This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

The next couple of days were something of a personal hell for Harry. Despite, or perhaps even because of, Sirius's blessing Hermione had spent every available moment trying to convince Harry not to compete in the first task. And it was driving him mad.

On the Sunday he went back to training, Charmeleon being put through his paces by any Pokémon Harry could match him up against, Harry even going so far as to ask for Hagrid's help, Norbert the Shelgon being the closest thing to a fully evolved dragon type that Harry had available to him.

But Monday was the worst. While on Sunday Harry had eventually been able to ban Hermione from his training ground, much to the girl's annoyance, on Monday there was no such respite as Hermione accompanied him from class to class, whispering frantically in his ear at every moment with a most un-Hermione-like disregard for the rules. That, added to his own rising nervousness for the task ahead and the increased excitement flowing throughout the rest of the school, was causing Harry no end of worry as he looked forward with dread to the first task, which would be taking place at lunchtime the very next day.

Harry ate dinner in silence that evening, ignoring Hermione's constant stream of arguments as he did so, trying to block out everything as he could literally feel the excitement hanging in the air. It made him feel sick.

Eventually the time had come for him to leave and so, leaving Ron and Hermione behind at the Gryffindor table, Harry walked out into the Entrance Hall where he found the other three champions, as well as their respective heads of school, waiting for him.

"I see we're all here," Dumbledore noted as Harry walked over to them. "I see no reason to delay any longer." And he led them out onto the grounds.

It was pitch dark already, as befitting of late November in Scotland, and there was a fierce chill in the air. Fleur Delacour, in particular, looked incredibly uncomfortable as she walked alongside Madame Maxime while on the opposite side Krum slouched off with his usual silence, Karkaroff striding purposefully beside him.

No one spoke as they walked, and Harry wondered if the other champions were feeling as nervous as he was. Although, surely, they couldn't possibly be worried about being completely outdone by their competitors. Harry knew the three older students, even including Cedric, did not consider him a real champion. Their burden was for their schools, not themselves.

The walk was a longer one than Harry had anticipated, automatically expecting them to be taken quite close to the castle, but it was only once they'd passed by Hagrid's hut that Harry realised they were heading into the forest.

The trees were spaced decently far apart behind Hagrid's hut, not as closed in as it was deeper in the forest, but still the group had to turn and travel in pairs as Dumbledore led the way forward, clearly the only one who knew where they were heading.

A muffled roar sounded through the trees and everyone jumped, Harry almost falling as his foot found an exposed root only for Cedric to reach out and catch him.

Harry didn't have the time to thank him, however, for everyone's attention was already focused purely on the cause of that terrible sound. They couldn't see it, they still had not broken through the line of the trees, but they must be close. Other sounds could be heard now, sounds of figures moving and the shout of human voices, punctuated every few moments by more fearsome roars.

They finally broke through the line of trees and Harry briefly had a moment of deja-vu. Standing before them was a stadium, reminding Harry very much of the stadium for the Quidditch World Cup, although on second look it was a good bit smaller, having to only account for the student populace rather than the thousands of Quidditch fanatics who'd been there to watch Ireland take home the cup.

They didn't stop at the stadium. Instead Dumbledore led them round the side, hugging the wall as he walked away from where the entrance sat and round towards the back of the arena, where the ground fell away into a deep valley. Harry was not prepared for what he saw.

Dragons. Four, huge, monstrous Pokémon were sitting below them, chained up in four separate corners of the valley below, people running around between them, shouting instructions to each other, dressed in so much protective gear that Harry wouldn't have been able to recognise them even if he'd known them for years. But Harry didn't spend much time looking at the handlers.

Out of the four monstrous Pokémon, the first to catch Harry's eye, was the Garchomp. It was the loudest, and from the looks of it the most vicious, bearing its teeth and screeching at the other Pokémon in the enclosure. A Druddigon to the right was retorting in kind, though it seemed a fair bit smaller than the dual Dragon and Ground type and so Garchomp was paying it little to no attention.

On Garchomp's other side was a Noivern. It was silent, though watchful, its beady eyes following the handlers around as they went about their work, giving Harry the impression that it was sizing them up for dinner. He was almost tempted to yell out a warning to the seemingly oblivious workers.

Yet Noivern also wasn't the Pokémon Garchomp was facing off against, and as Harry turned to the last Pokémon below, almost seeming to blend into the background, he soon forgot about Noivern, and indeed Druddigon too. For the last Pokémon was not a Dragon type.

It was a Charizard.

And that wasn't where the surprises ended. Unlike Charlie's Charizard, which had mostly orange skin, this Charizard was jet black. It was silent, like Noivern, yet the way it held itself showed that it held no fear of any of the other Pokémon, not even Garchomp. It faced the dragon type steadily, staring it down and not flinching even as Garchomp screeched at him and gnashed its teeth viciously.

"Whew, you lot are early." Ludo Bagman had appeared, wiping sweat away from his brow with a handkerchief, and he hurried up to them. "Guess you have a fair idea of what is going on then? Come on, into the tent."

He led them a small way along the edge of the gorge, glancing nervously down as the dragons' eyes followed them, to where a large tent had been erected, walking through the entrance and leading the others inside.

"Here they are, Barty," Bagman said cheerfully. "Ahead of schedule." Barty Crouch, standing at the far end of the tent, nodded sharply but didn't say anything. As always when Harry saw Mr Crouch he thought he looked ill, but then he realised he'd never seen Mr Crouch otherwise. Perhaps this was just how he normally looked.

"Alright, well, gather in here. Lets get cracking," Bagman said enthusiastically. "I take it you've all spotted our dragons," he said, chuckling to himself at his little joke. "So I'm pretty sure you all have an idea of what it is you are going to be challenged to do for the first task."

Bagman walked over to a small, foldaway table that had been set up in the middle of the tent, picking up a small, golden ring that Harry was only too familiar with.

"I'm sure I don't need to explain what this is," Bagman chortled, giving a wink to Viktor Krum. Krum didn't respond. "This is the Golden Snitch and, like in any game of Quidditch, the aim of this task is to retrieve it."

Harry felt as though a weight had been lifted from his chest. Quidditch he could do, he was good at that. Beside him he felt more than saw Cedric let out a sigh of relief and Krum, though he gave no outward reaction, must have been dancing with joy inside. Fleur wasn't looking so happy. Harry guessed she must not play much Quidditch.

"But of course it's not that simple," Bagman said, drawing Harry's attention back to him. "No, instead of facing off against each other to get the snitch you will be tasked with getting past a dragon each, and trust me, these are no shrinking violets." Bagman laughed again.

"Perhaps we can go over the rules," Dumbledore suggested pleasantly and Harry glanced over. Though he was keeping a completely impartial expression on his face Harry was sure that he was exceedingly happy with what the first task was going to be. Both his champions were Seekers.

"Eh, yes, good idea Dumbledore," Bagman agreed. "Barty, want to do the honours?" Harry wondered if Bagman even knew the rules as he looked hopefully behind him to where Mr Crouch was standing.

At first Crouch didn't respond but then he nodded his head sharply and approached the table, his expression business like.

"Each Champion will have use of precisely one of their Pokémon," Crouch said stiffly. "If this Pokémon is knocked out the task is over and they will be graded based on their performance until that point, taking into account the fact they failed to complete the challenge. Points will be awarded based on speed of capture, success of tactics, and choice of Pokémon with which the challenger chooses to take on the task. The marks will be out of fifty, with each judge giving a mark out of ten."

"Is that all then, Barty?" Bagman intervened as Crouch came to a sudden stop. Crouch nodded swiftly. "Well then, I guess we'll see you here tomorrow. The task starts at twelve o'clock. Don't be late."

The champions were led back out of the tent by their heads of schools, each lost in their own thoughts as they reappeared in the darkened forest. The dragons were still there, still bellowing at each other and thrashing around. Harry gulped.

"Well, it seems like we've got all we need," Dumbledore said amicably. "Madame Maxime, Professor Karkaroff, perhaps you would both join me in my office for a quick drink. It would be nice to talk openly with each other on the eve of the tournament."

"I zink zat would be lovely," Madame Maxime answered. "Igor, you would join us, non?"

Karkaroff didn't look particularly keen on the idea but he quickly rearranged his features. "Of course," he replied. "Just try and stop me." Despite his words it didn't sound like Karkaroff much wanted to join them and Harry had to think back to what Sirius had told him. If Karkaroff really was a death eater then no wonder he'd want to avoid Dumbledore.

"Still here, are you?" Bagman had appeared, Crouch ghosting out behind him and quickly disappearing into the trees. "I'm sure you want to get a good look at the Pokémon you'll be facing but a good night's rest is always in order. Got to be ready for the task."

Bagman left them too, leaving the four champions standing alone as they stared into the valley containing the Pokémon. Despite the warmth in the air, given off by the many warm bodies and the Charizard's tail, Harry shivered.

"I wonder if they can keep them under control," Cedric spoke, looking down at the Pokémon. "They don't appear to have Pokéballs." That was a concern. After all, the tournament had been stopped due to deaths in the past.

"The handler vill know vot to do," Krum said simply, surprising Cedric by answering. "They are vell trained." Silence fell among the champions again.

"I'm going to bed," Fleur announced, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she turned from the dragons.

"That's probably a good idea," Cedric agreed as Fleur walked off. "You coming Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm going to stay for a bit," he told him. Cedric glanced back at the Pokémon before nodding.

"See you tomorrow," he said, clapping Harry on the shoulder before he too left. Now it was only Harry and Krum.

They stood there for maybe ten minutes, watching as the handlers did their best to calm the dragons down for the night, before Krum suddenly turned on his heel and walked away.

"Wait," Harry said, turning after him. "Vikt- er, Krum?"

Krum paused. He was still turned away from Harry so he couldn't see his face but the fact that the Bulgarian was no longer moving was encouraging.

"Just call me Viktor," Krum said shortly, turning to face Harry. This was the most Harry had heard him say since the world cup.

"Viktor," Harry said, the name seeming awkward as it came off his tongue. "Sorry, I just… I wanted to say…. Do you remember the World Cup?" It sounded like a stupid question considering Krum's role in the match but the flicker in Krum's eye let Harry know he knew what he meant.

"I do," he said shortly. "I remember it vell."

"You do?" Harry said, relieved. "It's just that… since then it's been like you've been avoiding me. I thought you might not have recognised me." Krum shuffled. He seemed uncomfortable.

"I recognised you," he said.

"Then why?"

"I vas not avoiding you," he said curtly. "There is many students in this castle and I spend most of my time in the ship."

Harry paused. "I don't think I believe you," he said and he meant it. There was just something about the way Krum was talking to him, something in the way he held himself and the way his words came out short and unexpressive. It was like he had something to hide.

Krum, however, had had enough. "Believe vot you vant," he said stiffly, turning to leave.

"Wait," Harry called again and again Krum came to a step. "I'm sorry, I just…" he took a breath, giving him a moment to figure out what he wanted to say. "I wanted to thank you, for what you did that night."

Krum shrugged. "It vas nothing," he said simply. Harry ignored it.

"Well, I just wanted to thank you properly," he explained. "Even if you think it was nothing you helped me out a lot and I won't forget that. I just wonder… why did you leave so quickly?" Krum shifted and Harry realised he was definitely uncomfortable with the question.

"It does not do to be seen helping Harry Potter," Krum said. Harry's eyebrows shot up.

"Why?" he asked, bewildered. From what he could tell Krum would only have been more loved if people discovered he'd saved the 'Boy-who-lived'.

Krum was silent for a long time. He was looking at Harry with a thoughtful expression on his face and Harry could only wonder as to what was going through his mind. In the end Krum made his decision, turning fully to face him.

"Var is a terrible thing," he said, fixing his eyes straight on Harry. "It is not easy or clean and it takes many casualties. In Britain, ven the Dark Lord vas defeated the var vas von. In Bulgaria, it stopped." Harry frowned.

"So you mean," Harry said, trying to piece together what Krum was trying to tell him. "The Death Eaters… are they still there?" Krum neither nodded nor shook his head.

"I have family," he said simply. "I must keep them safe." He turned away as he said that and walked off into the forest, clearly having said all he was going to, leaving Harry standing alone, the four dragons roaring behind him and more mysteries before him than he could possibly comprehend.

Harry didn't sleep that night. He tried, he tried really hard, but every time he closed his eyes the image of the dragons would appear before him. He remembered their ferociousness, the sharp teeth and gleaming eyes, and he could not help but feel dread at the thought of having to face one of these beasts in just twelve short hours.

His lack of rest was clearly noticeable the next day as Ron and Hermione accompanied him down to breakfast. That may have been the reason Hermione waited until they were seated at the Gryffindor table before starting on her one last bid to stop him from competing.

"It's not too late," she told him from across the table. "You can still pull out. Nobody would think any less of you."

"Well, that's a lie," Ron said, saving Harry from responding. "Malfoy would be insufferable."

"Who cares what Malfoy thinks," Hermione said angrily, surprising the two boys with her vehemence. "All that matters is you, Harry. I'm begging you, don't do this."

"Hermione," Ron interjected, sounding quite frustrated. "Could you just quit it? Harry's doing this and you trying to get him to drop out the morning of the first task isn't helping. Come on, just get behind him already."

"But," Hermione said, looking desperately between the two of them, and then she burst into tears.

"Er," Ron said awkwardly, looking at a complete loss as to what to do as Hermione's eyes welled with tears beside him. "Eh, there there." If it hadn't been for Harry's concern for Hermione he would have laughed.

"I just… don't want…" Hermione stammered through her tears. "You can't do this. You've got to be safe. Just… promise me you won't get hurt Harry. Promise me you won't take risks."

Harry felt as though someone had reached out and taken a grip of his heart, squeezing tightly. He'd always known that Hermione was only trying to stop him from competing out of fear for his own wellbeing, he'd never doubted that. To see how much this had been weighing on her since halloween was heartbreaking.

"Hey, Hermione," he said softly, drawing her attention as she tried to wipe at her still teary eyes. "I promise. I won't do anything stupid." Hermione looked as though she were going to break down again at these words but she pulled herself together, nodding her head gratefully.

"Yeah, no need to worry," Ron added. "Harry's faced ancient Seviper and armies of Dusknoir, some measly Garchomp is a piece of cake." The statement was so ridiculously that Harry couldn't help but laugh. Hermione gave a watery smile.

Despite the task taking place that day morning classes were still being held. Harry, however, was quickly convinced by Ron not to go, and on this occasion Hermione agreed with him.

Instead Harry spent the time in his dormitory, finally getting some modicum of rest with the comfort of having Ron and Hermione looking out for him. He was still nervous, incredibly so, but to have both his best friends by his side and supportive helped steady him. He knew what he had to do and what's more he knew he could do it. And that was half the battle.

At roughly eleven o'clock Hermione and Ron roused Harry from his sleep and together the three of them walked down through the empty castle. Classes were due to finish at any moment, in fact the bell rang before they'd made it all the way down to the bottom, but they were left mostly untroubled by passing students who were too excited by the prospect of the first task to pay him any attention.

When he got to the Entrance Hall he found Professor McGonagall waiting for him.

"Mr Potter," she said crisply upon seeing him. Harry walked down to join her.

"I'll see you guys later," Harry said, turning back to Ron and Hermione. They wished him luck, Hermione throwing herself on him in a quick hug, before they left, walking into the Great Hall for a quick lunch before they joined the rest of the students on their way down to the arena.

"This way, Potter," McGonagall said, gesturing him out the front doors. Harry followed silently, feeling his nerves start to come back in full force now that Ron and Hermione were gone. He patted his belt nervously, feeling the Pokéballs of Charmeleon, Fletchinder and Pikachu safely attached, and drew comfort at the fact he had his Pokémon by his side.

Out on the grounds there was only a few eager students who weren't willing to wait, mostly carrying small flags of yellow and black in support of the Hufflepuff champion. He didn't see any red and gold.

As they walked down the lawn Harry became aware of a new structure he had not seen the night before. A large wooden board had been hammered into the ground and stood facing out so that people passing between Hogwarts Castle, the Beauxbatons Carriage, and the Durmstrang Ship could read it. The Champions' names were listed in the order they'd been chosen on halloween, with Fleur Delacour at the top and Harry at the bottom. Sitting by each name was a small placard with the number zero imprinted upon it.

"The scoreboard," McGonagall explained, though Harry had already guessed. "It will be updated after every task." Harry just nodded, though he felt his innards squirm at the thought. Just focus on today, his inner Hermione told him and he shoved his doubts to the back of his mind.

McGonagall led Harry the same way Professor Dumbledore had before, past Hagrid's cabin and on into the forest. In the light of day the stands were clearly visible over the tops of the trees, allowing the students to easily find their way, and that was the guide Harry and McGonagall followed, all the way up until the end.

Like before Harry's final destination wasn't the entrance to the stadium. However, instead of travelling around to the left, McGonagall took Harry right and he found himself next to a hastily constructed outhouse, sticking out from the main stadium and covered only by a canvas door.

McGonagall led him inside.

"Ah ha, the last of the champions," Ludo Bagman exclaimed excitedly. Indeed the remaining three champions were already there, Cedric standing with Professor Sprout, who smiled at Harry, Krum accompanied by Professor Stefanov, and Fleur on her own. Clearly the respective heads were required to be in the stadium already.

"Well, now we're all here lets get cracking then, shall we," Bagman said gleefully, clapping his hands together. None of the champions looked anywhere near as happy as he did. Even Krum looked a bit pale.

"Before we start the task," Bagman said, as he did so pulling a small string-tied bag from his pocket. "We must first decide which Pokémon each of you will be facing. We had a little talk with those marvellous fellows at PFG and they were so kind as to create personalised figures for just this occasion. In this bag," he shook the bag, causing each of the champions to stare at it, "are four figures, each representing one of the Pokémon you could face. Also, on these limited edition figures are numbers on the base. This is what will decide the order in which you will be sent out to complete your task." Bagman paused.

"Lets see," he said, studying the bag in his hand. "Yes, Ms Delacour, why don't you go first. It's only polite, gentlemen." He winked at Harry, Cedric and Krum before offering the bag to Fleur.

Fleur looked pale as she placed her hand into the bag and a second later she had taken hold of a figure and pulled it out. It was Garchomp.

"Ooh, Garchomp for Ms Delacour," Bagman said dramatically, looking as though he was enjoying every minute of this. "A tough draw I think. Now, Mr Krum, you next."

Krum wasted no time in choosing his figure. In a moment he'd reached in and plucked the figure from within, holding it out in the palm of his hand. He had picked the Druddigon.

"Fascinating, Krum against the Druddigon," Bagman announced, though everyone could clearly see the figure and did not need to be told. "And now for the Hogwarts champions. Mr Diggory, why don't we start with you and then round things off with our mercurial Mr Potter."

Cedric gave a weak smile at Bagman's words which quickly dropped from his face as he looked towards the bag. Harry waited with bated breath to see what Cedric pulled out, knowing that whatever was left would be for him to face, and that there was one Pokémon he'd really rather avoid.

Cedric pulled his hand out of the bag and immediately let out a sigh of relief. Harry's stomach dropped. Cedric had pulled out the Noivern.

"And I think we all know what's left for Mr Potter," Bagman said in a hushed voice. He was practically vibrating from excitement and Harry felt sick as he reached into the bag and pulled out the jet black Charizard.

"And there we have it," Bagman announced, shocking Harry as his voice rose back to a normal level. "You've each been paired up with the Pokémon you are about to face. Now, who's first," Fleur revealed the bottom of her figure, showing the number one. "Ms Delacour. Now, when the horn sounds…" And at that moment a foghorn sounded.

"Great Scott, I'm late," Bagman cried, jumping up and down as though unable to figure out what to do with himself. "Right, when the horn sounds again you walk down this corridor and into the arena. Best of luck." Bagman bounced out of the room, running back out into the light of the outside rather than into the tunnel, and disappeared from view.

"Good luck," McGonagall said briskly, looking at Harry. Elsewhere Professor Sprout was patting Cedric's arm in a motherly gesture while Professor Stefanov spoke to Krum in low tones. Fleur sat alone.

Soon McGonagall, Sprout and Stefanov had all exited the tent too and, within a few moments, the horn sounded. Fleur, looking quite green, stood up on slightly shaky legs and disappeared towards the tunnel.

"Welcome, everyone, to the first task!" Bagman's voice boomed over them, indicating that, like at he world cup, he would be commentating on the event. "I'm sure you're all aware of the challenge the champions have been set and are ready for us to begin! First up, Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons against Garchomp!"

A large cheer went up at the announcement, although whether it was a cheer for Fleur or for Garchomp wasn't clear, and Harry could only imagine how Fleur must be feeling. Garchomp had been the most vicious of the dragons and Fleur was up against it first off.

"And here comes Ms Delacour and she'll be using… a Gardevoir! Smart choice, Gardevoir is part fairy type which of course are immune to - I don't believe it! She's done it!" A roar of sound erupted from the stadium and Harry looked up in shock. How could Fleur possibly have completed the task already?

"An unbelievable performance from Ms Delacour! What a start!" Bagman was yelling. "I hope the boys in the back are ready! I'm sure they weren't expecting for the next champion to be called upon so quickly!"

Harry's eyes widened and he quickly turned over his figure to make sure he wasn't next up. He wasn't. A number four was emblazoned on the bottom of his figure.

"I'm next," Cedric said, showing his figure, though he seemed to be saying it more for his own benefit than anyone else's as Bagman announced that the judges were about to give their scores. "Wish me luck."

Harry tried to do just that, opening his mouth to speak, but nothing came out and he closed it again. Cedric understood. There was no way any of them could be ready to deal with this.

"Well that's sure one way to start a tournament!" Bagman's voice reverberated around the room. "And now for the first Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory!" A huge cheer, easily dwarfing the one for Fleur and Garchomp, erupted from the crowd and Cedric seemed to draw heart from it, straightening his back as he walked out of the room and down the small tunnel, leaving Harry and Krum alone.

Harry did not know how Fleur had completed the task so quickly but Cedric was clearly finding it harder. It was hard to know what was going on, unable to see Cedric face off against Noivern, and Bagman's commentary was only providing snippets of what was going on.

"Oof, close one there!" he'd announce, though close to what Harry didn't know. "Ice Fang from Feraligatr! Good bring!"

Eventually a huge cheer erupted from the stadium and Bagman announced that Cedric had completed the task. Again scores were given, though not aloud which, whether by design or accident, left Harry and Krum in the dark.

"Next up, Mr Krum!" Bagman boomed and Krum stood up almost robotically, moving to stand at the tunnel's entrance.

"Good luck," Harry wished him as the horn went. Krum turned his head slightly so that Harry could see the outline of his face. He gave a sharp nod, then he stepped out into the tunnel.

The wait in the champions room was the longest Harry had ever had to suffer through. How long Krum was actually taking in comparison to Cedric was hard to say as time seemed to slow to a crawl, the only thing Harry could hear, other than the roar of the crowd and Bagman's excited commentary, being the constant tick of the clock.

Harry looked down at the figure in his hand. He had not wanted this figure. Indeed, he would rather have taken his chances with Garchomp than with Charizard. Despite Garchomp's obvious strength and brutality it was Charizard's calculating gaze that brought fear to Harry's heart. Charizard had held no fear of Garchomp in the enclosure and Harry knew it was because Charizard knew it was stronger than any of the dragons there.

The crowd roared and Bagman shouted and Harry knew that Krum had completed his task. He stood up, preparing himself mentally for the walk down the tunnel, as he waited for Krum to receive his scores. He stood at the entrance, his body projecting calm that he was not feeling at all on the inside, as Bagman finally called out his name and the horn sounded.

The tunnel was longer than Harry had expected. Either that or time was moving slower now that Harry was about to face his challenge. He followed the tunnel's darkness, not able to see much more than the wooden supports on either side, first round to the left along the stadium's edge and then forward to the arena within.