Summer at Malfoy Manor
Narcissa stepped out of the floo directly into her private sitting room. She was tired; it had been a draining day, and she was ready to spend some quiet time with her husband and sons. It had been fairly straightforward getting Sirius admitted to St. Mungo's, her cousin had been fairly well behaved. He had a private room and his own mind healer, and she was confident he was in good hands. She had been assured that Sirius’ healer, Brenton Adams, was one the best in Britain, and the man had seemed confident that Sirius would recover. However, he had warned it would likely be a long road. Narcissa was unsurprised by this assessment; her cousin had a lot to work through before she would allow him to see Harry again. She hoped the young man would not be too disappointed.
Waving her hand she banished the mostly imaginary soot from her robes and she made her way to the window to look for the boys. She scanned the grounds but there was no sign of Draco or Harry near the pool or in the sky nor could she hear them in their rooms.
Frowning slightly she removed her outer cloak and made her way downstairs in search of her family. As she neared Luicus' study she was startled by a sudden scream of either excitement or terror she could not tell which, picking up her pace she made her way to her husband's office and entered without knocking.
The sight which met her eyes was truly endearing. Her two boys both had their arms wrapped around Luicus who was valiantly bearing the overzealous hugs of his very excited sons. Narcissa smiled as she watched them as they seemed to sense her presence, they released her husband and turned as one and ran towards her, their faces shining with excitement.
“Father got us tickets to the Quidditch World Cup,” Draco explained, a huge smile on his face. There was no trace of his carefully constructed Slytherin Ice Prince facade, which he usually projected.
“I see,” Narcissa said with a smile at Draco’s expression. There had been a time not so long ago that Draco would never have expressed such emotion, and she once again thanked the fates for bringing them Harry. “...and when is this event taking place?” she asked.
“Not for ages,” Harry lamented, “...but it’s still exciting! I have never seen a professional match and it’s the Worls Cup!”
Narcissa looked at her husband, his eyes were shining with pleasure at having given the boys such happy news. Narcissa, however, knew he husband extremely well; they had been married for fifteen years and betrothed for five years before that and she could see in his demeanour that something was bothering him. “That’s wonderful news, my darlings. It will be quite an adventure for you both, but why don't you two head upstairs, and I will have the elves bring up some afternoon tea,” she said fondly.
The boys were too excited to notice the undercurrent of tension between the adults and ran off to do as their mother told them. Harry went in search of Severus to tell him the news, and Draco headed to his room to find the latest edition of ‘Qudditch Weekly' to read up on the two teams they would be watching. Ireland would win he had no doubt their chasers were the best in the competition, but Bulgaria had Viktor Krum.
Narcissa watched them go, then turned and walked toward her husband. She sat on the chair opposite him and waited for him to speak. He looked tired, worn even so she waited patiently for him to choose his words.
“I spoke to Fudge today,” he said slowly. “It seems Ludo Bagman has had a mad idea and Barty Crouch is supporting him on it for Merlin knows what reason,” the man said slowly.
Narcissa frowned. “Ok, I can see you are worried, my love, but I am afraid I don't see how this will be a problem for us,” she said, unable to see how anything the Department of Magical Games and Sports did could possibly affect her family.
Luicus looked grim. “They are reinstating the Triwizard Tournament, and our esteemed Headmaster, in his wisdom, has agreed to host it at Hogwarts,” he told her.
Narcissa blinked at her husband in confusion. “I…the Triwizard Tournament? That hasn't been played in over 200 years. Why would they want to do such a thing now? She asked, slightly shocked at the news.
“Bagman,” Lucius said with a scowl. “He is looking to make his mark on the Ministry, and he thinks bringing back the Tournament will give him some kind of notoriety.”
“Well, it will make for an interesting school year but…”
Lucius rolled his eyes. “Harry doesn’t need the Triwizard Tournament to have an interesting year,” the blond man said dryly. “Severus agrees. It’s too big an opportunity for the Headmaster to pass up. I am worried he will somehow get Harry caught up in it,” he said, cutting across his wife.
Narcissa considered her husband’s words, and she could see his point. Harry’s first three years at Hogwarts had been interesting, to say the least, and she could not deny that Lucius might be right “Surely there will be some kind of restrictions, an age limit on contestants. They can't allow fourteen-year-olds to participate, can they?”
“There are new rules,” Lucius conceded. “Anyone wishing to be considered for their school Champion will nominate themselves by placing their names into The Goblet of Fire. I have been assured that to nominate, students will need to be 17 and that no under age student will be able to put thier name in,” he said, though he sounded unconvinced.
“So what's the problem?” his wife asked. It seemed to her that the rules were sensible and would protect the children.
“This clause,” Lucius said, picking up the rule book. “Any competitor who is selected by the Goblet of Fire will be magically bound to compete regardless of age. They will, therefore, be considered a fully qualified adult for contractual purposes from the date of their name being drawn. Refusal to compete may result in a complete loss of magic,” he read.
Narcissa absorbed that information. “So if by chance Harry…or Draco got their name in the cup and it was drawn out, they would be declared an adult and forced to compete?” she asked incredulously.
The blond sighed. “Yes, it would seem that way. I spoke to Fudge and Ludo about it, and they insist that no underage student will be able to put their name in but…”
“What if they ask an older student to do it?” Narcissa asked over the top of her husband.
“I don't know. Severus is going to Hogwarts tomorrow to see what he can find out. Fudge is determined to push ahead regardless; he needs some good publicity, and he thinks this is the way to get it,” Lucius told her.
Narcissa puresed her lips and shook her head. “I am sure it will be fine. The Headmaster can’t afford any more bad publicity, nor, as you say, can the Minister. They will have to ensure it is completely safe,” she said firmly.
“The Dark Lord will know,” Luicus said so quietly Narcissa almost missed it.
The woman drew in a sharp breath, and her eyes went wide. “You’re sure?”
“As sure as I can be, Rookwood was at the briefing, we must assume he will report the news to our Lord,” Lucius’ face was expessionless. Narcissa could onely nod in reply before she stood to leave; she needed to see to the boys' afternoon tea.
Severus was concerned; Albus Dumbledore was looking very pleased with himself, and that was rarely ever a good thing for him. The Triwazard Cup was on display in the Headmaster’s office, which meant he had plenty of time to figure out how the artefact worked and alter it to do his bidding. Whatever else the headmaster was, he was a powerful and cunning Wizard, who, despite being regarded as the leader of the light, was more than capable of darker spells.
In order to fight the Dark Arts, you had to understand them, and if anyone knew that better than Severus, it was the Headmaster. The dark arts were not fixed; they were not a set of dark spells. Magic was about intention, and it was possible to cause harm with almost any spell. The cutting spell, used in the right way, could seriously injure or even kill; wingardium leviosa could kill if a heavy object was lifted and dropped on someone, and even lumos could be used to disorientate or confuse people, causing them to become lost and wander into danger. Albus Dumbldore was more than powerful enough to turn his magic to anything he wanted to achieve.
Despite asking a multitude of questions Severus had only been given the barest information about the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the Goblet of Fire. The Headmaster had promised that all would be revealed when all the rest of the teachers returned to school two weeks before the start of term. All Severus had been able to ascertain was that the Beaxbatons and Durmstrang would be competing in the Tournament, and they would arrive at Hogwarts the day before Halloween. Those students who were eligible would have one day to place their names in the cup, and the champions would be chosen on the following evening at the Halloween feast - because nothing ever went wrong on Halloween!
Severus sent an owl to Minerva before he left the castle, to give her a heads up about Albus latest idea. She was not returning to the castle until the last week of August. There was little else Severus could do until Minerva and the other Heads of House returned to the school. When they were all back they could meet and decide on how best to keep their students safe through this new idea of the Headmaster.
Gathering his cloak he called a House elf to pass a message to Albus that he was going back to Malfoy Manor. He had returned on the pretext of making an inventory of his potion ingredients so he could restock both his private stores and the student cupboard; there was no reason for him to stay any longer, and he wanted to get back to the Manor to see Harry.
Harry’s birthday coincided with the arrival of Hogwarts letters and so they family spent part of Harry’s birthday shopping for school supplies, which this year, included dress robes. Narcissa decreed that Twilfitt and Tattings was the place to go for dress robes.
The store was very different to Madam Malkins, there seemed to be noone in the store when they arrived; Harry had been highly amused watching Draco run his hand over several dozen different fabrics with a look of intense concentration on his face.
A man impeccably dressed in tailor-made robes appeared through a curtain at the back of the store. “Lady Malfoy, what an honour. How may we be of service?”
“Mr Tatting,” Narcissa replied warmly. “A pleasure to see you again. We require dress robes,” she told him. “The boys need them for school this year.”
“Yes, of course. Did the young gentlemen have anything particular in mind?” the man asked, moving silently towards Draco, who had collected an assortment of fabric.
Draco acknowledged the man with a nod and then proceeded to show him the rolls he had collected; as far as Harry could tell they were all blue but the tailor spoke as if they were four different colours. It took about an hour for Draco to choose his fabric and then it was Harry’s turn. Harry was well out of his depth so Draco took over.
Finally, Draco and Narcissa settled on green and black for Harry’s robes and the two boys had their measurements taken and the order was finalised. Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he finally found himself back on the street. They purchased potion and writing supplies and the required textbooks before heading to the Leaky Cauldron for a birthday lunch.
Severus had been unable to join them for shopping this year, but he joined the family for dinner, as did Remus, who was still staying with the Malfoys even though Sirius was in St. Mungo’s. Harry had once again received more presents than he knew what to do with from parents, mostly clothing, books and sweets.
Remus offered Harry a large heavy parcel which turned out to be books, one about magical beings including werewolves and the other was a book on dragons. Severus presented Harry with his gift later that evening as the two shared a private moment on the Terrace. Harry accepted the square flat box with a wide smile. He removed the lid to reveal an intricately made silver armband set with malachite stones for balance, healing and protection. it also helped to develop intuition and spiritual growth.
Harry instantly loved it. It was true he had plenty of protective jewellery, but this was the first time someone had gifted him jewellery, and the fact it was Severus who gave it made it extra special. A strange warmth bloomed inside him, and he threw his arms around his betrothed and kissed his cheek.
Severus smiled as Harry hugged him. The boy was growing up fast; in just a few short years, he had grown several inches, and he was beginning to fill out. He was still more a boy than a man but Severus could see the man taking shape. Usually, he refused to think about his future with Harry; it was still a good four years away by his reckoning, and Harry would have the final say on any further contract between them, but Severus could not deny that Harry felt right in his arms, and then there was their matching patonus’...
Whatever happened, Severus was grateful for the opportunity to know this young man and watch him grow up. He would become a formidable wizard one day, and Severus looked forward to seeing him mature. He pulled back gently from the embrace and looked into Harry’s shining green eyes. “Happy Birthday, Harry,” he said softly, then froze. He could feel eyes on him, but when he scanned the immediate area, he could not see anyone. Unsure as to what it was he was sensing, he stood up and led Harry back inside the empty sitting room and drew the drapes.
Remus Lupin watched from the garden below the terrace and pressed his lips together. He should have been furious with what he was seeing, but for some reason, he could not muster the fury. He racked his brain, but he could not find the reason for his acceptance of this situation; his memories did not align with his feelings, and it was an uncomfortable place to be. He turned away as Snape took Harry inside, and he retreated to his guest quarters. He needed to take some time to think, to try and remember. Then he would go and see Severus. Hopefully, he could recover the missing information and he could finally make sense of everything.
Albus Dumbldore smiled as he read the letter from his old friend. Moody was naturally suspicious of the request and had made several demands about his security and the protection of the students. Albus brushed over the paranoid man’s concerns; Hogwarts was completely safe. Albus himself was in control of the wards and nothing got in he did not allow.
The important thing was that Alastor had agreed to take the position. Now, all he had to do was arrange for Harry to be chosen as a champion, and then he would insist that Alastor help him survive. It would be a great triumph for both Albus and Harry, and once Harry won, people would understand that he was right and that Harry Potter was the only one who could defeat Lord Voldemort.
Harry himself would realize he was special. It would take some careful management, but Albus was certain he could get the boy back on track and focused on the destruction of the wizard who had killed his parents. Once he had Harry on side he would slowly insinuate the idea of a resort in his mind and everything would be as it should have been in the first place.
He breathed easier knowing that his plan was unfolding as it should. He summoned parchment and replied to Alsoror, assuring him everything would be as he had requested and he nothing at all to worry about, his safely was absolutely guaranteed while he was at Hogwarts.
The next thing would be to inform the Ministry and the rest of the staff that he had secured a Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Minerva and Severus had been less than impressed with his previous appointments, and perhaps in hindsight, he could see that employing Quirrell and Lockhart had been an error in judgment, and he could admit that Lupin had been a risk which had not worked out. Alastor Moody, however, was an Auror of some renown he had faced all manner of Dark Arts in his career. Dumbledore was sure he had the right man for the job.
For this year at least, the curse was becoming quite problematic, perhaps he should consider a curse breaker. Unfortunately, that would mean asking the Goblins for help, and the last thing he needed was for a Goblin to come to Hogwarts and realise the state of the wards. Stroking his beard, he dismissed the idea he would look into the curse next summer, for now the problem was solved.
Barty Crouch Junior grinned as he listened to the Dark Lord outline his plan. Once they knew who Dumbledore had appointed as the Defence teacher this year Barty would attack them and take thier place using polyjuice potion. Then once he was ensconced at Hogwarts he would make sure that Harry was selected as the Hogwarts Champion and guide him to victory.
It was just the sort of crazy plan Barty loved. On the surface, it was simple, but in truth, there was nothing simple about the magic that would be required. Barty was a Death Eater, and after spending the past twelve years in Azkaban, he was not quite sane; however, despite that, he was still a Ravenclaw, and he revelled in the challenge his Lord had presented him.
First, he would need to examine the cup. Hopefully, Dumbledore would not be adverse to his Defence teacher checking the cup over for tampering, and if he was well, Barty would figure something out. Then he would need to ensure that Harry Potter’s name be drawn as the Hogwarts Champion.
Rookwood believed that forcing the Cup to select Potter as the Hogwarts Champion would be impossible and that Barty would somehow need to confound the cup and force it to select a fourth Champion, and he had taught Barty several useful spells to use to achieve this purpose. However, once Harry was selected, Barty would be on his own, devising his plans as he learned more about the boy who lived and about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He would need to be wary of Snape, but Barty was confident he could handle the Potions Master.
The only part Barty was not looking forward to was retuning to his father. If he was to do this properly and keep suspicion away from his Lord he needed to begin small; a dark Mark here, an attack there Barty would set the scene perfectly and lead the Ministry on quite the dance. He could not wait.
Summer was Harry’s favourite time of year now that he did not have to live at Privet Drive he was free to lie about in his room reading his books and no one yelled at him for being lazy. He could also do things he never dreamed of while living with his relatives; he could fly on a broom or swim in a pool or walk though the gardens and just enjoy the flowers.
When it was not forced on him, Harry found he quite enjoyed gardening, and he spent a lot of time in the greenhouses with Nacissa and sometimes Severus, tending to the many different potion ingredients that grew there. Harry had discovered there was so much more to gardening than just watering and weeding Aunt Petunia’s rose beds or mowing the lawn.
Herbology class had taught him how to grow and care for potion ingredients, and Severus had taught him about harvesting and preparing the ingredients before finally using them in a potion. It was like cooking, he had never enjoyed growing vegetables and cooking them for his ungrateful relatives, but growing potion ingredients he found meditative. He had come to enjoy the feeling of the dirt in his fingers; it was grounding in a way he had never appreciated before.
Draco found gardening to be too much like schoolwork work he enjoyed brewing and spent his time in the Laboratory or the Library reading. Narcissa said it was good they had some separate interests; otherwise, they would soon get sick of each other. Harry supposed that was true,
However, as much as he loved summer, Harry found himself wishing it away this year as he waited impatiently for the Quidditch World Cup. The event was scheduled for the 24th of August, Narcissa had told both Harry and Draco they needed to have their school trunks packed and ready to go before they left. The last World Cup, Draco informed Harry, had gone on for a whole week. If that happened again, they would be cutting fine for their return to Hogwarts.
Harry could not help but hope the match would go for a week this time. Severus had rolled his eyes when Harry told him that while they repotted aconite. Harry was too excited to care, and Severus was so pleased to see Harry carefree and happy that he just smiled to himself and let the young man talk about how excited he was and how brilliant it was all going to be.