As the Sister of Harry Potter

It didn’t take long for the first two of my questions to be answered.

By the second week of March, about two thirds the snow had melted and was replaced by rain, which further melted the grounds, but left them extremely soggy. It was a Thursday evening, and I sat in the Library, finishing up History of Magic homework. I really wanted to go get food from the kitchens, so I checked the Map to see where Snape was. In his office, like a good little grease ball. I packed up, but as I entered the fourth floor corridor, some one on the Map caught my eye. Harry was on the floor above me, and from his directionality, I would say he was planning on exiting the castle. I walked briskly to the Grand Staircase, hoping to intersect him.

I did on the first floor landing. “Hullo Harry, where’re you off to?” I asked.

“They’re telling us what the Third Task is down at the Pitch.”

“Cool, I’m coming with.”

“Jen!”

“No arguing Harry, it’s my job to keep you safe.”

I gave him my bag and transformed. He rolled his eyes, but kept walking all the same. I nuzzled his leg with my head. We jogged down the final staircase and exited the castle.

Twilight was approaching fast. The last rays of the sun stuck the clouds, turning them soft pinks and golds. Harry padded through the grass that was trying to rejuvenate itself when someone called his name.

“Oi, Harry!”

Cedric ran up to walk with him. I skirted off into the grass away from them so he wouldn’t see be, but I could hear them.

“Hi, Cedric.”

“How are you?”

“Um, alright, you?”

“Never been better.” I could see Cedric grinning even in this light.

“So, what d’you reckon the next task’ll be?” Harry asked.

“No idea. Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels, but I’m not sure about that.”

‘In that case Harry might as well just use a Niffler,’ I commented to myself.

When we reached the Pitch, the boys stopped and their jaws dropped. Mine would have too, if I wasn’t a cat. I hid down as close to the ground as well as I could. If I didn’t move, maybe no one would see me.

“Don’t worry,” said Ludo Bagman, accompanied by Fleur and Krum, “We’ll have your Quidditch Pitch back to normal in no time!”

“What did you do to it?!” Cedric asked, shocked. Growing on the Pitch, covering the field, were three foot hedges. What had they done to our Quidditch Pitch?

“We had to find a good place to have it… does anyone know what it is?”

“Maze,” Krum grunted.

“Right you are, Mr. Krum! Now, when we’re done, they’ll be about fifteen feet taller, but the Third Task is a maze. The Triwizard Cup will be placed inside the center, and whoever finds it first wins! Of course, there’ll be lots of obstacles, so be prepared! The task will take place the evening exams are done, so…June twenty fourth? Anyways, that’s all.”

So, a maze. It wasn’t going to be anything too deadly after all. Better than the dragon, anyways. “Can I haf a vord?” Krum was asking Harry.

“Um, sure.” They walked towards the edge of the Forest. I stalked after them as fast as I dared. I only caught a part of their conversation.

“Hermione…she talks about you a lot.”

“Really? She talks about you a lot too…”

“You and Hermione are…?”

“Just friends,” Harry said flatly. Krum didn’t look like he believed him. “She’s my best friend, that’s all. She and Ron. All that junk in the papers,” Harry waved his hand, “it’s all lies. Anything that Rita Skeeter writes is.”

“Okay, if you say s-” There was a rustling noise in the bushes next to us. Harry and Krum pulled their wand, and I pressed myself into the ground even farther, trying not to hiss. Out of the bushes however, crawled a wild-looking Mr. Crouch.

“Doesn’t he vork for your Ministry?”

“Mr. Crouch?” Harry asked, taking a step towards him. Crouch was talking to a tree in a perfectly normal voice.

“Yes, and have Weatherby finish that report by Wednesday…”

“Mr. Crouch, are you okay?” Crouch looked at Harry, and a crazed look took over his eyes.

“You…you! Potter?”

“Yes?”

“You know Dumbledore? I’ve got to talk to Dumbledore!!”

“Alright, I can go get him…”

“As I was saying,” Crouch snapped back to the tree, “Weatherby will probably have it done a day early… quite efficient, he is.” Then he snapped back to being crazy. “Dumbledore! You’ve got to take me to him!”

“If you stay here, I’ll go get him,” Harry said kindly, then he looked at Krum. “Stay with him. I’ll be back soon.”

“You’d better,” Krum said, looking wearily at Crouch.

Harry took off at a run for the castle. I ran after him, catching him soon. We raced to the second floor and they gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office.

“L-Lemon Drop!” Harry gasped out.

Nothing.

“Licorice Wand?”

Again, it didn’t move.

“Ice Mice? Blood Pop? Droobles, Bertie Bott, Cockroach Cluster?” Harry asked loudly, kicking the statue in frustration. Surprisingly, it moved, revealing the staircase. “Really? I was only kidding,” Harry said, but charged up the stairs all the same. We stopped at the closed door. Voices were coming from inside, and it sounded like Dumbledore, Fudge, and Moody.

“It might interest you to know that this conversation is not longer private,” Moody said, and the door opened.

“Ah, Harry!” Fudge said as we entered. I attempted to keep hidden behind Harry’s legs, but Dumbledore and Moody probably saw me. Fudge, thankfully, did not.

“Professor, Mr. Crouch is down by the forest asking for you. He looks really sick,” Harry addressed Dumbledore urgently.

“Mr. Crouch? Harry, he’s sick at home!” Fudge said.

“No, he’s not! Please, just go and see him!”

“Alright Harry, we will. Please just wait for me to come back.” Dumbledore said, and he led Fudge and Moody out of the office.

Once the door was shut and I was sure we were alone, I transformed back.

“Wonder why Fudge’s here,” Harry asked.

“I have no idea, but Crouch’s turning up is what’s bothering me…” I frowned. Nothing made sense… as usual. Whilst going for examining one of Dumbledore’s odd instruments, Harry bumped a cabinet, which opened.

“Hey Jen, what is this thing?” I walked over to him. It was a stone basin, with silvery wisps swirling in it. I had seen pictures in my charms books of them.

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s called a Pensieve. I don’t remember exactly what they do though…”

We leaned over it, trying to make out the image that was forming in the silver clouds. Before it could finish, we leaned too far, and were falling down into the Pensieve.

-

We landed hard onto a wooden bench, next to a slightly younger looking Dumbledore and Moody. We were in some kind of… trial room? There were wizards and witches sitting in the benches circling most of the room. Few seats away to the right was Barty Crouch, looking mad, but not sick. Harry was waving his hand in Professor Dumbledore’s face.

“Professor? Can you hear me?”

When Dumbledore didn’t respond, my memory seemed to snap back to me.

“Harry, give it up, he can’t hear or see us. We’re practically ghosts.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re in Dumbledore’s memory. That’s what I think, anyways. It’s been a while since I read about them.”

“But how does…?”

Harry’s sentence was cut off when six Dementors flanking four people entered the room. Everyone was silent as the four sat in the chained chairs. There was a twitchy, small man, then a strong, grim man. On the end was a frantic, pale teen, a bit older than me, with straw-like hair strewn about his face. In the middle was the only one I recognized, the woman, sitting upon the chair like a throne. It was Bellatrix Lestrange, with her shiny black hair and hooded eyes.

“You have been brought before this court for the charges as follows; the torture by means of the Cruciatus Curse of Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife, Alice Longbottom,” Crouch read off the scroll in front of him. I covered my mouth with my hand. Surely he didn’t mean… Neville’s parents?

The boy cried out. “No, no! Father! I didn’t do it!”

“All those in favor of conviction?”

“Father!”

Every hand in the room was raised. I raised mine, despite the fact that I knew no one could see it. I knew how twisted Bellatrix was from the stories Sarlanda had told us.

“NO!”

The Dementors returned and took the four Death Eaters out of the room. I felt a hand on my shoulder. Present-day Dumbledore was smiling at Harry and I.

“Let’s leave, shall we?” Somehow, he pulled us out of the Pensieve.

Outside in the office, Harry was bumbling. “I’m sorry Professor, the cabinet just opened, and-”

“Harry, curiosity is not a sin. But you should exercise caution,” said the Professor, blue eyes twinkling.

“It’s a Pensieve, isn’t it?” I asked softly, running my fingers along the rim of the basin.

“Yes it is Miss Potter. I store my memories in it when I feel my mind to be a little crowded.”

“Sir… what about Mr. Crouch?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“We couldn’t find him,” said Dumbledore. “We’re still looking. Alastor is searching the forest as we speak. Viktor Krum was found stunned, however, and said that Crouch attacked him. He’s resting in his ship.”

“I hope you find Crouch, he looked mad,” I said.

“I’m interested to know how you know this Jennifer,” Dumbledore asked simply. I gulped. There was simply no getting around the old man, was there? I transformed into my cat and back.

Dumbledore smiled. “Sirius helped you?”

“Um, yeah…” His eyes twinkled again.

“Harry, Jennifer, I need to ask you to head to your dormitories now. Good night.”

“Good night Professor,” we said together, and walked out of the office. We walked through the dark hallways up to the common room, not daring to speak to each other. Ron and Hermione were waiting for us, reading a paper on the table. I took my bag back and we sat with them.

“Well mate? What’s the next task?”

“A maze.”

“Ooh!” said Hermione. “Well, that won’t be that bad!”

I smirked. “I’ve got a whole line up of spells I want to teach you Harry…”

“I thought you couldn’t get outside help?” Ron asked.

“Teacher help. Plus, we’ve already broken that rule, quite a bit may I remind you,” I pointed out.

“So, what’s the letter?” Harry asked.

“Percy’s response,” grumbled Ron. “ ‘Snot very helpful.” Harry’s eyes scanned over the letter, then passed it to me. Scanning it, I found nothing to be helpful.

“Don’t bother… just sick… working overload… don’t write again unless it’s important.”

I snorted. “Just a ball of sunshine, isn’t he?”

“Yeah… although I’ll admit, it’s better if he doesn’t know about Crouch,” Harry said.

“Wait, what about Crouch?” Ron asked, and we launched into the explanation. Hermione’s jaw dropped.

“And he just disappeared?”

“ ‘S what Dumbledore said.”

“But… Krum must’ve seen something…”

“Unless… if someone took Crouch away, he could have stunned Krum… or Crouch could have taken out Krum… or, even more unlikely, Krum did it, took out Crouch, then stunned himself,” I said, now pacing.

“But why would Krum do it? He wouldn’t!” said Hermione, on the defense.

“That’s why I said it was unlikely. But it’s still a possibility.” I stopped and looked hard at my brother and his friends. “Look guys, things are getting weird. And starting next week, I’m getting Harry ready for the last task. You’re welcome to join us.” I left for my dorm, about to pass out.

This night wasn’t going on my list of fun nights.