*Warning profanity is used in this chapter.
Chapter 13: The Last Straw
"Harry Potter."
The air in the Great Hall filled with tension and silence. Claire couldn't believe her ears. She looked at Harry. He sat there motionless and in shock. He turned to her, Hermione, and Ron.
"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."
The three of them stared just as blankly back.
"Harry Potter!" Professor Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"
"Go on," Claire whispered, giving him a slight push.
Harry got to his feet, trod on the hem of his robes, and stumbled slightly. Claire watched him disappear through the door behind the teachers' table. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"This concludes tonight's feast. All Prefects lead your houses to their designated common rooms. Good night!"
He then went through the door Harry had gone through a few seconds earlier.
"Hey, Claire, Ron, Hermione, did Harry tell you about him entering the tournament?" Fred asked them as they entered the common room.
"I don't think Harry entered his name in the tournament. Didn't you see how shocked he was when his name was called?" Claire said.
"Nonsense. He was probably just surprised his name was chosen." George said.
"We should throw a party in his honor for being chosen as champion." Angelina suggested joining in their conversation.
"Brilliant!" Fred exclaimed. "C'mon, George! To the kitchens!"
"I don't think Harry would appreciate this—" Claire was ignored as the twins snuck out through the portrait.
Ron, Hermione, and Claire sat on the couch.
"You don't think Harry put his name in the cup, do you?" Claire asked Ron and Hermione.
"No, I could tell he was just as shocked as us when Dumbledore called his name," Hermione said. "Besides, he wouldn't be that thick to enter the competition."
Claire nodded.
"But there's one thing that's unnerving," Hermione began just as the twins came back with food and the other Gryffindors began to set up for the party. "Since we've established Harry didn't put his name in the cup, who did and why?"
"I have a bad feeling Voldemort is somehow connected to this." Claire said.
"It would make sense." Hermione said. "Your dreams alone have told us he has someone here at Hogwarts. What do you think about this Ron?"
It was then that Claire noticed the blank look on Ron's face as he stared into the flames of the fireplace. Claire had seen him like this before. It was when they were five and she had accidentally torn his Chudley Cannons blanket. He had a blank look on his face similar to the one he held now.
Suddenly, the portrait to the common room opened and Harry came in. The Gryffindors cheered, clapped, and whistled for their champion. Some patted him on the back and the twins (as well as many others) interrogated him on how he put his name in the cup.
"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how—"
But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "If it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor—"
"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" Katie Bell shrieked.
"We've got food, Harry, come and have some—"
"I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast—"
Harry spotted Claire, Hermione, and Ron and made his way through the crowd to them.
"Listen," Harry said, when he reached them. "I didn't put my name in that goblet. Someone else must've done it."
"We know, Harry," Claire replied. "We believe you."
Ron scoffed causing Claire, Harry, and Hermione to turn their attention to him.
"Speak for yourself," Ron said. "You're expecting us to believe you didn't put your name in the goblet? How else could your name have been put in?"
"I didn't put my name in the cup!" Harry said growing annoyed. "I'm going to bed."
Harry escaped up to the boys' dormitory.
"Ron, did you not just hear the conversation Hermione and I had a few minutes ago?" Claire questioned, feeling a little angry that Ron didn't believe in Harry. "We know Voldemort has an insider here based on the dreams Harry and I've been having. Harry's name being chosen wasn't because of him putting his name in it was Voldemort's insider."
Ron scoffed again. "Or maybe Harry just isn't getting enough attention and decided to put his name in."
"What the hell is your problem, Ron?" Claire said hotly standing up from the couch and staring at him in disbelief. This caught the attention of the other Gryffindors. The common room was silent as they watched Claire and Ron.
"Harry doesn't want any of this attention and if you think he does then you're a fucking idiot!" Claire exclaimed.
Ron scowled. "I'm the idiot?"
"Glad to know you agree," Claire replied.
"The only one who's the idiot is you!" Ron shouted. "You're an idiot if you actually believe his bollocks story!"
Claire could feel the anger radiate off her body. "You're being fucking ignorant! Open you're fucking eyes and see what's happening here, Ron! Harry would've never entered this stupid competition because he's not thick enough to compete in a life-threatening tournament for eternal glory!"
Ron glared at Claire stomped up to the boys' dormitory. The other Gryffindors had watched the whole thing transpire and Claire turned to them.
"Don't you all have anything better to do?" She snapped.
They stopped staring at her as she sat back down on the couch.
"I can't believe Ron is so thick!" Claire said in anger.
Hermione shook her head. "I can't believe you don't see why he's upset."
Claire raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean? There's no reason for him to be upset. Well, except at the person who put Harry's name in the goblet. He should be worrying for his friend's safety and trying to support him because I'm sure this competition won't be a walk in the park."
"Just think about it from Ron's perspective for a second. Ever since first year Harry has gotten most of the attention. When the four of us went down the trapdoor to save the Sorcerer's Stone who got the credit for it? Harry. When Ron and Harry went down to the Chamber of Secrets who, once again, got the credit? Harry. Ron's used to being overshadowed by Harry. Harry always gets all the glory because of him being the Boy Who Lived. I think this was the last straw for him." Hermione said.
"Still, you don't hear me or you complaining about it. He shouldn't treat Harry like this. If he had a problem with it he should've talked it out with him. Besides, it's not like Harry asks for all the attention." Claire replied.
"I know but Ron also has to compete with five older brothers, a little sister, and even you at times. He doesn't want to compete with his best friend too." Hermione said.
Claire sighed. "I guess you're right, but I'm still pissed at him."
"Me too, but all we can do now is be there for Harry." Hermione replied.
"You're right. No matter what happens at least Harry'll have us." Claire said.
"Let's head up to bed. It's getting late," Hermione said and the two girls went to their dorm.
Buildings laid in ruins. The air was thick with smoke and the smell of burning flesh filled Claire's nostrils. She squinted through the smoke. She only saw more rubble and fires. Screams began to fill the air as bombs started falling. Where was she? Claire began to run not sure where she was going.
"Exterminate!" A robotic voice exclaimed.
Claire kept running and dodging the red colored shots firing at her. She managed to find a wall to hide behind. Trying to catch her breath, she peered cautiously from behind the wall. The moment she laid eyes on the source of the robotic voice she remembered what they were. Daleks. She had a dream in her first year about them. The Dalek scanned the area before leaving. Suddenly, a man came into view. He seemed anxious as he kept looking behind himself. He looked to be in his mid-30s. The man had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He seemed rather suspicious and Claire couldn't help but feel a bit afraid of him. The man scanned his surroundings and took off running. Claire stepped out of her hiding spot to see where he was going. She began to follow him. The man would look back every so often and it seemed Claire was invisible to him. She followed him until he reached a building.
Claire stared in amazement at the building. It was the only structure that was standing amongst the ruins. It resembled the Taj Mahal. It was a sandy color with a huge dome and multiple tall, skinny towers surrounding it. The man entered the building, Claire following close behind. Upon entering the infrastructure, the man pulled something out of his pocket. It looked to be a Sonic Screwdriver! He then turned down one of the endless hallways. Finally, they stumbled upon a metal door. He held the Sonic Screwdriver up to door. There was a clicking noise before the door opened revealing what looked to be a control room.
The room was just large enough to fit the single control panel that was in the middle. The control panel had a trapezoid shape for the base and the sides were decorated with gold triangles and ovals. On top of the control panel there were at least a hundred buttons shaped like squares. In the center there appeared to be a holographic image of the building they were in as well as the ruins that laid beyond the building's walls. A bright golden light seemed to encase the hologram in a protective forcefield. The man walked inside the room, the door closing behind him, to the control panel and stared at the hologram. Claire could see that he was planning on doing something to it. He began to press various buttons on the panel and then pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.
"Don't do it!" The man turned around to see a figure standing in the room. Claire gasped as she recognized it to be her father.
The man smirked at them. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Doctor."
"Put down the Screwdriver," The Doctor began, "or I'll have to use mine on you."
The man laughed. "Doctor, you and I both know you can't kill anyone with a Sonic Screwdriver!"
"You don't have to do this. You have a choice." The Doctor pleaded.
"You're right," the man replied. "This is my choice."
"NO!" The Doctor yelled.
But it was too late. The man pressed a button on his Sonic Screwdriver and the control panel ignited in flames. The protective golden light encasing the holographic image disintegrated. Claire realized that the golden light represented some sort of forcefield around the actually city depicted in the hologram. She could hear more bombs dropping outside. She couldn't believe that this man had broken down the protective forcefield over the city. The man laughed maniacally as her father stood shocked.
"Do you realize what you've done?!" The Doctor exclaimed in anger. "You've offered up our entire race on a serving platter to the Daleks! You've killed our race by shutting down those protective fields! Why would you do this? How could you do this?"
"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, you'd think you'd know if you want to make a name for yourself you've got to do something extraordinary. I think betraying my own kind and teaming up with our worst enemy satisfies that, wouldn't you? My name will be known all across the universe! The Master of all universes, of all dimensions, of all species, and of all planets!"
Claire then understood that this was the man who was after her, the Master.
Just then, seven men entered the room. They were all were dressed in red velvet robes with an odd sort of golden collar. One of the men held a golden staff. Two of the men walked over to the Master and grabbed him by his arms while the four remaining men began working on trying to salvage the control panel.
The Master smirked at the man with the golden staff. "Rassilon, so good to see you again."
"I can't say the same Master," Rassilon spat. "You are a disgrace to our entire race. You will be severely punished for the actions you've displayed."
"That is if you have time before the Daleks obliterate this planet." The Master smirked.
Rassilon pointed his staff at him glaring. "I think I'll have just enough time to wipe your regenerations."
The Master's smirk faltered for a second. "Now, wait a minute, no need to go to the extremes just yet."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Rassilon said. "Any last words?"
The Master's face turned cold. "You all will regret this. You will. Especially you, Doctor."
The Master glared at the Doctor. "You will regret this most of all, Doctor. How you couldn't save your precious planet at the hands of the enemy. You and all the ones you love will suffer, Doctor, that I promise."
The Master then turned to Rassilon. "Go on, then. Get it over with."
The staff in Rassilon's hand began to glow and a second later, golden light flew from out of the Master's chest to the tip of the staff. He screamed in agony until his body turned to a sandy golden substance.
The Doctor stared at the sandy remains of the Master.
"Is there anyway of fixing it?" Rassilon asked the men working on the control panel.
"I'm sorry, sir. These damages would take years to fix. By then, our entire race would be wiped out." One of the men said solemnly.
"Then I'm afraid we have no other options," Rassilon sighed and turned to one of the men who had held back the Master. "General Warbert, I need you to make use of whatever men you have left. We'll have to stop the Daleks the old fashion way, hand-to-hand combat."
"But, sir," General Warbert said, "We'll never stop them that way. Their technology is far more advance than what we have now since the control panel is down."
"Do what ever it takes General. I regret to say you and your men are our only hope for survival." Rassilon said.
He walked towards the exit of the room, but stopped to look at the Doctor. "Doctor, don't blame yourself. We all thought he was on our side. The Master was nothing but a pretender. He was never really on our side. He was a Time Lord who only sought after what would give him power. You did all you could, Doctor."
The scene turned hazy for a few moments before it became clear. Claire took noticed of the change in her surroundings. She was inside the TARDIS. She saw her father holding a cube-shaped object just big enough to fit in both of his hands. The cube was decorated with designs that resembled crop circles. Her father stared intently at the box as though it held all the answers.
"This is the right thing." The Doctor muttered to himself. "Save billions at the cost of two races. Some things aren't meant to be easy. This is one of those things. This is the only choice."
He walked to the door of the TARDIS. Just as he was about to open the door, he turned back around.
"I can't do this!" The Doctor exclaimed, tears filling his eyes.
Claire couldn't imagine what was running through her father's head at that moment.
"Oh, look at yourself, Doctor," her father said to himself. "You're being extremely selfish. If you don't do this the world will be ruled by the Daleks. Everyone will be their slaves. This has to be done."
The Doctor held the cube in his hands as he exited the TARDIS. The new landscape contained nothing but sand. The Doctor set the cube on the ground and took out his Sonic Screwdriver.
"Today, this war will end. There will be no more suffering. My people will be destroyed, but they will not die in vain. The Daleks will be vanquished. This is the only choice. No more."
The last thing Claire saw was her father pointing the Sonic Screwdriver at the cube.
Claire awoke in shock. She stared at the ceiling contemplating her dream. Sleep was useless now. Claire quietly got up from her bed and grabbed the journal Professor Dumbledore gave her to document her dreams and a quill and ink. She didn't want to wake Hermione and the other girls in the dorm by turning on the light, so she decided to head down to the common room. As she entered the common room, she noticed a familiar raven-haired boy sitting on the couch in front of the fire.
"Harry?" Claire said.
Harry turned to see Claire.
"What are you doing down here?" he asked her.
"I could ask you the same thing, but I'm pretty sure I know why you're here," Claire said sitting next to him. "Ron being a git?"
"I just don't understand why he doesn't believe me," Harry said.
"Hermione explained it to me. She thinks he's jealous of you." Claire said.
"Jealous?" Harry scoffed incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"
"He's jealous because you get all the attention for being 'the Boy Who Lived'," Claire explained.
"It's not like I ask for it. I'd gladly give it all up," Harry said. "Maybe he'll believe me once I've got my neck broken or—"
"Don't even joke about that, Harry," Claire scowled. "Look I know Ron is acting completely idiotic about this whole thing, but don't worry about it too much. He'll soon see that he was just being an envious jerk."
The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Claire began writing down her dream until Harry spoke again.
"By the way, I heard you and Ron yelling earlier," Harry began, "I just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for me."
Claire looked up. "That's what friends do for each other, Harry. We may have our ups and downs, but what matters is that we fight for one another. Besides, I still owe you for saving my life back in second year."
"You don't owe me anything," Harry said. "Like you just said. Friends stick together, fight together, until the very end. It's good to know I've got you and Hermione as my friends still."
Claire smiled. "You know, Ron will come around, right? He'll be mad at you for a while and then everything'll be back to normal. He always does that. Well, except with Hermione. I swear those two get on each others nerves on purpose."
Harry laughed. "I'm with you on that one."
Claire continued writing down her dream.
"So, what brought you down here?" Harry asked her as she finished writing the last sentence for her dream.
Claire shut the journal and placed on the table in front of the couch. "I had a dream."
Concerned etched itself upon Harry's face. "Was it about Voldemort?"
Claire shook her head. "No. It seemed the dreams before were following a pattern as to what Voldemort was up to. But this dream didn't involve him whatsoever."
"What was it about then?" Harry asked.
Claire explained the dream to Harry.
"Can't imagine what your father must feel having to be the one to actually end it all," Harry said. "Sure, the Master did disarm the planet's main defense, but your father was the one who had to wipe out his own race."
"You should of seen the way he looked in my dream. He was completely torn about what to do. He didn't want to do it, but it was the only choice. In a way, I think it made him a better person. He did kill two races, but as a result he's saved billions of lives. It was something that had to be done." Claire said. "He wanted to stop the war before it got worse."
"I still don't get why someone would want to betray their own race?" Harry questioned.
"My father said it was because of power. The Master wanted to be known all across time. I just can't believe he would go so far as to kill his own race. I guess they just put their trust in a man that didn't deserve it." Claire said.
"You know, there must've been things like that happening during the First Wizarding War," Harry said.
Claire nodded. "I've heard Ron's parents talk about when I was little. They don't talk about it much, but whenever they do it's like they're talking about it happening at that very moment. Mr. Weasley said their were spies in the Ministry. People couldn't be trusted because of Voldemort. No one could distinguish a Death Eater from a friend, relative, or neighbor. The way things are going now, I'm afraid that there'll be another war coming. If the dreams we've been having are true then I don't know what we'll do."
"We're going to fight, that's what we're going to do," Harry said determinedly. "We can't let Voldemort come back. We just can't. We're going to figure out what's going on and put a stop to it."
"Harry," Claire began, "Can I ask you something?"
Harry nodded.
"Have you ever been afraid of Voldemort?" She asked him.
"To be honest, yes," Harry replied. "You?"
"I was never afraid of him. I'm still not afraid of him. I'm-I'm just scared of what he can make people do." Claire admitted. "The fact that he was able to control me from a diary to do his bidding frightens me. I don't want you or Hermione or even Ron to endure that. You don't understand what it was like to have no control over your body. The worst part was that I had no recollection of doing anything he told me to do. My worst fear is that he'll use it on someone I care about."
"Claire, you don't have to worry about that. He was only able to do that because of the diary. The diary's destroyed now. He won't ever be able to control you or anyone else ever again." Harry said.
"You can't tell me though that he won't find other means of controlling people. He could still use the Imperious Curse. After all, that's what he did during the First Wizarding War." Claire replied.
"Well whatever happens, Claire, we'll stick together, alright? We'll figure this out." Harry said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
Claire smiled and hugged him. "Thanks, Harry. You know you're my best friend, right?"
Harry smile faltered for a second, but Claire didn't notice it. "Yeah, and you're my best friend too, Claire."
The two of them sat in silence, Harry's arm was still around Claire's shoulder, as they stared into the flames in the fireplace. Claire leaned her head on his shoulder and Harry could smell her vanilla-scented hair.
"So, Harry," Claire began, "What happened when you went to that room after your name was called?"
"Well, Fleur and Krum didn't seem too pleased about me being the fourth champion," Harry said. "Cedric, on the other hand, seemed confused."
"What did the other schools Headmaster's think about it?" Claire asked.
"Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime thought Dumbledore was cheating so Hogwarts could have two champions," Harry said. "Snape also seemed upset."
"Well, that's not much of a surprise. He's always upset with you for something." Claire said. "Did anyone believe you?"
Harry nodded. "Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Moody. Actually, you know, Moody also believes someone else put my name in the goblet."
"Really?" Claire raised in eyebrow. "Well, I assume he's dealt with strange occurrences like this in his Auror career. At least you know that you, Hermione, and me aren't the only ones who think so. Are they really making you compete in this tournament?"
"Yeah, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman said that they had to follow the rules. Anyone who put their name in the Goblet of Fire is bound to compete in the tournament. They even gave me the instructions for the first task. They said it was designed to test my daring so they wouldn't tell me what it was." Harry said.
"What?" Claire said incredulously, removing her head from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. "Are they crazy? How the hell are you suppose to prepare for a task if you don't know what you're up against?"
"They did give me the date of the tournament. It's November 24." Harry replied.
"Oh, well, that's wonderful. They gave you a date." Claire said sarcastically. "Is there a bright side to this?"
"Actually, there is. I'm exempted from end-of-year tests." Harry said.
"That's great. Glad to see you won't have to cram for the end-of-year tests while trying to not die in the tournament." Claire replied sarcastically. "Hermione and I will have our worked cut out for us for the next several weeks."
"Yeah," Harry said.
"You know, I've been thinking, you know what you're going to have to do tomorrow, right?" Claire asked.
"What?" Harry questioned.
"You're going to have to write Sirius and my mom about this," Claire replied.
"I'm sure they'll have loads to say about it," Harry said.
"I don't doubt it," Claire said.
The two friends spent the rest of the night talking until they both fell asleep on the couch together.
Well, that was interesting to write. First, Claire and Ron had a heated argument and then Claire dreamt about her father catching the Master shutting down the force fields on Gallifrey. The dream was fun to write. It is an essential part of the plot of the series. Now despite the fight and the depressing death of Gallifrey, there was a Carry (Should this be Claire and Harry's ship name? Suggestions?) moment. You also saw a more emotional side of Claire. She hardly ever talks about her feelings and she never really spoke to anyone about being possessed by Tom Riddle/Voldemort. I thought when Claire brought up the dreams and if Voldemort might be coming back and asking Harry if he feared Voldemort that she should express how she felt about it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Thank you for supporting this series!