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Yes, I could probably stop Crouch by going to Dumbledore right now. I have to say probably, though, because damn those fanfic authors who point out how ridiculous it is that Dumbledore could be fooled so many times in a row, therefore coming to the conclusion that he is actually evil.
What if he is, and Harry really does just get insanely lucky in canon?
Well, that's no good to think about.
Assuming Dumbledore is indeed a true Champion of the Light and he does stop Crouch, what then?
Harry never gets transported to the graveyard. Voldemort either bides his time and captures Harry later, or comes back without the blood protections.
That's not a terrible possibility, considering I can also tip Dumbledore off about the Horcruxes. Or I can try to bust out of here and find them myself, although how I would get into the Lestrange vault is beyond me.
Alternatively, I spring a trap at the graveyard itself, not showing my hand until Voldemort is about to come back. Risky, considering the fact that I'm changing things now, and Harry could end up dead. Or Cedric could grab the cup before Harry gets his hand on it. I could still try the Horcrux hunt on my own, but the same problems with that plan remain.
I put a cheery face on when the Trio takes off, but I'm back to brooding in no time. Damn, what am I going to do?
"Well, well, if it isn't the poor f-f-frightened f-f-foreigner," a haughty voice pretends to stutter behind me.
I turn to regard a sneering Draco Malfoy, framed by his two hulking minions. Suddenly remembering another fanfiction, I smile. "You have minions? That's awesome! I've always wanted minions. How do you get them?"
He's thrown off by my lack of Harry Potter-esque retort. Sorry, Draco, not my style. His trademark sneer returns in no time. "Like a scared little Gryffindor could ever have minions."
"Well, I'm not sure if I even want them. Do they have a talking, magic-wielding kind, or just the silent, menacing type?"
Draco sneers at me. "They do not speak until I give them leave."
"Yikes. Hey gentlemen, if you want to be my minions I'll let you talk and everything."
"Don't try to steal my minions!"
"Hey, it's not stealing if they come willingly. But okay, I'll stop trying if you say so. Do you have any leads on other potential minions? It looks like you've cornered the market on large and menacing things, but I gotta start somewhere."
Draco looks confused, glancing around. His face turns red when he sees the Twins snickering at him. "What are you laughing at, blood traitors? You couldn't afford minions anyway."
Ah, apparently he doesn't know about my abject poverty. "Hey Fred and George, are you interested in being my minions? I can be yours, too."
"Having minions doesn't work that way!" Draco says hotly.
"Sure, Bud, we'll be your minions if you'll be ours," one of them said.
"Hey, Lee, will you be my minion? Fred will be yours." Ah, so the first one was Fred, and that's George. I still won't be able to tell them apart.
Fred gasps theatrically. "Hey!"
"Wait, I wanna be a minion, too!" a voice I don't recognize calls from further down.
Draco walks away in disgust and Fred and George break out in laughter.
I stand up and walk away in satisfaction as the rest of the table is still trying to secure mutual minionships.
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When I reach the seventh floor corridor, I stand at the usual window, looking out over the evening sky. The shadows falling in the opposite direction lend an almost entirely different look to the surrounding land, even though I can recognize individual features when I focus on them.
I have a feeling the trio will probably show up under Harry's invisibility cloak, but on a whim I walk around to the other side of the quad to see if Luna's there. Once again I'm disappointed to find she is not.
I return to the usual side at the top of the stairwell, but instead of gazing outward I sit in silence, listening to every sound. I'm determined to hear them approach, but the ambient noise and distant clatter in the castle will make it difficult.
Or so I thought. It isn't long before I hear rustling, and opening my eyes a moment later I see a quick flash of the boats that Ron calls shoes. I stand up and give a wide smile to where I think their faces are. "Now that's a cool toy."
Hermione throws it off in a huff. "We wanted to surprise you," she says in her whiny voice. "How did you see us?"
"Secrets, Hermione," I say with a smile. She looks annoyed at me. "Okay, okay. If it were just you and Harry you guys might still fit," I say sympathetically. "Ron is going to have to crouch down if he goes with you."
She huffs in indignation. "I told you, Ronald!"
"Hey, it's not like we're doing anything bad this time anyway," he says in his defense.
"This time?" I ask, eyebrows raised.
Hermione glares at Ron. "Come on, I'll get the Room set up."
A short time later the four of us are seated comfortably in a relatively small study. I say relatively small because we've been using this as a part-library, part-dueling pit, part-potions-lab, part-sitting room, et cetera almost every time. There is still a respectable library here.
"Okay, William, since you found this place and have helped us quite a bit, we're going to let you in on a little secret," Hermione says.
"Ooo, dramatic. So are you the evil Dark Lady bent on taking revenge against the righteous forces of Severus Snape and his trusted lieutenant and sometimes lover Draco Malfoy?"
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Hey guys if u like the fanfic and want to read ahead by 20+ chapters or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
http://patreon.com/Marin_kitawaga