The Root of Darkness

by Amorphis760

I was nothing special before I died the first time but when something offers me the chance to live again I take it. Reborn into a world of death I will survive. There will be no mercy and no pity. For there are monsters that roam this world and to survive I might have to become one myself. Elements of the Gamer and X-overs in later chapters.

36. Fiasco of a First Task

Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back. I'm sorry that it took so long to get this new chapter out but my faithful computer of 6 years died and it took a while to confirm that and get a new one. So, because it took so long to get out this chapter is a bit longer than the others nearing 14k. Enjoy.

I followed everyone else into the main dining hall. As we entered I could see the hesitation and indecision well up within Harry. After a moment his shoulders slumped and he made to sit at the end of the Gryffindor table. His decision sparked a wave of whispers around the hall which I turned an ear to as I sat towards the inside of the table while Tonks sat on the side opposite from me. Before I could start plying her with questions about being a metamorphmagus the hall grew quiet as Dumbledore stood at the front of the room for an announcement.

"For those of you who do not know we will have an additional guest here tonight and for the rest of the school year. Some of you may know her as a graduate from Hufflepuff, now a proud new Auror. Please welcome back, Nymphadora Tonks." There was a polite round of applause from the students although Hufflepuff clapped the loudest and longest. Tonks stood up and waved to everyone but I could see the brief scowl on her face as Dumbledore said her first name.

Dumbledore sat back down not deeming the reason Tonks was here important enough, or unwilling, to share why she was here in the first place. My eyes narrowed as I heard people start to guess her purpose here. It ranged from Harry being an up and coming Dark Lord that needed to be reined in to me being a secret Dark wizard trying to corrupt Harry. Not one of the rumors was about the fact that Harry was entered into the tournament against his will. I was forced to reassess the wizarding world from civilians with magic to stupid civilians with magic. I'm sure that opinion would lower as time went on.

Regardless of the wizarding sheep, I really wanted to know more about being a metamorphmagus but I didn't think that the dining table, surrounded by others, was the best place to try to pry her secrets open. I turned back to Tonks in time to see Hermione sit across from Harry and start talking animatedly to him about him missing class and his training. I kept half an ear towards their conversation while I started my own with Tonks. "So Tonks," she perked up from her food. "What made you decide to become an Auror?"

"Oh, that? Well my dad is involved in law so I suppose that's what got me into it in the first place." A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. "Then there's the fact that Auror are supposed to be the best of the best and I wanted to be the best."

I nodded. Wanting to improve oneself was something I could relate to. "Was it difficult to become an Auror?"

She gave an exasperated groan and theatrically slumped onto the table. "Was it ever. To get even be considered you had to have at least 7 Newts with above Exceeds Expectations on all of them. I had to work my arse off because Snape was such a harsh grader but I managed to get an O when I took my potion NEWT. Then when I got into the program I had to train for another 3 years to even be considered an Auror." She straightened to her full height and looked up towards the high table where the teachers were. "In fact my mentor, Alastor Moody, should be a professor for the Dark Arts this year. I don't see him though so maybe he's up in his room." She shrugged it off. "He's pretty paranoid so that wouldn't surprise me what with him shouting Constant Vigilance all the bloody time. What about you? What you do?"

I leaned back as though considering the question. "I do a bit of this and that. Right now I'm doing a bit of teaching." I motioned over to Harry who was looking dead on his feet and mechanically eating a bit of food. "He was quite generous with his payment." I whispered conspiratorially to her.

"This and that, huh?" Tonks sent a searching look my way.

"This and that," I repeated with a small smile, "but I can assure you that it's nothing illegal. I just haven't found a job I truly like enough to stay at it for long periods of time. Maybe when this job is over I'll go into teaching. It seems fun." She held my gaze for a bit longer then nodded congenially.

"I can understand that. Doing a bit of soul searching before you find what you like. Do you have any family?" I smiled widely.

"I do, two younger sisters in fact, what about you?"

"Just me and my parents although I always wanted a younger sibling." She shook herself as though to clear her head and smiled at me. "Do you have any photos of you and your sisters?" I was pretty sure she only asked because Dumbledore was still searching for any hints of my origin but showing a picture of my family wouldn't hurt. I would just have to mention that it was an older photo.

I reached into my robe and withdrew a photo from my eighth birthday party where Karin and Mito were both hugging me while Kushina was resting her chin on the top of my head. Before I handed it over I charmed Karin's eyes from her natural red to Mito's sapphire blue so there wouldn't be any uncomfortable questions asked. "I only have this old photo on me," I said as I handed it over to her. "The one on my left is Mito and the one on my right is Karin. My mom, Kushina, is the one with her chin on my head." I pointed out each of them to her as she cooed at the photo.

"You all look so cute." She glanced up to my hair and back down to the photo. "I thought you dyed your hair or charmed it. Was it always like that? How old were your sisters when this was taken?"

I idly brushed at my white, almost silver, hair. "It's always been like this and they were both 4 when this was taken." I took the photo back from her as I heard a strangled gasp from Harry.

Glancing over I saw him focusing on the photo in my hand and Kushina in particular. "Everything alright Harry?"

He snapped out of his state and shook his head as though to clear it. "Yeah, just saw something that startled me is all. I almost thought it was my mom in the picture for a moment." He let out an awkward laugh as Hermione sent a gaze filled with pity his way. 'Right, he's an orphan.' I thought as I put the picture away.

"Eh, it's an easy enough mistake to make I suppose. Mistaken identity happens all the time." I turned back to Tonks as Harry began to pick at what was left on his plate. "So, I suppose you'll be joining us tomorrow for the lessons I'm giving Harry." She nodded and I continued. "Excellent, make sure you wear something appropriate to run in then and be ready to go by 7am."

I caught Harry's slump when I mentioned running and grinned briefly. I was so glad my body didn't work completely normal when it came to physical activity. It made training so much easier not having to worry about sore muscles in the morning or ever running out of energy. Sure, I could get tired but after a few minutes rest I was fully energized and ready to go again. "Workout clothes?" Tonks questioned me and I nodded.

"Yep. I believe that having balance between a strong mind and a strong body is key to magical growth. Even if I'm wrong," which I was not, "exercise is good for you."

She seemed to ponder that for a bit before giving me a shrug. "Sounds like a plan." After her agreeing to participate in the run the rest of the night before bed was spent making small conversation with Tonks before Harry almost passed out onto his plate. I helped him up and he stumbled off towards his bed, after saying goodnight to Hermione, as both Tonks and I followed along after him. He was barely able to say goodnight to us before the portrait swung shut behind him leaving Tonks and I standing in the hallway.

I turned to leave but Tonks' query stopped me. "Where are you going?" I looked over my shoulder and gave her a smile.

"I was planning to go to the library for a bit and then wander around to get a feel for this place." And maybe find out why Hogwart's energy was trying to direct me somewhere within the building. I had noticed it almost as soon as Harry and I had returned from his first workout and while I was wary about following an unseen thing controlling the energy around me I was curious as to what I would find.

"Oh," she seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to follow me but in the end she simply shrugged. "Do you need a guide? Hogwarts corridors can be a bit difficult to navigate if you're not familiar with them."

I gave her a smile. "Sure, why not?" The question of Hogwart's energy could wait for the moment. If she came along I could ask a few questions about her ability now that we were away from prying ears. "So," I began as I fell into step behind her. "You said that you change on the physical level but how far does that go? I mean could you change your muscle density on a whim, your bone structure, or even your gender?"

She missed a step at the last part and I had to grab onto her arm to keep her from falling. It was a reflex on my part from spending so much time one babysitting duty but I still chided myself for doing so. Putting that much stress on the henge nearly broke it and if it did break I would have had to go on an obliviating spree. "Thanks," she muttered before regarding me with an amused look. "Kind of dove right in with the awkward questions."

I just shrugged. "It was going to bound to happen with an ability like yours. Besides, I could have led off with asking whether you could grow male genitalia and impregnate someone else." I was treated to the amusing sight of her hair turning green and literally curling as she sputtered.

"Merlin, no! I mean, maybe, but- argh!" She shot me a glare as I started laughing. "It's not funny! When you wanted to talk to me about being a metamorphmagus I just thought you'd ask me to change to someone else not ask if I could…" She shivered and then gagged again.

"What gave you that impression? I could care less about what you look like when you have such a fascinating ability. I just wanted to find the limits of your talents."

She shot me an appraising look as we continued walking. "Really? You don't care if I look like this?" She changed into a hunched back hag with boils, warts and loose skin along with ratty hair and diseased looking gums.

"Fascinating." The flow of her magic as she changed led me to believe she was actually destroying her entire body and putting it back together, piece by piece. I started circling her to get a better look. "You lost a good half foot, quite a bit of body mass and since you seem to be missing quite a few teeth that leads me to believe you have control over your bone structure. I wonder if you'd be able to regrow a limb if you lost it?" I mused idly as I stopped in front of her.

"Huh," Tonks changed back into the form she was wearing before. "You're good. Everyone else I've done that to has flinched away from me." I could feel that she was giving me a more thorough search as I seemed to have passed her test.

I raised an eyebrow and waved my hand lazily. "I'm sure most of the people you did that to were just trying to get into your pants. I'm not looking for a girlfriend or a quick fling right now. I just wanted to study your ability although I wouldn't be averse to being a friend." Which reminded me that I would have to test my bodily fluids sometime in the future before I had sex. I didn't want to kill someone accidently.

She let out barking laugh and started walking again. "Yeah, you got the first part right." I could see her looking at me out of the corner of her eye. "I think we could be friends though."

I sent a smile her way as we reached the library. "That's great." I said somewhat distractedly as I took in the sight of thousands and thousands of tomes, scrolls and books stretching out before me. Seeing it through a clone is one thing but actually being here… My hand twitched and I had to clamp down the desire to just start absorbing everything in here.

"Eh hem." The quiet cough drew my attention to a lady sitting behind a desk. She, rather unfortunately, had the look of an underfed vulture with her shriveled face and sunken cheeks. "May I help you?" She asked with a pinched look on her face.

Assuming this to be the head librarian I put a smile on my face and sauntered up to her desk. My attempt at being casual didn't seem to work on her because she simply narrowed her eyes at my approach as her lips pressed together. "Yes. I was wondering if you had any books on differing runes. I'm passingly familiar with Norse but I was wondering if you have anything else?"

"We have books on those." She admitted with a seemingly pained expression on her face as though the idea of allowing me access to the library physically hurt her. "Do you want Egyptian hieroglyphics, Japanese seals, Mayan and Incan scripts or something else?" The opportunity to see if the seals the Japanese used were the same as the ones I did was too tempting to pass up so I asked for those and the Egyptian hieroglyphics. She directed me to the appropriate isle after a rather stern warning not to damage the books in any way or she'd take it out on my hide.

After I had gathered the books, and sadly the seals were not the same, Tonks and I left the library. "So, what now?" She asked.

"Well, I'm going to go put these back in my room and then explore at bit. Do you still want to come along?" She seemed to consider it for a moment before declining which was fine with me. I had already seen enough of her ability to start making some hypothesis' and it would allow me to follow Hogwart's magic. The pull had, not increased, but it was constant and a bit annoying like an itch you just couldn't scratch. I still would have ignored it completely if I had to but I felt no malicious intent at all so an expedition was in order.

I put the books away in my room and then followed the pull of magic. It took me on a winding route all throughout Hogwarts until I found myself standing in front of a tapestry showing a wizard attempting to teach trolls to dance. I looked around for anything else but the pull seemed to disappear into the blank wall across from the tapestry. It must be a hidden room of sorts and I examined every inch of the wall looking for seams or hints of magic. All I could get from the blank stretch of wall was a feeling of potential oddly enough.

I stepped back from the wall with a frown on my face. The pull that brought me here was now no help and I could feel the anticipation within the magic around me but no hint of how to enter the hidden room. My musing was cut off as a suit of armor clanked from around the corner and a moment later it rounded the corner. As it came towards me I backed up but it ignored me and walked past me before turning around as it walked back and forth in front of the blank wall.

My eyes narrowed at the display and as the suit of armor left I began to pace in front of the blank wall. 'So, this is a trigger to open the room but since nothing is happening it must be something more.' I thought as I continued pacing. Midway through a step I froze as a door that hadn't existed a second ago appeared. 'How and why? What changed?'

I let the questions percolate in the back of my head as I approached the door cautiously and studied it with a critical eye for any traps before I opened it a crack. Pure, unbridled, magic power washed over me and I quickly closed the door cutting off the source. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes as I reviewed the feeling. It felt like the magic that surrounded me but far more concentrated. I would go so far as to say it was the source of Hogwart's magic. The magic still didn't carry any hint of ill intent so I opened my eyes and I slipped inside the door.

The first thing I saw inside the room was a large marble pillar that jutted up in the center of the room. Almost immediately I could tell this was the source of the magic and as I cautiously stepped closer to the pillar the density of magic in the air increased. I stopped for a moment and just let all my senses expand to encompass the room fully. The results made me tilt my head to the side. This room was obviously expanded like my tent but it felt like my ID. An area that wasn't completely tethered to reality but a subspace within it. Curious.

"Well," I said to the empty room. "I'm here now. What prompted you to call me here?" There was a pulse from the pillar and I felt a wave of happiness, frustration and hope? I took a moment to try to sort out what that meant before I spoke again. "I assume you want my help then?" There was another pulse which carried a wave of gratitude.

I weighed my options. On one hand having an obviously intelligent and sentient castle in my debt could be useful. On the other hand I had no idea of its intentions or what a magical castle would need help with. I hadn't detected anything that would hint at it having a malicious intent but it could be a trap or a trick. I continued to slowly walk towards the pillar as I considered everything. Now that I was closer I could see the innumerous carvings on its surface and something else that looked like blood. As I got closer I could definitely tell that it was dried blood shaped as runes.

I stopped a couple of feet away from the pillar as I studied it in more detail. "I would assume that you want me to do something about the blood runes that cover you?" This close to the pillar I could feel the steady pulses or magic that emanated from it in my bones like a deep noise. The resulting wave of hate/anger/loathing that exploded out of it after I spoke was answer enough. I steadied myself after and took a closer look at the blood runes.

I wasn't well versed in runes yet but I could definitely see either containment or binding runes, I wasn't quite sure which, all over the pillar. I released a sigh and started to circle the pillar to get a clearer picture of it. The blood runes covered almost every bit of surface area while there were carved runes underneath the blood. With my observation done for now I stopped circling. "I'll be honest with you I don't even know where to begin. While I'm fairly knowledgeable in my own version of runes I know next to nothing about the blood runes covering you and I know that messing with these kinds of things without direction is just asking for trouble."

I paused as I felt a wave of sadness flow from the pillar. "Then there's the fact that what I do know about runes all points to them sealing you. Someone went to great lengths to make sure you couldn't get out and I'm sure they didn't do it without cause." Anger bled out of the pillar but it wasn't directed at me so I didn't react. Soon enough another wave of emotion hit me and this time I felt the despair and resignation from the pillar.

"That being said," I spoke slowly. "I would free you from this prison if I knew how." In my mind the potential benefits outweighed the cons and a centuries old being would probably know many esoteric forms of magic that might even bring me closer to getting home. There was a feeling of joy before I heard a creaking sound to my left.

Where there was once open room a bookshelf and desk now stood. My eyebrows rose from the obvious display of power, at least in this room, and I stared up at the titles on the book spines. Every one of them was on sealing, warding or containment runes with a focus on blood wards. It would seem that the decision to help the being within the pillar was already paying off. Even if I couldn't free whatever was in the pillar the knowledge gained here could prove helpful when I finally faced the Nibi in my ID. I plucked the first book from the shelf and began to read.

It was nearly ten hours later, nearing 6:30, that I stood from the pile of books surrounding me and stretched. "Alright, I need to get going if I want to meet up with Harry and Tonks. I'll be back tomorrow at around the same time." There was another wave of joy and acceptance before I turned myself invisible and left the room that was not a room to make my way towards Harry's sleeping area. I got there about a quarter to 7 and popped a clone to let the clone I sent back last night that it needed to exit my sleeping corridor.

Not a minute later it exited and I swapped myself with the clone seamlessly. Not even 5 minutes later Tonks showed up wearing sensible workout clothes and for some reason boots. I raised an eyebrow at her footwear and she followed my gaze to her feet before looking back up at me with a smile. It was very predatory. "Wotcher. Don't question the boots."

I held out my hands in what I hoped was a placating manner as we settled in to wait for Harry. It was nearly 7 before his portrait opened and he stumbled out looking like death warmed over. I gave him a cheerful grin to which he just grunted as he began to trudge towards the lake so we could start our run. Tonks and I exchanged amused glances at each other as we followed behind. As we walked along Harry became more and more awake until he was alive enough to talk.

"Morning Tonks, Shiro." His voice was still heavy with sleep but it was easy enough to understand him.

"Morning Harry. You were looking a little sleepy there when you got up." He sent me a baleful glare my way before letting out another grunt. "So articulate." I said cheerfully. For some reason he didn't talk to me for the rest of the trip down to the lake so I ended up chatting with Tonks about her work as an Auror. She had only recently graduated from a junior Auror to a full time one so she didn't have too many interesting work stories to tell and from what I could gather she spent most of her time doing paperwork. It always sucks to be the low man on the totem pole.

After stretching out, and giving Harry a reminder to do the same thing as yesterday, we began our run around the lake. As we ran I couldn't help but notice that Tonks didn't seem to be breathing hard at all even as we got towards the end of the run. In fact, I think she changed her musculature into a more suitable fashion just for the run itself. Plans and thoughts raced through my mind as we finished the last bit of the workout and Harry collapsed to the ground again. I ignored him for the moment to turn towards Tonks.

"Would you be willing to help me demonstrate something for Harry?"

"Maybe," she said cautiously. "It depends on what it is."

"Ah, I was wondering if perhaps you and I could duel so we could show Harry what he should aspire to." And if you happen to receive a cut and I just happen to collect some of your blood for study… Well, things can get a bit rough in a spar.

Tonks seemed to consider my request as her eyes flickered back and forth between Harry's prone position and myself. "I suppose so." She mused. "It'll be good practice to keep in top form." She sent a smirk my way. "If you can keep up that is."

"I think you'll find that I am more than adequate in that regard." I told her pretentiously before I sent a smile her way as I turned to Harry. "Did you hear all that Harry?"

He was able to sit up, although not without a fair amount of effort, and looked between Tonks and I. "Yeah. What do you want me to do?"

"Just move a bit away and watch closely." I didn't want to just come out and say use your Mage Sight but he seemed to get the hint as I felt his magic shift as his eyes began to softly glow. I gave him an approving nod as he scrambled out of the way and I turned my focus back to Tonks as I felt the bounded field surround us. If I was sensing this correctly then it would direct any stray bolts of magic into the ground where they would dissipate harmlessly.

I assumed a stance as I drew my fake wand from my pocket. Tonks took a stance as well. "Now Harry," I said since I was technically Harry's mentor and I should teach him. "You can see that each of us has turned slightly to the side. This gives any opponent we might face less of a target. I have chosen a more aggressive stance with my wand arm leading while Tonks seems to have taken a more defensive stance with her wand arm alongside her body." I saw Harry was nodding out of the corner of my eye so I gave a slight bow to Tonks.

"Shall we dance?" Her wicked grin and three bolts of light springing from her wand was her answer. I could admire that. No frivolous talk or warning just sudden violence. Moody must have trained her to fight not spar. As the bolts neared me my fake wand shot forward three times. Each time a small glowing triangle formed at its tip and with three flicks I sent the bolts careening into the ground around me. "That," I continued talking smoothly as though nothing had happened. "Was the skill called Dueler's Shield. As you can see it allows me to catch incoming bolts of magic and redirect them. I wouldn't recommend trying to use it to block unfocused magic like fire though." Tonks started sending a barrage of multicolored lights my way and I deflected them all. I even sent the hair loss curse right back at her causing her to dodge the bolt.

As I continued to idly flick away all the incoming bolts of magic I took the time to study how her body was literally flowing like water as she moved. No doubt she was using her talents to change herself mid spar. Time to turn up the intensity a bit to see what she can do if pushed. I stopped strictly defending and shot a blasting hex at the ground in front of me causing a cascade of dirt and stones to fly at her. She conjured a shimmering shield that stopped everything in its tracks but I was already changing the debris into an assortment of animals that attacked her.

"Transfiguration can be useful to attack, defend or distract. If you mix it with regular curses you have a powerful offense." As I was talking I was firing off minor hexes at Tonks while my animals charged. A spark appeared at the end of her wand and grew into a roaring flame that she used to swing at the animals, burning them alive, as she ducked and weaved through my spells. As soon as the last animal died she turned the flames towards me.

I raised a wall of stone between myself and the flames. As soon as the flames dispersed on the wall I sent another blasting curse, aimed at the wall, sending more shrapnel Tonks' way. Through the smoky haze I saw her raise another shimmering shield but not before a rock sliced across her cheek drawing blood. I tracked the rock as it fell through the air and made a note of where it landed as I slightly lowered my wand. "Are you alright? Do you want to stop or continue this?"

Tonks raised a hand to her cheek and irritably wiped at the cut. "I'm fine, but I know when I'm outclassed." She waved her wand in an intricate pattern and the bounded field surrounding us faded away. "Didn't even move his bloody feet. Adequate my arse." I heard her mutter as she began to fix the surrounding area. I don't think I was meant to hear that but the perks of having superior hearing are many.

Glancing at Harry I saw the glow in his eyes fade away and I knew this was my chance. I created a clone that tunneled underground to where the rock that had cut Tonks landed. I had to refrain from smiling as I felt my clone's memories flood into me after its task was completed and helped Tonks clean up the results of our spar. After the area was reasonably cleared up I ambled over towards where Harry was sitting with Tonks walking next to me.

"That was bloody brilliant." Harry blurted out before either of could talk. "You were both moving so fast it looked like a blur."

"Perks of being a metamorphmagus." Tonks piped up and I noticed her sending surreptitious glances my way which I ignored. Yes, I had moved fast during our short spar but nothing supernaturally quick or abnormal merely the upper percentile of what humans could do without magic or chakra.

"Years of training." I said simply and folded my arms in front of me giving the impression of closing the subject for discussion. Tonks either didn't see the gesture or simply ignored it as she questioned me.

"Who trained you how to fight? Even my trainer Moody needed to move around when we fought but you didn't move an inch or even use a shield other than a Dueler's Shield which requires extremely precise timing to get right."

I didn't say anything for a bit before I grudgingly bit out, "my mother trained me along with a family friend." Let them think what they will about that. Harry would assume it was about the war I briefly touched on and Tonks… Well, playing at being perfect only makes people suspicious. Give them something to poke at and they'll focus in on it while ignoring other things.

Thankfully she dropped the subject and we moved on to other things like Harry's training which reminded me that I needed to give Harry his field ration. I reached into my pant pocket and tossed him a bar which he caught easily enough. "What's that?" Tonks asked as Harry started eating it while grimacing the entire time.

"A nutrient bar packed with vitamins. Do you want one?" She nodded and I tossed her one. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was checking the bar for something as she waved her wand over it and muttered. After a short period she seemed satisfied enough with whatever results she got and took a small bite out of it before making a disgusted face.

"Merlin! These things are vile. How can you eat these Harry?"

Harry just gave a small shrug as he finished choking down half the bar and putting the rest away for later. "It's not so bad." He said quietly to which Tonks just snorted in disagreement and vanished the bar. How rude. I paid good money for that.

I ignored her for now in favor of starting Harry's magic lesson. "So, I assume that you didn't take the time to meditate last night or practice controlling your magic." His sheepish expression said it all but I waved off any excuse he might have. "Even if you're dead tired I want you to practice. Your life might depend on it very soon with this tournament going on." He looked down at the ground so I couldn't see his face but when he looked back up he was determined.

"I will." I searched his face for a moment longer before nodding sharply and conjuring a pillow which I threw a fair distance away.

"Good. Time to work on your wandless summoning and banishing." Tonks perked up at the mention of wandless magic and seemed to take a very keen interest as Harry's weak summoning charm tugged the pillow towards him moving it about a foot. From what I could feel from his energies he was still pouring a massive excess of energy out without shaping it. I'm not sure whether he would ever be able to do complicated charm work without a wand but I know I could have him throwing fireballs by Christmas time if he kept it up. Perhaps sooner if he used his Mage Sight to help him see what he's doing wrong.

I felt Tonks come up behind me and start whispering in my ear. "Wandless magic is kind of advanced for him don't you think?"

"I already taught him how to cast silently for his 1st through 3rd year course work. I believe he can do it." As though Harry wanted to prove me right the pillow flew through the air and hit him in the face making me chuckle as he glared at it. I heard a strangled gasp from behind me but ignored it for the moment. "Good job. Now try banishing it. If you feel tired just rest for a moment and then keep going until you can summon and banish things with no trouble."

Harry's eyes took on a determined glint as he set the pillow down and began to focus. "How could you have taught him so quickly? You've only been with him for what? A day and a half?" Her surprise must have caused her to lose a bit of composure as her voice was loud enough for Harry to glance at us before I motioned for him to continue practicing.

"I would like to say that I'm just that great of a teacher but I can't take all the credit. Harry's an incredibly talented student when he applies himself." He's also cheating like crazy with his new Mage Sight and I'm sure not having an extra soul in his head helps him immensely. Of course, I shouldn't be calling his method cheating when I basically downloaded an entire 7 years' worth of learning in just a couple of days. Just recalling it made my head ache in phantom pain though.

"Still…" she trailed off as I watched the pillow, and a portion of ground, fly away from Harry. The magical exertion seemed to get the best of him though as his entire arm was shaking and he drew deep gasping breaths. It was probably for the best that he was already sitting down or he would have collapsed.

"Yeah." I said quietly. While it might just be me stroking my ego I think I could shape him into something great, for this world, or at least lay the foundations for him to build upon later in life.

The rest of the day was spent teaching Harry some simple control techniques, levitating rocks while spinning them, more magic and another workout in the afternoon. By the time dinner rolled around Harry seemed exhausted again and didn't protest much when Hermione dragged him off towards the Gryffindor common room. I was curious as to what the Gryffindors were planning but after quietly listening to their hushed conversations I could tell they were gathering together to apologize to Harry for their conduct a few days ago.

I sent a clone after him just in case although Tonks trailed after him as well which made sense as it was her job to protect him. Still, I had things to do and after another switch with a clone, who went straight to my bedroom, I went back to the Pillar of Hogwarts for another night of studying. It was later at night when the clone assigned to follow Harry popped giving me its memories of the event.

I have to say he took the Gryffindor's apology with a lukewarm response. Neither jumping for joy nor shouting at them just acceptance. They seemed a bit put out by the lack of a positive response but I have to question what they really expected. They did kick him out of the house even though their actions were influenced by an outside source and even if a person knows that logically, emotionally it would be difficult to reconcile.

Other than that, I split my time between studying the books that Hogwarts had provided me and the blood sample that I had managed to procure from Tonks. Her blood was an absolute joy to study. Her cells seemed to exist in a constant state of flux changing from normal red and white blood cells to stem cells, seeming at random. I have no idea how her body could even function if this was happening all the time but it proved that she could change on a genetic level. I frowned briefly as a random thought hit me. Could Tonks really be classified as a she when her genetic makeup could change to a he? Eh, leave it up for philosophers. I didn't really care enough to try to classify that when I could spend more time trying to replicate her bloodline.

That was how things fell into a pattern. Teach Harry by day. Occasionally spar with Tonks, she said she wanted to keep her skills sharp, and watch Harry be dragged off by Hermione after dinner. I would send a clone after them to watch over them as Tonks tagged along. Usually Hermione pestered Harry for lessons on what he was doing with me or ask questions about me, which he would dance around, and then he would procced to try teaching her with Tonks occasionally chiming in. As for me I studied blood wards, Tonks blood, worked on multiple sealing projects and worked out to keep improving my stats as clones improved my skills. It was a very demanding schedule and while I had had more physically demanding schedules before I don't think there was ever a time where I was working on so many different problems for so long. I vowed to take a nice long vacation as soon as the quest involving Harry was finished and relax. Perhaps somewhere warm by the sea side.

On the second week after I had arrived to this world the routine was broken. I had been informed the day before that on Friday the 13th there would be a Weighing of the Wands ceremony held midafternoon. With that in mind I cut short the morning workout in favor of getting Harry looking presentable for the reporters that would no doubt be there. After a quick shower and changing my henged clothes to resemble fancy robes that I'd seen in Diagon Alley I was ready to go. Tonks had changed back into her Auror gear and Harry… Well, he had his school robes I suppose but his hair was still an untamed mess.

"I don't suppose you've tried to comb your hair at all?" I questioned lightly as we stood outside the entrance to his room. Like I had said before appearances are important and while it would be foolish to try to have him look like some sort of conquering hero it would be nice to not have him look like an uncouth youth that just rolled out of bed.

He scowled at me. "Of course I did it's just like this." Right, I didn't believe that for one second.

I looked over to Tonks for help. Personal and cosmetic charms were something that I hadn't delved into yet as I was going through the more offensive stuff first. "You wouldn't happen to know any cosmetic charms for hair would you?" She bit her lip as her hair shifted colors.

"Not really. I never needed them because, you know, metamorphmagus, but maybe…" she trailed off as her wand snapped into her hand and a cream colored bolt of light hit Harry's hair causing it to lay flat on his head. I was just about to congratulate her on a job well done when Harry's hair sprung up even messier than before. "Huh. That wasn't supposed to happen." She started casting detection spells at Harry's hair while Harry was feeling his hair a bit frantically.

Taking pity on him I conjured a small mirror that I handed to him and he relaxed when he saw his hair was just messier than before. "I don't know what to say." Said Tonks as she shot a turquoise colored spell which slicked back Harry's hair for a moment before it resumed its seemingly natural messy state. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were a partial metamorphmagus but my spells came back negative for that, hmm." She started to absently tap her wand against her leg.

How odd. First Harry has two foreign substances floating around his body, one that should have killed him, a lightning shaped scar that reformed even after I cut out that portion of his skull and now hair that seemed to reject being tamed. A mystery to solve at a later date though. I have far too much on my plate as it is. "While this is fascinating we do have to get going. The ceremony is in just a few minutes and we don't want to be late." My reminder broke them out of their contemplative mood and we set a fast pace towards the chamber where the ceremony was taking place.

As we entered I saw that we were the last people to arrive, champion wise, although a man with a camera and a woman in a sickly green sweater were also in the room. I also noticed that there was a hint of someone else's magic hanging around the room like perfume. It felt like it was meant to enthrall almost but it was currently weak and it wouldn't have affected me anyways. Two things happened almost the moment we entered though. The first was the woman with the green sweater began to advance towards Harry with a hungry look in her eyes as she held up her notepad and the second was the blonde girl's, who was responsible for the magic in the air, pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Her face also took on a more avian look as the enthralling nature of her magic increased tenfold.

Every man in the room, except me, snapped their focus towards the girl as a dazed look entered their eyes. Both Cedric and Krum began to flex their muscles while Harry began to walk towards her before my arm shot out and I pinched him hard enough to break the trance he was under. He shook his head as though to clear it before sending me a thankful look and rubbing at the spot on his arm where I pinched him.

"Stop this at once." Tonks' voice boomed throughout the room. It seemed that was enough for the girl, Fleur, and as she blinked her avian features slowly disappeared as the enthralling magic receded. There appeared a sheepish look on her face as the men came back to their senses.

"I- I apologize. I lost control of myself for a moment." The woman with the green sweater seemed ecstatic as a quill furiously scribbled across her notebook while the men just seemed a bit confused. Fleur blushed almost daintily as she retreated to a corner of the room and seemed to be trying to meditate if her controlled breathing and closed eyes were any indication.

"Well," the woman whose quill was still scribbling across her notebook said as she stepped closer to Harry as she smiled, with her unnaturally white teeth, like a shark that smelled blood. "Hello there Harry Potter. I'm Rita Skeeter, journalist for the Daily Prophet, I would so love an interview and I'm sure my loyal readers would as well. Let's say we step aside for a moment and find out what makes a champion tick."

She reached forward as though to drag Harry off by his arm but was stopped when Tonks grabbed her arm. "Sorry Skeeter, can't let you go running off with my charge." Tonks smiled at her but it didn't reach her eyes.

It wasn't a sneer that formed on Rita's face but it was close. "Miss Tonks, youngest Auror, and a metamorphmagus to boot. I'm sure my readers would be just as happy to see an article on you as the Boy-Who-Lived. Perhaps you would like to give an official statement on why the DMLE felt the need to send one of its Aurors to guard one, Harry Potter."

"You'll have to ask Madam Bones for a quote." Rita gave an exaggerated sniff at Tonks' answer and turned her gaze my way.

"And who do we have here? A completely unknown man brought into the spotlight to teach the world famous Harry Potter. One can't help but be curious as to what you're hiding. Can I get a quote from you?"

I raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Can you specify what you wish me to talk about? You've left it horribly vague."

She tittered, actually tittered. "Oh, of course how rude of me. How about whether you feel qualified to teach?"

I gave an exaggerated shrug. "Harry was the one who sought me out and as long as he desires me to continue teaching him I will. Furthermore, I believe Auror Tonks can verify that my methods are particularly effective and have been a positive influence on Harry." Tonks shot me a glare for putting Rita's crosshairs back on her but before Rita could continue the conversation Dumbledore walked in with three other people.

I recognized the half giant woman as Madame Olympe Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbaton, and one of the men as Igor Karkaroff, headmaster of Durmstrang, along with an older man I didn't recognize. "I see that everyone is present." Dumbledore said congenially.

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, perhaps you could comment on how Hogwarts gained two champions for this historic event." Rita's said coquettishly as she easily shifted her unwanted attention towards him.

"Ah, Rita, a pleasure as always. I can only say that Harry's unfortunate placement within this tournament is the result of outside forces beyond his control. Now, I believe there needs to be a round on introductions before we can begin. The gentleman beside me, for those who do not know, is Wand Master Ollivander and he will be the one conducting the ceremony today."

Everyone went through a round of introductions until it was my turn. "It is a pleasure to meet you Wand Master Ollivander. My name is Shiro and I will be mentoring Harry Potter for the duration of this tournament." Karkaroff bristled at that and began to insinuate, loudly, that this was just another attempt by the British to cheat their way to victory.

"I can assure you that there is no such plot Igor." Dumbledore cut through his rant, effectively silencing him in the process. "It is entirely within the rules for a tournament champion to select, and receive, a mentor as long as they are not affiliated with the champion's selected school. I myself had to brush the dust off the official rule book to learn of it so I can understand your frustration, but it is entirely misplaced." Was that a dig at me for being headache inducing?

"Still," Karkaroff muttered. "It is unfair that the boy had received two weeks of mentorship while the others haven't. You should have brought this to our attention as soon as you learned of it." If the other headmasters haven't heard of me mentoring Harry then why did Rita know of it? Or perhaps they did know and he's trying to spin this in a negative way.

I felt the need to speak up at that point if only to clear Harry's name of any possible cry of foul play. "Are you really that unconfident about your champion that you would begrudge the two weeks I've spent training Harry when every other champion is three years older than him."

Karkaroff took on an interesting hue consisting of red and purple. It was not a good look for him. "Not at all. I merely meant that it could be seen that Hogwarts is exploiting the rules to your advantage."

I clapped my hands together as my face lit up as though I had just had an epiphany. "I get it. You just don't care about your students at all otherwise you would have read through the rule book like Dumbledore and Madame Maxime did." I ignored his outraged sputtering and the slightest nod from Maxime as I excluded her from my verbal lashing. "After all, only a truly callous man would allow his students to enter into a magical tournament that would strip them of their magic and/or life if they broke the rules and not know something as simple as a mentor being allowed."

Everyone was silent as Karkaroff's mouth opened and closed almost comically as he did his best gold fish impression. It was exceedingly hard to come back from a comment like that and if anyone did take a look at the rule book they would find an entire section on mentors. The only sound was the rapid scratching of Rita's quill on her notebook and I noted the varying looks of shock and dismay on the other champions faces. Good. Maybe they'll actually take this seriously now. The warning about losing your life or magic if you didn't obey the rules was on the first page of the rule book in huge print. "Um, Professor Dumbledore, is Mr. Shiro correct about losing your magic if you don't obey the rules?" Cedric looked exceptionally pale as he spoke.

Dumbledore regarded him without the customary twinkle in his eye as his posture betrayed weariness and how serious he considered the subject. "I'm afraid so my dear boy. I did warn you all to only enter if you were willing to risk life and limb."

"Oh," I could see Cedric shake slightly. "Could- could I have a copy of the rule book?"

"Of course. I shall procure one for you as soon as this ceremony is over." As though Cedric's request was their que both Fleur and Krum clamored for one as well. Although in Krum's case he was more demanding than asking as he scowled at Karkaroff who had seemed to shrink in on himself as though trying to avoid attention. I had no question that I had made an enemy out of him and that he would retaliate but the man seemed a coward to me. If I actually ate the food here I would have been extra careful about poison for the next several months.

The rest of the ceremony went off with far less excitement then the proceeding shit show and I found myself barely paying attention as each champion was called up and their wand examined. I had no interest in it at all although I did notice that from time to time Fleur would send glances my way when she thought I wasn't looking. I'd have to ask Tonks what she was later. My bet was some sort of harpy or siren combo with her magic the way it is and how her features changed to be almost birdlike.

After Ollivander finished examining everyone's wands there was a tedious photo session that I thankfully didn't have to participate in. The photographer, whose name was Bozo, ended up getting enthralled by Fleur's magic again and focusing on her for the most part. The ceremony finally ended and Dumbledore seemed to do us a favor by taking the attention of Rita off us which allowed us to escape her prying questions. I was all too eager to escape this tedium when I found my path blocked by the 12 foot form of Madame Maxime.

"Can I speak you?" She spoke with a French accent as her eyes shifted over towards Tonks and Harry. "Privately." I merely quirked an eyebrow and nodded as I motioned both of my companions to go on ahead without me. They left and I felt the telltale tingle of privacy wards go up around us.

"What can I help you with, Madame Maxime?" Her eyes lit up as I spoke.

"Ah, so you speak French. Good. This will be easier for me to not have to speak in such a barbaric tongue." She said the last part with a playful tone and I rolled my eyes. It would seem the French and British rivalry is still going strong even in the magical world. Although why she commented about me speaking French now and not earlier when I was tearing into Karkaroff I don't know. A quirk of the All-Speak skill perhaps. "Anyways, thank you for taking down Karkaroff a peg or two. I've never liked the man and how a known Death Eater became a headmaster is beyond me."

He was a Death Eater? I suppose that's good to know. "He seemed to be targeting my student and I simply defended him as any good teacher should." My smile might have been a tad predatory. "If the ones attacking simply trip and fall upon their own swords then they shouldn't be so clumsy."

She nodded sharply as her smile matched my own. "A commendable attitude and with a tongue like a fencer's sword instead of a paintbrush. I'll have to keep an eye on the young Potter's progress." She mussed. "Who knows? Maybe you might find an offer of employment at Beauxbaton if he does well enough in the tournament."

I gave her a light bow. "You flatter me Madame Maxime. I shall strive to exceed your expectations."

Her laughter was as loud as one might expect from a woman who was nearly 12 feet tall. "I hope that you do Mr. Shiro as long as Beauxbaton wins and no one dies I care not for this tournament. Now if you'll excuse me I see my wayward charge looking forlornly at us. Do have a pleasant rest of your day." She stopped as though a passing thought had occurred to her. "Oh, and do watch out for Karkaroff in the future. The man has been known to hold a grudge." I felt the privacy wards drop as she finished imparting her warning.

"I shall, and I wish you a pleasant day as well." I said simply as she began to walk towards Fleur who sent me one last backward glance before she fell into step with Madame Maxime. With a roll of my shoulders I set out to find Harry.

I found both Harry and Tonks about 10 minutes later near the library talking quietly. When they saw me approaching they clammed up and Harry waved. "So, what did Madame Maxime want?"

"Hmm, nothing much. She just hinted that I might have a job offer waiting after this tournament is over with." Tonks eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"Bloody hell. Really?" I let a small smile form on my face as I nodded. "Why?" She backpedaled slightly as the question was said in a slightly rude way. "I mean, what made her give the offer to you?"

"I think she liked the fact that I cut down Karkaroff a bit in front of a reporter." Tonks tilted her head thoughtfully and then conceded the point. "Now, I believe that our morning workout was cut a bit short because of the ceremony so we'll have to go extra-long one as soon as we get changed." Harry's groan was music to my ears as we began to walk towards our bedrooms.

"Oh, and before I forget I have a question for you Tonks. What is Fleur, the Beauxbaton's champion?"

"Her? I'm surprised you didn't recognize it but she's a Veela." That didn't really mean anything to me as I didn't recognize the name but it would seem Harry came through for me.

"What's a Veela?" Harry asked. "And why did my head get so fuzzy when I was near her?" I think he already knew and was just asking for my sake. What a good little minion.

"Veela are a magical race that looks like humans but they always take on the form of beautiful women. Their presence is enchanting to males, and females that swing that way, and when they're angry or emotional enough they change into bird like creatures that throw fire. While they aren't classified as Dark creatures in Britain it's very close because a female child of a Veela is always a Veela. Apparently, it makes inheriting problematic as well because they're more inclined, through their magic, to have female children instead of male children."

Hmm, useful information I suppose. Now if only I knew whether Fleur wanted to fight me or fuck me and whether she would tell anyone else why she went off like that. I tapped my fingers against my leg as I sent a clone to keep an eye on her. I was spreading myself thin doing so but it was necessary.

The next day there was a rather inflammatory article in the Daily Prophet about Headmaster Karkaroff and the "harlot" French Veela that couldn't control herself around such proper English gentlemen. There was also a small article about me being a mysterious individual who nobody had any idea what my intentions were as I tutored Harry Potter. I had a chuckle about that but continued on with my life until 8 days went by and I found myself with Tonks and Harry standing in the crisp air near the lake early in the morning. It was time to show Harry the results of all his hard work. "Ready whenever you are Harry."

He nodded and assumed a stance as he began to cast. I kept track of them until he began to breath heavily and stopped. "145 spells in a row. That's up by 56 from your original 89." His grin was full of satisfaction as he turned towards me although that changed as he scratched the back of his head.

"I was wondering," he paused for a second and then continued. "I've been training a lot and I was wondering if I could have the rest of the day off to go to Hogsmeade?" He held his breath like I was going to berate him for slacking off but I just shrugged and looked over to Tonks who was lounging nearby reading some book that I didn't catch the title of.

"Sure, I don't care if you want the day off and I'm sure Tonks would appreciate doing something other than watching you sweat as you train." Tonks looked up from her book as I said her name.

"What's that about me?"

I gestured at Harry. "Harry here was thinking of taking you out on a date to Hogsmeade for the day." I couldn't see Harry's face right now but I'm sure it's gloriously red if the sputtering is anything to go by. She elegantly arched an eyebrow as she looked back and forth between us and I gave her a wink. I wasn't sure if she'd go along with the prank until she shut her book and sent a coy smile towards Harry. "Well, if a TriWizard champion wants a date with little old me who am I to say no?" As she walked towards us there was a bit more bounce in her step and a lot more sway in her hips.

As she passed me I was finally able to turn to see Harry's expression. He looked like he was going to explode from embarrassment he was so red along with the best deer in the headlights expression I've ever seen. Tonks hooked her arm with his and started dragging him away. "Now you'll have to look presentable for our date. A girl has to have standards after all…" Tonks bubbly voice faded as they grew further away until it was quiet except for the buzz of a beetle's wings next to me.

Without warning my arm snapped out, catching the beetle, and I placed it in a test tube that I withdrew from my pocket which I stoppered once the beetle was inside. "How fortunate," I said to no one in particular. "I was looking for a fresh beetle to finish one of my potions." The beetle, that was not a beetle, froze as I brought the tube up to my face as though to examine it. "Yes, I think you'll do perfectly."

I placed the tube inside a pocket and started to slowly walk towards the castle. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with the lovely Miss Rita Skeeter just yet but I'm sure I could think of something. When I got back to my room I conjured a small glass container that I could put Rita in for the time being and filled it with food and water. As I dumped her in I spoke out loud once more. "This should hold you for now little fella while I gather the rest of the potion ingredients. It could be a while before I can get my hands on the rest but it's not like you can complain." Rita was buzzing around her new prison frantically as I laid a few more spells on the glass so she couldn't escape.

With that done I went to my never used bed and laid down. If Harry was going to take a break then I would as well. Keeping track of everything and being constantly on guard, more than I usually was, for three weeks was mentally exhausting. I created a clone that would wake me if anything happened and then closed my eyes as I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke instantly, as I always did nowadays, to the familiar notice of my recovered health and my clone shaking my foot to wake me. "What?" I asked as I sat up feeling much better.

"The painting is saying Harry is asking to enter." I swung out of bed and reapplied my henge.

"What time is it?"

"Just after midnight." I froze for a moment before I looked at my clone who merely shrugged. I've never slept more than 6 hours after I became a Gamer but I slept for nearly 12 today. "Whatever," I muttered. I could figure it out later. "Make sure Rita can't see or hear anything if we come back into the tent." The clone gave a lazy salute as I walked past and went to the entrance of my bedroom which swung open to reveal an almost maniacal Harry.

"Can I come in?" He said in a rush causing me to raise an eyebrow as I stepped to the side. "Thank you." He quickly darted inside and I followed at a more sedate pace. When I caught up to him he was furiously pacing back and forth like he was trying to wear down the stone beneath his feet. "What's got you in such a mood? Was it your date with Tonks?" I joked trying to lighten him up a bit. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if a rain cloud formed over his head at this rate.

It worked, sort of, as Harry stopped mid step and nearly fell over before he righted himself. "What? Merlin, no! She told me it was a prank to get a reaction out of me when we got far enough away from you." His eyes narrowed at me. "I'll get you back for that somehow." I waved off his pitiful attempt to threaten me and motioned for him to continue. He let out a huge sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

"It was after my trip to Hogsmeade that Hagrid told me to follow him into the Forbidden Forest later tonight. I did and there were dragons there. Dragons! They expect us to fight bloody dragons!" He flopped onto a chair, his energy spent, as he turned to me. "You can help me right? Come up with some plan?"

"We have three days until the first task," I said slowly. "I'm sure we can come up with something before then." The naked relief on his face was almost palpable. "The first thing you should do is go to sleep." I quickly continued before he could speak. "I don't know the first thing about dragons and I would need to read a few books before I could come up with an idea but don't worry. If I can get through 7 years of Hogwarts material and learn it in just a few days, just learning about dragons will be nothing."

Harry's mouth opened and closed a few times before he spoke. "How did you do that anyways? It shouldn't have been possible."

I smiled and tapped the side of my nose. "It's a secret but if you win the tournament you can ask again as one of your three questions."

Silence fell between us as he started to fidget. "Do you really think I can make it through this much less win it?"

I gave him my fullest smile. "I do and I'll make sure you survive this tournament even if I have to interfere." It wasn't like I was actually bound by the rules of this tournament whereas there existed a faint connection between the champions and the Goblet. "Now, try to get a good nights rest and we'll come up with something tomorrow with Tonks."

He breathed out a deep sigh and nodded. "I'll try but I don't think I'll succeed." I gave him a pat on the back as I walked him to his bedroom and as the painting closed behind him I sent a clone back towards the library as I slipped off towards the Forbidden Forrest. Dragons were mythical beings that seemed to be prevalent in all forms of fantasy back in my fist life. Perhaps these ones would be intelligent enough to hold a conversation and be reasoned with.

It didn't take me long to find the dragons within the forest. All I had to do was follow the smell of smoke and the faint roars of the dragons. When I got close enough to actually see them I saw four separate dragons; a scarlet one, a green one, a blue one and a mean looking black one. All of them were in one large pit with bars separating them from each other and they each seemed to be huddled around their own clutch of eggs. Thankfully I could hear them complaining to each other instead of just mindless roars of beasts. There didn't seem to be any handlers in sight so I dropped down in the middle of the pit out of the reach of all four of them and dropped my invisibility.

All four of them froze before I spoke. "Hello there. It's a wonderful night tonight isn't it?"

A crunchy one speaks. The black dragon in front of me growled out as she seemed to recover from her shock. I'll call her Blackie for now but I'm not sure how well this was going to go if they called me crunchy all the time.

Perhaps. Redie hissed. It doesn't smell of our wardens but if it comes close enough it can taste my flame and provide a snack. My polite smile didn't falter but it was a close thing.

"I'd rather not end up as a snack. Do you have any idea of why you are here?" The dragons fell silent except for the slight thumps of their tails and the scratching of their claws on the stone.

It speaks and understands, yet is not dragon. Greenie roared. Unnatural. The other three roared their agreement and my smile turned into a frown. I was hoping to come to a deal with them to put on a show when they faced Harry but not harm him. That hope seemed to be fading fast.

"Before you make any hasty decisions I would like you to know that I've come to make a deal." I had barely finished speaking before four separate gouts of flames covered the area where I had been standing. From my new position crouched on the lip of the pits edge, after my quick body flicker, as I stared coldly down at the dragons as they searched for me. "So be it." Four heads jerk towards my position but I was already gone. Time to hit the library to find out how to best kill a dragon.

Morning found Tonks, Harry and myself sequestered in an unused classroom filled with a number of book about dragons. Four separate ones were opened and laid out to a specific page. In each of the four books there was information on the Chinese Fireball, Hungarian Horntail, Swedish Short-Snout and Welsh Green respectively. Sitting behind me I had a large chalkboard with strengths and weaknesses of each type of dragon. "So, anyone have any plans they want to share with the class today after seeing everything laid out before them?"

They were both silent for a moment before Tonks spoke. "Bloody hell. The task involves dragons and you two learned about it last night at midnight. When the hell did you set all this up? Did you even sleep?"

I waved it off. "Last night and sleep is overrated. Please keep the discussion focused on beating these over grown lizards from now on." The two of them shared a glance before Harry spoke up.

"Well, why don't you go first since you set this all up."

My fingers started beating a rhythm on the desk as I closed my eyes momentarily. "My first reaction to this if I had to fight one would be to transfigure something to either close around its mouth or block its airway and then proceed to a safe distance. It doesn't matter how big or how deadly something is if it can't breathe then it'll die."

By the end of it both of them were looking at me oddly and I didn't know why. My plan was perfectly reasonable. Whatever. The next three days were spent in a rush as we came up with plan after plan to deal with each of the dragons. Hermione even joined in after the first day and oddly enough Moody gave Harry the somewhat cryptic advice to play to his strengths. Tonks seemed a bit pissed off at that which I would be too if my mentor of three years basically ignored me for the better part of a month only to curtly say hello before leaving again.

Regardless the fateful day was here and the Quidditch pitch had been revamped into seating for the event. I found myself standing in the champions tent with Harry and the rest of the champions as they each prepared themselves. Cedric was pacing back and forth, Krum was simply sitting and meditating, Fleur was staring haughtily ahead while occasionally sneaking glances at me and as for Harry. "I think I'm going to be sick." He whispered to me. To be fair he did look a bit green so I carefully patted him on his back.

"Relax. Take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out. Breathe in, breathe out, you are more than capable of doing this. Breathe in, breathe out, you've grown stronger and now it's time to prove that to both yourself and those sitting in the audience." As I was talking I could see him calm slightly although the panic was still there waiting for him to have a moment of weakness before it would pounce.

Before I could continue a rather short stumpy man entered then tent and cleared his throat. "Sorry, but champions and officials only from this point. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I gave Harry's shoulder one last squeeze before I exited the tent and made my way up to where Tonks and Hermione were waiting with a seat saved for me in the first row. There was only time for a quick hello before the booming of a cannon announced the start of the TriWizard tournament.

Cedric stepped from the champions tent looking decidedly nervous as the Swedish Short-Snout growled irritably from all the noise. Ludo Bagman started to announce things but I tuned him out as I watched Cedric complete. He took a moment to center himself but then he began to transfigure the surrounding stones into a variety of animals before he disillusioned himself. The strategy seemed to work well enough and he procured the golden egg but not before taking some fire to his face as his dragon somehow caught wind of him even if he was invisible. Probably forgot to erase his scent or silence his footsteps, the amateur.

There was a short intermission as the dragon handlers brought out the next dragon, a Common Welsh Green, before Fleur stepped onto the field. Almost as soon as she did so she began to sing. I felt the enthralling nature of her magic expand and twist until it became soporific sending most of the audience, and the dragon, to sleep. She continued singing until she had retrieved the golden egg but stopped too soon and had to run away with the hem of her robe on fire.

Krum was next and he didn't seem to bother with subtlety as he sent Conjunctivitis curse after curse to blind the Chinese Fireball. I had to listen to the dragon wail in agony, confusion and pain as, in her blindness, she crushed half of her clutch of eggs. There was a smattering of applause as she was led away and the final dragon was brought out.

'Of course, the youngest champion had to face the biggest, meanest dragon of the four.' I thought as the Hungarian Horntail was chained down and began to claw at the ground in agitation. Harry entered the field looking absolutely tiny compared to the massive beast and did something I applauded him for. He tried to summon the golden egg. Rather unfortunately it didn't work but then it was on to the main plan we had come up with.

As I had said before dragons, while magically huge fire breathing terrors, were simply overgrown lizards at heart and like most lizards they were cold blooded despite being able to breath fire. An odd evolutionary trait for sure but one that Harry was exploiting ruthlessly as he cast freezing charm after freezing charm around the dragon. He also mixed it up with an aguamenti charm and then froze the water solid. It took a bit of time, about 10 minutes, before the dragon's eyes began to droop and it laid down with a bit of a shiver as it curled up.

5 minutes after that the dragon looked catatonic and Harry cautiously approached the nest. When it didn't respond at all he darted in and grabbed the golden eggs. As he was scurrying away the dragon's eyes cracked open and she growled. Egg stealer! You stink of the magic of the unnatural one. Burn! I stood up, as did most of the crowd, when a blast of flame exited the dragon's mouth.

I needn't have worried as Harry saw the danger and transfigured a stone wall between him and the flames. The act of defiance enraged the dragon and she lunged forward as though to gobble Harry up. I watched without much concern as the chain would bring her up shortly before she could reach Harry which was probably why my eyes widened in shock as the chain grew taut for perhaps half a second before it broke like wet tissue paper. Between one second and the next, as it set in that the dragon was free, and the horror began to dawn amongst the crowd, I stepped onto the edge of the stands.

"Sit!" My magically enhanced voice boomed out across the stadium. The dragon's sharp teeth were nearing Harry when my voice reached her and her head swiveled towards me. Unnatural one! Come and feel the taste of my flames! She roared her challenge towards me and I responded to her challenge.

I stepped off the 50 foot balcony, looking for all the world like I was committing suicide, yet I walked through the air like I was on solid ground as I let the entirety of my chakra flow around me creating a visible blue glow to surround me. I felt people behind me begin to faint from the pressure of my chakra pushing down on them but I paid them no mind as I strolled through the air, drawing ever closer to the dragon. Harry, being a sensible lad, had retreated to the relative safety of the champion's tent when he saw that the dragon was distracted by my little light show.

"I said sit!" Now that I was a bit farther away from other people I pushed more power out making me look like I was wreathed in blue flames. "Or I shall make you." My voice was cold and devoid of any emotion yet carried all the threat of a naked sword resting against your neck. The dragon backed up slightly and hissed up at me before it seemed to regain its spine and a pillar of flame shot up at me.

Perhaps luckily the stadium was near the lake so there was plenty of moisture in the air for what I planned to do. From an outside perceptive it must have been like I didn't do anything as a huge watery dragon appeared next to me and rushed towards the incoming flames but I had just made the hand signs for it too fast for them to see. The watery projectile, although weaker than normal without being formed from a large water source, still crashed through the dragon's flames and hammered down on its head. There was a loud thudding sound as its head was almost buried in the earth and I let my jutsu fade as I felt the dragon fall unconscious.

With that done I reapplied my chakra dampening technique and took a look at my chakra total. When I saw that I had used up a bit more than I quarter I had to bite back a sigh. While it was useful to intimidate people or in this case to catch something's attention I would normally never pump out chakra like that in a real fight. It was far too taxing to be practical. I slowly turned and made as though I was walking down a set of stairs while my chakra strings gently lowered me.

I really hadn't wanted to do that but I hadn't seen any other alternative other than Harry dying or me showing how fast I could actually move. Trying to summon him wouldn't have been fast enough and the dragon would have snatched him out of the air. The only acceptable solution had been to gain the dragon's attention and to do that I had to be flashy. Ugh, Saiko would put me on D rank missions and start retraining me from the ground up if she ever saw what I did. The thought of just leaving resurfaced but I didn't think that was a real option since the moment I arrived in this world. The Gamer system had taken a soft approach by providing me with incentives to stay, ie the quest about Harry, and I didn't want to find out it's hard approach or the repercussions of failing the quest. I was, perhaps not trapped, but here to stay for the moment.

My eyes roved over the stands taking in the large portion that was unconscious because they were too close to me and the silence as every eye followed my slow walk. Yes, there would be repercussions from this but I would weather the storm that was coming.

Age: 10 years - 4 months

Title: Root Shinobi, Son of a Kage

LVL: 31 - 5% to next LVL

HP: 1,760/1,760

Chakra: 98,192/98,192

Elemental Affinity: Water, Earth

Bloodline: Crystal Release

STR: 180(234)

VIT: 176

END: 168

DEX: 190(209)

INT: 202(216)

WIS: 155(165)

LCK: 50

Points: 18

Money: 921,402 ryo/ 15,276 galleons

Skills changed:

Charms Mastery 1 – 8

Transfiguration Mastery 3 – 8

Dark Arts Mastery 1 – 8

Occlumency 1 - 5