AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

Chapter 28 – The Second Task

Albus Dumbledore frowned. The previous afternoon he had felt a large shock of magic infuse the castle, and the most worrying thing was that the burst of magic had come from inside Hogwarts itself. In his entire lifetime he had only come across magic that powerful a handful of times, the most recently being thirteen years ago, and that time he had only caught the backlash. He hadn't know what had happened at the time, but putting it together later he had realised he had felt the backlash just after Lily Potter's sacrifice, when the first body of Tom Riddle had been destroyed.

The idea that something so powerful had happened once again unsettled him immensely. Very few rituals or spells had the power to infuse Hogwart's wards, or to affect the ancient castle, and of those that did the vast vast majority were ancient spells, most banned by the current ministry and the ministry's before them as many were so potent or powerful that they were feared and branded as Dark, even if their purpose was originally pure light. Very few of the old magics were still practiced, and most of those were the domain of the old families, the seven or eight that could trace their origins back to the founding of Magical Britain. The only ancient spell that was widely used was the patronus charm, and few wizards mastered that.

Mentally he started to flick through all the possibilities. The magic had come from somebody in the castle; he knew nobody had crossed the wards that day so the list of people it could have been was automatically narrowed. It would not have been one of the students, such powerful workings were far beyond the ability of a student, although a few probably had the sheer magical power necessary, Harry Potter was one, and a few of the others in his year, Neville Longbottom for example when he stopped using his father's wand, and there were a few of the older Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that showed promise, and even one of the younger Slytherins that could have the power for this, but none of them would have the knowledge they needed for something like this.

That left the staff, but he knew all of them well, he knew that several did not have the power for the outburst he had felt the previous afternoon. Running the names through his mind he quickly identified the staff who would have the potential for such an outburst, Minerva, Serverus, Filius, Pomora, all those he knew well and knew that they would be unlikely culprits.

That left one name from the staff, Sirius Black. He knew the man had been powerful, both he and James Potter had been, and Azkaban hadn't changed that. He knew Sirius had inherited the Black's affinity for ambient magic, the incident in his office had been a powerful reminder of that fact, he had seen just how potent a force it was. His power combined with his complete and utter devotion to his godson, his willingness to do anything for Harry made him unpredictable.

Could he have been responsible for yesterday's incident? As the Head of an old family, he certainly had the knowledge of the old magics and he had the ability to use them. Another thought struck him, if Sirius had been involved in the outburst, it was fairly likely that Harry was involved as well. Sirius would have the knowledge and the power, and Harry had the power. Together they would be a potent force, and easily able to create the sort of effect he had seen yesterday.

If that was true then if begged the question what had they been doing. He had to admit his knowledge of old magics whilst it was more comprehensive than most, was sadly lacking. The Ministry regulated all such knowledge carefully, and whilst Hogwarts had some old texts that he studied extensively, it could not hold a candle to the information that the old families had available to them. Knowledge that was squirreled away in vast family libraries, with the salient points taught to each heir. The House of Dumbledore was not old, it was only just old enough to be considered pureblood, so his education had been lacking in this area, leaving him uncomfortably in the dark with regards to the ritual which had been used.

His only comfort was whatever the magic or ritual was, it hadn't had the intention to harm anyone in the castle, with magic that powerful they would already know if anyone had been the target of that magic for ill. The second hope was, that if it had been Harry and Sirius, the magic would not have harmed Harry, because, no matter how unpredictable Sirius was, one thing could be predicted with startling accuracy, he would never do anything to hurt his godson.

Reluctantly he placed the line of investigation aside, he would draw no more conclusions sitting here and thinking, he needed more information, information he could only get by going out into the school and if possible finding Sirius Black and seeing what it was possible for him to discover.

He was in luck, he came across Sirius, Harry at his side, halfway to the Great Hall. His sharp eyes scanned the pair, looking for any evidence that something was different. He frowned again as his gaze swept over Harry, something had changed but he couldn't work out what. There was something slightly different in the child, in the way he carried himself, a slight hint in his features that pointed to something new, but that something Albus Dumbledore could not quite pinpoint.

"Did you want anything Albus?" Sirius's voice shocked him out of his thoughts, and he pulled himself back to awareness to realise both of them were regarding him, waiting for an answer.

"I just wanted a word my boy," he said, concealing the puzzlement in his voice. He felt a faint flash of irritation as he caught the quick glance the child threw at his godfather. Black smiled down at the boy, "Head down to the Hall pup, I'll meet you in a minute," Harry nodded,

"Yes D...Sirius." If Albus had not been watching carefully he would have missed it but as it was he heard the slight hesitation, and he saw the way the child's eyes flickered up to his godfather, almost as if he was about to say something else, something he quickly changed to Sirius at an almost imperceptible signal. His curiosity thoroughly aroused now, he waited as the boy had headed out of earshot before turning back to Black.

Steady grey eyes rose to meet Albus's own, "I presume this will not take long Headmaster?" He shook his head in the negative,

"Of course not my boy, I just wanted to ask you about a disturbing occurrence that happened yesterday afternoon." It might have been his imagination but he thought he saw Sirius straighten slightly, a flicker of emotion in his eyes that was quickly masked. His suspicions solidifying with each second he continued, "There was a surge of magic that flooded through Hogwarts yesterday afternoon, I was wondering if you knew anything about it?"

This time the man's start of surprise was easier to see, it was slight but it was there, but when Black spoke his voice betrayed no hint of his emotions, and Dumbledore was forced to remember Sirius had been raised and schooled a pureblood, "I cannot speak for the latter part of the afternoon, but if it occurred in the middle of the afternoon, it was likely to have been the result of an unavoidable family ritual, which must have been stronger than I anticipated."

Dumbledore nodded, his mind racing as he assimilated this new information, the confirmation it had indeed been one of Black's actions both relieved and unsettled him. He was no longer looking at a potential threat to the school or the students however the lack of knowledge still concerned him greatly. "Could you perhaps enlighten me about the particulars of this ritual, for my intellectual curiosity." He waited expectantly but Sirius merely raised one eyebrow,

"It is not for pure intellectual curiosity you want the information," he stated bluntly, "I know that will be some of your motivation however you want the information for your own purposes and the answer is no." Dumbledore started to speak once more, stung by the curt rejection, something he was unused to dealing with but Black cut him off almost instantly, "Rest assured the magic was familiar in nature and it poses no threat to the school or the students here. Now if that is all I will go and rejoin my son," Stormy eyes scanned Dumbledore's face, before the man nodded curtly and turned to stride down the corridors, following the direction Harry had left in only a few minutes previously.

Sirius was halfway down the corridor when a second thought occurred to him and he turned back to the headmaster, "A piece of advice Albus, do not press me for details regarding my family and especially Harry, you have tested my patience far enough in regards to my child and in future they will not be so well received." Black eyes lingered on Dumbledore for a spilt-second more before he strode down the corridors, leaving a thoughtful Dumbledore in his wake.

The threat was easy enough to process, it was a clear warning, stay away from Harry or face my wrath. It was a marked change from the attitude the Black Lord had displayed at their last overt confrontation, there Black appeared to have been shying away from direct confrontation, not pushing as far as Dumbledore had perhaps expected him to, and stopping short of threatening him outright. Threatening to remove Harry from Hogwarts yes, threatening him personally no. In fact reviewing his memory he realised Black had been controlling himself greatly to prevent himself from doing so. That meant something had changed, something that made Sirius believe that, in regards to Harry he was completely safe, and his gut was telling him that the burst of magic he had felt the previous day had been the root of it.

He was well aware of the strong pureblood laws when it came to children of the Lord of one of the old families and their heirs. In fact a son or a daughter or such any child was untouchable in the eyes of the law. Laws passed to protect the families meant that such children could not be removed from their family and the Lord of the Family and neither the Ministry or Hogwarts would have any say in the child's living arrangements, needing permission for anything relating to their children that fell out the scope of normal practice (house points, detentions, OWL and NEWT results etc).

Such laws shouldn't apply to Harry; Sirius was just the boy's guardian after all and not his actual father. If Sirius had been, no power on earth would be enough to take Harry from him, and now Harry was old enough and would know about the laws and his place in society he could not hide him away like he had done thirteen years ago. However Dumbledore was aware there was one method of making a child the blood child of another witch or wizard. It was rare and seldom used but its power was absolute, one completed they child would become their blood child, with the full protection in the eyes of the law.

Suddenly all the pieces fell together, Sirius's change in attitude, the change in Harry, his hesitation when he spoke, the burst of magic the day before. Sirius had blood adopted Harry, making a statement to anyone able to put the pieces together that Harry was his to protect now and nobody would ever mess with Harry again without incurring the Black Lord's wrath. He felt a sense of resignation well up inside him, legally there was nothing he could do to regain control of Harry, and he knew that Black would protect the boy with everything he had. The only way to get Harry out of Sirius's control would be for Sirius to die but that was a step he was not willing to take. He was no murderer and he would not sanction anyone's death.

But still, Black's actions had thrown a wrench into his plans for dealing with Voldemort. Now he could only think, plan as hard as he could, and pray that Black had not doomed them all.


Sirius forcefully pushed down his anger as he walked away from Dumbledore, he knew precisely what the old man was doing and he knew that despite the fact that he had not told the man what had occurred the previous afternoon that Dumbledore was likely to guess the truth very soon. But there was nothing he could do and more importantly Harry was completely beyond his reach now, Albus would never interfere in his son's life again, and if he tried he would not hesitate to crush him. Now all he needed to do was make sure his son got through this blasted tournament intact.

Harry was waiting for him outside the Great Hall and he couldn't prevent the smile that spread over his face as he saw Harry's eyes light up as he approached. The teen crossed to his side, "What did he want Dad?" he asked quietly. Sirius reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, grinning as Harry ducked.

"He just wanted to quiz me about what happened yesterday afternoon. He didn't know but I think he'll guess soon." He stopped speaking when he noticed Harry was looking down with a guilty expression plain on his face, "What is it pup?" He asked gently, placing an arm around Harry's shoulders, his concern only growing as Harry turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"I almost called you Dad," the boy muttered guiltily, "I all but told him about the adoption!" Sirius sighed, he was well aware his son often blamed himself for things that were not his fault, a side effect of growing up with those blasted muggles. He reached out once more, pulled Harry into a strong embrace, refusing to let the teen escape.

"Listen to me," he told Harry sternly, once the boy had stopped trying to escape his embrace, "It doesn't matter, I'm thrilled that you call me Dad and it is not your fault that he has probably guessed about the adoption. He has a lot of knowledge and all the signs are there if you know what to look for. The adoption would not have been kept secret for long and there is nothing they can do about it. You are my son now and all their precious pureblood laws mean that they can never take you from me. And personally," he murmured, tightening his grip and pressing a kiss into his son's messy hair, "I don't mind people knowing that I loved you so much that I wanted you as my son."

That comment drew a smile from Harry and the teen burrowed deeper into Sirius's embrace, wrapping his own arms around his father and resting his head against his chest. "You're the best dad in the world," he murmured. Overcome, Sirius merely hugged the child more fiercely, trying to convey what those words meant to him, and to show how much he loved this boy, his son.

"How about breakfast?" He suggested when he finally released him and Harry nodded, smiling up at him and Sirius was pleased to see the happiness was back in his eyes.


A few days later the rest of the school had returned, and after a quick discussion with Sirius it had been decided that Harry would tell his friends about what had happened, but he would ask them not to mention it to anyone else. Whilst they weren't that bothered about people knowing, they would prefer it if the information didn't find its way into the hands of the newspapers, it would fuel the gossip and headlines for months and neither of them liked or wanted the attention.

Harry had noticed a few funny looks being directed in his direction during the start of term feast but as yet nobody had mentioned anything, but still he decided it would be better to tell them he would explain now rather than let then discuss things amongst themselves and draw up a head of steam. Whilst he knew that they meant well and did it entirely out of concern from him, he was also aware how long it would take them to calm down if they decided to go into investigative mode.

They were heading up to the dorm when he seized his opportunity, "I'm guessing you're wondering about me," he stated, gesturing somewhat awkwardly in the vague direction of his face, "And you'd be right in thinking something happened, and no it wasn't anything bad and yes I'll tell you and the others about it after classes tomorrow, I want to so it someplace private. Does that answer all of your questions?" The last question was directed straight at Hermione and amusement had coloured his voice when he had spoken.

She had the good grace to blush before nodding in the affirmative and changing the subject, "Did you have a good Christmas Harry?" His grin was wide and sincere as he answered,

"It was the best I've ever had!"

From there the conversation flowed easily, Ron spinning tales of the mishaps that were common in the Burrow, something Harry could easily picture, knowing just how much chaos the twins were capable of causing, and from his experiences with them trying to catch the train on time last year. Hermione too had seemed to have had a good Christmas, enjoying spending time with her family. Both thanked him for their presents, a new book bag and a set of self inking quills for Hermione and Chudley Cannons jersey and Quiddich through the Ages for Ron.

His lessons the following day went well, although Harry noticed a slight change, particularly in potions. The ambient magic that flickered at the edge of his awareness seemed to add a second dimension to his brewing. Every object it seemed contained a hint of ambient magic, a property that was only enhanced by the magical ingredients that they used in potions. Being able to feel the magic in the potions and the ingredients themselves meant he got a sense of the changes in the potion when he added ingredients, and how the magics were reacting, when he needed more of an ingredient or when he needed to reduce the potency of something. He supposed it must be similar to the instinct a potion master would have for a potion they were preparing, although his was grounded in his sense of the magic. He immediately noticed that his potions improved, the change was not massive, but it was there and he caught an appraisive look from Snape as he left.

However the day's classes were soon over and Harry found himself leading a sizeable group made up of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Susan, Hannah and the twins to the Room of Requirement. They watched in puzzlement as the door appeared, opening to reveal a cosy sitting room that greatly resembled the Gryffindor Common room. The instant the twins were inside they turned to Harry, "How did you find this place?" George asked, his expression confused,

"It wasn't on the map," Fred added, looking as confused as his brother, although Harry could see the calculation in his eyes as he worked out the possibilities the room had for pranking. "Dad told me," Harry answered absently, his mind on the upcoming conversation, "They never found a way to get it onto the map, it didn't want to be plotted for some reason."

He didn't notice the looks of shock that graced their features or that Fred turned to George and mouthed, "Dad?" as his attention switched to the rest of the room, looking at all his friends who had each selected an armchair, and were relaxing, most of them alternating between looking at the room in wonder, or looking at Harry curiously. He cleared his throat, wondering why on earth he was nervous. Being adopted by Sirius had been the best thing that had ever happened to him, and the events surrounding the tournament had clearly shown him that they didn't intend to abandon him.

"I think you've all noticed that I look a bit different now," he started somewhat uncomfortably, "The reason for that is that Sirius blood-adopted me on Christmas Day, so I'm his blood son now, and it changed my appearance a bit." There was a beat of silence before he was grabbed in a hug by Hermione who was grinning from ear to ear.

"That's brilliant Harry!" She exclaimed, a cry that was echoed by the rest of the Weaselys and as if her movement had been the cue for everyone to move he suddenly found himself swamped under a group hug. Several minutes later he managed to extract himself, beaming at their response. However he noticed Susan was looking very thoughtful, "Did you say he blood-adopted you?" She asked thoughtfully, "With a potion or a ritual of some form?" At Harry's nod her eyes went wide. "Do you know what that means?" She whispered, a strange note in her voice.

"It means I'm his real son, by blood?" Harry said, a hint of confusion in her voice. But Susan shook her head,

"Apart from that?" At a single shake of Harry's head she let out a slow breath, and Harry noticed Fred and George exchange glances as comprehension dawned in their faces. Harry was beginning to get worried, "It's not bad is it?" The rush of relief that swept through him when she shook her head was undeniable.

"No it isn't bad, it just that," she paused, gathering her thoughts before plunging one, "You know how much importance the Wizarding World places on blood, and in particular the children of the old families?" The expression on Harry's face was enough to force her to explain further. "The Wizarding system is still mainly feudal, with the power being held in the old families, and the majority of ordinary witches and wizards have either backing of or vassal clauses with the older families, and the power of these families is hereditary. Therefore of course, the children and the heirs of these families are incredibly important."

Harry nodded, it was easy enough to follow, and whilst such things had been mentioned in passing in the Wizarding Culture lessons he had over the summer, those lessons had been mainly focussed on his political power and learning the responsibilities and problems that came with being the Potter Lord and the Black Heir, Sirius's hadn't been too concerned with explaining the pureblood positions, more with teaching him what he would need to operate in the Wizarding World competently.

"That's one of the reasons blood adoptions are so rare, and they are almost unheard of when the adoptive parents don't already have sons, the families want to keep their secrets and power. By blood adopting you, Sirius has made you legally his eldest son, so legally you are now a pureblood, a Black, Heir to the Black Lordship and power, and he has all but announced his intention to not have any further children, or at least any children he has will not be his primary heir. He's given everything to you Harry."

Harry stared at her, his mouth open. He knew Sirius loved him deeply, but to love him so much that he had placed Harry at a higher position than his own children would occupy, children whose father he had been from birth! He could hardly conceive of being loved that much, and he couldn't understand why his father had done it. His eyes scanned the other faces in the room and Neville caught his eye and nodded, confirming everything Susan had said to be true. He swallowed hard and when he spoke there was an odd note in his voice, "I think I need to go and talk to Dad." Even in the midst of his shock, he couldn't help but smile as he was reminded of the adoption, and he saw his smile mirrored in his friend's faces. "I'll see you guys back in the common room or tomorrow." The last words were directed at Susan and Hannah as he headed off to find his father.

A few minutes later he whispered the password and slipped into his father's quarters. As he entered Sirius glanced up and seeing who it was he rose from his chair, worry flitting across his features, "What's the matter Harry?" he asked quietly, crossing the space between them to wrap Harry in a hug. Harry leaned into the embrace, but still his mind raced with what he had just learned, he couldn't conceive of being loved that much, and he couldn't understand why his father had adopted him when he was sure Sirius had known precisely what the implications were and what he was doing.

Seeming to sense the restless nature of his thoughts his father pulled back slightly and scanned his face, a slight frown marring his own features. After a moment he came to a decision and led Harry over to the sofa, sitting down and urging the teen to join him. After a brief hesitation Harry sat down too, leaning into his father when Sirius wrapped an arm around him. For a moment neither of them spoke, but finally, realising that he needed to understand and accompanied by the knowledge that he was worrying his father, Harry spoke. "Why?" The question was barely audible, but Sirius heard it.

"Why what pup?" He asked softly, gently rubbing the back of Harry's hand with his thumb as he tried to soothe him. Harry paused for a second, wondering how to say this so he didn't hurt his father, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the man who had loved him unconditionally, and the only person he loved as a father. Eventually though he decided he just had to come out and ask.

"Dad," he said finally, "Why did you adopt me?" He saw the shock flash across his father's face and he hurried to continue, "Especially when it means that any children you have wouldn't inherit. They'd be your children and I'm not..." He tried to say more but Sirius's arms tightened around him and his father's sharp intake of breath made him freeze.

A firm hand reached out and turned his face so he was looking directly into the grey eyes of his father and the pain he saw there almost made him flinch. "Never say that again," Sirius's voice was rough, "You are my child and you will always be my child. I know you were James and Lily's first but you are my son now, and no matter how you became my child you will always be my eldest son, understand?"

Harry wasn't capable of anything but a nod. The pain in Sirius's eyes had caught his breath, but the love in the grey depths was shinning more clearly than he had ever seen it before. A lump formed in his throat, as tears pricked in his eyes and he leaned forward blindly, reaching out towards his father. And then Sirius's arms were there, wrapping around him and holding him tightly as he buried himself in the embrace. He known of course that the adoption would make Sirius his father, and he thought he knew what that meant but he had never really understood what having a parent was like. Until now.

Those words had brought it home to him. It meant that Sirius would always be there for him, would never abandon him. Sirius would always be his father and nothing could change that. He would never be alone again, the support and love of his father would always be available to him. Vaguely he was aware Sirius had started to speak once more and he forced himself to pay attention.

"I love you Harry, more than you could ever imagine. I adopted you because I loved you and wanted you to be my son. In my heart you already were, but I wanted it to be official too." Harry couldn't help the smile that broke across his face at that statement, nor the tears that were pouring down his face. He had known it objectively, and it hadn't been the first time Sirius had told him that he loved him but since the adoption it was the first time Sirius had ever told him it directly, and the first time he had fully absorbed what it meant.

Sirius didn't seem to mind the increasing dampness of his robes, nor the way Harry burrowed deep into his embrace, greedily drinking in all the affection and love that his father offered him so willingly. Harry was struggling to hold back the tears, but for once in his life his tears were not of pain and suffering but rather happiness.

Eventually he regained his composure and Harry sat up, a heavy blush staining his cheeks. He was fourteen, he wasn't supposed to break down like a small child just because his father had told him that he loved him, even though it had been the first time he had ever been told that directly by a parent. Embarrassed he tried to avoid his father's gaze but Sirius didn't share his embarrassment, catching his eye and mouthing 'It's okay pup.' For some reason that made him feel a lot better.

He stayed in Sirius's quarters for another half an hour, just enjoying being with his father and being able to relax, although the tournament was beginning to weigh on his mind once more. It was coming up in just over a month and he was still practicing hard. Neither of them knew what the object Harry would sorely miss would be but at the moment they had more pressing concerns, Harry was learning how to cast the bubblehead charm wordlessly, as well as a few other useful spells such as relashio and stupefy, Sirius didn't want to take the chance of Harry being unable to defend himself underwater.

Swimming lessons were also a regular feature, and whilst Harry would not be an Olympic swimmer any time soon, he was certainly a lot more proficient than he had been at the start and he could swim a reasonable distance without floats now, although nobody would give him any prizes for technique. The other feature of the swimming lessons, once Sirius had reassured himself that Harry knew enough about swimming not to accidently drown if the potion or gillyweed wore off, or the charm failed, was to allow Harry to practice with the various compounds and to work out what would be the best solution for the task.

It had taken them several weeks and several failed attempts but they thought they had eventually managed to come up with a workable strategy. The potion, while it was effective had one major drawback, namely that a single dose would not last more than ten minutes underwater, as such making it unpractical for the task, and similarly Harry's bubblehead charms were not strong enough to last for the duration of the task, so they were being kept in reserve, if something ran out, or he needed air for five minutes to get to the surface at the end of the task.

The strategy was simple, Harry would have a several doses of gillyweed, one that would last for thirty minutes and another four that would last for twenty minutes each, as well as five doses of potion and these he would carry with him into the task. At the start he would take the half hour dose and then take either a dose of potion or gillyweed depending on how close he was to the end of the task he was when the first dose began to run out. Many would think this was cutting things extremely fine but in his hours of practice Harry had learnt the signs that gave him a minute's warning before the gillyweed would run out, ample time to take a new dose.


The day of the Second Task dawned bright and cold, frost glinting in the morning sun and breath steaming in the air. After some deliberation Harry had decided he would spend the night in Sirius's quarters and early that morning he was awoken by a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Up and dressed pup," Sirius commanded in a soft voice, "You need to have a good breakfast before the task starts." Harry groaned but it wasn't long before he was sitting in the Great Hall, his friends doing a good job of forcing him to eat, although his stomach was alight with nerves. It was a true testament to his worry that he didn't notice Hermione was missing until Neville pointed it out to him.

He still didn't have a clue what the thing he'd sorely miss would be, and for once his father seemed to have been wrong, because nobody had yet asked him for an item to hide leaving him completely in the dark as to them item he would have to retrieve. The hours until the Task passed at once agonisingly slowly and in the blink of an eye and soon Harry found himself running down to the Champions Tent.

He arrived, a little short of breath, just as his deadline for being there was reached. He had waited for his father up at the school, thinking he would meet him there, Dumbledore had wanted to speak to him about safety in the tournament or something similar. But as time had crept on he had headed down to the tent alone, thinking that perhaps the business had drawn Sirius down to the lake, or hadn't quite finished so he would meet Harry there. However as he scanned the people assembled there, and then the stands for friends and family and finally the audience he couldn't spot his father anywhere. His unease began to grow. He knew Sirius would never abandon him, the adoption proved that, and he had promised to be there for him, and his father had never broken a promise to him before. Something was wrong, something had happened and his worry and fear began to climb so quickly he scarcely noticed when Bagman started to talk.

"You're all here good, now just to go over the Second Task, you all decoded your eggs correct," Harry nodded, still paying scant attention as his eyes scanned the assembled crowds more and more frantically. Bagman's next words however pulled him straight out of his thoughts,

"A hostage has been taken for each of you, Gabrielle Delacour for you Miss Delacour, Cho Chang for you Mr Diggory, Hermione Granger for you Mr Krum, and finally for Mr Harry Potter here, we have taken Sirius Black."

Harry felt his heart drop sickeningly, they had taken Sirius, had taken his father. The words of the song beat round in his head 'But past an hour - the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back'. He had an hour and no more to rescue his father and if he failed he would lose another parent. He forced the sobs down his throat and blinked hard to stop any tears leaking from his eyes. He would not let anyone in this tent see just how much he was affected by this information.

He wasn't prepared to lose another father, he had lost his first parents when he was but a baby, and now there was only an hour before he lost his new father too. It wasn't fair, he had barely had two months with Sirius as his father, and less than a year before that and already they were trying to tear him away. He had an hour he reminded himself savagely, an hour to rescue and find his father, and he would be damned if he let himself lose the only father he could remember.

He felt steely determination rise up inside him. He wasn't a baby anymore, he didn't have to lie helpless as his father was snatched away from him, he could and he would act. He would not allow them to steal the only family he had left. But even so the fear was gnawing at him, what if he failed, what then? What would happen if he lost Sirius? He couldn't lose the only father he had, couldn't lose the only adult he loved and trusted unconditionally, he knew it would destroy him.

He felt the hot sting of tears in the back of his throat, and a tell tale dampness in his eyes. Furious he dashed them away, unaware of the magic that was flickering into life around him, or the shocked and slightly fearful looks everyone else in the tent was casting in his direction. Anger, fear and a determination so intense it could move mountains were a potent combination. The magic fed on it, growing expanding as it flickered throughout the tent, sending thin feelers out as it tried to discover what had upset it's master so much.

The sharp blast of the silver whistle came as a relief to everyone in the tent and as one they plunged into the water casting various spells as they went. Harry too had leapt forward at the sound, stuffing the gillyweed into his mouth as he moved. With the familiar pain, gills burst out of the side of his neck as he jack knifed into the cool water and struck out strongly, his wand clutched safely in his fist.

The song had been in mermish, and he knew there was a mer community living towards the north end of the lake, away from the castle and it stood to reason that would be where the hostages were, they would not leave the people defenceless at the bottom of a lake that was infested with all manner of magical creatures. His fins pushed at the water, sending him flying through the murky depths, as he tried to push his fear down, to prevent it from welling up and suffocating him with its strength.

For perhaps the second time in his life he was completely terrified. It was not to say he hadn't been frightened before, many times at his Aunt and Uncle's he had been frightened for his own life and again at Hogwarts, but the terror that engulfed him was something he had only felt once before. It was not terror for himself, but terror for his father, terror for what was going to happen if he didn't succeed, terror that he would be unable to succeed and he would lose his father.

He swam desperately on, not even pausing as he fired at the creatures that had emerged from the kelp forests to attack him, not pausing for the fish that swarmed him, their sharp teeth tearing at his skin and sending skeins of his blood into the green waters. Adrenaline, anger and fear were pulsing through his system and his entire mind was dominated by one thought, 'Find Dad' as he ploughed steadily on into the gradually darkening waters.

His fear escalated as he felt the tell tale signs of gillyweed wearing off, he had been swimming for half an hour and still he was no closer to finding his father. He stuffed a new dose into his mouth, panic lending him speed as a eerie chorus echoed out of the water ahead of him, "An hour long you'll have to look and to recover what we took...your time's half gone so tarry not, lest what you seek stays here to rot..."

He passed a large rock on his right side and before him he noticed that the crags that had dominated the depths rise up before him, although now they were taking on very definite shapes, holes that could be windows, a flash of a tail as something slipped out of sight, weeds growing and pulsating in the water, their coloured tendrils seeming almost flower like.

Hope surged through him as he realised he had reached the mer village, surely the hostages would be nearby, surely they hadn't left them to the mercy of the creatures at the bottom of the lake. He swam on, and as he got deeper into the maze of houses he saw that the mer had lost some of their initial wariness and were regarding him, bright black eyes piercing through the gloom, the flash of light reflected off silver scales as they thrust themselves effortlessly through the water.

He was beginning to worry that he had lost himself in the maze of houses, that he was swimming in circles and would never find where the hostages were being held when the houses gave way to an open space, an old crumbling statue dominating the centre, and fastened securely at its base were the four hostages, their hair fanning about their faces, and their eyes closed so they appeared to be sleeping, or dead. Harry felt the sharp blow of relief as his eyes found his father's form although at the same time he felt worry burn in his chest. Sirius was still, and unnaturally so. He had never seen his father anything but lively, and even when he was asleep the animagus would shift and turn, but now he just hung there suspended, not a single flicker of movement except for the drifting of his robes and hair in the current

Harry threw himself forward, he wasn't too late, he still had a dose of gillyweed to go, Sirius, his godfather, his father couldn't be dead, not when he had done everything he could to rescue him, not when the time had yet to expire. Fingers scrabbled at the ropes securing his father to the statue and it was only as they slipped, leaving inky trails of blood that he realised his hands were streaked in his own blood, and that a steady stream was still seeping out of the numerous cuts and bites covering his body.

He bit down hard on his lip, he had not come so far, so close only to lose his father. Then with one last mad jerk the rope gave, slipping from Sirius's ankle and immediately the animagus started to sink. Desperately Harry lunged forward his hands seizing Sirius's robes and holding them in a vice like grip.

Instantly he was supporting his father's entire weight and it became a struggle to prevent himself sinking, even as he tried frantically to hold his godfather up. Sirius was a grown man and even with the buoyancy of the water on his side Harry was almost unable to lift him. He was still a teenager, and despite Sirius and Andromeda's best efforts he still wasn't in good physical condition, a lifetime of abuse and neglect could not be overcome in a few months, even if you had magic on your side and this, combined with the blood loss that was making him a little lightheaded and weakening him further.

Throwing every ounce of strength he had left at swimming upwards he slowly began to ascend, his father being dragged behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the figure of another champion approaching in the distance and he breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't want to leave anyone behind, but he was struggling just to carry Sirius, and he knew that he could not have taken another person. For the first time in his life he was being selfish and rescuing the person that meant more to him than any other, but at least if one champion was approaching it meant that the others would be there soon hopefully?

The surface was getting closer and closer, and above him he could see the light dancing across the waves. He was almost there, he had nearly made it. Relief and blood loss made him lightheaded when suddenly he began to choke. He had been so absorbed in reaching the surface he hadn't realised his dose of gillyweed was running out. He clamped his mouth shut, and he tried to fumble for the weed on his belt but both his hands were clinging to his father and if he let go the man would sink back down and he knew he didn't have the strength left to bring him up again.

With a single burst of energy bourn solely from desperation he thrust his father the last few meters to the surface, but with that single movement he lost his last bit of strength, the lack of air, the blood loss and the effort he had expended dragging Sirius to the surface proved too much and he started to sink, his hands shaking as he tried to reach for a potion and cast the charm, even as he knew the effort would be futile. Even once he could breathe once more he would not have the strength to drag himself to the surface, already spots were appearing in his vision as the world around him gradually darkened.

Then he felt a hand clamp around his wrist and with a single heave his head broke the surface of the water. And he was coughing and spluttering, blood streaking his face and arms, shivering in the icy waters as strong arms held him firmly, keeping him upright. Gradually the world righted itself, his vision returning slowly to normal, as he sucked in lungful after lungful of clear, dry, air.

Harry blinked hard, bringing his eyesight back into focus to see a pair of soft grey eyes staring down at him, filled with a mixture of love, fear and concern. "Dad?" he murmured drowsily.

"I'm here pup," Sirius replied just as quietly. There were no words to describe the shock and fear he had felt when he had woken to find himself in the lake, and seeing his son floating down, unable to reach the surface. It had only taken milliseconds to work out what had happened, even as he had plunged down to drag his son to the surface and he knew there were several people who would feel his ire later, but his priority at the moment was Harry.

Blood was still welling from hundreds of wounds that dotted his skin and he could see that the boy was on the verge of passing out. He must have given everything to try to rescue him and Sirius's heart clenched as he thought of the fear and pain that his son must have felt in the depths of the lake as he searched for him, worried he was about to lose another parent.

Sirius started to swim, carefully supporting Harry as he did so. The child lay in his arms, limp and unresponsive, too exhausted to do anything beyond holding his head above the water. Sirius saw his son's eyelids begin to droop and he shook him fiercely. He had no idea how much blood Harry had lost, or how long he had been injured for but he knew it had to be a sizeable amount and that he needed to get his son medical attention as soon as possible, and he couldn't let him lose consciousness, if he did there was no knowing if he would ever wake up.

"Stay awake for me Harry," he commanded, fear giving his voice a sharp edge. Harry blinked, too tired to be shocked at the tone his father had used. He tried to stay awake, he really did but he was just so tired, Sirius was safe now so what did it matter if he slept. "Tired," he mumbled,

"I know little one," he heard Sirius murmur, "But you can't sleep yet, I need you stay awake just a little longer." Harry frowned, a hint of a pout on his features.

"'M not little," Above him his father chuckled although there was a hint of a strain in the sound and he felt a kiss being pressed to his forehead.

"Nearly there pup, just hold on a little longer." A minute or so later hands reached down for him and he felt himself being pulled up on to the platforms and out of the corner of his eye he saw someone helping Sirius up beside him. He tried to stand but his legs trembled and gave way, depositing him straight back onto the wooden planks. He lay where he had fallen, too tired to make the effort to stand again although the hard boards were digging into his back, letting his eyes drift shut.

Something warm was wrapped around him and he was gently eased up and pulled backwards until he was resting against a firm chest. He didn't have to look to know it was Sirius who was holding him, his arms wrapped round him in a protective embrace. For a moment he wondered why his father wasn't shivering, and why the material his head was pillowed against wasn't wet but he decided it didn't matter and he just snuggled deeper into the embrace, too tired to care that everyone was watching.

There was the sound of running footsteps then "Sweet Merlin!" He heard Madam Pomfrey exclaim, before she became businesslike once more. "Drink this, it should help to combat the blood loss." He opened his eyes in time to see her thrust a potion onto his lap before rummaging through her bag as she searched for the correct bandages and salves. Harry looked at the potion warily, he had been in the hospital wing enough time to know how foul they were but also to know that if he didn't drink them he would be in more trouble and end up drinking more.

Reluctantly he reached for it only, for his hands to tremble violently. Immediately Sirius plucked the vial from his lap and with a deft movement opened it and brought it to Harry's mouth. Embarrassment welled up inside him at having to be fed like a small child but obediently he opened his mouth and allowed his father to carefully feed him the potion. As soon as it was finished his head drooped down onto Sirius's shoulder, and this time his father didn't stop him from sleeping, instead he carded his fingers tenderly through his hair, the soothing motion helping Harry to drop into slumber.

Sirius didn't know what to feel as he saw his son slip into sleep. Part of him was filled with the overwhelming love he had for his child, part of him was humbled by the effort Harry had gone to in order to rescue him, another part overjoyed with the realisation of how much his son loved him and others filled with anger at the Ministry and Dumbledore for putting Harry in that position and the worry as he looked at his son's injuries.

He was thankful for the interruption in the form of Poppy Pomfrey, "Spread this over all the bites and puncture wounds on his arms," she instructed tersely. Sirius was only too happy to comply, whilst the bleeding had slowed it had yet to stop, and anything he could do to help heal his child would be welcome.

Gently he rubbed the paste into the wounds, relieved as he saw them close slightly, the blood flow decreasing as he watched although it didn't heal them completely. He raised curious eyes in the direction of the medi-witch who was busy applying the salve to the other wounds. "The bites have some sort of venom in them, aimed to keep the wounds open." She answered the unspoken question.

Sirius swallowed hard, "How dangerous is the venom?" He asked, throat dry.

"It won't kill him," she said briskly "Its main danger is excessive blood loss and that potion will take care of that. However the venom has to be removed before the injuries can be healed fully. The salve will take a few hours to remove all of it, so I'll bandage his arms and legs, and apply a second salve in four hours time." She surveyed Harry with a practiced eye, "I doubt he'll wake up before then, he's completely exhausted but I want to keep him in the Wing overnight just in case."

Sirius just nodded, relief rushing through him. Harry was going to recover, and he should be alright in a day or so. Carefully he picked his son up, nestling the boy securely in his arms and he strode towards the castle, not caring that the drying and warming charms he had cast on himself and his clothing had not managed to remove all the water, and he was beginning to feel the effect of the chill air on his damp clothing and hair.

Reaching the hospital wing he selected a bed at the far end of the ward, away from prying eyes and gently laid Harry down, before casting a simple switching spell to replace the teen's damp clothing with a dry hospital gown. Pulling the curtains shut, the last thing he wanted was for any reporters to obtain pictures of his son, especially when he was injured, he reached out and tucked Harry in, making sure the child was warm, before pulling up a chair and settling down to wait until Harry woke.


And there's the next instalment folks. Hope you all enjoyed it and have a good Christmas or whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year.

Thanks for all the support and reviews, and please review!