Chapter 114 - Ch. 114 Culprits and Blood

"Aedan! What are you doing here?!" Yelled out a very familiar voice as it arrived with others.

"Mother?" I answered back in a bit of a surprise.

"What happened here?" She asked as her eyes widened at the scene of seven disabled and wounded men.

"Hi, umm, we took care of the idiots." I said with an awkward chuckle.

"Fine. I'll talk to you when we get home. For now we have a bigger problem. Two of you secure the area, the rest to the mark." She quickly ordered as she looked at her men.

"You guys head back to the tent for this one. You won't be able to do anything about the situation. It can't feel any fighting from the origin point, so I guess someone casted it and ran away." I tell my friends as they were watching the scene.

"Well, that was short." Said Christian as he put his hands on the back of his head.

"Less conflict is always a better thing Christian." Chided James with a shack of his head.

"But they were so pathetic. Not even a true challenge. They had more than twice our number and still barely put up a fight." Snorted Victoria.

"This was only one of the groups. I'm guessing they split up." Informed Amelia as everyone ran towards the Dark Mark, and I split away from my friends.

"I'll go on ahead. I'm faster." I informed mother as I burst out, my muscles exploding with power as I almost disappear from my previous spot. Leaving behind a blur and some stunned wizards.

"That boy, always rushing ahead." Simply said Amelia with a slightly amused look on her face.

I could feel the wind rush through my hair and whistle in my ears as I blew past burning tents and panicking people. All of those present feared the mark in the sky as they ran from it.

I could feel Crouch Jr. fleeing the place as he dropped Harry's wand, and by extension the trio near it.

Unfortunately I could also feel almost two dozen wizards surrounding them and shooting spells at the kids.

With looks of shock and awe from those present, I let my passive aura leak out of me as I spoke.

"It seems the Ministry is incapable of confirming who exactly they are trying to take down." I said in a cold voice.

"Move out of the way child! These are the culprits behind this damnable mark!" Yelled out a man with unnaturally neat, short gray hair, with a narrow toothbrush mustache, wearing a black suit and highly polished shoes, making him look like a Muggle businessman.

"You will address me properly Mr. Crouch! And you will do well to understand exactly who you are accusing!" I spoke out as he suddenly felt the pressure sobering his emotions quickly.

"Fine then. Lord Bones you will move out of the way and we will detain the culprits behind the Dark Mark as is our duty." He responded after taking a breath, but with an emotionless tone.

"So you want me to believe three soon-to-be fourth years, one being a muggleborn, another being the son of the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office in the Ministry of Magic, and the third being Harry freaking Potter, shot the Dark Mark into the sky? I will once again ask for you to understand. WHO EXACTLY ARE YOU ACCUSING HERE?!" I said as I let my eyes glow with power, making them look like blue flames.

All those present felt my strength this time, as the pressure forced them to almost unconsciously submit.

"The-then where is the culprit? Only they were here and no others were found." Crouch tried to argue.

"We saw someone over there cast a spell as they pointed a wand towards the sky right before that thing appeared. They fled right after though." Interjected Harry as he was trying to prove his innocence and help out.

"Thank you Harry. Now if anyone can check the area. I am thinking your reckless attacks may have done unintentional good." I said to the surrounding people.

A witch quickly took the initiative to head over with a duo following right behind her as I stared down Bartemius Crouch Senior.

A few moments of tension later, with the kids behind me and the rest in front of me, the group came back holding a little body and a wand.

"We found this house-elf unconscious beside this wand. She was directly under the mark." Informed the witch.

"My wand! I thought I forgot it in the tent!" Harry blurted out.

"So you admit your wand was used to cast the mark. Clearly you have some involvement in this." Said Crouch as he rushed to accuse Harry.

"Mr. Crouch." My ice cold voice resounded, making everyone freeze at the danger they now felt. "You will remain quiet or I will incapacitate you while we have a proper investigation. You are lucky I am not killing you where you stand for what your son was responsible for putting me through and the murder of my parents. So you will shut up or I will no longer tolerate your presence."

I was no longer presenting my rulers aura, it was now pure bloodl.u.s.t assaulting the man as he started shivering at my threat, making him unable to even try and respond.

"Harry, go and pick up your wand. We will cast Prior Incantato on it to see if the culprit used your wand to cast the mark. And with the only witness present, Winky here will then be reanimated." I said as everyone dared not disagree. Plus it was the logical thing to do instead of rashly pointing fingers before any facts were determined.

The kid got his wand and came back under the gaze of everyone, whilst I motioned first him to pass it over for a second. I casted the reverse charm aloud, so that no one doubted it was what was casted, and with it came out the small image of the dark mark.

"Aedan, what have you found?" She asked in her Head of the DMLE voice.

"Someone took Harry's wand to cast the Mark, these men and women thought the trio were responsible, they fired stunners, hit Mr. Crouch's house-elf which was found fainted next to said wand. I may have lost a bit of control and let my emotions get the better of me, so I will turn everything over to you Mother." I explain calmly to the woman as I hand the wand back to Harry. "Please do cooperate Mr. Crouch. I am sure Madam Bones would love to hear you opinions while I take these kids back where they belong." I added with a polite smile which didn't reach my eyes.

Without waiting for anyone's agreement, I guided the stunned kids away from the scene and head back for the Black tent.

I waited until we were far enough before asking them a question.

"Why are you three in the forest? I thought I told everyone to stay together in the tent." I asked the quiet teenagers.

"Um, well. Sirius and Mr. Weasley told us to go hide here when they found out more than one group was attacking muggles. So they told everyone who wasn't an a.d.u.l.t yet to go and hide while they help take care of things." Answered a slightly nervous Harry.

"Great, more idiots with delusions of grandeur." I say to no one in particular.

"We also saw that git Draco while we were hiding. He basically threatened Hermione and all but said his dad was participating." Added in Ron.

"Lucius really can't change. I had hoped my little playing around with him would rein him in a bit, but if he continues this way only ruin awaits him." I sigh in response to the Malfoy families actions.

"What do you mean?" Cautiously asked the curious girl.

"Blood supremacy is a dead end leading to worsening magic, lost of bloodline gifts, genetic abnormalities, decreasing number of members in each subsequent generation, dying traditions, lost of family lines and knowledge, and lowering of intelligence as time passes. The implementation of the ideal would kill the magical world within 4 generations at most, unless they involve half-bloods." I explain plainly as we walk.

"What? Really?" Asked a surprised Ron.

"Yeah. This is all based on evidence. Doesn't remotely help their case that the most powerful and famous wizards of the modern age are all half-bloods." I answered the red-head.

"Wait! Is that really true? Then who are they!" Excitedly asked Hermione.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Harry James Potter and Aedan Micheal Bones." I answered with a little smile. "The Headmasters, Harry's and my mother were all muggle-born witches, while Tom's father was a muggle."

The three were slack-jawed at the revelation. They had never thought about that common factor between the four of us.

"But that can't be the reason why all of you are strong." Said Hermione after thinking for a bit.

"No it certainly isn't. We all had a drive to improve and gain more power, for various reasons and goals of course, but it is hard to dismiss the theory that introducing new magical blood into the old lines helps ignite latent potential hidden within." I explained to the curious girl.

"And why is that?" She asked as the two guys listened.

"I believe it is because muggle-born have purer magical blood in all honesty. To me they represent a new line, devoid of any advantages or disadvantages. They are blanks if you will. They can help ignite a dying bloodline, or if generations of muggle-born marry into a new line exclusively as some purebloods try to do. I believe new magical gifts and affinities would rise up from that now 'pureblood' wizard family. That is actually my theory on how metamorphmagi and parseltongues came to be in the first place, with the possibility of old rituals or spells, but still a solid possibility." I answered the young witch.

"Then doesn't that mean you are on the complete opposite side of Death Eaters?" Asked Ron with a sudden realization.

"Of course I am. What kind of person do you take me for?" I scoffed as I over-exaggeratedly responded, getting a few chuckles.

We were getting closer to the tent field as we chatted when Harry suddenly spoke up about something that had been bugging him.

"Aedan, I know this isn't really a proper thing to ask, but why were you so mad at Mr. Crouch?" Said the kid hesitantly.

"Harry! You shouldn't ask that! It's personal." Chided a high-pitched Hermione.

"Yeah mate, not sure this is the best time either." Ron surprisingly said as he agreed with the girl.

"It's alright you two. The answer is simple." I say to them with a calm look. "His son was an extremely devoted follower of Voldycunt. He, along with several of His stronger followers, attacked my family and wiped out pretty much everyone except for myself, my aunt and Susan. Although he was sent to Azkaban, I cannot stop my loathing for the man who raised the bastard who killed my parents." I answered to the now stunned trio.

"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have asked that. I know how bad it feels when people ask those types of questions and I just did it to you." Said a very guilty looking Harry as he realized how bad it I must feel.

"It's alright Harry. I know what you went through, so it's only fair you get a bit of my past as well." I said with a small sigh as I look up to the stars.

'I Hope I've at least made my presence in their son acceptable through my actions and accomplishments.' I suddenly thought as I remembered who's body this should have truly been.

I dropped the trio over to their guardians, then head over to my own friends as they questioned me about what had happened after they separated.

After being grilled for answers, everyone finally went to bed as some of the parents were running around trying to help. Making it an interesting finale for the Quidditch World Cup.