"Now I remember, I remember when I first met you all," Hagrid spoke as he was walking with Hermione and Ron, Finley was walking behind them while Harry was up ahead. Both Potters were silent and the half giant and their friends didn't mind.
"Biggest bunch of misfits I ever set eyes on," Hagrid remarks, Hermione giggling while Ron chuckled. "Suppose you remind me of myself a little," Hagrid added as they continued walking in the forest to his hut which was a still bit farther than planned.
"And here we all are, four years later—"
"We're still a bunch of misfits," Ron interrupted with a grin on his face, he wasn't wrong they still were.
"Well, maybe, but we've all got each other."
"And Harry of course. Soon to be the youngest triwizard champion there's ever been!"
Finley winced at the title, Harry being the youngest triwizard champion, how jolly is that, he almost got killed twice. She still trailed behind the group in front of her, looking down on her feet, trying to distract herself from the dead leaves and twigs breaking under her feet.
Her mind was too stuffed with things she wished she didn't have the pleasure of learning about, she wished she didn't ask.
From a distance, she started to hear the Hogwarts hymn being sung by the celebrating giant and two Gryffindors. She needed to stop thinking of such negativities, her brother was in second place in today's task. Harry saved two captives, she was proud as heck for him and surely their parents were too. At least she assumes that they would be.
She looks up towards Harry who was walking father away from the path, wherever he was going, she wanted to make sure that it wasn't leading to a place that could potentially kill him for the third time this year. She ran up to him, she could see him holding up his hand on his scar, something was wrong and she knows that whenever his scar hurts.
"Harry," she calls, placing a hand on his shoulder as soon as she reached him. "Are you okay? Why is your scar hurting?"
"I don't know," Harry spoke as he pointed at a black hat, a familiar black hat. Finley narrowed her eyes at him, distinctly remembering that the minister wore the same one. Did the old bloke drop it? But why would it be here?
They both walked forward, just behind the tree they stood on, they could see a foot. Finley's alarms went off, this couldn't be.
"Mister Crouch?" Harry called out as he continued to walk, Finley clutching on his arm securely, pulling out his wand for good measure. As the two of them finally got a good look of the body, Harry froze in place while Finley's knees gave out.
"A man has died here, Fudge. And he won't be the last. You must take action," Dumbledore's voice boomed from his office just as Finley and Harry arrived in his office. Both of their hearts were hammering against their chest, a lot of students were asking them about what they saw, thankfully their friends held them off enough until they got in the headmaster's office.
"I will not," a voice spoke. "In times like these, the wizard looks to its leaders for strength, Dumbledore!" He argued to the headmaster.
Finley looks up at Harry who held the same expression she had, it was bullshit, the man died and this man doesn't want to do anything. Call off the tournament for crying out loud!
"Then for once show them some!"
"The triwizard tournament will not be cancelled. I will not be seen as a coward!"
It was too much for Finley, she didn't care if it was rude, she bursted in the headmaster's office looking furious. Harry barely holding her back.
"A coward you say?! The tournament is already a game of death and you think this one death isn't a wake up call to shut it down?!" She yelled at the old man who was too shocked at her sudden entrance.
"Miss Potter—"
"A true leader does what is right, no matter what others think. Do you think that keeping this stupid tournament going will let them all see you as a powerful leader? It shows your arrogance!"
"What did you say to me? You stupid little—"
"Yeah, name call all you want sir—"
"Miss Potter!" Dumbledore's voice boomed looking furiously at the angered girl, though she wasn't wrong, he couldn't allow a student to disrespect the minister. Even at the sight of a furious headmaster, Finley refused to step back down, everything was going into shambles and if this man was going to think of his ego than the better of the people in the castle, someone better step up and it shouldn't be him.
"Excuse me gentlemen but, it seems like she's not the only one that over heard this conversation," the Defence against dark arts teacher spoke as he pointed to Harry.
"Oh Harry!" The man's voice went into a happy one. "How good it is to see you again."
Harry gulped, finally grabbing hold of Finley's hand that was clenched and shaking with rage, his only fear was to have his own sister sent to Azkaban by the minister for being rude to him. "We can come back in another time Professor."
"Not necessary, Harry. The minister and I are done. I'll be back in a moment," Dumbledore spoke as he walked down the short steps. "Minister, after you," he spoke as he lead the way for their exit.
"Oh, Harry, do feel free to indulge yourselves in a little licorice snap in my absence, but I have to warn you, they're a wee bit sharp," Dumbledore said, his gaze lingering on Finley's blank stare at him. They were going to have a thorough conversation later, and Finley was looking forward to it to give the headmaster a piece of her mind.
Harry and Finley just stood there watching the two men leave, he can't deny that Finley was furious, anyone with proper vision from a mile away can see it that she wasn't at all happy with the new Minister's decision about the tournament.
As soon as the three men left, the two of them welcomed the silence, finally able to release her clenched fist, Finley screamed to release the pent up anger in her causing Harry to jump.
"Does that make you feel better?" Harry asked her, slowly walking towards the bowl of licorice snap.
It didn't, at least by a long run. "Don't touch those—"
"Ow!" Harry gasped as the licorice bit him, suddenly couple of the licorice flew and started biting him before flaying away. Finley started laughing at her brother's attempt to grab one to eat. Harry dropped down and tried to look for a stray one but none, instead a door opened catching their attentions.
"What's that?" Harry asked Finley. She knew what it was, Dumbledore showed it to her when he taught her Occlumency the year before. She never had the best memories with it, she took a step back slightly.
"We should wait for Dumbledore," she told Harry who was already standing in front of the basin.
He took out his wand and started tapping on the silvery strings inside, Finley couldn't help but follow in, as their faces now dove in the basin being transported to what looked to be a court room.
"Professor?" Harry asks as he turned to his side to see Dumbledore sitting next to him.
"Professor," a new voice said startling the two of them as a hand went through Harry's chest and shook hands with Dumbledore.
"Yeah?" Dumbledore greeted the owner of the hand.
"Where are we?" Asked Harry. Before Finley could even speak, they heard gears turning, snapping their faze to the middle of the court room, both of them saw a familiar face.
"It's the Durmstrang headmaster," Finley whispered to Harry, not that the people around them would know that they were there. "Sirius said that he was sent to Azkaban because he was a death eater."
"Igor Karkaroff, you have been brought from Azkaban at your own request to present evidence to this council," The man Bartimus Crouch spoke.
"This must be when he started to rat out the other death eaters," Harry spoke as he stared intently at the man in the cage.
"Should your testimony prove consequential, council may be prepared to order your immediate release."
"They had time to have this man in a retrial, but not give Sirius one, the ministry is rubbish," Finley grits as she stares down at the crowd on the bottom.
"Until such time, you remain in the eyes of the ministry a convicted Death Eater. Do you accept these terms?"
"I do sir," Igor spoke, his tone weak and the couple of years in Azkaban was showing, both Potters wondered what Azkaban was really like to drive men like him to this state.
"And what do you wish to present?"
"I have names sir," he says, his eyes staring some place blankly, obviously racking his brain for names. "There was Rosier, Evan Rosier," he said. Soon the people's quills started scribbling, the man beside Crouch fumbled with a stack of papers before giving Crouch the parchment.
"Rosier is dead."
"He took a piece of me with him though didn't he?" A voice from behind the two sibling spoke, looking up it was Moody pointing at his eye to Dumbledore.
"I didn't know," Karkaroff spoke heavy heartedly.
"If that is all the witness has to offer—"
"No, no, no." Karkaroff looked like he was begging at this state and Finley could almost sympathise with him. "There was Rookwood, he was a spy."
"Augustus Rookwood? From the department of mysteries?"
"Yeah, the same!"
Finley bit her lip, the ministry had a mole before. "He passed the information to you-know-who from inside the Ministry itself."
"This goes to show how little we should trust our government," Finley remarks to Harry as she grabbed hold of his hand.
"Very well, Council will deliberate."
"Take immediate action you fool!" The girl exclaimed, not anymore caring about being quiet, Harry didn't stop her, he too was being annoyed with how the ministry was handling things.
"In the mean time, you will be returned to Azkaban."
"No! Wait, please! Please, I have more! What about Snape? Severus Snape?"
Finley froze, eyes wide, jaw dropped and just plain shocked at what the man had said. Snape? The man who raised her, Snape? The man who even though kicked her out after finding out she was a Potter, fought to not have her in the bottom of the lake? That Severus Snape?
"Fuck," Finley spoke, her mind went numb.
"As the council is aware, I've given evidence on this matter," Dumbledore stood up catching the Finley and Harry's attention. "Severus Snape was indeed a death eater and, prior to Lord Voldemort's downfall, turned spy for us at a greater personal risk."
Personal risk?
Mum.
Of course it was for Lily, he said so himself, he lost her once, he wasn't going to lose her daughter too. Finley, that was why he took her in, it was for her, it had always been.
"It's a lie!" Karkaroff wailed at Dumbledore, all hope drained.
"Today he is no more of a death eater than I am."
"Snape remains faithful to the dark lord!"
"Silence!" Crouch yelled silencing the room once again.
Finley's heart was too heavy that even Harry could see, though he hated Snape, he knew how much he meant to her. And to find it out this way must've hit her harder than he did.
"Unless the witness possesses any genuine name of consequence, this session is now concluded—"
"I've heard about one more," Karkaroff said, leaning on the cage, staring right at Crouch.
"What's that?" Crouch asked, glaring at the man in the cage.
"The name."
"Yes?"
"I knew for a fact that this person took part in the capture, and by means, the Cruciatus curse, torture of the Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife!"
Harry heard Finley gasp, his breath hitched as well. They had no idea about what happened to Neville's parents, they only knew of his grandmother since she was all he talked about. Finley's heart broke for Neville truly, someone as sweet as him had his parents ripped away from him because of the war.
"Name! Give me the wretched name!" Crouch demanded.
"Barty Crouch!"
Everyone in the court room sat there in shock, Finley could see Rita Skeeter's jaw drop tremendously low. No one expected it, except for Harry and Finley who knew.
"Junior," Karkaroff smirked at Crouch's shocked face. It hit the man like a sack of bricks as he heard his own son's name being mentioned. Harry squeezed Finley's hand to grab her attention, pointing towards the man in a dark purple suit, who jumped over tables trying to escape. And in a flash from Moody's wand, the man now laid on a stack of parchment, stunned.
"Get your filthy hands off me, you pathetic little men!" Barty Crouch Junior thrashed from the men's hold on him, delivering him in front of his own father's table.
"Hello father," he greeted mockingly. Barty Senior's eyes flashed with surprise, hurt and disappointment, hard it was to see his only son be in a mass murderer's army. He stared blankly at his own son.
"You are no son of mine," he spoke, voice cold and and emotionless as he stared down at his son being restrained by aurors.
The next thing the two of them knew was when they flew back from the basin and back in Dumbledore's office. Harry being the first one to look around, seeing if they were really back to where they should be, his eye caught Finley who curled up on where she landed. Her face blank, emotionless, empty. It hit her hard to learn the things they learned today.
"Curiosity is not a sin, Harry. But you should exercise caution," Dumbledore spoke as he stood beside the basin, he glanced at the quietly curled Finley and sighed. "And I have told you this one too many times Finley."
"It's a pensieve, very useful if, like me, you find your mind a wee bit stretched," Dumbledore explained. "It allows me to see once more things I've already seen."
"You see Harry, I have searched and searched for something, some small detail, something I might have over looked," Dumbledore explained as he stopped in front of a cabinet, Harry looking at him curiously.
"Something that would explain why these terrible things have happened." Dumbledore shook his head, "Every time I get close to an answer, it slips away," he says as he now faced Harry before sitting in the corner much like Finley except that he looked defeated. "It's maddening."
"Only you would know what maddening really is, don't you Professor?" Finley's voice spoke, her expression remained the same.
"That I do Miss Potter."
"Sir, Mr Crouch's son. What exactly happened to him?" Harry asked the professor.
"He was sent to Azkaban," Dumbledore said. "Destroyed Barty to do it."
"But he had no choice, the evidence was overwhelming. Why do you ask?"
"It's just that I," Harry's voice trailed, swallowing a lump on his throat. "I had a dream about him." Dumbledore looked at Harry curiously before standing up.
"I had a dream about him, it was in the summer, before school," Harry spoke. "In the dream, I was in a house. And Voldemort was there, only he wasn't quite human."
"And Wormtail was there too. And Mr Crouch's son."
"Have there been others in this dream?" Dumbledore asked Harry. Finley glancing up at Dumbledore and Harry, hearing about this dream for the first time.
"Yes," Harry answered. "Always the same one."
Dumbledore walked past Harry and back beside the basin of memories, staring down at the glowing liquid. Finley now standing up and yet she still looked down on the floor.
"Sir, these dreams, what I see, you don't think it's actually happening. Do you?"
Dumbledore turns to Harry with a solemn look, "I think it's unwise for you to linger in these dreams, Harry."
Finley's jaw clenched clenched as she heard him advice her brother this, it was clear to her that it was a sign, he should help Harry. Isn't that what he should actually be doing? Helping Harry?
"I think it is best if you simply cast them away," Dumbledore continued, placing his wand on his temple before pulling it along with a silver string of memory.
It was a sign to him that they needed to leave, but to Finley it wasn't.
"Finley–"
"You should go Harry, I still need to speak to him," she tells him with a tight lipped smile before facing Dumbledore. With those words, Harry obliged and left, leaving his sister and the headmaster alone.