~~Astronomy Tower, Hogwarts~~ (October, 31st, 1994)
Albus Dumbledore pulled out a lemon drop from his pocket and popped it inside his mouth as he stared at the horizon with a jovial smile on his face. All of his plans were finally coming along and Albus couldn't help but feel satisfied over that fact… Yes, Sirius was quite angry at him for this development, but Albus was sure that Sirius would eventually get over his anger. He believed that Sirius was simply lashing out at the only visible target and Albus was completely fine with that.
Albus had also talked with the President of MACUSA and explained the situation to the man… The President wasn't happy with their lack of security or their conduct, but there wasn't much the man could do now, so he had agreed to host him and Sirius tomorrow. Sirius insisted that he wanted to tag along and Albus didn't mind since there was a chance that he might need Sirius' help to convince Harry to return to Hogwarts for the Tournament even though he knew that he could be very convincing himself.
Then all of a sudden, Albus was broken out of his reverie when he heard some footsteps… He started to wonder who it was at this time of the night… He smiled warily when he recognized the person. "Good evening, Sybill, how are you?" Albus asked the obviously tipsy woman with his patented grandfatherly smile on his face.
"Albus!" The woman blinked in confusion. "Where am I, Albus? I remember heading toward the seventh, but now I am here…" The woman slurred out as she stumbled into the Astronomy Tower.
Albus barely stopped himself from palming his face… Sometimes, he wondered why he ever bothered to hire this woman and this was one of those times, but then, he remembered that the woman in front of him had delivered the most important Prophecy of this century. "This is the Astronomy Tower, my dear Sybill" Albus answered the woman, making the woman blink owlishly behind her extremely thick glasses.
"...Then I might have made a wrong turn or was this where I was supposed to be?" Sybill asked herself, looking somewhat puzzled, but before either Sybill or Albus could say anything else, Sybill perked up, losing all of her drunkenness. Her posture was completely straight and inhuman and Albus felt dread well up in his stomach as this wasn't the first time he was witnessing this scenario. He had seen Sybill act like this back in 1980 when she gave her first true Prophecy.
"...The Child of Magic is born from Light…
Tempered by Dark, he was blinded by Might…
He shall strive for a better Life…
Only for him to Thrive…
For those of Dark and Light…
Shall bow down in front of his Might…
None shall question his Right…
For he commands Archmage's Might…" Sybill's voice boomed as she delivered the Prophecy and now that she was finally done, she broke out of her trance and blinked in confusion. "I think, I should start heading back… I am not feeling so good" Sybill mumbled before she turned around and started to leave the Astronomy Tower, leaving behind Albus on his own to ponder the Prophecy she just delivered.
'No… No… This can't be happening right now' Albus grimaced in horror as the meaning behind Sybill's words finally registered in his mind. 'No. I need to revisit the memory' Albus decided internally, looking somewhat pale as he started to rush toward his office, all of his previous joy was gone, only to be replaced by worry and fear…
<Line Break>
~~Director's Office, DMLE~~ (October 31st, 1994)
"So, our suspicions were right?" Amelia asked, but nobody present inside the room bothered to answer as everyone knew that it was a rhetorical question. Amelia leaned back in her comfortable chair as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "So, what do we do now? We don't even know what the fuck he is planning!" Amelia growled, looking annoyed.
"We could always try to bug his office?" Connie suggested weakly. She had never visited the Headmaster's office herself, but she knew that Dumbledore's office was filled with various types of trinkets and portraits. They could easily place something subtle inside his office to spy on him. Magic was quite handy just like that.
"It could have worked if it wasn't for his blasted songbird. From what I remember, that damn bird never leaves his office" Alastor growled as he slammed his fist on the table.
"What about you Saul, do you know a way to get about a Phoenix?" Amelia asked, only for the man to shrug his shoulders dismissively.
"I know how to Ward any place against Phoenixes, but I don't know how to hide from them" Saul said while shaking his head.
"Well… That route is fucked I suppose" Amelia grimaced. "By the way, Tonks, did you find anything suspicious about Lang Mo?" Amelia asked as she turned toward Tonks, who was sipping cola.
"No. He is a good professor, but I don't think he is a Death Eater. He is simply too generic" Tonks answered thoughtfully.
"But you are still going to keep an eye on him… Most of the time, most generic people could turn out to be the culprit" Amelia explained gravely.
"What about Snape and Karkaroff? We know Snape was a Death Eater no matter what Dumbledore says and we all know about Karkaroff" Gawain asked all of a sudden.
"I will bet my money on Karkaroff. I don't know what he is up to as I wasn't able to follow him all the time, but he looked kind of jumpy. He would act most suspiciously when nobody is around him… Like ready to fight or flight" Tonks explained stiffly. "And as for Snape… He is a complete arsehole… I still wonder why he is still a Professor. He should be rotting in Azkaban for the way he acts for the rest of his life" Tonks growled as she sipped her cola furiously.
"Unfortunately, being an arsehole is not a punishable crime, or most of the Dark and Light Faction members would be rotting in Azkaban" Amelia waved her hand dismissively. "Keep an eye on both of them for the time being and for the sake of Merlin, don't get caught" Amelia pleaded only for Tonks to nod her head.
"I am trying, boss, but it is hard… Trying to act like a 14 year old is a pain in the arse and your niece is a social butterfly, that is making my job even harder for me" Tonks complained. She hated the fact that she was whining, but sometimes a whine was earned, and when she had to masquerade as a hormonal 14 year old, a whine was deserved, she decided.
"Don't start with that" Amelia rubbed her temples. "Susan has been throwing quite a tantrum… Just a few more days. We need to have someone on the inside to know what is going on, especially with Albus preventing us from making a move" Amelia sighed tiredly. It has been three days since Tonks was attending Hogwarts while masquerading as Susan Bones and Amelia wanted Tonks to be there in Hogwarts for the next few days to know what was happening in there. Albus acted like Hogwarts was his own personal domain and with all the political clout he possessed, he probably owned Hogwarts.
"Fine!!" Tonks agreed grumpily before grabbing the small bag from the table, which was filled with unhealthy fast food and various types of carbonated drinks. In return for her hard work, she was getting fast food and carbonated drinks from them. "I think I should be heading back. That Abbott girl knows nothing about personal space and boundaries" Tonks griped unhappily as she made her way toward the normal-looking cupboard beside the bookshelf in Amelia's office.
Tonks arrived in front of the cupboard and tapped the cupboard with her Wand. The intricate designs on the cupboard lit up and Tonks yanked the cupboard open. By that time, she was already morphed into Susan Bones. "Take care, guys" After wishing everyone well, she stepped into the cupboard and the doors closed behind her with a snap. The cupboard might look normal, but it was a Vanishing Cabinet, donated for the cause by Saul Croaker. The other pair was inside Tonks' room and while they expected smuggling a Vanishing Cabinet inside Hogwarts would be hard, it was easy as fuck.
After that, the gathering was soon dismissed as there wasn't much to do at this point. They simply lacked the information to do anything and that is exactly what they were trying to solve…
~~Headmaster's Office, Ilvermorny~~ (November 1st, 1994)
Harry arrived outside the Headmaster's office and knocked on the door. He already knew why he had been called to the Headmaster's office… After all, he was right there when his not-so-real name was spewed out of the Goblet of Fire. He heard Carlson's voice from the inside, telling him to enter. Harry pushed the door open, only to find that the room was filled with a lot of people. Harry already knew that Albus was planning to contact his Godfather, so he wasn't surprised by the man's presence, but he was surprised by the presence of a few people…
First of all, the President of MACUSA was here and not only that, Cornelius Fudge, the most illuminating Britain's Minister of Magic was also here. Thankfully, his pet frog wasn't here, but there were a few people inside the room Harry didn't recognize and from their robes, Harry deduced that they were probably Aurors. A couple of Aurors for each Leader… Jacklyn was also here, which wasn't surprising. Oh, and Bagman and Crouch Sr. were also present, but Harry didn't consider either of them to be important.
"So, what's up?" Harry asked curiously as he looked around the people gathered inside the Headmaster's office…
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~~Headmaster's Office, Ilvermorny~~
Albus Dumbledore carefully watched Harry as Bagman explained to the boy why all of them were here. Sirius pitched in from time to time whenever it looked like Harry was about to snap at Bagman. Yesterday, Albus never got to sleep much as he was busy reviewing the Prophecy delivered by Sybill with the help of his Pensieve in extreme detail. He kept scrutinizing every bit of the Prophecy again and again for hours until the Prophecy finally started to make any sense to him.
Albus was almost certain that the Child mentioned in the Prophecy was Harry. He knew that Harry was quite powerful even when he was only a year old and he had recently seen the memory of his duel against Avery, so there was no doubt in his mind that Harry was quite powerful and after a lot of consideration, Albus realized that Harry Potter was the probably the most fitting candidate for the Prophecy.
He was born from James and Lily and both of them were avid Light supporters, and during that fateful night, Harry was tainted by Voldemort's Soul. Not only that but later, Harry was tainted by darkness itself when he killed the Dursleys in cold blood. Right now, Harry was striving to have a better life and the rest of the Prophecy was kind of self-explanatory, especially with the first part of the Prophecy, but there was something Albus failed to understand. No, matter how much he tried, he couldn't understand the meaning of the last line of the Prophecy…
'Archmage's Might' What was Archmage's Might? He didn't know, but he knew that he needed to find out as quickly as possible as according to the Prophecy, Harry was going to reshape the Wizarding World and Albus couldn't have that… Since yesterday, Albus was also wondering if 'the power the Dark Lord knows not' referred to Archamage's Might… If that was really the case then Albus was going to have a really hard time trying to stop Harry, but Albus had no intentions of backing down from the challenge.
Then all of a sudden, Albus was broken out of his musings when Harry finally started to speak…
"So, let me get this straight… Apparently, my name came out of the Goblet of Fire and now I have to participate in this Tournament or lose my Magic?" Harry asked as he looked around, making gestures with his hands.
"Yes, that is exactly what we are trying to say" Barty Crouch Sr. huffed gruffly while giving Harry an annoyed look. He still remembered how the boy had humiliated him in front of the Aurors.
"Harry, I know how you feel… I don't think anyone is happy by forcing you into this, but you need to participate in the Tournament or you will lose your Magic" Sirius stepped forward and placed a hand over Harry's shoulder while speaking with a solemn look on his face.
"Hm…" Harry hummed as he looked around the room. Bagman was obviously happy over this development for whatever reason. Barty Crouch looked annoyed. Sirius was quite angry with this whole situation, but he seemed to have accepted the situation as there wasn't much he could do right now. Cornelius Fudge looked nervous and giddy at the same time for whatever reason while the President of MACUSA simply looked troubled. "No, I don't believe I will" Harry answered softly with his gaze fixed on Albus.
His words took everyone by surprise except for Jacklyn as she already had an idea of how Harry was going to react. She knew that Harry hated being forced into anything and then there was the fact that Harry wanted nothing to do with the Tournament. Albus Dumbledore, who was looking really contemplative for whatever reason, reeled back in disbelief. Barty Crouch was the first one to regain his bearings after Harry dropped the bomb.
"I don't think you understand the situation, boy" Barty growled with an annoyed look on his face. This was his chance to get back at the boy, but before he could continue his tirade, Harry decided to cut him off.
"It's not me who doesn't understand the situation, Crouch… It's all of you who don't understand" Harry spoke out in an amused tone while shaking his head. "What was the name written on the parchment that came out of the Goblet?" Harry asked.
"Harry, what are you…" Sirius began to speak with a confused look on his face, but before he could continue, Harry interrupted him.
"Just humor me" Harry insisted and it was Bagman who decided to answer his question.
"Harry Potter. That was the name written on the parchment" Bagman answered unsurely. He wasn't sure where Harry was going with this, but he didn't see any problem with answering Harry's question.
"See… There you have it. The name written on the parchment was Harry Potter, but my name is not Harry Potter. There is no way someone can bind me with an Unbreakable Contract with a name that's not even my own" Harry revealed with a toothy grin on his face, making everyone stare at him blankly. Everyone inside the room except for Jacklyn were equally confused and while Albus was confused too, he felt his heart drop into his stomach.
"But you are Harry Potter" Cornelius Fudge blurted out dumbly and Harry simply shrugged at him.
"That is what you people decided to call me, but that is not my real name…" Harry simply rolled his shoulders with a 'What can you do?' look on his face.
"So, you are saying that Harry Potter isn't your real name?" The President of MACUSA asked with a conflicting look on his face. Half of him was glad over the fact that a 14 year old wasn't going to be forced into a gladiatorial sport, no matter how big of a celebrity the boy was, while the other part of his mind wanted to get the boy arrested for using a fake name. Alas, even a below-average lawyer would be able to get the case thrown out of the court within minutes.
After all, by the time the boy appeared in the public, everyone already knew him by the name Harry Potter and the boy was only a year and a half old when he became famous. Clearly, someone else was to be blamed here for making him famous by a fake name and the boy simply took advantage of him… No matter how much he tried, he had to admit that the boy was quite cunning.
"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying" Harry confirmed while nodding his head. Meanwhile, Sirius, who was still standing by Harry's side, didn't know what to do… A part of him wanted him to cheer in joy as Harry didn't need to participate in the Tournament, which meant that the ones who entered his name in the Tournament, failed. Then another part of him wanted to congratulate Harry for pulling such a hilarious prank and then another part of him was sulking. That part wanted to ask why Harry decided not to trust him, but he quickly crushed the feeling as he realized that they haven't known each other for long.
"You know, I could have you arrested for using a fake name?" The President threatened, wanting to scare the boy to make him realize that he was on thin ice, but instead of looking afraid, the boy simply nodded his head. Sirius wanted to protest on Harry's behalf, but Harry simply raised his hand to stop him.
"I know, but I know you won't. Arresting me won't get you anywhere… So, I welcome you to try" Harry said cockily, making the President grit his teeth. The boy was right. He could have the boy arrested right here, right now, but it won't get him anywhere, but regardless of that, he was so tempted to ask his Aurors to arrest the boy, but it won't help his image in the slightest and if he wanted to win the election, again, he needed to keep maintaining his good image.
Meanwhile, Albus was having a hard time wrapping his head around the big reveal… He couldn't believe all of his plans were failing in such a manner… NO! He realized he couldn't have that! He couldn't have his plans failing at this stage… Keeping an eye on Harry became more important after the second Prophecy was delivered. Albus decided that he needed to get a hold of this situation before this could derail anymore.
"Harry, I can understand what you are saying, but do you really want to risk your Magic on something as whimsical as that… The Goblet of Fire is an old artifact. We do not know how it works, or what are the limits of the Goblet, and so many people know you by the name Harry Potter. Magic is all about intent Harry and the one who entered your name believed you to be Harry Potter, then there is a chance that the Contract might have formed regardless of the fact that Harry Potter is your real name or not" Albus explained, trying to act as a caring grandfather and it seemed to be working as Harry seemed to clearly considering his words.
"I can see the logic in your words, Headmaster Dumbledore, but I am still going to stand by my decision" Harry answered with a determined look on his face, making Albus grimace.
"Harry, you have no idea what is at stake here…" Albus began to speak with a pleading look on his face, but Harry cut him off. While Albus was almost certain that Contract wouldn't work with a fake, he didn't want to take any chances as if Harry lost his Magic, then Voldemort would win.
"Maybe, I don't, but there are a few things I know for certain… There are people back in Britain who want to make me dance to their tunes, but that is not going to happen. My decision is final… I am not going to participate" Harry stated firmly and Albus felt his shoulders slump down at those words. It was clear that words weren't going to work, which meant he needed to use other means to get Harry back to Britain, but for now, he would accept his defeat and leave, though there was something nagging at the back of his mind.
"By the way, what is your real name? Just to sate this old man's curiosity" Albus asked softly. He wanted to know Harry's real name in case he ever needed it.
Harry simply smirked at the elderly man. "That's for me to know and you to find out" Harry said slyly, making Albus almost snap at him, right then and there…
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