Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy Chapter 49 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy! The time is drawing closer. The Third Task looms. What is Harry doing in the interim? He’s got a few different things on his plate right now. What will be the first thing to complete? Will one of the antagonistic factors in the young Artificer’s life make a nuisance of themselves?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 49 – Third Task, Ritual

“Alright, this one looks good.” Harry nodded as he moved a piece of Magical Quartz into a small pile on his desk. It was much smaller than the pile on the opposite side of the Artificer. Those were the pieces of the Magical Quartz that wouldn’t work for his first tests on the Communications Hub.

Harry smiled at his small pile and quickly placed them in a small case by themselves. Once he had time to work directly on the Hub, then he’d take them out again. He placed the rest of the Magical Quartz pieces into a much larger case for later use. They’d also be good for trying to learn a little gem-cutting. Drasurd had assured him that if he wanted to learn, then the Dwarves of Erdunn were more than willing to teach their sworn brother.

“Now…let’s look at these beauties.” Harry gently took two gems in hand. Both were blue in color. One was a dark navy, almost like a sapphire, while the other was a lighter blue interspersed with white. The first was the Magical Gem known as Azuryte. It was known to have a good synergy with Water Magics, empowering them or making them much more efficient to cast. The second stone was called Frost Azuryte. It was only found in long-frozen lands, usually in frozen lakes, ponds, and rivers. As its name implied, this stone had good synergy with Ice-based Magics. They’d cost Harry more than he’d like to admit because of how rare they were. But now that he had them, he couldn’t wait to examine them and think about how to incorporate them into his Artifice.

-Flint Manor-

“It is finally complete.” Voldemort had a dark look of satisfaction upon his face as he gazed over the intricate lines and symbols on the stone floor. He was in the basement of the Manor that he’d appropriated and had finally finished the necessary preparations to begin his first Ritual. Now he just needed his sacrifice. He had to give something of his own in exchange for what he wanted the ritual to do. How very fortunate that everyone that willingly accepted his Mark bound themselves to him as little more than property. He had plenty he was willing to give up for this ritual and would soon have far more to sacrifice for the next ritual he was planning. “Time to bring in the sacrifices.” He had a cold sneer on his lips as he made his way up the stairs. He’d have Barty round up twenty-one of the fools for him. It didn’t matter which ones; they were all equally useful as fodder.

Several minutes later and Voldemort heard the door to the basement open. Tromping down the stairs were the pawns he’d marked a while back. Barty was behind all of them, looking happy to have been of service, as always.

“Thank you, Barty.” Voldemort gave a nod to his loyal follower.

“Of course, My Lord.” Barty bowed at the waist to the Dark Lord.

“Keep anyone from interrupting us, Barty, this is delicate Magic.” Voldemort ordered and Barty nodded quickly before heading back up the stairs. Once he heard the door to the basement close again, Voldemort looked over the twenty-one Wizards. “We will be performing a Ritual that will further strengthen my immortality and prevent any accidents from happening again.” All of the Wizards knew he meant Halloween night of Eighty-One. “You will kneel where I tell you to, and you will place your hands on the floor where I instruct. You will not move after that until the Ritual is complete. Am I in anyway unclear?” He directed his red-eyed gaze over the men.

“No, My Lord!” The twenty-one Wizards were quick to respond. They’d seen the pain he could inflict on those that displeased him. Thankfully he’d never directed any of that rage at them since they’d joined.

Voldemort spent the next few minutes placing each of his living sacrifices in the proper locations around the lines and symbols on the floor. He shot each man a glare after he’d positioned them, a warning not to move. When the last man was in the correct position, only then did Voldemort step into the center of the configuration of lines. He spoke the incantation to activate the Ritual clearly, he’d practiced it thoroughly to ensure that no mistakes would be made. The various lines and symbols on the floor began to glow. Each of the men found themselves encircled by the glowing lines. It was only when Voldemort spoke the final part of the incantation that they suddenly knew something was wrong.

“Immolo.” Voldemort finished the incantation firmly as he offered up the marked Wizards. His property since they bore his Mark willingly upon their flesh.

The screaming started as the light of the various lines and symbols changed from a bluish color to a dark and angry red. The color grew darker, becoming a deep purple-black after a few moments. The twenty-one Wizards felt as their Magic was drained from them forcibly. Intense agony ripped through their bodies, but they couldn’t move once the Ritual had begun. The Magic was holding them in place as they suffered. After their Magic was drained the pain became even more intense. Vocal cords were torn as the men wailed in agony as their very bodies appeared to age rapidly. They went from looking in their twenties and thirties to quickly looking old, decrepit, and grey. The Ritual still didn’t stop there either. The men felt as their bodies broke down, withering away into naught but dust. The insidious Magic of the sacrificial ritual keeping them alive throughout the process until they fell apart into nothing.

Once all of the sacrifices had been consumed in their entirety, the Magic in the lines and symbols began to flow towards Voldemort in the center of the configuration. The purple-black light washed over the Dark Lord and one-by-one he felt as connections formed. These were direct links to his scattered and hidden Horcruxes. It was after the fifth connection was made and the Magic of the Ritual faded away that Voldemort realized something was wrong.

“Five?” Voldemort’s confusion was quickly turning to anger. “I made SIX!” His face was a rictus of fury as he stomped out of the array, kicking up clouds of dust that had just minutes ago been men. “Which one?! Who could have found one of them?!” His anger was laced with worry, though no one was around to hear it. “Dumbledore?! That old fool…no…how could he possibly know? The only one that I ever spoke with about Horcruxes was…Slughorn…” Voldemort breathed out furiously. That doddering old suck up! He’d hunt him down and tear the truth from the man! “Wait…” He hissed to himself. “Calm down…think…” After several moments he got his temper under control.

The Dark Lord quickly went over his Horcruxes in his mind. His old Diary, the Gaunt Family Ring, the Locket of Slytherin, the Cup of Hufflepuff, the Diadem of Ravenclaw, and Nagini. He knew Nagini, his newest Horcrux, was safe inside the mansion. The Diadem was in the Room of Hidden Things in Hogwarts. The Locket was in the cave. The Cup was in the Lestrange Vault. The Ring should still be beneath the floorboards of the Gaunt Shack in Little Hangleton. His Diary he’d given to Lucius for safekeeping.

“I’ll start by asking Lucius to hand over my old Diary.” Voldemort decided as he made his way up the stairs. He exited the basement and found Barty standing just at the end of the corridor that led to the door. “Barty, is Lucius still within the manor?” He questioned his Death Eater as he strode through the corridor.

“Yes, My Lord, shall I fetch him?” Barty fell into step behind his Master.

“Just tell me where he is.” Voldemort waved off as they walked.

“I believe that he’s in the parlor.” Barty informed and Voldemort headed for the room after a quick turn down the next corridor. “He just returned from recruiting more members to your cause, My Lord.”

The two arrived in the parlor to find Lucius sitting on one of the plush chairs. The Malfoy Family Head looked exasperated from his latest recruitment attempt. Barty could understand, some of these fools didn’t understand what an honor it was to serve the Dark Lord. Voldemort cared little for Lucius’ woes and made his presence known quickly.

“Lucius, I have need of something I left in your possession.” Voldemort spoke in his cold, smooth tone. Lucius jumped to his feet immediately before kneeling before his Master.

“Whatever you need, My Lord.” Lucius did not look up to meet the Dark Lord’s gaze.

“The old Diary I gave to you for safekeeping before that night…bring it to me.” Voldemort demanded with a slight hiss.

“…I…M-My Lord…I…no longer have it.” Lucius admitted after stumbling over his words.

“What do you mean you don’t have it?” Voldemort’s red eyes looked like they were glowing. “I gave it to you to keep it safe.”

“M-My Lord…I used it in an attempt to have Dumbledore removed from Hogwarts two years ago.” Lucius admitted after swallowing heavily. “According to my son, the plan had some success…” He was cut off as Voldemort’s Magic slammed him into the far wall.

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Voldemort roared so loudly the entire manor could hear it. The shaking of the walls and floors was also a cause for alarm among the Death Eaters that were staying there. “Leave!” He snapped at Barty and the man backed out of the room so quickly he nearly tripped over himself. The parlor door was slammed closed a half-second later.

“Mas-Master…please…” Lucius was having trouble breathing.

“I gave that book to you to protect!” Voldemort silenced his follower as his Magic crushed Lucius against the wall harder. “Did I ever instruct you to let it out of your possession? DID I?!” He raged at the pale-blonde man.

“N-No…” Lucius barely wheezed out. He was summarily hurled across the room and slammed into the opposite wall by the Magic holding him. He hacked and coughed, trying to get air back into his lungs. He barely took three breathes before the first Cruciatus Curse hit him and he howled in agony.

“You will know my full displeasure, Lucius…” Voldemort hissed out like an angry serpent. “If you still live afterwards is beneath my concern.” He informed the trembling man after giving him a respite from the Torture Curse.

For the rest of the day, the wailing and agony of Lucius could be heard throughout the Flint Manor. None dared approach the Parlor door during that time. Only later in the evening did Voldemort storm out of the room while demanding dinner be served to him immediately. No one went to check on Lucius for over an hour. The ones that eventually did so saw the twisted, broken form of the man. He was barely breathing and was covered in blood. He shook and spasmed even while unconscious from the after-effects of the Cruciatus.

-Hogwarts ~ May-

“Harry…what are you mumbling to yourself?” Fleur questioned her lover. He’d been going over something intently for almost a month now. He’d promised to tell her about it once he was sure it could work. The lovely Veela had simply run out of patience.

“Huh?” Harry blinked as he looked up from a book and his notebook where he was taking notes. They were at the Ravenclaw Table for lunch and Harry had brought his current project with him. He’d honestly barely touched his food since he sat down.

“What are you mumbling about?” Fleur repeated her question and Harry looked between his notebook and his girlfriend before giving her a smile.

“Artifice…” Harry answered without actually answering.

“I gathered that much.” Fleur deadpanned at him. Harry just smiled wider. “What has your mind so preoccupied?”

“This new idea of mine should be able to work…I’m making use of one of the Magical Gems I got through the Owl Order. Not sure which one just yet, but either of them should work.” Harry’s excitement was palpable and Fleur could only shake her head.

“You’re worse than I am with new Magical discoveries, mon amour.” Fleur admitted to her own fixation whenever Madam Aveline sent her copies of research notes that she’d collected while working. “What Item are you planning, exactly?” Harry picked up his notebook and showed it to her. “A sword and a trident?” The lovely Scholar blinked at the sketches Harry had made. She read over Harry’s notes on the page, able to make some sense of them due to her own depth of Magical Knowledge. “Why is power source a question mark?”

“Well, the Magical Gems are good as catalysts for certain types of Magic.” Harry began as he looked his notes over. “However, they don’t actually have a lot of Magic of their own. So, the best way to make use of them is to have a power source supply the right type of Magic and let the gem amplify it or make casting more efficient.” He explained as he jotted down a quick note in the corner of the page.

“And what are you planning to use for a power source?” Fleur knew he already had some ideas. Harry wasn’t likely to not have at least some thoughts on his creations from the very beginning.

“I mean, I could power it…” Harry shrugged and Fleur noticed he wasn’t meeting her eyes. “It would take a lot to impart enough mana to become innate to the Artifact, but that’s what the forging process is for.”

“Harry…” Fleur’s tone made Harry twitch. “Is this an idea of yours that would see you being sent to the Hospital for several days to recover…again?” The Veela girl was clearly not amused by the idea.

“No,” Harry shook his head, his eyes meeting hers. “I mean…probably not,” Fleur raised one delicate eyebrow at him. “…I’ll be careful.”

“Harry…” Hermione looked at him incredulously.

“Don’t.” Mandy drew out the word while giving him a look.

“We’d all prefer you didn’t put your self in the Hospital Wing again, Harry.” Padma’s concern was clear to see.

Harry turned to his side when he felt a tug on his robe. He was met with the wide, blue eyes of Luna. “Please don’t hurt yourself, Harry.” She pleaded with him and Harry couldn’t handle the slight welling of tears he saw in the little blonde’s eyes.

“Alright, alright…” He pulled Luna into a side-hug to reassure her. “I’ll figure out some other way, okay?” He gently patted the top of Luna’s head and the younger girl nodded happily.

“Why was potentially putting yourself in the Hospital Wing even a consideration?” Fleur questioned her boyfriend with a sigh.

“It wasn’t my first choice.” Harry shook his head. “But a power source to make the best use of the Azuryte and Frost Azuryte isn’t just going to fall into my lap. I’m going to have to come up with something myself.”

“Better to take your time and figure out a power source than to hurt yourself, Harry.” Padma gave her opinion.

“She’s right, you know?” Mandy nodded in agreement. “It’s not like you have to rush or anything. You’re already the youngest Artificer in history. What’s the big hurry, right?”

“Exactly,” Hermione agreed with her friends. “You’ve got plenty of time, Harry. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.”

‘Maybe not as much time as I’d like.’ Harry thought to himself knowing that Voldemort was out there somewhere.

-Third Task ~ June 24th-

All three Champions stood before the large hedge maze on the Quidditch Pitch. Bagman had brought them all aside to show them the maze two weeks ago when it had yet to fully grow. Fleur and Harry had already taken a peek long before, but didn’t say anything about it. Krum hadn’t looked too surprised at the reveal either, leading both of the other Champions to believe he’d snuck a peek too. Now the stands were packed with spectators looking down on the hedge maze. Form the height difference, they’d be able to see into the maze and watch the Champions find their way through it.

Harry barely listened as Ludo Bagman blathered on about the Task. All he really needed to know was when to start and the overall objective. But the former Professional Beater really enjoyed hearing himself talk it seemed. Both Fleur and Harry shared a look between them, the French Witch even playfully rolling her eyes as Bagman continued to wax on. Harry grinned at her and Fleur smiled beautifully at him. Harry would actually be going in second according to Bagman. Apparently, the points they’d been awarded in the First and Second Task determined the order of entry. Fleur would be going first, Harry a short time after her, and Krum a few minutes behind him.

A minute after Bagman finally stopped talking and the first blast went off to start the Third Task. Fleur gave him a wink before she walked close to the entrance of the maze. The rules stated that they would start with only their wands. The obvious loophole was just ripe for abuse to Harry and Fleur. The lovely young woman demonstrated this by holding out her hand and summoning her Storage Cloak from the stands where Gabrielle had been holding it for her. After slipping the jet-black cloak on, Fleur entered the maze. Harry was certain she’d be putting on her Basilisk Scale Mail in short order.

A minute later and the second blast went off. Harry summoned his own Storage Cloak from where Sirius was holding it in the stands. He put it on quickly and moved into the maze. After rounding the first corner and checking for threats, Harry reached into the cloak and pulled out his own Basilisk Scale Mail. The Artifact Armor slipped on easily as it was made to do. Harry pulled out his Wind Walker items and strapped them on with a quick application of Magic. His Spell Ward Gauntlets were put on next and only then did Harry make his first move towards actually completing the Task. He pulled out his wand and laid it on his flat palm.

“Point me, Fleur Delacour.” Harry spoke and his wand spun for a second before suddenly whipping around and locking into position. It would seem Fleur was on the left side of the maze at the moment. “Point me, Triwizard Cup.” He spoke the target of the Task next. The wand spun only once before snapping towards a specific direction, dead center of the maze. “Well, that’s convenient.” Harry smirked as he put his wand away and from within his cloak, he pulled out the sheathed Aethereum. He attached the scabbard to his belt before drawing the Artifact Sword. “Shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” Aethereum’s blade was engulfed in flames as Harry channeled a spell into the Focus. He gripped the sword with both hands and brought it down in a helm-splitter.

A massive torrent of fire was cast from the Artifact. It blasted through the magical hedges easily and tore through the maze in a straight line with a roar. The crackling of flames was loud in Harry’s ears as he beheld the shortcut he’d made. With a grin he activated his Wind Walker and flew threw the still burning path his sword had carved through the maze.

“Fleur is going to be so annoyed with me.” Harry chuckled as he flew towards the center of the maze quickly. He should’ve made a bet with her about who’d get to the end of the maze first. He could’ve won another bath with his beautiful girlfriend!

-Stands-

“Harry…!” Penny shook her head at Harry’s blatant breaking of the traditional maze rules. Going through the walls was usually a ‘no-no’ for any maze.

“I mean…it’s technically a solution.” Edward Clearwater sat beside his daughter as he watched Harry burn his way through the majority of the maze. It was still astonishing to the older Wizard what a single swing of that sword could do.

“Screw the rules, Harry!” Sirius was practically howling in laughter while Marlie grinned behind her hand. It wouldn’t be hard to spot the engagement ring nearly sparkling on her ring finger. The diamond was large, but not ridiculous, and it was cut by the finest Artisan among the Erdunn Dwarves. Sirius had happily paid full price for the beautiful ring for his fiancé.

-Maze-

“Harry, you cheater!” Fleur huffed at the torrent of flames that died out a few seconds later. She started heading in the direction of the line of fire she’d seen. If Harry was going to make himself a shortcut, then she might as well take advantage. She didn’t even pay attention to the blast that went off moments later signaling Krum entering the maze.

“Huh…I didn’t make it all the way through.” Harry noticed a slightly burnt hedge in front of him. “That might’ve been for the best…wouldn’t want to destroy the Cup. They might say we have to restart the Task after they got a replacement or something.” Two swings of Aethereum and the magic cleaving properties of the sword had cut a triangular hole in the hedge wall. Harry grinned when he saw the center of the maze and the shining cup on the pedestal in the middle. “Always ‘I’m Magical, look at me!’” He shook his head at the blatantly magical cup. He sheathed Aethereum after checking for any threats in the area. He walked up to the Triwizard Cup and looked over the Item. It was supposed to be a Portkey to the Winner’s Platform they had set up, so all he should need to so was grab it.

A second after he grabbed one of the handles, Harry was whisked away in a swirl of colors.

-Graveyard ~ Little Hangleton-

“Hate…Portkeys…” Harry grimaced as he landed heavily and felt his stomach lurch. A short moment later and he realized he was most definitely NOT where he was supposed to be.

“Harry Potter…” A cold and slightly hissing voice drawled. “How good of you to join us.” Voldemort waved away the thick fog in the graveyard with his hand. Harry’s eyes narrowed at the Dark Lord and the ring of cloaked figures he could see now.

“Yeah…that figures.” Harry drew Aethereum with a scowl. “Of course, it’d be you and your ilk that put me into this dumb tournament.”

“A rather simple task to get you entered, to be sure.” Voldemort mocked as he drew his wand. The Dark Lord eyed the sword warily. Lucius had said that Potter had an Artifact Sword of his own creation. “No one really cares about the Squibs, do they, Harry?”

“Squibs?” Harry’s confusion showed on his face and Voldemort chuckled darkly.

“See? Even you don’t recall Argus Filch until someone else mentions him.” Voldemort mocked the teen.

“Filch…the hell are you on about?” Harry wouldn’t take his eyes off of Voldemort. But that didn’t prevent him from wandlessly using spells to check his surroundings. ‘Twenty of them surrounding us. Odds aren’t in my favor, but…’ He activated the Scouter function in his glasses and checked Voldemort first.

‘44,680…well, shite.’ Harry didn’t like that reading at all. ‘He actually exceeds Dumbledore.’ He was able to get a few scans from the cloaked individuals standing behind Voldemort too. ‘3,640…4,228…4,854…7,962…’ Most of them were average or slightly above average. The one at almost eight-thousand seemed to be the biggest standout of the Death Eaters he could get a reading on.

“A Squib is such an easy target for the Imperius Curse, Harry Potter.” Voldemort replied with an amused sneer.

‘Well, that explains how my name got in the Goblet of Fire.’ Harry quickly put the pieces together. Filch had access to most of the castle. Not to mention the surly caretaker was mostly overlooked by the students and other faculty. It would be rather easy for the Imperiused man to snatch a parchment with his name written on it. “Well, aren’t you clever…do you want a treat for that?” He snarked at the Dark Lord, projecting bravado.

“No, no, your death shall suffice.” Voldemort’s wand was moving in a blur as he brought it to bear.

“Protego Maxima!” Harry channeled the spell through Aethereum and a massive, glowing off-white shield appeared between him and Voldemort.

“Crucio!” Voldemort cast the Unforgivable Cruciatus Curse right off the bat. It passed through the massive Protego easily. The three Unforgivables weren’t blockable by Magic by their very design. But that didn’t matter when Harry was already on the move.

A gargantuan cloud of billowing black smoke filled the graveyard quickly. Harry tapped Aethereum on the ground and let himself smirk a little when he heard the encircling Death Eaters cry out in surprise, shock, and some in pain. He’d transfigured the ground into long, sharp spikes as he used his Wind Walker to fly just above the grass and dirt.

“Childish, Harry.” Voldemort waved his wand and the transfiguration was undone. The mass of smoke vanished a second later as well. What Voldemort wasn’t expecting to see was a roaring conflagration burning its way through the cemetery. The wall of fire washed over the area at speed from Harry’s swing of Aethereum. Voldemort was more than capable of shielding himself from such a spell. Several of his Death Eaters were not. Their screams were completely ignored by the Dark Lord.

In the confusion, Harry pulled a Mana Bane chain from within his Storage Cloak. He passed his mana through the chain and sent it at the Death Eater with the reading of almost 8,000 mana. The animated chain wrapped around the man in the chaos of the blaze and sealed his Magic. Harry used his control over the chain to yank the man off his feet and into the air next to him.

“Avada Kedavra!” Voldemort sent the sickly green curse towards Harry. The Death Eater he’d snatched with that chain of his was Barty. Voldemort wouldn’t let one of his truly loyal Death Eaters be taken hostage. At least not when he had so few competent followers right now.

To everyone that was able to see the exchange, their eyes widened in shock. Harry brought Aethereum’s blade between himself and the Killing Curse. The unblockable, instant death curse touched the blade and instantly vanished without a trace. Even Voldemort found himself momentarily stunned. What the teen had just done shouldn’t have been possible…even inanimate objects exploded when hit by the Killing Curse!

“Block this.” Harry channeled a large portion of his mana into Aethereum while tapping into the Artifact Sword’s innate mana. The blade sparked a blinding blue-white as Harry brought it down and slashed in the direction of Voldemort. A titanic blast of lightning tore through the cemetery and lit up the area brighter than midday. The loud thunderous roar that followed nearly deafened everyone. Even the Non-magical residents of Little Hangleton saw and heard the lightning. Calls to the police were being made in a panic.

“Lata Protego Maxima Tria!” Voldemort roared as he jabbed his wand forward. Three large, powerful Shield Charms appeared between the Dark Lord and the lightning blast Harry had sent at him. The vastly overpowered Fulmen Curse slammed into the expanded, tripled, and maximized shields and instantly shattered the first one. The second held up for a time as bolts of lightning were redirected around the shields and struck whatever was in their path. Tombstones, the ground, Death Eaters, everything around the two opposing spells was hit. The second of Voldemort’s shield gave way under the force of the lightning and Voldemort grit his teeth as he focused heavily on maintaining the final shield.

“Time to go.” Harry decided as he sheathed the lightly smoking Aethereum and tossed the Triwizard Cup a few centimeters into the air. If Harry was right, the original Portkey would activate if he touched the Cup again. He caught the shining cup as it fell and felt the familiar ‘hook behind the navel’ before he and Barty Crouch Jr. vanished in a swirl of colors.

The Fulmen Curse finally lost power and Voldemort lashed out with his wand. He scattered the remaining lightning as his final shield rapidly expanded and then appeared to burst. The entire area was smoking, both from the fires still burning here and there and from where the lightning had struck. The cemetery reeked of ozone and Voldemort glared hatefully at his Death Eaters. Most of them were on the ground, injured or dead he didn’t know nor care. Barty had been taken! This could not be allowed to stand! He was Lord Voldemort! No mere teenager was allowed to defy him and live!

The sound of sirens and the flashing of both fire engine lights and police car lights near the edge of the cemetery made Voldemort snarl. He turned on his heel and vanished with a near-silent pop. The Death Eaters that were still able followed his lead and vanished in Apparation as well. They left behind just over a dozen of their injured or dead comrades. The Little Hangleton police would discover them shortly and in a fairly short amount of time higher authorities would be alerted.

-Hogwarts-

Harry and Barty spun into existence on the Winner’s Platform that had been set up outside the hedge maze. The Judges were there to greet them along with Minister Fudge himself. The politician wouldn’t miss a chance for a photo op and the Daily Prophet Cameraman along with Barnabas Cuffe, the Chief Editor of the paper, were waiting to get the story of the Triwizard Tournament Winner. When Harry reappeared with a man bound in chain. No one knew what to make of it.

“Can someone call the Aurors?” Harry demanded as he held up tightened the Mana Bane chain around Barty Crouch Jr. to make sure the man wasn’t going anywhere. “I have a Death Eater to turn in.” The flash of the Daily Prophet camera seemed to snap everyone out of their stupor.

“Who is that?” Fudge looked confused by the unexpected happenings. The bound man looked hatefully at everyone. Crouch, the Judge, took a half-step forward only to be stopped by Dumbledore.

“How are you alive, Bartemius Crouch Junior?” Dumbledore questioned the man and almost everyone, except Harry and Dumbledore himself, stared in shock.

“Dumbledore!” Barty growled at the hated enemy of his Master. His hateful eyes looked towards his own father next. “Why don’t you tell them how I’m alive, father? How you kept me under the Imperius for over a decade!” He tried to struggle to his feet by Harry passed a weak current of electricity through the mana Bane chain. It made for an effective taser and Barty jerked and fell back to the floor.

“Is someone going to call the Aurors or not?” Harry looked between all of the adults unable to believe that none of them had done so yet.

Another flash of the Daily Prophet Cameraman’s camera went off and the adults finally began to move. Harry only exhaled heavily as Dumbledore kept Barty at wand point and the other Judges began to speak. Karkaroff looked like he was about to bolt entirely. Bagman still seemed stunned. Fudge clearly had no idea what was going on and was slow to catch up. Madame Maxime was the one that finally shot sparks into the air that turned into the words ‘Aurors Needed’ in bright white letters.

Harry noticed two of the red-robed Aurors rushing towards the stage from aways away. They were apparently Fudge’s escorts for the event. The teen Artificer would bet money that Fudge had left them at the edge of the Pitch to not ‘ruin’ his photo op.

‘This is going to be a damned headache; I can already tell.’ Harry thought to himself as the Aurors arrived.

-End Chapter-

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Well…that was a different Third Task.

Harry is an Artificer and decides to use his Artifacts to complete the Maze in the most efficient way possible! Straight through! Screw maze etiquette!

Then Voldemort was waiting, but the Dark Lord is nothing if not cocky. He disregarded the youngest Artificer in history as still being a mere teenager. That came back to bite him!

Harry dragged Barty back to Hogwarts with him too! That’ll shake things up! Mr. Crouch probably isn’t going to have his job much longer.

How will the small village of Little Hangleton deal with the injured and dead Death Eaters? They’ll need to call in higher authorities for this. That means a certain Minister of Magic is about to be in hot water with his Non-Magical counterpart!

How will this event effect the story going forward?

Keep reading to find out!

Current Mana Levels

Harry – 21,412

Tonks – 19,864

Penelope – 14,588

Fleur – 15,990

Until I get your reviews, later!