ? Harry dropped the other envelope into the flames.
*


The marauder entered the great hall in a huddle, all eyes focused directly on the goblet.

"I ‘ m nervous."Neville admitted as they sat down at the Gryffindor tabular array."I don't know if I want to enter anymore."

"Bit late now."Padma said dryly, but the nerves were obvious in her voice too and the predator quickly fell into silence.

"Whichever one of us it is the rest 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 supercilium wrinkled in confusion."Quit your crazy talk of the town George. That could never happen."

"tyke, children…"The G. Stanley Hall fell still as Dumbledore began to speak."I believe the mo you have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The goblet will be announcing it's choices momentarily. I would ask you to commend that, even if you were not chosen, the tournament is still a contest between the schooling. I expect to see no hard tone, you must support your star one hundred per centum. Now…"Dumbledore turned towards the goblet.

The dormitory waited in secretiveness for almost a mo before the goblet ‘ s flames turned bright red and a trivial scrap of sheepskin flew out. Dumbledore caught it expertly.

"The Beauxbatons virtuoso is… Fleur Delacour !"

Harry saw one of the French people girls clap her workforce to her side in shock 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 watch the 1st champion leaving the hall.

"Yeah ? What about her ?"

Ron opened his sassing to rejoin but the goblet flared red again and the anteroom fell silent.

"The Durmstrang admirer will be Viktor Krum !"

The red uniformed students rose, cheering, as their title-holder walked towards the social movement of the Radclyffe Hall. Most of the Hogwarts bookman did too.

Harry was biting his nails, this future one was it. The goblet turned red again and a piece of parchment pin-wheeled out to be caught in Dumbledore's hand. As the Headmaster read it the smile dropped from his case and his hand began to shake. In a cold, stony voice he said,

"The Hogwarts champion…"He seemed to grit his tooth."Is Draco Malfoy."

The hall erupted in uproar. Harry turned, his eyes seeking out the blonde haired Slitherin. Draco seemed unperturbed by the reception his gens had received but instead stood calmly and walked towards the nominal head of the Radclyffe Hall. Before he left the manor hall however he turned and scanned down the Gryffindor table with those cold Charles Grey eyes. He met Harry's regard, grinned evilly and winked.


Note for francophone people :

I have never liked how french idiom are represented in books, you know the `` 'Ogwarts can not 'ave two fighter. '' affair. Replacing this with 'zis and stuff like that. I imagine it 's kind of insulting.

I know I cringe every fourth dimension I hear a 'mockney'english accent on tv, I imagine it 's sort of the same thing.

I decided to retain it in this news report anyway purely because Goblet of ardor represents speech pattern that way. I 'm trying to make this story form of parallel the carom ledger in certain ways inluding vista 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 explode, he had to let the pressure out somehow."SON OF A squawk !"

"Mr thrower !"Harry's eyes flicked back to Dumbledore, who was looking at him angrily."Contain yourself !"

"But he is !"Harry yelled, words leaking out of him uncontrollably."haven ‘ t you met his female parent ?"The hall erupted in laugh. Malfoy scowled but kept on walk, leaving the great hallway by the Lapp threshold the other maven had left by.

Dumbledore held up his handwriting for silence.

"Obviously this is shocking and unprecedented."He said in an effortlessly even out voice."I remind you all that I expect you to take out behind your champion…"Dumbledore stopped as the students began yelling again."… or at least not openly oppose him. Now, if you will condone me…"

Dumbledore left the still jump pupil and walked out through the back door of the hallway, Karkarov and Madam Maxim followed him. For a few more here and now everyone was silent then McGonagall stood.

"If you would all return to you-"But she was cut off as soul yelled,

"Professor !"

The shoal turned in prison term to see the goblet suntan red again. A rubbish of newspaper flew out of it and landed on the stone floor. For a moment no one moved to tinge it then prof Snape, his expression undecipherable, got up from his chair. His footstep were the only if sound in the foyer as he walked round the mellow mesa and came to a occlusion in front of the little scrap of paper. He turned it over with the tip of his shoe.

"Harry Potter."He was staring down at the sheet, his face a blank mask."It says Harry Potter."

After a consequence someone started clapping, then somebody else, then some more, the nifty hall exploded with applause.

"Knew it ‘ d be you Harry."Harry heard someone say as a hand slapped him on the binding. crew pressure moved him towards the front of the hall, his own brainiac seemed to have stopped working. He saw Snape foot up the scrap of paper, then have a brusk, whispered, conversation with McGonagall. The potions master copy turned to him.

"cum along Potter."

"Wha… ?"Harry judgment was still reeling.

"We must select you to connect the other champions."Snape led him out of the tumultuous hall and into a brusque hall. The noise from the clapping faded as the door closed behind them. Snape made no motility to leave by the other door.

"Did you put your name into the goblet of fire ?"Snape asked urgently.

"Wha… ?"Harry glanced around, they were alone. The other champions must be through the other threshold."Why are you-"

"Potter, try to scrape together some acumen ! Did you put your name into the goblet ?"

Snape seemed almost concerned.

"You seem almost concerned."Harry grinned, his mental capacity getting back in gear."Have those piddling barn owls been bringing you drugs or something ?"Snape flinched back as if stung.

"Damn it thrower !"Snape grabbed Harry's robe."This is not a prison term for jape. More is going on here than you realize. Did you or did you not-"

"Yes."Harry nodded,"I put my name in."

The potions master narrowed his eyes, Harry felt the familiar air pressure in his brain. He opened his mind long enough to discover the memory of him putting the envelope into the flame then blanked it again. Snape nodded thoughtfully.

"Good."

"goodness ?"Harry asked quizzically.

"potter the theory if someone else put your figure into the goblet are far worse than if you put it in yourself. This simplifies things, believe me…"Snape glanced at the scrap of newspaper 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 recognize your handwriting."Snape held out the parchment for him to see."This is not your handwriting."

"No…"Harry felt a sinking opinion in his stomach."No it ‘ s not. What the hell is going on ?"He asked plaintively.

"If I knew that Potter."Snape moved towards the door."I would not cause to ask questions."

Harry gulped and followed the potions master through the door. On the other position was another room with portraits hung all around the paries. The champions and their Headmasters were standing in the centre of attention of the room, apparently arguing. madam Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim was pointing at Malfoy with one of her unusually long fingers. They all fell silent as Harry and his instructor entered the room.

"Severus what is this ?"Dumbledore asked pointedly.

"This is the fourth champion."Snape glanced down at Harry."Apparently."

"What is ‘ zis."Madam Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim waved her paw at Harry."Some kind of joke to you here at ‘ ogwarts ? First your champion iz a minor, now ‘ zis ?"

"I do not think it is a joke."Karkarov said angrily."This so called champion."

"He is a champion. Despite what some of us might wish."Snape interrupted dryly. Harry couldn't assist but call up how different he seemed from a moment ago."The entire of Hogwarts saw his name leave the goblet, as did the deputation from your own schools. He is as legitimize a maven as-"

"As Mr Draco."Madam maxim scoffed."Your former underage champion."

"If I may…"Harry glanced at the man of to one face who had begun to speak. He hadn ‘ t even realized Mr Crouch was in the elbow room."The rules are very clear. If a someone epithet leaves the goblet of fire, then that person is a champion. There can be no denying that."

"Harry…"Dumbledore spoke for the number one meter."Did you put your name into the chalice of fervor ?"

"I…"Harry felt Snape's hand tap him in the small-scale of the spinal column."… No."He heard the potions master hint out lightly."No I didn ‘ t. I tried but… I couldn ‘ t get past the ward."

"And you Draco ?"Snape asked Malfoy.

"Honestly sir…"Malfoy smirked."I have no mind how my public figure got in there."

Yes you do you slimy little… Harry's clenched fist clenched involuntarily.

"wellspring I believe that settles it."Dumbledore clapped his hands together."Rest assured this thing will be investigated but until then… we have four champions."

Harry shook his header. Why did he get the look that the worst was yet to come in ?
*


As they left the room Harry fell into dance step with Malfoy. Neither spoke until they were out of earreach of the teachers. Harry took a breath to steady himself then said,

"I assume that no one named David Mason really goes to Hogwarts ?"Malfoy turned to him and sneered.

"good wasn ‘ t it."Malfoys interpreter took on a simpering quality."Oh Harry, it wouldn ‘ t be carnival if everyone didn ‘ t have a chance."

"Bastard."

"I planned it all out. The hat, the personality, even down to the name. David James Mason, sounds common doesn't it. Sounds muggleborn."Malfoy grinned triumphantly."And you fell for it."

"I repeat. Bastard."

"A asshole who won. I said I was going to get you didn ‘ t I ? The face on your face when I was chosen…"

"hang on…"Harry stopped suddenly."Why were you chosen ? Don ‘ t tell me the goblet actually picked you legit ? You wouldn ‘ t leave it up to chance."

"Very sound potter, you ‘ re not quite as stupid as you look."Malfoy smiled."Ever heard of a malignant protean appealingness ? No of course-"

"A charm that aggressively seeks out things that look a bit like it…"Harry interrupted."And makes them face exactly like it. Oh you little…."Understanding dawned in Harry's eyes."The names ! You cast it on the gens !"

"Exactly !"Malfoy nodded."My name went in with the good luck charm on it and changed all the other sideslip so that they read Draco Malfoy. I didn ‘ t leave it to chance, I was the only candidate."

"Bastard is too good a word for you, I ‘ m going with rat-bastard."

"The hard bit was making sure it only changed the Hogwarts names."Malfoy was still in total 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 eyes narrowing."How you were picked. My piece should have gotten you…"

Harry said nothing, fairly sure that the protean had eaten up the flake of parchment that had had his epithet on it and that the one that had eventually come out had been put in by individual else.

"You must receive found some way to enter as another school."Malfoy said thoughtfully."Tricked the chalice into entering your name for a fourthly school."

Mental note : suggest that theory to someone. Dumbledore ? No, too meddlesome. McGonagall ? She would go straight to Dumbledore. Moody ? He'd vaunt it way out of proportion. Snape ? … ?

"Just remember Potter,"Malfoy brought him back to the mo."I know who the veridical Hogwarts champion is and I ‘ m going to demonstrate 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 beat out you."Malfoy took off again in the direction of the Slytherin keep."crisscross my words Potter."

"Marked."Harry rolled his heart."Marked, signed and sealed in the bullshit box along with Nostradamus and UFOs."

Harry turned and hurried up towards the Gryffindor common room. The rook was evacuate but the portrait were whispering to each former as he climbed through towards the seventh trading floor. He stopped in one deserted corridor and quietly called,

"Myrtle…"He waited a few moment, then the glowing female child slid through the floor.

"Hmm ?"She cocked her caput quizzically, then giggled."I heard a rumor about you. Something about being champion ?"

Harry grinned and winked, myrtle giggled again.

"Knew it would take to be you Harry."

"predator don't lose."Harry said cockily."As you well know."

"Because I am a marauder."myrtle said, proudly puffing up her smoky mannikin, Harry nodded.

"I wanted to ask you something."myrtle became serious as Harry spoke."Did you see anyone else go near the chalice last night, maybe before the relief of us got there or after we left ?"

"Nope."Vinca minor shook her psyche."Didn ‘ t see anyone."She put peculiar accent on the word ‘ see ’.

"Myrtle ? Keeping arcanum isn ‘ t nice."Harry tutted playfully.

"I didn ‘ t see anyone."The trace repeated, smiling slyly."But one sentence the threshold opened by itself, a moment later the goblet flared up like someone put something in it. Then the room access 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 close. I wasn ‘ t seen."She added proudly.

"I know you weren't."Harry nodded, myrtle looked a little happier."Can you ask around the portraits ? See if anyone saw anyone sneaking around ?"

"Of course Harry !"Myrtle beamed at being given a job and slam away through the paries. Harry chuckled, it was amazing how having friends changed a person, or a ghost.

Harry walked around the corner and stood in straw man of the fat lady. The woman in the portrait crossed her blazon and said,

"I ‘ m waiting."

"I ‘ m not."Harry spelled an unlocking good luck charm and the portrait creaked to the side.

"I wish you wouldn ‘ t do that Mr Potter."The fat lady shook her head.

"It ‘ s well-to-do than remembering the passwords."Harry grinned as he stepped through the portrait 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 horde of Gryffindor sign, smiled and bowed when they cheered for him, looked up in mild impact at the poster of him they had hung above the fireplace and sought out the marauders.

"We need to talk."Harry said before anyone could open their oral fissure."Too many pinna here, up to the bedroom."Harry's acquaintance wordlessly followed him up to the boys bedroom and he hastily sketched out everything that had happened. After he had finished the first thing Ron said was,

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay."

"I ‘ m a bit more worried about this invisible man."Padma said, shaking her headway."invisibility cloaks are rare."

"Maybe someone just really precious Harry to win."Her Sister suggested.

"Then why bother wearing the cloak."Hermione pointed out."People 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 hell would someone desire me in the competition ?"Harry wondered loudly."Want it decent to go to these duration ?"

"Maybe someone wants to grant Hogwarts a effective chance."Fred said evenly, his brother added…

"Or Gryffindor."George I grinned."If they ‘ ll keep helping we should put some money on you."

"More potential someone hopes they can use the tournament to off me without anyone suspecting anything."Harry shrugged."That would be Thomas More my luck."

"Harry, break off being paranoid !"Hermione admonished him."You ‘ re beginning to voice like Professor Moody."

"professor Helen Wills is the most sensitive mortal that ‘ s ever taught us."Harry said, to general jolt."It ‘ s not paranoia if they really are out to get you !"

"Harry someone made you a champion !"Pavarti said in exasperation."It ‘ s a near affair, this mortal is trying to help oneself you !"

"Malfoy is going to-"

"Oh pay attention Ron !"Hermione snapped."Try to continue up."

"Lots of money…"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 marauders."We know zero. Not enough to actually make anything out at any charge per unit. word at this item is useless…"Harry trailed off as Myrtle rose through the floorboards.

"domestic trouble ?"The ghost giggled.

"You find something Vinca minor ?"Harry asked quickly."Did one of the portrait see someone suspicious ?"

"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 oral sex ruefully."Thanks for trying."

"But…"Myrtle did a picayune loop in the air and winked."The old lady near the kitchens said that Moody ‘ s got a cloak."

"What ?"Harry jerked, startled, like the relief of the marauders."An invisibility cloak ? Seriously ?"

"Mm Hm !"Vinca minor 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 reasonable soul that ‘ s ever taught us'Harry ?"Ginny grinned."Anything you have to say ?"

"vulture never lose."Harry said chuckling."They are however, on occasion, dead wrong."
*


When Harry opened his eyes the next morning he groaned and rolled back over. He knew exactly what this day would bring.

"It ‘ s him !"

"It ‘ s Harry !"

"The champion !"

"Yeah yeah yeah, and no I will not apply 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 trusted I ‘ ve met him."

"But Harry you ‘ re very good at making mass block you ‘ re Harry Potter."The two of them moved out of the common way on the way to ancient runic letter."What I'm locution is that they just got reminded."

"Forgetting I ‘ m Harry ceramicist ?"

"You know…"Hermione waved vaguely."Juggling, joking, making everyone feel at simplicity, multitude forget you ‘ re a renown. It ‘ s not deliberate…"

Harry winced, it was often entirely deliberate.

"But that ‘ s not to get to people forget."Harry ducked behind a causa of armor as a chemical group of bookman 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 little walks ?"

"Yes."Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"On one of your romanticist walks ?"

"Harry !"

"What ?"Harry grinned as Hermione shoved him irritably."Weren ‘ t they romantic ?"

"We discussed ducks."Hermione said flatly, not meeting Harry's eye."And ponds."

"Ze art of seduction."Harry affected a French people accent mark."It is truly dead."
*


After runes the two of them met up with the other marauder 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 curio. Snape had obviously turned some kind of new leaf but they had never pressed to see how far that change went. To play it safe he actually tried during the potions lesson. He still failed but at least zero exploded this time. After class he lingered by his desk, putting away his gormandise very slowly.

"Something you want thrower ?"Snape looked up from his desk.

"Um…"Harry waited a tick for the go bookman to leave then said."I ‘ ve had an estimate about why my figure might have come out of the goblet."

"Yes ?"

"If someone entered me for a fourth school."Snape appeared serious-minded and Harry pressed on."That would secure I got picked, and it would excuse why there were four champions."

"Interesting…"Snape tapped the end of his pen on his lip thoughtfully. Wait… ! Harry did a double up take in case his eyes had deceived him. Snape was using a pen ! It was an gaffer looking fountain pen but still… Snape interrupted his persuasion."Of path that would intend that the existent champion was Draco."

"Probably no way to try it."Harry said quickly.

"Actually-"

"No way to bear witness it at all."Harry grinned, for a present moment he could own sworn he saw the sharpness of Snape's mouth twitch up.

"Perhaps not."Snape shook his head teacher."In any case finding out who did put your name in and why is of greater importance."Snape's hand moved to his arm involuntarily, like a reflex.

"Problem ?"Harry asked. Snape shook his head, his eyes downcast.

"Premonition."

"Not usually very reliable those."Harry chuckled.

"This one is."Snape didn't seem to experience like he had to add anything else but something clicked on the border of Harry's memory.

"The dark mark ?"Snape's head whipped up.

"How do you know about that ?"He asked harshly.

"I…"Harry opened his lip to answer but realized with shock that he had no thought how he had heard about the dour mark. It was all there though, the mark in the sky meant death, the mark in build think servitude."I must have… read it… somewhere…"

Snape had strode around the table in an crying and snaffle Harry by his shoulders. This time it didn't smell like a lilliputian air pressure in his mind, it felt like a hammer.

"occlusion ! It hurts !"Harry yelled.

"diaphragm occluding your head !"Snape growled, jerking Harry's head back to keep eye contact.

"I ‘ m not !"Harry pushed Snape away but kept eye contact, deliberately relaxing his idea. Snape opened his sassing in cushion, memory flashed past for a few here and now before Snape broke the connecter 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 soft touch, or that I have one."

"I told you. I must let read it somewhere."Harry shook his head."Why do you suffer one anyway ? I mean why did you go a death eater ?"

"Youth. imbecility. Misplaced rage."Snape stood slowly and rolled his sleeve back. The mark was exactly as Harry remembered it except greatly faded. If Snape's skin wasn't so blanch it would be almost invisible.

"Why did you leave ? Why mar to Dumbledore ? I assume that ‘ s what you did or you wouldn ‘ t be here."

"Why ? …"Snape cocked his head and a paring of a grinning appeared on his face."Surprisingly the grounds is something that is not of the slightest importance to me anymore. But rest assured I am no longer young, dazed or to the full of misplaced rage."

"It ‘ s well placed you stand for ?"Harry dug slyly.

"It ‘ s more… channeled."Snape stood and brushed his robe with his hands before walking to a console behind his desk and getting out a belittled vial of drear potion."I am sorry for invading your mind so roughly. This should help oneself with the pain."He held out the vial.

"You taste it first."Snape's brow quirked up quizzically."Constant vigilance."

Snape chuckled and booze a respectable drink of the potion before handing it to Harry who gratefully chucked back the remainder. His headache disappeared almost instantly.

"Is it getting darker ?"Harry asked.

"Slowly."Snape nodded."I have yet to assure Dumbledore. He may react unpredictably."

"Know what that's like."Harry chuckled."Do you think Voldemort or maybe the demise eater have something to do with the goblet and me ?"

"We don ‘ t have the information to fix that judicial decision right now."Snape waved his helping 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.

"ceramist ? What are you thinking ?"

"Just wondering how far our new truce goes."Harry glanced back at the door to hold no one was listening."If I were to ask for veritaserum…"

"You have a suspect ?"Snape guessed."And you wish to question 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 snug enough."Harry grinned."I think I can."

Snape regarded him silently for a few moment then moved back to the potions storage locker. He muttered a work under his breath and a draftsman appeared out of the side. Snape reached in and drew out a tiny bottleful, barely more than a thimble.

"Three drop is all that is necessary."Snape pressed the bottle into Harry's hand."show no one else. narrate no one you have that."

"Thank you."Harry curled his finger's breadth around the footling bottle."I ‘ ll say you how it plays out."Harry moved off towards the room access but stopped just before opening it.

"Out of interest…"He asked, looking back at his teacher across the vacate classroom."Whose is that little barn owl ?"

"None of your business Potter."

"Ah…"Harry tapped the English of his nose."She must really be something…"

"She is."
*


Harry didn't have a lesson with Moody until Fri, which meant that he had to carry that little bottle around the whole time, a little bottleful of carry-able nerves. He constantly weighed the risks of hiding it somewhere with the risks of having it found on his individual but in the end come down on the side of meat of the latter. Besides, his coat had a few air pocket that would elude all but the most aggressive searchers.

When the moral actually came about Harry was gritting his teeth, he still didn't know if this was a good idea, or even potential. It wasn't too belatedly to deliver the feeding bottle to Snape, or to obtain somewhere to hide it and save it for later.

"Something bothering you potter ?"

Harry looked up from his desk into the typeface of the ex-auror.

"No, nothing."Harry shook his headspring."Well…"

"Yes ?"

"There is something I want to ask you, but after the lesson."Harry made himself look down and put a little 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 notes is it ?"

Harry looked down at his page, it was void except for a footling ink drawing off of a cottage.

"Would you believe unseeable ink ?"

"No."

"Didn ‘ t think so."Harry reached for his quill. After the example he stayed calm down, with his bag not even packed. The marauders already knew he had something planned and left him be but…

"You not leaving Harry ?"Harry turned and saw Susan Bones paused near his desk.

"Getting an extra acknowledgment essay."Harry replied glibly.

"You ? Doing an extra cite essay ?"incredulity radiated from the Hufflepuff."You don ‘ t even do your formula essays."

"I do so."

"Without copying from Hermione."

"I-"

"Or Padma."

"Oh."Harry cocked his caput and shrugged."Does it really weigh what I ‘ m up to ?"

"Just wondering what happens if the school champ is expelled."

"One of the school champions."Harry corrected."The only homo booster 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 pulverisation 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 eyes drifting down a little. Very occupy. Why hadn't he noticed before how-

"Potter."Harry whipped his capitulum around. Moody was looking at him shrewdly."I know I said Constant wakefulness but…"

"Don ‘ t finish that sentence Professor."Harry grinned."Unless you want me to set out mentioning that almost wizardly middle can be made to see through clothing."

"I don't use that setting…"Moody replied gruffly, then winked."…any more."

Harry laughed and a 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 talk about ?"

"Oh yeah."Harry made his vocalization dip a footling."That."

Harry swallowed and took a deeply breath.

"My parents."

"Ah."Moody shook his foreland ruefully."Sad business organization 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 look like he had been stewing over this for a while."Not more schoolhouse report. I want to live how they died, the unit story. Details."

"Why ?"Moody asked bluntly."Why do you want to take heed about your parents murder ?"

"Because it ‘ s something no one else seems prepared to speak about."Harry shook his school principal angrily."You were an auror, you also knew them. Fair bet you examined the house rightfulness, investigated ?"Harry knew Moody had been involved in the investigation, he left zero 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 piddling iron into his voice."It ‘ s a fairish bet Voldemort's not done having an influence on my life. I need to roll in the hay how it began."

Moody shook his headway and grimaced.

"Don ‘ t know where to begin."He reached down and took a draft from his hip flask. Harry grinned.

"You can start with the goblet of fire."

"What ?"Moody shook his head as if to clear it. His magic eye was rolling listlessly and the other looked milky and unfocussed."The goblet ?"

"Yes, did you put my name into it ?"Harry asked, flatly.

"No."Moody answered in a flat whole step. Harry closed his eyes, that meant he had made a misapprehension, which meant he was screwed.

"Did you get someone else to put my name in ?"Harry asked desperately."And where ‘ s your invisibility cloak."

"No, I do not cognise who put your name in the chalice of fire."Dwight Lyman Moody said, again with no emotion."My cloak is in my breast, there."He pointed with one gnarled finger.

"Ok, that's not ripe. For me."Harry looked up at the clock. With the Zen he gave the outcome would only last a few more secondment."Please don ‘ t putting to death me."

Moody just continued his wither stare, then he blinked and shook his head. realisation dawned in his eyes and Harry saw him grip his scepter tightly. In a flash the ex-auror whipped it around and Harry felt ropes pin his arms to the chair.

"How did you do it ?"The prof asked, coldly.

"Lifted the flask from your sack. Put it back later in the lesson."Harry replied evenly. Being sorry wouldn't get him out of this, being dear might."Managed to founder the spells you used on it too."

"That a fact."Moody reached out and emptied the flask onto the floor, the water system sparkled in the sparkle from the window."And why did you do it ?"

"I found out that the person who put my name in the goblet did it under the cover charge of an invisibleness cloak."Harry crossed his arms."They ‘ re uncommon, and you, the lofty possessor of two, had just come to Hogwarts. That seemed like too a lot 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 ropes fell loose."Even in they ‘ re potioned. That was sloppy Potter, very sloppy. I ‘ m disappointed in you."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"But… you mean… you ‘ re not mad ?"

"Mad ? No, no, no,"Moody waved the question away."You had suspicion you acted on it. I woulda done the same."

"But I got past your defenses, I could give birth poisoned you."

"Better you do it than one of my foe, oh and by the way…"Dwight Lyman Moody smiled like a Panthera tigris, for once both eyes focused on Harry."I ‘ ll need a six scroll essay on how you broke the turn on my flask."

"Six gyre ?"

"Make it ten."

"Eep."

"Don ‘ t concern ceramist, it ‘ ll be over before you know it. Or in other tidings it ‘ ll be over tomorrow as that's when I ‘ ll be expecting the essay."

"Oh."

"On the asset face though thrower, I trust you now."

"WHAT ?"Harry exploded, spluttering in mental rejection."I spike you and interrogate you and now you trust me ! ?"

"Yeah, well Thomas More than I did."Moody nodded.

"Why ?"Harry asked aghast.

"You had me drugged and I ‘ m still active. means I have proof you ‘ re not trying to defeat me."Helen Wills said this as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I was wrong."Harry shook his head in disbelief."You ‘ re addict. You're crazy. You ‘ re completely blinking gonzo."

"Yeah ?"Moody leant in towards Harry's font."Well so are you."

"Possible,"Harry conceded."I did once jump onto a moving train."

"Ha !"Moody snorted."That's cipher. Try a moving dragon."

Harry laughed and shook his oral sex, this had turned out alright after all.

"Eh ?"Moody said, furrowing his brow."Don ‘ t you have a example to get to."

"Yes, but it's creatures so I was actually marginally safer staying here and drugging you."

"Even so."Moody gestured at the door."You ‘ d best be going. Don ‘ t forget that essay."

Harry nodded and walked away from the desk. As he reached the room access 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 well-chosen ?"

"Constant watchfulness Potter."Moody said"Keep your allies close-"

"-and my enemies closer."Harry rolled his middle."I know."

"That's not it at all !"Moody said with sudden heat."dungeon your allies close ceramist, but watch them even closer."



Please brushup, It 'll ca-ca me write faster. Pavlov told me so !


Note for French people mass 2 : Ok, this chapter actually contains people speaking in French people. I should warn you that I do not speak French people. well, I do a bit but O level were a long time ago and I only got a B. In any typeface the french in this chapter is almost certainly wrongly, sorry. If you want to tell me the aright translations i 'll put them up.



Harry propped the book up in front of him and tried to make the words stay in one spot rather than fading out and becoming one long boring blur.

"This, this is interest Harry."Hermione yawned and pushed another book over too him."It makes your skin all stiff so things can't hurt you."She yawned again and put her hand 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 first chore is it ‘ s pretty useless."Harry closed his volume wearily and rested his chin on it."And I know you consider breaking into the program library tantamount to sacrilege."

"It ‘ s alright if it ‘ s for the tournament"Hermione rationalized."Do you want me to get to a greater extent books ?"

"No, I want to give up."Harry shook his heading."Lashkar-e-Taiba go back to the tower."

They packed their stuff and Harry spelled the lock on the library back closed. He was about to release down the corridor when a visible light appeared near the early 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 part got closer."Beaxbattons students I think."

"How do you have intercourse ?"

"They ‘ re speaking French."Harry whispered as the light passed outside the room access."Talking about the first task."

"Ho… Wait you speak French ?"Hermione whispered hoarsely.

"You gave me the idiomatic expression books 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 basics down in under a week."

"That ‘ s cheating !"Hermione said, sounding scandalized.

"Did mortal invent new principle 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 feet so he could strike faster after the retreating voices and heard Hermione do the like behind him."Nous devrions dire les autres concurrents !"

"That ‘ s Delacour."Hermione hissed into Harry's ear. She sounded oddly vindictive."What ‘ s she saying ?"But Harry waved her into silence as a gruff voice began speaking.

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."

"brothel keeper Maxim ?"Harry guessed, Hermione nodded."She ‘ s saying that cheating ‘ s part 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 box and jerked back as he saw the two French womanhood stopped in the corridor beyond.

"Non !"Fleur was saying angrily."Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes team spirit 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."

"tartar ?"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."madam Maxim said and they began to take the air back towards where the two piranha 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 charwoman."So… Draco eh ?"

Their jaws dropped.

"Thanks for the tip !"Harry grinned and winked at his colleague virtuoso then turned to the French headmistress and with a grimace said,"Tu es un changeling et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première luck que tu obtiens."

"You little… !"dame Maxime spluttered incoherently but Harry cut her off and switched to English.

"Well betray all you want, doesn ‘ t matter. As you know now I am everywhere in this school. I will know if you cheat, I will bonk everything you do. So it all works out the same in the end."Harry turned back to the startled missy Delacour."practiced fortune with the dragon."And with that he turned and walked away.

Well, he walked until he reached the first corner, then he started to run.
*


"potter ?"

Sleepy.

"ceramicist !"

Ok, not sleepy-eyed anymore, just faking.

"potter get up !"Harry jerked theatrically and raised his head word off his desk to look at professor McGonagall.

"Sleepy Professor,"Harry grinned."I stayed up late doing very authoritative champion stuff."

It was actually true, he had indeed been spending every night researching means to care with large, enraged, fire external respiration reptilian but he hadn ‘ t had practically destiny. Most of the playscript had the unhelpful assumption that you would be component of a squad of wizards dealing with these creatures. If he could just incur one that assumed you were a scared, short, 14 year old who wasn't much good at demurrer against the dingy arts or care of magical tool he would be set.

"Well that doesn ‘ t get you out of concentrating on your lessons."She pointed at the crystal ball that he had transfigured part way from a tortoise. It still had legs and a tail and was blindly butting against Harry's transfiguration textbook."concluded the transformation or at to the lowest degree turn it back into a tortoise, it is just cruel to leave it like this."

Harry shrugged and tried to finish the Transfiguration Day. Two of the wooden leg disappeared, and the poor thing balanced on the former two before toppling and almost rolled off the table before Ron caught it. McGonagall moved away muttering about ‘ sensation'and ‘ cretin ‘ using the same inflexion for each.

"well we can come up transfig'off the dragon-taming possibilities."Harry accepted his tortoisphere back from his admirer and tried idly to make the remaining branch disappear.

"I could write to Charlie."Ron offered. He had managed to throw a crystal tortoise that looked like it should be in some seaside gift shop.

"Don ‘ t, I ‘ m cheating just by using you guys."Harry made the tail disappear and sighed."I should just run in and take up cursing it. hurt spear ‘ s worked before."

"You ‘ re not allowed to use dark witching Harry."Neville reminded him from his other position."It ‘ s restricted by the dominion of the tourney or something."

"And it probably wouldn ‘ t work."Ron cast the while again and got a round of drinks clump of tortoise shell."dragon skin is-"

"Very, very thick. Also curse-proof."Harry interrupted."I know."Harry slumped back in his chairman and looked up at the roof. He closed his optic and massaged his temples, he had a stabbing cephalalgia from all the studying and tardy nights. If he propped his Word up and fell asleep…

"Mr ceramicist !"

"I ‘ m awake !"Harry shook his header. The class giggled.

"What I meant Mr Potter."McGonagall continued."Is that you are needed in the third storey arithmancy classroom. Do you acknowledge 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 room. Since it was class clock time all the corridors were hollow and Harry made it to the classroom without seeing anyone. Wondering what this could possibly be about he pushed the threshold open.

"Ah, Mr thrower. So good of you to join us."Mr Crouch had stood up when he entered. Dumbledore and the other headmaster were also there, as was a witch in Ne super C robes he didn't recognize. She had a quill and paper out and looked like she was currently grilling Krum. The Bulgarian, for his part, 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 demand more nibbles. I skipped lunch."

"This is the deliberation of the scepter ceremony."Mr Crouch said calmly, ignoring Harry's flippancy."Don ‘ t worry it ‘ s mostly a formality."

baton weighing ? Harry took out his wand, it looked alright. A bit scuffed here and there but then so was he. Harry heard the door unfold 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 commons robed witch.

"Mr Malfoy,"She stood and held out a hand in one apparent motion."Rita Skeeter. joy to assemble you, if I could just-"

"My father has a several very good lawyers."Malfoy interrupted her suddenly."So if you print anything libelous…"

"Mr Malfoy,"Rita Skeeter held her hired man to her breast as if she had been hurt."You diss me, the citizenry want to hear from their hero. Champions."She added, glancing at Harry with a crocodile-smile.

Scanning for insincerity : hollowness detected.

Harry contorted his aspect into a worried smile.

"If I could adopt the both of you for a moment."Skeeter pushed them both back out the threshold and into the classroom opposite word."There now, that's more comfortable. None of those old judges and officials."

"Everything she says is a lie."Harry thought to himself."And you had better view what you say too."

"Do you mind if I use a quick quotes quill ?"

"Yes."Malfoy said at the same 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 sass but Malfoy answered before he could speak.

"I wouldn't shout me beating him at every class a competition."

"Whatever."Harry shrugged.

"You ‘ re not going to fence potter ?"Malfoy sneered at him.

"Nah, make up any lie you want."Harry shrugged again."That's what she ‘ s gon na do."

"Well Mr ceramicist,"Rita Skeeter asked smoothly."Do you think you, a mere twelve year old, can deliver the goods in this contest that has clamed the life story of wizards old and wiser than you."

"I don ‘ t know."Harry scratched his head."The fact that I intend to wander 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 retrieve that Karkarov guy ‘ s open to buy ? He looks like a man who enjoys the finer things."

"Potter…"Malfoy hissed from between clenched tooth but Harry ignored him.

"Of line It'll be leisurely to buy him using all the stolen belongings that I own. Would you like a rhomb necklace ?"

Rita's pinion was moving so fast she was tearing the paper.

"I can always receive more through my extensive condemnable contacts."

"Potter stop now you id-"Harry winked at Malfoy, shutting him up.

"Of course my primary election pastime remains kitten-smashing."At Skeeter's shocked human face he continued."Yes, kitten-smashing. It ‘ s kind of like a sport, you use a especial nightspot. child seal of approval as well, and precious little chipmunks. deer, Struthio camelus, endangered marmosets, crib, dolphins that sort of thing."

"Mr Potter…"The reporter's oculus narrowed.

"What ?"Harry grinned."If you ‘ re going to produce up Trygve Halvden Lie about me they might as well be entertaining. How about saying I ‘ m a vampire or a German Nazi or that I have two brain and one of them speaks fluent Italian."

"Don ‘ t shimmer this game with me Mr Potter."Rita Skeeter tapped her quill against her quill pen against her notepad."You won ‘ t win."

"Yes I will."Harry smiled."Marauders always do, in the end."

"Am I interrupting ?"Their three heads 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 reporter behind. 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 than of a surprise.

"Mr Ollivander ?"

"Mr Potter, so beneficial to see you again."The old man looked the Sami as he had on the day, four years ago, that Harry had bought his scepter. He wasn't acting as oddly however.

"You ‘ re doing the wand weighing ?"Harry guessed.

"I am Mr thrower, I am."He held out his hand and Harry grudgingly surrendered his sceptre. As soon as it left his manus he found himself feeling paranoid, almost nude. He kept eyeing up spot of piece of furniture for their potentiality as artillery should individual snipe him.

"Your… this sceptre seems to process quite adequately."Mr Ollivander said slowly, looping a tenacious golden laurel wreath out of the tip."Of course, if you were in the grocery for another…"

"No."Harry shook his head before the wand maker could once again try to force a different sceptre on him as he had at their beginning encounter."That one ‘ s served me pretty sound. I ‘ ll marijuana cigarette with it if you don ‘ t mind."

"Very well."Ollivander shook his fountainhead and handed the sceptre back."I don ‘ t understand it but…"He spread his script and shrugged.

Everyone else in the elbow room kept shooting Harry odd aspect for the remainder of the verge advisement, everyone except Dumbledore.
*


As Harry was walking away from the weighing when he heard a interpreter 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 evaluator nodded."But she has the potential difference to have you real harm."

"No she doesn ‘ t."Harry interjected."Sticks and stones and all that, I ‘ ve survived worse than bad press."

"I am vex about you Mr Potter."Mr Crouch moved up to stomach side by side to Harry."There is more than one understanding we increased the age demarcation on entry to the tourney. I fear you are too young to stand up to the scrutiny."

"Me ? Harry boy-who-lived Potter ?"

"Ah, yes."Mr Crouch chuckled a little."Perhaps you are right on that scotch, but nevertheless a certain horizontal surface of maturity is expected, even necessary, and I worry that perhaps you do not cause it."

"I ‘ ll maintain my end."Harry said, vaguely insulted.

"Do you sense adequately physically and mentally organise for the first base task ?"Harry thought that an odd interrogative, but answered anyway.

"No, not entirely."

"well I can ‘ t feed you advice of course."The older man nodded."Just think that no one is expecting you to win. Just by doing well you will have 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 goodish score is better than being injured so you can not compete."

"The only honorable score is winning."Harry grinned like a tiger.
*


Harry woke lazily the succeeding day and ignored the sounds of people going down to breakfast. This weekend had been a foresighted tome advent and he was going to relish it.

On the way down to breakfast though he got an odd boding tactile sensation. His intuition were confirmed when he walked into the great Radclyffe Hall 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 way was still almost deathly silent.

"Um, we think Malfoy may have talked to Rita Skeeter after you left."Hermione was holding a newspaper publisher nervously, kneading the paper with he hands."He said some things and they printed some things…"

"Give it here."Harry reached out and grabbed the paper. He quickly scanned down the text…

… fellow ace 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 myopic and weedy."The hansom xvi year old said"And it explains the hair."This newsperson has seen evidence to put up these disceptation and can let out to you now the truth about Harriet Potter…

Harry burst out laughing. In the perfectly unsounded great hall it sounded extra loud as Harry guffawed in great breathy gulps.

"Harriet Potter !"Harry dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"It ‘ s not queer Harry."Hermione said.

"Yes it is ! look, they ‘ ve even doctored a ikon of me."Harry pointed."I ‘ ve got long hair and breasts and everything… Actually I don ‘ t look half bad… But come on no one ‘ s gon na trust this."

"You never know Harry."Ginny said from the other side of meat."multitude tend to intrust the Daily Prophet."

Harry had a persuasion and grinned. Without a Good Book he stepped up onto the Bench then up onto the Gryffindor table.

"Attention Hogwarts !"Harry yelled, he felt all eyes come to land on him."By now most of you will have read the Daily oracle, or have heard about it from individual. And unless you ‘ re deaf you ‘ ve heard how I regard these hearsay. I have just two matter to say, any guy who doubts me can get kicked in the face ( don't laugh I know where you all sleep ). And for any girl who doubts I ‘ m Male a demonstration can be arrang-"

"MR ceramicist !"The school giggled as McGonagall stood from her piazza at the senior high table."My spot ! Now !"

"Thank you, thank you. I ‘ ll be here all week."Harry sauntered out of the vestibule, waving at the laughing crowd as he went. The live on thing he saw before he left was the iniquity look of execution on Malfoy's face and decided to rub salt in the wound."And Dragon next time you try to attack me think of thing that would hurt me not that would stimulate hurt you. You care about reputation. Me ? I don't give a crap what anyone thinks !"

"MR ceramicist !"

"I ‘ m going I'm going."Harry grinned and walked out. The scholarly person laughed again, some even cheered.
*


The vaticinator was forced to print a retraction the next day after one C of people wrote in to complain. Unfortunately Harry didn't have time to savour the victory as the first task drew stuffy and closer.

"I ‘ m screwed."Harry slid another record back into the library bookcase and looked along the shelf for early flying lizard related Book."I am royally screwed."

It was the day before the first task and Harry had made an executive determination to ignore all his lessons that day. His sentence could be far punter 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 animated in strawman of the entire school.

He had nothing. Not one idea.

"I should just rush in."Harry thought, shaking his oral sex."Start cursing, worked with the basilisk."

"Yes,"Said a trivial sneering voice of his mind."But the basilisk almost killed you."

Harry took down another book only to substantiate he had already read it and slammed it back into the bookshelf in anger.

"Problems Miss ceramist ?"Harry heard the snide drawling representative and sagged tiredly.

"None Daisy Mayflower."He turned to Malfoy and crossed his arms."Shouldn ‘ t you be in object lesson ?"

"Last class ended half an hr ago."Malfoy shot back condescendingly.

Harry felt his heart droop. He had thought he had more prison term than that, he must have lost cartroad. He caught sight of the Word in Malfoy's hand and his center flickered to the conspicuous gap in the shelf future to him. He saw the Slytherin's moth-eaten grey span match him.

"How did you find out ?"Harry asked levelly.

"Find out what ?"

"About the flying lizard Malfoy. Don ‘ t play games."

Malfoy smiled.

"My founder noticed that the ministry was putting license through for flying lizard treatment equipment and flying lizard handlers 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 switch weight unit while actually bringing his wand around to bear."Lets see… Legillimens !"

It was like hitting a prophylactic paries. Harry felt his mental probe rebound off an Occlumency barrier like a tennis testis off a tank car and had barely a second to compose himself before the counter flak hit his mind like a pneumatic drill.

"What the hell ? !"Harry blanked his creative thinker before any remembering floated up. After a moment the drill receded.

"How dare you half-blood !"Malfoy squabble at him."Don't even intend of trying that again. You ‘ re obviously an amateur compared to me. Just like you are at everything else."

"Getting lesson from daddy are we ?"Harry kept his wand trained in case of another attack.

"I ‘ ve been an Occlumens since I was eight Potter."Malfoy said through gritted teeth."Don ‘ t try to get into my mind, the very think disgusts me. Even after a miscarry attempt I feel like bathing."

"I ‘ m shocked you know what a bath is Daisy."Harry shot back."We all thought you just-"

"SHUT UP ! Just because the Prophet printed a retraction doesn ‘ t mean you ‘ ve won !"Malfy cracked, raising his wand."So don't joke don ‘ t make snide comments, you are still going down. This tourney may be a caper to you but some of us care about preserving the honor of their names."Malfoy shook his head 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 Dragon, you can't illusion it or lie to it or prank it or cabbage your way past it. You can ‘ t win. Just grant up Potter, while you still can."

Malfoy turned and strode away, disappearing between the shelves. But Harry had begun to grin.

"Why the hell not ?"
*


Harry mustered together every ounce of arrogance and cool he had to keep himself walking forward towards the pavilion that had been erected near the edge of the forest. He glanced to his right 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 hard before entering.

"gladiolus you could conjoin us Mr Potter."Barty Crouch greeted him with a grin. The former champions were already there. Krum was sitting stoically, staring true forward. Fleur looked green and had one hand pressed to her stomach."Nervous ?"

YES ! Of course I'm bloody spooky ! I'm about-

"No, no sir."Harry answered out loud."I think I ‘ ve got it covered."He even managed it without his vox quavering.

"Ah and you are here too Mr Malfoy."Crouch said as Malfoy barged in through the pall."Then let us get started."He reached over and picked up a small bag. Harry noticed with a draft that it was squirming.

"The labor once you enter the stadium is to retrieve a golden egg from its guardian."Crouch explained in his dry bureaucratic voice."Inside this bag are four legislative act. You will each take one from the bag, at random. The statue should tell you both what this defender is and will also feature a number on it representing the society you will go in."

And first to the gallows will be…

"Miss Delacour…"Crouch held out the bag and the French young woman put her hand in tentatively. She drew it out and revealed a pocket-sized blueness dragon statue, currently gnawing on her thumb."The Swedish shortstop snout."

Fleur looked at the little thing in her bridge player then raised her chin in decision. But Harry saw a trace of panic in her eyes.

"spirit almost cute."Harry commented, looking at the dragon."side looks kind of like a squirrel."

Fleur glanced again at the thing in her hand then looked at Harry in disbelief.

"Well… a bit."Harry grinned and saw a half smile in return.

"Mr Krum."Crouch hurried them along. The Bulgarian stuck his helping hand into the bag and drew out a long red-gold dragon, dangling it by its tail."The Taiwanese Firebolt."

Krums expression didn't variety, if anything it just became stonier.

"That's a weasel."Harry pronounced definitely ( babbling so he wouldn ‘ t hit a come unquiet breakdown )."A Squirrel and a Weasel."

"Mr Malfoy."Crouch held the bag out again and Malfoy carefully removed a sleek looking disgraceful flying lizard."A Hebridean Black person Mr Malfoy."

Malfoy seemed to be trying to keep open his brass ridged and unemotional, he was taking deep intimation through his nose.

"And you Harry."Crouch held out the bag and Harry reached in quickly and grabbed the last 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 Magyar Horntail."Mr Crouch pronounced tonelessly.

Harry closed his hand again and pumped his clenched fist into the air.

"YES !"

The three early champions were looking at him like he was crazy.

"Mr Potter,"Crouch spluttered."You do know about that character of dragon don ‘ t you ?"

"Read about ‘ em, yep."Harry nodded.

"And you ‘ re happy ?"

"Yep."

"ceramist you ‘ re insane."Malfoy said icily.

"Yep."

"Well…"Mr Crouch seemed a short flustered but motioned Malfoy towards the exit to the tent.

Harry watched them bequeath and took a deep breath. He sat down cross legged on the tamp down land and list 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 heart beating in his ears.

Harry tried to blank out the sound of the gang outside and the comments of the commentators. He tried to breath deeply so as to still his nerves. It didn't work.

"Mr Krum if you please !"Harry heard the tin whistle and wished Krum good destiny as he walked out of the tent.

More minutes of growling and snorting passed and Fleur began pacing the flooring worriedly.

"It ‘ ll be alright."Harry told her as the crowd quieted down and the scores were put up."You got the sluttish dragon."

"Easier."She replied without looking up.

"Just think of it as a behemoth fire-breathing squirrel."

"‘ Ow can you be so still !"She said to him angrily."‘ Ow can you joke about zis !"

"I joke about everything."

The whistle blew a moment later and Fleur was gone too, gone to confront the dragon. Harry got up and began pacing himself. He gripped his wand and began rehearsing what he would do again.

cypher could possibly go wrong.

What the infernal region ? Everything could go wrong !

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the whistle sound. He couldn't do this.
*


"And the finis genius, HARRY potter !"The representative cried over the loudspeaker.

prof McGonagall, like everyone else in the crowd, looked towards the collapsible shelter. A gust of tip flapped the edges of the sheet. No one came out.

"Um… Mr Potter ?"

No one came.

That poor boy. She shook her chief, this had obviously been too a great deal for him. The gang had begun whispering now.

"Do you bid to go down there Albus, Or shall I ?"She turned to the headmaster, who was oddly smiling."One of us will stimulate to find him."

"Oh I know exactly where he is."Dumbledore chuckled.

"You see it too ?"Moody cackled from the row below."Damn kid ‘ s got nerve I ‘ ll give him that."

"What are you talking about Allastor ? Albus ?"Minerva looked from one to the other confused.

"Barty Crouch told me that Harry was oddly felicitous to incur the Horntail."Dumbledore smiled."I did not quite understand that until now. The horntail is the most fearsome dragon in the world, but it ‘ s eyesight is quite poor."

Understanding dawned in Minerva McGonagall's mind and she turned to read the stadium once more. After a here and now she saw it. A modest, human shaped lubber, perfectly camouflaged against the sand behind it, shimmering as it edged towards the dragon.
*


Harry shifted a hair closer. He had silenced his feet to get rid of his footfalls but there was still the risk of something shifting or crunching. He could hear phallus of the crowd beginning to laugh now, he didn't charge. They'd know the truth when he snagged the egg right out from under the stomach of the thing. And besides, the more than racket they made the better.

The Horntail suddenly shifted, raising it's nose mellow. Harry froze in a crouch. It sniffed the air.

darn ! Harry froze. He had hoped that by keeping the twist in his aspect would have kept his smell from the beast. Apparently not, that meant he would have to cast a while, which would stir 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 scepter and tensed his legs. The disillusionment magical spell worked best 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 have to move the instant he cast or he would be crispy-fried.

Harry took a trench breath and yelled,

"Avgo Sapios !"The cloud of green smoke gushed out of his wand and smacked the Dragon on the snout but Harry was already throwing himself sideways and rolling to a crouch on the floor.

Which was lucky because a minute later the sand where he had been standing was reduced to a white-hot rag. The flying dragon swept its lance of flame across the arena, passing just feet in front of Harry's brass. Harry saw the sand steam and sang-froid from blue-white to red, then to a duller, glassy, coating. A scar across the res publica. Harry forced himself to breath again, shallowly.

He moved his headway slowly to look at the dragon, it was shaking its nous from side to side as if to bump the foul feeling that had taken up residence in its nostrils.

When Harry was sure as shooting it was looking the other way he hopped over the burnt-out swath and crouched down on the early incline. A gasp went up from the gang, they must have seen him when he passed over the burnt-out patch.

"Don ‘ t get it agitated."Harry thought desperately as he inched closer."Just keep quiet."

"HEY flying lizard !"

Bugger.

Harry rolled to the side in panic as the firedrake gouged another flaming scar across the gumption. He realized belatedly that the downside of choosing to come on the dragon from downwind was that it put the Slytherin stands at his back.

"OVER HERE !"

Harry ducked as a bolide flew over his head. He risked a glance back to see it impact on a cuticle. The stands seemed to quiet down a bit, perhaps realizing the idiocy of attracting the attention of an raging dragon.

Harry inched forward again and had to circumvent as it's spiked empennage whipped through the air. He could see the egg now, glimmering in among some duller ones. Harry crawled silently up near the tartar position and looked up. The wall of the expectant reptile's body gave way to the massive shading canopy of it's wing. He was right up future to it now. If he screwed up it would step on him.

Harry reached into the lilliputian gap between the storey and the shifting belly of the Horntail. His digit curled around the golden egg. He twisted it and brought it out horizontal, making sure not to touch the dragon. Like that secret plan, what was it called… operation ! Except with his liveliness on the line.

Harry held his breather as the egg finally saw the light of day and swiftly stuffed it under his jersey so it would be camouflaged. He slid backwards slowly then froze as the Draco stood and shifted. Harry followed it's gaze and saw a twelve keepers approaching.

"No !"Harry thought."They ‘ re not that unintelligent ! Please NO !"

"Stupify !"

"AAaaaa !"Harry screamed and threw himself backward as the tartar collapsed right onto the primer coat where he had been crouching. A moment 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 stand on legs that wanted to knit like credit card husk and stumbled towards the dragon keepers.

"What the hell…"Harry growled."Was the big idea of dropping the dragon 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 oral sex 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 stomach."Oh great…"Harry sagged his half-visible body.

"Let me Potter."Harry flinched as someone tapped him from backside. He turned and looked up at the scar face of Mad Eye Moody.

"I got it to go on in one go."Harry explained, swaying a niggling. He was bruised on every position and his allow arm didn ‘ t want to bend properly. He turned and saw McGonagall approaching from the stands and tried to endure a fiddling straighter.

"ceramicist, are you hurt ?"She said, an edge of vexation tingeing her voice. Harry raised his go forth arm."excellent ! You ‘ ll get more stop for being uninjured."

Harry swiftly jerked his arm back down and brushed the stain off the straw man of his robes. 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 tell them ?"

"Hell no !"
*


Harry held hard to the handrail as he walked towards the marauders. He was surrounded by sunniness, citizenry kept slapping him on the back ( painfully )

"That was awful Harry !"Harry heard mortal cry and waved back, smiling wanly. He managed to pee-pee it to the gratuitous tail end by the predator 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 breaker point 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 dragon fight it ‘ s own reflection."

"Did it sour ?"

"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 thirty points."

"Deserved two."Ron muttered angrily.

Harry shrugged, then winced as a stab of pain shot through his arm. The bunch fell silent, Harry looked up towards the evaluator box. Madam Maxim raised her verge, after a moment a sinuous five sprung out.

"passive fast-growing revenge bitch."Harry growled.

Next Crouch nodded thoughtfully and tapped a nine into the air.

"That ‘ s more close to awesomeness."

Next the heavyset evaluator Harry didn't know raised his wand with a boom and painted an eight. A moment later Dumbledore raised an identical eight.

"Better…"

Karkaroff seemed to cerebrate for a minute, then drew a three in the air.

"Blatant undisguised favoritism."Harry narrowed his eyes."It ‘ s like bloody Eurovision."

"Thirty three."Neville said, counting on his fingers."Is that good ?"

"It should give birth been high !"Ginny said angrily."You were the exclusively champion not injured !"

"Yeah…"Harry tried not to think of what mark he would have got got if they had known about his arm.

"It must have been how hanker you took/"Hermione said reasonably."You were slower 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."

"sodomite. I ‘ ll get him future time."Harry felt his bruised and achy arm."You see if I don ‘ t !"
*


"So let me get this straightaway Harry."gentlewoman 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 a flight of stairs."

"Yes."

"Seriously Harry ?"

"That's my story."Harry grinned."I ‘ m sticking to it."



displacement ( I think )

"Ce n'est pas juste. Nous devrions dire les autres concurrents !"
This is not right. We should tell the early competitors !

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."
Cheating is piece of the formula. It always has been.

"Non ! Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes morales et mon école."
No ! You force me to pick out between my morals and my schooling

"Puits que tu connais main tenant. Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."
wellspring you know now. You will not vex about it. You must think of the dragon.

"Tu as une stratégie ? Tu pouvais le distraire. Tu-"
You have a strategy ? You could perturb it. You

"Non ! Je ferai le repos moi-même."
Not ! I will do the rest period myself.

"Comme tu souhaites."
As you wish.

"Tu es un imbecile et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première chance que tu obtiens."
You are an imbecile and you are a phony. You accuse Hogwarts of dupery but you cheat the very first prospect that you get.



The Pavlov thing is working ! More reviews please !


I do n't own Harry ceramist. Neither do you. Unless you 're J K Rowling, which is unlikely.



"Shut that bloody 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 work the thing out."

"wellspring 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 promontory irritably."I've run every sensing I know on it, there ‘ s no freeing or watchword, nothing else magical on it at all. The shriek isn ‘ t covering for something or a defense. The scream is the message, I just have to decipher it somehow. Unless the whole thing's a braincrank."

"A magic trick ?"Neville translated, sitting up in bed."You think it really could be ?"

"doubt it. Too elaborate."Harry shrugged."Guess I just have to do more thing to it."

"Tried kicking it ?"Ron suggested.

"‘ Course, that was the first base affair I tried."

"Maybe that ‘ s why you can ‘ t line up anything now."Neville said, frowning."You broke it."

"dubiousness it,"Harry sighed."I have report card that insensate sidesplitter have been heard from the sauceboat the baby carriage and the Slytherin dungeon as well. I ‘ m not the solitary one stumped."

"That ‘ s something."Neville said encouragingly."You ‘ ll work it out eventually."

"Maybe…"Harry wasn't so trusted. He had needed a Hogwarts beginner to help him solve his last puzzle. He dismissed it from his thoughts for another morning."You think the girls 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 time for the mail run. Harry caught digger on his wrist and was feeding him a firearm of Baron Verulam when he was surprised by a letter of the alphabet falling into his lap.

"You got a letter ?"Hermione leant over curiously."Who ‘ s it from ?"

"I don ‘ t know…"Harry began but his centre narrowed as he recognized the acid green ink."But I suspect."

He tore open air the letter and read the pallid 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 consequence. I have been very busy digging up shit on you and your fellow champion and you won't like what I've found. You will regret insulting me Harry Potter, I can bury you ! And I will, you just watch !

Best Rita Skeeter.

Harry tore the letter up and sighed.

"Rita Skeeter."He answered."She ‘ s going to cause a lot of worry 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 fair sex it was about, full of exaggerations. Once Harry had scanned it once or twice he had gleaned the actual information out of it. Apparently she had been found in her home by her political boss after not showing up for oeuvre on Monday. The Aurors had been called in, official cause of death…

"Heart attack ?"Harry said incredulously, Padma nodded."That ‘ s bull ! She was… I don ‘ t know… maybe thirty five years old."

"She had a very stressful job."Padma shrugged.

"Or maybe it was karma."Ron said through a mouthful of toast. Hermione looked torn between being disgust at his fashion 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 theme and handed it back."God knows the woman must have made sufficiency enemies."

"Maybe it was one of you ‘ re fan club."Ginny joked.

"My fan club doesn ‘ t have a militant wing."Harry paused."That I know of…"

"Could be useful."

"True, my own army…"Harry grinned."I could rule the world !"

"Maybe,"Hermione rolled her eye."But after transfiguration."
*


Harry decided to actually make that object lesson. It was something he did occasionally, just to bedevil his teacher off the scent. They were still working on the tortoise to orb and near of the class could do it now. Harry's orb still had a bit of a hexagon shape but it wasn't bad.

"Mr Potter."McGonagall said suddenly.

"Yes professor ?"Harry said, confused. He hadn't done anything lately she would be concern in."What is it ?"

"I was simply going to ask if you had acquired a mate yet. Since you are opening you will be representing the schoolhouse. Try to reflect well on us."

"Partner ? Opening ? Representing ?"Harry's brow furrowed in confusion."What are you talking about ?"

"The Yule egg Potter."McGonagall said simply. well-nigh of the family was watching now."As maven you will be opening."

"You mean… Dancing ?"Harry cringed.

"Yes."

"Alone ?"

"With a partner."McGonagall replied in exasperation.

"In movement of the schoolhouse ?"Harry felt his breadbasket swoop.

"Yes."

"I think I ‘ ll pass."

"Potter you are the… one of the Hogwarts ace. You must give the dance and you must have a partner."

"What ? You gon na tie me up and impel me to dance ?"

"We have ways."McGonagall said, her eyes narrowing.

"I ‘ ll just turn up without a partner."Harry countered.

"In that case I will come with you Mr Potter."

"You do that…"Harry crossed his arms."And I will go to the ball naked."

The classroom salvo out laughing.

"As will I."

The elbow room became deathly silent. Harry nodded slowly.

"Touché, nicely argued."He complemented."And I ‘ ll have a partner by the end of the day."
*


Harry wandered down the to the downcast floors of Hogwarts that evening and found the kitchens corridor. Glancing around for a here and now he approached the still-life.

"Stoic."Harry said, and the painting dissolved into the air. Harry stepped in and spoke the countersign again to shut down the portal. He stepped into the Hufflepuff common room. It looked different than he remembered, probably the lack of snakes… and fire. respective people started looking at him, then more, then every eye in the place turned to him as he strolled across the cellar. He did the raw matter. He ignored them.

He walked calmly over to the set of sofa where the Susan Bones was sitting.

"Hey Susan."He smiled in greeting.

"Hi. Um…"She scratched her oral sex."How did you get in here ?"

"Password."

"But how did you sleep together the password."

"I know all the passwords."Harry shrugged."Slytherin's is privilege. Ravenclaw ‘ s is… complicated. The prefect bathroom ‘ s still pine fresh and Dumbledore ‘ s office is Chocoballs… for some reason."

"But… How ?"Susan asked aghast. Harry realized that nigh of the plebeian room was listening.

"You were a chosen."Harry winked."Not a marauder. Don ‘ t expect me to break all my secrets."

The room sighed and Harry felt eyes actuate away from him.

"So… why are you down here ?"Susan asked."Are we under attack by Snake River again ?"

"Not that I know of."Harry glanced under the table."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 Christmastime Ball."Susan's middle widened.

"Yeah that."Harry shrugged."Apparently I need a partner on accounting of being some sort of booster type 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."

"Capital. That ‘ s great."Harry grinned."But I should go now. People are staring at me."

"Well you are a celebrity."

"It ‘ s a incumbrance I have to bear."
*


In the adjacent few workweek Harry was extremely glad he had got it out of the way earlier. In the adjacent few weeks a authentic cult of ball febricity swept Hogwarts. Girls huddling in nook, whispering. Discussion of apparel robes. selfsame spirit of reverence and dread and coldness, sick, restiveness on the fount of every boy. Harry was glad to be well out of it.

grade 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 get a line pounding feet and giggling behind him. He shot out from behind a tapestry ( startling a group of scholarly person ) and cracked clear another passing behind a painting. He closed it behind him and slant against the bulwark, breathing heavily, as the following girls ran past. As the sounds faded into the length he breathed a suspiration of relief.

"You too yes ?"Harry spun around but relaxed as he saw Viktor Krum sitting interbreeding legged on the floor in the passageway. He had a set of volume spread out in front man of him. The Bulgarian shrugged and continued."You vill get used to it. Or you vill turn quicker at running."

"And you ‘ re used to it ?"Harry grinned and sat down opposite the Durmstrum champion."Then why are you hiding in a passageway."

"It is only vay to get a mo of peace."Krum flicked a page and carry on reading material. After a mo he glanced up."You did well vith the Horntail."

"Not as well as you. Thirty three points."

"You should not have… irritated… the she-giant."A grin 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 matter I tried."

"Me too."Harry walked back up to the doorway and listened, it sounded pretty quiet."How hanker you intending to stay in here."

"I don ‘ t know. Vhen is your Yuletide Ball ?"Krum shook his caput and sighed."I should ask someone. woof somebody that has not been asked yet. Perhaps that will prepare them stop foll-"

"It doesn ‘ t."Harry interrupted."cartel me."

"Oh…"Krum shook his head."Then I will cause to research some better lockup charms for my cabin."

"Try these."Harry pulled beyond allohamora out of his bag ( it sometimes helped to have a bag in which he could stockpile everything he owned )."It mostly deals with unlocking but it ‘ s got some tone stuff in there."

"Thank you."Krum nodded solemnly and looked back down at his Scripture. Harry checked the entrance once more then left carefully.

"What is it about me ?"Harry wondered idly."That lets me get on with the whiz but royally pisses off the evaluator ?"
*


"Damn it !"Harry dropped the egg back to the control surface of the marauders table. The inky mordant goo he had smeared on its surface had revealed nothing."Doesn ‘ t work either. It was supposed to reveal mysterious messages."

"That thing doesn ‘ t have a hugger-mugger message."Ron groaned on the other side of the tabular array."It has one message. And we ‘ ve all heard it lots of times, like at the crevice of dawn."

"Eight is not the crack of dawn."Harry sighed and rested his head on his handwriting."And I don ‘ t see you doing a great deal better."

"It was working before you got here."Ron complained, prodding at the watch crystal ball in presence of him."Maybe the egg did some matter to it !"

"Or maybe you ‘ ve got it upside down."Annapurna commented from the other incline of the board. Ron groaned and scrunched up his bit of parchment.

Harry would birth 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 head."You really need to do it soon or she ‘ ll be… I mean all the good girls ‘ ll be taken."Annapurna amended quickly with a winking at Harry.

Ron ( oblivious ) squirmed uncomfortably.

"It ‘ s not that easy."Ron shrugged."I ‘ m not Harry, I can ‘ t just drift into someone's common room and ask someone."

"But you-"Parvati began but Harry interrupted her.

"delay wait wait. Did I just hear a vulture express… self… doubt… ?"Harry shied away in horror."No no no no no ! This will not do !"

"But-"

"No buts !"Harry cut him off."You are a marauder, that means you are at least six billion times better than anyone else. You will go out and ask Herm… the young lady you want to go with. Right now ! Or I will call off in a personal party 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 musical accompaniment and she nodded emphatically."Definitely yes."

Ron nervously folded his study unto his bag and left the common room. Harry checked the clock on the wall.

"Five thirty so Hermione will be coming back from the library… Give ‘ em ten minutes."Harry and Annapurna shared a grinning and went back to their respective work.

Ron was in fact back in to a lesser extent than five minutes.

"She said yes !"He was blushing tomato red but grinning.

"Congratulations."Harry shrugged."Surprised you found her so quick."

"She was in the majuscule hall. Lavender ‘ s usually down to dinner early."

"La… Lavender…"Harry froze. Across from him he say Parvarti's face plait into a grimace of jar and surprise."Lavender brownness ?"

"Yes ?"Ron's eyebrow furrowed."Are there any other Lavenders in the school ?"

"Um… yes… in… fifth part year… Slytherin. Just making sure enough you weren't asking her."Harry lied quickly."You know, letting the squad 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 here and now 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 hips ( 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 headspring."He ‘ s going with the damage person !"

"He ‘ s going with the soul he asked."Harry pointed out."That ‘ s not the right soul ?"

"No."

"fountainhead tough."Harry waved the trouble away."nada to be done now."

"Unless…"Anapurna grinned maliciously, or tried to anyway. It didn't really work on her."We do something about it."

"Oh no…"Harry buried is aspect in his hands.

"We need to make sure Ron and Hermione go together."

"Do we have 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 kvetch ?"

"Oh I didn ‘ t say I wouldn ‘ t do it."Harry grinned evilly ( doing a far better job of it )."I ‘ m just saying we have to be careful."

"Yay !"Parvati ran around the table and hugged Harry."I knew you ‘ d fold !"

"Get. Off. Me !"Harry disentangled himself from his supporter."Do you have a design ?"

"Well…"Parvati tapped her chin thoughtfully."Lavender's essentially a limpet."

"Nice."

"Thank you. I figure we can persuade her to let go of Ron if we dangle something else in front of her face."

"Like what ? Or who ?"

"Michel Corner I think."Annapurna nodded."She ‘ s liked him for ages."

"Does he wish 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 part in this little escapade or do I just sit here nodding ?"

"You need to keep anyone from asking Hermione until Ron does."

"Gotcha !"Harry saluted."Campaign of determent and terror coming right up !"

"Subtly Harry ! She can ‘ t know !"

"Who do you take me for ?"

"Sorry."Parvati smiled."Oh, and you ‘ ll need to spill the beans 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 prod. He already likes her."

"Does 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."Annapurna said primly."We have to protect our little sister ‘ s naturalness for as long as possible. She ‘ s not a part of this."

"I wish I wasn ‘ t a part of thi-"

"Harry !"
*


Operation shamelessly-manipulate-our-best-friends was at to the lowest degree good for one thing, it distracted Harry from the bloody egg.

It was just a few days before the Yuletide ball and the plan was… well it was working but that wasn't the point. It was working a little too well.

Lavender had been successfully unstuck from Ron and re-adhered to Michel recession. Once Ron came out of his moping phase Harry was confident he could poke him towards the right young lady. The pernicious determent was harder but legilimacy helped to identify potential difference menace very effectively. Once they were picked out Harry was able to get the boys alone to explain some ‘ home true statement ’. Like how she was already dating a sometime boy she met on holiday. Big fellow, vast brawn.

"This had better bloody work Parvati."Harry muttered to his co-conspirator one day on the way back from fauna."‘ Cos if he doesn't ask her no one will now. I've had to construct Hermione ‘ s imaginary boyfriend up into some form of vengeful superman to stop people asking her."

"What ‘ s the latest narration ?"Parvati asked, interested.

"He ‘ s from spain. The Academia Atsingani."Harry shrugged."He ‘ s an recreational champion toreador. Owns his own steel and shotgun."

"Wizard bullfighter ? With a scattergun ?"

"It doesn ‘ t have to be likely it just has to be scary."

"Well he ‘ s going to take to schmooze his girlfriend back."Parvarti said knowingly."Because Ron will ask her. Believe me."

"Bet ?"

"Galleon."

"Done."Harry sighed."At least this way I can attain something back out of this mess."

"It ‘ ll all workplace out."Parvati grinned."reliance me."

"Don ‘ t say that."Harry shook his head."I know I say it… but don ‘ t."

"You can ‘ t complain…"But Parvati trailed off as they all began hearing a speech sound in the distance."What ‘ s that ?"

Harry perked his ear up. A few yard in front of them the rest of the marauders stopped too. It sounded like a whole biff of hoi polloi 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 front of them.

"It ‘ s coming from out front."Harry hurried forward."Lets go !"

As one they rushed forward. As they neared the door other student began to join them, teachers too. As they ran out onto the grass in front of the schoolhouse Harry realized that the solid school was already out there, yelling and pointing. Harry saw Dumbledore gazing up into the sky, a look of wonder on his face. The early schooling heads flanked him, just as awed.

In the sky above Hogwarts floated a miracle of Theodore Harold White marble. Columns, delicate as glass, flew up from a shining base and met a gilt point above. Delicate tincture of mirror-like silver snaked and shimmered over the surface, sending out re of rainbows as it turned in the sunlight. The altogether thing looked like some mammoth watch glass, floating on white mist and breathing out beautiful medicine as it sank lower and downhearted and finally settled to the priming coat on the grass just inside the school gates.

Harry started forward but was brought up short as Dumbledore held up an arm. The schooling watched in rapt silence as a procession emerged from the floating palace. White-robed women walked English by side, carrying flaring magical blowlamp. They split apart a little as they left it as if to wee a path for mortal in the heart. As they grew closer Harry saw that there was a name in the midsection, smaller than the other overcharge figures but wearing a jacket of Laurel leaves.

Harry yelled in happiness and dashed out from the crowd, ignoring Dumbledore's cries of protest, and rushed towards the figure. Laughing, he ducked past the line of start women and enveloped the middle one into a giant hug.

"Why didn ‘ t you tell me you were coming ?"Harry laughed, releasing her and looking up into her picket, aeriform face.

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you."Pythea said with a warm smile."It ‘ s good to see you Harry."
*


"Mr ceramist !"Harry heard someone yell from behind him. He spun around and saw expressions ranging from shock, disarray and anger. Most of the Beauxbatons students were down on one knee and the ones from Durmstrang had their head word bowed in respect. His boyfriend Hogwarts bookman seemed more aghast than anything else, Dumbledore had his hands to his mouth with his heart panoptic in shock. McGonnagall was almost vibrating in anger.

Turning further he saw something even more enervate. Across the entire edge of the forest the centaurs had gathered, the entire ruck. Every one of them was down on their knee with their workforce clasped over their hearts.

Harry turned back around to face the school, 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 multitude do not usually hug the Delphic oracle or address her with familiarity."

"And the centaurs ?"

"They regard me as a demigod."

"Oh…"Harry gulped."…and I thought I was famous."

"You are noted Harry."The seer said, a strange preeminence in her vocalization."But I am something else."She moved forward and Harry was forced to accompany. They stopped in front of Dumbledore, Harry almost laughed when he saw that the headmaster still had his script to his mouth.

"professor Dumbledore."Pythea greeted the old man."It is a pleasure to finally cope with you."

"The pleasance is mine."Dumbledore seemed to regain himself and bend down to buss the seer's hand."I see you have… already met one of our shoal champions."

"Harry and I met year 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 threshold of Hogwarts and a path opened in the scholar eubstance."As soon as your castle appeared in the sky I had the house elves fix a cortege of invitee rooms for you and your handmaidens."

"Thank you."Pythea reached out and linked blazon with a startled Harry."Harry can point me up to the guest quarters."

"Mr thrower does not know the passwords."

"Headmaster,"Pythea shook her header, smiling."You obviously don ‘ t know Harry as well as I do."

Harry covered his mouth with his mitt to hide giggles as he walked the Oracle of Delphi between the rows of pupil and up to the doors of Hogwarts.

Harry tried not to take heed to the whispers happening all around him, he could dispense 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 functions down in Jack London. No visit by someone like the myself can be entirely for leisure. You could say the tourney provides an apology for political science. Many state spokesperson were invited by your government, 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 often trust in oracles."

"I have no trust in oracles. I have a great muckle of trust in you."

"That is afters of you Harry."Pythea said in surprisal."And surprisingly open."

"Well get used to it."Harry checked behind him, the handmaidens were following a honest length behind. Harry continued in a rustle."You saved my liveliness, from something had no right wing to survive. Even more, if I got the content straight, you risked your shoes at the temple too. And the only way I could give thanks you was through vaguely worded letters."

"I got the substance Harry."Pythea smiled down at him.

"goodness, but I ‘ ll say it again in person."Harry slowed as they approached the Edgar Guest wing."Thank you for saving my life history Thea."

"You are most welcome."The oracle came to a closure outside the door."And I would do it again."

"I hope it won't be necessary."Harry turned to the door."Bellevue."

The door creaked assailable to reveal an elegant sitting room with many doorway leading off it. Every piece of furniture sparkled with polish and a vase of impudent flush 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 accommodation 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 holler the mansion elves. Alternatively if you need anything the marauders can provide call in me. Now, for the most of import thing…"Harry straightened up and put on a serious air."Do you need us to try and distract Professor Trelawny or simply drug her for the length of your visit."
*


Harry looked at himself in the mirror and sighed, it was no skilful. It wasn't that he thought he looked full 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 adopt the dress robes and everything as a necessary excitation. Harry on the other mitt had almost no opinion on them having never heard of them before reading his letter this yr. Were they supposed to be this tight ? Or flare out at the derriere like that ? And what about his hair ? Harry had always just let his whisker do its own thing, cutting it back only when it began impairing his vision but now everyone else seemed to have acquired some level of personal dressing skills that he had somehow skipped.

He gave it up as a lost crusade, allowing it to pass as it wanted to. He shrugged, what did it issue ? He'd got a escort so the hard role 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 hoi polloi had ties, was he meant to give a tie ? )"It ‘ s not too late."

"Harry, the dance is in…"Ron checked his lookout."… less than an hour."

"So you ‘ d well get to it then."Harry said flippantly, then asked."Am I meant to deliver a tie ?"

"Harry, your dress robes don't have a collar."

"You need a collar to wear a tie ?"

Ron rolled his oculus. Harry shrugged and left the bathroom. In the common room the other marauders were already waiting, Padma and Neville standing a little way off. Neville looked queasy, but then Neville always looked neural. Harry waved Anapurna to one incline,

"On the minus face we ruined our friend nighttime and made them miserable."Harry growled angrily."On the plus face you owe me a galleon."

"Still meter Harry."Annapurna smiled chirpily."Trust me."

"Don ‘ t say that. Stop saying that. I promise never to say it again if you stop saying it now."

"Shut up and look."Anapurna hissed.

Harry looked where she was pointing. Hermione was sitting on one of the sofa reading, she hadn't even changed into dress 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 bathroom. He then followed Ron's to the couch were Hermione was sitting. Harry's jaw dropped. He watched as Ron hesitantly walked up to digest in figurehead of Hermione. Her head came up and she said something, across the crowded commons way Harry couldn't hear but it looked like ‘ what ? ’. Ron scratched his nous and mumbled something. Hermione put her hand up to her ear. Ron leant down and spoke into her ear, his nerve bright red. Then, to Harry's heart-attack-inducing surprise, Hermione blushed as red as the boy standing in nominal head of her.

"No way…"Harry chuckled as Hermione flipped her rule book closed and hurried towards the young woman residence hall. He looked back towards Anapurna, who was wearing an reflection of total smugness.

"I ‘ ll take that galleon off you any time Harry."

"You are the queen 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 comply Hermione. Harry saw that Padma and Ginny had both already gone up after her.

"Probably pulling off some form of shoemaker's last mo 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 eyes 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 girl room."And I need to spread the dancing. I ‘ ll meet up with you later Ok ?"

Ron nodded and Neville chirruped.

"Ok."The little nervous boy then nodded towards their red-headed protagonist and whispered."And I ‘ ll try to retain him from screwing things up."

"You ‘ re a marauder Neville…"Harry shook his head."You ‘ re not god."
*


Harry took a deep breath and walked down the steps into the incoming residence hall. There were a few former Hogwarts boy already waiting down there, huddled in nervous grouping waiting for their dates. Harry waved to a few of them and settled down to wait, leant against pillar.

"What is that your wear ceramicist ?"

Harry rolled his eyes then realized that the effect was ruined by having them closed. He opened them to see Malfoy standing in battlefront of him wearing jet black-market robe and with Pansy 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 ride out away from you if you extend me the same courtesy."

"I ‘ ll be out of your pilus as soon as Susan gets here."Harry glanced at the footmark down to the kitchen but no one was coming.

"Susan Bones ?"Malfoy queried, he almost sounded actually curious.

"Yes, why."

"Just happy to see you ‘ ve asked a the right way pure pedigree girl."Malfoy drew himself up."Just because your profligate is tainted doesn ‘ t mean the Potter contrast 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 personal line of credit with her in the near future. If zilch else we ‘ re bloody 14 ! There are practice of law 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 other assets ?"

"I reserve the right field to not inculpate myself."Harry cracked."By the way, does your escort speak or does she just hang there like seaweed ?"Harry grinned at the indignant expression on Malfoy's face.

"Well this has been lovely."Harry continued as he kicked himself off his mainstay."We really should do this again."He brushed past the angry 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 drear 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 cab as well. Your garb robes are really… unusual."

Harry caught the implication and looked down. His robes was deep red cloth that came out over his leg like even robes but were buttoned in wet around his torso by two wide dustup of buttons. It's farsighted sleeves hugged his arms tightly but opened out right at the cuff to let out the lighter lining. Plus, as Ron had noted, it ended at his neck with just a stub of a collar.

"I bought them in Switzerland."Harry shrugged."must be a different mode than here in Britain. Oh well…"

"No it ‘ s nice."Susan said reassuringly."I saw some of the Beauxbatton boys wearing gown like that."

Harry shrugged, pluck weren't of any particular proposition concern to him. The shop he had bought them in had had one C of robes in huge membership. He had chosen these for two grounds. One, they didn't have all the lacing and fixings and extravagant fancywork that nigh of the others had had and two ( and Harry cringed to admit this to himself ) they had looked like they would be leisurely to fight back 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 moral once."

"Lucky."Harry smiled ruefully. A second later McGonagall appeared, as if from nowhere.

"Well get to it."She snapped quickly."The other sensation are already lining up to enter the hall."

Here we go. Harry gulped as they got into position.

"Nervous potter ?"

"Just don ‘ t stumble over your seaweed and fall on me Malfoy."Harry's automatic humor circuits responded for him while the residuum of his mental capacity shivered with nervousness.

"And… go."McGonagall's interpreter rang out and the doors to the neat hall opened slowly, revealing an winter wonderland decorated with sparkling C and ice carving. Harry just hoped it wouldn ‘ t make the floor slippery. He took Susan's hand and stepped forward purposely.

The dorm was full of twain but a space was clear in the centerfield. A very tumid distance, that everyone was staring at.

"Oh great."Harry sighed as the music started up.

Harry let his mind gallery back to the ten min of very rough dancing moral that Parvati 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 cooperator shoe. He found that so long as he kept to a very restrictive and repetitive procedure it actually wasn't too bad."One two three…"

"This is so romantic."Susan murmured."Like a fairytale."

"Yes it is, one two three."hoot ! I can't talk and enumeration at the Lapp sentence. Why didn't I ask a mute seaweed girl ?

"Do you think we could get them to have a ball every year ?"

"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 feet could work out the rhythm on their own."If they did the students would never come rest home for Yule and then their parents would complain."

"I guess."Susan leant in and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry chuckled as he was reminded again of their proportional summit."I guess I ‘ ll just have to enjoy 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 music stopped and Harry realized that he had survived the only terpsichore that was required of him that evening. He glanced back at the blond Hufflepuff in front man of him and grinned."check in for the next one ?"
*


Six dances later and Harry felt like he was almost getting well-to-do with it when he felt a tap on his berm. He looked around to see one of the Durmstrum scholar that he didn't know.

"May I cut in ?"The boy said, with very niggling accent. Harry coup d'oeil at Susan, who nodded. She seemed to bang the guy somehow. Harry stepped aside and the two of them moved off, Susan giving him a little undulation as they went.

Harry walked off the dance floor, snagged a glass of something off a tray and moved to somewhere where he could see the entire floor. It was time to hold in up on things. Harry chuckled and sipped the whatever-it-was as his eyes scanned the hall.

He found Annapurna first, who seemed to be choosing which of a various son who were all clustered around her to conduce out over the saltation base next. 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 tables full of food for thought. Ron at to the lowest degree seemed to be talking between tear of feeding and he'd spotted them out on the dance floor earlier so that was probably alright. Hermione looked well-chosen 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 bubbly charmed to be non-alcoholic. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Except that he now didn't have a dancing partner. He searched around for a familiar facial expression and found one before walking over.

"Miss Delacour."He held his handwriting out to the seated Beauxbattons champ."Would you care to stymie me by dancing ten clock time 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 calendar method of birth control of the new Sung dynasty and got used to dancing with mortal taller than him. Since he was at to the lowest degree a base shorter than her that put his eyes right about grade with her-

"So…"Harry interrupted his own mental soliloquy."Enjoying the dance so far ? Not been bothered by too many pushful educatee ?"

"I know how to handle with zem."Fleur replied haughtily, but Harry detected a trace of mood in her reply."The solitary problem was our dude champion."

"I ‘ m guessing we ‘ re not talking about Viktor."Harry said and she shook her headway."By the way we can talk in French people if you want."

"My English language iz better than your 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 ball ?"

"Non, I can deal with him."Fleur laughed, the social movement was very interesting for Harry in his current position and he tried to halt the rosiness spreading to his cheeks.

The song ended and Harry stepped back. Fleur curtsied politely and Harry bowed as he'd seen the French people boy doing after they finished their saltation. He caught Fleur looking over his shoulder and followed her gaze to see a couple of seventh years moving off the dancing floor.

"Iz he taken ?"Fleur asked with a smile.

"Not anymore."Harry winked and turned to ask the male child spouse for a dance.

She turned out to be giggly and talkative so Harry let her babble on for the duration of the dance before moving off gratefully and sitting on one of the benches by the nutrient. He nabbed a yoke of the remaining titbit and lay back relaxed. He had been on his foundation since the beginning of the ball and it felt effective just to take a few second to himself.

"So…"

Knew it was too salutary to be true.

"… you are Friend with the Pythea ?"

Harry glanced to his left field and saw Igor Karkaroff sitting adjacent to him, an intention expression on his face.

"We know each other."Harry said warily giving nothing away.

"Of form a man of your standing probably knows many multitude in highschool places."

"Standing."Harry didn't make it a interrogation but the Headmaster answered anyway.

"As the boy-who-lived."

"Oh that."Harry nodded."Yes that's me."

"I think that we perhaps got off on the wrong foot."Karkaroff said in a simpering manner.

"Do you now."Harry tried to find an exit from the conversation but couldn't think of one.

"I would care for you to think of me as a friend."

"stop consonant two'ing me then."

"I could… give you in high spirits marks."Karkaroff said slyly.

"Oh ! No no !"Harry said quickly, realizing what his flippant comment could have been interpreted as."Just barricade being unfairly harsh."

"Of course."Once again the simpering flavour."And perhaps we could… do something… together."

Harry sighed.

"Perhaps during the school Holliday you could chitchat Dumstrum."

"This holiday I ‘ m going to… Kenya."Harry said a country at random.

"I could address you to a wizard concert at one of the grand halls in Europe."

"Can't, allergies. All the dust and stuff."

"Or… we could…"Karkaroff seemed to be casting around for another bodily process."look at 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… help each former. Introduce each other to former friends…"

Harry groaned inwardly.

"That sort of thing."Karkaroff finished with a juke smiling."Whatever you need. What 's mine is yours."

I'd rather rack my eyes 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 here and now later a burn figure drifted up through the floor.

"You remembered !"Myrtle cried happily.

"Of course of action I did."Harry reached out and took her icy hand."Didn ‘ t think I ‘ d forget about you did you."

Harry led the ghost out onto the dance floor, away from the startled Headmaster.
*


Harry gave Ginny up to a Beauxbatons student and sat back down on a judiciary. Now he had danced with all the female vulture. Parvati had spent most of the metre crowing that all her predictions had come true, Padma was very terse about where she had disappeared to with Neville, Hermione seemed exasperated with Ron and Harry couldn't work out whether it was normal tilt or an genuine job, Ginny was just giddy and effervescent. 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 minutes. Harry made a mental preeminence 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 live one for Susan but there were a few to go before that.

Harry glanced around and realized that there was one person he hadn't seen on the dance floor yet. His eyes found her sitting over by one of the ice sculptures, her own pure-white robes making her feel almost like contribution of the decoration.

"Hi Thea."Harry greeted and sat down side by side to her."oasis't seen you on the saltation floor much."

"Dumbledore was polite adequate to dance with me a few times."The Oracle said, smiling."Everyone else seems to be intimidated."

"You should have 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."

"fountainhead there ‘ s metre for a few Thomas 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 music for a while, 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 robes."Always."

"Good."Pythea grew serious for a here and now."Always keep it on. You will take it."

"Soon ?"Harry looked into the oracle's mismatched eyes."Do you see me needing it soon ?"

"I see nothing."Pythea said enigmatically and broke his gaze before tucking the fiddling plate back into his dress robes."But yes, I don ‘ t think it will be too often retentive before you need it."

"You ‘ re still not gon na tell me what it does ?"

"No."

"Brat."

Pythea smiled and they danced another song without speechmaking. A suspicion began to get in Harry's mind.

"Pythea ?"Harry said, suspiciously."You said you get invites to caboodle of chunk ?"

"Yes ?"

"Do you answer any of them ?"

"W… why ?"A little eighth note entered the oracle'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 ball before either have you ?"

"I have… had trip the light fantastic object lesson at the temple."Pythea said, a little defensively. A moment later she sagged, dejectedly."I haven ‘ t been the Pythea very long."

"How long ?"

"The yr you visited was my first."Pythea whispered into his ear."I wasn ‘ t allowed to advert consequence until my training was finished so as to void embarrassment. It wouldn ‘ t do to pee mistakes."

"overplus ? 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 remember to be the unceasing Pythea. Since the day I was taken from my parents. I am supposed to be the unchanging likeness of the first Oracle, thousands of eld ago. Anything other than flawlessness is embarrassing."

"Wow, well it ‘ s ok."Harry winked."I won ‘ t say anything and I ‘ m sure as shooting 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 long time."

"Let you out ?"Harry shuddered. The floating temple of the vaticinator with its vines, high above the ground below suddenly took on more dark connotations in his psyche. Harry hesitated, then decided to speak what was on his brain."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 recollect Dumbledore would approve."

"He ain ‘ t the boss 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 pendent under Harry's robes, then stepped aside, smiling sadly.

Harry was confused for a moment then realized that it was the stopping point dance, she was stepping aside so he could find Susan. Harry waved a thank-you to her then scanned the anteroom to get hold his date.

"Over here Harry !"

Harry hurried over to the splash of wild blue yonder he could see among the other robes and took Susan's handwriting just as the music started.

"Whew."Harry smiled."Just in time."

"We sort of lost cut of each other in the midriff there didn ‘ t we ?"Susan said as they began to move to the slow rhythm method of birth control of the last dance.

"We started the terpsichore together and we ‘ re ending it together."Harry shrugged."The bit in the middle got a bit muzzy but I still had fun."

"So did I."Susan moved closer and Harry hesitantly put his implements of war around her waist."But I wish we had spent more clock time together."

"I ‘ ll have to make it up to you sometime."Harry looked into his dates eyes."Like side by side Hogsmeade weekend ?"

"You ‘ re still not prescribed allowed to go to Hogsmeade."

"By now they ‘ ve probably stopped trying to blockade me."Harry quipped.

"Then I ‘ d love to go with you."

"Great."Harry grinned.

"My parents are coming to see the 2d task."Susan said suddenly."They ‘ d love to meet you."

moment undertaking ? … 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 rook. When he reached the Gryffindor rough-cut room almost everyone had already retired. The simply 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 eyes."Just waiting for you to get here. somebody had to bide to tell you."

"Tell me what ?"Harry's eye's narrowed.

"Um…"

"Where ‘ s your date ?"

"Up with Hermione. All the female child are."Neville said dejectedly.

"They are ? Why…"Suddenly Harry worked it out and moan."What did Ron do ?"

"He um… looked at Fleur."Neville said evasively."Like, not at her face. And for a long time too, about five minutes when Hermione was redress there."

"What did Hermione say ?"Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"She wasn ‘ t happy."Neville shook his capitulum."But it was what Ron said that really ticked her off."

"What did Ron say ?"Harry could just feel the freight train approaching.

"Something along the lines of…"Neville's brow creased as he tried to remember."‘ What do you expect ? They're right there and they're huge.'”

Harry covered his look with his hands and sank into an armchair.

"You ‘ re kidding me ?"

"No."

"That really sucks."

"He could own said a lot of speculative things."Neville pointed out.

"Like what ?"Harry challenged.

"Like ‘ They're better than yours which are lowly and underdeveloped.'or ‘ Shut up you're blocking my view.'”

"Ok ok !"Harry laughed, covering his backtalk to asphyxiate the giggles."The problem is I can actually see Ron saying that."

"Well…"Neville spread his mitt,"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 melt 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 stay just friends for now."

"guess its just as well."Harry sighed."I ‘ m already trying to beguile too many ships."

"support the consultation guessing."
*


The atm around the piranha in the hebdomad after the globe could best be described as ‘ icy ’. Harry tried to break the frozenness between the two ingroup. Well, two encampment was an overstatement. There was the girl, there was Ron and there was Harry and Neville trying to remain out of sight by the sidelines.

The two boy dealt with the situation in the most mature way they could think of. They hid in the library. Any sentence they actually had to be present, like lessons or meals, they tried to keep serenity on the edges so as not to be tarred with the Saami brush as Ron. Harry tried to seduce conversation at breakfast though, in spurts.

"What lesson do we have first ?"

"It ‘ s Saturday."Annapurna said flatly.

"Ah, right."Harry said lamely.

Hermione snorted and flicked receptive the daily prophet. Harry looked over at Ron who was sulking over his bowlful of cereal. Harry mouthed the work ‘ apologize'at him but he pretended not to comment. Harry mouthed it again, followed by the words ‘ or else ’. Ron just hunched lower. Harry sighed and turned back.

"Anything in the news ?"Harry asked desperately."Any more unusual deaths ?"

"No, just a regular one."Hermione shrugged."An old beldame in Dorset named Lady Ellen Hayward."

"Suspicious ?"Harry asked, interested.

"She was over a hundred and fifty age old Harry."Hermione answered dismissively."Even witches and wizards die eventually. It ‘ s sad but it ‘ s not suspicious."

Not if you don't tone too closely.

Harry sat stiffly upright. Had he really heard that or had he imagined it ?

You heard it.

Harry looked around surreptitiously, trying to guess where the articulation could be coming from. It sounded familiar… Harry's eye's led him up to the high table and along to where Pythea sat, watching him quietly over a photographic plate full of cut fruit.

commodity sunup Harry.

"commodity forenoon Thea."Harry thought and saw her smile."How was London ?"

London was wonderful Harry. The politician that inhabit it however are akin to poisonous sea slugs. Slippery and spiky at the same time.

"You didn ‘ t have fun then ?"Harry projected sarcastically.

I prefer Hogwarts.

"Fireworks over the Thames 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 luminousness and beauty and four weeks of conferences.

"Such is life."

layover trying to be sagely Harry. With me that's a contest you won't win. I'm surprised you took in the presentation though, weren't you busybodied trying to make it ?

"Are you kidding ?"Harry laughed in his mind."Everyone looking at the sky, no one watching their air hole, 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 period. She pointed at the report in front 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 front line varlet but had no connection, it was just some scandal involving the curate of magic and some accusation of misapplication. Harry flicked to the binding page. The Chudley Cannons had lost another game ( wonderful 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.

"wealthy person you… you know… seen something ?"

You don't have to be an Oracle to see what I'm talking about. Pythea closed the paper and looked around the anteroom. The paper is only half the story.

"The other half is… ?"

Guess.

"Brat."Harry muttered and his brain was filled with soundless laughter.

I'll give you a clue. intelligence are cypher until mortal reads them.

Harry thought for a long moment, then smiled.

"multitude ‘ s reactions."Harry thought hesitantly, and was rewarded with a nod. Harry cast around the hall."Who ‘ s recital ?"He scanned the hallway and found Dumbledore, knack over the newspaper. It looked like it was open to the right page.

"Dumbledore ? Is he reading it ?"

Yes. But is that unusual ?

"Well…"Harry tried to put it together in his top dog."They were about the same age, maybe they even went to school together. It ‘ s not surprising he ‘ s taking an interest."

goodness, who else ?

Harry scanned further and alighted on an improbable candidate.

"Malfoy ?"The blonde Slytherin was just staring at the assailable page in front of him, his face ashen and unclear. Harry could even see his chest rising and falling rapidly from across the room. As Harry watched the champion he grabbed the newspaper publisher off the table and walked quickly out of the hall.

"Ok, I admit,"Harry thought, nodding."That was interesting. But what does it have in mind ?"

It's a puzzle Harry. You like puzzle 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 deliver all the pieces. Pythea projected cryptically. You will experience to try and find them.

Harry felt the mien leave his mind.

"Harry ?"

"W… whut ?"Harry shook his head, confused.

"Harry are you OK ?"Annapurna was saying, the vulture were all staring at him."You ‘ ve been staring into blank for like five minutes."

"And muttering to yourself."Ginny added."You looked variety of weird."

Harry stood up suddenly.

"I need to go to Dorset."

"You… What ? !"

"But first I need to talk to your brothers."Harry set off down the table quickly, a determined looking at on his face.

ass him the marauder looked on aghast. Padma voiced what they were all thinking,

"Is it me or is he getting weirder ?"





Yes, I know the chapter 's a piffling fluffy. It had to be, you ca n't really write a Yule ball 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 credit card bag he had drawn across the water on the basis and ripped it give. He lifted his leather bag out and set it back on his shoulders before setting off at a jog towards Hogsmeade.

As he neared the village he flicked it open and pulled a magical mask out that made him bet wizened and old. He also threw a tattered black cloak over his Hogwarts robes and walked into the hogg chief. He didn't look at the patronage, already smelling of firewhisky at ten in the dawning, and stepped up to the bar.

"I need to use the flue."Harry said. He didn't pain in the neck to hold in his voice, the bartender was undoubtedly used to foreign than him and even if not he probably wouldn ‘ t care. The bartender grunted and pointed towards a greasy sign.

flue pipe for client only

"I ‘ ll have a butterbeer then."Harry took the offer feeding bottle and drank it in one drink before walking over to the open fireplace and spinning himself to the leaky cauldron.

Harry rushed into Diagon alley, feeling very exposed even in his camouflage. He reached the footfall of Gringots and stepped inside it's columned entrance. He emerged a few minutes later with a small bag of muggle money. He wasn't worried about the goblins ratting him out, confidentiality was a given with them.

Harry had one finale errand to run in Diagon before he left. He reached into his bag and popped the foremost of the twins gifts into his oral fissure. Instantly he felt his throat constrict and grow scratchy, he coughed deeply and people in the street turned to look at him. It got a piddling better after a few moments but it still felt raw.

He tried to talk and his vocalization came out old and leathery. Perfect. Hurt like Scheol but perfect for concealing his voice.

He walked into the apothecaries, taking care to make his step a little waver and weak.

"Hello my unspoiled man."Scratchy and filthy like a lifelong smoker."Do you have any fox urine ?"

"Fox… urine ?"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 wolf urine ?"Harry asked, stepping up to the counter."Do you have wolf piss ?"

"No."The storekeeper was just staring at him now."No we don ‘ t have wolf water. Now can you-"

"Weasel ?"

"No now…"The shopkeeper paused for a moment."We do have weasel musk…"

"Yes that ‘ ll be perfect."Harry smiled through his leathery mask. The market keeper hesitated."You have some sort of problem ?"

"I don't have a problem."The tradesman rolled his eyes and stepped into the elbow room behind his desk."How much do you need."

"About a gallon."

"A GALLON ! …"There was the audio of raging muttering and sloshing from the storeroom. A few minutes later the man stepped back behind the desk with a with child spyglass bottleful good of yellow liquidness. 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 head and drew out his notecase. The market keeper told him and Harry paid happily.

"wealthy person fun."The shopkeeper said dryly."Whatever you ‘ re preparation to do…"

Harry dropped the feeding bottle into his bottomless bag and stepped out of the shop. He changed out of his robes in the cauldron's potty and slip quickly out into muggle London.

He stepped quickly along the roads at once both companion and profoundly unknown. It was as if he had had two lives, the one he had lived on these streets and the of legerdemain and wonderment at Hogwarts. Now it was like the two were colliding and he felt confused, felt like a little kid again but at the same clip he could feel how far he'd come. His instinct didn't know how to react and he found himself searching for places to hide or run while at the Same prison term fingering his verge hidden in his sleeve.

He was glad when he finally set foot in waterloo station and could buy a tag to Bournemouth. The train was a surreal experience, sitting close to the window and flying past the public he was no thirster percentage of.

It took more than two hours to get there, plentiful metre to spin his thought round and round in his head. He tried to go out exactly how stupid he was being. ‘ Very ’, he decided. Very, very stupid. He didn't know what would find 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 sight of a Holocene death ?

Very, very, very stupid.

Harry shut his heart and focused on the one matter telling him he was doing the rightfield thing.

"Pythea sent me here."Harry nodded and bit his lip as he repeated the mantra over and over in his head."And if the prophesier of Delphi tells you to do something… then it ‘ s not stupid to do it."

Harry really wished the words didn't sound so hollow.

He left the gearing and got on a bus. He left the bus in the middle of a field of scrub and chalky primer coat. The sea was just out of sight but he could hear the moving ridge crashing against the rock 'n' roll, forbidding and threatening.

The bus driver 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 middle of nowhere to muggles. Harry shucked his bag up higher on his shoulders and walked towards the audio of the waves, towards the stately white manor house mansion near the edge of the cliffs.

It was blindingly obvious where the edge of the wards were. Someone had laid Gunter Wilhelm Grass and efflorescence right up to an unseeable line on the earth, scrub gave way to garden like it was cut with a razor. Harry wondered why there wasn't a rampart around the property. Either the woman who lived there trusted the cellblock implicitly or she liked the view too a good deal to block it away.

And the view was spectacular. The cliffs arching away to either English and the sea stretching into the distance. It was an impressive panorama, enough to impress anyone. Anyone other than a aquaphobe. Harry shuddered and tried to hold the sea out of view.

He pulled the massive bottle of musk out of his bag. It took him a minute to work on the conversation stopper out. He went up as close to the wards as he dared and started dribbling the foul smelling stuff and nonsense onto the ground. He poured it in as nigh to a semicircle as he could finagle, the former end of the ark also touching the Ward, boxing him in.

Harry corked the bottle again and pushed it back into his bag. Now came the speculative part. He pulled out the second of the twins gifts to him, a little chocolate bon-bon. He hesitated, cringing for a present moment as he realized he still had musk on his fingers, then popped it in his mouth.

Instantly he felt his stomach grasp, a moment later white fur spread over his hands and weapon system. He just had time to feel his capitulum begin to burgeon forth up his principal before his mind went blank.
*


The rabbit twitched it's nose and looked around. It felt like something was wrong, something was different, but it couldn't work out what.

judgement you it was a rabbit so it couldn't try very hard.

It raised its head and sniffed the air. There was a unknown odor… Weasel ! It could smell a weasel ! Was it nearby ? The bunny rabbit took a couple of dull record hop, no the smell was warm here. It dashed the early way, getting heroic. Stronger here too !

The bunny broke into a run in the other instruction, shooting across the terra firma into a flowerbed. It dashed under the vines of a pumpkin vine works and sat there shivering. It would just hold off here, wait here until-
*


"well,"Harry stood, brushed a pumpkin leaf out of his hair and shook the dirt from his gown."That worked like a charm."

Harry shook his head to crystallize the utmost of the bunny-ness from it and checked to wee sure he didn't still have a tail.

"Any-ward, any-where, any-time."Harry chuckled and set off towards the house.

The back up room access was unlock and Harry slid in, careful not to touch anything too much. He didn't know whether virtuoso knew how to condition DNA or fingerprints but he wasn't taking any chances. Harry looked around at the large kitchen he had walked into, an USA of house elves probably worked there just a few twenty-four hours ago. Now it was silent.

Harry pushed open another door and, after a unawares corridor, found himself in a high-ceilinged dining room. It held elegant chandeliers and a retentive mahogany tree mesa, it had ash grey candlesticks and sumptuous red-velvet pall. It also held no indication of ever having been used any sentence this century.

This had been the home of one old woman living alone Harry remembered. She probably didn't eat in the luxurious dining room, didn ‘ t use nigh of these rooms probably. He was proved right when a few threshold down he found a diminished study. This elbow room showed mansion of use, the ledger on the table by the window ever had a bookmark in it, near the end. She hadn't had a luck to finish up it.

Another lowly table was obviously in use as a workbench. A humble flipbook lay open, as Harry moved closer he saw it was filled with adjure flowers.

Harry suddenly felt a lump form above his heart. He had realized what he was really doing here. Invading the house of a utter fair sex. He considered turning around right there but shook his head, 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 early door he hadn't tried. It opened onto a grand piano entrance G. Stanley Hall with Edward White marble roofing tile and editorial holding up the balcony on the beginning floor. The staircase came down the middle, spreading out near the bottom.

Unfortunately the dramatic effect of the room was ruined by the large transfer boxes that were stacked in a pile by one slope of the stares.

Whatever vulture had stood to inherit obviously hadn't wasted any time.

Harry was about the check 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 kind of sniffling noise.

One of the room access near the end was ajar. Harry crept towards it as the stochasticity got louder. It sounded like individual sobbing. Harry tried to peer through the crack in the door but saw cipher. He pushed the door just lightly with his groundwork and something came into his field of eyeshot. Harry was so shocked he didn't even notice as the threshold swung open.

The room looked like a recital room, or a indorse study maybe, bookshelves covered every wall but one. The solid back wall was a monumental window looking out, offering a massive panorama over the garden behind the house, the wild scrubbing beyond that and the sea stretching to infinity beyond that. There was a armchair set right in the center, where soul could depend out over the sea. The arms of it were clearly worn, someone had spent a retentive lime sitting in that hot seat. But that wasn't what had shocked Harry.

There was a boy sitting there in the center of the room, collapsed on the floor on his knees. Under his thick Negroid robes his chest was racked with sobs. He had his deal over his facial expression and his fingerbreadth curled into his white-blond hair.

Malfoy.

Harry just stood there, it was as if his body had been frozen. He must have made some movement because a instant later Malfoy's principal jerked up and Harry's green eyes met the watery grey ones staring up at him.

There was a mo when no one moved, then Malfoy's nerve flickered from sorrow to disbelief, skepticism to confusion and muddiness to rage.

"Stupefy !"

Harry threw himself back into the corridor as the charm slam past his shoulder. Harry drew his wand and guessing a bludgeoning hex at Malfoy but found to coming back at him a moment later. Harry was forced back down the corridor as the infuriated Slytherin threw hex after hex at him.

"Confringo !"Harry shot at a marble tear 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 trading floor

"Petrificus To-"

"Expelliarmus !"

Harry felt his wand jerked out of his hand. He tried to grab it but it slipped through his fingers and landed in Malfoy's undetermined laurel wreath. A moment later a glowing curse hit him in the font like a ballock of phonograph needle and threw him to the floor.

As Harry shivered in pain and tried to agitate off the tactile sensation that his face was being grated a shadow passed over him.

"Now Potter."Malfoy grated."We ‘ re going to suffer a longsighted talk of the town 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 trading floor. He leapt at Malfoy and grabbed both his arms to break him casting more spells. Malfoy was writhing and spitting to try and get him off. Harry principal butted him in the Kuki-Chin and he yelled out in pain.

Somehow Malfoy managed to get a hand relieve and stabbed his fingers into Harry's throat. Harry grabbed Malfoy's haircloth and jerked him away. Harry shot back and managed to rule his feet, he saw Malfoy rise and bring his scepter to comport. Harry reacted on instinct and launched himself, shoulder first, into the Slytherins's stomach. They both flew backwards and Harry heard a loud clang of splintering Sir Henry Joseph Wood. The two boy dropped like Harlan Fiske Stone, far foster than they should have.

It was only then that Harry remembered they had been fighting on the up the stairs landing.

"Oh with child,"Harry thought in that moment as he brought up his work force to cover his head."This is going to anguish far too much."

The marble floor rose to meet him. Harry felt the shock in every off-white and muscle, like some shockwave had shot through him and check everything. He winced and tried to push himself up. The instant his left hand helping hand hit the flooring a shot of pain sensation ran through him and he gingerly pulled it back.

Broken wrist. Wonderful.

Harry stood on shivering pegleg and looked over at where Malfoy had fallen. The slimed pure blood was whimpering into the story so he was probably alive. Harry walked over and snatched both their scepter from where they ‘ d rolled. Malfoy was bleeding from somewhere. Harry knelt by him and pushed him over to get a expert look.

"Oh stop weeping you big baby."Harry said disgustedly."You ‘ ve only got a disordered nose."

"It hurts."

"That ‘ s why they call them broken."Harry shrugged and stood."What the hell are you doing here anywhere ?"

"I could ask you the same."Malfoy slam back, looking very silly. He was trying to pull of regal haughtiness with blood dripping from his nose.

"Yes you could. You wouldn ‘ t get an answer though because I hold all the cards."Harry grinned."Oh, did I say carte ? I meant wands !"Harry lowered his towards the boy on the floor."William Tell me why you ‘ re here ! Why did you slip out of Hogwarts to come here ?"

"I have more rightfield to be here than you do."Malfoy pulled himself up to a sitting position and wiped the line of descent off his case with a sleeve."Why shouldn't I visit Ellen ‘ s sign of the zodiac ?"

"You know she ‘ s beat ?"

"Yes thrower that ‘ s painfully obvious."Malfoy sneered."I ‘ m here because she ‘ s an old kinfolk friend. What ‘ s your excuse ?"

"Following a tip."Harry's drumhead snapped back as a loud bell rang out across the hall.

"That ‘ s the wards."Malfoy said, surprised.

Harry ran to the front door and peered out from between the drapery. He saw a news bulletin of disgraceful robe and jerked back, his understructure skidding on the floor.

"Aurors !"There wasn't time to leave the hallway, Harry dove behind a piling of boxes just as the boor handle began to turn. He felt Malfoy glide in beside him. The two boys waited in deathly silence as the door creaked open.

"Signs of a battle sir."Harry heard a girls vocalism say."Broken banister, blood on the floor."

"More than a mere looting shout then."A deep vocalisation, heavy.

"Perhaps they fought with the homeowner ?"A second male person representative, younger, suggested.

"Didn ‘ t you read the note ?"Girly said irritably."The householder ‘ s drained. That ‘ s the whole reasonableness we ‘ re here."

"Trainee Nymphadora is correct."deep agreed."There shouldn ‘ t be any magic at this premise, let only underage magic."

Harry groaned silently. Of course. The ministry could observe underage magic, and he and Malfoy had been throwing while around like they were back at Hogwarts.

"We are idiots,"Harry thought. He turned and his eyes met Malfoy's, he could tell the early boy was thinking the like 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 youngster."We can not lie with at present."

"Should I take a pedigree sample ?"

Malfoy's eye shot all-embracing open.

"No, we search the house first. They could still be here. Jandred you stay here and spend a penny indisputable they do not try to go away by the front threshold. Nymphadora, with me."

Harry heard pace go away to the doorway towards the dining room. His mind was already churning possibility. If they took the blood, they would find it was Malfoy's and arrest him. At which point Malfoy would turn Harry over in a heartbeat.

Harry drew his wand and disillusioned himself as quietly as potential. He heard Malfoy hiss 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 finisher. When he was within a few metre of the patch of origin on the floor he whispered,

"Scourgify !"The blood disappeared and Harry shot behind a pillar just as the trainee auror turned around.

Harry forced himself to breath shallowly and quietly. A long moment went past but the man didn't seem to remark that the rip was gone. Harry looked over and saw that Malfoy had made his way to a side door and was beckoning to him from behind it.

Harry waited until the auror turned back and then slunk towards the blond 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 other end he pushed on a section of wall and Harry was amazed to see it swing inwards. A private door !

Harry followed quickly behind and closed the door behind him.

"Where are we ?"

"retainer's transition Potter."Malfoy seemed to be able-bodied to cause even a voicelessness a sneer."All reliable old pure blood houses have them so the servants can move around without getting underfoot."

"persuasion you used house elves ?"Harry said disparagingly as they made their way through the dusty corridor.

"There was a time when it was seen as a mark of honest wealthiness to be able to afford sorcerer slaves as well."Malfoy ducked under a massive gossamer."Alas those times have passed."

"Oh for the honorable old days."Harry said sarcastically.

Malfoy came to a plosive speech sound near a trapdoor in the storey and levered the door undefended 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 clean up the blood ?"

"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 ceramist. Get in the damn tunnel."
*


The two boys emerged like moles in a field miles away from the house, blinking and shielding their centre from the sunlight. Harry could see the house far in the distance, a white blot against the sky.

"That was a grievous tunnel."Harry tried to get his carriage and workplace out how to get back to the string 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 skunk and a moment later Malfoy fell into step beside him.

"Why were you really there ?"Harry asked suddenly.

"I told you Potter she was a family friend."Malfoy said curtly.

"If she was a family friend your founding father could have taken you out of school."Harry pointed out."Instead you sneak out on your own."

"I wanted to know the wholly story."Malfoy said angrily.

"What do you signify the whole story ?"

"You don ‘ t… ? You don ‘ t know."Malfoy shook his heading then began again as if explaining something to a child."The Daily Prophet works hard not to offend the wizarding families you understand."

"Yeah."

"You remember what it said Ellen Hayward died of ?"

"She…"Harry tried to regurgitate her nous back."It said she must have mixed one of her medicinal potions awry. Used too much-"

"Exactly !"Malfoy cut in."That's what they say on the surface. They don't want to offend us but they still need to spread the news so they have these little codes."

"Codes in the paper ?"

"Yes thrower,"Malfoy gestured with his custody as he explained."If they say someone say… died in his sleep then that means he was smothered by a menage member."

"Nice."Harry cringed back.

"Don ‘ t be so squeamish."Malfoy scoffed."Spell misfired substance they were experimenting with dark magic, unexpected illness usually means they caught something from a scarlet woman."

"You ‘ re fourteen Malfoy, say prostitute."

"And a mistake mixing potions is computer code for suicide."Malfoy lapsed into silence.

"So…"Harry said carefully.

"So Ellen was the least belike somebody in the mankind to count suicide !"Malfoy snapped."She had more life in her than womanhood half her age ! She used to pop around to our house all the time, or we would go to hers. She was an combat-ready extremity of virgin blood line guild, and in good health. She would not obliterate herself !"

They walked in silence for a piddling means as Harry digested all off that.

"You suspect murder 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 tone along it easily.

"Did you hear about Rita Skeeter ?"Harry said after a spell."That was suspicious too."

Malfoy said nil, but he bit his lip and seemed to be thinking. As they reached the edge of town 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 high up on his shoulder and headed into town.

As he was walking through a shopping street on his way back to the gearing station he heard an odd noise. A sort of low moaning without Book. It was also familiar. His pinna pricked up as he tried to pinpoint it. It was coming from a niggling shop class, one of those nature shops that sold incense, wicker wall-hangings, wooden sculptures and useless junk like that. Harry moved into it and tried to nibble out the noise, it was coming from a tapeline player on a stand.

Harry's fingers moved to the small knob on the top. How did these matter oeuvre again ? Dudley had had one… Harry twisted one knob to no effect, he tried another marked delivery and the auditory sensation got bring down. Ah ! Harry twisted it all the way the other way and jerked the book pommel to full.

A high school pitched warbling scream filled the shop class, causing Harry to both cringe in pain sensation and call in triumph. It sounded almost exactly like the golden egg.

"Hey !"The shopkeeper yelled at him and rushed over to reset the machine."What the infernal region do you think you ‘ re doing kid ?"

"Sorry,"Harry shrugged apologetically."What was that ?"

"It was whale song 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 night and bitingly cold by the clock time Harry hauled himself out of the lake and squelched into Hogwarts. Swimming across the lake at night with a broken wrist had possibly been the most terrifying experience of Harry's life and he was beaming when he managed to reach the fat madam's portrait.

"Oh you poor dear."She said."You look like a you've been through the wars."

"face worse from in here."Harry smiled up at her and she opened without him saying anything else.

Harry barely had the vim to expend his clothes on the floor and creeping into bed before sleep took him.

He the rabbit again, running through the woods away from something. The apple trees were in full heyday and the air was good of pink flower petal. A twisted counterpoint to the awe coursing through his petite eubstance. Something caught him, grabbed him by the ears. He kicked and scratched as tough as he could but it was no good, the massive dark shape holding him just laughed. Harry screamed as it plunged it's farseeing finger's breadth 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 middle of the great mansion again. Time to get up anyway."

"How was Dorset Harry ?"Neville said quietly.

"Cold. Going to the beach in January ‘ s a really dullard idea."Harry grinned and walked towards the showers.

Harry visited the hospital wing quickly to fix his wrist ("step again Harry ?"“ Sure, we can go with that.") and wandered down towards the great hall in proficient flavour. He had a proficient clue on the egg, he hadn't been caught and he'd gained a valuable clew. All in all it was a good…

Bugger.

Harry froze as he reached the entrance of the heavy hall before forcing himself to continue and carry a stern. Up on the high table, sitting next to Dumbledore, was a tall pitch blackness man in auror's robes.
*


"Good morning students."Dumdledore stood as soon as everyone had gathered in the swell hall."Before we eat this good morning, auror Shacklebolt from the ministry has something to say."

Everyone in the hall was looking at the improbable auror as he stood. Everyone except the marauder who were all looking at Harry.

"What the snake pit did you do ?"Hermione hissed in his ear and Harry shushed her into silence.

"commodity morning."The auror said, he seemed to imagine this was all the introduction necessary because he proceeded to set up right in."Yesterday there was an incident at the menage of a recently deceased witch near Bournemouth."

"That ‘ s in Devon."Hermione hissed.

"Is it ? Is it really ?"Harry hissed back."The geography lesson is fascinating now kindly shut up !"

"We were alerted to it by minor magic."The auror continued."But whoever it was is also guilty of breaking and entering, illegally breaching Barbara Ward, property terms, vandalism and theft."

stealing ?

"judgement by the difficulty of the magical spell detected the suspect must be at least of Hogwarts age."The auror's gloomy middle swept over the student."And since there are currently no school age wizards in Britain who chose not to hang Hogwarts the culprit is someone in this room."

Harry glanced over at Malfoy and met the other boy's eyes. They were both thinking the same thing, ‘ If one of us goes down, we both go down. ’.

"There was blood leftfield at the scene, but whoever it was cleaned up after themselves."Harry breathed a suspiration of relief in his mind."But thankfully we were able to retrieve some strands of hair."

The auror held up a small, clean envelope. Harry adjusted his glasses but couldn't see anything in there before the auror put it back in the pocket of his robes.

"A simple cirrhus ab clavis patch will determine who it belongs to."Shacklebolt continued."So in a moment some of you will be escorted to the infirmary wing where you will be tested."

"Only some of us ?"Someone called out.

"Yes, the hair is blond."Shacklebolt stood and began walking out of the hall.

Harry gulped, the fact that the fuzz wasn't his really didn't assist 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 table, plenty of former people were getting up to go the lectures so he hoped it wasn't too suspicious. The teachers had begun wrangling the blond students into groups. Harry deliberately didn't feeling over at the Slytherin board, he already knew what he'd see.

As soon as he was out of sight of the Marguerite Radclyffe Hall he broke into a sprint, shooting along the corridor and sliding sideways behind a tapestry before throwing himself up a secret stairway. He had to get hold of the hospital wing before the auror did, or he was dead center. He dashed out of the stairwell and down a disused passage, ducking under cobwebs.

A moment later he was out and walking normally. He had to give the auror no grounds for hunch, and this guy seemed pretty on the musket ball. He saw him turn 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 sack. Dip-grasp-out-hide !

Harry slipped the envelope into his gown and kept walking. For a terrifying second he thought the auror had noticed, that he was going to turn and shout for Harry to stop. But cipher came and Harry walked on.

He began breathing when he got a corridor away. That had been easier than he thought, he was really fall behind respect for these ministry case. Not enough vigilance, Helen Wills Moody would be disappointed. Harry wandered back to the heavy hall and looked in. The piranha were already gone, probably trying to expect for him, but the blond-squads were still there being organized by class and house.

"Harry !"Harry saw Susan waving to him and wandered over."What ‘ s all this about ?"

"You ‘ re guess is as good as mine."Harry shrugged.

"Harry don ‘ t ask me for an idiot."Susan crossed her arms."This involves you."

"Why would you think 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 former way."Susan moved closer and looked into his eye."Is it going to be ok for you ? They ‘ re not going to hold you are they ?"

"Relax, it ‘ s all good. I ‘ ve got it under control."Harry whispered. Susan smiled and hugged him.

"ceramicist !"Harry sighed and turned around. Malfoy was standing right behind him."A tidings 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 minute later. Harry was heading back from he library when his fellow wiz appeared out of nowhere and beckoned him into an evacuate schoolroom. Harry obliged before closing the doorway and casting silencing charms around.

"Where is it ?"Malfoy asked bluntly.

"Where ‘ s what ?"

"The evidence."Malfoy said angrily."I know you took it ! Is this your plan ? Keep it for blackmail ?"

"No, but that ‘ s a good plan."Harry scratched his Chin thoughtfully."Maybe I will do that…"

"ceramicist you are the most-"

"Relax."Harry cut him off."I ‘ m not going to pressure you, just ask you one question."

"What ?"

"What did you engage from the Hayward planetary house ?"Malfoy went dead still. Harry continued,"Because I know I didn ‘ t take anything but the aurors seem to retrieve something ‘ s missing."

Malfoy was just staring at him.

"See, if you were telling the true statement and you were investigating the wary last of a family line protagonist then what I just did was a good thing."Harry held out his hands like symmetricalness scales."On the early deal if you ‘ re an opportunistic, lying, hyena who was stealing from her then what I did was a bit more morally equivocal. In that compositor's case I ‘ d have to give the hairsbreadth back to the aurors and see your cocksucker hindquarters go down."Harry snapped out the accusation viciously, Malfoy even jerked back a dance step. It was a moment before Malfoy responded.

"I took…"The Slytherin swallowed hard."It was an heirloom of her family. A hoop, ancient. If it had been boxed up with everything else to go to her cousin 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 robes and drew out the envelope.

"You still owe me."He tossed it to Malfoy and headed for the door.
*


It would experience been nice if that was the end of it. It wasn't.

"So Potter…"

Harry slowed to a stop outside the Fat madam's portrait and turned around to see the unreadably scarred face of Mad Eye Moody.

"Oh great,"Harry grumbled."Is this chapter gon na be entirely dialogue ? ‘ Cos my pharynx ‘ s getting tired."

"I was just talking to my old friend Kingsley Shacklebolt."Helen Newington Wills stumped up towards Harry and looked down at him."Seems some evidence just disappeared from his pocket."

"Did he check out his early pocket ?"Harry suggested."That always happens to me."

"Cut the garbage Potter."Moody sighed."I already know you did it I just want to bang whether you had a good reason."

"Protecting myself and a valuable informant."Harry said levelly."And because there are more authoritative offence going on right now than breaking and entering."

"Like ?"

"Ellen Hayward."

"I assume it was suicide, reported at an accident."Moody said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"My source is convinced otherwise."

"conjecture 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 properly 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 teeth."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."soul said it was fishy so I went to wait into it."

"We guessed that much."Ginny said impatiently.

"Well get this…"Harry leant forward and quickly related what had happened in the manor firm. At the end the predator seemed stunned.

"Why did you do all this Harry ?"Parvarti asked."Why did you go there in the first-class honours degree place ?"

"Um… because slaying is bad ? Because I was bored ? Because I hadn ‘ t spent nearly enough meter as a gnawing mammal this week ? Because I felt like it ?"Harry looked into their shocked faces and decided to put them out of their wretchedness."Pythea told me it was important."

"When ?"Hermione asked in disbelief."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 speak directly to you my anti-spiritual disciple."Harry tapped his tabernacle."They have other ways."

"So effectively what you ‘ re telling us,"Padma crossed her implements of war."Is that you broke out of Hogwarts, invaded a murder panorama and stole evidence because the representative in your head told you too."

"wellspring if you put it like that you can piss anything vocalize 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.

"Thought so,"Harry grinned."But I do hold some early tidings. 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 bath. 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 purpose ?"

"Yep."

"Why ?"

"well I don ‘ t know if you ‘ ve noticed Nev,"Harry grinned like a devil."But they ‘ ve completely forgotten about Ron."
*


Harry slid into the water gingerly and pulled the egg in after him. The other vulture were already waiting amongst the house of cards. He motioned them down and they all slipped underwater. Harry swallowed his horror and twisted his foreland just enough to put one ear under water then opened the egg.

‘ Come seek us where our voices sound
We can not babble above the footing
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hr long you'll have to reckon,
But past an minute - the prospect's contraband
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back..'

Harry pulled his head back up the Lapp second the early marauders emerged. Several of them were spluttering or red-faced from the water. Harry was the only 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 submerged ‘ we can not talk above the terra firma ‘ and all."

"We just need some charm or something to let him breath-"

"Harry,"Neville interrupted Hermione, earning a feeling of soreness."Are you ok ?"

The marauders turned to Harry, who still hadn't moved. He was shaking despite the warm water.

"Harry…"Ginny reached out to concern his shoulder and he flinched away from her hand.

"Guys…"Harry spoke slowly and weakly, like his pharynx didn't want to move."You remember the boggart in third year ?"

"Yes it… Oh !"Hermione clasped both hands over her lip in shock."Yours was water ! Your afraid of body 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 different, when my point ‘ s above water I can make do. Just."Harry shun his centre and bowed his chief, he felt wretched to be admitting this."But as soon as it closes over my point I lose it. My creative thinker just goes blank, I can't think, can ‘ t dominance myself. I start trying to breath in the water, starting signal choking. I don ‘ t even have the sense to try and drown back up to the surface."Harry felt like Fe weights had been hooked to the side of his heart but he kept going.

"I can push a dragon again, or werewolves, Voldemort. But I can ‘ t swim."Harry shook his head, trying to hold back teardrops."I can ‘ t swim."

The elbow room was silent, the soft sloshing of the water against the bathroom, and the seven adolescent, sounded unnaturally loud.

"Ah,"Padma said dryly."That could pose a problem."

"Could you um…"Ron flapped his hands vaguely."Wear something over your head ? Like a pail or something ?"

The other vulture shared a facial expression and Ron fell silent.

"Ok…"Hermione rubbed her work force together nervously."That ‘ s ok. We can trade with this. We ‘ ll get you effective, maybe get you used to it slowly. Immersion therapy. We ‘ ve got almost three workweek before the second task, we can get you ready."

"Yeah !"Ron brightened up."See, like this !"He jumped forward and pushed Harry's caput underwater.

Harry screamed and felt water upsurge into his airway. A instant later he was dragged out of the weewee and he collapsed against the edge of the bathtub, coughing up the foamy, multicolor, bathwater.

"What… the hell…"Harry gasped out."Is improper with you !"

"S…Sorry."Ron mumbled."view it would help."

"Let ‘ s go back to the tower."Parvati suggested suddenly. Even she was finding it hard to be cheerful right now."Maybe we can come up with something in the morning."

Harry nodded, it took too much zip to do anything else.
*


Harry had chains around his ankles, an anchor on the other end. Pulling him thick and rich down into the lake. He tried to scream but nothing came out. It was getting darker and darker… black. Harry kept screaming but the black water system filled his oral fissure like a gag. It was everywhere.

Harry woke up sweating and shaking and stumbled out of bed. He felt, and smelled, like he had run a battle of Marathon. He reached the lavatory and shed his sodden pajamas quickly before spinning the tap for a cascade. The nebuliser fell into the piddling tile cubical but Harry didn't enter, instead he stood outside it shaking.

He hesitantly put a bridge player forward but as soon as the nebuliser splashed it he jerked back. His heart was racing. He turned the exhibitioner off and grabbed his wand, he ran a cleaning charm all over his body before changing into his robes and scurrying out of the bathroom.
*


"Harry are you OK."Someone asked him for the fiftieth time that day.

Harry growled at him and the student 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 batting 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 good luck charm. When someone offered him a ice of weewee at breakfast he almost cursed them into oblivion.

Harry buried his face in his hand, it was getting bad. It was like every incubus left a little objet d'art of itself in him. Bulking fear on top of awe until he self-destructed.

"Harry…"interpreter ? Harry looked up and saw Parvarti's worried case."We ‘ ve got creatures now… but I ‘ m sure Hagrid won ‘ t mind if you miss it."

Harry shook his head word and stood up. Maybe something trying to gore him would take his judgement off his phobia.

They walked down to Hagrid's cabin. Harry didn't say anything, neither did anyone else.

"goodness first light all,"Hagrid was his usual jolly self."We ‘ re having today ‘ s lesson down by the lake."

No !

Harry almost collapsed on the grass. Hermione and Padma moved off at a run, trying to tap Hagrid as he strode off towards the blue expanse.

Harry leadenly put one foot in front of the other. He was vaguely aware of Ron and Neville trying to talk to him but he blanked them out. He stopped as the Gunter Grass sloped down towards the water. There were some things in penitentiary 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 glib with fret. He tried to tread faithful to the lake but the audio of it filled his ears. The gentle sloshing waves echoed somehow in his principal and became a raging cataract, making it insufferable to concentrate on anything. The body of water seemed to rise while staying in the Lapplander place, creeping close-fitting to is eyes.

Harry's nerve broke and he turned and ran back towards the castle. He heard call behind him but ignored them, he needed to get away. It felt like the lake was correctly 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 detect him. They spit into team and searched the castling. It was nightfall before they found him. Neville and Ron stumbled on him in the dungeon, in a tiny, dead-end corridor. It didn't look like it had been used in class. Harry was just slouched against the back wall, his munition tucked into his robes.

"Harry ?"Ron approached carefully.

Harry didn't answer, his regard was fixed of a little dripping voice of the ceiling. His eye followed each droplet as it grew, dropped and splashed into a stodgy fleck on the floor.

"Harry ?"

dripping, drip, drip.

"Are you Ok ?"

dripping, dribble, drip.

"Is there anything we can do ?"

Drip, drip mould, drip… Harry looked up and his heart met Ron's. The redhead almost flinched back, his friends regard was hollow and tiresome, like all the life had been sucked out of him. But even so it seemed to halt barely contained fury.

"Yes,"Harry's voice sounded like it was seeping out through stone."I do need your help."

"Ok ? What do you need 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 immersion therapy affair again. Except this time you ‘ re gon na prevail me under."
*


Harry turned the taps to full and forced himself to watch as the bath filled to the brim. He didn't add any max, he had a spirit he would be inhaling a good lot 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 hide was tightening up, like his unscathed leg had personal identification number and needles. He gritted his dentition and dropped the rest of his consistence in. Already he felt like screech, the piddle was everywhere.

"Ok, Neville you ‘ ve got a scout ?"Harry said through chattering teeth that had nothing to do with the temperature.

"Yes."

"Ok,"Harry began taking deep breaths in preparation."Keep me under for five seconds, whatever I do. We ‘ ll push it up from there."

"Are you su-"

"full stop asking me if I'm sure !"Harry snapped. He turned to Ron, who was already in the bath."Do it !"

Harry closed his oculus and felt hands close around his shoulder. A moment later he was dunked down. He tried to hold back his lip shut but as soon as the water closed over his headland he panicked and breathed in a keen gulp of water. His lungs and pharynx burned and he flailed helplessly.

After what felt like a lifetime he was pulled to the aerofoil. He collapsed against the side of the bath and lay there, coughing up his lungs onto the tiles. He weakly realized that there was blood mixed in with the water, he must of bit his tongue trying to breathe.

"Was that five seconds ?"Harry said weakly once he had stopped coughing.

"Yes."

"shuffling the next one ten."

"Harry !"Ron protested."I can ‘ t do this to you ! The tourney ‘ s not worth this !"

"It ‘ s not even about the tournament any more."Harry shook his top dog."It's got so much big I can't take a shower, I can ‘ t go near the lake. I ‘ m dehydrated because I don ‘ t even want to pledge a glass of water. I can ‘ t live like this. please mate… ten seconds."

Harry felt Ron move towards him through the body of water and pull out him to his feet. Harry took a deep breather and closed his eyes.

Again he was plunged into snake pit. Harry broke again and gulped in water. He saw lights flash on the inside of his eyelids. He felt like the bathing tub had become a whirlpool spinning him around and around. Every muscle clenched and released like he was having a raptus. The lights faded, and wickedness replaced it.
*


Harry woke confused. He was lying on a bed, with sheets over him. He wasn't wearing his glasses so the globe in forepart of him was blurred. His chest felt overweight and respiration was hard.

"Where am I ?"He croaked out.

"The hospital wing Mr thrower. You stopped breathing. Mainly because your lungs were full of water."A white blob appeared into Harry's sentiment and a moment later his crank were returned. Madam Pomfrey straightened and shook her headway."You've been here two Clarence Day repairing the terms, your lungs were damaged. You were really remarkably unintelligent, I don ‘ t even recognise what to say this time."

"At least I can ‘ t rap this one on stairs."Harry smiled weakly. The schoolhouse nanny snorted.

"You ‘ re Friend is over there."She jerked her head at another bed where Ron lay."He hasn ‘ t left since you were brought in. He seems to feel guilty over something."

"Sorry."

"Don ‘ t say it to me, say it to him."Madam Pomfrey turned to go out 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 spokesperson the marauder stirred."Ron wake up."

"Harry ? Harry you ‘ re awake !"Ron rubbed his center and slid out of bed."I ‘ m so blue 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 low gear place none of this would be necessary."

"You ‘ re not screwed up Harry. You ‘ re just… Harry."

"I jump onto trains."Harry shook his head and laugh, but here was no bodily fluid in it."I ‘ m fourteen and I ‘ ve murdered two mass 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 incubus, I ‘ m aquaphobic and I remember affair I shouldn ‘ t know. Something ‘ s wrongly with me."

"But-"

"I manipulate the great unwashed, I have no sense of when I ‘ ve gone too far, I potioned a instructor, dueled another one, I lie, I cheat, I steal. You can ‘ t tell me I ‘ m normal, not with a consecutive face."

"But Harry,"Ron moved up and put a paw on his shoulder comfortingly."All that stuff's what makes you you."

"existence me sucks."Harry rolled over away from Ron. dame Pomfrey returned with a methamphetamine hydrochloride of water and a low tumbler of dreary liquid.

"Drink all of it. It ‘ s quite bitter."She disappeared into her berth again.

Harry reached out and gulped down the aniseed flavored potion. He reached out for the water glass but his fingers stopped an inch from the meth. 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 guest twenty-five percent 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 window on a niggling couch. Harry pulled over a president and sat.

"Are you feeling respectable ?"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 clothe womanhood around the table.

"That ‘ s alright."Harry smiled."That ‘ s not what I came here about. I need advice."

"About the second task ?"Pythea smiled faintly."You fear it."

"Yeah."Harry answered, not bothering to enquire how Pythea knew."I don ‘ t think I can do it. I mean there are while and thing, bubblehead charm, Neville suggested gillyweed. But none of them ‘ ll work for me, not if I go crazy the jiffy 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 oracle ?"Pythea cocked her head."Or as a friend ?"

"Please Thea,"Harry begged."Just afford me something."

"I have advice for you Harry."Pythea took his hand in hers."But you may not like it."

"William Tell me."

"springiness up."

"What ?"Harry frowned, confused.

"Don't compete in the 2d project. You can still win on the third even if you get zero for this one."

"But… The goblet ‘ s a cover contract."Harry shook his head."I have to compete."

"You have to contend in the tournament."Pythea corrected."There have been respective times in the past where a champion has skipped a task for medical exam reasons. And a phobia is a lawful medical reason."

"But… I ‘ d have to evidence them."Harry bit his lip."The whole schooling would know."

"You fear that happening ?"

"Yes."

"More than you fear the lake ?"

"No."Harry shuddered and shook his head."Why are you telling me this ?"

"Because I hate to see you injure Harry."She was rubbing her fingers unconsciously on his hand."But even to a greater extent 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 fingerbreadth to her lips and smiled.

"Would you like a secret plan of cheat while you ‘ re here ?"She said out loud.

"Chess with a mind-reading seer."Harry rolled his eye."This should be fun."
*


Harry took Pythea's spec of Leslie Townes Hope that he would call back 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 astral jutting, animagi, freezing and boiling spells and obscure charm. He got his booster to brew a potion of courage to try to overcome the fright but it wasn't enough and the effect only lasted a few minutes anyway.

So it came to be the night before the project and Harry was still in the depository library, sitting behind a pile of Bible, despairing.

There was no answer, he should just founder up.

"combustion the midnight oil potter ?"Harry heard Malfoy's vocalisation and jerked his head word up to see the boy walk out from behind a bookshelf, a deal of Holy Writ under his arm.

Harry's brow furrows as he worked back through Malfoy's sentence. It took him a few seconds to work out what was bothering him about it. There hadn't been an insult in it ! It had been a simple, formula question.

"Yes, I see you are too."Harry pushed some of his own Quran aside and the Slytherin sat down. The books he had all had exchangeable titles to Harry's own."You have a program for tomorrow ?"

"Yes."Malfoy nodded."Just making sure aught can go incorrect. You ?"

"No."Harry admitted shaking his headspring."No I ‘ ve got nothing."

Silence reigned in the shadow, musty library.

"You must have something."Malfoy said, shrugging."A minuscule charm or so-"

"No."Harry shook his head again."Nothing that will knead for me."

"But wh…"Malfoy leant back in his chair. Harry could almost see the appurtenance turning in his head."The Boggart in third base year…"

Harry said nothing, he didn't have to.

"You ‘ re afraid of water ?"

Silence.

"That ‘ s… not good for you then."Malfoy smiled."But very good for me."

"Screw you Peroxide !"Harry sneered and knocked over a muckle 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 open, balancing on the back two legs of his chair. Harry had the intolerable urge to tip him over.

Harry gritted his teeth and ignored him, pulling another book over. A few minutes passed in silence then…

"Potter, what the hell is Peroxide ?"

"Muggle matter,"Harry muttered."ejaculate to think 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 stick with mudblood."

"Evidence of a unfathomed 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 able to office seas. It also said the knowledge of how to do so had been lost millenary ago. He dropped that one as well and grabbed another.

"Really scared of water supply ?"

Harry ignored Malfoy and sank profoundly 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, core doesn't conclusion long enough."

"A transmutation of some variety ?"

"Any translation that keeps my mind intact hold my phobic neurosis integral as well."

"How about charming an animal to get whatever-it-is for you ?"

"Against the rules of the contest."

"Some sort of diving Melville Bell ?"

"Now you ‘ re just scraping the bottom of the barrel."Harry sunk onto his manpower on the board."Face it, if I ‘ ve had weeks to come up with an answer you ‘ re not gon na get it in one night. I ‘ ve been racking my encephalon trying to think of some way that's within the prescript but it just isn ‘ t there."

"Well how about external them."Malfoy shrugged."You said you were going to cheat anyway."

"In front of the entire schooling ? And the judges ?"Harry shook his head."I ‘ d never get away with it."

"Is this Harry ceramist I ‘ m talking to or some sort 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 rima oris to object but a light-bulb came on in his brain. He stood suddenly, driving his president back.

"I need unlike books."He stated suddenly before turning and walking away. After a bit he turned and said,"Thank you."

"I owed you one."Malfoy said, his eyes back on the book in nominal head of him.
*


"Ginny !"

Why is he shaking me ?

"Ginster wake up !"

"Harry ?"Ginny woke slowly and groggily."Harry it ‘ s still the middle of the night."

"I know."

"How did you even get up the stairs ?"

"Listen Gin, I need to take over the Chimera."Harry was whispering but he sounded insistent.

"Sure Harry."Ginny shook her head, clearing cobwebs."What do you want it for ?"

"Can ‘ t Tell you."Harry smiled evilly."If I told you you ‘ d be an accessory."

"An accessory to what ?"Ginny was wide of the mark awake now.

"A Harry potter Plan !"Harry grinned in the dark, then disappeared.
*


"Mr Potter…"Minerva McGonagall licked her sassing and stopped speaking. All around her the several grownup were starting to giggle, the educatee too. Dumbledore was giving Harry an valuate feeling, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim was laughing openly, Crouch just looked scandalized.

They were standing by the bound of the lake, the s task was about to start and all but one of the wizard were wearing swimsuits. Those three were the one 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 task before you consists of."

"Anything ‘ s possible."Potter shrugged.

"You realize that the broomstick will not even work underwater ?"

"Yes."

"Is there any chance that you will tell me what you ‘ re planning."

"No."

McGonagall shook her head and turned back towards the stands. Behind her the champions moved into wrinkle by the edge of the lake. She shook her head as traveling salesman read out the formula in his loud booming voice, then…

"One… two… ternion !"

Harry nip into the air like a smoke and careened backwards towards the pedestal. audience members scattered but Harry managed to regain control at the last minute and pulled up to germinate over and out, following the curve of the lake until he disappeared behind a hill.

"Did he run away ?"

"Where did he go ?"

mutter broke out around the base. McGonagall shook her headspring, they had said the Same matter end time and Harry had come through.

Her centre were drawn to the top stand, to the sliver of white amongst the night robe. The Pythea was standing before her seat, her optic fixed in the management Harry had disappeared. A consequence later she started laughing, a clear Chrystal laugh that flowed over the stands.

McGonagall looked out to try and see what she was seeing but saw nothing. A moment later a shape appeared in the lake, rounding the pitcher's mound that had hid it from view and pushing out quickly into the open water.

One by one the crowd fell soundless, every eye fixed on the thing in the lake. McGonagall put her hand to her backtalk, even given a thousand class she would never receive thought of this.

Karkaroff was the first to break the muteness. Shooting from his chair, his face red with rage he raised his fist and yelled,

"THAT LITTLE illegitimate child ! HE ‘ S STOLEN MY BLOODY SHIP !"



critique, please. Reviewing is good for you, it 's got calcium in it !