118AN: Hello, everyone! I'm excited to finally publish another chapter. I had a fun time writing this one, since it's full of fluff, chaos, and comedy. I hope you all enjoy it too. (And yes, Barty and Harry are EXTRA fully in this chapter. These poor boys are so smitten with each other and don't even realize it yet. ) The only one who seems to know is Tom lol
"Blood runes are more intricate than most other types of runes," Barty began, an infectious gleam in his brown eyes. "In most cases, families use blood runes to add extra protection to their wards and properties," Harry listened, nodding at that bit of information, having read about it in one of the books Barty purchased for him. "Family blood runes are also used to protect individuals as well."
"Like family crests and lordship rings, right?" Harry inquired, remembering reading about the Crouch crest not long ago. Barty nodded at his words, a small smile on his face. "I assume that even though blood runes are mostly used for protection, they can also cause severe harm." The glint in Harry's eyes made the older wizard smirk, giving him another nod at his correct assessment.
"It depends on the intention," Barty explained. "If you embed the rune with malicious intent, it acts more akin to a curse if the rune is in the same vicinity as the target," Harry hummed, eyes gleaming more at the information, starting to plot away.
"I think I understand," Harry mumbled, the gleam in his eyes shining even brighter as more ideas hit him. "If I embedded the rune with a disillusionment intention, it would theoretically only affect Dumbledore, right?" He watched in amusement as Barty's lips parted, a look of awe on his handsome features. "And what if I also embed a little malice into it, so that if he does notice me, he becomes nauseous and disoriented?"
"That's brilliant," His friend mumbled, a wicked grin forming on his lips. "You're brilliant," Barty praised, causing Harry to flush at the esteemed compliment.
"Since this will be used primarily at Hogwarts, I was thinking about using my tie and another article of clothing, like maybe my house robes," Harry admitted. "I feel confident enough in the robes I'm wearing to the exoneration trials, and I honestly don't want him realizing something is off until Hogwarts, that way it blindsides him," Barty smirked more, nodding along to the younger's words.
"I don't think wearing them to the exoneration trials would be wise either," He agreed, his stomach sinking at the idea of Dumbledore becoming suspicious too soon. Then, he pauses, humming to himself as he glances at Harry for a moment. "There is another item we could use along with your house tie," With a wave of his wand, Barty summoned a small dark blue box, with intricate designs of the stars and constellations on it.
"I want you to have this," Barty mumbled softly, the tone making Harry flush softly as the older wizard opened the beautiful container, pulling out an equally beautiful bracelet. "My mother had this made when I graduated Hogwarts," Harry felt his breath stop as he caught sight of the eagle carved into the bracelet, a beautiful gem incrusted into the eyes. Upon closer inspection, Harry soon realized that the eagle's wingspan was elaborately done, each feather glimmering like they were flowing in the wind as it circled the entire band. Looking further at the bracelet, he realized that at the center of the eagle's chest was the image of the crouch family crest.
"Are you sure you want me to have this?" Harry asked, his heart racing a mile a minute. "You said your mom had this made for you, and I know how much you loved her," Barty merely smiled at the words, unclasping the bracelet as he put it on his friend's wrist.
"I'm sure," Barty promised. "After everything that happened, it didn't feel right for me to wear it," His fingers lingered on Harry's own, his index finger ghosting across the underside of Harry's wrist for a moment. "I want you to wear this at Hogwarts after we inscribe the blood rune into it," Unable to stop from flushing, Harry nodded.
"I will," He promised, feeling his chest flare with warmth at the pleased gleam that shimmered in his friends' eyes. "Where do you think the best place to insert the blood rune is?" Harry asked, observing the bracelet clasped around his wrist.
"The clasp," Was Barty's immediate answer, taking Harry's hand gently as he turned it over. "In pureblood culture, it's common to leave one clasp empty for a stone." Harry hummed in realization, thinking back to the book on crystals Barty had read the other month.
"Often for a healing crystal if the person is attacked," He said mostly to himself, watching as Barty tapped the clasp, which was wide enough to hold an engraved rune. "You're a genius," Harry chuckled, enjoying the way Barty's hand pressed into the back of his, the warmth shared between them making him smile to himself. "How long will it take?"
"The blood will need to soak into the rune for at least a week for it to be powerful," Barty commented. "During that time, it will need to sit unperturbed before we place it in the bracelet." The older wizard could tell the younger was still curious, so he continued. "For a blood rune to be effective with an item, the item needs to be familiar with the person wearing it. That's why I went ahead and put this on you," Barty motioned to the bracelet.
"I see," Harry nodded. "My tie already has that familiar connection with me," He surmised, which Barty nodded at. "Since we have plans for his blood, any ideas what we can do with his hair?" Harry asked with faux innocence, making the former Ravenclaw smile darkly.
"Even a simple lock of hair can be used to curse someone," Barty began, summoning a piece of golden chalk and empty stones. "And I'm feeling more inclined than ever to place a few curses on him ever since the recording we received," Harry flushed slightly, his heart warming at the fact his friend was still seething over Dumbledore's plans.
"I'm still furious about him trying to recruit a fourteen-year-old girl," Harry added, watching as his friend's jaw tensed at the reminder, a hard look passing through his eyes. "I haven't researched much about ritual curses," Harry admitted, moving to sit beside Barty at the table, looking at the variety of different supplies.
"Ritual curses, while powerful, don't always work," Barty confessed, letting the younger wizard move his chair closer, their shoulders brushing together. "Magic itself plays a major role," He said, passing Harry the golden chalk. "If it doesn't believe the person should be cursed, the ritual either fails or has a very minimal effect on the target. Someone can channel all the power they have into the ritual, but even the most powerful witch or wizard can fail at this,"
"That's fascinating," Harry said in awe, but there was a look of pure respect in his eyes. "But it's also wonderful that there is a safeguard," He added. "I can't imagine someone being cursed for something they either didn't do, or if the offense was something small," As he said that he vaguely wondered about the Gaunt family curse that Tom informed him about, and how it only affected the women of the family after they had given birth. It made him curious as to what his ancestors had done to warrant such a horrible curse.
"Lucky for us, Dumbledore's offenses are numerous and not small," Barty commented, earning a soft chuckle from Harry, who absently took the older wizard's hand in his own.
"During the ritual, do we allow magic to select the punishment curse for Dumbledore?" Harry questioned, noting the proud look Barty gave him. "I read that we can suggest the punishment and our intentions can affect it. However, if we channel our power into the magic around us instead and let it decide, I think it would find a fitting punishment for him,"
He flushed more as those soft eyes gazed at him with respect and adoration, his entire skin buzzing with a pleasant feeling as the hand holding his squeezed gently. Barty guided their hands to the blank stones as they created a series of runes together, sharing the chalk between their warm hands.
"Magic will always find the best punishment," Barty agreed, unable to stop himself from admiring the way Harry's eyes seemed to become mesmerized by the glow around the table. He forced his gaze away, looking back to the table and the runes they created, the stones shaking as they moved on their own accord, forming a circle around Dumbledore's lock of hair.
With Harry's hand in his own, they both channeled their magic together, sending it into the already glowing runes. The flow of their magic together caused Harry to part his lips in surprise as the entire room seemed to tingle with their power, everything around them starting to glow brighter, even Dumbledore's hair.
Nothing in his books ever detailed something of this caliber happening, and when he dared to look at Barty to garner his reaction, all he could see was the breathtaking look of surprise.
Looking back to the table all Harry could do was watch in shock as Dumbledore's hair continued to glow and levitate off the table, before it started to singe, smoke flowing into the strong wind around them. Then, in a flash, a fire engulfed the lock of hair without mercy, leaving nothing as it was entirely consumed by the magical fire. Everything around them trembled, buzzing with power as the wind howled in the middle of the table.
Slowly, the runes stopped vibrating, their glow dying down as they seemed to vanish into thin air with a powerful fizzle, vanishing along with Dumbledore's hair.
"…so," Harry began a few minutes later, unsure what to make of the ritual. "I'm going to be honest…I have never read that in any of the books," He blinked at the deep laugh that rumbled from his friend, looking at him in amusement.
"If the target's item burns, that means the ritual curse was a complete success," Barty admitted, still looking dazed. "However, I've never known the object or the runes to glow like that," Unaware they were still holding hands, Harry hummed, already planning on questioning Tom about the strange occurrence. Tom not only had years of unparalleled research, but he had access to the grimoires of Salazar Slytherin himself. Even if the man had no clue about what happened, he would enjoy researching the new mystery. He started to grin to himself, his mind racing as he thought about the curse Dumbledore would soon suffer from.
"I can't help but wonder how the curse will take form," Harry shook his head, another chuckle escaping him. Whatever happened, he knew that magic would serve Dumbledore a punishment that would be a blow to either his ego or it would take something he loved and destroy it in front of his very eyes.
With their joint magic still swarming around them, Harry felt himself relax even further, his smile spreading more as he thought of working on the blood runes next. One look at the man beside him had Harry grinning even wider, catching the infectious gleam in his eyes again.
"Blood runes next?" Barty innocently asked, the soft smile sending a wave of delighted warmth through Harry's entire body, always loving when that smile was directed at him.
"Great minds think alike," He teased, reciting Barty's words from the other day. The man just laughed, tugging him closer as they went to work on the next set of runes, his free hand resting against Harry's hip, keeping him close.
And Harry eagerly went along, pressing against the former Ravenclaw's side as the older wizard's words washed over him. A content smile spread across his face when Barty would unintentionally tug him closer, their excitement mingling together like it always did.
For the first time since he discovered what magic was, Harry didn't want to go back to Hogwarts at all.
Unknown to the two wizards, there was a sound of dismay in Hogwarts castle as Madame Pomfrey shook her head at the swollen headmaster. She held a paper in her hands, reading over it with a sigh.
"No more lemon drops for you, I'm afraid," She said, tsking as she poured the Headmaster another cup of a thick potion, which was quickly consumed, some of the swelling starting to go down. "My diagnoses are never wrong, Albus. You've seemed to develop an allergy to those confections," The man made a sound of distress, trying to speak.
"Ne han all bef" The matrone looked at him with sympathy, trying to decipher his words. When he spoke again, Pomfrey just tutted.
"Albus, surely you know it's possible to develop food allergies from overexposure?" She said, placing a hand on her hips. "Or did you think I was exaggerating when I tried to warn you about all the lemon drops you were eating?" She double-checked her paper, giving another tut.
Albus tried to say something else but was shushed as she gave him a hard look.
"Your cholesterol is far too high, Headmaster!" She huffed. "And your sugar intake is far too high for someone your age too. If you wish to live for another ten years you need to get your eating habits corrected," As she said that, her lips parted in shock as Dumbledore immediately started scratching his beard and head, the hair falling off in chunks on the bed.
"Merlin!" She was quick to jump to her cupboards, trying to find the hair-regrowth potions that Severus often restocked for her. She found the bottle, turning and watching as the hair fell to the floor in sick waves, leaving the Headmaster in all his wrinkled glory, looking absolutely shocked with fear. Taking a deep breath, she handed the elder wizard the potion as soon as it was poured into a cup, waiting for it to take immediate effect.
When ten minutes passed and not a single piece of hair had grown back, Pomfrey knew it was a lost cause.
With one last wave of her wand, she tried another spell, watching as the paper came back, glowing a deep green.
"Alopecia," She read off, shaking her head. "Completely from your magic, Albus," She said with a sigh. The depressed look the elder man sent her nearly made her laugh, but she held it in. "Likely caused by your poor diet, in fact. It wouldn't surprise me if your magic has been keeping your hair from falling out for years now." When it was clear the man wasn't going to argue with her again, she took a breath.
"I expect you to rest here for the entire night, Headmaster. Every time you get thirsty, I want you to drink the potions I left on the nightstand," She said sternly, pointing to the bottles beside the man. "If I find you out of bed, you will learn why the entire student body is afraid of me,"
Blinking at the stern tone and stubborn gleam, the headmaster nodded immediately, not wanting to endure her wrath.
"Good! I will come to check on you every few hours. Until then, do try and sleep," She said, making her way to the door. Once she was outside and a silencing charm was in place, she laughed deeply, to the point tears of mirth were welling in her eyes.
While she wasn't completely sure without further testing, she wasn't a trained healer for nothing. His onslaught of symptoms; along with the fact that the magical potions weren't working to curse his alopecia, led to only one conclusion.
Albus Dumbledore had a ritualistic curse on him.
The hair growth potion was supposed to work for people with that disease, so there was no reason the potion should have failed; unless there were magical forces at play, stopping it from working.
As a healer, there wasn't much she could do for curses of that nature. The only cure was for it to be lifted by the ones who placed it, or for magic itself to undo it.
The thought made her smile in delight to herself, happy in knowing the man was getting his due.
When the day of Barty's exoneration trial finally arrived, Harry made sure to grab the cloak they had enchanted with protection charms and spells. Despite the fact he was going to be seated with Tom, Lucius Malfoy, and Minister Fudge, he didn't want to risk anything.
There was no doubt in his mind that Dumbledore would be in attendance, likely planning on trying to sway whoever was either wrongly accused or placed into Azkaban for simply having the dark mark. For a moment, Harry wondered if there was any who would fall for Dumbledore's words, possibly feeling disillusioned with the dark and some of Tom's previous actions.
But then, he remembered the brutality of the Lestrange family, and how he had been informed by more than just Barty that they were often the perpetrators. And, from what he had to constantly remind himself, they had been at war. Both sides faced heavy losses, and both sides had been ruthless to each other.
It made him think of the deceased Alastor Moody and the stories Barty had told about him.
"He was not a good man," Barty had informed him one night after Harry had asked about the war and Moody in particular. "He was ruthless when fighting against any Death Eater, even if they were only using stunning spells,"
"It's interesting hearing that. When I still talked to Ron he told me how heroic Moody was and how many Death Eaters he had taken down in his prime. It was like no one wanted to acknowledge how brutal he actually was," Not for the first time, Harry found himself thankful that he and Barty had come up with their plan to remove him.
"He had a lot of power back then too," Barty had admitted with a grimace. "My father got along well with him, in fact. They worked closely together in bringing down all the Death Eaters they could," Harry froze at the words, unable to stop himself from laughing at the irony of it all. Barty shot him an amused look, tilting his head in inquiry.
"You told me before that your father hated Dumbledore," Harry began after composing himself, still grinning. "If Moody was also using information from your father, he would have been unintentionally helping Dumbledore during the entirety of the war. Your father is probably rolling in his grave knowing he aided Dumbledore," Barty found himself joining in on the laughter, the mirth shining in his brown eyes making Harry's entire chest flare with warmth, enjoying the sound of the pleased laughter.
Distantly, he thinks he found a new memory to use for the Patronus charm.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts when Barty entered the room, wearing a soft-plum three-piece suit. He's tying a navy blue tie in the entryway and Harry watches, eyes drawn to the silver chain of the pocket watch hanging on his left side. It makes him think of Sirius and he can't help but smile.
"Sirius has a pocket-watch like that. Is it a pure-blood custom?" He asked, watching Barty's fingers as they adjusted the tie.
"It is," Barty says, pausing to look at Harry, sending him a brief smile that was small, but filled with warmth. "It's common practice for a wizard to receive some form of a watch on their seventeenth birthday," He explained, moving closer to the younger wizard. "For most purebloods, it's usually a pocket watch, but some families have moved to using a regular watch," Harry listened, nodding along.
"And some are specially passed down as family heirlooms," Barty said after a moment, touching the silver chain, his expression a mixture of pride and sorrow. "The Greengrass family is known for having more daughters than sons, which makes receiving the watch a privilege," Harry watched as Barty gently thumbed the watch before tucking it back into his vest. He moved closer, carefully wrapping his arms around the older wizard, smiling to himself when the man seemed to relax into the embrace.
"She would be happy knowing you're wearing it now," Harry said, looking up at the man with a kind smile, cheek pressed into the warm chest. "Especially at your exoneration, knowing you get to tell the truth about your father," Harry added, his smile softening at the man who was looking down at him. Those brown eyes had a lightness to them that caused the Gryffindor's heart to skip a beat, a pale flush forming on his cheeks.
"My mother would have adored you," Barty said with a smile, a chuckle leaving him. Harry wasn't sure why or how, but those words made his heart stop, before it kickstarted again, thudding quickly in his chest, spreading warmth through his entire body as he answered back with a smile.
It even felt like his magic was fluttering inside, practically buzzing with pride and a sort of happiness that frankly surprised him.
"I think she'll be more at peace after this is done," Barty finally admitted after a brief moment of silence. Harry tilted his head at that, former feelings forgotten as he replayed the older wizards' words in his head, wondering what he meant. The older noticed the confused look and continued, explaining with ease. "A witch or wizard can still move on to the afterlife and leave behind an emotional signature in their passing, whether that be a pleasant or unpleasant one," Harry blinked, starting to comprehend the more his friend explained.
Harry had more questions about the magic behind lingering emotions, but there was a sudden pop as Winky appeared, doing her familiar curtsy.
"Lord Sayre be here to collect Lord Potter," Winky said, an excited hop in her steps. "He bes waitings in the foyer," Harry smiled at her, being sure to thank her like he always did.
"Thank you, Winky. Can you tell him I'll be there in a moment?" Her happy squeak made him smile to himself before he found himself tugged into a warm chest, arms wrapping around him in a warm embrace.
"Be careful," His friend mumbled, making Harry melt further into the hold, the Gryffindor's own arms clinging tight to the older wizard. "I know you'll be safe with them, but I still worry whenever Dumbledore is around," Harry hummed, pressing his face into the warm chest, inhaling the familiar scent.
"I want you to be careful too," Harry pleaded, breathing the other wizards' scent again as he forced himself to relax, trying to push away the slight unease that was building up. "I know Dumbledore will seek you out after your exoneration and try to get you to join the order," He hated the idea of Dumbledore not only singling Barty out but what the man would think when the former Ravenclaw answered with a blunt 'no.'
Even if Dumbledore's power was diminishing more with each passing day, the man still had many followers who would do anything for him. He didn't want Barty to have a target on his back after finally receiving his freedom.
"I will," Barty promised, pulling away and offering the younger a small smile as he tugged on a chain, showing the serpent pendant. Harry's lips twitched into an answering smile, touching his own that was hidden under his robes. He bit his lips, sending a wave of calming magic, remembering when Barty had gifted him the pendant.
Over the past two months, the man had become someone closer to Harry than anyone else in his life. The bond and friendship they shared was something priceless to him, something that he valued more than anything else in the world.
Harry gave a final hug to the older man, smiling as those arms immediately tugged him closer, despite having just ended their previous embrace.
"I'm so happy that you finally have a chance to get your freedom back. I'll be there supporting you the entire time," He promised, leaning into the hand that landed in his hair, carding through his messy curls for a moment, lingering as always. "It's going to be hard to resist hugging you in front of everyone after your exoneration," Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing as he pulled away, catching the gentle gaze that held a hint of mischief. "Or I could hug you in front of everyone and give Dumbledore and all his supporters a heart attack,"
"And considering they'll see us together at your godfather's trial, we might as well prepare them," Harry didn't try to stop himself from laughing, already imagining the confusion and horror that was sure to spread across Dumbledore's face like a wildfire.
"The reporters are going to have a field day with this," Usually that would terrify the younger wizard, but the thought just made him grin to himself, becoming giddy at the thought of people knowing.
"Especially when they see us at Gaia's teahouse afterward," Barty said off-handily, making Harry grin even wider, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Did you reserve us a table for their dinner tea blends?" Harry questioned, his heart skipping a beat as Barty helped him put on his enchanted cloak, one hand lingering on his shoulder while the other brushed against his nape. The smile on the older wizard's face took Harry's attention away from everything else, nearly forgetting about Tom, who was still waiting for him.
"You've been wanting to try their dinner for a while now," Barty explained with ease. "I figured we would go there to celebrate my exoneration before we returned home," Something lodges in his throat at that, his face flushing as he replayed the words over and over in his head.
Home.
While he viewed this place as his home, this was the first time that Barty had ever called it that, and for some reason, it made him unbelievably happy. Not even learning about magic had this effect on him.
"Thank you," He breathes out, emotions raw as he smiles brightly, unaware of the way the man's brown eyes linger on his lips, committing his smile to memory.
Eventually, when Harry leaves with Tom, the Dark Lord immediately takes notice of the new bracelet on his heir's wrist, a small smirk forming on his lips when he notices the Crouch Family crest engraved into it.
"I take it Bartimaeus gifted you a bracelet?" Tom questioned as they walked towards the trial room, eyebrows raising in surprise at the glint that entered the younger wizard's eyes.
"I forgot to tell you!" Harry laughed to himself, a wicked grin forming on his lips. "Fred and George managed to get us some of Dumbledore's blood. We're making a blood rune and inserting it into this bracelet as an extra means of protection for me while I'm at Hogwarts." Tom's smirk widened as he chuckled, enjoying the ingenuity of his heir.
Harry had failed to mention the curse he and Barty had performed together, forgetting about it as he discussed the way in which the twins had secured the blood.
"I need to meet them at some point," Tom admitted. "Their inventions have certainly aided us,"
Their conversation died down as they reached their destination, a new light entering Harry's eyes as he grinned to himself, ready to see his friend finally get back his freedom and denounce his father, just like the horrid, unjust man had done to his own son so many years ago.
Bartemius Crouch Senior was certainly rolling in his grave.
Next time will be the moment so many people have been waiting for: Barty's exoneration! Then after that, it will be Sirius' exoneration and Harry leaving for Hogwarts.
Also, Harry and Barty will finally see Dumbledore's appearance post-curse next time ;)