Hermione had been rather exhausted from all the help she was doing for Harry, and she still managed to find time to study for the exams coming up, which would finish on the day of the Third Task, but on the bright side, all of the Hexes, Jinxes and Curses that Ron, Harry, and herself were learning would help them when they became Aurors. She couldn't remember if Jake had told her what he wanted to do after he graduated from Hogwarts, but he was amazing to her. 'He can be whatever he wants after he leaves Hogwarts, there is nothing that will stop him,' she thought to herself one evening helping Harry. Ron was busy casting spells at him while Harry tried the Shield Charm.
Jake hadn't been there with them, saying that he had something else to do. Hermione couldn't possibly imagine what was more important than helping Harry prepare for the Final Task, but he clearly did, and so he was not there with them.
Hermione took over for Ron and cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx at Harry, and it was strong enough to break Harry's Shield Charm, so she had to hurry and figure out the Counter-Jinx to stop him from wobbling all around the classroom, "Jake probably already knows the Counter-Jinx," Ron said just as Hermione cast it on Harry.
"He does already know it," Hermione said, looking at Ron, "Jake finished reading the Grade 7 Spell-book last month. He's leagues ahead of us."
"I'm sure having the Blood of Merlin helps," Harry said, rubbing his legs to make the funny feeling in them go away.
"I'm sure it does, but having the Blood of Merlin means nothing for intelligence," Hermione reminded him, "there are plenty of Top Marks Witches and Wizards who aren't related to Merlin, and plenty of Magically Powerful Witches and Wizards who are not related to Merlin."
"I know... it's just-" Harry stopped for a moment to think, but he never finished the thought.
"It's just... what?" Hermione asked, wanting to know.
"Nothing, forget it..." Harry said as he grasped his wand and nodded to Hermione that he was ready for another Jinx.
*******
"GOD DAMMIT!" Jake yelled angrily as another object exploded from the Killing Curse being sent at it. He couldn't understand why this wasn't working as fast as he wanted it to. It would do him no good if the people he cared about died and he hadn't gotten his spell creation down.
He sighed and decided to put it off for Summer Experimentation when he wouldn't have to worry about classes. He vacated the room he was using and went down to the Entrance Hall and right out through the front doors. On his way down the steps, he saw the Beauxbatons all outside of their Carriage, enjoying the fact it wasn't so cold. More importantly, he saw Fleur out there, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a skirt. It was midday and it wasn't often in Scotland that it was warm, even in June, so they were taking advantage of it. She looked pretty in her clothing, but he turned his head, knowing what was to come when they finally talked. He decided to wait to talk to her until after the Final Task so that she wouldn't have that looming in the back of her mind in the event their talk did go South. She needed to focus on the Task, and she couldn't do that if she and him began to argue.
His gaze turned to his right and he saw a group of Slytherins, namely Malfoy, looking like he was talking into his hand. He squinted his eye before it widened upon realization, "Skeeter..." he growled.
He then started walking towards them, making long strides from how tall he'd gotten over the course of the year. Pansy saw him approaching and yelled, "Scatter!" And the Slytherin all dispersed, but Jake caught sight of wings buzzing quickly. He was right, Skeeter was a bug, and she was going to be a squashed bug when he got a hold of her.
He raised his hand and caught one of the Slytherin as they stopped running. He pulled his hand in a jerking motion like pulling on a rope and the Slytherin flew towards him. He grabbed them when they were right up on him and he realized it was Blaise he had grabbed, "Who the fuck were you talking to?" Jake asked Blaise as his hand grasped his throat.
"N-No one," Blaise gasped out, "w-we are j-just afraid of y-you!"
"Don't lie to me, Blaise... I'm in no mood to be lied to," he whispered darkly so that only Blaise could hear him. Blaise was so absolutely terrified at the moment, Jake heard the sound of liquid hitting fabric, "You understand to not fuck with me," he tossed Blaise backwards where he fell to the ground, "I won't be so merciful next time." Jake turned and walked back up to the Castle. Frustrated with the day's events, he went back up to Gryffindor Tower where there were a few older Gryffindor enjoying the calm and quiet. He didn't disrupt them and he went up to his dorm room, where he sat on his bed and decided to just go over some exam notes. He had no worry about passing all of them, but he did worry about Hermione and wondered how well she would do on them.
*******
Breakfast at the Gryffindor Table was a very noisy affair on the morning of the Third Task. Jake was eating some sausages dipped in gravy when the Owl Post arrived. Harry received a good luck letter from Sirius, and Hermione had received a copy of the Daily Prophet , like she had been getting daily. She unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page, and spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice all over it. Jake looked to his right and caught sight of it, "That's what they were talking about the other day..." he assumed incorrectly and quietly so only Hermione heard him.
"What?" Harry and Ron asked together, staring at her.
"Nothing," Hermione said quickly, trying to hide the newspaper out of sight.
"You should show him, Hermione, he's only going to hear about it-" Jake started to say, but Malfoy cut him off.
"Hey, Potter! Potter ! How's your head? You feeling alright?" Draco Malfoy yelled across the Great Hall, "Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?"
Hermione turned to see Malfoy holding a copy of the Prophet as well. Slytherins all up and down the table were snickering and turning in their seats to see Harry's reaction. All of their faces immediately dropped, and she turned to see Jake standing up, "You want berserk, Malfoy?" Jake asked over the quiet Hall, and turned to look at them, "because I'll give you berserk."
And just like that, every Slytherin had the face of emptying their bowels into their underwear, "Kidd!" Snape yelled from up at the staff table, having also stood up, "Twenty points from Gryffindor!"
"Now see here, Professor Snape," McGonagall chimed in, and Snape looked like he would rather drink rat poison, "if your Slytherins could keep their comments to themselves, then we wouldn't have situations like this arise, would we?" Snape said nothing, but the Twenty points ended up not being reduced from the Hourglass near the back of the Hall.
Jake sat back down just as Harry finished reading the article about him as everything else calmed back to pre-interruption, "Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" Harry asked lightly, folding up the paper.
"How did she know your scar hurt in Divination?" Ron asked, "there's no way she was there, there's no way she could've heard-"
"We have Divination down next to the Forest now, remember Ron?" Harry cut him off.
"Oh... right... she could've easily overheard you..." Ron said regretfully.
"Potter," McGonagall said as she came up to them, "the Champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall-" she said.
"But I thought the Task wasn't until this evening?" Harry asked in a hurried voice with scrambled eggs running down his front.
"The Champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them," McGonagall informed him.
At that, Jake's heart and stomach both dropped to the floor, 'What? Fleur's parents will be here? A-And... sh-she'll most likely tell them what kind of horrible guy I am... oh fuck...' He was already busy thinking up every escape route out of the Castle, and if all else failed, he could see if the power of Merlin was enough to get through the barrier up around Hogwarts that prevented people from Apparating and Disapparating.
He pushed away his plate, no longer feeling hungry as Harry stood up to go and see who showed up for him, "What's wrong?" Hermione asked him.
"It's time for Binns Exam," he said quickly as he hurried out of the Great Hall. He wasn't entirely truthful with her; the main reason he wanted out of the Great Hall was to leave before Fleur had a chance to walk back in with her parents and point him out amongst the crowd.
"But do we have to-" Hermione started to call after him, but he got so far away that yelling after him was pointless. She sighed and gathered her stuff up as well, following him out of the emptying Hall. She arrived in History of Magic to see him already prepared in his seat, ready to write.
After the exam, Hermione felt confident in History of Magic; she felt confident in all of them, to be quite honest, but with how much she helped Harry, she had been afraid she wouldn't feel great about any of them. She worried for no reason, though, as all of her exams she felt good about.
At lunch, they were all sitting down when Harry had come in and, to their surprise, Molly and Bill had come up alongside him. He sat down, with Molly on his right, and Bill on her right. Jake glared at Molly for a moment before just looking at his food, not wanting to get into it.
"Mum! Bill!" Ron had said the second he saw them, "What are you doing here?"
"Come to watch Harry in the last task!" Molly said brightly, "I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook. How was your exam?"
"Oh... okay," Ron said unconvincingly, "Couldn't remember all the Goblin rebels' names, so I invented a few. It's alright, though," Ron said, helping himself to a Cornish pasty, while Molly looked stern, "they're all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean; it wasn't hard to think up a few names."
Fred, George, and Ginny had all joined them, with Ginny giving odd looks at Harry and Jake, which only Hermione seemed to notice. She glared at the red-head for a moment before she looked at Mrs. Weasley, who was giving her an unpleasant look, "Hello, Hermione," she said, more stiffly than usual.
"Hello..." Hermione said quietly, her smile fading as she realized Molly really did believe that rubbish Skeeter wrote.
"I'm surprised, Molly," she heard Jake say.
Mrs. Weasley looked shocked at the use of her First Name, "I beg your pardon?"
"Believing what Rita Skeeter wrote about Hermione and Harry being together, when they don't even have romantic attraction to one another," Jake said as he glared at Molly.
"It's true, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said quickly, "Hermione isn't and has never been my girlfriend."
"R-Right, of course," Molly said, and immediately warmed up to Hermione, but Jake wasn't so forgiving, and he didn't interact with her the entire lunch period.
After lunch, before Harry continued walking around with Bill and Molly, he stopped Jake to briefly tell him something, "So, I know you and Fleur had... something... I don't know what, and I don't care what, but I just thought you should know that I saw her eyeing up Bill when I met with the Weasleys right after Breakfast."
"Was she?" He asked and Harry nodded, "okay, thanks," he said and walked to his next exam class. 'Maybe it won't be so hard talking to her then... she believed that I had already moved on, even though I hadn't officially done so... and as a result, she's moved on, so I shouldn't feel bad about moving on to loving Hermione and only Hermione.'
They returned for the evening feast after their exams had finally ended, but Jake hadn't been awfully hungry, so he didn't eat a whole lot. Hermione chided him for it, but she didn't press him much beyond that.
Pretty soon the enchanted ceiling began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, and Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, silence falling as a result, "Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch Field for the Third and Final Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the Champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now?"
Jake watched them all leave, and Fleur looked in his general direction, but whether it was him or Bill that she gave the wave to, he didn't know, but he didn't return it.
Dumbledore soon asked everyone else to make their own way down to the Stadium, and Hermione suddenly felt nervous. She began wondering if Harry had practiced enough, and wondered how badly he'd get hurt. He always seemed to be getting hurt near the end of the year, so she was expecting it, but to what degree, she wasn't sure what with the Tournament and all.
When they arrived down at the stadium, Hermione sat on Jake's right, Ron sat on her right, Ginny on his right, and the other four Weasleys behind them, "I'm excited and nervous," Hermione said.
"I'm just waiting to see how Harry manages to send himself to the Hospital Wing," Jake said casually.
"Jake, is that anyway to talk about your friend?" Molly asked him from behind Ginny.
"It's true, mum," Ron said, "every year so far, near the end of it, Harry's ended up in the Hospital Wing, or at least being checked over by Madam Pomfrey."
"And that's not counting the times throughout last year," Fred said.
"Namely when those nasty Dementors showed up to the first Quidditch game and his Nimbus Two-Thousand was destroyed by the Whomping Willow," George finished.
"I dunno, it feels like Jake ends up there more than Harry does," Ginny said, turning to look at the other Weasleys.
'And I wish that weren't the case...' Hermione lamented in her head.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Bagman's voice boomed throughout the Stadium, "the Third and Final Task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in First Place, with Eighty-Five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkness. Jake didn't much feel like cheering or applauding any of the Champions right then, there was too much unknown; he knew something bad was going to happen, he just didn't know what, and it wasn't like he could just stop the Tournament, because the Magical Contract made with the Goblet was unbreakable by anyone other than the Witch or Wizard making it, and the only way it could be broken would result in the death of the Witch or Wizard the Goblet chose, "In Second Place, with Eighty Points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause, but mainly just from the Durmstrang students. "And in Third Place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"
"Is her score so low that they won't even say it?" Jake asked aloud.
"I guess so... kind of sad, really..." Hermione said, "I mean I don't want her to win, but the Second Task did kind of prove something..."
"So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" Bagman said, "Three - Two - One!" He gave a short blast of his whistle and Harry and Cedric hurried into the maze, where it promptly closed behind them.
"What does it prove?" Jake asked.
"Viktor, on my whistle!" Bagman said again, and when he blew into it, Viktor slouched into the maze, the hedges closing behind him as well.
"I hate to say it, but Fleur doesn't cope well with danger," Hermione said, then decided to quickly explain, "I just mean that with the Grindylows and Kappas, and maybe combined with being underwater and isolated, the pressure got to her."
"Fleur, on my whistle!" Bagman said finally for Fleur, and when he blew the whistle, she jogged in, the hedges closing behind her to signal the Final Task finally starting for all Champions.
"In the First Task, she at least had a crowd cheering her on while she was competing," Hermione continued explaining, "she couldn't hear anyone cheering her on while underwater, and it's incredibly unlikely she'll be able to hear anyone in the Hedge Maze."
Jake hadn't thought of it the way Hermione had, 'That's why I love her... she thinks of things I don't... Luna's right, there's almost nothing Hermione and I couldn't figure out and accomplish together...' he looked over at her as she was looking at him, 'We complete each other.' He smiled at her and he saw her cheeks tinge pink as she smiled back and looked down at her knees. 'And I'll be there to help her through her parents divorce... if she wants me to.'
*******
It was a while later when something happened. The otherwise silence had been filled with the level of noise you'd normally hear in the Great Hall. Fleur had been the first one found and brought back. She looked shaken and scared, 'It seems Hermione was right...' She was led over to Madam Pomfrey who began checking over her and healing the lacerations that were visible.
Viktor was also brought back, but he had to be awakened and he claimed to not remember anything. Pomfrey checked him over as well, but aside from some cuts, he seemed to only be suffering from a mild concussion. It made Jake wonder just what the hell happened in the Maze.
It was when Harry appeared out of nowhere, like he'd just used a Portkey, Jake thought, when a silence had filled the air. Applause suddenly rang out, but Jake wasn't clapping. He saw it immediately; along with Harry was the Cup, and Cedric, only... Cedric wasn't moving. Jake stood up immediately and began to make his way down to Harry, Hermione hot on his heels. A scream from someone to his left rang out, and everyone else seemed to realize what he had moments prior; Cedric Diggory was dead.
In the panic and confusion, people stood up and impeded his path towards Harry. He tried to push his way past them, but they were close together like packed sardines, making it nigh impossible for him to move forward.
He saw Dumbledore moving towards Harry and seized him, turned him over, and began to speak, but Jake was too far away to make out the words. The spell he'd used to hear Snape and Karkaroff wouldn't help because of all the noise around him, it'd just deafen him.
Harry seized Dumbledore by the wrist and said something, but then Cornelius Fudge approached them and his voice carried, "My God - Diggory!" Fudge yelled out, "He's dead! He's dead ! Cedric Diggory! Dead !"
Anyone who still hadn't believed it, now had no choice but to believe that Cedric was dead, and there was no coming back. Still, two people refused to believe it, and Jake, still trying to push through the crowd, saw Amos Diggory and his wife, rushing over to Harry and Cedric. Cedric's mother let out a sharp cry of pain as she cried into her husband. Amos had a look of unregistered shock on his face.
When Jake had finally pushed his way to them, he found that Harry was nowhere to be found. He looked around, desperate to find his friend. "Professor Dumbledore!" He said, getting the Headmasters attention, "Harry's gone!"
McGonagall, Snape, Jake, and Hermione were all following Dumbledore as he moved swiftly through the Castle. He led them to Professor Moody's office, "This is where I believe Harry has been taken. We should approach with-"
Jake didn't let him finish as his eye glowed red, the door opened violently, almost flying off the hinges, as the man pretending to be Moody, brought his wand up. Jake thrust his hand forward and the man was flung backwards into the wall, knocked out from the force. Harry looked at them in awe.
Jake walked up to the man on the floor, "Barty Crouch... Junior..."
Hermione gasped, "Jake, a-are you saying... what I think you're saying?"
"I should have seen it way sooner than now..." 'I saw this happening... not this specifically, but I saw something... something told me Crouch Junior wasn't dead...' "Bartemius Crouch Senior... he didn't let his son die like everyone had thought."
McGonagall, while curious to know how Jake knew of this, was more concerned for Harry, "Come along, Potter," she said to him, "Come along... Hospital Wing..."
"No," Dumbledore said sharply.
"Dumbledore, he ought to - look at him - he's been through enough tonight-"
"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand," Dumbledore said curtly, "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight, and why. Jake already revealed who he believes this imposter to be, but Harry, do you believe him?"
"Moody... that - that's not Professor Moody, is it?" Harry asked quietly.
"No, this is not Alastor Moody," Dumbledore said quietly. Jake was still standing over Crouch Junior, "You have never known Alastor Moody, most current Hogwarts students have never known the real Alastor Moody. The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight after what happened tonight. Jake was the first to realize you were gone, it's because of him we got here as soon as we did."
Jake bent down and pulled out the flask Crouch Junior drank from almost every hour on the hour, and he knew why, "Polyjuice Potion..." he said, and Dumbledore agreed. He had also pulled out a set of keys on a ring and handed them to Dumbledore,who then turned to McGonagall and Snape.
"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the House-Elf called Winky. Minerva, kindly go down to Hagrid's House, where you will find a large black dog sitting in the Pumpkin Patch. Take the dog up to my office, tell him I will be with him as soon as I can, then come back here," Dumbledore said to both of them clearly and precisely.
Both Professors turned and left the office at once. Dumbledore walked over to the trunk with seven locks, fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. He did this seven times until he opened the trunk for the seventh time, when Harry let out a cry of amazement. Jake and Hermione walked over and peered inside, where they all four saw someone far at the bottom, sound asleep, thin and starved in appearance. He didn't look like it now, but Jake knew this was the real Alastor Moody. Hermione gasped at the sight of Moody and how sickly he looked.
Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him, "Stunned - controlled by the Imperius Curse - very weak..." he spoke softly, "Of course, Crouch Junior would have needed to keep him alive. Harry, throw down the imposter's cloak - he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems to be in no immediate danger."
Harry went and recovered the cloak before walking back to the trunk and dropping the cloak down to Dumbledore. He covered Moody in the cloak, tucked it around him, and clambered out of the trunk again.
"Jake, could you pour out the contents of that flask onto the floor?" Dumbledore asked him. Jake did just that, he opened the flask and let the thick, glutinous liquid splatter onto the floor, "You see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance... for Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The imposter, Crouch Junior, needed to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair?" Dumbledore looked down into the trunk again and pointed it out to Harry, "his hair has been getting cut off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, Crouch Junior might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have done... on the hour... every hour... we shall see soon enough."
Jake leaned against the desk, crossed his arms, and waited. Hermione stood beside him, holding her left arm in her right hand as she waited anxiously. She glanced up at Jake for a moment with a look of admiration, and she saw that his gaze remained fixated upon the man on the floor.
Then suddenly, before their very eyes, the face of the man on the floor began to change. The scars were disappearing, the skin was becoming smooth; the mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. The long mane of grizzled gray hair was withdrawing into the scalp and turning the color of straw. With a loud clunk , the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place ; next moment, the magical eyeball popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it; it rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction.
Before them lay Crouch Junior, with his pale-skinned, slightly freckled face, with a mop of fair hair, "This is the man you saw in the Pensieve, Harry," Dumbledore said from behind them.
There were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Snape had returned with Winky at his heels, with McGonagall right behind them, "Crouch!?" Snape yelled, stopping dead in the doorway, "Barty Crouch!" His tone sounded like he hadn't believed Jake.
McGonagall walked past him and when she got a better look at the man, she gasped, "Good heavens!"
Filthy, disheveled, Winky peered around Snape's legs. Her mouth opened wide and she let out a piercing shriek, "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?" She flung herself forward onto the young man's chest, "You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!"
"He's not dead, not while he's still useful," Jake said darkly. He looked at Dumbledore, who was staring at him most disapprovingly, but Jake knew that he and Dumbledore would never see eye-to-eye on letting known Death Eaters live, even in Azkaban.
"He is simply Stunned, Winky," Dumbledore said, turning to the Elf, "Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?"
Snape handed Dumbledore a small glass bottle of completely clear liquid. Jake recognized it to be Veritaserum. Dumbledore got up, bent over the man on the floor, and pulled him into a sitting position against the wall. Snape, and McGonagall were glaring down upon Barty Crouch; Winky remained on her knees, trembling, her hands over her face. Dumbledore forced the man's mouth open and poured three drops inside it, then he pointed his wand at the man's chest and said.
" Rennervate ," Crouch Junior opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused. Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level, "Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
Crouch Junior's eyelids flickered, "Yes," he muttered.
"I would like you to tell us," Dumbledore said softly, "how you came to be here? How did you escape from Azkaban?"
Crouch took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice, "My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance."
Winky was shaking her head, trembling, "Say no more, Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!"
Jake wanted to cut in and speak, but he knew it wasn't the time for it. Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice, "The Dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban, and they sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors.
"My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me." His eyelids flickered.
"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The House-Elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master... of returning to his service."
'His mother was a goddamn fool. She allowed this to happen. If he had stayed in Azkaban, he'd have probably died from malnutrition... son of a bitch...' Jake was angry at this revelation.
"How did your father subdue you?" Dumbledore asked.
"The Imperius Curse," Crouch said, "I was under my father's control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the House-Elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."
"Master Barty, Master Barty," Winky sobbed through her hands, "You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble..."
"Did anybody else discover that you were still alive? Did anyone know except your father and Winky?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Yes," Crouch said, his eyelids flickering again, "a Witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my father's signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home at the time. She confronted him. When she did, he put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."
"Why is she coming to nose into my master's private business?" Winky sobbed again, "why isn't she leaving us be?"
'Corruption in almost every branch and department of the Ministry... why does that not surprise me?'
"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Winky talked my father into it," Crouch Junior told them, "She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years. I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end."
"Prison is the only place you ever belonged," Jake said, unable to stop himself.
"It was carefully planned," Crouch Junior continued, as though never interrupted, " My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, Invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know.
"But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside of his control. It happened, there, in the Top Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boy's pocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winky didn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden."
"Master Barty, you bad boy!" Winky whispered, tears trickling between her fingers.
"So you took the wand," Dumbledore said, "and what did you do with it?"
"We went back to the tent," Crouch Junior continued, "Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my Master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles, which got most of them killed by the one known as Merlin's Descendant. I watched on as he slaughtered them mercilessly for what they were doing to the Muggles. But the sound of their voices before their demise awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. It was then that I heard the Explosive destruction that killed so many Death Eaters. Without further hesitation, I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky.
"Ministry Wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. I saw a Wizard appear and he blocked some of the Stunners, but it was for his friends, not for me. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned.
"When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched the bushes where she had been found and felt me lying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape."
Winky let out a wail of despair.
"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then... and then..." Crouch's head rolled on his neck, and an insane grin spread across his face. "My master came for me. He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed upon her. SHe told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant - perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door."
The smile spread wider over his face, as though recalling the sweetest memory of his life. Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers. She seemed too appalled to speak.
"It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years."
"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?" Dumbledore asked.
"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first-"
"You needed Alastor Moody," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes blazing, but his voice remained calm.
"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boomslang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions Master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."
"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" Dumbledore asked.
"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father."
"But your father escaped," Dumbledore said.
"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban.
"My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Harry Potter. The map that had almost ruined everything."
"Map?" Dumbledore asked quickly, "What map is this?"
"Potter's map of Hogwarts. Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing more ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. He thought I was my father. We have the same first name. I took the map from Potter that night. I told him my father hated Dark Wizards. Potter believed my father was after Snape.
"For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I stunned Krum. I killed my father."
" Noooo !" Winky wailed, "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"
"You killed your father?" Dumbledore asked in the same voice he had so far used, "What did you do with the body?"
"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the map with me. I watched Potter run into the Castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joined them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the Castle. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet then. I told Dumbledore that Snape had told me where to come.
"Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured his body. He became a bone... I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."
Jake felt a chill run down his spine, 'We were that close to Crouch's body... the Nifflers... I wonder if they saw and moved the bone around?'
There was complete silence, except for Winky's continued sobs. Then Dumbledore said, "And tonight..."
"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the Maze before dinner," Crouch Junior whispered, "turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returning to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards." The insane smile lit his features once more, causing Hermione to involuntarily shiver, as his head drooped onto his shoulder as WInky wailed and sobbed at his side.
Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch Junior for a moment with disgust on his face. He then raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Crouch Junior, binding him tightly. He turned to McGonagall, "Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry upstairs?"
"Of course," McGonagall said and pulled her wand out. She looked slightly uneasy, but her hand was quite steady as she aimed it at Crouch Junior.
"Severus," Dumbledore turned to Snape, "please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the Hospital Wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the Hospital Wing in half an hour's time if he needs me."
Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.
"Jake?" Jake turned to him, "could you take Hermione up to Gryffindor Tower with you and remain there until tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah," Jake agreed and turned to Hermione, she was looking at him with an unreadable face, "ready to go?"
"Yeah..." her voice was quiet as she let Jake lead her out of the office and up to Gryffindor Tower. They arrived at the Fat Lady and Jake spoke the password to allow them entry. Practically every Gryffindor was in the Common Room, and they were about to round in on them after they entered, but when they saw Jake's less-than-friendly visage, they immediately stopped and acted as though nothing happened.
He led Hermione over to an empty table next to the window. He opened it, and some cool air blew it. Chloe flew in moments later, but rested on the window sill, she had something in her beak. Hermione recognized the squirming beetle immediately to be Skeeter, so she quickly snatched up the Beetle before Jake had the chance to. "Good girl," he said to his bird. Neither of them said anything to the other as he sat across from Hermione. Neither of them had to say anything. They were both there for Crouch Junior's interrogation, and after being asked to leave, it's safe to assume that Dumbledore would have Harry explain exactly what happened. If Harry wanted to tell them, then he would, when he was ready.
*******
"WHAT!?" Jake was raging after what he'd just heard. It was evening of the following day, and Harry had just informed them what Cornelius Fudge had just done the previous night, "He's gone fucking insane... he's too worried about protecting his precious position in the Ministry, too afraid to admit the truth of the matter... God damn him..." Jake's hands were balled into fists.
Hermione had informed Harry that Dumbledore spoke to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody ask him questions or badger him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze, "It's really not that hard to believe... Dumbledore said it wasn't unexpected, but it changed things about how he was going to proceed..." Harry explained to them.
Ron then spoke up, "Mum went to talk to Dumbledore earlier today. She went and asked him if you could come straight to us this summer," he said, "but he wants you to go back to the Dursley's, at least at first."
"Why?" Harry asked, but his tone was one of aggravation.
"She said Dumbledore's got his reasons," Ron said, shaking his head darkly, "I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?"
"There's only one person I trust without any shadow of doubt, and it's not Dumbledore..." Jake said, but didn't elaborate.
The next Thursday afternoon, during when they would normally have Defense Against the Dark Arts, they went down to see Hagrid. Seeing as they had no teacher for the class, everyone had a free period when they would normally have it. It was a bright and sunny day when they went down to Hagrid's Cabin; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly as he came up to Jake.
"Who's that?" Hagrid called, coming to the door, " Harry !" He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled his hair, and said, "Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh."
They all saw two-bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin.
"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe," Hagrid said, smiling, "She's jus' left."
"Who?" Ron asked curiously.
"Madame Maxime, Ron," Jake answered.
"You two made up, have you?" Ron asked.
"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about," Hagrid said airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harry closely through his beetle-black eyes, "You alrigh'?" Hagrid asked gruffly.
"Yeah," Harry said in a quiet voice.
"No, yeh're not," Hagrid said in an equally as quiet voice, or as close to as quiet as Hagrid could get, " 'Course yeh're not... but yeh will be." Harry said nothing, "Knew he was goin' ter come back," Hagrid said, causing the four of them to look up at him, "Known it fer years, Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried."
Hermione didn't say it, but as long as Jake was around, she had no reason to be afraid of Voldemort. She looked at him and felt her cheeks burn slightly.
"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it," Hagrid said after looking at their faces, "what's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did, Harry." Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry, "Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that."
Harry smiled back at him. Jake figured it was the first time Harry had smiled a genuine smile in days, "What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?" Harry asked, "he sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him - that night."
"Got a little job fer me over the summer," Hagrid said, "Top Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe - Madame Maxime ter yeh - might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded."
"Is it to do with Voldemort?" Harry asked him.
Hagrid flinched at the use of the name, "Migh' be," he said evasively, "Now... who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' - jokin'!" He added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces.
It was a little while later when they left Hagrid's cabin, "Jake, can I talk to you for a moment?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah," he said and looked at Hermione and Ron, "we won't be long," he smiled at them. He turned back to Harry, "What's up?"
Harry looked nervous, and for a second, Jake wasn't sure if Harry was going to go through with it or not, but Harry pressed on, "That night... i-in the Graveyard... Voldemort he-" Harry stopped, took a deep breath, and then continued, "I have to say this... he said he wanted you to be in the Tournament as well... that he wanted you at the Graveyard so he could kill you too... but after he heard about what you did at the World Cup, he realized just how powerful you were... he probably told Crouch Junior to not put your name in the Goblet like he had originally intended... he said this, thinking I wouldn't live to escape the Graveyard... but he couldn't have you be at the Graveyard... you would've prevented his return," Harry looked at Jake, "Voldemort is afraid of Merlin's power... Voldemort is afraid of you, Jake. He said he wasn't afraid of Dumbledore anymore, but that he was afraid of you... I wanted to tell you sooner... but you're the only one I've told, I didn't even tell Dumbledore when I relived that night..."
Jake had a revelation, 'He's afraid of me... my experiment succeeding is more important than ever now...' "Thank you, Harry," he looked at his friend with a thankful expression, "it means quite a lot to me that you told me." He pulled Harry into a brotherly hug, "Whatever you need, I'm here for ya."
*******
Jake packed up his things on the final day with an odd feeling of moroseness. Tomorrow morning they'd be leaving back to King's Cross. As for today, the Leaving Feast was supposed to be a cause for celebration, where the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. The events that happened a few days ago prevented this feeling from entering him, or anyone for that matter. Not even getting perfect scores on all of his exams could make his day better.
When he, Hermione, Ron, and Harry entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teacher's table. Jake knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric
The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in their proper places. He was extremely twitchy, and Jake didn't blame him one bit; Moody's fear of attack was bound to have been increased by his ten-month imprisonment in his own trunk. Karkaroff's chair was empty. Jake wondered briefly, as he sat down with the other Gryffindors, where Karkaroff had run off to, and whether Voldemort had caught up with him or not, but he quickly decided he didn't care.
Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid, whispering with him about something. Further along the table, next to McGonagall, Jake saw Snape. He knew that the greasy-haired Professor was staring right at Harry for a moment before his eyes wandered elsewhere.
Dumbledore suddenly stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became more quiet than a morgue.
"The end," Dumbledore said, looking around at them all, "of another year." He paused and Jake saw him look at the Hufflepuff table, Theirs had been the most subdued table even before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall, "There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," Dumbledore continued, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured towards the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with is. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."
They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory." Hermione couldn't imagine how Logan was taking this. He had told her that Cedric was his best friend and that they regularly played Gobstones on the weekends. He was taking it as hard as the Hufflepuff table, she had no doubt about that.
"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff House," Dumbledore said, "He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."
Jake saw Dumbledore pause for a moment, before he addressed the entire Hall.
"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."
A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched most of them mutter themselves into silence.
"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore got their attention again, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that he has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory."
Stunned and frightened was the look of almost every face that looked up at Dumbledore. The Slytherins, from what Jake noticed, were busy muttering amongst themselves, and he could make out a sinister grin on Malfoy's face as he whispered something to Crabbe and Goyle. He felt a burning hatred, but he returned his gaze toward Dumbledore.
"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death," Dumbledore went on, "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter." A few heads, Jake saw in his peripheral, turned to look in his general direction, most likely at Harry, "Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore said, "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every aspect, the sort of bravery that few Witches or Wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."
Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his Goblet once more. Jake and Hermione stood and raised their Goblets and murmured his name as they had Cedric's, and drank to him. They sat back down a moment later and Dumbledore continued.
"The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemort's return - such ties are more important than ever before." Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Jake turned and saw a wary look on Viktor's face, almost frightened you could say, "Every guest in this Hall," Dumbledore said, his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.
"It is my belief - and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken - that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst.
"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."
The feast ended at its usual time and everyone in the Hall stood up to return to their living accommodations. As Jake made his way out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall, a voice called out to him, "Jake?" A French voice said a little loudly to him. He turned and saw Fleur standing off to the side, between the Castle Doors and the Great Hall's Doors.
He turned to Hermione, "I'll be up in the Tower soon." He then pushed his way over to Fleur, who asked him to follow her out of the Castle. He followed her out into the cool air and she sat down on the stony steps. He sat down beside her, "You wanted to talk?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound different when speaking to her.
"Yes... leesten, Jake..." Fleur said, but then trailed off. She looked at him, and a few tears escaped her eyes. She inched closer and cupped his left cheek with her right hand, and placed her lips on his. He kissed her back, but there was no love, not even lust, in the kiss. It was more reactionary than anything. She stopped kissing him, "I feegured... I cannot make you love me... you were ze only guy to ever not be affected by ze Veela een me... alzough, zat red-'eaded man... 'ee deed not seem as zough 'ee was affected by eet eizer... do you know 'is name?"
"I do, his name is William Weasley, he goes by Bill to most people, though. Fleur... I think... I think if you want to see if you and Bill have something that works, something that we didn't, I say go for it," he said to her encouragingly.
She smiled at him, "I am glad to 'ere you say zat. And ze same goes to you, eef you want to 'ave somezing wiz 'ermione, zen zat ees your choice, and I 'ope eet works out for you where we deed not."
They both stood up and embraced each other, "I'll tell you goodbye tomorrow, Fleur. For now, sleep well," he smiled at her after they parted.
"Same to you. And also," she added, "I deed not tell my parents about what we 'ad. I deed tell zem zat you were a friend, but nozing beyond zat."
"Thank you, Fleur. I worried that you would tell them how... w-well..." he had trouble saying.
"No... I 'ave more respect for you as a person zan zat," she smiled as she turned and went back to the Beauxbatons Carriage. He watched her all the way until she got inside, and only then did he turn and head back into the Castle and up the Marble Staircase, through the corridors and up more staircases until he got to Gryffindor Tower.
*******
In the morning, Jake let Chloe fly as she had last year. She knew the way home, even if she didn't stop at King's Cross. He watched her fly high into the air before he went down into the Common Room with Harry and Ron where Hermione waited for them. They all went down into the crowded Entrance Hall, waiting for the Carriages that would take them down to Hogsmeade Station where the Train would then take them to King's Cross.
" 'arry!" Fleur's voice called to the raven-haired boy. Jake looked towards the stone steps and saw her ascending towards them. She got to Harry and held out her hand to him "We will see each ozer again, I 'ope," she said to him and he shook her hand in return, "I am 'oping to get a job 'ere, to eemprove my English."
"It's very good already," Ron blurted out in a strangled sort of voice.
Fleur smiled at him, "Zank you," she turned to Hermione, " 'ermione... could I talk to you for just a second?" Hermione nodded and walked off to the side with Fleur.
"What do you think Fleur needed to talk to Hermione for?" Ron asked, staring after them.
"You're asking the wrong guy," Jake said, having equally no idea what Fleur wanted to talk to Hermione about.
They came back a moment later and Fleur waved goodbye to them as she ran back out of the Castle and to the Beauxbatons Carriage. Hermione's face was tinged with patches of pink. Whatever they talked about, Hermione seemed embarrassed by it.
"Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back," Ron said absently, "D'you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?"
"Karkaroff did not steer," a gruff voice said, "he stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork."
Mihael had walked up to them, "Oh, Mihael, I hope you all have a safe trip home," Hermione said to him, smiling.
"Thank you, Her... mione," he said slowly so he could pronounce her name properly.
"You pronounced it right," she said as her smile grew wider.
"It took me a vhile to get it right," he turned to Harry, "I liked Diggory. Krum did too. He vos alvays polite to us. Alvays. Even though ve are from Durmstrang - vith Karkaroff," Mihael added, scowling.
"Have you got a new Headmaster yet?" Harry asked, but Mihael just shrugged.
Mihael turned to Hermione, "I hope ve can stay friends, Hermione?"
"Of course we can, Mihael," she said and told him he could Owl her if he wanted to. Ron didn't seem to approve, but he said nothing.
*******
They boarded the train back to King's Cross and there was a creeping silence that followed the train all the way from the Station. The four of them managed to get a compartment to themselves, and Pigwidgeon was, once again, hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, and Crookshanks was curled up in between Hermione and Jake, sleeping the day away. The four of them felt like they were able to talk more freely and fully than they had all week. They were able to talk about what Dumbledore was potentially doing to combat Voldemort's return, and only stopped when the Lunch Trolley arrived.
Hermione volunteered to get them food, and when she returned and was busy putting her money back into her school bag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. She caught Harry's gaze and saw that he was staring at it, "There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the Third Task saying you'd won the Tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me, Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet."
"Nothing better than a state run media..." Jake said, scoffing.
"He'll never keep Rita quiet," Harry said, "Not on a story like this."
"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the Third Task," Hermione said in an oddly constrained voice, "as a matter of fact," she added, her voice trembling slightly, "Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her ."
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.
"Jake found out how she was listening in on Private Conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds," Hermione said in a rush.
"How was she doing it?" Harry asked Jake at once.
"How did you find out?" Ron asked Jake as well.
"Well, he brought up the idea to me," Hermione said, getting their attention again, "he brought up that what if Rita Skeeter could be wherever she wanted at Hogwarts, because she was small and easily dismissed?"
"How?" Harry and Ron asked together.
Hermione pulled out a small glass jar, "Rita Skeeter can turn... into a Beetle. She's an unregistered animagus."
"You're kidding," Ron said, not believing her, "You haven't... she's not..."
"Oh yes she is," Hermione said, brandishing the jar at them.
Inside the glass jar were a few twigs and leaves, and one large, fat beetle.
"I'm more surprised she isn't a Cockroach with how revolting and disgusting she is," Jake said. Hermione just laughed and shook her head, but she stopped laughing when he spoke next, "Skeeter is lucky Hermione got to her first after Chloe brought her into the Common Room, because I would've crushed her like the bug she is." The beetle skittered around in fear.
"Ron!" Harry got Ron's attention, "there was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!"
"Exactly!" Hermione said in a trembling voice, "she was probably hidden on a tree when you were in Divination as well when you passed out. And the Slytherins were talking to her to get small snippets from them. We saw Malfoy talking into his hands before we saw Jake barge over to them and hold Blaise by the neck. Of course the Slytherins wouldn't care about Skeeter being on the grounds even though she's supposed to be banned." Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, "I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London. I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people."
Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the Beetle back inside her school bag. The door of the compartment slid open, "Very clever, Granger," Malfoy said in the doorway. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him, all three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than Jake had ever seen them. "So," Malfoy said slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment, but backed out after second-guessing his action, "You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal."
His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered. Jake wasn't looking threatening at that moment, so they didn't feel threatened.
"Trying not to think about it, are we?" Malfoy asked softly, looking around at all four of them. "Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?"
"Get out," Harry said angrily.
Malfoy smirked, "You've picked the losing side, Potter!" His smirk widened, "I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" He jerked his head towards Ron and Hermione. Jake breathed in and out carefully, trying to remain calm, "Too late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back!" Breathe in. "Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first!" Breathe out. "Well - second - Diggory w-"
It happened in half a heartbeat. Hermione saw Jake stand up and yelled with a fury she'd not heard from him in some time. Lightning was coming from his fingertips, hitting Malfoy with an unwaning power. Malfoy fell to his knees as Jake stopped a second, and then yelled as Malfoy was electrocuted again. He stopped and had begun to march out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle grabbed Malfoy and ran for it. Jake turned once out of the compartment, hell-bent on following them and killing Malfoy, but Hermione grabbed his arm, "Jake, please, come back in the compartment..." Many people had opened their own compartments to see what was happening, and their faces were of pure fear and horror stricken. They all closed their compartments, afraid of feeling Jake's wrath.
He turned his face to Hermione, and all three of his friends caught sight of his glowing red eye. It was burning more brightly than ever before as he walked back in and sat down, with Fred and George appearing a moment later, "Good show, Jake, I've never seen Crabbe or Goyle move so fast before," Fred said as the twins stood there.
"Thought we'd see what those three were up to," George said matter-of-factly, stepping into the compartment. He and Fred both had their wands out, but they hadn't had to use them, "Should've known Jake would take all the fun for himself," he prodded lightly.
Jake, however, wasn't laughing. He was still trying to calm down, 'I just used Crucio on him... and it felt great... the scream he emitted as he was being tortured with the spell...' he thought sadistically.
Fred shut the door and then proposed the question, "Exploding Snap, anyone?"
Jake didn't play as he felt like he'd get angry and destroy his cards, and then halfway through the fifth game, Harry asked them, "You going to tell us, then? Who you were blackmailing?"
"Oh," George said darkly, " That ."
"It doesn't matter," Fred said, shaking his head impatiently, "it wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway."
"It was Ludo Bagman, wasn't it?" Jake asked them, but didn't look at them.
"How did you-" George started to ask, but Jake cut him off.
"I had a sneaking suspicion since I first heard you talking about it. Back at the World Cup, every bet Bagman made, he probably paid back anyone that won with Leprechaun Gold, didn't he?"
"Yeah, the bastard did," Fred said.
"We'd been trying to get him to answer to us all year, but no luck. We thought it was a mistake at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter," George said, "We kept trying to talk to him at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us."
"In the end," Fred said, "he turned pretty nasty. Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything."
"Kind of funny, since he was so eager to let you two gamble at the World Cup. He needed money, and I'm guessing he owed money to the Goblins?" Jake asked.
"Right in one. He's borrowed loads of money off of them and he has yet to pay them back. They cornered him after the World Cup and took everything he had on him, and it was nowhere near enough to pay his debts. He hasn't got two knuts to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?"
"How?" Harry asked.
"He put a bet on you, mate," Fred said, "put a big bet on you to win the Tournament. Bet against the Goblins."
"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!" Harry said loudly, "Well - I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!"
"Nope," George sighed, "the goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the Third Task." He dealt out another hand for them, minus Jake, who still didn't feel like playing.
The Hogwarts Express slowly pulled into King's Cross, and Jake grabbed his things and made his way for the train's exit, Hermione right behind him, with Ron right behind her.
He looked around at the people, the adults, who would be told what Dumbledore told their kids, who ran or walked up to them, hugging them before leaving the platform. He saw Luna with her father and she said something, pointing to him. He was about to walk over, but Luna waved and yelled, "See you on the Express September First!" And her father apparated away with her.
He walked off Platform 9¾ with his friends and he saw Harry's Uncle standing there beside Molly. She hugged Harry and whispered something in his ear, but Jake didn't hear what.
"See you, Harry," Ron said, clapping him on the back.
"Bye, Harry!" Hermione said and she kissed Harry on the cheek, wishing him well.
"If you need any help over the summer with that ," Jake said casually, pointing to Vernon, "just Owl me."
"See here, boy-" Vernon started, but he stopped talking immediately when Jake glared at him with a look that could probably literally kill if he wanted it to. He also seemed put off by the fact a Fifteen year old Wizard had an Eye-Patch.
Vernon just grumbled and Harry walked back with him to the car. Jake watched them walking off when Hermione stood beside him, the Weasleys leaving a moment earlier, "So... shall we wait?"
"Of course," he said and the both of them went and sat down on a bench, waiting to see which of her parents would be picking her up. "Hermione?" He asked, getting her attention, "If... if you want me to help, in whatever way I can, to help you with your parents divorce... just let me know... and if you ever want to visit me at the Tower, or need a getaway for a little while, just say Merlin's Tower inside any fireplace, and you'll be taken there. I've set it up that it will only allow you to visit as of right. Anyone else that tries to visit me would be burned alive by the green flames, at least that's what Merlin told me."
"Jake... thank you... I may need it, honestly... before we go and visit Harry and Ron for the summer when he's allowed away from his horrible family," Hermione said, knowing that his family was less than pleasant for him.
It was a bit of a longer wait than usual, but eventually both of her parents showed up. It seemed, to Jake at least, that they were being civil about their divorce, civil for their daughter's sake. It looked difficult to stay civil, but they were trying, and that was what mattered.
"Mum, Dad," Hermione stood up and walked over to them, hugging them both, one arm around each.
"Hi sweetie, how was your year at Hogwarts?" Jane asked her.
"It was great," Hermione lied. Jake noticed just how easily she did it, too.
"Glad to hear it," John said, smiling. He looked at Jake, "Need a ride?"
"If it's not any trouble?"
"Never a trouble for my daughter's best friend," he said and the four of them went to the Granger's car. The car ride back was talkative, but it was mostly lies when they got to the end of the year. Hermione talked about the Yule Ball, and how she felt like a princess. She also talked about how handsome Jake looked in his Muggle-styled suit.
"Easily the best looking guy there," Hermione said, blushing furiously.
"So, you were asked by Harry, but only had the opening dance with him?" Jane asked.
"Yeah, he's not really a dancer, so he asked if it was alright that he just sat down the rest of the night. Which he mostly did, I was a bit miffed about it, but fine otherwise since I wouldn't have fun dancing if he wasn't," Hermione explained, "then a Bulgarian student from Durmstrang, his name is Mihael, he asked me to dance a few dances, and I agreed. Jake didn't have a date, so he spent most of his time dancing with other girls."
"You didn't ask Hermione?" Jane asked.
"I did... after Harry had already asked her..." he lamented his own stupidity.
"It's alright, he and I still shared the final dance of the night," Hermione blushed again, and Jane felt like there was something her daughter wasn't telling her.
They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and Hermione accompanied Jake inside, "Another year down... but ending on a much less cheery note..." Jake said slowly.
"Yeah... we'll just have to be prepared for whatever comes about in the next few months, or years, however long we have to deal with this," Hermione agreed.
"Hopefully not too long," he said, looking at her carefully. "Hermione, there is something I have to say..."
"What is it?" She looked at him curiously.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it. He instead acted on his emotion, closed his mouth as he moved closer to Hermione, and kissed her on the lips with as much passion as he could put into it.
They only parted when the need for air was present. They were breathing heavily as they looked at one another, "Hermione Jane Granger... I love you... it was always you... I was just afraid to admit it..."
Hermione felt like she would cry any second, 'This was what Fleur meant when she said to take care of him... she knew what he had planned on doing...' "Jake," she said, but then the tears came. She threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.
When she was done crying, at least for the moment, she pulled away from him and looked him in the eye, "Jake, I've loved you for so long, at least since Second Year when Lockhart took points from Gryffindor because you asked a valid question. I realized what kind of man he was, and realized how amazing you were... I wrote you a Valentine's Day card... and I still have it, if you want me to send it to you via Owl? Or I can visit you at the Tower and give it to you there?"
"Whatever works best for you, Hermione," he smiled at her.
"So... does this make us a couple?" She asked him, her eyes not breaking contact with him. She knew, or she had read in the same Witch Weekly issue of Skeeter's horrible article about her, that eye-contact made it better for couples during lovemaking, so she was trying to be better about keeping the eye-contact with him in moments of just them.
"That's something I wanted to quickly talk to you about... we can discuss it more over the Summer, but I think that, at least for now, we should not be a couple, but this is a promise I'm making to you now, after this whole Voldemort business is done and through, I will publicly ask for you to be my significant other, if you still want to be by then?"
"Of course, Jake," she said, her eyes softening as she looked at him, "I understand completely, and I will always wait for you. Always."
He smiled and they both kissed each other one more time, but far more briefly. Then they separated, hands still held together, before Hermione turned and walked out, looking back to wink and blow him a kiss before she left the establishment.
Jake felt like he was on Cloud Nine. His outlook for his experiment, both of his experiments, was better than ever, and he knew he couldn't fail in either of them. He had confessed his love to his best friend, and she had, obviously reciprocated his feelings. He walked into Diagon Alley, and didn't wait to Floo back to Merlin's Tower. He closed his eye and thought about it for a brief moment, when he suddenly felt himself being pulled through a small tube, and he opened his eye to find himself back at Merlin's Tower. For all intents and purposes, he had mastered Apparition. He saw Chloe sitting up on the Chandelier, as Merlin's Tower was closer to Hogwarts than it was to London.
"Jake, welcome back my boy," he heard Merlin say from his portrait, "and I see you've gotten the hang of Apparating..." Merlin's voice turned dark, "I heard what happened... I offer you my condolences... but if anyone can match this Voldemort, it's definitely you."
"Harry told me that Voldemort revealed some information to him, because he thought Harry would be dead..." Jake said slowly, "he said Voldemort feared only one thing, and it wasn't Dumbledore like he did when he was last in power... Voldemort fears me, he fears the power of your Bloodline... I can use this to my advantage."
"Intel gathering is crucial, especially in times of war, and I can feel a war brewing, even from inside this portrait," Merlin told him.
"I'll be ready for Voldemort, and the Brotherhood of Grim... I don't know what their play is, I don't even know if they know I'm alive, but I can't lose..." Hermione flashed in his mind, "I've got too much to lose..."
"You mean Miss Granger?"
"Yeah... if I lose her... I'm taking the World down with me," he looked at Merlin, his eye flashing red.
"You won't lose her," Merlin said, "you won't let yourself lose her, I can tell that about you. You care for her more than anyone else. You are the embodiment of what the Order of Merlin was originally about, keeping Muggles safe from improper Magical use before your Ministry put it into Law, and keeping Muggleborns safe from persecution by Purebloods who didn't understand how they could be magical from two non-magical parents. I was the herald of going against fellow Purebloods to safeguard the teachings of Muggleborns, and you are, in every possible way, my Successor. As I told you before, you are my True Heir."
"And I will not let you down," Jake said as the day caught up with him. He told Merlin he was going to lie down, and he didn't take a Sleeping Draught on purpose; he needed to know a crucial detail about his dream, about his biological parents death, he needed to know, and at Merlin's Tower was the only way he'd get the answer. He just had to get it, and his other experiment done before Hermione showed up, if she showed up.
He'd be lying if he said he didn't want her to be with him at the Tower.