Thursday, June 24, 1995 – Afternoon
Merlin House was packed with visitors. All the students’ parents were invited to be spectators at the third task. Professor Dawes had demanded this concession and had finally got it from the Tournament committee. These people were becoming more like Harry’s family.
Sirius had asked for nightly fire calls for the last week. He didn’t mention coming to Hogwarts to be there for Harry. This made Harry suspicious. He warned Sirius during each call not to come. The risk was too great, and Fudge still had the ‘Kiss-on-sight’ order in place.
Professor Sprout had ‘accidentally’ let it slip out to Cedric that the hedges were not fixed in place. The magical hedge row plant being used was bred to move after short intervals, closing some pathways and opening new ones. The movement could be randomly slow or quick. This gem of information was then ‘accidently’ given to Harry and the other Champions.
To take Harry’s mind off the task there was a discussion about the future of École De Haute Magie.
“Are you going to compete with Hogwarts and Beaubatons for students Harry?” Amelia Bones asked.
“I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to have hundreds of students. I have been talking about this with a few people, and it is agreed that we shouldn’t become a massive school. All the established schools are getting fewer students. This isn’t talked about. It looks like more magical families are sending their children to mundane schools and home schooling their children in magic. This is what happens a lot in North America. Magicals there are much more likely to live in the mundane world and hide their magic rather than just hide completely.”
“What is your plan then?”
“So far, there isn’t one. I am only thinking about surviving today.” Harry replied.
Professor Dawes cut in.
“There are ideas being discussed. We could aim to become an opportunity school. There are always highly gifted witches and wizards who don’t fit in at the larger schools. The more gifted ones struggle to be accepted and at the same time may not do well academically because they are bored with the slow pace that has to be set for the rest of the students. We could search them out and invite them to EDHM to receive tuition which is shaped for them as individuals.”
“That sounds like Su Li!” Mrs Li exclaimed.
“I agree.” Professor Dawes replied. “There are others already in Merlin House who qualify as well. I have had talks with Beaubatons. Having the headmistress here has been useful. We are agreed in principle that Beaubatons could search out students who would do better with us and refer them. There would only be a tiny number.”
Professor Dawes smiled.
“The Hogwarts headmaster is not talking to us at the moment. He seems to think that I have had a hand in staging a teacher’s revolt against him. He should look a bit closer to home.”
“What about a Mastery. Will you offer post-graduate study?” Henry Abbott asked.
“Yes. We will have the aim of training students to the highest levels. We are also discussing having post-graduate students complete degrees at mundane universities. We can’t ignore the fact that the mundane world is progressing at an astonishing rate. The magical world has already been left behind in many ways.”
--ooOOoo--
Dinner in the Great Hall finished for students and guests. The Champions were summoned to the Quidditch pitch. Champions families were ushered to reserved seats in the stands. Harry nodded to the Krums and Delacours. He gave a half wave to Gabrielle who grinned back. Harry had met Cedric’s father at the Quidditch World Cup. Mr Diggory had eyes only for Cedric.
Bagman gave his welcoming speech and explained that once again the supporters would see them start and then there would be nothing until the cup was touched and the task was over.
Viktor was first to start. He jogged to the entrance without looking back. Cedric started and followed in Viktor’s path. Fleur turned as she started and waved to her family. Waiting for his allotted time, Harry tried to focus on his own plan. He was to stay out of sight, not get run over by the moving walls of the maze and wait for the announcement of the winner.
The signal came, Harry jogged to the entrance. It seemed to be a mile across the grass, it was only fifty paces. He entered the maze and lit his wand. The path went straight on for another fifty paces and turned left. After turning the corner, he stopped and waited. There was a constant rustling and low rumbling noise inside the maze. There was too much tension in the air for Harry to relax enough to sit down. Minutes passed; Harry felt the tension rise in him as he waited.
A low growl came from his left, Harry slowly turned and pointed his wand in the direction of the noise. There was a large hairy dog standing there, watching him.
“Padfoot! What are you doing here? I told you not to come. There are aurors all over the grounds. They will catch you.” The dog whined and bowed his head, as if to say that he was sorry.
“Don’t give me that Sirius. You are taking stupid risks. I have enough people worrying over me without having you here as well.” Harry was nearly yelling at his godfather.
Harry realized that he was making too much noise. He might have been overheard.
“OK Sirius. You can stay. I am following your advice and I’m staying here until the task is finished.”
The dog skipped in a circle and huffed in a show of doggy happiness.
Padfoot stopped and became alert. He almost pointed along the maze past Harry.
“What is it?” Harry asked.
The dog’s nose was twitching, a savage growl came out as his fangs were bared.
Harry turned to the direction that Padfoot was looking.
There was nothing there until Harry saw a ripple in the background wall of green leaves.
Someone was there under a disillusionment charm.
Things happened at the same instant.
Harry was hit by an Incarcerous spell. Ropes wrapped around him and tightly bound him.
Padfoot jumped past Harry and snapped at the disillusioned body.
A hand grabbed Harry and the feeling of portkey travel overwhelmed him.
Harry hit the ground. He was still tied up. Harry was confused and violently sick from his usual bad reaction to portkey travel.
There was a scream and growling as a struggle began next to Harry. The attacker’s disillusionment charm finished.
Harry turned his head until he saw Peter Pettigrew struggling with Padfoot.
Padfoot released the bite by which he was holding Pettigrew. He then started transforming back to his Sirius Black shape.
Pettigrew turned his wand on the transforming Padfoot and cast the killing curse. It hit Sirius in his chest. Sirius slumped to the ground. Sirius had been caught while still drawing his wand. His last gamble had failed.
Harry screamed. “Sirius! No! No!”
Pettigrew turned his wand on Harry. A stunning spell finished Harry’s agony.
--ooOOoo—
“He’s gone from the maze!”
Eric Davis scanned his copy of the Marauders map.
“He was right here on this side of the Quidditch pitch. Sirius Black appeared out of a hole in the ground on the far side and Pettigrew followed him. The map only shows what is detected by the Hogwarts wards. The wards don’t extend underground. That is why the wards never reacted to students using those ‘secret’ tunnels.”
Aurors had been sent into the maze the moment Black appeared. It was a maze. They didn’t find a way to Harry’s last known location until after he was gone.
Eric turned to Amelia Bones, “Contact the Portkey Office, Pettigrew must have used a portkey.”
The Unspeakable selected a prepared message on his communication token.
In the Chamber of Secrets, a Li Army squad went into action. They had been guarding the collected Horcruces, now they had been ordered to destroy them.
Li Army units recruited from the mountain states to the north of India had parseltongue healers attached to them. The healer spoke to the golden locket.
{Open}
The locket sprang open. Basilisk venom was dropped onto each Horcrux. The soldiers fell back as dark misty clouds filled the chamber. Ghostly screams echoed around and faded away. The mist cleared. The only Horcrux remaining was Nagini.
At all the guarded locations, officers performed a special ‘Point Me’ spell to point the direction to the locator charm that Harry carried. They relayed the directions back to Henry Abbott’s own team. The lines were plotted. The new location was five kilometres from Hogwarts. The maps showed that it was an abandoned house. Li and Abbot Army units were dispatched to surround the house and approach it quietly.
Harry’s life was in extreme danger.
Busting in with spells flying could kill Harry as quickly as any enemy.
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