HP: Harry From The Ancient House Of Black [ Chapter 68 ]

"I'll send the signal." Potter lifted his wand and sent red sparks into the air. Aries waved his wand slowly over Fleur, healing what wounds he could. "So, what now?" Diggory was still shaking his head, trying to clear it from the haze.

"We go our separate ways." He wanted very badly to stun the other two, but now he had to get to the end of this mystery.

Someone wanted Potter to reach the cup first and Aries had a good idea who that someone was.

"Watch yourself, Potter, something isn't right here. You're lucky that this was not your fault Diggory, I hope we don't cross paths again."

Aries left the two to their own decisions deciding to go left.

There were no other obstacles that he came into contact with, which he found incredibly odd, but thinking back to his two encounters created an even more disturbing thought.

Kill Delacour and distract Black. Someone had clearly watched their duel and knew that Diggory would not be able to kill him.

Acromantulas and Dementors, on the other hand, had killed many skilled wizards, regardless of their experience.

Allow Potter to get to the cup first.Aries was very confident that Mad-Eye Moody was, in fact, Barty Crouch Junior, but how? Did he recently disguise himself as the former Auror?

Or had the former Death Eater been hiding among the Hogwarts' staff all year? The latter seemed unlikely considering the Headmaster, but if he had been, did that mean that Crouch was the one responsible for Potter being in the tournament?

These questions needed answering, and Aries was determined to reach the Tri-Wizard Cup first.

Luck it would seem, was on his side, for as he took a right he came into a large circular clearing. There on a small platform sat the Tri-Wizard Cup.

Aries glanced around and upon not seeing the other champions, walked towards his goal. He stood before it with a sense of calm and reached out for the cup.

His hands grasped the handles- and nothing happened.

Was he supposed to still be here? Would the staff know he had found the cup? Aries waved his wand over the cup and it glowed blue.

It was then that Potter and Diggory emerged on each side of him and spells flew towards him. A bright blue bubble encompassed him, absorbing their spells.

"Wait!" Their onslaught of spells continued before Aries had had enough. He pushed out a wave of power, knocking them both off their feet. "For fuck's sake, wait!"

"What is it Black?" Clearly, the two were willing to duel to determine the winner, but technically he had already touched the cup.

"The cup is a portkey." They both had looks of shock and Aries' wanted to groan at their stupidity.

"Dumbledore said the champion would be returned to the starting area but look at this." He waved his wand and the bright blue shown again. Potter and Diggory slowly made their way towards him, looking intently at the cup.

"The fact that it's a portkey isn't the surprise. Watch again." Another wave of his wand and this time they saw it.

Underneath the layer of blue, was another glowing blue layer, but this was one a shade lighter. "This cup is a portkey to two locations. But more importantly, this is keyed to someone." Aries touched the cup again and nothing happened. Potter went to touch it, but he stopped him.

"Diggory, if you would." Again, nothing.

"What the hell is going on?" Diggory exclaimed. Aries' eyes fell on Potter.

"Someone wants Potter to win this tournament." Potter's eyes did not leave the cup. "Someone placed his name in the Goblet of Fire, confounding it so he would have to compete. Then tonight, someone placed the Imperious Curse on you so that Potter would win the tournament. Whoever did this wants Potter to touch this cup, but it will not take him back to where we started, at least not at first."

"We need to tell someone." Diggory went to raise his wand but Aries disarmed him quickly.

"Think Diggory!" Aries nearly screamed. "Who placed this cup here?"

"One of the teachers," Potter answered quietly.

"Yes. Someone wants Potter to walk right into a trap, and I bet you both can guess who."

"Voldemort." The name hung around them and Diggory paled.

"So, what do we do?" Diggory asked.

"We spring the trap."

"Wait no! No way!" Potter had, at last, tore his eyes from the cup and faced Aries. "We need to get help. My dad or Sirius or someone!"

"No." Aries' voice was firm. "If we tell someone then we risk the culprit escaping. Think for a moment. They expected Diggory to be under the Imperious Curse, Fleur to be dead, and me to be nowhere near this cup. Whoever placed this cup here expected Potter to be alone and surprised." Aries looked at the cup with renewed determination.

"Except he won't be alone. There will be three of us, and the element of surprise will be ours. All three of us touch the cup, and we spring the trap. Once we handle everything there, we use the cup to come back. Whoever the culprit is will be surprised to see all three of us return, and we take him out as well."

"This is insane Aries!" Potter was shaking his head.

"There's no point! We need help. This isn't like what Sirius told you. We have time. They can come with us. We don't have to do this alone."

"Black's right Potter," Diggory said strongly. "If we ask for help then we alert whoever did this. We need to do this. We can do this. Together." He placed his hand on the cup. Aries followed suit, grabbing the cup as well. Potter looked at them both as if they had grown horns.

"Are you sure about this Aries?"

"Yes. Trust me, Potter." He looked at Aries for a moment before he grabbed the cup. There was a sharp pull on his navel, and they disappeared from the grounds of Hogwarts.