"So, Snuffles said to ask Percy about Crouch?"

"Yeah, Ron wrote him a letter about it and we just sent it recently," Harry clarified.

Following the last Hogsmeade trip, Harry, Ron, and Hermione relayed the information they got from Sirius to Analeigh. It seemed that they had gotten a lot from that man within the span of a few hours during their Hogsmeade visit, a lot of it revolving around Barty Crouch — one of the judges of the Triwizard Tournament, which only made the whole ordeal fishier. They learned that his house elf Winky may have been the one to steal Harry's wand during the Quidditch World Cup; that he was the one who sent Sirius to Azkaban without a trial; and that he even sent his own son, Barty Crouch Jr. into that rotten prison, though he supposedly died soon after his imprisonment. Moreover, they brought up what Harry witnessed between Snape and Karkaroff, which Sirius found very interesting. Analeigh had to admit that after being so focused on the tournament and her own escapades, she almost forgot that a lot of suspicious things had been happening around them since summer.

"Enough about that for now. People might overhear," Hermione said in a low voice. "How was your date with Cedric, Leigh?"

Analeigh blushed at the sudden attention, the three other Gryffindors now looking at her attentively.

"Well?" Harry pressed.

"Bet they just snogged the entire time," Ron snickered. Analeigh lifted her buttered croissant and made a motion to throw it at the redhead boy.

"I'm joking, joking!" he said quickly, raising his hands up in defense.

"Keep joking like that and I'll crush your croissant," Analeigh threatened, making Ron gulp in fear. "But, if you must know, we did not do that."

"You don't need to know all the details of it even if she did," Hermione backed her up.

"Thank you —"

"But I do." Analeigh stared at Hermione in surprise. "What? I'm still a girl. I do like hearing the juicy details once in a while."

By then, Harry and Ron were looking uncomfortable at the topic of snogging. It was Ron's fault anyway.

"Nothing big happened, okay?" Analeigh decided to say, wanting to keep it short. "We just ate lunch and had a nice time. We got Butterbeer afterwards and — oh, we bumped into Rita Skeeter at the Three Broomsticks."

"You what?" Ron said incredulously. "Don't tell me you annoyed her, too."

"Of course no —" Analeigh stopped short when she realized that she did, in fact, say something to annoy the woman. Instead of finishing her sentence, she just shut her mouth. It was enough for them to know her answer.

"Leigh! Do you know what's going to happen to you now? She's going to spread rumors about you just like she did with Hermione."

"No, she won't," Analeigh insisted, though she was secretly a bit concerned. "I'm not as a interesting of a topic as the Harry-Hermione-Krum love triangle."

Harry and Hermione sent the girl pointed looks, making her shrink back.

"Sorry," she said, though she was clearly not sorry. "It's true, though. People are eating up her gossip about you guys."

"What did you say to that woman, anyway?" Hermione directed the subject back to her.

"Well, Cedric and I were on our way to Madam Rosmerta when she blocked us. She said something about how two of the Triwizard champions were on a date."

"What's wrong with that, then?"

"She kind of brought Harry up..."

"Not again," the aforementioned boy groaned. "What was it this time?"

"She knew that I hugged you after we got out of the water in the Second Task. She kept insisting something was going on between us, so I may have said something to offend her."

"Would you just tell us what you told her?"

"Er... I just said that people wouldn't give her fake news that easily." Analeigh hoped that they'd buy her lie.

"Why do I feel like that's a downplayed version of what you really said?" Harry said, only to receive a sheepish shrug from Analeigh.

"Because it sort of is."

"What did you say?" Ron demanded.

"I may have said she was irrelevant," she finally confessed to which Ron shook his head disapprovingly. "It wasn't that bad!"

"You did this to yourself, Leigh," he scolded. "She's going to go after you next."

Ignoring his warning, Analeigh said, "It was strange, though, now that I recall it."

"What was strange?" said Hermione.

"She knew Harry and I hugged twice. I mean, it could have been a guess, but I just found it odd how she just... knew. Not to mention the fact that she also knew exactly what Hermione and Krum talked about after he rescued her, right?

"I told you she's up to something," the bright witch said triumphantly. "There must be some way she's been getting all this information so accurately."

Hermione's mood brightened when the owls arrived. It was almost as if she was expecting something.

"Percy won't have had the time to answer yet," Ron said, seeing the look on her face. "We only sent Hedwig yesterday."

"No, it's not that. I've taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. I'm getting sick of finding everything out from the Slytherins."

"Good thinking," Harry commented, also looking up at the owls. "Hey, Hermione, I think you're in luck —"

A gray owl was flying down to Hermione.

"It hasn't got a newspaper, though," she noted. "It's —"

But the owl did drop a letter before her, followed by six more owls and their respective mails. Analeigh's jaw dropped as the papers came raining down on their area.

Harry pushed aside Hermione's goblet before it tipped over from the pile of letters and asked, "How many subscriptions did you take out?"

"What on earth —?" Hermione opened one letter. Her face grew red. "Oh, really!"

"What's up?" asked Ron.

"It's — oh, how ridiculous —"

She abashedly handed the letter to the blonde girl beside her. Analeigh's eyes widened at what Hermione had gotten: hate mail. This one was made out of cutouts from newspapers and magazines instead of a usual handwritten letter.

yOU are a WickED giRL. HarRy PoTtER desErVes BeTter. G0 baCk wherE YOu cAMe from mUGgle.

"They're all like it!" Hermione realized as she opened one letter after another. "'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you...' 'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn...' Ouch!"

Suddenly, a yellowish-green and foul-smelling liquid spilled all over hands from one of the envelopes. Boils started to form on her skin.

"Undiluted bubotuber pus!" Ron exclaimed, snatching the envelope away from her.

"Ow!" Hermione looked like she was in serious pain, trying to remove the pus using table napkins.

"Go to the hospital wing now," Analeigh said hurriedly.

"We'll tell Professor Sprout where you've gone," said Harry.

Hermione heeded their advice right away and ran out of the Great Hall before Analeigh could offer to take her.

"I hope she'll be okay," Analeigh muttered worriedly.

"I warned her!" Ron said. "I warned her not to annoy Rita Skeeter! Look at this one: 'I read in Witch Weekly about how you are playing Harry Potter false and that boy has had enough hardship and I will be sending you a curse by next post as soon as I can find a big enough envelope.' Blimey, she'd better watch out for herself."

"Or Hogwarts should do better at double checking the post," Analeigh huffed. "If they couldn't stop something as harmful as bubotuber pus from being delivered, who knows what people could send her next?"

Hermione didn't show up to Herbology that morning. She was thankfully alright after a few hours and was able to see them and Hagrid after their Care of Magical Creatures lesson on nifflers.

However, Hermione continued to receive hate mail for weeks. She stopped opening them after that first time, though she did still get quite the attention whenever she got Howlers that would explode at the Gryffindor table because she left them unopened.

Eventually, the start of the summer term rolled around. It was nearing the end of May when the champions were told to go down to the Quidditch field at nine o'clock one evening where Ludo Bagman would explain what the Third Task would be. Harry and Analeigh made their way down there at half past eight, bumping into Cedric when they were just about to exit the castle. The three of them talked about what the last task could possibly be until they reached the pitch. Naturally, they expected to see the smooth and flat field that they were used to, but they were surprised to find it full of low, grassy walls that twisted and turned in different directions.

"What've they done to it?" Cedric asked in shock.

"They're hedges!" Harry realized.

"Hello there!"

Deeper into the stadium stood Ludo Bagman, Fleur, Briggite, Viktor, and Andrei.

"Well, what do you think?" Ludo Bagman chortled once the three Hogwarts champions were next to them. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid will have them twenty feet high. Don't worry, you'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"

"Maze," Viktor Krum answered after a pause.

"That's right! A maze. The Third Task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We seemply 'ave to get through ze maze?" said Fleur.

"There will be obstacles," Bagman answered excitedly. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures... then there will be spells that must be broken... all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze."

The plump man smiled at Harry, Cedric, and Analeigh — they were in the lead, after all.

"Then, Mr. Krum and Mr. Grigor will enter... and then Miss Delacour and Miss Champney. But, you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

Analeigh gulped, wondering what crazy creatures Hagrid was bound to place in the maze. She heard from Harry, Ron, and Hermione about his dragon and three-headed dog back in their first year, and then the acromantulas in their second year. Putting all that together with the flobberworms and blast-ended skrewts he used in their classes, she would never guess what kind of beasts would be inside those walls until the day of the task itself.

"Sir," Cedric suddenly spoke up. "If the champions enter in pairs, how will that work for me, Analeigh, and Harry?"

"Ah, yes," Bagman said as if he had just remembered. "The judges decided that Mr. Diggory and Miss Heart will be paired while Mr. Potter shall enter alone."

"What?" Analeigh blurted out. She stood up straighter before continuing. "With all due respect, Mr. Bagman, but isn't that a bit... um, unfair?"

Isn't that just another way to get Harry in a situation where he could be killed? Again? was what she wanted to say. The poor boy had had way too many life or death situations in only fourteen years of life.

Bagman patted Analeigh's shoulder in a comforting manner, but it did nothing to ease her troubles.

"Worry not, Miss Heart! The judges have all discussed it and we agreed that it was for the best, and contrary to your words, is actually quite fair. After all, Mr. Potter technically wasn't supposed to be part of the champions' line-up — er, not that he doesn't deserve to be one — but yes, he will be going in alone. He's been doing well thus far anyway, and I'm sure he'll have all the help and support he needs, too," Bagman said, patting Harry on the shoulder next, which the latter responded to with an uncomfortable wince. Analeigh agreed that Harry had successfully completed all the tasks, but now that it was the final one, she thought that he'd need more help than ever, and that the judges would think so, too. Clearly, she was wrong, and the judges of the tournament were still perfectly fine with having the youngest champion go through this last challenge on his own.

"Are we clear?" said Bagman with a tone of finality, though he still somehow sounded lively and friendly like always.

Analeigh was still finding the whole thing unfair, but she could only nod reluctantly knowing that it was no use arguing with him. The rest of the champions nodded and murmured in agreement as well.

"Very well," the man clapped his hands together. "If you haven't got any more questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly...."

As they all began to disperse, Bagman made his way to Harry, who had a feeling that he would try to offer him some tips for the remaining task. Harry knew that the man had taken a liking to him since the tournament started. Bagman also literally just mentioned moments ago that he would 'have all the help and support he needs' for the last task. Harry knew he wasn't the brightest wizard out there, but he was sure that the that 'help and support' that Bagman was referring to would be coming from the judge himself.

Analeigh, who was clueless as to what Ludo Bagman wanted from Harry, sent the green-eyed boy a look of confusion, which he returned with a pleading look. Before Analeigh could verbally ask him what on earth he meant, Viktor Krum came up to Harry as well and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Could I haff a vord?" Krum said.

"Yeah, all right," Harry replied, slightly surprised. Another few seconds of silent communication between him and Analeigh ensued, and she was pretty sure she looked stupid trying to ask him what was going on with just her eyes.

"Vill you valk vith me?" Krum continued.

"Okay." In the end, all Harry could do was shrug at Analeigh.

"I'll wait for you. Harry, shall I?" Bagman offered, to which both Analeigh and Cedric raised their eyebrows at.

"No, it's okay, Mr. Bagman," Harry said with a fake smile. "I think I can find the castle on my own, thanks."

Analeigh tried to cover up her laugh but ended up coughing, and even Cedric grinned at Harry's subtle comeback.

Playing along with the act, Cedric pretended to pat Analeigh's back and said, "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just fine," Analeigh cleared her throat as Krum and Harry went on their way, leaving Bagman standing in the center of the field.

"I'll take her back to the castle, Mr. Bagman, so we'll be on our way now," Cedric informed the man with a charming smile.

"Oh, yes, yes. Good luck with your preparations for the Third Task, then," Bagman beamed.

The two Hogwarts students thanked him and left together, Cedric's hand still lingering on Analeigh's back. She had to admit that she was a bit disappointed when he dropped his arm to his side once they were out of the stadium, but that was short-lived because he soon interlocked their hands anyway. Analeigh's face grew warm and she was grateful that it was dark outside.

"What do you think Hagrid is going to place in the maze?" Cedric asked.

"Knowing him, probably something we can't even pronounce."

"Hmm, makes sense. Something like a hinkypunk, then?

"Or some mutated form of Flesh-Eating Slugs that we have yet to know the name of."

Cedric hid a shudder at the mention of those creatures. He was all up for an adventure and genuinely enjoyed the challenge, but that didn't make the sound of flesh-eating animals any more enticing.

"Well, at least we made it past dragons, grindylows, and merpeople already," he pointed out. "That's got to mean something."

"I know. I'm honestly just worried Harry's going to get himself killed since he'll be on his own," Analeigh admitted.

"Nobody's going to die in the tournament, Analeigh," Cedric chuckled. "Besides, Potter faced the most vicious dragon on his own, remember? He can handle himself."

"I suppose you have a point," she sighed. "And we do have a bit more than a month to prepare, too..."

"Exactly. What could go wrong?"

★ ★ ★

Unbeknownst to Analeigh that night she returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry experienced an extremely eventful night the moment he left her to walk with Viktor Krum. As soon as he could find them, Harry filled Hermione, Ron, and Analeigh in on what happened: from Krum asking about his relationship status with Hermione, seeing Bartemius Crouch acting strange in the Forbidden Forest, going to Dumbledore for help, and finally finding out that Krum was stunned in the forest and that Crouch had vanished all of a sudden. The four Gryffindors had even more questions to add to the list of unanswered ones that they just couldn't find the solution to no matter how hard they tried, and they weren't sure if they'd ever find out — or if they wanted to.

Being an only child, Analeigh had always been close to her parents. She often confided in her mother when it came to friendships, relationships, and the common struggles she would face growing up. Though she was also close with her father, she rarely confided in him with things like that. But, when she did seek his help, it usually had to do with problems that didn't concern just herself — problems that felt heavier because it felt like it affected those around her. She found that her father gave good advice with matters like that. Hence, it was only a few days after all that drama happened that Analeigh sent him a long letter. She made sure not to spill any secrets, though, such as the ones about her indirect knowledge of Sirius Black and what had been telling the trio, but other than that, she wrote down as much of whatever was worrying her as she could until her hand ached.

Altair Heart already had his own worries when Analeigh's letter from a Hogwarts barn owl arrived. For weeks, he had an inkling about what was going on in the wizarding community, and it caused his anxiety to grow so much that he would try to convince himself that he was only imagining things. Because of that, he hoped that the letter his daughter wrote to him would be more positive considering she was in the lead for first place at the Triwizard Tournament, which he and his wife, Grace, would finally be able to watch on the 24th of June, 1995. But, he was proven wrong the moment he unfolded the parchment.

Dear dad,

How are you? School's been getting harder for me each day, but I think I'm doing fairly well at maintaining my grades despite that and the tournament — for some of the subjects, at least. Potions is still such a hard class to excel in, especially with Snape, that annoying professor I always complain to you about. I'm pretty sure you were at Hogwarts around the same time as him, anyway. I know I usually write to you and mum in one letter, but I felt like writing to you specifically about this.

Things are getting weird... I don't know if it has a connection to Harry — he's my friend but you know how trouble follows him everywhere... or maybe I'm just overthinking everything. Either way, I'm getting worried and I don't exactly know why.

First of all, is it true that Crouch has been inactive in the Ministry? I know you don't work directly under him, but maybe you would know... because one of the champions was stunned and he claims that Crouch did it, but he was gone before they could confirm that it really was him.

The Third Task is also coming up and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid. Hermione and Ron are going to be helping Harry and I learn some new spells, charms, and jinxes, though, so that makes me feel better. I'll also be practicing with Cedric, the sixth year champion that I went to the ball with as well (I'm not sure if mum told you about him already). Still, the task is going to be in a maze, and it's a bit unnerving to not know what will be inside there.

This sounds a bit unrelated, but Karkaroff (the headmaster of Durmstrang) is quite strange, too. Harry said he saw Karkaroff show Snape something on his arm and said it's getting clearer??? Whatever that means. I don't know if this is important, and maybe I'm just biased because I don't particularly like Snape. Maybe they were just old friends or something.

Ugh. I don't even know what I'm writing anymore, dad. Sometimes, I wish you could just send me a Portkey so I can touch it anytime I want and it'll take me away from all these problems. It would bring me back home, then you and I could steal from mum's fresh batch of brownies she would make for her shop and she'll curse at us in French like always, but we wouldn't really mind because we enjoyed eating the pastries anyway. I'm just kidding, though. I need to finish the tournament, and I do want to challenge myself even if I'm feeling pretty scared and nervous right now.

I hope you and mum are doing well. Don't worry about me too much. I've just been feeling uneasy and felt like writing to you again, but I'm going to suck it up and get through the tournament. I love you, and please tell mum I love her, too (and can you ask her if she can send me some more chocolates?) ♡

Love,
Analeigh

Altair reread the contents of the letter so many times that it began to echo in his mind. Harry saw Karkaroff show Snape something on his arm and said it's getting clearer...

He looked down at his own forearm, and sure enough, the faint red mark that was once jet black was growing clearer and darker every day. If his suspicions were correct and so were Analeigh's pieces of evidence, then he had to act fast. He had to do something to ensure that his past did not catch up with his daughter and result in a fate worse than the one he was put in almost sixteen years ago.

A/N: If the last part shocks you, I actually gave a hint/foreshadowed it early in this book ;) Thanks for reading and I'd love to know your thoughts and feedback in the comments!