In Between Two Worlds (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter 148: The Third Task.

"Dumbledore reckons You-Know-Who's getting stronger again as well?" Ron whispered.

After I told them all about what happened at St Mungos, Fred, George and Ginny left. Then Bailey, Mione, Ron, Harry and I talked about what Harry and I saw in the Pensieve. Harry had sent Sirius a letter too the moment he had left Dumbledore's office. We all sat up late in the common room once again, talking it all over until my mind was reeling.

Ron stared into the common room fire. I thought I saw Ron shiver slightly, even though the evening was warm.

"And he trusts Snape?" Ron said. "He really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater?"

"Yes," said Harry.

Hermione had not spoken for ten minutes. She was sitting with her forehead in her hands, staring at her knees. I thought she too looked as though she could have done with a Pensieve.

"Rita Skeeter," she muttered finally.

"How can you be worrying about her now?" said Bailey, in utter disbelief.

"I'm not worrying about her," Hermione said to her knees. "I'm just thinking...remember what she said to me in the Three Broomsticks? 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl.' This is what she meant, isn't it? She reported his trial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, remember...'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked about it at home."

"Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?"

Hermione shrugged.

"And Fudge reckons Madame Maxime attacked Crouch?" Ron said, turning back to Harry and me.

"Yeah," I said, "but he's only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage."

"We never thought of her, did we?" said Ron slowly. "Mind you, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admit it-"

"Of course she doesn't," said Hermione sharply, looking up. "Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about his mother. Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, just because she's part giant. Who needs that sort of prejudice? I'd probably say I had big bones if I knew that's what I'd get for telling the truth."

Bailey looked at her watch. "We haven't done any practicing!" she said, looking shocked. "We were going to do the Impediment Curse! We'll have to really get down to it tomorrow! Come on. Harry, Karlee, you need to get some sleep."

Bailey, Mione and I went slowly upstairs to their dormitory. As pulled on Fred's jumper(which I had no intention of giving back. Ever) and got into bed, I thought about Frank and Alice. I thought about the look on Neville's face when I told him that they were awake. How happy he was when he hugged his mom. And how she hugged him back for the first time in 13 years. Lying in the darkness, I felt a rush of anger and hate toward the people who had tortured Frank and Alice...I remembered the jeers of the crowd as Crouch's son, my aunt and their companions had been dragged from the court by the dementors....I understood how they had felt...Then I remembered the milk-white face of the screaming boy and realized with a jolt that he had died a year later...

It was Voldemort, I thought, staring up at the canopy of my bed in the darkness, it all came back to Voldemort....He was the one who had torn these families apart, who had ruined all these lives....

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Ron, Bailey and Hermione were supposed to be studying for their exams, which would finish on the day of the third task, but they were putting most of their efforts into helping Harry and I prepare.