'Harry! You've got to come quickly!' Merlin and Crookshanks were both on the edge of his bed as he blinked his eyes slowly.

"Whas wrong?"

'Dragons, sexing dragons, Harry. We need your help if we're going to chase them off.'

At the mention of Dragons, Harry rolled out of bed and ten minutes later they were headed with the entire pride to war.

'What on earth could dragons be doing here?' Rex demanded. 'There haven't been dragons around here since Frejya chased them off.'

'Things change," Merlin muttered ominously.

'Quiet,' Father ordered, and motioned for two toms to advance and scout the enemy.

Harry silently padded from his position in the back and moved next to the mated pair. 'What do you need me to do?'

'Have you got your magic stick?' Mum asked. Harry nodded. 'Anything you can, then.'

As the two toms returned they both looked quite puzzled. 'There are dragons, Father, three of them.'

'But there are humans with them, too.'

'Are they humans we recognise?'

'One had a familiar scent. Not one we know, but it was almost like the Ginny. The large man and his mate are with them too, at a safe distance, though.'

Harry's ears perked at that bit of news. 'I'm going to find out,' Harry declared and promptly headed into the night.

'Reckless kitten,' Mum admonished as his black form disappeared into the darkness. True enough, Harry caught sight of Hagrid speaking with none other than Charley Weasley, Madame Maxime at the Gamekeeper's side.

"Wha' kind yeh got here, Charlie?" Hagrid asked with no small amount of fascination.

"Hungarian Horntail, Swedish Short-Snout and a Chinese Fireball. All nesting mothers, too, though I haven't the foggiest as to why. I don't envy whoever gets the Horntail, they're deadly on both ends. You know, Hagrid, you weren't supposed to be bringing anyone else."

"She's fine. Knew she'd appreciate 'em as much as me," Hagrid assured him. "They'll be all ready for the First Task then?"

Charlie nodded. "One for each champion. I'm just glad we didn't have to bring more. Three dragons are plenty for me."

'They'll be gone in a few days,' Harry began without preamble as soon as he'd returned to the waiting Pride.

'What do you mean? Do you know why they're here?' Mother demanded.

'They're here for me, sort of. I'm in a tournament and the First Task has something to do with dragons.'

'Well, why don't we just kill them now and save you the trouble?' Rex suggested. It was easy to tell she was spoiling for a fight.

'No, I have to do this on my own, in front of the humans.'

'On your own?' Mother screeched. 'I'll not have a son of mine facing down three dragons on his own.'

'It isn't three of them, just one, and I doubt I have to kill it. Humans are funny about killing things that can try and hurt you.'

'Then what do you have to do with it?' Mopar piped up from next to Rex.

'No idea, but I'm sure that I'll be fine. Really, there's no need for the Pride to get involved.'

'No need… Now see here, young tom, I won't have you risking your life just to impress a molly like this. We should help you.'

'You're the one who suggested I do something grand!' Harry protested.

'Yes, like killing a deer, not facing down a fully grown dragon on your own. Come, my Mate, we'll talk to Mcgonyowl about this.'

'Who's Mcgonyowl?' Harry asked.

'The tabby who teaches the kittens in the castle. Said she was your guardian.'

'McGonagall was out here, looking for me?' Harry asked faintly.

Rex nodded. 'Oh yes, was very curious to know what you'd been up to.'

'Did Mum tell her?'

'Not at first, but then you know how older mollies get. Started talking about sunbeams, kittens and hunting. I think Mum gave it all up.'

Harry, beneath his thick black fur, turned stark white. 'Bloody hell… I'm dead. She's going to kill me.'

'Why? That was two or three weeks ago. You're still alive now, aren't you?'

oOo

Harry sat staring at the moon and the puff of his breath, gently petting Crookshanks. He was glad tonight there wasn't an Astronomy class here, otherwise he'd have to find somewhere less pleasant to work through his jumbled thoughts.

'Harry, not that I mind, but you've been petting me for over an hour. What's going on?' the orange ball of fur asked.

"I have to battle a dragon."

'Doesn't sound so hard. I'm sure the Pride can help you, too.'

"No, Mother asked McGonagall about that, and McGonagall convinced her that this is something I have to do on my own. She said that I wasn't allowed help from outside people once the Task started. Top it all off that bloody Moody was no help at all. Told me to practice a simple spell that would get me what I need. Didn't make a bit of sense. Mr. Black has been helping me, but there is only so much I can do. It isn't like he can come in and help, even as a dog."

'That doesn't seem fair. I mean how are you supposed to battle a dragon on your own? Even dogs hunt in packs. The only time where Kneazles work alone is for dinner or impressing a mate.'

"That's why Mum was convinced to let me do it on my own," Harry chuckled mirthlessly. Crookshanks merely batted his tail with irritation. "I signed up for this whole bloody mess, just to impress a molly and now she won't even talk to me. I can't believe things were sexed up this badly."

'You know, she may just be worried for you. Mess this dragon about and then she'll be begging for your kittens.'

"I don't know, Mog. I mean, how did you get Norris?"

'Long story, Harry, but I did get her mice. Have you hunted for your molly yet?'

"No."

'There's your problem. She might think you're only interested in shagging her. You have to prove you can provide for the kittens.'

"Oh, bloody hell, Father told me the same thing. I just got so caught up in this whole mess I forgot," Harry moaned.

'Tell you what, kill your dragon and see if your molly wants you. If not, then go hunting.'

"She's a lion, Mog, I don't think mice would cut it."

'Isis! You're planning on mating Miss Weasley?'

"We're both a bit young for that. The humans have the term 'going out'."

'What's that mean?'

"It's hard to describe. It's kind of courting a molly for a while before she decides to mate you. Unless of course, she decides to shag you before you're properly mated."

'So you have to catch her mice all the time, be courteous and nice to her brothers, and give up your family all in the hope she lifts her tail? Sounds troublesome.'

"It is, but it's the way the Humans do things and as I seem to be part human, well, it complicates things."

'Have you just told her how you feel? I mean, did you explain to her why you entered the tournament?'

"Would you want to explain to an angry lion why you did something she seems to think was purposefully to upset her?"

'Point taken. Still, it couldn't hurt.'

"Hello, Harry. Are you talking to your cat?" Harry and Crookshanks both turned their heads rapidly at the sound of Harry's favourite Ravenclaw.

"Hello, Luna, what are you doing up here?"

'I'm not a bloody cat, Harry.'

"Testing a theory. Shouldn't you be in bed? Ginny will be quite worried about you."

"I don't think she thinks about me much anymore, Luna. It doesn't seem we're friends at the moment."

"That is a pity, though I doubt she would talk about you so much if she didn't like you."

"Wait… She talks about me? What does she say?" Harry demanded.

"Everything. Mostly about how stupid you are, but she misses you too."

"Hermione never mentioned that," Harry muttered.

"I doubt she would have. I don't think Ginny has been talking to many people right now."

"But she talks to you?"

"We're friends. She also doesn't think I talk to you."

Harry looked at her with confusion. "Then why are you?"

"Because Ginny deserves to be happy, and you make her. One moment…" Luna produced a small sized melon from beneath her robes and dropped it over the parapet. She stared at it as it hurtled back to earth and impacted the ground with a loud squish.

"What was that for?"

"I was testing whether gravity was still working outside the castle. Luckily for us it is."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Gravity is a tricky thing, Harry. You can never be too sure and it never hurts to do the right thing." Luna stared at him for a moment. "Well, go."

"Go what?"

"Do the right thing."

"Wait… are we talking about gravity or Ginny?"

"Sometimes they're the same thing, Harry. You are both drawn towards one another despite it all. That's very gravitational, to me, which is why I needed to check to make sure it was still working."

"Because Ginny and I aren't talking?"

"That and I think it's awfully fun to drop a melon off the Astronomy tower. Good luck tomorrow. Don't get roasted."

"You know about the dragons?"

"I heard you mention something earlier. I wouldn't be too worried," Luna shrugged.

"Yeah, but no one can help me."

"No one? I know I can't help, and neither can your friends, but what about anyone else? You spend most of your time with animals, don't you?"

'Hey! Who's she calling an animal?' Crookshanks demanded, standing irritably.

"Animals… not people… Luna, you're brilliant!" Harry hugged the small Ravenclaw who only smiled at him and produced an apple in her left hand, tossing that too over the edge of the tower.

"Still working?" Harry asked. Luna nodded rather serenely, walking off without another word.

Harry transformed and raced down the multiple flights of stairs to the ground floor and out onto the grounds. 'Slow down, mate! Where are we going?'

'To see if I can find some friends who want to play a game,' Harry replied.

oOo

"Harry, it's time for the First Task," McGonagall called. Harry looked up, his eyes bright with anticipation.

"Good luck, mate," called all of Harry's dorm mates.

"Be careful, Harry," Hermione whispered.

Harry looked about the hall until he finally made eye contact with Ginny, still sitting a few seats down. He grinned, winked and then turned on his heel without waiting for her response. Mollies love a devil-may-care attitude, Merlin had told him. Many of the other tables were calling out encouragement as he sauntered from lunch. Harry even heard the distinct sound of Bridget Waterson, Ron's little friend. "Badger's salute!" she called. On cue all twelve first year Hufflepuffs jumped on their benches and brandishing assorted cutlery yelled, "Kill-em Harry!"

"You have a plan, Harry?" McGonagall asked as they made their way to the grounds. Harry smirked.

"No need to get your whiskers in a knot, cousin. I've got this one taken care of. It's going to be a breeze."

'Hello, Harry!' Abbot called from the edge of the wood separating the champions' tent from the dragon enclosure.

'Good luck. We can't wait! Just remember to whistle,' Constance reminded him. Harry smiled and tipped an imaginary hat in return.

"Do be careful. There are fully qualified wizards on hand in case something goes wrong," McGonagall was warning. Harry merely grinned in response.

"I have to fight a dragon. What could go wrong? If you'll excuse me, cousin." Harry once again tipped his imaginary hat and walked briskly into the tent to prepare. Krum was lounging in the corner looking surly and generally in a foul mood, while Fleur was sitting on a stool looking paler than normal.

"Why so glum?" Harry asked. "It's a good day to die!" Both other champions looked at him rather askance, but Harry kept grinning.

'Did you come up with that one all on your own?'

"Merlin!" Harry cried. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

'The whole pride is here. Rex said I should come in here and see how you were doing. Everyone else is under the stands.'

"That's good. Is it scary?"

'It would be a lot more terrifying if we knew you had to kill the dragon, but there aren't even any dragons out there yet.'

"I wonder why not. Are the Unicorns there too?"

'A few are.'

"Who are you speaking wis?" Fleur asked impatiently. It seemed she'd grown tired of the subtle interaction between her fellow champion and the oversized housecat he was talking to.

"This is Merlin. My…er… friend."

'We're related,' Merlin protested.

"Yes, but she doesn't need to know that. Now hush."

'Can I stay here with you?'

"Only until the Task starts. Then you should go get a good perch." Harry continued to gossip with his brother, heedless of either the strange looks from the other champions or the hundreds of feet and excited voices outside the tent. It wasn't that he was nervous, exactly, but it was best not to think about the possibility of being roasted alive. Talking with Merlin about anything seemed to avoid those thoughts.

"Everyone here?" Ludo Bagman boomed as he entered the tent. "Excellent. Now, the crowd is assembled so I will be offering each of you a chance to pick a small model of the thing you are going to face. There are several different varieties. You first, Mr. Krum."

Krum dug his hand into the purple velvet bag and withdrew a model of a Sweedish Short-Snout dragon. It had the number one on it. "Excellent, now, Harry."

Harry dug his hand in and retrieved a model of the Hungarian Horntail, with a number three attached. He blew out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Sirius had been coaching him on the best known strengths of the different dragons that he might face. While Mr. Black certainly wasn't a dragon keeper like Charlie, he knew a thing or two about illegal-to-own creatures.

The Horntail was certainly the easiest. It had a tendency to rely on its vicious spiked tail and spit fire slightly less frequently than its more flammable counterparts. Tendency was the key word. Dragons didn't always read the same books that wizards did and sometimes forgot to adhere to the guidelines. After all, spikes could be dodged and mollies often found small scars attractive. Fire on the other hand was a danger to everyone, especially in the forest. Harry shook his head slightly at the foolishness of holding an event featuring fire-breathing lizards in a highly combustible area. It just wasn't the brightest idea devised by wizards.

"Excellent, and Miss Delacour that's a Chinese Fireball. Now, each dragon has the order in which you will go. Mr. Krum, you'll be up first. Your task, lady and gentlemen, is to collect the golden egg. I wish you the best!"

A minute passed and Harry found he could hear the match commentary with Bagman's booming voice. "Oh, very daring… Look at the nerve he's showing. Oh my, breaking the eggs will cost him, I suspect."

At the word 'eggs' Harry's ears perked up. Suddenly everything seemed to come into focus. They're all nesting mothers, Charlie had said. Krum had, for some unknown reason, broken some of the dragons eggs. "Merlin, get the Pride Mother and Father in here now! There isn't a moment to lose."

'What's going on, Harry?'

"I'll explain when they're here." Merlin nodded once and shot from the tent. He knew better than to question his brother when Harry used the 'father' tone.

"What are you playing at? Monsieur Potter?" Fleur asked.

Harry glared at her. "They're using real eggs, Miss Delacour."

"Of course zey are. Zis makes sense, no? From ze sounds of it, we must get past ze dragon and steal an egg."

"That's all fine and good, but what happens if we break one?"

"What does it matter? Zey are here for ze competition."

"Those dragons didn't ask to be here. It isn't like they just randomly wandered in and decided to start eating students. They were brought here, for our amusement, with their clutch. While you'll certainly not find me shedding a tear for a dead dragon, those eggs deserve to live. From the sounds of it, Krum broke a few, and that, Miss Delacour is murder. I'll not hold him accountable. He doesn't know any better, I'm sure. Just like the rest of the humans, no respect. I mean, if a dragon took a bunch of nursing mums and ate them and their litters like sardines from a can, don't you think there would a bit of an outcry?"

"Mr. Potter, you are ze oddest boy I have ever met. I am sure zat ze dragon 'andlers would not let anything bad 'appen to ze dragons."

"You can't let anything happen to the eggs. Please," Harry pleaded. While it was true that he had no special love for dragons, he couldn't stomach the idea of helpless hatchlings being killed before their time. Kneazles wouldn't even kill puppies should they run across them in the wild. A fully grown dog was a threat, puppies were not, and neither were those not-yet-hatched.

"Next is the Beauxbatons' champion, Fleur Delacour!" Bagman's voice boomed, signalling Fleur's turn.

"Zis is silly. Zey are not human and should not be thought of as such," Fleur scoffed.

As she began to leave the tent, Harry grabbed her arm roughly and stared straight into her eyes. "Most people would say the same about Veela. So what does that make you?"

A moment before Fleur was sure to hex him, Harry withdrew his offending appendage and watched her head through the tent flap, admitting Merlin and several other Kneazles as she left.

'What's the problem, Harry?' Father demanded.

"They're using real eggs."

'No, I mean we saw, but I thought they had to be fake,' Mum mewed anxiously.

"Hagrid said they were nesting mothers. Would you know if you had a litter of fake kittens?"

'Of course I would. That Krum boy, did something. He hit his dragon in the eyes with a spell. She trampled half her litter… That poor dear.'

"Well, I don't know about Delacour, but we're not going to let that happen. I have to get the golden egg, but I'm going to need your help to get the others out."

'McGonyowl said we weren't allowed to help,' Rex protested.

"Sod what McGonyowl said. We're talking life and death here. They think this is some kind of sport. It isn't."

'How are you going to get the golden egg?'

"I'm not. My Thestral friends are."

'Thestrals!' Father demanded. 'They're a myth.'

"I assure you, they aren't. They are very real and they have offered to help me."

'But McGonyowl…'

"Cousin said you weren't allowed to help, that's true, but she didn't read the rules. I checked. No people are allowed to help me. Thestrals aren't people. According to wizards, neither are you."

'What's the plan?'

Harry thought for a moment, trying to drown out the sounds of the crowd and commentary. "Get the Unicorns, we're all going to be needed for this. The Thestrals are going to steal the egg from one side. You are going to approach the dragon from the other side underneath the belly of the Unicorns and help them roll the rest of the eggs off to safety from the far side. I don't think the dragon is going to mess about with a Unicorn. I, in the meantime, will keep it distracted."

'How are you going to do that?' Merlin asked.

"Live bait."

'Bloody hell…' the entire Kneazle group mewed in unison.

"Everyone ok with this plan?"

'Not in the slightest, but I won't let those eggs be put in jeopardy,' Mum replied, fiercely. 'Alright, I'll go get the Unicorns. Mate, you go get the rest of the Pride. We're going to do this.'

The other Kneazles nodded and all except Merlin left to their appointed tasks.

'I hope you know what you're doing, Harry,' Merlin muttered.

"Trust me." Though the tone was confident, he was currently hoping he knew what he was doing, too.

"Bast, defender of our Lady Isis, protect we Kneazles…" Harry began to mutter.

"For our final champion, representing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry… Harry Potter!" Bagman's voice boomed out. The two brothers in fur locked eyes, they nodded silently at one another, and wordlessly strode from the tent.

'Harry, is it time? Are we to play the game today?' Abbot called.

"It's time! You can follow me in."

The Thestrals fell into line behind the Hogwarts champion. 'Are you going to tell us what game we're to play, then?' Constance asked.

'We do love surprises, Harry, but we must know the rules.'

Harry smiled a little. "Sure. The name of the game is 'steal the egg' and the rules are you have to steal the golden egg and give it to me without getting killed."

'Is that all, then?' Constance asked, mildly affronted. 'Who are we playing against?' As they walked through the gate, the dragon suddenly came into view.

"Her."

'Oh my! How exciting,' Constance cheered. 'This is a good game. It's a pity Fred is sick today. I do believe he would have loved this game.'

'He would have indeed, my dear,' Abbot agreed. 'He'll be in a strop all next week unless we can teach that little Acromantula on the end to dance properly. I do believe that will be the only thing to cheer him up. However, before we begin, we need something from you, Harry.'

"Oh?" Harry vaguely heard the roar of the crowd as he stood before the massive dragon. Apparently, Ludo had just started the timer, and Harry still hadn't made any sort of attempt towards the egg.

'Yes, if we're going to do this, we're going to have to be very sneaky about it.'

'Quite,' Constance agreed.

'So, if we're going to need to be sneaky we need sneaking music.'

"Sneaking music?" Harry asked.

'Yes, there must be very sneaky music to be sure we aren't seen. You also must do a sneaky dance.'

"You want me to… dance?" Harry hadn't planned for this at all. He'd planned to shout and run about while shooting inoffensive spells near enough to the dragon to keep her attention, but not so much that she risked moving and stepping on either one of his Pridemates or an egg.

'You must dance,' Constance confirmed. 'And it must be very sneaky.'

'And sing, you mustn't forget the singing,' Abbot reminded him.

"Ok…" Harry agreed as he rolled his sleeves up and started towards the dragon. "Sonorus Minimus," Harry muttered, pointing the wand at his own throat. Ron had given him that spell the last time Harry had managed detention. (He'd learned it from Hermione who wouldn't give it to Harry claiming he'd only use it for nefarious purposes). It made his voice just enough louder that it allowed him to have a marvellous conversation with Hagrid even while his head was buried inside a dead bicorn. Then Harry began to sing.

The song wasn't terribly sneaky, in Harry's opinion, as he danced around in ridiculous circles and shot off random colourful spells into the air, missing the dragon by just enough. It was a song they'd learned about in Muggle Studies, named In The Hall of the Mountain King. It had, in fact, been written by a wizard who had narrowly managed to escape Gringotts after pilfering several goblin-made artefacts. It started out slow and moved faster and faster, but the Thestrals didn't seem to notice, as they pranced theatrically across the field.

Elsewhere the same task was being watched with a great deal of incredulity.

"What the bloody hell is he doing?" Charlie demanded.

"I've no idea, and watch your language, please, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall scolded. By pure coincidence, Charlie had found himself sitting next to his old head of house and they had managed a good conversation along with running critique of both previous champions. Technically, he was only on standby as the Ministry had provided their own security personnel for the actual event.

"What are the Unicorns doing? Bloody… they're stealing the eggs. Why in Merlin's name would they be stealing the eggs?"

"I have my theories," McGonagall confided, "but we're going to have to hope the young man is fit enough to tell us when he's finished." As the professor spoke, Harry narrowly pirouetted around another massive burst of flame and then ducked neatly beneath yet another attempt by the Horntail to impale the interloper with her pointy bits. "He orchestrated this whole thing," McGonagall suddenly exclaimed as the realisation hit her like a thunderbolt.

"Come again?" Charlie asked, wincing as he did so in sympathy with the grazing wound inflicted as Harry's speed wasn't quite fast enough to completely miss yet another swing of the tail.

"Mr. Potter is behind this, I'm sure of it. Though how he managed to wrangle three separate species into working together is beyond me."

"I still don't understand what his plan is, Professor," Charlie confessed.

"It's brilliant, as long as he manages to stay alive. The Thestrals have the golden egg, and the Kneazles along with help from the Unicorns are moving the rest of the dragon's clutch to safety. Just one more egg left."

"Of course! The dragon wouldn't feel threatened by the Unicorns' presence where a Kneazle might trigger a defensive reaction, but is that why he's not gone on to grab the egg? The Thestrals had their egg out a good three minutes ago. Hasn't anyone noticed?"

McGonagall chuckled a little. "I would guess, looking at the judges faces, they haven't. We've only noticed because watching the Hogwarts champion make a total fool of himself is only entertaining for so long. He's long since passed that mark and is now merely looking silly." As if to confirm her statement, Harry began loudly insulting the dragon's parentage, it's ability to breathe fire and her lack of readily apparent reproductive organs. The dragon seemed to take exception to this, which caused Harry to narrowly dodge another spat of flame.

"Oi! You're acting just like Malfoy's mum after a good shag!" Harry yelled, forgetting that his voice was still somewhat magically amplified.

"Oh my…" McGonagall groaned, placing her hand over her face. Charlie had heard about Malfoy both from his father and siblings, and so attempted to change the subject before he burst into laughter.

"You said he worked with the Thestrals, unicorns and Kneazles to pull this off? I know Hagrid trained the Thestrals, but the others are wild. How did he do it?"

"He has a way with the beasts, Hagrid tells me," McGonagall replied. "There, the last egg is out of the nest. You can see Thestrals, Mr. Weasley?"

"Yeah, a couple of my mates on the dragon preserve came to work still pissed from the night before. I wasn't on shift, but apparently the head handler didn't notice. I was in the hospital when they both kicked it." Charlie's voice was flat and tired sounding. Minerva immediately wished she hadn't said anything.

"I'm very sorry, Charlie, but… oh, Harry, watch out!" the old teacher cried, without even thinking, but it was too late.

On the field, Harry had finished his last pirouette as the final egg was unloaded from the nest and with great care the Pride had begun, under cover of Unicorn, to roll the eggs to a safe location until the dragon could be subdued safely. Harry smiled and walked sedately over to claim the golden egg which was resting a ways outside the nest, but just because he'd stopped jigging didn't mean that the dragon had stopped watching him.

Dragons are calculating, which is part of what makes them so deadly. They have a keen sense of the hunt and if one lets one's guard down for a moment they strike. Harry, as tired as he was from clogging his way across the field, failed to remember that piece of advice when he picked up the golden egg.

There was no flame, and no ear-rending screech, but Harry looked up just in time to avoid being impaled through the chest with the four foot long spikes. His shoulder, however, was cleanly pierced through and the momentum rocketed his smaller form halfway to the judges table.

'Harry!' Merlin shouted.

Even through the red haze, the boy hugged the golden egg like it was the only thing tethering him to this world.

"Go, get to… safe…" Harry croaked out and focused his best impersonation of Father on his brother. They had to get the eggs to safety or the whole exercise would have been for nothing. As the medical team rushed to his side, Harry moaned, "Don't let them hurt her… just doing good mum… stuff."

As the two medi-wizards levitated Harry and his egg on the stretcher, the voices of Abbot and Constance floated in from outside his vision. 'Oh dear, I do hope he is alright,' Constance worried.

'I do as well, but that's what you get for not being sneaky.'

'Indeed. That wasn't terribly sneaky at all. Next time, Harry, try to not get hit! That's much sneakier,' Constance advised.

"Bloody cheeky Thestrals," Harry muttered.

AN: Here it is, task 1! I'm very sorry this took so long to upload, but my internet connection has been severed rather permanently and thus UPDATE MAN was required to find new sources of uploading. Hope everyone enjoys the slightly different take on the whole thing. Thanks to all for reading, and reviewing.