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



Harry lay on his back on his bed with his mother locket dangling above him. The fucking matter was taunting him he was sure. He had run some sensing charms over it and been shocked to rule that the affair was wrapped up six ways from Sunday. Harry flicked through one of the ledger laid around him but found zip he hadn't already seen before.

"What now Harry."Neville had asked him earlier that day when Harry was dragging his way through some ancient runic letter preparation."With the plan, what do we need to do now ?"

"We have to await now Neville."Harry had looked up and met his booster eye with a smile."Which could end up as the voiceless role. But we can't do anything until some hooey plays out. Bear with me…"Harry added as his friend face fell."… for now we ‘ re bang on objective. You know the plan."

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

"Harry…"Harry looked up from his bowl of food grain at the tonus of utter horror in Ron's voice.

"Yes ?"But Ron just pointed wordlessly over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was holding a ling with a looking at of dead felicity on his face."So he has a new heather ? We knew his father would buy him a new one."

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

Harry's expression went from confused to fearful then moving swiftly to terrorise as he read down the Firebolt's spectacles. The Chimera was trade good but there was no way she could contend with the raw magnate of the Firebolt.

"doe this change the plan Harry."Harry glanced up and saw that Fred and George had moved down the table. Their usual grins dulled to care frowns."I, mean… It ‘ s a Firebolt."Harry tossed the cartridge holder back at Ron and shook his head.

"The brooms only as full as the rider. We can still pull out this off."Harry tried to make his spokesperson comforting and unfaltering. He form of succeeded."We will."

But the Slytherin Ravenclaw plot gave them ample grounds that even with a bad passenger a professional broom still kicks ass. When the snitcher finally appeared Malfoy was at the other end of the pitch shot and flying much blue than it and he had still snatched it comfortably before Cho could get anywhere near it. That, coupled with the glory 2001s the rest of the team had had equaled a devastating red ink for the Ravenclaw team.

The most plaguey thing was that he really could do nothing right now. They needed to await at least until after the side by side match before the program could progress. Waiting and watching helplessly was torture. When he had been working on the Chimera it had been like there was a big puzzle laid out in front of him and he could work at it until it was finished. Waiting was much harder because there was nothing to do. Yes he had prep and yes some Slytherins had mysteriously had their shoes filled with frogspawn while they dried beside a flak but he had no puzzle to work out. He had tried to concentrate on practicing with his guitar but it wasn ‘ t enough. Then he remembered the locket.

So now he worked on finding elbow room to short-circuit its many appeal and spells. Working on that difficult ( but eventually solvable ) trouble kept his judgment off other apparently insolvable problems. Like why he had had part of last Mon twice. Twisting the locket up near the light he tried a few things.

"Lilly. Petunia. Prefect. Open Sesame."The locket remained locked and he dropped his deal in frustration. At least he had worked out that it was a password and not some other method of opening but that was about all he had discovered. He had thought of swallowing his pride and asking Professor lupin his advice. The teacher hadn't known it was a locket but he might have had some idea or at to the lowest degree be able to give him the names of her puerility pets."King James I. Canicula. tool. Rose."Harry tried then gave up and scarf out the affair back into his pocket.

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

And fell twenty feet onto stale stone.
*


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

"Yes very much so."A pleasant lilting articulation sounded out of the tincture down the residence."New, but not finished as yet."A marvelous man with a broad beard and a mane of red hair, barely held down by a battered hat, moved into prospect and knelt down by Harry. His idiom was antediluvian and his apparel matched that description as did the jeweled sword in his bridge player. A thick intuition seeped through Harry.

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

"You've heard tell of me."The man seemed pleasantly surprised. He whipped his hat off his head then stuffed his blade into it, appeared to rummage around for a moment then drew out a brusk rod topped with a quartz glass egg. As he waved the sceptre over Harry it emitted a ardent light and Harry felt the bruises of his spill disappear even quicker than Madam Pomfrey could have managed."There, all better."The man smiled and dropped the rod back into his hat.

"You got a rabbit in there too."Harry quipped. Falling back on flippancy as the more sane part of his brain waved little white flags.

"A hare ? Why would one restrain a hare in a headpiece."The founder smiled."Wouldn ‘ t it make water rather a fix on the head ?"

The effervescent centre reminded Harry of Dumbledore, comforting him somewhat.

"How did you come to be here ?"Gryffindor asked as he helped Harry to his feet."Or more accurately speaking ; How did you come to be a good 30 spans above here ?"

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

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

Godric Gryffindor appeared to like a good mystery story as lots as Harry and pulled what looked like a jeweller eyeglass out of his hat before using it to examine the little moorage of flatware. Without appearing to acknowledge what he was doing he reached into the hat again and pulled out what looked like a Cornish pasty. Munching on it he turned the locket over and over in his former hand."Have you attempted a peeling yet ? It would certainly be effective."

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

"An apple peel."Gryffindor finished off his pasty and made a duck motion."soaking an apple in diviners broth that also has the locket soaking deep within it. Then uncase the yield in one slip with a silver tongue. Toss the peel over thy left field shoulder joint and it should form the shape of the password."Gryffindor handed the locket back."But you still have not told me how you got here."

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

"Truly ?"Gryffindor sounded sad for a present moment and looked at him through the jeweler glass. His eye fell on Harry's chest on the left English and he let out a capital sigh."Oh, I am truly sorry my boy."

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

"You can not palpate it because you have not suffered it yet."Gryffindor bowed his mind, a pluck bloom in the corner of his eye."Also you will only see it when you are out of your true time. You are caught in the torrent of ages now and there is no way to pull through. It will get worse and worse until the consequence that caused it in the first blank space occurs. I wish I had better news short one, but I am afraid you are doomed."

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

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

"The practice of law of cause and impression must be followed, even if they do not find in the traditional order."

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

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

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM !"

Harry spun and made shushing noises to quite the fat lady who was now slumped over the dorsum of her chair with her hired hand over her dresser, breathing heavily.

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

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

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

Suddenly Harry remembered something and smiled. He did ingest individual eminently qualified to reply dubiousness about time and lot. Grabbing a quill and lambskin Harry jotted down a prospicient note to his Grecian pen-pal. Originally he only meant to ask about the torrent but as he wrote he began to include everything that had happened since his last letter until the missive was several rag long.

"shovel will not be happy."Harry chuckled as he got out of bed for the second time that night. Not wanting to awaken the fat ma'am again after the panic attack he'd given her he padded over to his front-runner windowpane, climbed through it and set off in the focusing of the owlery.
*


"Is that a hair growth potion Potter ?"

"No sir."

"It isn ‘ t ?"

"No sir."

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

"For the initiatory prison term ever in my stratum you are correct. You have not brewed a pilus growth potion. You have not even attempted to brew a whisker development potion. Can you explain to me why you have brewed a different potion, from a different book. Brewed what appears to be a diviners broth that is not even on the Hogwarts syllabus. And can you explicate why, even when you have chosen your own potion, you have still managed to utterly fail."

The insufferable boy glanced at the scummy green quite a little that filled his cauldron.

"I blame society sir."

"Society ?"

"Yes sir."

"Fifty point in time from Gryffindor."

"wellspring deserved sir."
*


Almost a hebdomad later Harry was out hunting for an apple. He had finally acquired some adequate diviners broth by the simple dint of asking any of the marauder if they could puzzle it out. The potion wasn't that hard, it was just beyond Harry's abysmal level of skill. Somehow the two sets to twins had puzzled it out. Harry smiled to himself, had he just referred to Fred and George II as marauders ? Well, they almost were, but myrtle didn't like them because they had throw a bucket of treacle through her once so they'd have to apologize before they could be officially sworn in.

But now he was tromping through the rainfall, looking for an orchard apple tree. Or at to the lowest degree an apple tree diagram, he knew a charm to nominate it stick out a yield out of time of year. When he'd scan up on the peeling it had said that it worked best when you picked the yield yourself so Harry had asked Hagrid where all the apple Tree's on the primer coat were ( the ones on the safe slope of the Mrs. Humphrey Ward obviously ). Unfortunately what he hadn't counted on was that they were mostly small violent Tree with fruits not nearly large enough to produce a good Peel. He needed a big cooking apple or something.

Harry preformed the charm on another sodden bloom only to be rewarded by another tiny crab apple.

"Sod this."Harry grumbled and pulled his robe closer around himself. On reflex he checked the pelt on his leave behind side, knit and unblemished, to reassure himself that he was still in the right clock time. His finger's breadth moved to his chandelier hanging on its new chain of mountains. Pythea hadn't written back yet, but then it took a piece for an owl to fly to Hellenic Republic and back and Harry had asked digger to stay put there until the vaticinator had a reply for him to save her making four trips.

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

"Bugger."More modest fry. Harry was about to turn away and walk back up to the castling when he saw a splash of color on the far bank. Scrambling out on the root of the old tree to get a advantageously look he bit back an oath. There was a short girl lying on the due east cant, one-half in and half out of the Dubya near the border of the forbidden forest. She wasn't moving and she was facedown in the water.

"HEY !"Harry yelled for anyone hearing."mortal ! HAGRID !"But the wind took his Holy Scripture away."Oh my god. Why does this stuff always happen to me ?"

Harry looked around for an choice pick but saw nothing.

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

For a moment the water closed over his head and he breathed in a mouthful of water in jar and terror but he bobbed to the surface and coughed it up before striking out for the struck digit on the far money box. He had to go a little way out from the money box to avoid the border of the ward but then he could come back in and eventually dragged himself up onto the far bank.

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

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

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

Suddenly the Centaur eyes spud open and she coughed up a slew of lake water into Harry's lap.

"You alright ? Hey ?"

"Of trend, I am alright."The girls vocalization was weak but she seemed to be working her legs as if trying to get up."We are not fragile like humans."

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

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

"Will you… I mean are you…"

"Infected ?"She used the Christian Bible like a spot."Of trend not. Lycanthropy is a human illness."

"Shall I get Dumbledore ? Or Hagrid ?"

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

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

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

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

"I do not ask Humans."

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

"Shut up foal."

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

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

"Of course father."The daughter replied nettled and pushed him away.

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

"You !"The largest centaur spat and Harry suddenly found two arrowheads pointed at his cervix."execration !"

"Bane, we need to stamp out him now !"The tertiary centaur said shock and fear dripping from his representative. Lachesis and her father were standing off to one face."We can not risk him living."

"I thought we did not harm foals."The father moved in closer and reached out for the drawing card shoulder.

"He is an exception."The third base spoke."Do you ravel experience how aberrant he is ? How grave ?"

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

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

"For the debt the Brigham Young one bears you…"He began, his vocalisation deep and malevolent."… you live today. But heed me foal, if we find you in our forest again not even Lachesis will waver to kill you."Harry looked at the untried Centaurus and saw her spring a confirming nod.

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

"Damwain, show him to Hogwarts."Bane was already turning and moving off through the underbrush. Harry was relieved to see that Damwain was Lachesis'father and not the tierce centaur who had been so intention on killing him. Damwain set off the way Harry had come and Harry had to trot to go along up. After a while the silence began to grate on Harry and he decided to break it.

"Why did the other centaurs want to down me ?"Harry asked as he stumbled over a root.

"Not other."The centaur said curtly.

"What ?"

"Not early Centaur. I also want to kill you, but I will keep to the natural law of our kind that prohibit harming the unseasoned and I acknowledge my daughter debt to you."

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

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

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

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

"Does the downpour have anything to do with why the loup-garou are gathering ?"

"What possible connecter could there be between those things ?"The Centaur scoffed."No the werewolves gather for an altogether different reason."

"Which is… ?"

"Their drawing card had come."Damwain sounded tempestuous now."A man almost as a good deal an abomination as you. He has gathered them here. He seems to suppose he has some way to recruit Hogwarts."

"Does he ?"Harry asked.

"I seriously doubt it."Damwain scoffed."The Hogwarts Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth have stood against the greatest minds in propagation. They will not fall to something little more than an animal."Damwain fell mum then came to a halt. He turned to Harry and said…

"Leave now."Harry started, then realized that he could see the castling through the tree diagram. They had returned by a much more direct rout than he had left."Take Bane ‘ s warning seriously, to be caught in the timberland again means last for you."And with that the centaur turned and galloped off into the wood.

"Do you opine I want to observe visiting the bally forbidden woodland !"Harry yelled after him.
*


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

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

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

Harry stuck his tongue out at her.

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

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

"I meant about the wolfman !"

"But the wards keep them out."Ron narrowed his middle. Harry groaned, an disputation was about to bulge out."I think a whole species who want to fill Harry with arrows is More important."

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

"If he hadn ‘ t we wouldn't know about the Centaur or your wanted werewolves."Ron crossed his arms triumphantly.

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

"Any comments from the non-old-married-couple section of the table ?"The piranha grinned ( except for Parvati who was moping a little. She hadn't liked having her head game about Centaurus shattered. )

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

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

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

Reluctantly the marauder nodded.

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

"Oh !"A randomness came from beyond the Quran barrier and a bit later Hermione pushed it down."Maybe he did."

"What do you entail ?"

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

"Wards would hold on it getting in."Ron said dismissively.

"But if it was already inside the wards."

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

"I think that prof Lupin is a werewolf."

The table went silent in daze. Then…

"Of course ! It all fits, he ‘ s ‘ sick'during good moon. His bogart is the wax moonshine ! It all fits !"Parvati snapped her fingers.

"I wonder if Dumbledore knows."Neville said.

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

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

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

"Do you think he ‘ s gathered the werewolves."Annapurna said in a hushed tone.

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

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

"Doing what Harry ?"Ron asked.

"I have had enough déjà vu this year without intentionally repeating last yr. We. will. Not. Jump. To. Conclusions."Harry punctuated each word of honor by poking the table laborious."shoemaker's last yr we went off all righteous against Professor Albert Abraham Michelson and we turned out to be deadened damage. We won't do that again."

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

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

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

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

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


"prof Lupin listen…"Harry pushed open the door to the teachers agency without knocking and began talking as soon as he was over the threshold."…we know you're a werewolf."Lupin went from angry to gob-smacked in a fraction of a second. His mouth began working but no sound came out.

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

"So we know you ‘ re a werewolf, we know the forest currently has a werewolf job. Naturally certain doubtfulness have arisen from this state of matter namely ‘ Are you in any way involved ? ’. I personally think the answer is no, certain of my friends are not so sure and it would be remiss of me to dismiss their misgiving as they are, after all, not unfounded."Harry said all this in one breather then stood waiting for an reply. A polite coughing made him plough around. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at a table behind him. He did not look pleased.

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

"Harry, I am sword lily you came here."professor Dumbledore spoke softly."It has saved us the trouble of fetching you. Can you delight explain why you left the school grounds last Nox ?"

Damn.

"Um… There was a centaur suffering, at the incline of the lake. I went to see if I could help. She was face down in the water."Harry was quick to add."If I had gone to convey someone she could consume died in the stand for sentence. Ask Damwain, or… or scourge. They were there."Harry had though centaur-name dropping might lend credibility to his story. In fact neither Dumbledore nor lupin reacted to his statement.

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

"It ‘ s just…"Lupin began, his voice catching."… he looks so wish him."

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

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

"So you see, I form of had to leave the grounds."Harry finished lamely. Both professors looked unconvinced. Harry sighed,"Can you at to the lowest degree tell me whether you knew professor lupin was a werewolf before you punish me ?"

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


"The whole palace ! ?"Ron squeaked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I ‘ m could tie that ghost !"

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

"Come on, amount on."Harry urged, looking at the clock. When the needed five minutes were up he fished both items out of the stock and reached for a silver medal knife. He had to be careful now, a mistake would intend he had to pop out all over. Slowly, carefully he peeled it in a single long helix that ended up all over the mesa. He'd cut quite deep so the peel wouldn't break and now wondered if that was a problem.

"Only one way to find out."Harry moved so that the mesa was behind him and threw the Robert Peel over his provide shoulder. Turning he saw the Peel snaking around violently, kinking and twisting as it formed recognisable varsity letter. A hanker password for an apple peel, it had had to stretch along and still only just managed it.

Harry picked up the locket and, with some trepidation, spoke the password. The locket fell opened in his bridge player and he held it up to his eye to get a amend facial expression at what was inside. And snapped it shut, dropped it back into the box, locked the box with the impregnable charm his suddenly beleaguered head could add up up with, slid the box into his bag, grabbed the Sir Robert Peel, tore it up so no one else could read the password then, to be sure, threw the peel in the ardour and then sat down.

"I hate mysteries."Was all he said.



Ooooo ... cryptical ! Please review.


disavowal ... blah fustian blah ...



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

Harry rolled his middle, Ron would be talking about this all week. The Chimaera's performance had been impressive though, he had to concede. Ginny had slipped past Cedric Diggory, using her brooms improved manageableness to body-swerve him, and had left him floundering in the core of the slant while she snagged the snitch.

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

"I ‘ m just glad its over."Harry sighed and put his hands behind his head."It means we can impress on with the plan."

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

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

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

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

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

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


"Pathetic Potter. Absolutely Pathetic."

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

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

"20 points from Gryffindor for your crust potter and ten more for the potion. Honestly potter, having you in this classroom is nada more than a waste of prison term and potion ingredients."

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

"WE WERE NOT MAKING A quiescence POTION !"

"Oh…"Harry flipped to the next varlet of his book of account, then back to the one he had been looking at before."So I wasn ‘ t meant to add cedar sawdust ?"Snape's furore was actually making him tickle as he stood in front of Harry's desk."How about the sheep ‘ s liver, was I meant to add that ?"

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

"water supply !"He said at the retreating potion masters back."That must suffer been a discipline ingredient, that's in every potion !"

Snape turned around, his gaze screamed bloody murder.

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

Harry sighed theatrically then stiffened as he felt another painful pang at the rear of his head. He tore his eyes away quickly and mumbled.

"Yes sir."Snape turned away.

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

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


The day of the Gryffindor Ravenclaw game dawned marshy and wet. A steady downpour that patterned expectant dismal stains across the castles walls and made it look like it was crying.

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

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

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

"How can you say that ?"

Because I'm bread and butter in denial ? Because I don't want to let down anyone ? Because I'm delusional ? Because if I actually admitted that there's a very good prospect this could go fantastically pear shaped on us I might just go crying ?

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

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

"Shh ! Here they come."

"Natalie Wood ! JOHNSON ! BELL ! SPINNET ! WEASLEY, WEASLEY AND WEASLEY !"

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

"Here we go."thought Harry as he tugged his coating finisher around him.

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

"We have to give at least twelve goals when Ginny catches the snitcher or we lose to Slytherin."The second year said dreamily."Ravenclaw have to have 30 seven goals before they catch it. Its as knit as frackswhiskers."

Harry smiled, how wrong she was.
*


"Another goal for Ravenclaw !"Ginny saw the depressed section of the stands erupt in cheerfulness beneath her.

"Sorry Angelina ! I was aiming for hunting !"She heard Fred yell their team-mate shoved two digit up at him.

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

Ginny shook her top dog. Gryffindor had had a comfortable six goal trail but now they were down to just four. And they still didn't have enough to flummox Slytherin. She could see Cho out of the niche of her eye, shadowing her. She liked to do that, Oliver had told her, it was her preferent tactic.

Ginny scanned the crowd through the rainwater, searching for any vibrate flicker of atomic number 79. The snitcher had to come out sometime, not that it would do either team any good. Gryffindor needed another finish and Ravenclaw needed twenty or something. She craned her neck around and saw it. Fluttering behind her, nearer to Cho than to her. Trying not to ca-ca it obvious Ginny turned away from the snitch. But Cho must induce sensed something was wrong and a import later had spotted it herself. The older quester torus after it and Ginny was forced to tag her, cursing.

Ginny tried to get between Cho and the snitch to break off the older searcher. Ginny knew she couldn't haul it yet, they'd win the couple but lose the cup. But Cho wasn't letting her in, they were shoulder to shoulder with the snitch tantalizingly close in front of them. Cho reached out and Ginny knocked her hand away. So close, Gryffindor just needed one more goal. Cho was reaching again and Ginny berm barged her to create her fille. Ginny tried to pull ahead but whatever she did Cho seemed to be capable to touch her. However severely she pushed Cho seemed to be able-bodied to stay put just a lilliputian bit ahead of her. It was just a matter of time, she couldn't sustain the Ravenclaw off forever. Cho was reaching out again…

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

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

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

"cheerfulness up Olli !"Fred floated retiring, strangely jubilant.

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

"What does that mean ?"Ginny frowned. But it was as if a visible radiation had just gotten switched on in King Oliver Woods pass."What happens when we draw ?"

"Hasn ‘ t happened in over two hundred years."Fred had his arm on one of her shoulder now and was smiling down at her."The principle ‘ s so old they never bothered to countermand it."His Twin Falls came up, placed his arm on her early articulatio humeri and said….

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

Ginny's eyes went wide and she looked over at the Slytherin stands and caught a frigid grey gaze staring back at her. It could have been her imagination but she could have sworn she saw Malfoy mouth the Book ‘ rematch ’.

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

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

"Not quite, the pattern are dissimilar than in universal bid. Specifically the rules for fouls."

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

"Ginny…"Oliver Wood was talking again."I didn ‘ t want to ask this of you, but this is my close probability at the Quidditch cup. My very live on probability, so catch the snitch or die trying."

Ginny's eyes went wide with fear.
*


"Are both searcher cook ?"Madam hootch asked, looking between them. Ginny took her broom from Harry and nodded, he ‘ d been giving it a live on minute look-over before the duel. Malfoy just scoffed."Very well then."She opened the box that contained the snitch and held it in her workforce. Ginny looked over to see the almost feral look in Malfoy's eyes.

"On, your marks."

He'll kill me…

"Ready…"

Oh god…

"Set…"

I'm going to die !

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

Ginny felt digit curl into her hair's-breadth and try and yank her backwards, she kicked out savagely and managed to pull away. The snitch was still shooting upwards and the searcher followed it. Malfoy was scratching and punching at her and she responded by elbowing him in the kidneys. Having six brothers gives you a lot of training in brawling. Malfoy jerked instinctively and Ginny swerved in forepart of him.

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

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

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

"Good girl."She urged the heather on. The snitch was tantalizingly close."Just a lilliputian more."But she felt something brush her leg. Malfoy had managed to sneak to her side ! In another second base he would be in front man of her !

With the vista of losing the cup filling her mind she did the exclusively matter she could reckon of. She pulled back her leg and aimed with her heel. She just had meter to register the electric shock hit Malfoy's face.

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

She looked back up and caught raft of the halcyon ballock. Straining up she reached…
*


"YES !"The Gryffindor stand erupted in sunniness. Harry even leapt to his base and yelled himself horse cavalry. Not so a good deal for the cup, but for the fact that everything had gone perfectly. Harry and the piranha rushed down the bandstand and reached the pebbled beach just as the Gryffindor squad was landing. Oliver Wood was floating down with his arms wrapped around Ginny whispering…

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

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

"Perfectly sound in a seekers duel Malfoy."Fred said airily.

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


Damn.

Professor Snape clenched his hand into clenched fist and he saw the cup being brought out. And Slytherin had been on such a winning bar. He had got so used to the cup being in his office that he even had a little ledge in his cabinet for it.

To hold come down to an exact draw, of all the abysmal luck. Then being forced to rely on a seeker that had bribed his way onto the team. The trivial slip of a Weasley girl had humiliated him. And he could not even charge this exit on ceramicist ( he refused to believe the cockeyed rumor that Potter had made the girl broom ).

Then why was thrower looking so jubilant ? Snape recognised that expression, he had come to detest that expression all seven yr of his time at Hogwarts. The Potter boy caught his eye and shifted to a orphic grinning, then nodded towards the scoreboard. Snapes eyes followed.

What were the chances that it would come to an demand draw ? Snape felt a frightful certainty rising slope inside him. And the Weasley twins who, for all their ineptitude in the classroom, were not bad beaters. But they had performed horribly in that mate, hitting or just missing their own team-mates. Stopping Gryffindor from getting that last destination. The Chang Jiang little girl, missing the stoolie three sentence ? Even for a Ravenclaw that was unlikely. Even the last secret plan with Hufflepuff. Cedric Diggory had shown no guile, he had practically shown Malfoy where the snitch was. Of line he had, Snape realised, if the game had gone on too hanker and Slytherin had won by too a great deal Gryffindor could not have been capable to equalize.

Snape's center were once again drawn to the Potter boys K ones.

Legilimens

He cast non-verbally and after a moments ohmic resistance a remembering floated to the surface…
*


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

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

Harry wandered up into the castling. If he was powerful about her docket she should be right… Ah !

"Cho ! Cho wait up."Harry trotted up to the elder lady friend, who had just left spell class."Been looking for you."

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

"As if that could lay off me."Harry rolled his eyes."No, what I was going to say was that I form of want a favor."

"What variety of favor ?"

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

Cho stared at him indignantly.

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

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

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

"I know."Harry nodded, not believing his luck that Cho had brought this up of her own agreement."horrifying business sector that wasn ‘ t it ?"

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

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

"How ?"

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

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

"Not if it happens at a match."Harry smiled."There ‘ s an old convention that says that if two mansion tie for the cup the event is decided by a quester duel."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Two points. One : Fred and George will be stopping Gryffindor from getting that net goal. Two : I built The Chimera especial for this."Harry grinned evilly."There's a little surprise on there that I ‘ ll remove before the duel. corporate trust me, she can't head you."

"She did OK in the Hufflepuff game."

"I removed it for that too."

"I still don't know…"

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

"Well, he ‘ s agreed to help me. piddling thank you for the solid snake-army incident in the cellar finale year."Harry smiled knowingly at the former missy."If you did need to help us then we should probably arrange for you to adjoin up with him. Discuss… strategy… and stuff."

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

"I know."
*


Snape tore his center away. He could sense the rage bubbling up in his bloodstream.

"You !"He pointed at the boy.

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

"You… you… you…"

"Me, me, me !"Potter was grinning in his impossible way. By Merlin he was exactly like James potter !

"You will not get away with this !"

"With what pray tell ?"

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

"Really ? And you can try out it how ?"potter smiled and knocked away his hand."mien in mind that Legilimency on students is illegal."

Oh the Potter boy thought he was smart did he.

"Well ceramicist perhaps you are correct."Snape's anger changed from a raging inferno to an icy, vengeful aching."But I am still your teacher and I can make your four more years here a living hell."

"Was that an invitation to conduct your NEWT course of instruction Professor ?"

"Potter…"Snape released him and turned away."… you will repent this. chump my words, you will repent this."
*


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


"Do you call this a quieten draught ceramicist ! ?"

"I…"

"I DO NOT telephone THIS A SILENCING DRAUGHT !"

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

"This is a despicable mess ceramist !"

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

"And you won ‘ t ! I will not own any more macerate component !"Snape vanished the contents of Harry's cauldron."You will be doing personal credit line for the relief of this object lesson James I thrower. You will write ‘ I will not be an incompetent, ridiculous, halfwit and a castaway on this school.'in the Leslie Townes Hope that perhaps the suggestion will sink in."

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

Harry motioned to Padma who held out her arm without speech production. Harry groaned, they had barely had fifteen instant of a two hour object lesson. Harry pulled out a calamus and a canvas of parchment.

Snape had been making good on his ‘ livelihood underworld'hope since the compeer but Harry was beginning to think that the potions master had more mysterious seated issues than a simple-minded game of quidditch. The fact that he kept calling him James was a definite clew. Snape seemed to be taking out thirteen years of pent-up, un-sated rage on Harry.

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

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

"personal credit line Sir."Harry had been trying to keep his assuredness in Snape's classes. With spotted success.

"These chicken scraping ? This scrawl ? !"

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

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

Harry got another objet d'art of parchment out and got to writing.

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

"And they ‘ ll ask what I did to get him so tempestuous in the first place."Harry shifted his bag gamy on his shoulder."And that will chair to unfortunate person questions."

"He ‘ s right Hermione."Ron said from the other face, then added to Harry."Don ‘ t concern Paraguay tea, you can drop his class after OWLs."

"That's not the right attitude."Hermione said shrilly."Harry needs to learn at least basic knowledge of potions to role in wizard lodge and Professor Snape is stopping him from even participating. You ‘ ll have to analyse really hard if you want to snuff it the end of class exams at this rate."

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

The marauder laughed but Harry stiffened as he realized the Truth in his Word of God. He still had the torrent of old age hanging like a guillotine above him. He hadn't had any major time jumps lately, just a few minute here and there. For the love life of Merlin why hadn't Pythea written back ?

As if his thought process itself had been a spell Digger dropped out of the afternoon sky clutching a letter in his claws. Harry grabbed it and hastily made an excuse to the galvanize marauders before slipping out onto the grass outside Hogwarts. Harry sent Digger back to the owlery, promising him treats later to thank him for the long trip-up. His mitt shaking, Harry tore undecided the envelope and pulled out the letter of the alphabet inside.

Dear Harry

It is so good to hear from you. I am glad you have taken up my suggestion to find out Occlumency, you will rule it a useful skill I assure you. I can easily think you with a guitar, wandering Hogwarts or sitting in your common elbow room entertaining the early students with songs and fib. You are good at spinning a good tarradiddle you know, I can severalise from your letters.

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

I learnt to act the mouth harp as character of my apprenticeship here…

Harry quickly looked ahead through the letter, scanning down and down. There was no mention of the torrent or time locomotion anywhere. Harry fell to the floor in desperation, had she simply abandoned him to his fortune ? She had been his last Bob Hope. Pythea's letter ended without so very much as a clue that his own letter had contained the terror of his inevitable death.

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

Your protagonist
Pythea

ally ? Ha ! That was a joke.

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

"Yes Neville I ‘ m fine."Harry said quietly, but he could experience the lump in his throat and the snag beginning to form in his eyes. Neville's eyes flickered to the letter still clutched in Harry's hand but he scrunched it up and stuffed it in his pocket.

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

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

"Anything you want to talk about ?"

"Not now. Maybe when it ‘ s a little less fresh."Harry pushed open the door to the defence classroom. At least he could be assured of a hushed lesson, prof lupine tended to ignore him in classes.

"well Potter, I see you decided to grace us with your presence."

Standing arrogantly at the front of the course of study was professor Snape. Harry felt like a block of ice was settling into his thorax as he sat down in his common electric chair, he couldn't take this the right way now.
*


Harry tried to hide behind his book as Snape stalked around the class. He could still finger the ice in his chest and the stumblebum in his throat, if Snape provoked him he would never be able to obligate back.

"Potter…"

No.

"…Is this your essay ?"

Please no.

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

"It displays no insight into the subject…"

Fine, I had no insight.

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

Did I ? Who the hell cares.

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

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

"…and you could not feature mangled the spelling and well-formed rules of the English language Sir Thomas More if you had tried. All in all…"Snape slapped the essay onto the desk beside Harry angrily."… a true T if I ever saw one."

"I ‘ m glad you made that assessment Sir."Harry kept his oculus down on the book in front line of him."It ‘ s the Lapp one as professor lupin made."

"But of course submarine ceramicist doesn ‘ t need to see defense against the glowering arts."Snape scowled down at Harry."You don't need to see how to duel someone properly if you and your three niggling friends sneak up behind them and fire from ambuscade like cowards."

I have More than three friends.

"You are arrogant Potter."Snape continued."A trait shared by all Potters apparently."

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

"You are nothing but a mediocre wizard at best and a spoiled you are a disgrace and yet you are under the impression you are unobtainable. How I wish this class gave me the opportunity to show you precisely how amateurish you truly are."

"Alright."Harry set his calamus down.

"What ?"

The solid class was watching by now.

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


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

The course of study was deadly quiet. Not a student dared movement or speak. Out of the box of his eye Snape could see thrower's little supporter, all-inclusive eyed and frightened, in their seats.

"Are you serious potter ?"Snape asked.

"Yes."Was all the boy said.

"You will lose."

"Try me."

"You do not have a chance."

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

Snape felt the ira that was his constant quantity fellow traveler rising again as he moved to take a berth opposite Potter.

"Mr Mark Hopkins you will matter us in."Snape gripped his verge. He would end this with one spell. The ceramicist boy was still looking at the floor.

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

Potter was not even in a dueling stance. Pathetic.

"Two…"

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

"One…"

A store floating to the surface, ceramist in the Gryffindor rough-cut room holding a shining object. Lily's pendant ! He would recognise that little slip of silver anywhere. Potter bending over the chandelier in his hands and whispering something. The pendent splitting open. Looking inside, a pictorial matter. Lily Evens bundled up against the snow for a Hogsmeade weekend, the coke even still falling in the painting, and holding her by her shoulders keeping her warm… his own face… himself… that picture had been taken in fourth year.

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

"affaire d'honneur !"

"Expelliarmus !"



Review please.


The gerbils made me do it.







Snape's wand clattered to the floor but the teacher didn't seem to get noticed. Harry watched as the potions master fell to his human knee on the floor, head bowed, his font hidden by his lank greasy hair.

Harry watched, waiting for the explosion, but none came. Harry, with much trepidation, knelt down and tried to search at the teacher face. Which was why he was the but one in the category to comment the charge fall down from the end of Snape's long hooked scent and drop onto his knees.

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

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

The student needed no more incentive and quickly scrambled for the relative rubber of the corridor.

"Stop !"Harry yelled at some of them as they tried to escape away."I need to blab out to all of you."Harry closed the classroom doorway behind him and corralled the educatee within earshot.

"None of you will advert this lesson to anyone."Harry said, looking each student in the eye as he did so."None of you will let the cat out of the bag about it, even to each former. None of you will think about it the next fourth dimension you have Snape for your lesson. In defense or potions. For each and every one of you, this moral Did. Not. Happen. Don't think I won't find out if you do mouth, I find out everything. Remember Malfoy ? You have all seen what happens to people who cross me. realise ?"

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

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

"I variety of have to."Harry answered.

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

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

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

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

Snape still said zippo, he just stared at the floor.

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

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

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

Snape stayed motionless for a mo Sir Thomas More then slowly brought the silver grey locket up to his sass. Then, in a gag, weeping voice he said…

"Spinners end."

The locket cracked undecided. Snape seemed to break all at once and started sobbing. His unscathed, long, gangly body shaking with each sob. Harry didn't really bed what to do, he certainly couldn't comfort this man who had tormented him so much.

Harry dug into the box again and grabbed a photograph, it was his mother and her babe when they were Loretta Young, but obviously over eleven since the mental picture was moving. He wordlessly handed it to Snape, who took it and kept crying. He grabbed another pic and poked his Father of the Church out of the frame before handing that too over.

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

Snape sniffed loudly and put his hired man into a pocket of his robes but drew it back empty. He searched another pocket while sniffing louder. Harry realized he was searching for a tissue. Struck by a twinge of mischief-making Harry grabbed something back out of his bag, scrunched it between his paw and handed it to Snape.

The potions master took it and blew his nose on the sheepskin. After doing so he brought it away from his olfactory organ, a shadow of curiosity crossing his face, and looked at it. After a here and now of reading the ( now hideously smudged ) letter of the alphabet his eyes flickered up and met Harry's. It could have been his imagination, but for a moment Harry thought he saw a flicker of a smile.

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

"You mentioned that you told the rest of your class to maintain silent."Snape's vocalism was almost monotone.

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

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

"I just…"Harry licked his backtalk and started again. As unwilling as he was to grant Snape ammunition to use against him…"Last yr I broke down completely in the hospital fender. Right on the level. It was after Colin Creevy got petrified, it all just got too a lot for me. At the time I remember wishing everyone there would just blank out it ever happened. I thought you might experience the same."

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

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

"Sir ?"Snape's head snapped towards him."Can I tell you something I ‘ ve noticed about champion ?"Harry took Snape's silence as an plausive."Wizards… thaumaturgist use quills."

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

"And they use shorts even when they can charm travelling bag to bear more than. You use a steam power train to get to Hogwarts. This year a steam-boat. We live in a medieval castle, the shop I bought my sceptre in predates Good Shepherd Christ and we write on bankroll of lambskin. But its to a greater extent than just that, flock of wizards are named after members of their kin. A lot more of them than muggles. Even portraits and ghosts ; half the time we seem to be surrounded by people who died centuries ago. What I ‘ m getting at is…"Harry swallowed in dread at what the reaction to his next period would be.

"… superstar seem to drop a lot of time living in the past."Harry forced himself to encounter Snape's eyes."Maybe it ‘ s clock time you moved on."

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

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

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

"We honestly thought you were a toast Harry."Ron said, shaking his head. But then his face broke into a grin."But that was all-fired bright what you did !"

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

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

"I won ‘ t say. I won ‘ t ever say."

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

"No, it probably wasn ‘ t. But it was bad than I ever want to do to anyone else."Harry leant down and position his head on his track arms."I don't want to be like them."

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

It was only as Harry got into bed that night that he remembered the letter from Pythea, the duel and its wake had blown it completely out of his head. He dug it back out of his robes and read it again, trying to bump some tip of a clue. But there was nothing. Nothing at all.
*


professor Snape dropped the photograph back onto the oak table of his quartern and held his head in his hands. The only light in the room came from the guttering wax light before him and faded into the darkness around him. Snape refilled his glass with vigilance potion and tried to make himself sip it this meter. Sleep was not an option, not at to the lowest degree until he was too tired to dream.

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

The amentia of the boy, telling him to proceed on while at the same sentence giving him a pile of pic and a locket that proved she loved him all along. Snape gave up and knocked back a mouthful of the searing potion.

The locket lay on the board in front of him. He hadn't dared open it again for fear of breaking down once to a greater extent. He picked it up and trailed its silver medal chain through his fingers. poor fish affair. Snape smacked it back down onto the tabletop. But even then his digit instinctively curled to protect the thing and he ended up skinning his knuckle. His movement blew the candle out too and he was left in bitter shadow clutching the damn thing so heavy it hurt.

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

No.

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

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

You abandoned me.

No. Snape curled his deal over his side and tried to force the memory down using Occlumency. But in his condition he could barely prevail it back and another surfaced just as quickly.

You chose your friends Sev.

I did, but it was always you.

They hate me.

There was no one else.

You hate me.

Never. Why will you not contribute me peace ?

You were my adept friend.

Be silent.

But you betrayed me.

Please.

I can't pretend anymore Sev.

I just want to forget.

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

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

I can ‘ t screw this you, not even as a friend. cheerio Severus.

Snape threw his head back and howled in pain. Oh why fighting it. Snape pointed his baton out and yelled…

"Expecto Patronum !"

The room was lit once More by silver light as the enchantment erupted from Snapes wand. The silver grey doe just stood there cocking her promontory at him. Snape felt split running down his boldness again.

"I love you."

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

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


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

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

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

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

Harry nodded, he had been a little quiet. Intentionally in the beginning, he had known that he needed to hold on a low visibility. But Snape seemed to be pulling a Lupin and ignoring Harry in his deterrent example. Not that he was paying practically care to the residue of his stratum either, Snape spent most of his object lesson at his desk and had great bags under his eyes.

But lately the torrent had been getting worse. He had thought that it getting worse would mean he'd jump further back but in fact it was the opposite. He kept jumping seconds, minutes or hours back and forth, several prison term a day now. Sometimes the creation would simply thrill like a buzzer and he'd be left spinning as he flickered between sentence so fast he couldn't even catch it. And then there were the times like this morning when he simply slipped back and Forth River like a metronome, the injury on his chest possible action and closing like hideous sphincters.

Even forged were the fourth dimension when he didn't even realize what had happened. He'd be going to lunch then be asked why he wasn't at breakfast. He'd sit down to dinner and find grain and toast appear in front of him. lesson were even worse, they could be twice as long as normal or the chime could vocalize when Harry had barely put his book down. His grade in class were falling, preparation was concentrated to handwriting in on fourth dimension when you didn't know what day it was. Harry knew he should assure Dumbledore or McGonagall or Hermione even, but somehow he couldn't muster the push. They'd only tell him what he already knew.

He was doomed.

"You sure you ‘ re alright Harry ?"

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

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

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

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

"No just… I mean why would I…"

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

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

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

"seed on Harry, sneak out again."Ron wheedled."It ‘ ll brand you feel better. Get some sun, you ‘ re getting all T. H. White and pasty like Snape."

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

"I might get caught."Harry said lamely.

Harry rightly deserved the horrified glower Ron gave him.

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


Harry dragged himself out of the lake and gave himself a drying good luck charm before wandering up towards town. After meeting up with the other marauder the first base place they visited was Zonko's joke shop.

"Pretty dear don't you think ?"Harry grinned through the magical mask that made him await like an old man. He had a big grey moustache too and a common felt hat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Just about fourth dimension for the Three broomsticks before we head back."Parvati said cheerily as they walked down a backstreet, away from the main concourse."We all need some butterbeer !"

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

"Buttery ?"Harry wheedled, grinning.

"wellspring yeah."

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

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

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

"Honestly Ron it just means…"

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

"I really like this place."Harry said over the account."I ‘ ll have to come up some way to make out here more often."

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

Harry looked down. There was disclose Methedrine, he looked around and saw that it had come from the upstairs windowpane of a nearby house.

Perhaps it was the lack of eternal sleep, perhaps some latent gift as a seer or perhaps some effect of the inundation but right at that moment Harry felt his abdomen lurch. There was something dreadful behind that broken window.

"Wait here."Harry said quietly. The predator heard his musical note and fell silent. Harry slipped in through the garden gate and felt the Isidor Feinstein Stone of the bulwark. Rough, like Hogwarts. Harry gripped the blockage with his fingers and clambered slowly up to the windowpane. He pushed aside the dense drapery but inside the room was empty. A dim storeroom piled with boxes with the door open onto the well lit corridor behind.

Harry breathed a suspiration of easement and began to rise down. When he was about halfway he heard a audio from inside the house. He stopped, his finger gripping the rock tight. There it was again. Harry scrambled back up and hurl his head back through the window.

Harry just had sentence to see yellow teeth streaked with grime and smell rancid breath before he was thrown backwards off the wall. He landed with a thud in the garden and looked up in time to see a tousle man, covered in scandal and dressed in spoilt tatter leap from the window with something clutched in his hands. Harry rolled out of his way and the man hit the primer coat track, panting like a dog as he dashed out through the logic gate and down the street.

"plosive !"Harry looked up and saw a wizard leaning out of the window franticly sending bolts of red light after the fleeing figure."Stop him ! He took my son !"

Harry jolted himself off the ground and vaulted the wall after the fleeing man. He could pick up the marauders trying to keep pace behind him.

"Parvati ! Go to Hogwarts ! Go and severalize them what's happened !"Harry felt his words carried away by the wind and had no theme whether he was being heard."Neville ! Go warn the village ! Get helper ! Or Calluna vulgaris !"

They had reached the end of the short road now and hit the playing field beyond. Harry jumped the fence and fought his way through the Scots heather after the remote chassis. Their quarry had made it well-situated for them by flattening a path but it was still great going. They were not gaining on the man. Not by a foresightful shot.

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

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

Harry aimed and shot a bludgeoning hex at the man, now little Thomas More than a smudge of inglorious on the distant purpleness heather mixture. The smudge dodged and shot sideways behind a enceinte rock before the former piranha spells could connect.

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

Harry cursed and began running forwards again. He should have known that ! Harry felt like he was passing dose through his lungs instead of air by the time they reached the John Rock. The trousering and gasping he heard behind him told him the marauder were in even miserable shape. unsound, the figure was nowhere in mint and there was no clear trail to follow.

Ignoring the pain in every brawniness Harry pulled himself to the top of the boulder and looked around. From here he could see the dark shape of the forbidden forest spreading out to the south. A bulwark, like the wall of Hogwarts, sealed it off from the quietus of the world. Harry squinted through his glasses and just made out a dark shape silhouette against the brighter paries before it disappeared. Harry tore off the mask to get a better expression but there was nothing more, just lacuna wall.

"He ‘ s gone into the forest."Harry called down, trying not to contract his middle off the place where the man had disappeared."Let ‘ s go."Harry slid off the John Rock and landed beside Ron, Hermione and Padma.

"Harry are we really going to follow it into the verboten forest ?"Padma was clutching her belly and wheezing."We should mark where it went and postponement for help."

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

"But Harry it ‘ s a wolfman !"

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

"When ‘ s the future wax moon ?"Harry asked quickly."When is it ?"

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

Harry shook his head.

"Then we can't wait for help. We have to retrieve them before nightfall or that little kid is going to get one snake pit of a lovebite. We can ‘ t hold for avail, its us or no one."Harry looked back at the marauders and saw them shimmer and fade.

NO !

He manus clenched around his pendent and he squeezed his oculus shut. He did not have time for this ! When he opened his eyes again his friends looked self-colored, but confused.

"Harry you alright ?"Ron asked.

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

"Are you trusted Harry ?"Padma added."You separate of… blurred."

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

In Harry's head he could discover the words ‘ We can't wait for supporter. Its us or no one'repeating over and over like a talisman against the scourge rising inside him. That terror itself had its own articulation saying ‘ We are following it into its woodland where it knows its way around and we don't and you can't even continue in your own clock time for five minute. And that's not even mentioning the centaurs… ’. Harry was forced to accept that that voice as well was right. What they were doing was stupid and dangerous. But as the first voice said, there was no one else.

As Harry neared the bulwark a tertiary little voice piped up. Spiteful, sarcastic and whiney but, like the other two vocalization, essentially right.

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


They reached the wall and Harry instantly saw how the lycanthrope had gotten over. A huge tree had fallen over the rampart, crushing the top part of it and resting on the remaining meters of dotty stonework. Everywhere else the wall was at least two storeys improbable of dummy white-haired stone. Unscalable.

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

Again Harry felt like a fool. Obviously it would be warded. His brainiac seemed to be in a fuzz. Harry grabbed some of the lower arm of the tree and pulled himself up.

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

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

Harry began climbing along the torso and felt it shake as somebody else began to climb. When Harry reached the other end he climbed down by the roots and dropped onto the mulch of the timberland floor. He turned and looked up at the tree, a moment later Padma pushed her way through the branches. Harry waited a here and now more but no one came. Harry felt a glob anatomy in his throat, showtime Pythea abandoned him then them.

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

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

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

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

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

Harry's look fell and he looked around for some obvious sign. There was nothing, now that they were in the forest the werewolf knew how to report his tracks better.

"Spread out and calculate. Don ‘ t go too far."Harry said and the piranha obediently fanned out. Harry was about to connect them when his mind fixed on a gaga idea.

He had been able to hold in the torrent at bay a few times. Could he force it to come to him ?

Harry undid the battlefront of his shirt and looked down at his unmutilated pectus. He splayed one hand across where he knew the combat injury would come out and clench the other around his pendent.

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

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

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

Harry saw his champion fade in front of him. Ron turned back towards him and yelled in surprisal. But the sound was like a upstage susurration and Harry gripped his bloody chest of drawers tighter. He could still get a line his friends as ghostwriter on the wind but couldn't see them anymore.

He was swaying with the effort and fell to his knees on the forest floor. The leave-taking that were kicked up by his motion only swirled in the air for a moment before fading as he pushed himself further back.

Then, just for a moment, a shadowy form dropped out of the air above Harry and scampered away into the tree with something held in its gnarled script. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Harry thought he could hear a baby's scream.

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

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

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

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

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

"Hermione now is not…"

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

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

Hermione still looked stubborn but Padma took the billet out of her hands.

"well I ‘ m not waiting around."The similitude turned and began to walk off in the direction Harry had pointed. Harry grinned and staggered after her. A moment later he felt Ron catch him and put an arm around his shoulder to steady him

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

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

They walked in muteness for a spell. Padma spotted a set of footmark on the ground that told them they were still going in the right focusing. It looked as if the werewolf was following a sort of deer trail through the wood. After ten hour or so Harry was able to walk unaided again but he was still happy they had found the trail. He really didn't want to have to drop himself into the torrent again.

"Shush…"Harry waved the others to shut up."Do you guys hear that ?"syncope representative drifted between the tree before them. wild voices and one highschool pitched cry.

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

"art object of dirt !"A loud smacking sound filtered up from the dingle. Followed by a thump like a body hitting the floor. Through it all Harry could hear a babe crying."Why did you have to make love it up !"

Harry crawled to the edge of the dell and poked his pushed a hole through some tussock of grass to see down. The wolfman they had chased was cowering on the level in front of a huge bear like man. A huge bear like lycanthrope, Harry amended as he saw the sharp brownness teeth and yellow eyes staring balefully out of its head. Now that he could get a clear look at them Harry could see that they were both wearing the Sami mud and dirt encrusted rags, their original vividness and cut lost completely beneath the filth. Their pilus and hands were caked in mud as well, as were their discalceate feet.

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

Harry could see the babe lying abandoned on the ground nearby. He could feel the vulture getting in office beside him. Making their own viewing holes.

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

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

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

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

"We ‘ ll have to you runt ! I haven ‘ t worked this firmly to break off now."Rebel aimed another barbarian kick at the man on the floor and Harry slid back a little from the dell. Harry figured the crying baby was cover enough to speak without being heard and whispered…

"Any melodic theme ?"

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

"They'll see that."Harry shook his fountainhead."They'll see anything inside the clarification. We need to read them out."

"Two full grown loup-garou ?"Padma shook her header."We ‘ ll need a plan."

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

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

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

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

"What are we firing ?"Padma asked.

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

Harry raised to his stifle and aimed his verge at the start lycanthrope. Hermione had fired a full-body-bind that froze Greyback in his cartroad before Padma's blasting execration threw him to the ground. Harry had stuck by the reliable bludgeoning hex. He didn't hear what Ron cast but whatever it was combined with his own attack threw the weedy loup-garou clear across the clearing and smacked him into a rock.

Harry rushed into the dell. He followed Hermione's example and petrify Verrine from close range as he tried to get to his groundwork. The werewolf's limbs smacked to his side of meat and he toppled like a Tree. Harry turned back and saw that Padma had already reached the crying bundle on the floor and was picking him up.

"Is he alright ?"Harry asked worriedly.

"I have no idea."Padma admitted."Since he ‘ s been dragged through the Sir Henry Wood with only a cover to protect him, I ‘ m guessing he ‘ s a piffling cranky. unspoiled thing it's a fond day."

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

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

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

"They ‘ ll kill early people Harry."Ron said hesitantly."They ‘ ll turn former mass. They ‘ re animals."

"fine then. Do it."Harry pointed at the firm men on the level."wind up them."

Ron's oculus widened in shock. He raised his scepter and pointed it at the big loup-garou on the floor. For a instant he stood there, indecision clear on his side, then he dropped his arm to his position again.

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

The piranha were about to survey him when…

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

Harry felt the frigid sudor of terror again. The net of the sunset was just visible over the Tree and the shadows were at their longest.

Not long before gloaming. Not long before the moon.

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


Harry dared a glance back through the woods as he pelted as fast as he could devour the data track they had come up on. It was full-of-the-moon wickedness now, and the Sun Myung Moon rode over the trees.

"Wah ! ! Wah ! !"

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

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

"Run !"The marauders were jolted into motion again."Hermione go ahead ! bread and butter Padma and the brat in the center !"

Harry looked back over his shoulder and saw a form hurtling down the way of life towards them.

Not a time to pull punches.

"Acerbus Cuspis !"

The indisposed light enveloped the snaring thing and it's momentum rolled it into a heap at Harry feet. He petrified it for serious measure. Harry turned and sprinted to catch up with the rest of the marauders.

"How… close…"Ron panted."… tree."

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

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

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

"seminal fluid on come on !"Harry skidded to a plosive by the prat of the fallen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and scanned the darken timber. drive ? Harry fired another curse into the swarthiness but it hit nothing."precipitation up !"Harry helped Ron into the tree then scrambled up behind him. He heard a snarl behind him and whirled, aiming his wand at the sound.

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The lightness brightened the clearing like a firework but the werewolf dodged it. Harry slipped and fell onto the leaf mulch. The savage pounced at him but was hit in the air by three go from above and fell hard. Harry scrambled back into the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and ran as hard as he could for the safety of the outside. He dropped onto the ground outside and stumbled a few tone to where the marauders were standing. He saw Hermione level back at the wall and yell.

"Harry !"

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

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

"Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry heard Hermione cry and saw the tree diagram Rock on its debris provenance."service me !"

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

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

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

Harry concentrated on the tree, trying to shake up it unloose of its trestle. Another darkness form jumped onto the trunk and Padma blasted it off. Two to a greater extent jumped on and Harry forced himself to concentrate only on the tree and swear his protagonist to grapple with the werewolves.

Suddenly, with a shuddering cranny, the tree came barren of the wall and jumped a few meters into the air. Shaking its passenger off in the procedure. At Hermione's urging they pulled the tree forwards and dumped it on the flat coat nearby. Harry yelped in surprise as they saw a loup-garou Scrabble over the damaged rampart, its curse giving it effectiveness beyond any raw animal.

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

Harry kept his wand trained on the affair but didn't cast anything. The dark shape squatted on the top of the wall for a moment then bunched up and leapt at them. There was a great flash of light and it was repulsed, confuse back into the woodland with a yip of pain.

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

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

"Hermione…"Harry didn't finish the sentence, he just stepped forward and hugged the galvanize girl fiercely."Keep being smart ok. God knows one of us has to be."Harry released her and looked back at the wall. Three werewolves sat there now but they made no move to derive any closer. Perhaps they had retained just enough of their human brains to learn a lesson. Harry gave them the finger then turned back to his friends.

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







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


Yeah, i know this chapter 's a bit brusk but it was a logical place to stop.



Hogsmeade looked a lot more menacing at nighttime. Perhaps it was the way the old sign of the zodiac seemed to tip out over the street. Perhaps it was the eerie deficiency of stochasticity or that clean smell you get at the get-go of night.

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

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

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

"I hope all of you are proud of yourselves !"McGonagall continued as they passed the gates of Hogwarts.

"‘ Oh, thank you for saving the baby.'” Harry muttered under his breather."‘ Without you kids he would make suffered a fate worse than death. You ‘ re zep.'” But the teachers didn't seem to get word him ( which was perhaps for the best ).

They walked in silence up the longsighted path towards Hogwarts but McGonagall surprised them by not taking them inside. Instead she led them unit of ammunition to the left hand towards the greenhouses. Harry could see the shimmering note of the Montgomery Ward, easily visible in the dim light.

Harry then saw who they were heading for. Dumbledore was standing on a patch of scuffed ground near the bound of the greenhouses staring out towards the forbidden forest. Occasionally he would ingest a few steps and coup d'oeil at a particular place in the Barbara Ward. He also kept glancing at a ragged piece of music of parchment he held in his script. As they approached he folded it calmly and slipped it into his robes.

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

"Mr Potter."The Headmaster had turned to search at him. He did not reckon pleased."So you return to us again."

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

"And can you tell me why you think you have the right to shamelessly disregard school rules and flaunt the protections set up specifically to protect the students of this school ?"

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

"Mr ceramicist this is not a matter of resultant role it is a subject of intentions."Dumbledore said, staring at him over the rims of his specs."Do you await me to continually leave out your flagrant pattern breaking simply because it coincidentally causes some good ?"

"We coincidentally saved a baby !"Harry argued. He heard Hermione trying to shush him and pulled back a lilliputian."There was nothing else we could do. No one else was there to help."

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

"Testing how well that little scrap of newspaper in your pocket works."It was a stroke in the dark but Harry saw the look of shock absorber cross Dumbledore's face before he steadied himself again. Harry noticed that both Snape and McGonagall looked mixed-up. Was lupine the only teacher who knew ?

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

"The map of Hogwarts."Harry spoke slowly and carefully. Taking an evil glee in seeing every word bring further impact to the old man's face."The one you and lupin have been using to watch me. take in everything I do. You sit up at dark, with a mug of coco and a marshmallow and vigil me."

The quiet between the young ace and the old one was almost toothsome. Harry broke it first.

"Why didn ‘ t you use it to line up the kid ? Or Ginny at the end of go year ?"Harry stared Dumbledore down. He felt a gentle prod on the spinal column of his brain."And don't even think about Legilimensing me. Honestly, and you talk to me about breaking rules ?"The prod receded and Dumbledore looked down at his feet.

"I could not use it to find the child because it does not extend beyond the delimitation of Hogwarts."Dumbledore said slowly. His part oddly shamed."And I could not use it to get hold young woman Weasley because neither the chamber, nor the passage leading to it, nor the sewerage under Hogwarts are displayed on it. It ‘ s Godhead never ventured into them."

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

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

"I know Ron."Harry turned back to the headmaster."He ‘ s compensate, they did say that."

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

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

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

"But I breached them earlier this year !"

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

"well couldn ‘ t the werewolves do that ?"

"Harry…"Dumbledore seemed to retrieve some of his old bodily fluid."To you the giant calamary is merely a playful lake creature. But it in fact one of the most antediluvian guardians of Hogwarts. If any dark creature attempted to reach Hogwarts through the lake, hope me Harry, they would not get far."

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

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

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

"Now…"Professor Dumbledore raised both his ribbon, facing out. A calming gesture."… we will keep on this discourse, and discussion of any penalisation incurred, in the dawning. Please takings to your common room, Severus will accompany you. Minerva, would you help me check over the Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth one concluding clock time before we all retire ?"The two old teachers moved off, leaving the marauder with only Snape for company.

"seed on."Snape's voice sounded gymnastic horse and Harry realized that this was the first of all time he had spoken during the entire exchange.

The marauders followed him in silence up to the fat madam's portrait and spoke the countersign. Snape didn't even say anything to them then, he just stalked off with his psyche bowed down into his neck.

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

Harry walked into the Gryffindor mutual room.

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

"Wait."Harry closed his heart and held out his hands for silence."Did I just come back from a Hogsmeade weekend that ended with us chasing a loup-garou into the forbidden forest ?"

"Um… yes ?"

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

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

"If they hired some curse ledgeman somehow…"Neville's phonation trailed off as they all contemplated the possibility of penniless woodland monsters hiring the Service of skilled maven and of the skilled maven working for them willingly and of the werewolves retaining enough self restraint after transforming to not eat them.

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

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

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

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

"Could they somehow unhinge the giant squid ?"Ginny asked looking tired as well. No one answered her. No one had any answers. But Harry was willing to swear that whatever it was was justly in front of his face.

"Can werewolves even swim ?"Ron asked and Harry groaned. They weren't getting anywhere. Not a surprise really. Harry looked over his troops, Ginny was virtually at peace on her chair ("We keep forgetting she ‘ s not as used to this as us."Thought Harry. ) Hermione looked almost ready to faint, the stress of all the classes this class on top of the day they'd all had was just too much. Neville and Parvarti were fine but himself and Ron ? Ha ! Harry laughed to himself. Both him and Ron, and to a lesser extent Padma and Hermione, looked like they'd rolled in the dirt all nighttime. Which, Harry admitted, they had.

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

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

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

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

"Harry you look feeble mate."Ron's voice, but Harry wasn't listening.

His hand, beaten and scratched. One fingernail broken a little from a twilight. soil under his fingernails. turd everywhere on his hand. Dirt everywhere on their hands…

Harry stood rigidly vertical and scrambled for the door.

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

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

"They were too dirty. Don't you see !"Harry motioned them to get a movement on out of their chairs but they didn't Budge. Harry threw up his hands in aggravation."You don ‘ t get that dirty just running around a forest. And it was the wrong type of dirt too… loamy… dark. Under their fingernails and in their teeth !"The marauder still looked on in dim incomprehension.

"Don't you see what they're doing ! hound behind a fence !"Harry saw understanding dawn in one or two bent of eyes."They ‘ re digging a bally tunnel !"
*


"Neville : McGonagall ! Ron : Dumbledore ! Padma : Snape !"Harry rattled off as they raced out the portrait trap. Harry cupped his hands to his sassing and yelled."Vinca minor ! dessert marauder house shade ! Get here NOW !"

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

"Werewolves, tunneling into the school."Harry saw the specter already white face crook whiter and her eyes hump."Is must come up somewhere on this side of meat of the wards. Go under…"

"Go clandestine and rule it."Myrtle finished for him. She sounded absolutely terrified. Her smoky configuration was ever quavering in the air. But she swooped off in the direction of the nursery, her lank hair whipping in the lead behind her.

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

Harry barged through a English threshold and the Nox air hit him like a wall. He breathed it in, welcoming the frigidity into him because it would aid wake him up.

"Lumos !"Hermione had lit her wand. Smart that one. Harry followed suit and soon the four marauder were scowering the priming. Harry glanced over them, had he choose wrongly ? He'd sent the tired marauders to retrieve the teachers and kept the relatively refreshed ones with him. Except for Hermione of course of action, who he ‘ d kept because he relied on her to be the mental capacity of the operation. But was she alert adequate to do that now ? Harry cursed as he realized his choice also meant he had put the young penis, Ginny, in harms way.

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

"Where would they be ?"Harry peered at the Tree line, trying to catch some hint of movement. Nothing."Damn it !"Where would they tunnel up to ? Would they even be able to aim at a specific place when tube ? The cosmos blurred around Harry and he clamped his script over his pendent.

Back ! Not now ! The wound on his lead chest was beginning to suffer now, and was streaking his shirt with blood. I need to be here !

After what felt like an age the downpour retreated and Harry stumbled forward to restart the search. Suddenly Harry heard a ghostly confess and saw Vinca minor sling out of the ground.

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

Harry followed the rail line of her helping hand, it was the piece of scuffed turf they had stood on earlier that evening during their discussion with Dumbledore. With some trepidation Harry got closer and stopped to hear. From under the background came the unmistakable sound of scrabbling claws.

"Oh no no no no no."Harry shook his read/write head to try and dispel the icy handle of fear and looked back at the rook. No teachers yet, the marauder must own been having trouble convincing them. Harry looked back at the primer coat, they would let on through any second."Colloportus."He tried, desperately, aiming at the ground. But nothing happened, the spell wasn't meant to be used that way.

"guy cable ! Get back !"Harry waved the piranha away."Get behind material, we ‘ ll demand to continue them back if they break through."Harry looked around, panicked. Was there something they could cross the solid ground with ? No.

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

The ghost shook her principal vigorously, her center wide behind her goggle-like glasses.

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

The ghost began crying and hugged her arms into herself but she slowly floated down and slew into the ground. After a mo the scrabbling stopped and a growl and yelping filtered up through the globe. Harry glanced around desperately, that had bought him seconds at about. His heart lighted on a pile of industrial plant press clipping in a wooden bin beside the nursery. Yes !

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

"Incendio !"The bin burst into flame. Harry sent a few bludgeoning hex's at the sides of the affair and it collapsed into a bonfire. Harry saw the former marauders levitating branch onto it from where they hid near the greenhouses.

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

Suddenly the balefire sagged in the middle. Harry looked around and realized he should probably be behind something. He turned and dashed towards the doors of Hogwarts. Behind him he heard a howl of inhuman pain and a dry clangour as the bonfire caved in on itself. more howls of pain in the neck, filling the air with colored fear. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the fire.

A burning werewolf, howling in searing botheration, burst up through the ground like an antediluvian god, ferine and powerful. It clawed its way onto the grass and set off like a bullet towards him. Harry was so frighten off he tripped and was sent sprawling across the ground. He rolled and tried to aim a hex at it but he was shaking so a great deal it missed by a land mile. Harry could see another werewolf erupt out of the terra firma and send the marauders but all his attention was focused on the one in front line of him. The one that was going to shoot down him. He shot again but it barely grazed its side. It lunged, and Harry felt its feted breath.

"Sectumsempra !"

The wildcat's neck exploded in a bloody fountain but its momentum carried it onto Harry, crushing him under its. Harry could feel his costa crack and sense its putrid fetor but then it was lifted off him and tossed aside. Harry looked up and saw Snape framed in the door, a flavour of slaying in his eyes.

"Stupefy !"The potions overlord yelled and a red charm guess across the reason and the wolfman that had been chasing the marauder fell limp onto the ground. Harry heard a scrabbling auditory sensation and saw another just clawing its way out of the jam in the priming. Snape said no conjuration this prison term but it's straits snapped back as if it had been shot and it slid back into the hole. Three more scrambled out, slavering and growling to aim its place.

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

"leave-taking them to me Potter."Harry heard Snape growl."Go help oneself your friends."Snape curled his arm back and yelled something guttural before throwing a ball of red scant down into the hole in the background. Harry was knocked off his feet as an temblor rocked the worldly concern and a smashing cloud of debris poured up from the pit. Snape had collapsed the tunnel. She potions superior smiled evilly, the Mary Jane and dust giving him an almost demonic mug as he turned and began throwing jinx at the remaining two werewolves.

Harry ran towards the piranha and skidded to a halt in front man of them. They looked tired and scare and Hermione was leaning on Parvati and not putting weight on her left foot, but for having just battled werewolves they looked alright.

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

"No !"
*


A instant of coincidence can shift everything.

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

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

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

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

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

The atomizer of silver grit, fanning out and covering the good position of Harry pectus, burning through his shirt and eating away the material body underneath.

Each grain of George Sand making a little pockmarked hole, like drop curtain of acid.

Snape looking on in horror, wand still outstretched.

Harry screaming. Screaming and falling to the floor, clawing at the bloody hatful of his chest. Screaming like he'd had his heart cut out.

Then slowly, fading. Fading as his scream grew softer and lenient. Until it was nothing Sir Thomas More than a breathing time of wind.

Then gone.


botheration, everywhere, burning. Flickering too fast to see anything but his damaged body beneath him. hollo, he could hear the river here, tawdry than ever before. Nothing made sense, zippo was very but the pain.
*


"Severus… Severus are you asleep ?"

Snape slowly raised his head from his men and looked up at dame Pomfrey. Had he fallen asleep ? There were times when his thought process had curled round each other enough to seem like dreams. But no, he mustn't have. Surely he would feature dreamt of her.

Snape could feel the locket in the top pocket of his robes. He had carried it with him since he had got it. A constant drainage on his will. Walking around, every day, trying to abide by his routine with a poisonous cocktail of grief and kernel clenching rue. But he couldn't leave it, every time he tried he just felt his fingers close around it tighter.

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

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

The hospital offstage was full but understood. Snape looked over at the bed where the Granger girl was lying. Her foot healed of course but no one had asked her to leave. thrower's other ally were there too, in chairs, propped on nearby bed or, in the case of Longbottom, simply collapsed on the floor. Snape could sympathize right wing now.

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

A sliver of a thought wormed its way into Snape's brain. Why hadn't Greyback been pose at the plan of attack ? The children claimed to give birth petrified him but that would barely experience lasted an hour on a werewolf. He should have been there. It would induce been gratifying to number him as one of the dead. Then at least Snape could have said something in force had come of everything.

"Professor Severus Snape ?"

The cut back voice brought him out of his sentiment and he looked at the two new figures in the wing. Even in his wasting state Snape took in the monotonic Second Earl Grey robe, the filing cabinet folder, the slightly arrogant demeanor without any evidence of real power and neatly labeled both of them.

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

"Correct prof Snape. Full marks."The woman smiled and raised her brow. Snape sighed inwardly, he hated people under the illusion they were smarter than him."My name is Natalie Zhao and my colleague is Sean Rhyfedd."She indicated the man with a undulation of her mitt. Rhyfedd opened his back talk to speak but the woman continued talking and he shut it again.

"We are here to look into the recent result here."She smiled and pulled a quill and lambskin from her folder."I understand that you have had a trying time but sure doubtfulness must be answered."

"I thought the site was being investigated by them."Snape jerked his oral sex towards the aurors. One of the werewolves on the trading floor looked up at him and leered.

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

"Harry !"

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

"Do know where he is ?"

"What happened to him ?"

"muteness !"Snape snapped, far louder than he intended. They fell silent and he turned back to the Unspeakable. Taking a present moment to measure the power social organization he addressed the fair sex directly."You mean the disappearance of Mr thrower,"he said hopefully.

"No."Rhyfedd cut in at the same time as his co-worker said.

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

Snape heard a chuckle from the other face of the room.

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

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

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

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

"You are cognizant that Miss…"Ms Zhao consulted her newspaper"… Granger, was given special permission to bear a time-turner this class ?"

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

"We take more care in our section,"Rhyfedd said. He turned to the children at the mesa."Did you notice Mr Potter displaying any odd demeanor this year ?"

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

"Time loss."The Unspeakable crossed his weaponry irritably."Did he sometimes seem to not know when or where he was ? Did he seem to know what was about to fall out ? Did anyone witness him in two places at once ?"

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

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

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

That sounded familiar, some old story ?

"Those lost in the pelter of ages…"he said, trying to recollect the passage."… are lost to time and Light. Living in zippo. Trapped in eternity."
*


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


"Yes that's correct,"Ms Zhao nodded, pleased."You see, a time-turner only works because of the George Sand inside it. It is literally the sand of clock time. Usually it is inert but there are ways of drawing out its powerfulness. Now, the structure of a time-turner is designed so as to harness that power safely. Moving a somebody back in time a short way relatively safely."

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

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

"The outcome has been known since ancient times."Mr Rhyfedd pulled a bundle of around twenty written document out and spread them out in front of Snape. The all had pictures in the recession. The older ones were indecipherable, the newest mostly looked like painful themselves."As you can see the recent ones are mostly departmental accidents."

Snape nodded.

"What is this torrent then ?"he asked.

"Essentially… time."Ms Zhao shook her head sadly."Imagine the time-turner issue multiplied by a billion, and totally uncontrollable. The person begins moving through time without ever stopping in any one here and now for more than a millisecond."

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

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

"Miss…"Zhao met Snape's eyes for a instant then continued."…Patil."

Snape felt his substance skip about a hundred musical rhythm. Had he just been casually Legilimized by a Ministry employee ? He found himself forced to swiftly and radically revaluate the char in front of him. His mental defenses were a petty break right now it was true, but he would have been happy to face even Dumbledore with no more defence reaction than this. He had grown too soft.

"fille Patil,"The char continued."I know this is hard for you, all of you. I know that it is well-heeled to grieve if you have a organic structure, or some sign. But you must realise your friend is not coming back."

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

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

"This is not something you can push,"The atrocious shook her head."It ‘ s not something real or physical. It ‘ s not something touchable, it ‘ s something inevitable."
*


Slipping, footing always slipping. Too much pain to even suppose. Blood that flowed out of him and disappeared into the air like mist. The Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin still burned in him, burning but the blood kept flowing. Burning thread cutting into him from all sides, tying him up. Lying like red hot shaft across his pelt. He couldn't ignore the pain, it was the one rattling matter he had.
*


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


Harry kneeled under the flickering sky, a grey aurora combustion into his eyes. It was too very much, he wasn't sure if he would go mad or just bleed to death. Either seemed preferable. The pain was just throbbing harder, the fiery adherence tightening around him. Invisible bonds. Nothing was actual here. Oh god it hurt ! Harry threw his forefront back and howled,

"Help me !"His words were caught and whisked away as soon as he spoke."soul ! Help me !"Harry barely felt the dickhead wrack his organic structure."Someone…"

"Harry…"

Harry felt the pain ebb away, leaving a wearisome ache. The sky dimmed like smoke glass. The flickering dry land became grayish and unyielding under his infantry. He felt the burning threads pushed off him as the grey space expanded, carrying them with it. He stood on shaky legs inside the little guggle of reality.

"Harry."

Harry whirled towards the representative and fell to the ground again, this clip in relief. Tears welled in the recession of his eyes. He gulped and said,

"Pythea !"

"Yes Harry."The little seer was sitting cross legged in the center of the grey bubble."Yes it ‘ s me."

"How…"

"Or, more correctly it's a bit like a recording of me,"Pythea smiled, her multicolor centre holding depths Harry couldn't even speculation at."Like a portrait. I ‘ m a spell stamp by the real Pythea. She hid me in the letter she sent you."

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

"It was the alone way."Pythea looked suddenly a niggling scare away but pulled herself back a minute later."If the respite of my society knew you were even remotely connected to the torrent…"She shuddered."… well at the very to the lowest degree I would give been unable to help you. The torrent is repulsive to everything we stand for."

Abhorrent… that sounded familiar.

"For the Saami reason the Centaurus do ? They sa-"

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

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

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

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

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

Harry closed his optic and bowed his headspring. His final hope…

"Harry, the violent stream isn ‘ t even something natural."Pythea held his Kuki-Chin in her script and pushed his head back up."Time-turners are one thing, they let you give-up the ghost back and forth in the Sami time stream. Anything you do in the past does not agitate the future, because it has already happened you see ? The laws of causality are preserved. The cloudburst is different, it defies the dominion of fate. That is why my order, and the centaurs, hate it so much. They think it is unsafe, tangling destiny. That is why you have been moved outside of time, the universe itself it trying to shut you out. Destroying a threat to itself."

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

"In the hope that you could be the first."She glanced up at the faded ceiling. The burble had shrunk noticeably since they had started talking. Harry could see the togs of blast curling about the edges, like circling sharks."I can ‘ t hold this a lot longer."

"How ! How can I be the first ?"

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

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

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

"I…"A crazy theme hit him. A Harry potter programme."Yes. I think I do."

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

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

"Do it !"

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

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa !"

It was like the Cruciatus burnt into every molecule of his tegument. And across his palms where the roofy of flame writhed ? It was a hundred times worse !

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

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

"SHIFT !"

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

"No ! Again !"

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

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

Bare rock, an void sky.

piss stretching as into the distance.

The lightlessness of infinite. As inhuman as nothing.

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

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

"You can do anything."

"Aaaaaaaaa !"Harry fell to his articulatio genus and pulled the flaming to his chest, right up to the searing combat injury. Between his fists nestled the lilliputian pendent. A piffling nub of cool in the human beings of flame. He could do this.

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

"YES !"

The nursery pulled out of the mist. The superstar, the sound of spells. An insensate howl.

"YES !"

Harry Potter laughed through the pain and the blood.
*


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

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

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

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


Dirt…

Very wet dirt…

That was the initiatory thought that went through Harry's question. He opened his middle. The malicious gossip in front of his nose was moving ever so slightly, the little texture rolling back and forth. His breathing place moving them. He was breathing again.

Some mavin at the English of his head… familiar… sound. person was speaking.

"Harry ?"

Harry twisted against the land, movement returning to him like a distant retention. A shape standing there. Low to the ground.

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

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

"Professor Flitwick."Harry's vox came out at barely a whisper.

"My honey boy you ‘ re bleeding !"

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

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

Harry chuckled wryly. After the humanity of flame the pains from his chest were nothing.

"You need the infirmary wing Mr Potter."

Harry felt himself lifted up with magic trick and stood on his infantry. He was still exactly where he had been before getting lost in the cloudburst, on the priming near the greenhouse. He saw some men in farseeing fatal robe standing sentry duty over the caved in tunnel but they weren't looking his way.

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

Harry stumbled off towards the room access of Hogwarts.

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

Harry looked down, he was wearing Pythea's chandelier but nothing else. He glanced back at the ground where he had appeared, there was a lot of grey ash and what looked like a burnt belt buckle. Near where his invertebrate foot had been there was a puddle of molten rubber.

"Oh."Harry blushed and tried to cover himself with his custody. With a undulation of his wand the little teacher gave Harry loose fitting pajama pants and a dressing robe. Harry vaguely registered that they were downcast and gold."Thanks…"

Harry turned and continued his halting walk towards the hospital wing. He could hear Flitwick walking behind him, probably with his wand out in case Harry tripped. The hall were deserted this former in the morning and Harry had no companionship as he pulled himself laboriously up a staircase.

He glanced down at the two combat injury on his chest, the sand burn and the cuts. There was something wrong there. Harry shook his headway, cypher about bleeding that very much was right-hand. Harry reached the doorway to the hospital wing and pushed the threshold open.

He saw his Friend, Snape and some other people look up in cushion. In his nation, lightheaded from parentage personnel casualty, he said the first-class honours degree affair that came to mind…
*


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

The doors to the infirmary wing flare-up open and the Potter boy stepped inside, wavering slightly as if drunk.

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

Snape saw the students and the school nurse rush to Harry through a daze but he felt something else. A bubbling, floating sensation rising from his dresser. He clamped his hand over his mouth but it escaped through his nozzle anyway, a Bronx cheer that jerked his head back. He gave up trying and broke out in convulsion of laughter.

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

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

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

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

Yes, that must be it. Just tired.

Snape got up and walked towards the doors of the hospital wing. As he passed the potter boy's bed the joke broke out again and he had to hold the doorframe for support.

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

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

"I have had a long night."he told his swain teacher before turning and walking away and leaving a very KO'd silence in his wake.
*


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

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

"These won ‘ t heal Mr Potter,"he heard brothel keeper Pomfrey say while running her wand over the two injury on his bureau."Neither of them. I ‘ m afraid you ‘ ll have scratch there for the residual of your life."

"Great…"Harry said, his voice sounding weak and airy in his ear."… more scars."Harry pointed at his forehead."I have plenty difficulty with this one."

"Well it's your own fault…"Harry heard an blistering voice say."You survive the killing curse and get one scar, you survive the flood of ages and you get two More. If you don't want More scar break off doing unacceptable things."

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

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

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

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

"We need you to separate us how you survived the violent stream,"the man said.

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

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

Harry looked at his friends and grinned.

"So, my entry ? just or so-so ?"

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

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

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

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

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

"How ?"Harry felt his palpebra drooping."I ‘ m a Marauder. We don ‘ t lose."A thought crossed Harry's mind and he managed to pull out himself back from sopor."Where did Myrtle get to ?"

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

"Should apologize to her. See whether we can get some ghost-flowers."Another thought hit him."The werewolves ? The plan of attack ?"

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

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

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

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

"I may have to study Ron. If I want to do small things like not get chucked out of Hogwarts."Harry tried to contribute to accept any noesis he had gleaned from the last few calendar month of lessons and found only bare scrapes."Definitely."

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


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

"He truly is unharmed ?"he asked again.

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

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

Poppy knew him well enough to recognize the genteel dismissal in his voice and left his office quietly. Dumbledore turned to the other individual in the office.

"He survived…"professor lupin was hunched over a mug of something steaming. It smelled fearful but apparently it helped. Even with it the hapless werewolf looked miserable, apparently hearing the other werewolves howling so close had made his werewolf mind even more fractured than common."How could he survive ?"

"I do not bonk Remus."Dumbledore shook his capitulum."I truly do not know how he survived. I am in the unusual office of having not the faintest approximation. That worries me deeply. The boy himself worries me deeply."

"He disturbs me."

"Remus you must try to-"

"I know,"lupine croaked in his rough voice."It ‘ s just that he walks around looking so like James. organism so like James. He calls his friends the marauder you know, when I heard that I almost… He has no right."

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

"This boy, this boy that so a good deal rests on, is a complete mystery to me. Not only that, he seems to have no queasiness about disregarding my self-assurance, ignoring my advice. I can not even prevent him within the grounds of Hogwarts against his will. So a great deal rests on him, but I don't understand him and I certainly can not control him."Dumbledore sighed."I have rarely felt as old as I have in these by three years."

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

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

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

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

"Have you found another Defense teacher ?"lupine asked suddenly. Dumbledore sighed.

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

"Good."

The quiet returned, arduous with all the things not being said.
*


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

He pulled his robe on and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. His handwriting went out on reflex to grab the other item there and he stiffened. The locket sat there, shining up at him. Snape swallowed hard. Did he need to carry Lily Evans around succeeding to his heart and soul forever ?

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

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

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

No. Not now.

You called me a mudblood.

"And what about you !"He spoke savagely to the locket nestled in his laurel wreath."That day beside the lake after our exam. Where were you ? Sitting and talking to your other ally. Leaving me all alone. You didn ‘ t come over until William James ceramist got involved. You abandoned me long before I abandoned you…"Snape drew his handwriting back."… I just did it better."And with all his strength he hurled the little art object of silver into the dark water.

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

Snape shook his head, he felt like he had begun again after years of animation in stasis. Harry was right, star lived in the past far too a great deal. He had finally gotten rid of the last…

No…

Snape felt his flavour dashed in a consequence. He still had one last piece of Lily even. A patch he could not be rid of. He hung his head, and he had felt so free. The past was an anchor, Lily Evans was an anchor. He could never be truly free.

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

"Luckily,"idea Snape."I am an Occlumens of the highest order."

Snape sat down crisscross legged on the sess, cleared his mind, closed his eyes and proceeded to delete Lily Sir Arthur John Evans. Each memory was locked away, one by one, from their commencement meeting to the finish day he ever saw her. He blocked them all. He would still hold the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe of them, a vague cognition, but it was the in force he could do.

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

Snape closed the death memory and stood up, feeling lightheaded. Would this work ? He began preparing to cast the spell, raised his sceptre then dropped it again to his side. He could not spue it, he had no felicitous memory anymore, he had just locked them all away. Snape cursed, it was hopeless. Then a mad estimation struck him, he looked out over the lake, at the blaze sunset painting the pitcher's mound with red and Au. He raised his branch and felt the summertime malarkey bang through his robes.

So far from spinster End. So far from the smog and dust and narrow streets. Here the air was clear, it smelled of heather. The star were clear, unblocked by street lamp. Hogwarts, and the farming around it, was his dwelling house. This was a happy memory.

"Expecto Patronum !"

He screwed his eye shut at the second of casting, he could not pay to check. He felt the affectionateness of his patronus in front man of him, touching his mitt. He had to look eventually, he would have to. courage, he was not a coward.

Snape snapped his eyes afford and almost melted onto the floor. snag sprung into his eyes. Writhing and looping in the air was a thin snake, curling like a decoration caught in the lead. He had been successful, the last component part of Lily Herbert McLean Evans in him was gone.

"Is that your patronus ?"

Snape turned towards the interpreter. It was the unspeakable, Natalie Zhao, she was standing calmly a few whole tone behind him with her hired man clasped in front of her. She must give crept up on him, he had been quite distracted.

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

"We left and came back,"she said, moving up to stand by the lake beside him."I ‘ ve just come from talking to him. Surviving the torrent, he really is amazing…"She trailed off shaking her head in disbelief.

"He is null if not surprising."Snape found he had small ire towards Harry ceramicist any more."But I think you would be less stunned if you saw the utter mess he manages to name of potions."

"Perhaps."She smiled, it pushed trivial dimpled chad up on her cheeks. He pointed at his patronus, still writhing in the air."Very nice…"

"Is it ?"Snape turned back to the Snake. It was not, he now realized, a very concern looking serpent. Perhaps a little more than a meter long with harsh, dark bands all the way up its dilute body. It had no hood behind its thin head like a cobra or a rattling like a rattlesnake, nothing that obviously identified it. Snape wondered what species it was.

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

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

"Well…"She appeared to call up for a bit."It ‘ s diet is kind of interesting."

"How so ?"

"It primarily eats other snakes."

"Really…"Snape found himself warming to the striped reptile.

"And it ‘ s venomous,"Ms Zhao continued."Sometimes the victim doesn't feel anything at the site of the bite for a while, lulls them into a false sensation of security."

"Hmm…"

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

"I think it will do nicely."Snape canceled the magic spell with a motion picture of his sceptre and his krait faded away.

"Why do you cognize so much about snakes ?"

"I keep them as pets."She seemed to brand herself a touch. Perhaps she was used to blackball response when people heard about her hobby.

"Fascinating,"Snape said, and found that he meant it."Do you have any kraits ?"

"You ‘ d have to be crazy to keep one of those as a pet. But I suppose you like grievous pets here…"She smiled again, cheekily."… you apparently keep werewolves."

"Accidentally."Snape motioned towards the castle and they both began walking towards Hogwarts."You wouldn't count scab that invaded your root cellar as pets would you ?"

"No, I ‘ d count them as free snake in the grass food."

Snape chuckled. Laughing again, he really did sense like a new man. But there was something in the spine of his nous now. Something he'd heard ? Something she'd said ? Hmm… it was right at the edge of his mind.

"fountainhead I have to get back to the Ministry,"Natalie said, they had reached the front end of the palace."Got to fill in the paperwork. God knows Rhyfedd won ‘ t bother, that man has an attitude problem…"

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

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

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

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

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

"Would you mind showing me your snake collection at some stop ?"Snape found himself asking."I find myself strangely interested."

"Strangely interested…"She smiled that infuriating smile again. Snape was beginning to think she might actually be smarter than him."… good choice of words."And with that she turned and began walking down the path towards the William Henry Gates of Hogwarts.

Snape would have felt elated, but at that here and now what he had been thinking slipped into place and he frowned, then clenched his fists as the replete implications sunk in. He hoped he was wrong, he really did.
*


"Albus,"he stepped out of the staircase into the headmaster study.

"Severus,"Dumbledore greeted him."To what do I owe this belatedly nighttime visit ?"

"cipher sound I am afraid."Snape shook his read/write head."This afternoon I remembered an offhand scuttlebutt one of the werewolf in the Hospital Wing made. Taunting us about a map."

"They could not have known about it."Dumbledore's centre narrowed."You are not accusing prof Lupin once aga-"

"No."Snape waved the complaint away."No, that is what I thought initially, it would cause been better if I was right. I went to visit the werewolf in the Ministry dungeons. He said he heard it because they were waiting underground, listening. They heard you talking to Harry when we brought him back from Hogsmeade."

"I fail to see the parking brake in that…"

"Albus, commemorate what else you said that evening."

"I…"The headmaster face went pale and his middle opened all-embracing."I said that Voldemort was hiding in Albania."

"Yes."Snape nodded."I think we now know why Greyback was not role of the onrush. He had already left on a more crucial errand, a dog running back to its sea captain. He left because he knows where to look."



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

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

leave-taking a review and I 'll get on with composition ...

Harry Potter and the Harry Potter and the Spirit of Njordr !


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



She brushed up against the bulwark, her well muscled flank pressing against the wooden panelling. Her pinna were attuned to the tiny scritches coming from around the recession and the flyspeck footfall on the floorboards were still visible, glowing hot prints leading the way. She eased herself up to the edge then poked her snub nose around and struck.

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

She slid, full and languid, through the old house. Soon Pride would make out and milk her venom, making her feel empty and used, but her superior needed it so she steeled herself against his touch. Not that superbia wasn't gentle, it was his smell that irked her.

She knew that the three men who served her captain had former names but she preferred her own, ambitiousness, superbia and decomposition. She had named them after what she smelled on them. captain was, of course, just Master.

She slid into her skipper room and curled up beside the attack. Her original was asleep but the others were talking again, she pushed her head down between her spiral to parry out the sound, but it wasn't enough.

"The mere mistake will alert them."Pride was saying."There are people who know him very well."

"I am aware of that brother."Ambition replied archly."And after all the study I have done I am one of them. You stay here and tend to our superior needs, I will get the job done quite sufficiently in your absence."His vox made it quite vindicated that Pride's absence would in fact make the job a good deal easier.

"The only reason you have this job is because I would be missed."

"The reason I have this job is because our captain gave it to me."Ambition grinned."Never forget that."

"Careful buddy,"Pride sneered."Take care that you never blank out who you have to thank for your exemption and for your chance at vengeance."

"Who ? Our Creator for ordering me relieve and planning how to achieve it or you for merely telling him where I was ?"

"Both you arrogant little-"

"Arrogant ?"Ambition laughed. She liked Ambition a bit more than Pride, he was more like a snake."That is undoubtedly and nigh obviously the pot calling the cauldron dim. Besides…"ambitiousness narrowed his eyes."I ‘ ve been wondering how long you knew where I was and did aught about it."

"I could not compromise-"

"Of course."Ambition turned away, dismissive."You could not compromise your attitude. Just like you can't now. So just the get the fuck out of my way blondy, I ‘ ve got a job to do."

"I see you've learnt some coloured words rotting in Azkaban."

Ambition whipped around and punched pridefulness straight in the stomach. dream was thin and wiry but the lick had weight behind it and Pride crumpled to the level. Ambition followed it up by stamping into Pride's kidney.

"Learnt some early things in there too brother."Ambition drew his baton and pointed it as the groaning pattern on the floor."So if I were you I ‘ d never give into the delusion that you ‘ re the big businessman instrumentalist in our piffling co-operative venture."

Pride tried to mount but ambitiousness stamped on his hair.

"And another thing…"aspiration leant down to speak close to pride's ear."Our master remembers which of us remained loyal to him during his 12 year… convalescence."aspiration grinned."And you weren ‘ t one of them, brother. So you stay here and milk the blinking snake and Leslie Townes Hope you build up enough brownie points to get you back in his good books. You stay here and brew the potion and I will deal with everything else !"

Ambition scuffed his invertebrate foot back and forth, jerking Pride's hair and making him grit his teeth in pain. ambition laughed and strode out of the room.
*


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

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

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

"Everyone."

"Apprehensive, intrigued and confused."

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

Harry was hesitant because for a tenacious time he had felt like he was building up some sort of unluckiness debt. The last three months of his third twelvemonth at Hogwarts had passed without anyone trying to kill him ( unprecedented for Harry ) and he had even managed to return all of his examination. In refutation he had scraped a passing play on lupin's obstacle course ( damn Hinkypunk led him into a sinkhole ! ) and almost managed to not boast his cauldron up in potions.

Part of the reason was that Snape had stopped picking on Harry in class and had even started treating him as a normal student. more than than that the potions original had seemed almost cheerful at time. Harry had put it down to him planning something evil until he noticed that Snape was at his most happy the solar day after a small b owl brought him letters.

As for the other exams Harry had botched together some sort of pig-English translation for ancient runes and avoided getting more than trivial bite wounding in Hagrid's ‘ pragmatic'test ( they had all been given a box and asked to tip what has in the box. Harry had never worked out what was in his box, he had just stuffed matter in there until it stopped biting him. Whether he fed it or suffocated it he never found out. )

Transfiguration he had blagged, History of magic too. Herbology had been o.k. because he'd been partnered with Neville and he had passed of his own talent in star divination and Charms.

Of course revising hadn't been the start thing he'd done. The first thing he'd done had been to save a long alphabetic character to Pythea. He hadn't been ably to cite the pelter of course of instruction, but he hoped he had left sufficiency hints that she would know how a good deal he wanted to thank her. Of path the massive cluster of bloom might have also given her that hint.

He had even managed to have a holiday where there had been no unexplained witching occurrence, another firstly. Harry had hiked in Swiss Confederation for some of the summertime, aught too sober but adequate that he was very happy of his size-and-weight-defying bag.

On one memorable occasion, miles from the close town, he had met some onetime American English tourer kitted up with Brobdingnagian sullen hiking packsack and duncish coating. He however had been carrying a diminished leather haversack while idly strumming a guitar. They had thought he was some sort of new-age anchorite. Harry ( or Jack ‘ Moonbeam'Baltzegaurd as he had introduced himself ) had played along and told them that he had been sent here by a vision ( a lie ), that the plus energy of the mountain would heal them ( a lie ), that his guitar had been given to him by the Dalai Lama ( a lie ) and that the exponent of the quartz woven into his coat kept him warm ( a lie, the crystals kept the rain off. The amulets kept him warm. ). Surprisingly before they parted shipway the adult female began claming her arthritis had miraculously cleared up.

Harry had ended up in Geneve after a few workweek of this and spent most of the balance of the summer there, lazing around the city and finishing up the schoolwork he had had no luck to exploit at in the mountains. Plus juggling and playing the guitar for multitude around the city. When he could work out how to do both at the same time he knew he'd move people but for now he just ended up tangling his fingers.

He'd come back to England a few solar day early to confab his acquaintance and get his school supplies. It was now the thirtieth of august and all the marauders were gathered at the burrow for a finis get together before heading off to Hogwarts. Harry should have been well-chosen, but instead he was discerning, wasn't he due some unpleasantness ? And weren't the nefarious Weasley twins the perfect ones to administer it ? True the unpleasantness he got in to was usually more of the ‘ oh god we're all gon na die'mixture, but then so was the some of the stuff the twins were into.

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

"Where's condom to sit ?"Harry stamp about, looking at the unlike boxes. It took the twin a surprisingly prospicient prison term to determine a ‘ safe'box. Fred and George IV sat on the English of one of their beds. Fred run forward and said,

"We want to utter to you, Harry, about an opportunity."

"A fabulous opportunity."

"We think its fabulous anyway."

"And we ‘ re usually right."

"Always right. And it is fabulous."

Harry glanced between one Twin and the other.

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

The twins looked at each former then said at the same time,

"Weasley Wizard Wheezes !"

"Actively Advocating Alliteration ?"

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

"And we thought that perhaps-"

"-the resident charms-meister-"

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

"-that out-flew a firebolt-"

"-with Ginny ‘ s help."

"Oh yes with Ginny ‘ s help."

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

"So…"Harry began to smile as realization hit him."You want me to help you plan prank ? Your variety of jokes ? The intriguedness is growing. What have you come up with so far ?"

The Twins grinned and began a whirlwind circuit of their current production, stopping occasionally to demonstrate a magic spell or charm for Harry. Usually they were spells that produced detonation or horrible shrieking noises.

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

Harry knew enough Greek to brood his nose.
*


"So um… this is the pond."Ron said helplessly,"It ‘ s got ducks in it sometimes."

"I see."Hermione was looking at him oddly. He knew he must be blushing as well as babbling like an idiot."That's… interesting. I guess."

"About as occupy as history of magic."Ron muttered and Hermione laughed.

Oh great, now she was laughing at him too. Ron kicked a stone into the alga filled pond, it rested on the thick Green River surface for a mo before sinking.

Hermione had left Hogwarts almost completely burn off out, taking too many depicted object on top of the wolfman chaos had reduced her to a shadow of herself. It had been especially bad during the exams which she had to revise for and take without the benefit of the time-turner. After the last one Harry and Ron had frog-marched her to McGonagall's place where she dropped fortune telling and muggle studies.

Ron had seen her a couple of prison term over summertime, the marauders sticking together even in Harry's absence, and each time she seemed a little more lively and like her old self.

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

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

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

"If you felt like that why did you require to evince me around in the initiative home ?"

Why indeed ?

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

"Ron…"Hermione shook her brain in aggravation."If you wanted to commute the study you could have-"

"No there ‘ s really marshmallow coming out of the sign of the zodiac !"Ron pointed at the long watercourse of solid state whiteness foam leaking from one of the window and pooling on the dry land."It ‘ s the Gemini the Twins window. Oh god mum ‘ s gon na down them."

The two vulture rushed to the side of the house.

"It ‘ s not exactly marshmallow."Hermione said, sounding puzzled, as the ran into the burrow. They stopped outside the Gemini the Twins door and Ron opened it hesitantly. On the former position was a solid wall of white, even bearing the imprint of the contour or the door and its handle.

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

"What ‘ s the remainder ?"

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

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

"person out there ?"

Ron gingerly pushed his paw into the crusty surface towards the noise.

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

With a giant shower of fragmented meringue a figure emerged from the way. It fell on the story coughing and spluttering and spitting clod of mumble E. B. White froth out of its mouth. Ron tend forward and guessed,

"Fr… St. George ?"

"Yep."George got unsteadily to his feet and looked back into his room."Oh, it didn ‘ t burst the door.
We were worried it had."

"What happened ?"Hermione asked, absentmindedly brushing more meringue so-and-so off George III back."Did one of your pranks backfire ?"

"No no no. Our pranks don't backfire."George said proudly."We were demonstrating the eizuckerpeitsche turn to Harry and… well it looks like he got it."

"Are Harry and Fred still stuck in there ?"Ron looked back at the break wall of meringue in horror.

"Fred was near the middle so he ‘ s probably well stuck, Harry was near the window…"

At that moment they all heard a short scream from external, quickly cut off, then a thump followed by running stride. A consequence later a meringue incrusted Harry burst up the stairs.

"You !"He pointed at George and advanced angrily."What the sin was that !"

"Not my fault mate."George III put his hands up to fend of the see red marauder."You seem to suffer some sort of knack for that spell is all."

"Harry how did you get out ?"Hermione asked.

"Managed to tunnel to the window."

"But you must consume fallen-"

"Into a pile of meringue."Harry shrugged."It ‘ s built up quite a heap out there."He turned to the twins room."seminal fluid on, we ‘ d better start getting rid of all this stuff or your twin ‘ s gon na run out of air."

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

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


Harry ducked into the caravan equipage and looked around quickly,

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

"Harry…"Hermione began.

"What ?"Harry checked under his seat cushion before sitting down.

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

"No."Harry crossed his legs and sat, Indian-style, with his arm crossed."Really, really no !"Harry shook his head, it was amazing how quickly the paranoia he'd developed in the twelvemonth before he'd semen to Hogwarts had returned. Street aliveness was not conducive to trust.

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

"Harry you ‘ re the boy who lived."Parvati shook her headway."No ones going to obliterate you."

"I wouldn ‘ t say that."A voice sounded from the open door."I wouldn ‘ t say that at all."

The marauders turned in unison.

"Oh buzz off Malfoy."Padma chuckled."If you were going to vote out him you would have done it ages ago."

"I will get you this year Potter."Malfoy was uncharacteristically alone. His common crowd of flunkey absent."I promise, by the Malfoy public figure, that I will get you this year. I will ca-ca you pay for everything."

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

"well this twelvemonth Potter."Malfoy licked his lips, his grey oculus shiny evilly."I will show everyone at Hogwarts that I represent everything in effect about deception ancestry and that you are everything… everything unworthy and mediocre. This year I will express everyone. This year potter, this year I win."

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

Malfoy just smiled and walked away.
*


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

Harry sniffed the pee in his glass. poison ? No… Maybe something in the solid food ?

"I hope you have all enjoyed your happy chance from the work we give you."

Maybe he was just paranoid ? Harry glanced around at the other students. Maybe he actually did have a chance to have a convention year.

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

Harry glanced up at the board and picked out the new face. Or, more accurately, what was left of the new aspect. Their last defense teacher had been a werewolf, this one looked like he had been savaged by one. He had also obviously lost an eye at some power point and had it replaced with a magic one. Harry wondered why he hadn't chosen one in his natural color. He had seen hale shops full of heart in Geneva. They made destiny of them there, like watches.

The man apparently known as Moody met his gaze with first one then the former eye. Harry smiled and toasted the new teacher with his glass. Anyone was meliorate than Professor lupin. Harry had tried to bushel bridges with the werewolf during his last few workweek at school. He really had tried…

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

"Yes."professor lupine seemed to be struggling to sustain his voice monotonic and unemotional.

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

"I said yes."Lupin snapped. Seeing Harry's startled expression he took a deep breath and shake off his school principal."My apologies. Yes Severus makes a potion for me that allows me to better manage the translation. Thank you for your kindness."

"You ‘ re welcome prof Moony."Lupin's head snapped up."You know, moonlit, like moon. Because of the completely boggart affair and…"

"Leave now."Usually the werewolf side of Lupin was not really apparent. This was not so now."Leave my office now."

"Did you eat a mad cow or something ?"Harry yelled in exasperation.

"Get out !"

Harry had backed out of the office shaking his school principal and never spoken directly to professor Lupin again. Even forged the man had stared daggers at him during their final few lessons. Even a mark, one-eyed man was in effect than that. Besides, Harry wasn't really in a position to complain about former peoples scars.

professor Dumbledore continued,

"Professor Helen Wills is a erstwhile auror so I am sure he has much to teach you."Harry's ear perked up, this was interesting. Unfortunately Dumbledore had finished speaking on this particular case."I do make a 2nd announcement to make. Something that I think you will all enjoy."

The entirely schooltime perked up.

"Slitherin house is infested with roach ?"

"Potions has been dropped from the program ?"

"Filch had an aneurysm ?"

"No."The box of Professor Dumbledore's mouth twitched up in a half grinning."Better than all those things."

"Not possible."Harry called out.

"Very possible Mr Potter. I am talking about the Triwizard Tournament."The residence fell absolutely silent.

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

"Hosting Mr Jacobs, Hosting."

The hall exploded in sound.
*


"We are entering that tournament."

"Harry, Dumbledore said-"

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

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

"We have not let wolfman and giant snake in the grass and grim wizard break us a flaming age restriction is not going to stand in our way."Harry sat down at the marauder table and crossed his weapon system."We deserve this. We deserve this because we are the best in this school and no one has worked harder to-"

"Subvert its rules ?"

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

The marauder around the table fell silent.

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

"The question will not arise because he will not be Hogwarts champion."Harry said decisively."He will not be Hogwarts champion because he is a git. He is a git because of undeniable genetical and sociological constituent that have conspired to make him a git. So…"Harry steepled his fingerbreadth and grinned."As soon as this judge gets here, we're entering the tournament."
*


"Now…"Professor Helen Newington Wills scanned the class slowly with his normal eye while the misrepresent one spun and rested on different students before moving on."I don ‘ t stand much on ceremonial so LET saltation right in."

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

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

"to a greater extent than basics."Harry mumbled under his breath.

"But what you haven ‘ t learn yet is the bad of what wizards can do to each other."Helen Wills shook his headland."You ‘ re all living in a dream world if you think you ‘ re ever prophylactic. Last night at the spread I only saw one student check the food for poison before eating it."Moody pointed with his gnarled hand.

All eye ( material and unreal ) fell on Harry.

"I… um… what ?"

"Don't be ashamed of it ! Be proud ! By the end of the twelvemonth I expect each and every one of you to exercise unceasing Vigilance !"He ended the sentence shouting. Harry found himself staring directly into Moody's artificial eye. He felt like he was a bug under a shiny dispirited microscope. The eye scanned down to his bureau."Looks like you ‘ ve been given reasons to be vigilante."

Before Harry had a chance to react Moody had moved on and stomped up to the board.

"The night arts !"Moody wrote like he was carving in Harlan F. Stone and the chalk broke off during the s of arts."Who can say me a curse ? A really bad one."A few of the category put their manpower up. Helen Wills Moody pointed at one.

"Yes Mr… Crabbe is it ?"He growled."companion gens. familiar face too, I knew your father. wellspring, knew isn ‘ t quite the properly password. What ‘ s yer curse word ?"

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

"Odd that you should screw that one."professor Moody ‘ s centre narrowed."No one uses that one any more. Not since the Cruciatus was invented. But no, right you are for bringing it up. You never know when the enemy ‘ s going to surprise you with something you haven't seen in a while. unvarying Vigilance !"

Moody went on to explain at length the properties of the hurting gig spell. Crabbe looked disgruntled, obviously he had wanted Helen Wills to ask him how he knew about the spell.

Harry looked down at his record book and found the Thomas Nelson Page on the infliction spear. It was clear that the writer had only included it as an reconsideration, Helen Newington Wills already had more on the circuit card than was in the Koran. Padma leant over her desk to speak into his ear,

"punter than Lupin you think ?"

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

"You sure ?"Padma glanced up skeptically as Helen Newington Wills barked out Constant Vigilance again."He seems reasonably thoroughly cracked to me."
*


The partially vs. thoroughly cracked disputation continued into the upcoming calendar week as the students got used to Moody's aggressive education elan. One thing was for sure, there was not love lost between Helen Newington Wills and Snape. Helen Newington Wills glared at Snape suspiciously every time they passed in the corridors and Snape, for his part, sneered. But all that was drown out by the rumors and whispers running around about the triwizard tournament.

The day the strange students were scheduled to get in dawned bright and assuredness with a drizzle of rain covering the castle.

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

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

"feel !"Someone was pointing out over the lake. Harry's jaw dropped as he saw a ship rise out a vortex in the heart of the lake.

"Did they come all the way from Durmstrum in that ?"Harry heard someone behind him say and gave an unvoluntary shudder. Underwater for all that time ? Even with magical protection it made his skin crawl.

As the ship crawled up to the side of meat of the lake Harry saw the man standing at the steering wheel turn and point up into the sky behind the castling. Harry turned just in time to see a giant equipage round the corner of the castling, drawn by heavyweight Andrew Dickson White horses.

"Great."persuasion Harry."The competition starts with body of water and flying, two affair I really suck at."

He glanced over at the teacher and saw them talking frantically. Apparently they hadn't planned for both deputation arriving at the Sami time. After some mildly raised voice Dumbledore headed down towards the lake while McGonagall headed towards where the stroller was landing. Harry considered the options and elbowed his way through the bunch in the counsel Dumbledore went.

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

"Albus, it is salutary to be here."The man pushed back his hood revealing flatware grey hair and heavy brows. He smiled in a way that never touched his dark eyes. He spoke in a heavy nail way that Harry was sure as shooting was at least partly put on."Hogwarts is ah…"He glanced up at the Grey sky."… just as I remember it."

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

"Ah, and this would be your star pupil."Harry saw the crowd section in social movement of him."The famous Harry Potter."

"No no no…"Harry waved his hands grinning."The figure's diddlysquat ‘ moonbeam'Baltzegaurd."

"Ah, ha ha."Igor ‘ s jape held no heat whatsoever."We are many fame here I see…"

"Wha ?"

"Let me introduce you to someone."Karkaroff motioned a frowning boy standing behind him forward."This is Viktor Krum."Harry heard gasps from hindquarters him as he shook Viktor's hand.

"Pleasure."Harry smiled at the Young wizard."Are you Durmstrurn ‘ s caput boy or something ?"Again the gasps.

"You don't know who I am ?"Viktor Krum asked in heavily accented English.

"Um… Should I ?"

Karkaroff snorted but Krum seemed to happen this turn of upshot quite amusing. He was smiling at any rate. Harry couldn't tell what was going on behind those colossus bootleg eyebrows.

"Well,"Dumbledore said, breaking the standstill."I can already see the Beauxbatons delegation is already inside, shall we get together them ?"
*


"Harry, that was Viktor Krum !"

"You know Ron, I did work on that out. And even if I hadn't the six million times you ‘ ve told me would deliver tipped me off. Now can we please reduce ?"Harry turned to the chalice standing in the center of the Granville Stanley Hall. He glanced over at Hermione."Anything ?"

"I ‘ m telling you Harry we ‘ re not getting past the age line."She looked up from the record book on her knee joint and shook her head."At least not with anything I can cerebrate of now."

Harry shook his capitulum, there were loads of multitude crowding into the incoming hall so it wasn't like they could do anything right now. If they were going to do anything it would have to be at tonight, but he had hoped to at least have a program before the castle went to sleep.

"An age potion do you think ?"Fred said behind him.

"I think Dumbledore would make thought of that."Hermione shook her header."I don't think any potion any fourth year or 6th twelvemonth could score could get past the line."

"What if we just get one of the former educatee to put it in for us ?"Neville hazarded.

"Nope."George said as he and his Brother sidled up to them."Saw some Slitherin try that almost as soon as the goblet was out. The former names just flew out of his sac as soon as he crossed the line."

"Yep,"Fred shook his head in mock sympathy."Poor cranny didn ‘ t even get to put his own name since he tripped over his own beard and ended up out cold."

"Wait…"Padma looked thoughtful."What if we get soul to get over the line then drop a line our public figure on some-"

"Saw that too."Fred broke in.

"Yeah,"His Gemini continued."You don ‘ t even want to know what happened to him !"

"Oh for Christ sake !"Harry growled in irritation."Is there at least a way to test the origin ?"

"Yeah, run into it."Ron suggested.

"No you idiot."Padma shook her head."Just spitter it."

"excuse me ? You what ?"Harry's eyebrows raised like balloons.

"Like this…"Harry watched, gob-smacked, as Padma took a spare scrap of parchment out of her bag and stuffed it into her oral cavity. She chewed for a few instant then daintily took the sodden deal out from between her lip and, without hesitancy, tossed it at the goblet of blast. As the ball crossed the telephone circuit there was a ostentation of brightness and the ball shot out like a bullet, impacting on the rampart behind them.

"Brilliant."Said the Weasley twins in one voice.

"We should do it again-"

"With more balls."

"With handsome formal !"

"With firework in them !"

"Children, children…"Harry said in a calming articulation."Lets not get sidetracked."

"It's almost curfew anyway."Parvarti looked down at her watch then smiled."Don't headache, it'll all be alright on the night !"

"Sister…"Padma shook her head as she picked up her bag."This is the freakin'Nox !"

Harry chuckled as they left the hall then turned as he felt a deal gloam on his shoulder. The owner of the hand was a boy a little older than him with blond hair and a sort of rung human face. He was in Ravenclaw semblance and was wearing a baseball game cap that read ‘ Tutshill crack cocaine'and had a tornado as the logo.

"Yeah ?"Harry cocked his read/write head."Can I assist you ?"

"Um,"The boy bit his lip and looked around."Could I talk to you ?"

"Very cloak and dagger but ok."Harry waved the vulture off and moved into a position corridor."Who are you ?"

"St. David Mason."The boy smiled shyly."Don ‘ t vexation if you don ‘ t remember me. I ‘ m a friend of Cho ‘ s."

"Oh ok. Support the same squad too I see."Harry leant nonchalantly against the stone wall."To what do I owe the delight ?"

"Well basically…"The boy scuffed a foot on the trading floor nervously."Me and… and some of the other guys. Not just Ravenclaw but the whole school well… we figure you ‘ ve got a plan."

"For what ?"

"For the goblet of fire."David rubbed his handwriting together almost hungrily."Lots of us don't think the age limit ‘ s evenhandedly so we figure…"He reached into his pouch and pulled out a thick envelope."A couple of spare names. Just if you get the chance you know ?"

"Hate to break it to you mate."Harry shrugged apologetically."But I don't have the slightest clue how to get through the age line."

"Really ? But you ‘ re Harry Potter ! You always… Oh, I get it."David winked and pushed the envelope into his paw."Of course you don't."The Ravenclaw winked again and trotted off down the corridor.

"I really don't !"Harry called after him but that only caused the boy to turn and wink conspiratorially again."Seriously !"

"problem Mr ceramicist ?"

Harry spun and looked up into the side of the judge that had been sitting with Dumbledore at the fete. What was his name… sofa ?

"Mr sofa ?"

"Crouch."The man's heavily lined face was utterly humorless.

"Mr Crouch, sorry. And no there ‘ s no problem."

"Not thinking of trying to get past the age line are you lad ?"He said in what he must of opinion was a fatherly manner.

"No sir."Harry did his upright King Oliver kink impression."I wouldn ‘ t do such a horrifying thing."

"Ah, of course."The Triwizard judge nodded."Of course of instruction I ‘ m sure more people would come to the tournament if the notable Harry Potter was competing. But we must remember that we can not pick and choose the linguistic rule we wish to obey based on fugitive expediency. You understand Mr Potter ?"

"Yes sir."Harry felt it was better to stick with mere answers.

"Very well."Mr Crouch's mouth twitched into a lean smile."It was courteous get together you Mr Potter."

Harry didn't relax until the man was a safety few corridors away. Harry sighed and slipped the envelope out of his sleeve. What were the statistics for teen heart attacks ? Harry wondered. Whatever they were they had just come very close to getting one digit larger.

Harry leant against the bulwark and stared out of one of the castling arched windows at the lake below, remembering close year. Why was it that he was forever trapped inside or outside hospital ward ? Last class he had circumvented them by swimming around, couldn't do that this meter. The werewolves had tunneled under could he do that ? Not without attracting a lot of attention. So that left…

Harry grinned and rushed back to the incoming foyer where a unity spit ball showed him how to beat the neat wiz in the world.
*


"All set Ginsters ?"Harry slid behind Ginny on the Chimera and checked that he had both the gasbag containing the marauders names and the one given to him by St. David stonemason in his pocket.

"Yes, you don ‘ t have to total with me you know."Ginny looked back at him, grinning in the swoon moonlight.

"You can ‘ t fly and make spitballs at the same time."Was the exculpation Harry offered. Really he just wanted to be the one to put the names into the goblet, wanted to acknowledge first handwriting that he'd beat Dumbledore. Harry glanced around and saw a marauder guarding every door."Everybody ‘ s in piazza, come on."

Ginny obediently lifted them off the floor and hovered them up near the ceiling.

"Moment of truth."Harry got out some lambskin and rolled it expertly before gumming it, silencing it and throwing it forwards. It landed in the middle of the age line, right-hand beside the goblet. Harry pumped the air with his fist."ceramist 1, Dumbledore 0. Proving that I am unmitigated awesome ! Lets go !"

Ginny bit back a chuckle and carefully floated them forward until they were directly over the goblet, then took them slowly down.

"Ok, stoppage here. Let's not touch the floor, never know what early spells the old man ‘ s put around the place."Harry reached into his pocket and drew out the piranha envelope then dropped it into the goblet. The fire spurted up for a moment, then died down.

Harry hesitantly pulled the other envelope out of his air pocket. Should he ? Should he not ? It was only fair to give everybody a decent chance and Mason seemed like a nice enough cuss ( if a bit Wyrd ). He probably wouldn ‘ t be chosen anyway. Ah well, what the Inferno ? Harry dropped the other envelope into the flames.
*


The vulture entered the great G. Stanley Hall in a powwow, all center focused directly on the goblet.

"I ‘ m nervous."Neville admitted as they sat down at the Gryffindor table."I don't know if I want to put down anymore."

"Bit late now."Padma said dryly, but the nerves were obvious in her voice too and the marauders quickly fell into silence.

"Whichever one of us it is the rest of us are behind them."Harry smiled at his acquaintance."That's for certain."

"But what if it ‘ s not one of us ?"George asked.

"Not… one… of us ?"Harry's brow wrinkled in confusion."Quit your softheaded talk of the town George. That could never happen."

"Children, children…"The dorm fell silent as Dumbledore began to utter."I believe the import you have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The chalice will be announcing it's choices momentarily. I would ask you to remember that, even if you were not chosen, the tournament is still a contest between the schools. I expect to see no hard feelings, you must support your champions one hundred percent. Now…"Dumbledore turned towards the goblet.

The residence waited in silence for almost a minute before the goblet ‘ s flames turned shiny red and a little scrap of lambskin flew out. Dumbledore caught it expertly.

"The Beauxbatons superstar is… Fleur Delacour !"

Harry saw one of the Gallic missy clap her hand to her face in jounce before getting up and walking towards the end of the hall.

"She ‘ s… she ‘ s…"Ron sighed inaudibly.

"What is it Ron ?"Harry asked.

"She ‘ s… just… I mean… Perfect…"Harry just shrugged. Ron looked aghast.."Harry can ‘ t you see her ?"

Harry tuned to watch the first champion leaving the hall.

"Yeah ? What about her ?"

Ron opened his mouth to return but the goblet flared red again and the hall fell silent.

"The Durmstrang champion will be Viktor Krum !"

The red uniformed student rose, cheering, as their hero walked towards the front of the lobby. about of the Hogwarts students did too.

Harry was biting his nails, this future one was it. The goblet turned red again and a piece of music of parchment pin-wheeled out to be caught in Dumbledore's deal. As the Headmaster read it the smile dropped from his face and his hand began to shake. In a dusty, stony voice he said,

"The Hogwarts champion…"He seemed to grit his dentition."Is Dragon Malfoy."

The Asaph Hall erupted in brouhaha. Harry turned, his eye seeking out the blonde haired Slitherin. Draco seemed unperturbed by the receipt his name had received but instead stood calmly and walked towards the social movement of the vestibule. Before he left the Charles Francis Hall however he turned and scanned down the Gryffindor mesa with those moth-eaten grey oculus. He met Harry's regard, grinned evilly and winked.


Note for francophone people :

I have never liked how french dialect are represented in ledger, you know the `` 'Ogwarts can not 'ave two whiz. '' matter. Replacing this with 'zis and material like that. I imagine it 's kind of insulting.

I know I cringe every fourth dimension I hear a 'mockney'English accent on tv, I imagine it 's kind of the same thing.

I decided to keep it in this story anyway purely because goblet of flack represents accents that way. I 'm trying to get to this story kind of parallel the cannon books in certain ways inluding aspects of the writing style.

If you 're offended I 'm sorry.



"Son of a bitch."Harry breathed through his teeth. He felt like his chest was going to explode, he had to let the pressure out somehow."SON OF A gripe !"

"Mr Potter !"Harry's eyes flicked back to Dumbledore, who was looking at him angrily."Contain yourself !"

"But he is !"Harry yelled, lyric leaking out of him uncontrollably."seaport ‘ t you met his mother ?"The hall erupted in laugh. Malfoy scowled but kept on walking, leaving the keen hall by the Saame door the other booster had left by.

Dumbledore held up his deal for silence.

"Obviously this is shocking and unprecedented."He said in an effortlessly level vocalisation."I remind you all that I expect you to rend behind your champion…"Dumbledore stopped as the students began yelling again."… or at least not openly oppose him. Now, if you will excuse me…"

Dumbledore left the still startled students and walked out through the rearward door of the hall, Karkarov and dame axiom followed him. For a few Sir Thomas More bit everyone was tacit then McGonagall stood.

"If you would all return to you-"But she was cut off as someone yelled,

"prof !"

The school day turned in clock time to see the goblet burn red again. A scrap of newspaper flew out of it and landed on the endocarp floor. For a moment no one moved to touch it then professor Snape, his expression unclear, got up from his chairwoman. His footfalls were the solitary audio in the hall as he walked round the high table and came to a closure in front of the piffling scrap of paper. He turned it over with the tip of his shoe.

"Harry Potter."He was staring down at the sheet, his face a blank mask."It says Harry Potter."

After a moment someone started clapping, then person else, then some more, the great hall exploded with applause.

"Knew it ‘ d be you Harry."Harry heard person say as a deal slapped him on the back. crew atmospheric pressure moved him towards the nominal head of the Radclyffe Hall, his own mental capacity seemed to have stopped working. He saw Snape peck up the fleck of newspaper publisher, then hold a poor, whispered, conversation with McGonagall. The potions headmaster turned to him.

"Come along Potter."

"Wha… ?"Harry idea was still reeling.

"We must get you to link the other champions."Snape led him out of the tumultuous mansion and into a short-change hallway. The interference from the clapping faded as the room access closed behind them. Snape made no motion to result by the other door.

"Did you put your name into the goblet of fire ?"Snape asked urgently.

"Wha… ?"Harry glanced around, they were alone. The early champions must be through the other door."Why are you-"

"ceramist, try to kowtow together some insightfulness ! Did you put your public figure into the chalice ?"

Snape seemed almost concerned.

"You seem almost concerned."Harry grinned, his brain getting back in gear."Have those little barn hooter been bringing you drugs or something ?"Snape flinched back as if stung.

"Damn it Potter !"Snape grabbed Harry's robe."This is not a sentence for gag. Sir Thomas More is going on here than you realize. Did you or did you not-"

"Yes."Harry nodded,"I put my public figure in."

The potions master narrowed his oculus, Harry felt the familiar insistency in his mental capacity. He opened his mind long enough to let on the retention of him putting the gasbag into the flame then blanked it again. Snape nodded thoughtfully.

"Good."

"commodity ?"Harry asked quizzically.

"Potter the possibilities if someone else put your epithet into the chalice are far worse than if you put it in yourself. This simplifies matter, believe me…"Snape glanced at the scrap of theme he was holding and frowned."… or perhaps not."

"What is it ?"

"Suffice to say I have spent long enough trawling through what you seem to think constitute essays to recognize your handwriting."Snape held out the parchment for him to see."This is not your handwriting."

"No…"Harry felt a sinking spirit in his breadbasket."No it ‘ s not. What the perdition is going on ?"He asked plaintively.

"If I knew that Potter."Snape moved towards the door."I would not have to ask questions."

Harry gulped and followed the potions master through the door. On the other English was another way with portrayal hung all around the walls. The genius and their Headmasters were standing in the midpoint of the room, apparently arguing. brothel keeper Maxim was pointing at Malfoy with one of her unusually long finger. They all fell silent as Harry and his teacher entered the room.

"Severus what is this ?"Dumbledore asked pointedly.

"This is the fourth champion."Snape glanced down at Harry."Apparently."

"What is ‘ zis."Madam axiom waved her helping hand at Harry."Some kind of prank to you here at ‘ ogwarts ? First your booster iz a minor, now ‘ zis ?"

"I do not think it is a joke."Karkarov said angrily."This so prognosticate champion."

"He is a wiz. Despite what some of us might wish."Snape interrupted dryly. Harry couldn't avail but suppose how different he seemed from a bit ago."The integral of Hogwarts saw his name leave the goblet, as did the delegations from your own school. He is as logical a wizard as-"

"As Mr Draco."Madam Maxim scoffed."Your other underage champion."

"If I may…"Harry glanced at the man of to one side who had begun to talk. He hadn ‘ t even realized Mr Crouch was in the room."The pattern are very clear. If a somebody name leaves the goblet of fervour, then that person is a champion. There can be no denying that."

"Harry…"Dumbledore spoke for the first time."Did you put your name into the goblet of attack ?"

"I…"Harry felt Snape's hired man tap him in the lowly of the back."… No."He heard the potions master intimation out lightly."No I didn ‘ t. I tried but… I couldn ‘ t get past the ward."

"And you genus Draco ?"Snape asked Malfoy.

"Honestly sir…"Malfoy smirked."I have no idea how my name got in there."

Yes you do you slimy little… Harry's clenched fist clenched involuntarily.

"Well I believe that settles it."Dumbledore clapped his hand together."relief assured this issue will be investigated but until then… we have four champions."

Harry shook his head. Why did he get the smell that the tough was yet to come ?
*


As they left the room Harry fell into step with Malfoy. Neither spoke until they were out of earreach of the teachers. Harry took a breathing place to steady himself then said,

"I assume that no one named Jacques Louis David A. E. W. Mason really goes to Hogwarts ?"Malfoy turned to him and sneered.

"goodness wasn ‘ t it."Malfoys representative took on a simpering feel."Oh Harry, it wouldn ‘ t be funfair if everyone didn ‘ t have a chance."

"Bastard."

"I planned it all out. The hat, the personality, even down to the figure. David Mason, sounds vernacular doesn't it. Sounds muggleborn."Malfoy grinned triumphantly."And you fell for it."

"I repeat. Bastard."

"A bastard who won. I said I was going to get you didn ‘ t I ? The look on your face when I was chosen…"

"Hang on…"Harry stopped suddenly."Why were you chosen ? Don ‘ t tell me the chalice actually picked you legit ? You wouldn ‘ t leave it up to chance."

"Very good Potter, you ‘ re not quite as stupid as you look."Malfoy smiled."Ever heard of a malignant protean charm ? No of course-"

"A appealingness that aggressively seeks out things that look a bit like it…"Harry interrupted."And makes them look exactly like it. Oh you little…."Understanding dawned in Harry's heart."The names ! You cast it on the names !"

"Exactly !"Malfoy nodded."My gens went in with the charm on it and changed all the other cutting so that they read Draco Malfoy. I didn ‘ t leave it to hazard, I was the only candidate."

"Bastard is too good a word for you, I ‘ m going with rat-bastard."

"The hard bit was making sure it only changed the Hogwarts names."Malfoy was still in full exposition-mode."I mean it would ‘ ve looked a bit odd if I had been picked for Beauxbatons."

"Rat-bastard-wanker."

"Which is why I can ‘ t understand,"Malfoy turned to Harry, his eyes narrowing."How you were picked. My spell should birth gotten you…"

Harry said nix, fairly sure that the protean had eaten up the fleck of parchment that had had his name on it and that the one that had eventually come out had been put in by person else.

"You must give found some way to embark as another school."Malfoy said thoughtfully."Tricked the chalice into entering your figure for a 4th school."

Mental note : suggest that theory to someone. Dumbledore ? No, too meddlesome. McGonagall ? She would go straight to Dumbledore. Moody ? He'd blow it way out of proportion. Snape ? … ?

"Just remember ceramist,"Malfoy brought him back to the moment."I know who the veridical Hogwarts champion is and I ‘ m going to prove it to everyone."

"You think you ‘ re gon na win ?"Harry laughed."Hands up everyone who ‘ s fight basilisks and werewolves… What ? Just me ?"

"I will crush you."Malfoy took off again in the commission of the Slytherin dungeon."Deutsche Mark my Son Potter."

"Marked."Harry rolled his eyes."Marked, signed and sealed in the horseshit box along with Nostradamus and UFOs."

Harry turned and hurried up towards the Gryffindor unwashed way. The castle was empty but the portraits were whispering to each former as he climbed through towards the seventh storey. He stopped in one deserted corridor and quietly called,

"Myrtle…"He waited a few moments, then the glowing young lady slid through the floor.

"Hmm ?"She cocked her pass quizzically, then giggled."I heard a rumour about you. Something about being champion ?"

Harry grinned and winked, Vinca minor giggled again.

"Knew it would have to be you Harry."

"piranha don't lose."Harry said cockily."As you well know."

"Because I am a marauder."Myrtle said, proudly puffing up her smoky human body, Harry nodded.

"I wanted to ask you something."Myrtle became unplayful as Harry spoke."Did you see anyone else go near the goblet last dark, maybe before the rest of us got there or after we left ?"

"Nope."Myrtle shook her head."Didn ‘ t see anyone."She put queer emphasis on the word ‘ see ’.

"Myrtle ? Keeping secrets isn ‘ t nice."Harry tutted playfully.

"I didn ‘ t see anyone."The spook repeated, smiling slyly."But one clock time the door opened by itself, a mo later the goblet flared up like someone put something in it. Then the door closed."

"invisibility cloak."Harry guessed, nodding."Did you try to get a look-see ?"

"Of course."Myrtle looked offended."I followed them but I couldn't get near. I wasn ‘ t seen."She added proudly.

"I know you weren't."Harry nodded, Myrtle looked a little happier."Can you ask around the portraiture ? See if anyone saw anyone sneaking around ?"

"Of course Harry !"myrtle beamed at being given a job and shot away through the wall. Harry chuckled, it was amazing how having booster changed a person, or a ghost.

Harry walked around the corner and stood in movement of the fat lady. The woman in the portraiture crossed her arms and said,

"I ‘ m waiting."

"I ‘ m not."Harry spelled an unlocking appeal and the portrayal creaked to the side.

"I wish you wouldn ‘ t do that Mr Potter."The fat gentlewoman shook her head.

"It ‘ s easier than remembering the passwords."Harry grinned as he stepped through the portraiture muddle. As soon as he was through he was viciously attacked."Get off me ! Geroff !"

"We knew it ‘ d be you Harry !"

Harry pushed away the massed hordes of Gryffindor house, smiled and bowed when they cheered for him, looked up in mild shock at the placard of him they had hung above the open fireplace and sought out the marauders.

"We need to talk."Harry said before anyone could afford their mouths."Too many capitulum here, up to the bedroom."Harry's friends wordlessly followed him up to the boys sleeping room and he hastily sketched out everything that had happened. After he had finished the first thing Ron said was,

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay."

"I ‘ m a bit more worried about this invisible man."Padma said, shaking her forefront."invisibleness cloaks are rare."

"Maybe person just really cherished Harry to win."Her sister suggested.

"Then why bother wearing the cloak."Hermione pointed out."the great unwashed who hide what they ‘ re doing are usually up to something."

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay !"Ron repeated, apparently ignoring the conversation around him.

"Why the hell would someone require me in the rivalry ?"Harry wondered aloud."Want it enough to go to these length ?"

"Maybe individual wants to give Hogwarts a well chance."Fred said evenly, his brother added…

"Or Gryffindor."George III grinned."If they ‘ ll keep helping we should put some money on you."

"More probable someone hopes they can use the tournament to off me without anyone suspecting anything."Harry shrugged."That would be More my luck."

"Harry, turn back being paranoid !"Hermione admonished him."You ‘ re outset to sound like Professor Moody."

"prof Moody is the most sensible person that ‘ s ever taught us."Harry said, to general jar."It ‘ s not paranoia if they really are out to get you !"

"Harry someone made you a champion !"Pavarti said in aggravation."It ‘ s a sound thing, this person is trying to help you !"

"Malfoy is going to-"

"Oh pay attention Ron !"Hermione snapped."Try to save up."

"mess of money…"George III continued.

"No one ‘ s helping him."Padma said to her sister.

"Malfoy is going-"

"They could be-"

"Money-"

"enough !"Harry cut through the pettifoggery marauders."We know nothing. Not enough to actually knead anything out at any charge per unit. Discussion at this dot is useless…"Harry trailed off as Vinca minor rose through the floorboards.

"Domestic problem ?"The ghost giggled.

"You find something Myrtle ?"Harry asked quickly."Did one of the portraits see someone untrusting ?"

"Yes."She pointed at Harry."You. And you and you and you…"She pointed at Padma, Ginny and Ron."… and you and you and you -"

"Ok, we get the point."Harry held his hands up. He shook his head ruefully."Thanks for trying."

"But…"myrtle did a little eyelet in the air and winked."The old lady near the kitchens said that Moody ‘ s got a cloak."

"What ?"Harry jerked, startled, like the respite of the marauders."An invisibility cloak ? Seriously ?"

"Mm Hm !"Myrtle hummed happily, obviously proud of gaining this tidbit of information."And they ‘ re not that common."

"No."Hermione murmured,"They ‘ re really rare."

"‘ The most sensible person that ‘ s ever taught us'Harry ?"Ginny grinned."Anything you have to say ?"

"marauder never lose."Harry said chuckling."They are however, on occasion, dead wrong."
*


When Harry opened his oculus the succeeding morning he groaned and rolled back over. He knew exactly what this day would bring.

"It ‘ s him !"

"It ‘ s Harry !"

"The hotshot !"

"Yeah yeah yeah, and no I will not give a fucking autograph !"Harry fended off a crowd of Gryffindors."Y ‘ d think they had never met me before."

"That's part of it Harry."Hermione said sagely.

"They haven't met me ?"Harry said quizzically, eyeing a camera-wielding Colin Creevy."I ‘ m sure I ‘ ve met him."

"But Harry you ‘ re very honest at making people forget you ‘ re Harry Potter."The two of them moved out of the coarse way on the way to ancient runes."What I'm saying is that they just got reminded."

"Forgetting I ‘ m Harry Potter ?"

"You know…"Hermione waved vaguely."Juggling, joking, making everyone flavour at ease, people forget you ‘ re a fame. It ‘ s not deliberate…"

Harry winced, it was often entirely deliberate.

"But that ‘ s not to bring in the great unwashed forget."Harry ducked behind a case of armor as a group of students passed by, then continued,"That's just… you know… breaking the ice."

"Like with Ginny ?"Hermione grinned slyly.

"Like with Ginny."Harry nodded, unfazed."Ron told you about that ?"

"Yes."

"On one of your little walks ?"

"Yes."Hermione's middle narrowed.

"On one of your amorous walk of life ?"

"Harry !"

"What ?"Harry grinned as Hermione shoved him irritably."Weren ‘ t they romantic ?"

"We discussed ducks."Hermione said flatly, not meeting Harry's eyes."And ponds."

"Ze art of seduction."Harry affected a French accent."It is truly dead."
*


After runes the two of them met up with the other predator down in the potions classroom.

Harry had already decided that he'd let Snape in on what they'd found out and was torn between dread and peculiarity. Snape had obviously turned some kind of new leafage but they had never pressed to see how far that change went. To play it safe he actually tried during the potions example. He still failed but at to the lowest degree nothing exploded this time. After class he lingered by his desk, putting away his thrust very slowly.

"Something you want ceramicist ?"Snape looked up from his desk.

"Um…"Harry waited a tick for the last educatee to pull up stakes then said."I ‘ ve had an idea about why my figure might bear come out of the goblet."

"Yes ?"

"If someone entered me for a fourth school."Snape appeared paying attention and Harry pressed on."That would see to it I got picked, and it would excuse why there were four champions."

"Interesting…"Snape tapped the end of his pen on his lip thoughtfully. Wait… ! Harry did a two-bagger take in character his eyes had deceived him. Snape was using a pen ! It was an passee looking fountain pen but still… Snape interrupted his thoughts."Of track that would mean that the real champion was Draco."

"Probably no way to prove it."Harry said quickly.

"Actually-"

"No way to prove it at all."Harry grinned, for a present moment he could hold sworn he saw the sharpness of Snape's mouth twitch up.

"Perhaps not."Snape shook his caput."In any causa finding out who did put your gens in and why is of greater importance."Snape's hand moved to his arm involuntarily, like a reflex.

"Problem ?"Harry asked. Snape shook his oral sex, his optic downcast.

"Premonition."

"Not usually very dependable those."Harry chuckled.

"This one is."Snape didn't seem to sense like he had to add anything else but something clicked on the border of Harry's memory.

"The nighttime crisscross ?"Snape's head whipped up.

"How do you know about that ?"He asked harshly.

"I…"Harry opened his back talk to answer but realized with shock that he had no idea how he had heard about the gloomy bull's eye. It was all there though, the mark in the sky meant decease, the mark in flesh meant servitude."I must have… study it… somewhere…"

Snape had strode around the board in an instant and grabbed Harry by his berm. This time it didn't feel like a little imperativeness in his thinker, it felt like a hammer.

"Stop ! It hurts !"Harry yelled.

"check occluding your mind !"Snape growled, jerking Harry's head teacher back to sustain eye contact.

"I ‘ m not !"Harry pushed Snape away but kept eye contact, deliberately relaxing his psyche. Snape opened his mouth in jar, memories flashed past times for a few moments before Snape broke the connection and sagged back onto his desk.

"Satisfied ?"Harry snarled, breathing hard.

"Not even slightly."Snape shook his head, he also seemed out of breath."I couldn ‘ t see how you know about the target, or that I have one."

"I told you. I must have read it somewhere."Harry shook his header."Why do you have one anyway ? I mean why did you become a death eater ?"

"Youth. foolishness. Misplaced rage."Snape stood slowly and rolled his sleeve back. The scar was exactly as Harry remembered it except greatly faded. If Snape's pare wasn't so sick it would be almost invisible.

"Why did you exit ? Why defect to Dumbledore ? I assume that ‘ s what you did or you wouldn ‘ t be here."

"Why ? …"Snape cocked his head and a sliver of a smile appeared on his expression."Surprisingly the cause is something that is not of the flimsy importance to me anymore. But rest assured I am no longer new, pillock or full of mislay rage."

"It ‘ s well placed you think of ?"Harry dug slyly.

"It ‘ s more… channeled."Snape stood and brushed his robes with his hands before walking to a cabinet behind his desk and getting out a small phial of blue potion."I am sorry for invading your nous so roughly. This should help with the pain."He held out the vial.

"You taste it first."Snape's brow quirked up quizzically."constant vigilance."

Snape chuckled and salute a good swallow of the potion before handing it to Harry who gratefully chucked back the rest. His headache disappeared almost instantly.

"Is it getting darker ?"Harry asked.

"Slowly."Snape nodded."I have yet to tell Dumbledore. He may react unpredictably."

"Know what that's like."Harry chuckled."Do you believe Voldemort or maybe the death eaters have something to do with the goblet and me ?"

"We don ‘ t have the information to make that mind right now."Snape waved his deal as if batting something away."Although I always believe it prudent to educate for the worst."

"Yeah…"Harry said, but he had thought of something. He bit his lip and looked at Snape thoughtfully.

"Potter ? What are you thinking ?"

"Just wondering how far our new armistice goes."Harry glanced back at the door to check no one was listening."If I were to ask for veritaserum…"

"You have a suspect ?"Snape guessed."And you wish to question them to be sure."

"That would be a good assumption."Harry replied evasively.

"Tell me who it is and I will do it."

"You would never get closely enough."Harry grinned."I think I can."

Snape regarded him silently for a few moments then moved back to the potions cabinet. He muttered a employment under his breath and a draftsman appeared out of the position. Snape reached in and drew out a lilliputian bottle, barely more than a thimble.

"Three drops is all that is necessary."Snape pressed the feeding bottle into Harry's hand."appearance no one else. enjoin no one you have that."

"Thank you."Harry curled his digit around the little bottleful."I ‘ ll tell you how it plays out."Harry moved off towards the door but stopped just before opening it.

"Out of interest…"He asked, looking back at his teacher across the empty schoolroom."Whose is that little b owl ?"

"None of your business sector Potter."

"Ah…"Harry tapped the side of his olfactory organ."She must really be something…"

"She is."
*


Harry didn't have a deterrent example with Moody until Friday, which meant that he had to carry that little nursing bottle around the whole time, a little bottle of carry-able nervousness. He constantly weighed the risks of hiding it somewhere with the risk of infection of having it found on his person but in the end come down on the side of the latter. Besides, his coating had a few pouch that would evade all but the most belligerent searchers.

When the example actually came about Harry was gritting his dentition, he still didn't know if this was a beneficial theme, or even possible. It wasn't too belated to return the bottle to Snape, or to find somewhere to hide it and redeem it for later.

"Something bothering you Potter ?"

Harry looked up from his desk into the face of the ex-auror.

"No, nothing."Harry shook his head."Well…"

"Yes ?"

"There is something I want to ask you, but after the lesson."Harry made himself wait down and put a piddling arrest in his voice."If you ‘ re not too busy."

"Hmm."Moody scratched his chin."Well, whatever it is it isn ‘ t keeping you from taking banknote is it ?"

Harry looked down at his varlet, it was evacuate except for a minuscule ink drawing of a cottage.

"Would you believe unseeable ink ?"

"No."

"Didn ‘ t think so."Harry reached for his pinion. After the object lesson he stayed quiet, with his bag not even packed. The marauders already knew he had something planned and left him be but…

"You not leaving Harry ?"Harry turned and saw Susan bone paused near his desk.

"Getting an excess credit essay."Harry replied glibly.

"You ? Doing an extra credit entry essay ?"incredulity radiated from the Hufflepuff."You don ‘ t even do your normal essays."

"I do so."

"Without copying from Hermione."

"I-"

"Or Padma."

"Oh."Harry cocked his head and shrugged."Does it really count what I ‘ m up to ?"

"Just wondering what happens if the school champion is expelled."

"One of the school champions."Harry corrected."The only if human champ granted but still…"

"Oh no one in Hufflepuff believes Malfoy ‘ s really a champion."Susan rolled her centre."No one in Ravenclaw either. You didn ‘ t know that Harry ? You ‘ re usually wired into the rumor mill of this school."

"I ‘ ve had a lot on my mind."Harry conceded. He actually never listened to rumors, that was Parvarti's job and to a lesser extent Ron ‘ s."The mill can run without me for a while."

"Of course."Susan nodded and moved off. She paused to say,"We are all rooting for you you know."Before turning towards the door.

Interesting. Harry smiled thoughtfully as he watched her take the air away, his eyes drifting down a niggling. Very interesting. Why hadn't he noticed before how-

"Potter."Harry whipped his head around. Moody was looking at him shrewdly."I know I said constant watchfulness but…"

"Don ‘ t refinement that conviction Professor."Harry grinned."Unless you want me to depart mentioning that well-nigh magic eyes can be made to see through clothing."

"I don't use that setting…"Moody replied gruffly, then winked."…any more."

Harry laughed and a here and now later was joined by his teacher.

"So,"Helen Wills Moody, walked back to the instructor desk and motioned for Harry to sit nearby."What was it you wanted to talk about ?"

"Oh yeah."Harry made his representative dip a little."That."

Harry swallowed and took a deep breath.

"My parents."

"Ah."Dwight Lyman Moody shook his headway ruefully."Sad stage business Potter, very sad, but I ‘ m not the one to tattle to. I didn ‘ t know them before the war-"

"I don ‘ t want more anecdotes."Harry dilled up the aggression, it had to look like he had been stewing over this for a while."Not more schooling fib. I want to have intercourse how they died, the unscathed story. Details."

"Why ?"Moody asked bluntly."Why do you want to pick up about your parents murder ?"

"Because it ‘ s something no one else seems prepared to talk about."Harry shook his read/write head angrily."You were an auror, you also knew them. Fair bet you examined the house right, investigated ?"Harry knew Helen Wills Moody had been involved in the investigation, he left aught to chance.

"Yes I did."See ?"But I ‘ m still not indisputable you want to know."

"I don ‘ t want to. I need to."Harry pleaded, putting a piffling iron into his voice."It ‘ s a fairly bet Voldemort's not done having an influence on my living. I need to sleep with how it began."

Helen Wills Moody shook his head and grimaced.

"Don ‘ t know where to begin."He reached down and took a swig from his hip flaskful. Harry grinned.

"You can start with the chalice of fire."

"What ?"Dwight Lyman Moody shook his head as if to discharge it. His magic eye was rolling listlessly and the other looked milky and unfocussed."The chalice ?"

"Yes, did you put my public figure into it ?"Harry asked, flatly.

"No."Moody answered in a level tone. Harry closed his middle, that meant he had made a misunderstanding, which meant he was screwed.

"Did you get individual else to put my gens in ?"Harry asked desperately."And where ‘ s your invisibility cloak."

"No, I do not have intercourse who put your name in the goblet of fire."Moody said, again with no emotion."My cloak is in my pectus, there."He pointed with one gnarled finger.

"Ok, that's not good. For me."Harry looked up at the clock. With the dose he gave the effect would only live on a few more moment."Please don ‘ t kill me."

Moody just continued his faded stare, then he blinked and shook his head. fruition dawned in his eyes and Harry saw him transfix his sceptre tightly. In a flash the ex-auror whipped it around and Harry felt Mexican valium pin his weapon system to the chair.

"How did you do it ?"The professor asked, coldly.

"Lifted the flaskful from your pocket. Put it back later in the lesson."Harry replied evenly. Being no-count wouldn't get him out of this, being solemn might."Managed to break the spell you used on it too."

"That a fact."Dwight Lyman Moody reached out and emptied the flask onto the floor, the water supply sparkled in the spark from the window."And why did you do it ?"

"I found out that the person who put my name in the goblet did it under the cover charge of an invisibleness cloak."Harry crossed his arms."They ‘ re uncommon, and you, the proud possessor of two, had just come to Hogwarts. That seemed like too much of a coincidence."

"And what have you learnt ?"

"It… was a coincidence."Harry conceded."It wasn ‘ t you."

"What else ?"

"Eh ?"Harry was genuinely confused.

"What else ?"

"Um… I don ‘ t know. Sir."Harry added.

"You always disarm someone when you ‘ re questioning them."Moody flicked his wand again and the Mexican valium fell loose."Even in they ‘ re potioned. That was sloppy Potter, very sloppy. I ‘ m disappointed in you."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"But… you mean… you ‘ re not mad ?"

"Mad ? No, no, no,"Dwight Lyman Moody waved the question away."You had suspicion you acted on it. I woulda done the same."

"But I got past your defense lawyers, I could own poisoned you."

"punter you do it than one of my enemies, oh and by the way…"Dwight Lyman Moody smiled like a Panthera tigris, for once both eyes focused on Harry."I ‘ ll need a six gyre essay on how you broke the turn on my flask."

"Six scroll ?"

"Make it ten."

"Eep."

"Don ‘ t worry Potter, it ‘ ll be over before you know it. Or in other Son it ‘ ll be over tomorrow as that's when I ‘ ll be expecting the essay."

"Oh."

"On the plus English though Potter, I trust you now."

"WHAT ?"Harry exploded, spluttering in disbelief."I spike you and question you and now you trust me ! ?"

"Yeah, well More than I did."Moody nodded.

"Why ?"Harry asked aghast.

"You had me drugged and I ‘ m still alert. way I have proof you ‘ re not trying to vote out me."Moody said this as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I was wrong."Harry shook his top dog in skepticism."You ‘ re egg. You're crazy. You ‘ re completely bloody gonzo."

"Yeah ?"Dwight Lyman Moody leant in towards Harry's face."Well so are you."

"Possible,"Harry conceded."I did once jump onto a moving train."

"Ha !"Moody snorted."That's null. Try a moving dragon."

Harry laughed and shook his head, this had turned out alright after all.

"Eh ?"Helen Newington Wills said, furrowing his brow."Don ‘ t you have a example to get to."

"Yes, but it's creature so I was actually marginally safer staying here and drugging you."

"Even so."Moody gestured at the door."You ‘ d best be going. Don ‘ t forget that essay."

Harry nodded and walked away from the desk. As he reached the door a thought struck him and he turned back.

"You didn ‘ t ask me there the potion came from."

"Oh I think I can guess."Moody grew serious.

"You ‘ re not felicitous ?"

"Constant Vigilance Potter."Moody said"Keep your allies close-"

"-and my enemy closer."Harry rolled his eyes."I know."

"That's not it at all !"Dwight Lyman Moody said with sudden high temperature."Keep your ally close Potter, but watch them even closer."



Please review, It 'll induce me write faster. Pavlov told me so !


government note for french hoi polloi 2 : Ok, this chapter actually contains people speaking in Gallic. I should admonish you that I do not talk Gallic. Well, I do a bit but General Certificate of Secondary Education were a foresighted time ago and I only got a B. In any caseful the french in this chapter is almost certainly wrong, sorry. If you want to tell me the right rendering i 'll put them up.



Harry propped the Bible up in front of him and tried to make the word stay in one post rather than fading out and becoming one long boring blur.

"This, this is occupy Harry."Hermione yawned and pushed another book over too him."It makes your skin all stiff so matter can't scathe you."She yawned again and put her hand up to her mouth.

"Go to bed."Harry told her, sighing."You don ‘ t have stay up with me, I ‘ m the bloody champion."

"No Harry I like looking up… stuff…"Hermione yawned again, breaking up whatever she was going to say.

"Without knowing what the first task is it ‘ s pretty useless."Harry closed his Christian Bible wearily and rested his Kuki-Chin on it."And I know you consider breaking into the library tantamount to sacrilege."

"It ‘ s alright if it ‘ s for the tournament"Hermione rationalized."Do you want me to get More Good Book ?"

"No, I want to open up."Harry shook his head."Lets go back to the tower."

They packed their clobber and Harry spelled the lock on the depository library back closed. He was about to work down the corridor when a ignitor appeared near the early end and Harry pushed Hermione back into the library.

"Who is it ?"

"No clue."Harry shrugged and closed the room access quietly. He put his ear to it as the phonation got closer."Beaxbattons students I think."

"How do you know ?"

"They ‘ re speaking French."Harry whispered as the ignitor passed outside the door."Talking about the first task."

"Ho… time lag you speak Gallic ?"Hermione whispered hoarsely.

"You gave me the phrase books for my birthday."

"But I didn ‘ t think you ‘ d actually use them !"

"You learn languages a lot quicker with wit sharpening potion. Had the basics down in under a week."

"That ‘ s cheating !"Hermione said, sounding scandalized.

"Did someone invent new regulation while I was away ?"Harry suddenly frowned."That didn't audio like a student."Harry cracked the door and slinked out after the retreating voices.

"Ce n'est pas juste."Harry silenced his feet so he could move faster after the retreating voices and heard Hermione do the same behind him."Nous devrions dire les autres concurrents !"

"That ‘ s Delacour."Hermione hissed into Harry's ear. She sounded oddly vindictive."What ‘ s she saying ?"But Harry waved her into silence as a beefy representative began speaking.

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."

"dame Maxim ?"Harry guessed, Hermione nodded."She ‘ s saying that cheating ‘ s region of the rules."

"I bet Fleur's going along with-"

"Fleur ‘ s arguing, but it sound like whatever it is it ‘ s already been done."Harry leant around a street corner and jerked back as he saw the two French fair sex stopped in the corridor beyond.

"Non !"Fleur was saying angrily."Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes team spirit et mon école."

"She ‘ s not happy."Harry shook his nous."She thinks Maxim ‘ s forcing her to cheat."

"Puits que tu connais maintenant."The headmistress said matter-of-factly."Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."

"tartar ?"Harry broke into a grin. He turned to Hermione."See this is why I eavesdrop."

"Cheater."She smiled though.

"Tu as une stratégie ?"Madam Maxim asked."Tu pouvais le distraire. Tu-"

"Non !"Fleur drew herself up."Je ferai le repos moi-même."

"Comme tu souhaites."ma'am Maxim said and they began to take the air back towards where the two predator were hiding. Harry moved to walk into the corridor but Hermione grabbed him.

"Harry what are you doing ?"She hissed angrily.

"Headgames !"Harry grinned evilly and stepped out in movement of the two women."So… dragons eh ?"

Their jaws dropped.

"Thanks for the tip !"Harry grinned and winked at his familiar champion then turned to the French headmistress and with a grimace said,"Tu es un idiot et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première chance que tu obtiens."

"You little… !"lady Maxime spluttered incoherently but Harry cut her off and switched to English.

"Well chicane all you want, doesn ‘ t matter. As you know now I am everywhere in this school. I will know if you cheat, I will know everything you do. So it all works out the same in the end."Harry turned back to the startled fille Delacour."Good luck with the dragon."And with that he turned and walked away.

well, he walked until he reached the first corner, then he started to run.
*


"Potter ?"

Sleepy.

"Potter !"

Ok, not sleepy anymore, just faking.

"Potter get up !"Harry jerked theatrically and raised his headland off his desk to look at Professor McGonagall.

"Sleepy Professor,"Harry grinned."I stayed up late doing very important ace stuff."

It was actually true, he had indeed been spending every nighttime researching path to take with large, enraged, fire breathing reptilian but he hadn ‘ t had very much fate. almost of the books had the unhelpful assumption that you would be part of a team of superstar dealing with these creatures. If he could just witness one that assumed you were a scare away, short, xiv twelvemonth old who wasn't much good at defense against the morose arts or tutelage of magical creatures he would be set.

"wellspring that doesn ‘ t get you out of concentrating on your lessons."She pointed at the vitreous silica orb that he had transfigured theatrical role way from a tortoise. It still had legs and a tail and was blindly butting against Harry's transfiguration textbook."make out the transformation or at least turn it back into a tortoise, it is just cruel to leave it like this."

Harry shrugged and tried to finish the Transfiguration of Jesus. Two of the legs disappeared, and the hapless thing balanced on the early two before toppling and almost rolled off the table before Ron caught it. McGonagall moved away muttering about ‘ champions'and ‘ idiots ‘ using the Sami inflection for each.

"Well we can scratch transfig'off the dragon-taming possibilities."Harry accepted his tortoisphere back from his friend and tried idly to realize the remaining arm disappear.

"I could write to Charlie."Ron offered. He had managed to induce a crystal tortoise that looked like it should be in some seaboard endowment shop.

"Don ‘ t, I ‘ m cheat just by using you guys."Harry made the tail disappear and sighed."I should just run in and start cursing it. pain spear ‘ s worked before."

"You ‘ re not allowed to use saturnine magic Harry."Neville reminded him from his early English."It ‘ s restricted by the rules of the tourney or something."

"And it probably wouldn ‘ t work."Ron cast the turn again and got a round globe of tortoise scale."Dragon skin is-"

"Very, very thick. Also curse-proof."Harry interrupted."I know."Harry slumped back in his chair and looked up at the roof. He closed his optic and massaged his synagogue, he had a stabbing headache from all the studying and late Night. If he propped his book up and fell asleep…

"Mr potter !"

"I ‘ m awake !"Harry shook his read/write head. The class giggled.

"What I meant Mr Potter."McGonagall continued."Is that you are needed in the third trading floor arithmancy classroom. Do you cognise where it is ?"

Small slatted windowpane that doesn't lock properly ?

"I know it."Harry nodded."What ‘ s this about ?"

"Very important champion stuff."McGonagall narrowed her eyes."Now."

Harry gathered his clobber and hurried out of the room. Since it was course time all the corridors were empty and Harry made it to the classroom without seeing anyone. Wondering what this could possibly be about he pushed the room access open.

"Ah, Mr Potter. So good of you to join us."Mr Crouch had stood up when he entered. Dumbledore and the other headmaster were also there, as was a witch in atomic number 10 unripe robe he didn't recognize. She had a quill feather and paper out and looked like she was currently grilling Krum. The Bulgarian, for his share, seemed resigned to this and was answering her monosyllabically. Fleur and Malfoy were no where to be found.

"What an I joining you for ?"Harry asked."If it's a company then you ‘ ll need Thomas More nibble. I skipped lunch."

"This is the weighing of the wand ceremony."Mr Crouch said calmly, ignoring Harry's flippancy."Don ‘ t worry it ‘ s mostly a formality."

wand weighing ? Harry took out his sceptre, it looked alright. A bit scuffed here and there but then so was he. Harry heard the door undecided and turned,

"What is this ?"Malfoy stood in the doorway with his bag."Why was I called ?"

"Just the wei-"Dumbledore began but was interrupted by the immature robed witch.

"Mr Malfoy,"She stood and held out a hand in one motion."Rita Skeeter. Pleasure to meet you, if I could just-"

"My father has a various very proficient lawyers."Malfoy interrupted her suddenly."So if you print anything libelous…"

"Mr Malfoy,"Rita Skeeter held her hands to her pectus as if she had been hurt."You insult me, the people want to hear from their star. Champions."She added, glancing at Harry with a crocodile-smile.

Scanning for insincerity : Insincerity detected.

Harry contorted his face into a disquieted smile.

"If I could borrow the both of you for a moment."Skeeter pushed them both back out the door and into the classroom opposite."There now, that's more comfortable. None of those old judges and officials."

"Everything she says is a lie."Harry thought to himself."And you had beneficial catch what you say too."

"Do you bear in mind if I use a straightaway quotes quill ?"

"Yes."Malfoy said at the same time as Harry said,

"No."Harry noticed that Malfoy was looking slightly worried so followed up with,"I mean ‘ no don ‘ t use it.'”

"Oh,"The reporter looked disappoint, then brightened up slightly."I hear you two have a little contention going."Harry opened his sass but Malfoy answered before he could speak.

"I wouldn't call me beating him at every grade a competition."

"Whatever."Harry shrugged.

"You ‘ re not going to argue Potter ?"Malfoy sneered at him.

"Nah, make up any lie you want."Harry shrugged again."That's what she ‘ s gon na do."

"fountainhead Mr Potter,"Rita Skeeter asked smoothly."Do you think you, a simple twelve year old, can succeed in this competitor that has clamed the lives of wizards one-time and saucy than you."

"I don ‘ t know."Harry scratched his head."The fact that I intend to wander outrageously may help."

"You…"Rita Skeeter's eye's lit up."You're going to cheat on ?"

"I already have !"Harry replied happily."Say, do you conceive that Karkarov guy ‘ s receptive to bribes ? He looks like a man who enjoys the finer things."

"Potter…"Malfoy hissed from between clenched teeth but Harry ignored him.

"Of course It'll be easy to bribe him using all the stolen property that I own. Would you like a adamant necklace ?"

Rita's shaft was moving so fast she was tearing the paper.

"I can always obtain more through my extensive criminal contacts."

"potter stop now you id-"Harry winked at Malfoy, shutting him up.

"Of grade my primary pastime remains kitten-smashing."At Skeeter's shocked side he continued."Yes, kitten-smashing. It ‘ s kind of like a sportswoman, you use a peculiar club. Baby seals as well, and cute little chipmunks. Deer, ostrich, endangered marmosets, shot glass, dolphins that sort of thing."

"Mr Potter…"The newsperson's eyes narrowed.

"What ?"Harry grinned."If you ‘ re going to take a leak up lie about me they might as well be entertaining. How about saying I ‘ m a lamia or a Nazi or that I have two heads and one of them speaks silver Italian."

"Don ‘ t play this game with me Mr Potter."Rita Skeeter tapped her quill against her quill against her notepad."You won ‘ t win."

"Yes I will."Harry smiled."Marauders always do, in the end."

"Am I interrupting ?"Their three headway turned to see Barty Crouch in the doorway."We ‘ re ready for you now."

Harry smiled and wandered out off the room, leaving the startled newsperson behind. As he walked back into the arithmancy schoolroom he noticed that two more than people had arrived. Fleur Delacour he was expecting, the other was more of a surprise.

"Mr Ollivander ?"

"Mr ceramist, so good to see you again."The old man looked the Same as he had on the day, four years ago, that Harry had bought his wand. He wasn't acting as oddly however.

"You ‘ re doing the wand weighing ?"Harry guessed.

"I am Mr Potter, I am."He held out his hand and Harry grudgingly surrendered his wand. As soon as it left his hand he found himself feeling paranoiac, almost defenseless. He kept eyeing up turn of furniture for their potential as arm should soul attack him.

"Your… this verge seems to work quite adequately."Mr Ollivander said slowly, looping a recollective golden thread out of the tip."Of course, if you were in the market for another…"

"No."Harry shook his head before the wand God Almighty could once again try to force a different wand on him as he had at their first meeting."That one ‘ s served me pretty good. I ‘ ll peg with it if you don ‘ t mind."

"Very well."Ollivander shook his head and handed the wand back."I don ‘ t understand it but…"He spread his hands and shrugged.

Everyone else in the room kept shooting Harry odd expression for the residue of the wand weighing, everyone except Dumbledore.
*


As Harry was walking away from the weighing when he heard a voice behind him.

"Do you have a second Mr potter ?"Harry turned to see Barty Crouch."If I were you I would not underestimate Ms Skeeter."

"I don ‘ t underestimate her, she overestimates herself."

"Perhaps so."The judge nodded."But she has the electric potential to get you literal harm."

"No she doesn ‘ t."Harry interjected."Sticks and stones and all that, I ‘ ve survived uncollectible than bad press."

"I am worry about you Mr Potter."Mr Crouch moved up to stand next to Harry."There is more than one understanding we increased the age limitation on unveiling to the tourney. I fear you are too young to stick out up to the scrutiny."

"Me ? Harry boy-who-lived thrower ?"

"Ah, yes."Mr Crouch chuckled a little."Perhaps you are right on that score, but nevertheless a certain level of maturity is expected, even necessary, and I worry that perhaps you do not stimulate it."

"I ‘ ll admit my end."Harry said, vaguely insulted.

"Do you feel adequately physically and mentally prepared for the first undertaking ?"Harry thought that an odd question, but answered anyway.

"No, not entirely."

"Well I can ‘ t give you advice of course."The onetime man nodded."Just remember that no one is expecting you to win. Just by doing well you will have exceeded everyone's expectation."

"And by winning I ‘ ll exceed them even more, and win some money !"

"Just take it slow down,"Mr Crouch told him."A respectable score is improve than being injured so you can not compete."

"The solitary good scotch is winning."Harry grinned like a tiger.
*


Harry woke lazily the side by side day and ignored the auditory sensation of people going down to breakfast. This weekend had been a long tome orgasm and he was going to enjoy it.

On the way down to breakfast though he got an odd foreboding belief. His suspiciousness were confirmed when he walked into the smashing hall and all conversation ceased. Harry walked down the Gryffindor board to his friends in total silence and sat down in the hollow tail they had left for him.

"Explanation ?"Harry asked quietly, the room was still almost deathly silent.

"Um, we think Malfoy may stimulate talked to Rita Skeeter after you left."Hermione was holding a newspaper nervously, kneading the newspaper publisher with he hands."He said some matter and they printed some things…"

"Give it here."Harry reached out and grabbed the newspaper. He quickly scanned down the text…

… fellow champion Drako Malfoy says that everyone in Hogwarts knows they're just afraid to say anything."He hides it but everyone knows. I mean that ‘ s why he ‘ s so short and weedy."The hansom XVI yr old said"And it explains the hair."This reporter has seen evidence to hold these disputation and can reveal to you now the truth about Harriet Potter…

Harry burst out laughing. In the utterly silent great Granville Stanley Hall it sounded spare loud as Harry guffawed in slap-up breathy gulps.

"Harriet potter !"Harry dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"It ‘ s not rummy Harry."Hermione said.

"Yes it is ! Look, they ‘ ve even doctored a film of me."Harry pointed."I ‘ ve got tenacious haircloth and boob and everything… Actually I don ‘ t look half bad… But come on no one ‘ s gon na think this."

"You never know Harry."Ginny said from the early side."People tend to trust the Daily Prophet."

Harry had a thought and grinned. Without a word he stepped up onto the bench then up onto the Gryffindor table.

"Attention Hogwarts !"Harry yelled, he felt all eyes come to land on him."By now most of you will own read the Daily oracle, or have heard about it from someone. And unless you ‘ re deaf you ‘ ve heard how I regard these rumors. I have just two things to say, any guy who doubts me can get kicked in the face ( don't jape I know where you all sleep ). And for any girl who doubts I ‘ m male a demonstration can be arrang-"

"MR thrower !"The school giggled as McGonagall stood from her place at the high table."My situation ! Now !"

"Thank you, thank you. I ‘ ll be here all week."Harry sauntered out of the entrance hall, waving at the laughing crowd as he went. The net thing he saw before he left was the sinister looking at of murder on Malfoy's font and decided to rub salinity in the wounding."And Draco next time you try to assault me think of things that would hurt me not that would have hurt you. You care about report. Me ? I don't dedicate a bullshit what anyone thinks !"

"MR POTTER !"

"I ‘ m going I'm going."Harry grinned and walked out. The pupil laughed again, some even cheered.
*


The prophet was forced to print a recantation the next day after hundreds of mass wrote in to sound off. Unfortunately Harry didn't have clock time to savor the victory as the offset task drew closer and closer.

"I ‘ m screwed."Harry slid another book back into the subroutine library bookcase and looked along the shelf for other dragon related books."I am royally screwed."

It was the day before the first task and Harry had made an administrator determination to ignore all his deterrent example that day. His fourth dimension could be far better used and he figured his teachers wouldn ‘ t mind, or wouldn ‘ t find out till too late.

Harry sighed. Or maybe they would and he'd be thrown out of the competitor and saved the indignity of being roasted awake in front of the entire school.

He had nothing. Not one idea.

"I should just cannonball along in."Harry thought, shaking his forefront."Start cursing, worked with the basilisk."

"Yes,"Said a little snide part of his mind."But the basilisk almost killed you."

Harry took down another book only to substantiate he had already read it and slammed it back into the bookshelf in anger.

"job misfire thrower ?"Harry heard the snide drawling vocalisation and sagged tiredly.

"None Daisy Mayflower."He turned to Malfoy and crossed his arms."Shouldn ‘ t you be in deterrent example ?"

"Last course of instruction ended half an 60 minutes ago."Malfoy shot back condescendingly.

Harry felt his philia droop. He had thought he had more prison term than that, he must induce lost track. He caught sight of the book in Malfoy's hired hand and his eyes flickered to the conspicuous gap in the shelf side by side to him. He saw the Slytherin's cold gray span mates him.

"How did you detect out ?"Harry asked levelly.

"uncovering out what ?"

"About the Dragon Malfoy. Don ‘ t play games."

Malfoy smiled.

"My father noticed that the ministry was putting permit through for dragon handling equipment and flying dragon handlers and dragons."

"That is damming evidence."Harry shrugged."Got a strategy ?"

"Like I ‘ d tell you."Malfoy scoffed."A little tartar doesn ‘ t pain in the ass me."

"You almost sound like you mean that."Harry pretended to shift weight while actually bringing his scepter around to digest."Lets see… Legillimens !"

It was like hitting a synthetic rubber wall. Harry felt his mental probe rebound off an Occlumency barrier like a tennis chunk off a armoured combat vehicle and had barely a secondment to compose himself before the heel counter attack hit his mind like a pneumatic drill.

"What the netherworld ? !"Harry blanked his mind before any memories floated up. After a moment the practice receded.

"How dare you half-blood !"Malfoy spat at him."Don't even think of trying that again. You ‘ re obviously an amateur compared to me. Just like you are at everything else."

"Getting lessons from dada are we ?"Harry kept his baton trained in face of another attack.

"I ‘ ve been an Occlumens since I was eight Potter."Malfoy said through gritted tooth."Don ‘ t try to get into my creative thinker, the very sentiment disgusts me. Even after a flush it attempt I feel like bathing."

"I ‘ m shocked you know what a bath is Daisy."Harry shot back."We all thought you just-"

"SHUT UP ! Just because the Prophet printed a abjuration doesn ‘ t mean you ‘ ve won !"Malfy cracked, raising his wand."So don't antic don ‘ t make sneering remark, you are still going down. This tourney may be a joke to you but some of us care about preserving the honor of their names."Malfoy shook his head fiercely and lowered his verge a fraction.

"You won ‘ t win Potter. You might as well drop by the wayside now."Malfoy sneered at him."It ‘ s a tartar, you can't caper it or lie to it or prank it or cabbage your way past it. You can ‘ t win. Just give up thrower, while you still can."

Malfoy turned and strode away, disappearing between the shelf. But Harry had begun to grin.

"Why the hell not ?"
*


Harry mustered together every oz. of arrogance and poise he had to preserve himself walking forward towards the marquee that had been erected near the edge of the woodland. He glanced to his right and saw Malfoy coming up from another guidance, surrounded by a crowd of Slytherins. Some of them were wearing badges bearing Malfoy's smirking face.

Harry reached the collapsible shelter and swallowed unvoiced before entering.

"glad you could connect us Mr Potter."Barty Crouch greeted him with a grin. The other champions were already there. Krum was sitting stoically, staring straight forward. Fleur looked commons and had one handwriting pressed to her stomach."Nervous ?"

YES ! Of course I'm bloody uneasy ! I'm about-

"No, no sir."Harry answered out gaudy."I think I ‘ ve got it covered."He even managed it without his spokesperson quavering.

"Ah and you are here too Mr Malfoy."Crouch said as Malfoy barged in through the curtain."Then let us get started."He reached over and picked up a humble bag. Harry noticed with a gulping that it was squirming.

"The task once you enter the stadium is to retrieve a golden egg from its guardian."Crouch explained in his dry bureaucratic voice."Inside this bag are four statutes. You will each bring one from the bag, at random. The statue should tell you both what this protector is and will also have a number on it representing the edict you will go in."

And first to the gallows will be…

"Miss Delacour…"Crouch held out the bag and the French fille put her paw in tentatively. She drew it out and revealed a small blue dragon statue, currently gnawing on her quarter round."The Swedish short snout."

Fleur looked at the lilliputian thing in her hand then raised her chin in determination. But Harry saw a hint of panic in her eyes.

"Looks almost cute."Harry commented, looking at the Dragon."font looks sort of like a squirrel."

Fleur glanced again at the thing in her hand then looked at Harry in disbelief.

"Well… a bit."Harry grinned and saw a half smile in return.

"Mr Krum."Crouch hurried them along. The Bulgarian stuck his hand into the bag and drew out a tenacious red-gold tartar, dangling it by its tail."The Chinese Firebolt."

Krums construction didn't change, if anything it just became stonier.

"That's a weasel."Harry pronounced definitely ( babbling so he wouldn ‘ t hit a totality nervous breakdown )."A Squirrel and a Weasel."

"Mr Malfoy."Crouch held the bag out again and Malfoy carefully removed a sleek looking shameful dragon."A Hebridean blackness Mr Malfoy."

Malfoy seemed to be trying to hold back his face ridged and unemotional, he was taking deep breaths through his nose.

"And you Harry."Crouch held out the bag and Harry reached in quickly and grabbed the last squirming statue. He held it in his fist as he brought it out, said a silent supplication to anyone listening, then opened his hand.

"The Magyar Horntail."Mr Crouch pronounced tonelessly.

Harry closed his paw again and pumped his fist into the air.

"YES !"

The three other star were looking at him like he was crazy.

"Mr Potter,"Crouch spluttered."You do know about that type of dragon don ‘ t you ?"

"Read about ‘ em, yep."Harry nodded.

"And you ‘ re happy ?"

"Yep."

"ceramicist you ‘ re insane."Malfoy said icily.

"Yep."

"Well…"Mr Crouch seemed a piddling hot and bothered but motioned Malfoy towards the departure to the tent.

Harry watched them entrust and took a abstruse breather. He sat down cross legged on the packed earth and leant back against a collapsible shelter pole.

"You are very confident."Krum said in his heavily accented voice.

"I ‘ m not worried."Harry said as he heard his racing heart drubbing in his ears.

Harry tried to blank out the sound of the gang outside and the comments of the commentators. He tried to breath deeply so as to tranquillise his cheek. It didn't work.

"Mr Krum if you please !"Harry heard the whistle and wished Krum ripe destiny as he walked out of the tent.

More minutes of growling and puffing passed and Fleur began pacing the level worriedly.

"It ‘ ll be alright."Harry told her as the crowd quieted down and the mark were put up."You got the easy dragon."

"Easier."She replied without looking up.

"Just think of it as a giant fire-breathing squirrel."

"‘ Ow can you be so quieten !"She said to him angrily."‘ Ow can you joke about zis !"

"I joke about everything."

The whistle blew a mo later and Fleur was gone too, gone to face up the flying lizard. Harry got up and began pacing himself. He gripped his wand and began rehearsing what he would do again.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

What the underworld ? Everything could go improper !

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the whistle sound. He couldn't do this.
*


"And the live champion, HARRY potter !"The voice cried over the loudspeaker.

Professor McGonagall, like everyone else in the crowd, looked towards the collapsible shelter. A gust of twist flapped the edges of the canvas. No one came out.

"Um… Mr Potter ?"

No one came.

That poor people boy. She shook her head, this had obviously been too much for him. The crowd had begun whispering now.

"Do you wish to go down there Albus, Or shall I ?"She turned to the Headmaster, who was oddly smiling."One of us will get to chance him."

"Oh I know exactly where he is."Dumbledore chuckled.

"You see it too ?"Helen Wills Moody cackled from the row below."Damn kid ‘ s got nerve I ‘ ll give him that."

"What are you talking about Allastor ? Albus ?"Minerva looked from one to the other confused.

"Barty Crouch told me that Harry was oddly happy to have the Horntail."Dumbledore smiled."I did not quite understand that until now. The horntail is the most fearsome dragon in the world, but it ‘ s eyesight is quite poor."

agreement dawned in Minerva McGonagall's mind and she turned to scan the orbit once more. After a consequence she saw it. A small, man shaped ball, perfectly camouflaged against the grit behind it, shimmering as it edged towards the dragon.
*


Harry shifted a fuzz closer. He had silenced his animal foot to get rid of his footfall but there was still the danger of something shifting or crunching. He could hear appendage of the crew beginning to laugh now, he didn't upkeep. They'd know the the true when he snagged the egg right out from under the belly of the thing. And besides, the more stochasticity they made the better.

The Horntail suddenly shifted, raising it's nose high. Harry froze in a squat. It sniffed the air.

shucks ! Harry froze. He had hoped that by keeping the breaking wind in his side would have kept his spirit from the animal. Apparently not, that meant he would ingest to cast a magic spell, which would agitate the matter and reveal his placement. But it would get hold him anyway if he didn't. Too bad he didn't know non-verbal magic.

Harry drew his scepter and tensed his wooden leg. The Disillusionment appealingness worked best when you stayed still but it wasn ‘ t perfective tense even then. The Draco would see through it once it got a hint where to look. He would have to incite the New York minute he cast or he would be crispy-fried.

Harry took a deep breather and yelled,

"Avgo Sapios !"The cloud of gullible smoke gushed out of his wand and smacked the flying dragon on the snoot but Harry was already throwing himself sideways and rolling to a crouch on the floor.

Which was prosperous because a moment later the sand where he had been standing was reduced to a white-hot flat solid. The dragon swept its shaft of flame across the sphere, passing just feet in front of Harry's face. Harry saw the sand steam and aplomb from blue-white to red, then to a duller, glassy, finish. A cicatrice across the Din Land. Harry forced himself to breath again, shallowly.

He moved his point slowly to depend at the Draco, it was shaking its head from side to side as if to free the foul smell that had taken up residence in its nostrils.

When Harry was sure it was looking the other way he hopped over the burnt belt and crouched down on the other side. A gasp went up from the crowd, they must have seen him when he passed over the burnt patch.

"Don ‘ t get it agitated."Harry thought desperately as he inched closer."Just keep quiet."

"HEY flying lizard !"

Bugger.

Harry rolled to the face in affright as the dragon gouged another flaming scar across the Sand. He realized belatedly that the downside of choosing to come near the Dragon from downwind was that it put the Slytherin stands at his back.

"OVER Here !"

Harry ducked as a bolide flew over his capitulum. He risked a glimpse back to see it impact on a shield. The point of view seemed to quiet down a bit, perhaps realizing the idiocy of attracting the aid of an tempestuous dragon.

Harry inched forward again and had to duck as it's spiked hindquarters whipped through the air. He could see the egg now, glimmering in among some duller ones. Harry crawled silently up near the flying dragon side and looked up. The wall of the great reptilian's body gave way to the massive blending canopy of it's wing. He was right up succeeding to it now. If he screwed up it would mistreat on him.

Harry reached into the picayune gap between the floor and the shifting belly of the Horntail. His fingers curled around the golden egg. He twisted it and brought it out horizontal, making sure not to affect the firedrake. Like that game, what was it called… procedure ! Except with his aliveness on the line.

Harry held his breath as the egg finally saw the light of day and swiftly stuffed it under his T-shirt so it would be camouflaged. He slid backwards slowly then froze as the dragon stood and shifted. Harry followed it's gaze and saw a dozen custodian approaching.

"No !"Harry thought."They ‘ re not that stupid ! Please NO !"

"Stupify !"

"AAaaaa !"Harry screamed and threw himself backward as the dragon collapsed right onto the priming coat where he had been crouching. A moment later he was driven to the base as its wing crumpled on top of him. Harry crawled out from under the leathery mantle, forced himself to stand on stage that wanted to collapse like plastic straws and stumbled towards the dragon keepers.

"What the hell…"Harry growled."Was the big idea of dropping the dragon on me when I ‘ m still bloody under it !"

"Sorry Harry."The red-head at the front of them shrugged."You ‘ re kind of severely to see."

Harry looked down, he was still Disillusioned. Harry raised his aching arm and tapped himself on the heading with the tip of his wand.

"Khamaileon akyrono."He felt the warm dribbles down his head painfully slowly. They stopped before they even reached his stomach."Oh great…"Harry sagged his half-visible body.

"Let me Potter."Harry flinched as somebody tapped him from behind. He turned and looked up at the scarred face of Mad Eye Moody.

"I got it to go on in one go."Harry explained, swaying a little. He was bruised on every side and his left arm didn ‘ t want to bend properly. He turned and saw McGonagall approaching from the stands and tried to stand a little straighter.

"Potter, are you hurt ?"She said, an edge of concern tingeing her articulation. Harry raised his left arm."Excellent ! You ‘ ll get more points for being uninjured."

Harry swiftly jerked his arm back down and brushed the dirt off the presence of his gown. Mad Eye leant down and whispered into his ear,

"Arm broke ceramist ?"

"No, just hurts like hell."Harry breathed back. He eased it into his pocket, wincing slightly."Maybe fractured."

"You gon na tell them ?"

"Hades no !"
*


Harry held hard to the handrail as he walked towards the predator. He was surrounded by cheer, people kept slapping him on the backbone ( painfully )

"That was awesome Harry !"Harry heard someone yell and waved back, smiling wanly. He managed to make it to the free seat by the marauders and sat down.

"That really was awesome."Ron said from his left."I mean we couldn't even see-"

"Yes that was the point."Harry joked."Sort of the tip of invisibility."

"That was really good you know Harry."Hermione said from behind him."Much skilful than Malfoy."

"That's a given."Harry grinned."What did he do ?"

"Made some kind of mirror out of mist."Padma shrugged as if to say ‘ no big deal ’."Made the tartar fight it ‘ s own reflection."

"Did it work ?"

"Until he got close to the eggs."Padma grinned evilly."Then it caught on and flamed him. He only just got the egg. They gave him thirty points."

"Deserved two."Ron muttered angrily.

Harry shrugged, then winced as a knife thrust of pain shooting through his arm. The crowd fell dumb, Harry looked up towards the judges box. gentlewoman Maxim raised her wand, after a moment a wiggly five sprung out.

"passive aggressive revenge bitch."Harry growled.

Next Crouch nodded thoughtfully and tapped a nine into the air.

"That ‘ s more close to awesomeness."

Next the heavyset judge Harry didn't know raised his wand with a prosper and painted an eight. A moment later Dumbledore raised an identical eight.

"Better…"

Karkaroff seemed to cogitate for a moment, then drew a three in the air.

"Blatant undisguised favoritism."Harry narrowed his eyes."It ‘ s like bloody Eurovision."

"30 three."Neville said, counting on his finger."Is that in effect ?"

"It should suffer been gamey !"Ginny said angrily."You were the only champion not spite !"

"Yeah…"Harry tried not to think of what scrape he would have got if they had known about his arm.

"It must have been how hanker you took/"Hermione said reasonably."You were slower than the others."

"You beat Malfoy though !"Parvarti said cheerily ( ignoring Ron as he turned on Hermione and began arguing )."And Fleur."

"Krum ?"

"Got forty."

"bugger. I ‘ ll get him next time."Harry felt his wound and aching arm."You see if I don ‘ t !"
*


"So let me get this heterosexual Harry."dame Pomfrey sighed,"You beat the dragon…."

"Yes."

"Left the stadium."

"Yes"

"Then on the way back to Gryffindor tower…"

"Yes."

"You happened to fall down a flight of stairs."

"Yes."

"Seriously Harry ?"

"That's my story."Harry grinned."I ‘ m sticking to it."



Translations ( I think )

"Ce n'est pas juste. head devrions dire les autres concurrents !"
This is not right. We should tell the other competitors !

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."
Cheating is part of the rules. It always has been.

"Non ! Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes esprit de corps et mon école."
No ! You force me to choose between my morals and my schooltime

"Puits que tu connais principal tenant. Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."
fountainhead you know now. You will not worry about it. You must call up of the dragon.

"Tu as une stratégie ? Tu pouvais le distraire. Tu-"
You have a scheme ? You could distract it. You

"Non ! Je ferai le repos moi-même."
Not ! I will do the rest myself.

"Comme tu souhaites."
As you wish.

"Tu es un idiot et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première chance que tu obtiens."
You are an idiot and you are a pretender. You accuse Hogwarts of fraud but you cheat the very for the first time chance that you get.



The Ivan Pavlov matter is working ! More revaluation please !


I do n't own Harry Potter. Neither do you. Unless you 're J K Rowling, which is unlikely.



"Shut that bloody thing off Harry !"Ron yelled over the screaming.

"Alright, alright."Harry snapped the egg shut and the inhuman screeching ceased as it always did."Just trying to influence the affair out."

"Well can you not do it in our bedroom."Ron grumped, rolling out of bed. Harry chuckled and replaced the egg on his nightstand."Have you at least found out something ?"

"There ‘ s aught to find."Harry shook his question irritably."I've run every detection I know on it, there ‘ s no sacking or password, nothing else magical on it at all. The scream isn ‘ t cover song for something or a defense. The scream is the subject matter, I just have to decipher it somehow. Unless the whole affair's a braincrank."

"A trick ?"Neville translated, sitting up in bed."You think it really could be ?"

"Doubt it. Too elaborate."Harry shrugged."Guess I just have to do more things to it."

"Tried kicking it ?"Ron suggested.

"‘ Course, that was the commencement thing I tried."

"Maybe that ‘ s why you can ‘ t find anything now."Neville said, frowning."You broke it."

"doubt it,"Harry sighed."I have written report that inhuman screams have been heard from the sauceboat the carriage and the Slytherin keep as well. I ‘ m not the only one stumped."

"That ‘ s something."Neville said encouragingly."You ‘ ll oeuvre it out eventually."

"Maybe…"Harry wasn't so sure. He had needed a Hogwarts founder to help him solve his last puzzle. He dismissed it from his thoughts for another morning."You think the daughter are waiting for us at breakfast ?"

"Probably."Ron groaned, and stomped off towards the bathroom.
*


Eventually the three of them managed to get down to breakfast. Just in metre for the postal service run. Harry caught Digger on his wrist and was feeding him a piece of bacon when he was surprised by a letter of the alphabet falling into his lap.

"You got a alphabetic character ?"Hermione leant over curiously."Who ‘ s it from ?"

"I don ‘ t know…"Harry began but his heart narrowed as he recognized the pane green ink."But I suspect."

He tore capable the missive and read the pale lettering.

To The-Boy-Who-Thinks-He's-Won

fountainhead we'll see about that Harry. Don't think that just because I had to print a retraction you've won. Don't think that for a instant. I have been very busy digging up poop on you and your swain champion and you won't like what I've found. You will regret insulting me Harry Potter, I can bury you ! And I will, you just observe !

C. H. Best Rita Skeeter.

Harry tore the letter up and sighed.

"Rita Skeeter."He answered."She ‘ s going to cause a lot of bother for me I can tell."

"I seriously doubt that."Padma commented dryly from over the top of the Prophet.

"Why ?"

"She ‘ s dead."

"What ! ?"

Padma offered him the newspaper publisher and Harry grabbed it hurriedly. The obituary was quite with child and, befitting the char it was about, total of magnification. Once Harry had scanned it once or twice he had gleaned the actual information out of it. Apparently she had been found in her home base by her boss after not showing up for study on Mon. The Aurors had been called in, functionary drive of death…

"Heart flak ?"Harry said incredulously, Padma nodded."That ‘ s bull ! She was… I don ‘ t know… maybe thirty five year old."

"She had a very stressful job."Padma shrugged.

"Or maybe it was karma."Ron said through a taste of pledge. Hermione looked torn between being disgust at his manners and impressed that he knew what karma was.

"I think it ‘ s good riddance."Ginny cut in emphatically.

"I think it ‘ s fishy."Harry folded the paper and handed it back."God knows the cleaning woman must have made adequate enemies."

"Maybe it was one of you ‘ re fan club."Ginny joked.

"My fan club doesn ‘ t have a militant wing."Harry paused."That I know of…"

"Could be useful."

"True, my own army…"Harry grinned."I could rule the human beings !"

"Maybe,"Hermione rolled her middle."But after transfiguration."
*


Harry decided to actually figure out that lesson. It was something he did occasionally, just to cast off his teachers off the fragrance. They were still working on the tortoise to orb and about of the class could do it now. Harry's orb still had a bit of a hexagon form but it wasn't bad.

"Mr Potter."McGonagall said suddenly.

"Yes Professor ?"Harry said, confused. He hadn't done anything lately she would be matter to in."What is it ?"

"I was simply going to ask if you had acquired a partner yet. Since you are opening you will be representing the schooling. Try to muse well on us."

"better half ? Opening ? Representing ?"Harry's brow furrowed in mix-up."What are you talking about ?"

"The Yule bollock Potter."McGonagall said simply. Most of the class was watching now."As champ you will be opening."

"You mean… Dancing ?"Harry cringed.

"Yes."

"Alone ?"

"With a partner."McGonagall replied in exasperation.

"In social movement of the school day ?"Harry felt his venter swoop.

"Yes."

"I think I ‘ ll pass."

"ceramist you are the… one of the Hogwarts supporter. You must open the dance and you must have a partner."

"What ? You gon na tie me up and push me to dance ?"

"We have ways."McGonagall said, her eyes narrowing.

"I ‘ ll just turn up without a partner."Harry countered.

"In that pillow slip I will go with you Mr Potter."

"You do that…"Harry crossed his sleeve."And I will go to the chunk naked."

The classroom burst out laughing.

"As will I."

The room became deathlike silent. Harry nodded slowly.

"Touché, nicely argued."He complemented."And I ‘ ll have a partner by the end of the day."
*


Harry wandered down the to the lower flooring of Hogwarts that eve and found the kitchens corridor. Glancing around for a moment he approached the still-life.

"Stoic."Harry said, and the painting dissolved into the air. Harry stepped in and spoke the password again to fold the portal. He stepped into the Hufflepuff common room. It looked dissimilar than he remembered, probably the lack of snakes… and fire. several people started looking at him, then more, then every eye in the place turned to him as he strolled across the cellar. He did the natural matter. He ignored them.

He walked calmly over to the set of couch where the Susan Bones was sitting.

"Hey Susan."He smiled in greeting.

"Hi. Um…"She scratched her head."How did you get in here ?"

"Password."

"But how did you have it away the password."

"I know all the passwords."Harry shrugged."Slytherin's is privilege. Ravenclaw ‘ s is… complicated. The prefect privy ‘ s still pine fresh and Dumbledore ‘ s office staff is Chocoballs… for some reason."

"But… How ?"Susan asked aghast. Harry realized that well-nigh of the rough-cut room was listening.

"You were a chosen."Harry winked."Not a marauder. Don ‘ t expect me to reveal all my secrets."

The room sighed and Harry felt eyes move away from him.

"So… why are you down here ?"Susan asked."Are we under attack by ophidian again ?"

"Not that I know of."Harry glanced under the table."Nope, nothing."

"So what are you here for ?"

"What ? I can ‘ t just visit ?"Harry grinned.

"Hufflepuff or me ?"

"Currently… you."Harry grinned again."There ‘ s this dance… thing… at Christmas."

"The Christmas Ball."Susan's eyes widened.

"Yeah that."Harry shrugged."Apparently I need a collaborator on account of being some variety of hotshot type thing."

"Are you asking me ?"

"Do I need to be more obvious ?"

"Yes."

"Yes I ‘ m asking you."

"Then…"Susan swallowed nervously."…yes ?"

"Was that a question ?"Harry sniped, smiling..

"Fine. Yes I ‘ ll go with you."

"Capital. That ‘ s great."Harry grinned."But I should go now. citizenry are staring at me."

"Well you are a celebrity."

"It ‘ s a burden I have to bear."
*


In the adjacent few weeks Harry was extremely sword lily he had got it out of the way earlier. In the next few calendar week a authentic rage of chunk feverishness swept Hogwarts. young lady huddling in quoin, whispering. discourse of attire robe. selfsame tone of concern and apprehensiveness and frigidness, sick, nervousness on the case of every boy. Harry was glad to be well out of it.

Course he would be gladder if everyone else had got the memo…

"Leave me alone !"Harry slid into a mystical musical passage and bounded along the short passage."I ‘ m taken !"He could still find out pounding foot and giggling behind him. He shot out from behind a tapestry ( startling a group of student ) and cracked candid another musical passage behind a painting. He closed it behind him and leant against the wall, breathing heavily, as the following girls ran past. As the sounds faded into the distance he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You too yes ?"Harry spun around but relaxed as he saw Viktor Krum sitting crossbreed legged on the floor in the passage. He had a set of Good Book spread out in strawman of him. The Bulgarian shrugged and continued."You vill get used to it. Or you vill become quicker at running."

"And you ‘ re used to it ?"Harry grinned and sat down opposite the Durmstrum genius."Then why are you hiding in a passageway."

"It is only vay to get a consequence of peace."Krum flicked a page and go on reading material. After a moment he glanced up."You did well vith the Horntail."

"Not as unspoilt as you. Thirty three points."

"You should not have… irritated… the she-giant."A grinning flickered onto Krum's face.

"Possibly not."Harry conceded."You worked out the egg yet."

"Perhaps."Krum replied, revealing nix."Have you ?"

"Perhaps."Harry grinned."I worked out that kicking it doesn ‘ t work."

"outset affair I tried."

"Me too."Harry walked back up to the room access and listened, it sounded pretty smooth."How long you intending to stay in here."

"I don ‘ t know. Vhen is your Christmastide clod ?"Krum shook his head and sighed."I should ask soul. Pick someone that has not been asked yet. Perhaps that will make them stop foll-"

"It doesn ‘ t."Harry interrupted."Trust me."

"Oh…"Krum shook his head."Then I will give to research some better locking magic spell for my cabin."

"Try these."Harry pulled beyond allohamora out of his bag ( it sometimes helped to birth a bag in which he could carry everything he owned )."It mostly deals with unlocking but it ‘ s got some quality stuff and nonsense in there."

"Thank you."Krum nodded solemnly and looked back down at his books. Harry checked the entry once more then left carefully.

"What is it about me ?"Harry wondered idly."That lets me get on with the whiz but royally pisses off the judges ?"
*


"Damn it !"Harry dropped the egg back to the surface of the vulture table. The inky lightlessness goo he had smeared on its surface had revealed nil."Doesn ‘ t work either. It was supposed to discover mystical messages."

"That thing doesn ‘ t have a secret message."Ron groaned on the other side of the table."It has one message. And we ‘ ve all heard it lots of times, like at the sally of dawn."

"Eight is not the wisecrack of dawn."Harry sighed and rested his headspring on his hands."And I don ‘ t see you doing a lot better."

"It was working before you got here."Ron complained, prodding at the crystal ball in front of him."Maybe the egg did some thing to it !"

"Or maybe you ‘ ve got it upside down."Annapurna commented from the other side of meat of the table. Ron groaned and scrunched up his bit of parchment.

Harry would have made a snide scuttlebutt but he didn't think he had the energy. The egg was eating at him.

"Ron…"Parvati continued."You really need to do it soon."

"Do what ?"

"Ask someone."She shook her head."You really take to do it soon or she ‘ ll be… I mean all the right girls ‘ ll be taken."Annapurna amended quickly with a wink at Harry.

Ron ( forgetful ) squirmed uncomfortably.

"It ‘ s not that easy."Ron shrugged."I ‘ m not Harry, I can ‘ t just wander into someone's vernacular way and ask someone."

"But you-"Annapurna began but Harry interrupted her.

"Wait delay hold. Did I just hear a marauder express… self… doubt… ?"Harry shied away in repugnance."No no no no no ! This will not do !"

"But-"

"No buts !"Harry cut him off."You are a marauder, that means you are at least six billion times better than anyone else. You will go out and ask Herm… the girlfriend you want to go with. Right now ! Or I will call in a personal favor from Viktor Krum and have him ask her first !"

"You don't even know who I ‘ m-"

"Legillimacy."Harry lied.

"That ‘ s illegal."

"Since when have I cared ? Ask her."

"That's cruel."

"Ditto. Ask her."

"Harry-"

"She ‘ ll say yes."Harry grinned."Trust me."

"Are you sure ?"Ron looked almost convinced.

"Yes."Harry looked to Anapurna for backup and she nodded emphatically."Definitely yes."

Ron nervously folded his work unto his bag and left the usual room. Harry checked the clock on the wall.

"Five thirty so Hermione will be coming back from the library… Give ‘ em ten minutes."Harry and Annapurna shared a grin and went back to their respective work.

Ron was in fact back in lupus erythematosus than five minutes.

"She said yes !"He was blushing love apple red but grinning.

"Congratulations."Harry shrugged."surprised you found her so quick."

"She was in the neat hall. Lavender ‘ s usually down to dinner early."

"La… Lavender…"Harry froze. Across from him he say Parvarti's face turn into a grimace of shock absorber and surprise."Lavender brownness ?"

"Yes ?"Ron's brow furrowed."Are there any other Lavenders in the school day ?"

"Um… yes… in… fifth part year… Slytherin. Just making sure as shooting you weren't asking her."Harry lied quickly."You know, letting the team down and such."

"I ‘ d never ask a Slytherin."Ron laughed."That would just be stupid."Ron laughed again and headed up the stairway to the boy bedroom.

"Yeah, that would be stupid."Anapurna said acidly, sounding for a moment like her sister.

"You also thought he ‘ d ask…"

"Hermione."

"Yep. Thought it was obvious."Harry shrugged."Oh well."

"Oh well ! ?"Parvati repeated indignantly with her hands on her pelvic arch ( Harry braced for shouting )."What do you mean Oh well !"

"We were wrong."Harry said simply."It happens. It ‘ s all alright."

"It ‘ s not fine !"She shook her head."He ‘ s going with the wrong person !"

"He ‘ s going with the person he asked."Harry pointed out."That ‘ s not the right wing person ?"

"No."

"Well tough."Harry waved the problem away."goose egg to be done now."

"Unless…"Parvati grinned maliciously, or tried to anyway. It didn't really run on her."We do something about it."

"Oh no…"Harry buried is face in his hands.

"We need to lay down sure Ron and Hermione go together."

"Do we have to ?"

"Yes."

"If they find out they ‘ ll kill us."Harry pointed out."You know that right ?"

"How come when you want to do something insane you rope the residue of us in but when I want to you just sound off ?"

"Oh I didn ‘ t say I wouldn ‘ t do it."Harry grinned evilly ( doing a far unspoiled job of it )."I ‘ m just saying we have to be careful."

"Yay !"Parvati ran around the tabular array and hugged Harry."I knew you ‘ d bend !"

"Get. Off. Me !"Harry disentangled himself from his ally."Do you have a programme ?"

"Well…"Parvati tapped her chin thoughtfully."Lavender's essentially a limpet."

"Nice."

"Thank you. I figure we can carry her to let go of Ron if we dangle something else in presence of her face."

"Like what ? Or who ?"

"Michel corner I think."Parvati nodded."She ‘ s liked him for ages."

"Does he like her ?"

"He will once I ‘ m thru talking him into it."

"I like this new malicious side of you."Harry nodded approvingly."Do I have any part in this fiddling escapade or do I just sit here nodding ?"

"You need to hold open anyone from asking Hermione until Ron does."

"Gotcha !"Harry saluted."Campaign of intimidation and threats coming right up !"

"Subtly Harry ! She can ‘ t know !"

"Who do you film me for ?"

"Sorry."Parvati smiled."Oh, and you ‘ ll demand to talk to Neville too."

"Um… why ?"Harry asked, confused."Is he gon na ask Hermione ?"

"No silly. You need to convert him to ask Padma."

"I thought this was about Ron and Hermione ?"

"I ‘ m expanding the scope."Parvati shrugged."He won ‘ t need practically spurring. He already likes her."

"DOE she… ?"

"Of course."Annapurna said patronizingly."You haven't noticed ?"

"And Ginny ?"Harry said wearily."Got a plan for her too ?"

"She ‘ s too young."

"Not if we find her a date."Harry pointed out.

"No I mean too Whitney Young to date."Parvati said primly."We have to protect our little sister ‘ s sinlessness for as long as possible. She ‘ s not a function of this."

"I wish I wasn ‘ t a part of thi-"

"Harry !"
*


Operation shamelessly-manipulate-our-best-friends was at least good for one thing, it distracted Harry from the bloody egg.

It was just a few Day before the Yule ball and the architectural plan was… well it was working but that wasn't the point. It was working a minuscule too well.

Lavender had been successfully unstuck from Ron and re-adhered to Michel nook. Once Ron came out of his moping phase Harry was confident he could prod him towards the right miss. The elusive intimidation was harder but legilimacy helped to identify potential threat very effectively. Once they were picked out Harry was able to get the boy alone to excuse some ‘ home plate truths ’. Like how she was already dating a older boy she met on holiday. Big bloke, huge muscular tissue.

"This had better bloody work Parvati."Harry muttered to his co-conspirator one day on the way back from creatures."‘ Cos if he doesn't ask her no one will now. I've had to establish Hermione ‘ s imaginary boyfriend up into some form of vindictive Elvis to stop mass asking her."

"What ‘ s the former history ?"Parvati asked, interested.

"He ‘ s from Espana. The Academia Atsingani."Harry shrugged."He ‘ s an amateurish sorcerer bullfighter. own his own sword and shotgun."

"Wizard bullfighter ? With a shotgun ?"

"It doesn ‘ t have to be probable it just has to be scary."

"well he ‘ s going to deliver to schmoose his girlfriend back."Parvarti said knowingly."Because Ron will ask her. Believe me."

"Bet ?"

"Galleon."

"Done."Harry sighed."At least this way I can make something back out of this mess."

"It ‘ ll all body of work out."Parvati grinned."reliance me."

"Don ‘ t say that."Harry shook his head."I know I say it… but don ‘ t."

"You can ‘ t complain…"But Anapurna trailed off as they all began hearing a sound in the distance."What ‘ s that ?"

Harry perked his ears up. A few yard in straw man of them the repose of the marauders stopped too. It sounded like a solid slug of people yelling and moving, but behind that there was a low grumble and…

"Singing ?"Harry said incredulously.

"More like chanting."Annapurna disagreed.

"It sounds like chorale singing."Hermione said from in front of them.

"It ‘ s coming from out front."Harry hurried forward."Lets go !"

As one they rushed forward. As they neared the doors former students began to conjoin them, teachers too. As they ran out onto the grass in front of the schooltime Harry realized that the completely school was already out there, yelling and pointing. Harry saw Dumbledore gazing up into the sky, a look of curiosity on his face. The other school head teacher flanked him, just as awed.

In the sky above Hogwarts floated a miracle of tweed marble. Columns, delicate as glass, flew up from a shining base and met a halcyon stage above. Delicate traces of mirror-like silver snaked and shimmered over the surface, sending out shaft of light of rainbows as it turned in the sun. The hale matter looked like some gigantic vitreous silica, floating on flannel mist and breathing out beautiful music as it sank abject and downhearted and finally settled to the ground on the supergrass just inside the school gates.

Harry started forward but was brought up short as Dumbledore held up an arm. The school watched in rapt muteness as a procession emerged from the floating castle. White-robed womanhood walked side by side, carrying flaring witching torches. They split apart a lilliputian as they left it as if to make a path for someone in the heart. As they grew finisher Harry saw that there was a physique in the middle, belittled than the early robed figures but wearing a jacket of Arthur Stanley Jefferson Laurel leaves.

Harry yelled in felicity and dashed out from the bunch, ignoring Dumbledore's cries of protestation, and rushed towards the figure. Laughing, he ducked past the line of reasoning of startled womanhood and enveloped the middle one into a giant hug.

"Why didn ‘ t you tell me you were coming ?"Harry laughed, releasing her and looking up into her pale, aeriform face.

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you."Pythea said with a warm smile."It ‘ s good to see you Harry."
*


"Mr ceramicist !"Harry heard someone yell from behind him. He spun around and saw expression ranging from jounce, confusion and anger. to the highest degree of the Beauxbatons students were down on one knee and the I from Durmstrang had their principal bowed in esteem. His fellow Hogwarts students seemed more aghast than anything else, Dumbledore had his paw to his oral cavity with his oculus all-encompassing in shock. McGonnagall was almost vibrating in anger.

turn further he saw something even more redoubtable. Across the intact edge of the forest the Centaurus had gathered, the entire ruck. Every one of them was down on their knees with their hands clasped over their hearts.

Harry turned back around to face up the school, no-one had moved.

"Why are they staring ?"Harry whispered at Pythea."And why are centaurs kowtowing to you ?"

"Harry,"Pythea smiled."They are staring because people do not usually hug the Delphic oracle or address her with familiarity."

"And the Centaurus ?"

"They regard me as a demigod."

"Oh…"Harry gulped."…and I thought I was famous."

"You are celebrated Harry."The seer said, a strange banker's bill in her voice."But I am something else."She moved forward and Harry was forced to stick with. They stopped in front of Dumbledore, Harry almost laughed when he saw that the schoolmaster still had his script to his mouth.

"Professor Dumbledore."Pythea greeted the old man."It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is mine."Dumbledore seemed to recover himself and stoop down to osculate the oracle's hand."I see you have… already met one of our shoal champions."

"Harry and I met years ago and we have had correspondence since."Pythea looked up and around at the towering castle in front end of her."Hogwarts is as beautiful as I have heard it described."

"Thank you,"Dumbledore waved towards the great vaulted door of Hogwarts and a itinerary opened in the student organic structure."As soon as your palace appeared in the sky I had the household elves set up a entourage of guest rooms for you and your handmaidens."

"Thank you."Pythea reached out and linked arms with a startled Harry."Harry can present me up to the guest quarters."

"Mr Potter does not eff the passwords."

"schoolmaster,"Pythea shook her head, smiling."You obviously don ‘ t know Harry as well as I do."

Harry covered his mouth with his hand to hide giggles as he walked the prophet of Delphi between the wrangle of students and up to the threshold of Hogwarts.

Harry tried not to listen to the whispering happening all around him, he could contend with that in the morning.

"How long are you staying ?"Harry asked Pythea as he led her towards the invitee quarters.

"Till after the second base task."She answered."But I fear a lot of that will be taken up with occasion down in Greater London. No visit by someone like the myself can be entirely for leisure. You could say the tourney provides an excuse for political sympathies. Many res publica example were invited by your government, when I heard you were competing I decided to assume them up on it."

"Didn ‘ t you already know I would be competing ?"Harry teased."And whether I ‘ ll win ?"

"You put too a lot faith in oracles."

"I have no organized religion in oracles. I have a keen deal of organized religion in you."

"That is sweet of you Harry."Pythea said in surprisal."And surprisingly open."

"Well get used to it."Harry checked behind him, the handmaidens were following a expert length behind. Harry continued in a rustle."You saved my life, from something had no right to hold out. Even more, if I got the subject matter straight, you risked your situation at the synagogue too. And the only way I could thank you was through vaguely worded letters."

"I got the message Harry."Pythea smiled down at him.

"Good, but I ‘ ll say it again in person."Harry slowed as they approached the Edgar Albert Guest extension."Thank you for saving my life Thea."

"You are most welcome."The vaticinator came to a stop outside the door."And I would do it again."

"I hope it won't be necessary."Harry turned to the room access."Bellevue."

The door creaked open to let on an elegant sitting way with many doors leading off it. Every bit of furniture sparkled with shine and a vase of brisk bloom sat on the centre of the minuscule table.

"The elves don ‘ t skimp do they ?"Harry chuckled. He pointed to the suite along the back wall."Bedrooms are along there. All of them en-suite of course."

"You ‘ ve been here before ?"Pythea chuckled."Were you meant to be ?"Harry grinned and ignored her.

"If you need anything call the house elves. Alternatively if you need anything the vulture can provide call me. Now, for the most important thing…"Harry straightened up and put on a unplayful air."Do you want us to try and distract professor Trelawny or simply drug her for the continuance of your visit."
*


Harry looked at himself in the mirror and sighed, it was no good. It wasn't that he thought he looked right or didn't. It was more that he didn't really have a concept of what he was supposed to look like. Everyone else seemed to take up the wearing apparel robe and everything as a requisite botheration. Harry on the other hand had almost no opinion on them having never heard of them before reading his letter this year. Were they supposed to be this tight ? Or flare out at the bottom like that ? And what about his hair ? Harry had always just let his haircloth do its own matter, cutting it back only when it began impairing his vision but now everyone else seemed to let acquired some level of personal training acquisition that he had somehow skipped.

He gave it up as a lost case, allowing it to come as it wanted to. He shrugged, what did it issue ? He'd got a date so the hard part was done.

Except for the dancing.

"Yes, except for the dancing."Harry though and grimaced."Thank you very much for reminding me Mr Evil-half-of-my-brain."

No problem.

"I don't see why I ‘ m even doing this."Ron muttered beside him."I don ‘ t have a date."

"breakthrough one."Harry answered distractedly. ( other the great unwashed had draw, was he meant to have a tie ? )"It ‘ s not too late."

"Harry, the dance is in…"Ron checked his lookout."… less than an hour."

"So you ‘ d improve get to it then."Harry said flippantly, then asked."Am I meant to have a tie ?"

"Harry, your wearing apparel robe don't have a collar."

"You need a arrest to fag a tie ?"

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry shrugged and left the bathroom. In the common room the early marauders were already waiting, Padma and Neville standing a little way off. Neville looked unquiet, but then Neville always looked skittish. Harry waved Parvati to one slope,

"On the subtraction English we ruined our booster Night and made them miserable."Harry growled angrily."On the addition incline you owe me a galleon."

"Still time Harry."Parvati smiled chirpily."Trust me."

"Don ‘ t say that. Stop saying that. I promise never to say it again if you stop saying it now."

"Shut up and look."Parvati hissed.

Harry looked where she was pointing. Hermione was sitting on one of the lounge meter reading, she hadn't even changed into dress robes which Harry assumed was a bad sign.

"I ‘ m looking but…"

"Look again."

Harry followed her gaze again and saw that Ron had emerged from the bathroom. He then followed Ron's to the couch were Hermione was sitting. Harry's jaw dropped. He watched as Ron hesitantly walked up to remain firm in front of Hermione. Her head came up and she said something, across the crowded common room Harry couldn't hear but it looked like ‘ what ? ’. Ron scratched his head teacher and mumbled something. Hermione put her paw up to her ear. Ron leant down and spoke into her ear, his face bright red. Then, to Harry's heart-attack-inducing surprisal, Hermione blushed as red as the boy standing in front of her.

"No way…"Harry chuckled as Hermione flipped her book closed and hurried towards the young lady student residence. He looked back towards Parvati, who was wearing an expression of total smugness.

"I ‘ ll take that galleon off you any metre Harry."

"You are the pouf of the manipulative harpy-vultures you know that ?"Harry said, flipping a galleon at his friend.

"From you Harry I take that as a complement."Annapurna snagged the coin and moved to play along Hermione. Harry saw that Padma and Ginny had both already gone up after her.

"Probably pulling off some sort of live minute Cinderella miracle."Harry shrugged and moved over to where Ron and Neville were standing.

"Harry, did you see that ! I-"

"I saw Ron,"Harry rolled his eye and checked his scout."It only took you four bloody years."

"Hey !"Ron looked peevish and Harry laughed.

"Listen, they ‘ ll prob ‘ ly be a while."Harry jerked a thumb back at the girls room."And I need to afford the dance. I ‘ ll meet up with you later Ok ?"

Ron nodded and Neville chirruped.

"Ok."The lilliputian nervous boy then nodded towards their red-headed friend and whispered."And I ‘ ll try to proceed him from screwing things up."

"You ‘ re a marauder Neville…"Harry shook his header."You ‘ re not god."
*


Harry took a deep breathing spell and walked down the steps into the entranceway hall. There were a few former Hogwarts boys already waiting down there, huddled in neural groups waiting for their escort. Harry waved to a few of them and settled down to await, leant against pillar.

"What is that your wearing Potter ?"

Harry rolled his eyes then realized that the effect was ruined by having them closed. He opened them to see Malfoy standing in figurehead of him wearing jet black robes and with Pansy Parkinson on his arm.

"Just for one night Malfoy…"Harry sighed."…leave off. Just try to be almost human being for once."

"Fine."The Slytherin's eye's narrowed."I ‘ ll stay away from you if you extend me the same courtesy."

"I ‘ ll be out of your tomentum as soon as Susan gets here."Harry glanced at the steps down to the kitchen but no one was coming.

"Susan clappers ?"Malfoy queried, he almost sounded actually curious.

"Yes, why."

"Just happy to see you ‘ ve asked a decent pure profligate girl."Malfoy drew himself up."Just because your rake is tainted doesn ‘ t mean the potter line has to go entirely to the dogs."

"Ok, three things…"Harry held up three fingers."One : fucking you !"

"Potter-"

"Two,"Harry interrupted him."I asked her to a ball. That does not intend I intend to extend any business with her in the cheeseparing future. If nothing else we ‘ re bloody fourteen ! There are Pentateuch against that sort of thing."

"I ‘ ll give you that one."

"And three : …"Harry grinned."I didn ‘ t ask her because she ‘ s pure blood."

"Why did you ask her ?"Malfoy sniped acidly."Her other assets ?"

"I reserve the right field to not imply myself."Harry cracked."By the way, does your date speak or does she just hang there like seaweed ?"Harry grinned at the outraged expression on Malfoy's face.

"well this has been lovely."Harry continued as he kicked himself off his tower."We really should do this again."He brushed past the raging pair and walked up to the number that had appeared up the stairs.

"Hi Susan."Harry greeted his date, biting his lip. She was wearing something blue and flowing, robe or dress or something he couldn't really put a public figure on just now. His heart traveled down then back up again swiftly."You look amazing."

"Thank you Harry."Susan reached out and took his proffered manus."You look hansom as well. Your clothes gown are really… unusual."

Harry caught the implication and looked down. His robes was deep red cloth that came out over his legs like unconstipated robe but were buttoned in mingy around his torso by two astray rows of release. It's recollective sleeve hugged his sleeve tightly but opened out right at the cuff to disclose the lighter lining. Plus, as Ron had noted, it ended at his neck with just a check stub of a collar.

"I bought them in Switzerland."Harry shrugged."mustiness be a dissimilar style than here in Britain. Oh well…"

"No it ‘ s nice."Susan said reassuringly."I saw some of the Beauxbatton boys wearing gown like that."

Harry shrugged, rob weren't of any specific fear to him. The shop class he had bought them in had had century of robes in huge ranks. He had chosen these for two grounds. One, they didn't have all the lace and trimmings and extravagant embroidery that nigh of the others had had and two ( and Harry cringed to admit this to himself ) they had looked like they would be slowly to fight or run in if anything happened.

"Ready to open the dance."Harry asked, knowing that he himself wasn't.

"I think I ‘ ll do ok. My mother gave me lessons once."

"Lucky."Harry smiled ruefully. A moment later McGonagall appeared, as if from nowhere.

"Well get to it."She snapped quickly."The other friend are already lining up to enter the hall."

Here we go. Harry gulped as they got into position.

"Nervous ceramist ?"

"Just don ‘ t stumble over your seaweed and gloam on me Malfoy."Harry's automatonlike wittiness circuits responded for him while the rest of his psyche shivered with nervousness.

"And… go."McGonagall's phonation rang out and the doorway to the great foyer opened slowly, revealing an winter wonderland decorated with sparkling nose candy and ice carving. Harry just hoped it wouldn ‘ t make the storey slippery. He took Susan's hand and stepped forward purposely.

The hall was full of couples but a blank was clear in the center. A very large space, that everyone was staring at.

"Oh great."Harry sighed as the music started up.

Harry let his creative thinker gallery back to the ten minutes of very jolty dance lesson that Annapurna had given him yesterday. After he had broken down and begged.

"One two three one two three…"Harry counted off the beats in his headspring and tried not to pace on his partners shoes. He found that so long as he kept to a very restrictive and insistent function it actually wasn't too bad."One two three…"

"This is so romantic."Susan murmured."Like a fairytale."

"Yes it is, one two three."darn ! I can't talk of the town and count at the same sentence. Why didn't I ask a mute seaweed girl ?

"Do you think we could get them to have a ball every year ?"

"Probably one two not three."

"They might if enough of us asked them too."

"I don ‘ t one two think so. one two thr… darn !"Harry almost fouled up his footwork and let himself breath. He stopped counting, hopefully by now his substructure could sour out the rhythm method on their own."If they did the scholar would never come abode for Christmas and then their parents would complain."

"I guess."Susan leant in and rested her head on Harry's articulatio humeri. Harry chuckled as he was reminded again of their relative meridian."I guess I ‘ ll just have to enjoy this one."

"Enjoying it so far ?"Harry drew her in closer.

"Yes."Susan smiled cheekily."You ?"

"Yes."Harry answered, and found that he meant it. The dancing wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought it would be. The music stopped and Harry realized that he had survived the lonesome dance that was required of him that evening. He glanced back at the blond Hufflepuff in front of him and grinned."Stay in for the succeeding one ?"
*


Six saltation later and Harry felt like he was almost getting prosperous with it when he felt a tap on his berm. He looked around to see one of the Durmstrum scholarly person that he didn't know.

"May I cut in ?"The boy said, with very little accent. Harry coup d'oeil at Susan, who nodded. She seemed to recognize the guy somehow. Harry stepped aside and the two of them moved off, Susan giving him a minuscule undulation as they went.

Harry walked off the dance floor, snagged a glass of something off a tray and moved to somewhere where he could see the total floor. It was time to crack up on things. Harry chuckled and sipped the whatever-it-was as his center scanned the hall.

He found Parvati first, who seemed to be choosing which of a several boy who were all clustered around her to lead out over the dance level next. She caught his eye, smiled and subtly pointed to her right.

Harry followed her gaze and found Ron and Hermione sitting by one of the huge tables full-of-the-moon of solid food. Ron at least seemed to be talking between binge of eating and he'd spotted them out on the dance floor earlier so that was probably all right. Hermione looked felicitous at any rate.

He couldn't find Neville and Padma anywhere but Ginny seemed to be happily talking with some Ravenclaw or other. Harry shrugged and took another sip of what he suspected was champagne charmed to be non-alcoholic. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Except that he now didn't have a dancing pardner. He searched around for a fellow face and found one before walking over.

"missy Delacour."He held his hand out to the seated Beauxbattons whiz."Would you care to embarrass me by dancing ten times better than I ever could ?"

The French girl smiled and took his hand.

"But of courze."She stood and he led her out onto the terpsichore floor.

Harry settled into the rhythm of the new vocal and got used to dancing with mortal taller than him. Since he was at least a infantry shortsighted than her that put his heart right about level with her-

"So…"Harry interrupted his own mental monologue."Enjoying the dance so far ? Not been bothered by too many pushy students ?"

"I know how to cover with zem."Fleur replied haughtily, but Harry detected a trace of humor in her response."The only problem was our buster champion."

"I ‘ m guessing we ‘ re not talking about Viktor."Harry said and she shook her head."By the way we can talk in French if you want."

"My English iz better than your Gallic I think."Fleur replied pointedly.

"Probably."Harry shrugged."Would you like me to try and hold open Malfoy away from you for the respite of the ball ?"

"Non, I can deal with him."Fleur laughed, the movement was very matter to for Harry in his current position and he tried to stop the flush spreading to his cheeks.

The call ended and Harry stepped back. Fleur curtsied politely and Harry bowed as he'd seen the French people male child doing after they finished their dances. He caught Fleur looking over his shoulder and followed her gaze to see a pair of seventh eld moving off the dance floor.

"Iz he taken ?"Fleur asked with a smile.

"Not anymore."Harry winked and turned to ask the son partner for a dance.

She turned out to be giggly and talkative so Harry let her babble on for the duration of the dance before moving off gratefully and sitting on one of the terrace by the food. He nabbed a span of the remaining tidbits and lay back relaxed. He had been on his feet since the showtime of the clump and it felt good just to contain a few consequence to himself.

"So…"

Knew it was too dear to be true.

"… you are Quaker with the Pythea ?"

Harry glanced to his leftfield and saw Igor Karkaroff sitting following to him, an intent expression on his face.

"We know each other."Harry said warily giving nothing away.

"Of form a man of your standing probably knows many people in high places."

"Standing."Harry didn't make it a dubiousness but the Headmaster answered anyway.

"As the boy-who-lived."

"Oh that."Harry nodded."Yes that's me."

"I think that we perhaps got off on the faulty foot."Karkaroff said in a simpering manner.

"Do you now."Harry tried to find an exit from the conversation but couldn't think of one.

"I would care for you to consider of me as a friend."

"Stop two'ing me then."

"I could… give you high marks."Karkaroff said slyly.

"Oh ! No no !"Harry said quickly, realizing what his light-minded remark could have been interpreted as."Just stop being unfairly harsh."

"Of course."Once again the simpering smell."And perhaps we could… do something… together."

Harry sighed.

"Perhaps during the schoolhouse Holliday you could visit Dumstrum."

"This holiday I ‘ m going to… Kenya."Harry said a rural area at random.

"I could do by you to a whiz concert at one of the rarified mansion house in Europe."

"Can't, allergic reaction. All the dust and stuff."

"Or… we could…"Karkaroff seemed to be casting around for another bodily process."Take the Durmstrum ship and go sportfishing, as friends."

"Are you trying to ask me out ?"Harry said tersely, tired of the conversation."I ‘ m flattered but you ‘ re too old for me."

"I just want you to experience well-heeled asking me for favors."Karkaroff said expansively."That is what friends do… aid each early. Introduce each other to other friends…"

Harry groaned inwardly.

"That form of thing."Karkaroff finished with a fake grinning."Whatever you need. What 's mine is yours."

I'd rather ding my optic out with a rusty-

"Thank you."Harry nodded."I ‘ ll think about it. But for now I ‘ ve just remembered I promised individual a dance."

Harry stood quickly and whistled softly. A moment later a radiate fig drifted up through the floor.

"You remembered !"myrtle cried happily.

"Of course I did."Harry reached out and took her icy helping hand."Didn ‘ t think I ‘ d forget about you did you."

Harry led the spectre out onto the dancing floor, away from the startled Headmaster.
*


Harry gave Ginny up to a Beauxbatons scholar and sat back down on a bench. Now he had danced with all the female person marauders. Annapurna had spent most of the time crowing that all her anticipation had come true, Padma was very crisp about where she had disappeared to with Neville, Hermione seemed exasperated with Ron and Harry couldn't work out whether it was pattern contention or an actual problem, Ginny was just light-headed and sparkly. Of all of them Vinca minor had actually danced the best, at some point in her pre-ghost lifespan she had obviously practiced for more than ten minutes. Harry made a mental note to ask for lesson if there ever was another dance.

Harry glanced up at the clock and realized that there couldn't be too many more dances left. He needed to save up the stopping point one for Susan but there were a few to go before that.

Harry glanced around and realized that there was one person he hadn't seen on the dance floor yet. His middle found her sitting over by one of the ice sculpture, her own pure-white robe making her flavor almost like voice of the decoration.

"Hi Thea."Harry greeted and sat down succeeding to her."haven't seen you on the dance level much."

"Dumbledore was polite enough to trip the light fantastic with me a few times."The prophet said, smiling."Everyone else seems to be intimidated."

"You should have got said."Harry frowned, then grinned cheekily and winked."I ‘ d have set ‘ em straight."

"It ‘ s quite alright."Pythea laughed."I get invited to a quite a few balls."

"Well there ‘ s time for a few more dances."Harry held his hand out."Come on."

"Thank you Harry."Pythea took his deal and they walked out into the dance floor.

They swayed to the music for a patch, Harry finding his rhythm.

"Are you still wearing it ?"Pythea asked suddenly.

"The necklace ?"Harry smiled and drew the chain out from the front man of his robes."Always."

"Good."Pythea grew unplayful for a moment."Always keep it on. You will need it."

"Soon ?"Harry looked into the Oracle's mismatched eyes."Do you see me needing it soon ?"

"I see nothing."Pythea said enigmatically and broke his gaze before tucking the little shell back into his dress robe."But yes, I don ‘ t think it will be too much longer before you need it."

"You ‘ re still not gon na differentiate me what it does ?"

"No."

"Brat."

Pythea smiled and they danced another song without speech production. A distrust began to grow in Harry's mind.

"Pythea ?"Harry said, suspiciously."You said you get invites to mass of lump ?"

"Yes ?"

"Do you respond any of them ?"

"W… why ?"A short quaver entered the oracle's voice.

"You ‘ re counting."Harry grinned.

"I am ?"Her eye's opened wide.

"One two three one two three."Harry nodded."Under your breath, I doubt anyone else noticed."

"Dumbledore ?"

"Oh no he probably noticed."Harry nodded."You ‘ ve never been to a ballock before either have you ?"

"I have… had trip the light fantastic lesson at the temple."Pythea said, a little defensively. A minute later she sagged, dejectedly."I haven ‘ t been the Pythea very long."

"How long ?"

"The class you visited was my first."Pythea whispered into his ear."I wasn ‘ t allowed to attend effect until my training was finished so as to avoid embarrassment. It wouldn ‘ t do to micturate mistakes."

"overplus ? reckoning is embarrassing ?"

"Harry didn ‘ t you see how everyone acted when I got here ?"Pythea spoke quietly into his ear."I have been trained since before I can remember to be the aeonian Pythea. Since the day I was taken from my parents. I am supposed to be the unchanging similitude of the first Oracle, thousands of yr ago. Anything other than perfection is embarrassing."

"Wow, well it ‘ s ok."Harry winked."I won ‘ t say anything and I ‘ m surely Dumbledore won ‘ t. He ‘ s too polite."

"Thank you Harry."Pythea seemed to be surprisingly relieved."If they found out about a sideslip like that they wouldn't let me out again for a long time."

"Let you out ?"Harry shuddered. The floating temple of the oracle with its vines, senior high school above the ground below suddenly took on more sinister connotation in his creative thinker. Harry hesitated, then decided to verbalise what was on his mind."Are you… lonely there ?"

"Sometimes."Pythea said it matter-of-factly, like it was an inevitable fact of life.

"I could claver this summer."Harry offered.

"That… that would be lovely."Pythea said sadly."But I do not conceive Dumbledore would approve."

"He ain ‘ t the boss of me."Harry grinned.

"No, he is not."Pythea sighed."But I think by this summer you may be busy."She reached out and pressed her handwriting against the plate chandelier under Harry's robes, then stepped aside, smiling sadly.

Harry was confused for a moment then realized that it was the last dance, she was stepping aside so he could line up Susan. Harry waved a thank-you to her then scanned the entrance hall to find his date.

"Over here Harry !"

Harry hurried over to the splash of blue angel he could see among the other gown and took Susan's handwriting just as the music started.

"Whew."Harry smiled."Just in time."

"We sort of lost track of each other in the eye there didn ‘ t we ?"Susan said as they began to make a motion to the slow rhythm of the last dance.

"We started the dance together and we ‘ re ending it together."Harry shrugged."The bit in the middle got a bit hazy but I still had fun."

"So did I."Susan moved closer and Harry hesitantly put his weapon around her waist."But I wish we had spent more time together."

"I ‘ ll have to wee-wee it up to you sometime."Harry looked into his dates middle."Like next Hogsmeade weekend ?"

"You ‘ re still not official allowed to go to Hogsmeade."

"By now they ‘ ve probably stopped trying to stop me."Harry quipped.

"Then I ‘ d love to go with you."

"Great."Harry grinned.

"My parents are coming to see the second task."Susan said suddenly."They ‘ d love life to meet you."

Second project ? … I still need to work out the bloody egg.

Harry groaned inwardly. Something always had to ruin it.
*


Harry led Susan back to the Hufflepuff common room and strolled back up through the darkened castling. When he reached the Gryffindor vulgar way almost everyone had already retired. The lonesome one still in the elbow room was Neville, nodding off in a chair by the fire.

"Nev ?"Harry poked him awaken."Why are you still up ?"

"Oh Harry…"Neville rubbed his eyes."Just waiting for you to get here. Someone had to stay to tell you."

"Tell me what ?"Harry's eye's narrowed.

"Um…"

"Where ‘ s your engagement ?"

"Up with Hermione. All the young woman are."Neville said dejectedly.

"They are ? Why…"Suddenly Harry worked it out and groaned."What did Ron do ?"

"He um… looked at Fleur."Neville said evasively."Like, not at her boldness. And for a long metre too, about five arcminute when Hermione was right there."

"What did Hermione say ?"Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"She wasn ‘ t happy."Neville shook his head."But it was what Ron said that really ticked her off."

"What did Ron say ?"Harry could just experience the shipment caravan approaching.

"Something along the lines of…"Neville's eyebrow creased as he tried to remember."‘ What do you gestate ? They're right there and they're huge.'”

Harry covered his case with his hands and sank into an armchair.

"You ‘ re kidding me ?"

"No."

"That really sucks."

"He could have said a lot of unsound things."Neville pointed out.

"Like what ?"Harry challenged.

"Like ‘ They're better than yours which are small and underdeveloped.'or ‘ Shut up you're blocking my view.'”

"Ok ok !"Harry laughed, covering his backtalk to choke the giggles."The trouble is I can actually see Ron saying that."

"Well…"Neville spread his hands,"We tried."

"We did."Harry nodded."It ‘ s up to Ron now. How ‘ d your evening go ?"

"Kind of got ruined by all this."Neville shrugged sadly.

"Where did you disappear to early on ?"Harry asked slyly.

"We… we went to the rose garden. But we didn ‘ t do anything."Neville quickly added."We kind of decided to detain just Friend for now."

"Guess its just as well."Harry sighed."I ‘ m already trying to beguile too many ships."

"Keeps the audience guessing."
*


The standard pressure around the marauders in the hebdomad after the ball could best be described as ‘ icy ’. Harry tried to better the frozenness between the two camps. Well, two camps was an hyperbole. There was the young woman, there was Ron and there was Harry and Neville trying to remain out of hatful by the sidelines.

The two boy dealt with the berth in the most mature way they could think of. They hid in the depository library. Any time they actually had to be present, like lessons or repast, they tried to keep open tranquillity on the edges so as not to be tarred with the same brushwood as Ron. Harry tried to hit conversation at breakfast though, in spurts.

"What lesson do we have got first ?"

"It ‘ s Saturday."Parvati said flatly.

"Ah, right."Harry said lamely.

Hermione snorted and flicked open the day by day seer. Harry looked over at Ron who was sulking over his bowl of cereal. Harry mouthed the work ‘ apologize'at him but he pretended not to notice. Harry mouthed it again, followed by the watchword ‘ or else ’. Ron just hunched lower. Harry sighed and turned back.

"Anything in the news ?"Harry asked desperately."Any more unusual dying ?"

"No, just a regular one."Hermione shrugged."An old witch in Dorset named ma'am Ellen Hayward."

"Suspicious ?"Harry asked, interested.

"She was over a hundred and l years old Harry."Hermione answered dismissively."Even witches and wizards die eventually. It ‘ s sad but it ‘ s not suspicious."

Not if you don't feeling too closely.

Harry sat bolt erect. Had he really heard that or had he imagined it ?

You heard it.

Harry looked around surreptitiously, trying to guess where the voice could be coming from. It sounded familiar… Harry's eye's led him up to the high table and along to where Pythea sat, watching him quietly over a scale full moon of cut fruit.

Good dawn Harry.

"Good morning Thea."Harry thought and saw her smile."How was Jack London ?"

London was marvelous Harry. The political leader that inhabit it however are akin to venomous sea slugs. Slippery and spiky at the same time.

"You didn ‘ t have fun then ?"Harry projected sarcastically.

I prefer Hogwarts.

"pyrotechnic over the Thames River though,"Harry thought back."For new-years, that ‘ s always dear. I saw a few of them when I lived in London."

Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten. Pythea smiled wryly. One day of light and beauty and four hebdomad of conferences.

"Such is life."

Stop trying to be sagely Harry. With me that's a competition you won't win. I'm surprised you took in the display though, weren't you busy trying to go ?

"Are you kidding ?"Harry laughed in his mind."Everyone looking at the sky, no one watching their pockets, it's shadow and noisy… you see where I ‘ m going with this."

I should bear known. Pythea chuckled But we've got distracted from the full point. She pointed at the composition in battlefront of her and looked down at the necrology. Interesting isn ‘ t it…

"Is there something I ‘ m missing ?"Harry pulled a transcript over towards himself and scanned the text.

There didn ‘ t seem to be anything there. Harry looked back at the front end page but had no connective, it was just some malicious gossip involving the minister of magic and some accusation of defalcation. Harry flicked to the second page. The Chudley cannon had lost another plot ( fantastic week for Ron ). There didn ‘ t seem to be anything else interesting. Harry shook his head.

"I don ‘ t see it. Did someone stand to inherit or something ?"

Possibly, but that was not what I was referring to. Pythea smiled mysteriously.

"rich person you… you know… seen something ?"

You don't have to be an prophesier to see what I'm talking about. Pythea closed the report and looked around the hall. The paper is only half the story.

"The early half is… ?"

Guess.

"Brat."Harry muttered and his question was filled with dumb laughter.

I'll give you a clue. Christian Bible are nothing until someone reads them.

Harry thought for a long moment, then smiled.

"multitude ‘ s reactions."Harry thought hesitantly, and was rewarded with a nod. Harry cast around the hall."Who ‘ s reading ?"He scanned the hall and found Dumbledore, bent over the report. It looked like it was receptive to the rectify page.

"Dumbledore ? Is he reading it ?"

Yes. But is that strange ?

"Well…"Harry tried to put it together in his head."They were about the same age, maybe they even went to schooling together. It ‘ s not surprising he ‘ s taking an interest."

Good, who else ?

Harry scanned further and alighted on an unlikely candidate.

"Malfoy ?"The blond Slytherin was just staring at the open Page in front man of him, his face ashen and unreadable. Harry could even see his bureau rising and falling rapidly from across the room. As Harry watched the champion he grabbed the composition off the table and walked quickly out of the hall.

"Ok, I admit,"Harry thought, nodding."That was matter to. But what does it stand for ?"

It's a teaser Harry. You like puzzler don't you ?

"I have too many of them right now but usually yes."Harry shrugged."But I don ‘ t know what to establish of this."

That's because you do not stimulate all the objet d'art. Pythea projected cryptically. You will consume to try and discover them.

Harry felt the presence go out his mind.

"Harry ?"

"W… whut ?"Harry shook his nous, confused.

"Harry are you OK ?"Parvati was saying, the Marauders were all staring at him."You ‘ ve been staring into place for like five minutes."

"And muttering to yourself."Ginny added."You looked kind of weird."

Harry stood up suddenly.

"I need to go to Dorset."

"You… What ? !"

"But first off I need to blab to your brothers."Harry set off down the table quickly, a determined look on his face.

Behind him the Marauders looked on aghast. Padma voiced what they were all thinking,

"Is it me or is he getting uncanny ?"





Yes, I know the chapter 's a small fluffy. It had to be, you ca n't really drop a line a Christmas ball that 's not.

reassessment anyway. Pretty please !


A small persona of this is rather obviously lifted directly out of chalice of Fire.



Harry slid out of the lake and dried himself off. He set the plastic bag he had drawn across the water on the ground and ripped it unfold. He lifted his leather bag out and set it back on his shoulders before setting off at a jog towards Hogsmeade.

As he neared the village he flicked it open and pulled a magical masquerade party out that made him look wizened and old. He also threw a tattered Negroid cloak over his Hogwarts robes and walked into the grunter Head. He didn't look at the business, already smelling of firewhisky at ten in the morning, and stepped up to the bar.

"I need to use the flue."Harry said. He didn't fuss to hide his voice, the mixologist was undoubtedly used to stranger than him and even if not he probably wouldn ‘ t care. The barman grunted and pointed towards a oily sign.

flue pipe for client only

"I ‘ ll have a butterbeer then."Harry took the offer feeding bottle and pledge it in one swallow before walking over to the fireplace and spinning himself to the talebearing cauldron.

Harry rushed into Diagon alley, feeling very exposed even in his disguise. He reached the steps of Gringots and stepped inside it's columned entrance. He emerged a few second later with a small bag of muggle money. He wasn't worried about the hobgoblin ratting him out, confidentiality was a given with them.

Harry had one lastly errand to run in Diagon before he left. He reached into his bag and popped the first of the twin gifts into his mouth. Instantly he felt his throat constrict and grow scratchy, he coughed deeply and the great unwashed in the street turned to look at him. It got a trivial better after a few bit but it still felt raw.

He tried to talk and his part came out old and leathery. Perfect. Hurt like hell but perfective for concealing his voice.

He walked into the druggist, taking fear to defecate his footfall a minuscule waver and weak.

"hullo my good man."Scratchy and filthy like a womb-to-tomb smoker."Do you have any fox urine ?"

"Fox… piss ?"The man behind the counterpunch looked at him like he was mad.

"Yes, I need it for a potion."

"No potion I know of utilise fox urine."

"How ‘ bout skirt chaser pee ?"Harry asked, stepping up to the return."Do you have wolf urine ?"

"No."The storekeeper was just staring at him now."No we don ‘ t have wolf pee. Now can you-"

"Weasel ?"

"No now…"The tradesman paused for a present moment."We do birth weasel musk…"

"Yes that ‘ ll be perfect."Harry smiled through his leathery mask. The tradesman hesitated."You have some kind of trouble ?"

"I don't have a problem."The shopkeeper rolled his eye and stepped into the room behind his desk."How very much do you need."

"About a gallon."

"A GALLON ! …"There was the speech sound of angry murmur and sloshing from the stowage. A few minutes later the man stepped back behind the desk with a large drinking glass bottle full moon of icteric liquidity. The cork was sealed on with red wax."Do you have intercourse how many weasels you have to milk to get this much ?"

"How much ?"Harry ignored the question and drew out his wallet. The shopkeeper told him and Harry paid happily.

"Have fun."The market keeper said dryly."Whatever you ‘ re provision to do…"

Harry dropped the feeding bottle into his bottomless bag and stepped out of the shop. He changed out of his robes in the cauldron's toilet and skid quickly out into muggle London.

He stepped quickly along the route at once both familiar and deeply alien. It was as if he had had two lives, the one he had lived on these streets and the of magic and wonder at Hogwarts. Now it was like the two were colliding and he felt confused, felt like a little kid again but at the Same fourth dimension he could feel how far he'd come. His inherent aptitude didn't know how to react and he found himself searching for places to hide out or run while at the same time fingering his sceptre hidden in his sleeve.

He was gladiola when he finally set foot in Waterloo station and could buy a ticket to Bournemouth. The train was a dreamlike experience, sitting close to the windowpane and flying past the man he was no longer function of.

It took more than two time of day to get there, sizeable prison term to spin his intellection round and circle in his head. He tried to work out exactly how stupefied he was being. ‘ Very ’, he decided. Very, very stupid. He didn't know what would materialise to him if it was discovered that he had snuck out of Hogwarts. Hogsmeade was one matter but this… And if he was discovered once he got there ? At the ken of a recent death ?

Very, very, very stupid.

Harry shut his eyes and focused on the one thing telling him he was doing the mightily thing.

"Pythea sent me here."Harry nodded and bit his lip as he repeated the mantra over and over in his head."And if the vaticinator of Delphi Tell you to do something… then it ‘ s not stupid to do it."

Harry really wished the discussion didn't sound so hollow.

He left the string and got on a bus. He left the bus in the middle of a champaign of scouring and chalky ground. The sea was just out of peck but he could hear the wave crashing against the rocks, ominous and threatening.

The bus driver had looked at him weird when he'd asked to be let out in the middle of nowhere. Harry knew better, it was only the heart of nowhere to muggles. Harry shucked his bag up gamey on his berm and walked towards the sound of the waves, towards the courtly lily-white manor house near the border of the cliffs.

It was blindingly obvious where the edge of the Montgomery Ward were. soul had laid pot and flush right up to an unseeable agate line on the terra firma, chaparral gave way to garden like it was cut with a razor. Harry wondered why there wasn't a rampart around the holding. Either the woman who lived there trusted the wards implicitly or she liked the view too much to parry it away.

And the purview was spectacular. The cliffs arching away to either face and the sea stretching into the aloofness. It was an telling prospect, enough to yarn-dye anyone. Anyone early than a aquaphobe. Harry shuddered and tried to keep the sea out of view.

He pulled the monumental feeding bottle of musk out of his bag. It took him a min to bring the show-stopper out. He went up as close to the hospital ward as he dared and started dribbling the foul smelling stuff onto the ground. He poured it in as close to a semicircle as he could make out, the early end of the ark also touching the Barbara Ward, boxing him in.

Harry corked the bottle again and pushed it back into his bag. Now came the risky role. He pulled out the second of the twins gift to him, a little chocolate bon-bon. He hesitated, cringing for a consequence as he realized he still had musk on his finger's breadth, then popped it in his mouth.

Instantly he felt his abdomen grip, a moment later white fur counterpane over his manus and arms. He just had time to palpate his auricle begin to shoot up his head before his brain went blank.
*


The cony twitched it's nose and looked around. It felt like something was wrong, something was different, but it couldn't employment out what.

nous you it was a rabbit so it couldn't try very hard.

It raised its head word and sniffed the air. There was a strange odor… Weasel ! It could reek a weasel ! Was it nearby ? The bunny took a couple of dim hops, no the olfactory property was stronger here. It dashed the other way, getting desperate. Stronger here too !

The bunny broke into a run in the other steering, shooting across the primer coat into a flowerbed. It dashed under the vines of a pumpkin vine industrial plant and sat there shivering. It would just hold off here, wait here until-
*


"Well,"Harry stood, brushed a pumpkin leaf out of his hair and stir the dirt from his gown."That worked like a charm."

Harry shook his head to illuminate the last of the bunny-ness from it and checked to make trusted he didn't still have a tail.

"Any-ward, any-where, any-time."Harry chuckled and set off towards the house.

The backwards doorway was unlocked and Harry slid in, deliberate not to tint anything too much. He didn't know whether necromancer knew how to check DNA or fingermark but he wasn't taking any chances. Harry looked around at the large kitchen he had walked into, an US Army of house elves probably worked there just a few daylight ago. Now it was silent.

Harry pushed open air another threshold and, after a short corridor, found himself in a high-ceilinged dining way. It held refined chandeliers and a hanker mahogany table, it had silver candle holder and opulent red-velvet curtains. It also held no reading of ever having been used any time this century.

This had been the family of one old woman living alone Harry remembered. She probably didn't eat in the grand dining room, didn ‘ t use nearly of these rooms probably. He was proved right when a few doors down he found a smaller subject field. This room showed planetary house of use, the Word of God on the table by the window ever had a bookmark in it, near the end. She hadn't had a chance to stop it.

Another pocket-sized table was obviously in use as a bench. A small flipbook lay open, as Harry moved closer he saw it was filled with entreat flowers.

Harry suddenly felt a lump physique above his affectionateness. He had realized what he was really doing here. Invading the house of a dead charwoman. He considered turning around right there but shook his head, steeling himself against what he was doing. Pythea had sent him here, that meant he was supposed to be here.

Harry left the study and checked the only other room access he hadn't tried. It opened onto a elevated entrance antechamber with white marble roofing tile and chromatography column holding up the balcony on the initiative level. The staircase came down the middle, spreading out near the bottom.

Unfortunately the dramatic consequence of the room was ruined by the with child transport boxful that were stacked in a stilt by one side of the stares.

Whatever predator had stood to inherit obviously hadn't wasted any time.

Harry was about the check the room across the residence hall when he heard something. He went still and tried to pinpoint it, it was coming from upstairs. Harry tiptoed up to the landing, it was echoing along the corridor, a kind of sniffling noise.

One of the threshold near the end was ajar. Harry crept towards it as the noise got louder. It sounded like someone sobbing. Harry tried to peer through the crack in the doorway but saw nada. He pushed the threshold just lightly with his foundation and something came into his field of view. Harry was so offend he didn't even notice as the door swung open.

The room looked like a version way, or a indorse field maybe, bookshelves covered every wall but one. The solid back rampart was a monumental window looking out, offering a massive panorama over the garden behind the menage, the wild scrubbing beyond that and the sea stretching to infinity beyond that. There was a armchair set right in the centre, where someone could depend out over the sea. The limb of it were clearly worn, someone had spent a long unslaked lime sitting in that chair. But that wasn't what had shocked Harry.

There was a boy sitting there in the middle of the room, collapsed on the storey on his knee. Under his thick blackamoor robes his thorax was racked with sobs. He had his script over his face and his digit curled into his white-blond hair.

Malfoy.

Harry just stood there, it was as if his body had been frozen. He must have made some motion because a minute later Malfoy's head jerked up and Harry's commons eye met the watery grey ones staring up at him.

There was a moment when no one moved, then Malfoy's face flickered from grief to disbelief, disbelief to discombobulation and mix-up to rage.

"Stupefy !"

Harry threw himself back into the corridor as the spell shot past his shoulder. Harry drew his verge and shooting a bludgeoning hex at Malfoy but found to coming back at him a second later. Harry was forced back down the corridor as the enraged Slytherin threw hex after hex at him.

"Confringo !"Harry stab at a marble flop by Malfoy's head and the blast caused him to duck and stumble.

"Ferio !"The magical spell hit Malfoy in the side and sent him to the floor

"Petrificus To-"

"Expelliarmus !"

Harry felt his wand jerked out of his hand. He tried to catch it but it slipped through his finger's breadth and landed in Malfoy's out-of-doors decoration. A moment later a glowing expletive hit him in the grimace like a ball of needles and threw him to the floor.

As Harry shivered in nuisance and tried to throw off off the feeling that his face was being grated a shadow passed over him.

"Now Potter."Malfoy grated."We ‘ re going to have a long talk about why you ‘ re here and what I ‘ m going to do to you."

"I doubt it."Harry snarled and kicked Malfoy's feet out from under him. Some spell pin-wheeled over Harry's head word and he ducked to the story. He leapt at Malfoy and grabbed both his arms to stop him casting more spells. Malfoy was writhing and spitting to try and get him off. Harry oral sex butted him in the Kuki and he yelled out in pain.

Somehow Malfoy managed to get a hand free and stabbed his finger into Harry's pharynx. Harry grabbed Malfoy's pilus and jerked him away. Harry shot back and managed to incur his understructure, he saw Malfoy boost and bring his wand to bear. Harry reacted on instinct and launched himself, shoulder first, into the Slytherins's stomach. They both flew backwards and Harry heard a gaudy crash of splintering wood. The two son dropped like stones, far further than they should have.

It was only then that Harry remembered they had been fighting on the on a higher floor landing.

"Oh great,"Harry thought in that second as he brought up his hands to cover his head."This is going to anguish far too much."

The marble storey rose to satisfy him. Harry felt the encroachment in every bone and muscle, like some shockwave had shot through him and broken everything. He winced and tried to labour himself up. The instant his left-hand paw hit the floor a guesswork of pain ran through him and he gingerly pulled it back.

Broken wrist. Wonderful.

Harry stood on wobbly legs and looked over at where Malfoy had fallen. The slimy pure blood was whimpering into the floor so he was probably alive. Harry walked over and snatched both their wands from where they ‘ d rolled. Malfoy was bleeding from somewhere. Harry knelt by him and pushed him over to get a better look.

"Oh stop crying you big baby."Harry said disgustedly."You ‘ ve only got a give out nose."

"It hurts."

"That ‘ s why they call them broken."Harry shrugged and stood."What the Hades are you doing here anywhere ?"

"I could ask you the same."Malfoy shot back, looking very silly. He was trying to pull of majestic haughtiness with origin dripping from his nose.

"Yes you could. You wouldn ‘ t get an answer though because I hold all the cards."Harry grinned."Oh, did I say cards ? I meant verge !"Harry lowered his towards the boy on the floor."Tell me why you ‘ re here ! Why did you pussyfoot out of Hogwarts to come here ?"

"I have to a greater extent right on to be here than you do."Malfoy pulled himself up to a sitting position and wiped the blood off his case with a arm."Why shouldn't I visit Ellen ‘ s house ?"

"You know she ‘ s dead ?"

"Yes ceramist that ‘ s painfully obvious."Malfoy sneered."I ‘ m here because she ‘ s an old family champion. What ‘ s your excuse ?"

"Following a tip."Harry's header snapped back as a loud Vanessa Stephen rang out across the hall.

"That ‘ s the wards."Malfoy said, surprised.

Harry ran to the battlefront door and peered out from between the pall. He saw a blink of an eye of blacken robe and jerked back, his groundwork skidding on the floor.

"Aurors !"There wasn't time to leave the dorm, Harry dove behind a pile of loge just as the tike grip began to turn. He felt Malfoy swoop in beside him. The two boys waited in deathly secrecy as the door creaked open.

"preindication of a struggle sir."Harry heard a girls vox say."Broken balustrade, stock on the floor."

"More than a childlike looting song then."A late voice, heavy.

"Perhaps they fought with the householder ?"A 2nd male person voice, younger, suggested.

"Didn ‘ t you read the bank note ?"Girly said irritably."The homeowner ‘ s abruptly. That ‘ s the whole rationality we ‘ re here."

"Trainee Nymphadora is correct."Deep agreed."There shouldn ‘ t be any magic at this premise, let alone minor magic."

Harry groaned silently. Of grade. The ministry could find underage magic, and he and Malfoy had been throwing trance around like they were back at Hogwarts.

"We are idiots,"Harry persuasion. He turned and his heart met Malfoy's, he could say the former boy was thinking the same thing.

"So maybe the looters fought each other."The male trainee was saying."Arguing over spoils ?"

"Possible."Deep sounded as if he was just tolerating this tyke."We can not know at present."

"Should I take a blood sample ?"

Malfoy's heart germinate wide open.

"No, we search the house first. They could still be here. Jandred you stay here and take a shit sure they do not try to leave by the social movement door. Nymphadora, with me."

Harry heard footsteps move away to the door towards the dining way. His judgment was already churning possibilities. If they took the lineage, they would find it was Malfoy's and hitch him. At which point Malfoy would turn Harry over in a heartbeat.

Harry drew his sceptre and disillusioned himself as quietly as potential. He heard Malfoy hiss something behind him but ignored him. Harry peered out from behind a box and saw that the man, Jandred, was looking the other way. Harry slid out from behind the box and moved closer as silently as he was able.

Should have silenced my feet.

Harry cursed himself for forgetting but kept tiptoeing closer. When he was within a few time of the patch of blood on the storey he whispered,

"Scourgify !"The blood disappeared and Harry shot behind a mainstay just as the trainee auror turned around.

Harry forced himself to breath shallowly and quietly. A long instant went past but the man didn't seem to notice that the blood was gone. Harry looked over and saw that Malfoy had made his way to a side door and was beckoning to him from behind it.

Harry waited until the auror turned back and then slunk towards the blond Slytherin. He went sideways to get through the door.

"Where are we going ?"Harry mouthed but Malfoy ignored him and walked quietly along the corridor. At the other end he pushed on a section of wall and Harry was amazed to see it swing inwards. A secret threshold !

Harry followed quickly behind and closed the door behind him.

"Where are we ?"

"Servant's passing Potter."Malfoy seemed to be able to make believe even a whispering a sneer."All true old pure blood houses have them so the handmaiden can move around without getting underfoot."

"Thought you used house imp ?"Harry said disparagingly as they made their way through the dust-covered corridor.

"There was a time when it was seen as a Mark of true wealth to be able to yield wizards slaves as well."Malfoy ducked under a massive cobweb."Alas those times have passed."

"Oh for the commodity old days."Harry said sarcastically.

Malfoy came to a stop near a trapdoor in the level and levered the door open with his foot.

"We can get out here, the musical passage goes all the way outside the wards. It ‘ s how I got in."

"Why are you doing this ?"Harry asked quizzically."Why are you helping me ?"

"Why did you clean up the blood ?"

"Are you kidding ? If they ‘ d have caught you you'd helping hand me over in a mome-"Harry paused."That ‘ s why you ‘ re doing this isn ‘ t it ?"

"speckle on Potter. Get in the damn tunnel."
*


The two male child emerged like moles in a area miles away from the house, blinking and shielding their eye from the sunlight. Harry could see the firm far in the distance, a White blot against the sky.

"That was a unplayful tunnel."Harry tried to get his bearings and piece of work out how to get back to the wagon train place."Town ‘ s that way."

"Give me my verge back."Malfoy said to Harry's back. Harry hesitated, then tossed it over his shoulder.

Harry began trudging through the grass and a moment later Malfoy fell into step beside him.

"Why were you really there ?"Harry asked suddenly.

"I told you potter she was a family friend."Malfoy said curtly.

"If she was a family line friend your founding father could receive taken you out of school."Harry pointed out."Instead you sneak out on your own."

"I wanted to know the entirely story."Malfoy said angrily.

"What do you mean the unanimous story ?"

"You don ‘ t… ? You don ‘ t know."Malfoy shook his mind then began again as if explaining something to a youngster."The Daily prophesier works hard not to injure the wizarding families you understand."

"Yeah."

"You remember what it said Ellen Hayward died of ?"

"She…"Harry tried to cast her creative thinker back."It said she must take mixed one of her medicative potions faulty. Used too much-"

"Exactly !"Malfoy cut in."That's what they say on the open. They don't want to appall us but they still need to scatter the news so they have these niggling codes."

"Codes in the newspaper publisher ?"

"Yes Potter,"Malfoy gestured with his men as he explained."If they say someone say… died in his nap then that means he was smothered by a family member."

"Nice."Harry cringed back.

"Don ‘ t be so squeamish."Malfoy scoffed."trance misfired mean value they were experimenting with glowering magic, unexpected illness usually means they caught something from a scarlet woman."

"You ‘ re 14 Malfoy, say prostitute."

"And a error mixing potions is codification for suicide."Malfoy lapsed into silence.

"So…"Harry said carefully.

"So Ellen was the least likely person in the existence to reckon suicide !"Malfoy snapped."She had more life story in her than women half her age ! She used to pop around to our house all the time, or we would go to hers. She was an active extremity of virgin blood line society, and in good health. She would not wipe out herself !"

They walked in secretiveness for a trivial ways as Harry digested all off that.

"You suspect murder then."Harry said quietly.

"I just think it ‘ s suspicious."Malfoy said angrily.

There was Sir Thomas More silence. They reached the tarmacadam road and fell into step along it easily.

"Did you hear about Rita Skeeter ?"Harry said after a while."That was mistrustful too."

Malfoy said null, but he bit his lip and seemed to be thinking. As they reached the edge of township Malfoy stopped suddenly.

"I ‘ m going this way."He pointed up a disused looking alleyway."This is my way home."

"You wouldn ‘ t consider giving me a lift would you ?"Harry said jokily.

"Don't be an imbecile Potter."Malfoy turned and walked down the alley.

"Figures."Harry shrugged, shifted his bag higher up on his shoulder and headed into town.

As he was walking through a shopping street on his way back to the train station he heard an odd noise. A sort of low moaning without word. It was also companion. His spike pricked up as he tried to nail it. It was coming from a trivial shop, one of those nature shops that sold incense, wicker wall-hangings, wooden carving and useless junk like that. Harry moved into it and tried to clean out the noise, it was coming from a mag tape player on a stand.

Harry's fingers moved to the little boss on the top. How did these things workplace again ? Dudley had had one… Harry twisted one knob to no effect, he tried another marked pitch and the sound got grim. Ah ! Harry twisted it all the way the other way and jerked the bulk knob to full.

A in high spirits pitched warbling screech filled the shop, causing Harry to both cringe in bother and yell in victory. It sounded almost exactly like the golden egg.

"Hey !"The shopkeeper yelled at him and rushed over to reset the auto."What the hell do you think you ‘ re doing kid ?"

"Sorry,"Harry shrugged apologetically."What was that ?"

"It was whale song before you screwed with it."The man said angrily.

"Whale song…"Harry smiled and nodded."Thank you."He turned and walked out of the shop.

*

It was sullen and bitingly cold by the time Harry hauled himself out of the lake and squelched into Hogwarts. Swimming across the lake at night with a broken wrist had possibly been the most terrifying experience of Harry's life sentence and he was glad when he managed to progress to the fat lady's portrait.

"Oh you poor dear."She said."You look like a you've been through the wars."

"flavour worse from in here."Harry smiled up at her and she opened without him saying anything else.

Harry barely had the Department of Energy to drop his clothes on the story and crawl into bed before sleep took him.

He the cony again, running through the Grant Wood away from something. The apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree were in full blossom and the air was full of ping flower petal. A twisted counterpoint to the fear coursing through his diminutive body. Something caught him, grabbed him by the ears. He kicked and scratched as voiceless as he could but it was no good, the massive iniquity condition holding him just laughed. Harry screamed as it plunged it's farsighted digit into his forehead.

"Harry !"

Harry jerked awake and looked around, Ron and Neville were standing over him worriedly.

"Bad dream."Harry muttered and slid out of bed."The one where I'm naked in the middle of the great hallway again. Time to get up anyway."

"How was Dorset Harry ?"Neville said quietly.

"Cold. Going to the beach in January ‘ s a really stupid idea."Harry grinned and walked towards the showers.

Harry visited the infirmary wing quickly to fix his wrist ("step again Harry ?"“ Sure, we can go with that.") and wandered down towards the not bad foyer in salutary booze. He had a good clue on the egg, he hadn't been caught and he'd gained a valuable clue. All in all it was a good…

Bugger.

Harry froze as he reached the entrance of the expectant hall before forcing himself to stay and take a seat. Up on the high table, sitting next to Dumbledore, was a tall total darkness man in auror's robes.
*


"commodity morning students."Dumdledore stood as soon as everyone had gathered in the great hall."Before we eat this forenoon, auror Shacklebolt from the ministry has something to say."

Everyone in the residence hall was looking at the marvellous auror as he stood. Everyone except the marauders who were all looking at Harry.

"What the pit did you do ?"Hermione hissed in his ear and Harry shushed her into silence.

"commodity morning."The auror said, he seemed to think this was all the creation necessary because he proceeded to launch right in."Yesterday there was an incident at the house of a recently deceased crone near Bournemouth."

"That ‘ s in Devon."Hermione hissed.

"Is it ? Is it really ?"Harry hissed back."The geography lesson is fascinating now kindly shut up !"

"We were alerted to it by underage magic."The auror continued."But whoever it was is also hangdog of breaking and entering, illegally breaching wards, belongings impairment, vandalism and theft."

Theft ?

"Judging by the trouble of the go detected the suspect must be at least of Hogwarts age."The auror's non-white eyes swept over the pupil."And since there are currently no school age mavin in U.K. who chose not to attend Hogwarts the culprit is someone in this room."

Harry glanced over at Malfoy and met the former boy's eyes. They were both thinking the Sami thing, ‘ If one of us goes down, we both go down. ’.

"There was blood left at the scene, but whoever it was cleaned up after themselves."Harry breathed a suspiration of relief in his mind."But thankfully we were able to observe some strands of hair."

The auror held up a small, clear envelope. Harry adjusted his methamphetamine hydrochloride but couldn't see anything in there before the auror put it back in the air pocket of his robes.

"A simple cirrus ab clavis patch will determine who it belongs to."Shacklebolt continued."So in a moment some of you will be escorted to the hospital wing where you will be tested."

"Only some of us ?"soul called out.

"Yes, the hair's-breadth is blond."Shacklebolt stood and began walking out of the hall.

Harry gulped, the fact that the pilus wasn't his really didn't supporter him much. Malfoy would still rat him out.

"Harry what ‘ s going on ?"

"Not now Hermione."Harry stood and walked calmly towards the end of the tabular array, plenty of other people were getting up to go the talk so he hoped it wasn't too suspicious. The instructor had begun wrangling the blond students into chemical group. Harry deliberately didn't expression over at the Slytherin mesa, he already knew what he'd see.

As soon as he was out of plenty of the residence hall he broke into a sprint, shooting along the corridor and sliding sideways behind a tapestry before throwing himself up a secret staircase. He had to strain the hospital fender before the auror did, or he was dead meat. He dashed out of the stairwell and down a disused transit, ducking under cobwebs.

A mo later he was out and walking normally. He had to ease up the auror no causal agent for suspicion, and this guy seemed pretty on the bollock. He saw him flex into the corridor and Harry steeled himself, he would only get one fortune at this. He moved out into the midsection of the corridor and brushed close to the man as he walked past.

Harry's finger slipped into the auror's pocket. Dip-grasp-out-hide !

Harry slipped the gasbag into his robes and kept walking. For a terrifying moment he thought the auror had noticed, that he was going to turn and scream for Harry to stop. But null came and Harry walked on.

He began breathing when he got a corridor away. That had been easier than he thought, he was really losing respect for these ministry case. Not enough watchfulness, Moody would be disappointed. Harry wandered back to the great dorm and looked in. The Marauders were already gone, probably trying to seem for him, but the blond-squads were still there being organized by year and house.

"Harry !"Harry saw Susan waving to him and wandered over."What ‘ s all this about ?"

"You ‘ re guesswork is as good as mine."Harry shrugged.

"Harry don ‘ t get hold of me for an idiot."Susan crossed her arms."This involves you."

"Why would you think that ?"

"Because everything involves you !"

"Too right,"Harry grinned."But since I ‘ m not blond…"

"It was dye, or a enchantment, or you were involved in some other way."Susan moved closer and looked into his eyes."Is it going to be ok for you ? They ‘ re not going to arrest you are they ?"

"Relax, it ‘ s all in effect. I ‘ ve got it under control."Harry whispered. Susan smiled and hugged him.

"ceramist !"Harry sighed and turned around. Malfoy was standing right behind him."A Scripture please ?"

"Relax Malfoy, I took maintenance of it."Harry said, after checking that no-one was listening."You owe me."

With that Harry turned, waved auf wiedersehen to Susan and walked out of the Hall.
*


Harry saw Malfoy again about an time of day later. Harry was heading back from he library when his fellow sensation appeared out of nowhere and beckoned him into an hollow schoolroom. Harry obliged before closing the door and casting silencing appeal around.

"Where is it ?"Malfoy asked bluntly.

"Where ‘ s what ?"

"The evidence."Malfoy said angrily."I know you took it ! Is this your plan ? keep on it for blackmail ?"

"No, but that ‘ s a good plan."Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully."Maybe I will do that…"

"Potter you are the most-"

"Relax."Harry cut him off."I ‘ m not going to blackmail you, just ask you one question."

"What ?"

"What did you take from the Hayward house ?"Malfoy went idle still. Harry continued,"Because I know I didn ‘ t take anything but the aurors seem to think something ‘ s missing."

Malfoy was just staring at him.

"See, if you were telling the truth and you were investigating the suspicious expiry of a family friend then what I just did was a good thing."Harry held out his custody like correspondence scales."On the other handwriting if you ‘ re an opportunistic, lying, hyena who was stealing from her then what I did was a bit more morally equivocal. In that typeface I ‘ d have to fall in the hair back to the aurors and see your SOB arse go down."Harry snapped out the accusation viciously, Malfoy even jerked back a pace. It was a instant before Malfoy responded.

"I took…"The Slytherin swallowed hard."It was an heirloom of her family. A doughnut, antediluvian. If it had been boxed up with everything else to go to her cousin he would have sold it. It deserved better than that."

"It did, or she did ?"Harry asked, Malfoy hesitated then…

"Both."

Harry nodded faintly, good enough. He reached into his robe and drew out the envelope.

"You still owe me."He tossed it to Malfoy and headed for the door.
*


It would take been skillful if that was the end of it. It wasn't.

"So Potter…"

Harry slowed to a stop outside the Fat Lady's portrait and turned around to see the unreadably scarred face of Mad Eye Moody.

"Oh great,"Harry grumbled."Is this chapter gon na be entirely dialogue ? ‘ Cos my throat ‘ s getting tired."

"I was just talking to my old admirer Kingsley Shacklebolt."Moody stumped up towards Harry and looked down at him."Seems some grounds just disappeared from his pocket."

"Did he curb his other air pocket ?"Harry suggested."That always happens to me."

"Cut the garbage Potter."Moody sighed."I already know you did it I just want to know whether you had a good reason."

"Protecting myself and a valuable informant."Harry said levelly."And because there are more significant offence going on rightfulness now than breaking and entering."

"Like ?"

"Ellen Hayward."

"I assume it was suicide, reported at an accident."Moody said, though he didn't strait convinced.

"My informant is convinced otherwise."

"Guess I could make some inquires."Moody said thoughtfully."See whether there ‘ s anything to this."

"Thank you."Harry nodded and turned towards the common room.
*


"Harry !"Still not over.

"Bloody hell."Harry groaned and headed over to the predator table and slouched down onto a costless chair."I suppose you want an explanation."

"Too right we do !"Ron said angrily.

"We ‘ ve been worried Harry."Neville leant forward and spoke quietly, but Padma interrupted him.

"We ‘ ve also been angry."She said through clenched tooth."What the inferno ‘ s going on with you ?"

"I was investigating the murder, Ellen Hayward."Harry checked to see if anyone was listening then continued."Someone said it was suspicious so I went to see into it."

"We guessed that much."Ginny said impatiently.

"wellspring get this…"Harry angle forward and quickly related what had happened in the manor business firm. At the end the marauders seemed stunned.

"Why did you do all this Harry ?"Parvarti asked."Why did you go there in the inaugural place ?"

"Um… because murder is bad ? Because I was bored ? Because I hadn ‘ t spent nearly enough time as a gnawing mammal this week ? Because I felt like it ?"Harry looked into their shocked faces and decided to put them out of their miserableness."Pythea told me it was important."

"When ?"Hermione asked in disbelief."You didn ‘ t talk to her or anyone else, you just stood up and told us you were going to Dorset !"

"prophet don ‘ t have to speak directly to you my anti-spiritual disciple."Harry tapped his temple."They have other ways."

"So effectively what you ‘ re telling us,"Padma crossed her arms."Is that you broke out of Hogwarts, invaded a execution scenery and stole evidence because the voices in your head told you too."

"Well if you put it like that you can make anything sound crazy."Harry shrugged and smiled cheekily.

"Harry you ‘ ve gone too far."

"You're just being antsy, I know you believe me really."

"Why ?"

"You called it a slaying scene."Harry pointed out."means you believe me that something else is going on."

Padma opened her back talk to retort but shut it angrily and glared at him.

"Thought so,"Harry grinned."But I do have some other tidings. We have another job to do this evening."

"Is it also a felony ?"Padma said sarcastically.

"I love you too."Harry winked."But sadly no. I think I ‘ ve finally worked out the bloody egg. We ‘ re going to the prefects toilet. Bring swimsuits."

*


On the way there Neville pulled Harry to one slope and asked him softly,

"Harry, don ‘ t you think you were a bit rough on everyone ? I mean worse than normal."

"Yes Nev I do."Harry nodded and winked.

"You did it on intent ?"

"Yep."

"Why ?"

"Well I don ‘ t know if you ‘ ve noticed Nev,"Harry grinned like a ogre."But they ‘ ve completely forgotten about Ron."
*


Harry slid into the water gingerly and pulled the egg in after him. The early marauders were already waiting amongst the bubbles. He motioned them down and they all slipped underwater. Harry swallowed his repulsion and twisted his head just enough to put one ear under water supply then opened the egg.

‘ Come seek us where our part sound
We can not babble above the background
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely misfire,
An hour long you'll have to look,
But past an hour - the expectation's smutty
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back..'

Harry pulled his head back up the same second the early vulture emerged. Several of them were spluttering or blushing from the water. Harry was the only if one who was ashen grey.

"fountainhead that ‘ s easy."Hermione said excitedly."You just have to go somewhere and get something back in under an hour."

"Probably in the lake."Padma chimed it."It ‘ d make sense if it was underwater ‘ we can not sing above the solid ground ‘ and all."

"We just call for some charm or something to let him breath-"

"Harry,"Neville interrupted Hermione, earning a facial expression of excitation."Are you ok ?"

The piranha turned to Harry, who still hadn't moved. He was shaking despite the quick water.

"Harry…"Ginny reached out to touch his shoulder and he flinched away from her hand.

"Guys…"Harry spoke slowly and weakly, like his throat didn't want to move."You remember the boggart in third twelvemonth ?"

"Yes it… Oh !"Hermione clasped both work force over her back talk in cushion."Yours was weewee ! Your afraid of water. But we knew that didn't we ? You can get through it, you ‘ ve been in the lake before ? You ‘ ve swum over it-"

"That's dissimilar, when my head ‘ s above water system I can cope. Just."Harry shun his eyes and bowed his header, he felt wretched to be admitting this."But as soon as it closes over my head I lose it. My thinker just goes blank, I can't think, can ‘ t control myself. I start trying to breath in the water, starting signal choking. I don ‘ t even have the sense to try and swim back up to the surface."Harry felt like branding iron free weight had been hooked to the sides of his nub but he kept going.

"I can fight a tartar again, or werewolves, Voldemort. But I can ‘ t swim."Harry shook his heading, trying to hold back teardrops."I can ‘ t swim."

The elbow room was dumb, the conciliate sloshing of the water against the bath, and the seven stripling, sounded unnaturally loud.

"Ah,"Padma said dryly."That could pose a problem."

"Could you um…"Ron flapped his hands vaguely."Wear something over your point ? Like a bucket or something ?"

The early marauder shared a smell and Ron fell silent.

"Ok…"Hermione rubbed her hands together nervously."That ‘ s ok. We can deal out with this. We ‘ ll get you unspoiled, maybe get you used to it slowly. absorption therapy. We ‘ ve got almost three weeks before the second project, we can get you ready."

"Yeah !"Ron brightened up."See, like this !"He jumped forward and pushed Harry's brain underwater.

Harry screamed and felt piss hurry into his airway. A moment later he was dragged out of the body of water and he collapsed against the edge of the bathtub, coughing up the foamy, multicolor, bathwater.

"What… the hell…"Harry gasped out."Is wrong with you !"

"S…Sorry."Ron mumbled."Thought it would help."

"Let ‘ s go back to the tower."Parvati suggested suddenly. Even she was finding it hard to be upbeat right now."Maybe we can fare up with something in the morning."

Harry nodded, it took too much energy to do anything else.
*


Harry had chain of mountains around his ankle joint, an anchorperson on the former end. Pulling him deeper and rich down into the lake. He tried to scream but nothing came out. It was getting darker and darker… bootleg. Harry kept screaming but the black-market weewee filled his oral fissure like a gag. It was everywhere.

Harry woke up sudation and palpitation and stumbled out of bed. He felt, and smelled, like he had run a endurance contest. He reached the bathroom and shed his sodden pajamas quickly before spinning the tap for a shower. The spray fell into the little tile cubical but Harry didn't enter, instead he stood outside it shaking.

He hesitantly put a hired man forward but as soon as the spray splashed it he jerked back. His ticker was racing. He turned the shower off and grabbed his sceptre, he ran a cleaning magic spell all over his body before changing into his robes and scurrying out of the bathroom.
*


"Harry are you OK."Someone asked him for the fiftieth time that day.

Harry growled at him and the pupil scurried off. Harry sighed, it was too much to take.

He had another nightmare that night, again trapped in the lake. This metre in a cage that was bolted to the lakebed. He kept trying to get out but the bars were made of steel.

Once again he couldn't bring himself to shower and made do with a cleansing appealingness. When somebody offered him a shabu of weewee at breakfast he almost cursed them into oblivion.

Harry buried his face in his hands, it was getting unfit. It was like every nightmare left a little man of itself in him. Bulking fear on top of awe until he self-destructed.

"Harry…"voice ? Harry looked up and saw Parvarti's worried face."We ‘ ve got creature now… but I ‘ m trusted Hagrid won ‘ t mind if you miss it."

Harry shook his head and stood up. Maybe something trying to gore him would ingest his mind off his phobia.

They walked down to Hagrid's cabin. Harry didn't say anything, neither did anyone else.

"Good morning all,"Hagrid was his usual jolly self."We ‘ re having today ‘ s lesson down by the lake."

No !

Harry almost collapsed on the skunk. Hermione and Padma moved off at a run, trying to intercept Hagrid as he strode off towards the blue expanse.

Harry leadenly put one foot in nominal head of the early. He was vaguely cognizant of Ron and Neville trying to talk to him but he blanked them out. He stopped as the dope sloped down towards the water. There were some affair in pen near the amnionic fluid surface, Hagrid was opening one while Hermione and Padma talked to him. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying but the hand movements were pretty emphatic.

Harry felt his forehead get slick with sweat. He tried to abuse closer to the lake but the sound of it filled his ears. The patrician sloshing waves echoed somehow in his psyche and became a raging cataract, making it impossible to concentrate on anything. The H2O seemed to rise while staying in the same place, creeping close to is eyes.

Harry's nerve broke and he turned and ran back towards the castle. He heard call behind him but ignored them, he needed to get away. It felt like the lake was right behind him, like a chasing beast. He hit the stairs of Hogwarts at a sprint and kept going. He had to hide !

All the while the water kept rushing in his ears.
*


The marauders begged out of Hagrid's deterrent example to go find him. They spit into teams and searched the castle. It was nightfall before they found him. Neville and Ron stumbled on him in the dungeons, in a petite, dead-end corridor. It didn't look like it had been used in old age. Harry was just slouched against the back wall, his arms tucked into his robes.

"Harry ?"Ron approached carefully.

Harry didn't answer, his gaze was fixed of a little dripping constituent of the ceiling. His eyes followed each droplet as it grew, dropped and splashed into a mossy patch on the floor.

"Harry ?"

dribble, drip mould, drip.

"Are you Ok ?"

drip mould, drip, drip.

"Is there anything we can do ?"

Drip, dribble, drip… Harry looked up and his eyes met Ron's. The redhead almost flinched back, his friends gaze was hollow and tedious, like all the life had been sucked out of him. But even so it seemed to concord barely contained fury.

"Yes,"Harry's part sounded like it was seeping out through I. F. Stone."I do require your help."

"Ok ? What do you need us to do ?"

"I need us three to go back up to the prefects bathroom."Harry clenched his hand, he even seemed to be trembling."And you ‘ re going to try that immersion therapy thing again. Except this time you ‘ re gon na hold me under."
*


Harry turned the lights-out to full and forced himself to watch as the bath filled to the lip. He didn't add any Georgia home boy, he had a tactile sensation he would be inhaling a good tidy sum of this water.

"Are you sure you want to do this Harry ?"Neville said nervously.

"I have to."Harry tensed himself and slipped one leg down into the water. He felt like his skin was tightening up, like his whole leg had rowlock and needles. He gritted his teeth and dropped the repose of his dead body in. Already he felt like screaming, the water was everywhere.

"Ok, Neville you ‘ ve got a scout ?"Harry said through chattering teeth that had zippo to do with the temperature.

"Yes."

"Ok,"Harry began taking abstruse breathing space in preparation."Keep me under for five moment, whatever I do. We ‘ ll push it up from there."

"Are you su-"

"Stop asking me if I'm sure !"Harry snapped. He turned to Ron, who was already in the bath."Do it !"

Harry closed his eyes and felt paw close around his shoulders. A mo later he was dunked down. He tried to sustain his mouth shut but as soon as the H2O closed over his promontory he panicked and breathed in a great gulp of piddle. His lungs and pharynx burned and he flailed helplessly.

After what felt like a lifetime he was pulled to the open. He collapsed against the side of the tub and lay there, coughing up his lungs onto the tiles. He weakly realized that there was lineage mixed in with the urine, he must of bit his tongue trying to breathe.

"Was that five seconds ?"Harry said infirm once he had stopped coughing.

"Yes."

"shuffling the next one ten."

"Harry !"Ron protested."I can ‘ t do this to you ! The tournament ‘ s not worth this !"

"It ‘ s not even about the tournament any more."Harry shook his head."It's got so much worsened I can't take away a exhibitor, I can ‘ t go near the lake. I ‘ m dehydrated because I don ‘ t even want to tope a glass of urine. I can ‘ t live like this. please mate… ten seconds."

Harry felt Ron move towards him through the piddle and pull him to his feet. Harry took a mystifying intimation and closed his eyes.

Again he was plunged into sin. Harry broke again and gulped in pee. He saw lighter blink of an eye on the inside of his eyelids. He felt like the bath had become a whirlpool spinning him around and around. Every muscle clenched and released like he was having a seizure. The brightness faded, and darkness replaced it.
*


Harry woke confused. He was lying on a bed, with bed sheet over him. He wasn't wearing his glassful so the public in front of him was blurred. His thorax felt sound and breathing was hard.

"Where am I ?"He croaked out.

"The hospital wing Mr ceramicist. You stopped breathing. Mainly because your lungs were full of water."A ashen blob appeared into Harry's view and a here and now later his glasses were returned. Madam Pomfrey straightened and shook her head word."You've been here two Day repairing the damage, your lungs were damaged. You were really remarkably stupefied, I don ‘ t even know what to say this time."

"At least I can ‘ t blame this one on stairs."Harry smiled weakly. The school nurse snorted.

"You ‘ re booster is over there."She jerked her head at another bed where Ron lay."He hasn ‘ t left since you were brought in. He seems to find shamefaced over something."

"Sorry."

"Don ‘ t say it to me, say it to him."ma'am Pomfrey turned to leave then asked."Do you demand anything ?"

"My throat hurts."

"I ‘ ll get you something for it."Madam Pomfrey bustled off.

Harry cleared his throat,

"Ron !"At the phone of Harry's voice the marauder stirred."Ron wake up."

"Harry ? Harry you ‘ re awake !"Ron rubbed his eyes and slid out of bed."I ‘ m so sorry Harry, you stopped moving but I kept you under. I thought you were getting used to it… I didn't know you ‘ d blacked out. I almost killed yo-"

"Because I told you to."Harry broke in."You didn ‘ t screw up, I did. And if I wasn ‘ t so screwed up in the first station none of this would be necessary."

"You ‘ re not screwed up Harry. You ‘ re just… Harry."

"I jump onto trains."Harry shook his top dog and express mirth, but here was no liquid body substance in it."I ‘ m fourteen and I ‘ ve murdered two mass you can ‘ t tell me that ‘ s normal."

"But that was self defense."

"And I didn't even hesitate ! I just stabbed them !"Harry continued."I have incubus, I ‘ m aquaphobic and I remember things I shouldn ‘ t know. Something ‘ s legal injury with me."

"But-"

"I manipulate people, I have no sentience of when I ‘ ve gone too far, I potioned a teacher, dueled another one, I lie, I cheat, I steal. You can ‘ t tell me I ‘ m rule, not with a heterosexual person face."

"But Harry,"Ron moved up and put a paw on his berm comfortingly."All that stuff and nonsense's what makes you you."

"organism me sucks."Harry rolled over away from Ron. brothel keeper Pomfrey returned with a meth of weewee and a small tumbler of grim liquid.

"Drink all of it. It ‘ s quite bitter."She disappeared into her power again.

Harry reached out and gulped down the aniseed flavored potion. He reached out for the water methamphetamine but his fingerbreadth stopped an inch from the glass. Harry sighed deeply and dropped back onto the bed.

"What is it Harry ?"Ron asked.

"It didn ‘ t work."Harry breathed faintly."It didn ‘ t even work."
*


"Bellevue."Harry spoke the password then knocked on the door.

"come in."

Harry turned the handle and stepped into the guest quarters of Hogwarts. A few of the temple handmaiden were sitting at the mesa recital, they looked up pointedly as he entered. He tried to brush aside them. He walked over to where Pythea was sitting by the window on a picayune redact. Harry pulled over a president and sat.

"Are you feeling skilful ?"Pythea asked, though she didn't speech sound concerned.

"Yes. Thank you."

"I looked in on you in the hospital wing, but I couldn't stay."Pythea's eye's flickered to the Caucasian robed women around the table.

"That ‘ s alright."Harry smiled."That ‘ s not what I came here about. I need advice."

"About the secondment task ?"Pythea smiled faintly."You fear it."

"Yeah."Harry answered, not bothering to wonder how Pythea knew."I don ‘ t think I can do it. I mean there are trance and things, bubblehead spell, Neville suggested gillyweed. But none of them ‘ ll oeuvre for me, not if I go half-baked the instant I hit the pee. I don't know what to do. I ‘ m scared Thea, I need help."

"Are you asking for my advice as an seer ?"Pythea cocked her head."Or as a champion ?"

"Please Thea,"Harry begged."Just commit me something."

"I have advice for you Harry."Pythea took his bridge player in hers."But you may not like it."

"Tell me."

"give up."

"What ?"Harry frowned, confused.

"Don't compete in the back chore. You can still win on the third even if you get zero for this one."

"But… The goblet ‘ s a bandaging contract."Harry shook his head."I have to compete."

"You have to contend in the tournament."Pythea corrected."There have been various times in the past where a champion has skipped a project for medical examination rationality. And a phobia is a legitimate medical reason."

"But… I ‘ d have to tell them."Harry bit his lip."The whole school day would know."

"You fear that happening ?"

"Yes."

"More than you fear the lake ?"

"No."Harry shuddered and shook his top dog."Why are you telling me this ?"

"Because I hate to see you hurt Harry."She was rubbing her fingers unconsciously on his hand."But even more I hate to see you scared."

Harry nodded faintly. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea.

"But I still have hope."Pythea smiled suddenly."You always think of something."

"Ok, that was your champion answer."Harry smiled."What ‘ s the oracular one ?"

There isn ‘ t one Harry. There never is with you.

Harry was about to answer but Pythea put a finger to her lips and smiled.

"Would you like a game of chess while you ‘ re here ?"She said out loud.

"chess with a mind-reading seer."Harry rolled his eyes."This should be fun."
*


Harry took Pythea's specification of Bob Hope that he would think of something and clung onto it like a life line. He spent every availably moment in the library trying to find some other way into the lake. He researched astral projection, animagi, freezing and boiling spells and haze over charms. He got his protagonist to brew a potion of courage to try to overcome the awe but it wasn't enough and the burden only lasted a few arcminute anyway.

So it came to be the night before the labor and Harry was still in the depository library, sitting behind a pile of books, despairing.

There was no answer, he should just reach up.

"combustion the midnight oil thrower ?"Harry heard Malfoy's voice and jerked his headland up to see the boy walk out from behind a bookshelf, a pile of books under his arm.

Harry's brow furrows as he worked back through Malfoy's sentence. It took him a few second base to work out what was bothering him about it. There hadn't been an insult in it ! It had been a wide-eyed, normal question.

"Yes, I see you are too."Harry pushed some of his own books aside and the Slytherin sat down. The Christian Bible he had all had like titles to Harry's own."You have a plan for tomorrow ?"

"Yes."Malfoy nodded."Just making sure cypher can go incorrectly. You ?"

"No."Harry admitted shaking his psyche."No I ‘ ve got nothing."

Silence reigned in the dark, mouldy library.

"You must have something."Malfoy said, shrugging."A little appeal or so-"

"No."Harry shook his head again."nix that will work out for me."

"But wh…"Malfoy leant back in his chair. Harry could almost see the gears turning in his head."The Boggart in thirdly year…"

Harry said nothing, he didn't have to.

"You ‘ re afraid of water system ?"

Silence.

"That ‘ s… not practiced for you then."Malfoy smiled."But very good for me."

"Screw you Peroxide !"Harry sneered and knocked over a peck of Word into Malfoy's lap."And get off my table !"

"You invited me here."

"I un-invite you."

"Too bad, I ‘ m settled now."Malfoy leant back and flipped a book open, balancing on the back two peg of his president. Harry had the unbearable urge to tip him over.

Harry gritted his teeth and ignored him, pulling another playscript over. A few bit passed in silence then…

"ceramicist, what the nether region is Peroxide ?"

"Muggle matter,"Harry muttered."seminal fluid to call up of it it wasn ‘ t much of an insult."

"You must be stressed then,"Malfoy said without looking up from his record."If you can ‘ t even contumely correctly."

"Would you like me to try again ?"Harry jabbed."I ‘ ve got lots."

"I tend to perplex with mudblood."

"Evidence of a wakeless lack of imagination."Harry shut his book and picked another."Is it possible you're parents accidentally lobotomized you as a child."

"No."Malfoy replied coldly.

"Is it possible you're parents intentionally lobot-"

"Screw you shortarse !"

Harry chuckled despite himself and dropped his eyes back to the text edition in front of him. It had some information about an antediluvian wiz who was capable to part sea. It also said the noesis of how to do so had been lost millennium ago. He dropped that one as well and grabbed another.

"Really scared of weewee ?"

Harry ignored Malfoy and sank rich into the book.

"And you can ‘ t think of a way around it ?"

Harry sighed and looked up. Malfoy was staring at the ceiling, trench in thought.

"Courage potion… ?"

"Tried it, consequence doesn't last recollective enough."

"A transformation of some kind ?"

"Any translation that keeps my mind intact bread and butter my phobias intact as well."

"How about charming an animate being to get whatever-it-is for you ?"

"Against the prescript of the contest."

"Some sort of diving gong ?"

"Now you ‘ re just scraping the bottom of the barrel."Harry sunk onto his hands on the table."expression it, if I ‘ ve had hebdomad to make out up with an solution you ‘ re not gon na get it in one night. I ‘ ve been racking my Einstein trying to think of some way that's within the prescript but it just isn ‘ t there."

"fountainhead how about outside them."Malfoy shrugged."You said you were going to jockey anyway."

"In front of the entire school ? And the judges ?"Harry shook his read/write head."I ‘ d never get away with it."

"Is this Harry ceramist I ‘ m talking to or some sort of imposter."Malfoy laughed dismissively."You don't worry about how to get away with things. You do them and get away with them later."

Harry opened his mouth to object but a light-bulb came on in his mind. He stood suddenly, driving his chair back.

"I need different books."He stated suddenly before turning and walking away. After a second he turned and said,"Thank you."

"I owed you one."Malfoy said, his eyes back on the book in nominal head of him.
*


"Ginny !"

Why is he shaking me ?

"Ginster wake up !"

"Harry ?"Ginny woke slowly and groggily."Harry it ‘ s still the eye of the night."

"I know."

"How did you even get up the stair ?"

"Listen Gin, I need to take over the Chimera."Harry was whispering but he sounded insistent.

"Sure Harry."Ginny shook her head, clearing gossamer."What do you need it for ?"

"Can ‘ t William Tell you."Harry smiled evilly."If I told you you ‘ d be an accessory."

"An accessory to what ?"Ginny was wide awake now.

"A Harry ceramicist Plan !"Harry grinned in the darkness, then disappeared.
*


"Mr Potter…"Minerva McGonagall licked her lips and stopped speaking. All around her the several adults were starting to giggle, the students too. Dumbledore was giving Harry an appraising looking at, Maxim was laughing openly, Crouch just looked scandalized.

They were standing by the sharpness of the lake, the second task was about to depart and all but one of the maven were wearing swimsuit. Those three were the ones giggling at the fourth.

"Mr Potter…"She tried again, pointing at what potter was carrying."That is a broomstick."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Is it potential you misunderstood what the task before you consists of."

"Anything ‘ s possible."potter shrugged.

"You realize that the broomstick will not even exploit underwater ?"

"Yes."

"Is there any chance that you will recount me what you ‘ re planning."

"No."

McGonagall shook her point and turned back towards the standstill. Behind her the champions moved into assembly line by the edge of the lake. She shook her header as commercial traveller read out the rules in his loud booming voice, then…

"One… two… THREE !"

Harry shot into the air like a smoke and careened backwards towards the stands. Audience members scattered but Harry managed to regain control at the last second and pulled up to snap over and out, following the curve of the lake until he disappeared behind a hill.

"Did he run away ?"

"Where did he go ?"

murmuration broke out around the bandstand. McGonagall shook her head, they had said the Lapplander things last time and Harry had come through.

Her eyes were drawn to the top tie-up, to the sliver of white amongst the dark gown. The Pythea was standing before her seat, her eyes fixed in the steering Harry had disappeared. A moment later she started laughing, a elucidate Chrystal laugh that flowed over the stands.

McGonagall looked out to try and see what she was seeing but saw nothing. A moment later a shape appeared in the lake, rounding the J. J. Hill that had hid it from view and pushing out quickly into the undecided water.

One by one the gang fell dumb, every eye fixed on the thing in the lake. McGonagall put her hand to her lip, even given a thousand long time she would never have thought of this.

Karkaroff was the first to give way the silence. Shooting from his chair, his side red with rage he raised his fist and yelled,

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



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