Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or anything else referenced in this story.
Prologue
Charlie Weasley ran through the stands to find a spot to sit. He was late arriving to witness the second trial of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and it bothered him to no end. Having been given the time off to come and support his brother's friend, he couldn't believe that he had managed to come late.
"Mr. Weasley, over here!" the familiar voice of Fillius Flitwick caught his attention and altered his trajectory.
"Professor Flitwick, it's great to see you again," Charlie said with a grin as he found a seat near the diminutive man.
"You're late. Did the Black-Copper Cross hold you up again?" the professor asked with a grin.
"Yeah, they seem to think that if I'm not travelling with others from the Dragon Reserve then I need to be watched closely."
"Well, at least they worry about your safety. I'm starting to question Albus' actions with the boy here," Flitwick said remorsefully. "He seems to get into deeper and deeper trouble every year."
Charlie chuckled; he had heard many stories about Harry Potter's escapades. His youngest brother, Ron, was not known for being able to keep his trap shut. However, through all those stories, Charlie could tell that his brother loved his friend as if he were part of their family. It warmed his heart to know that Ron had found a friend he thought so highly of.
"You never know, it could just be a training curriculum. You did say that Dumbledore is barmy enough to believe that you-know-who is still around," Charlie offered with a shrug.
"Maybe, but something feels off about this tournament. Anyway, this is not time to ruminate on this. Shall we watch the event?"
Fillius' invitation was graciously accepted and Charlie settled in to watch the event. He was impressed with Diggory and Krum's speedy performances; both of the young men had made it back to the surface in record time. However, as Diggory left the side of the young woman who had been with him when he surfaced, Charlie knew something was wrong. The conversation that was occurring between Diggory and Dumbledore was rapid; the youthful champion even seemed to curse violently a couple of times.
"Something's gone horribly wrong," Fillius mumbled, getting up from his seat.
"What do you think it is?" Charlie asked, mentally preparing himself for any possible situation.
Fillius didn't answer him, instead running towards the gathering instructors from all three schools. Deciding to follow, Charlie made sure to stay a safe distance away. He didn't need the schools to know of what he was or why he was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"What's everyone getting so worked up about?" Ludo Bagman asked, his arrival preceding Charlie's by mere moments. "Delacour and Potter still need to resurface; the task is still going on."
Forced to duck to the side, so he wouldn't be spotted, Charlie missed the next part of the conversation. Refocusing on the arguing instructors, his interest was piqued by Diggory getting involved.
"I told you, it was a large squid," Diggory began.
Charlie shook his head. Everyone knew that Hogwarts had a giant squid in the lake. It was common knowledge. In his fifth year at the school, Charlie had faced the thing – accidentally – so it was definitely there. However, Diggory continued his insistent claims.
"It looked different, and it seemed to be targeting the Beauxbatons champion," Diggory continued. "The water even seemed to bend to its will."
"Mr. Diggory, you must have been hallucinating. It was dark and you were under a lot of stress," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Just return to Ms. Chang's side and we will get the others out of there. The squid is easy enough to soothe."
"It wasn't just that squid," Diggory shouted. "The merpeople were getting riled up as well."
Charlie perked up at this. Now it was starting to sound suspicious. The merpeople didn't get riled up unless the situation was serious. The squid was never a serious enough threat to rile them up, so Diggory's story must have been true.
"Help, help," a female voice called out.
All eyes turned to the lake where three forms had surfaced. Two girls and his younger brother were scrabbling towards the shore. The massive headmistress of Beauxbatons had her wand out and was lifting the girls out of the water. A tired Diggory followed, attempting to lift Ron out. Krum went to help and the two seventeen-year-olds were able to combine their exhausted magic to bring him to the shore.
Releasing his grip on the wand that he hadn't realized he picked up, Charlie looked for an opening. The older French girl, obviously that school's champion, was babbling away in her native language, the headmistress nodding while she listened intently. Calling upon his knowledge of the language, Charlie was able to discern what had happened.
"He saved us," the girl sobbed. "Harry, he saved us and is still down there. I don't know if he'll survive."
Tears burst from the girl, overpowering her words as she tried to explain the whole situation. Thankfully, Charlie was able to discern the majority of it. Nervousness ran through him as he thought about his next move. Though he was far more special than anyone knew, he had never attempted to fight something like this underwater. In all truth, he hadn't managed to get too involved in a fight of this scale in quite a while.
"Mr. Weasley, what are you doing here?" the greasy voice of Severus Snape asked, causing Charlie to start. "This area is only for officials."
"All the instructors are officials then?" he shot back, pleased that he no longer had to show the git the respect that he had in school.
His retort had brought the attention of all of those gathered to him. Blushing under the numerous gazes, Charlie tried to step out of the way; slide into the water and get on with his goal. But he was stopped by a yelp from his brother.
"Charlie, what are you doing here?" he asked, confusion filling his eyes.
"Hi Ron," Charlie waved, a grin on his face despite the impatience starting to build in him.
Each moment that he spent on the docks was another moment closer to Harry's death. He needed to get past all of these people and into the water. Yet, with all of these top wizards and witches watching, he wouldn't be able to easily convince them. Not without revealing his long held secret.
"I can save Harry," he said slowly, thinking how he could word this. "Just let me go into the water and I can get him away from the squid."
"And what makes you superior to any of us?" Snape inquired harshly. "Do you think yourself something special?"
Briefly meeting Fillius' eyes, Charlie chose his next words very carefully.
"Yes, I do. It's for that reason that I believe that I can get Harry out of there."
Snape scoffed at his answer, an expected response. All the other adult magicals seemed to share that sentiment, though none were as explicitly rude about it. What surprised him was the response that he received from the champions and their hostages. Each of them looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Please Monsieur, please save him," the French champion's hostage, who looked to be no older than eight, requested.
Her request was echoed by all the others. Even his brother seemed to believe that he could do it.
"I'll save him, I promise."
"Mr. Weasley, you're a dragon handler. I mean no offense, but what do you think that you can do?" Dumbledore asked.
Charlie ignored the question. It was rude of him to do so, but he had wasted too much time already. Harry could already be dead. He pushed that thought out of his mind as he drew his wand. Casting the bubble head charm, he raced past everyone and leapt into the water.
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The water chilled his skin as he pushed himself downwards. Even with the blurred eyesight, a downside to his bubble head charm, Charlie was able to work his way towards the squid. Forcing back a gasp, he could feel the name of his foe building within him.
"Njord," he whispered, the name sounding familiar on his tongue.
Pushing himself harder, he activated one of his authorities. Speeding forward, he was just in time to watch a hole explode through the back of the squid. A bloodcurdling scream erupted from it as it began to fade, golden light dissolving it.
Moving past the dying god, he found a bleeding, and confused, Harry balancing himself against one of the merpeople's pillars. Swimming up to him, he hooked an arm under the boy and pushed upward. If Harry had been the one to deliver the killing blow, then Charlie wouldn't be going back to Romania anytime soon.
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Away from the events occurring at the lake, a young woman walked through the halls of Hogwarts, a pleased smile upon her face. Her chosen had managed to gain his power, power that would place him on a path to a different form of greatness. An excited giggle escaped from her lips as she felt his presence coming closer. She would return to watching over him in secret for the time being. Yet, she would be waiting for the moment when she could reveal herself. Yes, she would be waiting.
End Prologue
A/N: Okay, so my first post in quite a while on . And this time it's for a new Harry Potter fic. This one has been gestating for a while and I've finally been able to get the start completed. I don't really have much to say right now, except for the fact that more will be revealed in the coming chapters. And that the next chapter will start the main story, primarily being told in Harry's point-of-view.
My other fic, Skyland, seems to not be attracting any attention so it will not be continuing. This one will now be taking up my focus, as well as writing a fic inspired by Kokoro Connect, and delving into a couple of other fandoms on the side. So I hope that this chapter was an enjoyable start.
The next chapter should be up within a week or two, but due to classes and work I can't promise anything. Also, the Campione! influence on this crossover won't be too major. It's mainly supplying me with a way to write a new fic. Oh, and I have some ideas for pairings, but nothing's been confirmed yet. I'm willing to take suggestions for pairings, but I warn you that it will not be a slash pairing. So, I will speak with all of you again in the next chapter,
Merchant Prince