...GOoHS...

Chapter 11

Fire-Proofing

"Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate... well that sounds lovely." Harry snarked as he closed the book he had been reading. "Bloody helpful, that was. Didn't even mention which spells those would be."

Lucas looked up tiredly from his copy of 'Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland' to see what was up with Harry. His eyes were almost closed. Honestly, he looked like he could fall asleep any second now. Ron was already out, snoring away with a different book about dragons covering his face.

"You could do without the sass…" Lucas yawned. He finally put down the book and used it as a pillow instead.

Harry glared at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're right. I'll just let myself get burned alive willingly."

"…or not. Sass the dragon to death, why don't you?" Lucas said, settling down on his makeshift bed of books and throw pillows.

"Will the both of you stop?!" hissed Hermione. She glared at the Potter twins over a very thick book she cradled on her lap. She was probably the only one who looked alert despite going through three books in one day in comparison to Ron and Lucas' one. Harry had gone through about the same amount as Hermione but even he was starting to feel tired and frustrated at the lack of helpful information.

Still, he heeded Hermione and stopped fighting with Lucas. Lucas only grunted and turned his back on Harry to get some sleep before their parents called. Harry was too anxious to sleep, though. He scanned the book in his hands wearily again.

He didn't know how to face a dragon head on but he did know how to salvage its remains for useful potions thanks to the books he had read. None of the dueling and offensive spellbooks he borrowed from the library even mentioned any of the spells working on a dragon. As far as he and Hermione knew, no spell a student their age could conjure would be enough to pierce a dragon's hide.

Harry and Hermione had gone through about eight books the past week and they had borrowed more from the library to read in the common room. They would have liked to stay in their secluded spot in the library but tonight was the night Lily and James Potter were calling from the fireplace. It turns out their contact at the Ministry was more efficient than they had thought. He had managed to get them connected in less than a week.

They were now just waiting for their parents faces to show up in the fire. The students in the common room had left for their beds and it was mostly deserted except for the Weasley twins in the corner who were too busy with their inventions to pay them any mind.

As Harry read the same sentence over and over again, the embers in the fireplace suddenly roared to life and his father's face appeared in the flames. He was about to say 'hi' when a hand pushed him to the side and Lily's concerned face came into view.

"Harry? Lucas?" she called, eyes scanning the common room.

Harry fell out of the armchair he was sitting on in his mad dash to get to the fireplace. Hermione looked startled when he hit the ground, thinking that he had fainted again or something. Thankfully, it was nothing. She stood up and made her way over to the fireplace, kicking Lucas gently to wake him and shaking Ron awake on the couch.

"Harry! There you are! Wait, where's Lucas?" Lily said, eyes once again roaming the common room. James slowly came into view to her left.

"Hi!" he said, smiling at Harry.

"M'here!" Lucas said groggily as he crawled towards the fireplace. He yawned loudly before sitting up properly next to Harry.

"Oh, sorry love, I didn't mean to wake you." Lily said.

Lucas, who was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, mumbled 'it's alright' to her. Harry leaned a bit more forward to address his parents.

"Did you get the letter? I wasn't sure since I never heard back from you. Uncle Remus and Sirius gave us their replies yesterday but it wasn't that helpful." Harry rambled, his worry seeping into every word.

"Harry, Harry, sweetheart, breathe." Lily said soothingly. She wished she could jump in and hug him more than anything but the connection was only for floo calls. "We got your letter, don't worry. To be honest, I'm still angry at Dumbledore for still letting you compete. Merlin, this is… it's a dragon! What sane parent would let their child face a fully grown dragon?! They're insane, the lot of them! Even the Minister won't budge!"

James patted Lily's back to console her and turned to Harry. "You mentioned Moony and Padfoot sending you letters? What did they suggest you should do?"

"Padfoot said duck, cover, and hold," Lucas yawned.

Harry shook his head. "No, that wasn't all he said. He suggested learning Protego at least, but I don't know if I can produce a shield strong enough to stop dragon fire."

James nodded thoughtfully. "No, that would be impossible but it could provide you a few seconds of safety so you can run to cover."

"I hope so. Uncle Moony told me to try learning a few fire protection charms to cast on myself before going in to face the dragon. He basically said the defensive spells he taught us last term were all useless."

James frowned but agreed nonetheless. "Yes, that's true. Fire protection charms sounds good. It won't do much against a dragon but at least you won't be burned too badly."

Lily looked uneasy at how casually they discussed Harry being subjected to dragon fire. She cleared her throat and said to Harry, "I've also been scouring the Potter library for anything that might help but the spells that can do damage to a fully-grown dragon are extremely hard and very dangerous if it goes wrong. I'm still looking though, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something."

Hermione then started discussing her own findings with Lily. Harry just sat numbly, thinking of his parents' words. In the end, they couldn't give him much help at all. They could probably face the dragon just fine if it was them but he was only a fourth-year student at Hogwarts. He couldn't possibly face one and live.

Feeling helpless, he thought back to the lessons he had sat in, hoping to remember something he might have missed, and his mind suddenly recalled his encounter with Professor Moody a few days ago.

'Play to your strengths, Potter'

Harry had been confused when he said that. What were his strengths? Books? He doubted chucking heavy tomes at a dragon would do much damage, not that he could throw that far. Harry thought about it more but still drew a blank. Unexpectedly, Ginny's voice floated in his mind and the memory of them talking in the lake with Neville replayed itself.

'Quidditch is probably the only thing you've got going for you…'

"Quidditch!" Harry exclaimed loudly, startling everyone around him. "Of course!How could I be so stupid?!"

Lucas gaped at him. "I think this is it. He's finally cracked…"

Harry stood up, almost jumping in glee at his breakthrough. Lily and James exchanged a look of concern.

"Mate, why in the world are you thinking about Quidditch? They've cancelled it this year, let it go, bloody hell…" Ron said, equally as scared as the others.

"No!" Harry said, rounding on Ron, eyes wide with excitement. Ron whimpered and backed away. "Professor Moody gave me a hint when he talked to me a few days ago, remember?!"

"Pfft… Professor Moody," snickered James from the fireplace. Lily smacked him.

"He said I should play to my strengths," Harry continued, unbothered by his father's comment. "I didn't understand what he meant back then but now I do! It's Quidditch! Flying! I'm good at flying!"

"Yes, Harry, you're a fair flyer," they heard George suddenly say from across the room, sounding annoyed.

"Now pipe down. You're not the only ones who are busy," added Fred, equally irritated. He had one of their canary creams smeared on his hand and his wand on the other.

"Hey, piss off! This is a matter of life and death!" Ron snapped.

"So is ours, so pipe down!" retorted Fred.

"Shut up down there!" shouted a voice from up in the dorm rooms. They had disturbed the sleeping students, it seemed.

"Alright, alright, everyone settle down." James said from the fire. Everyone calmed down and Harry sat back down next to Lucas again. Hermione picked up her wand from the table she left it on and cast a Muffliato charm around them before sitting down on the armchair near the fire.

"Right, you okay now Harry?" James asked.

Harry nodded. He was deep in thought and then his face fell, which spiked his parents' worry.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

Harry looked at them sadly. "Moody told me to play to my strengths and that means flying but… but I'm not allowed a broom."

James deflated at that. He was happy that Harry had found them a solution he was capable of doing without risk of it blowing up in his face but then they hit this snag. Lily, who had been silent as well on his side, suddenly brightened up and she hit James' arm repeatedly in her excitement.

"No, I've read the rules repeatedly these past few days, Harry. It only said you aren't allowed to carry a broom with you when you face your task. It didn't say anything about having it come to you."

"The summoning spell…" Harry breathed, eyes looking at his mother gratefully. "Mum, thank you!"

The rest of them cheered at the breakthrough. Harry felt elated that he at least had a way to get around the dragon now. Once the initial anxiety and crippling fear had washed away with the elation of finding a strategy, his mind began to work again. He was calm enough to be rational now and his mind formulated the rational conclusion that the committee couldn't really expect students to slay a dragon. He had seen Charlie Weasley and even he wasn't spared when he worked with tamer dragons. The dragon was probably just an obstacle. 'But to what?'

"Right, so that means I've got to focus on learning the summoning spell, Protego, and fire protection charms. One and a half weeks will be pushing it but I think we'll get it done." Harry said, already formulating a schedule in his head.

Ron rolled his eyes. "One week… did you hear that? Knowing you, Harry, you'll probably master it in no time."

"You're exaggerating, Ron."

Ron wasn't exaggerating. Though it wasn't as fast as Ron had claimed, Harry did pick up the summoning spell quickly and did quick work on the fire protection charms as well. He had been adept at it by the fourth day of their training so he focused on learning the shielding charm, Protego, and trained his magic to strengthen it bit by bit every day. His friends and his family were all very amazed at how fast he had learned the three spells. All three of those spells weren't introduced to them in their regular classes yet and Harry learned them without much trouble.

"That's brilliant Harry! Keep it up for a little longer!" Hermione encouraged as she shot out a steady stream of fire from her wand. It was a pathetic little thing compared to a dragon's fiery breath but it was better than pelting Harry with rocks instead. Lucas was standing near Hermione, ready to join in with a second stream of fire the moment Harry gave him the signal.

They were at the lake again, obviously for safety purposes and partly so that Harry could get away from the other inhabitants of the castle. Everyone had gotten nastier as the first task grew nearer. Apparently, it didn't matter to them that he helped their champion, Cedric Diggory, by warning him about the dragons. They still shouted insults at him whenever he passed and even wore badges exactly like the one Draco Malfoy wore.

Harry pushed all that away to the back of his mind for now. Being taunted at school was far less scary when he was about to face a fully grown dragon in less than twenty-four hours from now.

Harry gave a nod at Lucas and he stood closer to Hermione. He pointed his wand at Harry then muttered 'Incendio'. A steady stream of fire erupted from his wand, slightly bigger and stronger than Hermione's. It melded into Hermione's fire and strengthened the attack on Harry's magic shield. Harry was suddenly very glad he had casted a few layers of fire protection charms on himself beforehand.

Harry strained under the pressure but kept the shield up as best as he could. Ron was timing their progress at the shore and he held up two fingers at them, meaning it had been two minutes since he had his shield up. It was significant progress, considering he could only do two-second shields on the first and second day of learning Protego.

An appreciative whistle suddenly echoed around them and Hermione and Lucas stopped casting the fires to see who it was. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and hunched over to catch his breath.

"Dad! Mum!" he heard Lucas yell. Harry, who was still panting heavily and clutching his knees, was splashed with water as his brother dashed quickly towards the shore.

Harry looked up just in time to see Lucas tackle James Potter in a hug with Lily laughing lightheartedly as she moved away before she got hit by a stray limb. Harry grinned and made his way to them, albeit at a much slower pace than Lucas'. Hermione followed behind him.

Lily immediately encased Harry in a tight hug the moment he got on shore. She swayed them back and forth as if she was comforting a child who was younger than her teenaged son. Harry didn't care. He let himself be comforted. Truth be told, he needed it, especially with the hostility the other students had been showing and the pressure and anxiety the tournament brought.

"You're a day early…" Harry mumbled, his face still planted in the crook of his mother's neck.

Lily gave him a soft chuckle, still not letting him go. "I think we deserve this at least… given the fact that they won't let you forfeit the tournament. Your father and I insisted on this. One extra day with you is still a far cry for equal compensation, though…"

Harry burrowed his face more in his mother's neck and Lily obliged him, giving him gentle pats on his back as he did. She kissed his forehead and whispered, "Oh, Harry… you're alright. You're going to be alright."

"I hope so…" Harry mumbled but immediately regretted it when he felt his mother stiffen. She pulled him away and looked him sternly in the eye.

"Harry James Potter, you better be alright. You've been preparing to the best of your abilities and even if I don't show it, I have utmost confidence in you flying skills," she said and paused before adding, "…even if I want to keep you and your brother off a broom most of the time."

Harry just nodded at her words. He didn't completely agree with her confidence but he didn't want her to worry too much either. His father agreed with her completely though, as he was grinning widely at him while he had Lucas on a chokehold. They walked over to them like that and it was only until Lily gave James a reprimanding look that he let go of Lucas. Lily immediately went to hug Lucas like she did Harry.

James chuckled and put an arm around Harry. "You better be alright, for your sake. Your mother will murder you if you aren't."

Harry laughed nervously. "Thanks, but I don't know if I'm ready dad. I mean… it's a dragon!"

James shook his head and looked at Harry seriously. "You don't have to kill the bloody thing. No grown adult could, not by themselves anyway. You probably just have to get past it. That's where your excellent flying skills come in."

Harry still didn't look convinced and James could see it. He bent down a bit to look him in the eye and said, "Harry, not a lot of grown wizards, Aurors even, can conjure a decent magical shield. My partner, Charles Thistle, can't even do the shielding charm. You're already loads better than him Harry. You've managed to put up a shield that lasted a good while and that's plenty impressive. You might not know as many spells as the other champions for now, but you've got enough in your arsenal. Trust in those."

After saying that, he walked towards Lily and Lucas, the latter trying to get away from his mother's cuddles. James laughed loudly at Lucas' uncomfortable face.

"Merlin, Lily, don't embarrass the poor boy!" he called out, jogging to Lucas' rescue.

Harry was left to stew over his father's words and felt himself relax gradually. He was right, he shouldn't measure himself the same way as the other champions. They were older and more experienced. He didn't have those attributes but he did have enough skills to face the first task.

James suddenly stopped and turned back to Harry and said, "Oh, by the way Harry, bring out your firebolt."

Harry was shaken out of his thoughts at that. "W-Why?"

"I need to check it. I assume you've been keeping up with broom maintenance?"

"Er…"

James sighed. "Alright, we'll add that to the list. I need to add more protection spells to it anyway."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "I-Isn't that against the rules or something? Tampering with my broom, I mean…"

James frowned. "No, I don't think it is. Lily would have mentioned it if it was. She was the one who gave me the list of spells to place on your broom."

Harry gaped at his mother, who was now laughing at what Lucas said and trapping him to her side again. Lucas' face was almost as red as his hair now.

"M-Mum did?"

"She nearly broke down when she couldn't find spells to deal with the dragon. She stayed up for days looking for ways to give your protective enchantments. She even considered brewing a potion and smuggling it to you." James said, looking at his wife with pure admiration. "She loves you boys more than anything. You know that, don't you, Harry?"

Harry nodded numbly. He felt gratitude flowing through him as he looked at his mother. Lily noticed them looking at her and she gave them a radiant smile and waved. Harry waved back and he joined his father as he walked towards the two red-haired members of their family.

Harry hugged his mother and whispered, "Thank you."

Lily patted his unruly hair, confused at the unprompted hug, and said, "Sure… but what for?"

James filled her in and Lily made an "oh" sound. She then shook her head and smiled. "Well, we haven't casted the spells yet, have we? James, see to that please."

Harry looked up curiously and asked, "By the way, what spells are you casting on my broom?"

James gave him his signature mischievous look. "Let's just say the dragon won't be able to give your broom a single scratch even if it tried…"

Harry frowned. "I think this might be cheating, dad."

James rolled his eyes. "Pfft please... It isn't cheating if the playing field wasn't level in the first place. Think of this as an advantage, instead Harry."

"Okay… but still…"

James clasped his hands on Harry shoulders and shook him playfully. "No, don't say it. This isn't cheating. I'm sure your opponents have more sophisticated ways of handling the first task and it isn't fair that you don't have access to those because of your age. I swear, you're too kind for your own good, Harry…"

Lily reached out and ruffled Harry's hair. "He's right, love. Listen to him."

James whooped at that and he then pumped his fists in celebration. "Did you hear that? Your mother said I'm right! That's quite the achievement!"

Lily groaned. "Oh Merlin, here we go…"

A/N: I'm still not sure whether or not I should narrate the first task. Right now, I'm leaning towards opening the next chapter with the events after the first task. I mean, we're basically going into this in the same way as the book and movie did. Ah, but I forgot how it went in the books though, so I might have to research that (don't have the books onhand). I only have the movie for reference.

But yes, straight into the events after Harry faces the dragon for next chapter, yeah?

Edit: Hello again, I'm just putting this here because there seems to be a problem going around the site recently. I've just put up the next chapter but it doesn't show up. I'm here to let you know that I have this fanfic cross-posted on AO3. My username is still the same so you'll find the next chapter there if this one hasnt uodated because the bug hasnt been fixed.