Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and don't make money off my writing.
Chapter 14: Aftermath
They reappeared on the edge of the maze, again moving fast. Luckily, the Quidditch pitch was flat with soft grass. The two of them tumbled to a stop, the Cup going flying.
"He's back. Voldemort's back!" Harry cried, trying to get the word out in case they were followed.
He sat there on the grass with Hermione wrapped around him.
Professor Dumbledore walked up to them and knelt down.
"What is this? What did you say, Harry?" he asked.
"Voldemort is back. Wormtail cast a ritual that gave him a new body. He's back." Harry said.
The crowd was going crazy, having heard these words. Minister Fudge was walking towards them.
"That's ridiculous! You-know-who is dead, Harry! You know that better than anyone." Fudge shouted.
A riot was slowly developing and Dumbledore was pulled away to help deal with the crowd. Professor Moody moved in, helping Harry to stand.
"Come this way, Harry. Hermione. We'll get you both someplace safe."
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look and a mental conversation. Hermione looked questioning and Harry gave her a brief nod.
They followed Moody as he half led them, half dragged them back to the castle. They went directly to the office of the DADA Professor. Harry briefly realized they had come full circle since they'd said goodbye to Uncle Remus in this same office. As much as that had hurt, Harry realized it was a brighter time in many ways.
"So what happened out there, tonight?" Moody asked.
"Voldemort's come back." Harry said, numbly.
"The Dark Lord has returned?" Moody asked. Harry and Hermione again exchanged a look.
"Yes, he performed a ritual and has his body back." Harry replied. "He summoned his Death Eaters and they came."
"They did, did they? How did he treat them? Did he forgive them?" Moody asked.
"He was mad because they had abandoned him so long, but I think he needs them. He always seems to need faithful servants, doesn't he?" Hermione said.
"That he does." Moody replied, "Wait, what?"
"Stupefy!" Harry and Hermione called together, hitting Moody with two bursts of red light. The auror went down in a heap.
"Incarcerous." Hermione cast.
"Petrificus totalus" Harry said, putting Moody in a body-bind.
Looking at the foe glass on the table, the two students could see Professors approaching. Harry kept his wand trained on Moody while Hermione unbarred and opened the door.
"What are you doing?" Snape hissed, looking at the two students with wands trained on the Professor.
"Waiting for you, Professor?" Hermione asked, with a small grin on her face that did not reach her eyes, "I don't know who this is, but it is not Professor Moody."
"We know." Headmaster said, walking to the body and flipping it over. The sense of power radiating off him gave truth to the fact that he was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. He was an archmage in all his revealed power and it was a far different aspect than the jovial grandfather he normally portrayed.
"Come along, you two. I'll take you to the hospital wing." Professor McGonagall said, sounding more motherly than she ever had before.
"No." Dumbledore said, "They need to stay. They need to understand who did this, because they need to be prepared to fight it."
"Who is this if it's not Moody?" Harry asked.
"It's not Moody, you've never met the real Moody." Dumbledore answered.
"To be honest, I already decided that was likely, which is what first made us cautious when he pulled us away from everyone else. There's no way an experienced auror should lose practice duels against a school boy. My question is, who is he?" Harry said.
"The duration of polyjuice is short." Snape explained. "Watch, Mr. Potter."
While they waited, Dumbledore unlocked the multiple compartments of Professor Moody's trunk, rescuing the real Moody. Winky was fetched. The fake Moody reverted to Barty Crouch Jr. and was administered veritaserum, explaining his part in the events.
After aurors took Barty Crouch Jr. away, Harry and Hermione met with Sirius Black and Professor Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office. The Headmaster asked Minister Fudge to join them when he was available.
"This has been an eventful year." Dumbledore said.
"Are you kidding?" Harry said, stunned, "That's a bit of an understatement. Voldemort is back!"
"Are you still insisting on that ridiculous story, boy?" Minister Fudge said, as he entered the office.
"Pardon me?" Harry asked, incredulous, "It's no story, it's what happened. Both Hermione and I witnessed it."
"You-know-who died when you were a baby, Mr. Potter." Fudge insisted.
"Professor, perhaps you can take my memory of tonight and we can watch what I saw?" Harry offered.
"That might be very useful, Harry. Perhaps if Miss Granger is willing, she can contribute hers as well, so we can see her role?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling.
"Of course, Headmaster." Hermione said, mock meekly, performing for the minister's benefit.
The four went into the memories, watching the whole sequence of events. Harry got to see Hermione's apparition to the rescue, while she got to see the small part she had missed. Both adults were impressed with their coordination and calm action in the face of danger.
"Perhaps I was hasty." Minister Fudge said, as they left the pensieve, "Could I have copies of those memories? I'll need to review them with my senior staff. I'm declaring Voldemort's return a state secret. We can't let that out."
"Don't you think it's a little late, after I shouted it in the Quidditch pitch?" Harry said, trying to keep the sneer out of his voice.
"We have ways of controlling information, Mr. Potter. Your initial reaction will be discounted." Fudge said pompously, "Normally we would have an award ceremony, but under the circumstances... here are your winnings, boy."
Harry just shook his head, amazed at the man's idiocy. Hermione elbowed him, sending a quick message that she had a plan.
Minister Fudge left, returning to the ministry to coordinate their response.
"You two did wonderfully." Professor Dumbledore said, "This year has given me hope for our victory. I was truly concerned prior to the end of last year, but I think things are turning around and I attribute it all to you both. Your strengths are remarkably complementary. Because of these changes, I have decided I also must change. I have always been somewhat enamored of my own council and a secret-keeper by nature, but I think that must change. You see, Harry, there was a prophecy concerning you."
Dumbledore related the prophecy. The two were stunned.
"I will also be telling Ronald as part of our work together. He is making progress and he may eventually contribute significantly to the overall strategy of the Order of the Phoenix. As for your bond, I think that may be the answer to a question Harry and I already discussed. The power the Dark Lord knows not… I always thought the answer is love and I still believe that. I think your mother's love gave you the protection that caused the killing curse to rebound, disembodying Voldemort. I think your love for one another may give you the ability to grow to your full potential and defeat Voldemort.
We saw many important things in your memories. Voldemort used your own blood to regenerate himself. We saw him touch you, which he could not before, which would suggest this was a catastrophic event, but I suspect he may find there is a deeper significance to his choice than he now knows. While he was always a good student, he was lazy, looking to the dark arts for shortcuts to power and discounting old and powerful magics that he could not understand.
When your wands linked? Did you wonder what happened? Prior incantatem. When Mr. Ollivander sold you your wand, the twin to Voldemort's, he told me right away. Here we saw the significance of that event. It is something to think about. I will consult Mr. Ollivander this Summer regarding possible ramifications and contingencies.
Another change, is that I cannot in good conscience send you back to the Dursleys. Nor do I think that if I tried, you would cooperate, nor would Sirius or Hermione let me get away with it. I have relied on those wards for much too long. You will go where you and your Godfather wish this Summer. I have spoken to him and made arrangements for continued education. He has arranged for tutors over the Summer to continue your education and set a foundation for advanced studies we hope to begin next school year. I plan to have more information on that at a later date."
Harry struggled to cope with all he'd faced that night and all he'd learned in Dumbledore's office.
"If you knew this all along… if you knew what I went through at the Dursleys…" he said haltingly, tears threatening, but he'd long developed defenses against tears, he'd had too many reasons to cry and been beaten too often for letting himself. Fawkes left his perch, flying to Harry's knee. His phoenix song gave strength and peace.
"If I had known what you went through at the Dursleys, I never would have left you there." Dumbledore said, sadly. There was no twinkle in his eye.
"You must have known!" Harry shouted, "My Hogwarts letter was address to the 'Cupboard under the Stairs'!"
"Magically addressed." Dumbledore said softly, "When hundreds of letters arrived, did you think I had addressed them all? I should have known. I have no excuse for not knowing. There is no reason I did not hand address and hand deliver your letter, but I did not. I have taken on too many responsibilities and let too many of my duties run automatically in the background. I did not know."
Harry seethed, but his growing maturity forced him to let it go. There was nothing to be gained by taking his frustration out on the Headmaster. He took deep cleansing breaths and focused on his occulomency exercises until he regained his calm. Hermione watched him, interlacing her fingers with his and her presence did more to settle him than anything he could do for himself. He looked in her gold flecked brown eyes and tried to convey his thanks with a look, sending his emotion through the bond easily.
"I'm not the young boy I once was, Headmaster. I'll never be so completely trusting and accepting as I was then. I can't quite accept what it must be like to be you, missing major details of my life while you manipulated me for your own purposes, but I do understand you held no malice. I forgive you, but I won't be manipulated again. I understand that with your age, your stature, and your knowledge, I'm not your equal and so I don't ask to be a partner. However, the prophecy says that only I can defeat Voldemort, so I insist on being an active, informed participant."
"I agree." Dumbledore said gravely. "I will tell you everything that is within my ability to tell, withholding only those secrets I am obligated to keep. We will be spending significant time together to achieve that, but I see now that time will be well spent. You are becoming a great man, Harry Potter. Look at how Fawkes treats you. I feel that if I were gone, he might well go to you as the next leader of the light. My job in this war will be to keep developing you into that leader. Now, it has been a long night. Let us plan to reconvene tomorrow afternoon and we will discuss further plans for next year. For now, I will take you to the hospital wing for Madame Pomfrey to evaluate both of you. After a good night's rest, we can talk more."
Madame Pomfrey fussed over Harry, evaluating where he had struck many hard objects in the crash in the graveyard. Both Harry and Hermione had nearly exhausted their magical cores: Harry with continuous casting in the graveyard and Hermione through her impossible apparition through wards to an unknown location, even if the wards had cooperated. Both were put to sleep in neighboring beds and seconds later were fast asleep.
The next morning, Harry awoke to loud whispers. He could hear Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Sirius, and eventually Professor McGonagall. Waking, he and Hermione joined them, to learn that Minister Fudge had questioned Barty Crouch Jr. and let his personal dementor guard give him the kiss. While Professor McGonagall was telling this story, Hermione seemed to become distracted. She looked out the window, very unlike her normally focused self. She shocked everyone when she waved her wand and quietly said, "Stupefy." Walking to the window, she enlarged and opened a screw top jar with holes in the lid, sweeping something inside.
"What did you find?" Professor McGonagall said, exasperated by the odd behavior.
"A rare beetle." Hermione replied, one corner of her mouth quirked upward in amusement.
The group all ate breakfast. After breakfast, Harry met with the Weasley twins, learning how much money they'd won betting on him to win the Triwizard tournament. In the end, he added his winnings and encouraged them to pursue their dream of starting a joke shop.
"I have a feeling we're all going to need some laughs, mates." Harry said seriously.
"We can't thank you enough for this!" Fred said. "Combined with the money we earned betting on you, this should be enough to give our business a great start!"
"You'll be a silent partner. You can have input into our business." George continued.
"As well as 33% of the profit!" Fred finished. "We'll only need a few endorsements, here and there."
Harry talked them down, but they wouldn't accept the money unless he agreed to take 25% of the profit, considering he wasn't going to be putting in the majority of the work.
Meanwhile, Hermione was talking to Sirius, learning his plans for the Summer. She began drawing up a rough schedule to formalize what he had arranged thus far. Eventually she sent an owl to her parents to give them an idea of what she'd be doing and where she'd be spending a good amount of her time. Sirius had come up with ideas for how to combine their preexisting plans with a vacation and she had an idea that her parents might enjoy the chance to spend the Summer with Harry and his Godfather.
After lunch, Harry, Hermione, Sirius, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Snape met with the Headmaster. Snape sneered at Sirius and Sirius bristled back, but even their old hatred was subdued.
"I have brought you all together to discuss our path forward." Dumbledore began, "You are all skilled occulomens, so I was able to share the prophecy with you, so you all know of Harry's required role in the defeat of Voldemort. Voldemort is the greatest dark wizard of recent history. Even Grindelwald was not as dangerous as an individual duelist, although as a shaper of history he might have exceeded Voldemort. I have tried to protect Harry's childhood, but this year I feel he has proved he is growing out of that childhood. Given Voldemort's physical return and capture of Harry, I think the best way to protect and prepare him is to begin to teach him what he needs to know to fulfill his requirement. I have spoken to you each previously. Here Is my plan.
"Professor McGonagall, you have expressed interest in taking Miss Granger as an apprentice in transfiguration. This will be the first time in two centuries any of the Hogwart's students have pursued a simultaneous mastery as they completed their primary education, but if there is any student I have faith in doing so, it is Miss Granger."
Professor McGonagall smiled at her informal protégé.
"Miss Granger…Hermione… would you be interested in becoming my apprentice and simultaneously working on your master of transfiguration?"
Hermione was bouncing up and down in excitement, her bushy brown hair bobbing around her.
"Very much so!" Hermione said excitedly.
The two clasped hands, agreeing to the new relationship.
"I'll send you the syllabus I have in mind, Miss Granger." McGonagall smiled.
"Harry, I would like to take you as my apprentice. You would be my first apprentice since Minerva." Dumbledore said, looking at his student, "When I taught, I taught transfiguration, but I also have a mastery of defense, am one of the few remaining alchemists, am a master legilimens and master occulomens. I plan on our syllabus leading you to a mastery in defense, although I hope not to restrict our lessons to that. Will you be my apprentice?"
Harry nodded, grasping the Headmaster's hand. He felt their damaged relationship begin to mend as his longtime mentor, the man who had been like a grandfather to the orphan, made him his acknowledged student.
"I have asked Professor Flitwick to assist both of us train both of you as master duelists. He will be using his contacts to recruit guest lecturers for extensive practical lessons."
Professor Flitwick gave a very toothy smile, frightening from the half-goblin.
"Professor Snape will continue to teach advanced occulomency. He will work with Professor Flitwick in the dueling curriculum as he is a notable duelist with a unique style."
Snape inclined his head minutely.
"Sirius has agreed to help start your curriculum with an intensive Summer program during your vacation." Dumbledore concluded.
"Don't worry, pup." Sirius grinned, "It's me, after all. It won't all be work."
The meeting soon broke up. Harry and Hermione walked together towards the Gryffindor common room. She snuggled into his side and he wrapped an arm around her. She grinned up at him, still high on her new opportunity for learning and education. Harry, too, felt new hope for the future. Training directly with Professor Dumbledore, the hero who had defeated Grindlewald might give him the knowledge he needed to defeat Voldemort. At least, he hoped it was possible.
As they entered the common room, they saw Ron playing chess with Seamus. He quickly finished the game and came over to them.
"Well?" Ron asked, "What happened."
"We're going to spend the Summer taking special lessons and then we'll apprentice next year on top of our normal courses. Me to Professor McGonagall, Harry to Professor Dumbledore." Hermione related to their redheaded friend.
"Blimey, to Dumbledore himself?!" Ron exclaimed, "Percy had hoped to apprentice to him, once, but he said Dumbledore hasn't taken apprentices in close to a century!"
"Percy?" Harry asked.
"Well, it wouldn't have worked out, but you can see why Percy would have been interested." Ron continued, "My mom is proud of me just for receiving lessons on strategy from him. Being apprenticed to him would make you famous! Well, if it weren't you. I guess you can't get much more famous."
Hermione just shook her head. Ron never changed.
The last few days of term passed. Harry and Hermione recovered, their magical cores regenerating from their exhaustion. They spent more hours practicing with their magical bond. Hermione told Harry all about her apparition to him the night of the third task and they spent hours studying the basic apparition manuals the upperclassmen would use to prepare for their apparition tests. Hermione spent hours with arithmantic formulae to try to quantify why she had been able to apparate through the Hogwarts wards, but was completely unable. Everything still insisted it should have been impossible.
The day soon came and they rode the Express away from Hogwarts. Harry had packed ahead of time to please Hermione, but Ron, as usual, was still grabbing things as Harry tried to drag him to the station. They were luckily able to get a good compartment.
"What a year." Harry said.
"Not that unusual for you." Hermione said with a smirk, "I count myself lucky I wasn't petrified and didn't see a single troll all year."
The door handle started to turn and they could all see Draco outside through the window in the door.
"Colloportus." Harry said with a wave of his wand.
Draco gave him a dirty look, sneered, and they could faintly hear him say, "Alohomora", but the door remained locked. "Alohomora! Alohomora!"
Hermione laughed. "Silencio." She cast, silencing the door.
The rest of the ride was perfectly calm.
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
A/N: So this is the last of the fourth year. I'm going to try to proceed in a slightly different direction in further chapters. I'm going to try to post less from the original books and more of my story.
Some have complained that I tend to write in a summary style. There are a lot of reasons. One, I tend to summarize areas I expect everyone to already know. I won't rewrite all of canon just to say, yes it happened here, too. Second, I'm not a professional writer and I'm impatient. I'm trying to work on it and provide more detail. Finally, I'm very busy in my personal and professional life, so multiple rewrites to force myself to fix my flaws and generate more details are difficult.
I hope some readers are enjoying the story. I will start to get to the chapters that show why I named this story "The Duelist". You probably have an idea from the discussion about their further education. Hopefully, I can make it everything I've thought in my head.
I welcome and ask for reviews. Flames are less welcome. Thanks!