Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter it was be a truly twisted place to amuse me and my twisted brain and as all you would get by suing me is a handful of pocket lint you can wisely assume I'm making nothing from this either… Also don't own Foamy and anything you see that reminds you of it doesn't belong to me as well...
Harry could honestly say that this trip to the school had been far better then his first one. He didn't miss the boats or having to listen to Hagrid in the least and he really didn't miss not having a place to go. This time was better while he had forgotten how long the trip took on the train it wasn't bad because he knew that when he got there he would see Severus and Medusa. He had to see her too once he got there, he hadn't seen her since Severus had left and he missed her. Sadly as usual his plans were cut off by Dumbledore who informed Harry that they needed to meet in Dumbledore's office after the feast. Harry really didn't want to go, but Severus promised to come with him into the office and his Draco and his Dudley said they would wait for him outside so he decided he would go.
The feast was first though and while the food was good as always he couldn't find it in him to enjoy it like he usually did. The knowing that he had a meeting with one of his least favorite people after this just made it hard to. Being introduced to the new snakes did help some because it gave him something to focus on, but before he knew it the food was gone and Dumbledore was talking again. The first words out of his mouth set his Dudley and his Draco groaning: there was no Quidditch this year. While Harry didn't play himself he did like to watch them play it was fun especially when they won.
Harry frowned when the man went on to say it had to do with an event that would be starting in October only to jump when the hall door's banged open. He like everyone else turned to look at the cloaked person, but unlike everyone else Harry didn't look for long instead turning his attention to Severus to see the other male's reaction. A dull sort of thunk started shortly and Harry could tell by the way people shifted around him that the person was moving, but it was the look on Severus's face that settled things for him: He did not like this new person.
Once the new person, who appeared to be quite male as far as Harry could tell, was settled Dumbledore spoke again saying that this was going to be their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Normally Harry didn't mind that class, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it at all this year. It wasn't long before Dumbledore was speaking again though this time about some 'Triwizard Tournment' that seemed to get some people very excited. It sounded all well and fine from the explanation, but he couldn't help worrying when he heard his Draco saying he was going to enter. How could he protect his Draco if he was in some silly contest? Needless to say Harry didn't like that at all, but he did perk up a bit when he heard the two schools would be sending people here. He had heard about them from his Draco and when Dumbledore added in the age limit he found himself slightly excited and wondered if they would have any spells he could learn or places he could practice. That would be a bit though and first he had that meeting with the Headmaster and as that thought returned to him Harry was once more a ball of nerves and quite unhappy.
"Harry I have some grave news."
The first words from Dumbledore's mouth caused Harry to tense up, the man's 'good' news was usually bad so what would he consider 'grave'? He glanced at Severus from the corner of his eye, but the other didn't seem upset or worried or anything of the sort so maybe it wasn't that bad after all? Harry refocused on Dumbledore waiting for the man to get on with it, but when all that was forthcoming was the news that Rat Man had managed to escape Harry couldn't help blinking. That wasn't good news by any means, but maybe now Severus would let him have Rat Man, Harry couldn't see how this could be 'grave' though.
When there was no more news forth coming despite Harry offering the Headmaster a questioning look he added an "And…?" expecting more to the news. He caught the flash of surprise in Dumbledore's eyes, eyes Harry normally hated, and the smirk on Severus's face and wondered if they had already talked about this. When nothing else was said Harry turned his attention to Severus "Can Harry have the Rat Man now? Severus said Black Man was free so can Harry have him now if he finds him?" the fourteen year old questioned. When the smirk on Severus's face seemed to grow Harry became sure that they had talked about this and he was sure Severus knew he would ask for Rat Man again, after all Severus was smart.
"If you find him and want to play with your spells I won't stop you Harry."
Harry grinned at Severus's words glad that maybe he would get to play with the Rat Man after all. He didn't think twice as he quickly wrapped his arms around Severus in a hug "Thanks Severus." Harry said his tone far more subdued then his actions and grin, sure he was excited and happy to be able to play with the man that had gotten James and Lily killed, but he was also grateful to Severus for letting him have the chance. "Can Harry and Severus go now? Harry missed Medusa." He questioned pulling back and meeting Severus's gaze once more all to glad when he got a nod in return. He was out the door before Dumbledore could recover enough to even think of stopping him though if Harry had looked back the look on Dumbledore's face would have made him giggle.
The Headmaster was pale at the reminder of Harry wanting to practice spells on a person. He was stunned by Harry hugging Severus. He was even more stunned by Severus not shoving him away. And he was a bit at a loss too he had been hoping to use this to try and get Harry away from Severus. He really did need the boy to lean more things and he had hoped he could use this to do so, but again Severus had beaten him to the news. As before though it seemed Harry really just didn't care and it made Albus sigh and rub his temples, how had things managed to go so wrong with the boy?
School had barely started though before Harry quickly decided he didn't like the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. His Draco had never liked the Weasley any more then he did and had found plenty of fun during the years taunting the other male. The first official day of class though found the new teacher coming their way after having turned his Draco into a ferret. Harry didn't know it at the time, but the look of rage on his face sent more then one person scampering as he raised his wand pointing it at Moody "Fake Man will fix Draco now." He informed the professor not missing the way the man tensed though he didn't know it was at the name more then anything else.
Harry didn't care that his Draco had sent a curse at the Weasley's back they both did it, lots, and Harry was mostly used to it even if he didn't like it, but this he couldn't at all take. "Fake Man will fix Harry's Draco or Harry will test his spells on Fake Man." He growled still not noticing the people around them backing off even farther nor when one of the Slytherins took off at a dead run.
By the time he had finished the thread Moody had turned around and Harry didn't miss the widening of his real eye when their gazes met. Still it appeared Moody wasn't to be stopped when he in returned raised his own wand aiming it at his Draco. Harry didn't even think he was picking up Draco and had his back turned to the professor before anyone could blink and said Professor didn't manage to stop himself in time as his spell connected and he lifted both boys into the air quickly dropping them once more.
Harry's cry of pain as he landed badly and he suddenly found his leg at a bad angle was accompanied by the appearance of McGonagall who had shown up just in time to catch the 'display'. Harry ignored her though curling up tightly around the transfigured Draco his clearly broken leg throbbing in pain and quickly turning black and blue from blood pooling from the break. It wasn't until he heard the voice that would always get his attention that he managed to even attempt to move.
The first thing he noticed was that Moody and McGonagall were still there, but he ignored them in favor of Severus "Fake Man tried to hurt Harry's Draco. His Draco was fighting with the Weasley again and Fake Man turned him into a small furry. Harry was going to make Fake man turn his Draco back, but then he was aiming at his Draco and Harry couldn't let him be hurt." His voice was full of pain and loathing, pain for the broken leg he now had and loathing for himself for nearly failing to protect Draco. In short he was not happy in any way and Harry made a vow to himself to work more on his spells and his physical training because he obviously wasn't doing enough.
The next couple weeks were spent in more training then he could ever remember. Harry was spending more and more time training sure that he wasn't doing enough because after all his Draco had nearly been hurt and that just wouldn't do. In the end it took a visit from Lucius to get him to back off a bit before he worked himself to hard. He had been quite proud of the praise for his protecting of Draco from Fake man, but he had also been quite upset by the scolding for all his extra training which he was informed would do no one any good if he didn't get proper sleep and food.
The visit had been a good thing too because not two days later after just enough time to catch up on his sleep Moody announced that he would be putting them all under the Imperius Curse. He had missed the first lesson when the Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher had demonstrated it and the other two unforgivables, but he had heard about the lesson later. While Draco's first book had told him about the three curses and some part of Harry had realized it must have been the Killing Curse that he still remembered in dreams he had no real problems with them. Still to hear Fake Man say he was going to be using it on all of them really was almost too much to take.
Harry was far beyond impressed when he was called to be the first one up and gave Moody a rather heated look as he watched him raise his wand and cast the curse. He could feel his mind go fuzzy like it was stuffed with cotton, but it was that whispering voice that quickly caught his attention. It took him a moment to realize what the voice was saying, but it soon became clear that it was telling him to jump on the desk. It was an order and Harry liked those, but why jump onto a desk? And the voice it wasn't right. He blinked a couple time his shattered mind trying to work though things.
He couldn't see Moody watching him and trying to put more power into the spell, but it didn't take too long for him to realize what was wrong with the order: the voice. That was not Severus, Lucius, his Draco, or his Dudley and he blinked a couple more times at that before the voice was calmly shoved into the back of his mind and ignored as his previously unfocused eyes refocused on Moody. He hadn't actually thrown off Moody's curse instead his shattered mind had more just filtered it out which while not /quite/ the same was close and something he could only do because his mind was so broken.
The rest of the class was spent in much the same way except for lots of tension when Moody brought Draco and Dudley up to use the curse on them, but while Harry didn't know it their past with him helped them throw off the curse quickly. When it was over Harry was far from pleased and made a point to visit Medusa later and to tell Severus all about the class. No he was not at all pleased with Fake man and wished he could just not go to that class, but he wouldn't leave his Dudley and his Draco.
Harry was glad to have the next weeks pass by until the note went up in the common room that said that the people from the other schools would be here the next day. There had been a slight issue at some point during that time with one of the Weasley's friends, but he hadn't cared too much about it. Well at least he hadn't until he caught her saying something as he passed about how he was like the kitchen elves and how all his Snakes were mean. It hadn't been a happy Mediwitch who had to uncurse the bushy haired girl after that, but why should Harry care? She had said his Snakes were bad. He had been all to happy to curse her with some of the things he got from Dudley's first book while informing her that he was happy where he was, liked his snakes, and would do anything for them. He wasn't sure why that bothered her so, but he didn't care in the end.
As the day of the thirtieth of October drew towards six in the afternoon Harry followed the others out to form lines and wait on the coming people. He wasn't pleased when he was informed he had to stand with the Hufflepuffs, but when none of them tried to touch him and the groups were arranged so that he was standing as close as he could to his snakes he decided he would try it, but only this once. And only because Severus had asked him too after explaining that they were just trying to look 'proper' in front of the coming people.
He didn't much care about the words going back and forth between those around him, but his gaze did snap around when a voice younger then his called out having spotted something. He watched the growing mass with the others his eye widening when the winged horses came more sharply into view. They were /huge/. Harry couldn't help thinking that they might be close to as big as Medusa if he put a couple of them together and he had thought nothing could be bigger then HER.
However it soon became not the flying horses, but the woman that emerged from the carriage they pulled that caused him concern. She reminded him rather uncomfortably of the Hagrid person and it took everything in him not to shift in his place or run over to Draco and Dudley to hide from her. "She wasn't here for him, she wouldn't come near him." Or so he informed himself to keep in his place.
It was several minutes before he could pull his attention away from the woman, barely even noticing the students that followed her, towards the lake when it started to make odd noises. Staring at the lake it quickly became obvious that something was wrong, but it wasn't until the ship started to emerge that he even had half a clue what was happening. He couldn't help staring at the ship especially when the people got off and were making their way up the lawn to where he and the others were waiting. It was when they stopped talking and started to go inside that Harry finally lost it.
Huge horse, another 'Hagrid', and weird ships from the lake yep it was too much for when the 'female Hagrid' started coming closer that he quickly moved from his place in line to be with Draco and Dudley though luckily the students were all moving and heading towards the great hall now so it wasn't to obvious. It was just quite a few disruptions to his routine and he needed a break… badly.
Author's Note: ok so I didn't mean for this to end where it did, well or be so long, but either way. I had meant to have this end with the choosing of champions and the mess in the back room after that, but if you can't tell I favor Book!Verse over Movie!Verse and there was some stuff I wanted in here once I pulled out my copy and was skimming it. I may make the next chapter short so it can end where I wanted this one to, but I'm not sure yet. I'll have to see where that would take me too and it might take me longer to get to task three then I though cause I had meant for it to be next chapter heh.. meh either way since I forgot last time thanks to all who reviewed and put this on alert you remind me that I am writing for more then me :D Oh and Loretta537 I'm surprised yer the only one asked about Harry's form I kinda thought I would get jumped more over not reveling that one . I want it to be kept fer task three though so ya got just a bit of a wait sorry.
Oh also I'll write a one shot song or prompt fic fer the first person to figure out where Harry got Moody's name from...