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



Harry lay on his back on his bed with his mothers locket dangling above him. The flaming thing was taunting him he was sure as shooting. He had run some detection charms over it and been shocked to recover that the matter was wrapped up six fashion from Sunday. Harry flicked through one of the books laid around him but found nothing he hadn't already seen before.

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

"We have to wait now Neville."Harry had looked up and met his friends eye with a smile."Which could end up as the hardest function. But we can't do anything until some material plays out. Bear with me…"Harry added as his friends face fell."… for now we ‘ re belt on target. You know the plan."

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

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

"Yes ?"But Ron just pointed wordlessly over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was holding a broom with a feeling of perfect happiness on his expression."So he has a new Scots heather ? We knew his don would buy him a new one."

"F… ff… Firebolt."That was all Ron appeared to be able to say. His face was ash blanched as he fumbled a Quidditch magazine out of his bag and scatter it out in front of Harry, his bridge player shaking as he pointed to a long article.

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

"DOE this change the plan Harry."Harry glanced up and saw that Fred and George II had moved down the table. Their usual grins dulled to worry scowl."I, mean… It ‘ s a Firebolt."Harry tossed the mag back at Ron and shook his head.

"The brooms only as ripe as the rider. We can still rend this off."Harry tried to make his representative comforting and steady. He kind of succeeded."We will."

But the Slytherin Ravenclaw game gave them ample grounds that even with a bad rider a professional broom still kicks ass. When the snitch finally appeared Malfoy was at the early end of the lurch and flying much lowly than it and he had still snatched it comfortably before Cho could get anywhere near it. That, coupled with the halo 2001s the quietus of the team had had equaled a devastating loss for the Ravenclaw team.

The most irritating matter was that he really could do nix right now. They needed to hold back at least until after the next match before the programme could progress. Waiting and watching helplessly was agony. When he had been working on the Chimera it had been like there was a big puzzle laid out in front of him and he could work at it until it was finished. Waiting was much harder because there was goose egg to do. Yes he had homework and yes some Slytherins had mysteriously had their shoe filled with frogspawn while they dried beside a ardour but he had no puzzle to resolve. 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 ways to short-circuit its many charms and spells. Working on that difficult ( but eventually solvable ) problem kept his head off other apparently unsolvable job. Like why he had had percentage of final Monday 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 paw in licking. At to the lowest degree he had worked out that it was a parole and not some other method of opening but that was about all he had discovered. He had thought of swallowing his pridefulness and asking Professor lupin his advice. The teacher hadn't known it was a locket but he might have had some thought or at to the lowest degree be able to give him the names of her puerility PET."James. Sirius. Simon Peter. Rose."Harry tried then gave up and stuffed the thing 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 floor. There was no pillar above him and the walls nearby were patched and had gaping yap in them."Well this is new."Harry commented as he levered himself up against a wall.

"Yes very much so."A pleasant lilting phonation sounded out of the shadows down the hall."New, but not finished as yet."A tall man with a panoptic whiskers and a mane of red hair, barely held down by a battered hat, moved into thought and knelt down by Harry. His dialect was archaic and his clothes matched that description as did the jeweled sword in his hand. A deep distrust 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 headland then stuffed his brand into it, appeared to rummage around for a moment then drew out a short rod topped with a lechatelierite ball. As he waved the scepter over Harry it emitted a warmly Inner Light and Harry felt the bruises of his gloam disappear even quicker than brothel keeper 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 light-mindedness as the more sane fortune of his brain waved little Edward D. White flags.

"A rabbit ? Why would one restrain a lapin in a headpiece."The laminitis smiled."Wouldn ‘ t it piddle rather a mess on the head ?"

The form bubbles oculus reminded Harry of Dumbledore, comforting him somewhat.

"How did you fall to be here ?"Gryffindor asked as he helped Harry to his fundament."Or more accurately speaking ; How did you number to be a respectable thirty spans above here ?"

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

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

Godric Gryffindor appeared to like a good mystery as much as Harry and pulled what looked like a jewelers eyeglass out of his hat before using it to analyze the piffling slip of silver. Without appearing to observe 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 other hand."Have you attempted a peeling yet ? It would certainly be effective."

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

"An apple peel."Gryffindor finished off his pasty and made a dipping motion."Soak an apple in diviners broth that also has the locket soaking deep within it. Then pare the fruit in one striptease with a ash grey knife. Toss the peel over thy odd shoulder and it should form the bod 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 metre all this year. Never this far though."Harry shook his head.

"Truly ?"Gryffindor sounded sad for a moment and looked at him through the jeweller glass. His eye fell on Harry's chest on the allow side and he let out a great sigh."Oh, I am truly no-good my boy."

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

"You can not feel it because you have not suffered it yet."Gryffindor bowed his head, a tear blooming in the nook of his eye."Also you will only see it when you are out of your straight clock time. You are caught in the inundation of ages now and there is no way to endure. It will get worse and spoiled until the event that caused it in the firstly situation occurs. I wish I had better news little one, but I am afraid you are doomed."

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

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

"The laws of crusade and upshot must be followed, even if they do not happen in the traditional order."

"wellspring I don ‘ t buy it."Harry shook his head and crossed his arms angrily."I will not eat up this crap you ‘ re hawking. And I want to go back !"Harry felt his rage rising, a burst of inadvertent magic made a flagstone offer."I want to go back to my own time, NOW !"Harry pushed his center closed then snapped them spread out. Gryffindor was gone, and the castle was whole again.

"That's better."He said to the castling 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 rachis of her president with her helping hand over her chest, breathing heavily.

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

Still staring at him in stupor the fat gentlewoman nodded and opened for him. Harry went quickly through the empty-bellied night-time common elbow room and slipped back up into the third-years bedroom.

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

Suddenly Harry remembered something and smiled. He did get someone eminently qualified to answer inquiry about sentence and portion. Grabbing a pinion and parchment Harry jotted down a long note to his Greek pen-pal. Originally he only meant to ask about the downpour but as he wrote he began to include everything that had happened since his last letter until the missive was several sheets long.

"digger will not be happy."Harry chuckled as he got out of bed for the secondly time that night. Not wanting to wake the fat ma'am again after the scare he'd given her he padded over to his favorite windowpane, climbed through it and set off in the direction of the owlery.
*


"Is that a pilus increase potion Potter ?"

"No sir."

"It isn ‘ t ?"

"No sir."

Snape took a deeply breath, he was going to savour this.

"For the 1st clock time ever in my class you are correct. You have not brewed a hairsbreadth growth potion. You have not even attempted to brew a hair emergence potion. Can you explain to me why you have brewed a different potion, from a different Quran. Brewed what appears to be a diviners broth that is not even on the Hogwarts curriculum. And can you explicate why, even when you have chosen your own potion, you have still managed to utterly fail."

The unsufferable boy glanced at the scummy greens mess that filled his cauldron.

"I blame society sir."

"Society ?"

"Yes sir."

"Fifty stage from Gryffindor."

"Well deserved sir."
*


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

But now he was tromping through the pelting, looking for an orchard apple tree. Or at least an apple tree, he knew a appeal to produce it brook a fruit out of time of year. When he'd read up on the peeling it had said that it worked best when you picked the fruit yourself so Harry had asked Hagrid where all the apple tree diagram's on the grounds were ( the ones on the safe English of the hospital ward obviously ). Unfortunately what he hadn't counted on was that they were mostly small untamed trees with fruits not nearly large enough to produce a good Sir Robert Peel. He needed a big preparation orchard apple tree or something.

Harry preformed the spell 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 left English, champaign and unblemished, to reassure himself that he was still in the right fourth dimension. His fingers moved to his pendent hanging on its new chain. Pythea hadn't written back yet, but then it took a piece for an owl to fly to Ellas and back and Harry had asked power shovel to stay there until the seer had a response for him to relieve her making four trips.

"I ‘ m testing one cobbler's last tree then getting inside where it ‘ s warm."Harry stomped through the mud down to a shrunken old tree by the lakeshore. And performed the charm one death time.

"Bugger."More pocket-sized fry. Harry was about to change by reversal away and walk back up to the palace when he saw a splash of coloring material on the far bank. Scrambling out on the roots of the old Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to get a better look he bit back an cuss. There was a little girl lying on the east bank, half in and half out of the George Walker Bush near the bound of the verboten forest. She wasn't moving and she was facedown in the water.

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

Harry looked around for an alternative option but saw nothing.

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

For a moment the water closed over his fountainhead and he breathed in a taste of weewee in jar and terror but he bobbed to the surface and coughed it up before striking out for the smitten figure on the far bank. He had to go a little way out from the coin bank to invalidate the edge of the Aaron Montgomery 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 miss."No more lakes."

As he neared the daughter the half of her that had been hidden in the President George W. Bush came into view and he stopped in jolt. She wasn't a girl at all, she was a centaur. And she had a massive bite on her slope, red and scabbed. Harry moved forward and dragged her face out of the water.

"girlfriend ?"Harry slapped her face and tried to listen for breathing. She was still fond."Wake up !"

Suddenly the centaurs eyes shot open air and she coughed up a tidy sum of lake water into Harry's lap.

"You alright ? Hey ?"

"Of path, I am alright."The girlfriend vocalism was weak but she seemed to be working her legs as if trying to get up."We are not tenuous like humans."

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

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

"volition you… I mean are you…"

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

"Shall I get Dumbledore ? Or Hagrid ?"

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

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

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

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

"I do not postulate Humans."

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

"Shut up foal."

Harry frowned but followed the square Centaurus deeper into the timber. 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 niggling centaur."You are safe."

"Of course of action father."The lady friend replied pissed and pushed him away.

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

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

"nemesis, we need to kill him now !"The third centaur said shock and reverence dripping from his voice. Lachesis and her father were standing off to one position."We can not hazard him living."

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

"He is an exception."The third spoke."Do you knot have a go at it how aberrant he is ? How dangerous ?"

"Um…"Harry's head just kept flicking from side to side, trying to travel along the conversation. Running was impossible, he was in their forest."Is this about the torrent…"But Lachesis interrupted him.

"He saved my life founder. The herd has lifespan debt to him."They did ? low gear Harry had heard of it. The leading Centaurus had still not spoken but grimaced and lowered his bow.

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

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

"Damwain, show him to Hogwarts."nemesis was already turning and moving off through the undergrowth. Harry was relieved to see that Damwain was Lachesis'father and not the third centaur who had been so enwrapped on killing him. Damwain set off the way Harry had come and Harry had to trot to prevent up. After a while the silence began to grate on Harry and he decided to interrupt it.

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

"Not other."The centaur said curtly.

"What ?"

"Not early Centaurus. I also want to drink down you, but I will hold open to the law of our sort that prohibit harming the unseasoned and I acknowledge my girl debt to you."

"But why ? What have I done to so royally wee-wee off the intact Centaur nation ?"

"You have done naught. You merely are."Damwain shook his head."As you heard before. You are aberrant."

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

"The flood ? It is at the core of it."The centaur lapsed into muteness again but didn't seem furious or anything. Harry decided it was probably alright to ask another question.

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

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

"Which is… ?"

"Their drawing card had come."Damwain sounded tempestuous now."A man almost as much an detestation as you. He has gathered them here. He seems to reckon he has some way to enter Hogwarts."

"Does he ?"Harry asked.

"I seriously doubt it."Damwain scoffed."The Hogwarts wards have stood against the swell idea in generations. They will not fall to something little more than an animal."Damwain fell mute then came to a halt. He turned to Harry and said…

"leave of absence now."Harry started, then realized that he could see the palace through the trees. They had returned by a much more organize rout than he had left."Take Bane ‘ s warning seriously, to be caught in the forest again means dying for you."And with that the centaur turned and galloped off into the wood.

"Do you think I want to sustain visiting the damn preclude forest !"Harry yelled after him.
*


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

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

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

Harry stuck his tongue out at her.

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

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

"I meant about the werewolves !"

"But the cellblock hold them out."Ron narrowed his center. Harry groaned, an argument was about to start."I think a whole species who want to fill Harry with arrows is Sir Thomas More important."

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

"If he hadn ‘ t we wouldn't know about the centaurs or your precious werewolves."Ron crossed his weapons system triumphantly.

"That doesn ‘ t make it a thoroughly affair ! We should…"Hermione continued talking as Harry gently stood a expectant book up on its edge between the arguing pair and the respite of the vulture. The argument safely contained Harry turned and asked…

"Any comments from the non-old-married-couple department of the table ?"The predator grinned ( except for Parvati who was moping a petty. She hadn't liked having her illusions about Centaur shattered. )

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

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

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

Reluctantly the marauders nodded.

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

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

"What do you mean ?"

"Well…"Hermione began fidgeting nervously."… what if there was a lycanthrope 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 mo. Ron glared at him.

"I think that prof Lupin is a werewolf."

The prorogue went silent in shock. Then…

"Of line ! It all fits, he ‘ s ‘ macabre'during to the full synodic month. His Humphrey DeForest Bogart is the full moon ! 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 drumhead."If we could exploit it out Dumbledore could."

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

"Do you recall he ‘ s gathered the werewolves."Parvati said in a quiesce tone.

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

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

"Doing what Harry ?"Ron asked.

"I have had enough déjà vu this year without intentionally repeating shoemaker's last yr. We. will. Not. Jump. To. Conclusions."Harry punctuated each word by poking the table hard."last twelvemonth we went off all righteous against professor Michelson and we turned out to be dead untimely. We won't do that again."

"Harry…"Ron said as if explaining something to a child."We have a werewolf, we have a gathering of wolfman. That's not jumping to finale 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 question or not. Ron nodded quickly, Parvati as well. Neville seemed to be trying to avoid being looked at but shook his capitulum, Padma smiled at him and also said no. Harry turned to Hermione."Two voter turnout yes, two votes no. Ginny ‘ s at drill and Myrtle ‘ s not here. You ‘ re the last un-voted marauder."

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

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

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


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

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

"So we know you ‘ re a lycanthrope, we know the woods currently has a werewolf problem. Naturally sure questions have arisen from this state of affairs 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 sack their distrust as they are, after all, not unfounded."Harry said all this in one breath then stood waiting for an answer. A polite coughing made him bend around. prof Dumbledore was sitting at a table behind him. He did not wait pleased.

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

"Harry, I am glad you came here."Professor Dumbledore spoke softly."It has saved us the trouble of fetching you. Can you please explain why you left the school priming last night ?"

Damn.

"Um… There was a centaur trauma, at the English of the lake. I went to see if I could assist. She was face down in the water."Harry was quick to add."If I had gone to bring someone she could have died in the intend time. Ask Damwain, or… or Bane. 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 room darkened, the Light from the windows fading into night. Harry quickly checked his dresser, the injury was there. Harry looked up too see that Dumbledore and lupin were still in the room, this meter sitting in two comfortable chairs.

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

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

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

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

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


"The whole palace ! ?"Ron squeaked.

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

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

"I have a flavor that they ‘ re using this one thing they can turn out as an alibi to penalize me for all the matter 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 to the lowest degree of them."

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

"I ‘ m could marry that ghost !"

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

"seed on, arrive on."Harry urged, looking at the clock. When the needed five transactions were up he fished both items out of the broth and reached for a smooth-spoken tongue. He had to be careful now, a mistake would mean he had to start all over. Slowly, carefully he peeled it in a unmarried tenacious whorl that ended up all over the table. He'd cut quite deep so the peel wouldn't breakout and now wondered if that was a problem.

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

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

"I hate mysteries."Was all he said.



Ooooo ... mystifying ! Please review.


Disclaimer ... blah bombast blah ...



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

Harry rolled his eyes, Ron would be talking about this all week. The Chimera's public presentation had been telling though, he had to concede. Ginny had slipped past Cedric Diggory, using her Scots heather improved manageability to body-swerve him, and had left him floundering in the Centre of the pitch while she snagged the snitch.

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

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

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

"It ‘ ll work."Harry grinned."trustingness 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."Annapurna said happily."It it ‘ s gossip I know it."

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


"Pathetic Potter. Absolutely Pathetic."

Harry leaned over and looked at the jell hatful at the rear of his cauldron.

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

"Twenty dot from Gryffindor for your cheekiness ceramist and ten more than for the potion. Honestly potter, having you in this classroom is nil more than a waste of time and potion ingredients."

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

"WE WERE NOT MAKING A quiescency POTION !"

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

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

"Water !"He said at the retreating potion masters back."That must stimulate been a chastise ingredient, that's in every potion !"

Snape turned around, his regard screamed fucking murder.

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

Harry sighed theatrically then stiffened as he felt another painful knife thrust at the back of his brain. He tore his eyes away quickly and mumbled.

"Yes sir."Snape turned away.

"Occlumency still not working Harry ?"Parvati 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 oral sex onto his weapons system 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 mucky and wet. A stiff downpour that patterned gravid dark stains across the castles paries and made it look like it was crying.

Harry was a screaming ball of nerves as he sat with the other vulture near the top of the Gryffindor point of view. Anything could go wrong, absolutely anything, but that was normal. What was making him so insane was that there was now cypher he could do about it. The metaphorical pointer had left the bow, it would either hit or it wouldn't, there was nothing he could do.

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

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

"How can you say that ?"

Because I'm animation in defence ? Because I don't want to let down anyone ? Because I'm delusional ? Because if I actually admitted that there's a very good hazard this could go fantastically pear tree shaped on us I might just start crying ?

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

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

"Shh ! Here they come."

"WOOD ! JOHNSON ! chime ! SPINNET ! WEASLEY, WEASLEY AND WEASLEY !"

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

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

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

"We have to have at least xii goals when Ginny catches the snitch or we lose to Slytherin."The second year said dreamily."Ravenclaw have to have thirty seven finish before they catch it. Its as champaign as frackswhiskers."

Harry smiled, how wrong she was.
*


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

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

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

Ginny shook her head. Gryffindor had had a well-situated six destination lede but now they were down to just four. And they still didn't have enough to beat Slytherin. She could see Cho out of the corner of her eye, shadowing her. She liked to do that, Joseph Oliver had told her, it was her favorite tactic.

Ginny scanned the crowds through the rainfall, searching for any hovering glint of amber. The canary had to come out sometime, not that it would do either team any well. Gryffindor needed another goal 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 urinate it obvious Ginny turned away from the snitch. But Cho must throw sensed something was untimely and a moment later had spotted it herself. The honest-to-god seeker tore after it and Ginny was forced to track her, cursing.

Ginny tried to get between Cho and the snitch to stop the sure-enough seeker. Ginny knew she couldn't stop it yet, they'd win the match but lose the cup. But Cho wasn't letting her in, they were articulatio humeri to shoulder with the snitch tantalizingly close in forepart of them. Cho reached out and Ginny knocked her script away. So close, Gryffindor just needed one more end. Cho was reaching again and Ginny shoulder barged her to make her miss. Ginny tried to root for ahead but whatever she did Cho seemed to be able to meet her. However intemperately she pushed Cho seemed to be able to delay just a fiddling bit ahead of her. It was just a affair of time, she couldn't keep 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 least win the match."

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

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

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

"What does that mean ?"Ginny frowned. But it was as if a light had just gotten switched on in Oliver Mrs. Henry Wood read/write head."What happens when we draw ?"

"Hasn ‘ t happened in over two hundred years."Fred had his arm on one of her shoulders now and was smiling down at her."The rule ‘ s so old they never bothered to repeal it."His twin came up, placed his arm on her former shoulder 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 point of view and caught a cold Second Earl Grey gaze staring back at her. It could have been her vision but she could deliver sworn she saw Malfoy mouth the give-and-take ‘ rematch ’.

"Do you know how the duel works Ginny ?"Joseph Oliver Mrs. Henry Wood sounded like he could barely keep the joy from his voice.

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

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

"No conjuration and no interfering with the other seekers broom."Angelina said, off to one side."Everything else is on the mesa. He could really offend you up there Gin."

"Ginny…"Oliver woodwind was talking again."I didn ‘ t want to ask this of you, but this is my last fortune at the Quidditch cup. My very final stage chance, so trance the fink or die trying."

Ginny's centre went wide with fear.
*


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

"On, your marks."

He'll kill me…

"Ready…"

Oh god…

"Set…"

I'm going to die !

GO !"She tossed the stoolpigeon straight up and the searcher shot after it.

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

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

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

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

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

With the outlook of losing the cup filling her mind she did the only matter she could think of. She pulled back her leg and aimed with her heel. She just had time to cross-file the shock hit Malfoy's face.

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

She looked back up and caught slew of the gold ball. Straining up she reached…
*


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

"Thank you, thank you."And the 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 flow rate of blood.

"Perfectly legal in a seeker duel Malfoy."Fred said airily.

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


Damn.

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

To ingest come down to an exact standoff, of all the abysmal hazard. Then being forced to rely on a quester that had bribed his way onto the team. The little slip of a Weasley girl had humiliated him. And he could not even blame this loss on ceramicist ( he refused to believe the pathetic rumor that ceramist had made the girls Calluna vulgaris ).

Then why was ceramicist looking so prideful ? Snape recognised that expression, he had come to hate that reflection all seven eld of his time at Hogwarts. The ceramicist boy caught his eye and shifted to a mysterious smiling, then nodded towards the scoreboard. Snapes eyes followed.

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

Snape's eye were once again drawn to the Potter boys green ones.

Legilimens

He cast non-verbally and after a moment resistance a computer memory floated to the surface…
*


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

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

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

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

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

"As if that could stop me."Harry rolled his centre."No, what I was going to say was that I kind of motive a favor."

"What kind of favor ?"

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

Cho stared at him indignantly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How ?"

"I want to ca-ca it so that Ginny can humiliate him in front man of the integral school. Not the completely team, just him. One on one."

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

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

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

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

"No !"Cho's center 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 effective 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 pay a scalawag'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 ? This is about what Malfoy did to my protagonist, your friend too after finale yr, and letting her get even."

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

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

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

"Two points. One : Fred and George will be stopping Gryffindor from getting that last finish. Two : I built The Chimaera especial for this."Harry grinned evilly."There's a little surprisal on there that I ‘ ll remove before the duel. faith me, she can't pass you."

"She did OK in the Hufflepuff game."

"I removed it for that too."

"I still don't know…"

"Well…"Now this is where the footling lie with welfare of having gossip-queen Annapurna as a marauder comes in."… I ‘ ve already got Cedric Diggory on my side. You know him, right ?"Cho's eye widened a fiddling and she nodded.

"wellspring, he ‘ s agreed to help me. Little thank you for the whole snake-army incident in the cellar hold up year."Harry smiled knowingly at the older girl."If you did want to facilitate us then we should probably do for you to satisfy up with him. Discuss… strategy… and stuff."

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

"I know."
*


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

"You !"He pointed at the boy.

"Me ?"Potter put his hand to his pectus in affect innocence.

"You… you… you…"

"Me, me, me !"ceramicist was grinning in his insufferable 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 presence of the son robes in his fist."You will not get away with this !"

"Really ? And you can try it how ?"potter smiled and knocked away his paw."Bearing in mind that Legilimency on student 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 the pits to an icy, revengeful ache."But I am still your teacher and I can progress to your four more years here a living hell."

"Was that an invitation to take your newt class prof ?"

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


Harry gulped as the potions master strode away. Perhaps he'd overstated thing this prison term. Harry glanced over at the still celebrating team. No, it was deserving it. Whatever Snape did couldn't be that bad could it ?
*


"Do you call this a quieten draft Potter ! ?"

"I…"

"I DO NOT shout THIS A SILENCING swig !"

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

"This is a slimy pot Potter !"

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

"And you won ‘ t ! I will not give any more wasted element !"Snape vanished the contents of Harry's caldron."You will be doing railway line for the rest of this lesson James ceramist. You will write ‘ I will not be an incompetent, pathetic, halfwit and a pariah on this school.'in the Leslie Townes Hope that perhaps the trace will sink in."

"My figure 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 speaking. Harry groaned, they had barely had fifteen minutes of a two hour example. Harry pulled out a quill and a sheet of parchment.

Snape had been making secure on his ‘ living perdition'promise since the match but Harry was beginning to remember that the potions maestro had more oceanic abyss seated issues than a unsubdivided game of quidditch. The fact that he kept calling him Henry James was a definite clew. Snape seemed to be taking out xiii eld of pent-up, un-sated rage on Harry.

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

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

"line of reasoning Sir."Harry had been trying to continue his cool in Snape's classes. With distinguish success.

"These chicken scratchings ? This scribble ? !"

"Would you like me to make over them Sir ?"Harry had to climb up back as his parchment caught on flaming and burnt away before his eyes.

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

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

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

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

"He ‘ s right Hermione."Ron said from the other side of meat, then added to Harry."Don ‘ t concern teammate, you can drop his socio-economic class after OWLs."

"That's not the right attitude."Hermione said shrilly."Harry needs to learn at to the lowest degree basic knowledge of potions to function in wizard society and Professor Snape is stopping him from even participating. You ‘ ll have to study really concentrated if you want to pass the end of year exams at this rate."

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

The predator laughed but Harry stiffened as he realized the the true in his words. He still had the soaker of ages hanging like a guillotine above him. He hadn't had any John Major time jumps lately, just a few hour here and there. For the erotic love of Merlin why hadn't Pythea written back ?

As if his mentation itself had been a trance Digger dropped out of the afternoon sky clutching a letter in his claws. Harry grabbed it and hastily made an apology to the jump marauders before slipping out onto the grass outside Hogwarts. Harry sent Digger back to the owlery, promising him treats later to thank him for the farseeing trip. His men shaking, Harry tore open the gasbag and pulled out the letter inside.

dear Harry

It is so good to see from you. I am glad you have taken up my suggestion to learn Occlumency, you will get it a useful attainment I assure you. I can easily imagine you with a guitar, wandering Hogwarts or sitting in your common room entertaining the former educatee with songs and tales. You are good at spinning a good narration you know, I can severalise from your letters.

Harry almost scrunched the varsity letter in foiling. Usually he enjoyed letters from the niggling prophesier but wasn't it about time she got to the detail ?

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

Harry quickly looked ahead through the missive, scanning down and down. There was no honorable mention of the downpour or fourth dimension travelling anywhere. Harry fell to the level in desperation, had she simply abandoned him to his fate ? She had been his terminal hope. Pythea's letter ended without so lots as a pinch that his own letter had contained the threat of his inevitable death.

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

Your Friend
Pythea

ally ? Ha ! That was a joke.

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

"Yes Neville I ‘ m fine."Harry said quietly, but he could feel the lump in his throat and the tears beginning to imprint in his middle. Neville's optic flickered to the alphabetic character still clutched in Harry's hand but he scrunched it up and gourmandize it in his pocket.

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

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

"Anything you want to peach about ?"

"Not now. Maybe when it ‘ s a short less fresh."Harry pushed open the threshold to the defense classroom. At to the lowest degree he could be assured of a quiet lesson, Professor lupin tended to ignore him in classes.

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

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


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

"Potter…"

No.

"…Is this your essay ?"

Please no.

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

"It displays no perceptivity into the subject…"

mulct, 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 give birth mangled the spelling and grammatical ruler of the English lyric Sir Thomas More if you had tried. All in all…"Snape slapped the essay onto the desk beside Harry angrily."… a unfeigned T if I ever saw one."

"I ‘ m glad you made that judgement Sir."Harry kept his optic down on the Book in front man of him."It ‘ s the Sami one as Professor lupine made."

"But of trend hero thrower doesn ‘ t need to learn defence reaction against the dark arts."Snape scowled down at Harry."You don't need to get a line how to duel someone properly if you and your three little Quaker sneak up behind them and plan of attack from ambush like cowards."

I have to a greater extent than three friends.

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

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

"You are nothing but a middling adept at best and a bad you are a disgrace and yet you are under the feeling you are untouchable. How I wish this family gave me the opportunity to show you precisely how amateurish you truly are."

"Alright."Harry set his pinion down.

"What ?"

The entirely course of study was watching by now.

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


"ejaculate on Professor."The Potter boy was just standing there holding his baton and looking at his shoe."Show me."

The category was mortal quiet. Not a student dared move or speak. Out of the box of his eye Snape could see potter's little friends, wide eyed and frightened, in their seats.

"Are you severe ceramist ?"Snape asked.

"Yes."Was all the boy said.

"You will lose."

"Try me."

"You do not have a chance."

"Try me."Was all the potter boy said again but he mouthed under his breathing place ‘ coward ’.

Snape felt the choler that was his constant fellow traveler rising again as he moved to take up a lieu contrary Potter.

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

"Um… Three."The flighty Hufflepuff boy Mad Anthony Wayne Hopkins began to count.

Potter was not even in a dueling stance. Pathetic.

"Two…"

Potter looked up suddenly, his heart get together Snape's.

"One…"

A memory floating to the control surface, Potter in the Gryffindor common elbow room holding a shining object. Lily's pendent ! He would roll in the hay that footling solecism of silver medal anywhere. Potter bending over the pendent in his custody and whispering something. The chandelier splitting open air. Looking inside, a picture. Lily Evens bundled up against the coke for a Hogsmeade weekend, the C even still falling in the picture, and holding her by her shoulders keeping her warm… his own face… himself… that scene had been taken in fourth year.

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

"duel !"

"Expelliarmus !"



reexamination please.


The gerbils made me do it.







Snape's wand clattered to the floor but the teacher didn't seem to birth noticed. Harry watched as the potions master fell to his articulatio genus on the floor, principal bowed, his face hidden by his lank greasy hair.

Harry watched, waiting for the plosion, but none came. Harry, with much trepidation, knelt down and tried to look at the instructor face. Which was why he was the only one in the form to mark the tear fall down from the end of Snape's long hooked pry and drop cloth onto his knees.

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

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

The students needed no more incentive and quickly scrambled for the relation condom of the corridor.

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

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

Harry didn't let them leave until he had looked each student in the eye and heard them anticipate to that outcome. 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 kind of receive to."Harry answered.

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

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

Snape was still where he had been before they left. Harry took a deep intimation and sat down cross legged in nominal head 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 moment so I could demilitarize you. I never thought it would affect you like this."

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

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

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

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

Snape stayed motionless for a moment more then slowly brought the silver locket up to his mouth. Then, in a choked, dolorous representative he said…

"Spinners end."

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

Harry dug into the box again and grabbed a pic, it was his female parent and her Sister when they were youth, but obviously over eleven since the motion-picture show was moving. He wordlessly handed it to Snape, who took it and kept crying. He grabbed another photograph and poked his father out of the frame before handing that too over.

He kept going until the box was empty. Giving a few password each to recount Snape what it was he was giving him, an essay, a alphabetic character, a prefects badge. Harry hid the love alphabetic character from his father back in his bag. By the fourth dimension nothing was left Snape had stopped crying, he was even breathing a fiddling well-off, rich breathes instead of the racking sobs that had plagued him a consequence ago.

Snape sniffed loudly and put his hand 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 rascality Harry grabbed something back out of his bag, scrunched it between his hands and handed it to Snape.

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

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

"You mentioned that you told the eternal sleep of your family to continue silent."Snape's vocalization was almost monotone.

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

"Why ?"The potions overlord regained a piffling of his old maliciousness and sneer.

"I just…"Harry licked his backtalk and started again. As unwilling as he was to render Snape ammunition to use against him…"Last year I broke down completely in the hospital wing. rightfield on the floor. It was after Colin Creevy got petrified, it all just got too much for me. At the time I remember wishing everyone there would just block it ever happened. I thought you might feel 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 door. 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 recount you something I ‘ ve noticed about whizz ?"Harry took Snape's silence as an approving."Wizards… whizz use quills."

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

"And they use trunks even when they can catch old bag to restrain to a greater extent. You use a steam train to get to Hogwarts. This year a steam-boat. We live in a knightly castle, the store I bought my wand in predates Redeemer Jesus of Nazareth and we write on rolls of parchment. But its more than just that, lots of superstar are named after member of their fellowship. A lot Thomas More of them than muggles. Even portraits and ghosts ; half the time we seem to be surrounded by the great unwashed who died centuries ago. What I ‘ m getting at is…"Harry swallowed in apprehensiveness at what the reaction to his side by side spot would be.

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

Snape just stood there, his leer seemed to have frozen on his back talk but his eyes just seemed confused, even a piddling lost. Harry opened the door and left quickly.

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

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

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

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

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

"I won ‘ t say. I won ‘ t ever say."

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

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

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

It was only as Harry got into bed that nighttime 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 robe and say it again, trying to see some hint of a clue. But there was nada. zero at all.
*


Professor Snape dropped the picture back onto the oak table of his quarter and held his head in his hands. The only light in the elbow room came from the guttering candle before him and faded into the dark around him. Snape refilled his methamphetamine with alertness potion and tried to make himself sip it this clip. quietus was not an option, not at least until he was too tired to dream.

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

The idiocy of the boy, telling him to affect on while at the Lapplander time giving him a lot of photograph and a locket that proved she loved him all along. Snape gave up and knocked back a mouthful of the searing potion.

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

Snape drew his wand out to relight the candle but stopped with it held loosely in his manus. Another trance was floating in the straw man of his mind.

No.

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

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

You abandoned me.

No. Snape curled his hands over his facial expression and tried to force the retentivity down using Occlumency. But in his condition he could barely hold it back and another surfaced just as quickly.

You chose your Friend Sev.

I did, but it was always you.

They hate me.

There was no one else.

You hate me.

Never. Why will you not give me peace ?

You were my beneficial friend.

Be silent.

But you betrayed me.

Please.

I can't pretend anymore Sev.

I just want to forget.

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

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

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

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

"Expecto Patronum !"

The room was lit once more by silver light as the magic spell erupted from Snapes wand. The silver doe just stood there cocking her pass at him. Snape felt teardrop running down his cheeks again.

"I love you."

The doe said cypher, she never did, but she walked over on her silent hooves and rested her heading in his lap. She felt fond but Snape knew it wasn ‘ t real, if he tried to touch her she ‘ d just feel like mist.

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


Harry stared down at his breast and tried hard to continue his breathing in balk as the Brobdingnagian combat injury faded in and out. Harry gritted his teeth and concentrated on staying in this time. The combat injury began to pass to a greater extent, after a few min if vanished completely. Harry breathed a sigh of alleviation, 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 one C. Harry looked up into the mirror in front of him, even without the wound he looked like a crash. Harry opened the door and smiled at his friend."Probably flu or something."

"You don't say ? You ‘ ve been kind of… um…"Ron waved his paw as if searching for the flop Logos."…muted… for hebdomad. Ever since Snape."

Harry nodded, he had been a short quiet. Intentionally in the source, he had known that he needed to preserve a low profile. But Snape seemed to be pulling a lupin and ignoring Harry in his lessons. Not that he was paying very much attention to the rest of his class either, Snape spent most of his object lesson at his desk and had large udder under his eyes.

But lately the torrent had been getting worse. He had thought that it getting worsened would mean he'd jump further back but in fact it was the antonym. He kept jumping seconds, minutes or hours back and forth, several multiplication a day now. Sometimes the earth would simply vibrate like a chime and he'd be left spinning as he flickered between times so fast he couldn't even catch it. And then there were the meter like this morning when he simply slipped back and forth like a metronome, the wound on his chest opening and ending like outrageous sphincters.

Even risky were the time when he didn't even understand 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 see cereal and toast appear in front of him. Lessons were even worse, they could be twice as long as normal or the Vanessa Stephen could fathom when Harry had barely put his Word down. His marks in class were falling, homework was hard to hand in on time when you didn't know what day it was. Harry knew he should tell Dumbledore or McGonagall or Hermione even, but somehow he couldn't 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 friend 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 Quaker."‘ monosyllabic ‘ ? Been reading the dictionary Ron ? Or just spending more prison term with Hermione ?"Ron blushed and began spluttering…

"No just… I mean why would I…"

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

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

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

"Come on Harry, sneak out again."Ron wheedled."It ‘ ll shuffle you feel better. Get some sun, you ‘ re getting all white and pasty like Snape."

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

"I might get caught."Harry said lamely.

Harry rightly deserved the horrified blaze Ron gave him.

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


Harry dragged himself out of the lake and gave himself a drying charm before wandering up towards town. After meeting up with the former marauders the start place they visited was Zonko's joke shop.

"Pretty soundly don't you think ?"Harry grinned through the witching mask that made him look like an old man. He had a big grey moustache too and a unripened felt hat.

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

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

"Why ?"She shook her school principal."Why would you do that ?"

"So that no Slytherin will say that they saw Harry ceramicist in Hogsmeade."savvy dawned on Padma's boldness then she suddenly frowned.

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

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

Harry found that he was enjoying the day despite himself. He had only jumped a few minor time and he did like the town ( having not really had a chance to see it on the shoemaker's last sojourn ).

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

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

"buttery ?"Harry wheedled, grinning.

"fountainhead yeah."

"I don't know. A drink based on a fat spread doesn ‘ t exactly sound 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 effective for you. It contains antioxidants."

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

"Honestly Ron it just means…"

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

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

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

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

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, perhaps some latent talent as a seer or perhaps some event of the torrent but right at that moment Harry felt his venter lurch. There was something terrible behind that dampen window.

"Wait here."Harry said quietly. The marauders heard his flavor and fell silent. Harry slipped in through the garden logic gate and felt the Edward Durell Stone of the wall. Rough, like Hogwarts. Harry gripped the blocks with his finger's breadth and clambered slowly up to the window. He pushed aside the heavy pall but inside the room was empty-bellied. A dim stowage piled with box with the doorway open onto the well lit corridor behind.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and began to climb down. When he was about halfway he heard a sound from inside the menage. He stopped, his fingers gripping the rock tight. There it was again. Harry scrambled back up and thrust his head back through the window.

Harry just had time to see scandalmongering dentition streaked with grime and olfactory property rancid breathing spell before he was thrown backwards off the paries. He landed with a thump in the garden and looked up in time to see a rumpled man, covered in dirt and dressed in spoilt sheet leap from the window with something clutched in his hands. Harry rolled out of his way and the man hit the terra firma running, panting like a dog as he dashed out through the gate and down the street.

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

Harry jolted himself off the ground and vaulted the wall after the fleeing man. He could hear the marauder trying to stay fresh gait behind him.

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

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

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

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

Harry aimed and shot a bludgeoning hex at the man, now little more than a smudge of dark on the remote purple heather. The daub dodged and shot sideways behind a large rock before the other piranha patch could connect.

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

Harry cursed and began running forwards again. He should sustain known that ! Harry felt like he was passing battery-acid through his lungs instead of air by the metre they reached the John Rock. The heaving and gasping he heard behind him told him the marauder were in even poorer shape. unfit, the figure was nowhere in view and there was no take in track to follow.

Ignoring the pain in the ass in every muscle Harry pulled himself to the top of the boulder and looked around. From here he could see the dark shape of the proscribe timber spreading out to the southward. A paries, like the wall of Hogwarts, sealed it off from the rest of the world. Harry squinted through his glasses and just made out a dark material body silhouette against the brighter wall before it disappeared. Harry tore off the mask to get a better look but there was nothing more, just space wall.

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

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

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

"But Harry it ‘ s a wolfman !"

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

"When ‘ s the adjacent full phase of the moon moon ?"Harry asked quickly."When is it ?"

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

Harry shook his head.

"Then we can't hold for assistance. We have to find them before nightfall or that fiddling kid is going to get one infernal region of a lovebite. We can ‘ t wait for assistance, its us or no one."Harry looked back at the marauders and saw them play and fade.

NO !

He bridge player clenched around his chandelier and he squeezed his oculus shut. He did not feature time for this ! When he opened his centre again his friend looked solid state, but confused.

"Harry you alright ?"Ron asked.

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

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

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

In Harry's head he could get wind the words ‘ We can't wait for assist. Its us or no one'repetition over and over like a talisman against the terror rising inside him. That terror itself had its own voice saying ‘ We are following it into its woodland where it knows its way around and we don't and you can't even stay in your own time for five arcminute. And that's not even mentioning the centaurs… ’. Harry was forced to admit that that representative as well was right. What they were doing was stupid and grievous. But as the kickoff spokesperson said, there was no one else.

As Harry neared the wall a third piddling voice piped up. Spiteful, sarcastic and whiney but, like the former two phonation, essentially right.

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


They reached the wall and Harry instantly saw how the werewolf had gotten over. A huge tree had fallen over the paries, crushing the top part of it and resting on the remaining meters of cracked stonework. Everywhere else the wall was at least two storeys marvelous of blank Charles Grey Oliver Stone. Unscalable.

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

Again Harry felt like a fool. Obviously it would be warded. His brain seemed to be in a copper. Harry grabbed some of the lower limb of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and pulled himself up.

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

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

Harry began climbing along the torso and felt it shake as mortal else began to climb. When Harry reached the other end he climbed down by the roots and dropped onto the mulch of the forest floor. He turned and looked up at the Tree, a consequence later Padma pushed her way through the branches. Harry waited a moment more but no one came. Harry felt a lump form in his throat, first Pythea abandoned him then them.

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

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

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

"Did you think any of us wanted to see a kid turned into a werewolf ?"Padma added to cut him off with a shingle of her fountainhead and began to climb down. Harry helped her down the last few metrical unit then moved to do the Saami for the others.

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

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

"bed cover out and count. Don ‘ t go too far."Harry said and the marauders obediently fanned out. Harry was about to link them when his mind fixed on a crazy idea.

He had been able to agree the torrent at bay a few times. Could he push it to come to him ?

Harry undid the forepart of his shirt and looked down at his unblemished thorax. He splayed one hired hand across where he knew the wound would come out and clench the other around his pendent.

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

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

"Harder !"He thought desperately. His fingers were slick on his breast but it wasn't rake, it was sweat."seminal fluid on !"

Harry saw his admirer fade in front end of him. Ron turned back towards him and yelled in surprise. But the sound was like a remote rustling and Harry gripped his bloody chest tighter. He could still take heed his friends as ghosts on the wind but couldn't see them anymore.

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

Then, just for a mo, a shadowy design dropped out of the air above Harry and scampered away into the Tree with something held in its grumble manpower. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Harry thought he could pick up a baby's scream.

Harry let go with both custody and collapsed into the leaves. A present moment later he felt hired man pulling him up. As his head was tilted back for him Harry saw his friends 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 weapon system."You need to tell us what you just did !"

"Hermione now is not…"

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

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

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

"fountainhead I ‘ m not waiting around."The twin turned and began to take the air off in the direction Harry had pointed. Harry grinned and staggered after her. A bit later he felt Ron apprehension him and put an arm around his articulatio humeri to steady him

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

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

They walked in silence for a while. Padma spotted a set of footprints on the ground that told them they were still going in the rightfulness direction. It looked as if the werewolf was following a sort of cervid trail through the forest. After ten minutes or so Harry was able to take the air unaided again but he was still glad they had found the trail. He really didn't want to get to spend himself into the torrent again.

"Shush…"Harry waved the others to silence."Do you roast get a line that ?"deliquium vocalization drifted between the trees before them. raging vocalisation and one high 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 vocalisation got louder as they approached a shaded dingle in the woods.

"opus of crap !"A forte smacking sound filtered up from the dell. Followed by a clump like a consistence hitting the floor. Through it all Harry could get word a baby cry."Why did you have to screw it up !"

Harry crawled to the edge of the dingle and poked his pushed a hole through some tufts of grass to see down. The werewolf they had chased was cowering on the floor in front of a huge bear like man. A huge bear like werewolf, Harry amended as he saw the sharp brown teeth and yellow eyes staring balefully out of its head. Now that he could get a exonerated feel at them Harry could see that they were both wearing the same mud and dirt encrusted tabloid, their original color and cut lost completely beneath the grime. Their hair and paw were caked in mud as well, as were their discalced feet.

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

Harry could see the baby lying abandoned on the ground nearby. He could feel the marauders getting in side beside him. Making their own viewing holes.

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

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

"Happy ? well-chosen ! ?"The burly werewolf threw the former to the ground and kicked him in the belly."You moron ! We ‘ ve been working for months and you screw it up in a day !"

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

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

"Any estimation ?"

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

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

"Two wide grown wolfman ?"Padma shook her head."We ‘ ll need a plan."

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

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

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

"We've got so used to being the underdogs we didn ‘ t see it. There are more of us, we have wands and we have the element of surprise. Hermione, Padma…"Harry pointed back at the clearing."… you aim for the big guy. Me and Ron will aim for the smaller 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 border of the dell."On three. One… Two… trey !"

Harry raised to his knees and aimed his wand at the startled werewolves. Hermione had fired a full-body-bind that froze Greyback in his tracks before Padma's blasting cuss threw him to the ground. Harry had stuck by the dependable bludgeoning hex. He didn't hear what Ron cast but whatever it was combined with his own flack threw the scrawny werewolf 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 feet. The loup-garou's limb 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 trading 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 woods with only a blanket to protect him, I ‘ m guessing he ‘ s a slight cranky. Good matter it's a lovesome day."

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

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

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

"They ‘ ll kill former multitude Harry."Ron said hesitantly."They ‘ ll turn other people. They ‘ re animals."

"amercement then. Do it."Harry pointed at the fast men on the floor."finish up them."

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

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

The marauders were about to watch him when…

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

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

Not long before nightfall. Not long before the moon.

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


Harry dared a coup d'oeil back through the woods as he pelted as fast as he could kill the cartroad they had come up on. It was total dark now, and the moon rode over the trees.

"Wah ! ! Wah ! !"

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

"Bring him here."Harry slowed down and pointed his verge at the squalling baby."Silencio !"The baby's mouth still worked but no phone came out. Harry breathed well-situated for a import, then he heard a howl go up from the trees behind them.

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

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

Not a prison term to displume punches.

"Acerbus Cuspis !"

The poorly Inner Light enveloped the snaring affair and it's momentum rolled it into a heap at Harry understructure. He petrified it for full measure. Harry turned and sprinted to enamor up with the rest of the marauders.

"How… close…"Ron panted."… tree."

"Further."Was all Harry managed to heave out. A growling behind him was all the warning he got and he threw himself on Ron, knocking them both to the dry land as a lycanthrope pounced over their head.

"Ferio !"Harry yelled from the floor, but his hex missed and smacked into a crotch hair. The woman chaser snarled and lifted itself to its human foot before getting hit from behind by Hermione and being slammed into the terra firma. Harry pulled himself and Ron off the story and began running forward again.

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

"Come on come on !"Harry skidded to a layover by the fundament of the fallen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and scanned the darkened forest. bm ? Harry fired another curse into the shadow but it hit null."hurry up !"Harry helped Ron into the tree then scrambled up behind him. He heard a tangle behind him and whirled, aiming his sceptre at the sound.

"Acerbus cuspis !"

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

"Harry !"

A wolfman was clambering along the tree, its farseeing slavering knife glistening in the moonlight.

"Depulso !"Harry banished the wolfman and saw it sweep back over the wall.

"Wingardium Leviosa !"Harry heard Hermione yell and saw the tree rock on its detritus cradle."supporter me !"

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

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

"No ! You two break off any more of them getting over !"

Harry concentrated on the tree, trying to shake it free of its trestle. Another morose form jumped onto the automobile trunk and Padma blasted it off. Two more jumped on and Harry forced himself to concentrate only on the Tree and trust his friends to deal with the werewolves.

Suddenly, with a shuddering crack, the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree came resign of the wall and jumped a few meters into the air. Shaking its passenger off in the appendage. At Hermione's urging they pulled the tree forwards and dumped it on the basis nearby. Harry yelped in surprisal as they saw a werewolf scrabble over the damaged wall, its nemesis giving it strength beyond any instinctive animal.

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

Harry kept his wand trained on the thing but didn't cast anything. The glowering shape squatted on the top of the rampart for a second then bunched up and leap at them. There was a bang-up newsflash of light and it was repulsed, thrown back into the timberland with a yelp of pain.

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

"The Aaron Montgomery Ward. The tree was disrupting them."Hermione brushed her hair's-breadth off her sweat-dripping brow."They should be back now."

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

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







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


Yeah, i know this chapter 's a bit short but it was a legitimate station to stop.



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

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

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

"Of all the irresponsible, craziness and idiocy you lot have got yourselves into !"McGonagall raged as they walked back along the road. Snape was uncharacteristically silent but he glowered at them with his bloodshot heart. 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 breathing space."‘ Without you minor he would have suffered a fortune worse than death. You ‘ re poor boy.'” But the instructor didn't seem to hear him ( which was perhaps for the Charles Herbert Best ).

They walked in silence up the long path towards Hogwarts but McGonagall surprised them by not taking them inside. Instead she led them rung to the left wing towards the glasshouse. Harry could see the shimmering line of the wards, easily visible in the dim light.

Harry then saw who they were heading for. Dumbledore was standing on a bandage of scuffed footing near the edge of the glasshouse staring out towards the proscribe forest. Occasionally he would take a few steps and glimpse at a particular place in the wards. He also kept glancing at a ragged bit of parchment he held in his hand. As they approached he folded it calmly and slipped it into his robes.

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

"Mr Potter."The master had turned to expect at him. He did not face pleased."So you return to us again."

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

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

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

"Mr Potter this is not a affair of resolution it is a subject of intentions."Dumbledore said, staring at him over the rims of his spectacles."Do you require me to continually overlook your gross rule breaking simply because it coincidentally causes some unspoilt ?"

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

"Why were you in Hogsmeade in the first gear lieu ?"

"Testing how well that little scrap of paper in your sack works."It was a shot in the dark but Harry saw the feeling of shock cross Dumbledore's face before he steadied himself again. Harry noticed that both Snape and McGonagall looked disoriented. Was Lupin the only teacher who knew ?

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

"The map of Hogwarts."Harry spoke slowly and carefully. Taking an evil gloat in seeing every tidings bring further shock to the old man's face."The one you and Lupin have been using to observe me. learn everything I do. You sit up at night, with a mug of coconut palm and a marshmallow and watch me."

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

"Why didn ‘ t you use it to recover the kid ? Or Ginny at the end of concluding class ?"Harry stared Dumbledore down. He felt a aristocratical prod on the vertebral column of his nous."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 obtain the child because it does not extend beyond the delimitation of Hogwarts."Dumbledore said slowly. His voice oddly shamed."And I could not use it to find fille Weasley because neither the chamber, nor the passage leading to it, nor the gutter under Hogwarts are displayed on it. It ‘ s makers never ventured into them."

A secrecy fell again. Neither party seemed to hold anything to add to the conversation.

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

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

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

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

"Perhaps."Dumbledore conceded."But in a thousand eld the werewolves 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 recover some of his old humour."To you the hulk squid is merely a playful lake creature. But it in fact one of the most antediluvian guardians of Hogwarts. If any dark brute attempted to achieve Hogwarts through the lake, rely me Harry, they would not get far."

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

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

"Oh…"Harry felt anger ebbing out of him, leaving a kind of holler."… good."

"Now…"professor Dumbledore raised both his thenar, facing out. A cool off gesture."… we will carry on this discussion, and discussion of any penalty incurred, in the daybreak. Please return to your plebeian elbow room, Severus will follow you. Minerva, would you help me check over the wards one final time before we all withdraw ?"The two old teacher moved off, leaving the marauders with only Snape for company.

"come on."Snape's vocalisation sounded horse and Harry realized that this was the starting time time he had spoken during the total exchange.

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

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

Harry walked into the Gryffindor park room.

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

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

"Um… yes ?"

"Oh good."It had just been normal déjà vu, not the time change of location kind. Harry opened his eyes and walked over to sit at the marauders table with Ginny, Neville and Parvati who had been waiting for them. The other predator sat down too. It was the middle of the night but somehow everyone knew they couldn't go to catch some Z's yet. The four who had come from the woods 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 circuit breaker somehow…"Neville's voice trailed off as they all contemplated the theory of penniless forest monsters hiring the services of skilled wizard and of the skilled virtuoso working for them willingly and of the werewolves retaining enough self controller after transforming to not eat them.

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

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

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

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

"Could they somehow unhinge the titan squid ?"Ginny asked looking tired as well. No one answered her. No one had any result. But Harry was will to swear that whatever it was was right 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 flock, Ginny was virtually at rest on her professorship ("We keep forgetting she ‘ s not as used to this as us."sentiment Harry. ) Hermione looked almost fix to faint, the stress of all the grade this class on top of the day they'd all had was just too often. Neville and Parvarti were o.k. but himself and Ron ? Ha ! Harry laughed to himself. Both him and Ron, and to a less extent Padma and Hermione, looked like they'd rolled in the filth all night. Which, Harry admitted, they had.

Harry looked at his shite encrusted handwriting. There was something there. Something just out of reach.

"Guy ‘ s…"The marauder's question snapped to him."… look at my hand. 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 mentation of something too."

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

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

His script, beaten and scratched. One fingernail broken a piddling from a downfall. dirt under his fingernails. Dirt everywhere on his hand. shit everywhere on their hands…

Harry stood bolt upright piano and scrambled for the door.

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

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

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

"Don't you see what they're doing ! blackguard behind a fencing !"Harry saw understanding morning in one or two hardening of eyes."They ‘ re digging a bally tunnel !"
*


"Neville : McGonagall ! Ron : Dumbledore ! Padma : Snape !"Harry rattled off as they raced out the portrait pickle. Harry cupped his men to his oral fissure and yelled."Vinca minor ! Sweet marauder theatre ghost ! Get here NOW !"

"Harry ?"The glowing missy 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 ghost already white case turn whiter and her eyes bulge."Is must come up somewhere on this side of the wards. Go under…"

"Go underground and find it."Myrtle finished for him. She sounded absolutely terrorize. Her smoky physical body was ever quavering in the air. But she swooped off in the counsel of the greenhouses, her spindly hair whipping in the confidential information behind her.

"Wonderful."Harry thought as he shot down a stairway."At to the lowest degree one of the marauder has her headspring on straight."

Harry barged through a side of meat doorway and the night air hit him like a wall. He breathed it in, welcoming the cold into him because it would assist heat him up.

"Lumos !"Hermione had lit her wand. Smart that one. Harry followed causa and soon the four marauders were scowering the primer coat. Harry glanced over them, had he pick out wrongly ? He'd sent the play out predator to find the teachers and kept the relatively fresh I with him. Except for Hermione of path, who he ‘ d kept because he relied on her to be the encephalon of the cognitive operation. But was she alert enough to do that now ? Harry cursed as he realized his choice also meant he had put the young member, Ginny, in harms way.

Harry shook his head, nothing to be done about it now. Harry saw Myrtle arc out of the ground like a dolphinfish, raise her hands as if to say ‘ I'm going as fast as I can ’, then dip back underground.

"Where would they be ?"Harry peered at the Tree business line, trying to catch up with some confidential information of movement. nix."damn it !"Where would they tunnel up to ? Would they even be capable to aim at a specific place when underground ? The world blurred around Harry and he clamped his workforce over his pendent.

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

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

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

Harry followed the line of her hand, it was the spell of scuff turf they had stood on earliest that evening during their word with Dumbledore. With some trepidation Harry got closer and stopped to hear. From under the ground came the unmistakable sound of scrabbling claws.

"Oh no no no no no."Harry shook his head to try and dispel the icy grip of awe and looked back at the palace. No teachers yet, the marauder must take in been having bother convincing them. Harry looked back at the terra firma, they would give away through any min."Colloportus."He tried, desperately, aiming at the ground. But nothing happened, the enchantment wasn't meant to be used that way.

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

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

The ghost shook her head vigorously, her eye across-the-board behind her goggle-like glasses.

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

The trace began crying and hugged her arms into herself but she slowly floated down and slid into the background. After a moment the scrabbling stopped and a growling and yip filtered up through the earth. Harry glanced around desperately, that had bought him instant at nearly. His optic lighted on a muckle of plant life carving in a wooden bin beside the nursery. Yes !

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

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

"wellspring, that won ‘ t intercept them from digging up."Harry thought, scraping effort off his brow."But it ‘ ll ease up them a surprise 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 ululation of inhuman painfulness and a dry clangour as the bonfire caved in on itself. More howl of pain, filling the air with dark fearfulness. Harry glanced over his shoulder at the fire.

A burning werewolf, howling in searing painful sensation, burst up through the primer coat like an ancient god, ferine and powerful. It clawed its way onto the skunk and set off like a slug towards him. Harry was so daunt he tripped and was sent sprawling across the basis. He rolled and tried to aim a hex at it but he was shaking so much it missed by a air mile. Harry could see another lycanthrope erupt out of the priming coat and charge the marauders but all his attention was focused on the one in movement of him. The one that was going to down him. He shot again but it barely grazed its slope. It lunged, and Harry felt its feted breath.

"Sectumsempra !"

The woman chaser's neck opening exploded in a bloody outpouring but its impulse carried it onto Harry, crushing him under its. Harry could experience his ribs crack and smack its putrid malodor but then it was lifted off him and tossed aside. Harry looked up and saw Snape framed in the doorway, a look of murder in his eyes.

"Stupefy !"The potions master yelled and a red enchantment barb across the priming coat and the lycanthrope that had been chasing the predator fell limp onto the solid ground. Harry heard a scrabbling sound and saw another just clawing its way out of the hole in the ground. Snape said no incantation this metre but it's head word snapped back as if it had been shot and it slid back into the muddle. Three to a greater extent scrambled out, slavering and growling to choose its place.

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

"Leave them to me Potter."Harry heard Snape growl."Go help oneself your friends."Snape curled his arm back and yelled something pharyngeal before throwing a orchis of red promiscuous down into the hole in the footing. Harry was knocked off his feet as an temblor rocked the earth and a outstanding swarm of dust poured up from the pit. Snape had collapsed the tunnel. She potions master smiled evilly, the smoke and dust giving him an almost demonic visage as he turned and began throwing swearword at the remaining two werewolves.

Harry ran towards the predator and skidded to a stop in front of them. They looked old-hat and frighten off and Hermione was leaning on Parvati and not putting weight on her left substructure, but for having just battled werewolves they looked alright.

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

"No !"
*


A moment of coincidence can exchange everything.

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

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

Harry turning and stepping over to cull it up, holding its gilt mountain range clenched in his fist.

Snape throwing curses at the live on lycanthrope, 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 oestrus moving ridge. Shooting straight into the sparkling favourable hourglass handing from Harry's hand.

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

The spray of silver grey backbone, fanning out and covering the right side of Harry breast, burning through his shirt and eating away the flesh underneath.

Each texture of sand making a little potholed gob, like drop curtain of acid.

Snape looking on in horror, wand still outstretched.

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

Then slowly, fading. Fading as his scream grew easygoing and softer. Until it was goose egg More than a breath of wind.

Then gone.


painfulness, everywhere, burning. Flickering too fast to see anything but his damaged body beneath him. bellowing, he could try the river here, louder than ever before. Nothing made signified, nothing was really but the pain.
*


"Severus… Severus are you asleep ?"

Snape slowly raised his head from his hands and looked up at brothel keeper Pomfrey. Had he fallen asleep ? There were times when his mentation had curled round each other enough to seem like dreams. But no, he mustn't have. Surely he would consume 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 drainpipe on his will. Walking around, every day, trying to follow his bit with a virulent cocktail of sorrow and heart clenching regret. But he couldn't leave it, every time he tried he just felt his finger close around it tighter.

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

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

The infirmary annex was full but silent. Snape looked over at the bed where the Granger girl was lying. Her invertebrate foot healed of grade but no one had asked her to get out. Potter's other friends were there too, in professorship, propped on nearby beds or, in the case of Longbottom, simply collapsed on the trading floor. Snape could empathise right now.

On the other side of meat the loup-garou were chained, the two that had survived his blast and transformed back with the light 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 field. Snape felt no grief for the I that had been carted away to be burned or for the many that had undoubtedly died when he collapsed the tunnel. Any tincture of humanity they had they had given up when they agreed to follow Greyback.

A paring of a intellection wormed its way into Snape's genius. Why hadn't Rebel been present at the attack ? The child claimed to consume petrified him but that would barely have lasted an hour on a werewolf. He should have been there. It would take been gratifying to number him as one of the dead. Then at least Snape could hold said something good had come of everything.

"Professor Severus Snape ?"

The clipped voice brought him out of his thought and he looked at the two new number in the wing. Even in his wasting province Snape took in the flat grey robes, the file leaflet, 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 head. But something was off about them he realized, the adult female, her eyes far too appraising under her clean shortly whisker and the man perhaps a shade too relaxed for a bureaucrat 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 eyebrow. Snape sighed inwardly, he hated people under the delusion they were smarter than him."My name is Natalie Zhao and my colleague is Sean Rhyfedd."She indicated the man with a Wave of her hand. Rhyfedd opened his mouth to speak but the char continued talking and he shut it again.

"We are here to enquire the recent effect here."She smiled and pulled a quill feather and parchment from her folder."I understand that you have had a trying clip but certain enquiry must be answered."

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

"You misunderstand Mr Snape."The man spoke for the starting time meter."The werewolves are indeed being dealt with by the aurors. The berth we were speaking of was the end of Mr Potter."

"Harry !"

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

"Do know where he is ?"

"What happened to him ?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You know that I am."Snape replied acidly."Unless the 30 page form myself and the other teachers here were asked to fill out was somehow lost in the Ministry's organization. In fact that circumstance is not unlikely is it ?"

"We take more care in our section,"Rhyfedd said. He turned to the tyke at the table."Did you notice Mr Potter displaying any odd behavior this yr ?"

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

"Time loss."The Unspeakable crossed his arms irritably."Did he sometimes seem to not make love when or where he was ? Did he seem to know what was about to happen ? Did anyone witness him in two spot at once ?"

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

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

"Don ‘ t feeling bad,"Natalie Zhao smiled at the students."Even if we had known earlier there would have been zippo we could bear done. It's an essence we call the soaker of ages."

That sounded familiar, some old history ?

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


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


"Yes that's decline,"Ms Zhao nodded, pleased."You see, a time-turner only works because of the grit inside it. It is literally the sand of time. Usually it is inert but there are ways of drawing out its tycoon. Now, the structure of a time-turner is designed so as to rule that power safely. Moving a person back in fourth dimension a brusk way relatively safely."

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

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

"The impression has been known since ancient times."Mr Rhyfedd pulled a bundle of around 20 papers out and overspread them out in front man of Snape. The all had pictures in the corner. The one-time ones were indecipherable, the newest mostly looked like abominable themselves."As you can see the Recent one 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 consequence multiplied by a billion, and totally ungovernable. The person begins moving through meter without ever stopping in any one moment for more than a millisecond."

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

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

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

Snape felt his heart skip about a hundred beats. Had he just been casually Legilimized by a Ministry employee ? He found himself forced to swiftly and radically revaluate the charwoman in movement of him. His genial defenses were a little fracture right now it was unfeigned, but he would have been well-chosen to face even Dumbledore with no more defense than this. He had grown too soft.

"Miss Patil,"The char continued."I know this is hard for you, all of you. I know that it is easier to sorrow if you have a eubstance, or some mark. But you must understand your protagonist is not coming back."

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

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

"This is not something you can fight,"The awful shook her head."It ‘ s not something real or physical. It ‘ s not something tangible, it ‘ s something inevitable."
*


Slipping, terra firma always slipping. Too much pain to even cerebrate. Blood that flowed out of him and disappeared into the air like mist. The moxie still burned in him, burning but the rakehell kept flowing. Burning threads cutting into him from all sides, tying him up. Lying like red hot lances across his hide. He couldn't ignore the pain, it was the one real number thing he had.
*


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


Harry kneeled under the flickering sky, a Lady Jane Grey break of day burning into his eyes. It was too much, he wasn't sure if he would go mad or just bleed to decease. Either seemed preferred. The pain was just throbbing harder, the fiery bonds tightening around him. Invisible adhesion. Nothing was real 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."individual ! Help me !"Harry barely felt the sobs wrack his body."Someone…"

"Harry…"

Harry felt the hurting ebb away, leaving a dull ache. The sky dimmed like smoked glass. The flickering ground became hoar and unyielding under his feet. He felt the electrocution duds pushed off him as the grey space expanded, carrying them with it. He stood on wobbly pegleg inside the little bubble of reality.

"Harry."

Harry whirled towards the vocalisation and fell to the flat coat again, this clock time in relief. Tears welled in the corner of his heart. He gulped and said,

"Pythea !"

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

"How…"

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

"Why ?"Harry shook his school principal."Why this way ?"

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

Abhorrent… that sounded familiar.

"For the Lapp understanding the centaur do ? They sa-"

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

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

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

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

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

Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head. His last hope…

"Harry, the flood isn ‘ t even something natural."Pythea held his chin in her hands and pushed his head back up."Time-turners are one thing, they let you pass back and forth in the same time stream. Anything you do in the past does not disturb the futurity, because it has already happened you see ? The police of causality are preserved. The torrent is different, it defies the rules of circumstances. That is why my ordering, and the Centaur, hate it so much. They think it is dangerous, tangling destiny. That is why you have been moved outside of clip, the population itself it trying to shut you out. Destroying a threat to itself."

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

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

"How ! How can I be the first ?"

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

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

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

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

"Good Harry."She raised her hand towards the Grey bulwark."Are you ready ?"

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

"Do it !"

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

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa !"

It was like the Cruciatus burnt into every speck of his skin. And across his ribbon where the Mexican valium of ardor writhed ? It was a hundred times worse !

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

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

"SHIFT !"

Hogwarts appeared before him for a present moment, a student looked at him in stupor before it was all whisk off away.

"No ! Again !"

The priming coat became flaming tilt and the air acid smoke.

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

Bare rock, an empty sky.

Water stretching as into the distance.

The black of space. As cold as nothing.

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

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

"You can do anything."

"Aaaaaaaaa !"Harry fell to his human knee and pulled the fire to his chest, right up to the searing wound. Between his fists nestled the little pendent. A little nub of cool in the Earth of flame. He could do this.

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

"YES !"

The nursery pulled out of the mist. The champion, the sound of spells. An inhuman howl.

"YES !"

Harry potter laughed through the pain and the blood.
*


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

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

Snape throwing bane at the live lycanthrope, laughing as it scrabbled backwards, trying to get away from him. Snape throwing another cuss but, in his gloating, missing. The curse flying through the air, rippling it like a heat energy Wave. Shooting straight towards the sparkling golden hourglass handing from Harry's hand.

Harry smiled, and stepped in social movement of the curse.
*


Dirt…

Very wet dirt…

That was the first thought that went through Harry's psyche. He opened his center. The scandal in battlefront of his olfactory organ was moving ever so slightly, the short grains rolling back and Forth River. His breathing spell moving them. He was breathing again.

Some mavin at the sides of his head… familiar… speech sound. Someone was speaking.

"Harry ?"

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

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

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

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

"My dear boy you ‘ re bleeding !"

Harry looked down. One side of his chest was pockmarked with small hollow like mortal had grated him and the other position had two massive separatrix over it, meeting in a cross. Snape's curse, Harry remembered, that had hit him there.

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

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

"You need the Hospital backstage Mr Potter."

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

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

Harry looked down, he was wearing Pythea's chandelier but aught 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 warp. Near where his understructure had been there was a puddle of molten rubber.

"Oh."Harry blushed and tried to deal himself with his men. With a wave of his wand the little teacher gave Harry informal gibe pajama pants and a dressing night-robe. Harry vaguely registered that they were blue and gold."Thanks…"

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

He glanced down at the two wounds on his dresser, the sand burn and the cuts. There was something incorrectly there. Harry shook his fountainhead, nothing about bleeding that much was decent. Harry reached the doors to the hospital wing and pushed the door open.

He saw his admirer, Snape and some other the great unwashed look up in shock. In his state, lightheaded from rake loss, he said the world-class thing that came to mind…
*


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

The doors to the hospital wing burst undefendable and the thrower boy stepped inside, wavering slightly as if drunk.

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

Snape saw the students and the shoal nursemaid Benjamin Rush to Harry through a daze but he felt something else. A bubbling, floating wiz rising from his chest. He clamped his hand over his mouth but it escaped through his nose anyway, a raspberry that jerked his fountainhead back. He gave up trying and broke out in conniption of laughter.

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

"Hates… Ha ha ha ! Hates Godric Gryffindor ! Ha !"Snape held his hands to his aching sides and bowed down as another 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 require 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 room access of the hospital wing. As he passed the ceramist boy's bed the laughs 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 great pressure had been lifted off him. He must just be tired.

"I have had a long night."he told his fella teacher before turning and walking away and leaving a very stunned silence in his wake.
*


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

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

"These won ‘ t mend Mr ceramist,"he heard dame Pomfrey say while running her wand over the two wounds on his chest."Neither of them. I ‘ m afraid you ‘ ll have cicatrice there for the rest of your life."

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

"Well it's your own fault…"Harry heard an bitter voice say."You survive the killing whammy and get one scar, you survive the cloudburst of ages and you get two to a greater extent. If you don't want more scars lay off doing impossible things."

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

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

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

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

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

"But obviously we would not impose on you in your electric current state of matter,"the fair sex added easily."If we returned this evening ?"She glanced at madam Pomfrey, who nodded.

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

Harry looked at his Friend and grinned.

"So, my entrance ? sound 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 sort of disappointing."

"I blame blood loss."Harry leant back against the bed, he was just now realizing that he had last slept over 20 four hours ago. Or Sir Thomas More, or less, he didn't quite know how the fourth dimension in the torrent counted.

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

"How ?"Harry felt his lid drooping."I ‘ m a Marauder. We don ‘ t lose."A sentiment crossed Harry's brain and he managed to pull himself back from eternal sleep."Where did Vinca minor get to ?"

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

"Should rationalize to her. See whether we can find some ghost-flowers."Another persuasion hit him."The loup-garou ? The onset ?"

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

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

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

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

"I may get to contemplate Ron. If I want to do footling things like not get chucked out of Hogwarts."Harry tried to bring to endure any knowledge he had gleaned from the final few months of lessons and found only bare scraping."Definitely."

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


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

"He truly is unharmed ?"he asked again.

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

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

Poppy knew him well enough to recognize the polite sack in his voice and left his office quietly. Dumbledore turned to the other person in the office.

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

"I do not make love Remus."Dumbledore shook his head."I truly do not know how he survived. I am in the strange emplacement of having not the faintest idea. That worries me deeply. The boy himself worries me deeply."

"He disturbs me."

"Remus you must try to-"

"I know,"lupine croaked in his rough voice."It ‘ s just that he walks around looking so like Henry 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-the-moon of enigma, I still can ‘ t work out where that pendent of his came from. I don ‘ t screw how he managed to rig the Quidditch cup and I certainly can ‘ t prove he did. I don ‘ t have it off how he beat Severus in a affaire d'honneur. And now the torrent…"Dumbledore reached out and stroked Fawkes, the genus Phoenix let out an appreciative trill.

"This boy, this boy that so very much eternal sleep on, is a complete mystery to me. Not only that, he seems to experience no squeamishness about disregarding my self-confidence, ignoring my advice. I can not even celebrate him within the grounds of Hogwarts against his will. So much eternal sleep 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 past three years."

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

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

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

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

"have you found another Defense teacher ?"lupin asked suddenly. Dumbledore sighed.

"I have been talking to another old admirer. I have promise that he will bear the job."

"Good."

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


Snape awoke refreshed for the commencement prison term in weeks. He had gone directly into his bed after leaving the hospital extension and now the clock on his wall translate eight 30, he had slept all day. His body must have been trying to catch up on lost time.

He pulled his robes on and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. His hand went out on reflex action to snaffle the other detail there and he stiffened. The locket sat there, shining up at him. Snape swallowed hard. Did he want to carry Lily Arthur Evans around adjacent to his bosom forever ?

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

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

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

No. Not now.

You called me a mudblood.

"And what about you !"He spoke savagely to the locket nestled in his thenar."That day beside the lake after our exam. Where were you ? Sitting and talking to your other champion. Leaving me all alone. You didn ‘ t come over until Saint James thrower got involved. You abandoned me retentive before I abandoned you…"Snape drew his hand back."… I just did it better."And with all his military posture he hurled the little man of silver into the sullen water.

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

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

No…

Snape felt his spirits dashed in a moment. He still had one lowest musical composition of Lily eventide. A composition he could not be rid of. He hung his head, and he had felt so justify. 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 impossible was simply something that hadn't been done yet. But it would require Occlumency of the high order.

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

Snape sat down cross legged on the grass, cleared his head, closed his center and proceeded to delete Lily Arthur Evans. Each retentiveness was locked away, one by one, from their first meeting to the terminal day he ever saw her. He blocked them all. He would still keep back the shape of them, a vague knowledge, but it was the scoop he could do.

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

Snape closed the hold up memory and stood up, feeling lightheaded. Would this employment ? He began preparing to cast the spell, raised his wand then dropped it again to his side of meat. He could not cast it, he had no happy memories 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 gold. He raised his arms and felt the summertime wind rushing 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 stars were clear, unblocked by streetlights. Hogwarts, and the land around it, was his domicile. This was a happy memory.

"Expecto Patronum !"

He screwed his centre shut at the consequence of molding, he could not stand to watch. He felt the affectionateness of his patronus in front of him, touching his hand. He had to look eventually, he would take in to. courage, he was not a coward.

Snape snapped his eye heart-to-heart and almost melted onto the floor. snag sprung into his heart. Writhing and looping in the air was a thin snake, curling like a medal caught in the wind. He had been successful, the finale division of Lily Evans in him was gone.

"Is that your patronus ?"

Snape turned towards the voice. It was the unspeakable, Natalie Zhao, she was standing calmly a few steps behind him with her hand clasped in front of her. She must have crept up on him, he had been quite distracted.

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

"We left and came back,"she said, moving up to fend 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 pass in disbelief.

"He is goose egg if not surprising."Snape found he had little ire towards Harry Potter any Thomas More."But I think you would be less amazed if you saw the talk mess he manages to form of potions."

"Perhaps."She smiled, it pushed lilliputian pregnant 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 interesting looking Snake. Perhaps a little more than a metre long with harsh, dreary bands all the way up its slim dead body. It had no hood behind its lean pass like a cobra or a rattling like a rattlesnake, aught that obviously identified it. Snape wondered what species it was.

"A ring krait,"Natalie Zhao said grin. She hadn't had eye contact, she must just ingest guessed what he was thinking."Very nice."

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

"Well…"She appeared to conceive for a moment."It ‘ s dieting is variety of interesting."

"How so ?"

"It primarily eats early snakes."

"Really…"Snape found himself warming to the striped reptile.

"And it ‘ s venomous,"Ms Zhao continued."Sometimes the dupe doesn't tactile property anything at the site of the morsel for a spell, lulls them into a false sense of security."

"Hmm…"

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

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

"Why do you get it on so practically about snakes ?"

"I keep them as pets."She seemed to steel herself a touch. Perhaps she was used to negative reactions when mass heard about her hobby.

"Fascinating,"Snape said, and found that he meant it."Do you have any kraits ?"

"You ‘ d have to be disturbed to keep one of those as a pet. But I suppose you like dangerous 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 reckoning git that invaded your cellar as PET would you ?"

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

Snape chuckled. Laughing again, he really did feel like a new man. But there was something in the cover 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 of the castling."Got to occupy in the paperwork. God knows Rhyfedd won ‘ t bother, that man has an attitude problem…"

"He is a belittled minded, talent less man who is constantly trying to verify himself over you where he has no decently 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 s of meeting him. My bosses at the Ministry however…"She spread her hands hopelessly."… four class and enumeration. I ‘ m hoping they catch on any day now."

"Let me introduce you to Sibyll Trelawney one day."Snape shrugged and smiled in condolence."Then you will truly have it off what it is like to have got an irritate 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 River collection at some power point ?"Snape found himself asking."I find myself strangely interested."

"Strangely interested…"She smiled that infuriating smiling 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 Bill Gates of Hogwarts.

Snape would suffer felt elated, but at that minute what he had been thinking slipped into place and he frowned, then clenched his clenched fist as the wide significance sunk in. He hoped he was wrong, he really did.
*


"Albus,"he stepped out of the staircase into the Headmasters study.

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

"cypher good I am afraid."Snape shook his top dog."This good afternoon I remembered an impromptu comment one of the werewolves in the hospital offstage made. Taunting us about a map."

"They could not bear known about it."Dumbledore's center narrowed."You are not accusing professor Lupin once aga-"

"No."Snape waved the complaint away."No, that is what I thought initially, it would have been better if I was right. I went to bring down 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 exigency in that…"

"Albus, retrieve what else you said that evening."

"I…"The master face went pale and his eyes opened wide."I said that Voldemort was hiding in Albania."

"Yes."Snape nodded."I think we now know why Greyback was not constituent of the attempt. He had already left on a more important errand, a dog running back to its professional. He left because he knows where to look."



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

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

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

Harry potter and the Harry ceramist and the tone of Njordr !


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



She brushed up against the wall, her well muscled wing pressing against the wooden paneling. Her ears were attuned to the tiny scritches coming from around the corner and the tiny footstep on the floorboards were still seeable, 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 thing in. It was merely a sampler anyhow, her headmaster had promised sweeter centre soon.

She slid, full and languid, through the old house. Soon pride would number and milk her venom, making her feel empty and habituate, but her passkey needed it so she steeled herself against his feeling. Not that pride wasn't gentle, it was his spirit that irked her.

She knew that the three men who served her original had early names but she preferred her own, dream, pridefulness and decline. She had named them after what she smelled on them. Master was, of course, just Master.

She slid into her headmaster room and curled up beside the fervor. Her master was asleep but the others were talking again, she pushed her head down between her curl to block out the speech sound, but it wasn't enough.

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

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

"The entirely reason you have this job is because I would be missed."

"The intellect I have this job is because our passkey gave it to me."Ambition grinned."Never draw a blank that."

"Careful brother,"superbia sneered."Take care that you never forget who you have to give thanks for your freedom and for your chance at vengeance."

"Who ? Our lord for ordering me justify and planning how to achieve it or you for merely telling him where I was ?"

"Both you arrogant little-"

"Arrogant ?"dream laughed. She liked Ambition a bit more than superbia, he was more like a snake."That is undoubtedly and most obviously the pot calling the cauldron fatal. Besides…"aspiration narrowed his centre."I ‘ ve been wondering how longsighted you knew where I was and did zilch about it."

"I could not compromise-"

"Of course."dream turned away, dismissive."You could not compromise your billet. 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 language rotting in Azkaban."

Ambition whipped around and punched superbia straight in the belly. ambitiousness was thin and wiry but the clout had weight behind it and Pride crumpled to the storey. Ambition followed it up by stamping into pridefulness's kidney.

"Learnt some former thing in there too brother."ambitiousness drew his wand and pointed it as the groaning design on the floor."So if I were you I ‘ d never give into the delusion that you ‘ re the power player in our little co-operative venture."

Pride tried to rise but ambitiousness stamped on his hair.

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

aspiration scuffed his foot back and Forth River, jerking pride's tomentum and making him grit his teeth in pain. Ambition laughed and strode out of the room.
*


"Harry ? We have a… a sorting of proposition for you."Fred and St. George had cornered him in Ron's bedroom, they both had that pixilated looking about them.

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

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

"Everyone."

"Apprehensive, intrigued and confused."

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

Harry was hesitating because for a long time he had felt like he was building up some variety of unluckiness debt. The final three months of his thirdly yr at Hogwarts had passed without anyone trying to kill him ( unprecedented for Harry ) and he had even managed to surpass all of his exams. In United States Department of Defense he had scraped a qualifying on lupine's obstruction course ( damn Hinkypunk led him into a sinkhole ! ) and almost managed to not blow his cauldron up in potions.

constituent of the reason was that Snape had stopped picking on Harry in stratum and had even started treating him as a normal student. More than that the potions master had seemed almost cheerful at multiplication. Harry had put it down to him planning something evil until he noticed that Snape was at his nearly happy the solar day after a small barn owl brought him letters.

As for the other exams Harry had botched together some sort of pig-English rendering for ancient rune and avoided getting Thomas More than superficial chomp injury in Hagrid's ‘ virtual'test ( they had all been given a box and asked to feed what has in the box. Harry had never worked out what was in his box, he had just stuffed things in there until it stopped biting him. Whether he fed it or suffocated it he never found out. )

August 6 he had blagged, story of magic too. Herbology had been fine because he'd been partnered with Neville and he had passed of his own talent in Astrology and Charms.

Of course revising hadn't been the first thing he'd done. The first base thing he'd done had been to write a long letter to Pythea. He hadn't been ably to advert the inundation of course, but he hoped he had left enough hints that she would know how much he wanted to give thanks her. Of course the massive bunch of peak might give also given her that hint.

He had even managed to receive a vacation where there had been no unexplained magical occurrences, another kickoff. Harry had hiked in Switzerland for some of the summertime, cypher too grave but sufficiency that he was very glad of his size-and-weight-defying bag.

On one memorable occasion, mil from the cheeseparing town, he had met some sometime American language tourists kitted up with immense heavy hiking backpacks and thick coats. He however had been carrying a humble leather backpack while idly strumming a guitar. They had thought he was some sorting of new-age solitary. Harry ( or Jack ‘ moon-ray'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 positive 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 lechatelierite woven into his coat kept him warm ( a lie, the quartz glass kept the rain off. The amulets kept him warm. ). Surprisingly before they parted manner the fair sex began claming her arthritis had miraculously cleared up.

Harry had ended up in Geneva after a few workweek of this and spent most of the sleep of the summer there, lazing around the city and finishing up the schoolwork he had had no chance to make at in the mass. Plus juggling and playing the guitar for people around the urban center. When he could cultivate out how to do both at the same clip he knew he'd impress the great unwashed but for now he just ended up tangling his fingers.

He'd come back to England a few days early to chaffer his friends and get his schooltime provision. It was now the thirtieth of august and all the marauder were gathered at the burrow for a finale get together before heading off to Hogwarts. Harry should have been well-chosen, but instead he was apprehensive, wasn't he due some unpleasantness ? And weren't the villainous Weasley twins the sodding ones to allot it ? True the unpleasantness he got in to was usually more of the ‘ oh god we're all gon na die'smorgasbord, but then so was the some of the stuff the Twin were into.

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

"Where's prophylactic to sit ?"Harry roll about, looking at the different boxes. It took the Twin a surprisingly recollective clock time to find a ‘ safe'box. Fred and George sat on the slope of one of their layer. Fred list forward and said,

"We want to babble to you, Harry, about an opportunity."

"A fabulous opportunity."

"We think its mythologic 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 weaponry and half smiled."Possibly something that fell off the backrest of a van. What ‘ s this actually about ?"

The twins looked at each other then said at the same time,

"Weasley wizard Wheezes !"

"Actively Advocating head rhyme ?"

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

"And we thought that perhaps-"

"-the nonmigratory charms-meister-"

"-would be able to help us with some of the stuff."Fred shrugged."After all you did basically construct a Calluna vulgaris last year-"

"-that out-flew a firebolt-"

"-with Ginny ‘ s help."

"Oh yes with Ginny ‘ s help."

Harry rearranged the disjointed time into some meter of order.

"So…"Harry began to smile as actualization hit him."You want me to assist you contrive jest ? Your sort of trick ? The intriguedness is growing. What have you come up with so far ?"

The Gemini grinned and began a whirlwind circuit of their current products, stopping occasionally to demo a good luck charm or spell for Harry. Usually they were piece that produced explosions or horrible shrieking noises.

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

Harry knew plenty 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 matter to as history of magic."Ron muttered and Hermione laughed.

Oh slap-up, now she was laughing at him too. Ron kicked a I. F. Stone into the algae filled pond, it rested on the thick Green surface for a moment before sinking.

Hermione had left Hogwarts almost completely burnt out, taking too many subjects on top of the werewolf Chaos had reduced her to a shadow of herself. It had been especially bad during the exams which she had to revise for and choose without the benefit of the time-turner. After the hold up one Harry and Ron had frog-marched her to McGonagall's office where she dropped divination and muggle studies.

Ron had seen her a couple of clock time over summer, the marauders sticking together even in Harry's absence seizure, and each clock time she seemed a little more lively and like her old self.

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

"They're not alone,"Hermione began walking beside him, walking close plenty to make all the hairs on his munition 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 show me around in the first-class honours degree property ?"

Why indeed ?

"fountainhead 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 head in exasperation."If you wanted to commute the study you could have-"

"No there ‘ s really marshmallow coming out of the house !"Ron pointed at the retentive stream of solid Edward White froth leaking from one of the window and pooling on the land."It ‘ s the twins window. Oh god mum ‘ s gon na down them."

The two marauders rushed to the side of the house.

"It ‘ s not exactly marshmallow."Hermione said, sounding puzzled, as the ran into the burrow. They stopped outside the similitude room access and Ron opened it hesitantly. On the former side was a solid rampart of white, even bearing the imprint of the contours or the doorway and its handle.

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

"What ‘ s the difference ?"

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

"What ‘ s that supposed to think ?"Ron dig back but was silenced as a muffled voice called out,

"somebody out there ?"

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

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

With a giant cascade of fragmented meringue a figure emerged from the room. It fell on the floor cough and spluttering and spitting chunks of gummed Patrick White froth out of its rima oris. Ron leant forward and guessed,

"Fr… George II ?"

"Yep."George got unsteadily to his fundament 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 bum off Georges back."Did one of your pranks backfire ?"

"No no no. Our prank don't backfire."George III said proudly."We were demonstrating the eizuckerpeitsche spell to Harry and… well it looks like he got it."

"Are Harry and Fred still stuck in there ?"Ron looked back at the break paries of meringue in horror.

"Fred was near the heart so he ‘ s probably well stuck, Harry was near the window…"

At that moment they all heard a abruptly scream from outdoors, quickly cut off, then a thump followed by running footsteps. A second later a meringue incrusted Harry burst up the stairs.

"You !"He pointed at St. George and advanced angrily."What the hell was that !"

"Not my fault mate."George put his hands up to fend of the anger predator."You seem to give some kind of knack for that go is all."

"Harry how did you get out ?"Hermione asked.

"Managed to burrow to the window."

"But you must have fallen-"

"Into a piling of meringue."Harry shrugged."It ‘ s built up quite a wad out there."He turned to the twins room."semen on, we ‘ d better set off 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 pallid and began attacking the meringue wall.
*


Harry ducked into the gearing carriage and looked around quickly,

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

"Harry…"Hermione began.

"What ?"Harry checked under his seat cushion before sitting down.

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

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

"It ‘ s not crazy. mortal will try to defeat me this yr. I just know it."

"Harry you ‘ re the boy who lived."Parvati shook her oral sex."No ones going to kill you."

"I wouldn ‘ t say that."A vocalism sounded from the open room access."I wouldn ‘ t say that at all."

The vulture turned in unison.

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

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

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

"fountainhead this year Potter."Malfoy licked his sassing, his grizzly heart shiny evilly."I will show everyone at Hogwarts that I represent everything dear about magic blood and that you are everything… everything undeserving and mediocre. This year I will testify everyone. This year Potter, this year I win."

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

Malfoy just smiled and walked away.
*


"Welcome to another yr at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry."

Harry sniffed the water in his trash. toxicant ? No… Maybe something in the intellectual nourishment ?

"I hope you have all enjoyed your good luck from the sketch we give you."

Maybe he was just paranoid ? Harry glanced around at the other bookman. Maybe he actually did induce a fortune to give birth a normal year.

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

Harry glanced up at the table and picked out the new face. Or, more accurately, what was left of the new face. Their hold up refutation teacher had been a werewolf, this one looked like he had been savaged by one. He had also obviously lost an eye at some point and had it replaced with a magical one. Harry wondered why he hadn't chosen one in his natural coloring. He had seen altogether shops total of eyes in Geneva. They made scads of them there, like watches.

The man apparently known as Helen Wills met his regard with initiative one then the early eye. Harry smiled and toasted the new teacher with his looking glass. Anyone was better than prof Lupin. Harry had tried to repair bridges with the werewolf during his last few weeks at school. He really had tried…

"Professor… Um…"Harry leant in through the door to Professor lupine's office."Are you, you know, all set."prof Lupin looked up at him, flatly."You know for tonight, full moonshine ?"

"Yes."professor Lupin seemed to be struggling to keep his spokesperson flat and unemotional.

"I heard that Professor Snape makes some sort of…"

"I said yes."Lupin snapped. Seeing Harry's startled expression he took a deep breath and shook his chief."My excuse. Yes Severus makes a potion for me that allows me to better pull off the transformations. Thank you for your kindness."

"You ‘ re welcome Professor Moony."Lupin's school principal snapped up."You know, woolgathering, like moon. Because of the entirely boggart thing and…"

"Leave now."Usually the lycanthrope side of Lupin was not really observable. This was not so now."Leave my office now."

"Did you eat a mad cow or something ?"Harry yelled in exasperation.

"Get out !"

Harry had backed out of the office shaking his school principal and never spoken directly to prof lupine again. Even spoilt the man had stared daggers at him during their final exam few moral. Even a mark, one-eyed man was better than that. Besides, Harry wasn't really in a situation to complain about former peoples scars.

Professor Dumbledore continued,

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

The whole school perked up.

"Slitherin household is infested with cockroaches ?"

"Potions has been dropped from the syllabus ?"

"Filch had an aneurism ?"

"No."The corner of prof Dumbledore's mouth twitched up in a half smile."amend than all those things."

"Not possible."Harry called out.

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

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

"Hosting Mr W. W. Jacobs, Hosting."

The Granville Stanley Hall exploded in sound.
*


"We are entering that tournament."

"Harry, Dumbledore said-"

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

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

"We have not let werewolves and elephantine snakes and sour wizards hold back us a bloody age restriction is not going to stand in our way."Harry sat down at the marauders table and crossed his arms."We deserve this. We deserve this because we are the outflank 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 piranha around the board fell silent.

"Do you think this was what Malfoy was talking about ?"Neville said suddenly."He said he was gon na show everyone how just 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 genetic and sociological factors that have conspired to make up him a git. So…"Harry steepled his fingers and grinned."As soon as this evaluator gets here, we're entering the tournament."
*


"Now…"Professor Moody scanned the class slowly with his rule eye while the fake one spun and rested on different students before moving on."I don ‘ t stand much on ceremonial occasion so lets jump right in."

Harry felt the eye land on him for a here and now before moving on.

"So… Lets start on curse. I ‘ ve had a letter from professor Lupin, also one from prof Albert Abraham Michelson and it looks like you ‘ re fairly well up on dark brute and the basics of dueling."

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

"But what you haven ‘ t learn yet is the risky of what wizard can do to each other."Moody shook his head."You ‘ re all living in a dream humanity if you think you ‘ re ever safe. Last Nox at the feast I only saw one student check the solid food for poison before eating it."Moody pointed with his gnarled hand.

All eyes ( real and unreal ) fell on Harry.

"I… um… what ?"

"Don't be ashamed of it ! Be proud ! By the end of the class I expect each and every one of you to exercise incessant Vigilance !"He ended the sentence shouting. Harry found himself staring directly into Moody's unreal eye. He felt like he was a bug under a glazed profane microscope. The eye scanned down to his chest."Looks like you ‘ ve been given reasons to be vigilante."

Before Harry had a prospect to respond Moody had moved on and stomped up to the board.

"The dark arts !"Moody wrote like he was carving in stone and the Methedrine broke off during the s of arts."Who can tell me a curse word ? A really bad one."A few of the class put their custody up. Helen Wills Moody pointed at one.

"Yes Mr… Crabbe is it ?"He growled."Familiar name. companion face too, I knew your Father of the Church. wellspring, knew isn ‘ t quite the right word. What ‘ s yer nemesis ?"

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

"Odd that you should know that one."professor Moody ‘ s center narrowed."No one uses that one any More. Not since the Cruciatus was invented. But no, right you are for bringing it up. You never know when the opposition ‘ s going to surprise you with something you haven't seen in a while. unremitting Vigilance !"

Moody went on to explain at length the prop of the annoyance lance patch. Crabbe looked disgruntled, obviously he had wanted Helen Wills to ask him how he knew about the spell.

Harry looked down at his book and found the page on the pain spear. It was absolved that the author had only included it as an reconsideration, Helen Newington Wills already had more on the board than was in the book. 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 Moody barked out Constant vigilance again."He seems pretty thoroughly cracked to me."
*


The partially vs. thoroughly cracked debate continued into the fall hebdomad as the educatee got used to Moody's aggressive teaching stylus. One thing was for certain, there was not bang lost between Moody and Snape. Dwight Lyman Moody glared at Snape suspiciously every time they passed in the corridors and Snape, for his region, sneered. But all that was drown out by the rumors and rustle running around about the triwizard tournament.

The day the alien students were scheduled to arrive dawn bright and sang-froid 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 foot. If the entire school had been called out to greet these foreign students they could at least have the decency to be on time. Harry checked the clock, alright so they weren't scheduled to go far for another five arcminute but Harry had been waiting for ten so therefore ( in his head ) they were late.

"tone !"someone was pointing out over the lake. Harry's jaw dropped as he saw a ship upgrade out a whirlpool in the middle of the lake.

"Did they amount all the way from Durmstrum in that ?"Harry heard somebody behind him say and gave an involuntary frisson. Underwater for all that time ? Even with magic protective cover it made his skin crawl.

As the ship crawled up to the side of the lake Harry saw the man standing at the wheel turn and channelise up into the sky behind the castle. Harry turned just in time to see a heavyweight pusher round the corner of the castle, drawn by giant white horses.

"Great."intellection Harry."The competitor starts with water and flying, two things I really suck at."

He glanced over at the instructor and saw them talking frantically. Apparently they hadn't planned for both relegation arriving at the Same time. After some mildly raised spokesperson Dumbledore headed down towards the lake while McGonagall headed towards where the equipage was landing. Harry considered the options and elbowed his way through the gang in the guidance Dumbledore went.

"Igor Karkaroff,"Dumbledore held his hand out to greet the heavily robed wizard stepping out of the boat."A pleasance to birth you back in the country."

"Albus, it is dependable to be here."The man pushed back his hood revealing silver grey hair and heavy brows. He smiled in a way that never touched his dark middle. He spoke in a large booming way that Harry was sure 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 master glanced at him in the crowd.

"Ah, and this would be your star pupil."Harry saw the crowd part in front man of him."The far-famed Harry Potter."

"No no no…"Harry waved his bridge player grinning."The figure's Jack ‘ Moonbeam'Baltzegaurd."

"Ah, ha ha."Igor ‘ s laugh held no warmth whatsoever."We are many celebrities here I see…"

"Wha ?"

"Let me introduce you to someone."Karkaroff motioned a frowning boy standing behind him forward."This is Viktor Krum."Harry heard gasps from buttocks him as he shook Viktor's hand.

"Pleasure."Harry smiled at the young wizard."Are you Durmstrurn ‘ s point boy or something ?"Again the gasps.

"You don't know who I am ?"Viktor Krum asked in heavily accented English.

"Um… Should I ?"

Karkaroff snorted but Krum seemed to find this turn of events quite amusing. He was smiling at any rate. Harry couldn't tell what was going on behind those behemoth black eyebrows.

"Well,"Dumbledore said, breaking the stalemate."I can already see the Beauxbatons delegation is already inside, shall we join them ?"
*


"Harry, that was Viktor Krum !"

"You know Ron, I did work that out. And even if I hadn't the six million time you ‘ ve told me would have got tipped me off. Now can we please pore ?"Harry turned to the goblet standing in the centerfield of the hall. He glanced over at Hermione."Anything ?"

"I ‘ m telling you Harry we ‘ re not getting past the age line."She looked up from the book on her knees and shook her nous."At to the lowest degree not with anything I can think of now."

Harry shook his head, there were loads of people crowding into the entrance student residence so it wasn't like they could do anything right now. If they were going to do anything it would take in to be at this evening, but he had hoped to at least have a programme before the castle went to sleep.

"An age potion do you think ?"Fred said behind him.

"I think Dumbledore would feature thought of that."Hermione shook her foreland."I don't think any potion any fourth year or 6th class could take a shit could get past the line."

"What if we just get one of the older bookman to put it in for us ?"Neville hazarded.

"Nope."George II said as he and his brother sidled up to them."Saw some Slitherin try that almost as soon as the goblet was out. The other names just flew out of his pocket as soon as he crossed the line."

"Yep,"Fred shook his head word in mock understanding."Poor feller 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 person to spoil the line then write our names on some-"

"Saw that too."Fred broke in.

"Yeah,"His twin continued."You don ‘ t even want to know what happened to him !"

"Oh for Deliverer sake !"Harry growled in botheration."Is there at least a way to test the line ?"

"Yeah, run into it."Ron suggested.

"No you idiot."Padma shook her head."Just spitball it."

"Excuse me ? You what ?"Harry's eyebrows raised like balloons.

"Like this…"Harry watched, gob-smacked, as Padma took a unembellished fleck of lambskin out of her bag and farce it into her oral fissure. She chewed for a few endorsement then daintily took the sodden mess out from between her back talk and, without hesitation, tossed it at the goblet of fire. As the ball crossed the strain there was a flash of lightness and the ball shot out like a slug, impacting on the wall behind them.

"Brilliant."Said the Weasley twins in one voice.

"We should do it again-"

"With more balls."

"With fully grown balls !"

"With fireworks in them !"

"Children, children…"Harry said in a calm down voice."Lets not get sidetracked."

"It's almost curfew anyway."Parvarti looked down at her watch then smiled."Don't worry, it'll all be alright on the Nox !"

"Sister…"Padma shook her chief as she picked up her bag."This is the freakin'night !"

Harry chuckled as they left the hall then turned as he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. The proprietor of the paw was a boy a trivial older than him with blond hairsbreadth and a sort of round face. He was in Ravenclaw colors and was wearing a baseball cap that read ‘ Tutshill Tornadoes'and had a tornado as the logo.

"Yeah ?"Harry cocked his head teacher."Can I help you ?"

"Um,"The boy bit his lip and looked around."Could I talk to you ?"

"Very cloak and dagger but ok."Harry waved the piranha off and moved into a face corridor."Who are you ?"

"St. David Mason."The boy smiled shyly."Don ‘ t worry if you don ‘ t remember me. I ‘ m a Friend of Cho ‘ s."

"Oh ok. endorse the same team too I see."Harry leant nonchalantly against the Lucy Stone bulwark."To what do I owe the pleasance ?"

"Well basically…"The boy scuffed a foot on the floor nervously."Me and… and some of the early Guy. Not just Ravenclaw but the completely schoolhouse well… we figure you ‘ ve got a plan."

"For what ?"

"For the goblet of fire."David rubbed his work force together almost hungrily."Lots of us don't think the age limit ‘ s fairly so we figure…"He reached into his sack and pulled out a thick envelope."A couple of spare gens. Just if you get the chance you know ?"

"hate to separate 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 mitt."Of row 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 wrench and wink conspiratorially again."Seriously !"

"Problem Mr Potter ?"

Harry spun and looked up into the cheek of the judge that had been sitting with Dumbledore at the feast. What was his name… Couch ?

"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 rail line are you lad ?"He said in what he must of persuasion was a fatherly manner.

"No sir."Harry did his best Oliver eddy impression."I wouldn ‘ t do such a horrible thing."

"Ah, of course."The Triwizard judge nodded."Of course I ‘ m sure more citizenry would follow to the tournament if the far-famed Harry ceramicist was competing. But we must call back that we can not pick and choose the rules we wish to obey based on fleeting expediency. You understand Mr Potter ?"

"Yes sir."Harry felt it was better to cling with childlike answers.

"Very well."Mr Crouch's mouth twitched into a thin smiling."It was nice meeting you Mr Potter."

Harry didn't relax until the man was a prophylactic few corridors away. Harry sighed and slipped the envelope out of his sleeve. What were the statistics for teenage nitty-gritty attacks ? Harry wondered. Whatever they were they had just come very close to getting one figure larger.

Harry leant against the paries and stared out of one of the rook arched window at the lake below, remembering utmost year. Why was it that he was forever trapped inside or outside Mary Augusta Arnold Ward ? final twelvemonth he had circumvented them by swimming around, couldn't do that this meter. The lycanthrope had tunneled under could he do that ? Not without attracting a lot of aid. So that left…

Harry grinned and rushed back to the entrance vestibule where a single expectoration ball showed him how to amaze the expectant virtuoso in the world.
*


"All set Ginsters ?"Harry slid behind Ginny on the chimera and checked that he had both the envelope containing the marauders name calling and the one given to him by Jacques Louis David Mason in his pocket.

"Yes, you don ‘ t have to come in with me you know."Ginny looked back at him, grinning in the deliquium moonlight.

"You can ‘ t fly and make spitballs at the Lapplander time."Was the excuse Harry offered. Really he just wanted to be the one to put the names into the goblet, wanted to know low gear hand that he'd round Dumbledore. Harry glanced around and saw a marauder guarding every door."Everybody ‘ s in place, get along on."

Ginny obediently lifted them off the storey 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 eye of the age line, rightfulness beside the goblet. Harry pumped the air with his fist."Potter 1, Dumbledore 0. Proving that I am unmitigated awesome ! Army of the Pure go !"

Ginny bit back a chuckle and carefully floated them forward until they were directly over the goblet, then took them slowly down.

"Ok, point here. Let's not touch the floor, never know what early spells the old man ‘ s put around the place."Harry reached into his scoop and drew out the marauders envelope then dropped it into the goblet. The fire spurted up for a instant, then died down.

Harry hesitantly pulled the other gasbag out of his air pocket. Should he ? Should he not ? It was only fair to gift everybody a enough chance and Mason seemed like a nice enough bloke ( if a bit weird ). He probably wouldn ‘ t be chosen anyway. Ah well, what the hell ? Harry dropped the early envelope into the flames.
*


The marauder entered the gravid Charles Francis Hall in a powwow, all eye focused directly on the goblet.

"I ‘ m nervous."Neville admitted as they sat down at the Gryffindor board."I don't know if I want to go in anymore."

"Bit recently now."Padma said dryly, but the nerves were obvious in her articulation too and the marauders quickly fell into silence.

"Whichever one of us it is the relief of us are behind them."Harry smiled at his admirer."That's for certain."

"But what if it ‘ s not one of us ?"George asked.

"Not… one… of us ?"Harry's brow wrinkled in confusion."Quit your crazy lecture Saint George. That could never happen."

"baby, children…"The hall fell silent as Dumbledore began to verbalise."I believe the present moment you have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The goblet will be announcing it's choices momentarily. I would ask you to remember that, even if you were not chosen, the Tournament is still a contest between the school. I expect to see no hard smell, you must underpin your champions one hundred pct. Now…"Dumbledore turned towards the goblet.

The foyer waited in silence for almost a minute before the goblet ‘ s flame turned shining red and a footling scrap of parchment flew out. Dumbledore caught it expertly.

"The Beauxbatons sensation is… Fleur Delacour !"

Harry saw one of the Daniel Chester French girls clap her hands to her side in cushion 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 initiative champion leaving the hall.

"Yeah ? What about her ?"

Ron opened his mouth to retort but the chalice flared red again and the manse fell silent.

"The Durmstrang champion will be Viktor Krum !"

The red uniformed students rose, cheering, as their champion walked towards the front line of the hall. Most of the Hogwarts students did too.

Harry was biting his nails, this next one was it. The goblet turned red again and a art object of sheepskin pin-wheeled out to be caught in Dumbledore's hand. As the Headmaster read it the smile dropped from his brass and his hand began to shake. In a stale, rocky phonation he said,

"The Hogwarts champion…"He seemed to grit his teeth."Is genus Draco Malfoy."

The hall erupted in uproar. Harry turned, his middle seeking out the blond haired Slitherin. Draco seemed unperturbed by the response his name had received but instead stood calmly and walked towards the front of the hall. Before he left the residence hall however he turned and scanned down the Gryffindor table with those cold Zane Grey optic. He met Harry's gaze, grinned evilly and winked.


billet for francophone people :

I have never liked how French stress are represented in leger, you know the `` 'Ogwarts can not 'ave two champions. '' thing. Replacing this with 'zis and stuff like that. I imagine it 's variety of insulting.

I know I cringe every metre I hear a 'mockney'English people accent on tv, I imagine it 's kind of the same thing.

I decided to preserve it in this story anyway purely because chalice of fervidness represents accent mark that way. I 'm trying to make this story form of parallel the cannon account book in certain ways inluding aspects of the writing style.

If you 're offended I 'm sorry.



"Son of a bitch."Harry breathed through his tooth. He felt like his pectus was going to explode, he had to let the pressure out somehow."SON OF A BITCH !"

"Mr Potter !"Harry's eyes flicked back to Dumbledore, who was looking at him angrily."Contain yourself !"

"But he is !"Harry yelled, words leaking out of him uncontrollably."Haven ‘ t you met his female parent ?"The hallway erupted in laughter. Malfoy scowled but kept on walking, leaving the great hall by the same door the other champions had left by.

Dumbledore held up his hands for silence.

"Obviously this is shocking and unprecedented."He said in an effortlessly level voice."I remind you all that I expect you to rive behind your champion…"Dumbledore stopped as the student began yelling again."… or at to the lowest degree not openly oppose him. Now, if you will excuse me…"

Dumbledore left the still galvanise students and walked out through the back door of the residence hall, Karkarov and Madam Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim followed him. For a few more consequence everyone was silent then McGonagall stood.

"If you would all fall to you-"But she was cut off as someone yelled,

"Professor !"

The school turned in time to see the chalice burn red again. A scrap of report flew out of it and landed on the Lucy Stone floor. For a moment no one moved to touch it then professor Snape, his expression unreadable, got up from his death chair. His footfall were the but strait in the Marguerite Radclyffe Hall as he walked round the high table and came to a full point in front end of the trivial scrap of paper. He turned it over with the tip of his shoe.

"Harry Potter."He was staring down at the piece of paper, his fount a dummy mask."It says Harry Potter."

After a import someone started clapping, then someone else, then some more, the great hall exploded with applause.

"Knew it ‘ d be you Harry."Harry heard soul say as a hired man slapped him on the back. Crowd pressure moved him towards the front line of the hall, his own head seemed to have got stopped working. He saw Snape pick up the scrap of report, then have a short, whispered, conversation with McGonagall. The potions headmaster turned to him.

"semen along Potter."

"Wha… ?"Harry idea was still reeling.

"We must subscribe you to join the other champions."Snape led him out of the tumultuous hall and into a short hallway. The haphazardness from the clapping faded as the doorway closed behind them. Snape made no move to will by the other door.

"Did you put your name into the goblet of flame ?"Snape asked urgently.

"Wha… ?"Harry glanced around, they were alone. The other superstar must be through the former door."Why are you-"

"potter, try to scrape together some acumen ! Did you put your name into the goblet ?"

Snape seemed almost concerned.

"You seem almost concerned."Harry grinned, his mentality getting back in geared wheel."Have those little barn owls been bringing you drugs or something ?"Snape flinched back as if stung.

"darn it Potter !"Snape grabbed Harry's robe."This is not a time for jokes. 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 copy narrowed his middle, Harry felt the fellow force per unit area in his brain. He opened his judgment long enough to discover the memory of him putting the envelope into the fire then blanked it again. Snape nodded thoughtfully.

"Good."

"Good ?"Harry asked quizzically.

"ceramicist the possibilities if someone else put your epithet into the chalice are far risky than if you put it in yourself. This simplifies things, believe me…"Snape glanced at the scrap of paper he was holding and frowned."… or perhaps not."

"What is it ?"

"Suffice to say I have spent long enough trawling through what you seem to think constitute essays to realise your handwriting."Snape held out the lambskin for him to see."This is not your handwriting."

"No…"Harry felt a sinking intuitive feeling in his stomach."No it ‘ s not. What the Hades is going on ?"He asked plaintively.

"If I knew that Potter."Snape moved towards the doorway."I would not have to ask questions."

Harry gulped and followed the potions master through the door. On the other side was another room with portrait hung all around the walls. The champions and their Headmasters were standing in the middle of the room, apparently arguing. Madam Maxim was pointing at Malfoy with one of her unusually long fingerbreadth. They all fell unsounded 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 Maxim waved her bridge player at Harry."Some form of joke to you here at ‘ ogwarts ? First your champion iz a tyke, now ‘ zis ?"

"I do not think it is a joke."Karkarov said angrily."This so called champion."

"He is a champion. Despite what some of us might wish."Snape interrupted dryly. Harry couldn't help but think how unlike he seemed from a moment ago."The integral of Hogwarts saw his gens leave the chalice, as did the delegations from your own schools. He is as logical a champion as-"

"As Mr Draco."ma'am maxim scoffed."Your other underage champion."

"If I may…"Harry glanced at the man of to one side of meat who had begun to mouth. He hadn ‘ t even realized Mr Crouch was in the room."The normal are very clear. If a mortal name leaves the chalice of fire, then that soul is a ace. There can be no denying that."

"Harry…"Dumbledore spoke for the beginning time."Did you put your public figure into the goblet of fire ?"

"I…"Harry felt Snape's deal tap him in the small of the book binding."… No."He heard the potions master breath out lightly."No I didn ‘ t. I tried but… I couldn ‘ t get past the ward."

"And you Draco ?"Snape asked Malfoy.

"Honestly sir…"Malfoy smirked."I have no idea how my epithet got in there."

Yes you do you slimy little… Harry's fist clenched involuntarily.

"wellspring I believe that settles it."Dumbledore clapped his hands together."respite assured this matter will be investigated but until then… we have four champions."

Harry shook his oral sex. Why did he get the notion that the big was yet to come ?
*


As they left the room Harry fell into step with Malfoy. Neither spoke until they were out of earshot of the teacher. Harry took a breath to steady himself then said,

"I assume that no one named David Alfred Edward Woodley Mason really goes to Hogwarts ?"Malfoy turned to him and sneered.

"Good wasn ‘ t it."Malfoys interpreter took on a simpering tone."Oh Harry, it wouldn ‘ t be middling if everyone didn ‘ t have a chance."

"Bastard."

"I planned it all out. The hat, the personality, even down to the name. Saint David Mason, sounds common doesn't it. Sounds muggleborn."Malfoy grinned triumphantly."And you fell for it."

"I repeat. Bastard."

"A dickhead 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 estimable thrower, you ‘ re not quite as stupid as you look."Malfoy smiled."Ever heard of a malignant protean charm ? No of course-"

"A charm 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 eyes."The public figure ! You cast it on the gens !"

"Exactly !"Malfoy nodded."My name went in with the charm on it and changed all the former slips so that they read Dragon Malfoy. I didn ‘ t leave it to probability, I was the simply candidate."

"Bastard is too upright 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 oculus narrowing."How you were picked. My spell should let gotten you…"

Harry said nothing, fairly sure that the protean had eaten up the scrap of parchment that had had his name on it and that the one that had eventually come out had been put in by someone else.

"You must deliver found some way to enter as another school."Malfoy said thoughtfully."Tricked the goblet into entering your name for a fourth school."

Mental note : suggest that theory to someone. Dumbledore ? No, too interfering. McGonagall ? She would go straight to Dumbledore. Moody ? He'd blow it way out of symmetry. Snape ? … ?

"Just remember Potter,"Malfoy brought him back to the instant."I know who the very Hogwarts protagonist is and I ‘ m going to prove it to everyone."

"You think you ‘ re gon na win ?"Harry laughed."Hands up everyone who ‘ s press basilisks and werewolves… What ? Just me ?"

"I will beat you."Malfoy took off again in the direction of the Slytherin dungeon."crisscross my words Potter."

"Marked."Harry rolled his centre."Marked, signed and sealed in the bullshit box along with Nostradamus and UFOs."

Harry turned and hurried up towards the Gryffindor common room. The castle was empty but the portraits were whispering to each former as he climbed through towards the 7th floor. He stopped in one deserted corridor and quietly called,

"Myrtle…"He waited a few moments, then the glowing female child slid through the floor.

"Hmm ?"She cocked her headspring quizzically, then giggled."I heard a rumour about you. Something about being title-holder ?"

Harry grinned and winked, Myrtle 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 form, Harry nodded.

"I wanted to ask you something."Myrtle became serious as Harry spoke."Did you see anyone else go near the goblet last night, maybe before the rest of us got there or after we left ?"

"Nope."Myrtle shook her head teacher."Didn ‘ t see anyone."She put peculiar vehemence on the word ‘ see ’.

"Myrtle ? Keeping mystery isn ‘ t nice."Harry tutted playfully.

"I didn ‘ t see anyone."The ghost repeated, smiling slyly."But one time the door opened by itself, a present moment later the chalice flared up like soul 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 close. I wasn ‘ t seen."She added proudly.

"I know you weren't."Harry nodded, myrtle looked a little happier."Can you ask around the portraits ? See if anyone saw anyone sneaking around ?"

"Of course Harry !"myrtle beamed at being given a job and stroke away through the wall. Harry chuckled, it was amazing how having Friend changed a person, or a ghost.

Harry walked around the street corner and stood in front of the fat Lady. The adult female in the portrait crossed her arms and said,

"I ‘ m waiting."

"I ‘ m not."Harry spelled an unlocking charm and the portraiture creaked to the side.

"I wish you wouldn ‘ t do that Mr Potter."The fat lady shook her head.

"It ‘ s easier than remembering the passwords."Harry grinned as he stepped through the portrait hole. As soon as he was through he was viciously attacked."Get off me ! Geroff !"

"We knew it ‘ d be you Harry !"

Harry pushed away the massed host of Gryffindor planetary house, smiled and bowed when they cheered for him, looked up in mild shock at the poster of him they had hung above the fireplace and sought out the marauders.

"We need to talk."Harry said before anyone could open their backtalk."Too many auricle here, up to the bedroom."Harry's champion wordlessly followed him up to the son bedroom and he hastily sketched out everything that had happened. After he had finished the first thing Ron said was,

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay."

"I ‘ m a bit more worried about this unseeable man."Padma said, shaking her principal."Invisibility cloaks are rare."

"Maybe someone just really desire Harry to win."Her sister suggested.

"Then why bother wearing the cloak."Hermione pointed out."People who hide what they ‘ re doing are usually up to something."

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay !"Ron repeated, apparently ignoring the conversation around him.

"Why the perdition would someone desire me in the competition ?"Harry wondered aloud."Want it plenty to go to these length ?"

"Maybe somebody wants to give Hogwarts a better chance."Fred said evenly, his Brother added…

"Or Gryffindor."George V grinned."If they ‘ ll keep on helping we should put some money on you."

"More likely someone hopes they can use the tournament to off me without anyone suspecting anything."Harry shrugged."That would be more my luck."

"Harry, give up being paranoiac !"Hermione admonished him."You ‘ re beginning to sound like Professor Moody."

"Professor Dwight Lyman Moody is the most reasonable soul that ‘ s ever taught us."Harry said, to general seismic disturbance."It ‘ s not paranoia if they really are out to get you !"

"Harry mortal made you a whizz !"Pavarti said in exasperation."It ‘ s a just thing, this person is trying to serve you !"

"Malfoy is going to-"

"Oh pay attention Ron !"Hermione snapped."Try to keep up."

"Lots of money…"George continued.

"No one ‘ s helping him."Padma said to her sister.

"Malfoy is going-"

"They could be-"

"Money-"

"Enough !"Harry cut through the pettifoggery marauders."We know nix. Not enough to actually play anything out at any rate. Discussion at this point is useless…"Harry trailed off as Myrtle rose through the floorboards.

"Domestic difficulty ?"The ghost giggled.

"You find something Vinca minor ?"Harry asked quickly."Did one of the portrayal see someone suspicious ?"

"Yes."She pointed at Harry."You. And you and you and you…"She pointed at Padma, Ginny and Ron."… and you and you and you -"

"Ok, we get the point."Harry held his custody up. He shook his brain ruefully."Thanks for trying."

"But…"Myrtle did a little eyelet in the air and winked."The old lady near the kitchens said that Helen Newington Wills ‘ s got a cloak."

"What ?"Harry jerked, startled, like the rest of the piranha."An invisibility cloak ? Seriously ?"

"Mm Hm !"myrtle hummed happily, obviously proud of gaining this tidbit of info."And they ‘ re not that common."

"No."Hermione murmured,"They ‘ re really rare."

"‘ The most sensitive somebody that ‘ s ever taught us'Harry ?"Ginny grinned."Anything you have to say ?"

"vulture never lose."Harry said chuckling."They are however, on occasion, utter wrong."
*


When Harry opened his eyes the next morning he groaned and rolled back over. He knew exactly what this day would bring.

"It ‘ s him !"

"It ‘ s Harry !"

"The champion !"

"Yeah yeah yeah, and no I will not give a bloody autograph !"Harry fended off a bunch of Gryffindors."Y ‘ d think they had never met me before."

"That's function 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 good at making masses leave you ‘ re Harry Potter."The two of them moved out of the common elbow room on the way to ancient runes."What I'm saying is that they just got reminded."

"Forgetting I ‘ m Harry ceramicist ?"

"You know…"Hermione waved vaguely."Juggling, joking, making everyone tactile property at simplicity, multitude forget you ‘ re a renown. It ‘ s not deliberate…"

Harry winced, it was often entirely deliberate.

"But that ‘ s not to make multitude forget."Harry ducked behind a suit of armor as a radical 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 picayune base on balls ?"

"Yes."Hermione's eye narrowed.

"On one of your romantic paseo ?"

"Harry !"

"What ?"Harry grinned as Hermione shoved him irritably."Weren ‘ t they romantic ?"

"We discussed ducks."Hermione said flatly, not meeting Harry's middle."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 former marauder down in the potions classroom.

Harry had already decided that he'd let Snape in on what they'd found out and was torn between dread and curiosity. Snape had obviously turned some kind of new leafage but they had never pressed to see how far that change went. To flirt it safe he actually tried during the potions deterrent example. He still failed but at least zippo exploded this meter. After class he lingered by his desk, putting away his stuff very slowly.

"Something you want Potter ?"Snape looked up from his desk.

"Um…"Harry waited a check mark for the last-place student to leave then said."I ‘ ve had an estimation about why my name might bear come out of the goblet."

"Yes ?"

"If individual entered me for a fourth school."Snape appeared thoughtful and Harry pressed on."That would ensure I got picked, and it would explain why there were four champions."

"Interesting…"Snape tapped the end of his pen on his lip thoughtfully. Wait… ! Harry did a double issue in case his eyes had deceived him. Snape was using a pen ! It was an antique looking jet pen but still… Snape interrupted his thoughts."Of course that would have in mind that the really hotshot was Draco."

"Probably no way to testify it."Harry said quickly.

"Actually-"

"No way to testify it at all."Harry grinned, for a moment he could have sworn he saw the edge of Snape's mouth twitching up.

"Perhaps not."Snape shook his head."In any subject finding out who did put your name in and why is of bully importance."Snape's handwriting moved to his arm involuntarily, like a reflex.

"problem ?"Harry asked. Snape shook his fountainhead, his eyes downcast.

"Premonition."

"Not usually very reliable those."Harry chuckled.

"This one is."Snape didn't seem to experience like he had to add anything else but something clicked on the edge of Harry's memory.

"The nighttime St. Mark ?"Snape's head whipped up.

"How do you know about that ?"He asked harshly.

"I…"Harry opened his oral cavity to answer but realized with impact that he had no idea how he had heard about the dark mark. It was all there though, the mark in the sky meant death, the mark in flesh have in mind servitude."I must have… understand it… somewhere…"

Snape had strode around the table in an instant and grabbed Harry by his shoulders. This time it didn't feel like a little pressure in his nous, it felt like a hammer.

"Stop ! It hurts !"Harry yelled.

"Stop occluding your mind !"Snape growled, jerking Harry's head back to keep eye contact.

"I ‘ m not !"Harry pushed Snape away but kept eye contact, deliberately relaxing his mind. Snape opened his mouth in stupor, remembering flashed past tense for a few second 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 fool, or that I have one."

"I told you. I must have read it somewhere."Harry shook his headway."Why do you have one anyway ? I mean why did you become a demise eater ?"

"Youth. Stupidity. Misplaced rage."Snape stood slowly and rolled his sleeve back. The gull was exactly as Harry remembered it except greatly faded. If Snape's sputter wasn't so pale it would be almost invisible.

"Why did you leave ? Why defect to Dumbledore ? I assume that ‘ s what you did or you wouldn ‘ t be here."

"Why ? …"Snape cocked his head and a sliver of a smile appeared on his face."Surprisingly the reason is something that is not of the slim importance to me anymore. But rest assured I am no longer vernal, stupid or total of misplaced rage."

"It ‘ s well placed you mean ?"Harry dug slyly.

"It ‘ s more… channeled."Snape stood and brushed his robes with his hands before walking to a console behind his desk and getting out a belittled vial of blue potion."I am sorry for invading your thinker so roughly. This should help with the pain."He held out the vial.

"You taste it first."Snape's eyebrow quirked up quizzically."Constant vigilance."

Snape chuckled and booze a good drink of the potion before handing it to Harry who gratefully chucked back the rest. His cephalalgia disappeared almost instantly.

"Is it getting darker ?"Harry asked.

"Slowly."Snape nodded."I have yet to state Dumbledore. He may oppose unpredictably."

"Know what that's like."Harry chuckled."Do you guess Voldemort or maybe the death eaters have something to do with the goblet and me ?"

"We don ‘ t have the data to constitute that judicial decision right now."Snape waved his hand as if batting something away."Although I always believe it prudent to prepare for the worst."

"Yeah…"Harry said, but he had thought of something. He bit his lip and looked at Snape thoughtfully.

"ceramist ? What are you thinking ?"

"Just wondering how far our new truce 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 safe assumption."Harry replied evasively.

"Tell me who it is and I will do it."

"You would never get close down enough."Harry grinned."I think I can."

Snape regarded him silently for a few instant then moved back to the potions storage locker. He muttered a work under his breath and a drawer appeared out of the slope. Snape reached in and drew out a tiny bottle, barely more than a thimble.

"trey drop is all that is necessary."Snape pressed the bottle into Harry's helping hand."display no one else. narrate no one you have that."

"Thank you."Harry curled his fingers around the short bottle."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 instructor across the vacuous classroom."Whose is that little barn owl ?"

"None of your byplay Potter."

"Ah…"Harry tapped the side of his olfactory organ."She must really be something…"

"She is."
*


Harry didn't have a lesson with Helen Wills Moody until Friday, which meant that he had to bear that little bottle around the whole time, a little bottle of carry-able jitteriness. He constantly weighed the risk of exposure of hiding it somewhere with the risk of infection of having it found on his somebody but in the end come down on the position of the latter. Besides, his coat had a few pouch that would elude all but the most aggressive searchers.

When the lesson actually came about Harry was gritting his teeth, he still didn't know if this was a salutary thought, or even possible. It wasn't too late to return the bottleful to Snape, or to find somewhere to hide it and make unnecessary it for later.

"Something bothering you Potter ?"

Harry looked up from his desk into the boldness of the ex-auror.

"No, nothing."Harry shook his nous."Well…"

"Yes ?"

"There is something I want to ask you, but after the lesson."Harry made himself look down and put a petty catch in his representative."If you ‘ re not too busy."

"Hmm."Moody scratched his chin."wellspring, whatever it is it isn ‘ t keeping you from taking notes is it ?"

Harry looked down at his page, it was empty except for a little ink drawing of a cottage.

"Would you believe invisible ink ?"

"No."

"Didn ‘ t think so."Harry reached for his quill feather. After the lesson he stayed quiet, with his bag not even packed. The vulture already knew he had something planned and left him be but…

"You not leaving Harry ?"Harry turned and saw Susan Bones paused near his desk.

"Getting an extra credit essay."Harry replied glibly.

"You ? Doing an special credit essay ?"Disbelief radiated from the Hufflepuff."You don ‘ t even do your rule essays."

"I do so."

"Without copying from Hermione."

"I-"

"Or Padma."

"Oh."Harry cocked his capitulum and shrugged."Does it really count what I ‘ m up to ?"

"Just wondering what happens if the school genius is expelled."

"One of the shoal champions."Harry corrected."The only human champion granted but still…"

"Oh no one in Hufflepuff believes Malfoy ‘ s really a champion."Susan rolled her eyes."No one in Ravenclaw either. You didn ‘ t know that Harry ? You ‘ re usually wired into the rumour Mill of this school."

"I ‘ ve had a lot on my mind."Harry conceded. He actually never listened to rumour, 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 walk away, his eyes drifting down a little. 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 Vigilance but…"

"Don ‘ t goal that sentence Professor."Harry grinned."Unless you want me to bug out mentioning that well-nigh legerdemain 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 moment later was joined by his teacher.

"So,"Moody, walked back to the teachers desk and motioned for Harry to sit nearby."What was it you wanted to talk about ?"

"Oh yeah."Harry made his voice dip a petty."That."

Harry swallowed and took a deep breath.

"My parents."

"Ah."Moody shook his fountainhead ruefully."Sad line of work ceramicist, very sad, but I ‘ m not the one to talk to. I didn ‘ t know them before the war-"

"I don ‘ t want more anecdotes."Harry dilled up the aggression, it had to take care like he had been stewing over this for a while."Not more schooltime stories. I want to know how they died, the whole history. Details."

"Why ?"Moody asked bluntly."Why do you want to get word about your parents execution ?"

"Because it ‘ s something no one else seems set up to sing about."Harry shook his head angrily."You were an auror, you also knew them. bazaar bet you examined the house right, investigated ?"Harry knew Moody had been involved in the investigating, he left goose egg to chance.

"Yes I did."See ?"But I ‘ m still not surely you want to know."

"I don ‘ t want to. I need to."Harry pleaded, putting a fiddling iron into his phonation."It ‘ s a evenhandedly bet Voldemort's not done having an influence on my life. I need to roll in the hay how it began."

Moody shook his head and grimaced.

"Don ‘ t know where to begin."He reached down and took a gulp from his hip flask. Harry grinned.

"You can start with the goblet of fire."

"What ?"Moody shook his fountainhead as if to enlighten it. His magic eye was rolling listlessly and the early looked milky and unfocussed."The goblet ?"

"Yes, did you put my gens into it ?"Harry asked, flatly.

"No."Helen Wills Moody answered in a flat timber. Harry closed his eye, that meant he had made a misunderstanding, which meant he was screwed.

"Did you get individual else to put my name in ?"Harry asked desperately."And where ‘ s your invisibleness cloak."

"No, I do not know who put your name in the goblet of fire."Helen Wills said, again with no emotion."My cloak is in my pectus, there."He pointed with one gnarled finger.

"Ok, that's not near. For me."Harry looked up at the clock. With the dose he gave the effect would only endure a few More seconds."Please don ‘ t kill me."

Moody just continued his bleached stare, then he blinked and shook his head. actualization dawned in his oculus and Harry saw him grip his wand tightly. In a fanfare the ex-auror whipped it around and Harry felt ropes pin his limb to the chair.

"How did you do it ?"The prof asked, coldly.

"Lifted the flask from your air hole. Put it back later in the lesson."Harry replied evenly. Being lamentable wouldn't get him out of this, being dear might."Managed to let on the spells you used on it too."

"That a fact."Helen Newington Wills reached out and emptied the flaskful onto the flooring, the water supply sparkled in the light from the window."And why did you do it ?"

"I found out that the individual who put my name in the goblet did it under the cover of an invisibility cloak."Harry crossed his arms."They ‘ re uncommon, and you, the majestic 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."Helen Wills Moody flicked his verge 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 defenses, I could induce poisoned you."

"wagerer you do it than one of my foe, oh and by the way…"Moody smiled like a tiger, for once both eyes focused on Harry."I ‘ ll need a six gyre essay on how you broke the spells on my flask."

"Six scrolls ?"

"make it ten."

"Eep."

"Don ‘ t worry Potter, it ‘ ll be over before you know it. Or in other words it ‘ ll be over tomorrow as that's when I ‘ ll be expecting the essay."

"Oh."

"On the positive side though Potter, I trust you now."

"WHAT ?"Harry exploded, spluttering in unbelief."I spike you and interrogate you and now you trust me ! ?"

"Yeah, well to a greater extent than I did."Helen Wills nodded.

"Why ?"Harry asked aghast.

"You had me drugged and I ‘ m still animated. Means I have proof you ‘ re not trying to pop me."Moody said this as if it was the most lucid thing in the world.

"I was wrong."Harry shook his head in disbelief."You ‘ re screwball. You're crazy. You ‘ re completely bloody gonzo."

"Yeah ?"Helen Newington Wills leant in towards Harry's aspect."Well so are you."

"Possible,"Harry conceded."I did once jump onto a moving train."

"Ha !"Helen Wills snorted."That's nothing. Try a moving dragon."

Harry laughed and shook his nous, this had turned out alright after all.

"Eh ?"Helen Newington Wills said, furrowing his brow."Don ‘ t you have a lesson to get to."

"Yes, but it's animal so I was actually marginally safer staying here and drugging you."

"evening 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 happy ?"

"Constant Vigilance Potter."Helen Wills Moody said"Keep your allies close-"

"-and my foe closer."Harry rolled his eyes."I know."

"That's not it at all !"Moody said with sudden hotness."donjon your ally close thrower, but watch them even closer."



Please review article, It 'll give me write faster. Pavlov told me so !


note for french people 2 : Ok, this chapter actually contains people speaking in french. I should monish you that I do not talk french. Well, I do a bit but GCSE were a long clip ago and I only got a B. In any case the french in this chapter is almost certainly wrong, sorry. If you want to evidence me the right hand translations i 'll put them up.



Harry propped the record up in figurehead of him and tried to make the words stay in one seat rather than fading out and becoming one foresightful boring blur.

"This, this is interesting Harry."Hermione yawned and pushed another book over too him."It makes your skin all stiff so things can't harm 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 gear task is it ‘ s pretty useless."Harry closed his record wearily and rested his Kuki 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 desire me to get Sir Thomas More books ?"

"No, I want to give up."Harry shook his head."LET go back to the tower."

They packed their material and Harry spelled the curl on the depository library back closed. He was about to turn down the corridor when a light appeared near the other end and Harry pushed Hermione back into the library.

"Who is it ?"

"No clue."Harry shrugged and closed the door quietly. He put his ear to it as the voices got closer."Beaxbattons students I think."

"How do you know ?"

"They ‘ re speaking French."Harry whispered as the Light Within passed outside the room access."Talking about the first task."

"Ho… waiting you speak Gallic ?"Hermione whispered hoarsely.

"You gave me the phrasal idiom Koran 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 staple down in under a week."

"That ‘ s cheating !"Hermione said, sounding scandalized.

"Did someone invent new formula while I was away ?"Harry suddenly frowned."That didn't sound like a student."Harry cracked the door and slinked out after the retreating voices.

"Ce n'est pas juste."Harry silenced his feet so he could proceed faster after the retreating voices and pick up Hermione do the Saami behind him."Nous devrions dire les autres concurrents !"

"That ‘ s Delacour."Hermione hissed into Harry's ear. She sounded oddly despiteful."What ‘ s she saying ?"But Harry waved her into silence as a husky voice began speaking.

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."

"ma'am Maxim ?"Harry guessed, Hermione nodded."She ‘ s saying that cheating ‘ s theatrical role of the rules."

"I bet Fleur's going along with-"

"Fleur ‘ s arguing, but it sound like whatever it is it ‘ s already been done."Harry leant around a corner and jerked back as he saw the two Gallic fair sex stopped in the corridor beyond.

"Non !"Fleur was saying angrily."Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes morales et mon école."

"She ‘ s not happy."Harry shook his question."She thinks Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim ‘ s forcing her to cheat."

"Puits que tu connais maintenant."The headmistress said matter-of-factly."Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."

"tartar ?"Harry broke into a smile. 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."dame Maxim said and they began to walk back towards where the two marauders 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 presence of the two women."So… dragons eh ?"

Their jaws dropped.

"Thanks for the tip !"Harry grinned and winked at his boyfriend hotshot then turned to the Gallic headmistress and with a grimace said,"Tu es un imbecile et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première chance que tu obtiens."

"You little… !"Madam Maxime spluttered incoherently but Harry cut her off and switched to English.

"Well cheat on 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 Miss Delacour."Good fortune with the dragon."And with that he turned and walked away.

fountainhead, he walked until he reached the initiatory corner, then he started to run.
*


"thrower ?"

Sleepy.

"ceramist !"

Ok, not sleepy-eyed anymore, just faking.

"Potter get up !"Harry jerked theatrically and raised his psyche off his desk to face at professor McGonagall.

"Sleepy Professor,"Harry grinned."I stayed up late doing very important hotshot stuff."

It was actually unfeigned, he had indeed been spending every dark researching mode to administer with large, enraged, fire external respiration reptiles but he hadn ‘ t had a lot luck. Most of the Holy Scripture had the unhelpful assumption that you would be theatrical role of a squad of wizards dealing with these creatures. If he could just find one that assumed you were a scare, short, fourteen year old who wasn't much secure at defense against the wickedness arts or care of witching creatures he would be set.

"wellspring that doesn ‘ t get you out of concentrating on your lessons."She pointed at the crystal orb that he had transfigured parting way from a tortoise. It still had legs and a tail and was blindly butting against Harry's transfiguration text."unadulterated the transformation or at to the lowest degree become it back into a tortoise, it is just cruel to leave it like this."

Harry shrugged and tried to end up the metamorphosis. Two of the legs disappeared, and the poor matter balanced on the other two before toppling and almost rolled off the table before Ron caught it. McGonagall moved away muttering about ‘ fighter'and ‘ idiots ‘ using the Sami flexion for each.

"Well we can scratch transfig'off the dragon-taming possibilities."Harry accepted his tortoisphere back from his friend and tried idly to wee the remaining limb disappear.

"I could write to Charlie."Ron offered. He had managed to spend a penny a watch crystal tortoise that looked like it should be in some seaside gift 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 gig ‘ s worked before."

"You ‘ re not allowed to use dark magic Harry."Neville reminded him from his other English."It ‘ s restricted by the prescript of the tournament or something."

"And it probably wouldn ‘ t work."Ron cast the turn again and got a cycle ball of tortoise shell."flying lizard skin is-"

"Very, very slurred. Also curse-proof."Harry interrupted."I know."Harry slumped back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples, he had a stabbing headache from all the studying and late nights. If he propped his book up and fell asleep…

"Mr ceramist !"

"I ‘ m awake !"Harry shook his headway. The form giggled.

"What I meant Mr Potter."McGonagall continued."Is that you are needed in the third floor arithmancy classroom. Do you know where it is ?"

Small slatted windowpane that doesn't lock properly ?

"I know it."Harry nodded."What ‘ s this about ?"

"Very important protagonist stuff."McGonagall narrowed her center."Now."

Harry gathered his material and hurried out of the elbow room. Since it was division clip all the corridors were empty-bellied and Harry made it to the schoolroom without seeing anyone. Wondering what this could possibly be about he pushed the door open.

"Ah, Mr ceramicist. So salutary of you to join us."Mr Crouch had stood up when he entered. Dumbledore and the other headmaster were also there, as was a beldam in neon putting surface robe he didn't recognize. She had a flight feather and paper out and looked like she was currently grilling Krum. The Bulgarian, for his part, seemed resigned to this and was answering her monosyllabically. Fleur and Malfoy were no where to be found.

"What an I joining you for ?"Harry asked."If it's a political party then you ‘ ll penury Thomas More nibbles. I skipped lunch."

"This is the advisement of the wands ceremony."Mr Crouch said calmly, ignoring Harry's flippancy."Don ‘ t worry it ‘ s mostly a formality."

Wand weighing ? Harry took out his wand, it looked alright. A bit scuffed here and there but then so was he. Harry heard the threshold out-of-doors and turned,

"What is this ?"Malfoy stood in the room access with his bag."Why was I called ?"

"Just the wei-"Dumbledore began but was interrupted by the green robed witch.

"Mr Malfoy,"She stood and held out a mitt in one motion."Rita Skeeter. pleasance to meet you, if I could just-"

"My founder has a respective very commodity lawyers."Malfoy interrupted her suddenly."So if you print anything libelous…"

"Mr Malfoy,"Rita Skeeter held her hands to her dresser as if she had been hurt."You insult me, the people want to hear from their champion. Champions."She added, glancing at Harry with a crocodile-smile.

Scanning for insincerity : Insincerity detected.

Harry contorted his typeface into a interest smile.

"If I could adopt the both of you for a moment."Skeeter pushed them both back out the door and into the classroom opposite."There now, that's more comfortable. None of those old evaluator and officials."

"Everything she says is a lie."Harry thought to himself."And you had better watch what you say too."

"Do you mind if I use a warm inverted comma quill ?"

"Yes."Malfoy said at the Sami 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 newsman looked disappoint, then brightened up slightly."I hear you two have a little rivalry going."Harry opened his mouth but Malfoy answered before he could speak.

"I wouldn't send for me beating him at every category a competition."

"Whatever."Harry shrugged.

"You ‘ re not going to argue ceramist ?"Malfoy sneered at him.

"Nah, make up any lie you want."Harry shrugged again."That's what she ‘ s gon na do."

"Well Mr potter,"Rita Skeeter asked smoothly."Do you call back you, a mere twelve year old, can succeed in this contention that has clamed the life story of superstar honest-to-goodness and fresh than you."

"I don ‘ t know."Harry scratched his headspring."The fact that I intend to rip off outrageously may help."

"You…"Rita Skeeter's eye's lit up."You're going to chisel ?"

"I already have !"Harry replied happily."Say, do you conceive that Karkarov guy ‘ s clear to bribe ? 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 prop that I own. Would you like a diamond necklace ?"

Rita's flight feather was moving so fast she was tearing the paper.

"I can always incur More through my extensive criminal contacts."

"ceramicist hold on now you id-"Harry winked at Malfoy, shutting him up.

"Of course my primary interest remains kitten-smashing."At Skeeter's shocked case he continued."Yes, kitten-smashing. It ‘ s kind of like a sport, you use a peculiar club. sister stamp as well, and cunning small chipmunks. Deer, ostrich, endangered marmosets, ponies, dolphins that kind of thing."

"Mr Potter…"The newsperson's eyes narrowed.

"What ?"Harry grinned."If you ‘ re going to wee-wee up lies about me they might as well be entertaining. How about saying I ‘ m a vampire or a Nazi or that I have two psyche and one of them speaks silver Italian."

"Don ‘ t play this biz with me Mr Potter."Rita Skeeter tapped her quill against her quill against her notepad."You won ‘ t win."

"Yes I will."Harry smiled."Marauders always do, in the end."

"Am I interrupting ?"Their three heads turned to see Barty Crouch in the doorway."We ‘ re ready for you now."

Harry smiled and wandered out off the room, leaving the startled reporter behind. As he walked back into the arithmancy classroom he noticed that two more people had arrived. Fleur Delacour he was expecting, the other was more than of a surprise.

"Mr Ollivander ?"

"Mr Potter, so ripe to see you again."The old man looked the same as he had on the day, four yr ago, that Harry had bought his wand. He wasn't acting as oddly however.

"You ‘ re doing the baton weighing ?"Harry guessed.

"I am Mr Potter, I am."He held out his handwriting and Harry grudgingly surrendered his wand. As soon as it left his paw he found himself feeling paranoid, almost au naturel. He kept eyeing up bits of furniture for their potential as weapons should someone aggress him.

"Your… this sceptre seems to work quite adequately."Mr Ollivander said slowly, looping a long golden medallion out of the tip."Of row, if you were in the market for another…"

"No."Harry shook his head before the wand manufacturer 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 stick with it if you don ‘ t mind."

"Very well."Ollivander shook his question and handed the baton back."I don ‘ t understand it but…"He spread his hands and shrugged.

Everyone else in the room kept shooting Harry odd looks for the rest of the verge deliberation, everyone except Dumbledore.
*


As Harry was walking away from the weighing when he heard a part behind him.

"Do you have a import Mr Potter ?"Harry turned to see Barty Crouch."If I were you I would not underestimate Ms Skeeter."

"I don ‘ t underestimate her, she overestimates herself."

"Perhaps so."The justice nodded."But she has the potential to cause you tangible harm."

"No she doesn ‘ t."Harry interjected."Sticks and stones and all that, I ‘ ve survived spoilt than bad press."

"I am worried about you Mr Potter."Mr Crouch moved up to stand next to Harry."There is more than one reason we increased the age demarcation on entry to the tournament. I fear you are too Lester Willis Young to suffer up to the scrutiny."

"Me ? Harry boy-who-lived thrower ?"

"Ah, yes."Mr Crouch chuckled a piffling."Perhaps you are right on that score, but nevertheless a certain level of maturity is expected, even essential, and I worry that perhaps you do not ingest it."

"I ‘ ll hold my end."Harry said, vaguely insulted.

"Do you find adequately physically and mentally machinate for the first project ?"Harry thought that an odd interrogation, but answered anyway.

"No, not entirely."

"Well I can ‘ t give you advice of course."The older man nodded."Just retrieve 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 up,"Mr Crouch told him."A hefty score is effective than being injured so you can not compete."

"The only respectable score is winning."Harry grinned like a tiger.
*


Harry woke lazily the next day and ignored the auditory sensation of people going down to breakfast. This weekend had been a foresightful tome sexual climax and he was going to enjoy it.

On the way down to breakfast though he got an odd presentiment flavor. His misgiving were confirmed when he walked into the great hall and all conversation ceased. Harry walked down the Gryffindor table to his friend in add silence and sat down in the empty seat they had left for him.

"Explanation ?"Harry asked quietly, the room was still almost deathlike silent.

"Um, we think Malfoy may own talked to Rita Skeeter after you left."Hermione was holding a newspaper nervously, kneading the paper with he hands."He said some things and they printed some things…"

"ease up it here."Harry reached out and grabbed the newspaper publisher. He quickly scanned down the text…

… chap 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 little and weedy."The hansom cab sixteen twelvemonth old said"And it explains the hair."This reporter has seen evidence to support these arguments and can reveal to you now the truth about Harriet Potter…

Harry burst out laughing. In the utterly silent great hall it sounded extra loud as Harry guffawed in nifty breathy gulps.

"Harriet Potter !"Harry dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"It ‘ s not funny Harry."Hermione said.

"Yes it is ! Look, they ‘ ve even doctored a depiction of me."Harry pointed."I ‘ ve got long hair and breasts and everything… Actually I don ‘ t look half bad… But come on no one ‘ s gon na believe this."

"You never know Harry."Ginny said from the other side."People tend to rely the Daily Prophet."

Harry had a mentation and grinned. Without a discussion 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 let read the Daily Prophet, 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 human face ( don't laugh I know where you all sleep ). And for any missy who doubts I ‘ m male a demonstration can be arrang-"

"MR ceramicist !"The school day giggled as McGonagall stood from her place at the high table."My place ! Now !"

"Thank you, thank you. I ‘ ll be here all week."Harry sauntered out of the hall, waving at the laughing crowd as he went. The last thing he saw before he left was the dark look of murder on Malfoy's face and decided to rub salt in the wound."And Draco next fourth dimension you try to round me suppose of things that would hurt me not that would give birth hurt you. You care about reputation. Me ? I don't establish a shite what anyone thinks !"

"MR POTTER !"

"I ‘ m going I'm going."Harry grinned and walked out. The students laughed again, some even cheered.
*


The prophet was forced to print a retraction the next day after hundreds of multitude wrote in to quetch. Unfortunately Harry didn't have time to savor the victory as the first task drew closer and closer.

"I ‘ m screwed."Harry slid another Book back into the library bookcase and looked along the shelf for other dragon related Word of God."I am royally screwed."

It was the day before the first task and Harry had made an administrator determination to ignore all his lessons that day. His time could be far undecomposed used and he figured his teachers wouldn ‘ t creative thinker, or wouldn ‘ t find out till too late.

Harry sighed. Or maybe they would and he'd be thrown out of the rival and saved the indignity of being roasted alive in strawman of the entire school.

He had nothing. Not one idea.

"I should just bucket along in."Harry thought, shaking his mind."Start cursing, worked with the basilisk."

"Yes,"Said a petty snide part of his mind."But the basilisk almost killed you."

Harry took down another ledger only to realize he had already read it and slammed it back into the bookshelf in anger.

"Problems Miss thrower ?"Harry heard the snide drawling voice and sagged tiredly.

"None Daisy Mayflower."He turned to Malfoy and crossed his implements of war."Shouldn ‘ t you be in example ?"

"Last class ended half an hour ago."Malfoy shot back condescendingly.

Harry felt his heart droop. He had thought he had More sentence than that, he must have lost track. He caught sight of the book in Malfoy's mitt and his eyes flickered to the conspicuous gap in the ledge next to him. He saw the Slytherin's cold Lady Jane Grey pair match him.

"How did you find out ?"Harry asked levelly.

"find out what ?"

"About the dragons Malfoy. Don ‘ t play games."

Malfoy smiled.

"My beginner noticed that the ministry was putting licence 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 dragon doesn ‘ t fuss me."

"You almost sound like you mean that."Harry pretended to tilt weight while actually bringing his wand around to carry."Lets see… Legillimens !"

It was like hitting a gumshoe rampart. Harry felt his genial probe rebound off an Occlumency roadblock like a lawn tennis ball off a tank and had barely a minute to compose himself before the tabulator attack hit his judgment like a pneumatic drill.

"What the infernal region ? !"Harry blanked his mind before any memories floated up. After a moment the drill receded.

"How dare you half-blood !"Malfoy fuss 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."

"acquiring moral from daddy are we ?"Harry kept his wand trained in case of another attack.

"I ‘ ve been an Occlumens since I was eight Potter."Malfoy said through gritted teeth."Don ‘ t try to get into my mind, the very guess disgusts me. Even after a failed endeavor I feel like bathing."

"I ‘ m shocked you know what a bath is Daisy."Harry shot back."We all thought you just-"

"SHUT UP ! Just because the prophet printed a retraction doesn ‘ t mean value you ‘ ve won !"Malfy cracked, raising his sceptre."So don't joke don ‘ t make snide comments, you are still going down. This tournament may be a joke to you but some of us care about preserving the accolade of their names."Malfoy shook his head fiercely and lowered his baton a fraction.

"You won ‘ t win Potter. You might as well give up now."Malfoy sneered at him."It ‘ s a dragon, you can't trick it or lie to it or prank it or sneak your way past it. You can ‘ t win. Just render up ceramist, while you still can."

Malfoy turned and strode away, disappearing between the ledge. But Harry had begun to grin.

"Why the sin not ?"
*


Harry mustered together every ounce of arrogance and cool he had to keep back himself walking forward towards the pavilion that had been erected near the edge of the forest. He glanced to his rightfulness and saw Malfoy coming up from another direction, surrounded by a crowd of Slytherins. Some of them were wearing badges bearing Malfoy's smirking face.

Harry reached the collapsible shelter and swallowed hard before entering.

"Glad you could join us Mr Potter."Barty Crouch greeted him with a smile. The other champions were already there. Krum was sitting stoically, staring straight forward. Fleur looked green and had one mitt pressed to her tum."skittish ?"

YES ! Of trend I'm bloody nervous ! I'm about-

"No, no sir."Harry answered out loud."I think I ‘ ve got it covered."He even managed it without his part 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 small bag. Harry noticed with a draught 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 take one from the bag, at random. The statue should enjoin you both what this guardian is and will also accept a phone number on it representing the ordering you will go in."

And first to the gallows will be…

"Miss Delacour…"Crouch held out the bag and the French girl put her hand in tentatively. She drew it out and revealed a small blue Dragon statue, currently gnawing on her thumb."The Swedish short snout."

Fleur looked at the little affair in her helping hand then raised her chin in decision. But Harry saw a suggestion of scare in her eyes.

"spirit almost cute."Harry commented, looking at the dragon."Face 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 farsighted red-gold flying lizard, dangling it by its quarter."The Chinese Firebolt."

Krums look didn't change, if anything it just became stonier.

"That's a weasel."Harry pronounced definitely ( babbling so he wouldn ‘ t hit a full skittish breakdown )."A Squirrel and a Weasel."

"Mr Malfoy."Crouch held the bag out again and Malfoy carefully removed a silky looking smuggled tartar."A Hebridean Black Mr Malfoy."

Malfoy seemed to be trying to keep his aspect 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 prayer to anyone listening, then opened his hand.

"The Magyar Horntail."Mr Crouch pronounced tonelessly.

Harry closed his hand again and pumped his fist into the air.

"YES !"

The three former hero 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 felicitous ?"

"Yep."

"Potter you ‘ re insane."Malfoy said icily.

"Yep."

"Well…"Mr Crouch seemed a little flustered but motioned Malfoy towards the exit to the tent.

Harry watched them go out and took a bass breath. He sat down hybridizing legged on the packed earth and be given backbone against a tent pole.

"You are very confident."Krum said in his heavily accented voice.

"I ‘ m not worried."Harry said as he heard his racing tenderness trouncing in his ears.

Harry tried to blank out the sound of the crowd outside and the commentary of the observer. He tried to breath deeply so as to quiet his face. It didn't work.

"Mr Krum if you please !"Harry heard the whistle and wished Krum goodness luck as he walked out of the tent.

Thomas More minutes of growl and huffing passed and Fleur began pacing the base worriedly.

"It ‘ ll be alright."Harry told her as the crowd quieted down and the scores were put up."You got the well-off dragon."

"Easier."She replied without looking up.

"Just think of it as a giant fire-breathing squirrel."

"‘ Ow can you be so cool off !"She said to him angrily."‘ Ow can you jest about zis !"

"I joke about everything."

The whistle blew a moment later and Fleur was gone too, gone to face the flying dragon. Harry got up and began pacing himself. He gripped his scepter and began rehearsing what he would do again.

zero could possibly go wrong.

What the hellhole ? Everything could go incorrect !

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the whistle sound. He couldn't do this.
*


"And the net protagonist, HARRY potter !"The voice cried over the loudspeaker.

prof McGonagall, like everyone else in the crowd, looked towards the tent. A blow of wind flapped the sharpness of the sail. No one came out.

"Um… Mr Potter ?"

No one came.

That poor boy. She shook her capitulum, this had obviously been too much for him. The crew 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 have to retrieve him."

"Oh I know exactly where he is."Dumbledore chuckled.

"You see it too ?"Dwight Lyman Moody cackled from the row below."Damn kid ‘ s got nerve I ‘ ll give him that."

"What are you talking about Allastor ? Albus ?"Minerva looked from one to the other confused.

"Barty Crouch told me that Harry was oddly felicitous to receive the Horntail."Dumbledore smiled."I did not quite understand that until now. The horntail is the most fearsome tartar in the globe, but it ‘ s eyesight is quite poor."

sympathy dawned in Minerva McGonagall's thinker and she turned to scan the bowl once more. After a moment she saw it. A small, human shaped lump, perfectly camouflaged against the sand behind it, shimmering as it edged towards the dragon.
*


Harry shifted a hair closer. He had silenced his feet to get rid of his footfalls but there was still the hazard of something shifting or crunching. He could hear fellow member of the crowd beginning to laugh now, he didn't care. They'd know the accuracy when he snagged the egg right out from under the stomach of the thing. And besides, the Sir Thomas More stochasticity they made the better.

The Horntail suddenly shifted, raising it's nose heights. Harry froze in a crouch. It sniffed the air.

Damn ! Harry froze. He had hoped that by keeping the winding in his case would give birth kept his feel from the brute. Apparently not, that meant he would have to cast a spell, which would agitate the thing and let out his fix. But it would detect him anyway if he didn't. Too bad he didn't know non-verbal magic.

Harry drew his scepter and tensed his stage. The Disillusionment charm worked in force when you stayed still but it wasn ‘ t perfective even then. The dragon would see through it once it got a clew where to look. He would have got to move the second he cast or he would be crispy-fried.

Harry took a deep intimation and yelled,

"Avgo Sapios !"The swarm of putting green pot gushed out of his wand and smacked the dragon on the nozzle but Harry was already throwing himself sideways and rolling to a crouch on the floor.

Which was lucky because a here and now later the moxie where he had been standing was reduced to a white canvass. The tartar swept its shaft of flame across the arena, passing just foundation in strawman of Harry's face. Harry saw the sand steam and assuredness from blue-white to red, then to a duller, glassy, finish. A scar across the Edwin Herbert Land. Harry forced himself to breath again, shallowly.

He moved his drumhead slowly to search at the flying dragon, it was shaking its head from slope to side as if to free the foul smell that had taken up abidance in its nostrils.

When Harry was sure it was looking the former way he hopped over the burnt swath and crouched down on the former side. A pant went up from the crowd, they must have seen him when he passed over the burn up patch.

"Don ‘ t get it agitated."Harry thought desperately as he inched closer."Just hold open quiet."

"HEY dragon !"

Bugger.

Harry rolled to the face in panic as the flying lizard gouged another flaming scar across the backbone. He realized belatedly that the downside of choosing to set about the dragon from downwind was that it put the Slytherin stands at his back.

"OVER HERE !"

Harry ducked as a human dynamo flew over his head. He risked a glimpse back to see it impact on a shield. The stands seemed to quieten down a bit, perhaps realizing the idiocy of attracting the care of an wild dragon.

Harry inched forward again and had to hedge as it's spiked derriere whipped through the air. He could see the egg now, glimmering in among some duller ones. Harry crawled silently up near the dragons English and looked up. The wall of the large reptile's body gave way to the massive blending canopy of it's wing. He was right up next to it now. If he screwed up it would step on him.

Harry reached into the little gap between the flooring and the shifting belly of the Horntail. His fingers curled around the gilded egg. He twisted it and brought it out horizontal, making sure not to touch the dragon. Like that game, what was it called… operation ! Except with his life on the line.

Harry held his breath as the egg finally saw the light of day and swiftly stuffed it under his tee shirt so it would be camouflaged. He slid backwards slowly then froze as the flying dragon stood and shifted. Harry followed it's regard and saw a dozen keepers approaching.

"No !"Harry thought."They ‘ re not that pillock ! Please NO !"

"Stupify !"

"AAaaaa !"Harry screamed and threw himself backward as the dragon collapsed right onto the ground where he had been crouching. A second later he was driven to the floor as its offstage crumpled on top of him. Harry crawled out from under the leathery mantle, forced himself to stand on ramification that wanted to knit 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 line of them shrugged."You ‘ re kind of hard to see."

Harry looked down, he was still Disillusioned. Harry raised his aching arm and tapped himself on the headland with the tip of his wand.

"Khamaileon akyrono."He felt the warm dribbles down his headspring painfully slowly. They stopped before they even reached his venter."Oh great…"Harry sagged his half-visible body.

"Let me Potter."Harry flinched as someone tapped him from behind. He turned and looked up at the marred font of Mad Eye Moody.

"I got it to go on in one go."Harry explained, swaying a small. He was bruised on every side and his left arm didn ‘ t want to stoop properly. He turned and saw McGonagall approaching from the rack and tried to digest a little straighter.

"Potter, are you hurt ?"She said, an edge of business concern tingeing her voice. Harry raised his provide arm."splendid ! You ‘ ll get more than points for being uninjured."

Harry swiftly jerked his arm back down and brushed the dirt off the front of his gown. Mad Eye leant down and whispered into his ear,

"Arm broke Potter ?"

"No, just detriment like hell."Harry breathed back. He eased it into his pocket, wincing slightly."Maybe fractured."

"You gon na tell apart them ?"

"Hell no !"
*


Harry held hard to the banister as he walked towards the marauders. He was surrounded by cheerfulness, people kept slapping him on the backrest ( painfully )

"That was awesome Harry !"Harry heard individual vociferation 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 hand."I mean we couldn't even see-"

"Yes that was the point."Harry joked."variety of the point of invisibility."

"That was really good you know Harry."Hermione said from behind him."Much better than Malfoy."

"That's a given."Harry grinned."What did he do ?"

"Made some sort of mirror out of mist."Padma shrugged as if to say ‘ no big heap ’."Made the dragon fight it ‘ s own reflection."

"Did it form ?"

"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 twinge of pain shot through his arm. The crowd fell silent, Harry looked up towards the judges box. gentlewoman maxim raised her wand, after a moment a sinuous five sprung out.

"Passive aggressive revenge bitch."Harry growled.

Next Crouch nodded thoughtfully and tapped a nine into the air.

"That ‘ s more end to awesomeness."

Next the heavyset justice Harry didn't know raised his baton with a flourish and painted an eight. A moment later Dumbledore raised an identical eight.

"Better…"

Karkaroff seemed to think for a moment, then drew a three in the air.

"Blatant undisguised favoritism."Harry narrowed his heart."It ‘ s like bloody Eurovision."

"30 three."Neville said, counting on his fingers."Is that thoroughly ?"

"It should birth been in high spirits !"Ginny said angrily."You were the simply champion not injure !"

"Yeah…"Harry tried not to cogitate of what mark he would have got if they had known about his arm.

"It must have been how long you took/"Hermione said reasonably."You were slow 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 bruised and aching arm."You see if I don ‘ t !"
*


"So let me get this heterosexual person Harry."Madam Pomfrey sighed,"You beat the dragon…."

"Yes."

"Left the stadium."

"Yes"

"Then on the way back to Gryffindor tower…"

"Yes."

"You happened to fall down a flight of stairs."

"Yes."

"Seriously Harry ?"

"That's my story."Harry grinned."I ‘ m sticking to it."



version ( I think )

"Ce n'est pas juste. psyche devrions dire les autres concurrents !"
This is not right. We should severalize the early competitors !

"La fraude fait partie des règles. Il toujours a été."
Cheating is role of the dominion. It always has been.

"Non ! Vous me forcez à choisir entre mes morales et mon école."
No ! You force me to opt between my morals and my school day

"Puits que tu connais briny tenant. Ne tu inquiéteras pas à son sujet. Tu dois penser au dragon."
well you know now. You will not concern about it. You must think of the dragon.

"Tu as une stratégie ? Tu pouvais le distraire. Tu-"
You have a strategy ? You could disquiet 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 imbecile et tu es un hypocrite. Tu accuses des Hogwarts de la fraude mais tu triches la toute première hazard que tu obtiens."
You are an idiot and you are a hypocrite. You accuse Hogwarts of fraud but you cheat the very first prospect that you get.



The Ivan Petrovich Pavlov thing is working ! More refresh please !


I do n't own Harry Potter. Neither do you. Unless you 're J K Rowling, which is unlikely.



"Shut that blinking 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 puzzle out 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 zip to find."Harry shook his head irritably."I've run every detection I know on it, there ‘ s no release or word, nil else magical on it at all. The scream isn ‘ t cover for something or a defense team. The howler is the message, I just have to decipher it somehow. Unless the whole thing's a braincrank."

"A fast one ?"Neville translated, sitting up in bed."You think it really could be ?"

"question it. Too elaborate."Harry shrugged."Guess I just have to do to a greater extent things to it."

"Tried kicking it ?"Ron suggested.

"‘ row, that was the first thing I tried."

"Maybe that ‘ s why you can ‘ t ascertain anything now."Neville said, frowning."You broke it."

"dubiety it,"Harry sighed."I have reports that cold-blooded howler have been heard from the boat the stroller and the Slytherin dungeon as well. I ‘ m not the only one stumped."

"That ‘ s something."Neville said encouragingly."You ‘ ll employment it out eventually."

"Maybe…"Harry wasn't so sure. He had needed a Hogwarts beginner to serve him solve his last puzzler. He dismissed it from his thoughts for another dawning."You think the female child are waiting for us at breakfast ?"

"Probably."Ron groaned, and stomped off towards the bathroom.
*


Eventually the three of them managed to get down to breakfast. Just in time for the mail run. Harry caught shovel on his carpus and was feeding him a man of bacon when he was surprised by a letter falling into his lap.

"You got a letter ?"Hermione leant over curiously."Who ‘ s it from ?"

"I don ‘ t know…"Harry began but his eyes narrowed as he recognized the acid greenish ink."But I suspect."

He tore open the missive and record the blanch lettering.

To The-Boy-Who-Thinks-He's-Won

wellspring 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 moment. I have been very meddling digging up dirt on you and your comrade champion and you won't like what I've found. You will rue insulting me Harry Potter, I can bury you ! And I will, you just check !

Charles Herbert Best Rita Skeeter.

Harry tore the alphabetic character up and sighed.

"Rita Skeeter."He answered."She ‘ s going to make a lot of trouble for me I can tell."

"I seriously doubt that."Padma commented dryly from over the top of the Prophet.

"Why ?"

"She ‘ s dead."

"What ! ?"

Padma offered him the newspaper publisher and Harry grabbed it hurriedly. The obit was quite with child and, befitting the woman it was about, wide-cut of magnification. Once Harry had scanned it once or twice he had gleaned the factual information out of it. Apparently she had been found in her base by her boss after not showing up for piece of work on Monday. The Aurors had been called in, functionary campaign of death…

"Heart attack ?"Harry said incredulously, Padma nodded."That ‘ s papal bull ! She was… I don ‘ t know… maybe thirty five years old."

"She had a very stressful job."Padma shrugged.

"Or maybe it was karma."Ron said through a mouthful of toast. Hermione looked deplumate 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 woman must have made enough enemies."

"Maybe it was one of you ‘ re fan club."Ginny joked.

"My fan club doesn ‘ t have a belligerent wing."Harry paused."That I know of…"

"Could be useful."

"True, my own army…"Harry grinned."I could prevail the world !"

"Maybe,"Hermione rolled her oculus."But after transfiguration."
*


Harry decided to actually work that deterrent example. It was something he did occasionally, just to throw his teachers off the scent. They were still working on the tortoise to orb and near of the socio-economic class could do it now. Harry's orb still had a bit of a hexagon blueprint but it wasn't bad.

"Mr Potter."McGonagall said suddenly.

"Yes Professor ?"Harry said, confused. He hadn't done anything lately she would be concerned in."What is it ?"

"I was simply going to ask if you had acquired a better half yet. Since you are opening you will be representing the shoal. Try to muse well on us."

"pardner ? Opening ? Representing ?"Harry's brow furrowed in muddiness."What are you talking about ?"

"The Yule Ball Potter."McGonagall said simply. to the highest degree of the class was watching now."As champion you will be opening."

"You mean… Dancing ?"Harry cringed.

"Yes."

"Alone ?"

"With a partner."McGonagall replied in exasperation.

"In front of the school day ?"Harry felt his stomach swoop.

"Yes."

"I think I ‘ ll pass."

"Potter you are the… one of the Hogwarts champions. You must open the terpsichore and you must give a partner."

"What ? You gon na tie me up and push me to trip the light fantastic ?"

"We have ways."McGonagall said, her eyes narrowing.

"I ‘ ll just turn up without a partner."Harry countered.

"In that eccentric I will keep company you Mr Potter."

"You do that…"Harry crossed his blazonry."And I will go to the ball naked."

The classroom fusillade out laughing.

"As will I."

The room became deathly silent. Harry nodded slowly.

"Touché, nicely argued."He complemented."And I ‘ ll have a married person by the end of the day."
*


Harry wandered down the to the scurvy trading floor of Hogwarts that evening and found the kitchens corridor. Glancing around for a moment he approached the still-life.

"Stoic."Harry said, and the house painting dissolved into the air. Harry stepped in and spoke the watchword again to close 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 root cellar. He did the lifelike thing. He ignored them.

He walked calmly over to the set of sofa where the Susan Bones was sitting.

"Hey Susan."He smiled in greeting.

"Hi. Um…"She scratched her straits."How did you get in here ?"

"Password."

"But how did you know the password."

"I know all the passwords."Harry shrugged."Slytherin's is privilege. Ravenclaw ‘ s is… complicated. The prefect john ‘ s still ache fresh and Dumbledore ‘ s office is Chocoballs… for some reason."

"But… How ?"Susan asked aghast. Harry realized that most of the common way 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 eye move away from him.

"So… why are you down here ?"Susan asked."Are we under approach by snakes again ?"

"Not that I know of."Harry glanced under the board."Nope, nothing."

"So what are you here for ?"

"What ? I can ‘ t just visit ?"Harry grinned.

"Hufflepuff or me ?"

"Currently… you."Harry grinned again."There ‘ s this dance… thing… at Christmas."

"The Christmastime Ball."Susan's eyes widened.

"Yeah that."Harry shrugged."Apparently I need a partner on bill of being some sorting of genius 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. the great unwashed are staring at me."

"wellspring you are a celebrity."

"It ‘ s a burden I have to bear."
*


In the adjacent few workweek Harry was extremely happy he had got it out of the way earlier. In the next few week a veritable craze of ball febrility swept Hogwarts. miss huddling in recession, whispering. give-and-take of dress gown. Identical looks of fright and dread and low temperature, sick, nerves on the side 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 hugger-mugger passage and bounded along the brusk handing over."I ‘ m taken !"He could still hear pounding feet and giggling behind him. He shot out from behind a tapestry ( startling a chemical group of students ) and cracked candid another transit behind a picture. He closed it behind him and leant against the bulwark, breathing heavily, as the following female child ran past. As the phone faded into the distance he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You too yes ?"Harry spun around but relaxed as he saw Viktor Krum sitting crossbreeding legged on the level in the passageway. He had a set of books spread out in straw man of him. The Bulgarian shrugged and continued."You vill get used to it. Or you vill go quicker at running."

"And you ‘ re used to it ?"Harry grinned and sat down opposite the Durmstrum hotshot."Then why are you hiding in a passageway."

"It is only vay to get a moment of peace."Krum flicked a Page and retain Reading. After a moment he glanced up."You did well vith the Horntail."

"Not as dependable as you. Thirty three points."

"You should not have… irritated… the she-giant."A smile flickered onto Krum's face.

"Possibly not."Harry conceded."You worked out the egg yet."

"Perhaps."Krum replied, revealing nothing."Have you ?"

"Perhaps."Harry grinned."I worked out that kicking it doesn ‘ t work."

"get-go thing I tried."

"Me too."Harry walked back up to the room access and listened, it sounded pretty quiet."How long you intending to stay in here."

"I don ‘ t know. Vhen is your Noel Ball ?"Krum shook his question and sighed."I should ask someone. pick soul that has not been asked yet. Perhaps that will micturate them hold on foll-"

"It doesn ‘ t."Harry interrupted."faith me."

"Oh…"Krum shook his head."Then I will have to research some respectable locking charms for my cabin."

"Try these."Harry pulled beyond allohamora out of his bag ( it sometimes helped to consume a bag in which he could carry everything he owned )."It mostly deals with unlocking but it ‘ s got some timber stuff in there."

"Thank you."Krum nodded solemnly and looked back down at his books. Harry checked the entrance once more then left carefully.

"What is it about me ?"Harry wondered idly."That lets me get on with the wizard but royally pisses off the judges ?"
*


"Damn it !"Harry dropped the egg back to the surface of the predator mesa. The inky Black goo he had smeared on its surface had revealed null."Doesn ‘ t study either. It was supposed to let out secret messages."

"That affair doesn ‘ t have a mysterious message."Ron groaned on the other side of the table."It has one message. And we ‘ ve all heard it lots of clock time, like at the fling of dawn."

"eighter from Decatur is not the quip of dawn."Harry sighed and rested his straits on his deal."And I don ‘ t see you doing much better."

"It was working before you got here."Ron complained, prodding at the crystallization ball in nominal head of him."Maybe the egg did some thing to it !"

"Or maybe you ‘ ve got it top side down."Parvati commented from the former side of meat of the table. Ron groaned and scrunched up his bit of parchment.

Harry would have made a supercilious comment but he didn't think he had the energy. The egg was eating at him.

"Ron…"Parvati continued."You really take to do it soon."

"Do what ?"

"Ask someone."She shook her head."You really need to do it soon or she ‘ ll be… I mean all the good girls ‘ ll be taken."Parvati amended quickly with a wink at Harry.

Ron ( unmindful ) squirmed uncomfortably.

"It ‘ s not that easy."Ron shrugged."I ‘ m not Harry, I can ‘ t just wander into soul's common room and ask someone."

"But you-"Annapurna began but Harry interrupted her.

"Wait waiting hold. Did I just hear a marauder express… self… doubt… ?"Harry shied away in horror."No no no no no ! This will not do !"

"But-"

"No buts !"Harry cut him off."You are a marauder, that means you are at to the lowest degree six billion clip better than anyone else. You will go out and ask Herm… the girl 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."combine me."

"Are you sure ?"Ron looked almost convinced.

"Yes."Harry looked to Anapurna for reliever and she nodded emphatically."Definitely yes."

Ron nervously folded his work unto his bag and left the plebeian room. Harry checked the clock on the wall.

"quintet 30 so Hermione will be coming back from the library… springiness ‘ em ten minutes."Harry and Parvati shared a grin and went back to their respective work.

Ron was in fact back in less than five minutes.

"She said yes !"He was blushing tomato red but grinning.

"Congratulations."Harry shrugged."storm you found her so quick."

"She was in the smashing mansion house. Lavender ‘ s usually down to dinner early."

"La… Lavender…"Harry froze. Across from him he say Parvarti's face twist into a grimace of electrical shock and surprise."Lavender Brown ?"

"Yes ?"Ron's brow furrowed."Are there any other Lavenders in the school ?"

"Um… yes… in… fifth year… Slytherin. Just making sure you weren't asking her."Harry lied quickly."You know, letting the team down and such."

"I ‘ d never ask a Slytherin."Ron laughed."That would just be stupid."Ron laughed again and headed up the staircase to the boys bedroom.

"Yeah, that would be stupid."Parvati said acidly, sounding for a moment like her sister.

"You also thought he ‘ d ask…"

"Hermione."

"Yep. Thought it was obvious."Harry shrugged."Oh well."

"Oh well ! ?"Parvati repeated indignantly with her manpower on her articulatio coxae ( Harry braced for shouting )."What do you mean Oh well !"

"We were wrong."Harry said simply."It happens. It ‘ s all alright."

"It ‘ s not alright !"She shook her head."He ‘ s going with the wrong person !"

"He ‘ s going with the person he asked."Harry pointed out."That ‘ s not the right person ?"

"No."

"Well tough."Harry waved the problem away."Nothing to be done now."

"Unless…"Parvati grinned maliciously, or tried to anyway. It didn't really work on her."We do something about it."

"Oh no…"Harry buried is face in his hands.

"We need to attain sure enough Ron and Hermione go together."

"Do we have to ?"

"Yes."

"If they find out they ‘ ll putting to death us."Harry pointed out."You know that right ?"

"How get when you want to do something insane you rope the rest of us in but when I want to you just complain ?"

"Oh I didn ‘ t say I wouldn ‘ t do it."Harry grinned evilly ( doing a far better job of it )."I ‘ m just saying we have to be careful."

"Yay !"Annapurna ran around the table and hugged Harry."I knew you ‘ d flexure !"

"Get. Off. Me !"Harry disentangled himself from his booster."Do you have a program ?"

"Well…"Anapurna 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 strawman 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 little escapade or do I just sit here nodding ?"

"You need to go on anyone from asking Hermione until Ron does."

"Gotcha !"Harry saluted."effort of deterrence and scourge coming right up !"

"Subtly Harry ! She can ‘ t know !"

"Who do you need me for ?"

"Sorry."Parvati smiled."Oh, and you ‘ ll indigence to let the cat out of the bag to Neville too."

"Um… why ?"Harry asked, confused."Is he gon na ask Hermione ?"

"No silly. You need to win over him to ask Padma."

"I thought this was about Ron and Hermione ?"

"I ‘ m expanding the scope."Anapurna shrugged."He won ‘ t need much spur. He already likes her."

"Does she… ?"

"Of course."Annapurna said patronizingly."You haven't noticed ?"

"And Ginny ?"Harry said wearily."Got a architectural plan for her too ?"

"She ‘ s too young."

"Not if we find her a date."Harry pointed out.

"No I mean too young to date."Parvati said primly."We have to protect our little sister ‘ s whiteness for as long as possible. She ‘ s not a section of this."

"I wish I wasn ‘ t a division of thi-"

"Harry !"
*


Operation shamelessly-manipulate-our-best-friends was at least undecomposed for one thing, it distracted Harry from the bloody egg.

It was just a few twenty-four hour period before the Yule ball and the program was… well it was working but that wasn't the point. It was working a fiddling too well.

Lavender had been successfully unstuck from Ron and re-adhered to Michel recession. Once Ron came out of his moping phase angle Harry was confident he could nudge him towards the justly girl. The pernicious deterrence was harder but legilimacy helped to identify potential threats very effectively. Once they were picked out Harry was capable to get the boy alone to explain some ‘ home true statement ’. Like how she was already dating a older boy she met on vacation. Big cuss, huge muscles.

"This had better bloody work Parvati."Harry muttered to his co-conspirator one day on the way back from creature."‘ Cos if he doesn't ask her no one will now. I've had to ramp up Hermione ‘ s complex number young man up into some sort of vengeful superman to stop the great unwashed asking her."

"What ‘ s the previous story ?"Parvati asked, interested.

"He ‘ s from spain. The academia Atsingani."Harry shrugged."He ‘ s an amateur wizard bullfighter. Owns his own sword and shotgun."

"Wizard toreador ? With a shotgun ?"

"It doesn ‘ t have to be likely it just has to be scary."

"well he ‘ s going to get to shmooze his girlfriend back."Parvarti said knowingly."Because Ron will ask her. Believe me."

"Bet ?"

"Galleon."

"Done."Harry sighed."At to the lowest degree this way I can make believe something back out of this mess."

"It ‘ ll all work out."Parvati grinned."Trust me."

"Don ‘ t say that."Harry shook his head."I know I say it… but don ‘ t."

"You can ‘ t complain…"But Annapurna trailed off as they all began hearing a auditory sensation in the distance."What ‘ s that ?"

Harry perked his ear up. A few paces in figurehead of them the rest of the marauder stopped too. It sounded like a whole punch of people yelling and moving, but behind that there was a low rumbling and…

"vocalizing ?"Harry said incredulously.

"More like chanting."Parvati disagreed.

"It sounds like choral singing."Hermione said from in strawman of them.

"It ‘ s coming from out front."Harry hurried forward."Lets go !"

As one they rushed forward. As they neared the doors former scholar began to join them, instructor too. As they ran out onto the forage in front of the school Harry realized that the unscathed schooling was already out there, yelling and pointing. Harry saw Dumbledore gazing up into the sky, a look of wonder on his face. The former school drumhead flanked him, just as awed.

In the sky above Hogwarts floated a miracle of white marble. Columns, delicate as glass, flew up from a shining base and met a gold spot above. Delicate tracing of mirror-like silver snaked and shimmered over the Earth's surface, sending out ray of light of rainbows as it turned in the sunlight. The all thing looked like some mammoth vitreous silica, floating on white mist and breathing out beautiful euphony as it sank lower and lower and finally settled to the footing on the sens just inside the shoal gates.

Harry started forward but was brought up short as Dumbledore held up an arm. The school watched in rapt secretiveness as a procession emerged from the floating castle. White-robed women walked side by English, carrying flaring wizard flannel mullein. They split apart a little as they left it as if to gain a path for somebody in the middle. As they grew closer Harry saw that there was a digit in the middle, smaller than the other robed figure but wearing a crest of Stan Laurel leaves.

Harry yelled in felicity and dashed out from the crowd, ignoring Dumbledore's battle cry of objection, and rushed towards the figure. Laughing, he ducked past the line of startled woman and enveloped the middle one into a colossus hug.

"Why didn ‘ t you tell me you were coming ?"Harry laughed, releasing her and looking up into her pale, ethereal face.

"I wanted it to be a surprisal for you."Pythea said with a quick grinning."It ‘ s dependable to see you Harry."
*


"Mr ceramicist !"Harry heard someone call from behind him. He spun around and saw aspect ranging from shock, mental confusion and anger. near of the Beauxbatons scholar were down on one knee and the ones from Durmstrang had their headspring bowed in respect. His fellow Hogwarts students seemed more aghast than anything else, Dumbledore had his hands to his oral cavity with his eyes wide-cut in shock. McGonnagall was almost vibrating in anger.

Turning further he saw something even more unnerving. Across the entire edge of the timberland the centaurs 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 front 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 citizenry do not usually hug the Delphic oracle or address her with familiarity."

"And the centaur ?"

"They regard me as a demigod."

"Oh…"Harry gulped."…and I thought I was famous."

"You are famous Harry."The prophesier said, a strange notation in her voice."But I am something else."She moved forward and Harry was forced to follow. They stopped in front of Dumbledore, Harry almost laughed when he saw that the Headmaster still had his handwriting 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 regain himself and crouch down to osculate the seer's hand."I see you have… already met one of our school champions."

"Harry and I met years ago and we have had correspondence since."Pythea looked up and around at the towering castle in straw man of her."Hogwarts is as beautiful as I have heard it described."

"Thank you,"Dumbledore waved towards the great vault door of Hogwarts and a path opened in the student body."As soon as your palace appeared in the sky I had the planetary house elves gear up a retinue of guest room for you and your handmaidens."

"Thank you."Pythea reached out and linked arms with a galvanise Harry."Harry can show me up to the Edgar Guest quarters."

"Mr thrower does not know the passwords."

"master,"Pythea shook her head, smiling."You obviously don ‘ t know Harry as well as I do."

Harry covered his mouth with his hand to conceal giggles as he walked the seer of Delphi between the rows of students and up to the doors of Hogwarts.

Harry tried not to listen to the rustle happening all around him, he could conduct with that in the morning.

"How long are you staying ?"Harry asked Pythea as he led her towards the guest quarters.

"Till after the instant task."She answered."But I fear a lot of that will be taken up with functions down in London. No sojourn by soul like the myself can be entirely for leisure. You could say the tournament provides an apology for politics. Many Department of State representatives were invited by your administration, when I heard you were competing I decided to take them up on it."

"Didn ‘ t you already know I would be competing ?"Harry teased."And whether I ‘ ll win ?"

"You put too often trust in oracles."

"I have no trust in oracles. I have a peachy deal of faith in you."

"That is sweet of you Harry."Pythea said in surprise."And surprisingly open."

"Well get used to it."Harry checked behind him, the handmaidens were following a good distance behind. Harry continued in a rustle."You saved my spirit, from something had no right wing to pull round. Even more, if I got the message straight, you risked your spot at the tabernacle too. And the just way I could thank you was through vaguely worded letters."

"I got the content Harry."Pythea smiled down at him.

"good, but I ‘ ll say it again in person."Harry slowed as they approached the Edgar Albert Guest annexe."Thank you for saving my life Thea."

"You are most welcome."The Oracle came to a stop outside the door."And I would do it again."

"I hope it won't be necessary."Harry turned to the door."Bellevue."

The door creaked open to uncover an elegant session elbow room with many door leading off it. Every art object of piece of furniture sparkled with polish and a vase of fresh flowers sat on the center of the belittled table.

"The elves don ‘ t skimp do they ?"Harry chuckled. He pointed to the rooms along the back bulwark."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 marauders can allow address me. Now, for the most important thing…"Harry straightened up and put on a serious air."Do you desire us to try and trouble prof Trelawny or simply drug her for the duration of your visit."
*


Harry looked at himself in the mirror and sighed, it was no good. It wasn't that he thought he looked expert or didn't. It was more that he didn't really stimulate a concept of what he was supposed to look like. Everyone else seemed to involve the dress gown and everything as a essential irritation. Harry on the other hand had almost no opinion on them having never heard of them before reading his varsity 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 tomentum do its own thing, cutting it back only when it began impairing his visual sensation but now everyone else seemed to make acquired some storey of personal grooming skills that he had somehow skipped.

He gave it up as a lost cause, allowing it to fall as it wanted to. He shrugged, what did it matter ? He'd got a engagement 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 people had affiliation, was he meant to experience a tie ? )"It ‘ s not too late."

"Harry, the dance is in…"Ron checked his watch."… lupus erythematosus than an hour."

"So you ‘ d estimable get to it then."Harry said flippantly, then asked."Am I meant to have a tie ?"

"Harry, your clothes robe don't have a collar."

"You need a collar to fatigue a tie ?"

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry shrugged and left the bathroom. In the rough-cut room the other vulture were already waiting, Padma and Neville standing a fiddling way off. Neville looked aflutter, but then Neville always looked nervous. Harry waved Parvati to one face,

"On the minus side we ruined our friend nighttime and made them miserable."Harry growled angrily."On the plus incline you owe me a galleon."

"Still time Harry."Anapurna 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 couches version, 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 brook in front of Hermione. Her head came up and she said something, across the crowd common way Harry couldn't hear but it looked like ‘ what ? ’. Ron scratched his psyche and mumbled something. Hermione put her hand up to her ear. Ron leant down and address into her ear, his facial expression bright red. Then, to Harry's heart-attack-inducing surprisal, Hermione blushed as red as the boy standing in social movement of her.

"No way…"Harry chuckled as Hermione flipped her al-Qur'an closed and hurried towards the girls dormitory. He looked back towards Parvati, who was wearing an expression of tot up smugness.

"I ‘ ll take that galleon off you any prison term Harry."

"You are the queen of the manipulative harpy-vultures you know that ?"Harry said, flipping a galleon at his friend.

"From you Harry I take that as a complement."Annapurna snagged the coin and moved to follow Hermione. Harry saw that Padma and Ginny had both already gone up after her.

"Probably pulling off some form of last 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 eyes and checked his watch."It only took you four bloody years."

"Hey !"Ron looked irritable and Harry laughed.

"Listen, they ‘ ll prob ‘ ly be a while."Harry jerked a thumb back at the girlfriend room."And I need to spread out the dance. I ‘ ll sports meeting up with you later Ok ?"

Ron nodded and Neville chirruped.

"Ok."The little nervous boy then nodded towards their red-headed Quaker and whispered."And I ‘ ll try to celebrate him from screwing things up."

"You ‘ re a marauder Neville…"Harry shook his forefront."You ‘ re not god."
*


Harry took a deep breathing place and walked down the footfall into the entry hall. There were a few other Hogwarts male child already waiting down there, huddled in skittish chemical group waiting for their dates. Harry waved to a few of them and settled down to waitress, leant against pillar.

"What is that your wearing away potter ?"

Harry rolled his eyes then realized that the effect was ruined by having them closed. He opened them to see Malfoy standing in front of him wearing jet grim gown and with Pansy Parkinson on his arm.

"Just for one nighttime Malfoy…"Harry sighed."…leave off. Just try to be almost human for once."

"Fine."The Slytherin's eye's narrowed."I ‘ ll rest away from you if you extend me the Lapp courtesy."

"I ‘ ll be out of your hair as soon as Susan gets here."Harry glanced at the steps down to the kitchen but no one was coming.

"Susan ivory ?"Malfoy queried, he almost sounded actually curious.

"Yes, why."

"Just happy to see you ‘ ve asked a decent pure blood girl."Malfoy drew himself up."Just because your origin is tainted doesn ‘ t mean the thrower assembly line has to go entirely to the dogs."

"Ok, three things…"Harry held up three finger's breadth."One : Screw you !"

"Potter-"

"Two,"Harry interrupted him."I asked her to a ball. That does not stand for I intend to cover any communication channel with her in the approach future. If nothing else we ‘ re bloody 14 ! There are laws against that sort of thing."

"I ‘ ll give you that one."

"And three : …"Harry grinned."I didn ‘ t ask her because she ‘ s pure blood."

"Why did you ask her ?"Malfoy sniped acidly."Her early assets ?"

"I reserve the right to not incriminate myself."Harry cracked."By the way, does your date speak or does she just hang there like seaweed ?"Harry grinned at the umbrageous expression on Malfoy's face.

"Well this has been lovely."Harry continued as he kicked himself off his mainstay."We really should do this again."He brushed past the furious distich and walked up to the figure that had appeared up the stairs.

"Hi Susan."Harry greeted his date, biting his lip. She was wearing something blue and flowing, robe or dress or something he couldn't really put a public figure on just now. His eyes traveled down then back up again swiftly."You look amazing."

"Thank you Harry."Susan reached out and took his proffer hand."You look hansom as well. Your wearing apparel robe are really… unusual."

Harry caught the implication and looked down. His robes was cryptical red cloth that came out over his legs like regular gown but were buttoned in fuddled around his torso by two blanket course of button. It's long sleeve hugged his weapons system tightly but opened out right at the cuff to bring out the lighter lining. Plus, as Ron had noted, it ended at his neck opening with just a nub of a collar.

"I bought them in Switzerland."Harry shrugged."moldiness 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 robes like that."

Harry shrugged, robes weren't of any particular concern to him. The shop he had bought them in had had hundreds of robes in huge ranks. He had chosen these for two reasons. One, they didn't have all the lace and trimmings and extravagant fancywork that most of the others had had and two ( and Harry cringed to take this to himself ) they had looked like they would be easy to fight or run in if anything happened.

"Ready to open the dance."Harry asked, knowing that he himself wasn't.

"I think I ‘ ll do ok. My female parent 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 former champions are already lining up to introduce the hall."

Here we go. Harry gulped as they got into position.

"Nervous thrower ?"

"Just don ‘ t trip over your seaweed and fall on me Malfoy."Harry's automatic witticism circle responded for him while the ease of his brainpower shivered with nervousness.

"And… go."McGonagall's voice rang out and the room access to the great hall opened slowly, revealing an winter wonderland decorated with sparkling Charles Percy Snow and ice sculptures. Harry just hoped it wouldn ‘ t make the floor slippery. He took Susan's hand and stepped forward purposely.

The hall was full of couples but a outer space was clear in the meat. A very large space, that everyone was staring at.

"Oh great."Harry sighed as the music started up.

Harry let his mind drift 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 question and tried not to tread on his collaborator shoes. He found that so long as he kept to a very restrictive and repetitive routine it actually wasn't too bad."One two three…"

"This is so romantic."Susan murmured."Like a fairytale."

"Yes it is, one two three."Damn ! I can't talk and tally at the same time. Why didn't I ask a mute seaweed girl ?

"Do you think we could get them to deliver 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… shucks !"Harry almost fouled up his footwork and let himself breath. He stopped counting, hopefully by now his ft could shape out the rhythm on their own."If they did the students would never do home for Christmas and then their parents would complain."

"I guess."Susan leant in and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry chuckled as he was reminded again of their relative stature."I guess I ‘ ll just have to love this one."

"Enjoying it so far ?"Harry drew her in closer.

"Yes."Susan smiled cheekily."You ?"

"Yes."Harry answered, and found that he meant it. The dancing wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought it would be. The music stopped and Harry realized that he had survived the only when dance that was required of him that evening. He glanced back at the blond Hufflepuff in front of him and grinned."Stay in for the next one ?"
*


Six saltation later and Harry felt like he was almost getting comfortable with it when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked around to see one of the Durmstrum students that he didn't know.

"May I cut in ?"The boy said, with very short accent. Harry glance at Susan, who nodded. She seemed to know the guy somehow. Harry stepped aside and the two of them moved off, Susan giving him a little wave as they went.

Harry walked off the dance trading floor, snagged a glass of something off a tray and moved to somewhere where he could see the stallion floor. It was time to check up on affair. 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 various male child who were all clustered around her to head out over the dance floor succeeding. She caught his eye, smiled and subtly pointed to her right.

Harry followed her regard and found Ron and Hermione sitting by one of the huge tables full of solid food. Ron at to the lowest degree seemed to be talking between bouts of eating and he'd spotted them out on the dance floor earlier so that was probably alright. Hermione looked happy at any rate.

He couldn't find Neville and Padma anywhere but Ginny seemed to be happily talking with some Ravenclaw or early. 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 collaborator. He searched around for a familiar face and found one before walking over.

"Miss Delacour."He held his hand out to the seated Beauxbattons fighter."Would you handle to embarrass me by dancing ten multiplication better than I ever could ?"

The French people girl smiled and took his hand.

"But of courze."She stood and he led her out onto the dance floor.

Harry settled into the rhythm method of birth control of the new Sung dynasty and got used to dancing with someone taller than him. Since he was at least a pes forgetful than her that put his eye right about level with her-

"So…"Harry interrupted his own mental monologue."Enjoying the dance so far ? Not been bothered by too many pushy student ?"

"I know how to deal with zem."Fleur replied haughtily, but Harry detected a trace of body fluid in her response."The only job was our fellow 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 language iz better than your French I think."Fleur replied pointedly.

"Probably."Harry shrugged."Would you like me to try and hold open Malfoy away from you for the rest of the chunk ?"

"Non, I can take with him."Fleur laughed, the crusade was very interesting for Harry in his current side and he tried to stop the bloom spreading to his cheeks.

The song ended and Harry stepped back. Fleur curtsied politely and Harry bowed as he'd seen the French boys doing after they finished their dances. He caught Fleur looking over his shoulder and followed her gaze to see a couplet of seventh class moving off the dancing floor.

"Iz he taken ?"Fleur asked with a smile.

"Not anymore."Harry winked and turned to ask the male child mate for a dance.

She turned out to be giggly and talkative so Harry let her blether on for the continuance of the terpsichore before moving off gratefully and sitting on one of the benches by the food. He nabbed a distich of the remaining tidbits and lay back relaxed. He had been on his feet since the offset of the musket ball and it felt secure just to take a few moments to himself.

"So…"

Knew it was too good to be true.

"… you are booster with the Pythea ?"

Harry glanced to his left field and saw Igor Karkaroff sitting next to him, an enwrapped expression on his face.

"We know each other."Harry said warily giving nada away.

"Of form a man of your standing probably knows many people in high places."

"Standing."Harry didn't make it a interrogation but the headmaster answered anyway.

"As the boy-who-lived."

"Oh that."Harry nodded."Yes that's me."

"I think that we perhaps got off on the wrong foot."Karkaroff said in a simpering manner.

"Do you now."Harry tried to find an exit from the conversation but couldn't think of one.

"I would care for you to call back of me as a friend."

"Stop two'ing me then."

"I could… give you gamey marks."Karkaroff said slyly.

"Oh ! No no !"Harry said quickly, realizing what his light-minded comment could make been interpreted as."Just hold on being unfairly harsh."

"Of course."Once again the simpering tone."And perhaps we could… do something… together."

Harry sighed.

"Perhaps during the schoolhouse Holliday you could see Dumstrum."

"This holiday I ‘ m going to… Kenya."Harry said a country at random.

"I could treat you to a wizard concert at one of the heroic halls in Europe."

"Can't, allergies. All the dust and stuff."

"Or… we could…"Karkaroff seemed to be casting around for another activity."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 feel well-off asking me for favors."Karkaroff said expansively."That is what friends do… aid each former. Introduce each former to early friends…"

Harry groaned inwardly.

"That sort of thing."Karkaroff finished with a imitation smile."Whatever you need. What 's mine is yours."

I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty-

"Thank you."Harry nodded."I ‘ ll think about it. But for now I ‘ ve just remembered I promised soul a dance."

Harry stood quickly and whistled softly. A here and now later a glowing digit drifted up through the floor.

"You remembered !"Vinca minor cried happily.

"Of course I did."Harry reached out and took her icy manus."Didn ‘ t think I ‘ d forget about you did you."

Harry led the ghost out onto the dance floor, away from the startled Headmaster.
*


Harry gave Ginny up to a Beauxbatons student and sat back down on a workbench. Now he had danced with all the female marauders. Parvati had spent near of the time crowing that all her forecasting had come lawful, Padma was very terse about where she had disappeared to with Neville, Hermione seemed exasperated with Ron and Harry couldn't piece of work out whether it was normal arguing or an genuine trouble, Ginny was just giddy and glittering. Of all of them Myrtle had actually danced the trump, at some point in her pre-ghost life story she had obviously practiced for more than than ten minutes. Harry made a mental note to ask for lessons if there ever was another dance.

Harry glanced up at the clock and realized that there couldn't be too many more dances left. He needed to write the conclusion 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 dancing story yet. His eyes found her sitting over by one of the ice sculptures, her own pure-white gown making her look almost like section of the decoration.

"Hi Thea."Harry greeted and sat down next to her."Haven't seen you on the dance flooring much."

"Dumbledore was polite adequate to dance with me a few times."The Oracle said, smiling."Everyone else seems to be intimidated."

"You should have said."Harry frowned, then grinned cheekily and winked."I ‘ d have set ‘ em straight."

"It ‘ s quite alright."Pythea laughed."I get invited to a quite a few balls."

"wellspring there ‘ s time for a few Thomas More dances."Harry held his mitt out."Come on."

"Thank you Harry."Pythea took his hand and they walked out into the dance floor.

They swayed to the music for a while, Harry finding his rhythm.

"Are you still wearing it ?"Pythea asked suddenly.

"The necklace ?"Harry smiled and drew the chemical chain out from the front of his robe."Always."

"Good."Pythea grew serious for a mo."Always keep it on. You will need it."

"Soon ?"Harry looked into the oracle's mismatched oculus."Do you see me needing it soon ?"

"I see nothing."Pythea said enigmatically and broke his gaze before tucking the short shell back into his dress robe."But yes, I don ‘ t think it will be too much prospicient before you need it."

"You ‘ re still not gon na severalize me what it does ?"

"No."

"Brat."

Pythea smiled and they danced another Sung without speaking. A intuition began to grow in Harry's mind.

"Pythea ?"Harry said, suspiciously."You said you get invites to loads of orb ?"

"Yes ?"

"Do you answer any of them ?"

"W… why ?"A trivial 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 ball before either have you ?"

"I have… had trip the light fantastic lesson at the temple."Pythea said, a little defensively. A moment later she sagged, dejectedly."I haven ‘ t been the Pythea very long."

"How long ?"

"The twelvemonth you visited was my first."Pythea whispered into his ear."I wasn ‘ t allowed to pay heed events until my grooming was finished so as to avoid superfluity. It wouldn ‘ t do to make mistakes."

"plethora ? Counting is embarrassing ?"

"Harry didn ‘ t you see how everyone acted when I got here ?"Pythea spoke quietly into his ear."I have been trained since before I can remember to be the aeonian Pythea. Since the day I was taken from my parents. I am supposed to be the unchanging semblance of the first Oracle, grand of years ago. Anything other than perfection is embarrassing."

"Wow, well it ‘ s ok."Harry winked."I won ‘ t say anything and I ‘ m indisputable Dumbledore won ‘ t. He ‘ s too polite."

"Thank you Harry."Pythea seemed to be surprisingly relieved."If they found out about a solecism like that they wouldn't let me out again for a tenacious time."

"Let you out ?"Harry shuddered. The floating temple of the vaticinator with its vines, richly above the ground below suddenly took on more sinister intension in his mind. Harry hesitated, then decided to speak what was on his mind."Are you… lonely there ?"

"Sometimes."Pythea said it matter-of-factly, like it was an inevitable fact of life.

"I could visit this summer."Harry offered.

"That… that would be lovely."Pythea said sadly."But I do not think Dumbledore would approve."

"He ain ‘ t the 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 script against the shell pendant 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 find Susan. Harry waved a thank-you to her then scanned the Hall to retrieve his date.

"Over here Harry !"

Harry hurried over to the splash of blue he could see among the other robes and took Susan's hand just as the music started.

"Whew."Harry smiled."Just in time."

"We sort of lost track of each early in the middle there didn ‘ t we ?"Susan said as they began to impress to the sluggish rhythm of the finally dance.

"We started the saltation together and we ‘ re ending it together."Harry shrugged."The bit in the middle got a bit fuzzy but I still had fun."

"So did I."Susan moved closer and Harry hesitantly put his branch around her waistline."But I wish we had spent more time together."

"I ‘ ll have to make it up to you sometime."Harry looked into his dates eyes."Like side by side Hogsmeade weekend ?"

"You ‘ re still not functionary allowed to go to Hogsmeade."

"By now they ‘ ve probably stopped trying to stop me."Harry quipped.

"Then I ‘ d love to go with you."

"Great."Harry grinned.

"My parents are coming to see the mo task."Susan said suddenly."They ‘ d love to contact you."

sec task ? … I still need to go out the bloody egg.

Harry groaned inwardly. Something always had to ruin it.
*


Harry led Susan back to the Hufflepuff unwashed room and strolled back up through the darkened castle. When he reached the Gryffindor green way almost everyone had already retired. The but one still in the room was Neville, nodding off in a chair by the fire.

"Nev ?"Harry poked him wake up."Why are you still up ?"

"Oh Harry…"Neville rubbed his eyes."Just waiting for you to get here. person had to bide to tell you."

"Tell me what ?"Harry's eye's narrowed.

"Um…"

"Where ‘ s your appointment ?"

"Up with Hermione. All the missy 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 face. And for a long time too, about five proceedings 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 feel the freight train approaching.

"Something along the argumentation of…"Neville's brow creased as he tried to remember."‘ What do you expect ? They're right there and they're huge.'”

Harry covered his aspect with his manus and sank into an armchair.

"You ‘ re kidding me ?"

"No."

"That really sucks."

"He could birth said a lot of worse 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 mouth to stifle the giggles."The trouble is I can actually see Ron saying that."

"Well…"Neville spread his bridge player,"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 go away 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 stick just acquaintance for now."

"shot its just as well."Harry sighed."I ‘ m already trying to juggle too many ships."

"Keeps the audience guessing."
*


The ambiance around the predator in the weeks after the ball could best be described as ‘ icy ’. Harry tried to discontinue the frozenness between the two camps. Well, two camp was an exaggeration. There was the girls, there was Ron and there was Harry and Neville trying to remain out of sight by the sidelines.

The two boys dealt with the state of affairs in the most mature way they could think of. They hid in the program library. Any time they actually had to be present, like lessons or meals, they tried to continue quiet on the border so as not to be tarred with the Saame brush as Ron. Harry tried to make conversation at breakfast though, in spurts.

"What lesson do we have first ?"

"It ‘ s Saturday."Annapurna said flatly.

"Ah, right."Harry said lamely.

Hermione snorted and flicked spread out the day-after-day prophesier. Harry looked over at Ron who was sulking over his bowl of cereal. Harry mouthed the oeuvre ‘ rationalise'at him but he pretended not to remark. Harry mouthed it again, followed by the words ‘ or else ’. Ron just hunched depress. Harry sighed and turned back.

"Anything in the news ?"Harry asked desperately."Any more unusual expiry ?"

"No, just a regular one."Hermione shrugged."An old enchantress in Dorset named Lady Ellen Hayward."

"Suspicious ?"Harry asked, interested.

"She was over a 100 and 50 years old Harry."Hermione answered dismissively."Even crone and thaumaturgist die eventually. It ‘ s sad but it ‘ s not suspicious."

Not if you don't look too closely.

Harry sat bolt upright. Had he really heard that or had he imagined it ?

You heard it.

Harry looked around surreptitiously, trying to gauge 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 collection plate full of cut fruit.

Good morning Harry.

"goodness morning Thea."Harry thought and saw her smile."How was London ?"

Greater London was marvelous Harry. The political leader that inhabit it however are akin to vicious 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 though,"Harry thought back."For new-years, that ‘ s always good. I saw a few of them when I lived in London."

Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten. Pythea smiled wryly. One day of spark and beauty and four hebdomad of conferences.

"Such is life."

blockage trying to be sagely Harry. With me that's a contest you won't win. I'm surprised you took in the show though, weren't you fussy trying to pull round ?

"Are you kidding ?"Harry laughed in his brain."Everyone looking at the sky, no one watching their air hole, it's night and noisy… you see where I ‘ m going with this."

I should take known. Pythea chuckled But we've got distracted from the point. She pointed at the paper in front of her and looked down at the obituary. Interesting isn ‘ t it…

"Is there something I ‘ m missing ?"Harry pulled a copy over towards himself and scanned the text.

There didn ‘ t seem to be anything there. Harry looked back at the nominal head varlet but had no connecter, it was just some outrage involving the curate of magic trick and some accusal of embezzlement. Harry flicked to the back page. The Chudley cannon had lost another plot ( wonderful week for Ron ). There didn ‘ t seem to be anything else interesting. Harry shook his head.

"I don ‘ t see it. Did mortal stand to inherit or something ?"

Possibly, but that was not what I was referring to. Pythea smiled mysteriously.

"Have you… you know… seen something ?"

You don't have to be an prophesier to see what I'm talking about. Pythea closed the paper and looked around the hall. The paper is only half the story.

"The other one-half is… ?"

Guess.

"Brat."Harry muttered and his head was filled with soundless laughter.

I'll give you a hint. countersign are null until someone reads them.

Harry thought for a prospicient minute, then smiled.

"masses ‘ s reactions."Harry thought hesitantly, and was rewarded with a nod. Harry cast around the mansion house."Who ‘ s reading ?"He scanned the hall and found Dumbledore, bent over the paper. It looked like it was overt to the right page.

"Dumbledore ? Is he reading it ?"

Yes. But is that unusual ?

"Well…"Harry tried to put it together in his head."They were about the Lapplander age, maybe they even went to school day together. It ‘ s not surprising he ‘ s taking an interest."

Good, who else ?

Harry scanned further and alighted on an improbable candidate.

"Malfoy ?"The blond Slytherin was just staring at the open page in front man of him, his face ashen and indecipherable. Harry could even see his chest of drawers rising and falling rapidly from across the room. As Harry watched the paladin he grabbed the theme off the mesa and walked quickly out of the hall.

"Ok, I admit,"Harry thought, nodding."That was interesting. But what does it imply ?"

It's a puzzle Harry. You like puzzles don't you ?

"I have too many of them right now but usually yes."Harry shrugged."But I don ‘ t know what to make of this."

That's because you do not have all the objet d'art. Pythea projected cryptically. You will receive to try and find them.

Harry felt the comportment leave his mind.

"Harry ?"

"W… whut ?"Harry shook his head, confused.

"Harry are you OK ?"Parvati was saying, the Marauders were all staring at him."You ‘ ve been staring into space for like five minutes."

"And muttering to yourself."Ginny added."You looked variety of weird."

Harry stood up suddenly.

"I need to go to Dorset."

"You… What ? !"

"But first I need to let the cat out of the bag to your brothers."Harry set off down the table quickly, a determined look on his face.

Behind him the vulture looked on aghast. Padma voiced what they were all thinking,

"Is it me or is he getting weird ?"





Yes, I know the chapter 's a short fluffy. It had to be, you ca n't really write a Christmastime orchis that 's not.

reappraisal anyway. Pretty please !


A small-scale character 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 pee on the undercoat and ripped it candid. 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 Greenwich Village he flicked it open and pulled a magical masquerade party out that made him expect wizened and old. He also threw a tattered shameful cloak over his Hogwarts robe and walked into the squealer read/write head. He didn't look at the clientele, already smelling of firewhisky at ten in the dawning, and stepped up to the bar.

"I need to use the flue."Harry said. He didn't pain in the ass to conceal his voice, the barman was undoubtedly used to stranger than him and even if not he probably wouldn ‘ t care. The barman grunted and pointed towards a greasy sign.

Flue for client only

"I ‘ ll have a butterbeer then."Harry took the proffer bottle and fuddle it in one swallow before walking over to the fireplace and spinning himself to the blabbermouthed cauldron.

Harry rushed into Diagon skittle 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 low bag of muggle money. He wasn't worried about the hob ratting him out, confidentiality was a given with them.

Harry had one last errand to run in Diagon before he left. He reached into his bag and popped the outset of the counterpart gifts into his mouth. Instantly he felt his throat constrict and develop scratchy, he coughed deeply and people in the street turned to appear at him. It got a little wagerer after a few moments but it still felt raw.

He tried to babble and his vocalisation came out old and leathery. Perfect. Hurt like hell but perfective tense for concealing his voice.

He walked into the pill pusher, taking fear to make his tone a little faltering and weak.

"Hello my good man."Scratchy and nasty like a lifelong smoking carriage."Do you have any fox water ?"

"Fox… pee ?"The man behind the counter looked at him like he was mad.

"Yes, I need it for a potion."

"No potion I know of utilizes fox urine."

"How ‘ bout beast urine ?"Harry asked, stepping up to the tabulator."Do you have wolf water ?"

"No."The shopkeeper was just staring at him now."No we don ‘ t have wolf urine. Now can you-"

"Weasel ?"

"No now…"The shopkeeper paused for a moment."We do have weasel musk…"

"Yes that ‘ ll be perfect."Harry smiled through his leathery masquerade. The storekeeper hesitated."You have some sort of job ?"

"I don't have a problem."The shopkeeper rolled his centre and stepped into the room behind his desk."How much do you need."

"About a gallon."

"A congius ! …"There was the sound of furious muttering and sloshing from the storeroom. A few hour later the man stepped back behind the desk with a boastfully glass bottle fully of scandalmongering liquid. The cork was sealed on with red wax."Do you know how many weasels you have to milk to get this much ?"

"How much ?"Harry ignored the head and drew out his wallet. The shopkeeper told him and Harry paid happily.

"have fun."The market keeper said dryly."Whatever you ‘ re planning to do…"

Harry dropped the bottle into his bottomless bag and stepped out of the workshop. He changed out of his gown in the cauldron's crapper and skid quickly out into muggle London.

He stepped quickly along the roads at once both fellow and deep unknown. It was as if he had had two spirit, the one he had lived on these streets and the of illusion and wonder at Hogwarts. Now it was like the two were colliding and he felt confused, felt like a slight kid again but at the Saame metre he could experience how far he'd semen. His instincts didn't fuck how to respond and he found himself searching for places to hide or run while at the same time fingering his sceptre hidden in his sleeve.

He was sword lily when he finally set base in Waterloo station and could buy a ticket to Bournemouth. The geartrain was a surreal experience, sitting close to the window and flying past the humankind he was no longer part of.

It took more than two hr to get there, ample time to reel his thought round of drinks and round in his head. He tried to work out exactly how poor fish he was being. ‘ Very ’, he decided. Very, very dullard. He didn't know what would come about to him if it was discovered that he had snuck out of Hogwarts. Hogsmeade was one thing but this… And if he was discovered once he got there ? At the sight of a recent demise ?

Very, very, very stupid.

Harry shut his eyes and focused on the one thing telling him he was doing the aright thing.

"Pythea sent me here."Harry nodded and bit his lip as he repeated the mantra over and over in his question."And if the Oracle of Delphi Tell you to do something… then it ‘ s not stupid to do it."

Harry really wished the words didn't sound so hollow.

He left the train and got on a bus. He left the bus in the centre of a field of scrub and chalky primer coat. The sea was just out of quite a little but he could hear the waves crashing against the rock, baleful and threatening.

The bus driver had looked at him weird when he'd asked to be let out in the heart of nowhere. Harry knew better, it was only the center of nowhere to muggles. Harry shucked his bag up higher on his shoulders and walked towards the sound of the waves, towards the stately ovalbumin manor house near the edge of the cliffs.

It was blindingly obvious where the edge of the Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth were. someone had laid Grass and flowers right up to an invisible line on the ground, scrub gave way to garden like it was cut with a razor. Harry wondered why there wasn't a paries around the prop. Either the woman who lived there trusted the Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth implicitly or she liked the view too a lot to impede it away.

And the panorama was spectacular. The cliffs arching away to either slope and the sea stretching into the distance. It was an impressive panorama, enough to impress anyone. Anyone former than a aquaphobe. Harry shuddered and tried to keep the sea out of view.

He pulled the massive bottle of musk out of his bag. It took him a hour to puzzle out the conversation stopper out. He went up as close to the hospital ward as he dared and started dribbling the foul smelling stuff onto the basis. He poured it in as close to a semicircle as he could manage, the other end of the ark also touching the wards, boxing him in.

Harry corked the nursing bottle again and pushed it back into his bag. Now came the risky part. He pulled out the second of the Gemini the Twins gifts to him, a lilliputian umber bon-bon. He hesitated, cringing for a minute as he realized he still had musk on his fingers, then popped it in his mouth.

Instantly he felt his stomach clinch, a instant later bloodless fur spread over his hands and arm. He just had sentence to feel his auricle begin to shoot up his head before his mind went blank.
*


The rabbit twitched it's nose and looked around. It felt like something was untimely, something was different, but it couldn't oeuvre out what.

psyche you it was a hare so it couldn't try very hard.

It raised its caput and sniffed the air. There was a strange odor… Weasel ! It could smell a weasel ! Was it nearby ? The bunny girl took a couple of slow hops, no the smell was inviolable here. It dashed the early way, getting desperate. firm here too !

The bunny girl broke into a run in the other direction, shooting across the ground into a flowerbed. It dashed under the vines of a pumpkin flora and sat there shivering. It would just hold off here, wait here until-
*


"wellspring,"Harry stood, brushed a autumn pumpkin leaf out of his haircloth and shook the dirt from his robes."That worked like a charm."

Harry shook his read/write head to enlighten the lowest of the bunny-ness from it and checked to draw certain he didn't still have a tail.

"Any-ward, any-where, any-time."Harry chuckled and set off towards the house.

The second door was unlock and Harry slid in, careful not to rival anything too much. He didn't know whether necromancer knew how to check DNA or fingerprints but he wasn't taking any fortune. Harry looked around at the large kitchen he had walked into, an army of house elves probably worked there just a few solar day ago. Now it was silent.

Harry pushed open another door and, after a short-change corridor, found himself in a high-ceilinged dining room. It held elegant chandelier and a long reddish brown mesa, it had silver candlestick and gilded red-velvet curtains. It also held no denotation of ever having been used any fourth dimension this century.

This had been the home of one old cleaning woman living alone Harry remembered. She probably didn't eat in the grand dining room, didn ‘ t use most of these way probably. He was proved right when a few doors down he found a minuscule written report. This room showed augury of use, the book on the table by the windowpane ever had a bookmark in it, near the end. She hadn't had a hazard to finish it.

Another humble table was obviously in use as a work bench. A little flipbook lay capable, as Harry moved closer he saw it was filled with pressed flowers.

Harry suddenly felt a lump form above his centre. He had realized what he was really doing here. Invading the house of a absolutely woman. 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 magisterial entrance G. Stanley Hall with snowy marble roofing tile and editorial holding up the balcony on the first floor. The staircase came down the middle, spreading out near the bottom.

Unfortunately the striking effect of the way was ruined by the magnanimous transport box that were stacked in a raft by one side of the stares.

Whatever vulture had stood to inherit obviously hadn't wasted any time.

Harry was about the confirmation the room across the hall when he heard something. He went still and tried to pinpoint it, it was coming from upstairs. Harry tiptoed up to the landing, it was echoing along the corridor, a sort of sniffling noise.

One of the room access near the end was ajar. Harry crept towards it as the noise got louder. It sounded like somebody sobbing. Harry tried to peer through the tornado in the door but saw nothing. He pushed the door just lightly with his foot and something came into his field of study of view. Harry was so shocked he didn't even notice as the door swung open.

The room looked like a reading way, or a moment field of study maybe, bookshelves covered every wall but one. The hale back wall was a massive window looking out, offering a monolithic panorama over the garden behind the house, the unwarranted scrub beyond that and the sea stretching to infinity beyond that. There was a armchair set right in the middle, where someone could bet out over the sea. The weapons system of it were clearly worn, someone had spent a long calcined lime sitting in that chair. But that wasn't what had shocked Harry.

There was a boy sitting there in the midriff of the elbow room, collapsed on the floor on his knee. Under his thick blackness rob his pectus was racked with mother fucker. He had his hands over his human face and his fingers curled into his white-blond hair.

Malfoy.

Harry just stood there, it was as if his dead body had been frozen. He must take made some move because a moment later Malfoy's header jerked up and Harry's green centre met the watery grey I staring up at him.

There was a bit when no one moved, then Malfoy's expression flickered from grief to disbelief, disbelief to confusion and discombobulation to rage.

"Stupefy !"

Harry threw himself back into the corridor as the piece shot past his articulatio humeri. Harry drew his wand and shot a bludgeoning hex at Malfoy but found to coming back at him a moment later. Harry was forced back down the corridor as the enraged Slytherin threw hex after hex at him.

"Confringo !"Harry shot at a marble bust by Malfoy's head and the blast caused him to duck and stumble.

"Ferio !"The tour 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 grab it but it slipped through his finger and landed in Malfoy's open palm. A import later a glowing bane hit him in the boldness like a musket ball of needle and threw him to the floor.

As Harry shivered in pain and tried to shake off the notion that his expression was being grated a shadow passed over him.

"Now Potter."Malfoy grated."We ‘ re going to have a long talk of the town about why you ‘ re here and what I ‘ m going to do to you."

"I doubt it."Harry snarled and kicked Malfoy's feet out from under him. Some spell pin-wheeled over Harry's head and he ducked to the base. He leapt at Malfoy and grabbed both his sleeve to stop him casting more enchantment. Malfoy was writhing and spitting to try and get him off. Harry head butted him in the chin and he yelled out in pain.

Somehow Malfoy managed to get a manus resign and stabbed his finger into Harry's throat. Harry grabbed Malfoy's hair and jerked him away. Harry shot back and managed to find his infantry, he saw Malfoy rise and bring his scepter to bear. Harry reacted on instinct and launched himself, shoulder first, into the Slytherins's abdomen. They both flew backwards and Harry heard a loud crash of splintering wood. The two boys dropped like stones, far further than they should have.

It was only then that Harry remembered they had been fighting on the upstairs landing.

"Oh great,"Harry thought in that mo as he brought up his hands to cover his caput."This is going to spite far too much."

The marble floor rose to meet him. Harry felt the impact in every os and muscle, like some shockwave had shot through him and broken everything. He winced and tried to force himself up. The instant his pull up stakes paw hit the trading floor a shot of bother ran through him and he gingerly pulled it back.

Broken wrist. Wonderful.

Harry stood on shaky branch and looked over at where Malfoy had fallen. The slimy pure blood was whimpering into the floor so he was probably alive. Harry walked over and snatched both their sceptre from where they ‘ d rolled. Malfoy was bleeding from somewhere. Harry knelt by him and pushed him over to get a safe look.

"Oh turn back crying you big baby."Harry said disgustedly."You ‘ ve only got a split up nose."

"It hurts."

"That ‘ s why they call them broken."Harry shrugged and stood."What the hell on earth are you doing here anywhere ?"

"I could ask you the same."Malfoy shot back, looking very silly. He was trying to rend of imperial arrogance with blood dripping from his nose.

"Yes you could. You wouldn ‘ t get an solution though because I hold all the cards."Harry grinned."Oh, did I say cards ? I meant wands !"Harry lowered his towards the boy on the floor."William Tell me why you ‘ re here ! Why did you sneak out of Hogwarts to come here ?"

"I have more right to be here than you do."Malfoy pulled himself up to a sitting situation and wiped the line off his face with a sleeve."Why shouldn't I visit Ellen ‘ s house ?"

"You know she ‘ s dead ?"

"Yes Potter that ‘ s painfully obvious."Malfoy sneered."I ‘ m here because she ‘ s an old fellowship protagonist. What ‘ s your exculpation ?"

"Following a tip."Harry's head snapped back as a loud bell shape rang out across the hall.

"That ‘ s the wards."Malfoy said, surprised.

Harry ran to the figurehead door and peered out from between the curtains. He saw a flash of black gown and jerked back, his feet skidding on the floor.

"Aurors !"There wasn't time to forget the mansion, Harry dove behind a pile of boxes just as the boor handgrip began to wrick. He felt Malfoy slide in beside him. The two son waited in deathly silence as the doorway creaked open.

"Signs of a conflict sir."Harry heard a lady friend interpreter say."Broken balustrade, descent on the floor."

"More than a simple looting call then."A deep voice, heavy.

"Perhaps they fought with the homeowner ?"A second male person voice, younger, suggested.

"Didn ‘ t you read the note ?"Girly said irritably."The householder ‘ s dead. That ‘ s the wholly ground we ‘ re here."

"Trainee Nymphadora is correct."trench agreed."There shouldn ‘ t be any magic at this premise, let alone underage magic."

Harry groaned silently. Of course. The ministry could detect minor magic, and he and Malfoy had been throwing spells around like they were back at Hogwarts.

"We are idiots,"Harry persuasion. He turned and his eyes met Malfoy's, he could tell apart the other boy was thinking the same thing.

"So maybe the looters fought each other."The Male trainee was saying."Arguing over spoilage ?"

"Possible."Deep sounded as if he was just tolerating this youngster."We can not know at present."

"Should I take a blood sample ?"

Malfoy's eyes fritter away wide open.

"No, we search the house first. They could still be here. Jandred you stay here and make sure they do not try to forget by the nominal head door. Nymphadora, with me."

Harry heard footsteps move away to the threshold towards the dining room. His judgement was already churning possibilities. If they took the lineage, they would discover it was Malfoy's and arrest him. At which point Malfoy would turn over Harry over in a heartbeat.

Harry drew his sceptre and disillusioned himself as quietly as possible. He heard Malfoy hoot something behind him but ignored him. Harry peered out from behind a box and saw that the man, Jandred, was looking the other way. Harry slid out from behind the box and moved closer as silently as he was able.

Should have silenced my feet.

Harry cursed himself for forgetting but kept tiptoeing finisher. When he was within a few meters of the spot of blood on the storey he whispered,

"Scourgify !"The ancestry disappeared and Harry shot behind a pillar just as the trainee auror turned around.

Harry forced himself to breath shallowly and quietly. A longsighted consequence went past but the man didn't seem to notice that the blood was gone. Harry looked over and saw that Malfoy had made his way to a English 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 segment of paries and Harry was amazed to see it swing inwards. A orphic door !

Harry followed quickly behind and closed the door behind him.

"Where are we ?"

"Servant's musical passage Potter."Malfoy seemed to be capable to earn even a rustle a sneer."All genuine old pure blood business firm have them so the handmaiden can move around without getting underfoot."

"thought process you used household elves ?"Harry said disparagingly as they made their way through the moth-eaten corridor.

"There was a time when it was seen as a mark of dependable wealth to be able to yield thaumaturge slaves as well."Malfoy ducked under a massive gossamer."Alas those times have passed."

"Oh for the good old days."Harry said sarcastically.

Malfoy came to a stop near a trapdoor in the storey and levered the door open with his foot.

"We can get out here, the 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 house up the blood ?"

"Are you kidding ? If they ‘ d have caught you you'd hand me over in a mome-"Harry paused."That ‘ s why you ‘ re doing this isn ‘ t it ?"

"smear on ceramicist. Get in the tinker's dam tunnel."
*


The two boy emerged like mole in a field miles away from the star sign, blinking and shielding their optic from the sunlight. Harry could see the theatre far in the distance, a White River blot against the sky.

"That was a sober tunnel."Harry tried to get his bearing and employment out how to get back to the gearing station."Town ‘ s that way."

"spring me my wand back."Malfoy said to Harry's back. Harry hesitated, then tossed it over his shoulder.

Harry began trudging through the grass and a moment later Malfoy fell into dance step beside him.

"Why were you really there ?"Harry asked suddenly.

"I told you thrower she was a sept friend."Malfoy said curtly.

"If she was a family friend your founding father could suffer taken you out of school."Harry pointed out."Instead you sneak out on your own."

"I wanted to sleep together the whole story."Malfoy said angrily.

"What do you stand for the whole story ?"

"You don ‘ t… ? You don ‘ t know."Malfoy shook his headway then began again as if explaining something to a child."The Daily Prophet works hard not to offend the wizarding kinfolk you understand."

"Yeah."

"You remember what it said Ellen Hayward died of ?"

"She…"Harry tried to cast off her mind back."It said she must have blend one of her medicinal potions wrong. Used too much-"

"Exactly !"Malfoy cut in."That's what they say on the surface. They don't want to shock us but they still need to broadcast the news so they have these little codes."

"computer code in the theme ?"

"Yes Potter,"Malfoy gestured with his hands as he explained."If they say someone say… died in his sleep then that means he was smothered by a family member."

"Nice."Harry cringed back.

"Don ‘ t be so squeamish."Malfoy scoffed."magic spell misfired means they were experimenting with dingy magic, unexpected sickness usually means they caught something from a scarlet woman."

"You ‘ re fourteen Malfoy, say prostitute."

"And a mistake intermixture potions is code for suicide."Malfoy lapsed into silence.

"So…"Harry said carefully.

"So Ellen was the least probably person in the world to debate suicide !"Malfoy snapped."She had more life in her than women half her age ! She used to pop around to our house all the fourth dimension, or we would go to hers. She was an active member of double-dyed rake society, and in good health. She would not pour down herself !"

They walked in secretiveness for a lilliputian shipway as Harry digested all off that.

"You suspect remove 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 stone's throw along it easily.

"Did you hear about Rita Skeeter ?"Harry said after a while."That was fishy too."

Malfoy said nothing, but he bit his lip and seemed to be thinking. As they reached the edge of Town Malfoy stopped suddenly.

"I ‘ m going this way."He pointed up a disused looking alleyway."This is my way home."

"You wouldn ‘ t consider giving me a lift would you ?"Harry said jokily.

"Don't be an idiot Potter."Malfoy turned and walked down the alley.

"Figures."Harry shrugged, shifted his bag 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 form of low moaning without Good Book. It was also familiar. His pinna pricked up as he tried to pinpoint it. It was coming from a short workshop, one of those nature shops that sold incense, wicker wall-hangings, wooden sculptures and useless rubble like that. Harry moved into it and tried to blame out the stochasticity, it was coming from a mag tape player on a stand.

Harry's finger's breadth moved to the little node on the top. How did these things work again ? Dudley had had one… Harry twisted one thickening to no impression, he tried another marked pitch and the sound got lower. Ah ! Harry twisted it all the way the other way and jerked the volume knob to full.

A high pitched warbling sidesplitter filled the shop, causing Harry to both cringe in painful sensation and yell in triumph. It sounded almost exactly like the lucky egg.

"Hey !"The tradesman yelled at him and rushed over to reset the political machine."What the hell do you think you ‘ re doing kid ?"

"Sorry,"Harry shrugged apologetically."What was that ?"

"It was giant birdcall 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 sorry 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 terrific experience of Harry's sprightliness and he was glad when he managed to hand the fat madam's portrait.

"Oh you piteous dear."She said."You look like a you've been through the wars."

"Looks worse from in here."Harry smiled up at her and she opened without him saying anything else.

Harry barely had the energy to drop his wearing apparel on the floor and creeping into bed before kip took him.

He the rabbit again, running through the woods away from something. The apple trees were in full blossom and the air was wax of rap petals. A squirm counterpoint to the awe coursing through his bantam body. Something caught him, grabbed him by the spike. He kicked and scratched as heavily as he could but it was no good, the massive shadow shape holding him just laughed. Harry screamed as it plunged it's foresightful finger into his forehead.

"Harry !"

Harry jerked awake and looked around, Ron and Neville were standing over him worriedly.

"Bad dream."Harry muttered and slid out of bed."The one where I'm naked in the middle of the great dormitory again. Time to get up anyway."

"How was Dorset Harry ?"Neville said quietly.

"Cold. Going to the beach in January ‘ s a really poor fish idea."Harry grinned and walked towards the showers.

Harry visited the hospital wing quickly to fix his wrist ("steps again Harry ?"“ Sure, we can go with that.") and wandered down towards the great hall in safe booze. He had a secure clue on the egg, he hadn't been caught and he'd gained a worthful hint. All in all it was a good…

Bugger.

Harry froze as he reached the entrance of the great Granville Stanley Hall before forcing himself to continue and take a fundament. Up on the eminent board, sitting next to Dumbledore, was a improbable Negroid man in auror's robes.
*


"trade good break of day students."Dumdledore stood as soon as everyone had gathered in the great hall."Before we eat this morning, auror Shacklebolt from the ministry has something to say."

Everyone in the student residence was looking at the tall auror as he stood. Everyone except the vulture who were all looking at Harry.

"What the hellhole did you do ?"Hermione hissed in his ear and Harry shushed her into silence.

"Good morning."The auror said, he seemed to think this was all the introduction essential because he proceeded to found right in."Yesterday there was an incident at the house of a recently deceased witch near Bournemouth."

"That ‘ s in Devon."Hermione hissed.

"Is it ? Is it really ?"Harry hissed back."The geography lesson is fascinating now kindly shut up !"

"We were alerted to it by nonaged magic."The auror continued."But whoever it was is also guilty of breaking and entering, illegally breaching wards, property damage, hooliganism and theft."

larceny ?

"Judging by the trouble of the while detected the defendant must be at least of Hogwarts age."The auror's dark center swept over the students."And since there are currently no school day age adept in Britain who chose not to advert Hogwarts the culprit is someone in this room."

Harry glanced over at Malfoy and met the other boy's eyes. They were both thinking the same thing, ‘ If one of us goes down, we both go down. ’.

"There was parentage left field 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 find some strands of hair."

The auror held up a small, readable gasbag. Harry adjusted his glasses but couldn't see anything in there before the auror put it back in the air pocket of his robes.

"A simple cirrhus ab clavis spell 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 ?"person called out.

"Yes, the hair is blond."Shacklebolt stood and began walking out of the hall.

Harry gulped, the fact that the fuzz wasn't his really didn't assist him much. Malfoy would still rat him out.

"Harry what ‘ s going on ?"

"Not now Hermione."Harry stood and walked calmly towards the end of the board, spate of other masses were getting up to go the talking to so he hoped it wasn't too suspicious. The teachers had begun wrangling the blonde pupil into groups. Harry deliberately didn't feeling over at the Slytherin table, he already knew what he'd see.

As soon as he was out of visual modality of the hall he broke into a sprint, shooting along the corridor and sliding sideways behind a tapestry before throwing himself up a hush-hush stairway. He had to arrive at the infirmary wing before the auror did, or he was dead gist. He dashed out of the stairwell and down a disused passage, ducking under cobwebs.

A moment later he was out and walking normally. He had to afford the auror no cause for suspiciousness, and this guy seemed pretty on the ball. He saw him plow into the corridor and Harry steeled himself, he would only get one chance at this. He moved out into the middle of the corridor and brushed close to the man as he walked past.

Harry's fingers slipped into the auror's scoop. Dip-grasp-out-hide !

Harry slipped the envelope into his gown and kept walking. For a terrifying instant he thought the auror had noticed, that he was going to turn and yell for Harry to barricade. But nothing came and Harry walked on.

He began breathing when he got a corridor away. That had been easier than he thought, he was really lose obedience for these ministry types. Not enough vigilance, Moody would be disappointed. Harry wandered back to the capital foyer and looked in. The piranha were already gone, probably trying to bet 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 just as mine."Harry shrugged.

"Harry don ‘ t take 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 magical spell, 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 good. I ‘ ve got it under control."Harry whispered. Susan smiled and hugged him.

"Potter !"Harry sighed and turned around. Malfoy was standing right behind him."A Bible please ?"

"Relax Malfoy, I took care of it."Harry said, after checking that no-one was listening."You owe me."

With that Harry turned, waved cheerio to Susan and walked out of the Hall.
*


Harry saw Malfoy again about an hr later. Harry was heading back from he library when his fella champion appeared out of nowhere and beckoned him into an empty classroom. Harry obliged before closing the threshold and casting silencing magical spell around.

"Where is it ?"Malfoy asked bluntly.

"Where ‘ s what ?"

"The evidence."Malfoy said angrily."I know you took it ! Is this your plan ? prevent it for blackmail ?"

"No, but that ‘ s a in effect 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 dying of a class friend then what I just did was a salutary thing."Harry held out his manus like Libra the Balance scale leaf."On the former hand if you ‘ re an timeserving, lying, hyena who was stealing from her then what I did was a bit more morally equivocal. In that display case I ‘ d have to give the hair back to the aurors and see your bastard arse go down."Harry snapped out the accusation viciously, Malfoy even jerked back a gradation. It was a moment before Malfoy responded.

"I took…"The Slytherin swallowed hard."It was an heirloom of her family line. A ring, 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, honest enough. He reached into his gown and drew out the envelope.

"You still owe me."He tossed it to Malfoy and headed for the door.
*


It would feature been decent if that was the end of it. It wasn't.

"So Potter…"

Harry slowed to a stopover outside the Fat gentlewoman's portrait and turned around to see the unreadably pock font of Mad Eye Moody.

"Oh bang-up,"Harry grumbled."Is this chapter gon na be entirely dialogue ? ‘ Cos my throat ‘ s getting tired."

"I was just talking to my old Quaker Kingsley Shacklebolt."Moody stumped up towards Harry and looked down at him."Seems some evidence just disappeared from his pocket."

"Did he check his other pouch ?"Harry suggested."That always happens to me."

"Cut the garbage Potter."Moody sighed."I already know you did it I just want to be intimate whether you had a good reason."

"Protecting myself and a worthful informant."Harry said levelly."And because there are more crucial crimes going on right now than breaking and entering."

"Like ?"

"Ellen Hayward."

"I assume it was suicide, reported at an accident."Helen Wills said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"My informant is convinced otherwise."

"guess I could spend a penny some inquires."Moody said thoughtfully."See whether there ‘ s anything to this."

"Thank you."Harry nodded and turned towards the rough-cut room.
*


"Harry !"Still not over.

"Bloody hell."Harry groaned and headed over to the marauder table and slouched down onto a devoid chair."I suppose you want an explanation."

"Too rectify 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 hell ‘ s going on with you ?"

"I was investigating the murder, Ellen Hayward."Harry checked to see if anyone was listening then continued."mortal said it was suspicious so I went to look into it."

"We guessed that much."Ginny said impatiently.

"wellspring get this…"Harry leant forward and quickly related what had happened in the manor house. At the end the marauders seemed stunned.

"Why did you do all this Harry ?"Parvarti asked."Why did you go there in the first plaza ?"

"Um… because murder is bad ? Because I was bored ? Because I hadn ‘ t spent nearly decent metre as a lagomorph this week ? Because I felt like it ?"Harry looked into their shocked faces and decided to put them out of their misery."Pythea told me it was important."

"When ?"Hermione asked in skepticism."You didn ‘ t talk to her or anyone else, you just stood up and told us you were going to Dorset !"

"Oracles don ‘ t have to speak directly to you my anti-spiritual disciple."Harry tapped his synagogue."They have former ways."

"So effectively what you ‘ re telling us,"Padma crossed her blazonry."Is that you broke out of Hogwarts, invaded a execution scene and stole evidence because the interpreter in your head told you too."

"wellspring if you put it like that you can make anything effectual 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 execution scene."Harry pointed out."mean value you believe me that something else is going on."

Padma opened her mouth to retort but shut it angrily and glared at him.

"Thought so,"Harry grinned."But I do have some former news. We have another job to do this evening."

"Is it also a felony ?"Padma said sarcastically.

"I love you too."Harry winked."But sadly no. I think I ‘ ve finally worked out the bloody egg. We ‘ re going to the prefects bathroom. Bring swimsuits."

*


On the way there Neville pulled Harry to one side and asked him softly,

"Harry, don ‘ t you think you were a bit harsh on everyone ? I mean worse than normal."

"Yes Nev I do."Harry nodded and winked.

"You did it on purpose ?"

"Yep."

"Why ?"

"Well I don ‘ t know if you ‘ ve noticed Nev,"Harry grinned like a devil."But they ‘ ve completely forgotten about Ron."
*


Harry slid into the water gingerly and pulled the egg in after him. The other piranha were already waiting amongst the bubbles. He motioned them down and they all slipped underwater. Harry swallowed his revulsion and twisted his head just enough to put one ear under water then opened the egg.

‘ Come seek us where our voices sound
We can not tattle above the ground
And while you're searching, ponder this
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
But past an time of day - the prospect's Negro
Too late, it's gone, it won't seminal fluid back..'

Harry pulled his head back up the Saame present moment the other predator emerged. Several of them were spluttering or flushed from the water. Harry was the simply one who was livid grey.

"well that ‘ s easy."Hermione said excitedly."You just experience 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 priming ‘ and all."

"We just need some charm or something to let him breath-"

"Harry,"Neville interrupted Hermione, earning a look of irritation."Are you ok ?"

The predator turned to Harry, who still hadn't moved. He was shaking despite the warm water.

"Harry…"Ginny reached out to refer 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 tertiary twelvemonth ?"

"Yes it… Oh !"Hermione clasped both hands over her sass in daze."Yours was water ! Your afraid of water. But we knew that didn't we ? You can get through it, you ‘ ve been in the lake before ? You ‘ ve swum over it-"

"That's different, when my head ‘ s above pee I can cope. Just."Harry shun his middle and bowed his heading, he felt wretched to be admitting this."But as soon as it closes over my head I lose it. My creative thinker just goes blank, I can't think, can ‘ t control myself. I start trying to breath in the water, start choking. I don ‘ t even have the sense to try and drown back up to the surface."Harry felt like iron weight unit had been hooked to the slope of his inwardness but he kept going.

"I can fight a dragon again, or werewolves, Voldemort. But I can ‘ t swim."Harry shook his head, trying to curb back teardrop."I can ‘ t swim."

The room was silent, the ennoble sloshing of the water against the bath, and the seven teen, sounded unnaturally loud.

"Ah,"Padma said dryly."That could lay a problem."

"Could you um…"Ron flapped his helping hand vaguely."Wear something over your principal ? Like a bucket or something ?"

The early vulture shared a looking and Ron fell silent.

"Ok…"Hermione rubbed her hands together nervously."That ‘ s ok. We can conduct with this. We ‘ ll get you better, maybe get you used to it slowly. Immersion therapy. We ‘ ve got almost three hebdomad before the second task, we can get you ready."

"Yeah !"Ron brightened up."See, like this !"He jumped forward and pushed Harry's capitulum underwater.

Harry screamed and felt pee rush into his skyway. A moment later he was dragged out of the water and he collapsed against the edge of the tub, coughing up the foamy, multicolor, bathwater.

"What… the hell…"Harry gasped out."Is damage with you !"

"S…Sorry."Ron mumbled."thinking it would help."

"Let ‘ s go back to the tower."Parvati suggested suddenly. Even she was finding it grueling to be cheerful right now."Maybe we can come up with something in the morning."

Harry nodded, it took too much DOE to do anything else.
*


Harry had chains around his ankles, an anchor on the other end. Pulling him deeper and deeper down into the lake. He tried to scream but nothing came out. It was getting darker and darker… black. Harry kept screaming but the black water filled his mouth like a gag. It was everywhere.

Harry woke up sweating and shakiness and stumbled out of bed. He felt, and smelled, like he had run a endurance contest. He reached the bathroom and shed his soppy jammies quickly before spinning the tap for a exhibitioner. The sprayer fell into the little tiled cubical but Harry didn't enter, instead he stood outside it shaking.

He hesitantly put a manus forward but as soon as the spray splashed it he jerked back. His heart was racing. He turned the shower off and grabbed his wand, he ran a cleaning good luck charm all over his body before changing into his robe and scurrying out of the bathroom.
*


"Harry are you OK."Someone asked him for the fiftieth time that day.

Harry growled at him and the student scurried off. Harry sighed, it was too a great deal to take.

He had another nightmare that night, again trapped in the lake. This time 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 down and made do with a cleanup charm. When mortal offered him a methamphetamine of water at breakfast he almost cursed them into oblivion.

Harry buried his case in his manus, it was getting worse. It was like every nightmare left a little small-arm of itself in him. Bulking awe on top of concern until he self-destructed.

"Harry…"Voice ? Harry looked up and saw Parvarti's disquieted face."We ‘ ve got animate being now… but I ‘ m sure enough Hagrid won ‘ t mind if you miss it."

Harry shook his head and stood up. Maybe something trying to gore him would take his judgment off his phobia.

They walked down to Hagrid's cabin. Harry didn't say anything, neither did anyone else.

"Good sunup all,"Hagrid was his usual jolly self."We ‘ re having today ‘ s lesson down by the lake."

No !

Harry almost collapsed on the weed. Hermione and Padma moved off at a run, trying to wiretap Hagrid as he strode off towards the blue air expanse.

Harry leadenly put one human foot in front of the other. He was vaguely cognizant of Ron and Neville trying to mouth to him but he blanked them out. He stopped as the grass sloped down towards the water. There were some thing in pens near the waters surface, Hagrid was opening one while Hermione and Padma talked to him. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying but the hand bm were pretty emphatic.

Harry felt his frontal bone get slick with elbow grease. He tried to step closer to the lake but the speech sound of it filled his ear. The placate sloshing wafture echoed somehow in his head word and became a raging cataract, making it inconceivable to concentrate on anything. The water seemed to rise while staying in the same topographic point, creeping closer to is eyes.

Harry's face broke and he turned and ran back towards the castle. He heard shout behind him but ignored them, he needed to get away. It felt like the lake was the right way behind him, like a chasing beast. He hit the steps of Hogwarts at a sprint and kept going. He had to hide !

All the while the water kept rushing in his ears.
*


The marauders begged out of Hagrid's lesson 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 midget, dead-end corridor. It didn't look like it had been used in long time. Harry was just slouched against the back paries, his arms tucked into his robes.

"Harry ?"Ron approached carefully.

Harry didn't answer, his gaze was fixed of a little drippage part of the cap. His eyes followed each droplet as it grew, dropped and splashed into a mossy spell on the floor.

"Harry ?"

Drip, drip mold, drip.

"Are you Ok ?"

dripping, drip, drip.

"Is there anything we can do ?"

drip mould, drip mould, drip… Harry looked up and his eyes met Ron's. The redhead almost flinched back, his admirer gaze was hollow and deadening, like all the spirit had been sucked out of him. But even so it seemed to halt barely contained fury.

"Yes,"Harry's voice sounded like it was seeping out through rock."I do ask your help."

"Ok ? What do you demand us to do ?"

"I need us three to go back up to the prefects bathroom."Harry clenched his mitt, he even seemed to be trembling."And you ‘ re going to try that immersion therapy matter again. Except this time you ‘ re gon na hold me under."
*


Harry turned the taps to full and forced himself to take in as the tub filled to the brim. He didn't add any soap, he had a spirit he would be inhaling a good mint 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 wholly leg had pins and needles. He gritted his tooth and dropped the rest of his body in. Already he felt like screaming, the piddle was everywhere.

"Ok, Neville you ‘ ve got a watch ?"Harry said through chattering teeth that had nothing to do with the temperature.

"Yes."

"Ok,"Harry began taking rich intimation in preparation."Keep me under for five secondment, whatever I do. We ‘ ll push it up from there."

"Are you su-"

"stopover asking me if I'm indisputable !"Harry snapped. He turned to Ron, who was already in the bath."Do it !"

Harry closed his eyes and felt hands close around his shoulders. A second later he was dunked down. He tried to restrain his mouth shut but as soon as the pee closed over his head he panicked and breathed in a great gulp of water. His lungs and throat burned and he flailed helplessly.

After what felt like a life he was pulled to the open. He collapsed against the slope of the bathing tub and lay there, coughing up his lungs onto the tile. He weakly realized that there was blood mixed in with the water, he must of bit his natural language trying to breathe.

"Was that five seconds ?"Harry said feeble once he had stopped coughing.

"Yes."

"shuffling the future one ten."

"Harry !"Ron protested."I can ‘ t do this to you ! The tourney ‘ s not Worth this !"

"It ‘ s not even about the tournament any more."Harry shook his straits."It's got so much worse I can't demand a shower, I can ‘ t go near the lake. I ‘ m dehydrated because I don ‘ t even want to wassail a Methedrine of piddle. I can ‘ t live like this. please mate… ten seconds."

Harry felt Ron motility towards him through the water and pull him to his animal foot. Harry took a inscrutable breath and closed his eyes.

Again he was plunged into the pits. Harry broke again and gulped in weewee. He saw lights heartbeat on the inside of his eyelid. 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 wickedness replaced it.
*


Harry woke confused. He was lying on a bed, with sheets over him. He wasn't wearing his glasses so the world in front of him was blurred. His chest felt heavy 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 white blob appeared into Harry's view and a second later his glasses were returned. Madam Pomfrey straightened and shook her head."You've been here two days repairing the damage, your lungs were damaged. You were really remarkably stupid, I don ‘ t even know what to say this time."

"At least I can ‘ t inculpation this one on stairs."Harry smiled weakly. The school nurse snorted.

"You ‘ re supporter is over there."She jerked her headland at another bed where Ron lay."He hasn ‘ t left since you were brought in. He seems to palpate guilty over something."

"Sorry."

"Don ‘ t say it to me, say it to him."Madam Pomfrey turned to entrust then asked."Do you need anything ?"

"My throat hurts."

"I ‘ ll get you something for it."Madam Pomfrey bustled off.

Harry cleared his throat,

"Ron !"At the audio of Harry's representative the marauder stirred."Ron wake up."

"Harry ? Harry you ‘ re awake !"Ron rubbed his centre and slid out of bed."I ‘ m so dark 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 place none of this would be necessary."

"You ‘ re not screwed up Harry. You ‘ re just… Harry."

"I jump onto trains."Harry shook his head and express mirth, but here was no liquid body substance in it."I ‘ m 14 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 nightmares, I ‘ m aquaphobic and I remember things I shouldn ‘ t know. Something ‘ s wrong with me."

"But-"

"I manipulate hoi polloi, I have no sense of when I ‘ ve gone too far, I potioned a instructor, dueled another one, I lie, I cheat, I steal. You can ‘ t tell me I ‘ m pattern, not with a straight face."

"But Harry,"Ron moved up and put a hired hand on his shoulder comfortingly."All that hooey's what makes you you."

"being me sucks."Harry rolled over away from Ron. Madam Pomfrey returned with a deoxyephedrine of water and a small roller of blue liquid.

"Drink all of it. It ‘ s quite bitter."She disappeared into her office again.

Harry reached out and gulped down the aniseed flavored potion. He reached out for the water glass but his finger's breadth stopped an inch from the meth. Harry sighed deeply and dropped back onto the bed.

"What is it Harry ?"Ron asked.

"It didn ‘ t work."Harry breathed faintly."It didn ‘ t even work."
*


"Bellevue."Harry spoke the word then knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Harry turned the handle and stepped into the guest quarters of Hogwarts. A few of the temple handmaidens were sitting at the table interpretation, they looked up pointedly as he entered. He tried to ignore them. He walked over to where Pythea was sitting by the window on a piddling frame. Harry pulled over a death chair and sat.

"Are you feeling better ?"Pythea asked, though she didn't auditory sensation 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 clean overcharge cleaning woman around the table.

"That ‘ s alright."Harry smiled."That ‘ s not what I came here about. I need advice."

"About the sec 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 spells and affair, bubblehead magic spell, Neville suggested gillyweed. But none of them ‘ ll work for me, not if I go crazy the instant I hit the water. I don't know what to do. I ‘ m scared Thea, I need help."

"Are you asking for my advice as an vaticinator ?"Pythea cocked her head."Or as a friend ?"

"Please Thea,"Harry begged."Just give me something."

"I have advice for you Harry."Pythea took his hand in hers."But you may not like it."

"William Tell me."

"Give up."

"What ?"Harry frowned, confused.

"Don't compete in the secondment task. You can still win on the third gear even if you get zero for this one."

"But… The goblet ‘ s a binding contract."Harry shook his capitulum."I have to compete."

"You have to compete in the tournament."Pythea corrected."There have been respective times in the past tense where a friend has skipped a project for medical reasons. And a phobia is a legitimate medical reason."

"But… I ‘ d have to tell them."Harry bit his lip."The unit school would know."

"You fear that happening ?"

"Yes."

"More than you fear the lake ?"

"No."Harry shuddered and shook his mind."Why are you telling me this ?"

"Because I hate to see you wound 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 Delphic one ?"

There isn ‘ t one Harry. There never is with you.

Harry was about to answer but Pythea put a fingerbreadth to her lips and smiled.

"Would you like a game of chess while you ‘ re here ?"She said out loud.

"Bromus secalinus with a mind-reading seer."Harry rolled his eyes."This should be fun."
*


Harry took Pythea's spec of hope that he would think of something and clung onto it like a life line. He spent every availably minute in the library trying to get some other way into the lake. He researched astral projection, animagi, freezing and boiling magical spell and fog charms. He got his Quaker to brew a potion of courage to try to defeat the fear but it wasn't enough and the effect only lasted a few second anyway.

So it came to be the night before the task and Harry was still in the library, sitting behind a stilt of playscript, despairing.

There was no answer, he should just make up.

"burning at the stake the midnight oil Potter ?"Harry heard Malfoy's vox and jerked his head up to see the boy walk out from behind a bookshelf, a pile of books under his arm.

Harry's hilltop furrows as he worked back through Malfoy's judgment of conviction. It took him a few instant to form out what was bothering him about it. There hadn't been an insult in it ! It had been a simple, normal question.

"Yes, I see you are too."Harry pushed some of his own ledger aside and the Slytherin sat down. The books he had all had similar title of respect to Harry's own."You have a plan for tomorrow ?"

"Yes."Malfoy nodded."Just making sure nothing can go wrong. You ?"

"No."Harry admitted shaking his head."No I ‘ ve got nothing."

quiet reigned in the dark, musty library.

"You must feature something."Malfoy said, shrugging."A lilliputian charm or so-"

"No."Harry shook his point again."nada that will put to work for me."

"But wh…"Malfoy leant back in his electric chair. Harry could almost see the gears turning in his read/write head."The Boggart in tierce year…"

Harry said nothing, he didn't have to.

"You ‘ re afraid of water ?"

Silence.

"That ‘ s… not good for you then."Malfoy smiled."But very good for me."

"fuck you Peroxide !"Harry sneered and knocked over a pile of record 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 volume open, balancing on the back two leg of his chair. Harry had the unbearable impulse to tip him over.

Harry gritted his tooth and ignored him, pulling another book over. A few mo passed in muteness then…

"Potter, what the hell is hydrogen peroxide ?"

"Muggle thing,"Harry muttered."cum to imagine of it it wasn ‘ t much of an insult."

"You must be stressed then,"Malfoy said without looking up from his Good Book."If you can ‘ t even vilification correctly."

"Would you like me to try again ?"Harry jabbed."I ‘ ve got lots."

"I tend to dumbfound with mudblood."

"evidence of a heavy lack of imagination."Harry shut his Holy Scripture and picked another."Is it possible you're parents accidentally lobotomized you as a child."

"No."Malfoy replied coldly.

"Is it potential you're parents intentionally lobot-"

"Screw you shortarse !"

Harry chuckled despite himself and dropped his eyes back to the text in front of him. It had some information about an ancient thaumaturge who was able to part ocean. It also said the knowledge of how to do so had been lost millennia ago. He dropped that one as well and grabbed another.

"Really scared of water ?"

Harry ignored Malfoy and sank deeper into the book.

"And you can ‘ t think of a way around it ?"

Harry sighed and looked up. Malfoy was staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"Courage potion… ?"

"Tried it, effect doesn't last tenacious enough."

"A transformation of some kind ?"

"Any transformation that keeps my mind intact support my phobias intact as well."

"How about charming an animal to get whatever-it-is for you ?"

"Against the principle of the contest."

"Some variety of diving gong ?"

"Now you ‘ re just scraping the rear end of the barrel."Harry sunk onto his work force on the table."Face it, if I ‘ ve had calendar week to come up with an answer you ‘ re not gon na get it in one night. I ‘ ve been racking my brains trying to think of some way that's within the rule but it just isn ‘ t there."

"Well how about extraneous them."Malfoy shrugged."You said you were going to cheat anyway."

"In front of the total school ? And the Book of Judges ?"Harry shook his head."I ‘ d never get away with it."

"Is this Harry Potter I ‘ m talking to or some sort of imposter."Malfoy laughed dismissively."You don't worry about how to get away with thing. You do them and get away with them later."

Harry opened his back talk 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 eye back on the book in front of him.
*


"Ginny !"

Why is he shaking me ?

"Ginster wake up !"

"Harry ?"Ginny woke slowly and groggily."Harry it ‘ s still the middle of the night."

"I know."

"How did you even get up the stairs ?"

"Listen Gin, I need to adopt the Chimera."Harry was whispering but he sounded insistent.

"Sure Harry."Ginny shook her top dog, clearing cobwebs."What do you need it for ?"

"Can ‘ t tell you."Harry smiled evilly."If I told you you ‘ d be an accessory."

"An supplement to what ?"Ginny was extensive awake now.

"A Harry thrower plan !"Harry grinned in the nighttime, then disappeared.
*


"Mr Potter…"Minerva McGonagall licked her backtalk and stopped speaking. All around her the various adults were starting to titter, the students too. Dumbledore was giving Harry an appraising look, Maxim was laughing openly, Crouch just looked scandalized.

They were standing by the edge of the lake, the second job was about to start and all but one of the champions were wearing swimsuit. Those three were the ones giggling at the fourth.

"Mr Potter…"She tried again, pointing at what ceramicist was carrying."That is a broomstick."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Is it possible you misunderstood what the task before you consists of."

"Anything ‘ s possible."Potter shrugged.

"You realize that the broomstick will not even work underwater ?"

"Yes."

"Is there any hazard that you will enjoin me what you ‘ re planning."

"No."

McGonagall shook her head and turned back towards the rack. Behind her the virtuoso moved into personal line of credit by the bound of the lake. She shook her nous as Bagman read out the rules in his loud din voice, then…

"One… two… THREE !"

Harry gibe into the air like a fastball and careened backwards towards the stands. Audience appendage scattered but Harry managed to regain ascendancy at the last minute and pulled up to film over and out, following the curved shape of the lake until he disappeared behind a hill.

"Did he run away ?"

"Where did he go ?"

Muttering broke out around the rack. McGonagall shook her headspring, they had said the Lapp matter last fourth dimension and Harry had come through.

Her eyes were drawn to the top rack, to the splinter of white amongst the wickedness robes. The Pythea was standing before her seat, her eyes fixed in the direction Harry had disappeared. A mo later she started laughing, a clear Chrystal laugh that flowed over the stands.

McGonagall looked out to try and see what she was seeing but saw nada. A moment later a physique appeared in the lake, rounding the hill that had hid it from horizon and pushing out quickly into the open water.

One by one the crowd fell mute, every eye fixed on the thing in the lake. McGonagall put her hired hand to her mouth, even given a thousand years she would never let thought of this.

Karkaroff was the first to smash the secrecy. Shooting from his electric chair, his typeface red with furore he raised his fist and yelled,

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



Review, please. Reviewing is expert for you, it 's got calcium in it !