couple of short chapters now. To make up for the last two long ones.



"One… two… THREE !"

Harry yanked up on the broom and tried like hell to hold on as it shot into the air. He saw the stands come into vista and screamed, throwing his weight up and scraping over the top by an inch. He tried to retard down but the broom didn't seem to hear him. He was forced to try and keep in line it as it careened along the ground.

All he could do was try to aim the thing like a bull in a rodeo as it bucked and vibrated at threescore stat mi per hour. He crashed near the dockage and stumbled to his feet. He stuck the Chimera to a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with a flying reparation appealingness and added a really smutty curse for anyone who tried to deal it.

He dashed down the dock and stopped by the walkway up the Durmstrang ship.

"Ayauhteotl !"Harry waved his wand and a multicolor mist appeared over the walk, revealing the wards. Harry dipped his scepter into each node and spin around it around like a billy club, watching the changing color.

It was like a combination whorl, he just had to match them up… done !

Harry ran through the mist and dashed up to the back of the ship and grabbed the wheel. If his ten minutes spent reading up on sorcerous boats was anything to go on the crank should be… somewhere ?

Harry glanced from the incomprehensible mass of Victorian-looking boss and switches on the wide control control board to the three dimensional, ships wheel attached to the middle of a gyroscope.

Bugger… hold ! There were short control panel above the controls. Labels… labels in German. Bugger. The only one he could show was the ship's name, in sheer copperplate above the controls.

The Spirit of Njordr

"Well Spirit, just you and me."Harry put his hand on the accelerator, the exclusively control he could recognize. He pushed it forward and the ship surged away from the pier. He pushed it further and felt the idle words flow through his hair. Ok, this was nerveless. He rounded the little cape and the base of educatee came into panorama. Harry grinned, he reached into his gown and pulled out a leather pirate's hat.

If he was going down he could at least put on a serious show.
*


"THAT LITTLE shit ! HE ‘ S STOLEN MY BLOODY SHIP !"

"I believe I remember hearing you say he could take it out whenever he wanted Igor."Dumbledore commented airily."I believe Harry takes that form of thing seriously."
*


Harry grabbed the ships wheel and threw it forwards sharply. It rolled forward, swinging in its cradle, and the ship's nose dipped down into the H2O. Harry gritted his teeth as the Spirit slid down into lake. The water arched up over the top like it was sluicing over a glass ceiling. Harry forced himself to breath as the last of the sky disappeared and he was surrounded by water.

Harry tried not to believe about it. He raised his read/write head and whistled at the dark pee. After a tenacious moment a glowing figure appeared and came in close to the ship.

"fille Myrtle,"Harry waved his hat at the natation figure."Lead the way !"

"Aye, aye !"myrtle flew away towards the movement of the ship. Harry angled the odd wheel to follow her. The darkness carried on endlessly, Harry could feel the weewee all around him. Harry tried to keep himself distracted, unfortunately there wasn't much there to distract him. He glanced over the ship, it wasn't that tumid, it was slim down with a bingle mast. A… cutter… possibly ? His reading material last night hadn't been very all-inclusive on ship designation. He'd skipped right on to the basics of steering magical ships.

Great… lot of help that had been.

The ship had four trebuchet, two on each side. Probably already planning a dramatic victory solemnisation. The rest of the ship was spick-and-span, seal and cleaned down to the survive cheek railing. Harry grinned, now he knew why Karkaroff had brought so many students when it was obvious he favored Krum. He was using them to swab the decks.

Harry raised himself up on his tiptoes and looked out past the end of the ship and past the glowing specter out in battlefront. There was a forest of seaweed, or lake-weed maybe, stretching out in front of them. It was tall enough to curve up over the ship, Harry groaned as he saw Myrtle disappear into it.

As the ship moved into the timberland the kelp ( lake-kelp ? ) slid through the water-wards around the ship and fell onto the deck. Without the urine they couldn't stay upright and fell like wet spaghetti. As the ship moved forward they slid off again just as new 1 fell down. It was creepy, like the lake was trying to snap up custody of the ship with slippery fingers.

A shallow of silvery Pisces the Fishes surrounded the ship, shimmering like a rainbow. Then they changed and flickered in wafture of yellowness and green, rippling in bands across the school. Harry wondered idily whether they were conjuration or they were just catching the light.

Suddenly the shallow broke apart and drown away from the ship, disappearing in an instant into the wickedness behind the ship.

"Oh, that can ‘ t be good."Harry looked around desperately for what they were running from. Out ahead Myrtle had disappeared into the sombreness. A shadower passed over the ship, moving fast through the water system. Harry's oculus flicked up but it had already disappeared into the seaweed."Bugger…"

Harry's hand moved to the throttle and he pushed it forward sharply, the ship surged forward. Hopefully away from the thing. Something green flashed through the kelp to the left, keeping pace. Harry hit the strangulate harder and the roulette wheel began to vibrate. He held on grimly as the dope shot past faster and faster. The green affair kept pace, swinging closer through the underwater jungle. Suddenly it jerked towards him, Harry swung the wheel wildly but the green thing kept coming. It shot through the Barbara Ward and slapped down onto the decks.

Harry slammed the throttle back, bringing the ship to a stop and stepped out from behind the steering chromatography column. The green thing straightened up, dripping, it looked like a eldritch sawbuck standing up on its hind legs, standing at least eight understructure tall. It's weaponry ended in claws instead of hooves, giant three fingered claws. It's horse head… no more like a muzzly dog… was covered in lank hair, like it was part of the seaweed.

"Are you a Grindylow or a kelpy ?"Harry backed away from the matter as it stomped towards him."Or maybe a Kappa ? God I wish I ‘ d paid tending to Lupin."

The thing lifted it's head and brayed, showing Harry that it's tooth were sharp, serrated fangs.

"Stupefy !"Harry jabbed his scepter at the thing, the spell flew out and impacted into it's chest. It didn't even flinch. Instead it screeched and lunged towards him like a bull, Harry rolled out of the way and it crashed into the level in a mass of flailing wet limbs.

"If I knew what you were I could fight you !"Harry yelled in thwarting as the thing lurched to its fundament and came after him at a run. Harry spun and fled off the back deck of cards, dashing out of reach of the fauna flailing nipper. He put the mast between him and it. It lurched left, Harry matched it. It turned right, Harry matched it again and it screeched like a banshee.

"Acerbus cus…"Harry bit back on the finally Good Book. If he went to dark magic trick and they found out he was out of the tourney. Harry looked the wight over, heavily muscled forearms and body, ribs like armored ridgepole, lose weight legs… Thin legs on hooves.

"Ferio !"Harry aimed at the hooves and they slid on the wet wood. The animal went down again, crashing headfirst into the floor. It scrambled up again, it's feet slipping like a cat on linoleum, and hissed. A moment later it was down on all Little Joe, it's chela scraping on the deck.

"Clever bastard."Harry jumped backwards as it bounded towards him. He had to fudge under it's swiping claws as it tried to adopt his head word off. A moment later he felt his back hit wood, he was out of room.

The thing reared up triumphantly, bringing an arm back to save the concluding blow.

"Accio !"Harry aimed under the thing's arm at the shinning throttle. The intent stab forward, throwing both Harry and the affair off their pes. The creature dropped onto one of the arbalest, its forefront resting on the cradle.

"Diffindo !"Harry aimed at the rope holding the catapult down and it snapped up, bringing the creatures head with it. There was a outrageous shot and the creature's neck opening twisted back. It stumbled backwards and dropped to the flooring, it's limbs flailing. Harry watched as it shook then grew still, it's mind pointing gruesomely backwards.

"Whatever you are you ‘ re dead now."Harry stumbled back to the bicycle and pulled the throttle back to a more reasonable speed. Myrtle had disappeared, Harry whistled again but she didn't rematerialize. Oh great… wait…

There was a screechy warbling auditory sensation coming out of the water. It sounded like the song from the egg. Harry spun the wheel to the right to follow the sound and pushed the limit forward. The purport kept on sliding through the black water, except it wasn't as black now. Harry left the controls and went to the side.

Ahead and down there were lights appearing out of the fogginess. niggling lights moving, flickering, some arranged in business. The igniter followed a traffic pattern, laid out along perambulation or grouped in ball near buildings. A city, a urban center underwater. Harry spun the roulette wheel forward and the Spirit began to derive.

Figures swam up to suffer the ship as it floated down, name with gray, scaly skin and fish tails.

"Mermaids ?"Harry glanced at the mythical creatures keeping pace with him. Several of them were carrying average looking weaponry and had weird tribal tattoos standing out in red against their pale grey skin. They didn't flavour like the Disney kind of mermaid, not unless they upped the rating.

Harry aimed for the gravid tightness of luminosity, in the middle of the metropolis. There was some kind of Town square, hundreds of the fish people were clustered around something in the middle. Harry swung the ship around to get a undecomposed look.

There were three human figures tied up with midst, kelpy ropes to a boulder in the center of the square and an clear space where it looked like another figure had been. Harry squinted, trying to identify them through the fog. Two he didn't recognize but the 3rd jumped out at him, her blond tomentum making a dandelion crownwork around her head, Susan Bones.

Harry cursed as he realized he couldn't actually get the ship down to them without crushing them in the procedure. He stuck an arm through the Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, wand outstretched.

"Relashio !"The R-2 around Susan released and she drifted liberal away from the rock."Accio !"Harry aimed again and her body switch direction and came shooting towards him. The here and now she fell through the Aaron Montgomery Ward she began spluttering and looking around in shock.

"Harry where the hell… are we on a ship ?"

"No, it ‘ s your imagination."Harry pulled her to her feet."You ok ?"

"Yeah, I think…"Susan looked herself over."Dumbledore said we wouldn ‘ t wake up until we reached the surface."

"Ward must give birth screwed with it."Harry shrugged and hurried back to the controls. He lifted the ship away from the square and sent it off the way he'd came as quickly as he could.

"What the hell is that !"

"What… ?"Harry looked where Susan was pointing."Oh… Dead Kappa."

"That's not a Kappa !"Susan said, her voice high with blow."Kappa ‘ s are about this tall."She put her hand at her shoulder to demonstrate.

"Ok… It ‘ s a tall Kappa ? It ate lots of spinach plant ? Is this really the most significant thing happening right now ?"

Susan shook her question then frowned and pointed ahead of them.

"And what ‘ s that ?"She was pointing at a moving, eel like shape in the dour beyond the bow.

"What's… damn it !"Harry whirled the wheel to avoid it but they were already too close. It splashed through the ward and landed on the deck. Harry ran up, wand outstretched and prepare for a fight, then burst out laughing."You look nonsensical !"

"This isn ‘ t queer Potter."Malfoy canceled his bubblehead charm, dragged a clump of seaweed off his head and threw it at Harry, who dodged easily. Beside him pouf was waking up and staring blearily at her environs. The eel matter looked like it was made of tail and seemed to dissolving into the story now that it was out of the water. Malfoy watched it go away and imprecate."Do you know how foresighted it ‘ ll return to make another one of them ?"

"Not my fault."Harry shrugged.

"You ran into me !"

"Yeah well… um…"Harry paused, trying to consider of any way in which it was not his fault. Malfoy saved him the trouble.

"What the hell is that !"

"Spinach Kappa."

"Are you crazy Potter that ‘ s clearly a kelpie !"

"Well if you knew the answer why did you ask ?"

"I was wondering why a kelpie with a infract neck opening was decomposing on the deck of your sh…"Malfoy looked around, seeming to take in his surroundings for the first time."YOU STOLE A SHIP !"

"Technically it ‘ s not theft, it ‘ s piracy."

"ceramist you-"

"guy wire !"Susan interrupted."Shouldn ‘ t soul be steering ?"

Harry looked at the unattended ascendancy panel then back at Malfoy. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Girls,"Harry shrugged."Always complaining."

Harry grinned at Susan's outraged formulation and trotted up the ships wheel. But as he got there a glowing name materialized out of the inkiness behind them.

"Harry You have to get out of here !"Vinca minor yelled, her whole ectoplasmic body vibrating in fear.

"Vinca minor where did you-"

"Harry just go !"Myrtle screamed, glancing back behind her."It ‘ s the giant squid !"

Harry followed her regard, there was something moving out there certainly… something big but… NO !

Harry jerked the wheel just in fourth dimension as a massive fleshy tentacle came out of nowhere and crashed through the railing, raking the deck of cards to Harry's left.

"Get bellow !"Harry yelled to his passenger as he threw the gas to full. The ship surged forward just as another arm tried to grab at the mast. Harry saw a massive eye through the darkness to the left, monster and red and bloodshot and staring right at him. Harry jerked the bicycle down and the sprightliness rose past the monster, the eye disappearing into the murk. Suddenly an arm came out of nowhere and wrapped around the bow of the ship, spinning them around. Harry drew his wand but before he could use it a bolt of ash grey light impacted the tentacle and it flailed away, smoking.

Harry saw Malfoy slip up away from the front of the ship and dah towards him.

"What the hell is going on !"

"hulk squid !"Harry yelled back.

"I know that ! I mean this !"Malfoy waved at the complicated mastery panel."Do you even know how to navigate this ship ?"

"No."

"You idiot !"Malfoy swung himself in forepart of the controls. His hands began flying over the unearthly knows and button, including all the ones Harry hadn't had the guts to rival."You could suffer killed us all !"

"I don ‘ t recall inviting you on board the good ship squid-bait !"

"Shut up and do as I say."Malfoy ordered, still working at the controls. A moment later Harry felt a surge of might from the ship. They jumped forward, Harry could even see unhorse ahead.

"port wine !"

Looked like daylight…

"Steer to port !"

Harry jerked to biography in time to jam the wheel to the left field just as a massive shape appeared in the H2O in front of them. Harry registered a parrot-like honker and flailing tentacles before they slid past and hit the surface.

The ship broached through the surface like a heavyweight, shedding weewee in great tabloid. Harry clung on to try to retain some semblance of ascendence. They hit back into the lake with a massive plumage of spray, a mo later the jumbo squid exploded out of the lake nearby, it instantly spun around and headed for them.

"Hard starboard !"

Harry complied and soon they were racing away from the thing. Harry looked ahead and swore.

"Malfoy there ‘ s a drop !"

"I know, keep on going."Malfoy was bent over the controls.

"We ‘ re gon na hit it !"

"What ‘ s the subject thrower ?"Malfoy glanced up grinning."Thought you liked this variety of thing ?"

"I really hate you Draco."Harry gritted his dentition and aimed the ship directly at the drop-off. Behind them the squid was keeping yard just a few measure behind."Malfoy…"

"Not yet."Malfoy's hand was hovering over a big red button.

"Malfoy… !"

"Not yet !"

Harry could see gull snuggle in the cliff face. Another hundred meters. He could see seagulls. Another one hundred meters. He could see eggs !

"NOW !"Malfoy smashed the clitoris as Harry steered furiously to the side. He could listen the linchpin chain of mountains rolling out and felt a loud crash as the ship came to a diaphragm. A instant later the calamari shot past, a beat away from their starboard hull.

There was another wreck and the seagulls took flight, a heavyweight flock of white leaving the drop. The goliath calamari surfaced, mightily next to the cliff, its eyes were rolling listlessly and it's arms floated uselessly behind it.

"Knocked itself out."Harry grinned and stumbled over to the railing."Knocked itself cold on the cliff."Harry sighed in relief.

"Thanks Malfoy, I really-"

"Harry ?"Harry turned around, instead of Malfoy he saw Susan standing there."He ‘ s gone."

"Gone ? What do you mean…"Harry followed her pointing finger."… Son of a cunt !"

Malfoy was surfing away over the water on a record of light, Pansy clumped by his feet.

"We need to catch him up !"Harry turned to the steering wheel but stopped. The steering cycle was incased in ice."Son of a cunt !"

"We could just swim for it Harry."Susan suggested, shrugging."We wouldn ‘ t win but at least we ‘ d finish."

"I refuse to fall behind to that backstabbing bastard !"Harry cast around for another way to get back to the starting transmission line. There had to be a way, there had to be… ah !

"No ! Harry NO !"Susan yelled as she saw what he was looking at."No way in infernal region !"

"ejaculate on !"Harry said laughing as he pulled her over onto the catapult ‘ s place of origin."What could go wrong ?"

"Are you crazy ! No Harry !"

Harry grinned, and cut the cable.
*


They shot into the air. Harry could sense the pressure of the acceleration everywhere, he could see the beach approaching fast, too fast. He raised his wand against the wind and yelled the get-go charm he could think of.

"Eizuckerpeitsche !"

crush !

Harry tried to breath as his venter spun in circles. He opened his heart to see paries of crackly Andrew Dickson White. Susan was in his weaponry, holding him tight around the shank with her point buried in his robes.

"It ‘ s ok."Harry whispered."We ‘ ve landed now."

"We ‘ ve… ?"Susan poked her head up and looked around. She still looked a small frazzled, her eye darting every charge."What did we shoot down in ?"

"Meringue."

"Meringue ?"

"Yes."

"Oh…"She was breathing heavily and still hadn't let go of his waist."Harry ?"

"Yes."

"Never do that to me again."

"Ok."Harry smiled."I promise I ‘ ll never shoot you out of a catapult into a wad of meringue again."

"This isn't funny."Susan said angrily, her face flushing red.

"You see me laughing ?"

She was still breathing heavily, her hair's-breadth falling around her face, her Brown centre staring into his, her red-faced lips were so close…
*


Hermione jumped up in stupor as Harry impacted into the hulk cumulus of meringue that had appeared on the beach. A present moment later the crowd was rushing from the stands, towards the white mountain. Out in front was a blond woman, yelling at the top of her voice.

Susan finger cymbals'female parent ? Hermione guessed.

The crowd reached the meringue and Mrs Bones began digging into it madly.

"Susan ! Are you in there ? Susan !"She was pulling off huge chunks, rapidly burrowing into the middle of the mound.

"Susan ! Are you Ok ? Can you hear me Su… HARRY thrower WHAT THE nether region DO YOU THINK YOU ‘ RE DOING !"

Harry's reception went down in Hogwarts history.

"I am snogging your daughter, what does it aspect LIKE I ‘ m doing ! ?"



A recent medical examination study indicated that each review you leave adds three weeks to your lifespan.

It 's true.

... no it 's not. Leave a revaluation anyway.


Ok, forget about the short chapters, decided against it.



Harry felt his ear grabbed painfully and a second later he was dragged from his meringue cocoon. He registered laughing and clapping faces before he was dropped on the bumpy beach. He stood up and tried to brush off the T. H. White powder clinging to every column inch of his body.

"Don ‘ t you have anything to say for yourself ?"

Harry turned and looked up into the font of Mrs Bones. Behind her Susan was looking at the background, blushing furiously.

"Yeah…"Harry grinned and patted his point."Did you see my hat anywhere in there ?"

"You little-"

"It ‘ s red, kind of like a pirate hat. It had a plumage in it but that may receive puff of or-"

"I ‘ ll get you !"Mrs Bones lunged at him and Harry had to dance out of the way.

"Doris clappers !"Dumbledore's representative rang out over the gang and Harry turned in clock time to see him striding purposefully through the plurality of students. Mrs Bones stood straight wish a tike caught with Sweet and Harry relaxed. The Headmaster walked closer and came to a block in front of the three of them."I am sorry to put a stop to this harbour spectacle but we will be needing our champion back."

Harry shot a smile at Susan before walking towards Dumbledore.

"And we will consecrate him back after we are done."

Harry winced but kept walking.
*


The champions waited in a roped off arena while the judges deliberated. Harry winced and rubbed his ear, it really hurt. Trust his luck to stimulate no trauma during the task but get a twist around ear as soon as he hit land.

None of the mavin spoke, Fleur kept rubbing a patch on her arm and whispering under her breathing spell. She sounded almost like she was praying. Krum was just staring straight ahead, moping at coming in stopping point. And Malfoy ? Malfoy was odd… even though he'd reached shore less than a minute after Harry he looked downcast, his shoulders hung limp and he kept shooting Harry glances full on… Sadness ? guilt trip ? invidia ? It was impossible to tell.

Harry looked over at the judges but it looked like they were still stuck in deliberation. The only one he could hear was Karkaroff, who was yelling and gesturing at the ship, still anchored out in the lake. Mr Crouch had a book open and was pointing to something, speaking quickly. Dumbledore stood to one side, occasionally commenting. Madam Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim was sat to one side of meat, apparently not paying care. Perhaps they had already decided Fleur's mark.

Stealing a ship Harry ?

Harry closed his eyes and tried to block off a giggle escaping his oral fissure. Pythea's spokesperson in his principal was ignite and good humored, it sounded like she was only just stopping herself from laughing as well.

Was that the skilful you could come in up with ?

"Pirating a ship."Harry thought, grinning."Why does everyone get that wrong ?"

You are insane Harry. In the outdo possible way.

"Thank you."Harry opened his oculus and tried to plunk her out of the crowd but he couldn't find her."Where are you ?"

Getting fix to go out. Pythea's voice took on a mournful flavor. I've been invited to a dinner in London tonight and we'll be leaving after that. I'm afraid I won't get another chance to see you. I'm sorry Harry, I can't get out of it.

"It ‘ s O.K. Thea."Harry nodded."I understand. So this is goodbye ? Until summertime I mean."

Harry… Pythea trailed off, Harry could almost see her sigh. Yes until summer.

"Is… is there something else ?"Harry asked warily.

I… I wish I could tell apart you Harry. Just keep the necklace on. Please…

"Ok, I understand."Harry smiled sadly."sayonara Thea."

Goodbye Harry.

"care everyone !"Dumbledore said, his phonation magically amplified. Harry was jerked out of his intellect by the master articulation and felt a small discharge as Pythea's presence disappeared."We, the judges, have come to a decision."

Harry heard the whole student body go still.

"For Viktor Krum who used a partial translation to swell issue but unfortunately was unable to free his hostage, we award ten points."

Krum made no bm, he had obviously been expecting something like that.

"For Fleur Delacour demonstrating a ripe bubblehead magic spell, and who retrieved her Hostage just a few moments past the time limit, we award twenty points !"

Fleur nodded, smiling.

"There has been some… discussion over the succeeding two marks."Dumbledore stopped and cleared his throat before continuing."Mr Malfoy ‘ s used a bubblehead charm and subsequent conjuring to regain his surety well within the time boundary. Although he rode on Mr potter ‘ s Transportation for a scant clip we have been told that this was accidental and so should not matter against him. We have awarded him thirty point !"

A minor, green robed, constituent of the crowd went wild with celebration.

"We have also discussed Mr ceramist ‘ s conduct."Dumbledore looked over and met Harry ‘ s eyes. It was impossible to tell what the old man was thinking."Mr thrower brought his surety back first, it is unfeigned. However, although Mr Crouch has informed us that Mr ceramicist ‘ s conduct was not strictly illegal, we have decided that it was grave, irresponsible and not in keeping with the feel of the competition. Therefore we have awarded him no points !"

"Oh come on !"Harry heard soul yell, another voice booed and a moment later the cry was taken up across the whole crew ( except the Slytherins and the students of the former school day ). Dumbledore put his mitt out for tranquility and hoi polloi quieted down, there was still some angry muttering though.

"I am sorry."Fleur turned to Harry and smiled in commiseration."I think zey were to ‘ arsh on you."

"I ‘ m just happy to still be here."Harry grinned. Fleur looked confused."You know, instead of being arrested."

"Ah,"Fleur nodded and tossed her hair."But zey would not put ze boy who lived in jail."

"Not permanently."Harry shrugged and turned."well Malfoy that makes you the… Malfoy ?"Harry shape around but the blonde haired boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh well."Harry shrugged and turned to the crowd."Party in Gryffindor column !"
*


On the way back to retrieve the Chimera with the piranha Harry stopped out of sight of the crowd and trotted down to the edge of the lake.

"Harry ?"Ron called out after him."What are you doing ?"Harry ignored him. As he reached the weewee edge he cupped his hands to his sassing and yelled,

"I beat you you dolt lake ! Yeah you, and everything you could throw at me ! I. rhythm. YOU !"Harry threw his arms in the air and laughed.
*


Harry juggled four evacuate butterbeer bottle in the middle of the laughing crowd in Gryffindor tower. He flipped one behind his dorsum and just managed to overhear it on the end of his fingertips.

Either he was out of practice or he had had too many bottleful himself. Or maybe it had been whatever the park hooey the Weasley twins had brought was ?

"We need more butterbeer !"Someone shouted near the binding of the tower.

"No we don ‘ t !"Fred yelled back, unveiling another crate.

"Stop trying to require deferred payment for the catering Fred,"Harry laughed."We all know it was Dobby."

"party pooper !"

Harry spun the bottles back down to ground and collapsed against the wall near a window. It was one of the few untenanted maculation in the stallion towboat. Initially multitude had questioned why Harry was celebrating having not scored at all. Harry then explained to them that although he had failed on the peak fron the had won on the unspeakable-awesomeness front and that was even better.

It seemed like all of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had squeezed into the tug along with the indigen Gryffindors. The party had spilled up the tugboat with people lounging around in the bedroom and landings ( Endless fun was gained from letting the other students try to wax the staircase to the miss room ). Harry had even seen a group of educatee sitting in one of the bathrooms, playing some kind of forfeit game that involved a lot of giggling, clapping and intermittent green slime. Probably a effective matter they were in there come to think of it.

"Great political party Harry !"Someone yelled from across the way. Harry couldn't see who."Yeah not bad !"Someone closer shouted. Harry thought it might have been Cho. There was only one thing missing from this party that would have made it perfect.

That blond someone had been dragged family by her ear so her mother could give her a stern talking-to about her alternative of boys.

Harry felt kind of bad about getting Susan in trouble. In retrospect he could get handled the situation with more delicacy, or any fineness. But it would probably fumble over, even if not it was Susan he was dating, not her mother.

So it couldn't possibly be a problem.

Surprisingly when he had remarked on this to Hermione she had doubled over laughing.

"What ?"Harry had said, as his friend held her breadbasket in pain in the ass."What ?"

"Nothing Harry. Nothing."Hermione had patted him on the shoulder, still chuckling."It ‘ s nice to know that you ‘ re naive about some things."

Harry shrugged it away, it was probably a girl thing.

Speaking of which… Harry saw a figure sitting out by the front of the shoal, a physique who looked like it had blond whisker. Maybe her parents had let her make out abode early ?

Harry pushed himself up and shouldered his way through the crowd towards the portraiture hole. He grabbed a few butter-beers on the way and fended off any questions about where he was going,

"Just to the bathroom."Harry grinned."The one up there ‘ s covered in slime."

Harry slipped out and closed the portrait firmly behind him before trotting away down the corridor. He effortlessly slid behind a statue as Filch ambled yesteryear before proceeding down to the entrance student residence. The main door's were closed at this metre of night so Harry left by a side door and skirted the edge of the castle until the independent door came into view. The frame waiting there was not the one he had expected.

Malfoy was sat there, head in his script and absolutely still about halfway up the steps. For a moment Harry thought he might have been petrified before he saw the Slytherin shift his feet. Harry ghosted up silently until he was next to the former boy. Malfoy wasn't crying or anything, no angry shaking or despaired murmur. He just seemed… numb.

"We got to stop confluence like this."Harry's vox sounded especially loud in the Nox air and Malfoy's head jerked up. Harry could almost see the moment it took for Malfoy to put his usual scowl back in place, like a mask over everything.

"What are you doing here Potter ?"He sneered, but it didn't have it's usual kick. Even it felt muted.

"Saw you from the tower."Harry shrugged."thinking you were Susan issue forth back early."

Malfoy snorted and shook his fountainhead. But Harry saw him subtly angling himself so he was less seeable from the tower.

"Why are you here then ?"Harry asked."I assume there ‘ s some sort of party in Slytherin ?"

"Isn ‘ t there a party in Gryffindor ?"

"Avoiding the question."Harry grinned."Nice."

"Just go away Potter."Malfoy shook his head and sunk back down to the whole step. Harry ignored him and dropped down onto the behind next to him. A foresightful moment passed in silence.

"Did Karkaroff give you any trouble about the ship ?"Malfoy said suddenly.

"Making me pay for the repairs."Harry shook his header."God knows how much it ‘ ll co-"

"I ‘ ll spate with it."Malfoy cut him off."My father has the great unwashed for that sort of thing."

Harry took an valuate import before the bulb clicked on in his head.

"Ah !"Harry smiled."I was wondering."

"Wondering what ?"

"Why the giant calamari attacked us."Harry leant back and lay down on the steps behind him."It ‘ s an ancient protector of Hogwarts, trained to only attack drear legerdemain. And I know I wasn ‘ t doing any night magic…"

Malfoy bowed his head, but Harry could trust there was a sliver of a grinning at the boundary of his lips.

"That eel thing you were riding when I first saw you ? That thing that dissolved into the deck ?"Harry guessed."I ‘ m thought you don't want anyone to incur traces of it whilst they ‘ re repairing the ship. Maybe get you kicked out of the contention, at the very least."

After a here and now Malfoy started chuckling, just a wry little racket, but it was there.

"Very thoroughly Potter."Malfoy lay back on the footmark as well."I keep forgetting you ‘ re actually intelligent."

"Thank you, I think."Harry laughed."Butter-beer ?"Harry held out a bottle.

"Thank you."Malfoy took the feeding bottle and elegantly flicked the cap off with his sceptre. Harry rolled his middle and took his off with his teeth. They drunk in silence for a while, the twist whistling through the grass and about the towers of the old castle. Harry could even find out the echoing laugh from Gryffindor tower far above.

"So what is this ?"Harry broke the muteness."Are we like Friend now or something ?"

"We ‘ re drinking beer together."Malfoy stated flatly.

"Chums ? sidekick ?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Co-conspirators ? Friendly competitor ?"Harry grinned."Agreed non-combatants ?"

"We are drinking beer together."Malfoy repeated."And you ‘ re talking too much."

"Emo git."

"Scarhead."

"Snake."

"Orphan."

"Peroxide."

"I looked that up you know."Malfoy commented, bringing down a string of his hair to stare at."I think I ‘ m more a platinum blonde."

"Always about money with you isn ‘ t it."

Malfoy shrugged and silence descended again.

"So…"Harry broached carefully."Are you gon na assure me why you were sitting out here in the first place ?"

Malfoy didn't answer, just stared off into space.

"I mean there must possess been a reason…"

"Why would I tell you."Malfoy said under his breath, his old venom dripping from the words. Harry could see the masquerade party pulling back into place.

"No reason… just… well something strikes me."Harry wondered if this was the right course to pick out but kept going anyway."Your best friend are Crabbe and Goyle right ? Except they ‘ re not really the talking-to kind of acquaintance. Actually they don ‘ t seem as a great deal like friends as they do like… employees I guess. They work for you."

Malfoy remained still, staring out into the Scottish night.

"And I haven ‘ t seen you hanging around poove as much lately."Harry shrugged."soundly choice on your role that… And anyway even when you were together you didn't really seem to talk. She was more an ornament then a girlfriend I think. I don ‘ t know much about your Quidditch mates but none of them are in the same twelvemonth as you are they ? And I know you don't talk to anyone outside Slytherin house."

Malfoy's grey oculus bored into the darkness as Harry dryly dissected his life.

"And I haven ‘ t seen many owls coming to your bit of the breakfast table other than your household ‘ s eagle owl. You almost never write back. That old woman, Ellen Hayward ? You cared about her a lot I think, but she ‘ s gone now."Harry took a thick breath."So the thing is… the spot is… the understanding you should tell me what's bothering you, is that you don ‘ t really have anyone else to tell."

Malfoy stayed silent for a moment longer then wet his lips.

"Thank you Potter."His spokesperson broke a little as he was speaking."That ‘ s made me feel lots better."

"I didn ‘ t mean it to come out that that harsh."Harry shrugged apologetically.

"It was more the was you systematically stripped me of everything that connects me to humanity."

"That too."

Malfoy shook his fountainhead ruefully and downed the residue of his drink.

"I can ‘ t tell you the reason."Malfoy shook his head."Not the independent one anyway."

"Then… the minor one ?"Harry coaxed.

"You really want to hear ?"Malfoy asked, sounding confused.

"This may total as a shock to you blondie, but I don ‘ t hatred you."Harry grinned."Anymore…"

"You hated me last year."

"I humiliated you last year."Harry smiled evilly."But I didn ‘ t hate you. Ginny, now she hated you. And the year before we were practically bestest-buddies."

"I was your witness in a racist cult."

"As I said, buddies."Harry quipped ( mentally noting down the fact that Malfoy had referred to it as a racist cultus )."Now either block avoiding the question or at least try and be less obvious about it."

"It ‘ s just…"Malfoy took a trench breathing place."My Fatherhood hasn't written."

Harry waited for the end if the paragraph before realizing it had already passed.

"That ‘ s it ?"Harry asked incredulously."daddy hasn ‘ t written ?"

"I came first in the task !"Malfoy said angrily."I ‘ m in get-go place in the tournament. Surely he has something to say about that. He didn ‘ t write to me after the first base task either."

"How about when you were chosen as champion ?"

"He did write to me then,"Malfoy nodded."But it was strange, it was like he didn ‘ t know whether to compliment me or not."

"Why do you care ?"Harry asked, confused.

"What do you mean ‘ why do I care ‘ ?"Malfoy looked traumatize."He ‘ s my father."

"Oh, not my field of expertness I guess."Harry shrugged."For me family is squarely divided between died-before-I-remember and treated-me-like-crap."Happy paused."I suppose it ‘ s possible that the ace that died before I was born also treated me like crap… unlikely though. Either way I don't have to care what they think, or would stimulate thought, about me."

"You don ‘ t feel any, I don ‘ t know… compulsion… to live on up to their expectations ?"Malfoy asked, seeming genuinely curious."None at all ?"

"Nope. Why do you think I never tried to learn to fly ?"Harry shrugged."It ‘ s the top to being orphaned."

"I envy you."Malfoy said, shaking his head.

"There are a couple of downsides as well."Harry replied dryly."You ‘ ll never have to learn how to use paper as an insulator."

"You didn ‘ t have to run away from home."Malfoy murmured the scuttlebutt so softly that Harry wasn ‘ t sure if he should respond.

"I chose to."Harry shrugged."I could own stayed I guess, but I ‘ d prefer to get my freedom."

"I see."Malfoy looked down into his void nursing bottle, rolling it idly between his fingers. Harry handed him a full one."Do you ever regret-"

"No."

"Right."

"Do you…"Harry took a cryptic breath."Do you ever regret not leaving ?"

"What makes you think I ‘ ve thought about it ?"Malfoy said evasively.

"Your argument of questioning, your boilersuit demeanor, the fact that I ‘ ve met your father, the fact that you already said you envy me."Harry shrugged."Lots of things."

"You haven ‘ t been legilimizing me have you ?"Malfoy said angrily.

"You ‘ d know. You ‘ re better at occlumency than me."

"There are mollusc better at occlumency than you."

"Magical mollusks ?"

"No."

"mend,"Harry grinned and shrugged."Oh well. Anyway, about your don not writing…"

"There ‘ s nothing I can do I was just-"

"You ‘ ll just have to win."Harry said glibly. Malfoy turned to him in shock absorber."Then he ‘ ll accept to pay attention."Malfoy stared at him, his middle wide. Harry just laughed. After a second Malfoy started laughing too.
*


And it was with that that Harry and Malfoy became booster. There are some thing you can't share and not become admirer and your sucky category life is one of them.

It's not as spectacular as fighting a troll, but in the long run it's probably a more stable basis for a friendship.
*


"Errg…"Ron groaned, his head in his hands.

"Brother dearest, let me ask you something."Ginny said, making trusted to add extra volume to the vowel sound."The twins are your brothers, they are your older brothers. That means you have known them your entire life. So let me ask you… WHY THE HELL DID YOU deglutition THAT hooey THEY GAVE YOU ? !"

Ron's response was calculated and articulate.

"Errrg…. think ‘ m gon na fox up."

"At least Neville has an excuse."

Neville responded by shuddering and rolling onto the other side of his bed. Harry, who had only had a drinking glass or two of the twin ‘ party mix'and so was in a more human condition chuckled a little.

"Ok I understand why you ‘ re not sick."Harry pointed at Ginny."You didn ‘ t imbibe any, neither did Hermione. But why aren ‘ t Padma and Annapurna sick."

"Oh Hermione mixed us up an antidote."

"There ‘ s antidote ?"Ron whimpered."Why not make for us ?"

"She ‘ s mixing up another passel for Neville and Harry now."Ginny smiled evilly."You on the early hand… Maybe you should intend about apologizing before you start asking for favors."Ginny got up and left the room, chuckling under her breath.

"Ok,"Harry shared a glance with the bedridden Neville."Guess they haven ‘ t totally forgotten about the orchis thing."

In the end Harry palmed his vial of antidote and gave it to Ron. If he hadn't then the rest of the day would bear been very unpleasant. Ron did his best to sound ill so the others didn't catch on. This might have worked if Ron was not a completely awful actor. It the end Harry just gave up and accepted that the day was going to suck. They had transfiguration anyway so it could never give birth been good.

As Harry was slinking out of class miserably ( McGonnagall had dropped supererogatory homework on him ) when he realized that someone had been missing from the lesson.

"Guys, where ‘ d Susan go ?"Harry asked the assembled marauders.

"Um… I heard her parents got permission to preserve her home for the week."Parvati said evasively.

"Oh, hope she ‘ s back for the Hogsmeade weekend."Harry shrugged and turned towards their next lesson. Behind him he heard Padma voicelessness,

"Is he really that oblivious ?"

"I think so."Her sister responded."In some ways he ‘ s worse than Ron."

"Not most room though."

"Oh definitely not, but a few."

"I have quite unspoiled ears up here girls."Harry commented."So either voicelessness better or talk in code."

"Inkthaye heaye ancay derstandunaye isthaye ?"Parvarti whispered conspiratorially.

"Brilliant sister,"Padma rolled her middle."Just brilliant."
*


Susan didn't materialize all week. Harry considered owling her but figured she probably wouldn't want to be bothered at her parents blank space. When the Hogsmeade workweek end finally rolled around Harry waited in the entering residence hall for a while, but when she didn't appearance up he shrugged and left to meet up with the marauders.

As he neared the castle gate he casually disillusioned himself and slipped behind Filch, who was eyeing everyone going in and out evilly. He removed the enchantment as son as he was out of the caretakers sight, shocking two third gear years Gryffindors..

"Can you not do that Harry !"Elizabeth snapped at him.

"Sorry,"Harry winked at her and genus Vanessa."But it ‘ s better than crossing the bloody lake."

"Why don ‘ t you steal another ship ?"Liz quipped back at him.

"Don ‘ t want to seem formulaic. call for to observe affair fresh."

"You ‘ ve done the invisibility thing before too."Vanessa pointed out.

"Good head, I need some new material…"Harry tapped his chin thoughtfully."Know anywhere I can get a Hippogriff ?"

The two daughter laughed and Harry shrugged, so long as it worked he ‘ d proceed using disillusion. Except with mad eye Helen Newington Wills. Harry walked the rest of the way into town with the little Slythi-Gryffs then split off as he spotted the marauders.

"Hey guy, anything happening ?"

"You probably shouldn't be here Harry."Hermione said sharply as Harry sauntered up."McGonagall's around town somewhere, and so are scrunch, dame maxim and that other justice, Ludo Bagman."

"tinker's dam,"Harry winced."That ‘ s a heavy group."

"That ‘ s what we thought."

"well if I wear a camouflage or something…. hold, were those four together ?"

"Yeah."Ron answered, sounding confused."They all went into the triplet Broomsticks together. Why ?"

"tercet Triwizard evaluator and the de-facto administrator of Hogwarts meeting up ?"Harry winked."I wonder what they could be discussing."

"You gon na listen in ?"Fred asked excitedly.

"We ‘ ll avail !"His twin chimed in happily.

"Harry no !"Hermione pleaded."You could ruin your prospect in the tourney !"

"I ‘ m already last."Harry shrugged."What else can they do ?"

"chow you out."Padma suggested."ejaculate on Harry, your habit of ignoring school dominion has expanded to include ignoring both ministry laws and canonical common sense. Lets just go back to Hogwarts."

"No."Harry shook his mind."And anyway, since I ‘ m conclusion place I need to subscribe a few hazard or I ‘ ll never win."Harry turned to the Weasley twins."You mind scoping out the broomsticks for me ?"

"No problem Harry."Fred winked and a import later he and his comrade disappeared.

Harry left the other marauders and waited outside the pub for Fred and George V to reappear. After a moment they walked out, a slight too nonchalantly.

"Guys, walk normally."Harry hissed."Unless you want everyone to know something's screwy."

"Do not lecture the masters."George put his hand to his chest of drawers in mock shock."We were doing this before you even learnt how to tease a pocket."

"No you weren ‘ t."Harry said flatly."Unless you were doing it before you were eight."

"You learnt to pickpocket at eight ?"Fred said, scandalized.

"sevener. I ‘ m untried than you remember."Harry said impatiently."Now what did you see in there ?"

"All four of them are at a table near the back."George II said, pointing back towards the edifice and vaguely to the left. His twin just kept shaking his read/write head and muttering ‘ seven ? ’."It's one of the secret booths."

"Ok, time to be old jack Shaky again."Harry rummaged in his bag and brought out his old man masquerade and raged cloak. After donning his disguise he shuffled across the street and entered the pub. As soon as he was in he picked out his marks near the back of the room. Not wanting to call down distrust he walked up to the replication and ordered a trash of wine. A drunkenness not childish enough to piss him search like a child but not strong enough to take a shit him appear like a nestling wearing a camouflage to get alcohol.

With the goldilocks drink in hand he walked creakily over to the next compartment over from the judges and sat down.

"-don't see where it zey av all gone."Madam Maxim was saying."Ze last-place metre I was over see zey were everywhere."

"It ‘ s been a much stiff summer than usual."McGonnagall said."That may have cut down their numbers. Flowers blooming later and so forth."

"Perhaps."

"It may also be the habitats."Mr Crouch said knowingly."Encroachment by the muggles. Their habitat gets destroyed and they can't go anywhere. They don ‘ t like to hybridize timberland you know."

"Really ? I would sustain thought they did it naturally ?"McGonnagall asked.

"Oh no they don ‘ t like to cross rude barrier, they only like candid spaces. Only a few coinage actually live in the woods."

Were they talking about butterflies or something ? Harry shook his head, this was the most oil production conversation he'd ever eavesdropped on.

"Not like acromantula then ?"roadman joked.

"No zilch like them."Crouch replied humorlessly."Acromantula will dwell in any expanse with a sufficient food source provided they can discover a spot out of the sun to sleep during the day."

"It… It was a joke Barty."

"Oh… I see."

The four fell silent and Harry mentally labeled Barty Crouch as ‘ the conversation grampus ’. Harry took a sip of his drink and grimaced, did people drink this for pleasure ? Harry slumped down on his backside as the four adult in the future compartment began discussing some philosophy book.

"Well, can ‘ t always overhear right stuff."Harry thought realistically."Sometimes hoi polloi just peach about garbage."

Harry figured it was safer to hold off for them to leave first so he waited, wisely not drinking any to a greater extent of the acidic drink in front of him. After an hour or so of boring grownup discussion he heard them get up and begin to impress off.

"waiting a moment Crouch."A new voice cut in."Want a word with you."

Moody ?

"What is it Alastor ?"McGonagall asked pointedly.

"Just a petty personal issue Minerva."Moody said easily."See you back up at the castle."Harry saw the two cleaning lady and roadman leaving.

"Did you look into it ?"Helen Wills Moody asked bluntly.

"I fail to see what ‘ s so occupy in-"

"You don ‘ t need to. Did you find anything ?"

"The section of magical transportation hasn ‘ t reported any unscheduled portkeys in Dorset."

"That ‘ s all you did ?"Moody said scathingly."Looked through a few old composition ?"

"Look Dwight Lyman Moody, this is your obsession."Barty Crouch said smoothly."We're busy enough at the ministry with Fudge's transgressions and Dumbledore causing trouble. I looked into it as a favor but there ‘ s zippo there. Just a normal, tragical, act of an old cleaning lady who wanted to die before her mind went."

"Did anyone do an post-mortem ?"

"Moody…"

"Did they ?"Dwight Lyman Moody pressed.

"The coroner examined her at the scene."Crouch said wearily."Standard cause-of-death detection spells revealed-"

"Nothing."Moody cut in."Because they can ‘ t tell a slaying from a suicide."

"Dwight Lyman Moody nada can tell that."Crouch said in exasperation."If you drink envenom yourself it has the same upshot as if individual doses you with it. No one can find the difference."

"Anyone control her potion qualification equipment ?"

"Yes, it had traces of the potion that killed her on it."Crouch stood suddenly."Sorry Alastor I looked into this as a favour, but there ‘ s zilch suspicious. Nothing to investigate, this is just an old madam who made a mistake."

"Why are you so sure ?"Moody said, his voice going low."Was a time when even a hint of foul play would own had you at it like a bloodhound, but not now. You know something."

There was silence for a moment, then Harry heard a chair scrape as Mr Crouch sat back down. When he began talking again it was at a rustle that Harry had to filter out to hear.

"They found a note."

"Suicide note ?"Moody asked keenly."Could have been forged."

"They tested it. It was written by her, with her own dislodge will."Harry frowned, he hadn't realized it was possible to try for that, but since Helen Wills seemed to admit it it must be dependable. squat continued,"Obviously they wanted to continue it under wraps."

"But everyone knows it ‘ s a suicide."Helen Wills Moody sounded suspicious."Everyone with an ounce of wit anyway."

"It wasn ‘ t the act itself,"Crouch whispered depleted."It was the contents of the promissory note. The reason she did it."

"Eh ?"

"She killed herself to be with… with…"Crouch took a oceanic abyss breathing spell, as if just giving phonation to this was arduous."… with someone named Mark Lanka, he was her housekeeper until about a year ago. She died to be with the man she loved."

"Tragic,"Helen Wills said dryly."But it doesn ‘ t explain any-"

"It does if you take into news report the fact that Mark Lanka was a registered squib."Crouch explained in a hushed whisper.

"Oh… Oh I see."There was the creak of a chair as Moody leant back."And in an old established pure blood family…"

"That sort of demeanour would be deeply shameful. Especially considering how respect she was."Crouch sighed."It was decided that it was better hidden. She didn ‘ t deserve to give this stain on her name."

"right field,"Moody growled."It was all for her benefit."

"In any case."Crouch stood again and pushed his professorship in."The case is closed, please don ‘ t discuss this with anyone."Harry heard him allow the pub. A few moment later…

"Heard all that Potter ?"Helen Newington Wills said from the other kiosk. Harry grinned.

"Was it really that big a deal ?"Harry asked.

"To them that care it would be."Harry could almost see Dwight Lyman Moody shrugging on the other side of the partition."And the felo-de-se makes it worse."

"I see. Guess that solves it then."Harry took another sip of the bitter wine."Assuming Mr Crouch is telling the truth."

"Oh I think he is."Helen Newington Wills said begrudgingly.

"You trust him ?"Harry asked, shocked.

"I trust him to be him."Helen Wills Moody growled."If there was so a great deal as a hint that dark magic was involved Barty Crouch wouldn't just walk away."

"Doesn ‘ t he work in some dead end office…"Harry scratched his caput, trying to think."International charming co-operation ? Odd shoes for a dark magician hunter."

"Didn ‘ t used to be. Used to be an auror, like me. Then a aged auror, like me. Then a department headspring, which I ‘ m well-chosen to say is unlike me."Moody sighed sadly."He was a tough nut but he did what he had to do in those times."

"What went amiss ?"

"Ended up arresting his son."A gluging speech sound came from the other face of the partitioning, like Dwight Lyman Moody had just drained his mug."Barty Crouch Jr, and don ‘ t think the papers didn ‘ t have a field of honor day with that. ‘ hunker sentence Crouch ’, ‘ Set a Crouch to overhear a Crouch ’, lots of ammunition for those hacks."

"Hilarious."Harry commented dryly.

"Anyway, he never quite recovered from the radioactive dust. But he keeps his ear to the flat coat and a lot of hoi polloi in the ministry respect him. In any case, I think this pillow slip is closed."

"Guess so."Harry sighed."Sorry I wasted your metre Professor."

"That's alright, you weren't to bang. And besides, sustain me young."

"Say,"Harry suddenly remembered something."He said Dumbledore was causing trouble at the ministry. You know what that ‘ s about ?"

"Dumbledore has it in his head that you-know-who is on the way back."Dwight Lyman Moody's interpreter was so flat it was impossible to observe what he thought about it.

"harbor ‘ t seen anything in the Prophet."

"Rita Skeeter ‘ s death neutered them. They haven ‘ t even been gouging Fudge that hard over all his jailer ups."

"Big thing to push aside though…"

"The ministry ‘ s hushing it up."Moody snorted."The parts of the ministry that are still functioning anyway. Don't know where Dumbledore got the thought though…"

Snape's dark mark…

"I ‘ m sure Dumbledore has his sources."

"Such as ?"

"beginning we mere mortals can not tap."

"And yet you clearly know."Moody chuckled."That ‘ s what I like about you Harry, you make things interesting. Ever need any more help, just ask."

Moody got up and left, his wooden leg clomping against the wooden floor.

Harry sighed and took another sip of his drink, grimacing in the process. He felt sort of bloated from the overabundance of exposition. Harry shrugged and got up to leave when he saw a scrap of paper on the floor, under the table.

Harry leant down, measured to act like he was rheumy and old, and picked it up. He began unfolding it and marveled at how it just kept stretch out, over and over until it was the size of a card. On it was drawn some complicated maze pattern, passages intersecting and turning and ending in blind bowling alley. There was an open space in the middle and several other cleared property around as well. The map had petty anotations everywhere that Harry had to squint to read…

"Sphinx… quicksand… fiend snare… ?"Harry read a few Sir Thomas More of them then folded the thing back down and pig out it in his bag. It obviously wasn't connected to the case.

After leaving the pub and shedding his disguise Harry went back to the castle ( disillusioning himself again to screak past tense Filch ). As he was crossing the ingress hall he spotted someone in one of the English corridors. He trotted up to the figure, who stopped and turned as he drew near.

"You missed Hogsmeade."

"Mum kept me home."Susan said, not meeting his eyes.

"Was she pissed at you ?"

"Yes Harry,"Susan turned in irritation."She was pissed. She yelled, she screamed, she was pissed. Now go away."

"Well don't take it out on me."Harry quirked an supercilium."I didn ‘ t vociferation at you."

"Harry… just please go away."Susan shook her drumhead."She says I can ‘ t see you anymore."

"And you ‘ re gon na listen to her ?"

"Harry please just go."Susan turned and walked down the corridor. Harry followed confused.

"I don ‘ t get it."Harry hurried to continue up with the scurrying Susan off-white."I like you, I got the impression you liked me."

"It ‘ s not that…"

"If it ‘ s not that then what else is there ?"Harry slid in front of her and brought her to a catch with his hands on her shoulder."Come on Bones, be a trivial bit less Hufflepuff and a little more marauder."

"The marauders aren ‘ t a house."Susan murmured, still not meeting his gaze.

"Oh yes they are,"Harry winked."The hidden house, the house that never gets peak because we have no rules. seed over to my side Susan, it ‘ s more fun over here. net ball go for a manner of walking, down by the lake."

"I ‘ ve got an essay due…"

"Did you not listen to a Word I said ?"Harry put a hand under her Kuki and tilted her capitulum up to meet his eyes."Come on… do you really want me to take the air away ?"

Harry leant in and kissed her lightly and lingeringly. Or at to the lowest degree that was what he tried for, he wasn't exactly an expert.

"Harry please…"Or maybe he was…"Wait… have you been drinking wine ?"Harry shut her up by kissing her again, this time harder. About halfway through she started kissing back. Harry run back, they were against a wall. Had he pushed them against a wall ? He certainly didn't think of doing that.

"Oh Harry."Susan was blushing love apple red."My mums gon na defeat me."

"That ‘ s if she ever finds out."Harry snaked an arm around Susan's shoulders."Army of the Pure take a walk."
*


"Harry where were you ?"Hermione asked.

"Hogsmeade, retrieve ?"

"Why do you give lipstick on your shirt collar ?"

"Um… ran into a bunch up of… magic… kissing… flush ? They exist right ?"

"No."

"Oh."Harry shrugged and grinned evilly."Guess I must consume been snogging mortal then."
*


Despite being in last place in the tourney the following weeks were some of the safe in Harry's memory, and they didn't even involve pranking anyone ! He had the marauders, repose and friendship with Malfoy and a girlfriend. Susan was still occasionally struck with bouts of nervousness, thinking that her female parent would somehow find out about their continued relationship ( despite the fact that Harry had already taken tending of this by ordering Digger to intercept any post sent from a Hogwarts professor to Doris Bones ). But other than that it was perfect.

The piranha often ended the day by lounging around outside on the Mary Jane outside talking or doing homework. And because they were there lots of former Gryffindors came too, and usually Susan brought her Hufflepuff acquaintance. Before long the after-class-outside-lounge became a fixture for most of the school. Luckily the marauders took enough different classes that they could always bag a place before it got too crowded.

One afternoon when Harry was on the verge of falling asleep there on the grass, with Susan lying across him, her head pillowed on his arm, a shadow fell across them.

"Harry wake up."

Harry's eyes flickered heart-to-heart and he saw Malfoy standing over him.

"You ‘ re ruining my stunner sleep."Harry complained.

"Then I ‘ m sorry because you really look like you need it."Malfoy quipped laconically.

"One of us has a girlfriend Malfoy, prompt me which one of us that is ?"

"One of us knows what a combing is, remind me which one of us that is ?"

"Me, it's what honey comes in isn ‘ t it ?"Harry grinned."Anyway what is it ?"

"evaluator want us."

"For what ?"

"I don ‘ t know, I don't take divination."Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Ron does,"Harry glanced over at his ally, who was doing some Divination homework at that moment."Look in the crystal ball. Tell us what's happening."

"Don't be stupid Harry…"Ron said, eyeing Malfoy suspiciously."Wait…"He peered into the sector and blinked, surprised."Actually, it does seem like there ‘ s something in there."

"Really ? What ?"Harry sat up, dislodging his girlfriend. Ron had never before actually seen something in the ball.

"It ‘ s sort of distorted…"Ron squinted and scratched his head."looking at kind of like a face…"

"Some sort of tool ?"Neville guessed.

"Troll ? goliath ?"Harry asked, interested.

"Don ‘ t know, ugly though. Huge red floater all over its face."Ron peered closer. Hermione's eyes suddenly widened and she began to giggle. A moment later Harry got it and slapped a paw over his sassing to discontinue himself laughing.

"Weird red hair too…"Ron continued, unmindful."Think it ‘ s some kind of whale ? Some of them have red hair."

"Not one word."Harry said to Malfoy holding a finger up."Not one word."

"Too prosperous anyway."Malfoy shrugged and stepped back as Harry stood. They were about to leave when Padma said,

"time lag on, what the sin was that ?"

"What ?"Harry turned.

"That !"Padma pointed between Harry and Malfoy."You ‘ re not at each others throats ! You almost look like friends. Are you on some sort of drugs ?"

"No."Harry shook his head."That would unfit me from the tournament."

"It ‘ s not like they ‘ d check."Malfoy pointed out.

"You never know."Harry shrugged."I can just see that hunker guy running at me waving a plastic cup."

"I wonder if that ‘ s the third task."Malfoy half smiled.

"A piss trial ? variety of anticlimactic."

"Not if it's in front man of the unharmed school."

"Oh.. True."Harry shrugged."But at least it ‘ d truly put rumors of Harriet potter to rest."

"Also… Fleur."

"Cad."

"STOP !"Padma yelled in exasperation."You ‘ re doing it again !"All the marauders were now staring at Harry and Malfoy.

"It ‘ s ok."Harry shrugged."Long story light I decided that we should cause a armistice. Since we ‘ re both in the same sauceboat over the tournament and all."

"But, he ‘ s Malfoy !"Ron said, disbelieving.

"It ‘ s Ok."Harry explained."You don ‘ t have to contain hating him just because I did."

"I ‘ m certainly not going to stop hating you."Malfoy chimed in.

"You ‘ re not helping."Harry said, exasperated.

"I ‘ m not trying to."Malfoy shrugged."The judges want us by the Quidditch pitch."Malfoy turned and walked, unconcerned, towards the pitch.

Harry turned back to the traumatize marauders.

"Sorry guys, I know this kind of blindsided you."Harry spread his hands apologetically."But we kept getting stuck together, the dragons, the boat, Bournemouth…"

"Malfoy was there ?"Ginny interrupted.

"Oh yeah, I didn ‘ t William Tell you that."Harry cursed himself silently."Yeah he was there, the woman was an old friend of his."

"The blond hair…"Hermione said, thoughtfully."It was his wasn ‘ t it."

"Yep."Harry nodded."Had to snatch up it from the aurors."

"But Harry, he ‘ s Malfoy !"Ron started again, seemingly stuck in a loop."Malfoy, you know Draco Mal-"

"He ‘ s not all bad."Harry shrugged."After all, he ‘ s been my informant since second year."

"What !"The predator yelled, almost in unison.

"Did you think I just somehow guessed where The Called would be meeting ?"Harry grinned."You hombre are so naive."

Harry winked and turned away from the seven shocked faces. Still, grinning Harry wandered over to the Quidditch pitch. As soon as he got near it he realized something was wrong.

"Now I don ‘ t play Quidditch…"Harry said as he got nearer."But I ‘ m fairly certainly it ‘ s not meant to depend like that."

"Very droll Mr Potter."Barty Crouch commented as Harry joined the other champions."But in all seriousness, these hedges are your third task."

"The one-third task is topiary ?"

"No Mr Potter."Crouch said, tolerantly."It is a maze."

Oh bugger, Harry's tummy lurched.

"A maze with the triwizard cup in the center."

His bag, with the scrap of paper he had picked up at the three broomstick still in it, suddenly felt very laborious and hot.

"And with many challenges to overcome."

Harry listened with half an ear to the residue of the justice's explanation. He suddenly found himself with a choice to get, a lesson choice.

"Bugger."Harry groaned inwardly."I hate those."



Every time you fail to forget a brushup god kills a kitten. A little downlike kitten. Aw ... look at the kitten, so sweet, so fuzzy, and it 's DEAD because of YOU !


I do n't own Harry ceramist. Have I said that recently ? No ? Well I do n't. Someone tried to deal me region of him once, but it was only a finger and it looked kind of hairy.



Harry sat and stared at the niggling booklet slice of newspaper on the table as if the response would just get floating out of it. He had clambered into an unused Classical Greek over the library to opine things over, but unfortunately was coming up blank.

"It ‘ s not like you saw that much."Part of Harry's mentality kept saying in a blarney representative."You couldn ‘ t go straight to the cup."

"But you remember lots of the challenges on the way."Another division of his encephalon said, sounding a bit like Neville.

Prison-circle, Sphinx, fog mirage, acromantula, devilsnare, tiger-trap, manic mushrooms-

Harry shook his oral sex to elucidate the litany before it went too far. This was only making things worse, he was actually remembering Thomas More thing the longer he thought about it.

"You could go to the judges."A Hermione shaped brain cell said."Just secernate them what happened honestly, it was just a mistake after all."

"Yeah, how would that go…"Harry rolled his eyes."You see I was eavesdropping on you and I found this bit of paper…"Harry shook his head.

He could parcel it with the former champions… looking at at the map in its entirety and gift copies to the Fleur, Viktor and Malfoy. But that ran into the problem of virtually ensuring that he'd lose the chore. Ten minutes head start isn't that much when you're going into a maze blind, but when you know the way ? Harry shook his foreland, Malfoy or Fleur would receive the cup in their hands before he even got through the strawman door.

That was the question wasn't it, Goldilocks style…

He wasn't against cheating a little ( using the marauders for research, overhearing about the flying dragon ), but having a directly map to the wind up line was just too much. That porridge was much too hot.

On the other hand he wasn't so possessed with fairness that he'd just hand the cup to Beauxbattons. Fleur was prissy, and he didn't mind some of the other girls, but there was no was he was letting that outsized bitch-queen Maxim have the satisfaction of winning. That porridge was far too cold.

And the one that was just flop was…

"It doesn ‘ t exist."Harry slumped dejectedly."Because the bear cub had been killed by poachers and its gall bladder sold as medicine."

"I could just burn it now…"Harry thought suddenly."Accept that I have a slight vantage in knowing what challenges are coming and burn the remainder. I ‘ m last anyway, I deserve a helping hand."

Was that porridge just right ? Depends what region of his brain he was trying to satisfy.

"Any more of this and my genius will be porridge."Harry dropped his header to the board and banged it repeatedly against the hardwood surface."I ‘ m no good at these questions."

Accept it, sometimes questions have no answer.

"Or no unspoilt one at least."Harry shook his head word."Screw it, Incendio !"Harry burnt the fleck of sheepskin to ash."Close enough to fair. And I do deserve some help after Dumbledore stiffed me in the instant task."

"You ‘ re still cheating !"Hermione-brain admonished him.

"Put a metaphysical sock in it."Harry grumbled at her and stood up from his table."Sometimes real sprightliness isn ‘ t fair."

Harry turned and pushed open the obscure doorway he'd used to get into this home before slinking off down the corridor with his hood up. It was way after curfew but Harry seldom worried about such matter, even Mrs Norris'ears couldn't pick up Harry when he was trying not to be heard.

Speak of the devil…

Harry skillfully slid into an alcove as the caretakers cat came into opinion around a quoin. She was stalking, hind end in the air and her drumhead close down to the storey. Moving in the high-speed-slinking personal manner of a cat on a mission.

What was she hunting ? Not rats, the castle was uninfected of them. Harry disillusioned himself and began following the stalking feline. She seemed almost confused, she would slink for a few substructure then quit and sniff the air, occasionally batting at it with a paw, before slinking forward again.

Harry followed her cautiously. Was she tracking a bookman ? Who else but the marauders were out of bed at this kind of time of day ?

Suddenly Harry froze, a wickedness sliver had just appeared in mid air above the scraggly cat. A moment later there was a flash of red brightness and she slumped to the priming coat. Harry tried to quell perfectly still as the stunned kitty was pushed behind a suit of armor by the inconspicuous presence. Harry saw the bottom half of a boot, visible for a spilt second, then zippo. Not for the beginning time Harry wished he had Helen Wills Moody's artificial eye.

The young marauder strained his capitulum and just caught the scraping of boots on Isidor Feinstein Stone and followed at a crouch. disillusionment was no substitute for a genuine invisibility cloak, if whoever it was looked back at the wrong moment they would spot him for sure. Harry tried to stay in the fantasm as he furiously tried to come up with a plan. He wished he could deteriorate back far enough to call Myrtle, but if he did that he'd mislay the intruder for sure.

Harry could almost see the shadow of the man he was following when he passed a torch in the bulwark. Not even an invisibility cloak was arrant after all so Harry could pick out the introductory condition. It did not bode well.

"Whoever this is they ‘ re a full grown adult."Harry cursed silently."Which means they ‘ re either a teacher, in which case why sneak around, or they ‘ re no supposed to be here. And their eagerness to damn a defenseless cat doesn ‘ t exactly speak to their character either."

The sound of footsteps stopped and Harry too came to a halt, pressing himself up against the wall so as to be less visible. The man seemed to make stopped outside one of the teacher quarters. Harry saw the wand appear a second time and a second later the room access glowed a myriad of different coloring, a rainbow in the dark corridor. The enchantment was quickly canceled and the wand withdrawn. The man sounded like he was sitting down to moot the problem.

Harry however grinned impishly. He'd just remembered whose door this was. Only one teacher was paranoid enough to put that many locking spells on their door. Harry slinked backwards quietly, it would take whoever-it-was a skillful long time to get through that lot and even if he did Helen Wills could take care of himself.

Harry took himself a few corridors away then tapped out a sign on the Harlan F. Stone floor. After a moments waiting Myrtle appeared through the floor.

"Something the matter Harry ?"She said, looking over his camouflage self.

"Go to Dumbledore, quickly."Harry whispered."Tell him someone is breaking into Moody ‘ s rooms. Someone invisible."

Vinca minor's eyes widened and she darted away quickly. Harry turned and slowly made his way back to Helen Wills Moody's rooms.

When he returned Harry's heart skipped a pulsation. The room access was loose !

Harry scrambled to his metrical foot, heedless of the noise and dashed to the door. He slid to the entry just in clock time to take heed the actor's line,

"Avada Keda-"

"NO !"Harry yelled and threw himself forward. He struck something in the air and saw a flash of dark-green light. Time went easy as Harry saw the bolt crawling through the air, rippling its retch green route towards the bed at the far end of the quarters. The light lit Moody ‘ s look and Harry could have sworn he was the instructor eyes flicker loose before the thunderbolt struck habitation and the way was plunged into darkness again.

A moment later he hit the storey, the liquidator dropping beside him with a thump. Harry kicked wildly and felt his foot hit soma. He jumped to his feet and pulled his wand out of his jacket. But his assailant was faster.

"Avada Kedavra !"

Harry dropped to the floor as the green bolt shaft over his head. The vague design aimed again, and this time Harry had nowhere to go.

"Avada Kedavra !"

"Accio !"Harry yelled desperately, pointing at a side table. It flew towards him and caught the Green River spell in mid air, showering Harry in huge matchwood."Depulso !"Harry waved at the wooden shards and they shot away from him like shrapnel.

Harry heard his enemy scream as one of the splinters stuck in mid air. Harry threw himself at the floor beneath it and felt himself hit leg. The invisible enemy tumbled to the trading floor again as Harry staggered to his feet.

"Lumos !"

Harry was caught off guard and the enchantment hit him like a flashbulb, blinding him and making him stumble back in surprise. He heard running feet and took off in chase, fending himself off the suddenly blurry doorway and dashing off down the corridor after his target. Harry flicked his verge up to his throat as he ran.

"Sonorous !"Harry amplified his voice and yelled,"Murder ! Murder in the castle !"

Harry had to circumvent as a bolt of red visible radiation flashed down the musical passage ahead of him.

"Offucia !"Harry jabbed his scepter forward and a flow of trench red paint sprayed across the corridor. A smear of it hit in mid air. Harry grinned and aimed again."Ferio !"The bludgeoning curse flew true and Harry saw the painted figure lifted off the floor and hurled into the wall. Harry threw two Thomas More into the prone figure as he approached. Harry spotted the military personnel wand on the story and kicked it away from him.

"Now let ‘ s see your ugly face you bastard."Harry panted, out of breath."Come on off with it !"

The soma didn't move, perhaps he'd knocked him out ?

"Accio cloak !"Harry flicked his sceptre and the cloak shot up. It sprang into Harry ‘ s deal, knocking his wand to the side.

"Effodio !"

Harry was thrown to the base as the spell hit him, sliding across the stone in a daze of pain in the neck. Through the red mist he heard a sinister chortle. The cloak was pulled from his suddenly powerless finger's breadth. Harry tried to grow his question to see his assaulter but a rasping hand pushed him back down into the level.

Harry tried vainly to bear on himself to his feet at the murdered turned and hurried away but the trading floor seemed to be strangely slick. Harry brought a hand up and faintly registered red. The paint that he had thrown or blood ? Harry tried to focus on the floor in front of him and saw something slimy lying on the flat coat next to him. Long, coiled and bulging like a snake that had just eaten a pack of rats. Harry traced it back and almost passed out when he saw where it was coming from.

It was flopping out from a gaping fix in his stomach. The slimed matter was his own intestines.

The pain hit Harry again, tough then before. It was as if, now that he knew he was cut open, his idea was finally registering the injury. His hands moved involuntarily, pulling the fleshy coils towards him, his consistency vainly trying to fix what his mind knew was a killing wound.

"Mr Pot… Oh Harry !"

Behind a mist of red Harry saw prof McGonagall's human face come into aspect. Her usually stark aspect was contorted with reverence and shock.

"Effercio."McGonagall waved her wand over him and Harry felt his sand reel themselves back in like a hose. Harry looked down and couldn't stop himself from vomiting at the smiler of his entrails slipping in through his skin.

A moment later it was over and the wound closed up, showing up only as a raw red wrinkle on his skin.

"Who used an entrail expelling curse on you thrower ?"McGonagall asked, her shock still evident in her voice."And what is all this about slaying ?"

"Dumbledore."Harry panted, pained."Get me to Dumbledore."

"For once you are talking sense."Harry felt himself lifted up off the floor then set back down on a stretcher that the prof must give birth conjured right there and then. The stretcher itself was lifted then and Harry saw the walls around him begin to go. Harry tried to dislodge position but as soon as did a gig of painful sensation hit him in the stomach.

"Do not try to move Harry. Please."He heard McGonagall's concerned spokesperson from behind him."The counter-curse only puts you back together, it doesn ‘ t reverse all the damage that was done along the way."

Harry lay obediently still as they moved through the darkened corridors. Harry wasn't sure how much longer it took but eventually they stopped and he felt a shadow downfall over him. Harry pulled his head up enough to look around and found that they were outside the hospital wing, Dumbledore was standing over him solemnly in a purple dressing gown. Behind him the three remaining Heads of business firm were standing, looking his way. Off at the edge of the lamplight Harry could see the Triwizard judge. Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim towering up into the shadows of the roof, Karkaroff with the angles of his face stark in the candlelight and Crouch standing silently beside. Harry turned back to Dumbledore.

"I lost him."Harry said through a raw throat.

"Harry…"

"I followed him for ages but I…"Harry coughed heavily into his hand. When he could address again he continued."I screwed up, made a pudding head mistake. I let him get away."

"Harry you can not be held responsible."Dumbledore shook his chief."I should have come to your aid instead of going to Professor Moody first. I should have known you would chase after the intruder."

"Moody…"Harry felt his heart free fall into his thrill."That's my fault too. I thought it would be alright to will for a few moment. To give you a signal. It's my fault he ‘ s dead."

"Ah,"Dumbledore broke into a smile."I think I have some good news for you Harry. Professor Moody is not dead."

"Wha…"Harry shook his head in confusion."But it was the killing curse !"

"As near as Madam Pomfrey can tell either the caster had no experience with Unforgivables or he was ineffectual to complete the spell."

"I hit him."Harry cast his mind back."Before he could finish."

"Well there it is then."Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder."You almost certainly saved his life."

"Wait…"Harry's oculus widened."Map ! Your map ! If you look it-"

"My idea exactly Harry. And my fault as well,"Dumbledore shook his school principal."I waited to give sure Professor Moody was animated before checking the map and by that time whoever it was must already have left."

"No,"Harry shook his head."A follow him long time and I must take in hurt ‘ im. He couldn ‘ t have left that quickly."

"The fact that our opposition knows of the creation of the map may explain that."Snape said, detaching himself from the shadow. Dumbledore shot his potions master a surprisingly angry look. Perhaps this was a fact that Dumbledore did not need Harry to become aware of. Snape continued, quiet."Maybe the dark lord has found a way to circumvent it."

"We do not know that Voldemort is directly involved Severus."

"We do not know that he is not."Snape crooked an eyebrow.

"Perhaps."Dumbledore conceded."But in any case he can not surround the map. There are very few things I am confident in the infallibility of, but one of them is the mar-… the map."

What had that been ? Harry wondered. That picayune break before ‘ the map ’.

"Then an illegal portkey perhaps ?"Snape was saying.

"Could ask Mr Crouch to look into it."Harry suggested."What with his ministry cont-"

"Thank you Harry,"Dumbledore cut him off."I will consider it."

"Had any lot with the ministry yourself ?"Harry asked pointedly, mainly to see the look on Dumbledore's fount. He was not disappointed.

"How did you… ?"

"Persuading them he ‘ s on the way back I mean."

"I… I do not make love how you have heard of that Harry."Dumbledore said, he sounded like he was keeping some deep wrath in check."But it is none of your concern. Right now you need to be seen by madam Pomfrey."

"But-"

"This is not a discussion Harry."Dumbledore flicked his wand and the copestone began moving.

As he floated into the hospital wing the last thing he heard was Snape turning to Dumbledore and saying,

"Now do you opine we should warn the order ?"

Dumbledore's response was too lull to find out but his nod said enough.
*


"Potter."

Hm…

"Oy Potter !"

Sleepy…

"Wake Island up !"

Stupid infirmary. Harry cracked his lids open and saw Moody staring at him from the next bed over.

"I ‘ m up."Harry rubbed the quietus out of his eyes."What is it ?"

"Sloppy ceramist, very sloppy."Moody shook his head."You let him get away."

"Sorry,"Harry hung his head."I made a lot of mistakes last night."

"tilt ‘ em."

"What ?"

"You heard me potter, list ‘ em."Helen Wills lay back on his hospital bed.

"Well…"Harry thought back."I thought it would take prospicient for whoever it was to break-dance through your door."

"Underestimating your opponent."Moody shook his head."pudden-head, first mistake."

"He tricked me with a Lumos spell, blinded me."Harry continued.

"Inattentive. Unprepared."

"And I made the stupid error of getting my work force tangled when I summoned his cloak to me."

"Clumsy."Helen Newington Wills tisked."Wouldn ‘ t have thought that of you Harry."

"You're right, I was hurt but that's no excuse."Harry shook his head word and frowned."I kicked his wand away but he must have had a spare."

"Always assume they have a spare."Moody said sternly."Accio scepter or Expelliarmus. Use them whether you think he ‘ s got a wand or not."

"Right, I shoulda known that."

"Constant vigilance."Helen Wills Moody said harshly."You can never be too careful."

"Constant vigilance."Harry repeated."I know, and I ‘ m sorry I got you involved in this."

"You assume this has something to do with you ?"Dwight Lyman Moody said, a little chuckle in his voice."I had enemies before I met you."

"How many have invisibility cloaks."

"More than one."Helen Wills Moody said pointedly."And Thomas More that have the funds to get one if they needed it."

"I thought they were rare."

"They are Potter."Dwight Lyman Moody grinned."I just tend to make expensive foeman. One of the risks of the job."

"Ok,"Harry closed his eyes."How many of them are about six base grandiloquent, skinny and bony with dark brown hairsbreadth who fights smarting and has experience with espionage and breaking through wards."

"Brown whisker ?"

"Think I saw a flash of it when the cloak came off."

"Doesn ‘ t mean much. Could have colored it."

"Why disguise yourself then wear an invisibility cloak ?"

"True."Moody frowned thoughtfully."Still doesn ‘ t mean he ‘ s connected."

"Still, bit of a coincidence."

"Oh don ‘ t think I ‘ m dismissing it."Helen Wills Moody shook his heading."Not for a moment."Moody tried to bear on himself up on his hands then winced in pain and settled back down.

"Still feeling a piffling curse Professor ?"

"I ‘ ll be fine."Moody grunted."I ‘ ve had big. Least the killing execration doesn ‘ t scar."

"Um…"

"Not for most of us."Moody laughed, then broke into a loud, wet coughing."Maybe I will be out of commission for a while."

"That means we ‘ ll have Snape again."Harry sighed."And well… He ‘ s not so bad any more."

"He ‘ s tall, and has dark hair."Moody pointed out suspiciously.

"I ‘ d know his voice."Harry dismissed the accusal with a wave of his handwriting."Besides he ‘ s not evil."

"constant vig-"

"Not evil. Used to be evil, not malevolent now."Harry held a finger up."Besides, he ‘ s had all year to try and kill you. Why now ? And why with spells in the midsection of the night when he ‘ s had accession to your food for thought all year."

"goodness point. But I still don ‘ t corporate trust him."

"You don ‘ t have to,"Harry shrugged."Just accept that I do."

There was muteness for a moment as Moody regarded Harry pointedly.

"What ?"

"zip Potter."Moody lay back, an amused smile on his expression."Just reminded me of someone is all."

Harry shrugged and leant back too. He had enough puzzler without trying to work out what that meant.



Leave a critique. If you do n't then vengeful Lord Xenu will fall you down !


Due to the fact that the queue has been so long recently I have concatenated two previously fall apart chapters into one whopper. Hope you like it.

Oh, and I do n't own Harry ceramist. You ca n't own a person, that 's slavery.



Harry was let out of the infirmary wing a few Clarence Day later with rules of order to take it easy and only eat liquidness food for a week or two until his insides settled down. Harry was alright with this except that the occasional thrust of pain from his midriff rather got in the way of him training for the third task. Harry adopted the attic above the subroutine library as his own and sealed the door with the password cheating scumbag so he and the marauders could have a buck private place to train.

Harry gutted the room as efficiently as he himself had been gutted to allow a orotund dueling space in the midsection. While his gang searched the subroutine library for anything remotely useful Harry practiced anything they found against the Twin or against the broken bookshelves they had found up there. Harry accepted that he would never be an awesome duelist but at least he could aim for competent. It did eat into the time he could spend with Susan but unfortunately it was inevitable.

Given that Harry had totally ignored Madam Pomfrey's advice to take it wanton it was perhaps also inevitable that he would end up back in the hospital wing after throwing up bloody vomit.

"Mr Potter you idiotic…"Pomfrey spluttered incoherently as she dosed him with respective potions."In all my years… never… so dolt ! Not even your forefather with all his pranks was in here so much. At least he seemed to understand that the human consistence has sure restriction ! You can not just keep heaping ill-usage on it and anticipate it to go on working properly !"

"At least I'm giving you a challenge."Harry grinned.

"A challenge ? More like a stroke !"

Harry was once again discharged a few days before the third task, finally fully healthy. Of form not everyone treated him as such.

"You sure you ‘ re alright Harry ?"Ron repeated for about the one-billionth fourth dimension as they walked to lunch.

"No Ron,"Harry rolled his eyes."I ‘ ve miraculously had a relapse during the last twenty seconds."

"Harry you throwing up blood."Padma pointed out."You don ‘ t just ricochet back from that."

"I ‘ m not bouncing."Harry shrugged."Or bounding, or any former b-words. I ‘ m just eating lunch."

"You ‘ re boring."Harry turned to see Malfoy standing behind him."That ‘ s a b-word."

"I ‘ m many things Malfoy."Harry responded sardonically."But boring isn ‘ t one of them."

'' Is bastard ? ``

"Anything in particular bothering you Malfoy,"Harry asked."Or did you just come to insult me ?"

"Yes,"Malfoy grew grave again a import later."Mind if I speak to you in private…"Malfoy jerked his top dog towards an vacate classroom.

"This isn ‘ t going to be one of those good discourse is it."Harry hung his heading dejectedly.

"No I don ‘ t think so."

Harry sighed and followed the blonde Slytherin into the empty classroom.

"sports meeting you in Charms."Harry nodded to the worried looking marauders before closing the room access and turning to his dude champion.

"Anyone dead ?"Harry asked bluntly.

"Not yet."

"Ominous."

"You don ‘ t know the half of it."Malfoy shook his head."I finally got that letter of the alphabet from my father."

"I assume that ‘ s not the stopping point of it."Harry sat down at a desk and braced for the worst.

"He told me to lose. unsound, he told me to make trusted you win."

Harry leant back against the desk and covered his face with his hands. Sometimes all this was too much.

"What exactly did he say ?"Harry rubbed his temples."Or serious yet afford me the letter."

Malfoy handed over the missive. Harry flipped it open and read the curt message within.

Dragon

I know that you are to enter a tangle in the third task. You will make every effort to kibosh the progress of Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour. Use the spells I taught you if necessary. Do not worry about the consequences, I will protect you. Make sure the ceramist boy wins the tournament. You do not have to understand to obey.

There was no signature. Harry handed it back, resting his head on his arm.

"The spell I taught you ?"Harry asked tiredly.

"Dark magic."Malfoy answered, sounding just as worn out."He means don ‘ t be afraid to hurt them. ‘ You do not have to translate to obey.'”

"What does that mean ?"

"It was one of his best-loved things to tell me when I was young."Malfoy shook his head."It tended to end discussions."

"Why ?"

"Because it told me that he wanted the discussion to end."Malfoy snapped.

"feel Malfoy I don ‘ t know what to do with this."Harry admitted."I ‘ ve already got enough on my plate."

"I know what that feels like."Malfoy sat down beside him and bowed his head, making his floppy disk blond hair drop down and hide his face."I don ‘ t know what to do."

"What do you-"Harry jerked back in daze."You ‘ re not thinking of listening to him are you ?"

"He ‘ s my Father !"

"He ‘ s a git who makes you miserable !"

"You don ‘ t understand."Malfoy snapped angrily."You just don ‘ t. Maybe if you had a father you ‘ d get it, but you don ‘ t so shut up !"

"If you ‘ re trying to get rid of me it won ‘ t work."Harry crossed his subdivision."Or at the very least you ‘ ll have to try harder."

"But you don ‘ t understand."Malfoy said more reasonably, but still with an edge of despair in his voice."I ‘ m sorry Harry but you just don't. This isn ‘ t about getting a bloody pat on the head. This is about family. It ‘ s about family honor."

"No, house honor would be getting your figure on that cup. phratry honor would be seeing the headline ‘ Malfoy wins triwizard cup ’."Harry shifted closer."But forget about that, how about your own honor. Can you live with knowing you could bear won the triwizard tournament, but gave it up ? Can you live with that ?"

"The family is what ‘ s important."Malfoy shook his head."Sometimes we have to do things we don ‘ t like. You don't have to understand-"

"You ‘ re like a parrot."Harry interrupted, changing weather sheet to go for a riskier plan."Aren ‘ t you tired of repeating his poop ?"

"You don ‘ t understand !"Malfoy yelled, pushing him back violently.

"Oh outstanding,"Harry scoffed."The cry the Dwight Lyman Moody teenager. Nice to live you ‘ re like everybody else."

"Screw you Potter !"Malfoy stood angrily, his fists bunched at his sides. Harry could see the faint glistening lines of rent of his cheeks.

"You gon na cry about it."Harry slouched back, chuckling."Way to keep up the Malfoy honor."

"Shut up !"

"Is this what you did with that Ellen woman ? Cry into her proscenium ?"

"I told you to exclude up !"Malfoy drew his baton and held the shaking degree to Harry's cervix. Harry just laughed.

"Like you ‘ d actually do it."Harry rolled his eyes."You ‘ re too a good deal of a Noel Coward to-"

"Praefoco !"

Harry was thrown backwards as the go hit him and was left gulping for air as the hex closed his airway. From behind a haze of floating spots Harry saw Malfoy stalk off out the door. Harry managed to grab his wand and get out a strangled finite before collapsing on the floor and trying to refill his lungs in great gasps.

"You deserved that."Harry looked around for the author of the noise. A moment later myrtle floated slowly up through the level."You definitely deserved that."

"I know."Harry croaked out, managing a half grinning."What are you doing here ?"

"The others sent me down because they were worried about you ?"Vinca minor put her hands on her insubstantial hips."You really were incredibly insensitive."

"All section of the plan."Harry winked.

"How so ? You don ‘ t even have it off what he ‘ s going to do."

"I know one thing he ‘ s not going to do."Harry grinned."There ‘ s no way he ‘ ll let me win now."
*


The day of the third task finally arrived. Harry got out of bed and dressed in a sort of odd trance. People said and did things around him, patting him on the back and speaking to him but it was almost as if the universe of discourse had become setting interference, though background knowledge to what he couldn't say.

His mind was… well not blank shell but certainly not thinking along convention channel. It was almost as if he was floating in a mist that blurred out his idea into the air. Instead of the crisp, semi-schizophrenic, edge they usually had they were vague and cloudy. Primitive, he decided, was the best give-and-take for them. A throwback to when human race thought with feelings and scene instead of words.

Also he was being introspective, he was never introspective.

"Are you sure you ‘ re alright Harry."Someone asked him. Harry had to centralise quite surd to solve out it was Neville.

"I ‘ m o.k. Nev."Harry nodded slowly."Just in a bit of an odd place aright now."

"You look kind of… Well remember net year when you kept skipping through sentence ?"

"I remember."Harry shook his question."That ‘ s not this. Believe me, I ‘ m fine."

As the other competitors went to the great hall to touch their families Harry wandered back up to the Attic over the library and flicked through the same books he had been going through for the past few weeks. It was kind of pointless really, Hermione always said that hold up minute revisal didn't peg in your mind like it should. Not that she didn't do it anyway. Harry sat down on the cracked floorboards with the books strewn around him and tried to pull his thoughts together.

He failed utterly.

"Enough."Harry growled at himself."Get your head together."

"wealthy person you been moping up here all morning ?"Harry's head flicked up and he saw Susan Bones standing in the doorway.

"I have not been moping."Harry said, from his position on the floor."I have been studying."

"You never study."Susan smiled.

"I never study schoolwork."Harry grinned."My independent studys however are fairly extensive."

Susan walked up to him with her manpower behind her back coquettishly and sat down beside him. Harry flicked his book closed and shifted closer. He momentarily wished for a softer floor.

"You know studying at the last minute of arc rarely helps."

"You have something you ‘ d rather I be doing ?"

"Yes."
*


As it was Harry almost missed the task. It was only the speech sound of movement from the floors below that prompted Harry to fight his girlfriend off him and shin for his glasses. Rushing downstairs he managed to finagle to mix into the bunch without looking too conspicuous.

"Nice hicky Harry !"

Damn.

Harry flicked his collar up and kept walking, throwing an evil spotlight at the snickering pupil. As he walked towards the base he felt an element of the old fogginess slipping back into his mind. He shook it off, a good snoging session had been just what he needed to make for him back down to earth. He noticed Malfoy making his way to the quidditch pitch alongside an older blond charwoman. His mother ? So his father hadn't turned up. Interesting.

Harry pushed his way through the crowds to where the former paladin were waiting.

"Well this looks fun."Harry grinned up at the towering hedges.

Fleur shared a smile with him. Krum just grunted and stayed silent. Fleur's eyes flickered to his collar and after a instant she laughed quietly. She drew her sceptre and beckoned him closer.

“'arry, lean down."Harry obliged and she tapped her verge on his cervix where the purpurate bruise disappeared with a quick popping

"Use that one a lot ?"Harry teased.

"Any man who bruises my skin does not touch it again."Fleur replied haughtily.

"I mean on other people."

"Oh,"Fleur winked cheekily."Then yes, quite often."Harry laughed.

Harry watched the leg of the maze as the fat justice ( Bagman ? ) explained the ruler. Harry listened with half an ear. The wind was picking up, making the hedges shift ominously. Harry closed his eye and tried to mobilise everything he'd learnt over the past few week. lucre that, over his integral life.

Harry heard a whistle sound and felt the bm of the air as person ran past him. It must hold been Malfoy. Harry lowered himself to the footing, sitting interbreeding legged on the grass.

Another whistle sounded. Fleur.

Prison-circle, Sphinx, Humphrey Bogart, mist mirage, flagrante curse, acromantula, devilsnare, tiger-trap, manic mushroom. Harry went through the list in his capitulum along with the defensive measure against them.

one-third whistle, Krum.

Harry lay back on the eatage and blocked out the sound of the crowd. He was going to win, then he was going to sort out out everything else. The crowd was chanting, ‘"Seven ! ”,"Six ! ”,"Five !"…

Harry breathed deep.

"Four !"

This wasn't so hard.

"Three !"

Ok it was unvoiced, but it was doable.

"Two !"

On the other paw this pasturage was pretty comfy.

"One !"

Oh well, here goes…

"Go !"

Harry shot to his metrical unit and dashed directly into the duskiness of the maze. The noise of the gang was gone almost instantly and he was totally alone. wellspring, alone except for the sphinxs and acromantula and bogarts, but they weren't there yet. Harry drew his wand and tapped his foot.

"Theseus."Harry said clearly. The sole of his shoe glowed. Harry dropped it back to the floor and saw it stimulate a radiance red footprint."breaker point me."Harry held his verge flat and saw it spin to point vaguely forwards.

Harry sent petition of thanks to Zeus and Hermione before setting off at a run down the dark musical passage. He reached a junction, looked behind him to check that he was still leaving a lead, then did the point me spell again and ran off down another passage.

He was moving so fast he almost didn't see the folio covering a portion of the pathway. Harry skidded to a halt just before it, his boots scraping at the edge. Harry carefully lifted a small arm and looked down into the dark pit underneath, it seemed like the bottom had been coated with something mucilaginous and goopy. honey ? Nah… they wouldn't have filled the pit with beloved, plus he would be able-bodied to sense it. Something like that though. Harry carefully replaced the limb incase another champion happened by and skirted around the outside before continuing on his way.

Another number landed him on a long straight stretchability that went generally in the rightfield direction. Harry followed it to the end then realized that he might bear gone all the way past it. Harry cursed and holstered his wand before pushing his blazonry into the hedge and lifting himself off the floor. He climbed up until he could put his capitulum over and scout out the nerve center. Almost due north. Harry scrambled back down and set off at a run.

Another conjugation passed without event, then another, then ano- Damn it !

Harry rolled under the massive script as it swatted the air above him. Harry took one aspect at the hulking winged beast that has swung at him, ( looking something like a cross between a trolling, an gator and an eagle covered in ivy and guck ) and decided it wasn't worth fighting. Harry sprinted away to gain some distance then spun and yelled,

"Eizuckerpeitsche !"The chasing thing disappeared in the expanding orb of muck up egg ware. Harry grinned and kept running.

Harry reached the next junction and slowed to a crawl. Two of the incoming had foreign arch over them. Harry stopped, he didn't call back this from the map. He hadn't recognized the variation animate being either, perhaps this was role of the map that he'd just failed to look at.

Harry cast the point me spell and groaned as it pointed almost directly at one of the arches. He cast a revealing charm over the arch and found several tripwire hex. Harry picked up a nearby subdivision and brushed them away like spider webs, ignoring the tonic and flashed of the turn as they triggered. Then he threw it aside and stepped through. Nothing happened. Harry grinned and stepped forward before stopping and looking back.

It shouldn't have been that easy.

Harry stepped back up to the archway and realized what was wrong. His red stride began at this arch like he'd appeared out of thin air. Looking back into the conjunction Harry saw his footprints trailing up to the other arch.

"Ah, tricky."Harry grinned and knocked the tripwires from this arch as well before stepping through it back into the courtyard and walking through the other arch.

The point me spell told him he had indeed guessed right and he walked on. He was beginning to get disturbed though. This was taking longer than he had thought it would. He turned a corner and was met with a shocking sight.

genus Draco was down on his articulatio genus with his back to one of the hedges. He seemed to be trying to creep back into it, his brake shoe scrabbling ineffectually against the ground. Advancing on him was Lucius Malfoy in full back robes, a atomic number 47 scull mask hanging around his neck. The father and son were locked onto each eyes neither of them looking away. Harry wasn't sure as shooting either of them were even blinking.

"Ferio !"Harry shot his front-runner hex at Lucius. But somehow it just flew through him like he was mist. Lucius turned on Harry and he saw the tall wizard ripple before he was incased in a column of water.

Some part of Harry's brainiac screamed that it was a boggart, that tried to squeeze him to verbalize the spell to banish it. But the residue of him was panicking as hard as it ever did and wouldn ‘ t listen. He gulped in a long mouthful and felt himself choking.

"Ridiculus !"

Harry fell to the priming coat as the weewee became party balloons. Harry looked up to see Malfoy, still crouched on the floor, with his scepter out.

"Thank you."Harry croaked out.

"How in Merlin's gens did you survive the second undertaking ?"Malfoy said breathlessly.

"screen arrogance."Harry forced himself to his feet and offered a hand to facilitate Malfoy do the Lapplander. Harry dusted himself off and set off towards the goal. Malfoy fell into step beside him.

"Did you match the Bugbear."Malfoy said, glancing behind them to see whether the boggart was following.

"Nope."Harry shrugged."Met what I think was a Jabberwocky though."

"Really ?"Malfoy seemed impressed in his dry way."What did you do ?"

"Encased it in meringue."Harry grinned, then frowned."I ‘ ve noticed you ‘ re not cursing me. Last sentence we spoke you were cursing me."

"Oh that, did you really think I ‘ d fall for that for long ?"Malfoy shook his head."I worked out what you were doing the minute I got back to my uncouth room."

"Guess I ‘ m not as smart as I thought."Harry shrugged."So does that mean you ‘ re going to… what was it… halt the progress… Of Fleur and Krum ?"

"Haven ‘ t met either of them."Malfoy replied, then added dryly."It ‘ s like a labyrinth in here."

"Oh ha bloody ha."Harry rolled his eyes."Well if you… stop walking."

Harry threw a hand out in front of Malfoy, who stopped instantly, raised his wand and began scanning the corridor of leaves they were walking along.

"What ? Where ?"Malfoy asked tersely, glancing around.

"You hear that ?"

Scrit… scrit…

"That little… metal… sound ?"Malfoy stepped back, near to Harry's back.

Scrit…

"Like individual sharpening a knife ?"

Scrit…

"Yes."

Scrit… scrit…

"Oh great."Harry tried as hard as he could to nail the sound but it seemed to be coming from everywhere."I think there ‘ s more than one."

"more than than one what !"Malfoy's psyche was now jerking from slope to side like a dog watching a tennis match.

Scrit… scrit…

"stop still and hear !"Harry gritted his teeth. The interference sounded… high ? Harry's eyes flicked up to the high-pitched ramification. Not for the inaugural clip he wished he had Helen Wills Moody's eye.

Was that a newsflash of movement ? Harry concentrated, it was like trying to see through that cheep one-way glass. The stuff that's just regular methamphetamine hydrochloride with strips of mirror threaded through it. There was a trick to it, you just focused behind the glass… behind the leaves.

"Oh bugger."Harry's eyes widened."RUN !"As soon as Harry moved the hedges exploded.

flit rained down, peppering the two fleeing son. Harry screamed as the needles hit his form and jerked his cowling up over his head. It didn't help much.

"Waito scallywag !"Malfoy yelled, following behind him."darn ! … Ow ! … Bloody ! …"

Harry dashed away, the litany of swearing following close behind. He at least tried to channelize towards the center of the maze but it was hard when running at full moon tilt.

Scrit !

"Aaah !"Harry cried in nuisance as a flit stabbed into his cheek, the point going straight through. Harry pulled it out with another furious cry."mightily ! That DOES IT ! Malfoy, back to stake !"

Harry felt the Slytherin relocation into position.

"INCENDIO !"Harry slashed his wand in a panoptic swathe, burning the dry branches.

"Incendio !"Malfoy yelled behind him.

"No !"Harry held up an arm to bar another volley of flit aiming for his head."You shield !"

"Protego !"Malfoy made no effort to fence, a fact Harry truly appreciated.

"Incendio !"Harry cut another swathe through the branches and apparently hit something this time as a mad squeaking cry went up and another dark rainbow of flit flew up to drop on the two teenagers. Harry forced himself to commit Malfoy and made no try to stuff them. Instead he aimed directly at where they had come from.

"Confringo !"Harry saw the nemesis hit the burning at the stake branches and explode in a fireball, raining Spark down on them. Both the Muriel Spark and the darts bounced easily off Malfoy's carapace. The screeching grew flashy and Thomas More panicked ( like a violently squeezed guinea pig ) then grew fainter as the imps retreated, scurrying and swinging through the hedges like Edward Gibbon. Harry's shoulder sagged and he let his wand arm free fall to his side.

"That was a salutary plan."Malfoy said breathlessly."Good plan."

"Well you know my buckler couldn ‘ t observe off rain let alone this."Harry pulled a dart out of his upper arm where he hadn't noticed it."You think these are poisoned ?"

"Unlikely."Malfoy shook his question, still trying to watch his breathing spell."Waito imps aren ‘ t really that smart. Cruel, but not smart."

"Smart enough to use a whetstone, these darts… woah…"Harry had glanced down the hedged corridor and spotted what was at the end, sparkling on a pedestal.

The triwzard cup.

"We made it."Harry breathed."And I only had to get my brass pierced."

The two of them began to take the air forward, not speaking. Neither of them wanted to reckon about what they'd do once they reached the cup.

Unfortunately the universe provided a distraction for their quandary in the form of something infinitely more awful.

They both saw her at the same second, spicy robes falling over her slim systema skeletale and her blonde hair spreading out in a fan around her. She was sprawled at the far incline of the clearing, one hand stretched out towards the cup as if she had been reaching for it as she fell.

Fleur ...

Harry moved first, pushing her up on her side and putting two fingers to her neck for a pulse. He waited there a longsighted time, the twinkle draining out of his centre as it already had from hers. When he finally turned back to his companion it was almost too a great deal elbow grease to speak.

"She ‘ s dead."

Absolute secrecy reigned for a moment.

"No… no she can ‘ t be."Malfoy shook his heading."You did it wrong."

"Malfoy she ‘ s not even warm."Harry rolled her onto her front and crossed her weapons system across her chest. He eased her hair off her case, breaking the caked on dirt, and closed her eyes. Harry closed his heart too, it didn't even seem real.

"half an hour ago she was healing a love bite off my neck."Harry could still see her wink in his mind."She was smiling."

"This isn ‘ t happening."Malfoy interrupted behind him, shaking his promontory manically"It ‘ s… it ‘ s like a trick ! It ‘ s the last challenge before we take the cup."

"THEN return THE BLOODY CUP !"Harry raged out, feeling hot teardrop streaking down his face as he spun around to face Malfoy."Just assume it so we can get out of here !"

"I…"Malfoy stepped back hurriedly, then turned to the cup."But don't you want it ?"

"I wan na go home."Harry said, a little pathetically."Just take the cup. Please."

"N…no."Malfoy stepped back."You take it."

"Draco…"Harry shook his headway."Don ‘ t listen to your father, for once just… take something for yourself."

"You deserve it more."

"I cheated."

"So did I."

"I cheated more."Harry shook his read/write head, the tears coming freely now."I had a map."

"You ‘ re trying to play me again."Malfoy said, still sounding panicked."If you ‘ d had a map you ‘ d have got here quicker."

"Just take the bloody cup !"Harry wailed."Can ‘ t you see I don't want it anymore !"

"I…"

"Here !"Harry grabbed his arm."Like this !"

Harry pushed the Slytherin's hand onto the cup and suddenly the world disappeared. Instead it was replaced by a swirling convolution of coloration and light.

Portkey ! Oh god oh god oh god.

Harry just about had time to agnize how badly he'd screwed up when he was dumped on a dusty Isidor Feinstein Stone floor.
*


Harry pushed himself up on pained arms and looked around. He was in the middle of a hall, marble flooring and editorial, all in sinister and white marble. Even the nifty doors at either end were Negroid, sinister portals twice as tall as a person. The only color in the room came from the vase of rosebush on a table near the door, and a massive tapestry that hung up one massive wall. It was a family Tree he realized, must take stretched back one C, fancifully decorated with birds and flying lizard and former images. Harry took all this in in a moment but still only had one thing to say.

"I just wanted to go home."

"The unusual thing is Potter."genus Draco said warily."I am."

"Eh ?"

"This is Malfoy manor."

"Quite correct young Malfoy."

Harry whirled towards the phone of the voice but a spell took him in the chest and he was thrown back down to the firmly stone story. Through the fuzz of rip he saw three robed figures approaching from the top of a staircase.

On the depart Johnny Reb lopped, his roughshod eyes trained on Harry. On the right, Lucius Malfoy, absentmindedly fingering a recollective white boxing glove he was wearing. And in the middle…

"Oh my god."Harry put his hand to his mouth."You ‘ re back."

"Yes Mr ceramicist I have returned."Voldemort smiled his reptilian grin."I said I would did I not ?"

"I believe a told you to get along back prettier."Harry said, slowly raising himself up from the level."I see you failed to contain that to heart."

"A defiant sentiment that would be perhaps more grand if your face wasn ‘ t lined with tears."Voldemort stepped towards him, passing his two handmaiden. As he brushed by them Lucius gave a little shiver and rubbed his gloved hand. A heavyweight snake, like a Python, curled on the terra firma nearby but made no move to take after the dark nobleman. Voldemort reached the floor and stopped, he made a wrestle motion in the air and Harry's wand skittered across the marble tile and jumped into his hand.

Harry cursed under his breath, he hadn't even realized he'd lost it. It must have been knocked out of his hand when he fell.

"Heroics don't interest me."Harry found his feet, his eyes already darting around. Trying to find an issue."But you could at least have fixed the nose."

There were the two huge doors but he'd be all in before he reached them. A diminished door by the stairway but that meant running straight towards them. The stairway itself didn't bear thinking about. Harry's oculus flicked to Malfoy, frozen on the floor, his brass an unreadable masquerade. Voldemort followed his gaze and turned to the Slytherin.

"I am surprised to see you here young Malfoy."The dark lord said, towering over him."You were ordered to make him ask the cup, not to take it yourself."

"Ung…."Malfoy swallowed, his mouthpiece working wordlessly.

"seed now, you have nothing to fear."Voldemort bent down, bringing his head closer to Draco's."You have done me a enceinte service."

"He… he… he wouldn ‘ t take the cup."Malfoy stammered."He must consume thought something was up. I had to catch his arm and pushing him into it."

Harry prayed that none of the black robed wizards had noticed who had been hanging onto who's arm when they had tumbled to the level a moment ago.

"Why do you guess he suspected ?"Voldemort was staring directly into Malfoy's eyes.

"We found Fleur."Malfoy said, still apparently frozen to the floor."She was lying perfectly next to the cup. He thought it must have been the cup that killed her, some variety of curse."

Not bad Malfoy, not bad at all.

Voldemort stared into the boys grey-haired center for a second longer, then nodded, apparently pleased.

"Our factor at Hogwarts must make had to vote out her to give up her taking the cup."Voldemort placed a long finger under Malfoy ‘ s Kuki then stood, bringing the boy up with him."A shame he could not discard of the trunk but I suppose he was having to operate from outside the snarl. And in any case the result is the Same, Harry potter is here. You have done your passe-partout a not bad service Whitney Young Malfoy, almost as great as the one your male parent performed for me."

Again that twitch towards the boxing glove. Maybe some sort of helplessness he could exploit ?

Voldemort turned to Harry and he suddenly felt Legilimency like he'd never felt it before. It was like an axe was being applied to the back of his brain.

Fight back ! He screamed at himself. If Voldemort worked out that he and Malfoy were anything other than worst opposition then the blond would die along with him. Harry tore his eye away but a moment later his boldness was jerked back forwards. Voldemort was holding him with thaumaturgy somehow, his head felt like it was stuck in a vice.

blank mind ! Harry repeated to himself. Blank ! His mitt found the shell necklace under his robe and he hung onto it in despair, pouring every thought into the little nub of whiteness. Slowly, ever so slowly, the knives receded.

"Amateurish Mr Potter."Voldemort released him and he slumped to the floor."But unfortunately effective."

"Screw… you… snakeface."Harry panted.

"It does not matter."Voldemort dismissed it with a Wave of his script."Your childish tricks will not relieve you this time."

"conjuration like stabbing you through the eye ?"Harry grinned evilly."I never got a chance to tell ya, but when they squished all this gross slime came out. Honestly, it was like popping two huge blackhead. Squish…"

"And yet I live."Voldemort spread his hands."And will continue to do so. I am immortal Harry thrower. All you did was sabotage me and tug me back to being a bodiless soul."

"Squish…"

"I had to go again by possessing lesser creatures. Creatures beneath me, vermin and serpent. Until Johnny Reb found me, whiff me out in the state of nature of Albania."

"Squish… squish… pop…"

"Realizing I needed a more competent servant I had him bring me to Lucius, my servant of old."Voldemort glanced back at the Malfoy patriarch, still standing on the stairs."Who did me three great services. First he was able-bodied to make me a inaugural potion that restored me some level of physical cast, but one that was wretched and weak. A disgusting and disfigured parody of my former power."

"So you did get along back prettier."

"Secondly…"Voldemort ignored his wisecrack like a large-minded father while smiling a smiling that never reached his eyes."He made me aware of another servant I could use, one that would be able to-"

"Infiltrate Hogwarts."Harry interrupted."Put my figure in the cup ?"

"Five points to Gryffindor Mr potter,"Voldemort drew his wand."But minus ten for interrupting. Crucio !"

Harry had clip to blade himself before the pain hit and rally it out without too practically trouble. It still left him gasping and horse but his mind was clear of the usual phantasm and confusion left by the extreme point painful sensation. At least he was well practiced at that.

"It all becomes clear."Harry said, picking himself off the level."So you ‘ ve been here, fallible, the unscathed time. At Malfoy manor."

"Until Lucius was able to fill out the mo potion, a few calendar month ago."Voldemort smiled."And he was able to render his most personal service."

The twitch to the mitt was not even subtle this time. Suddenly Harry had a thought.

"Ellen Hayward."Harry saw all eyes, especially Draco's on the level, flick to him."That was you wasn ‘ t it. She was a booster of this family. This god forsaken family."Harry added, in showcase anyone started wondering how he'd come by this information."The kind that pops by unannounced. Did she pop by at the wrong sentence ?"

"Yes, a fact I regret."Voldemort shook his head, though Harry would be dammed if he saw a trace of remorse on that sophisticate face."She was of a true pure bloodline theater, and an mental hospital in her own right wing. She will be sorely missed."

"I ‘ m sure you ‘ ll shed a tear every year on the day you poisoned her."Harry spat back, then smiled a another neuron fired."And Rita Skeeter ? She was looking for a exclusive on the triwizard champ. Tried to sneak in."

"Was that her name ?"Voldemort twitched his head to the side as he smiled self indulgently. It struck Harry as a wholly snakelike gesture."I do not stop to ask the names of insect I kill. And besides, in her type I did you a favor. You should thank me."

"I ‘ ll send some flowers."Harry replied acidly.

"And now I am finally set to come out of the darkness."Voldemort said rapturously."And I have just one interrogative to ask you."

"Boxers."

"You have been a stimulating enemy Harry."Voldemort held out his hand."And the Potter kinsfolk is old and proud. Your mother blood is an issue but… not an unsurmountable one. I can pop the question power beyond your hazardous aspiration Harry, if you join me."

"Ok."

"You… what ?"

"Ok. The robe comes free people right, I don ‘ t have to buy it ?"Harry began to laugh softly, unsuccessfully hiding it behind his hand."Got good promotion prospects ? Where do you see me in three years ?"Harry began laughing in earnest, the only audio in the deathlike silent hall.

"So I take it you refuse."Voldemort said coldly.

"Yes, you snake faced, impotent, wanker !"Harry choked out between giggles."Did you honestly believe my answer would be yes ? And anyway, what demented logic makes me thwarting you a good qualification for joining your ranks ?"

"I thought you might be persuaded to see reason."Icicles could give birth grown on Voldemort's words.

"Well Tom, I guess we were both wrong."Harry grinned."Oh no hold ! Just you."

"What did you call me !"Voldemort stepped forward, bristling with anger.

"What… Tom ?"Harry smiled."Tom Marvolo Ri-"

"Crucio !"

Harry hit the base but blanked his intellect at the same time. He watched his eubstance writhe dispassionately from a stop behind his optic. After a long, long time the writhing stopped and he allowed himself back in.

"Don't try to speak."Voldemort was saying."I took you almost to the demarcation of what a judgement can take."

"That was the limit ?"Harry pushed himself up from the base. He knew it was masochistic but…"Then why not go for the record… Tommy."

"You… !"

"Tommy boy."Harry grinned."Is that really the best you got ?"

"Crucio !"

Harry couldn ‘ t honesty say how long he lay there behind his own center. Longer than the showtime time certainly. But eventually the pain stopped and he allowed himself back in. It took him a few minute to reorientation himself, his musculus ached and his pharynx was raw. His dead body had suffered even though he'd managed to soften his mind.

"You see my friends."Voldemort was saying, his back to Harry."I have broken his mind just as I will discontinue the wizarding world to my will."

Harry tried to think whether he had a weapon on him, with the snake's back turned he might have a chance.

"Sire ! He ‘ s awake !"Calidris canutus barked. tinker's dam werewolf eyes.

His cover broken, Harry slid up onto his human knee and looked up into the shocked red eyes of Voldemort.

"I… hav…"Harry couldn't get the Son out. He licked his back talk and tried again."I have been burned by metre itself, Tom Riddle. Don ‘ t ever think you scare me. Not ever. You ‘ re nothing."

The room was deadly silent. Voldoemort stared at him, confusion evident on his face, then smiled and let out a petty laugh.

"Oh how melodramatic."Voldemort mimed clapping."Quite well done, I could almost think you had some top executive over the cruciatus. But you don ‘ t do you, you ‘ re simply using occlumency. Sealing the pain away, or sealing yourself from the hurting. Very well done, I didn ‘ t think you had that degree of skill."

"Your mistake."Harry tried to smile but the muscles in his lip didn't seem to want to so he settled for a rictus smiling."You make a lot of misunderstanding don't you Tommy ?"

"Do not say-"

"And that ‘ s the other reason I can ‘ t work for you."Harry did manage the smiling this time."I ‘ d get tired of incapable management."

"Really."Voldemort's phonation was silk over razors."Then perhaps I should show you the on-key baron of Jehovah Voldemort. Perhaps I will show you that your will means zilch !"The word nothing cracked like whip and Voldemort drew his verge. Harry felt his arm pulled forward against his will.

"Let me cave in you something you can't closure out."Voldemort stabbed his scepter down onto Harry's arm."Morsmordre !"

Harry stared at his arm in seismic disturbance, at first there was nothing, just a darkening of the skin. Voldemort stepped away, smiling. Then, slowly but surely, the mark faded out of naught. Growing blacker and more defined by the moment. Then Harry felt his script clutches, the mark seemed to writhe on his forearm. He watched as the darkness spread, like tentacles down every vein, making his hand look like it was encased in inkiness ivy.

The darkness advanced, following the stemma up his arm. Harry couldn't halt himself from scratching at it furiously, trying to slow its progression. Voldemort laughed. The black telephone line came up his shoulder, across his bureau. Then they hit his spur, and the suffering began.

Rods of hot iron, knives of fire stabbing into his binding. Reaching high-pitched and higher as the curse curled up into his brain. Couldn't block it out, it was coming in under everything. It was everywhere. Harry saw spiderwebs grow across his eyes as the curse word worked its way into the tiny veins. The pain was everywhere now, pulsing up his spine and into every screaming minuscule synapse. It couldn't be stopped.

Harry escaped the pain the but way he could see how. He lowered himself down and smacked his forehead against the trading floor as hard as he could.

He heard Voldemort laugh before it all went black.
*


Severus Snape leant back in his chair and considered the lunacy of an total school, node, ministry functionary, mechanical press and assorted other hangers on turning up to stare at a hedge.

"It ‘ s not as if they can even see anything."Snape muttered under his breath.

"Eh, what was that Severus ?"Flitwick turned to him from the seat to his left.

"I said I was wondering how much longsighted Mr Malfoy intends to retain us waiting."Snape said, without missing a beat.

"Still pinning all your hopes on your own mansion ?"Flitwick said slyly.

"fountainhead why wouldn ‘ t I ?"Snape rolled his eyes. He had reconciled with the thrower boy but that didn't modification the fact that he was a Slytherin to the core.

"I personally think ceramicist will work over him to it. Not a scholar like him."Flitwick said proudly. Snape rolled his middle, hearing Flitwick crow about Potter's charm power was a constant irritation.

"What is taking them so long ?"professor Vector said from the other side.

"The fact that it is a maze and not a footrace ?"Snape said irritably."There are obstacles in there you know and in any guinea pig it has only been…"Snape pulled his sleeve up to attend at his watch.

"What is that ?"Filius leant his tiny frame over.

"A wrist watch. They are… quite useful."Snape said faintly.

"Oh… But shouldn ‘ t you be looking at the other English ?"

"former side…"Snape stared at his radiocarpal joint, the watch forgotten as his eyes bored into the black shape standing proud against his blench skin."No… no no no."
*


Harry came to lying in something sticky. line or disgorgement ? It was beige and it looked like it had peas in it. Probably vomit.

Harry raised his aching head and looked around. His shabu were lying a few inches away, he reached for them and drew them up to his facial expression. Be blinked a few times, at first he though he had gone cross-eyed, then he realized that there really were more than three rob figures in the room.

They were all around him, arranged in a roofy, all with decease head masquerade on except for Voldemort himself. Harry's eyes found Draco, standing a little outside the circle, he seemed to be expending a lot of effort hard to keep his boldness blank.

Harry turned back to Voldemort and tried to earn his mouth work.

"Still not as bad as the Torrent."A dark mutter went up from around the Mexican valium. Harry found a dry role of the floor, set his hired man against it and pushed. He managed to grow himself gamey enough to jerk a ft up and lay it bland on the floor. Slowly, surely and against the protest of his aching heftiness, Harry stood.

"fountainhead done Harry."Voldemort folded his arm."And I thought you would be all out of spectacular, defiant and pointless gestures."

Harry's leg spasmed and he was almost tipped back onto the storey. He staggered for a moment then found his groundwork again. He lifted his arm and stared at the mug on his arm before letting it pearl to his side.

"That means nothing."Harry shook his head, causing shooting strain to run up and down his pricker."You put a pretty tattoo on my arm it doesn ‘ t mean anything."

"It means I own you Harry Potter."

"I ‘ ve got a Hungarian horntail on my chest does that think it owns me too ?"Harry grinned, his sense of body fluid was coming back. He couldn't stand up straight but he could one-liner for England. Harry looked down at his shaking torso."I notice I ‘ m not dead yet ? Do you still actually think I ‘ ll come over to your side ?"

"You are still alive for one intellect only."Voldomort drew his scepter."To tell me something."

"I already told you boxers."

"Crucio !"

Pain. block. attenuation. Floor. Blankness. Time…

"Well…"Harry stood again, working the twist out of his shoulders."We ‘ ve established that you don ‘ t learn quickly."

"Potter I have humored you thus far."Voldemort stepped closer."It stops now, how much does Alasor Moody know ?"

The doubtfulness caught Harry off guard.

"Wha ?"

"Crucio !"

Harry waited then sunk back, finding that this meter he'd landed with his face squarely in the barf puddle.

"Lovely."Harry wondered if it was deserving standing. It was fairly clear he wasn't leaving this room alive, unless by some miracle Helen Wills, Snape, Dumbledore or maybe the ministry found him. He certainly couldn't leave by his own steam, not the shape he was in. Not without a wand. In that case the best affair he could do was stall the psycho in battlefront of him for as long as possible, and that meant…"Hold on, I ‘ m getting up…"Harry lurched to his feet.

"I know Helen Wills Moody was investigating poor Madam Hayward ‘ s death-"

"Her murder."Harry corrected.

"Cru…"Voldemort raised his wand angrily, then let it fall, the torment not even fully formed. He hissed in irritation."I know he was investigating it. I know he was doing so at your urging. How practically is he mindful of ?"

"Why the hell would I tell you snakeface ?"Harry shrugged."We ‘ ve already established that you ‘ re incapable of torturing me."

"Really, well let us see how you cope with this."Voldemort smiled evilly."Imperio !"

Harry felt the curse enter into like a parasite, shooting into his brain and wrapping it in candy-floss. He tried to impede it out but it was tricksy, it found gaps in his blocking. Little wiggling tendrils like etymon, finding a slight disruption then growing, splitting his mental capacity apart.

Tell me everything.

Harry tried to shake off it away, vainly,

How much does he know ?

Why not differentiate him ? Harry drew his hands up to his head, he knew that voice was untimely but he couldn't call up exactly why.

William Tell me.

Tell him ?

Tell me.

"Don ‘ t !"The Neville representative in Harry's mind broke through the copper. Waving it's trivial mental arms and shaking it's head."It ‘ s Voldemort Harry ! Voldemort !"

You will recite me !

"Are you being intentionally dense Harry ?"Hermione shouted at him from the other side.

But the courteous man wants me to evidence him something. Harry blinked like an owl and rubbed his heart, too much was happening in his head.

Tell me now !

"It ‘ s Voldemort Harry ! VOLDEMORT !"Padma hissed in his ear.

How much does Alastor Helen Wills know !

"He killed your parents !"

Tell ME !

"Can ‘ t you see him ?"

YOU WILL TELL ME !

"ALL OF YOU halt yelling !"Harry shouted and dropped to his human knee. The vocalization disappeared and Harry was just left as he was. A scared teenager in a room full of murderers.

"All of who Potter ?"Voldemort said in his slimy patronizing voice."No one is talking."

Harry just stayed on the level and tried to breath.

"What is the matter Potter."Voldemort slid closer."No jokes, no wittiness ?"

point feels like concrete.

"Maybe now you will secernate me what I want to know."Voldemort stepped up so he was properly on top of Harry."Maybe now-"

"Please."Harry muttered through clenched teeth.

"What was that Mr thrower ?"Voldemort slant down.

"Please no more."Harry shook his head and held a hand out towards the wickedness lord.

"Are you ready to differentiate me ?"

"Yes… yes…"Harry stretched his arm out further, pawing at Voldemort's gown pathetically."I ‘ ll tell you… THIS !"

Harry's fingers clamped down on a scraggy leg and he pulled, putting all his weight behind it. Voldemort fell backwards, his face contorted with furor and wrath. Cries of repugnance came from all around but Harry ignored them. He grabbed up and caught Voldemort's wand out of the air and yelled,

"AVADA-"

Harry was hit from all slope by curses and was thrown back into darkness.
*


Snape's head snapped to the side as he saw a shining catamount springtime through the wall.

"He ‘ s not at any known location from the shoemaker's last war."Shacklebolt's abstruse voice came from the patronus."I ‘ ll go along looking."

Dumbledore shook his head and lowered himself back down behind his desk.

"We should be doing something."Minerva was pacing back and forth across the floor of the schoolmaster's function. If she had been transformed her tail would have been twitching irritably.

"She is right."Snape shook his header."I could answer the process, maybe find a way to warn-"

"No."Dumbledore shook his headspring."We have discussed this."

"And you have unreasonably dismissed it !"Snaps snapped."You clearly intend for me to spy for you in the futurity anyway so why not-"

"Severus ! I have made my decision."Dumbledore stood sharply, slamming his hands down onto his desk. In the background Fawkes trilled sadly."We need to reconvene the parliamentary law. Minerva, see if Alastor has recovered yet and contact the Weaseys, Lup-"

"For what ?"Snape interrupted."So we can accept even more masses sitting on their hands while Harry dies ?"

"Severus…"

"No Dumbledore. No…"Snape stood to face up the old thaumaturgist and crossed his arms."You have ten seconds to give me a obligate reasonableness why I should not go to the boy 's aid. Otherwise I am leaving."

"Severus there is no need-"

"Nine."

"menace will not-"

"Eight."

"You are being unreasonable."

"As are you. Seven."

"I forbid it !"Dumbledore said through gritted teeth.

"Six. It is not yours to forbid."

"You are risking your spirit !"

"It is mine to hazard !"Snape snapped cutting his hand through the air like a scythe."And you are down to five."

"This could destroy everything Severus."Dumbledore said, suddenly seeming panicked."If we truly have war on the way I will need eyes among the death-eaters. By doing this you risk exposing yourself."

"Also my selection to clear. Not yours."Snape shook his head."And have you thought of how will the deprivation of the boy who lived effect this war ? Perhaps spared a thought to what it would do to people ‘ s morale to see the living evidence of Voldemort ‘ s fatality rate die ? Have you thought of that ?"

"Trust me Severus."Dumbledore's voice was harsh and low, with dangerous tinge."That the fact that Harry gives people hope is never far from my brain. But-"

"By rights you ‘ ve had ten seconds by now."Snape interrupted."But I ‘ ll give you one last chance."

"Severus please…"

"Not respectable enough."Snape turned and stalked towards the door.

He kept expecting to be stopped, some spell or net ditch disputation, but none came. He closed the doorway behind him and allowed the moving staircase to take him down. As it moved he summoned his patronus, it's little sharpen head and it's tiny forked glossa sniffing the air.

"I ‘ m about to do something very dangerous."Snape said to it softly, pushing his Holy Writ into it."I don ‘ t know if I ‘ ll return, but it ‘ s something I feel I must do."

Snape licked his lips, this wasn't going well. He should just hold open it short.

"I love you."Snape cursed his bluntness."I realize this is a strange meter to contribute it up but… but… well I just feel like it should be said."

Snape waved the snake away and it sparkled through the wall, heading south towards London.
*


"Albus ?"Minerva asked softly after the Potions overlord had gone. Dumbledore hadn't moved or speak, he was just staring off into space."Albus ?"

"Look in on Alastor."Dumbledore repeated."And striking lupin. I will do the rest."He was still staring at the threshold, his abrupt eyes boring into the old wood.

"I understand."McGonagall stepped towards the door, then paused. This was not easy to do but…"Albus…"

"Hmm ?"

"He ‘ s not wrong you know."Dumbledore stared at her. McGonagall couldn't hold that gaze for long and turned to leave the room.
*


"Potter… Oh Potter… metre to endure up again."

Harry's center cracked open and he looked up into Voldemort's face. His whole body ached from the layer cake of curses that he had suffered over the stopping point time of day. Or was it longer ? He had such a rickety grasp of clock time when he was unconscious. Harry managed to farm his promontory and feel around.

Yep, still in the Same space, surrounded by nasties. Or… wait… was there one more than of them than before ? Harry's eye's scanned around the roofy of glowering robed flesh. Maybe it was his imagination. That or the annoyance was making him hallucinate.

There was one difference, Dragon was no longer lurking idily behind the lines. He was standing in the midpoint, just a few step from Voldemort. He was facing Harry and he had his wand.

"Come on Potter."Voldemort urged."Up ! Up ! Where's that Gryffindor heart ?"

"I ‘ m not a Gryffindor."Harry muttered."I ‘ m a marauder."But apparently Voldemort didn't hear him.

"Now we can ‘ t have you lazing around all day Potter. Up !"

Harry felt himself lifted off the level and dropped back onto his metrical foot. His knees buckled and he stumbled, only to be pushed upright again by the unseeable force-out. He fell the other way, his hands coming up to quit himself but again he was caught and discard vertical. He tottered but managed to harbor his balance on shaking legs.

"That ‘ s better."Voldemort said indulgently.

"Why the hell haven't you killed me."Harry groaned weakly."Is it just sadism ?"

"Oh you will die Mr Potter."Voldemort smiled."There was never any question of that. I intend your dying to be the net mark to the world that I have returned, the seal for my immortality and payback for what happened on Hallowe'en fourteen geezerhood ago."

Seal for my immortality.

stamp for my immortality ?

What the hell did that mean ? Harry filed it away for later.

"So yes Harry you will be killed. I was going to return you the talent of a painless death, and I would make killed you myself after your ill advised escape cock attempt."

"execution attempt."Harry said darkly."I never expected to know. Just hoped to contain you down."

"The Gryffindor spirit returns."Voldemort smiled."But you would be dead except for one thing. I would still like to sleep together how much the old auror knows. And immature Malfoy here seems to imagine he can score you tell me."

Voldemort stepped back and let Dragon come forward.

He has a program. Harry overrode all doubts in his judgment. Every piddling sly voice saying that Malfoy had betrayed him was squashed in an blink of an eye. It didn't affair if he was wrong, it didn't matter if he was being too trusting, because if he was wrong he was numb anyway. Harry decided he would rather hope.

"You really should tell him Potter."Draco said."You know that. I don ‘ t really want to do this to you."

"Just do what you have to do."Harry dropped his header to his chest and waited for whatever was coming.

"Depulso !"Harry flew through the air and impacted onto one of the marble wall with a painful thud."Adhaereo !"Harry sagged as the sticking charm took gist, hanging a clear foot above the floor.

"Familiar Potter ?"Malfoy smirked as he sauntered over."I think a bit of vengeance is in order."

He has a architectural plan. He has a plan.

"Bullabazooka."

The house of cards top dog magic spell ? What the he… Oh no !

"Augmenta !"Malfoy stuck his sceptre through the bubble and Harry felt weewee begin to fill the shimmering sphere.

"What are you doing boy ?"One of the death feeder called out harshly. But Voldemort silenced him with a wave of his hand.

The water was up to his nose and Harry was beginning to panic. He jerked his head frantically, trying to dislodge the burp. But it didn't work and the water closed over his head sending him spiraling into insanity.

He tried desperately to sustain some shred of willpower or sense as he breathed in the water system in cracking swig. But anything he had went out the window as Wave of pain sensation coursed out from his chest, settling into every cell of his body. With his mind in tatters he was ineffectual to stuff it out.

A moment later the bubble popped and Harry was left coughing and wracked with pain.

"You see I had this brainy idea."Malfoy was saying cheerfully."Just because you an block out the cruciatus curse doesn ‘ t mean we shouldn ‘ t use it. It just means we have to find some way to weaken your mind. A good dose of paralyzing fearfulness for example."

Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He just hung there and panted.

"So just separate your master what he want ‘ s to know and this agony can end."

Why not ?

"Just evidence him !"Malfoy yelled."fine then, lets try this again !"

Harry screamed as he was drown then plunged into a creation of pain once more. By the end he couldn't even move. Didn't have the will. He really was betrayed, all hope was gone.

"I don ‘ t want to induce to do this Potter."Malfoy smirked."But you ‘ ve insulted my master, and I take such things seriously. After all, this is a true old pure blood house."

A light came on in Harry's brain. That last phrase, ‘ old pure stock house ’, why use that phrase ? Where had he heard…

When he'd hit the wall… had it sounded a little… hollow ?

Harry breathed deeply. If he was right he would have to desire that willpower could replace enduringness and stubbornness, musculus because in a few moment he would have to run. Harry tried to impress his legs as much as he could on the rampart, working the cramp out in preparation.

Why hadn't Malfoy done it yet ? Harry lifted his head up. Malfoy was just standing there waiting.

He needs a reason, Harry realized. He can't just do it out of the blue, he needs a reason.

"Malfoy…"Harry licked his backtalk."Old pure blood house ? That 's a laugh. Your father did n't severalize you ? Your mother was a whore."

"Reducto !"

Harry braced himself and screamed as the patch hit his chest. The marble bed sheet behind him shattered and he was thrown into the passage beyond.

MOVE NOW !

Harry found some muscles and, as curse started sparking against the wall above his head teacher, started to run.



followup, please. Or I 'll kill this pocket-size fluffy animal. No not that one the other one.


"Where is Harry !"Ron yelled."Why the hell won ‘ t you tell us ?"

"Mr Weasley calm down."Professor McGonagall spread her hands calmingly. The vulture had ambushed her out of doors Dumbledore's office. Normally she would sustain taken star sign points for the bad linguistic process, but this seemed like an exceptional condition."If I knew I would secernate you."

"You ‘ re trying to chance him though."Neville asked desperately."Dumbledore ‘ s doing everything he can ?"

"Everything that can be done is being done."McGonagall answered."No get out of my way-"

"Please Professor."Padma stepped in front of the teacher."We ‘ re not useless. Look at all we ‘ ve done. We know this is serious. We know this is awful, Fleur is already dead. We know you ‘ re trying to help but so are we. And we ‘ re not useless. So use us."

McGonagall took a deep breathing time, ready to lecture them. ready to brush them aside.

"Please,"Miss Weasley pleaded."There must be something we can do."

"We just want to help."Padma added with the others nodding behind her."We need to do something."

McGonagall took another breath, this sentence to ready herself.

"Go to the hospital wing."She could see the lightness come on in their eyes."If Moody is able to be moved have him taken to the Headmasters office. Then corral the prefects together and help oneself them get everyone back to their common rooms."

"Is that it ?"Ron asked hurriedly.

"Yes."McGonagall paused, in for a penny…"No. Mr or young lady Weasley, one of you go to my part and flue your parents. Tell them Dumbledore needs them. recite them it's for ‘ The rules of order ’."

"Dad ‘ ll be at work."

"Get them wherever they are."McGonagall snapped."shuffling pain of yourselves until you get them. You know how to do that. And notice Viktor Krum and take in him. He was the only early one in that maze, if he tries to run off. Stop him."

"Got it."Ron nodded and McGonagall strode off. As she went she could learn them breaking themselves into groups to take in the different tasks.
*


Harry's foot skidded on a bottle as he pelted down the moth-eaten corridor holding his aching chest.

"Which way ‘ d he go ?"

"Split up !"

Harry slowed down enough to get silent and ducked under a low beam. He took another turn. And another.

"Another bloody maze."Harry thought as he reached a small staircase down. It ended in a massive underground storehouse way, piled mellow with boxes and crate. There was a suit of armour, complete with sword, in one recess and what looked like a stuffed gator shoved up against the back wall. Even stranger things were piled haphazardly all over the place, strange devices, giant bones and artefact covered with motheaten dustsheets. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Harry managed to get behind a box and collapsed down on the floor. He couldn't run anymore, not without passing out again. The words of Madam Pomfrey floated out of his subconscious…

The human being torso has sealed limitation. You can not just keep heaping insult on it and await it to keep working properly.

He had reached those limit. He had passed those demarcation. Harry leant his drumhead back against the pugnacious Wood. Unless he found a way out of here soon and got some medical attention there was very real fortune he would die anyway. If there was a way out of here. If he hadn't just escaped the frying pan for the nonexistent rubber of the fire.

Harry's palpebra drooped. So tired…

"stopover you !"

Running feet !

Harry jerked awake in a second. Someone was in the way. More than one someone.

"Got you you little… Petrificus Totalus !"Something thumped against the floor. They weren't after him ? Harry leant out from around his box.
*


"Petrificus Totalus !"

Draco was caught off precaution as the spell smacked him from the slope. In that instant he knew he was dead. He felt his petrified torso scrape along the floor as his impulse carried him into a pile of molder bags.

"well trivial boy…"Dragon saw a block out expression come into view. A import later the mask came down and the cruel case of Walden Macnair."You ‘ re like a little rat aren ‘ t you. Well you ‘ ve reached the end of the run…"

genus Draco could only stare at the wickedness smirking man leaning over him.

"We ‘ re going back to the dark lord boyo."Macnair stood and flicked his scepter down towards Draco."And then you can see what happens when you try to put one over on the shadow God Almighty. Oh you ‘ ll… oh… oh… o…"

Macnair had frozen, little gulp of sound popping out from his mouth. His scepter fell from his limp finger's breadth as a thin dribble of blood began seeping from his sassing. He blinked in confusion, and turned towards the door.

Revealing both the metrical unit long blade embedded in his binding and Harry Potter.

Malfoy could only check as Harry dropped to one knee and scraped Macnair's wand off the storey. He stood again, with obvious campaign and croaked,

"Finite Incantatem…"

Malfoy felt his limbs go slack and he pushed himself to his feet.

"Harry are you allr-"But that was all he got out as Harry stumbled forward and collapsed into his arms.

"You ‘ d better make love some healing charms."
*

Harry hadn't meant to crack onto his friend, his knees had just refused to forge anymore. He found himself unable to do anything other than pay heed limply as Malfoy dragged him behind a box and propped him against the wall.

Harry couldn't even speak as Malfoy left again. A moment later he returned, dragging the body of Macnair.

"Thanks."Malfoy whispered.

"Owed you one."Harry felt his breathing place coming in jaw gasp."Why was he trying to get you ?"

"What do you entail why ?"

"I mean I…"Harry had to break off as he was struck with a bust up cough. When he brought his hand back from his mouthpiece it was spotted with bloodline."I assumed you would try to lead my relief valve off as an accident."

"Harry…"Malfoy shook his oral sex."Do you be intimate what Voldemort does to people who make that form of mistake ?"

"Evisceration…"Harry grinned."I ‘ m betting evisceration."

"As a start."

"So we ‘ ve become scum bag in the walls."Harry tried to make a motion his peg again, they jerked a little."Does this rampart have an exit ?"

"Tunnel that goes to a field south of here."Malfoy nodded."My father doesn't know about it."

"But you do ?"

"Oh please. I practically lived down here before I came to Hogwarts."Malfoy hesitated."You got my jot didn ‘ t you ?"

"‘ Old pure bloodline house'?"Harry chuckled painfully."Old pure rake houses used to have magician servant. wizard handmaid need handmaiden passageway. I got it."

"trade good. Good…"Malfoy nodded again. He seemed to be looking for something. Hoping…

"Shall we go then ?"Harry grabbed the wall and tried to stand. He got about a foot off the floor before his ramification gave out and he fell back to the floor."Did you have to reducto me so hard ?"

"You ‘ re blaming this on me ?"Malfoy stepped closer and lifted Harry's arm over his shoulder."You were the one who kept calling Voldemort Tommy Boy."

"It was irritating him."

"Exactly."

"Wait…"Harry stopped as they staggered out from behind the boxing crate."Can you get me to a sky ?"

"A… a what ?"

"I mean a window."Harry shook his cobweb infested head."A window or a fanlight or something. I just involve a… way to see upwards."

"Alright Harry."Malfoy started moving them forward."I ‘ ll humour you."

Harry saw where they were headed, a large chimney. When they reached it Harry dropped to his articulatio genus in front of it.

"What are you doing Harry ?"Malfoy asked."We need to move, they ‘ ll find us."

"We need people to know."Harry slid himself onto the cracked tiles."We need to get Dumbledore or somebody or Helen Wills or somebody or-"

"I get it."Malfoy sounded confused."But they ‘ ll have closed the flues."

"Not what I ‘ m planning."Harry stabbed his slip sceptre into the air."Just giving them a house they can ‘ t ignore.

"What si-"

"Morsmordre !"

Harry was bathed in sallow putting green light as the spell erupted up the chimney. As it hit the sky Harry saw it blossom out and take shape the glow scull.

"There,"Harry grinned. The blood on his face and the light filtering down from above gave him the look of a submerge corpse."Now we can go."

"You ‘ re insane Harry."

"So I ‘ m told."
*


"Let me through !"Krum tried to agitate past the twins and was thrown back.

"Nope."

"I just vant to go to the bathroom."

"Nope."

"I vill not try to run !"

"Nope."George shrugged."Sorry pal."

"Don ‘ t you know who I am ?"

"Yep."Fred folded his weapon."You ‘ re Viktor Krum."

"Quiditch hero."

"Triwizard champion."

"baby magnet."

"achiever of crone Weekly's least charming grinning award."

"Helen Wills bastard extraordinaire."

"Now ask who we are."

"You… you…."Krum spluttered incoherently."Who do you think you-"

"Glad you asked."George III grinned."We are theatrical role of the marauders."

"We are Harry Potter."

"We are his eyes and ears."

"His good right hands."

"And if you think you ‘ re getting past us."George drew his scepter."You ‘ ve got another thing coming."
*


"We have not found them master."Crabbe lowered his point in shame.

"Obviously you have not as they are not here."The wickedness Lord snarled and turned his wand on his cowering handmaiden."Crucio !"

Snape tried to stay on dispassionate as the death eater screamed in pain. It was far far harder than he remembered. He was very thankful of the masquerade party that covered any slips in his expression.

"And you Lucius ?"The dark lord turned on the blonde whizz."Surely they can not obliterate from you in your own home ?"

"I have asked the family elves to-"

"menage elves ? House elves ! You leave a task I gave you to planetary house elves ? !"

Snape felt his tummy clench and sent a dumb prayer that it was not him at the receiving end of that anger, or the punishment that followed it. Had it always felt like this ? Surely not… he remembered being almost eager for this study, gaining a sentience of triumph that he had hoodwinked the shadow lord. Now he just felt fright, scared and small and frozen like a rat. He just wanted to get out.

"And you Severus…"

No…

"You who come crawling back to me late and unapologetic."

"I have explained Master-"

"And I have excepted your explanation."Dismissed with a wave of his long wan deal."Or else you would not be here. I am not displeased that you can remain my spy in the order."

"I live to please you my lord."Oh lord let me leave this place safely.

"And you have taught Harry thrower and the treasonist Malfoy for the past tense four years."The dark lord said thoughtfully."Where would they go ?"

"Malfoy I can not speak to."Snape shook his fountainhead."His defection came as a complete surprisal to me-"No motive to lie there."-so I do nor presume to foreshadow his futurity actions."

"And Potter…"Impatient, soon to be anger.

"Potter is a rat. He will go to ground."Snape lied quickly."We have searched the mystic passages but Potter has also shown a preference for the rooftops-"and is not dazed enough to hide there where there is no escape."-we should crack there."

"Master !"Snape was interrupted as frantic whizz dashed in from the garden."The dark fool has been cast !"

"What ! I gave no order to tramp the mark !"

So who… Oh smart boy. Snape felt the muscles in his face twitch, wanting to break up into a dopy grin.

"Master,"Snape felt those red eyes turn on him."Potter may have cast it himself to admonish the ministry. It is the sort of thing he would do."

"That…"The nighttime lord looked almost print."That is surprisingly resourceful."

"You are… proud of my noble ?"

"It is pleasing to own an opposer who is not an old fool."The dark God Almighty smiled."I almost experience young. And besides this is only one facial expression of my plan."

"My lord the ministry will-"Snape began but was cut off by a curt wave of the dark lords thin hand.

"The ministry will find us."The dark lord looked off into the distance, his optic narrowing."Good."
*


"Thank you all for coming at such brusk notice."Dumbledore was speaking from behind his desk looking out over the government agency."But the fact is that what I have feared has come to pass. Voldemort had returned."

The people crowding the office didn't speak, didn't murmur, they had expected this. McGonagall shook her chief, if it wasn't for the horror of the situation it would almost be like old times.

"And Harry Potter and Mr Malfoy are both most in all probability in his clutches."Dumbledore shook his header."We need to be prepare as soon as we know where they are."

"How can we find out him ?"molly Weasley said from the cover of the room.

"Severus is trying to discover out. If he can safely get hold of us he will."Dumbledore didn't lurch over the evasion.

"And if not ?"

"Shacklebolt is also looking into it."Dumbledore held up a hired hand to discontinue any further objections."Now you all think back what to do. Be gear up to pull up stakes the moment we get the word."

The room was filled with neural shuffling and muttering as the great unwashed began shucking off any heavy or restrictive wearable or transfiguring them into garments more suited to combat.

McGonagall herself checked that her hair was securely out of the way before casting some preventative charms against minor jinx. She glanced towards the door to the towboat. A predator would undoubtedly be stationed outside, waiting for news. She thought of going out there, but what was the use if they knew nothing more.

"They know."Minerva turned to see the run down face of Mad Eye Helen Wills."They ‘ re dependable kids."

"They know what ?"

"That we ‘ re doing everything we can."

"Are we ?"Minerva felt like a treasonist for voicing that though.

"Can you cogitate of anything else ?"Moody shook his head and sighed. He was leaning rather heavily on a cane. McGonagall had seen him when Longbottom had lead him up here. The auror had practically been leaning on the kid. Dwight Lyman Moody noticed her looking and growled."I ‘ m fine. Nothing a footling fight wo n't bring around. Warm the old muscles up."

"Surely you yourself don ‘ t intend to-"

"If we can drag bureaucrat from their desks and housewives from their kitchens and expect them to fight like aurors then this real auror is sure as hell going too."Dwight Lyman Moody shook his head teacher."We ‘ re not ready."

"We should be. We ‘ ve had months."

"Well we ‘ re not. And it ‘ s too late now."Moody sighed."You think we ‘ re too old for this ?"

"If the old don't fight it falls to the young."Minerva glanced back at the door, thinking of a little brown-haired boy with too many scars for his age."And none of us want that."

"conjecture not."

"Minerva !"McGonagall turned to see Dumbledore behind her."Where is lupine ? I asked you to get him."

"It is wax moon Albus."She saw a flutter of something strange cross the headmaster lined face."You knew that. Didn ‘ t you…"

McGonagall was interrupted by the glowing lynx that fit in through the wall of the office.

"The grim mark was raised over Malfoy manor !"Shacklebolt sounded hurried."Aurors have already been dispatched."

"Guy Fawkes !"Dumbledore held out his script and the Phoenix fluttered over onto it."Everyone make a tail plumage. Be make to fight back the import we arrive. Our primary winding task is to find Harry."

If he's still alive. Minerva found herself praying as she grasped a tenacious feather.
*


Harry pushed the weighty wooden door open and felt the breaking wind hit his face.

"We ‘ re out."Harry smiled as he leant against the doorframe, gulping in the night air.

"And you ‘ re walking on your own."Malfoy said encouragingly.

"Yeah."Harry rolled his eyes."Give me a few More hours and I ‘ ll be running marathons."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Oh. So was I."

"I know."

"I was more obvious."Harry chuckled, then froze as he looked up at the sky."Oh shit."

"What ? Wha… Oh…"

The two adolescent stared at the full phase of the moon synodic month hanging just over the horizon. Harry reacted first.

"motility !"Harry pushed Malfoy away from the door and pushed it shut before slamming on three evil locking spell and an eviler curse.

"My dad doesn't know about-"

"Doesn ‘ t need to."Harry cut him off."grayback ‘ ll track us, probably already behind us."

As if on cue a harsh bark sounded, echoing from deep down the tunnel.

"Then what do we do ?"Malfoy had his wand out and was backing away from the door.

"Run."Harry ignored the ache in his wooden leg and started towards the edge of the study and a small stand of trees."Maybe we can turn a loss them."

"Lose a loup-garou ? At night."Malfoy was easily keeping pace with him.

"We can try."

"We ‘ ll fail."

"Do you want to die right here ?"Harry hissed angrily."amercement, stoppage and get mauled !"

"We need a better plan."

"Well we don ‘ t…"Harry shook his head."You ‘ re justly. They can outrun us easily. We try to escape this way we ‘ re dead."

"So what ?"

"I don't know !"Harry grabbed his pectus as a stab of pain sensation shot through him."I don ‘ t know Malfoy… I ‘ m sorry."

Harry felt a shoulder pushed under his and allowed himself to be supported. They would go faster like this anyway. Wait…

"Malfoy you go."Harry felt the other adolescent slow to a halt.

"What ?"

"If you drop me they ‘ ll find me. Take me back. prospect they ‘ ll ignore you."Harry let his head drop-off, he was just slowing them down."It ‘ s the in force chance for one of us to get out of this."

There was a long moment of silence. All Harry could learn was the audio of his own labor breathing.

"stupe Gryffindors."Malfoy muttered under his breath before yanking Harry forwards.

"Malfoy…"

"Don ‘ t say it again Harry ! Just don ‘ t !"Malfoy shook his head."We ‘ re getting out of this ! We have to because otherwise my Father of the Church ‘ s won. You understand me Harry ? And I didn ‘ t spit in the cheek of the dark master just to see my father win."

Harry let himself be led in silence. A trice of light up came from behind them, lighting up the dark domain. Harry craned his neck and saw the doorway in the hill glowing a deliquium blue.

"How long do you retrieve it ‘ ll remove them to get through ?"Malfoy panted.

"Not long enough."Harry shook his pass."We can ‘ t run. Won't work. We need to do something else."

"Like what ?"

"Like fight."

As Harry began explaining he saw Malfoy's expression go from hopelessness to a vicious smiling. They pushed further into the timberland as another flash of light slashed out behind them.
*


"What the hell was that ?"Auror Dawlish scowled.

"I didn ‘ t see anything ?"Jandred said irritably.

moron never see's anything. Tonks found herself thinking and only just stopped herself from saying it out meretricious. Instead she said,

"I saw it too Dawlish."

"Of line you did."Dawlish rolled his eyes as if he assumed she was lying."Just center on the gate."

"Yes sir."Tonk's turned back to the gate of Malfoy manor house, trying to ignore the glowing scull in the sky. She tried the normal unlocking spells, not really expecting them to work.

"Oh move over."Dawlish pushed her out of the way."You ‘ ll never open it that way."

"I ‘ d just starte-"

"lull trainee."

Tonk's gritted her teeth. Whenever Dawlish called her trainee he made it sound like an insult.

"If you ‘ re not going to do anything utilitarian you might as well investigate that light."Dawlish sneered."The one you saw."

"But sir the saturnine ma-"

"Probably vandals."Jandred shrugged.

"Sir ?"

"I gave you an parliamentary law missy."Dawlish smiled at her."Go investigate the lightness. go forth this to us."

Tonk's didn't cartel herself to mouth. She just turned and apparated for the rough localization of the light. She appeared a few feet above the ground and fell backwards as she landed.

"Ow !"Tonk's picked herself up and looked around. It was obvious where the light had come from. There was a door lying on the story, blown off its hinge. Tonk's lit her wand and glanced over the sphere of bare dirt around the rough tunnel entrance. There were rails all around, homo and dog.

No… not dog.

Tonk's looked tightlipped and cursed under her breathing place. werewolf. And some of the other shoeprints looked like children. She sent a spray of red sparks into the air and set off in the direction of the Leigh Hunt. She ran as fast as she could through the tall smoke and only slowed as she reached the edge of the trees.

She had to, or she'd have crashed into the end eater.

Tonk's had her wand out and gear up to bedamn before she realized he was in no shape to fight. One of his legs was trapped in a bear trap, he was writhing on the ground, his mouth exposed to call. Silenced she realized. Tonk's stunned him and conjured ropes to bind him just in casing. more red sparks in the air, not that she thought they'd be heeded, and she picked her way deeper into the forest.

Not a mile further she found another. This one a tree had engulfed. Only his legs were visible, hanging limply. He was clearly dead, suffocated.

Tonk's swallowed and kept going, carefully.
*


"Do you think Harry ‘ s alright ?"

"I don ‘ t know Herm."Padma shook her head word as she shepherded some first years towards their class fellow."I don ‘ t know."

"He usually gets out ok."Pavarti said with a infirm smile."I don ‘ t know… I just kind of always assumed he could survive anything."

"Everyone has limits. Even Harry."

"Then why has he never reached them ?"
*


Harry pushed open the obsolete farmhouse door and staggered inside.

"Razorcurse on the doormat."Malfoy said quickly, breathing in niggling pant."Maybe collapse the place with them inside."

"No."Harry wrenched open a wardrobe and pushed it's contents on the floor before shoving it against the door."We can lose weight them out with booby traps and curses but we ‘ ll have to fight them somewhere. Here ‘ s as good as anywhere. It ‘ s defensible, doesn ‘ t look like anyone lives here anymore."

"But Harry…"

"I ‘ d rather meet them on priming coat I chose than in the middle of nowhere."Harry ducked into another room and pulled open a bureau of drawers.

"What are you looking for ?"Malfoy was nervously eyeing the surrounding woods.

"Anything we can use."Harry leant against the doorframe before pushing away and looking in what looked like the chamber."I don't even know… I ‘ m just keeping moving."

"Shall I block up the windows ?"

"Do it."Harry nodded."Add something nasty if they try and get in. Then get upstairs."

"You think we can really get them ?"

"hope so."Harry grinned evilly."I want to get me a wolfskin rug."
*


McGonagall fell out of the capital of Arizona flak and instantly became her cat form. After scanning around with sess far in effect than her own she transformed back and nodded to Dumbledore.

"Alastor in front. Minerva, if you would back him up."Dumbledore motioned them forward."Kingsly, bring up the rear."

McGonagall let Moody pass in front of her, his eye gyration in its socket as he tried to involve in everything. She knew her section and transformed again to follow him. Her sore ears picked up the other member of the parliamentary procedure following close behind.

The gate of the manor was spacious unfold. Minerva saw Moody pause and mutter a few spell before stepping cautiously over the doorsill. She slinked after him. They probably looked very much like Filch and Mrs Norris McGonagall realized.

The widely courtyard fanned out in front end of them, a spring quietly tinkling away in the center. There was a circle of gravel around it, then Mary Jane, then bed of flowers. She saw Moody instinctively move to the face where the shrubs would afford him cover.

Smell…

McGonagall lifted her nose to try to pinpoint it. Coming from the other side of the fountain. She pressed her belly down close to the gravel and slinked around the edge. She poked her little directly heading around the corner and saw total darkness cloth. black robed sprawled on the ground. Vacant verbal expression. scepter fallen from outstretched hand. They were aurors, or had been. Her eye landed on the sand next to the bodies and she shied back in surprise. A wing cast was scratched there in the dirt as if with a boot, a symbol the order used. She darted back in shock and transformed back.

"It ‘ s a ambush !"She yelled, crouched behind the stonework."The auror's are short ! He ‘ s-"

She was cut off as the natural spring exploded, throwing her to the flooring. She felt herself pulled sharply out of the way as the curses began flying.
*


"Ferio !"Harry shot out a window and ducked as the answering bane blew a chunk out of the rampart. He looked across at Malfoy who was crouching under another window."How many of them are there ! ?"

"I don ‘ t know Potter I ‘ m not trying to calculate them !"

"Bugger !"Harry popped up and aimed a patch at a fleck of darkness before being thrown backwards as a fireball engulfed the windowpane."Depulso flames !"

The fire exploded outwards and Harry was pretty trusted he heard somebody howler in pain. Harry dashed to another gap in the paries and shot a stunner at a crouching physical body on the ground.

"I think there ‘ s five of them !"Malfoy shouted at him."Plus Greyback !"

Harry was about to suffice but had to give himself forward as the whole back wall of the menage was ripped away. He had to parry as a storm of trance flew at him from the now unprotected back. Harry looked back and grinned in sadistic pleasure as he aimed his wand at the floating wall.

"Finite !"The sweep of brickwork dropped and Harry heard mortal cry out. A cry that ended in the crunch of stone hitting worldly concern, and shape."Got one !"

"At the expense of a rampart !"

"Still got one !"Harry ducked behind a actor's assistant and tried to ignore the way the floor was slanting. Harry looked out in sentence to see a soma trying to climb the stairway."Stupefy !"

The death feeder blocked his spell but Malfoy's caught him in the side and pitched him off the building. Harry was about to shout something encouraging when he was driven to the floor by a falling beam. He looked up in clip to roll out from under another. He looked up encourage to see the red centre and hooked claws of the wolfman burrowing through the ceiling.

Harry raised his verge but was blown to the side of meat as the assault from outside stepped up.

"Draco piddling assistance !"Harry looked over but the blond boy was nowhere to be found."No no no…"

Harry clutched his wand and prayed as Rebel fell in presence of him.
*


"Harry !"genus Draco tried to yell but was cut off as a strong arm wrapped around his head. His wand was pried from his finger as he was dragged backwards. He tried to struggle but he was lifted off the ground and carried. genus Draco kicked as hard as he could but his captor only grunted. He felt the oestrus of the burning wood grow further away.

He was dumped, scepter less, onto the flooring. He rolled and looked up at his kidnapper. His father.

"founder I-"

"Listen you fool."His Padre reached down and grabbed him by his haircloth."You have made a mockery of everything I taught you. You are a ignominy to the Malfoy name."

"No…"Draco found himself trying to shake his head.

"Shut up !"The Slytherin felt his jaw clamp shut. His father continued."You are a walking clay while you are within the sinister Creator reach. And whatever else you have done you are still my son. My simply heir."

"Father I-"

"You will go into hiding."Lucius continued hastily."You will go where he can not discover you."

"No !"Malfoy found himself saying. Not as strongly as he'd have liked but still…"I won ‘ t go."

"This is not a game Draco !"His father cuffed him with the backbone of his hand, sprawling him on the flooring."You must continue the family personal line of credit. Regain something out of the mess you have made of everything."

"I don ‘ t care !"

"Listen to me !"Lucius grabbed him by his ear and pulled him painfully to his feet."I risk the dark lord ‘ s displeasure just by doing this much. You will obey me !"

"No ! Let me go !"Malfoy punched out blindly and felt his fist hit bod. He was dropped to the flooring and tried to beat away. There was a fallen death eater on the other face of the farmyard. His sceptre near his limp finger. Malfoy dashed towards it.

"Crucio !"

Malfoy felt pain in the neck beyond imagining. fire ran up and down every nerve. How had Harry survived this ? Occlumency ! Malfoy tried to blank his mind but the torment was already over.

"Maybe now you will heed to me !"His sire yelled, the flames from the farmhouse painting his pale visage a diabolical red."Maybe now you will-"

"Drop the scepter !"

Both Malfoy's turned to the new representative coming from the edge of the forest.

"Drop it now !"
*


Tonk's advanced on the destruction feeder. Trying to shift his attention from the kid onto her.

"bead the scepter or I ‘ ll be forced to hurt you."She tried to think back the accurate phrasing the auror handbook had taught her but her creative thinker was a blank."And step away from the child."

"This is my son young lady."The death feeder said with a smirk."I will train him how I see fit."

"Not with an unforgivable you won't."Without taking her eye's off him she dipped one mitt into her pocket and pulled out her badge."You are under arrest for-"

"Avada Kedavra !"

Her training kicked in on inherent aptitude and she threw herself to the face. Her reaction was in the air before she even hit the earth and it hammered her opposer back towards the farmhouse despite his raised shield.

Tonk's pushed herself up and ran between the death eater and the kid, who was still sprawled on the floor.

"Give up !"She yelled."More aurors are coming !"

The last eater responded with a barrage of condemnation that she was forced to make solid ground to counter.

"Reducto !"Tonks blew up the ground near his feet and saw him stagger away, blinded."Stupefy !"

"Protego !"He cast blind but it worked, making her duck to avoid her own charm."Crucio !"This one went wide and she grinned, this was almost over.

"Imperio !"

It caught her by surprise. The magic spell taking her over, covering her. She tried to fight it off but it was useless. She could already see his verge coming back up. It was an old darkness wizard prank, the next turn would be-

"Avada K-"

"Expelliarmus !"The spell hit the destruction feeder from the side and threw him into the side of the farmhouse. Already weakened beyond repair the wall caved in, burying the death eater in rubble. With a horrific clang the rest of the house teetered, then fell sideways, almost like it was folding. As it crashed to the solid ground a huge cloud of dust was thrown up, covering everything.

Tonk's looked in the centering the turn had come from. The boy was standing there, the verge of the fallen death feeder in hand. His face contorted in horror.

"Father…"He ran to the incline of the rubble slew and began levitating immense chunks of brickwork off."Church Father I didn ‘ t mean…"He stopped and stumbled back, tripping over a Rock and falling to the ground.

From where she was Tonks could just see what he could. The death feeder she had fought, with a piece of Grant Wood clear through his dresser. Dead.

The boy was shaking, his hands clasped over his oral fissure. Tonk's was about to go to him when something shifted in the pile of rubble. A beam was pushed aside and a disheveled trope crawled out from under it, his finger's breadth barely managing to bump purchase as it clawed its way free.

"Harry !"The boy was up on his animal foot and running towards the figure. He managed to throw the rest of the rubble off the one called Harry and pulled him away from the wreckage. Tonk's watched as he leant him up against a rock candy."Harry are you ok ?"

"Fine."Harry croaked, his peel covered in Black person ash."Just fine. Need water."

The boy conjured some and doused Harry with it, making him see almost human being. Tonk's jumped as the water system revealed a scar on his brow. Could it be that Harry ?

"This is blood."The other boy was saying."Did greyback get you did-"

"Nah,"Harry waved a scorch hand."I ‘ m an old hand at the wolfman fighting thing."

"Is he deadened ?"

"If he ‘ s not he ‘ s got the longest, most invisible, neck in the world."Harry grinned, his teeth were stained with blood.

"Are you sure you ‘ re ok ? Harry look the aurors are here."The other boy said encouragingly."We ‘ re condom. We ‘ re alright we can go back-"

"No !"Harry grabbed the other boy's arm."What you need to do is ca-ca fakes of us !"

"What ? I don't unders-"

'' I need you to prepare fake corpses so it looks like we 're dead ! ``

'' W ... Why ? ``

"Because I worked it out. Who it is."Harry was talking fast now, his eyes desperate."Who killed Fleur. Who tried to wipe out Helen Newington Wills. Who put my name in the cup in the initiative place. It ‘ s so simple it all comes down to the map. So unproblematic I should have… Dumbledore should have… Anyone could bear worked it out ! Even worse if he ‘ s smart, and I know he is, I know what he ‘ ll try to do next."

"But why do I have to hit fak-"

"Because right now he thinks he ‘ s safe."Harry grabbed the other boys shoulder."And a man's life is at stakes along with the rest. He thinks he ‘ s prophylactic but if we survive he won't so he ‘ ll move him and we won't find him. That ‘ s why we have to die Dragon. We have to die."

"I…"The boy Dragon paused, the flames of the burning at the stake house still popping in the Night."I can ‘ t do it."

"Malfoy you ha-"

"I know what you ‘ re asking I just can ‘ t."Draco shook his head."That kind of transfig if beyond me. I can ‘ t do it."

"I can."Tonks'voice caught in her throat. Why had she said that ? The two boy turned to her. Harry's eyes wide as if only now really noticing she was there.

"Who the hell are you ?"Harry tried to stand but collapsed back on the base."And why are you purple ?"

"I ‘ m Tonks. Auror Trainee Tonks. Hi !"She made a sort of waving. It was a strange introduction, amidst eubstance and a combustion house.

"You know her ?"Harry turned to Malfoy, clearly confused.

"She tried to fight…"Malfoy swallowed and glanced towards the dilapidation."She fought them."

"You trust her ?"

"Well I think."Malfoy glanced at her squinting."I think she ‘ s my cousin."

What ! Tonks'jaw dropped.

"Well well well."Harry grinned his bloody smile again."I guess we need three bodies."



More reviews please, if I reach 100 I get a plastic toy !


I do n't own Harry ceramicist, but ( hopefully soon ) I will own a small credit card toy.



"We found them near the ruins of a house nearby."Shacklebolt said tonelessly.

McGonagall felt something break inside her and she squeezed her eyes tight shut against the tears.

"There was one of my Trainees there too. Nymphadora Tonks."

"I remember her."Minerva murmured.

"It looked like she was caught by greyback."Kingsley shook his head."Perhaps a boon she died."

"Never say that !"Moody snapped. Shacklebolt flinched, then nodded,

"We found ceramicist in the wreckage and Malfoy a few yards away."Shacklebolt continued."It looks like he got out of the wreckage but soul cursed him and…"He shook his head sadly.

molly Weasley was sobbing, her husband trying to comfort her. The residual of the order was locked in dumb grief, avoiding one another's gazes as eye grew red.

"They went down fighting though."Kingsleys deep voice, usually so tranquilize, now sounded funereal."Did better than us really. Found Cramore stunned in the timberland, Kirrimson was dead nearby. We pulled what was left of Limnodromus griseus and Malf… Lucius Malfoy from the wreckage. Two were stunned behind the house Hylobates lar and Goyle, one other idle and burnt beyond recognition. We ‘ re working on identifying him."

"Those kids leave three stunned and four dead."Helen Wills Moody took a long pulling from his hip flask."And we walk straight into a hole and get sent plate with our shadower between our legs."

"We ‘ re still alive."McGonagall was shocked to find those quarrel slipping from her lips.

"Wish it were the other way round."Moody grimaced.

"What do we do now ?"Dadelus said looking to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore said zip. He was just sitting at his desk, staring into space.

"Dumbledore ?"

Guy Fawkes hopped off his perch and flapped down to shoot down on the desk. The phoenix nuzzled up against Dumbledore ‘ s cheek, trilling softly. The old Headmaster slowly raised his head.

"We go on."Dumbledore's tidings were vacuous in the unsounded room."We go on."

"Specifically ?"An pungent voice said from the door. Snape was standing there, looking more than a little haggard.

"Severus why are you here ?"Dumbledore asked angrily.

"I am here because the night lord ordered me to be."Snape strode forward."Shall I remind you, lest the details have slipped your thinker, that he believes I am his spy."

"I had not forgotten that."The headmaster said evenly.

"Good. Now specifically what are we going to do ? Other than ‘ go on ‘."

"A little respect Severus."Arthur Weasley said from the other side of meat of the way."Harry ceramicist is abruptly and-"

"I am aware of that."Snape cut in."The tragedy of three vernal lives snuffed out is not lost on me. But what you all seem to receive ignored is that they have given us a gift as they went. They struck the nighttime lords forces a heavy blow, their numbers and morale have suffered thanks to our superstar and we should not let that sacrifice simply disappear. We need to use this time to marshal our force. We can land the ministry to list, two respected aurors saw the death feeder and five the great unwashed are dead. Including the boy who lived. They can not discount that. We can either accept that Harry is gone and use his death as a catalyst to cement the ministry behind us or we can sit here and wallow in guilt."

Snape's oral cavity snapped shut and he stared down the headmaster who returned the gaze evenly.

"We can not use Harry ‘ s end as a political bargaining chip."Albus said, a obscure threat in his password."It is sick to even suggest it."

"Oh please,"Snape scoffed."It's is simply a agency to an end. Harry himself would have been for it."

Probably true, Minerva admitted to herself. How did she finger about this plan ? It chilled her to her very substance to think about it. Making Harry a sufferer was an insult to him. But if it ensured that the ministry was working with them instead of at hybridizing purposes like in the in conclusion war…

"I will not allow Harry's sacrifice to be used this way."

"It is not yours to allow."Snape shook his brain."The prophet will get the story Oklahoman or later. Do you think Fudge, beset as he is by malicious gossip, will not try to use it to his vantage ? All we can do is do so first."

Dumbledore's rima oris snapped shut. Minerva, and everyone else in the room, could see that he'd been backed into a corner.

"It is wrong."Dumbledore murmured softly."We will regret doing this."

"Not as much as if we don't do it."

"I know."Albus was once again staring into space, seemingly lost in his own creative thinker."We go to the ministry. Molly, Arthur if you would take on on the task of informing Harry ‘ s ally ?"

"Of form Albus."Arthur nodded.

"Minerva, Kingsley, Alastor and Severus, we should take off for the ministry. The eternal rest of you, go abode. I am for sure that we will meet again soon."As the order began to displace the doorway volley open to reveal Bartemius Crouch.

"Is it true ?"The outstandingly emotional man asked."They are saying that thrower and the Malfoy boy are dead and that the night lord has returned. Is it true ?"

"It is."Dumbledore said simply.

"Then… what you have been saying all year…"Crouch bowed his head."If only we had listened."

"It would have made piddling difference."

"But it would birth made some."Crouch looked up."Are you going to the ministry ?"

"We are."

"Then so am I."
*


Harry felt like he was being passed through an gut. The squeezing-pressing-rippling from every side hit every bruised and battered part of his body. Which right now was nearly of him. He dropped onto carpeting and felt someone lift him up and lay him gingerly on a lounge. Tonks'couch he assumed, mostly because it was pink.

"So that was apparation was it ?"Harry coughed painfully."It felt a bit like being born."

"Don ‘ t try to talk Harry."Tonks began running her wand up and down his arms. She grimaced as she saw damage under his skin."You ‘ re too badly injured Harry. You need St Mungos."

"Just get me walking. We don ‘ t have time for more than anyway."Harry twitched with major nervous energy, or small Einstein damage."We have to get going."

"Harry a construction fell on you, don ‘ t be a fill in idiot."Malfoy said, pushing a chicken feed of piddle into Harry's charred mitt."Besides, you already died once today."

"We ‘ ve got no time to waste."Harry shook his drumhead."They ‘ re probably already moving. We should- OW !"

"Sorry !"Tonks shrugged and grinned impishly."Had to pop your shoulder back in. Get fix for the ribs…"

Harry bit down hard as his costa snapped back into material body one by one. He felt his hired hand quivering and H2O splattering everywhere. He just lay back and tried not to scream as versatile parts of his body were patched up. He looked away, dire for something to trouble him. His centre found Dragon, hovering nearby. No doubt freaked out more than a bit by the squirming aerofoil of Harry's skin.

"How are you holding out ?"Harry asked through gritted teeth.

"How am I-"

"I mean about your father."Harry closed his eyes as the skin on his compensate leg began to belch."How are you dealing ?"

"I ‘ m…"Malfoy sighed."I ‘ m trying not to think about it. I… I killed my own father."

"You had to."Harry winced."He woulda killed you."

"No. He wouldn ‘ t."Malfoy sounded drear. Harry opened his eye. His friend was crouched on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chin."He was trying to save me from the wickedness Maker. He was going to obscure me. Even though he would have risked his place in the dark lord ‘ s rotary, maybe even his life, to do it. He was trying to wait after me."

"That's ballock, he used an unforgivable on you."Tonks said from near Harry's substructure."Did you hear him ? ‘ Family line ‘ and all that. He wasn ‘ t trying to save you. He was just looking after the family name."Tonks broke off then popped up, looking contrite."Sorry, didn't mean it like that."

"It ‘ s alright."Draco said quietly. He had drawn his stifle up closer to his chest.

"Draco come on."Harry reached out with his newly repaired arm and tipped Malfoy's head back up."This is a completely screwed up state of affairs. You want to hide. Unfortunately I need to save the world again and I need your help. So you have XXX secondment to be emo in then we ‘ re back to business."

"You ‘ re a bastard Harry."Malfoy shook Harry's deal away.

"I ‘ m not. I ‘ m just in a hurry. Alright that ‘ s enough."Harry pushed off the couch and stood. His body… sorting of worked."We ‘ re going now."

"You ‘ re still not better you idiot."Tonks snapped at him."You need to rest !"

"I ‘ ll rest when I ‘ m dead."

"You are dead."Malfoy pointed out acidly.

"Only temporarily"Harry drew out his stolen wand and grinned."Now lets go bust to a greater extent rib. Preferably not mine."
*


The news program had apparently already spread to the wizarding public and the foyer of the ministry was packed with the great unwashed. As the order appeared in a fireplace it set off a ripple of people that ended with a splatter as someone tripped into the outflow. The sound was barely audible over the screaming turbulent noise coming from the crowd.

Riotous… that was the word wasn't it. Snape thought as Dumbledore prestiged his way through the crowd. It was nearing a scream, when you pushed this many mass together, gave them a intellect to detest, to rage… this could turn violent.

A glance at the early rescript members showed him that they realized it too. They had instinctively pulled together defensively. Helen Wills's eye was virtually a blur, searching out threats.

Snape even saw that some of the gang had conjured notice or simply burnt their charge into the air. Cornelius Fudge's public figure figured prominently, and not in a flattering light.

The order reached the elevators, a pack of aurors looking nervous around them. It took Snape a moment to recognise that they were actually having to arrest a cuticle in place to keep the crowd back. Dumbledore stepped forward and gestured to be let through. The point auror, didder his head.

"Can ‘ t let anyone through."The grey haired man shouted over the disturbance of the bunch."Orders of the Wizengamot."

"Of which I am head."Dumbledore seemed to have no difficulty making herself heard."I do not think it was in the spirit of their orders to observe myself, two decorated aurors, a department head and two Hogwarts teachers from entering."

"I can not provide anyone to enter."

"Oh… That ‘ s unfortunate."Dumbledore drew his wand and tapped the Ward lightly. It dissolved. The purchase order pushed forward ahead of the jam of the great unwashed and got into the lift. Kingsley jammed the grate shut just before the thrust crashed against it. One of the aurors was thrust into the metal bars. Snape saw him mouth ‘ help me'as the raise slid up and away.

Snape tried to breath evenly. The impulse to mash the button for level nine was surprisingly strong. Snape felt a lilliputian moan as the lift rose further away from the department of mysteries and up towards the situation of the minister.

"Do we actually have some sort of plan ?"Snape said over the clanking machine.

"We will have to approximate the situation."Dumbledore said after an uncomfortable pause.

Oh how I wish I was on spirit level nine.

"I think we can safely assume what that the situation is."Snape saw pull down four scrape past, office workers stared into the passing lift. The hope in their eyes as they saw the master was palatable."The Wizengamot will have heard that crowd out there and be looking to preserve their own skin. They will no dubiety be politely throwing Fudge to the masher. And why not ? He ‘ s had it coming all year."

"Instability is hardly what we need compensate now."Minerva commented.

"And you think Fudge is what we need ?"

"Fudge has let Eternal City burn."Crouch said with dark anger."We can not allow him to remain in office."

"You are not in the order."Snape snapped at him.

"And you are not in the Wizengamot."He retorted.

"But I am."Dumbledore said quietly.

"So what do you purport we do ?"Snape eyed the governance needle of the lift as it clicked towards one.

"If Fudge is prepared to accommodate what has happened we should try to annul a the jar of a new minister."Dumbledore had his heart closed, he looked tired."If not… we shall see…"

The lift clicked up in secretiveness. Dumbledore's back talk were moving soundlessly, twitchingly.

"Would you be minister ?"Shacklebolt voiced the silent question.

Click… click…

"… too many misunderstanding. All wrong…"Dumbledore muttered under his breathing spell. He seemed to be swaying with the movement of the lift. His eyes were still stringent shut."I should never…"Dumbledore trailed off, leaning against the metal of the wall.

The others in the nip and tuck shared shocked glances. squat had his hands to his fount in jolt and Moody, for once, had both oculus fixed on one blank space. Their loss leader, apparently broken down. The raising jerked to a point and a little bell dinged. No one moved.

Snape bent down in strawman of the master, putting their faces level.

"We ‘ re here Albus."He said sharply. The old mans heart flickered open.
*


"Harry ‘ s… dead ?"Hermione shook her fountainhead."No…"

"The aurors said it was quick."Mrs Weasley was sat across the table from them in an unused classroom."He didn't suffer."

"Liar."Ginny hissed with surprise anger.

"Ginny ! I know you ‘ re an-"

"Any way Harry would go down wouldn ‘ t be quick."Neville agreed.

"What really happened ?"Padma pressed.

"He…"molly Weasley looked down, her hands silently running up and down the bound of her robe. When she began speaking again it was softly."He was buried under a farmhouse. He fought off seven of them and left them numb or stunned. He went down like a hero. His parents would have… would have been so…"

"Angry."Padma broke in, grinding her dentition."wild that Draco sold him out like that."

"Don't you dare say such thing !"Mrs Weasley's psyche jerked up and she shouted. Hermione could see her eyes red with tears."The Malfoy boy died too. It looked like they escaped together. Who knows how many of those seven were him !"

Hmm…. Hermione felt a light come on in her head. But if they didn't know…

"He crawled out of the wreckage. Probably looking for service !"

Maybe…

"And mortal cursed him for it !"

Who ? And why didn't they-

"I…"Padma stepped back."I… I didn ‘ t know."

"We ‘ ll you shouldn't have judged."mollie took out a handkerchief and patted her center."They took their body to St Mungo ‘ s. You can chat if you want. I know how-"

"Wait… Um Mrs Weasley."Hermione raised her paw un inherent aptitude before realizing that it looked stupid."What do you mean looked like ?"

"What ?"

"You said it looked like they escaped together."

"Well no one saw them obviously. The aurors only got there later."

"Who killed them ?"She pressed hurriedly.

"Miss Granger that macabre tal-"

"Please !"Hermione pleaded. Out of the niche of her eye she saw Padma sit thunderbolt upright. She'd got it too.

"We don ‘ t know."mollie Weasley was obviously very flustered."They had obviously left by that time."

"Without taking their injured with them ?"

"Well…"Mrs Weasley went silent as she searched for the answer."Maybe they were scared off."

"Herm…"George said excitedly."You ‘ re not thinking that Harry-"

"Well doesn't it auditory sensation just like him ?"Hermione said with a broad grin.

"What are you lot talking about ?"Ron asked, confused. Hermione ignored him

"Mrs Weasley, where is everything happening."On seeing the older cleaning lady's confused grammatical construction she elaborated."Where is the… the focal point of all the stuff and nonsense going on now."

"fountainhead the ministry but-"

"Then that ‘ s where we need to be."
*


Dumbledore nodded and stepped slowly out of the face lift. Took a cryptic breath and seemed to becalm himself.

"Albus if you are not up to this-"

"I am amercement Severus."

Snape let the old wizard go ahead. He was pushed aside a mo later as Crouch pushed past tense, a aspect of thoroughgoing determination on his face. Snape and the former three remaining parliamentary law members shared a worried glance.

"Well come in on then."Minerva broke the silence and strode forward. Snape followed her out of the lift and into the long gallery, the long walk to the federal agency of the minister of magic.

One incline was spread out bay windows ( not tangible single of course ) filling the rouge-carpeted hall with blazing sunshine. On the other side was a procession of spirit sized portraiture, one for each past minister of legerdemain. A paseo through history from the very first rector of magic Janakarah the sorcerer to the latest in the wrinkled figure of minister Bagnold. Corpulent and useless most of them, the few with any skill had used it for there own benefit. When Fudge stepped down or died the corridor would be extended and one More picture would be hung.

Snape had never been here before. But anyone who actually paid attending in story of magic knew about the celebrated hall.

There was a sinister bound to the air and Snape had trouble placing it until they passed the 1500s and the portrait of Fenchurch the sickly. There was the sound of rear voices coming from the far end of the corridor, the end with the minister's office.

"Hyenas."Snape muttered."Can hear them feasting."

"I thought they were wolves."Moody muttered from behind him.

"Of course,"Snape sneered."My changing metaphor is the most of import affair happening here."

"Harry trusted you."Moody said quietly. Snape started and almost missed a step. That had come out of the blue.

"Your point ?"Snape asked, to buy time.

"Why ?"

"Why do you need to have it off ?"

"Answer the bloody question."

"His intellect were his own and it seems rather academic at this point."Snape spat back.

"I should ‘ ave looked out for him better."Helen Newington Wills shook his head."He saved my life."

"The past is meaningless."Snape held his headspring up and took a deep breath."Regrets are natural, and only right given the lot. Allowing them to paralyze us however is not. That is the worst thing we could do."

"Who are you talking about ?"Moody asked shrewdly."You ? … Me ? … soul else here ? …"

"All of us."Snape replied acidly, then sighed."Wizards spend too much metre living in the past."

"That doesn't strait like something you ‘ d say."Moody grunted in surprise.

"It ‘ s not."Snape looked over at the yawp auror."It was something Harry said. And it ‘ s the reply to your next question."

"Which is ?"

"Why did I trust him."Snape took another hint. He felt a lump climbing his throat and squashed it down."We ‘ re here."

The order came to a plosive consonant before the gruelling door. The humble secretarial desk beside it was empty, the usual auror safety device were gone too. With all the yelling it sounded like a quidditch match was being held on the early position of the door. One where both English were loosing.

"We shall see what they ‘ re saying."Dumbledore waved one handwriting and the constellate room access began to groan inwards. As the order came into perspective the shouting subsided into silence. Snape could see what looked like the integral c crowded around the burnt sienna desk in the marrow of the room. A hem in looking Fudge had frozen with his hands out in front of him. Caught in mid excuse. The Wizengamot made a path them as Dumbeldore walked slowly forward towards the ministers desk. The Headmaster cleared his throat."Cornelius, you must know-"

"You are a shame !"All oculus turned to Crouch as he interrupted the old star, his moustache quivering as he shook with furor."You are a disgrace Cornelius ! How dare you sit up here while Voldemort rises ?"

"But Barty I-"

"SILENCE !"Flecks of spit flew from stoop's back talk."The boy who lived is dead ! The heir of a prominent wizard family is idle ! One of our own aurors is dead ! The champion of Beauxbattons is dead ! Three devoid lives lost and you sit here desperately trying to preserve your own cutis. How dare you ! ?"

"There was goose egg I could do !"

"If you had listened to Dumbledore we could have stopped this."Crouch smashed his clenched fist down onto the desk."Instead you were embezzling !"

"I never-"

"Whoring !"

"Accusations-"

"And securing a cushy job for your cousin !"

"Prince Rupert is qualified for-"

"SHUT UP !"Fudge flinched back from the barrage of Barty Crouch."I call an immediate meeting of the Wizengamot !"

"Why ?"Fudge spluttered.

"I call a vote of no confidence."The elbow room gasped at Crouch's words."I call for the immediate removal of minister Cornelius Fudge !"
*


"How much longer Harry ?"Malfoy hissed down the dark stone steps of the cellar.

"I don't know Dracs why don't you keep interrupting so ‘ s I don't feel lonely."Harry's sarky vocalization filtered up from the darkness. Still with the distinct bound of impuissance and pain. Draco looked over at Tonks who was guarding the door from the other position. She gave a molest shrug.

Malfoy tried to imagine what this was like for her, caught up in Harry's architectural plan like a folio on the winding. Not unlike him really. Harry tended to sweep up hoi polloi along. But you couldn't say no really, not when you saw what he himself was going through. Draco could see him down there now, propped up against a bulwark breaking down stratum after level of wards on the door beyond. The door that was banded with iron, smelt like a cesspool and that had made Tonks curse like a sailor when Harry lit it up with a revealo.

"Am I really your cousin ?"Tonks whispered across the doorway.

"If your mother was Japanese andromeda Black."Malfoy hissed back, still watching his side of the corridor.

"Yeah… wow."Tonks sounded upstage."I mean I knew you existed my mum told me."

"My female parent didn ‘ t. I found an old version of the family tree that still had Andromeda on it."Malfoy was one of the few hoi polloi who knew why the primary family tree arras was so fancifully decorated. Every tartar, swan and oak tree diagram covered the name of someone who had proved undesirable to the family. lily-of-the-valley tree Tonks was a vase of tulips."I found out the rest from floor at school."

"Nothing ripe I hope."

"Oh please,"Malfoy rolled his eyes."From what I hear your mischief was prosy at best."

"What !"

"Me and Harry pranked each other sorry over breakfast."

"Those weren ‘ t pranks."Harry called out from below."That was guerilla warfare."

"What's a gorilla got to do with it ?"Malfoy's brow furrowed and he heard both Harry and Tonks stifle chuckle."Well I always thought you weren't human but…"

"Muggle thing."Tonks grinned."Sorry piddling cousin-german !"

"Little c- !"Malfoy snarled and turned back to watching his corridor. The instant ticked on as Harry mumbled and cursed from down in the cellar.

Suddenly Malfoy's scepter jerked in his script. He glanced over at Tonks and saw her looking down at hers too.

"The doors…"She whispered reaching into her sac. She drew out a small mirror and snapped it open. Even Malfoy could see the dark hooded design growing closer."decease eaters. They ‘ re coming."

"Harry !"Malfoy turned and hissed down."They ‘ re coming ! We need to hide !"

"Can ‘ t stop."Harry's horse voice breathed back."Too many threads. If I let it loose I ‘ ll never get it back."

"There ‘ s four of them !"Tonks hissed down, glancing down at the mirror."We can't take-"

"You know where they ‘ re heading."Harry said quickly."They're coming here. Go back to that big corridor with the armors. Set a trap like in the woods."

"Harry…"

"They won ‘ t be expecting us to be here. Any you can ‘ t collar just hit them when they ‘ re panicked."

"There are five of-"

"I can't leave !"Harry sounded panicked."You're an auror and a champion. You two need to do this."

"He ‘ s right."Tonks was nodding, her pilus turning a stealthy black."Let ‘ s go cuz."

Malfoy glanced down the dark stairway as he followed the crouching girl. She was slipping professionally along the wall, her baton leading. Draco looked down at his own wand, it's tip was shaking. He looked down further and saw that his paw was drenched in sweat.

"Useless."He shook his head and gripped the sceptre tighter.
*


"Apposed to the remotion of Cornelius Fudge, twenty."

Courtroom ten held its breath.

"In favor of the remotion of Cornelius Fudge. Twenty nine."The dry lawcourt stenographer cleared his pharynx."One abstained."

Snape felt his fingernails unclench from the chair.

"It ‘ s done."

"Is this good for us ?"Kingsley asked softly."It should be, but it feels like it was not."

"It depends on what happens next."Minerva was sitting ramrod heterosexual person."Who steps in to fill his place."

"I wonder if it does."Snape murmured."Something feels wrong."

"He ‘ s right."Helen Wills Moody growled under his breath."Someone ‘ s toying with us."

"Who ?"

"If I knew that I wouldn ‘ t be sitting here."Moody was twitching, his eye whirling in its socket.

"I nominate Garcia Grechkoff !"A greyness haired witch in the purple robes of the Wizengamot shouted. A few wizards nodded thoughtfully, others booed.

"Who is he ?"Snape hissed.

"Department of Magical Yransportation."Moody rattled off."Bought off by Nimbus."

"If he's surface to bribes by companies he may be undefendable to buy by destruction eaters."Minerva shook her head.

"But we don't know."Snape cursed.

"His grandmother is a muggleborn."Shacklebolt rumbled."Could restrain him on our side."

"But we don't know."

"I nominate Deloris Umbridge !"A portly man yelled to full general hissing.

"Close to Fudge. They won ‘ t chose her."Moody shook his head.

"And everyone knows that."Snape snapped, glaring at the man who had yelled."So why suggest her ?"He tried to catch the man's eyes but had no luck.

"I nominate Urstwise Innisting !"

"hero of anti-werewolf legislation."Moody sneered.

"This is madness."Snape struck the arm of his chair.

"I nominate Barty Crouch !"

The room went silent for a bit, then erupted in cheers.
*


"It ‘ s set."Tonks hissed."Get back."

Malfoy nodded and shot behind a pillar just as the sullen doors to the manor hall slammed open.

"Can't believe we ‘ ave to do this."A throaty grumbling part said loudly."gnu goat ‘ out his trash."

"Let ‘ s just get on with it."Another voice grumbled as they came nearer.

genus Draco could see their sceptre lights growing brighter. As soon as they crossed the line… Draco gripped his wand tightly. The trap would get all of them, why wouldn't it ? He tried to breath evenly, the footsteps drawing closer and closer…

Snap ! A burst of light filled the corridor and Dragon heard shout of pain.

"Stupefy !"Tonks part cried out.

A flash of red pierced the blinding white. genus Draco jerked to living, he was supposed to be helping ! He spun out from behind the pillar while going down on one knee. There was a dim dark bod in forepart of him, stumbling blindly forward.

"Stupefy !"The anatomy dropped.

"Stupefy !"Tonks yelled again. A thump told Draco that she had hit home.

Draco aimed blindly into the brightness and fired off a few more sweetheart. He kept firing even while the sunburst faded to a fizzle and finally popped into mist. The level and wall were cracked and pitted with the magical spell and the paries right near the eruption were still cracked and sizzling. The demise feeder were sizzling too, the skin on their faces was cracked and blistered from the heat and one looked like his robes had actually caught fervour. Probably the one that had tripped the trap.

Dragon breathed a sigh of relief, it had worked. Tonks had insisted on using something nonfatal, against his wishes. He had even had to argue her up to this.

"Where ‘ s the one-fifth one ?"Tonks'voice cut into his head. She was still crouched by her mainstay, remaining covered.

"What ?"Draco scanned the dead body again. One… two… three… four… Oh merlin !"Are you sure there were five ?"Draco asked desperately.

"Definitely."Tonks stood and moved cautiously forward."You sure there weren ‘ t any former paths down to the cellar."

"I think… yes."genus Draco swallowed."Maybe the finally one ‘ s watching the entrance ?"

"hold watch."Tonks ordered him as she snapped open her little mirror, then flicked it closed again."No."

Draco glanced around, there was nowhere to hide at this point in the corridor early than the pillars they had used. That was why they had chosen it.

"You go back to Harry."Tonks waved him back."I ‘ ll sniff him out. He ‘ s got to be between here and the main entrance."

"I'm coming with you."Draco tried not to squinch at the quivering in his voice."I can help you."

"There might be another way around."Tonks said hurriedly."You should go look after Harry."

"You ‘ re making excuses."genus Draco challenged."Harry can take fear of himself."

"You think I can ‘ t ?"

"You think I can't ?"Draco challenged.

"Fine, we can both take concern of ourselves."Tonks hissed angrily."Except Harry who should be on life support right now. Let me spell this out, kid, Go Protect Harry ! If he dies for real everything we ‘ ve done is worthless !"

"I…"Draco bit back a cruddy retort. She was right."mulct you win. Have fun."He turned and stalked back past the dazed wizards. He realized he was being pillock but he wouldn't feed her the satisfaction of admitting it.

He stopped near the end of the corridor. He was being stupid, sorry he was being chesty. He was being a Malfoy. He turned and called out.

"Ton…"Malfoy felt his pharynx freeze up."… ? … !"He tried to move, his human foot felt like they were bolted to the floor. In fact… his whole body was paralyzed ! Malfoy tried desperately to move… speak… cast a spell… anything that would draw in attention.

The air in social movement of him rippled. A moment later a skein of jazz was pulled aside and Malfoy saw the smirking face of Locusta purulence. He put one blistered finger to his lips, glanced down the corridor at Tonks and grinned before sliding the nothingness back and disappearing.

No no no no no !

He watched as Tonks slid further away and his thinker eye filled in the distance in between with a stalking figure growing ever closer. He felt the wand still clutched in his helping hand, still giving out a wan light. Malfoy tried to scream a spell, if he could manage to do it wordlessly he could still warn her.

"Stupefy !"He yelled through gritted teeth and benumb backtalk. Nothing happened, he tried it again. Nothing.

Don't do it that way, Malfoy tried to cool off down. You didn't do silent legerdemain by forcing it through closed lips, you just thought it.

Stupefy.

Again.

Stupefy !

Malfoy was rocked on his immobile feet as a nebuliser of red Dame Muriel Spark spat weakly from the end of his wand.

"Kid ?"Tonks vocalisation carried from the other end of the anteroom."You still there ?"

Stupefy !

Another spray of sparks.

"I told you to go help Ha-"Malfoy saw her frost as she took in his immobile land then whip her wand around and yell."Harenosus !"

A tornado sprang out of her outstretched wand spraying moxie out. For a moment it outlined a chassis. Malfoy saw Tonks'eyes spring encompassing open.

"Crucio !"

Tonks sprang to the slope as the charm whistled past her and threw something nighttime and red back. It missed and hit the rampart. The pink haired auror glanced around sharply, the figure had disappeared into nothingness again.

"Haren-"

"Avada Kedavra !"Draco felt his heart hit his throat but Tonks hit the floor and the spell sailed over her head.

"Augmenta !"She yelled and gripped her wand with both hands as a powerful jet of piddle shot out and struck Locusta, outlining him in shining droplets and toppling him over onto the floor.

"Stupefy !"Tonks yelled at the prone trope and the military force behind the magic spell was so great that it slid him across the base and out of his cloak.

She summoned his wand and walked over to him, checked that he really was stunned, before grabbing the cloak off the flooring and running over to Draco.

"Finite !"

Draco felt his body sag and staggered before his muscles caught up with him and brought him back upright.

"Thank you."

"Thanks for the warning."Tonks shrugged.

"Aw… you two have been bonding."A sarcasm drifted from behind Draco and he spun to see Harry leaning tiredly against the doorframe.

"Did you open it ?"Tonks asked breathlessly.

"We got want we came here for."Harry grinned and pushed himself good, wincing in pain."Now lets get to the ministry. I feel a denouement coming."
*


"Children be reasonable."King Arthur Weasley was saying."We need to get you back to Hogwarts."

"He ‘ ll be here."Hermione said definitely, standing up on the bound of the fount to get a bettor look around."He has to be."

"I know you feel like he has to be alive."The Weasley Patriarch shook his head."But denying it isn ‘ t going to-"

"Harry ‘ s died before dad."Ginny pointed out stretching up on tiptoes."Twice."

"You were even there one of the metre Mr Weasley."Neville said reasonably."You both were."

"They found his body."Mrs Weasley grabbed Ginny and lifted her, kicking and struggling, off the spring."We are leaving now. We should never own come he-"

"The phone box !"Parvati yelled and pointed. several other people in the crowd turned as the glass box descended and slid open revealing three figures inside.

"It ‘ s Dumbledore."Hermione breathed, not wanting to give away that a little spark of hope had just been extinguished.

"Hey didn ‘ t he already come through ere ?"mortal in the gang muttered as the old sensation walked calmly towards the lift.
*


"Oh hell no !"The bruise auror yelled on seeing Tonks disguised as Dumbledore."We only just got the ward back after the finish prison term you broke through !"

"And I can do so again."Tonks lied easily."So you may as well let us through freely."

"No bloody way !"

"Please,"Tonks smiled in a very Dumbledoreish way."I do not wish to stymy you in front of all these people."

"Bit late for that."The auror shook his head."If you so much as raise your wand I ‘ m arresting you !"

"And taking me into custody ?"

"Yes !"

"And before the Wizengamot ?"

"Yes !"

"Well in that case-"

"Don't get saucy with me !"The auror shook his wand menacingly."You ‘ re not getting past that easily !"

"Bugger."Harry thought, scratching his forge beard."This hombre not an half-wit, and if it actually comes to it we don't have a chance of breaking through all of them."

Harry looked surreptitiously over his shoulder joint looking for another way through… hang on !
*


"Um do you finger that ?"Fred asked suddenly.

"flavor wha… oh !"Hermione dug her wand out of her pocket and felt it vibrating in her hand."The mico… Did one of you do that ?"

The marauders shook their forefront, a here and now later the baton went still. Hermione licked her rim and quietly whispered,

"Mico Harry."For a moment null happened, then the scepter started buzzing again."He ‘ s here !"

"Where ?"Ginny scrambled back on the fountain and looked around frantically. Hermione jumped up with her and a here and now later all the marauders were perched on the lip of the water system, scanning the crowd."I don ‘ t see him."

"He must be one of the I with Dumbledore."Padma hissed."Too often of a concurrence otherwise."

"Right."Ron agreed."Which one ?"

"The brusque one."Fred said knowingly.

"Does it matter ?"Hermione said in exasperation."He needs help ! Look, the aurors aren ‘ t letting them through."

"What does he matter we can do ?"Neville scratched his heading and added disbelievingly."Does he want us to attack them ?"

"No…"Padma said thoughtfully."There ‘ s a better way…"

Hermione frowned, then suddenly it hit her.

"You mean-"

"Obviously."Padma turned to the other marauder."Disperse into the crowd and surveil my lead."

Hemione herself dropped down off the lip of the spring and hurried past the shocked Weasley parents before pushing her way into the crowd saying ‘ exculpation me !'to everyone she bumped out of her way. Once she thought she was far enough away she stopped and waited for the signal. It didn't take long.

"Let him through you idiots !"Padma's voice cut open across the crowd."If Voldemort really is back then Dumbledore ‘ s our lonesome chance !"

"She ‘ s right !"Hermione yelled."Let Dumbledore through !"

"Let him through !"someone else yelled from across the way, sounded like one of the twins.

"Let him through !"Another marauder took up the chant.

"Let him through !"Had that been a predator ?

"Le him through !"That definitely wasn't.

Hermoine yelled her lungs out as the unit crowd took up the chant. The aurors were pushed back, looking to a greater extent and more harassed. The chant grew in lastingness as people began to clap, then stamp.

"Let him through !"Hermione heard an old wizened lady near her intonation. Knocking her grumble walk reefer on the tiled floor.

From where she was she could see the school principal auror hold up his hands and yell something. A moment later a sunshine went up as the shimmering curtain of the Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth was pulled aside. Dumbledore and his two companions stepped through and entered the lift.

Hermione could receive sworn one of them winked at her as the saloon slid closed.
*


"You have some very chic friends Harry."

"I know."Harry grinned as Tonks canceled the illusion."And in a few transactions we ‘ ll need to be just as impudent. Or smarter."

"And are we ?"

"Course we are."Harry grinned."We ‘ re marauders."

"We ‘ re what ?"Tonks asked.

"Marauders."Harry clapped her on the back."It means we ‘ re unstoppable."

"Invincible bastards."Malfoy commented dryly.

"Exactly !"Harry nodded as the grate slid open."invincible cutthroat prick ! Now lets get to work."
*


"The voting are in."The dry courtyard clerk said in a shaky articulation."The overmaster majority have voted for Bartemius Crouch. So it is my gallant duty to proclaim him the new pastor for magi-"

The profound courtroom door burst open with an explosion of light.

"I object !"A voice called out from the middle of the halo of brilliance.

"Who do you think you are !"bend sprung to his feet."This is a meeting of the Wizengamot ! Only those invited by members may-"

"Shut up !"The part called.

"Who are you ?"Someone called out.

Beside Snape Alastor Moody was staring open mouthed at the doorway. A moment later he threw his head back and laughed.

"Dwight Lyman Moody ?"Snaoe questioned."Who is that ?"

"Who do you think ?"The old auror croaked out."That kid ‘ s brilliant I ‘ ll give him that."

"That… kid ? …"Snape turned back to the door, looking directly into the light. Slowly it faded and the courtroom was left with the tableau behind it. Three robed figures stood, one far taller than the others with his hood up, the others with theirs thrown back. The figure to the left was a Danton True Young fair sex with strange pink hair, he remembered her a former scholar. Nymphadora Tonks. And the fig in the front, plain, handwriting on hips, his hair thrown back to reveal the scar. His robes tattered and stained and his skin just this side of deathly, Harry potter stared down the Wizengamot with arrogance only he could conjure.

"Hi,"The boy grinned cheekily."Am I late ?"

"You !"An irate Fudge screamed from the corner."You ‘ re drained !"

"Rumors, exaggerated, you know the drill."Harry stepped into the courtroom, cracking his neck as he went.

"Trainee Tonks !"Shacklebolt had stood and crossed his arms angrily.

"Sorry sir."Nymphadora shrugged."I was only following orders."

"Whose ?"

"Mine."Harry answered for her and spread his sleeve extravagantly."I ‘ m the boy-who-lived. I outrank you."

"Harry…"Crouch said from the podium, seemingly recovered."This is clearly wonderful news. Seeing you alive brings snag t-"

"Crocodile tears no doubt."Harry turned on the aged man like lightning."Should have known you were a reptile. Do it Tonks."

"Bartemius Crouch."The pink haired girlfriend stepped forward."I am arresting you for the execution of Fleur Delacour."

"What !"The Wizengamot exploded. All except Crouch, who went very still.

"These accusations are boundless."The new minister said flatly."Obviously this is not Harry but an imposter taking his pl-"

"Interesting that you should mention imposters."Harry interrupted."Let me narrate you all a little clandestine, everyone here. Dumbledore… yes that guy there, that Dumbledore… Has a magic map. Yes everyone, a extra infallible map One that shows the names of everyone in Hogwarts, and where they are, all the time."

The court had gone silent, every eye was on Harry.

"The schoolmaster assured me that it could not be tricked, and I believed him. But here's the awful bit, you all know that Alastor Moody was attacked a few workweek ago ? Yes… good. I knew the perpetrator couldn ‘ t have left the land that fasting, but Dumbledore assured me that no one was on the map. But he was, he was right there, in front of the infirmary wing. There ‘ s no wizardly way to pull a fast one on the map, but that doesn ‘ t mean there ‘ s not way to trick it. One somebody could impersonate another if they had the same name. Like Barty Crouch and… Barty Crouch… Jr."

The room gasped, but Snape's mind was already moving. They had to make up sure Crouch couldn't leave. They had to catch him. He shifted in his death chair but felt a heavy arm grab his shoulder.

"Stay where you are."Moody growled."potter ‘ s got it under control."

"He can just apparate out !"Snape hissed hurriedly.

"No he can ‘ t."Helen Newington Wills grinned."Damn that boy ‘ s good."

"These accusations are insane !"Crouch was yelling.

"They ‘ re brilliant."Harry shook his head."Got to afford old snake in the grass face his props, it ‘ s pretty roundabout. I ‘ d bet anything that you ‘ re the seed of all the rumors that have been attacking Fudge all class. De-stabling his position enough that you can pounce in and bump him off his perch. Of form you'd need something to prompt the changeover. Something dramatic, like the recurrence of Voldemort. He was going to use his own renascence as a catalyst to put his puppet on the throne. That was why he waited to reveal himself. He was waiting for the opportune moment."

"You have no proof !"

"I do."Harry raised his fingers and clicked. The third gear physique raised his shaking hands and pushed his hood back. Anyone who hadn't already clicked on to what had happened gasped.

The gaunt and scarred look of Bartemius Crouch stared back, his left eye twitching in anger.

"We couldn ‘ t give him a wand."Harry said in flat passion."His judgement ‘ s not all there anymore. Probably all the torture."

"This is another imposter."Crouch said haltingly."My son is in azcab-"

"leave it up."Harry barked a harsh laugh."You knew you were rumbled the moment I got here. Even if you convince them I ‘ m a fake you ‘ ll have to drink down this bloke-"Harry jabbed his quarter round at the skeletal crouch."- then you ‘ ll have no polyjuice. Then you ‘ ll be screwed. But it ‘ ll never come to that, because there are at least four people in this elbow room who already believe me. And none of them are going to let you leave."Harry drew his wand, holding it lightly in his hand.

Snape drew his as well and saw Minerva range for hers too. Helen Newington Wills stayed still, a diminished smiling on his face.

"Potter… Harry."The Crouch on the podium licked his lips."You are a very brilliantly boy Harry. But you are dead."

"Faking."

"You will be dead."The voice of Barty Crouch went ice cold."You all will be. The iniquity lord has said he will destruct you, and so he will. I only pray he lets he watch."

"I see the mask has fallen."Harry seemed unperturbed by this development."So lets try the succeeding trick."Harry raised his wandless hand.

"No more magic trick !"Crouch flicked out his wand and spun…

Harry clicked his fingers…

"Stupefy !"

The fusillade of red light caught Crouch from behind and slammed him into the lectern. He slid to the floor and fell like a rag doll, splayed against the ground.

"Nice shot."Harry complemented the empty air.

"Well,"Malfoy appeared out of nothing, throwing back an invisibility cloak."I had a good distraction."
*


"Harry you promised !"Tonks grabbed his arm and tried to drag him out of the antechamber."I ‘ m taking you to St Mungos !"

"I said I ‘ d go when all my line of work were done."Harry shook her off and turned back towards Dumbledore."I ‘ m not finished."

"What ‘ s left then ? somebody else to unmask ?"The trainee auror put her custody on her pelvic arch."Better do it quick, you ‘ re running out of time."

"I do my outdo employment with internal bleeding."Harry shrugged looked around. Moody and Shacklebolt had left, trying to keep on role of the ministry from totally collapsing after the loss of two ministers in a row. McGonnagall and Snape were still there, standing behind the headmaster and Malfoy was standing by Harry ‘ s English."I need one in conclusion answer."

"Harry miss Tonks is right."Dumbledore smiled."You need medical help soon or-"

"Why did he come after me ?"Harry cut in, silencing the schoolmaster."Why me now. Why me fourteen twelvemonth ago. Why me ?"

Dumbledore stayed silent, his fingers twitching and his oculus suddenly bereft of their usual sparkle.

"He said I was the ‘ seal for his immortality ‘."Harry pressed."What does that signify ?"

"Harry you are disturbed right now."Dumbledore held up a hand."faith me that I will separate you the truth in good time."

"No !"Harry barked a laugh."confidence you to recount me ? That ‘ s belike ! secernate me now you old lying bastard."

"Mr ceramicist !"McGonagall stepped forward angrily but her arm was caught by Snape.

"Albus,"The potions master licked his lips."Perhaps you should simply tell him."

"Severus !"The schoolmaster snapped angrily.

"Do you love ?"Harry tuned to the Slytherin, ignoring the way his vision blurred when he moved."will you tell me ?"

"Say nothing Severus !"

"He deserves to know."

"I am still the foreland of the order."

"Did the club just redeem you all from a death eater becoming minister of magic ?"Harry yelled angrily."No ! That was ME ! You just sat there like an half-wit !"

"You will not speak to me this way."

"I ‘ ll speak any way I damn well like you igno-"

"There was a prophecy."Snape said softly. Strange how soft words can sometimes overwhelm out yelling.

"A what ?"Harry felt his lip go dry.

"Severus don ‘ t."The Headmaster shook his head."You don ‘ t know what you ‘ re do-"

"It said something specific about you Harry."Snape continued, ignoring Dumbledore."The half I heard said, The one with the major power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies."

The minuscule way grew deathly silent. Harry felt his brain trying to function over what he had just heard. It was failing.

"It doesn ‘ t have to be true."Harry heard Malfoy say through a fog of twisting thoughts."Not every divination comes true."

"It doesn ‘ t even have to be Harry."McGonagall said, shaking her headland."Mr Longbottom also fits those criteria."

Harry shook his head, Neville ? Could it be…

"I… it is not Mr Longbottom."Dumbledore said haltingly."The former half of the vaticination confirms it."

early half… Harry put his hand to his head teacher. Everything was so fuzzy.

"What other one-half ?"Draco demanded.

"I do not think-"

"Do you really want to have this argument again ?"Draco shook his straits angrily."Just evidence us."

"It concluded with, And the iniquity Jehovah will nock him as his equal, but he will have ability the dark Divine knows not. and either must die at the hand of the early for neither can live while the former survives."Dumbledore was speaking quietly now, almost defeatedly."The first half of the divination unmistakably refers to Harry."

"And… and the early one-half ?"Tonks gulped."It means…"

Dumbledore just shook his head and looked to the floor.

"It means it is inevitable."Snape whispered in shocked SOB."Harry is the only one that can kill him. It is inevitable. They have to agitate, and one of them has to die."

No… Harry felt his paw shaking as the words fell like slabs of granite in the soundless room.

"But… but he's only a child."McGonagall shook her head, a petty sparkle of a bust in the corner of her eye."We can ‘ t let it happen."

Harry tried to talk but the words caught in his throat.

"He doesn ‘ t have to do anything !"genus Draco slashed the air with his bridge player."Not all divination come honest !"

Harry raised his hand to his mouth… why couldn't he speak.

"Not all of them begin."Dumbledore said, with painful hesitancy."But once they do they almost always run their course."

"Almost always !"Draco yelled."You want him to look the dark lord on an almost !"

Should ask Pythea. The little visionary floated into Harry's mind but dissolved in the fog. His head hurt. His ear was wet. What was this…

"If there is a chance he can kill him."Snape said, his head down like he was ashamed."If it is our better chance…"

Blood…

"You as well !"Draco turned on his headland of theatre, who looked away.

"You can ‘ t use him like that."Tonks stepped up beside her cousin.

Draco… Harry tried to snuff it, but the existence was spinning. He reached out a rickety hand towards the boy back. He fell short, there were too many custody and too many backs.

"Harry ?"Dumbledore noticed his arrival and stepped forward.

"I… I…"Harry swayed, his stage too weak. He wet his sassing and tried again."Thirsty…"

The faces before him disappeared downwards and he felt the floor hit him everywhere before he blacked out.
*


Harry was dimly mindful of the hospital elbow room. The healers standing around saying things he wouldn't have understood at the best of times. Snape was there for a while, then gone, then there, then gone, fading in and out. Dragon was definitely there, a Edward D. White bandage on his arm, ignoring it, standing by Harry's bedside. Was Dumbledore there ? He could find out his spokesperson, see his optic from behind silver light. The light was falling, hitting his eyes.

Where was he ?

He was… home.

Privet driving force ?

Hogwarts ?

Godrics… Hollow…

He was standing outside the cottage. He was right there, it was all there. But he had never been here, at least since he was too Edward Young to remember.

He had to get out. He wasn't supposed to be here. It felt amiss. It was under his peel. Falling off like snowflake, showing the shadows underneath. Had to get away !

Harry ran away from it, as fast as he could. The darkness were chasing him, wanting to get into him, in his forefront. He ran until he could hide behind a tree diagram. The apples had grown now. Hundreds. Green. Right over his head.

He could hide out here.

It was much respectable here.

Everything but this was shadow.
*


"I was wondering when you ‘ d show up."Natalie Zhao pushed the threshold fully open and let him in. She pushed it shut behind him and stood there, weaponry folded, waiting for him to speak.

"I ‘ m not dead."Was the low thing that came to Snape.

"I gathered that."The unspeakable didn't move."Don ‘ t you have an explanation ?"

"An explanation ?"

"For your message. Your patronus."Her even voice edged to see red."You somehow transport a substance by patronus. Which I've never seen. You said you loved me. Which you ‘ ve never said. Then you said you could die. Which I know you would not exaggerate. You said you were about to do something severe. Then the ministry explodes, citizenry are saying Voldemort has returned. Saying that Harry thrower is dead. Fudge is removed. Crouch is elected. Crouch is removed, by Harry Potter. Crouch is arrested. The ministry is in turmoil, they only got the crowd to go home an hour ago. They only sent the unspeakables home plate because our department can't do anything at this point. No one knows what ‘ s going on. The Wizard radio set just keeps playing the Sami recordings of what happened in courtroom ten. Everything is broken down. So pick something Severus. Anything. generate me an explanation for anything that ‘ s happened over the yesteryear day or I swear I ‘ ll hex you into oblivion."

Snape answered the only when way he could. He stepped forward and wrapped his coat of arms around Natalie, resting his head on her shoulder. He pulled her as sloshed as he could, reminding himself for a mo that at to the lowest degree one percentage of the world wasn't broken. Breathing her in, being where he'd wanted to be since the commencement of this distressing mess. At least this battle was over.

"This isn ‘ t an explanation."Her voice came from somewhere near his breastbone, muffled by his gown. But her weapons system were around him, gripping him at to the lowest degree as hard as he was her.

"I know. Just a consequence more."Snape pulled himself together and stepped back, releasing her and looking down into her perfect eyes."Here, this should tell you what you need."

He let his nous heading, letting every mental Department of Defense evenfall. The intrusion was delicate, unclouded and western fence lizard. The memories she needed were right on the surface.

"Oh my god."She put her mitt to her mouth."It ‘ s all… true ?"

"All of it."Snape nodded.

"The prophecy… even that ?"

"Yes."

"That pitiful boy."She shook her forefront."How can he do this ? Does he even have a hazard ?"

"He must deliver at least a chance."Snape sighed."The prophecy says he has the power to defeat the iniquity lord. If there was no chance at all it could not say that. However small it is, he has a chance."

"What can we do ?"She had gone from incredulity to iron conviction in a moment."How can we make unnecessary him ?"

"I need to…"Snape licked his brim. This was concentrated than anything else."I can not see you anymore."

Natalie bit her lip and looked at him calculatingly.

"It ‘ s for some stupid imposing ground isn ‘ t it ?"

"I know what I have to do. How I can outdo assist the order… and help Harry."Snape closed his middle, it was easier if he didn't look at her."I have to be a spy again."

"In the decease eaters."It wasn't a question.

"While I am there I can not discover any indication that I am anything former than just like them."Snape explained."I can not ever slip. Even the tenuous hint… I couldn't do it… I am not a good enough actor to hide you. Hide the change you've made in me. I have to end it. I ‘ m so sorry Natalie."

"You can ‘ t afford any distractions."

"Yes."

"And I ‘ m a distraction."

"Yes."

"dearest is a distraction."

"Yes."Snape breathed, his closed lids the only matter keeping back tears. He felt breath on his face, she was moving closer. A import later he felt her wet-silk sass on his.

"No…"He murmured, but she had captured him. Her work force behind his point, her brim on his. Intoxicating, making everything he had said fly out of his mind.

He had to stop.

He couldn't.

He lost himself in the kiss, breathing in every second of it. He couldn ‘ t stop, his brain was fully of her. If his eyes had been unfastened even the weakest wizard would get been capable to read his every cerebration. He was open… euphoric… free…

As she pulled back he opened his optic. He had thought the charm would be broken then, that the feeling would go away. But it wasn't going, it only felt stronger.

"Firstly…"Natalie held a finger up to his wet lips."block being noble, it doesn't suit you. Secondly… Who do I lecture to about joining this order ?"
*


"Why can ‘ t we see him ?"Parvarti moaned.

"Because he ‘ s in a closed in ward."Mr Weasley said calmingly."You couldn ‘ t see him even if we went to St Mungos."

"We can be there for him."Neville said quietly.

"You wouldn ‘ t be able-bodied to speak to him or even be in the same room."

"He ‘ d know we were there."

"No he wouldn ‘ t. He ‘ s unconscious."Mr Weasley shook his read/write head."You kids postulate to go back to Hogwarts. You ‘ ve already been out of school for too long."

"school day !"Fred threw his hands up."Who cares about school ! Harry ‘ s in hospital and You-know-who is back !"

"All the more reason for you to be back at Hogwarts."Mrs Weasley pushed the marauders towards one of the hearth."It ‘ s the safest place."

Ginny shook her head, she knew when it was pointless to argue with her mother.

"Play the niggling sister card."She heard someone whisper in her ear. She looked back in time to see Padma jiffy at her."One of us should be there, and it ‘ ll be easier to allow the burrow."

Ginny grinned, then put on her good scared-six-year-old face.

"mamma, I ‘ m scared."Her female parent turned to her."Do I have to go back to Hogwarts ?"

"Your father told you. You can't see-"

"No, that ‘ s not what I meant."Ginny shook her head."Can I come hone tonight ?"Her mother's face softened instantly.

"Of course dear. I ‘ ll clear it with the teachers."Ginny found herself enveloped in a hug."There ‘ s no need to be scared."

"I know."Ginny felt a little bad for manipulating her mother. And very good for not getting caught.

"I ‘ m also scared-"Ron began, before Fred elbowed him in the kidneys.
*


It was most midnight before Ginny could sneak down to the front room of the burrow. She slid out of the presence door and broke into a run as soon as she was out of the garden. It took her only a few minutes to jog to the Lovegoods'house. She stepped in ( the room access was never locked ) and went straight to the fireplace. Mr Lovegood slept right at the top of their odd house and she could probably lie her way out of trouble even if she was caught.

"St Mungos."She said clearly as she tossed the pulverization and stepped into the fervor. After a rocking and spinning few second she fell out into the waiting room.

At this time of day it should have got been empty. It wasn't, ten or so reporter were dotted around the room dictating into quick quotes quills or jotting eminence down the old fashioned way. Ginny went straight to the steps ( the desk staff would no uncertainty interrogative sentence a child alone in the eye of the Nox ) and ran up a few flight of steps before stopping by a portraiture of a helpful looking old man.

"self-justification me,"The old man perked up at the phone of her voice."Do you know where the closed wards are ?"

"Are you a newsperson ?"The old man asked suspiciously.

"Do I look like a reporter ?"

"Hmm, you're right a little young maybe."The old man nodded."You want the fourth storey. End of the hallway."

"Thank you."Ginny smiled and trotted up the last few flights before pushing the door open and walking confidently down the corridor.

Confidence was the key. I have to look like I'm meant to be here…

Or I could slip that nurses robe off the spine of that chair.

Ginny scuttled over and quickly threw it over her shoulders. She pulled her hair down to hide her face and picked up a nearby clipboard with a composition of parchment stuck to it.

‘ Confidence and a clipboard is a universal joint disguise ’, Ginny chucked at the memory. Good advice Harry.

She lowered her head and pretended to be checking her billet as a healer walked past then quickly pushed open the room access at the end of the hall and stepped in.

It was unlighted, the patient role were meant to be sleeping, but there was a little street lamp filtering in through the windows. Ginny moved from bed to bed quietly, they all seemed to be empty. They must bear emptied the ward for Harry.

As she stepped closer to the bit to last bed in the row she was that it was occupied. Harry… He looked pale and wan, and he twitched in his sleep. He looked awful. It was the lighter from the window, that was it. It was yellow and harsh, making him take care sicker than he was. That had to be it.

Ginny stepped closer, trying to see what specifically was hurting him.

"Don't move."

The voice came out of nowhere and Ginny jumped back in surprise. A here and now later she saw the shape lying on the next bed over. She had been so sharpen on Harry she hadn't noticed. The shape sat up and she saw white blonde hair framing it's face.

"Malfoy."She was caught between anger and relief.

"W… Weasley ?"The Slytherin moved into the light and Ginny could see that he had a bandaged arm."What are you doing here ?"

"I could ask you the same question."Ginny tried to rally some confidence. And clutched her clipboard.

"Well this is a hospital."Malfoy sneered."And I ‘ m injured. Why do you intend I ‘ m here ? Your turn."

"I ‘ m here to see Harry."She lifted her Kuki."I ‘ m his friend."

"So you are.."Malfoy slid his foundation to the floor and stepped over to stand on the other face of Harry's bed."Get behind the pall. They can see you from the corridor."

Ginny quickly stepped towards the wall, away from prying eyes. She wouldn't thank him though. Not Malfoy.

"Is he gon na be ok ?"

"He ‘ ll recover. They said there won't be any lasting physical effects."Malfoy snorted quietly."Whatever that means. He ‘ ll have a few more than scratch to add to his collection."

"So he ‘ ll be o.k. ?"Ginny wasn't sure why she was asking for reassurance, she just knew she needed it."The healers can-"

"Fix almost everything."Malfoy's centre drifted down to a small bandage on Harry's wrist.

"What is it ?"

"See for yourself."

Ginny reached down and gingerly pulled the bandage down. Underneath was a macabre tattoo, a skull with a snake in the grass coming out of its mouth.

"What is this ?"Ginny ran her finger over the patsy. It wasn't even raised, it just felt the like skin. A deal engulfed hers and lifted her fingers off.

"I wouldn ‘ t soupcon it if I were you."Malfoy released her and pulled the patch back up."It ‘ s the colored mark. The darkness master mark. All his retainer have it."

"But Harry's not his servant !"

"Keep your voice down."Malfoy hissed angrily."Do you want to get caught ? Idiot."

"Tell me what it means."Ginny whispered softly."Please."

"The night lord marked him because Harry wouldn ‘ t give in."Malfoy shook his head."Harry was tortured. For a long time, prospicient than anyone should have lasted. He just laughed. He was insane."

"That ‘ s Harry."Ginny let her hand Fall into Harry's.

"He just kept fighting. He was… he didn't…"Malfoy bit his lip and looked away."Eventually the iniquity Lord just snapped, marked him. Maybe it was just the only way he could call up of to actually do Harry real pain."

"But you got out ?"Ginny asked."You both escaped ?"

"Barely. We got into the passages in the walls."Malfoy added, his voice low and pained."Managed to get out through a tunnel. We had to push them in this… dullard muggle farmhouse. Harry fought them off. All of them, even grayback. House fell down… he crawled out of the rubble."

"Wow…"

"He kept going. keep us going. Forced us, till he started bleeding from his ears."Malfoy shook his head sadly."Is it always this hard ?"

"What ?"

"Being his friend."

"Oh…"Ginny chuckled wryly."Sometimes…"

"Must be even harder being him. ``

They stood there in secretiveness for a while, Harry twitching uncomfortably. Ginny leant down, idly wondering whether he could discover them.

"You'd safe promise he can't."Malfoy answered out of the blue."If he can find out he can feel, which means he ‘ s still in pain."

"How did you… ?"

"You ‘ re predictable."

Ginny didn't have the time to rejoin as the doors to the ward explosion undetermined. She quickly grabbed her clipboard and turned to hide her face. footfall approached the bed.

"Nurse,"The flaccid voice of Dumbledore spoke from behind her."We need to get him to Hogwarts. Is he well enough to be moved ?"

"I… um…"

"The healer said he shouldn ‘ t move until tomorrow."Malfoy came to her rescue."Said it could displume his combat injury open air again."

"Really…"The headmaster didn't seem convinced."Would you turn around please fille Weasley."

Erg… well marauder rules. If you're caught, no apologies. Attack back.

"Hello Professor."Ginny turned."Do you desire to explain why I could just walk into the ward where Harry was kept ? I could'a been a death eater."

"You think I left him unguarded ?"Dumbledore chuckled and nodded towards a nearby bed. A moment later a cushion unroll and arched it's back, yawning widely. The cat hopped off the bed and unfolded into professor McGonagall.

"Satisfied Miss Weasley ?"The animagus arched an eyebrow.

"Did you know she was there ?"Ginny muttered to Malfoy.

"Yes."

"Why didn ‘ t you tell me ?"

"This way was more funny."

"Too right it was."The vocalization was low and croaky, but unmistakably Harry. The two students and two teachers crowded round as Harry slowly opened his eyes."Hi."

"Hi yourself."Ginny smiled."Welcome back."

"Didn ‘ t go anywhere."Harry muttered."I was unconscious."

"I am glad you are awake Mr Potter."Dumbledore said with false jolliness."But we must move you to Hogwarts."

"Something ‘ s happened."Harry stated flatly.

"We will talk about it once you are safely in Hogwarts."

"No. We won't."Harry folded his blazonry."We ‘ ll talk about it now."

"Harry-"

"No more secrets."

"No more secrets…"Dumbledore repeated quietly. Maybe it was her imagination, but Ginny thought she could hear a arrest in his voice."Very well then. Voldemort has made a motion, we need to take you somewhere safer in display case he tries to strike at you."

"Made his move ?"Harry frowned."What ‘ s he done ?"

"He had attacked Azkaban."Dumbledore glanced back at the threshold of the ward."He led the flack himself. The safety of the island simply let him perish. I think it is bazaar to put on they work for him now as well."

"Azkaban is unguarded !"Malfoy's eyes were full and appalled."But what about the other prisoners ? They could also esca-"

"There are no other prisoners Mr Malfoy, and indeed no Azkaban."The Headmaster spoke in snip tones."Perhaps I was not clear. Azkaban is no more. It was blasted away, down to the basics. Voldemort took his followers and any of the one C of other piddling outlaw that would willingly unite him off the island and left the remainder to direct their fortune in the sea."

"How many ?"prof McGonnagal asked in hushed tones.

"We think at least twenty dollar bill or thirty wizards joined him, not counting the unity that were already death eaters."Dumbledore announced this as if it was the hebdomadary Quidditch scores."As for the others ... They are still dredging trunk out of the magnetic north sea but it is safe to take on quite a few reached country safely, they were sorcerous after all."

"What about Crouch ?"Harry said suddenly."Tell me he wasn ‘ t transferred there yet."

"I ‘ m sorry Harry."Dumbledore bowed his head."The aurors office didn ‘ t think there was any point delaying."

"So he ‘ s free ?"

"He is."

"It was all for nothing."A slight choked laugh came from Harry's throat."It was all for nothing."

"Harry…"

"Worthless…"Harry was staring at the ceiling."For nothing."

"We stopped him becoming minister."Malfoy said sadly."That ‘ s something I guess."

"He killed Fleur."Harry closed his heart."He tried to bolt down Helen Newington Wills. And now he ‘ s loose. Should suffer killed him."

"Harry !"McGonagall stepped forward angrily."We can not lapse to their level. We are not manslayer !"

"Maybe you ‘ re not. I killed at to the lowest degree four people yesterday."Harry painfully slid his branch off the bed."Maybe more… I forget. Does Greyback count as a someone ? Never mind, come up on then, lets go."

"I can hover you-"Dumbledore began but then trailed off into secretiveness as Harry stepped onto the frigidness hospital storey. Harry held out both arms wordlessly, Malfoy stepped under his go out instantly. Ginny dropped her clipboard on the bed and took his right.

"I know you can levitate me. You ‘ re Dumbledore after all."Harry smiled and stepped forward, leaning heavily on his friends.
*


There was a memorial service for Fleur the next day in forepart of the woodland at Hogwarts before she was brought back to her parents in France. Harry didn't say anything, he couldn't faith himself to. Her sea wolf was still out there because of the stupidity of the Ministry.

He'd get him. One day, he'd get him. Harry dug his fingernails knockout into his palm.

"I ‘ ll get him for you."Harry whispered, glancing up at Fleurs casket."I promise. I ‘ ll kill him."

Harry watched as the Triwzard cup was brought out and placed next to the poor girl. She was the Triwizard champ, he and Malfoy had insisted on that. It was official and everything. Small comfort for her parents.

"You alright Harry ?"Neville asked him quietly.

"No Neville."Harry shook his head."I ‘ m not fine, but this is basically a funeral. I ‘ m not meant to be right now. If I was alright I ‘ d wonder what was wrong with me."

"It wasn ‘ t your fault."Harry didn't resolution. The ‘ mistake'conversation was too predictable, and unhelpful.

The ceremonial occasion ended and the students began filtering back to the palace. Harry didn't sum them, he couldn't cheek them all. The whispers had already begun. Everyone knew Voldemort was back, most even knew that Azkaban was gone. They also knew that Harry had died, come back from the beat and invaded the ministry to unmask a demise eater. Harry sighed, everyone thought he was some form of hoagy. If they turned out to be the right way it would postulate a weight off his mind.

Harry reached the edge of the lake and looked out over it's vitreous airfoil. It still felt threatening and malignant, his reverence pulling at him like dizziness. He ignored it, it was easier now, he had more pressing concerns.

"You sure you ‘ re ok ?"Harry looked back, Neville had followed him."You don ‘ t seem ok. I mean I don ‘ t-"

"What did your parents do Neville ?"Harry said out of the blue.

"I… they…"

"You never told us."

"They… they were aurors."

"Ah…"Harry nodded."Probably fought last eaters… Voldemort… piles of times."

"Yeah, I guess."Neville shuffled his feet, staring at the story."Nan told me they were pretty well so probably."

"And they ‘ re utter ?"

"They ‘ re… well… they 're in St ... yes. Yes they ‘ re dead."Neville swallowed."A last feeder called Bellatrix did it."

"That ‘ s what I thought."Harry nodded, still looking out over the lake."I wonder if you ‘ d have done better…"

"Harry you ‘ re scaring me a little. What ‘ s all this about ?"

"There was prophecy Neville."Harry watched the sun as it slowly set so as to debar looking at his acquaintance's human face."Long story short it predicted the birth of the only soul who could put down Voldemort. It could own been either me or you, turned out to be me."Harry lapsed into silence. Behind him he could hear Neville breathing in gasping gulps.

"You did get word me say it ‘ s not you ?"Harry clarified."You don ‘ t have to struggle him."

"But you do !"

"Apparently."Harry tried to shrug, tried to look thoughtless. Unfortunately it was so counter to how he was really feeling it was hard.

"Do you screw when ?"

"Nope."

"Do you bonk how ?"

"Nope."

"Well…"Neville scratched his chief."What do you know ?"

"I know I ‘ m gon na lose."Harry said dryly. At Neville's shocked expression he threw his hired hand up."Well what do you expect ! flavor at me, I ‘ m a teenage wizard, a quartern year ! He ‘ s the most dangerous genius alive and I ‘ m barely making acceptable in refutation against the dark arts."

"Harry you know grad don't matter."Neville shrugged."If they did then how come you ‘ ve survived this long ?"

"I know that ! But this is different !"Harry shook his header."Up till now I ‘ ve got through by a combining of luck, lying, wit, barbarism and pigheadedness. Not to name that I ‘ ve always had assistant. But this is dissimilar, it ‘ ll just be me, him and two sceptre. I can ‘ t metre him like that, don ‘ t even stand a chance."

"You don ‘ t know it ‘ ll be like that."Neville said reasonably.

"I know it will. Don ‘ t you see ? This is where the whole thing ‘ s been headed. I ‘ m going to fall behind and I can ‘ t. I can ‘ t let myself lose."Harry realized something and laughed wryly."She was right… of line she was right."

"Who was ? About what ?"

"I won ‘ t be capable to impose her this summer."Harry's hand twitched to the electric cord around his cervix."I ‘ ll be busy. I ‘ ll be very busy."
*


Draco hitched his wooden leg up onto the windowsill and rearranged his robed behind him to be a bit more prosperous. When it got later he'd try to reach his room in the Slytherin dungeon. Right now his apparent apostasy made it out of the question to get past his former friends without a vehement response.

He shifted his shoulders and turned the Page on the track book he was reading. For now he could ignore everything, just be a little nub of calm on the windowsill, reading in peace. But eventually he'd have to confront his housemates, then in a few days he'd have to go home and face… nothing.

His hand moved to his scoop where the letter from his mother was. It hadn't been raging, no formulation of deathless hatred. It had simply stated that she was moving back into the house she grew up in and that she would favour if she never saw him again.

Draco had considered burning it, or tearing it up and laughing. That was what Harry would do. Draco just wanted to curl up in a corner and pretend it didn't exist.

"Wotcher, kid !"

What the… ? Malfoy looked down the corridor and saw Tonks standing just a niggling way off with her hands on her hips.

"Oh,"Malfoy turned back to his book."What do you need ?"

"Hello to you too."Tonks shrugged and shoved his wooden leg off the windowsill roughly so she could sit down.

"Hey ! I was sitting there."

"You were moping there."Tonks corrected."Anyway I was talking to my mum earlier."

"Was she angry at you for dying ?"Dragon asked.

"A little."Tonks said sarcastically."She also said she had heard that her sister was moving back to her old home."

Dragon didn't say anything.

"Is that why you ‘ re sitting out here ?"

Silence.

"Or is it that you helped arrest-slash-kill several of the founding father of your old friends ?"

"What do you think ?"Malfoy answered acidly.

"I think I should shew you a minuscule something I found in my sixth year called the ‘ room of necessary ’."Tonks stood and winked at him cheekily."So you won ‘ t have to slumber on a windowsill."

"The room of requirement ? Is that a sleeping room ?"

"It can be a bedroom."Tonks answered mysteriously."By the way, did I ever thank you for saving my life history ?"

"It ‘ s finely. You probably saved me too."

"Yeah, probably…"Tonks nodded grinning."Anyway my mum says that you should come over to dinner so we can give thanks you properly."

"It ‘ s fine-"

"She always makes too much anyway."Tonks went on."You can come over a few time if you want. Every night even, over the summer."

"You don ‘ t…"Draco felt his throat go a little dry."You don ‘ t have to do this for… for…"

"For what ? For folk ?"Tonks laid a manus on his shoulder."Yeah, I do."



Well ... that was a long journeying. Long and epic ! Anyway ... Hope you liked it. Leave a review article, hail on ... it's the end of the record. Go on.

Anyway, prepare for the next leger. If you thought this one was a wilderness ride then the adjacent one will fellate your freekin intellect ! Cannon can go hang itself, we ‘ re taking our own way of life from now on. Believe me when I say that everything is about to change. Prepare for darkness ... prepare for action ... prepare for everything you know to shrink and die. Prepare for ...
Harry Potter and the moron shaver