Chapter 2: Fire and Ice

The day of the first task fell upon a brisk but sunny morning. Harry was feeling fairly confident about his ability to complete the task especially after Hagrid had let it slip just what the task was. Harry had really beaten himself up over it but eventually he had decided to tell Cedric about the dragons. All of the other champions knew about them, and Harry really didn't think the competition would be fair if one of the contestants didn't know. Besides if he was going to win he wanted everyone to be starting out on the same, equal playing field.

Breakfast was a tense event. More than half of the school still hated him, and Ron still refused to even glance his way. Their relationship only seemed to be worse after their confrontation in the common room the other night when he'd been fire-calling Sirius. Hermione was sitting by him at least. It was nice to have some form of support for the upcoming trial he was about to face. She'd been really supportive, and the two of them had spent a lot of time in the library together working out a plan of action for when he faced the dragon. She'd helped him to learn a spell that would hopefully help him have some advantage while moving around the dragon.

All too soon the morning was over, and it was time for Harry to make his way down to the tent. The four champions were supposed to meet there before the start of the first task to go over just what was expected of them. Of course that was also supposed to be the first time they found out about the dragons. But since this competition seemed to be more about who could be the best cheater all of them were already aware of the dragons. McGonagall was the one to come and collect him. If Harry didn't know any better he would have said that she looked worried.

Ludo Bagman greeted him in a bright and cheerful manner that Harry really didn't appreciate. The other champions seemed far too distracted to do anything but glance in his direction. They were all a bit nervous about the upcoming task. Fleur Delacour was pale while Viktor Krum's face set in a permanent scowl, which took to believe meant that he was nervous too. Cedric was pacing around the tent nonstop. Facing a dragon in front of an audience was definitely not something they were all looking forward to. It did make Harry feel a bit better to see these older and more experienced wizards and witch so nervous. It gave him the confidence that this was a task that was just as difficult for them as it was for him.

Bagman produced a bag that contained the dragons they would be going against, and the order in which they would be going. Harry of course received the vicious Hungarian Horntail and would be going last. Bagman pulled Harry aside to ask him if he was prepared to face the dragon. Harry felt singled out and annoyed that the man would do that to him. He already felt different enough from the other champions he didn't need Bagman's sympathy.

Cedric went out first and Harry listened to Bagman's commentary about his performance. As he was waiting a man approached him. He was tall and wore elaborate black robes with gold trim. His long jet-black hair was slicked back behind his skull. He had a sharp, hungry look about him, and his emerald green eyes were staring at Harry intently. It made Harry vaguely uncomfortable and he had to look away from the man's intense gaze. Harry decided that he must work with the Ministry as part of the Tournament committee it was the only explanation for why he was in the champion's tent. He did look vaguely familiar. It must have been when he had met the other people working on the tournament. The man's intense stare was a little unnerving, and led Harry to believe that he was someone with an obsessive interest in the Boy-Who-Lived. It was really quite distracting when Harry was trying to listen to the other champions and plan out just how he was going to use his broom to get that golden egg.

"Er, hullo," Harry finally blurted out when the staring got to be too much.

The man chuckled, and gave an embarrassed half smile. "Forgive me. It's simply that I did not expect you to look so much like your father and mother."

That caught Harry's attention. Everyone said Harry looked like his dad. This was the first person to comment that he looked like both of them. He also said it with a bit of familiarity as if he had personally known them.

"Did you know them? My parents? Did you go to school with one another?" Harry questioned eagerly, giving the man his full attention and nearly forgetting all about the task with the chance to learn more about his parents.

"I did. Wonderful people. I knew them both quite well, actually," agreed the man.

"Really?"

"Yes, I've been away for a little while and I've just come back to England. I heard about the tournament and that you were participating in it. I thought that I would stop by to watch. Are you prepared to face the dragon?" the man asked looking concerned.

"I think so. But I guess we'll find out huh?" Harry grinned at him.

The man smiled back. "You looked very much like your father just then."

"Yeah?" Harry grinned wider.

"Yes, I wasn't expecting it," the man was smiling but there was a deep sorrow in his eyes. Harry decided that he and his dad must have been pretty good friends.

Harry wanted to ask the man more questions about just how well he new his dad but just then Bagman announced him.

"Well, I have to go fight a dragon right now but maybe the two of us could talk another time? Maybe after the tournament?" Harry asked hopefully. "We can meet back here after the task."

"I would love to," the man nodded quickly, seeming to be just as eager.

"Great! Well, I'll see you after then," Harry told him enthusiastically.

As he stepped out of the tent he pushed the man from his mind. He needed to focus on the task. He needed to do well especially with a man who knew his parents watching him. He didn't want to fail in front of him if the two of them were going to talk about his parents afterwards. He wanted to make his parents proud.

Setting his shoulders back he stood up tall and firm. His heart was racing but he was determined not to show an ounce of fear. The crowd applauded as he stepped into the arena. The cheers weren't as loud as it had been for the other champions but he supposed it was better than being heckled. As he walked further into the arena the crowd soon became the last thing on his mind. The Hungarian Horntail was much larger out of its cage, and a lot angrier. Harry could only gape at the massive fire-breathing beast in front of him. He was momentarily stunned. He couldn't move or speak he was so intimidated as he stared into its vicious yellow eyes.

The burst of flames that suddenly shot from the Horntail's mouth forced Harry into action. He ducked behind one of the many rocks that littered the terrain of the arena before the blast could hit him. Harry focused on breathing and regrouping himself. He had to stick to his plan. Hermione and Mad-Eye had told him to stick to his strengths, and one of his strengths was flying. He just hoped that the spell would work for him. As he prepared himself his eye caught that of the dark haired man from earlier. The man wore a worried expression but it disappeared when he noticed Harry's gaze. The man flashed him a quick encouraging smile. Harry smiled back, feeling more confident in his abilities.

"Accio Firebolt," Harry commanded firmly.

He waited anxiously, praying that the spell would work. It wasn't long before heard the whistling sound of his broom soaring towards him. With his fast reflexes he was able to catch the broom and mount it in a matter of seconds. The crowd cheered as he soared through the arena. Having the broom allowed him to maneuver much more quickly around the dragon. He twirled and looped around the dragon. His goal was to try and aggravate it enough for it to give up its protective stance around the egg. Once the dragon had distanced itself somewhat he was planning on swooping down and snatching the egg from its place.

However he got too close without being careful and he accidentally put himself in the direct line of fire. He didn't have time to swerve.

"Glasius," Harry cried aiming the spell towards the oncoming fire. It was a spell that they had learned just last year. Harry was surprisingly good at the spell in fact he had caused the entire room to ice over on his first attempt without really even trying.

Fire and ice met in mid air with a force that sent a shockwave through the arena. The ice continued to pour from his wand with an alarming amount of power. Harry glanced down at his wand to see that his hands were turning that same slate blue color they had the other night. Harry almost lost his grip on the spell when he saw it. He managed to hold on to it though and tried his best to ignore the fact that color was spreading up his arms. If he dropped the spell now he would be severely burned. Harry knew that he just had to outlast the dragon. Eventually it would have to stop to take a breath, and Harry felt like he could hold up this ice spell for eternity if he really had to.

The dragon suddenly ran out of breath and the full force of the spell struck the dragon. It iced over the dragon's muzzle but didn't cover its whole head. Harry took that opportunity to fly over and snatch up the golden egg. He was able to dart away just in time before the dragon was able to melt off the layer of ice that had formed on its face.

"Harry Potter has gotten his golden egg! He has completed the first task in the shortest amount of time yet! And look at the power behind that ice spell! Not to mention his incredible flying skills. Let's hope that the judges recognize his daring skills!" Bagman cheered.

Harry quickly left the arena. He wanted to make his way back to the tent. He wanted to speak with his parent's friend. He made his way back to the tent but was stopped by Hermione.

"Thank Merlin you're all right. You did a wonderful job Harry," she said giving him a quick tight hug.

"Yeah, great job, mate. Thought you were a goner for a minute there with all that fire."

Harry looked up to see Ron standing awkwardly behind Hermione. He looked very repentant. Harry glared at him.

"Look, Harry, I'm sorry okay? I was an idiot. There's no way you'd be crazy enough to put your name in that goblet with how dangerous this whole thing is. I reckon someone must have put your name in to try and kill you," Ron continued.

"Well, I'm glad you finally realized that. It's too bad that it only took me nearly dying for you to figure that out," Harry wasn't going to forgive him so easily. Even if it was a relief to have Ron back on his side again.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry Harry," Ron looked remorseful.

"Just give me some time to work things out and prove to me that you really mean it because I won't give you another chance if you turn on me again," Harry said in a somewhat softer tone. He was kicking himself but his ability to remain mad at his friends was practically nonexistence. It was no doubt a trait he'd earned from growing up without friends.

Ron nodded looking a bit more hopeful.

Hermione grinned at the two of them looking extraordinarily pleased that the two of them had semi made up with one another.

Ron wanted to talk more and Harry was willing to so that he could learn more about the other champions' tactics but he really wanted to speak with his parent's friend first. They had promised to meet back up in the tent to his disappointment he wasn't there. The other champions were there, however. They congratulated one another, and listened as the scores were given out. Crouch gave him a nine. Dumbledore gave him a nine. Maxine gave him an eight. Karkaroff gave him a four. And Bagman gave him a ten. Harry was pleased to discover that this put him in a tie for first place with Krum. However, this excitement was tempered by the fact that he had just witnessed his hands turning blue again. There seemed to be some correlation between the cold and his hands turning blue. The situation seemed to be more serious than he initially believed. He needed to find out what was going on.

Harry wanted to go in search of his parent's friend but the arena was swamped with people. Harry hadn't even been able to catch the man's name, which he was really kicking himself for. People swarmed him to congratulate him. It was nice to have the support of Hogwarts. Everyone but the Slytherins had cheered for him once they had realized just how dangerous facing the dragons was. Harry couldn't help but feel a little angry, though. It was hurtful that it took him surviving a death-defying stunt before they realized that just maybe he didn't willingly sign up for this.

Harry and Ron did go for a little walk to have a chat about the other champions' skills. Harry wasn't quite ready to go back to the way things had been before. His easy betrayal still stung, and it would be a while before he trusted him again. Rita Skeeter tried to get an interview with Harry but he quickly brushed her off. After their talk Harry allowed the rush of well-wishers to lead him back up to the castle for the feast. It was a bit disheartening to see how quickly the tides of the public opinion could change. He just tried to enjoy the entire thing. At least he wasn't the most hated person in school any longer.

Harry would have enjoyed his winning more if his parent's friend had stuck around, and if his hands weren't turning blue when he got cold. But all in all it was a nice victory. It felt nice to prove everyone who thought he was a scared little boy just looking for attention wrong, and that he was capable of taking care of himself. It was all ruined by his turning blue. He needed to figure out just what was wrong with him. He also couldn't but be worried that someone might have seen him. But he was reassured when not a single person mentioned it. This was something he would need to work out on his own.

Harry had to wait for a couple of days until he had a chance to be alone. After winning the first task it seemed that a lot of people wanted to apologize to him for their treatment of him. It was all very hypocritical of them but Harry was getting used to the general public's constantly changing opinion of him. Not to mention Ron seemed determined to earn his trust back. Surprisingly he hadn't been too persistent but he hadn't left his side since the first task. It was nice to have him back at his side. He was a huge help with all those who were still being antagonistic to him, like Malfoy. Unfortunately, Ron's being glued to his side waylaid his chance to experiment on his turning blue. After a few days he managed to slip away with the excuse that he needed to try to solve the riddle of the egg for the second task. The piercing shriek the egg produced was rather puzzling, not to mention painful to his ears.

He headed to the third floor bathroom for some privacy. Once there Harry started filling the tub with ice-cold water. To ensure that it was as cold as possible he sent a quick glasius at the water. Deciding that he was crazy for doing this but doing it anyway he stripped down to a pair of old shorts and waded into the water. He had braced himself for the cold sting of the water but to his surprise it felt no different than stepping into a lukewarm bath. There were ice chunks floating in the water. He should have been freezing.

Once he was completely submerged, Harry looked down at his body. He watched in fascination as his skin started turning blue. It happened much more quickly than the previous times. It spread out to cover his entire body, and this time he watched as these strange raised markings appeared along with the change in skin color. They almost looked like smooth brands on his skin. With a detached fascination he traced the strangely beautiful patterns on his skin. His whole body was blue now, and Harry didn't really know what to do about it. His whole body musculature seemed to have rearranged as well, and his movements, the way his muscles stretched and flexed, felt different as he shifted in the water. This was proof of something he wasn't quite sure he was ready to face.

He turned to step out of the water needing to get away from whatever was happening to him. He grabbed his towel where it rested on his bag but he stopped with his hand on the towel. He had caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and he was completely frozen by what he saw. His entire face was blue. The brand like marks wove over his face as well. His green eyes seemed to glow eerily bright out of his now blue face framed by his messy jet-black hair. Harry stumbled back, trying to get away from his own startling appearance. He ended up falling back into the water pulling his towel and bag in with him. The egg that had been in his bag must have opened because while beneath the water he heard music playing.

Harry latched on to the chance to distract himself and listen to the egg's song. He was able to infer that it was something about the merpeople in the lake stealing something of his, and he would need to get it back within an hour. At least he had one problem solved. Now he would just need to figure why he was turning blue. It was obvious that he was some sort of magical creature. He just didn't recognize which one. His knowledge of the subject was vague at best. Magical creatures weren't his strong suit after all he'd only recently been aware that Veela existed and could have children with wizards. The real question was why he was turning into this creature. It couldn't have just sprung up from nowhere. It had to have come from somewhere. The question was where?

He climbed out of the water and waited for his skin to turn back to normal. He waited. And waited. And waited some more. He was beginning to get nervous that he wasn't going to turn back to his normal color when the door burst open.

"Harry!"

Harry whipped around to see Hermione and Ron standing in the doorway. Whatever they had come to tell him was forgotten in the face of his altered appearance. Their shocked expressions said it all.

"I can explain," Harry gasped, his mind scrambling for a credible explanation for why he looked.

"Harry?" Hermione's hand covered her mouth and she looked worried.

"It's me," Harry assured them quietly.

"Did the egg do that to you?" Ron questioned quizzically, looking from the egg to Harry's blue self.

"No," Harry said softly.

"A spell gone wrong?" Ron persisted.

"No," Harry said again.

"I don't understand," Ron scratched his head looking more confused than scared.

"Harry, you look— you look like a…" Hermione's voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Like a what?" Harry demanded.

"A Frost Giant," Hermione replied tentatively.

"A Frost Giant?" Harry frowned. He'd obviously heard about them especially with all the new interest in all things otherworldly. But he hadn't seen a picture of them yet.

"I mean you're smaller but the color, the markings, and the physical structure are the same as the pictures. I've studied them quite a bit along with various other beings since the attack on New York City led by Loki. I've wanted to learn more about Asgard and the other realms. It really is quite fascinating. The Frost Giants or Jotuns as they are called are the natives of the world Jotunheim. It is a world made entirely of ice."

"And I'm only turning blue when I get cold," Harry whispered.

"Wait, Harry's turning into a Frost Giant? How?" Ron questioned looking at Harry in concern. Harry supposed it was better than fear, and Ron running out on him again.

"I don't know but we'll figure this out Harry," Hermione moved to touch his shoulder but stopped at the last moment. "I've read that touching the skin of a Jotun can cause instant frostbite so until this wears off we should be careful about touching you. How long have you been like this? Has it only happened in the presence of cold stimuli?"

"Er, yes to the cold question. And I've been stuck like this for at least a half hour since getting out of the water," replied Harry dutifully.

"Right," Hermione murmured and Harry could tell she was already sorting through all sorts of various texts that she wanted to look through.

"On the bright side I figured out the egg," Harry offered.

"What was it?" Ron questioned.

Harry told him about the riddle.

"I wonder what they'll take," Ron pondered.

Harry shrugged. The tournament was really the least of his concerns right now.

"Perhaps we should try a warming charm Harry and see if it that helps to return you to your normal appearance," Hermione speculated.

"Maybe, I suppose it couldn't hurt," Harry agreed. "Do you think I should send a letter to Sirius? He might know if there's Jotun blood or something in the family tree. I mean that would explain it all right? Some sort of latent inheritance?"

"I suppose he might know something. But I don't think it would possible to have Jotun blood in your family line considering touching a Frost Giant's skin can be deadly to a human," Hermione pointed out before completing a warming charm on him.

Harry conceded her point. The warming charm on the other hand was surprisingly uncomfortable. It made his skin prickle and he wanted to get away from the heat of it. However, it seemed to do the trick and slowly, almost reluctantly, his skin began to return to its natural pale, creamy tone. He checked his appearance in the mirror and released a sigh of relief to once more be himself again.

"It looks like we have some research to do," Harry sighed.

Ron and Hermione only nodded. The former looked morose at the prospect of studying while the latter looked all too eager to get started. As for Harry he just wished that his life would just be simple for once.

/

/

Loki's mind was whirling chaotic mass. He needed to get away and quickly to pull himself together. He fled the grounds of Hogwarts. He'd promised his son that he would stay and talk with him after the task. But after what he had witnessed he was unable to remain. He was too unnerved by what he seen.

Everything had been going so smoothly. Loki had been so amazed to be face to face with youngest child, to speak to him. It had been such a shock to see the baby he had rocked to sleep at night in the form of the young man before him. Harry looked so much like James that it hurt. Yet he could easily see himself in his son's features. Harry had grown up to be a beautiful boy, and Loki could not have been more thrilled to be reunited with him. It was a relief to have concrete proof standing right in front of him that his son was alive and well. There were so many things he wanted to talk to him about.

Loki had been nervous as he watched his son facing a dragon. The stunt seemed far too advanced for a boy of Harry's age. He'd just gotten his son back he didn't want to see him eviscerated by a fire-breathing beast. He had been ready to step in at the first signs of trouble. There was no way that he was going to allow harm to come to his child ever again. While he was watching the stunt he was also trying to concoct a plausible explanation for who he was, and how he was going to prove the truth to Harry. He knew he couldn't exactly just start off with: 'Hello, Harry I'm your mother. Oh, you thought your mother was dead and a woman, not so. I'm actually a god, and yes that was me that tried to enslave Midgard this past summer'. Yes, he could the conversation going over well.

Loki had been pleasantly surprised with the way that Harry had handled himself with the dragon. It was sensible and his skill on broom had obviously been inherited from James. He'd been so proud of his son's skills. When Harry's hands turned blue while using the ice spell Loki had been utterly stunned and terrified. He managed to pull himself together enough to cast an illusion so that no one else would see the changes that came over Harry. Once the task was completed Loki bolted. He knew that his son had inherited more of his immortal characteristics. Loki had never imagined that he would have so much of his Jotun blood to affect his outward appearance. He had made his son a monster, just like him, just like his other children. Loki wasn't sure if he was ready to face the consequences of that just yet. It killed him and filled with an insurmountable amount of guilt to have poisoned his son in such a manner. He cursed his Jotun blood.

He remembered how upsetting it had been for the births of his other children. Oh, he still loved them, monsters or not. He had just felt horribly guilty to have condemned his children to such a horrible life. He had believed himself to be cursed, and vowed not to have any more children. The discovery of his true parentage had made so much sense to him. It explained why he had always felt so different growing up, why Odin had treated him differently, and why all his children had been born monsters that had to be locked away. He had thought Harry had managed to escape that burden. Now he knew differently, and it crushed him. He had condemned Harry to life of misery just as surely as he had his other children. If Odin ever discovered that Harry was alive and just how much of Loki's Jotun blood Harry had he would banish him to Jotunheim. The other Frost Giants would surely kill the boy for being a runt just like they had tried to kill Loki.

Loki knew that Harry would need him now more than ever. The more he matured the more likely his heritage would come out. The Jotun blood would continue to make itself known, making him stronger, faster, and causing his human features to bleed away. Loki would need to be there to teach him how to cloak and hide himself. He wanted to be there for him for he knew exactly what it felt like to discover a hidden inheritance. But how could he possibly face his child now, knowing what fate he had doomed him to? He didn't want Harry to resent, or even hate him. It was bound to happen. How could he not hate him for giving him his cursed blood?

Loki found himself back at Godric's Hallow without even meaning to. He didn't think he would ever come back to the desolate house but right now he needed some comfort. He felt listless and didn't know where he should go from there. He found an old photograph of the three of them that had been left behind. They looked so happy. James so full of life. Harry smiling and so innocent. His own features were so full of love, and carefree joy he hadn't experienced except within these walls. He missed it. He would give anything to still be Lily Potter.

He tucked the picture in his pocket. He stood up and went to a cracked mirror. With minimal effort he cast an illusion of his old body. He carefully aged it a bit to match the years that had passed. He sighed and dropped the illusion. Turning away from the mirror he looked back over the dusty and broken home. This life was over. It was difficult for him to process due to the memories still feeling so recent. But he needed to move on. He was Loki, a Prince of Asgard, and a god amongst the pitiful mortal Midgardians. Once he had been Lily Potter and a part of him always would be but he couldn't return to that life. At least he had something to remember that life by. He had his son and right now his son needed him. If he had cursed his son it was only right that he be the one to fix it.

He swept from the old house and out into the street, determined to find a way to aid his son.

"Brother."

Loki turned slowly. He paused to see Thor standing there in full battle armor. He looked very angry.

"Thor," Loki replied evenly.

"You are coming home!" Thor shouted. "Before you can cause anymore damage to Midgard."

"Really?" Loki drawled preparing to teleport. He would need to go as far as possible to get Thor off his trail. It would delay his plans a bit but he couldn't take the risk of letting Thor and in turn Odin know his son had survived.

"Yes, father has told me of what happened. Of your dead child. I am so sorry, brother. Father is willing to forgive you for what has happened because he understands your grief. You just need to come home," Thor pleaded.

"No, I don't think I will. Asgard is not my home anymore," Loki hissed all his old anger at Thor and Odin flaring up. How easily they could dismiss his pain and suffering as something trivial. He hated them.

"You leave me with no choice then, Loki. If you will not come willingly then I will have to bring you myself. I will have to get in contact with my fellow Avengers as well," Thor said smugly.

"Let them come. None of you will catch me," he flashed Thor a bright grin and disappeared.

Thanks for reading!