Thanks to Arnel for the Beta job on this chapter and for pointing out that I should say that NONE of this belongs to me, especially not those parts that appear to be from the book because they are.
AN at the end.
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Return of an Alpha | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama Warnings: Death, Mild Language Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 409 Summary: For three years, Harry has been Becoming Alpha of Hogwarts. Now another Alpha is returning, bringing with him darkness, chaos, and battle. Watch as sides line up for war, and people and society change. Hitcount: Story Total: 169701; Chapter Total: 4080 Author's Notes: |
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The last three weeks leading up to the end of October and the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang passed by without much happening. Students talked about both The Den and the idea of the competitions that were planned. Moody was a hit outside of Slytherin House, with only a few in the House of snakes enjoying him as he treated most like scum because of either their House, actions, or parents. The Tournament was also a hot topic for discussion among many students, centering mainly on whom the champion of Hogwarts would be and what the three tasks would be. Truthfully, the only thing of note in Harry’s life other than Quidditch practice for the games was the day he and the twins were called to Dumbledore’s office and found all of the Heads of House waiting for them as well. It had shocked all three of them to the core to be asked if they wanted to put on a show for the other schools. “You’re telling us that you’re willing to let us do something to the school without punishment?” Harry had asked, just to be sure. “No, we’re telling you that you’re allowed to do something like at the End of Term feast last year when the other schools arrive,” Professor McGonagall had stated in a voice that said not to disobey her. The three boys had told their professors that they would decide on their own, but if a show occurred, they couldn’t punish any of them as long as it didn’t affect the people of Hogwarts, which was agreed to. Three weeks were then spent in the library as the two Gryffindors and a Slytherin worked to find the charms, potions, and other spells for the idea they had come up with within an hour of planning. On Thursday the 30th of October, classes ended early, and they were to have no classes the next day so that the students could interact between the different schools. Professor Snape led the Slytherins out of the castle, but Harry and those with Journals all got out there and then began to mix up by year, ignoring the looks the professors gave them for it. They just wanted to prove that House didn’t mean a thing to them, and it made them proud that a few of the fifth and sixth years were intermixing as well, even a few seventh years joining in on the fun. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Nothing besides the students was moving in the windless world, and Harry looked around at the beauty that was Hogwarts with a smile. Around him, students whispered back and forth about how they thought the other schools would be arriving while others just shivered. Smiling a bit, Harry muttered a warming charm on those closest to him, earning grateful smiles in return. And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!" "Where?" many students said eagerly, all looking in different directions. "There!" a sixth year yelled, pointing over the forest. Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time. "It's a dragon!" one of the Hufflepuff, Muggle-born first years shrieked, losing her head completely. "Don't be stupid… it's a flying house!" Dennis Creevey, a first year Gryffindor, said. Dennis's guess was closer… As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes. Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened. A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped. Harry had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in his life, and that was Hagrid; he doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights. Yet somehow - maybe simply because he was used to Hagrid - this woman (now at the foot of the steps, and looking around at the waiting, wide-eyed crowd) seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers. Harry noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind the large woman. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it. "My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts." "Dumbly-dorr," Madame Maxime said in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?" "In excellent form, I thank you," Dumbledore said. "My pupils," Madame Maxime said, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her. From what Harry could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow), they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces. "'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked. "He should be here any moment," Dumbledore said. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?" "Warm up, I think," Madame Maxime said. "But ze 'orses -" "Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," Dumbledore said, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges." "My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," Madame Maxime said, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong…" "I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Very well," Madame Maxime said, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?" "It will be attended to," Dumbledore said, also bowing. "Come," Madame Maxime said imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps . “How long until Durmstrang gets here, do you think?” Ginny whispered in Harry’s ear, and he shrugged while catching the twins’ eyes with a slight smirk. It was almost time to use their prank. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky as they waited for Durmstrang to arrive. For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. Harry listened as he heard something; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed. "The lake!" Lee Jordan yelled, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!" From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor… What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool… and then Harry saw the rigging… Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle… but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair. "Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?" "Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his silver hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own. "Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good… Viktor, come along, into the warmth… you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold…" Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. Harry raised an eyebrow as Theo said that it was Viktor Krum he was looking at. He hadn’t known that the Seeker was still at school, but it would certainly make the year interesting. “You should challenge him to a game to see who can catch the Snitch first,” Blaise told him as Dumbledore led the students into the Hall, which was set up with the House tables only because they wanted the Hall to look more formal for the schools, though it would back to the new normal the next morning. “That’s right!” Theo exclaimed. “You were following it during the Cup, so it would be an amazing thing to watch.” Before Harry could say anything, Krum himself settled himself down between Harry’s friends and Draco’s, Harry on one side of him with Draco on the other. The other Durmstrang students sat themselves down along the Slytherin table while the Beauxbatons took over the Ravenclaw table. The Durmstrang students pulled off their heavy furs and looked up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest; a couple of them were picking up the golden plates and goblets and examining them, apparently impressed. Looking over at the Beauxbatons students, Harry saw that most of them were cold as none of them had cloaks; a few were still clutching shawls and scarves to their heads. Up at the staff table, Filch, the caretaker, was adding chairs. He was wearing his moldy old tailcoat in honor of the occasion. Harry was surprised to see that he added four chairs, two on either side of Dumbledore's. When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," Dumbledore said, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable." One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh. A few Hogwarts students glared at her, but one look from Madam Maxime made the girl look at the table. "The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," Dumbledore said. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!" He sat down, and Harry saw Karkaroff lean forward at once and engage him in conversation. The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Harry had ever seen, including several that were definitely foreign. “I’m Harry Potter,” Harry said to Krum, holding out his right hand for him to shake as he introduced himself. “Viktor Krum,” he said in reply, grasping the hand firmly and shaking it. “I haff heard of you.” “A lot of people have,” Harry admitted with a light chuckle that Krum returned. “You know the feeling, I gather.” “Of course,” he said. Just then, Theo coughed to catch Harry’s attention. “Oh, these are my friends, Theo, Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey.” Draco coughed as well. “Oh, and I can’t forget Draco on your other side, though he’s more an ally than a friend.” “Nice to meet you,” Krum said with a nod that they all returned. “We were actually just talking about having you and Harry here play some Quidditch against each other,” Theo said as Harry blushed slightly and turned to fill his plate, embarrassed as he knew Theo was going to brag in a moment. “Oh?” Krum asked curiously. “At the Cup, Harry was tracking the Snitch for most of the match,” Theo said in his bragging tone. “He’s the Seeker on the Slytherin team and the best in the school.” “Is this true?” he asked, turning to Harry with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah,” Harry admitted after swallowing, though he was hesitant to do so. “I vant to play you, then,” Krum stated. “Anyone who can follow the Snitch that vell is a good Seeker. It vill be nice to be challenged for once in a game. Please, allow me to do this.” “Sure,” Harry finally agreed. “Maybe this weekend?” “I vill meet you on the Pitch after lunch on Sunday,” Krum said, finalizing the date. “You may tell others so they can vatch. I know they vill want to, especially because ve are both famous.” “Go ahead, Theo,” Harry sighed, knowing Theo would do it anyway, so it was better to give him permission. “Yes!” he cheered, actually punching the air in his happiness. Everyone else laughed, Krum included, at his actions. “Who’s expected to be the champion at Durmstrang?” Daphne asked Viktor as everyone else resumed eating. Her question caught everyone’s attention, though. “I am the expected for Durmstrang,” he replied. “It is just expected by all, for some reason.” Harry could tell he was joking, but a few of the others were a bit shocked before Krum smiled, and everyone laughed. From then on, the conversation went a lot more smoothly as they all joked and got to know one another. It was enjoyable getting to know the real Viktor Krum, not the Quidditch star that everyone else wanted to know. Suddenly, Harry had a thought. “Hey, Viktor, we have this set of rooms on the third floor, and I was wondering if you wanted to bring some of your friends to it tomorrow so that you all can get to know the Hogwarts students,” he said. “Sure,” Viktor agreed. “It vill be fun for us to get to know you all. Vhere are these rooms?” By the time desert was over, Viktor knew where to go. Once the food disappeared, Harry and the twins glanced at one another and nodded. It was up to Harry to activate the show as he was the only one who knew the charm, seeing as it was among the ones he and the girls had used over the summer. Waving his wand a little after taking it from his holster, Harry muttered so quietly under his breath that not even Tracey, who was right next to him, realized what he was doing. A bang erupted above everyone, just under the ceiling of the Great Hall. From the smoke that was slowly dispersing dropped a large red lion that spun around so that all of the House tables could see it. Then a large, emerald green snake dropped and moved so that its head was visible to the entire Hall as it, too, looked around. Then came the black badger, which landed on top of the lion and spun around on its head, drawing a few laughs. Then a royal blue eagle flew out of the smoke and dove down the middle of each of the House tables, ending with the Head Table before landing on the back of the lion, which the snake was now surrounding. With another bang, the animals disappeared in a flash of smoke just as the last batch disappeared, and from within the smoke rose a black tapestry of the Hogwarts crest. It flew towards the doors of the Great Hall and attached itself to the wall above the door. When the smoke disappeared, it was obvious that the animals were gone and the show finished. Everyone began clapping, including those from the other schools. Those in Slytherin who were in the Journal group and all of the Gryffindors were cheering harder than the rest as they all could guess who had done the prank. At the urging of their friends and after agreeing silently, the twins and Harry stood up and moved to meet at the Head Table, bowing to each other. Then they bowed to the Heads of Houses before bowing to the Ministry officials Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, followed by a bow to each of the Heads of the schools, finishing with a bow to each House table. The cheering only grew louder at their antics, making Harry’s grin grow. When they finally sat down again, Dumbledore stood up. “Thank you, boys, for the entertainment and the lovely show of Hogwarts spirit,” he said, eyes twinkling in amusement as he glanced at all three of them. “A well done performance. Now, the moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports." There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. Remembering him in his neat suit at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry thought he looked strange in wizard's robes. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard. "Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts." At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Dumbledore had obviously noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch." Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Dennis Creevey actually stood on his chair to see it properly, but, being so tiny, his head hardly rose above anyone else's. "The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," Dumbledore said as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger." At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing. "As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire." Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall. "Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," Dumbledore said. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. "To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," Dumbledore said, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the Entrance Hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. "Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the Goblet . Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all." Viktor was immediately grabbed by Karkaroff as Harry and the other Slytherins got up and left. In front of them, he was taking care of his star student while the Weasley twins were talking about an aging potion to get past the Age Line. Shaking their heads, Harry and his friends went down to the Common Room, ready to head to bed for the night as it had been a long day. AN: The schools have arrived, and the chapter many of you have been waiting for will be out next week. I believe the length of Chapter Fifteen will please you well enough, considering it’s almost double the length of a normal chapter since I couldn’t find a break point while writing it. I’m hoping it will make up for the fact that I’m only on Chapter Nine of the third story, though I must admit that I’ve already got an outline for half of sixth year written and I’m planning on outlining the rest of the third story sometime soon, hopefully this weekend. My writing slowed a bit with my volunteer work and the fact that I managed to get myself sick again (My throat is burning right now, so I’m barely talking if I can get away with it, and the coughing and stuffed up nose doesn’t help…). Because of my being sick, I’ve yet to see the new HP movie, though I’ll probably go in the next few days, even if I am still sick. Still, I’m going to try to write today (Saturday, when I’m writing this) and at least get done with the summer before sixth year if I can. Please don’t keep asking about posting more often as my mind gets a bit odd when I’m sick, meaning my level of concentration is a bit odd. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I’ll hopefully get a lot of writing done over the next week or so. |
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