Whispers in the Night

by Jean11089

Words have more power than we think. Thoughts & dreams can be revealed to those closest to us, to those we want to know more of, & to our greatest enemies. A single act of kindness, a single word can change someone's entire world. Join Harry on another adventure through his time at Hogwarts where even the quietest whispers can make a difference. Harry/Multi. Mature for a reason.

36. Chapter 36: The First Task

Whispers in the Night

Disclaimer: I'm just playing in JKR's sandbox and make no money from this. Please enjoy the story and feel free to leave comments and critiques, it's the only way to get better at this. I'm writing this story for my own enjoyment.

Content Warning: This story will contain mentions of abuse and scenes containing but not limited to swearing, violence, smut and other Adult Content.

Author's Note: 1. As always, thanks for taking the time to favorite, follow, read and review this story. I look forward to hearing from more of you. 2. I broke about even with this chapter, despite extensive editing and rewriting. Personally, I enjoy some of the character interactions. 3. No recommendations this chapter. Maybe next time? We'll see.

4. Enjoy the First Task!

Chapter Thirty-Six: The First Task

The day before the First Task, Harry couldn't find it in him to sleep any longer than he had. Up at an absurdly early time, the young apprentice made his way to the kitchen to find Turvy asleep in his rocking chair. Harry couldn't help but stop himself, lean against the doorframe and admire the sight for a few moments. Turvy was rarely at rest, always looking out for the family, always protecting them, serving them, doing his loving duty to keep his family happy, safe, and alive.

As quietly as he could, Harry summoned a camera he had gotten from the Creeveys for his birthday and snapped a quick shot. The teenage wizard was thankful the elf hadn't awoken at the slight pop. The little elf had done so much for him and the Boneses over the years that he deserved a spot of rest. That Turvy had settled into the tent as easily as he had back at the manor, with his little rocking chair, purchased by Ryan Bones during his Hogwarts years, covered a blanket that used to belong to Edgar Bones as a child, gifted to him by the man himself when Ryan had given Turvy the chair, slept rocking in his chair in the corner of the kitchen was something that would live with Harry for a long time to come.

After he set the camera out of the way, Harry went about gathering ingredients for breakfast, the first time he had ever since learning about the Dragons. It had been a whirlwind of activity since. Every morning Harry would wake up, go for a long run with Tonks and even a few friends on occasion, then come back to breakfast already having been made. That morning, however, was different. He didn't want to run, didn't want to bleed the tension of through physical exertion.

"Sometimes the best way to deal with it is to let it sink in," Harry murmured to himself as he whisked the eggs for omelets. "Sometimes you just need to think, to come to peace with what's ahead and know what you have to do…"

"You've been listening to Andi, finally," a whisper voiced from the doorway.

Harry froze for a moment before he resumed his task, beginning to mix in shredded cheese and other ingredients to the eggs. That voice had been with him every day since his name came out of the Goblet of Fire had bound him to this tournament, and he wasn't sure he could live without it. The support in its owner's very presence, the affection, the care, the undying emotions he could only begin to describe in the vaguest whiff of emotions that passed through him had never let him down. The quiet footsteps of her approach heralded his answer before she could speak another word.

"She certainly has a way with words," Harry answered softly as he continued mixing in ingredients. "But then she is a Mind Healer."

"And your aunt."

"True. But there's only one Auntie…"

Harry didn't need to see Amelia smile to know it was there. The gentle kiss to the side of his head was enough to know she echoed the sentiment in her own way. As she glanced over the ingredients, Amelia conjured an apron for herself and began working on another bit of breakfast, something Harry had taught her back at the manor their last week at the Ossuary before school. As they worked quietly, however, Harry knew another question was coming.

"Is there another reason you felt the need to cook?"

"Besides the fact it may be my last chance to make breakfast because Turvy won't let me anywhere near the kitchen tomorrow?"

A rumble of thunder resonated through Amelia's magic, signaling the wave of emotions that stormed within her before she collected herself. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"Better safe than sorry," Harry choked out as quietly as he could. "And I am, sorry that is. I didn't mean to say that."

"It's better that you did," Amelia tried to reassure him as she set a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes it's best to keep things out in the open. But this won't be the last time you make breakfast. Nor will tomorrow or the next day. A hundred years from now I expect a hearty breakfast from you on my birthday and I'll be sorely disappointed if you're not there to give it to me."

"Is that your way of reassuring me I'll make it out alive?" Harry asked as he looked over to Amelia.

"It's my way of telling you that I love and care about you too much to lose you to some deranged tournament and its dragons," Amelia said with a stern, defiant growl in her voice. "But yes, you will make it out alive, one way or another. Whether you do it on your own or need a little help, you will come out of the other side of the task alive."

Harry nodded, grateful for her reassurances even as he continued to cook. As he remained silent, however, the perceptive witch asked another question. "Any other reason you want to cook instead of run or study?"

"I'm tired of studying, tired of trying to master spells and detainment techniques, distraction tactics, or stealth abilities," Harry answered her as he began to fry up the first omelet of many. "I just want to create something with my own hands. I want to make something in this world before I…"

Before I take something away… Harry finished in the quiet of his mind.

"None of that now," Amelia picked up where he left off. "You've made plenty in this world, and what you've made will live on no matter what happens, but even more so if you're there to share it with us. You've made my life even greater for having you in it. Sue, Daphne, Tracey, Tonks, Hermione, Hannah, Blaise, Theo and Neville, all of your friends, you've made all of our lives greater for having you in them and there's nothing that can take you away from us so easily. We won't allow it, nor will Poppy."

Harry couldn't help but offer a smile at the mention of the Healer, his Master and confidant. While not so long ago he might have grimaced at the thought of the older woman, he couldn't help but find comfort in the thought of her now. Even as the words she spoke not so long ago that had admonished him, rightfully so, rang in his head he couldn't help but smile as he realized how right she was.

"I don't care whether a nundu or a basilisk was waiting for you in the first task, Harry James Potter," Poppy had begun with a righteous indignation when she found him in the tent shortly after lunch the day they had discovered the dragons. The champions were assembled and Harry had just told them about the Dragons to be sure they all had an even footing. Poppy, however, had no longer been able to restrain her temper as she continued her rant. "While the circumstances are dire for you in the eventual future, it doesn't give you the right to go healing anyone you want without supervision! Healing magic is art and science all at once and if a single stroke is swished incorrectly, if a single mote of intent is twisted, or a single cell is out place then everything could come undone! You know better than this! I taught you better than this! As my apprentice you are my responsibility, and as your master I am yours, just as our patients are both of ours to care after."

Harry had winced at that, fully aware of just how royally he had fucked up by healing Daphne outside of the infirmary and Poppy's direct supervision. Sure Tonks had been there but by the looks Andromeda was giving her, since she had stopped by to visit on her lunch break from St. Mungo's, Harry was sure the young auror would be getting an earful shortly. Harry, however, had his eyes trained on his teacher, not with his head down but his shoulders had shifted enough to show his deference to someone he admired and respected, who was right to carry out a swift judgment on him for rash, thoughtless behavior.

"What was the first thing I taught you?!"

"We are responsible for those in our care, first as a healer, second as anything else we might be to them," Harry recited clearly.

"Exactly! You put your emotions ahead of your reasoning and training and you cannot do that! Not if you are to continue treating them as a proper healer!" Harry's friends, including the visiting champions, winced at the implication and Daphne, as ashamed as any, looked down as the Healer took not just Harry, but Daphne herself to task with those words. "I trained you to look past your emotions and it seems I must keep doing so! You are a Healer, Harry! We must care for our patients, yes, but not at the cost of their health and well-being! What you did, what you risked, was unacceptable! She should have been treated through the proper course of action before you went gallivanting off to learn about those bloody dragons! Do you understand?!"

"Yes Poppy," Harry answered, fully aware of the lesson she was imparting to him now.

"Then explain it to me in your own words," Poppy demanded of him with a firm but gentle order.

"If I didn't treat her properly, if I didn't follow protocol, if I didn't act as a Healer first then she could have ended up worse off than she had been when she was first injured," Harry responded as he collected everything he knew of the situation and the lesson Poppy was teaching him. "I have to be impartial, objective in order to do my best to care for the patient. As a Healer with any patient I know I'm not treating just an injury or illness, but a person. I let my connection to that person get in the way of making sure they wouldn't need to visit me again, of making sure their well-being was put above my own emotions for that person. It won't happen again."

All was silent in the tent for a few moments as the rest of the teens realized just what was going on. It was a hard lesson to learn, true, but it was one they would all benefit from, not just Harry. As Poppy stood there, evaluating his answer, the room was still, awaiting her judgment before she let out a long-suffering sigh.

"I hate that you remind me so much of myself at your age," the healer grumbled as she advanced on her apprentice and set a hand softly on his shoulder as their eyes met once again. "But I admire it as well. Dorea had the same problem as the both of us. Sometimes we let our emotions get the better of us and we make mistakes like this. It is best you learn this lesson now with a minor wound rather than when someone you care about has splinched themselves, or been shot or cursed in the middle of a war zone. We have to follow our own rules, our laws, our code and oath before our emotions, Harry. You will make this mistake again, just as I have, just as Dorea did, just as every Healer does on occasion. I'm arming you with the knowledge to limit those mistakes, to make you into the Healer I know you can be."

Harry nodded at that but before he could get a word in, Poppy continued. "We are human, Harry, we are not emotionless and if we were we would be no better than a construct, a machine. We are Healers, and we will make connections with patients dozens, hundreds, thousands of times over and remember them for who they are, and sometimes, if the story is interesting enough, how they came into our care in the first place. It is alright to care for your patients, Harry, but one rule we must always live by is that their health takes priority over our own emotions."

"Of course," Harry answered a bit more confidently. "I'll do better next time."

"Good…" Poppy let out with a small sigh before she wrapped him in a hug then held him at arms' length a moment later. "Now that the hard part of being your master is over, let's get down to the downright difficult and disturbing: Let's prepare you for that dragon."

The memory, despite how serious his infraction had potentially been at the time, warmed him. Poppy had done her level best to help him become the Healer he needed to be, and she was constantly working with him to make that happen. As her expertise wasn't in fighting dragons, but in taking care of people in the aftermath, she had shown Harry spells that would come in handy to prevent injury in the first place, then to heal wounds as necessary if push came to shove. Of course he prayed he didn't have to use any of those life-saving techniques, but it was better to know them than to not. Tonks had faced a similar reprimand from her mother while Amelia, who had been less than pleased to see such performance, insisted Nym undergo the same standard as Harry, though future infractions would be far less forgiving.

"You know we won't allow you to leave us like that, don't you?" Amelia interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to their earlier conversation.

"Yeah, I know," Harry assured her with as bright a smile as he could manage before rescuing the omelet from being burnt as he flipped it.

"Good, because you're also not leaving the tent today, nor are you studying or practicing," Amelia began as they continued to cook.

Harry nearly missed the plate he was aiming the omelet for as he turned to look at her. "What? Why?"

"You don't remember?"

Harry looked at Amelia with a searching gaze until she gestured over to the wall with a slight nod of her head. There hung a calendar, one with a day marked clearly in silver before one that glowed red. As he noted the day, realization finally struck Harry as he thought of what the day was.

"The 23rd of November…" Harry muttered with reverence as a smile worked its way across his lips before his gaze returned to Amelia's. "The day you adopted me."

"An anniversary I won't be forgetting anytime soon," Amelia responded happily as the pair quickly set their things down and hugged. As they parted, the Bones matriarch's smile was as bright as Harry had ever seen it. "We're spending today as a family. No training, no work, nothing but the three of us, Tonks, and anyone else that wishes to join us to celebrate all day. You have your plans all set and ready for tomorrow. We have all worked ourselves to the bone over these Dragons, competitions, and training; it's time we take a day for ourselves and just be a family."

"Thank you, Auntie," Harry said with a smile before they went back to work.

As they did, of course, Harry couldn't help but reach his hand over and toss some powdered sugar at Amelia, whose blood-red-hair instantly gained a streak of white. It was the beginning of the end, and the commotion caused as the pair tossed ingredients idly at each-other finally awoke Turvy enough to have him badger them over messing up the kitchen. Tonks was next to arrive, having heard the commotion, but she could only laugh at the sight of Harry and Amelia covered in everything from eggs to syrup as Turvy desperately tried to get them to stop.

So it was after their impromptu food fight that Amelia and Harry cleaned themselves up and spent the entire day with Susan, Tonks, and a rotation of their friends that stopped by between classes. Harry had sent Poppy a patronus explaining what was going on, which she had happily agreed with and said she would join them that evening. Susan was exempt from classes on an excuse from Amelia regarding "family business" which Minerva was happy to accept for the day.

"Room for one more, Amy?"

The gruff voice of Alastor Moody was a welcomed surprise within the redoubt, for most of the occupants at least. Harry had spoken only briefly with the Master Auror before but the man had proved wise and intelligent, especially since his advice earlier in the year had been valuable from a relationship standpoint. Amelia, who was old friends with the man, quickly ushered him in with a gesture.

"Come in, Alastor," Amelia said with a broad smile. "There's always room for you."

"I thought you'd have class, Uncle Alastor?" Susan asked the man as she went to hug him, an act which Moody reciprocated with his free hand, as the other held his walking staff.

"Bah, I made sure to stack my classes so I get Fridays afternoons free for paperwork," the grizzled man answered before he looked fondly on the young redhead. "More opportunities to catch troublemakers like you, even if the rest of my days are busy as all hell."

"But uncle, I wouldn't make any trouble," Susan teased the older man with a mischievous grin.

"You make enough of it for your lad there," Alastor responded with a smirk as he gestured to Harry. "But I bet he gives your hind a good swat for the trouble you cause him, especially now after I told him how to do it right at the beginning of term."

Tonks burst out laughing as both Harry and Susan blushed. The metamorph was quick to embrace her first mentor and primary teacher at the academy as she laughed to the old man's crass joke. Amelia, meanwhile, shook her head and approached her mentor to give him a brief embrace when Nym finally gave her room.

"I knew you were a bad influence," Amelia teased the old auror as she held him tightly for a moment.

"Bull, I'm the right kind of influence on these young ones, lass, and you know it," the scarred man answered fondly as he released Amelia. "I heard from Minerva that today's a family day for you, so I figured I'd drop by."

"Of course you're family," Amy answered easily as she pat his arm in reassurance. There was a silent understanding between the two as Alastor shrugged, though both of his eyes were locked on her. "I'm sorry I've kept you at bay so long."

"You had your reasons, lass, good ones I reckon from what I've learned and seen," the man replied before he looked to Harry and grinned. "So how's it feel, lad? To have a family for a year so far?"

"Words aren't enough," Harry answered slowly, uncertain just how much of himself he could show the auror.

"Hmm, or you haven't found the right ones yet," Alastor challenged lightly before he sat himself down at the poker table.

"Sometimes there are no words," Harry gently argued right back as he leaned against the table just next to the auror, his defiant side coming out clearly as he spoke with the experienced soldier.

"And sometimes we're afraid of them," Alastor muttered for Harry's ears only. "And we're afraid because we never know what's on the other side of them for ourselves, aren't we?"

Harry's gaze met Moody's, their eyes locked on one another for a few short moments before Harry turned his gaze aside, as much as admitting to the man's words in the ensuing silence. Alastor, however, kept his gaze trained on the young man before him until Harry had the nerve to look back.

"Now I wasn't sure if this was a rumor or not, but I hear you're something of a card shark," Alastor drawled as he pulled them both out of their quiet exchange and headed toward safer conversations. "I'm not so bad a hand at cards myself, or so I've been told. Let's see how good you really are."

"Don't go making challenges you can't meet," Harry warned as a playful pride exuded out of him, glad for the brief reprieve Moody had offered him.

"Oh-ho! So that lad thinks he can beat old Moody at cards eh? Let's see what you got, laddie. Galleon buy in a hand too much for you?" the man beckoned as he set his staff aside and his flask and coin-purse on the table. "And do you got a charmed deck to stop cheating? I don't exactly like taking my eye out for anything except routine cleaning."

"A galleon is fine by me. As for a charmed deck, I had to buy one to keep Amy from cheating in order to beat me," Harry sassed toward the Head of the DMLE as she play-acted offense.

From there the family set themselves up for a few rounds of poker, each of them winning a hand here and there as the experienced group of players played one another. Harry soon got used to Alastor and his gruff demeanor, and was happy to play against a seasoned warrior like him. They spent their day following that with a few games of billiards, discussing literature, listening to the wireless, and even eating cookie dough they had made for cookies that never had a chance to exist. Moody wasn't as fond of dough as the others, so instead he was granted a glass of the finest brandy they had in the tent. It was everything each of them had ever hoped for out of a family anniversary, such as it was. Bill managed to stop by after work just in time for dinner and the evening festivities. As soon as classes were out for the day all of their friends had joined them for dinner along with Poppy and Minerva.

Turvy had enlisted the help of Tipsy and Topsy to make dinner and they had outdone themselves using recipes they had learned from Harry's cook books. More than once someone in the group had asked if Harry was prepared only to be swatted on the back of the head and reminded to relax and let things happen as they would. Everyone knew he had multiple plans, but all of them were concerned for his welfare. So with little encouragement they spent every moment enjoying their time together while they could instead of worrying about the coming task.

"I know it's our first anniversary as a family and people don't usually celebrate these things but it's a tradition I wanted to start," Amelia said as she sat with Susan and Harry on the couch as Alastor sat nearby on an armchair. "I wasn't exactly sure how except for spending the day together but it has been a wonderful day."

"That it has," Harry said as Susan smiled and the teens moved closer to Amelia to hug her while Moody offered a slow, grateful nod.

"Oh I'm not done yet," Amelia told them as the pair of teens looked to her curiously. "I decided we needed something to commemorate it so I stole a few ideas."

In an instant the elves popped up and handed both of the teens a package. Curious, the two teens slowly opened it until Harry gaped slightly and Susan began to chuckle. Everyone had gathered around to see what was going on until Harry pulled out a jersey, the shield symbol Daphne had created on it with his name on the back while Susan had a similar jersey as Amelia pulled her own out of an extended pocket.

"A bit of an odd family gift to start, I know, but considering the circumstances surrounding us this year I thought it appropriate," Amelia began as Daphne smirked from her place between Tonks and Tracey on another couch. "Daphne and Poppy helped me figure out something appropriate for the occasion and your personal symbol stands up well, given that many centuries ago the Bones were originally Healers… as well as necromancers when it was more acceptable. Poppy decided your house symbols would work just fine."

"I think they're amazing," Susan said instantly as she hugged Amelia. "Thank you auntie."

"Same here," Harry said as he hugged Amelia from the other side. "Thanks Aunt Amy, and the rest of you," Harry added quickly when he parted from Amelia to look to Daphne and Poppy.

"Good, now go get changed into them, I want a picture," Amelia ordered them. The pair rushed off to change and as soon as they got back they found Amelia and everyone else in the jerseys as well. The women's jerseys had slight scoop-necks and were longer, going past their hips so they could act like very short dresses if it came to it, while the boys' jerseys were less tight and flowed a little easier. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to show support tomorrow either, so I had a few extra made."

Harry and Susan shared a laugh with everyone at that before they took their seat on the couch with Amelia again. Tonks took a photo of them and when it was over a number of others were taken, including one picture that added Alastor and Bill, and a few others that added a number of people from the assembled group. Eventually they were able to get Turvy to take a picture of everyone together. It wasn't long afterwards that Amelia showed Harry a set of banners with the symbol on it as well that they would use for him during the tournament, much to his and Poppy's delight.

As everyone finally enjoyed dessert and let conversation roam free, Harry stood off to the side. He leaned against the wall of the bedroom hall, his head resting against it with a smile on his face as he watched his friends and family. A number of times he tried to say something to them but every time he tried he stopped himself. Doubt kept getting the best of him even though he wanted to say it aloud. If it was said aloud he made it real and something inside him held him back because if he said it then there was no more turning back if it was a mistake.

I... I want them to know...

When everyone had finally gone back to the castle, Harry was left with Amelia and the elves as they cleaned up while Bill and Tonks went to prepare for the night. Again and again Harry cursed himself for not being strong enough, for not being brave enough to open himself up like he had wanted. The dark pit inside him gnawed at the idea over and over until finally he grew frustrated enough to just throw himself into cleaning. He was just about to start washing dishes when Amelia dragged him out of the kitchen and out to the couch to sit him down.

"Alright, what's wrong?" she asked as she sat down next to him. "You've been quiet for the last hour."

"I'm afraid, Amy," Harry admitted as much to Amelia as himself, though about almost entirely separate ideas as he tried to control himself. "Actually that's not true, I'm terrified. I'm terrified I've traded one death for another and I'll lose all of you anyways no matter what I do or say."

"Oh green-eyes," Amelia sighed softly as she cupped his face in her hands, concern and compassion flooded her as she sought to reassure him. "Harry, you will not lose us, I swear it. There is nothing in this world that could take us away from you or you from us. You are not going to die out there tomorrow. You made a promise to Daphne, to me, to Susan, to all of us that you would come back. I told you once before that I have faith in you. I believe that promise with every fiber of my being no matter what tomorrow brings."

"But the dragons… I mean even with everything I've learned and prepared there's a good chance they'll-" Harry cut himself off before he could finish that thought. "I've trained to minimize the risk, to survive the task any possible way I can… But what if my plans don't work? What do I do, Amy? If everything goes to hell in a hand basket what do I do?"

"You fight," Amelia encouraged him as she let her silver gaze bore into Harry's jade eyes, unknowingly confirming thoughts he'd had ever since he learned of the task. "You fight like you've been fighting all of this time and you don't stop. You fight with every breath in your body to come back to us because we need you. I need you. I need my son to come back and tell me everything is alright."

Harry froze for an instant as his eyes frantically searched Amelia's for truth and found nothing other than exactly what he wanted. "Did you... Did you just-"

"You're damn right I did," Amelia murmured back to him with a hum and a smile. "Because that's what you are, that's who you are. You're not my ward, my niece's boyfriend, my nephew or anything else. You are far more than any of those things to me. You are my son, Harry. It may have only been a year but you are my son, just as Susan is my daughter, and I love you with all my heart. Adopted or not, I've taken to you like I never dreamed I could and I don't want you to go out there tomorrow thinking anything less than the idea that you mean everything to us, that you are truly a part of the family we have all created together. That we want you to come home knowing you're loved."

Whatever worries Harry may have had paled in comparison to the joy he felt at being so wholly accepted by Amelia. If there was a perfect gift for an anniversary as a family, she had just given it to him, just as the feeling of Harry accepting the Bones family magic into himself in that moment was one of the greatest gifts he could have given her. Harry desperately wanted to tear the words he knew that lingered within from their prison inside his mind but instead he pulled the woman into the tightest hug he had ever given. It wasn't near enough, but it was all he could manage.

"Thank you, Amy."

"There's nothing to thank me for," she whispered in his ear as she held him comfortably in her loving grip. "Now what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"Tear that dragon a new one if it means getting back here," Harry managed with the slightest bit humor as he wiped away what quiet tears had left him.

"That's what I want to hear," replied Amelia as she held him tighter for just another moment. "Now go on," she continued as she released him. "Off to bed, you'll need all the rest you can get."

For once as Harry followed her request he got what he wanted out of a night's rest. Not a single nightmare had plagued him and despite being up at his normal time he felt as refreshed as ever. Breakfast went smoothly with Amelia, Tonks and William in attendance. Turvy had cooked, as Harry suspected the elf would, and the teen wondered if that was always how it was meant to be today. Everyone else had been forced to stay in the castle for breakfast as part of another "feast" in commemoration of the beginning of all of the competitions with the First Task, though Harry knew the real reason.

The Quidditch pitch was undergoing its final transformation into an arena and the dragons were being moved.

Only after Dumbledore announced it was time with a sonorous charm that flooded all of Hogwarts' grounds was everyone allowed to head down to the pitch. Harry walked along with his friends, smiling as much as he could and telling them it was alright. Hell, he was reassuring himself as much as he was them. He spent a few minutes with Susan and Daphne, sharing an intimate moment with them before they went up to save seats with everyone else. Only Amelia and Poppy were allowed in the champion's tent with him, which was situated at one of the entrances to the pitch proper and not the stadium.

"Ahh! Good! You're all here! We have a little surprise for the champions, as we thought you could use some inspiration for the task ahead," Bagman announced to the tent before opening the tent flap further. Everyone stilled at the sight before them, but Harry, Poppy and Amelia smiled.

"Papa! Mama! Gabby!" Fleur said as she rushed to hug her parents and pulled her little sister into the embrace, even if she had just left her sister with Odette what seemed like mere moments ago.

Cedric and Krum waited patiently for their parents to get to them but their embraces were just as heartfelt as the one Fleur displayed. To know their families were there watching them, supporting them, was a magic all of its own. Harry hid his knowing smile by raising the hood of his robes over his head and bowing it slightly. All the while Amelia held his hand tightly. Poppy's hand settled on his shoulder in an echo of Amelia's sentiment. Harry breathed deep to let the moment sink into his mind until he heard a slight cough. His eyes flashed open and Harry looked up at the waiting form of Sebastian Delacour, a grateful smile on the man's face.

"I hear I have you to thank for this opportunity, Mr. Potter," the ambassador said as he shook Harry's hand. "Thank you for bringing this up to the officials so we could have a moment with our families. It means a lot to my wife and me, and no doubt my daughters as well. I'm glad to have met you at the World Cup."

Harry shrugged, a small grin on his face as he gazed into the intriguing heterochromatic eyes of the French ambassador. "Family and comfort is its own kind of magic and healing. They needed it as much as I do." Harry replied as he held Amelia's hand tighter. "You've been well since the summer?"

"I have, very much so. At first I was concerned about your involvement in the tournament but Fleur and Maxime had respectful things to say about your conduct," the man said with a small chuckle. "Thank you for the subscription to the Quibbler as well. It's good to know there's honest journalism to be found in the world, even if it is surrounded by strange creatures and even odder theories."

"You?! You're the boy he met at the World Cup?!" Fleur said with thinly veiled disbelief as she approached and looked between Harry and her father.

"What, you expected it to be Roger Davies or Jason Montague?" Harry asked, a small smirk on his lips as Amelia, Sebastian and Poppy chuckled around him. "You have been paying those two some attention lately. I was wondering if you would figure out who it was your father met."

"But in all of our talks you never mentioned meeting my father," Fleur nearly growled at him, her wand simmering with heat. "What else have you been holding back, 'Arry?"

Sebastian's laughter took any tension out of the moment as he pat Harry on the shoulder and hugged Fleur to his side. "Oh, thank you for this Harry! I hadn't thought of it being much of a prank until now but I see it was worth it just to see my daughter riled so much," the man said with a maddening grin at Fleur, who huffed and rolled her eyes at her father, clearly irritated with the two men. At a slight clearing of the throat from behind him, Sebastian looked slightly abashed as he gestured for his wife to join them. "My apologies, I've been rude. This is my ever lovely and outstanding wife, Apolline Delacour."

"A pleasure, m'lady," Harry said as he kissed her hand like a member of the gentry, again controlling himself in the face of an allure he wasn't used to encountering on a semi-regular basis, like he had around Fleur, Odette and Gabby. Besides that, Apolline was everything a man could have desired out of a woman, physically speaking. Eyes that gleamed in every shred of light, heady curves that lured one in with the promise of passion, pleasure, and beauty unmatched, hair like snow and a bearing that captivated everyone around her with but a single step. Harry was put to the test and quickly collected himself, forcing thoughts of Apolline out of his mind to replace them with Susan and Daphne, and perhaps a few stray images of Tracey, Tonks and even Fleur herself. "I see where your daughters get their looks. It's a shame their father went into the grime of politics when such beauty shouldn't be spoiled by it. Why ever did you marry a man like Sebastian?"

The ambassador rolled his eyes while Apolline maintained a bright smile of amusement as her fingers traced Harry's chin, an action that caused Harry to raise an eyebrow at her as he tensed at the almost intimate gesture. Very few women, or people in general, were allowed to touch him in such a way, and Apolline seemed to pick up on that quickly as she withdrew her hand. "His eyes. Few men have such a captivating gaze that they can catch the eye of a veela with a single look. The moment I saw Sebastian, I knew, not because of how handsome his eyes were, but because of what I saw within them… Your gaze would certainly garner attention at the conclaves. What do you think, Fleur?"

"Enough already, he is taken mama. Leave the boy alone. I want to spend some time with you both," the older teen said instantly as she tried to pull her parents away. She threw a faux-glare Harry's way, but the apprentice could tell she was grateful to him for bringing this idea up to the officials, even if she was mildly irked he had kept the fact he had met her father a secret. Neither parent resisted her pull as Harry waved them off with a smile while Gabby giggled and followed after them once she had said hello to Harry once again. After greeting Viktor and Cedric's parents briefly, Harry went back to enjoying what time left he had with Poppy and Amelia even as the roars of dragons echoed all around them, which had all of the parents comforting and encouraging their children instantly. Unfortunately a certain reporter wasn't quite done trying to get a story.

"Oh the champions and their families! How touching," Rita Skeeter said as a brilliant flash went off from Bozo's camera to capture the touching reunions. "Sharing your final moments with loved ones! Oh, it must be such a relief. If none of you succeed and became fatally injured in the process, would you mind giving me any famous last words?"

A stony silence met Rita's question. None of the champions nor their parents appreciated the interruption. A number of glares were directed the witch's way and Amos seemed ready to start tearing into the woman with a few very choice words, while Apolline looked like she was about to conjure fire. Mr. Krum, Gregor, seemed as if he was reaching for something in his jacket, most likely his wand. Harry, however, eased off of his chair, pulled down his hood and stretched out to capture the room's attention, specifically the reporter now almost directly to his right.

"What you mean instead of 'Oh god, I'm dying! AHHHHHH! HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT! And Herrrk! Blah...'?" Harry professed allowed as he acted out each with dramatic grestures appropriately for each sentiment, much to the contagious sniggering of the entire tent at his apropos dark humor. Rita flushed at being treated like a child while the parents and the other champions appreciated Harry's attempt at humor, despite how dark its undertones were. "Yeah, I've got some last words: I really wish I'd had an orgy before I died."

"Harry James!" Amelia admonished him lightly as she stood and swat his shoulder, desperately trying to hide her own amusement. "Behave yourself!"

"What?! With me dating Susan and Daphne, as well as being surrounded by all of the other women I know half the time, can you blame me?!" Harry asked to the further laughter of Cedric, Viktor and even Fleur as Poppy and Amelia gave equal long-suffering sighs to hide their thinly veiled amusement.

"Ah! Ms. Skeeter, I don't believe you were invited to enter the tent," Dumbledore said as he entered the tent with Bertha Jorkins, whose hands were excitedly stuffed into her pockets, as well as Bagman who bounded in joyfully. "This is for the champions, officials, and their families only."

"I was just leaving, Dumbledore. Thanks for the quote, Potter!" the journalist nearly spat as she and her photographer left with no small glares directed at Harry and his family.

The headmaster looked at Harry curiously until the teen shrugged and leaned against the nearby wall. His nerves were getting to him and if he didn't laugh he was going to shut down. The fact that he had emboldened the rest of the room with his humor was only a bonus. The smiles on Amelia and Poppy's faces was enough to calm him as they realized just what he had done and joined him in his place.

When it finally came time, Harry hugged Amelia tightly before she was forced to leave with the rest of the parents. Bagman went around with a bag and let each champion choose their opponent as Bertha explained the task. As fate would have it, Harry had landed the worst of them all. Each of the other three looked to him with some level of concern before a glimmer of a smile passed over his lips.

"Which end is the head again?" Harry asked as he dangled the dragon replica of the Hungarian Horntail from one end then the other as he examined it curiously. "I can't tell. All of this looks the same to me. This is nothing like how dragons were described in Tolkien's novels."

Viktor, being a fan of literature, got it first as he adjusted the dragon in Harry's hand so it sat upright as he chuckled. "I believe he was closer than you think, Harry. The end that breathes fire would be the head, yours just has a large tail to confuse and try to kill you. Also, this end has eyes, if you didn't notice. Remember the trickery of dragons and the lust for gold they breed in all whom come across their hoard. They love riddles, though these ones may not speak clearly."

The officials seemed confused and even concerned as they looked over the champions. All of them knew what they were headed toward and of all times they were joking? Of course at the mere mention of a riddle the officials seemed even more shocked, since the clue they prepared was indeed a riddle of their own design. Dumbledore, however, chuckled slightly as he recalled the books he had read in his younger years by the great author.

Cedric began to laugh as well when he understood what the two were talking about. "So according to Tolkien, who would we be?"

"Well I suppose Dumbledore fits the bill for Gandalf well enough," Harry replied with a grin as he tossed his thumb over at the old wizard who offered an appreciative nod. "Hagrid is Radaghast without question, his love of creatures goes beyond the norm even if he prefers the more dangerous ones. Poppy would be Galadriel, for her great magic and wisdom. That makes you Cedric… Legolas, because you're so pretty," Harry dodged the playful swat the older teen threw at him as the pair of them laughed over the reference and Poppy smiled at the sight.

"Viktor, you would be Eomer, greatest of the Riders of Rohan." The tall Quidditch player grinned widely at the reference and gave a small cheer of acceptance. "As for Fleur, you would be Eowyn, or one of the great beauties, Luthien, Elwing or Arwen."

"Eowyn, whose blade cut down the Witch King where no Man could succeed," the French witch stated with a smirk at the three male champions, who grinned back at the young woman's challenging and prideful posture. "This makes you, Harry... Bilbo."

"I am not short," Harry said as he stood next Cedric as if to prove his point that they were now very close in height. "Although being the least experienced, I suppose Bilbo applies... I just hope I'm not Thorin. Anything would be better than that fate… To be corrupted by my desire to renew what was lost and die a slow death in the hopes of saying goodbye to a friend far wiser than me…"

Cedric's once amused expression became more pinched and Viktor's broody scowl he wore to ward off others from speaking to him returned as he examined the youngest champion. Fleur looked concerned, though tried not to show it as she tried to come up with a rebuttal.

"Perhaps you are more akin Faramir, then," Fleur suggested hopefully, issuing a subtle reference Harry could not deny he was affected by.

"Aragorn was a healer, despite being a great warrior," Viktor chipped in, trying to follow Fleur's line of encouragement.

"Or maybe Frodo, the one to bring about a Dark Lord's final demise," Cedric added quickly.

"Thank you…" Harry sighed as his mind wrapped around a resolve that had steadily grown within him since the previous morning. "But I'm no slayer of Dark Lords. Just a young healer looking to survive against the odds."

A few nods agreed with Harry's sentiment, mostly from Karakaroff, Maxime and Bertha as they observed the young man. Cedric, however, couldn't help the next words that came out of his mouth. "You really think you won't survive this?"

"I dunno but we'll find out, won't we?" Harry asked rhetorically as he took a deep breath and gave Poppy a nod of reassurance.

"How far would you honestly go to complete the task, let alone survive it?" Dumbledore asked with concern, more for Harry than anything else.

"If it meant seeing them again, there's nothing I wouldn't do."

The vague response was not at all comforting to the occupants of the tent. Soon enough they dispersed amongst themselves. The champions went to studying their models as Harry let it settle on his shoulder as he waited, his resolve hardening with each moment as he began to adapt his plans to fit in such a possibility. When the cannon fired, all of the champions stood and wished Cedric well as he left. Viktor was next, his Chinese Fireball roaring loudly as the man left the tent.

It left Harry alone with Fleur, something the young man wasn't sure he was comfortable with. Sure they had left hints of attraction here and there but there were boundaries neither was willing to cross as of yet.

"You'll do brilliantly," Harry encouraged her as he sat down in an armchair.

"Of course I will," Fleur responded evenly. "I am prepared, which you made sure I could be by telling all of us about the task. I would be a fool if I was not ready for the danger ahead."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, so sit down and relax," Harry told her as he tilted his head curiously while he watched her.

"And you?" Fleur asked as she seated herself on the arm of his chair, her gaze trained on the flaps that led toward the tunnel which would take them to the dragon.

"You've got two years and veela allure on me, outside of being raised in magic," Harry answered solemnly.

"That is not an answer, 'Arry," Fleur rebuked him lightly.

"Fine then… I'm… not ready," Harry admitted quietly as he let out a long, low breath. "I won't be until I see the danger ahead of me. Where I can focus on it, put it in perspective and deal with it accordingly, if I can at all. I just want to survive this if I can."

"You make it sound like an insurmountable task," the veela replied gentle. "If we are prepared, why should you not be? You have learned as much, possibly more than we have these past few days. This should not be so hard for someone who slew a basilisk, non?"

"It's not that simple," Harry responded stiffly before cheers rang out all around them. "It sounds like Viktor just completed his task."

"Indeed." Fleur stood from her place and surprisingly Harry did as well. The veela raised an eyebrow at her companion before he gestured for her to head to the exit. When she was there, his breath sent a shiver down her spine as it caressed her ear.

"Good luck."

It was all either of them had time for. No sooner had Harry said it than did the cannon blast erupt through the stadium and signal they were prepared for her. With a final nod to Harry over her shoulder, Fleur marched out of the tent and left him alone with his thoughts. The largest challenge he had ever faced was coming toward him and he had to face it alone. With Tom and the Basilisk it had been him, Fawkes, the Sorting Hat and a legendary sword. Now, however, it was Harry, his wand and his wits. Eventually the cannon went off and Harry heard his name announced.

"Now or never."

Deliberate steps carried Harry out of the tent and down the tunnel. Dragon Handlers flanked either side; some smiled at him while others looked particularly grim. As Harry reached the last two, Charlie offered him a wide grin and a firm nod. Harry returned it, glad to know the handlers had his back if things got nasty with the horntail. With a final breath in the dark tunnel, Harry prepared himself for the inevitable before he plunged himself into the light.

As soon as he was in the open air, he noticed the ends of the Quidditch pitch had been capped off by tall walls that tapered off slightly to less high walls along the stadium's edges to allow the spectators to witness this crazy task. The roar of the audience as he came out was far more than he expected, though whether they were cheering for him or against him Harry couldn't be sure. The ground was covered in stone, divots and boulders scattered all over the arena that very well might help him in the time to come.

In the center of the arena, however, a lone hill stood with a clutch of eggs, one of them bright gold. Harry was almost relieved until he saw the dragon approach from the other side of the hill and stand over its eggs, hunkered down as if prepared for siege. Small did not adequately describe how Harry felt at that moment, nor did tiny. Nothing could make him feel as insignificant as the dragon whose gaze was laced with the righteous fury of protective maternal instincts.

"So, Smaug yeah?" Harry called out in an attempt to regain his voice and bravery. "Let's go with that. You see Smaug, I need that egg," Harry pointed to the gold egg directly at the center of the dragon's nest. "It's no Arkenstone but for some reason these twats tell me I need it. Would you mind just, flying away and not coming back so I could take it from you?"

No sooner had Harry finished his shooing motion at the dragon to fly away than did fire erupt from the maw of the supreme beast. Harry stood stock still and let the heat wash over him as he watched the fire melt stone some yards ahead of him. Harry was still out of range of the actual flames, but he definitely knew getting any closer would be a bad idea if the heat he felt already made him sweat. The horntail was obviously upset at all of the spectators that it couldn't reach and now it had a target for its rage.

"Right, I thought not," Harry sighed in dramatic disappointment as he tried to gather himself again. As he looked in the dragon's eyes, however, he found in himself the resolve he had been missing. If this dragon was to try and kill him, then by heaven and hell he would survive it no matter the cost.

"Nevermore…" Harry began quietly as he raised his wand.

Avis Corvus! Harry roared in the determined depths of his mind. A dark explosion of feathers wrapped around Harry as an entire flock of the birds erupted from his wand and soared around him. The first of them all settled on his shoulder and Harry waited until each of the Ravens had settled into a line in front of him. The dragon's eyes narrowed, anger and suspicion in its gaze before Harry raised his wand again. Another flock was summoned, then another, again and again until over a hundred birds were at Harry's beck and call, flapping their wings and cawing out their defiance of their enemy.

"An interesting strategy!" Bagman declared from his place among the other judges. "Harry Potter has used a variation of the Avis spell to conjure a veritable multitude of ravens! Let's see what he plans to do next!"

With a swish of his wand, half of Harry's ravens soared into the air and spread out, drawing the dragon's attention as much as possible. Whenever a squadron got too close they were torn apart by teeth and claws alike, or set aflame by vicious gusts of fire. All the while, however, Harry remained calm and contemplative, watching the dragon's reactions as he directed the ravens this way and that, testing it as much as he could.

"There you are…" Harry murmured to himself when he saw an opening.

A simple nod forced the next set of ravens into the air, one group to the right, and another to the left while the largest of raven of all left his shoulder and used the others to disguise its path. The way the birds moved was almost intricate as Harry had them dodge and weave their way through the air around the dragon.

"It's almost mesmerizing," Bagman nearly whispered as the crowd watched with interest. "Was this Potter's plan all along?"

A squadron of ravens suddenly broke off from the path, dove to the line that linked Harry to the dragon and sped as fast as they could toward it. Sensing an attack, the dragon let lose its fiery breath, not noticing that another bird had circled around and beneath the beast. When the fire vanished the large raven shot forth from beneath the dragon, a large lump of gold hung precariously in its talons.

The dragon leaped forward in response, its wings spread wide before it snatched raven and egg out of the air before it even landed. As it twisted about, its tail swat a score of ravens from the air before fire erupted from the beasts' nostril's and destroyed all those left to it. Harry blinked in surprise, astounded the dragon would attack in such a manner before he realized why. Its instinct to protect what it thought was its young had urged it to act and now the dragon cradled the egg safely in its mouth after the raven had no doubt been crushed or torn apart.

With the dragon so close and its nostrils flaring with hidden flame, Harry prepared a shield and began to move out of the way. When the fires were unleashed upon him, Harry stood like a roman legionnaire as the flames washed over him. Screams erupted into the air all throughout the arena, yells for the handlers to intervene were going out but when the dragon had finally turned away to carefully deposit the golden egg back to its nest, the threat it thought it had dealt with returned.

Fire cascaded into the air and a sweating Harry Potter stood in the center of a ring of flame, slowly breathing in and out as his magic shield vanished then reappeared as a far smaller version on his arm. Cheers raced to greet him but they all fell on deaf ears. Inside, Harry was fuming that his plan had failed. His frustration at being entered at all, at being forced into this, surged forward by leaps and bounds before he quieted it with a single reassurance.

"Not yet," Harry growled defiantly at himself. He was answered with yet more cheers from the crowd as they misinterpreted his meaning as he slipped behind a boulder and took aim.

"Not yet," he murmured once again to try and calm himself.

The dragon, noticing something was wrong, glanced back to where Harry had been to find nothing, not even the charred husk it had expected to feed upon. As it surveyed the scene, however, a streak of light breached its territory and the mother dragon's wings whipped about. The ward-breaking spell Harry had hoped to use to break the anti-summoning charm was thwarted as it splashed across the dragon's wings. Again and again Harry fired, hoping the beast would open up at the opportune moment only to hear it roar in frustration behind its wings.

"Dammit!" Harry barked after a few more moments when the dragon finally did move. This time, however, it hunched jealously over its eggs, its wings held low to block any foes from the side, its tail curled about behind it to protect them in the rear, and its head searching for any threat from the front. Having exhausted the safe, survival based options, Harry hung his head and shook it.

"It seems Potter is having trouble with the task!" Bagman called out to the anticipating crowd. "Does he have another plan we haven't witnessed yet?"

Harry snorted mirthlessly, his eyes darkened as he found the resolve he had spent days building inside of himself. As he glanced at the dragon again, the young healer knew his path forward.

"You leave me no choice," Harry spoke to the dragon solemnly as he revealed himself from behind the rock and conjured one last raven that landed upon his shoulder. "I didn't want this… Neither of us did… But it's the only way…"

Harry stared at the dragon just as it stared at him, each of them waiting for a moment to strike. But as the young healer bided his time, he finally spoke. "Standing here, knowing this might be my end, I've realized that I'm a fool… A fool that took the words of some grizzled bastard and a loving mother and all my loved ones to heart far later than I would have liked. I should have told you all last night and I hate that my first time saying it might be my last... The worst part is I might never hear any of you say it back."

Comprehension dawned on a number of faces in the crowd. Daphne and Susan's breaths caught as they looked at him, their hearts chilled to the bone, beating a panicked rhythm. Amelia couldn't take her eyes off of him, her jaw clenched tight to resist her desire to order him not to do whatever he had planned. Bill stared at Harry, a quiet concern and pride rolling off of him as he watched the young man give what very well might be his final words. Tonks was as still as stone, her hand edging toward her wand as she resisted every urge to rush in and help someone she loved avoid the fate she thought awaited him.

Tracey was little better as she bit her lip, her hand gripping Theo's like a vice as she subtly shook and shivered, wanting to stop Harry for everything she was worth as Theo's other hand clenched into a fist, his jaw set and his eyes increasingly wet as he watched his friend. Hermione began to shed tears, her fear for her best friend getting to her as Blaise shook his head defiantly, his hand wrapped around Hermione's own as he tried to comfort her and find some for himself. Neville had his arm wrapped around Hannah as the girl cried, her hand covering her mouth to quiet her soft sobs as she prayed not to see what they all feared.

Minerva had begun to shake in her seat next to a fidgeting Andromeda and Ted as one of her worst fears suddenly felt all the more real the longer the standoff dragged on. Dumbledore's eyes were laden with concern and purpose, his hand clenched subtly around his wand to aid Harry as soon as anything went wrong if he could. It was Alastor, however, that remained calm as he looked, really looked, at Harry. The Master Auror had no fear for the young apprentice, instead he could only find admiration for Harry, and pride that he had gotten through to the boy with such quiet words as they had shared just the day before, even as he prepared to leap to the young man's defense like so many others.

"I love you... All of you..." Harry finally admitted aloud to them as he looked up to where they were seated in the arena before his gaze settled on Amelia. A wistful smile spread on Harry's lips as he watched her shake her head, urging him one more time not to risk his life. "And mum... Everything's going to be alright."

Harry's gaze trained back upon the dragon, its shoulder's hunched, its hackles raised as it prepared for a final battle. Harry's first step marked the beginning of the end, and as he advanced magic swirled around his arms as he cast a sonorous spell to enhance his voice. "Come here you filthy, scaly, overgrown cock-gobbling bitch! Come and get me!"

The dragon roared but made no move to attack. With a swish of his wand the raven on Harry's shoulder took wing and flew into the air, darting forward as Harry enhanced it with another spell, sending it forward as fast as any arrow. Before the bird even got halfway the dragon leaped forward and snatched it out of the air. Harry, swiftly braced himself, altering his plan as quickly as he could as he suddenly realized just how far he had moved. He was right within the dragon's reach and it was coming for him.

"You want my life, dragon?! FINE! Come and claim it!"

The answering roar shook the very stone as Harry took his stance. His magical shield held before him, his wand shining with silver mist as he prepared for the onslaught of the dragon. Fury and rage answered his challenge. The horntail roared into the sky and charged, its talons tearing apart the stone as it went. A mighty leap took the dragon into the air as it roared again, its great maw extended to engulf the teen wizard as he fell back toward a breach in the ground and let the dragon crash down around him. Stone, dust and flames exploded in a cloud all around wizard and dragon even as a bolt of silver sliced through the air, right through the wards and into the sky.

"Give me a miracle..." Amelia whispered into the suddenly silent stadium as the dust cleared. "Please, Harry, just give me one more miracle. Please. Just one more."

As the smoke cleared, the horntail's head began to rise from its talons until it fell aside as two outstretched arms pulled the dusty, bloody form of Harry Potter over the dragon's leg. As soon as he got his chest over, Harry let himself roll off of the dragon and along the ground until he stopped with a small pop as he hit the ground just a little too hard.

"Ohh son a bitch..." groaned the wizard as he magically bandaged his entire mangled right arm and growled away the pain that enveloped his senses in that moment. "Yeah... That's gonna leave a mark..." Still upon his back, his wand now firmly in his left hand, Harry looked over to the dragon handlers that were cautiously approaching from the arena entrance when they realized the dragon was dead.

"'You need a medkit,' Poppy said. 'I need to focus on the task. It can wait,' I said. A fat lot of good making myself wait for a healer's best friend does me now! I mean I could have gotten a head start on treating myself before Poppy rips me a new one for getting injured at all but nooooo! I can't do that now can I? Because I, like a bleeding dumbass, didn't make a personalized medkit I could summon to myself!" Harry sassed at himself, making more than one handler snicker as they eyed the apprentice and his kill.

"You really managed that all on your own?" Markus asked in astonishment as he eyed the dead dragon.

"Oh no, I definitely had the help of a unit of aurors in invisibility cloaks," Harry drawled sarcastically as he breathed out a sigh of relief and looked over at his handiwork, which was taken by the handler in the humor with which it was intended. "Poor girl… All she wanted was to tend to her eggs in peace and… and those twats up there bring her here and force her to keep me from the golden egg all for some stupid fucking game!"

In an instant Harry had forced himself to his feet, a growl of pain and frustration coursing out of him as he looked up to the judges and the rest of the arena. "Well you got what you fucking wanted, didn't you?! You and your bloody, thrice-damned Goblet of Fire forced me into this tournament! Without me this dragon and her eggs wouldn't even be here! I wanted to survive this and the only way I saw how was this! I tried to get the egg with my plans but they didn't work so I… I had to put her down. It was me or her, and I chose me!"

"It's alright, Harry," Charlie tried to console the teen as he put a hand on Harry's good shoulder. "She was getting near rendering age…"

"That doesn't matter!" Harry roared for all to hear him, his gaze still trained on the increasingly uncomfortable looking officials. "None of this matters! It's all just a show for your amusement, isn't it?! Our lives don't matter to you, otherwise you would have chosen something far less dangerous than Merlin-be-damned dragons! I will not die for your entertainment, do you hear me?! I will fight for my life every step of the way and if that means tearing apart every threat and creature you throw in my path, I'll do it! If it means getting back to my loved ones then there's nothing I won't do and there will be nothing you can do to stop me!"

Harry took a breath then, the pain in his right arm getting even worse as his blood pumped furiously through his body as his temper raged. "You forced us into this and you best remember that, because I do! Every damn day since this began I remember I was forced into this, and now so was this dragon. I'll remember that for the rest of my life and I'll never forget it!"

With one more heaving breath, Harry looked back to the dragon and slowly approached. Tentatively he reached out his hand to stroke the muzzle, her scales warm beneath his fingers as he pet the beast. "I see what Hagrid means… You're beautiful creatures if we just give you the chance…"

"That they are," Charlie answered to a round of nods from the other handlers before he set a hand on Harry's shoulder once again. "You going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine," Harry murmured as he felt blood drip from his bandaged arm and grimaced. "Can you make sure her eggs are taken care of?"

"We sure can, and I'm glad you're thinking of them after everything that happened," Charlie responded with a small smile of encouragement. "Krum's dragon destroyed her eggs when she was wounded during the task and even if it's a cross species situation, she might still take this clutch in. Otherwise the father will have to take care of them, or one of the younger female Horntails."

"Good, they deserve a good home," Harry replied before he backed away from the beast. "Hey, I have a quick question for you. I killed her, right?" All of the handlers nodded as Charlie snorted in incredulous amusement as they all walked toward the nest so Harry could retrieve his egg. "Does that mean I can claim rights to her and have you lot render her down and sell her off for me?"

Each of the handlers appeared stunned for a moment before Charlie caught on. "Like the basilisk Bill told me about, yeah?" Harry nodded as the other handlers' eyes widened even further at the pair of them in disbelief. "Well we certainly can but here's a little challenge for you to see if you're up to snuff on dragon lore enough to claim it. Can you name the law about rites to corpses?"

"Oh! I did read about that. What was it?! Pompei? No that was a different dragon slaying event," Harry thought aloud to himself as he went over the dearth of knowledge he had absorbed about dragons in preparation for the task. "Oh! I remember. It's the Dragon Slaying Accord of 1221, isn't it? All dragons slayed beyond the bounds of established reserves are made property of the slayer, right?" Charlie nodded at Harry's answer. "Brilliant! So umm, how much is she going to be worth?"

"Depends on how much of her was damaged when you killed her," Markus chipped in as he inspected the other eggs.

"If I'm right there should only be a single hole through the soft palate and skull, including her brain, severed roughly around the spinal chord… at least I think that's where I hit it. It worked for me when I killed the basilisk at least so I figured I should aim for a similar spot. I meant to hit roughly the same spot from range, you know, make her breathe fire and shove a spell right through the mouth but she charged me instead… All of the damaged tissue is cauterized, or at least it should be since I'm covered in more of my blood than her gore," Harry noted quickly as he tried to shift his injured shoulder before he winced and let his right arm hang limp again.

"Well that comes out to about a hundred thousand galleons," Charlie replied after some quick math.

"Given the rarity of basilisks the ten million made sense, especially given the size of the one I killed… But if what you say is true, how the hell aren't reserve owners the richest, most powerful people in the world?" Harry asked incredulously to the laughter of the handlers. "Don't dragons breed fairly quickly and grow in numbers fairly regularly? They should be beyond rich and important in this world."

"Do you know how much it takes to keep dragons and the reserves safe? Believe me, the owners are plenty rich and powerful, they hold the leash on dragons after all, theoretically," answered Markus as they approached the hill with the nest. "Of course, after feeding them, raising them, training and paying handlers, often providing food and board at the same time, as well as monthly ward checks, rendering services and the like, costs add up fairly quickly. Still plenty of money in it though, not to mention first pick of any materials you get out of the dragon."

Harry nodded in understanding as he stepped up to the nest. The sight of the four regular eggs instilled some guilt in him. Those dragons would never know their mother and he was at fault. He'd just made his first set of orphans. Harry shook his head sadly and reached for the golden egg.

"This thing is so not worth it. Definitely not an Arkenstone," Harry grumbled as he stood up and tossed the thing in his good hand after stowing his wand away, much to the amusement of some of the handlers who understood the reference, including Charlie. "Speaking of eggs and all, I'd like 30% of the proceeds to go to their care and the reserve. It's the least I could do after taking their mother from them..." While the other handlers were struck with awe at the generous gesture, Charlie pat Harry's shoulder and tightened his grip for a moment in understanding. "I guess I'll keep the rest which gives me… Well, I don't think I need to try and win for the gold now, do I?"

"No shit, Harry," Charlie sassed as the group then made their way toward the tunnel that led to the medical tent.

As soon as Harry slipped inside he was met with a sight he thought he would never see. The other champions, their parents and other visitors were earnestly applauding him. His victory over the dragon and subsequent speech was more than anyone had ever expected of him. Harry was honestly stunned until he noticed Amelia, Susan, Daphne and Bill headed toward him with Poppy.

Susan was the first to reach Harry and envelop him in a bone-crushing hug, followed by Daphne, before Amelia stepped around them to encircle them all. Harry held as tight as he could to them as he finally let tears of relief leave him after the harrowing challenge and near death experience. Beside him he could hear the heartfelt reunion between the Weasley brothers but it paled to the sound of the intimate whispers that reached him.

"You came back," Daphne murmured over and over again as she clung tighter to him.

"You're alive, thank Circe you're alive," he heard from Susan.

"Thank Morgana you're alright," Amelia whispered.

"I promised you I'd come back," he whispered to them before they helped him into bed and set his egg on the side table. Before Poppy began to treat him, she too offered him a quick hug, one which Harry could only reciprocate halfway as his damaged arm hung limp at his side. "How'd I do, Poppy?"

"Terribly," she shot back at him as she stood upright and began to address his wounds. "You dislocated your shoulder, have numerous lacerations along your arm, not to mention broken ribs from the charge and who knows how many bruises, again," Poppy capped off with some displeasure before a smile slipped onto her lips. "But you survived, that's what matters. Not only that but you performed battlefield medicine on yourself and displayed adequate knowledge of physiology, both your own and the dragon's. You also noted the usefulness and necessity of a medkit, which all I have to say about is I told you so! In light of all of that, I suppose you just made a stride toward passing the combat medicine portion of your healing curriculum."

Harry smiled and laid back to let Poppy work. When she removed his bandages and what was left of the sleeve of his robes, hissing winces sounded through the tent at the sight of his mangled arm. To kill the dragon he had mimicked a very similar maneuver from his past. Instead of a sword and a basilisk, however, it had been a wand and spell against a dragon, whose teeth far outstripped that of the beast he had killed before. The fact the damn thing had nearly crushed him with its head alone was another issue entirely, but he was glad for that caveat in the ground that saved him from that particular fate.

The bright blue bottle Poppy took out made Harry wince as he nodded and pulled some of his robe into his mouth and bit down on it. After a moment, the disinfectant washed over his arm as he growled away the pain and smoke rose away from him as it cleaned him of any possible taint or infection from the dragon. Only when the smoking and sizzling stopped and he was given more blood replenishing potion did Harry sigh in relief and drink it down as quickly as possible. Without missing a beat Poppy conjured some bandages, spread out a large helping of magical balm along the entire strip and wrapped it around his arm to begin the healing process. As Harry was flooded with relief, the healer mended his cracked ribs, fed him a skelegrow potion and relocated his shoulder in short order.

"I take it these are just a bit worse than when Buckbeak slashed me?" Harry asked after a moment.

"These went deeper and are just a bit more magical, considering they came from a dragon's teeth," Poppy replied as she checked the bindings on his arm. "That's besides the fact I was amazed you could still use the damaged muscles enough to keep moving your arm on occasion to get you out of there. We will have to let that potion sit on it for a few hours before we get to healing it like we did your other arm last year."

"More slings, oh joy," Harry muttered as everyone around him chuckled. "Might as well put me in a strait jacket."

"If it keeps you from stunts like that I'd happily put you in one," Amelia jabbed at him as she conjured chairs for herself and the girls as Poppy finished doing one last check on Harry before moving to the other champions for a check-up. "What were you thinking?" Amelia finally asked as tears threatened to escape her. "What in the name of magic were you thinking, facing the dragon head on like that?"

"All I could think of was... I made a promise and I was going to keep it," Harry told them in earnest. "If it meant seeing all of you again then there wasn't a thing I wouldn't have done to get back to you."

The heartfelt words carried farther than the three women near him, but Harry never noticed the approving reaction from the rest of the tent. Instead he smiled as he felt Amelia, Susan, and Daphne's hands settle on his left hand, grateful that he was alive and in front of them after everything. Amelia even moved up to push some hair away from his face and kissed his forehead.

"I'm glad you did," Amelia murmured as she put her forehead to his. "But if you ever scare me like that again, I'm going to put you in a strait jacket and never let you leave the tent."

"I'll try not to, mum," he promised solemnly.

Amelia smiled brightly at that and backed away. Susan and Daphne were smiling just as clearly as they watched the pair bond as mother and son even further. Harry had finally let his heart speak out a bit more, much to their fear at the time. Now to know what he meant, what he had said, was an absolute dream to the two girls, as well as Amelia.

"So... exactly how much did you hear of what I said?" Harry asked as he coyly looked between his girlfriends.

"I only really heard three words," Daphne offered slyly before she smirked at Susan. "How about you Susan?"

"Three very important words," she replied with a smile as she leaned toward Harry. "Did you mean them?"

Harry took a wincing breath as his ribs acted up as he gathered himself up for an answer. "Yeah, I did, every word."

"Could you... say them again?" Susan said, her smile breaking through any attempt to conceal it.

Harry blushed as he turned away slightly before he gave in and looked at both Susan and Daphne. "Yes... I love you."

The girls beamed at him until Daphne leaned back in her seat with a delighted sigh. "And he said it in front all of the visitors and the entire school too."

Without waiting the pair of girls gently hunched over him and both of them whispered in his ears. "I love you too."

It was everything the teen could have asked for, and after a pair of brief kisses shared between them all, Susan and Daphne moved back to their seats. Harry, however, was left with a wide, serene grin on his face as he relaxed on the bed and exulted in finally expressing himself completely.

"You are such a girl, Harry," William chipped in as he finally came over from making sure Charlie was alright before he left with the other handlers.

"Hey, at least I'm man enough to say it," the teen shot back, much to Amelia's amusement as she raised an eyebrow at her beau.

"Saying it now wouldn't mean anything in the face of a challenge," Bill countered as he tried to keep his eyes away from Amelia.

"Does anybody smell chicken?" Susan asked as she looked to Bill with a grin.

"I just can't win with you can I?" Bill groaned before he threw up his hands. "I'm surrounded by crazy people."

"Crazy, like a fox," Amelia said with a smirk before she turned her attention to Poppy as the healer approached them again.

"Sorry to interrupt the heartfelt moments," she teased as she looked to Harry. "But they want to give you your scores, as do I, since I've been included in the scoring process."

"How did you score everyone when you were in here without a clear view of everything?" Harry wondered aloud.

"A scrying screen," Poppy answered with a gesture to a pale projector screen on an empty wall. "It allowed me to view the tasks in order to give the champions a proper score, which you need to receive now."

Harry grumbled and groaned at the idea of getting his scores but eventually he was helped to his feet. With Amelia on one side and Poppy on the other, Harry watched as the officials put up their scores. Given the fact the horntail had been killed and a number of injuries were incurred, not to mention his heated speech at the end, Harry wasn't expecting a great score. In fact Harry wouldn't have been surprised if Poppy and Dumbledore were the only ones to give him points because the others were being spiteful and petty after being taken to task by a sixteen-going-on-seventeen year old over the dangers of the tournament and being forced into it.

So it was that Harry was quite surprised to see that each of the officials ended up giving Harry solid sevens across the board, citing reasons of injury and killing the dragon for his loss in score. Cheers from all over the stadium roared in his ears and Harry shook his head. Mere hours ago he was sure half of those people would have wanted him to die against a dragon and now they were cheering for him? When Poppy released him, Harry saw her raise her wand and cast out a shining ten into the air.

The cheers grew even louder than ever, much to everyone's surprise as Harry eyed Poppy with disbelief and reverence. At the slight quirk of her lips into something that almost resembled a smirk, Harry figured out she was snubbing the officials' noses by endorsing Harry's efforts and his views about the task and tournament. The Healer let the score sink in for a moment before she turned back to Harry, winked, and led him back inside. When they finally made it back to his bed and he was set down, Harry sighed in relief.

"And here I thought I'd barely hit ten points with how I called them all out," Harry said as he laid back completely. "Forty-five points... Why the hell was I given such relatively decent scores?"

"My guess is they're trying to save face from a political and popularity standpoint. If they all gave you zeros they would have just made themselves targets for ridicule and it would have planted the seed that your rebellious speech was spot on. Of course the fact that you actually killed a dragon with a single spell might have intimidated some of them into giving you a better score," Daphne ribbed him as she sat on his bed with Susan on the other side.

"Not to mention you performed a small bit battlefield medicine on yourself, which no other champion could have. Plus you offered a hefty portion of your rightfully earned gains from the dragon back to the reserve, which probably saves them something of a headache for getting one of the dragon's killed against a champion," Susan tacked on gently.

"There's also the fact that I was going to give you a ten regardless," Poppy chimed, completely at ease with her decision. "I knew you wouldn't just hold your feelings in, so showing you my support with scores was the least I could do after hearing your rather colorful speech. I'm proud of you, Harry, and you earned your score."

Harry accepted Poppy's praise with a light grin before he looked to the approaching champions.

"Your score might have been higher if you weren't cursing all the time, given it's technically against school policies, although I'm sure the speech in general didn't help," Cedric mentioned as he came up to them. "Nice touch with insulting a dragon, by the way."

"I thought you'd enjoy that," Harry managed to say through a chuckle.

"It was good fun," Viktor added with a laugh as he walked over with Fleur. "You have balls the size of bludgers for that in my book. You were brave, Harry, facing the dragon as you did. Do you mind if I ask which spells you used?"

"No magic!" Poppy shouted from the tent's exit where she was ushering away well-wishers. "If you cast one spell, Potter, you're cleaning bedpans by hand for the rest of the year."

The teens grimaced at the thought and Harry handed his wand over to Amelia for safe keeping. As soon as Amelia slipped it away with a slightly mischievous grin, the young apprentice looked at Krum and Fleur. "I used Avis Corvus for the Ravens, naturally, that family magic shield which you've seen before and a unique piercing curse to bring down the dragon."

"Are you sure you couldn't tell us more, 'Arry?" Fleur chipped in, her smile and voice laden with temptation. "We could use some good spells to defend us against further attacks in the future. I'm sure we could repay you."

"Family magic, Fleur, you know the rules," Harry said in a soft, respectful tone. "But if you're willing we could make good on what I suggested to Skeeter if you like and see if that gets me to reveal what I know." The three other champions and their families laughed, though Fleur's cheeks didn't flush as Harry had expected. Instead there was a predatory look in her eyes, one that made Harry swallow down some of his hormones at the sight. It took a few moments for them all to settle down enough for Harry to prompt another question as Susan and Daphne looked on with slight confusion, not knowing what it was Harry had said to the reporting bitch earlier. "So what did you all do?"

"I successfully distracted the welsh green with a transfigured pair of wolves," Cedric said. "Although I got a little singed from the close encounter," he said with a gesture to his wrapped arm.

"Conjunctivitis curse, I blinded the dragon but it destroyed all but the golden egg," Viktor managed with an apologetic look toward the handlers that had just entered the tent, who waved him off.

"Organizers' fault on that one. The eggs should have been fake to start," Markus responded with a small shrug before he returned to speaking with Charlie as they walked through to the other side of the tent.

"Indeed, it was not your fault, Viktor," Fleur said as she pat Viktor consolingly on the arm before she turned to give her answer. "I enchanted mine to sleep with a song."

"Must have been some song," Harry noted with a chuckle as Fleur nodded with a smirk. "So who's got the lead?"

"That would be Ms. Delacour with all 60 points possible from the first task, after some negotiation over the scoring rules," Bagman announced jovially as he approached them with Bertha Jorkins and the three Headmasters hot in his heels. "Messrs. Krum and Diggory are tied with 52 points each, and you are at 45 points, Harry. The eggs you all obtained are a clue to the next task, a riddle for you to solve. We had wondered how much all of you knew with that talk in the champion's tent earlier until Albus explained the squib author of those books has quite a bit of fame in certain literary circles. You have until nine in the morning on February twenty-fourth to solve the clue and prepare for the task. The points earned in the second task will combine with those you earned here to determine what advantage you get in the third task. I wish the best of luck to you all."