This is something I've wanted to do for a short time now. I have another HP/Naruto crossover of a similar type, which I haven't finished yet but plan to. If I receive enough positive feedback on this one, I plan to continue it. Now, this story will be Harry/Hermione, with one single (completely lemony) chapter that will be Harry/Multi. No changing my mind on that one, since I already had it planned out from the very beginning. There will be Dumbledore bashing, although not much. No Weasley bashing.
Disclaimer: I don't own either Harry Potter or Naruto. Those belong to J.K. Rowling and Masashi Kishimoto, respectively.
If one were to study the crowd of Hogwarts students and teachers, along with foreign students and dignitaries, that currently sat on the seats high above a circular arena, the could notice the equal amounts of glee, worry, and excitement.
The middle one would be the best word to use to describe Hermione Granger at the moment. The bushy haired, fourth year Hogwarts witch was currently biting her nails down to nubs as she watched four dragon keepers lead away an angry Chinese Fireball only for twice the number of dragon keepers to bring in the fiercest dragon ever, and the one her best friend Harry Potter had to face: The Hungarian Horntail.
To those not familiar, today was November 24, 1994, the day of the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. As explained by the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman, the normally three, now four, competitors had to circumvent the dragon they had chosen and obtain the golden egg that the giant lizard was guarding without causing harm to the real eggs around it.
Hermione, sitting in between Ron Weasley and his sister Ginny Weasley, had already watched along with everyone as Hogwarts Champion and Hufflepuff Seeker Cedric Diggory succeeded while almost having his face burnt off. Beauxbatons Champion and Half-Veela Fleur Delacour also succeeded with only a damaged skirt. They had just finished watching as Durmstrang Champion and famous Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum passed the Task, although with some crushed dragon eggs to show for it.
Everyone in the stadium held their collective breath as they watched Harry slowly walk out of the cave that lead to the contestants' tent. Everyone was also astonished to see that Harry was wearing what appeared to be a sturdy skin body-suit, meant for both mobility and protection. The skin almost looked like dragon skin.
The bespectacled fourteen year old had hardly been out for more than five seconds when he was forced to dodge behind a rock to avoid a blast of fire sent by the Horntail. Quickly looking over the rock while avoiding the burnt parts, he sent a simple stunning spell towards the dragon, which was quickly deflected with the horns on its namesake before it blasted the rock once again with fire, forcing Harry to move to another so as to not get burnt to a crisp.
The Horntail, it seemed, was not one for games, for it quickly stopped its fire and jumped slightly forward, closer to Harry while also standing in between him and the eggs. Using this new vantage point, the dragon used its tail to send a number of small rocks flying towards Harry, who dodged most of them and deflected the rest with a well-timed Protego before sending a few spells that did nothing more than scratch the dragon's tough scales.
Once again using its tail, the Horntail instead grabbed a large rock, about the size of Harry, and flung it towards its target, who was forced to send an incredibly powerful stunner to both stop the momentum of the rock and to break it, thus minimizing the damage significantly.
This seemed to finally anger the dragon severely, for it blew two fire trails on either side of Harry, preventing his escape, while using surprising ingenuity and grabbing a large rock, easily twice the size of the previous one, with its frontal legs. The Horntail lifted the rock above its head, roaring in triumph, before flinging the large rock at the now panting and wide eyed Harry Potter.
For many people, time seemed to slow down here. It was as if life was showing everyone, in slow motion, the impending doom of The Boy Who Lived.
The rock, however, also blocked the view of Harry suddenly bringing his hands together into a strange sign.
And then, like a flash of lightning with the sound of thunder, the giant rock crashed into the wall were the boy was, crushing him completely.
Silence reigned in the stadium, save for the shuffling of the dragon moving back to its nest slowly. This silence was quickly and powerfully shattered, however, by the wounded scream that came from Hermione's mouth. That this scream was also Harry's name was lost on no one.
And then, reality crashed. Many people began calling out Harry's name in anguish, some even from Slytherin, surprisingly. Draco Malfoy looked as though Christmas had come early, while those who had accused Harry of stealing Cedric's glory of the tournament were given a harsh reality check.
In the judges' box, a certain headmaster of Hogwarts was torn between being relieved and sad. The other judges had subdued expressions, with the exception of Bagman, who was open mouthed.
From the point where the other champions had come to watch, Cedric was quite green in the face while Fleur seemed to hardly be holding back tears. Viktor was showing no emotion, but his thoughts were a maelstrom.
And then, as if to shock everyone, a voice so low it was almost missed rang out from the opposite side of the dragon-created rockslide.
"I'd hoped to not use this ability until much later, but I guess the saying is true... No plan survives contact with the enemy."
Almost as one, the spectators looked to where the voice had come from... to see none other than a very much alive Harry Potter staring at the Horntail, who was now staring back at him as well.
To Hermione, hearing the voice that she thought she'd never hear again was like a terrible joke played by Life before what the voice said, along with the sounds of wonder from the other spectators, clicked in her brain and she forced herself to look up only to see the very boy- no, man- who she thought had been turned to paste standing on the opposite site of the arena, staring into the eyes of the dragon. What was strangest to her, and to everyone in the arena, was that they could somehow see a bluish grey energy floating around Harry's body, almost as if his magic had become visible.
The dragon, not very happy to see the one she thought she'd killed being very much alive, reared her head back to send him properly to the Otherworld, this time cooked. Harry, however, was having none of that, and everyone witnessed as he went through five strange hand signs before shouting out, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Thus, everyone also witnessed as the Boy-Who-Lived literally breathed out a massive flame that battled with the one sent by the most dangerous dragon breed in the world without yielding in the slightest!
Releasing the Jutsu, Harry easily jumped to the side and planted both feet and one hand against the wall, somehow managing to stick there. As the dragon followed him slowly, Harry brought his hands together before calling out, "Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!" and spitting from his mouth a massive deluge of water that hit the dragon cleanly in the face, making it stumble. The water also filed the arena, leaving quite a few spots filled like ponds, and at the same time carrying away some of the eggs, scattering them around but not cracking or breaking any.
Finally, after a number of seconds, Harry stopped the flow of water coming from his mouth, thus leaving the arena like a rocky riverbed. The Horntail shook its head and glared at Harry, while everyone else was far too stunned to do anything else but stare.
They would be given another reason.
Harry brought the index and middle fingers of both hands together in a cross hand sign, calling out, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several puffs of smoke appeared around Harry, and when the smoke dissipated, everyone had a hard time picking up their collective jaws from the floor.
Around Harry were five perfect clones of him, looking at the dragon with the same fervor as their creator.
"You guys know your orders," Harry called out, "Keep her occupied while I do this Jutsu. I need one of you to hang back so you can dash in just after I do it and grab the egg."
Every Harry nodded, and four of the clones dashed at incredible speeds towards the dragon, who roared and tensed in preparation.
Meanwhile, the original Harry held his hand out in front of him and concentrated. This blasted energy ball still took him some seconds to create, and in a battle, that could prove fatal.
Many of the spectators were distracted from the battle between the four Harrys and the Horntail by the glow of light coming from the original Harry's position. Those that turned were able to see what looked like a continuously spinning ball of energy being created above Harry's hand before growing larger and larger, soon reaching Harry's size in height!
Harry stopped it there and moved it around, making sure it was secure and self-sustaining, before dashing forward towards the dragon, with his remaining clone following. When he was only a few yards away, Harry pumped his legs and jumped straight up, effectively clearing three stories and putting himself directly above the dragon.
"Guys, hold her down!" Harry yelled out.
As one, two Harrys jumped on top of the Horntail's wings, bringing them to the ground as the other two approached and grabbed the wings, holding them down.
"Take this!" Harry yelled, flying down like a meteor as every face in the stands watched in wonder.
"Giant Rasengan!"
The ball in Harry's hand struck the dragon on the back, slamming it down to the ground with a painful shriek. The drilling power of the attack stayed for only a few seconds before the Rasengan destabilized and sent out a massive shockwave that created a crater where the dragon lay and sent up a lot of dust.
When the dust cleared, it showed Harry standing next to the massive dragon, holding a large, golden egg in his hand while the five clones of the boy were to the side, holding the real eggs.
It took a long time for people to understand that it was over, but Ludo helped by yelling out, "In an incredible display of power and ability, Harry Potter has defeated the Hungarian Horntail and claimed the golden egg! He passes to the second task!"
A moment later, deafening cheers rang out from the stadium, bringing a smile to Harry's face. Giving the golden egg to a newly created shadow clone, he calmly approached the dragon laying to his side and, to the surprise of everyone, began speaking to it... in Parseltongue!
"Great Dragon Mother, I humbly apologize for the pain I have caused you in this battle. I have a few healing abilities available to me, so if you require any assistance at the moment, please do tell me."
Harry stood there for a few seconds, amusedly staring at the dragon, before hearing an oddly feminine yet defeated voice.
"Well... my back certainly hurts from that last attack you hit me with..."
Harry honestly had to snort at this, but happily complied and moved to the Horntail's back, where he pressed his hands to the spot where he'd dug the Giant Rasengan and began to focus. As his hands were enveloped in a green mist, he moved them all around the area of the attack, healing it to the best of his ability.
Moments later, he stopped and wiped his brow. Looking inquisitively at the dragon, he asked, "Better?"
The Horntail gave a nod and began to stand and stretch her wings as Harry stood and dusted off his hands. As the dragon settled, it turned her head towards Harry, who locked eyes with her. They stayed there for a few seconds, merely looking into each other's eyes, until, as if by some unspoken consent, both human and dragon bowed low to each other, the Horntail's snout nearly reaching the ground.
Straightening back up, Harry and the Horntail nodded to each other before the dragon began to walk away. A second later, however, Harry's curiosity peaked and he called out in Parseltongue, "What's your name?"
The Horntail stopped for a moment before turning slightly and fixing Harry with an amused eye. "I was named... Medusa."
Harry gulped but resisted the urge to look away. "Should I be glad that I'm not a part of nature by now?"
Medusa seemed to do the draconic equivalent of a snort of amusement before walking to a nearby pond to drink. Harry smiled before noticing that there was practically no sound coming from the stands. Looking around, he noticed that the entire stadium had gone quiet, merely content to watch him work his own brand of magic.
Ludo, though, had to bring it to a close, saying, "Mister Potter, please report to the infirmary tent for treatment of any wounds. The judges need more time to talk about your score, so you may leave without worry."
Nodding his thanks, Harry ordered the shadow clones to put down the eggs safely before dispelling in a puff of smoke, with the last one giving him the golden egg to hold on to. With that under his arm, Harry happily walked into the cave that had somehow remained intact, whistling a merry tune on the way which made many people looked at him as if he'd grown two heads.
As Harry entered the infirmary tent, he was blindsided by a person. Harry was about to tense and prepare to fight when he noticed the blonde hair on the person and smiled, moving his head back slightly and placing a small kiss on Fleur's cheek, making the girl blush before withdrawing her hug.
"You are certainly not a little boy, 'Arry," Fleur said, her blush as prevalent as her accent. "I cannot tell you how distraught I felt when I thought you had been crushed by that rock."
"And not just her," Cedric commented, coming into Harry's line of sight and patting Fleur's shoulder, "We were all shocked at what had happened. Isn't that right, Viktor?"
"Yes," Viktor commented, appearing at Fleur's other side, "I must say I'm impressed on how you took on the dragon, but I believe my surprise is much larger in that regard."
"Thanks, guys," Harry responded, feeling warmth at the concern they had for him, "I'm just glad we all made it out intact."
"Well, let's just make sure of that, shall we, Mister Potter?" Poppy Pomfrey's voice rang out behind him, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Madam Pomfrey, I'm fine. The Horntail did nothing more than warm up my skin," Harry commented lightly, making Cedric wince slightly and touch the left side of his face, which was looking a little pinker than usual.
"Yes, well, until I check you up, I won't believe that you came out of that battle unscathed, despite what I may have seen," Pomfrey insisted, attempting to use a body scanning charm but failing. "What the-? That's never happened before."
"Oh, it's my armor," Harry clarified, "It's made out of basilisk skin. Practically impervious to any spells!"
The other four people present gaped.
"Where in the world did you get the money for basilisk armor?!" Cedric questioned.
"I didn't," Harry countered with a smirk.
"Then how...?" Fleur trailed off.
Harry shrugged. "Made it myself."
Even more gaping.
"Hey, if you keep that up, you'll attract flies," Harry commented lightly.
"Where did you get the skin for the armor then?" Viktor asked.
Harry looked at Cedric pointedly and asked, "Remember what happened in my second year, where muggleborn students and a damn ghost were getting petrified?"
"Yeah, I remember," Cedric said, not seeing the connection.
"You know that basilisks can kill people with a single glance, correct?" Harry asked everyone, who nodded in response.
"Well, as it turns out, if the basilisks looks at someone in the eye through some other means, like say a mirror, a camera lens, or through a ghost, they get petrified instead," Harry went on.
Cedric's countenance, along with Madam Pomfrey's, became quite pale at this, quickly connecting the dots, while Fleur and Viktor were still confused.
"You mean to tell me we had a goddamn BASILISK roaming the halls of Hogwarts and no one knew of it or saw it?!" Cedric practically yelled.
"Right in one," Harry smirked. "Which reminds me, what was the explanation given for what had happened when the attacks stopped?"
"We were told that someone had snuck in somehow and was attacking the students until they had been stopped the night that the petrified people were being brought back," Cedric explained.
"Huh... close enough to the truth to not be a lie. Clever," Harry commented.
"So, someone did fight the basilisk and stop it?" Cedric asked.
"Uh-huh," Harry nodded. "Although, it was more along the lines of a person, a phoenix, and a hat."
"What?"
"Fawkes certainly was very helpful during that," Harry reminisced.
"That was YOU?!" Cedric questioned.
"Yep, sure was," Harry said, smiling. "And I have to say, it wasn't easy considering all I had was a sword."
"I find that very hard to believe," Viktor said, his eyes narrowed.
"If you want, I can take you down to the Chamber where its body is. Quite a marvel to see, despite the fact it's now missing a few feet of skin," Harry shrugged.
"That would be indeed great, but right now, Mr. Potter, I need to check your body. Now, do take off the armor so I can check," Madam Pomfrey intervened.
Shrugging once again, Harry put the golden egg that was under his arm on a bed nearby, then lifted his right index finger up, which suddenly began sparking and humming. Pressing it to the uppermost part of the suit, which was right on his neck, he ran it down vertically, all the way to his groin, whereupon he stopped and, putting out the sparking finger, grabbed the neck and opened it up along the cut, dropping the opened armor on the floor and stepping out of it.
Almost immediately, Fleur became a blushing mess, both Cedric and Viktor were rather impressed, and Pomfrey was fighting back a blush of her own. The reason being that Harry had nothing but boxers on underneath the suit, and he was very well built for a fourteen year old young man. While he was not overly muscled, every muscle in his body had been worked to perfection, leaving him looking like a raven-haired god.
Finally coming back from her slight high, Madam Pomfrey used several green spells on Harry's body. A moment later, a sheet of parchment appeared in front of her, and she scanned through it with a small smile.
"It seems you're as fine as you say, Mr. Potter," Pomfrey chuckled, "So you may get dressed once again, if only to not finish breaking miss Delacour here."
The three males chuckled along with her, while Fleur was still unresponsive. Harry was about to grab his armor and put it back on when he heard his name being yelled and turned without thinking.
The result was that the four young ladies that has just walked in, those being Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Parvati Patil, and Susan Bones, were turned into blushing, stuttering (and slightly drooling, in Susan's case) messes, while the only boy, Ron Weasley, was left feeling rather inadequate at the sight of his ex-best mate.
Hermione was in cloud nine at the moment, never having seen Harry this naked before, or at all. She now realized just what the boys felt when they saw the girls out of their bulky Hogwarts robes. She could feel a very hot feeling originate from her core before moving to her loins, and she had to fight hard to not cross her legs right there and then. The other three weren't doing much better. Hell, Susan and Ginny were openly salivating.
"You ok there, ladies?" Harry chuckled.
Parvati shook her head hard and came back to the mortal world, slapping Hermione's, Susan's, and Ginny's cheeks to bring them back.
"Yeah, we're fine," Parvati commented, still blushing, "We only came with Hermione to check if you were alright. But could you please put something on? It's rather... distracting."
"Well , I was about to do that, until I was interrupted," Harry said cheekily before grabbing his basilisk armor, putting it on, and resealing it, drawing a small whine from Hermione, Ginny, Susan, and Fleur all at once. Harry chuckled once again.
Suddenly, his name was called from the outside by Bagman. Looking back at the only person who hadn't spoken yet, he asked, "Is there anything you needed, Ron?"
Ron finally looked back up, a slight sadness in his face. "No, mate, I just wanted to apologize for not believing you earlier. Seeing that giant dragon really put things into perspective for me."
Harry nodded and said, "Well, we'll talk more later."
Without further ado, he grabbed the golden egg and walked out of the tent, back into the arena.
The people left in the tent looked at one another in slight awkwardness. Ron coughed and walked over to where the guys were, hoping to talk to both of them. This led to the girls, with the exception of Madam Pomfrey, to group together and talk, the main topic being, of course, the wizard that just left.
Minutes later, Harry returned, looking slightly pensive while staring at the golden egg in his hand.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Hermione asked, noticing him first and drawing everyone's attention to him.
Harry looked up and locked eyes with her before taking off his glasses and pocketing them. Looking at the other three contestants, he asked, "Did the judges or your mentors tell you the purpose of the eggs?" They all shook their heads, so he continued. "It seems as though there's some kind of clue inside the egg, so we have to figure it out before the second task if we hope to know what to expect."
"Well, what's the clue?" Cedric asked.
"That's the thing..." Harry said slowly, putting his hand on top of the egg and grasping the tip. "Whenever the egg is opened..." He twisted the tip, and the egg popped open.
Immediately, an unearthly shriek filled the air, making everyone cringe and cover their ears. Harry quickly closed the egg and twisted the tip again to seal it.
"... That happens."
"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ron asked.
It was a testament to Hermione's shock that she did not berate Ron on his language.
"I think I might know..." Harry mused, before looking at Madam Pomfrey. "Madam, is it possible you could transfigure a large container of water for me? Large enough for four people to stick their heads in fully and comfortably."
Pomfrey nodded and created one out of thin air. It was pure glass and reached just under Fleur's hip. Harry went through three hand signs and held his hand up to his mouth, his index and thumb forming a circle. Water began to flow from his mouth and quickly fill the container, with Harry stopping only when the container was nearly full. Rolling up the sleeves of his armor, he put the egg inside the container and held it there. Looking at Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor, he motioned with his head to approach the tank and said, "When I tell you to, stick your heads inside the water, making sure that your ears are inside, otherwise you won't be able to hear it." They all nodded, so Harry counted down to three and they all plunged their heads at the same time he opened the egg.
Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Parvati, Susan, and Poppy all watched as the champions' faces went through several expressions for about fifteen seconds before they all rose from the water, with Fleur gasping a little. Viktor was the first to connect the first pieces.
"That was a mermaid song!" he exclaimed.
"Indeed. I recognized the shrieking since it's the same that I've heard the mermaids in the lake call out during my morning runs," Harry nodded.
"So, it is safe to assume we shall have to be underwater," Fleur deduced.
"Most likely the lake here at Hogwarts," Harry said.
"By the way the song went, it sounds as though they're going to take something important to us and put it under the lake for us to retrieve," Cedric commented.
Harry nodded once more before continuing the train of thought, "And judging by the last verse, it seems that the maximum time we have is an hour."
"We're supposed to hold our breaths for an hour?!" Fleur exclaimed.
"Do you have any idea how deep the lake is?!" Cedric also exclaimed.
"Hey, hey, calm down," Harry said, taking control of the situation despite being the youngest. "We now know what we're up against. For the Second Task, we're supposed to go down into the lake to retrieve something important to each of us. We have an hour of allotted time. What we need to figure out is what could be taken, where it could be put, and how we can reach it and bring it back without drowning."
The other three contestants still looked a bit ill, so Harry continued, "Think about it this way: at least we know early on. Just think how much more stressed we would be had we found out halfway between the tasks."
That seemed to console them sufficiently, but Harry wasn't done. He dried all four of them with a wave of his hand, surprising everyone with his wandless and silent magic, before continuing, "What we need to find out first is how we're going to be able to hold our breaths for the span of an hour. Any ideas?"
After some thinking, Cedric piped up, "How about the Bubblehead Charm? The time it stays on depends on the focus of the user, but it is a surefire way of breathing underwater." Everyone nodded in appreciation.
Viktor spoke up next, "I was thinking of a partial transfiguration, perhaps into a shark's head."
"That's not a bad idea, but it has a bigger chance of going bad, so let's hold off on that for now," Harry explained, and Viktor nodded.
Harry looked at Fleur and asked, "Any ideas, Fleur?"
Fleur was biting her lower lip cutely, much like Hermione was wont to do, but finally shook her head. "I'm not sure if you know, Harry, but Veela are fire-based creatures. We do not take well to water, especially if we do not know it's depth and temperature."
"That's alright," Harry said, smiling at her to show that there wasn't anything wrong with that, "We now have two ideas: the Bubblehead Charm and a partial transfiguration. We'll need to study up on way to breathe underwater and every thing we can learn about sea or lake creatures. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be attacked by the giant squid all of a sudden." The strong shakes of the other champions' heads made him laugh a little. "Alright, now, what do you think is something important to each of us that could be taken under the lake?"
They all began thinking once again. Cedric was once again the first to speak up, "Harry, I don't think they'll just take your Firebolt and give it to the merpeople to hide."
This drew a chuckle from them all, but Viktor was quick to stop. His eyes narrowed slightly before widening, and his skin paled.
"Something wrong, Viktor?" Harry asked.
"You... you don't think..." Viktor began, unsure, "... What if it is not something... but someone...?"
The ensuing silence showed just how appalled everyone was at that idea. A second later, however, everyone was left gasping for air as an incredibly oppressive force appeared in the tent with no warning at all. Everyone could feel as if they were being pushed down by the force, having never come across killing intent before. Out of all of them, Hermione was the first and only to notice that Harry was the only one who seemed not to be affected. Instead, noticing his narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, it seemed he was the source!
The muggleborn witch began walking towards her best friend, the force of his anger making each step feel like her feet weighted a few tons. Once she reached him, she quickly threw her arms around his midsection, hugging him tightly from behind and saying into his ear, "Harry, please, calm down!"
He seemed to take no notice of her. Hermione, however, noticed that he was actually saying something through his gritted teeth. It seemed to be the same two sentence fragments, repeated over and over like a mantra.
"They better not... Not Hermione..."
Feeling a blush appear on her face, but nonetheless feeling deeply touched that she'd be the thing he would miss the most, Hermione circled around him and did something very Gryffindor-like: she hugged him once again from the front and kissed his cheek, something she'd never done before.
This seemed to instantly break Harry from his anger, and he blinked before noticing his best friend was hugging him rather tightly and had her head in the crook of his neck, nuzzling it slightly and whispering calming words to him. The slight shock of having her so near him wore off quickly, and what followed it nobody could have predicted: Harry hugged Hermione back just as tightly... and began to cry in earnest.
The other occupants of the medical tent could only watch, some in sadness and others in wonder, as Harry's frame was racked with sobs and he gripped Hermione's robes tightly while burying his face in her hair. Hermione was shocked as well that Harry was actually crying, something she hadn't witnessed since last year, and that had only been a short, angry cry. This one was an absolutely devastated kind of crying. That was when she realized that Harry was trying to say something, but his sobbing was making it difficult.
"I... I... c-c-can't lose... you... no... I've... a-a-alread-d-dy lost... m-my... parents, I c-can't... lose... someone else I... l-love..." Harry sobbed, his grip on her robes tightening even further as if he were afraid that she'd disappear if he let go.
Hermione felt a light fluttering of her heart as she heard him say this, once again deeply touched that he cared for her this much. She moved back a little and kissed his cheek again, saying, "Shh... it's alright, Harry... you won't lose me. I'll always be here for you, and even if they take me down there, I know you can get me back. You battled Quirrel in our first year, and you saved Ginny and all the petrified students, including me, in our second. And last year, we managed to save Sirius, the only part of your family left from a date worse than death, with you pushing back more than a hundred Dementors. You're a great wizard, Harry, and I know you'll be just fine... ssh... come on, Harry... It's ok..."
Her soothing voice slowly brought Harry out of his sadness, and his grip in her robes loosened slightly as well. His sobs slowly subsided, and he was left just quietly hugging Hermione, who didn't mind at all. On the contrary, she hugged him back just as fiercely, trying to convey to him that she'd always be there for him.
It seemed to work, as Harry slowly moved back but didn't let her go. Once she could see his face again, she noted that his tears had dried, although the dry tracks they had left while falling down his face were still there. He held a watery smile, and his green eyes showed such a deep affection for the muggleborn witch in his arms that she blushed but stared back into his eyes nonetheless.
"Thank you, Hermione..." Harry whispered, moving forward and kissing her forehead, making her close her eyes and smile appreciatively, "Thank you so much for being there for me, all this time."
"Well, what else do you expect?" Hermione responded in an equally low voice, "The day you jumped on the back of a troll to save me was the day that flipped my life upside down. There's no way you're getting rid of me, Harry James Potter."
Harry chuckled before moving down slightly and playfully kissing her nose, making her giggle. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Harry finally rubbed his eyes and cleaned his face from the dry tear tracks on it. Looking around, he noticed that almost everyone was giving the two of them sympathetic looks. Fleur, Parvati, and Susan were practically crying themselves at the display of love, while Ginny seemed slightly troubled. Madam Pomfrey had a large smile on her face. Cedric and Viktor were both smiling softly at the two, noticing just how much they cared for each other. And finally, Ron was slightly red in the face, but like his sister, he also looked troubled.
"Sorry about that, guys..." Harry said aloud, not letting go of Hermione, who simply nuzzled into his neck again and closed her eyes, "I don't know what came over me. I guess just the thought of losing 'Mione really scared me. Even back when she had been petrified, I knew she'd be back. But this time..."
"That's alright, Mister Potter," Poppy responded, waving her hand in dismissal, "It's quite understandable."
At the sight of the other champions, along with Parvati and Susan, nodding along, Harry smiled once again before looking towards his ex-best friend.
"I'm sorry, Ron," Harry said, startling the redhead, "I know you fancy 'Mione, but I really can't hide it anymore. I'm in love with her."
This last statement actually made Hermione draw back and look at Harry with wonder. While he had said moments ago that she was one of his loved ones, he hadn't said or shown anything that hinted that he was in love with her. As for Ron liking her, she almost laughed at that. She could see how their constant fights could equate a fancy... in an elementary school type of way. But they were fourteen, nearly fifteen. That was far too childish a way of showing fancy.
"It's... fine, Harry," Ron sighed, breaking her from her thought process and confirming his feelings for her, "I can see why you'd be good for each other. I realize that I do nothing but fight with her and beg her to do my homework. But you... you've been there for her since the beginning." Ron smiled softly, "Just treat her right, got it? You hurt her, and, Firebolt or not, I'm going to come after you with a Crucio, understood?"
Harry laughed out loud at this and said, "Don't you worry, my friend, I'd sooner hurt myself than ever cause her harm." Looking back at Hermione, who was staring at him, wide-eyed and speechless, Harry asked, "Hermione, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?"
Hermione kept staring at him, a blush slowly increasing on her face, and Harry was afraid for a moment that she'd reject him. The next second, however, she threw herself at Harry, throwing her arms around his neck and hysterically saying, "YES!" over and over again.
Harry laughed and picked her up, twirling her around as if they were in a romantic movie. As he put her down, Harry moved forward and captured her lips with his, drawing a moan from her. Hermione kissed back with just as much gusto, tightening her grip on his neck.
As soon as they broke apart, however, they heard a small sob and some footsteps. Looking up together, they barely managed to catch the sight of Ginny's long red hair disappearing from the tent.
"Oh, boy..." Harry muttered. Hermione only nodded.
Cedric began chuckling all of a sudden, drawing all eyes to him. He explained, "I just find it funny how, in the short time that's passed since the beginning of the tournament, there's been so much change already. Harry's part of an adult tournament, he has some weird ability, he's much smarter than he let on, he's got quite a good leadership sense, and now he's admitted to being in love with his smart best friend and became her boyfriend shortly after. You're going to make the rumor mill of Hogwarts blow up at this rate."
Everyone else chuckled along with him. Hermione, however, quickly brought things back on track when she said, "Speaking of that, I almost forgot. Just what was that power you showed anyways?"
Harry looked at Hermione in mock shock and said in a dramatic voice, "Hermione Jane Granger forgot a question? Inconceivable!"
Their fellow Hogwarts students began laughing uproariously when Hermione pouted cutely. Harry joined in the laughing until Hermione swatted his arm in mock anger and said, "Don't make me rethink my decision of being your girlfriend, Harry James Potter!"
Harry gasped and said in an even more dramatic voice, "You wouldn't!"
"Try me, mister!"
The new boyfriend and girlfriend had a complete standoff as everyone else laughed. Soon enough, though, they broke eye contact and began laughing along with them.
"No but, seriously," Hermione said as the laughter died off, "Just what was that?"
"I'll tell you later, I promise," Harry said, making Hermione raise an eyebrow at him. "It's not a matter of distrust. It's more about eavesdroppers, much like the five ones standing just outside the tent."
Everyone was quickly on alert, with the other three champions drawing their wands and pointing it to three of the four sides of the tent. Some familiar chuckling came from the outside before Albus Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, Igor Karkaroff, Barty Crouch, and Ludo Bagman walked in, the chuckling originating from none other than Dumbledore himself.
"Very astute, Harry. You certainly have good detection skills," Dumbledore complimented, although Harry did not smile or even nod. Instead, he was studying the newcomers. He noticed that everyone minus Crouch had at least one drop of sweat running down the side of their face, a nervous side effect of the burst of killing intent he had released earlier. Crouch, however, was not sweating. He did not even appear nervous. Instead, Harry noticed a subtle, almost imperceptible, twitch of his eyes.
Narrowing his eyes, Harry brought up his right hand, with the index and middle fingers pointing up while the other three were bent into a fist. He made eye contact with Karkaroff for a split second, and that was all it took.
A plume of smoke exploded around Harry, startling everyone in the tent. Dumbledore was the first to react, bringing up his wand and pointing it at the smoke. Everyone heard coughing, from inside the smoke, the voice it belonged to sounding deeper and more scratchy than Harry's voice. Dumbledore, annoyed at the waiting, swung his wand, and a small breeze picked up only to reveal... Karkaroff?
It took a second for it to click in his brain, and Dumbledore turned only to spot Harry standing directly behind Barty Crouch, his left hand on the back of the middle-aged wizard's head while his right was still holding the same hand sign as before.
Before anyone could even think of moving a slight bit, Harry's grip tightened slightly, and everyone else could sense, even slightly, as some kind of energy wave passed through them all at the same time Harry called out, "Release!"
Barty's eyes glossed over for a moment before he flinched violently. Harry, having released the man's head, held one of Barty's arms with his left hand while putting his right on the man's back and guiding him towards the tank in the middle of the room that was still full of water.
Before anyone could react, Harry put his right hand back on Barty's head, and proceeded to unceremoniously dunk the man's head in the cold water!
The other occupants, the older ones especially, could only watch in complete shock as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had his head dunked in cold water by a fourteen year old Hogwarts student. As soon as Barty began to struggle due to lack of oxygen, Harry pulled back and allowed him to gasp and fill his lungs with air before leading him to an empty bunk and helping him sit down. With a wave of his hand, Barty was once again dry. Kneeling in front of the puffing man, Harry asked, "Mister Crouch, are you alright?"
It took a while for Crouch to answer, but answer he did.
"Y-yes... Harry P-Potter?"
"Yes, Mister Crouch, it's me," Harry answered, drawing closer, "Can you tell me what's the last thing you can recall?"
"I... I don't..."
"Mister Crouch, please. You were under the Imperious Curse," That seemed to snap him straight, "for a long while, if the effects are anything to go by. What is the last thing you remember?"
Crouch was once again silent for a short while, but finally answered, "I remember... Azkaban... seeing my wife... become my son and my son... become my wife... then... I remember my home... and... nothing else..."
Everyone was confused at this.
"Barty Crouch Jr.?" Dumbledore asked himself.
"Sir," Harry asked, bringing Crouch's attention back to him, "Did you smuggle your son out of Azkaban?"
"... yes..."
"Why? Why was he in Azkaban in the first place?"
At this point, Dumbledore moved forward, saying, "Harry, that's enough. I can take-"
He was thoroughly stopped, however, when Harry brought up his hand right in front of the headmaster's face. If that hadn't been enough to stop him, the glare that Harry was sending him certainly was.
"I was the one who noticed that Crouch was acting strangely. The only one, if I may say so. Therefore, it's my right to question him. I don't want you going into Crouch's head and tampering or obstructing any evidence."
Dumbledore was floored. "Harry, how could you accuse me-?"
"Of messing with things you shouldn't be messing with? Of hiding things you have no right to hide? I'll tell you myself, but after I finish questioning Crouch."
Dumbledore realized that it was folly to continue the argument, so he backed off for now. Harry continued his glaring before looking back at Crouch and asking him again, "Mister Crouch, why was your son in Azkaban and why were you trying to smuggle him out?"
Crouch merely held his head, his breathing quickening and his eyes widening slowly. Harry realized he was hyperventilating slightly, so he turned and asked, "Madam Pomfrey, do you have any calming potions available?"
Poppy was quick to respond, turning to a small chest near the back of the tent and returning with a light pink potion. Harry quickly opened it and coaxed Crouch into drinking it, convincing him that it would make him feel better, which wasn't a total lie.
Once his breathing and his eyes returned to normal, Harry once again asked him, and this time, Crouch was quicker with his answer.
"I remember... a trial... one for him..." Crouch started, pointing at Karkaroff, who paled, "Where he told us names of his... Death Eater... comrades... in exchange for a... lighter sentence... And one of the names... was that of... my son... we sentenced him... and found it to be... true... He had the dark... Mark... my wife was... devastated... and was on the... brink of dying... due to... malnutrition... so I decided to... grant her... her biggest wish... to see our son... out of... Azkaban... we visited him... with two vials of... Polyjuice... and transformed them... into each... other... my wife died... in the place of... my son... Then we... got home... and I can't remember anything else... why can't I remember anything else?!"
The tent was oddly quiet after this revelation, until Harry stood and asked, "Madam Pomfrey, do you have any Dreamless Sleep potions?"
The matron quickly gave him one, which Harry gave to Crouch to drink. Once the man was fully and comfortably asleep, Harry turned and regarded the crowd. "Susan, your aunt is a worker in the DMLE, right?"
The buxom orangette jumped at being addressed so suddenly before answering, "Yes, she's the most likely candidate for head of the department after mister Crouch retires."
Harry nodded and called out, "Dobby!"
With a pop, the house elf appeared and said, "Master Harry Potter, sir, wished to see Dobby?"
Kneeling, Harry placed his hand on Dobby's shoulder and said, "Dobby, please don't bow. At the moment, we're equals and partners, understood?" Dobby nodded enthusiastically, so Harry continued, "Dobby, right now I need you to go with Susan, the girl with the orange hair, *points her out* and deliver whatever she may need to send to her aunt, Madam Amelia Bones, a worker in the DMLE. This is urgent, Dobby." The house elf nodded again, which made Harry smile and snap his fingers. In a flash of light, Dobby's outfit changed. He was now wearing small, black cargo pants, a tiny black shirt, and black socks with white stripes. Everyone was surprised at this, even Dobby, so Harry explained, "It's best to give a good impression when you see her. If you wish to change any of the colors, feel free." Dobby was almost overcome with joy, which was evidenced by the little guy suddenly hugging Harry's leg tightly.
As he let Dobby blow off some happiness, Harry looked at Susan and said, "Susan, I need you to write a letter to your aunt detailing specifically what happened here. Tell her that Crouch was found to be under the Imperious Curse, and the story he told us after he was knocked out of it... or dunked out of it would be more appropriate. Ask her to come to Hogwarts with a small band of Aurors if possible as well." Susan nodded and ran out, Dobby trailing behind her. Turning to Madam Pomfrey, he said, "Madam, I leave Crouch in your care until the Aurors arrive. Do take care of him." The matron nodded and began to scan Crouch for any problems immediately. Without even looking towards the entrance of the tent, he called out, "You can come in now, Professor Moody!"
Everyone was startled as a dry chuckle came from outside and Moody entered the tent. "Nice job with the old man, Potter," Moody complimented, "and good job taking charge of the situation."
Harry's eyes narrowed slightly but nonetheless he nodded. "Thanks. I think it was about time for me to stop hiding behind a mask."
"Well, if this is all done, I'll need you all to step into my office please," Dumbledore said aloud with a forceful tone of voice.
"Not a chance," Harry said, startling Dumbledore and drawing all eyes to him, "First of all, you have no right to demand Madame Maxime or Mister Karkaroff anywhere, and that includes their champions. Second, I do not plan to be anywhere near you for the next few days. Last thing I need is for you to block my chakra or Obliviate me."
"What?!" Hermione asked, enraged at the mere thought.
"Harry, my boy, what are you talking about?" Dumbledore asked in his grandfatherly tone of voice, though it was quivering slightly.
"Don't try to play dumb with me, Headmaster," Harry responded, eyes narrowed. "What would you like me to explain first? The prophecy you were keeping me from? The blocks on my magical core and my chakra core, ones I only managed to break while being beaten by my thrice-damned uncle? Or maybe that you manipulated my parents into changing their Secret Keeper, poisoned my mother so that she would give birth only when you wanted, completely and illegally hid their will, forced me to live in a place where I was beaten to near death on a constant basis, blocked my magic and chakra so that I couldn't use my full potential even when I came to Hogwarts, left my godfather Sirius in prison for twelve damned years, employed and kept safe the man that told Voldemort the piece of information that sent him after my parents, and finally, how you've been keeping secret just how Voldemort survived all those years ago, something you damn well know?!"
By this point, everyone in the tent was glaring daggers at Dumbledore, who seemed rather cowed for being the most powerful wizard alive. "Harry, you must understand, what I did, I only did for the Greater Good-"
"Oh, spare me that 'Greater Good' bullshite!" Harry yelled, startling the man. "You kept an incredibly important piece of information from the only people who might have been able to do something about the whole thing! What was your plan, to wait until I was one foot in the grave before you told anyone and then heroically come in and save the day? Because I can tell you right now that there is absolutely no way I'm letting that happen!"
Dumbledore was now staring at Harry, gobsmacked, due to the fact that Harry had correctly guessed his foremost plan, not that he would tell him that.
"Oh, and one more thing. Exactly when were you going to tell me that there had been a bloody piece of Voldemort's fucking soul stuck in my scar?!"
Several gasps rang out at this, but Harry was too focused on ripping Dumbledore a new arsehole to pay them any mind. Dumbledore, however, was focused on something else entirely.
"Did you say 'had been'? As in, past tense?" Dumbledore asked with trepidation.
Harry fixed him with a steely glare before responding, "Yes, you heard me correctly. Had. Been. My scar is now nothing more than that, a scar. I am no longer a Horcrux."
Dumbledore's mouth opened in shock, and it took some time until he could regain the ability to speak.
"But- But that's impossible! You should be dead!" Dumbledore shouted, regretting saying that last part when he noticed the fact that Hermione's wand, which was now in her hand, was shooting off sparks.
"DEAD?!" the muggleborn witch yelled.
Harry placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder, urging her to calm down, before replying, "I'm pretty sure I'm still here. You may not know it, Dumbledore, but there's more than one way of removing a soul from an object. In any case, even if I had been hit by a killing curse, for example, I'd still have been able to come back, since the only thing that would do is send to the afterlife the piece of soul attached like a parasite to my own."
Dumbledore straightened, returning Harry's glare. "Lies. There is no other way to kill a Horcrux inside a living being other than to kill said host. Thus, you are still a Horcrux."
Harry shrugged, "Fine, don't believe me. That's not my problem. I guess you'll have to wait until I kill every other Horcrux and finally end Tom Riddle to have your proof." Dumbledore looked like he was about to say something, but Harry continued, "I warn you, though, if you attempt to harm me, or any of my loved ones, especially Sirius, Hermione, or Hermione's parents..." Harry's killing intent returned full force, only this time it was focused on one point: Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster fell to his knees at the potency of the killing intent. He barely heard Harry finish his sentence, "... There will be no spell, no wall, no barrier, that will protect you from my wrath. This I swear."
Harry released the killing intent, and Dumbledore fell to his hand and knees, gasping for air. Harry drew his focus away from the headmaster and gazed at Karkaroff, asking, "By the way, what was Crouch talking about when he said you had been sentenced for being a Death Eater?"
Karkaroff flinched as the attention turned to him, and he responded, "I... I used to be a Death Eater myself." Deciding to use honesty in this case, he pulled back his left sleeve and showed everyone the severely faded Dark Mark there. "I was taken in during the Dark Lord's reign, but I quickly began to dislike it more and more. I was arrested and put into Azkaban, but I managed to get out by telling the Ministry about the others I knew about. They were not many, but it did grant me a lighter sentence. Barty's son was one of the ones I barely remembered. After I got out of Azkaban, I traveled nearby, looking for job opportunities. That's how I found myself as head of Durmstrang."
Harry nodded and said, "Well, regardless, I have found that this tournament is a hoax. It should have been three contestants, as usual. I could have been pulled out at the beginning, but Dumbledore, in all his greatness, and the Imperioused Crouch insisted I participated. For what exactly, I'm not sure, but I believe that we'll know once we find Crouch Jr." Both Karkaroff and Maxime nodded, impressed by the boy. "I wish to ask your students, along with Cedric if he'd be willing, to work together with me so that we may all get out of this alive. We've already figured out the egg clue and what the Second Task is about. With your permission, I'd like for us four to form an alliance of sorts."
Maxime smiled and nodded, saying, "As long as Fleur agrees, I have no problem."
"Same for me," Karkaroff grunted.
"Fleur? Viktor? Cedric?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Fleur smiled.
"It would be the best choice," Viktor nodded.
"I just watched you rip into the most powerful wizard in the world. There's no way I'm saying no," Cedric chuckled.
"It's settled then," Harry said, turning to look around at them all. "Ron, Parvati, I need you two to head back to Gryffindor Tower and tell everyone, especially Professor McGonagall, what happened here. See if you can talk with Ravenclaw as well. Cedric, I believe you should do the same for Hufflepuff and Professor Sprout. I don't have much hope for Slytherin, but if they start listening in, don't push them away. Viktor, Fleur, I'll notify you if I find anything pertaining to the Second Task."
"What will you be doing, Harry?" Ron asked.
Harry glanced at the sleeping Crouch. "I plan to stay here to make sure nothing happens to Crouch until the Aurors arrive."
"It's fine, kid," Moody growled, "I can keep an eye on the man."
Harry's eyes narrowed slightly once again, and he says, "I'd rather stay here, and make sure."
Looking down at Hermione, he asked, "Do you have any plans, love?"
Hermione was biting her lower lip in thought, and finally nodded. "I need to go send a letter to my parents. I promised I'd do that after the First Task. I should also tell them to move house if they can."
"Good idea," Harry nodded.
Hermione smiled and brought him into a kiss, which he happily returned. Once they broke apart, Hermione whispered, "I'll be back soon," before walking out of the tent, swinging her hips a little more. Harry chuckled and watched as everyone, even a defeated Albus Dumbledore, walked out of the tent before taking a seat next to Crouch's bed and holding his right hand up, attempting to shorten the time it took to create the Rasengan.