Chapter 311: The Quiet Night
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 311: The Quiet Night
The game went exactly as Harry remembered. Ireland won against Bulgaria, but Viktor Krum was the one who ended it by catching the Snitch, after realizing they couldn't close the point gap.
It was late at night by the time it was all done, and most attendees retired to their camps.
Harry and Dumbledore were invited to rest in the Weasley tent since they still had room for a few more people. They accepted the offer, even though neither of them was planning on sleeping.
Harry activated his invisibility and walked outside after everyone fell asleep.
He immediately found Dumbledore waiting for him.
"That seems very handy. I didn't feel your approach at all," the old Headmaster commented when he noticed Harry appear at his side.
"It's supposed to be as untraceable as the cloak used to be. And no need for enchantments," Harry said.
"Well, it's not that surprising, considering its origin," Dumbledore added.
Harry smiled.
"During my first year, I tried to sneak around using the cloak, and you found me very easily… I still don't know how you did it."
"Did I?..." Dumbledore smiled with amusement. He knew that Harry wasn't talking about this lifetime but his previous one.
"I can't really answer that, but… I'm sure the 'other me' had a few tricks up his sleeve."
The Headmaster scanned the area with care.
There were hundreds of tents covering the surface of the clearing. The light of the full moon and a few torches was enough to see quite far into the distance.
"You think something is going to happen tonight?"
"Honestly?... No," Harry simply answered.
"You don't?" Dumbledore asked, a bit surprised by his answer. He was about to speak again when Harry continued.
"But it would be good if it did…" Harry had a very stern expression at the moment.
"How so?" Dumbledore could not think of a single positive thing about having a group of Death Eaters attacking them.
"The attack happened before his resurrection… before the Dark Lord could reclaim his empty throne. The ones who did it were likely some drunk idiots who missed the old days. I was just a clueless child back then and didn't get to see much. So this is mostly speculation, but…"
"I understand…" Dumbledore then realized.
"No attack would mean that he is in full control of his forces again."
It was clear to them that Voldemort still wished to keep his return… silent. He wouldn't want some of his followers to come here and start terrorizing people in his name.
"It would also give me a chance to capture a few of his followers and get some details from them. It's not like I can walk into the Ministry and grab them," Harry said.
"I hope so…" Dumbledore gave him a side glance.
"Something like that would turn you into an international criminal…"
The two of them continued to wait and observe for the entire night. In the end, the sun began to creep on the horizon… and the quiet night ended without a fuss.
"What now?" a worried Dumbledore asked.
"If the enemy doesn't want to show, we have two choices… we could do something drastic that might force him out, or… we'll have to discover what he has planned and use it in our favor," Harry concluded.
The door of the tent opened up. Ginny stepped outside and started looking around until she spotted him, standing a few feet away from the tent.
"There you are!" she exclaimed.
"You really woke up early, huh? Oh, Headmaster, didn't see you!"
Dumbledore smiled.
"Yes, you seemed to be very preoccupied with finding Mr. Potter," he said with amusement.
Ginny blushed.
"Sorry…"
"Don't be. I believe it's time I take my leave. There's still much to prepare before the start of the new school year. Minerva would never forgive me if I slack off."
"That does sound like Professor McGonagall… Did you sleep well in our tent? You look a bit tired," Ginny noted.
Neither he nor Harry had slept for a single minute, so it was normal they looked tired. Harry was less noticeable because he had tremendous stamina. A few days without sleep wouldn't be too detrimental to him, especially if he used magic to diminish the effects.
"I'm afraid I had too much on my mind to sleep soundly. But regardless, I thank you for the invitation into your family tent, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore pulled out his wand and looked at Harry again.
"We can talk again in a few days."
"Of course." Harry nodded, giving the Headmaster a wave before he disappeared.
Ginny and Harry stood there for a moment.
"I didn't know you were that close to the Headmaster."
"Yes, we became acquainted a couple of years ago."
"A couple of years ago…" This brought her some memories.
"He was very curious about the magic I used to destroy the castle grounds," Harry said with a grin.
Ginny gasped.
"You mean…" This was the year when he fought that giant basilisk.
"I hope you didn't get into trouble for that…" She never really thought about it. She had been too traumatized by the monster itself.
But the aftermath of that night had been quite severe. A large part of the castle was broken by the basilisk as it made its way out, and then Harry had used that fire magic that left a massive burned hole on the ground.
"Not at all. The Headmaster understood the situation."
"To be honest, you should have gotten a reward for that… like an Order of Merlin or something. I mean… they gave one to Professor Lockhart…" Ginny made an angry expression.
Harry chuckled.
"Yes, he loved to remind us of that…maybe I should behave more like Lockhart?"
Ginny's expression changed.
"Please no!"
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