Chapter Thirty One - Botching a Ritual
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to the proverbial Duchess of Magic, JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. No matter how much I whine about not owning anything related to the HP universe, other than a few fanfic plots, I do not profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world... Damn it!
Chapter Thirty One - Botching a Ritual
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The next morning the three were down to breakfast in the Great Hall. All three were quite relaxed, contrary to the discussion they'd had the previous night. Harry even had trouble keeping a goofy-looking grin off his face.
It wasn't just that he'd been able to 'relieve tension' the previous night. The girls really let their hair down, too. 'The things they did together? Just, wow!' he thought to himself.
"Earth to Harry," said Hermione, waving her hand in front of his face.
"Hmm?" he asked, coming back out of his memories of the night before.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
From the grin he smiled at her, she immediately blushed and said, "Never mind! I think I can guess." Before she turned away.
"You wanted my attention," he reminded her.
"Yes," she replied, remembering and turning back. "Don't forget you need a hearty enough breakfast as the families will be here, this morning."
Surprised he'd forgotten, he said, "Oh; yeah."
As breakfast was winding up, Professor Flitwick came down to see the three. "Mister Potter... Ladies... the cha- errr... competitors are congregating in the antechamber off the Hall after breakfast. I know it's not a task; but, I really suggest you attend."
"Thank you, Professor," he said.
"And we have the History of Magic exam," said Hermione.
The girls left with Harry giving them both a kiss 'for luck' before he turned to the antechamber door. "If Dumbledore's got the bloody Weasley's in there..." he muttered.
Quickly, he strode up the Hall and through the door into the antechamber.
"Harry!" he heard before he was nearly knocked off his feet in a bone-crushing hug.
As the 'hugger' backed off, and as he recognised from the voice, it was his godfather.
"Hi Sirius!" he grinned.
As Sirius threw his arm around Harry's shoulder he said, "Hiya, Pup!" Then guided him further into the chamber.
He was greeted near the unlit fireplace by Moony, Matthias and Deece. Deece gave him a hug while Matthias and Moony both shook his hand. "If I'd known you'd be coming... Matthias, Deece... I'd have asked if the ladies could do a makeup exam for History of Magic, later.
"It's alright, Harry," said Matthias. "We'll see them after the exam. It's only an hour, after all."
Harry nodded and said, "So, what brings you here?"
"Through the day of the third task, the families of the cham- competitors spend the day with the competitors before the beginning of the final task," replied Sirius. "That means we get to come here and relive our own past Hogwarts glories and reminisce."
"Ah," said Harry. "So, what do you want to do while we wait for Daphne and Hermione to join us?"
Sirius replied, "Let's take a walk. And you can tell us how you intend to face the challenges in the maze."
As they walked about on the grounds outside, Harry told the three adults how he and the ladies - who were acting as his trainers - had been increasing and improving upon his repertoire of combat charms, curses and hexes. He expected to come up against plant-based attacks, magical creatures, warded areas, and similar.
"So," he said. "I've got the time advantage, for the moment..."
"It should have been a greater advantage," near-growled Sirius. "You were denied your rightful points in the first task because they didn't like the fact you killed the dragon, even though the rules didn't say you couldn't. And that Death Eater, Karkaroff, marks everyone low except his little sporting celebrity, Krum."
Harry just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, look at it this way; the nonsense from the judges is just pushing us competitors closer together. I'm getting some nice friends out of this."
"But, the way I calculate it, if you hadn't been unfairly deducted points for killing the dragon, and Karkaroff scored fairly, your points should have you about another fifteen to twenty points ahead of second place," said Sirius, annoyed on behalf of his godson.
"Yes," smiled Harry. "However, how embarrassing would that be for the three schools? Here's a mere fourth year kicking the bums of the best the three schools have to offer, and doing it resoundingly! And the three champions, let alone their schools, would also hate me for it. This way, I'm still in the lead, the three champions I now consider friends, no one in this rock pile can claim I'm not good enough for this competition, being a competitor automatically emancipated me and pulled me out from under Dumbledore's suffocating control, and I'm free to come and go as I wish.
"Plus, it was never my intent to win this accursed event; only survive it. With the Potter fortune at my disposal the one thousand galleons prize money is pocket change. And what do I need with the so-called eternal glory of being a Tri-Wizard Tournament winner, when I'm famous enough as the Boy-Who-Lived? All of those points the students, here, utterly forgot when my name popped out of the Goblet."
"And corrected it, not too long later," added Matthias. "You set up quite the panic among the echelon of the Ancient families when you did that, by the way."
"It needed to be done," Harry simply said.
"Agreed," smirked Matthias. "A good cage-rattling every now and then is good for the soul."
Harry just grinned back.
"Now I hear the Heirs are acting like Heirs should, again," added Sirius. "And Dumbledore and his staff have been forced, by you and your wives, to take proper action, for the most part, in dealing with trouble makers and malcontents."
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When the girls finished their History exam and joined them, the group took a little walk along the banks of the Black Lake, just chatting about plans for the rapidly approaching summer, before heading up to the apartment.
"Any word on the progress of the Longbottoms?" asked Daphne, as they slowly ascended the stairs.
"They're good," replied Deece. "I was around at Longbottom Hall a few days ago. Both are now up and freely moving about. However, they're also both still a little weak."
"I take it neither is looking at returning to their previous occupations?" asked Daphne.
With a little shake of her head, Deece replied, "No. They both now just want to get on with their lives and catch up on what they've missed over the past near decade and a half."
"Will Frank be taking the Wizengamot seat off his mother?" asked Harry.
"Possibly," she replied. "However, it won't be for quite some time. I think the entire family is only focussing on getting the pair of them back to full health before they look to their options."
"Fair enough," said Harry. "I was just looking to getting to know Frank through our work on the Wizengamot. I'm getting bored not being able to talk to a friend."
Once they'd returned to their apartment, Harry noticed Dobby had already brought in more sofas for the enlarged group. And the coffee table had been lengthened to accommodate more people sitting around it.
With everyone holding a beverage of their choice, supplied by Dobby and a visiting Winky, Harry broached the subject about the third task.
While the three were changing out of their school uniforms in their bedroom to get ready for the third task later that evening, Harry quietly asked, "Who's going to switch the potions on Crouch?"
"I am," said Daphne. "I've been practicing accuracy and silent and minimal casting of the switching spell. I just thank Merlin that the cast is colourless and invisible."
"As soon as he takes a swig from the flask, I'll be using a sticking charm on both his hand and his behind," said Hermione. "That way, he'll not be able to use his wand, or rise from his chair once he sits down. That should be enough to stop him from being able to get a curse off, or something, once he begins to revert."
"Then, as soon as Daphne puts 'your' version of the potion in its flask in her pocket, we'll be ready to go."
The three left their bedroom wearing jeans, collared v-neck t-shirts and light pullovers, joining their families back out in the living room.
"I meant to ask," said Harry, looking at the pair of them. "How'd you think you went in exams? Outstanding, or Outstanding Plus?"
Daphne just snorted and said, "Outstanding. I'm still having problems figuring out muggle currency. One minute it's called 'cash' and the next they call it 'currency' and then call it 'money'. Weird."
"I find it easier than magical currency," shrugged Hermione. "Ten Pence to the Shilling; ten Shillings to the Pound. It makes calculating cost a lot easier."
"So, five Galleons equals?" asked Daphne.
"Ummm... Twenty-five Pounds, ten Shillings; or, Twenty-six Pounds," replied Hermione. "But, that's at today's exchange rate."
"Bother," breathed Daphne. "I got that one wrong. I thought it was Twenty-six Pounds but I didn't think it'd be a whole number of Pounds."
"It's a whole number at the moment?" asked Sirius. Before he was answered, he mused, "That'll make it easy to figure out how much we're worth in muggle currency. Take how much you're worth in Galleons, divide by five and multiply by twenty-six. Simple."
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One of the problems they'd had was how to switch the Polyjuice Potion from faux-Moody's flask with what they had brewed. They just hoped an opportunity would present itself on the day of the task, or they'd have to engineer such an opportunity. The latter was more risky as they didn't know how well they could create such an opportunity.
However, they needn't have worried. They were just walking in the door from outside to head in for lunch with their family when Moody came down the grand stairs and approached them.
Faux-Moody walked right up to Harry and dropped his hand on his shoulder. "Been practicing for tonight's task, Potter?" he asked.
"Of course, Professor," replied Harry.
"Any ideas about what you'll be facing?" asked the impostor.
"Just creatures Hagrid would consider 'misunderstood', and probably some enchantments such as confusion mists and the like," replied Harry.
The imposter gave a very Moody-like grunt and patted Harry's shoulder twice before he said, "I think you're on the right track, lad. I have every faith in you."
Before anyone could say anything, he quickly stalked off to walk into the Great Hall.
Harry quickly glanced at Daphne, who grinned back and gave a slight nod.
"Bit of an odd bloke, isn't he?" Matthias asked of no one in particular.
"Yeah, but something seems off about him," muttered Harry.
"He's always been odd," said Sirius. "Paranoid as all get up, he is."
The small party then followed Moody into the Hall and to the Ravenclaw table. They sat in the same area the three usually sat with Luna.
When Luna joined them a few minutes later, she plopped herself down next to Deece as if there wasn't anything unusual about the situation.
Harry, smirking, carried out the introductions.
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The three bondmates were keeping a close watch on faux-Moody where he was sitting at the head table. When he took a swig of his flask Hermione nudged Harry under the table; and Harry saw Crouch drop the flask back into the breast inner pocket of his large coat.
He gave a nudge to Daphne and murmured, "Any moment now."
Hermione was also watching carefully and, as soon as she saw the effects of the Polyjuice Potion begin to wear off she quietly said to the adults, "Something seems to be wrong with Professor Moody."
That had all eyes turn to faux-Moody as he quickly fumbled for his flask again, pulling it out and flicking the cap off before taking another huge swig. As he was doing so, the features of his face began to shift under the skin and his hair darkened.
"That looks like the effects of Polyjuice wearing off," said Daphne, just loud enough for the adults to hear.
With a gasp from Deece, Sirius and Matthias looked in shock before they stood and drew their wands. Having mentally urged them on to do so, and following their lead, Harry did the same.
While all three stepped over the benches and into the aisles, Crouch began to look around wildly as his body, within his clothes, quickly went through the changes to his natural form. Either side of him, Snape had backed away and drawn his own wand, just as Professor Flitwick did the same.
As soon as his body stopped contorting, Crouch snatched the straps holding the now useless magical eye in place away and reached for his wand while trying to stand and failing. His hand had barely reached it before matching stunners from Snape and Flitwick hit him from either side causing the man to collapse before he toppled from his chair to the floor behind the table.
"Barty Crouch Junior," exclaimed a clearly surprised Snape, as the Hall burst into surprised chatter.
Harry walked forward as the staff appeared to stand around, not knowing what to do. "Well?" he prompted them. "I may only be a student but, even to someone like me, I would think the next thing to do would be to call the aurors; yes?"
That got them moving.
"Mister Potter, perhaps you should..." began Dumbledore before Harry rode over him in a louder and clear voice.
"..Wonder how it is that someone you called a friend for the past fifty years could be impersonated by a Death Eater and you had no idea? Well, I do!" With a snort he said, "Polyjuice requires the person who you're impersonating be somewhat handy for the final ingredient for, and when, you need it. Maybe you should think about sending someone to the Dah-Dah offices and see if the real Moody's there, somewhere, under enchantments of some sort. That is, if you're not too busy calling for the aurors."
Dumbledore scowled back and quickly left the Hall, while Professors McGonagall and Flitwick hurried off to, apparently, the DADA offices.
Harry turned back to his smirking godfather and father-in-law. He sighed and said in a clear voice, "Is it just me, or is the staff here utterly incapable of figuring things out without being led by the hand to the answer?"
Turning to the rest of the Hall, he called, "Oh, I think it's now apparent to even a... bunch of dunderheads... how it is my name came to be ejected by the Goblet of Fire; aye?"
That had a few students look away in shame while most others looked back in dawning comprehension.
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The real Alastor Moody was found locked within his own trunk in the DADA Professor's private quarters by Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. He was taken to the Infirmary where he was resting.
The aurors finally arrived after half an hour and took away the stunned and bound Barty Crouch Junior. Harry learned later that another pair of aurors was sent to Saint Mungo's, where they were tasked with putting Crouch Senior in null-magic cuffs and cuffing him to his own bed. He would be taken into custody once he was well enough to travel.
For everyone else, they spent the afternoon talking back and forth about the task and the 'unveiling' of the so-called Professor Moody as actually being a Death Eater long thought dead.
About an hour before the start of the early evening meal, Harry retired to their bedroom and changed into the mixed muggle and magical attire he'd be wearing for the task. He'd be wearing a comfortable pair of firmly laced, ankle protecting, high-top muggle trainers in black; lightweight black combat pants; a black long-sleeved t-shirt; and a black over robe similar to auror robes that allowed full freedom of movement. And, finally, his invisibility cloak went in the left back pocket of his pants in easy reach through slits in the robes to allow such access.
Because he'd need the absence of colour to help him hide from the Death Eaters after getting away from Riddle, matt black was the only way to go.
"All looks good," muttered Hermione. "Now try the skin tone colour charm."
He quickly used the temporary charm to darken his skin to a dark brown, "Obscurant cutem," before reversing it again with its counter, "Redire cutem."
"Now the disillusionment charm," said Daphne.
He gave the top of his head a tap with the tip of his wand as he muttered the incantation, "Lateo"; and felt the broken egg and water drenching sensation that said he'd successfully applied it before removing it once more with the counter, "Appareo".
"And the cloak?" asked Hermione.
Harry checked. "In my back pocket and easy to hand," he replied, tapping his back left pocket.
"Good, that's three ways to disappear," said Daphne. "Now for the portkeys."
Pointing to them, or otherwise indicating them, he said, "My House ring is a permanent portkey and portkeys me to Potter Retreat. My wedding band is a portkey to the entry hall of Greengrass Farm. My 'new' necklace is a portkey to the front gates of Hogwarts. And the coins I have in my pockets, one in each so they don't 'chink' as I move, are each portkeys to the front gate. And, I can always apparate out. "
"Apparate only as a last-ditch emergency effort," said Daphne. "Your focus won't be the best and you may splinch yourself."
Harry just gave a short nod in response.
"Broom?" asked Hermione.
"Shrunken already; and in my left thigh pocket," he replied, tapping the pocket on the combat pants.
"That's everything," said Hermione.
"Then let us rejoin our family," said Daphne.
On his left inner forearm under a heavy glamour he had his wand holster for his 'secondary' custom wand; a wand he'd been training to cast with, with his left hand. Also strapped to his left forearm, but on the back of the arm, was his knife in its holster with the handle down, also disillusioned. There, it would be in easy reach of his right hand to pull if he needed it.
On his right forearm he had the holster for the 'primary', ministry-sanctioned wand that he'd been using almost exclusively; the Ollivander holly and phoenix feather wand that was the brother wand to Riddle's. Also strapped to his right arm was the pig skin blood pouch. It went from just under the wand holster, all the way up to about the middle of his bicep under the sleeve of his t-shirt. It was also firmly attached to his arm by elastic straps and sticking charm. And Harry had been practicing casting while wearing it for the past couple of days; since the morning after they'd taken the blood from Nott. Harry quickly found that the blood pouch did not affect his casting any noticeable difference.
Once the girls checked him over to make sure everything that needed to be hidden - whether under glamour or just within clothing - was, they returned to the living room to join the family.
"It's time," he sighed. "Shall we head down to dinner?"
Finally, the three and their families sat for the final meal before the third task. Harry ate very little. His godfather noticed.
"Harry," said Sirius. "You need to eat!"
"Sorry, Sirius," sighed Harry. "I've just got this real bad feeling about tonight. Something's wrong, and I can feel it in my bones!"
"Your bones hurt?" asked a confused godfather.
"No," said Harry shaking his head. "It's a muggle expression. It implies you know something for a fact when there is no evidence to support it. Think of it as a very strong gut feeling."
"And your guts are telling you something's going to go wrong," said Sirius, now understanding.
"Yeah, that's the crux of it," replied Harry, grumbling.
Listening, Matthias said, "Madam Bones will have her aurors all over the place, tonight. If something happens, they'll be right there."
With a glance and a long look at his two wives, Harry decided to eat a little rice with a light stew. It wouldn't sit too heavily in his stomach.
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As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, and silence fell.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch pitch and stands for the third and final task of the Tri-wizard Tournament. Will the champions... and Mister Potter... please follow Mister Bagman down to the stadium now."
Harry rose in place, quickly followed by his family. They all wished him good luck while he also received chaste kisses from his wives. And he headed off out of the Great Hall with Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor.
"Feeling all right, Harry?" asked Bagman, as they went down the stone steps onto the grounds. "Confident?"
"I'm fine, Useless. Given the Weasley twins their money, yet?" said Harry. It was sort of true; he was nervous, but he kept running over everything he needed to do before the night was over.
Bagman turned away with a scowl and led them outside. As soon as they stepped out the doors they were flanked by four aurors, who followed them down to the pitch.
They walked onto the Quidditch pitch, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around just inside the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.
Looking around, Harry spotted no less than a half dozen aurors spaced out across their side of the maze. He suspected there were a great many more where he couldn't see them.
Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill. The air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students, family members and other guests filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear indigo now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Professor Sinistra and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.
"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor McGonagall to the four competitors. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us or one of the aurors will come and get you, do you understand?"
The four nodded.
"Off you go, then!" said Bagman brightly to the four staff patrollers. The aurors were already in place.
"Good luck, 'Arry," whispered Hagrid, as the four of them walked away in different directions, to station themselves around the maze.
Bagman, pointing his wand at his throat, muttered, "Sonorus," and his magically magnified voice echoed into the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Tri-wizard Tournament is about to begin!"
As the cheers of the audience died down again, he continued, "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! In first place, with eighty-eight points, is Mister Harry Potter of Hogwarts!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points, is Mister Viktor Krum of Durmstrang!" More applause. "And tied in third place, with seventy-eight points each is Mister Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts! And, Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!" More, but louder applause than for Victor.
Harry could just make out his family halfway up the stands. He waved up at them, and they waved back, beaming at him; though, both wives were justifiably nervous.
"So... on my whistle, Harry!" said Bagman. "Three... two... one!" He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry ran into the maze.
Knowing what to expect and when, plus with using a 'Point Me' charm on his 'known' wand, Harry made it to the Cup a lot quicker than he did in the previous timeline. He hoped it was also so fast that Pettigrew wouldn't be ready for him.
With his wand in his hand as he blasted an acromantula away into soggy pieces, Harry looked about and took a couple of deep, calming breaths.
"Alright," he muttered. "Here we go!" With his holly wand in his right hand he grabbed the Cup handle with his left.
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Harry felt his feet slam into the ground and he immediately fell forward, letting go of the Cup in the process. He quickly raised his head and looked around. 'Yup, the cemetery,' he thought. 'Now I have to allow myself to be captured by the rat.'
Squinting tensely through the darkness, he watched the rat draw nearer, walking steadily toward him between the graves. Pettigrew was wearing his cowled cloak and had 'Voldebaby' in his arms.
As with last time, Pettigrew stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from him, for a moment. Then Pettigrew placed Voldebaby on the ground between his feet before he suddenly launched a stunner at Harry. Harry made as if to block it and dive out of the way, but allowed it to hit him.
When he came to, he was bound to the Riddle Senior headstone, and Pettigrew was in his face.
"You!" gasped Harry.
But Pettigrew, who had finished conjuring ropes to bind him in place, did not reply; he was busy checking the tightness of the cords, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, rumbling over the knots.
As with the previous timeline, once sure Harry was bound so tightly to the headstone he couldn't move an inch, Pettigrew drew a length of some black material from the inside of his cloak and stuffed it roughly into Harry's mouth. Then, without a word, he turned from Harry and hurried away.
Harry couldn't make more than a muffled sound, nor could he see where Pettigrew had gone. He couldn't turn his head to see beyond the headstone; he could see only what was right in front of him. His holly wand was on the ground near the Cup. And the bundle of robes that Harry knew was Voldebaby was close by, at the foot of the grave. Voldebaby seemed to be stirring as fretful as the previous timeline.
Hearing noises at his feet, he looked down and saw Nagini slithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was tied. 'Don't go away, little snaky,' he thought.
Pettigrew's fast, wheezy breathing was growing louder again. He was now pushing the stone cauldron to the foot of the grave, already full of what seemed to be water, but was actually a very difficult to brew potion. With his wand - or possibly Riddle's - he lit a fire under the cauldron as Nagini slithered away into the darkness.
With magic, the liquid in the cauldron heated very fast. The surface began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Pettigrew tending the fire and cauldron.
Harry quickly glanced at the pile of robes that was Voldebaby and saw the mini homonculus, or whatever it was, couldn't see him. Using the steam that was blocking Pettigrew's vision, Harry quickly checked himself over by slightly moving his arms to see if the rest of his things were still with him. As far as he could tell, they were.
The movements beneath the robes became more agitated. And Harry heard the high, cold voice again. "Hurry!"
Taking another look at the potion within the cauldron, Pettigrew called, "It is ready, Master."
"Now..." said the cold voice.
Walking over, Pettigrew pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing Voldebaby in all his horrid glory.
Voldebaby had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had never seen anything less like a child, either this time or last. It was hairless and scaly-looking; a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face was flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.
Voldebaby raised his thin arms, put them around Pettigrew's neck, and allowed Pettigrew to lift him. Harry saw the look of revulsion on Pettigrew's weak, pale face in the firelight as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw the evil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion before Pettigrew lowered the creature in; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface.
Last time, Harry thought he'd heard a thud as the small body hit the bottom of the cauldron. But, he now realised there was no such sound.
Pettigrew began his ritual chant. His voice shook, frightened beyond his wits. He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and spoke. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked. Trying to hide his smirk, Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Pettigrew's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, aqua blue. The colour was different than the first time they went through this.
'Yes!' thought Harry. 'This is going to work!'
And now Pettigrew was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs. He did not know that the colour of the potion was wrong.
"Flesh... of the servant... w-willingly given... you will... revive... your master." He stretched his right hand out in front of him - the hand with the missing finger.
Knowing what was coming, Harry shut his eyes for the next few moments. But he could not block the scream that pierced the night. He heard Pettigrew's hand land with a soft thud on the ground, and heard the rat's anguished panting; then the sickening splash, as it was picked up and dropped into the cauldron.
Opening his eyes again, Harry looked to the potion. Instead of the burning red, this time, the potion was more a fiery orange.
'Now comes the important part,' thought Harry. 'Does he realise he's been tricked by seeing the blood pouch for what it really is?'
Pettigrew was gasping and moaning with agony as he walked to Harry. "B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."
Harry could do nothing to prevent it, but didn't want to, anyway. He saw the shining silver dagger shaking in Pettigrew's remaining hand, felt its point penetrate the blood pouch in the crook of his right arm, and watched the blood seeping down the sleeve of his torn robes. Pettigrew, still panting with pain, rumbled in his pocket for a glass vial and held it to what he thought was Harry's cut, so that a dribble of blood fell into it.
He staggered back to the cauldron with the blood and poured it inside. The liquid within turned, instantly, a cloudy, murky grey. It was not the brilliant white of before, the previous timeline.
Pettigrew, his job done, dropped to his knees beside the cauldron, then slumped sideways and lay on the ground, cradling the bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing.
Harry was suddenly shocked to feel someone come up behind him and remove the invisibility cloak from his backpocket. 'Who was this?' he thought. 'This shouldn't...' But then her scent reached his nostrils. 'Hermione!' he nearly gasped aloud. And would have done precisely that if not for the cloth in his mouth. That was ripped away a moment later.
With it gone he sucked in a lungful of air. "Get out of here!" he furiously whispered. "Nagini's around here!"
"Nagini's being hunted by Daphne," whispered Hermione. "Now hold on while I cut the bottom of the ropes. You'll still appear tied, but you won't be."
Suddenly, a surge of grey steam billowed thickly from the cauldron, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see anything but vapour hanging in the air.
Harry felt the ropes around his torso be cut free. Then the underside of the ropes on his arms were each cut, one after the other in quick succession.
Through the mist in front of him, he saw the dark outline of a weak looking man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron, before he took a staggering step over the rim, almost tripping over Pettigrew.
"We've gotta go," whispered Hermione. "Nagini's been dealt with."
"Robe me," said the high, cold voice from behind the steam. And Pettigrew, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled on his knees to pick up the black robes from the ground. He got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head.
The thin man stepped away from the cauldron, before turning to stare at Harry. And Harry stared back into the wide, dulled scarlet eyes and flat nose of Tom Marvolo Riddle, self-styled Dark Lord Voldemort.
'Alright,' thought Harry. 'Now I've just got to smack Riddle about a bit and get out of here.'
_‗_
—==(oIo)==—
ˇ
Riddle looked away from Harry and began examining his own body. His hands were long and thin, his fingers gnarled. He caressed his own chest, his arms, and his face. The red eyes, whose pupils were not quite the slits of the previous timeline, appeared dull. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression confused and worried.
He took not the slightest notice of Pettigrew, who laid twitching and bleeding on the ground, or of his now missing snake. Riddle slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out a wand. He caressed it gently, and then he raised it, pointing it at Pettigrew. Riddle frowned and appeared to struggle as he levitated the rat off the ground and flung him at the side of the tombstone to which Harry was supposedly tied. He turned his worried scarlet eyes upon Harry, before laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.
Pettigrew's robes were shining with blood now; he had wrapped the stump of his arm in them.
"My Lord..." he choked, "My Lord... you promised... you did promise..."
"Hold out your arm," said Riddle lazily.
"Oh Master... thank you, Master..." He extended the bleeding stump, but Riddle laughed again.
"The other arm, Wormtail."
"Master, please... please..."
Riddle bent down and pulled out Pettigrew's left arm; he forced the sleeve of the rat's robes up past his elbow, and Harry saw the Dark Mark. Riddle examined it carefully, ignoring Pettigrew's uncontrollable weeping.
"It's back," he said softly, looking down at it. "They will all have noticed it... and now, we shall see... now, we shall know..."
He pressed his long white gnarled forefinger to the brand on Pettigrew's arm. Pettigrew let out a fresh howl-like scream.
After a long moment Riddle removed his finger from Pettigrew's mark, and Harry saw that it had turned jet black.
A look of cruel satisfaction on his face, Riddle straightened up, threw back his head, and stared around at the dark graveyard. In doing so, he turned his back on Harry.
"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" whispered Riddle, his red eyes fixed upon the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough..."
Harry took the opportunity presented to him. He didn't want Riddle to know he still couldn't touch him. At least, not yet.
Popping his second wand into his left hand, he shook himself free of the remnants of his bindings and swept his arm forward. With a barely whispered, "Reducto," he fired a Reductor curse at Riddle's back, impacting him between the shoulder blades and sending the man flying forward across the ground. He immediately used the wand in his left hand to summon his holly wand from near the Cup.
As soon as he snagged his holly wand with his right hand he used the left to fire a stunner down at Pettigrew, making sure the rat stayed out of the fight.
However, he wasn't as fast as he needed to be. Riddle, though he ended up sprawled across the ground, was quick to spin about and fire a killing curse back at Harry. Harry was able to evade it by stepping out of the way. The curse shattered the tombstone to which he was recently bound.
Harry fired a string of Reductor curses back at Riddle, but only with the intent to get the man to avoid them while he dropped one of his emergency portkeys, a coin, onto the stunned Pettigrew; and hit it with a sticking charm. He wasn't out to activate it yet. He actually wanted to take Pettigrew back with him using the Cup. That way, they'd end up on the stage for the presentation, in full view of everyone. But, did he have time?
Apparently not.
The air was suddenly full of swishing cloaks. Between graves, behind the yew tree, in every shadowy space, wizards were apparating in within black smoke. All of them were hooded and masked. The Death Eaters had begun to arrive; but, they were still a short distance off yet.
Harry quickly cast a last few casts as Riddle tried to climb to his feet. His first was a Blasting curse to fire stones and rocks into Riddle from the ground between them followed by a Banishing charm chased with a more direct Blasting curse. Harry called out the activation phrase for the portkey on Pettigrew, "Out! Out! Out!"
As soon as he saw Pettigrew disappear in a swirl, Harry went on the attack. He used a couple of the combat spell chains he and the girls had developed to keep Riddle hopping and defending.
When he saw the first masked Death Eater step closer, raising his own wand as he came, Harry nailed him with a Reductor curse to the head. Whoever it was wasn't expecting it, and shot backwards, head first, to lay unmoving upon the ground. Harry noticed the cane that was in the Death Eater's hand at the last moment. However, the slight 'pause' of Harry's attack on Riddle to attack the Death Eater, which was probably Malfoy senior, gave Riddle the opportunity to begin to attack back, even as he was backing away.
Riddle cast yet another killing curse at Harry, and practically grunted from the effort. A quick summon of the cauldron from close nearby intercepted the curse, making a loud 'gong' sound as the curse struck. And Harry then immediately banished the cauldron straight at Riddle before following it up with a string of piercing, reductor and the two blasting curses, Deprimo and Confringo.
Riddle was able to banish the cauldron away but was only fast enough to bat away the piercing curse and reductor. The Deprimo blew him off his feet and again launched him backwards; while the second blasting curse, the Confringo, just missed, passing over him, as he was launched backwards.
With Riddle out of the way for a moment, Harry launched a similar string at another Death Eater, clearly killing who ever it was, before hurrying forward. Realising his time was up, he immediately activated his own portkey before he'd have to defend again. "Sayōnara!" he commanded, and was gone in the swirl of the portkey. He simply did not have time to summon and grab the Cup, as planned.
_‗_
—==(oIo)==—
ˇ
Harry appeared right alongside where the first Portkey took Pettigrew, right outside the gates of Hogwarts.
After a quick check of his surroundings, he popped his 'unoffricial' wand back into it's holster before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his shrunken Nimbus 2000; and dispelling the Shrinking charm placed on it.
Hopping on he levitated Pettigrew up and over the broom handle so he was draped over it and flew in through the open gates, making a bee-line for the stage.
A few seconds later he swooped in onto the stage to the shock of everyone, and dumped Pettigrew off the broom.
The stands went quiet as everyone was shocked to see him ride in on a broom. The organisers, who were waiting, expected him to arrive with the flash of a portkey and deposit him directly on the stage.
Casting a Sonorus Charm on himself, he bellowed, "Aurors! I need aurors here, NOW!"
Just off the stage but quickly mounting it, was Madam Bones.
"Mister Potter? What's going on?" she asked.
Harry flipped Pettigrew's robes out of the way and said, "That's Peter Pettigrew! That's the man who betrayed my parents and is a Death Eater." The Sonorous Charm was still active.
He immediately yanked up the sleeve on Pettigrew's arm and displayed the now very active Dark Mark he bore to the entire audience.
"And, Riddle's back! Voldemort's back!" he cried out. "Pettigrew employed a dark ritual that has resurrected Tom Riddle! He's back!"
That got people running about crying out and screaming.
"No!" cried Fudge, coming forward bracketed by dementors. "It's not true! It can't be!" The two dementors began to surge forward.
There was no way Harry was going to allow Pettigrew to be kissed, just yet. He wanted the man dosed with Veritaserum to prove his claims.
Harry dropped his holly wand back into his hand and, with a bellow of "Expecto Patronum!" launched his patronus stag directly at both dementors.
Fudge immediately dropped to the ground as the patronus headed right for him, and the stag viciously rammed one dementor before doing the same to the second. Both immediately took off, flying away for their very 'un'lives.
Harry stormed over to Fudge and yelled, "You fucking wanker!" And kicked him in the side where he was curled up on the floor of the stage. "How dare you bring those monsters into a school full of children, who're unable to defend themselves from them! Are you fucking insane?!"
He tried for a second kick before an auror grabbed him and pulled him away.
"What sort of an idiot are you, Fudge?" Harry continued to yell at the man. "Someone get this incompetent piece of shit out of here before I fucking kill him for being so fucking stupid!"
As the auror stepped between Harry and Fudge to make sure Harry wasn't going to attack the man again, Harry turned to the audience and bellowed. "Through a foul piece of ritual magic, this man..." he said pointing his finger at Pettigrew, who was now being tended by Madam Pomfrey for the stump of his wrist. "This traitor... resurrected Tom Riddle, the one you people called You-Know-Who, at the graveyard of his father in the cemetery at Little Hangleton less than twenty minutes ago!"
Inside, Harry was smirking as he saw Skeeter and another - at first thought another journalist, but proving to be her pet photographer - come charging over. The man with Skeeter immediately snapped a wide area photograph before he tried to move in closer for a second shot.
"Mister Potter!" called Skeeter. "Is it true? Is V-Vol... Riddle really back?"
'Thank you,' thought Harry. With his wand still in his hand he brought it across his chest and, in a loud and clear voice, said, "I, Harry James Potter, swear on my magic and my life that I witnessed this very night the successful resurrection of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort, in the graveyard at Little Hangleton! As I say, so I swear!"
In the late night gloom, Harry's flash of the oath being taken was apparent to everyone. He then fired off his huge shower of sparklers.
"Next question, Miss Skeeter?" he called back.
"Not at this time," she said, her face clearly displaying her fright. "I expect an interview over the coming days, though."
"And you shall have it!" replied Harry.
Skeeter then grabbed the robes of her photographer - Bozo or something, Harry still hadn't found out - and ran for the gates. She had a front page story to write and get published by the next morning.
_‗_
—==(oIo)==—
ˇ
"And there you have it, Madam Director Bones," said Harry. "I was able to hurt him, tonight. But, when the Death Eaters began showing up, I had to get the Hell out of there. I was able to snag Pettigrew but I activated one of my emergency portkeys to take me to the front gates here before I was overcome."
Harry was sitting with his two wives in the Great Hall at the Hufflepuff table. Besides Dumbledore and Madam Bones, they were joined by Sirius, the Greengrasses, Remus, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape, Headmistress Maxime, and a small group of aurors. It had already been reported by a Professor from off the Durmstrang ship that Karkaroff had disappeared. It was believed he had fled.
"Oh, and the Cup will probably be at the graveyard, still," he continued. "I have a feeling, though, that whoever placed the auto-portkey on it, probably layered it over the top of the Headmaster's existing one. Otherwise, it wouldn't have worked through the wards of the school.
"That is correct, Mister Potter," said the Headmaster. "Well deduced. The portkey was supposed to take whoever reached the Cup first directly to the presentation stage. Either someone was able to redirect the settings I had placed upon it, or placed a second one atop the one I placed there a couple of days ago.
"Who placed the Cup within the maze?" asked Bones.
"That would be Bartemius Crouch Junior," replied Dumbledore. "But, to be fair, I did not know it was he at the time. I had asked who I thought was Alastor Moody to place the Cup within the maze. And young Bartemius was not unmasked until during lunch, today."
Immediately after his big scene on the stage, Madam Bones directed her aurors to take Pettigrew up to the Infirmary with Madam Pomfrey. Of course, the first thing they did was search him; and ended up taking off him his wand and two portkeys. Harry, quickly joined by his wives and family, was then firmly asked to accompany them. The Minister was also firmly told through a suggestion, that he also accompany them. The two aurors that took the place of the dementors made it obvious to the man not to disagree.
Using his wives and family as shields Harry managed to dump the blood pouch in the dark and vanished it. Then he used his own knife to make a small incision in his elbow before applying a poorly cast healing spell. He also asked and received affirmatives if both ladies were invisible during their whole time in the graveyard. They were.
Once in the Infirmary, Madam Pomfrey sealed Pettigrew's stump and, on waking him, gave him a couple of blood replenisher potions. Once it was apparent Pettigrew was no longer in any danger, Madam Bones accepted a vial of Veritaserum off Professor Snape and administered the regulated three drops to the man's tongue.
By the time the questioning finished, even the Minister could no longer doubt that Riddle had been resurrected that night. Or, as it was now morning, the previous night. The soon-to-be ex-Minister was white, sweating and shivering in fear.
He also kept muttering to himself that it was simply not possible; that 'Lord Thingy', as he called him, could be back.
When Harry finally wound up his tale, he looked at his watch and noticed it was already after 3:00am. "Do you folks know how late it is?" he asked.
"Thank you, Mister Potter, we do," replied Madam Bones.
"Well, I've just had a pretty trying day, thank you very much," he snarked from being so tired. "I've just competed in the third task of the stupidity known as the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I was kidnapped and transported to a graveyard where I was assaulted and bound to a grave marker, I had my blood taken via having a knife jabbed into my elbow for a dark ritual that resurrected Riddle, fought the man in a one-on-one duel... during which I managed to tag Pettigrew with a portkey and, I think, blew away two of the Death Eaters that showed up... and then managed to get enough time to activate my second portkey and bring us both back to the school.
"You'll forgive me for being tired and irritable, I'm sure. But, I want to go to bed and cuddle my wives. If Riddle isn't found and dealt with very quickly you're about to find yourselves in part two of the war you had a decade and a half ago, and you've got nowhere near enough people on your side to fight it for you. Now I've, again, got a murderous dark wizard who's not going to stop coming after me, personally, until one of us is dead."
"Thank you, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I think you should take yourself and your wives and go to bed. We'll talk more in the morning."
"In our presence," said Sirius, looking to protect his godson and his wives.
Not wiling to argue, Dumbledore nodded and said, "Understood."
"Madam Bones?" asked Harry, ignoring the Headmaster and looking at the stern Head of the DMLE. "As this is not the Headmaster's investigation - but yours - is tomorrow afternoon after lunch alright with you? I don't think I'm going to be waking up any time before lunch, at the earliest."
"I don't blame you, Mister Potter; and I think I'd like to sleep in as well," said Madam Bones, a small smile flitting across her face at how Harry ignored the old man. "I'll see you after lunch. However, before you leave, may I have the memory of the encounter?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he sighed. "May I have a memory phial, please?"
One of the aurors drew one from within his robes and stepped forward with it. As Hermione held it open for him, Harry used his holly wand to draw the memory out and dropped it within. The memory ran from him snagging the cup to him portkeying away from the graveyard. He breathed a sigh of relief that his wives' presence would not be picked up by the memory.
The auror took the now capped phial off Hermione and handed it to Madam Bones, who immediately tucked it into her little case she carried on her person for just such phials.
After bidding family and friends goodnight, the three headed up to their apartment to get some much needed sleep.
Walking into the apartment, the girls just hustled Harry directly to the bedroom and ordered him to bed. Harry didn't have the energy to complain about being ordered about like a child.
As soon as they had him stripped off and in bed, both girls also stripped and climbed in after him. Tonight, this morning, was just cuddling. Tomorrow they had to start with the next stage of ridding the world of Riddle, for good.
_‗_
—==(oIo)==—
ˇ
Very late the next morning, the three finally rose when Dobby popped in to inform them they had visitors.
"Who is it?" asked Hermione.
"It's Master Harry's doggyfather and Mistress Daff-knee's parents," replied Dobby.
"Let them in to the apartment and let them know we'll be out as soon as we shower and dress," said Daphne.
"They already is," replied the elf.
"Thank you, Dobby," she said. "Make sure they have drinks and such, would you?"
"Yes, Mistress," replied the elf before popping away again.
Hermione was already climbing out of bed and said, "Come on; up!"
With a groan, Harry climbed out of the bed after her while Daphne rose from the other side. And the three walked into the bathroom, together.
_‗_
—==(oIo)==—
ˇ
Not needing to worry about make-up, or anything, Harry was first out of the bathroom and dressed. Not waiting for the girls he walked out into the living room, closing the door to the bedroom behind him.
"Good morning, Harry," said a grinning Sirius.
"What time is it?" he asked. He saw that Dobby had organised a six-seating dining table and had just loaded it with brunch foods.
"It's a few minutes before noon," said Deece, walking over and giving him a hug.
"Ugh!" muttered Harry. "I feel like I only went to bed about ten minutes ago."
"Well, as you said last night - or earlier this morning - you had a pretty full day yesterday, and you were up for about twenty-one hours straight," said Matthias, walking over and sitting at the table. "Plus, with everything you went through, it's not a surprise you feel you needed to sleep longer."
Taking his own seat at the table, Harry began to build himself a late breakfast cum early lunch. It wasn't until he began to smell all the food laid out that he realised just how hungry he'd become.
"We haven't seen the memory, ourselves, yet," said Matthias. "But, did you get the snake?"
With a snort, Harry replied, "The girls ran their own plan alongside my own; in secret and against my wishes. They went to the graveyard and hid under disillusionment charms. As soon as Riddle popped up out of the cauldron, Daphne… I think it was… killed the snake. And Hermione cut the ropes that bound me to the grave marker.
"That meant I was free earlier than when Pettigrew was going to cut me free. It meant I didn't have to suffer the two Cruciatus curses from Riddle in the process. And, it also meant Riddle doesn't know it wasn't my blood used in the ritual or that I'm still protected from his touch.
"But, most importantly, Riddle is now mortal again. No more horcruxes. When he dies, he's dead for good."
While he was talking, the girls walked in.
"It also means he's not aware of the 'brother wands' effect, yet. And he's not yet fully cognizant of just how weak we made him by switching out the ingredients," said Hermione as both girls walked to the table to partake of their own late breakfasts.
"Neither are we," replied Harry. "I know he's much weaker than he would have otherwise been. I saw that when he levitated Pettigrew and threw him into the side of the grave marker I was tied to. But, we don't yet know just how weak."
"You two girls went there?" asked Matthias. The man was clearly a little upset about that.
"We did," said Daphne, staring back at her father. "We were completely safe and we had all our emergency portkeys on ourselves. Both of us were disillusioned and Harry only knew we were there because Hermione cut his binding ropes and told him we were there."
"Still, you placed yourselves in danger," said Deece.
"With Riddle back, we're all in danger," retorted Daphne. "And, this way, we've also protected some knowledge from him; which may be very useful later. That Harry is still protected from him, and he's unaware of the brother wand effect, are just two of those little facts he's now oblivious of this time around."
"They might be only little facts," said Hermione. "But they may very well prove very telling before this is all finished."
_‗_
—==(oIo)==—
ˇ