Your Love Is All The Magic I Need
A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Thirteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.
Chapter Thirteen: Harry meets the Horntail
The time had passed as Harry prepared for the first task. Since going to the Manor last week, he'd found that Narcissa had appointed herself in charge of his timetable. Between leaving the Manor and returning to Hogsmeade, stopping only for the murtlap essence he needed to remove the scar from signing his paperwork, and his normal class schedule, Harry had been training nearly nonstop with Tonks and Sirius. He'd ended up insisting on 'piano time' just so that he could take a rest.
Professor Moody had suggested using his strengths, that had led him to suggest the summoning charm to Tonks and Sirius.
"I could summon my broomstick and try to outfly the dragon. It shouldn't be that hard...I mean they aren't going to let them fly off." Harry suggested as he explained his plan.
Tonks and Sirius shared a look and then Tonks cuffed him on the side of the head, "Dragons. Breath. Fire." She said slowly as if dealing with an imbecile. "Your broomstick is made of wood. Wood is flammable."
"So, what do you think I should try?"
That was what led him to this moment. He was practicing a banishment charm on a small rock in the Courtyard while Tonks looked on. Each stone raced out towards the wall and then he used the summoning charm to draw it back. "Excellent work Harry, now try putting a sticking charm on the stone before summoning it. I want to see if you can pick up another stone at the same time." Tonks said from her seat by the wall.
Harry lifted his wand and banished the stone, this time applying the sticking charm when it landed. When he summoned it, the stone was covered in pebbles from the ground where the stone had fallen.
Tonks clapped in delight, "Excellent! Now you can do the same thing with the dragon. Banish the stone to the egg and cast the sticking charm, then summon the stone and the egg back to yourself." This was the safest way she could think to get the job done. Provided nothing unforeseen happened, he would make it out of this task and onto the next one.
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"It's the perfect way to get Harry to confess that he really did put his name in the Goblet...think about it. There's no way Professor Dumbledore would let Harry actually die, so he drinks this and passes out before he goes to face the dragon." Ron said eagerly, handing her the sleeping potion, "Then he takes a step out into the ring, passes out, and they have to save him. Dumbledore'll use this as a 'learning experience' to teach Harry not to lie and then he'll admit the truth.
Hermione looked at the potion containing butterbeer in her hand. She was the one charged with giving Harry the sleeping draught. Can I do this? I said I'd do anything to help Harry...this is the only plan we've gotten so far..to think it was Ron's idea...
Draco Malfoy smirked as he watched Hermione walk out towards the large tent that signified where the Champions were. That idiot Weasley bought it hook, line, and sinker. I let the ginger twat 'eavesdrop' while I told Crabbe and Goyle my 'plan'. He thought he was clever stealing the sleeping potion from me. Too bad the moron didn't test it first. It won't go off until Potter is on the field. Thanks to Professor Snape, I know that they're facing dragons. No one will be able to get to him in time! The blonde wizard thought as he made his way down to the Pitch with his two 'associates'.
The plan had been, to his mind, a stroke of genius. Everyone had heard about Harry's Oath when he'd been asked about the Goblet. Potter had given an Oath, so he knew that he hadn't put his name in the Goblet, however that wasn't Draco's concern. He wanted Harry dead for his crimes against the Malfoy family.
He's bewitched my mother, the Aurors have taken father to Azkaban and our home has been emptied of its most valuable possessions. He even forced mother to write to me and order me to 'make amends'...oh I'll make amends alright... A cruel chuckle slipped from Draco as they arrived at the Pitch, Crabbe and Goyle each laughed in turn, unsure why Draco was laughing, but they knew better than to question him.
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The time has come for Harry to be tested once more... Dumbledore thought as he made his way down to join the other judges. A pity that our fates must rest on his shoulders, but there's no other way. He knew of Draco's plan after all the portraits were duty bound to report to him anything unusual. It wasn't a good plan at all, it hinged on too many things working in his favor. Thank Merlin for mild compulsion charms on Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley so they didn't question the plan overmuch...
But it had potential. If Harry was bested in this task, he would come to the Headmaster for guidance and Dumbledore needed that. Harry had become far too independent. It was dangerous leaving Hogwarts, even with an Auror escort. It's for the best that Harry is humbled slightly. After this, I will offer him some more personal tutoring. That should offer me the chance to put him on the correct path once more.
For Harry to stand a chance against what would inevitably happen, Dumbledore knew that he needed to be ready. Only with the knowledge that he had, could Harry hope to survive past his school years. But time and again he'd acted out of turn this year. A little humbling and he'll be back learning at my feet...
"Ah, Olympe, Ludo, Percy, Igor, so good to see you all here and ready for the inaugural task." He said, clapping his hands together as he greeted the assembled judges and host. "How are we this fine morning?" Ludo opened his mouth to reply but Dumbledore continued on, "Good, simply wonderful! Now, let's get this show on the road!"
Ludo looked confused but departed with Percy to the Champions Tent.
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Harry stood beside Fleur, a look of grim determination on each of their faces. Harry looked at her and then reached over to take her hand in his own. "You'll be brilliant you know..." He said to her, earning a wan smile.
"Merci, but that does not mean I feel any less terrified." Fleur admitted, squeezing his hand, "How do you feel?" She asked him, blue eyes meeting green.
"I-" Harry began, only to be interrupted by a whisper at the edge of the tent. Harry turned to see Hermione splitting the side of the tent, a look that Harry couldn't place on her face.
She looked at their joined hands and then back to Harry's face, "I...I just wanted to wish you luck and to give you this..." She said walking into the tent and giving him the bottle of butterbeer.
Just in time for Rita Skeeter to walk into the tent. She looked from Harry and Fleur to Hermione and then smiled openly, "Ah, what do we have here? The youngest Champion, his French dalliance, and the girl back home..." She turned to her cameraman, "Bozo, get this. This is front page material!"
"You need to leave." Viktor said, moving to stand beside Hermione, "This tent is for Champions...and their friends." He glared at the woman, "We did not wish for you to intrude. If we had, you would have been invited."
Rita's mask flickered for a moment, "Ah, a jealous rival for the affections of one of these 'lovely' ladies?" She moved closer to Viktor, she was a tall woman and so she stood eye to eye with the Bulgarian Champion, "Which one is it? The French Fancy? The English Crumpet?" Rita grinned maliciously, "Or...perhaps you are a wizard who prefers his own company as it were? Between this tangle of relationships and Barty Crouch being taken away by the DMLE last night, this is shaping up to be the best Tournament in memory!"
"How dare you!" Viktor, Fleur, Harry, and Hermione each said, practically as one. The camera flashed and Rita smirked, "I think I have what I need...good luck to you all.." She turned and left the tent with her cameraman just as Ludo and Percy entered it.
"Greetings Champions!" Ludo said, practically dancing with excitement, "We have in the bag carried by myself, four items. One for each of you. When you reach in, you will be given your turn in line and which of our challenges that you will face."
"Champions to me! First, we will have Mr. Krum..." Viktor broke from the others and walked to the bag, he reached in and pulled out a squirming model of a dragon, "Ah the Chinese Fireball!" Ludo said, before moving onto Fleur who drew out a green dragon, "the Welsh Green...next to Mr. Diggory, come along now!" Cedric pulled out his, the Swedish Short-Snout, and finally, it was Harry's turn.
Harry looked at the spiky gray dragon bearing the number four, "Ah Hah! The most deadly of them all! The Hungarian Horntail, getting the golden egg from this dragon will prove most dangerous!" Ludo said as Harry looked in horror at the miniature monster in his hands.
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Tonks in the stands beside Narcissa. At her side on the ground, Sirius in his dog form lay in the sun. They had watched the first three competitors. Tonks had even cheered for Cedric, as a former Hufflepuff she'd felt it important to support her House. Cheering for Fleur had been a bit more difficult for her. However, she hadn't joined the Hogwarts and Durmstrang crowd in laughing when an errant blast of fire had set her skirt alight. She's Harry's friend...I'm not going to be a bitch just because we both seem to have eyes on the same bloke.
Narcissa had watched everything with a practiced eye. Each rival to Harry had come and performed admirably enough, All aside from the Durmstrang Champion...a curse to the eye...this is why no one respects Durmstrang the first thing they think of is brute force... She thought to herself as she watched the third dragon be removed and the cage containing the Horntail placed into the pit.
The Hungarian Horntail, one of the most deadly beasts in the world, magical or otherwise. It would be worth a fortune if Harry had to kill it...I almost wish the plan Nymphadora and Sirius came up with failed and Harry ended up putting it down... It had been a great surprise to Narcissa when Tonks had came to meet her with a shaggy black dog in Hogsmeade. An even greater shock had come when she was led off the path and the dog revealed itself to be Sirius.
Back at the tent, Harry took a calming breath. He took a sip of the butterbeer Hermione had brought him. She'd left him as the task began leaving Harry alone as one by one each Champion faced their fate.
Now it was his turn.
Harry stepped out of the tent and made his way to the Pitch. The familiar grounds where he had played Quidditch since his first year were unrecognizable. In their place, there was a rocky pit, at the center he saw a small nest and in the center of the nest, was a golden egg. That egg was his target.
Harry stepped past some of the outer rocks. Dimly, he knew he heard Ludo announcing what was going on, but the noise of the crowd and its announcer faded as the blood began to pound in Harry's ears. Let's get this over with... He thought as he began to cast the spells Tonks had drilled into him.
Then the stone beside him exploded as the Horntail made itself known to him. His training as a Seeker was the only thing Harry could credit to explain how he'd managed dodge it. The crowd gave a gasp as Harry scrabbled around to a larger boulder. Harry felt the tips of his fingers growing numb, he shook his head and continued to move steadily closer to the nest, figuring that the dragon wouldn't attack too close to her nest.
The roar in his head was getting worse now. Blood pounded in his head making his movements sluggish. He cast the charms, first banishing a nearby rock towards the nest, watching it land just touching the golden egg. Harry felt his eyes flutter, but he held out his wand and cast the sticking charm. He felt the magic trickle from his wand, not flow like normal. S-something is wrong...He thought as he felt his wand fall from his hands with a clatter.
What's wrong with him? This was a thought shared by three witches. Narcissa and Tonks gave each other a look before each one sprang from their seats rushing towards the barrier with Sirius close behind. Fleur, watching from the hospital tent with the others did the same from her end. "Please stay back from the barricade!" Came the enhanced voice of Ludo Bagman, "The Champion must complete the challenge on his own!"
Harry reached for the wand with numb fingers, it fell from his hand again, rolling out past the edge of the boulder. Reaching for it, Harry slipped forward and grabbed the wand again. Clutching it desperately, Harry summoned the stone and the egg to his hand. Just as the darkness hit him he felt his fingers touch the egg.
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Harry awoke in the hospital tent on a cot. At his side were Fleur, Tonks, and Narcissa. Fleur was the first one to notice his eyes opening. She threw herself against him hugging him tightly. "Harry, you are awake!" She cried, gaining the attention of the others.
"Wh-what happened?" Harry asked groggily, rising to a sitting position, Fleur still wrapped around him.
Tonks was the one to answer, "We don't know for sure. You seemed to drop off as you faced the dragon. If Dumbledore hadn't gone down once you had the egg and drove the dragon back I-" She was quiet then, her hand going to his, "I really don't want to watch you die out there..." Her hair, Harry noticed, was a muddy, dull brown color, "I just-"
That was when Madam Pomfrey arrived looking grim, "Mr. Potter, did you have anything to eat or drink before the start of the task?" She summoned a bottle from the shelf beside his bed and placed it on his table, "Drink it all. It's a purging draught."
Harry drank the potion, wincing at the taste of it, "The only thing I've had was the butterbeer Hermione gave me." He told her, "I took a few sips of it, but my mind really wasn't on drinking."
"Did you have any breakfast?" Madam Pomfrey asked him when he shook his head she continued, "Then it appears that someone tampered with the butterbeer you were given. I found traces of a powerful sleeping potion. Luckily it seems that you only had a few sips. If you'd have finished the bottle, you'd have probably passed out much sooner, too soon for anyone to reach you in time."
"I have to talk to Hermione, someone set her up..." Harry said, "She's one of my best friends, I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I trust her with my life."
From behind the door, listening in, Hermione felt her eyes fill with tears. Harry could have been killed because of me...how could I do something so... She blinked back tears and raced for the Gryffindor Common Room, she couldn't face Harry, not now. I just wanted him to admit the truth...it's the only thing that makes sense...
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Amelia finished the letter she was drafting for the morning's owl post. As Director of the DMLE, she was putting Bellatrix Lestrange on house arrest under the supervision of Narcissa Malfoy. It was thanks to Narcissa that they'd finally caught Lucius Malfoy with his robes down. I'll give Mrs. Lestrange the good news myself... She thought as she rose and vanished with a crack.
At Azkaban, Bellatrix could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Amelia had arrived to see her and had explained that with her information regarding the disappearance of Barty Crouch Jr and her sister's information regarding Lucius, she was being put under house arrest as soon as Narcissa could claim her. It wasn't freedom, not yet. She had to wear magic restraint cuffs and she wouldn't be allowed a wand yet. But it was a start.
Now she was alone in her cell again. Soon she would be free of this place. She would be away from her husband and brother-in-law. Pity I can't kill them before I leave...She thought to herself as she lay on her bed.
Why can't you? A voice in her mind whispered, The Dementors serve me...you have earned your vengeance against them...ask it and they shall fall...
I want them to suffer. Bellatrix thought in response to the familiar voice, it was the one from when the insanity she had immersed herself with had faded away.
So be it...
In their cells, the Dementors swarmed Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. Amid the screaming of the terrified prisoners, the throaty moan of the Dementors broke through and as her husband and brother-in-law had their souls sucked out, Bellatrix lay on her cot and smiled a true smile for the first time in a very long time.