Chapter 7: In the Name of Flame

When Harry woke up, the fire in his dream was still burning behind his eyes. He lay there for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Hedwig sat quietly next to the bed, her feathers puffed up with worry.

He didn't say anything yet. His chest throbbed with magic, like a second heartbeat.

Harry had already showered and dressed, put his wand in his sleeve, and made up his mind to do something by the time breakfast started to smell in the manor.

This was the day.

They had freed Sirius from Azkaban five months before. Since then, peace had found a place in their lives, but it was never meant to last. Not for them.

Sirius was laughing at something Missy said at the breakfast table. His color had gotten better, and there was a twinkle in his eye that was almost there. Hermione sat next to Harry, ready to go, with her hair braided down her back and her wand hidden in her boot.

Everything seemed normal.

Harry felt the Goblet's call before he heard it, though.

It was like a thread pulling on his heart, a flow of magic that was so familiar he almost thought it was sadness. Then it got brighter and held on.

Hermione's hand reached across the table and rested lightly on his.

He looked her in the eye.

"It's time," he said in a soft voice.

Sirius stopped in the middle of a bite and narrowed his eyes.

Harry said, "The Goblet." "It just picked me."

Hermione nodded her head. "The magical contract is taking shape. It's like a knot getting tighter around his core.

Sirius moved his chair back and stood up, looking worried. "You're not doing this by yourself."

Harry smiled, but it was tired. "I never am."

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Great Hall was lit up by floating candles, and the walls were filled with voices and excitement. When Dumbledore got close to the Goblet of Fire, the students whispered to each other. He had just finished naming Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and Cedric Diggory as champions and was about to put out the Goblet—

When it turned blue again.

Gasps spread like wildfire.

Dumbledore caught the paper as it flew out.

He stopped moving.

Minerva walked toward him. "Albus? What is it?“

He didn't say anything. His lips moved without making a sound.

She reached for the parchment. He gave it to her with a shaking hand.

There were two words written there that were clear and bold.

Harry Potter.

"No," Lily said softly from the staff table, her skin going pale. "That's not possible. He is dead."

Severus's face had become stiff.

For a long time, Dumbledore didn't say anything. Then, softly and with respect, "The Goblet does not call the dead."

His voice was so low that it was hard to hear. "Which means... he's alive."

Lily's hands were gripping the table. "No, he came to me. I said no to him and  turned him away. Oh, Merlin..."

---------------------------------

A flash of light appeared between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. When the flames rose into the air and made a pillar of golden-orange fire, the students gasped and stepped back.

A person came out.

Not a boy yet, but not a man either. Harry wore black robes and stood tall, with magic buzzing around him like a second skin. Some kind of magic seem to orginate from him and then travel throughout the Great hall like a ripple

His wand glowed softly, making the enchanted ceiling flicker.

In a flash, Dumbledore was up and holding his wand.

"Who are you? Why are you here " he asked, sounding both careful and bossy.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “That’s what I’ve come to find out.”

People gasped as they realized who it was, both students and professors.

Lily stood there as if she had been hit. "Harry..."

There was another fire behind him.

Hermione stepped outside with her wand out.

"Are you okay?"She asked, ignoring everyone else.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine."

Lily whispered again, "Harry..."

There was no sound in the room except for a small gasp from the Ravenclaw table.

Ellie Snape stood on her bench and held on to the edge of the table. She looked right into Harry's eyes, and even though she didn't know why, something in her little heart just knew.

"Harry?"" she said in a quiet, almost reverent voice.

He turned when he heard her voice. His face relaxed.

She stepped forward once, not sure what to do, but everything—the crowd, the fire, and her own confusion—hit her all at once. Her legs gave way a little.

Harry was there in seconds, kneeling in front of her, calm and sure.

"Hey," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Are you Ellie?"“

She nodded without saying a word, and her lower lip shook.

He smiled, and it was warm and calm. "You have your mother's eyes."

Harry stood up and carefully carried her back to the Ravenclaw table. Then he brushed her hair out of her face.

Hermione stood behind and put her hand on her heart. Dumbledore even put down his wand.

The way Harry moved and stood protectively over the girl was so familiar that it hurt.

The older kids looked on in amazement.

Ellie's best friend leaned over the table and whispered in awe, "I think that's her brother."

“Can we meet in your office? And can you please ask that boy to follow us?” Harry said to Dumbledore, pointing at Ron. as he was not supposed to now who he was. But to see his best friend after so long so young free was he did not what it was

The Headmaster’s Office

Dumbledore had Harry, Hermione, Lily, McGonagall, Snape, Moody, and a confused Ron in his office in less than fifteen minutes.

Fawkes flew right away from his perch to Harry's shoulder and sang a sweet song. The phoenix nuzzled Hermione and then lay down between them.

Dumbledore was still careful and kept his wand ready.

"First of all," Harry said, "I need your trust for five minutes." Only five. We want to show you the truth.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, his eyes sparkling.

Harry and Hermione turned around.

In the same breath, they stunned Moody and Snape.

People gasped.

“What is the meaning of this?” McGonagall began, stepping forward.

:When I appeared in the Great Hall, you saw a ripple of magic spread out from me, travelling across the chamber. It was an old identification spell,” he explained, “one that tells the caster about people who might harm them.”

It wasn’t completely true, but Harry and Hermione had agreed on this explanation to cover the depth of their knowledge.

“Trust,” Harry said softly. “Just five minutes. We can prove it.”

He looked at Ron. "Can you, please check your pocket."

Ron frowned and reached in, pulling out Scabbers.

"Your rat isn't a rat."

Hermione said, "Professor, please—an Animagus Revealing Charm."

McGonagall looked at them for a little longer before pointing her wand.

The rat sparkled, moved, and grew bigger until it turned into a shaking, greasy-haired man with watery eyes and a finger missing.

Peter Pettigrew.

Silence fell like a knife.

Lily put her hand over her mouth.

McGonagall let go of her wand.

Dumbledore even took a step back.

"It can't be..." he said quietly.

Harry moved forward. "He betrayed my father and me. Framed Sirius. Got away. Hid as a pet for years. And when Voldemort came back, he will go back to him crawling.

Pettigrew tried to get away, but Fawkes let out a loud, single scream. He stopped crawling in the middle of it because magic held him there.

The next hour was a mess, with old lies coming to light and long-buried truths being revealed.

Lily sat there in shock, crying.

Ron looked at the place where his rat had been.

McGonagall looked sick.

Dumbledore looked older in his chair, and the weight of his mistake showed in every wrinkle.

Hermione held Harry's hand in hers.

"Are you okay?" She said softly.

He said, "No. But we're getting there."

He looked at Dumbledore. "You want me to take part in the Tournament?" Okay. But only on my terms. No games. No lies. No handlers.

Dumbledore nodded.

Harry's skin still felt warm from the fire. But this time, it didn't burn by itself.

He told the truth. He had Hermione. He left Sirius at home.

And he hadn't come to get revenge.

But in the name of fire.

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