A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands
A/N: Credit Kentaro Yabuki for Harry's new attack. If you read manga, and you haven't read Black Cat by Kentaro Yabuki I can't recommend it highly enough. It did get an anime if that is more your speed, but it was not as good.
I believe this is my longest update yet. It certainly took a long time to write!
Chapter 44: Imminent Peril
February 24th, 1995
Harry had less than a second to grasp the fact that he was probably dead and then his oxygen deprived body was kicked into action. The fish had not moved until Harry had started casting spells, so it might be sensing his magic. Praying that he might be able to trick it, Harry shot a flurry of stinging spells all over the place. His luck was in and the Ramora stopped, looking around in confusion.
He would only have one real shot at the beast. It was fast, but it was not particularly agile. Harry fired a banishing spell at the fish but made sure not to brace himself, sending himself towards the bottom of the lake. The remora seemed to coil in anger and shot straight at Harry. Harry held his wand with both hands and braced himself as the fish neared him.
Before, the lightning had crackled around his body aimlessly. But as the Ramora reached Harry, the light seemed to expand and all rush through his body towards his extended arm in a brilliant flash of blue of white. The color's blurred together and just as the giant fish was a few feet from Harry the lightning vanished and he felt his limbs go weak. But he made sure to hold the wand out and brace himself as much as possible
"Leil Geon!"
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February, 1995
"It occurs to me that you will need a trump card," Nambung said to Harry as they sat down for breakfast.
"What?" Harry asked.
"A trump card," Nambung repeated.
"No, I heard you," Harry told him. "I just have no idea what that is. Is it some special kind of magical card?"
"No, nothing of the sort," Nambung said. "A trump card is an expression. You have progressed admirably at your magic precision and manipulation, and your sensory magic is top-class for your age, even for those who have been training with it for longer. But all of this won't be enough if you really get in trouble. How sure are you that this task in the lake will have some kind of trap?"
"Someone intentionally broke the chain of a dragon while every eye was on it. That requires precision, planning, and a high level of skill," Harry explained. "I will be under water, potentially for up to two hours. I am not a good swimmer. There will be something bad, something as dangerous as a dragon, if not more."
"Do you have any idea who might be behind it?" Nambung asked. "I'm pretty sure that the abduction by the Vengeful Brotherhood and the dragon sabotage are separate events."
"I think so too," Harry said. "The Brotherhood seemed to want me alive if possible. The dragon attack was meant to kill me, and only Akira's quick intervention stopped it. The dragon was also an indiscriminate attack. It could have just flown away and gone wild. The kidnapping was very precise. The woman could have killed at least a few other students if she had shifted targets. But she was focused."
"Well, you seem to have your fair share of enemies," Nambung said. "Nonetheless, I think your magical precision is far enough along for me to give you a trump card. Ideally we would work on something that is unique to you, but for now I'll lend you one of my specialties." Nambung held out a finger and an electric bolt raced down his finger.
"That's just electricity," Harry commented.
"Not exactly," Nambung said. "Electricity is just a human construct of a natural phenomenon. Every living being, wizards and witches, centaurs, goblins, even muggles have a natural affinity for some kind of magic. Very few wizards ever tap into that natural magic. You are talented enough that it would not take a long time to figure out your specialty and start developing your own spells."
"Isn't spell developing very hard and dangerous?" Harry asked.
"Sure, if you want to create spells for the rest of the world to use," Nambung said with a wave of his hand. "But when you discover your specialty, you will tap into it directly. There is no knowing what your specialty will be. The plan was always to work on it over the summer, but with this tournament I can give you a backdoor."
"Ok…" Harry was very confused.
"So, you are probably thinking what does this all have to do with electricity?" Nambung explained. Harry nodded. That had been one of the first questions to come to mind. "Like I said, electricity is just an artificial creation of a natural phenomenon. What comes to mind?" Harry racked his brain, and then the answer appeared.
"Lightning!"
"Yes, that is my special ability," Nambung crowded with pride. "I have a variety of spells based around the power of lightning. I can't teach you all of them, as you don't have that affinity. Like I said, most of the spells are for me alone. But your magic is precise enough you should be able to do a few of them, with my instruction."
"And this won't be dangerous?" Harry said.
"To use them full power would be incredibly dangerous," Nambung said. "It could do permanent damage to your body or your magical core. You will also need to use them as infrequently as possible. But if you are in real danger, this could be the difference between life and death. However, because these spells will not come naturally to you, there is one more technique you need to learn before we start."
"If you think we need to wait to discover whatever my specialty over the summer is, I can wait," Harry told his teacher. This all sounded incredibly dangerous. The idea of controlling lightning gave Harry a bit of a thrill. It sounded exciting and he could imagine the energy coursing through his body. At the same time, Harry knew that this was different than other magic, and if Nambung was reluctant to teach him it was for good reason.
"I was always going to teach you some," Nambung admitted. "Just once you start, it will be harder to develop your own. Since we won't have time to do that, I suspect you will need my less dangerous techniques. First, we need to focus on your physical and magical blend."
"Haven't we already done that?" Harry wanted to know. "We have refined my Basutosutorimu a lot. I can fight for almost 5 minutes, even if I am dead on my feet after."
"Think for a moment Harry," Nambung said. "What does Basutosutorimu actually do?"
"It takes magical energy and converts it into physical energy," Harry said as if reciting from a textbook. His master frowned at him, indicating he wanted Harry to continue. "It also takes that magical energy and protects your muscles and bones so that you can go beyond the limits of your normal power, allowing me to perform attacks like Seismic Step and Slip Strike."
"Yes, so if I wanted to give you a magical trump card, what might we do? Especially with techniques that could damage your magical core?" Nambung asked.
"Oh!" It was like a lightbulb switched on in Harry's head. "There is something that is the opposite of Basutosutorimu, isn't there?" Nambung smiled at him. "Something where
I take physical energy and convert it into magic while also protecting my core from magic I couldn't normally perform without harming myself."
"Yes, that's it exactly. Normal people couldn't perform my magic no matter how strong they were, but if you learn the opposite of Basutosutorimu, you can use quite a few of my attacks. Of course, you are my apprentice so it will be expected in time." Nambung slid a book across the breakfast table. "Read up on this. I expect you to be ready to try this afternoon." His teacher left the room and Harry opened the book.
The beginning of the book talked about the theory of the spell, so Harry skipped ahead. Theory of the spells he learned at Hogwarts might be relevant, but when Nambung taught him something he didn't care in the slightest if Harry could describe the history behind the spell. He just wanted to see his apprentice use it correctly and with power.
"Shokan maho," Harry muttered to himself. A lot of the English spells he learned were derived from Latin and since he had never studied the language he could stumbled over pronunciation. He would say he was approaching fluency in Japanese, and the spells were much simpler. Anyone might be able to speak the incantation and there was no wand movement, but almost all magic he had learned from Hayashi Sensei and Nambung Sa Bum was different than magic learned from Professors.
His Asian instructors had not been as focused on wand movement or incantation. Harry suspected that this was due to their general lack of reliance on wands or verbal casting. Verbal casting with a wand could indeed help focus the power of some spells, but Harry realized that Nambung was that once-in-a-lifetime talent where he could generate varying power for any spell without a wand or incantation. For Nambung, magic was about intent. Anything could be done if you understood the basic construction of the spell. From there, the world was at your fingertips.
His Professors at Hogwarts had been almost the opposite. There was constant repetition, essays on theory, and you never moved on if you had not mastered a spell. Theory was as important as spellcasting, at least from a grading perspective. There was parity across a variety of different wizards and witches, all working towards one goal of competence.
Harry suspected that the key difference were the words safety and equality. In order to make sure that the group reached completion together, teaching had to be structured in such a way as to ensure that everyone had a chance to do well. There was also safe deployment of the spell in the form of a test, knowledge demonstrated on the page and safely in a class environment.
Nambung and Hayashi Sensei did not believe in tests or grades in the sense that he had seen in Hogwarts. Hayashi Sensei was a little softer, but he was also a proponent of the idea that the best way to learn was to experience. Hayashi might show the technique while Nambung would hit you over and over until you learned the skill necessary to stop the hit. Then he'd hit you a different way. But it ensured practical usage of the spell. His personal lessons with Minnie were similar in format, but not in damage to his body.
"Shokan maho" was a literal spell. It meant summon magic, and Harry assumed when he cast it he would feel a physical drain. It was the kind of spell he would cast verbally to understand what it felt like, but he would have to switch to nonverbal casting as soon as possible, especially if he was going to be shifting power around at high speed to maximize his potential as a fighter. The incantations were long and during a high speed fight with someone who could move the same speed as him, Harry didn't have time to reach for his wand and cast.
But he would master this technique. Harry knew that this would not represent an endpoint in his training. It seemed like even his masters trained and strived to become better in some way. No true master ever stopped improving. Yet if Harry could master "Shokan maho," it would feel like a meaningful step. And more to the point, it might be what he needed most of all: a way to survive this tournament that Harry had managed to ignore for a month. But it was almost time to return, and Harry would move mountains to make sure that when he did return to take on the challenges he would have the power to protect himself and the people he cared about.
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February 24th, 1995
Cedric helped Hermione to shore as they hit the surface of the lake. They were only 15 feet away from the edge but Hermione looked shocked so Cedric made sure she was ok before turning to McGonagall, who had already gotten out of the lake. The professor was speaking angrily to Dumbledore and gesticulating wildly to the lake.
"Good job," Akira said, helping Cedric out and throwing a towel around him, handing another one to Hermione. "Where is Harry?"
"He banished Fleur and I up here, sent me with McGonagall," Cedric explained through chattering teeth. "Akira, there was something down there. I caught a glimpse before Harry fired his spell at me to send me shooting up. It was some kind of big fish." Akira tilted his head in and his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"How big?"
"Size of a house, maybe. A big one. It had a huge fin too."
"Could it have been this?" Akira snapped his wand into his hand and started to move it. Cedric's eyes widened as a lifelike animation sprung from the wand. He stared at the life Akira had created with awe, but snapped himself into focus as he saw the giant fin.
"Yeah, it was like that, but I think it was red." Akira's head snapped up at that and the illusion vanished.
"Cedric, are you sure?" Hermione was staring at Akira as well. The tone of his voice betrayed something akin to fear.
"Well, I saw silver, but as I was flying past it seemed to change to red."
"It changed color?" Akira's face went pure white.
"Yes, I'm sure," Cedric confirmed. "Silver to red, and then it was out of sight."
"We have a big problem," Akira said, sitting down heavily. "I have to go talk to Dumbledore now." Akira raced over to the headmaster and Cedric trailed a few feet behind.
"He technically did not complete the task," Dumbledore was explaining to Akira.
"This isn't about points right now!" Akira exclaimed. "My brother is down there with a blood scented Ramora! Can I go in and help him without risking his magic? Can't you just declare the task over?" Cedric looked around at the small crowd that had formed around the headmaster. Most faces showed the same level of comprehension that Cedric felt, totally confused. But then he realized he happened to know an expert on creatures, and he now had a name to work with.
"Come on," Cedric said, dragging Hermione away from the group. He saw Krum with his arms around Luna as she leaned into his back. They were sharing a big towel which under normal circumstances would have caused Cedric to laugh a little. But the situation at the moment wasn't funny in the slightest. "Victor."
"Cedric, perhaps you could tell me why the person who arrived first is still down there?" Krum asked, levering himself to his feet. "Harry did seem to reach the hostages first. I'm am quite curious how he did so, seeing as he did not leap into the water after us."
"Time for that later," Cedric said. "Do you know what a Ramora is? Apparently there is one in the lake and Harry cast banishing spells on me and Fleur with hostages to get us out of there. I had to carry his to the surface. He is down there right now fighting it."
"A Ramora?" Krum's face betrayed confusion. "I know what they are, but it shouldn't be a problem. Ramora are peaceful creatures, no danger to a wizard of Harry's caliber."
"What if the Ramora was blood scented?" Hermione asked. Krum looked aghast. "That would be a problem?"
"That is a big problem," Krum said, rising so quickly Luna fell to the ground. "That means it will attack until it runs out of energy, and it can be quite dangerous. We need to get the judges to declare the task over. Harry will need help against-"
A beam of light smashed through the lake soaring up into the sky. It seemed to go on forever, but the light was partially blue and it was not one straight beam, but rather something changing shape constantly. After what seemed like an age the beam stopped, the rest of it flying into the sky continuing on its path unabated.
"What was that?" Cedric asked for all four of them.
"An impossibility," Krum said. "Specialty magic." The three Hogwarts students looked at Krum with confusion. "It should be impossible at such a young age, even with Harry's talent. But it is the only way that he could cast something with that much power."
"What is specialty magic?" Hermione asked.
"You do not know? Truly?" Krum seemed as surprised as earlier. "I suspect you would have come across it your reading. Perhaps the information is hidden in your restricted section. Nevertheless, it is dangerous magic. A few select students at Durmstrang consider learning it our final year if we are in the most advanced magic classes, but after learning all it entails and the danger, most choose to forsake it. Personally, I have not decided."
"Maybe let's save the intellectual debate for later," Luna said, pointing at the lake. There a massive splash and the crowd cried out in amazement as a giant red fish floated to the surface. The fish was massive, but was more impressive was the eight-foot hole in the middle of it. Some of the teachers raced over, but the fish was dead.
"A blooded Ramora," Krum breathed out. "I can't imagine what Harry did to cause that light. It must have gone straight through the Ramora. Killed it instantly."
"Then where is Harry?" Cedric asked. He glanced to the side as he said it, and saw a few tears fall from Hermione's eyes at the possibility that Harry had sacrificed himself for the other champions. Jealously welled up in his chest, but Cedric surprised it angrily. Right now was not the time to deal with his feelings of inadequacy with Hermione and her relationship with Harry.
"Over there," Krum said. Cedric peered at where Krum was pointing and saw an indistinct shape on the shore a few hundred feet away from them. "Seeker eyes," Krum said with a smile. "He might need help. Go get a healer." Hermione had shrugged out of Cedric's grasp the moment Krum pointed out the shape and was running full speed towards the human shape. Cedric looked for Madam Pomfrey or Akira as the crowd registered that Hermione was running towards a person.
By the time Cedric had managed to alert the professors, he could see Hermione with her arms around the person. They separated and as they got closer Cedric recognized the familiar tousled black hair and glasses. The crowd seemed to recognize him as well, and there was a collective intake of breath. Harry had indeed returned but had apparently come in last despite the fact that he had killed a beast as big as their dragons. Then the cheering started again.
"Sorry about that," Harry said to Fleur and Cedric as they approached him. "I hope I didn't hit you too hard, but I didn't have any better ideas about how to get you up to the surface as fast as possible."
"Forget about that," Fleur said angrily. "What happened down there?"
"It was acting strangely and I didn't have much of a choice," Harry said. "Unfortunately, I had to kill it."
"I think we all know that Fleur is not talking about that," Hermione said. Harry nodded but he looked tired. Then he looked at Fleur's legs and he seemed to perk up. Cedric followed his gaze and saw a small girl holding onto Fleur's legs, looking at Harry with worship in her eyes.
"Who is this?" Harry asked, going down on a knee to look into the eyes of the small girl, who ducked behind Fleur's legs. Apparently her hostage had been her sister, who seemed starstruck in the presence of Harry. "Your younger sister?" Harry extended a hand. "Well it is nice to meet you Gabrielle." Cedric was impressed. He had not remembered the name of Fleur's sister.
The greeting was all the young French girl needed to come out her shell and she eagerly shook Harry's hand and then clamped onto his leg, chattering in high speed French. Harry straightened but allowed the girl to grab his hand and keep talking. He had an almost amused look on his face and although he seemed to be paying attention Cedric realized Harry did not understand a word Gabrielle was saying.
"Gabrielle, come here," Fleur insisted, but Gabrielle shook her head stubbornly. "I'm sorry Harry."
"It's ok Fleur," Harry said. He cracked his back and Cedric realized Harry had grown again and was almost his height. Fleur could certainly not call him a little boy anymore, whether literal or metaphorical. "But I can't understand a word she is saying." Fleur said something sharply in French, and Gabrielle shot back at Fleur, who sniffed at her younger sister, causing Hermione to laugh.
"What did they say?" Cedric asked.
"Oh, Fleur said to leave him alone, and Gabrielle told Fleur that if she wanted Harry she should have claimed him already." Hermione shook her head ruefully. "Fleur said that she might do that just to stop her sister from being so annoying."
By now the contestants had made their way over to the judges who were all huddled together. Karkaroff kept glancing at Harry, who seemed to notice the look the headmaster of Durmstrang was giving him. He released Gabrielle's hand and moved closer to the judges. In fact, Cedric realized that Harry was putting himself between Karkaroff and the champions and their hostages. The Durmstrang headmaster was now openly glaring at Harry, who was meeting the older wizard's stare with an equal amount of disdain.
"The judges have conferred," Dumbledore said, his wand pointed at his throat. "Mr. Krum, Mr. Diggory, and Ms. Delacour all returned with their hostage within the time limit. Mr. Krum was first, Ms. Delacour second, and Mr. Diggory third. However, there were complications for Mr. Potter, who was unable to take his hostage. He took on great personal risk to ensure the safety of the other champions and the hostages."
"We will confer to discuss how many points the champions with their hostages shall receive." The crowd exploded at that. "And for Mr. Potter, who showed true bravery to deal with a dangerous beast, we will awar-" and the world around them exploded into movement.
For Harry, it had been like slow motion. He was tired, that was for sure, but the danger of the Ramora had left him in a state of heightened awareness. He saw the three masked figures materialize out of the crowd and race towards the judges. They were fast, Harry realized. Dumbledore was saying something about points, but Harry ignored the headmaster as he leapt between the judges and landed in between would-be attackers. Two of them jumped at him, and Harry exploded into action.
He nailed the closer attacker on with a vicious push kick and caught the other one with a spinning roundhouse elbow to the temple and they dropped like a stone. He looked for the third attacker and saw they had a wild smile driving a knife towards Fleur's unprotected back. Harry turned and grabbed for his wand desperately but there was nothing he could do. Then that attacker was sent flying into the lake.
Harry turned and saw Akira had his wand drawn and placed himself in between the attacker who was now rising out of the lake. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Harry turned to face the other two, and saw the one he had hit flush rising far too easily. It took him two more breaths to find his center, but then the fear was gone, and Harry began to bounce lightly on his toes, starting his engine.
The two attackers drew weapons and in that fraction of a second Harry attacked, throwing a flurry of punches. The attackers split to avoid the barrage of blows, and with them separated Harry went after the bigger one, ducking under a swipe and swinging his elbow straight up. His opponent blocked the elbow but the attack had been a feint and Harry rolled his body across the man and jumped, bringing his knee his entire body weight driving through the end of his jumping foot which smashed his knee into the jaw of the nearby attacker.
This time Harry was sure that he had put one of the attackers down and he turned to face the only one left who was inches away. Harry dodged a few swipes of the short sword and realized he had made a mistake, as this new opponent was fast, at least as fast as him in his exhausted state. He couldn't dodge one vertical swipe entirely and he felt a cut open on his chest even though he couldn't feel the pain in the heat of battle.
With a concerted effort Harry dropped the shield around his body and felt his power temporarily surge and his body lighten. He heard noise behind him, which must have been the teachers finally reacting to the insane action and coming to his aid. His attacker made one more half-hearted attempt and then turned to flee, but Harry was not about to let them get away. Harry leapt high and took aim with his wand which he snapped into his hand. The attacker must have sensed Harry because they turned and threw up a shield.
"Leil Geon," Harry whispered, barely putting any power in the spell. The small burst of lightning raced through the air and sliced through the shield as if it wasn't there. The enemy stumbled and as Harry landed he saw McGonagall and Flitwick both land spells as the would-be-assassin waved their wand with no effect.
"What did you do to me?" The attacker croaked as they fell to the ground.
"You'll find your magic might not work too well for a little while," Harry said. "Nice try though." Harry was closest to the assailant and he raised his wand to stun them and end the fight. But in an instant, the effort of the day caught up to him and Harry simply toppled to the ground, leaving all the participants in the fight stunned for a moment, except the attacker who lunged for the now prone Harry.
"Stupefy!" a girl yelled, sending a spell into the space right next to Harry, causing the attacker to jump back in surprise. Every eye in the crowd turned to Daphne Greengrass, who fired two more spells at the attacker. The attacker growled and tried to flee, but found the twin pranksters of Gryffindor in the way.
"Depulso!" One said, forcing the attacker back towards the lake. The other twin was silent but his wand flickered out in a few patterns, jets of light forcing the opponent back even further. "No one attackers our seeker and gets away with it."
"What he said. Reducto!" The assailant managed to get a shield up in time but was unable to do much other than shield as the twins continued to attack in perfect harmony. Then the shield protecting the attacker shattered as Dumbledore stepping past the twins, his wand moving quickly and the assailant fell to the ground unmoving.
"Whew!" Akira tossed the final attacker to the ground next to the one Dumbledore had stunned. "That was a tough workout." He looked around and saw Harry lying prone on the ground. "Oh no. Harry!" Akira rushed over to the 4th year Gryffindor who was lying on the ground. He waved his wand over him, and looked at Harry curiously. Then a smile broke out over his ace "You are joking!"
"Is he ok?" McGonagall asked, falling to her knees next to Akira.
"You won't believe this," Akira whispered back. "He's fine. He's asleep. Harry literally ran out of energy. A lot of things are starting to make sense now about where he was these last two months."
"What about the attackers?" McGonagall asked as Akira picked up Harry, who she could hear was now snoring, causing her heart which had stopped in fear to start moving again.
"Dumbledore can have them," Akira said. "For now, I'm going to get my brother to bed. I'm sure a lot of people will have a lot of questions, so I'd like Harry to get a chance to rest before the world goes mad again. Can you go get everyone off my back and try and regain some order?" McGonagall nodded and gave one more fond look at her grandson before hurrying back to the other teachers. Akira just chuckled and then he vanished, Harry still in his arms.
"Wait one second!" Hermione yelled as she approached Professor Hayashi, but he simply wasn't there anymore. "Professer Hayashi!"
"It's ok, Ms. Granger," McGonagall said, putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Harry is fine. He actually fell asleep."
"Seriously?" Hermione looked skeptical.
"Akira is just taking him to get some rest, as I am sure you and the rest of his friends will have a bunch of questions." Hermione nodded. "Why don't you all go back to the dorms? I'm sure he will see you all at dinner when he wakes up." Hermione looked nervous at the idea. "There is nothing you can do for him at the present moment. You know the last thing Harry would want is for you to exhaust yourself with worry." Hermione seemed to finally get the message and wandered back over to the 4th years, who seemed to be congregating around Ms. Greengrass.
McGonagall had been caught unaware by the first attack. Harry had literally disappeared in front of her eyes and she had been baffled until she heard the sound of contact behind her. It had taken a moment to get her head around the fight going on and the combatants were too fast for her to fire a spell that would hit the opponent and not clip Harry.
She was fascinated by the magic he had used. It was unlike anything she had seen before, and in her years McGonagall had seen quite a few forms of magic. His accelerated speed and strength were nothing new to her. She had seen a few training sessions between her grandson and his brother during the break and while it was nerve-wracking it was also inspiring and soothed her worried nerves. But while Harry's magic was getting stronger and more diverse, she had seen nothing to suggest that he could cast a spell that would create a human-sized hole in a Ramora.
The rest of the day was filled with rumors about how many points Harry would be awarded at dinner. Some people said that since he hadn't saved his hostage he would get 0, but others said that he should get 50 for defeating the Ramora and the assailants. The beliefs were divided among house loyalty, with most of the students from the other schools had their own feelings.
Krum had made it clear that he and Harry were friends, and despite Karkaroff's urgings to the contrary, most of the Durmstrang students were at least friendly to Harry. Meanwhile the Beuaxbatons girls were jealous of Fleur to begin with, and to see her striking up a good relationship with Harry made them even angrier at both their champion and Harry. Harry did not have too many friends among the French students.
Despite all of this, there was one person who did not care in the slightest about what their housemates thought. In fact Daphne had nearly been accosted when she returned to the common room, but a few quick spells from her wand which jumped from the quick draw holster on her waist allowed her to escape. Now she was wandering around the school with her hand hovering over her Christmas gift from Harry's master.
There was nowhere safe to go. Daphne knew where the Gryffindor common room was courtesy of Harry's lack of secret keeping but no one would dare give her the password. Even if they did Hermione was probably too concerned with her unconscious best friend to vouch for her, and while the twins would not be openly hostile they had the normal distrust that Gryffindors had for Slytherins. No, she would find no solace there.
Harry's disappearance had hit Daphne harder than she expected. It was hard enough to see him whirling around the dance floor with the most gorgeous girl in the castle even if she had ended their relationship and any chance of them going to the ball together. Her date had been courteous, but had left her very early in the night, and despite her best efforts Daphne eyes had been inevitably been drawn to Harry and she had silently watched him kiss the Beauxbaton's champion, driving a dagger into her heart.
But then he disappeared, and things got far worse. Harry had kept Malfoy in line, something Daphne did not learn of until he vanished, both with his actions and presence, without the boy-who-lived even realizing his influence. Malfoy had cornered Daphne a few times, and the only thing that kept her safe were lucky appearances by teachers. Normally Daphne could count on the support of her best friend Tracey Davis, but Tracey had started dating Malfoy's crony Theodore Nott and was sometimes hostile towards her.
Daphne felt truly isolated at school. While Hannah was still a good friend and Hermione and Susan was occasionally friendly, Daphne knew that things had to change. Now was the time to strike, while Harry owed her one. She knew it was very possible that depending on specifics of the incident by the lake that Harry owed her a life debt, which opened up all kinds of options if Harry acknowledged the debt of his free will.
If he and Fleur were indeed in a relationship, Daphne was confident that she could intercede between them, but that would only generate animosity from all her non-Slytherin acquaintances, so that was only a last resort, even though she still had feelings for the green-eyed wizard. But there was one thing Harry might be able to do for her due to his close relationships with multiple teachers and the headmaster. It was a risk, but Daphne waited until dinner before grabbing her younger sister Astoria and taking her aside to talk to her.
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O—O-O-O-
Dumbledore sat at the podium looking out at the crowd, his mind whirling. Among all of the professors and headmasters he suspected that only Akira and Karkaroff, who were born outside of England and had dabbled in more dangerous magic would recognize what Harry had done. There were no spells known to Dumbledore that could do what Harry had done, which meant only one thing: Harry had learned specialty magic.
He understood the theory, of course. Dumbledore's own specialty magic was one of his best kept secrets, and during the first war he had learned that Voldemort and Bellatrix had learned specialty magic despite the total lack of availability on the information on the subject by Dumbledore's design. Every day Harry worried him more. To know a spell that could make someone else magic fail was a terrifying concept.
His physical skills terrified Dumbledore. The headmaster suspected that at the moment he could still deal with Harry, since he was a student. There was still time to guide Harry towards the light, and towards the self-sacrifice that was necessary to end the dark lord. Indeed, while Harry's ability to fight without a wand in his hand was worrying, that was not the key worry for Dumbledore. What terrified the Hogwarts headmaster was that Harry seemed to have more reasons than ever to survive due to his great friends.
Dumbledore had hoped that his offer to teach Harry would give him time to mold Harry into the perfect weapon in the war to come. But Harry was now supported by his brother by blood, the deputy headmaster and all three other champions. He did not recognize the embodiment of Gryffindor or self-sacrifice anymore, and the change in the boy-who-lived worried Dumbledore immensely. He still had many plans to make sure that Voldemort died, and to make sure Harry did not tread down the path to darkness.
The headmaster looked up in interest as the Gryffindor table started cheering. Harry walked into the hall to massive applause. Even the Hufflepuff table was cheering as Cedric walked over to hi-five Harry. As he sat Dumbledore saw what he now recognized as Harry's crew of friends gathering around him. There was Cedric, Krum and Dean, two overachievers and a prodigy according to McGonagall. There was also Amelia Bone's niece, The Longbottom scion and his girlfriend, and Lavender Brown. All four students had changed for the better under Harry's influence. There was also the French Veela, who could cause all sorts of problems in the future if Harry succumbed to her blatant romantic advances.
Of course Hermione was stuck next to him her eyes concerned even though Harry looked fine, looked better than fine. He was taller now, more muscular too though the muscle seemed effective rather than bulky. What was most interesting was that the Greengrass girl slid into the seat on his other side, talking animatedly to Harry, causing the Longbottom boy to drag Harry away from the table.
"Harry, I think there is a reason Daphne came over," Neville whispered to Harry.
"I assume because she is happy to see me back," Harry replied with an easy smile. "Don't you think so?"
"Of course, but you missed something when you passed out," Neville continued. "Harry, she saved your life. The attacker was right on top of you but she backed him off. If you were really unconscious, then you owe her a life debt."
"I do?" Harry's face clouded over with worry. "What's a life debt? That sounds really bad. Don't tell me I have to kill someone."
"It's complicated," Neville asked. "I think she came over because she knows you owe her. My advice is to wait until after dinner, acknowledge the debt, and see what she wants. I doubt she will ask you to kill someone unless it is Malfoy. Which I'm sure you wouldn't be adverse too."
"Malfoy is a ponce, but why would Daphne needed him killed?"
"I have heard some rumors about Slytherin recently, and I know Daphne's best friend is dating Nott," Neville explained. Harry's lips curled back in a sneer. "Just keep an open mind, ok? Do you want me to come with you?"
"No. Even if we ended our relationship, I trust Daphne as a person. Oh, could she ask for me us to get back together? I doubt she will, since she ended our relationship due to my reckless actions, and I seem to still have a problem with that."
"Nope," Neville explained. "She can't remove your free will. Though she might ask to get back together anyways. I don't spend time with her, but Hannah says she seems incredibly lonely. She took a chance to be with you, and it isolated her in her house. In case you haven't noticed, you have not been around a lot recently." Harry shot him a mock glare. "Just pointing it out."
"Yeah, it was hard for me to hang out with her," Harry admitted. "I'll try and do a better job. She deserves better than me."
"Well, I'm sure everyone has a ton of questions for you," Neville told him. "You planning on answering them?"
"Tonight?" Harry said. "Not a chance."
"Bravely into the lion's den?" Neville asked, causing Harry to grin wryly at him.
"We are Gryffindors," Harry added. "Time to face the music." The two boys returned to dinner and Neville watched in amazement as Harry twisted and turned to avoid any direct answers to the plethora of questions from all their friends. Even though Daphne was sitting next to him, she didn't say a word, just studying Harry which only confirmed Neville's suspicions. It would be fascinating to learn what she wanted.
"Attention all students," Dumbledore said and the hall instantly quieted. "Unfortunately we were interrupted during our discussion of points for the second task.
"Interrupted?" Harry whispered, but Hermione just put a hand over his. "Hermione-"
"There is no point," Hermione said. Harry nodded and squeezed her hand. Neville saw Cedric's eyes tighten and the Hufflepuff champion's hand clenched. Neville expected that Harry's discussion with Daphne would not be the serious conversation with far reaching ramifications tonight.
"The judges will confer, but Mr. Potter's performance was very impressive. The scores will be released soon." The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers again. All of Harry's friends complimented him, while most of the people at the table said Harry should have the most points for everything he did.
Eventually dinner ended and the students started drifting back to their dorms. Harry looked in surprise as Cedric led Hermione away, a hard look on his face. He was curious when he saw the look of worry coloring Hermione's features, but for the time he had to talk to Daphne, who seemed to realize that Harry was waiting for her. The two looked at each other with tentative smiles.
"So how have you been?" Harry asked. "I never had the chance to thank you properly for helping me save Sirius."
"It was my pleasure, really," Daphne said. "I'm just sorry he isn't free and innocent. Then he could be your magical guardian and McGonagall would not have to reveal she is your grandmother."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about my status," Harry told her. "I learned a lot of things about my rights as Lord Potter when I visited Gringotts. I'd like Sirius to be free too, but I suspect I will have some more rights in the future. Nothing major, but it will be ok this summer. I'm planning to do some traveling anyways." Daphne nodded in understanding. "Speaking of rights, I believe you have something to talk to me about, a responsibility I have."
"So are you willing to acknowledge it?" Daphne asked
"Yes. Daphne Greengrass, I acknowledge I owe you a life debt for saving my life," Harry said. Both students felt the magic flow around them.
"Woah," Daphne said. "That was amazing. I didn't realize how powerful you were, not really." Harry just shrugged. "No, seriously. Don't go handing out that information."
"Wasn't planning to. But anyways, what can I do for you?" Harry said. "You can ask me anything, and if it in my power, I will grant it. I would help without the life debt, but maybe not anything."
"Are you and Fleur dating?" Daphne asked, point blank. Harry face blanched and sighed.
"I don't know, but I doubt it," Harry said. "Although it was not entirely my fault, I expect she will be furious with me. But I think I like her, and I know that if she isn't mad, she likes me." Harry twiddled his hands nervously. Daphne saw his hands and laughed.
"Harry, I still don't want to get back together with you. I won't force you to do anything for the life debt. I thought you could help me with something, and that would clear the debt. I'd prefer if we were closer like before, but not dating."
"Yeah," Harry laughed nervously. "So why did you ask about me and Fleur?"
"I'm nosy," Daphne told him.
"Funny," Harry snapped. Daphne held up hands in mock surrender. "So…"
"I have an odd request," Daphne said. Harry saw a girl who looked a lot like Daphne waiting by the door.
"Your sister?" Harry asked, pointing out the young girl. Daphne nodded. "Does she have something to do with your request?" Daphne nodded again, and Harry noticed she looked even more nervous and upset than when she dumped him. "You can bring her over, I won't bite."
"She has a little hero worship of you," Daphne admitted. Harry shook his head and waved the girl over. Daphne heard her sister slide into the seat next to her, a giant smile on her face.
"I'm Astoria," she said.
"Nice to meet you Astoria," Harry said.
"If you don't have a girlfriend, can I be your girlfriend?" Astoria asked, causing Harry to choke on his drink. "I promise I will be better than my sister."
"How old are you?" Harry asked, causing Daphne to flinch. Then she saw Harry smiling, and realized he was joking.
"Second year, but I turn 13 this summer," Astoria proclaimed proudly. "If you prefer, my father can send you a marriage contract for when I am older."
"I'm sorry Astoria, but maybe let's just be friends first," Harry said. Astoria gave a humph and turned away. "So what can I do for you both?"
"We need to get out of Slytherin," Daphne blurted out.
"I'm sorry, but I swear that I just heard you said you want to leave your house," Harry stuttered. Daphne nodded. "Um, I know I said I'd do anything within my power, but I doubt I could do that. I'd also need some type of explanation."
"The explanation isn't important," Daphne replied.
"It's Malfoy," Astoria explained. "He and his cronies have been threatening us." Harry's eyes tightened.
"Malfoy,' Harry snarled rising to his feet.
"Sit down!" Daphne shouted. "Don't be an idiot. If you pick a fight with Malfoy you certainly can't help me. I want out of Slytherin, and you can help."
"How?"
"Two reasons," Daphne said. "You are related to two professors. Also, Dumbledore likes you. It's so obvious with all the points he gives you at the end of every year."
"I did earn those points," Harry countered.
"Sure, but he wants something from you. I don't know what, but I think he would do anything to ensure your support. You get him to put that hat back on my head, and I'll be on my way out of the snake den post haste."
"Look, I know Slytherin is a dangerous house, but you do seem to be cunning in a way that you aren't in other ways."
"Not brave, loyal, or wise?" Daphne countered. "Astoria could easily be resorted into Gryffindor for bravery, and I don't care where I go, even if I prefer Gryffindor or Hufflepuff because I have friends my own age in those houses. I see you guys in classes, but the common room is getting a little dangerous, and now that my best friend is dating Nott, she is not necessarily in my corner too often."
"It's crazy for us," Astoria said. "Even if it's just my sister, she needs to get out. We need your help." Harry's eyes glazed over, and he remembered what Neville had said when he pulled him away. The glaze left his eyes and he blocked out Astoria, staring at Daphne. She did look lonely. And it was his fault.
"I know it's a hard thing to do-"
"Ok, I'll try my best to help," Harry said with a resigned sigh. He didn't actually mind if Daphne was out of Slytherin. It might make it easier for Dean and Lavender to like her, as they were still a little frosty on Daphne, if she ended up with the lions. Daphne looked at him in surprise, but Harry just inclined his head. If she was truly in danger, he would figure out a way to get her out of it.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Astoria cried, throwing her hands around Harry's neck. Harry was a little speechless and he could feel Astoria's tears on his robe. He was better with his touch phobia, but this was making him incredibly uncomfortable.
"Astoria, calm down," Daphne said, dragging her sister off Harry. "Seriously, thank you."
"Thank me after I do this," Harry told them. "Just to be clear, is my life debt wiped out even if the professors don't agree?"
"You don't want to be indebted to me?" Daphne questioned
"Not particularly," Harry admitted, "but that is not the point. You are too sneaky." Daphne flashed him a smile at that. "Chances are I can get Dumbledore to meet with you. I can't admit it will change his mind. So maybe we should have a back-up plan."
"You get us in there, I'll talk him around," Astoria said. "No man can resist a young maiden's tears." Harry raised an eyebrow, suspecting that tears would not sway the headmaster. "Well, Dumbledore and you are special, but still."
"I should tell you guys something," Harry said as they trooped towards McGonagall's room. "You can talk to the hat, and it will take your choices into account. I certainly did."
"The hat didn't want to put you in Gryffindor?"
"Well, it was fine with Gryffindor," Harry explained, "but it was also thinking about Slytherin. Does that surprise you?"
"No way!" Astoria looked astonished, but Daphne was just thoughtful.
"So the hat may want to sort you in Slytherin again, but you can just tell it to shove it. It listened to me, Malfoy turned me off to your house when he insulted Ron."
"Ha!" Daphne laughed. "So you mean to tell me if you hadn't met Weasley and Malfoy, you would have ended up in Slytherin? That might have dramatically shifted our school lives."
"Daphne, I'm just one person," Harry told her. "Life doesn't shift around me."
"Sure like Dumbledore is one person." Harry scoffed at that idea. He really has no idea," Astoria asked her sister. Daphne shook her head. "That is adorable."
"I have no idea as to what?" Harry asked.
"The power and influence you have here at school," Daphne explained. Harry disagreed, but now was not the time to get into that argument as they had reached his grandma's door.
"Hey Minnie you in there?"
"Minnie?" Astoria gasped.
"Yeah," Harry explained. Daphne's sister looked floored. Realization flooded over Harry like a massive wave. "You never told her?"
"Harry, it was a secret," Daphne explained. "Why would I tell her?"
"Well, I guess she knows now," Harry said. "Astoria, McGonagall is actually my grandmother. My mom was adopted." Astoria was muttering in shock. "I'd very much appreciate it if you could keep that a secret."
"So you are a full pure-blood?" Astoria asked.
"Yeah, I guess so," Harry realized as the door opened.
"Miss Greengrass, and Miss Greengrass," his grandmother said. "Quite a surprise, given that curfew is almost upon us. I take it from Harry's use of my informal name, they both know."
"Uh, I learned just now," Astoria admitted. McGonagall shot Harry a look that spoke volumes, and Harry just shrugged.
"Sorry Grandma Minnie."
"I guess a few people will figure out we are closer than professor and student since I was your hostage," McGonagall asserted as she allowed them into his room. "Dumbledore wanted to use Ron, but I offered myself up."
"Ron?" Harry asked. "I have barely talked to him since the tournament was announced. Literally not more than a few conversations."
"Well, that was why I was your hostage." McGonagall looked at him, and then hugged him tightly. "It was very brave what you did today." Then she released him and smacked him on the shoulder. "And very crazy. Don't ever scare me like that again."
"It's not like I go looking for trouble," Harry mumbled, and everyone fixed him with a curious glare. "Well, I'll try my best."
"I've heard that before," Daphne whispered under her breath, though Harry heard her and smiled. For the first time their break-up, Harry felt like they might actually be able to be friends again.
"So why are you all here so late?" McGonagall asked. Harry looked at the two Greengrasses, who glanced right back. Harry shook his head, and Daphne glared at him. Harry just crossed his arms and gestured to McGonagall.
By the time Daphne and Astoria had explained the entire story, McGonagall was ready to interrogate Snape to learn the Slytherin password, march into the common room and hex Malfoy within an inch of his life. All three students were able to talk her off that ledge, with Harry eventually admitting he had a plan for Malfoy, which he would reveal as long as McGonagall did not mention any of this to Dumbledore. If the old wizard learned his plan, Harry was sure the headmaster would try and stop it, and he couldn't have that happening, not if he wanted to deal with Malfoy's behavior permanently. He had wanted this confrontation for a long time, and he would not be denied anymore.
So with McGonagall in tow they marched to the headmasters office. Astoria was incredibly excited as she had never been to Dumbledore's office before. Even Daphne was curious as to where Dumbledore lived. It made Harry laugh a little, and he realized once again that he was not like most students, even if he was sure that Daphne and Astoria were incorrect in their assessment of his "influence" on the students.
As they reached the office, McGonagall just stared at the gargoyle, but the stone creature didn't move. Harry moved next to McGonagall, but still the gargoyle remained stationary.
"Do you think he knows why we are here?" McGonagall mumbled.
"Don't know, don't care," Harry replied. "Acid Pops, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Cauldrons, Ice Mice, Treacle Fudge-" The Gargoyle swung out as Harry said the last one. "Ha!" He started up the stairs with McGonagall behind him, but the two Greengrasses stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Treacle Fudge? Really?"
"He has a sweet tooth. If you ever need to get in, I suggest just naming Honeydukes items until one of them works. Now are you coming or what? Best to get this over quickly," McGonagall explained. Daphne and Astoria were right behind them as they entered the headmaster's office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk looking expectantly as they entered.
"Quite an unusual assortment at this time of night," Dumbledore commented. He had that twinkle in his eyes that seemed to make everyone more compliant, and it frustrated and amazed Harry how he could do it. "Would you like a lemon drop?"
"It is quite an unusual request Albus," McGonagall said ignored the offer of the lemon drop. Her eyes were slightly averted, which made Harry smile and Dumbledore frown. Daphne knew enough Occlumency to beat back a passive scan and whispered to Astoria, who instantly stared at the ground. "Miss Greengrass, younger and elder. I assume that the reason that my transfiguration professor and her grandson are at my office at night has something to do with you." If Dumbledore was hoping to get a reaction out of Daphne or her sister he did not get it, and Harry saw his eyes tighten.
"Headmaster, my sister and I would like to be resorted out of Slytherin."