It was the morning after the Third Task. Harry was under a lot of potions and resting in the corner of the hospital wing, separated from the other beds to receive special care from Madam Pomfrey. Aside from his physical injuries from the task and what Wormtail and Voldemort did to him, he was under a lot of psychological stress as well.

Analeigh and Cedric were given Sleeping Draughts the night before and weren't updated on what had happened to Harry. And so, the moment Analeigh woke up that morning, she searched for any indication of what could have happened around her, but all she could see were a row of empty beds. She couldn't spot Harry or Cedric anywhere.

"You're awake, Miss Heart. I've arrived just in time."

Dumbledore came strolling in the hospital wing, looking calm and unbothered.

"Professor, Harry —"

"Is fine," he finished, a small smile on his face. "Scratched up and stressed, yes. But he's alive and resting."

His eyes traveled to the corner of the room, and Analeigh followed his gaze to find that there was a small divider where Harry must have been sleeping behind it. She let out a huge sigh of relief.

"What happened to him? What did they do to him? Is he going to be okay?"

"I should have expected you to want to know everything right away," said Dumbledore, summoning a stool and sitting down on it by her bed.

"First of all," the old man began. "You, Harry, and Cedric have all claimed first place in the Triwizard Tournament. The prize money will be split among yourselves."

At the mention of Cedric, she scanned the hospital wing once more in case she had just missed him when she first woke up, but he was still nowhere in sight.

"Mr. Diggory is with his parents right now," Dumbledore answered before she could ask. "They insisted on speaking with him once he was awake for a full explanation after what happened last evening, so Madam Pomfrey allowed him to leave the hospital wing around an hour ago. Now, for Harry..."

Analeigh sat up straighter, eager to listen.

"He arrived in front of the maze shortly after you and Mr. Diggory did. Unfortunately... Voldemort has returned."

Analeigh felt her heart drop to her stomach at those words. Voldemort has returned. She couldn't believe it, and she didn't want to... but after all that happened and the way Dumbledore's voice sounded too grave for it to be a joke, she couldn't find it in her to convince herself otherwise.

"H-How?" she asked.

"That figure you mentioned Wormtail was carrying, Miss Heart... that was him." Analeigh sucked in a breath. "I'm sure Harry will tell you, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger everything soon enough. For now, all I can say is that Voldemort used dark, ancient magic to bring his body back."

Analeigh couldn't hide the worry on her face. Would things have been different if she had made more of an effort to reach Harry on time? Would they not have hurt Harry and brought Voldemort back to life if she was quicker and smarter?

"I hope you are not blaming yourself, Miss Heart," said Dumbledore, eyeing her knowingly. It was almost as if he could read her mind, and she briefly wondered if he actually could. "Based on Mr. Diggory's side of the story from when I saw him earlier today, the two of you would not be alive to tell your tales if not for your use of the Portkey."

"Oh," Analeigh mumbled, the events of the previous night replaying in her head. "What did Cedric say?"

"He told me as much as he could in detail. That the Killing Curse was used on the two of you twice by a man he did not recognize — Peter Pettigrew. That he was able to block it just barely the first time when it was directed at you, and that you managed to get the two of you to escape before it hit the second time. Your fates would have been drastically different if not for the both of you acting quickly."

"But Harry could've escaped, too..." she muttered, feeling like a helpless child.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "But a lot of factors came into play last night, so we would never know for sure. If I may say so myself, I believe Voldemort would have eventually gotten his body back sooner or later."

Analeigh couldn't help but wince at the use of his real name so boldly for the third time in that conversation. Everyone in the wizarding world knew that Dumbledore wasn't afraid of him and used his name lightly, but Analeigh grew up not having the guts to say it since the people around her always referred to him as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who. If Dumbledore noticed her discomfort, he didn't point it out and moved on.

"Now that that has been settled, I'd like to talk to you about the Portkey your father gave you."

"Sir, I really didn't know it was a Portkey. I only realized it in the graveyard because my dad gave me a hint before the Third Task — but I don't think he wanted me to use it to cheat. I wasn't even planning on using it and he told me not to touch it unless I was in grave danger, which I didn't think I would be, so..." she rambled.

"I know," Dumbledore said calmly. "I merely wanted to clarify it, and I believe you. However, I trust you know that there will be consequences to your father's actions. He will be facing an inquiry at work soon."

Analeigh was silent. She was both thankful and frustrated. If he hadn't given me that Portkey, Cedric and I would most probably be dead. But why did he give it to me in the first place? she wondered. Was he possibly aware of what was going to happen? What was he so afraid of happening that he risked his job?

"I already told the Minister of Magic that it was on my instructions that Altair conjured that Portkey for you. I told him that I had been noticing suspicious activity throughout the Triwizard Tournament and wanted to ensure that the champions would not be harmed, so you need not worry too much. Cornelius took my word for it, so your father will not face an unreasonable punishment."

"But, Professor... you didn't really tell my dad to do that, did you?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"I suppose I didn't have to go through the trouble of telling you my white lie, then. You are correct: I did not."

"Then why did you tell Mr. Fudge all of that?"

"That, Miss Heart, is something I think your father should talk to you about."

Dumbledore's words left her speechless and impatient. Fortunately, her parents were still in the castle, not having left at all for they wanted to personally make sure that their only daughter was okay. It was only minutes after speaking to the headmaster that Altair and Grace Heart entered the hospital wing, practically running to see Analeigh.

"Oh, Analeigh," Grace said, peppering her face with kisses.

"Oof — mum, I'm fine."

"You are certainly not fine!"

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't be if not for that Portkey," Analeigh said, but her parents looked angry at her taking it so lightly.

"Don't be so morbid," Altair scolded.

"Only if you tell me why you gave me that Portkey in the first place."

Grace and Altair shared weary glances.

"Fine."

"Were you just paranoid? Did you think I wouldn't survive the maze? Did you know something was going to happen?" Analeigh blurted out all those questions at once.

"Er, it's a yes and no to all of them." Analeigh made a face at such an ambiguous answer.

"Just explain, Altair," said Grace with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay, okay," he replied, clearing his throat. Analeigh sat up straighter, ready to hear what he had to say. "There's no easy way to say it, I think... how do I put this? You know how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his power years ago, yes? Well, most of my family were blood purists and believed in his ideas. Your grandparents fortunately didn't think the same way even though they were pure-bloods, too, but they passed away around the time I was out of Hogwarts already."

Altair never spoke much about his family, always saying that he didn't know them that well either due to the war. Analeigh never really minded that since she was close to those from her mother's side, anyway. However, it was nice to hear that her paternal grandparents weren't blood purists at the very least. Like her father said, they had died before she was even born, so she really did not know them at all.

"Now, some of my relatives eventually joined You-Know-Who's side — my cousins, especially. They were at the perfect age to do it. Since both my parents were gone, their brothers and sisters — my uncles and aunts — were the ones who pressured me to join, too."

"I didn't want to," Altair quickly added, but Analeigh had a feeling where this was going. "I got a job offer right after my graduation, so I moved to France where I met your mother. Things were fine for a few years, but a group of Death Eaters found me. They threatened to find and kill the rest of my family, including my actual relatives, your mother, and you — even before you were born. I was young and afraid, so... I said yes."

Analeigh's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Did that mean he was a —?

"I became a Death Eater, but I promise you, I never wanted to become one," Altair lowered his voice, and Analeigh could hear the desperation in it.

"You were still one, though," Analeigh muttered in shock. She loved her father dearly and always saw him as such an intelligent and strong man, so hearing this had sent her brain haywire. "Then... then what happened?"

Altair paused, not wanting her to hear the specifics just yet.

"I went to to Dumbledore for help," he confessed. "I knew he was leading the side against You-Know-Who. Of course, he didn't trust me right away. But I began telling him what I'd hear on the dark side — their missions, targets, and the like. He eventually believed that I truly didn't want to be there. He cleared my name after You-Know-Who's downfall, and I returned to France back to you and your mother to start anew."

"So, what does this have to do with the Portkey?" Analeigh questioned. "Why did you give me one? Did you know You-Know-Who was going to come back?"

"I didn't know for sure. But there have been signs everywhere, starting with that Death Eater rampage at the Quidditch World Cup. I thought it was random, but his presence was getting stronger... his followers have a way of knowing, and there's no way to get rid of it. And then you told me about Snape and Karkaroff, and —"

"They were Death Eaters, too, right?"

Altair looked at her in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"It was an accident, but Harry found out," she admitted. "Now, it kind of makes sense that you spoke to Snape yesterday..."

"Yes, well, that's the thing. After you told me about their conversation, I confronted Snape about it." He decided not reveal too much about the man for it wasn't his place to tell them. "In the end, there were just too many signs that You-Know-Who was somewhere out there that I became paranoid... the Triwizard Maze didn't help because it just looked so eerie..."

I agree, Analeigh thought with a small shudder. The Triwizard Maze would now become a bad memory for her rather than a good one despite the fact that she and her fellow Hogwarts champions had won.

"So, I made the Portkey to bring you back to the front of the maze. I used a spell to ensure that it would only activate with your touch and the right intention so that you wouldn't accidentally use it."

Analeigh looked down at her neck, but the necklace was gone.

"Madam Pomfrey gave it back to us last night," Grace interjected when she realized what Analeigh was looking for. "Do you want it back?"

"It kind of reminds me of what happened, so... I'd actually rather not see it," Analeigh said sheepishly.

"I removed the Portus Charm already, but if you don't want it, it's fine. It was from my blood-purist family, anyway," Altair said with a the smallest hint of humor.

"Wasn't it a Touch-Recognition Portkey?" Analeigh then asked, remembering what Dumbledore had called it. Altair nodded.

"Aside from the fact that making Portkeys without the Ministry's knowledge isn't exactly legal, Fudge was even angrier because I used an advanced form of it," he sighed. Analeigh opened her mouth to protest, but he continued speaking. "It's all right, Analeigh. Dumbledore helped me out again."

"But your job..." said Analeigh. She wasn't happy that her dad hid that secret about himself for so long, but that didn't mean she wasn't concerned for his career and well-being.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't find yourself in a situation you couldn't get out of like I once experienced before."

By the end of their conversation, Analeigh was speechless. She felt a mixture of anger, gratitude, and love for her father. Who wouldn't be mad at their parent for keeping such a dark secret for so long? But she couldn't hate him, because she wouldn't be alive to do it if not for what he did.

Knowing that she needed some space and more rest, Altair announced that he and Grace would leave for a while and return when she would get discharged from the hospital wing. Only then would they go back home, but they would be seeing her in a few days' time anyway as there was only less than a week until the official end of that school year, and then she would be back home with them again.

Altair took his leave first, walking out of the hospital wing quietly. Grace lingered for a moment, fluffing Analeigh's pillow to get her comfortable and reminding her to take her necessary potions on time so she could get discharged by the end of the day.

"You know, Analeigh," said Grace. "Your father was just scared back then. He didn't want to hurt people."

"But didn't he have a choice, mum?"Analeigh asked quietly. "Didn't a lot of people refuse to join, too?"

"That is true," Grace confessed. "But he knew what his mistakes were and eventually tried to make things right. If Dumbledore could understand him and give him a chance, I'm sure you can do it for your own father, too."

★ ★ ★

Analeigh wasn't going to be discharged until that evening, but Madam Pomfrey allowed her to shower and get changed into more comfortable clothes at the back of the hospital wing. She tried to sneak a peek at Harry, but the divider obscured her view and Madam Pomfrey firmly told her that no visitors were allowed until at least the next day.

It was only a little while after Analeigh's conversation with her parents that Cedric reentered the hospital wing. He had a few scars on his face and arms from the night before, but they would fade soon enough thanks to all the spells and potions Madam Pomfrey was treating him with. The moment he stepped inside the wing, his eyes met Analeigh's who was wide awake and just could not rest after everything she had just learned from Dumbledore and her parents.

"Analeigh," Cedric breathed. Analeigh was about to get up from her bed to meet him halfway, but Cedric was already jogging towards her and by her side within seconds. "How are you? Did you get enough rest? You scared me last night."

"I'm fine, thanks to you," she said gratefully. Seeing him in front of her own eyes now that her mind was a bit clearer from the previous night's events made her realize just how crazy everything was.

"What do you —"

"I wouldn't even be here if you hadn't summoned that statue to block the Killing Curse," she mumbled, looking down to fumble with her fingers nervously. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Hey, hey," said Cedric, grabbing one of her hands and gripping it tightly. "To be honest, I didn't even think about it. I kind of just... did it. There was no way I was letting that curse hit you. And don't forget that you're the one who brought us out of there. If you hadn't used that necklace, we wouldn't have made it out safely."

"About that necklace my dad gave me..." Analeigh began, unsure of how Cedric would react. She knew he had probably heard her give her explanation to Dumbledore when they appeared in front of the maze, but she still wanted to clear things up with him. "I swear I didn't know it was a —"

"It's alright, Dumbledore told me."

"H-He did?" Analeigh stuttered. Did Dumbledore say the whole truth, then?

"Yeah, when I saw him earlier this morning. I remembered what he said yesterday, anyway — how he was becoming suspicious about the tournament, so he asked your dad to create that Portkey. He explained all of that to me again, and he also said that they never told you it was a Portkey in the first place."

Oh, Analeigh thought. So, he still doesn't know about my dad being a Death Eater, then.

"See? You figured out that it was a Portkey on your own. If you hadn't, who knows what could have happened to us?" Cedric said, a faint smile on his face before it dropped again. "Dumbledore was right to feel wary about the tournament, though."

Analeigh thought that that version of Dumbledore's story was just a cover-up for her father, but it sounded like there was more to it than she thought based on Cedric's tone. What else had happened that she didn't know about yet?

"What do you mean?" she asked him curiously.

"Did you hear about Moody already?"

"Moody? What does he have to do with the Triwizard Tournament?"

"I suppose you could say everything," Cedric said in a low voice. "Only some of the teachers, our parents, and a few Ministry officials know this, but... the Professor Moody we knew from this year was actually Barty Crouch Jr. — Mr. Crouch's son."

"What?" Analeigh said, eyes wide. She swore she could recall Harry saying that he was supposed to be dead after he watched Dumbledore's memories of his trial.

"I know, it's shocking," Cedric sighed disapprovingly. "What's worse is that he's a Death Eater and hasn't stopped following You-Know-Who all this time. He's the one who made the Cup into a Portkey and how we all got into this mess. That's all I know so far, but I'm sure they'll be sending him to Azkaban soon. Thank Merlin that the real Alastor Moody was more or less unharmed."

Analeigh bit her lip and was at a loss for words. The disgusted way Cedric said Death Eater said everything about how he would react if she told him about her dad being one before. She knew the case was different since her father gave his word that he never wanted to become a Death Eater in the first place whereas Barty Crouch Jr. continued to be an avid follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on his own will, but... she still felt that it wasn't right for others to know about her dad's side of the story. If Dumbledore covered it up for the meantime, then maybe she should, too. Analeigh decided that she wouldn't tell Cedric about her father just yet, and she wasn't sure if she ever would at all.