36: Playing with Wits

The Saturday before the First Task was the Hogsmeade weekend. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione decided to split up into different groups: Ginny went with Colin, Luna and Astoria for a tour around the village, Ron with the twins and Lee to Zonko's, and Harry and Hermione together with Neville and Susan headed to the Three Broomsticks.

"Hello, Harry," before they could reach the restaurant, Rita Skeeter seized Harry from behind, "Mind if we have a little chat?"

"I don't want to be rude, Miss," said Harry in a calm voice, "But it's either all of us or none at all."

Rita looked disappointed for a second before re-posturing herself, "No matter, dear. We can arrange something for all of you."

So they settled in the Three Broomsticks and endured an excruciating interview. The butterbeer helped Harry's mood a little, but he found himself longing for the burning sensation of a Firewhiskey soon after they started.

"So, Harry," asked Rita, "How are you feeling about the First Task? Nervous? Scared? Anything?"

"I simply don't want anyone to die," said Harry, "I think I've told you that already, Miss."

"What about your friends? Have they been helping you? Supportive?"

"Yes," said Harry, "I do have supportive friends. Loads of them, actually."

"Uh - Miss Skeeter?" asked Neville tentatively, pointing at the Quick-Quote Quill, "I don't think Harry is tearing up at the betrayal of… Ginny."

"Never mind that, dear boy," said Rita absentmindedly, still staring at Harry like a spider staring at a juicy fly, "Speaking of Ginny… Did you have a fight? Is this gorgeous lady over here your pearl now?"

"Miss Skeeter," said Susan warningly, Harry mentally applauded Susan for speaking up for herself, "I hope you do understand that you are planning on defacing a member of the Bones family."

"Bones?" Rita looked up to Susan, "As in Amelia Bones? Sister of Edgar and Addison Bones?"

"My father," said Susan, her face turning pink, "is Addison Bones."

"No matter, child," said Rita, "I know loads of things about your family… Mostly on your last Uncle… Things that no one wants to be revealed..."

Susan's face was as red as Ron's hair now. Harry's mind, however, wandered miles away. So Rita had something on Edgar Bones, which Harry was not surprised about. After all, it was Rita Skeeter, who dug half of Dumbledore's childhood out of a dying Bathilda Bagshot. But what could it be? Edgar and his family were murdered by Death Eaters before the end of the First War, so she couldn't have heard anything during the trials afterwards. Or could she? For all Harry knew, it could be as simple as being tempted by Riddle before joining the Order or as grave as accidentally leaking information from the Order. Or maybe he just had a fight in a pub or something, after drinking five pints of Firewhiskey?

Rita asked another question, which snapped Harry out of his thoughts.

"Pardon?" he asked, jumping a little.

"The Badge you are wearing," Rita pointed at the front of his robe, "Do you think it gives you a sense of recognition?"

"No," answered Harry simply, feeling annoyed, "It's in my favourite colour."

Well, that was only one of the reasons. Harry had been wearing them not only because they were green, or because they represented an ingenious piece of magic. It was his way of showing the school that he didn't want to compete, and that he didn't care about Galleons or Eternal Glory. Besides, it showed some friendly support to the Slytherins. If he, the Champion from Gryffindor, could wear the Badge with grace and even pride, then the rest of the Gryffindors would be less hostile against the House of the Snakes.

Clunk, clunk, clunk. Harry looked up to see Crouch limping his way towards them, followed by Hagrid. He waved at the latter, beaming.

"That's enough questioning for the boy, Skeeter," grunted Crouch. Rita immediately collected her equipments and scooted. "And watch what you write, woman!" Crouch added before she could scamper out of the pub.

"Thanks," said Harry quietly, refusing to show any more gratitude than appropriate. Hagrid beamed down at Harry, bent down to read over the Daily Prophet Hermione brought with her, and whispered, "Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear your Cloak."

Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, "Nice ter see yeh all, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Susan," winked, and departed. Crouch followed him.

"What does Hagrid want to meet you at midnight for?" asked Susan, taking the hint and whisper in her lowest voice. Neville, too, looked at Harry in bemusement.

"Dunno," said Harry, before exchanging a look with Hermione, "Maybe the Skrewts."

All four of them grimaced at the mention of the Blast-Ended Skrewts.

Harry was much calmer at the sight of the four dragons that night. Having ridden one himself, he knew that they were sensitive beings too. The only problem was that he would need to get into the Horntail's way, which could be tricky. But again, he had done it before, so he could do it once more.

According to Charlie, Mrs Weasley didn't have much of a problem with Harry dating Ginny, except that they were still "too young to be distracted like this". But overall, Harry was relieved that the Weasley matriarch approved the potential for their serious relationship. Charlie didn't express his own opinions, and Harry didn't know if he wanted to know them yet.

So the next morning, Harry woke up at dawn and headed straight down to the Great Hall. He'd brought a few books with him as he was determined to stay until he saw a certain person. Finally, at a quarter after ten, a tall, handsome boy walked in with his usual group of friends and started eating.

Harry snapped closed his Charms textbook, shoved it into his bag, and walked towards the Hufflepuff table. He tapped on Cedric's shoulder to gain his attention.

"Can I talk to you," he asked in a whispered, urgent voice, "privately?"

Cedric nodded in bemusement before standing up and following Harry out of the Great Hall. and into one of the busier corridors.

"The First Task," said Harry hushedly upon stopping, pretending to shuffle his books, "is dragons."

"What?" said Cedric, staring at Harry blankly.

"Dragons," said Harry, "They've got one for each of us, nesting mothers, we've got to get past them."

Panic flickered in Cedric's grey eyes. Without waiting for him to ask, Harry added, "I saw them yesterday. Fleur and Krum probably both know by now - Maxime and Karkaroff saw the dragons, too. You're the only one who doesn't know yet."

Cedric still stared at him with his panic-stricken eyes, as if unable to process all the information. Harry heard a familiar clunking noise behind him, and tried to say a few more words before Crouch got him.

"Trust me," he said urgently, "You need to be prepared -"

"Come with me, Potter," growled Crouch, "Diggory, off you go."

"Er - Professor," said Harry apprehensively, "I should be off to the library now -"

"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please..."

They had another chat about various Dark Detectors in Crouch's office. Harry wondered if the Secrecy Sensor and Sneakoscope were only active because Crouch was impersonating Mad-Eye. But, Harry reminded himself, the Foe-Glass was loyal to Crouch Jr. So was it possible that Crouch bought the Foe-Glass?

"So… found out about the dragons, have you?"

Harry refused to answer, and replayed telling Cedric about them earlier in his mind. Constant Vigilance, he told himself.

"It's all right," said Crouch, "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always have been."

Harry simply stared at him, trying to focus on Occlumency and conceal all emotions. Crouch let out a harsh laugh, one that was very unMad-Eye like.

"So… got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?" asked Crouch.

"Well," said Harry, pretending to be thoughtful, "I don't suppose I could jump on it and ride it -"

"Very witty, laddie," Crouch grinned before continuing gruffly, "I'm not going to tell you how. I don't show favouritism, me," Harry suppressed a snort, "I'm just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is - play to your strengths."

"I don't think shouting at a dragon could do the trick, Professor," said Harry dryly.

"This is no time to be clever with me, Potter," growled Crouch, "Think now. What are you best at?"

"Shouting, being shouted at, living without food, running away, getting into life threatening situations -" shrugged Harry. Crouch looked like he was ready to hex him, so Harry took a step back, "For skills… I guess I could count Quidditch."

"That's right," said Crouch, staring at him in anticipation, "You're a damn good flier from what I've heard."

"Thank you, Professor," said Harry, standing up and heading to the door, "For your confidence boost."

The look on Crouch's face was priceless.

Harry spent the entire Sunday and Monday evening pretending to master the Summoning Charm. As he practiced in the Room of Requirement, something clicked at the back of his mind. Flying to annoy the Horntail was a simple plan, but this new plan was even simpler: Simpler to Harry, at least. After briefing it to Ron, Hermione and Ginny, they decided to give it a try, except having the Firebolt ready for a back-up.

So there he stood, in the tent, alone, anticipating his Horntail. McGonagall and Bagman had both tried to give him hints earlier. He refused both, and wasn't sure if their ideas were worth listening to. After all, if everything went as planned, he'd get the egg within seconds. If not… Well, he could still fly.

The whistle was blown. Harry walked out of the tent and stood by the entrance, carefully taking in his surroundings. The clearing was bare. There was no stones or trees to block the Horntail's attacks. She was crouching on the ground. The clutch of eggs were safely tucked between her wings and her clawed front legs. Harry looked straight into her giant, yellow eyes and hoped to tell her he meant no harm by some sort of silent communication. But his attempt was futile, as she kept staring at him suspiciously.

Sighing, Harry raised his wand.

"Accio Firebolt," he shouted.

The Firebolt, as they planned, was stored in the broom shed beside the Quidditch pitch. It was much closer than the Gryffindor tower, and Harry made sure the door of the shed was open, to avoid any damages. A few seconds later, he heard it speeding through the air behind him, soaring into the clearing and stopping right in his hands. He mounted it without hesitation, and soared high into the sky, inspecting the eggs from above.

Then it came to him. It was still possible, he could have one more try before resorting to the original plan. He dived, stopping just in time to swerve around a jet of fire. That was it. He raised his wand again, and pointed at her wing that was covering the eggs while retreating carefully to a safe distance.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he pronounced the incantation, while doing the correct wand movement. The wing was lifted a few inches into the air, and from the confusion in those yellow eyes, Harry was sure he hadn't hurt her. And the last part couldn't be any easier.

"Accio Golden Egg."

The golden egg shot up into the air from between the Horntail's front legs. Harry caught it in a second dive and bounced right up, letting the dragon keepers dealing with an irritated Horntail.

The crowd exploded. Screams and applauds came from every direction, as loud as he remembered it last time. And then Bagman's excited comment echoed above them all.

"Look at that!" he was yelling, unable to contain his own excitement, "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr Potter!"

Harry carefully landed at the entrance, meeting Professor McGonagall, Crouch and Hagrid, all of whom were smiling with pride and relief.

"That was excellent, Potter!" cried McGonagall. The pride in her voice made Harry beaming at her again, grateful to have her full support and attention. Hagrid, too, was congratulating him loudly, only stopped when Harry interrupted to avoid revealing their midnight trip. Moody made a praise on him being nice and easy, which Harry reluctantly accepted, only because it was his style.

Ron and Hermione ran in as the judges conversed each other.

"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily, looking genuinely relieved, "You were amazing! You really were!"

Ron tapped his shoulder. "That was some of the most bloody brilliant thinking on your feet I've seen, mate," he said it as if they had just escaped Gringotts on a dragon again, "For a second I thought you'd be riding it and setting it free!"

"Well," said Harry in a mock serious tone, "I already have my broom, no thanks to riding anything bigger than that."

The three of them stared at each other for a second before having their own tension-dissolving laughing fit. Then, calming down and steadying his breaths, Harry asked them about the other Champions.

Nothing had changed. Cedric used transfiguration and got away closely, Fleur used a Trance Charm and caught on fire when it snored. Krum did the Conjunctivitis Spell and got half of his real eggs squashed. Even so,

"I think you did the best, Harry," exclaimed Ron, "You took the shortest, used the simplest spells, and avoided any injuries or damages. It didn't even feel the Levitation Charm!"

"I think it felt it," said Harry quietly, "She stared me in confusion when I lifted her wing. I think she knew it was lifted but didn't know how -"

"That was still awesome, Harry," said Hermione, "You've demonstrated how one could use a first-year spell to an extreme!"

"Well," grinned Harry, "That's just me, isn't it? Always using the simplest spells, and always having it work - like magic."

Hermione scowled at him before reminding them about the scoring.

The scores were not so different. Crouch Sr and Dumbledore both gave him a nine, and Bagman gave him a ten. Madame Maxime gave a nine, too. Harry suppose it was because he came out unscathed this time; Karkaroff seemed to think the lack of complexity was punishable, and decided on a three. So, in the end, he got the same score as last time, tying in the first place with Krum.

After receiving the instructions on the Eggs and bluntly shoving Rita, the trio headed to their Common Room for a celebration that lasted well into the night. Along with the screeching from the Egg and Canary Cream, Harry enjoyed the rest of the day with a sense of fulfilling, as if it was the best life he could have asked for now.

Remus, Sirius,

First Task, check. I won't brief you in this letter - Ron wants to act it. So come this Sunday at 11. We'll tell you everything.

Harry.

Hi Tonks,

I did it! Whoever that wants to kill me and make it look at an accident had their Strike One failed! The First Task, it was getting past nesting dragons to retrieve a golden egg. Let's say I stumbled onto them by accident three days before the Task, and Mad-Eye found out. He gave me a few hints and I sort of modified his idea a bit to make it more time-efficient.

Basically, I Summoned my Firebolt, tested the Horntail's defence, retreated back, Levitated her wing and Summoned the egg. It was quick and simple, one first-year spell and one fourth-year repeated twice. And according to Ron it took less than five minutes, that is including me examining the landscape and coming up with a final plan. I don't understand why nobody had simply Summoned the egg - it seemed more than straightforward to me. I didn't do it right away only because the Horntail was guarding it with its wing, I didn't want to harm her, and being in the air is loads safer than on the ground.

The party afterwards was great. Fred and George finally started massively producing Canary Cream. They are brilliant! You turn into a large canary if you eat one and it only last half a minute or so! We opened the egg in the party as it was supposed to be clues for the Second Task, but there was nothing but screeching noise. It sounded horrible - Neville said it sounded like Cruciatus Curse. I can't describe how I feel about it. It was simply horrible, hearing him say that.

That's about it on my end. How about you? I know you can't talk about cases since it's not related to me, but are you getting anything interesting recently? Or just more paperwork? How's Kingsley on the Bertha Jorkins case?

I just remembered that I haven't been giving Hedwig treats for a while… Please do not be surprised if she goes for another whole package again. But do discourage her.

Harry.

Wotcher, Harry,

That is great! Dragons are not exactly the most friendly creatures, are they? And congratulations on not dying this early on! I like your method, kid. Like you said, it's simple yet effective. Actually, as long as you are adept in using them to their greatest potential, even the simplest spells can win you a duel. For example, you can keep banishing objects towards your opponent to distract them and then do a quick Expelliarmus when they are too busy dealing with things flying towards them. But there's definitely no harm in knowing higher level spells. The Patronus Charm, for one, proves itself useful because it's the only thing that truly defeats a dementor.

Ah the parties. Always brings back good memories. I remember once we had a party in the Greenhouse with the Mandrakes - one of the traditional Hufflepuff parties. Professor Sprout gets a batch once every three years or so and the Puffs fourth year and up have a party with them when they enter their adolescence. It was just great! And Fred and George's Canary Cream sounds really amusing. I can't wait for them to open a real joke shop!

I'm still on that one boring case. It's pretty straightforward and we just need to find the suspect. But he keeps disappearing. It's getting frustrating as Scrimgeour wants to see progress. Well, I guess we'll eventually solve it. The paperwork is not too bad. According to Kingsley, July is the worst as they assess each Auror annually, and a lot of it depends on forms, surveys and reports. Thank goodness I'm only Junior Auror for now. Kingsley and the others I work with has monthly reports to file on me.

They still haven't found Bertha Jorkins yet. It's hard to get International Travel Approval without solid evidence, and your dream doesn't count. I think they are trying to get the Albanian Ministry to cooperate for now. If we know for sure she's dead, we'll definitely go into the woods.

I've read a few Rita Skeeter recently. Sounds like you've been busy? Just joking. I don't believe a damn what that woman says. Don't let her put you down. You are the cool kid, after all.

Hope you have fun at whatever you're doing!

Tonks.