Reposted: December 12, 2021
I want to revise this, but I don't know why. Regardless, here's a heads up if I do.
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Summary: Tracey is suddenly famous; the second task takes place; Sirius finds something interesting regarding the headmaster
Tracey Davis wanted to scream. Or kick the wall. Or scream and kick the wall. She couldn't read in the library without someone asking her for details, walk through the halls without being pointed at, and eat in peace. All of this was because she went with Harry to the ball, which solidified the belief they were definitely dating now if not before.
Not everyone was pleased with Harry's apparent choice and whispered nasty things when they passed her. Tracey wasn't affected so much by their words, but rather the fact she was at the center of attention.
"If I hear one more word, I'm gonna shove a skrewt up their backside," she groaned as she slumped in a chair back in the common room.
"Wait till they're a bit bigger," Harry suggested. "The average length of an adult skrewt is ten feet long, Hagrid told me."
A group of first years nearby pretended they didn't hear their words.
On top of that, Rita's article came out. Surprisingly, it didn't talk much about the interview she had with Hagrid. Instead, she had written about Hagrid's blood status as a half-giant.
DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE
... The Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not— as he has always pretended— a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror.
While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.
"Are you paying attention over there?"
Professor Grubbly-Plank, who was substituting for Hagrid, was showing the girls a unicorn; the girls were all clustered around the unicorn now, stroking it. Professor Grubbly-Plank began listing the unicorn's magical properties in a loud voice that carried over to the boys.
"That was fascinating," Daphne said as they headed back inside. "Lovely creatures they are, unicorns...."
"Hagrid's mother is a giant!" Theo blurted out, shoving the article under her nose.
"I would have thought that was obvious," Daphne replied, pushing the article out of her face to take a better look, "but how did Skeeter find out?"
"Maybe she overheard him," Tracey suggested. "He was talking with Madame Maxime during the ball. She got really angry about big bones."
"But wouldn't you have seen her?" Pansy asked. "I mean, it's not easy to hide, especially with other people about. And what about Hagrid?"
"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Daphne said. "I mean, Professor Grubbly-Plank is all right, but it is strange to have her after Hagrid teaching us for so long."
But Hagrid did not come back the next two weeks. No one seemed to even catch a glimpse of him, and that worried many of the students.
Halfway through January was a Hogsmeade visit. Harry went into the Three Broomsticks with his friends and ordered butterbeer for them all.
"Oh no," Pansy groaned as she spotted Rita Skeeter.
"... didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo?" she was saying. "Now, why would that be, do you think?"
"Maybe because he's allergic to bullshit," Tracey said loudly.
Rita turned, beaming when she saw Harry. "Harry! How lovely! Why don't you come and join—?"
"I'd rather hang out with a dementor," Harry said. "What was up with that article about Hagrid?"
"Our readers have the right to the truth, Harry," Rita said almost condescendingly. "I am merely doing my job."
"Oh, really? I didn't realize tearing other people down was part of your job."
Rita's smile flickered very briefly. She looked at Tracey and pulled out her quill. "How about giving me an interview about your girlfriend here? Or perhaps your guardian, Remus Lupin? How did you feel when he called you his son? Would you call him a father substitute?"
"You horrible woman!" Tracey snapped. "You don't care who you hurt as long as you get a story, even if it is slander!"
"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," Rita said coldly.
"Silly? Is that how you see anyone who stands up to you? You're pathetic."
The Slytherins stood and left the pub. Harry turned back to see Rita writing something on a piece of parchment.
"She'll be after you next," he said worriedly.
"Let me guess, our 'relationship'?" Tracey scoffed. "Then let her."
"That took guts, what you did back there," Pansy said. "I don't think anyone has ever stood up to her like that."
"Well, maybe they should. It's about time she was taken down a peg or two— thousand."
The unicorns, as Daphne had stated, had been fascinating, even if Harry hadn't seen them up close. What Harry did not find fascinating was standing outside in the freezing February air staring over a body of water they've all seen multiple times already. It wasn't like they knew what was happening or where the champions were.
"While I do love hanging around the lake," he said, "why so early in the year?"
"Gotta cool off from the dragons, I guess," Tracey said.
"It's been three months!" Harry said. "There's a beetle in your hair," he added, and Tracey flicked it away with an impatient huff.
"Look!" Pansy said, pointing to a figure that had just emerged from the lake.
It was Fleur, but her arms were empty. She went to Madam Maxime.
"The grindylows, they attacked me," she said frantically. "Gabrielle is still down there."
Bagman tried to calm her down by informing her no one was in any real danger, but Fleur didn't seem to hear.
Cedric came up next, carrying Cho. They were immediately swaddled in towels, and Madam Pomfrey shoved a potion down Cedric's throat. Krum and Hermione received the same treatment when they arrived.
The merpeople brought up Fleur's sister, who was thankfully unhurt, and Dumbledore went down to speak with the merchief.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Bagman announced after a few minutes, "we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows...
"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty–five points.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty–seven points.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty–fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
"Dumbledore is getting anxious," Severus said stonily, taking the cup of tea from Remus' proffered hand.
"All his plans are falling apart," Remus said. "It's no surprise."
"Have the others found anything on Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Remus reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a small notebook.
Harry opened it and began reading, moving it so Severus could see it.
"Lily," Severus murmured, recognizing the writing immediately.
4th August 1981:
I spoke with Bathilda some more, hoping for some insight on Dumbledore's relation with Grindelwald. I didn't get a lot, unfortunately, but she did tell us about Dumbledore's siblings, Aberforth and Ariana—
"I didn't know he had a sister," Harry remarked, mostly to himself. He heard of the brother, although not by name. He continued reading.
Poor Ariana. She sounded like such a sweet little girl. Bathilda doesn't know what happened exactly, but whatever it was must have been horrible. Something about her magic driving her mad. Maybe that's how she was killed.
I wish I knew more. I know Aberforth would. Maybe once this is over, James and I can speak with him.
But the pages after the entry were blank.
"They never got the chance," Severus growled. "Voldemort got to them. How can this help us?"
"Sirius was planning on going to speak to Bathilda," Remus told him. "Finish what Lily and James would have started."
Severus looked at Harry for his thoughts on this new piece of information. The question died on his tongue as he took in the expression on the teen's face. "Harry?" he said gently.
Harry barely heard him. He was staring at Lily's handwriting. She made the "g"s the same way he did. He realized Severus and Remus were watching him in concern and pushed his thoughts aside. "Bathilda. Who is she again?"
"Bathilda Bagshot," Remus said. "She was quite friendly with Lily and James, although I myself had never met her personally."
"You may remember her as the author of A History of Magic," Severus added, which Harry confirmed with a nod.
"Right," said Harry briskly. "Okay, we have something that could possibly be used against Dumbledore. Great." His eyes flicked to the notebook again. "How— how did my dad write?"
Understanding flickered in Remus' eyes. "Very messily," he said. "He would often write out Sirius' full name in letters because it always came out looking like Sirius Onion Black."
Harry threw his head back and laughed, his mood lifting. "Onion. I'm gonna have to remember that one."
"Sirius is going to be pissed I told you this," Remus said gleefully.
'It's no wonder he stinks,' Azure commented, and Harry, who had started to quiet down, burst into another fit of giggles.
"Wow, Tracey, I had no idea you were seeing Krum," Harry said, a copy of Witch Weekly in his hands.
"The only way I wouldn't see him is if he were invisible," Tracey said carelessly.
Just as Harry had predicted, Rita Skeeter had tried to go after Tracey for her remark. Unfortunately for Rita, it was backfiring. No one seemed to believe what they were reading, and Harry had even seen Krum looking around at Tracey with a confused frown.
Tracey simply waved at him, and he turned back to his friends, still baffled.
"Any idea how she's getting around without anyone seeing her?" Tracey asked.
"No, but I sent Azure out. She keeps catching Rita's scent, but she has no idea where to find her."
"I hope she has better luck soon," Tracey said fervently. "Honestly, silly or not, these stories are really starting to bug me."
Harry stopped short, causing her to crash into him.
"Oi!"
"Repeat what you just said," Harry said.
"Oi?"
"No, before that."
"Silly or not, these stories are really starting to bug me?" Tracey said haltingly.
Harry thought furiously for a moment. "Tracey, you're a genius!" he suddenly exclaimed, eyes lighting up. He kissed her cheek and took off running.
"Thank you?" Tracey said to Harry's back. She rolled her eyes and continued walking.
Boys.
Favorite Hogwarts class?
I'd probably say Potions (if it weren't for Snape) or Charms