A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands
Chapter 58: Sparks and a Growing Flame
May, 1995
"Again," McGonagall demanded. Fleur and Hermione both waved their wands. For Fleur, the pawn in front of her shifted to a knight. For Hermione, her match looked an awful lot like a needle. Fleur flicked her wand a few more times. The knight transformed to a castle, then a queen. Hermione stayed stationary, looked at the needle in surprise.
"It looks fine," Fleur commented, looking at the newly formed needle.
"It looked fine last time," Hermione snapped. McGonagall walked over to the needle and scraped it across the desk. The end of the needle sparked.
"Extremely close, Ms. Granger," McGonagall said. "You almost had it perfect."
"I don't understand," Hermione wailed.
"Silent transfiguration is extremely hard," McGonagall told her. "It is normally the hardest type of silent magic. You have made great strides recently. Professor Flitwick told me when he asked me to watch you two for the week that you have quite a gift for silent charm word, and that you can cast a significant amount of non-verbal charms."
"But Fleur can do complex transfigurations silently," Hermione pointed out.
"Hermione, I am two years older than you, and am not going into this without experience," Fleur reassured her. "I was already doing basic transfiguration silently at the beginning of this year.
"I guess," Hermione said, still sulking. In her heart, she knew that silent transfiguration was very challenging, and that McGonagall would not have given her praise if she was not doing well. She certainly should not be comparing herself with Fleur. But it still hurt that Harry's girlfriend had done the required complex transfiguration silently, and she still struggled to do a first year spell silently.
"Well, that should do it for the night," McGonagall said. "Ms. Granger, if you would like to try once more, you may do so, but you seem rather frustrated, which tells me you might be best stopping." Hermione looked down, frustrated. Again, McGonagall was right. "Besides, I'm sure you have homework. Professor Flitwick says you have been working quite hard with him recently. I'm sure you don't want to get behind." Hermione nodded in realization. She had barely started working on her potions essay, and it was due tomorrow.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," Hermione said.
"Of course, Ms. Granger. Stop by my office after dinner tomorrow and we can try again." Hermione barely heard her, already rushing back to the common room. "If only every student had her energy."
"She has a rather convincing reason," Fleur commented.
"Does she?" McGonagall asked.
"Professor Flitwick did not tell you why we requested extra tuition from him?" Fleur asked, a little confused.
"No, he just said you three have been training three times a week at night. He wanted you two to have some variety, so he told me where you two were and asked me to take his place for the night. When he raised the idea, I mentioned to him a switch might do us both some good."
"A switch?"
"I was supposed to be training with my grandson tonight," McGonagall said. "Akira is quite talented, but Flitwick is surprisingly fast and a true charms master. I figured it might be a good matchup for Harry. I'd be surprised if your boyfriend doesn't win most of the bouts, but it will be a learning experience for him."
"Have you been sparing with Harry?" Fleur asked, surprised. She figured that when Harry spent nights with his advisor and grandmother, they would not be sparing. It didn't seem to play to either of their strengths. Minerva was a world-renowned transfiguration mistress and a very tough witch. Fleur suspected that if it came to blows between them, it would not take long for the deputy headmistress to immobilize or knock her out, despite Fleur's prodigious charms talent.
No matter how adroit someone was at transfiguration, it was magic that took time. Dumbledore was the only commonly known transfiguration master who could conjure and transfigure instantaneously. For most, the tiny amount of time it took McGonagall to complete her spells would not even be noticed. But for someone like Harry, with his frankly godlike speed, that tiny bit of time would be all he needed.
"Goodness no," McGonagall said with a laugh. "Honestly, I'm surprised you would even think that."
"It's why I was surprised," Fleur relayed. "Transfiguration versus Harry is a horrible matchup."
"His speed is truly otherworldly," Minerva agreed. She saw the Veela fondly nodding in concurrence. "You really care for him, don't you?"
"I really do," Fleur said. "Now, if he would only tell me he loved me too…"
"Harry has not said he loves you?" Minerva looked at the Beauxbatons student, confused. "He has certainty confessed as much to me." Fleur didn't look surprised. "You don't seem surprised…or upset."
"You do not know much of Veela, do you?" Fleur asked. Minerva shrugged. She knew a fair amount, more than most. But nothing she knew would explain why Harry would not tell Fleur he loved her. Well, the emotional scarring her grandson was still dealing with might explain it, but Fleur probably had something else in mind.
"I guess not. I did a little research when you and Harry started becoming serious, and I know more than most."
"Well, no book would tell you what I will now tell you."
"It must complicated dating you," Minerva said with a laugh.
"I wouldn't know," Fleur said, though her eyes were gleaming with hidden mirth. "Harry's my first boyfriend. He is certainly not the type to complain anyways."
"You are sure he doesn't say it because of his childhood? Though now we are heading towards certain things I probably shouldn't discuss."
"Fairly sure, though Harry doesn't open about a variety of things, including his childhood. Though I have seen him without a shirt a few times, so I can make educated guesses."
"You mean those nights Harry spent when he did not sleep in the dorm," Minerva asked with an eye raised. Fleur matched her stare evenly. "The dorm has wards. I don't particularly care, if that's why you are worried. Harry may be my grandson, but he doesn't need me mothering him, and certainly doesn't need me acting like a minder. He's an adult anyways."
"True," Fleur slowly said. "But nevertheless, I feel I should share what I believe to be Harry's reasoning, so as to spare Harry a conversation that could turn angry between you too. When you had the argument about that meeting with the English Ministry last month and you two were at odds, Harry was quite upset. You knowing a secret of mine seems like a small price."
"Very well," Minerva acceded to Fleur's request. "Go ahead then."
"As you know, Harry and I have been very close, partially by design and in part by mistake, Harry has given me some important items in a formal courtship with a Veela. This necklace, for example." Fleur held up the necklace she had not taken off since Harry had given it to her on New Year's. "Harry gave this to me without an agenda, but technically this is more than a simple necklace that reduces my allure, even though it does in fact do that."
"Because the necklace reduces my allure while allowing me to ensure I am not keeping my powers in check, it means more than a gift. Harry meant it as a symbol of affection, but in a more formal setting, the necklace means he does not want me to be attracting other men. It's a step below a formal engagement, but since this has been far from a formal courtship, I know Harry doesn't mean that. Nevertheless, the significance of the gift has a great meaning to me, even if Harry did not see it that way."
"I fail to see why the necklace means he can't be honest with his feelings," Minerva interrupted
"The necklace has nothing to do with it," Fleur replied. "It is an example of how, as an unintentional mistake, Harry has made a big gesture. One that he probably realized at a later time, perhaps during the two months he was away. Now he knows how important the necklace was, and knows that telling me he loves me is another mistake."
"Because we are so close and I love Harry and have told him so, him replying in kind would engage my Veela nature. Real love, if returned, will, for lack of a better word, bind me to him. I am certain my love for Harry is real, so if he returns my feelings, I will have no other. I will be Harry's, regardless of what he may do. Unless he was to tell me he does not love me because he loves another, and truly mean the words so that his magic senses it, I will be bound to him, to follow him to the end of the earth."
"This does not mean we will not argue, or disagree, or fight. I will not be subservient to him in any way. But the thought of being with another man would disgust me more than a ton of rotten food. I will not even be able to feel anything other than friendly affection for another man. My body won't allow it. Harry probably isn't there yet, as that is essentially an engagement. That is a heavy weight to put on me if he isn't sure of his feelings."
"What's more, Harry knows that I do not have a problem pushing the boundaries in our relationship. By that I mean physically." Fleur blushed a little at that. "I have endeavored to respect his boundaries as best I can, even if it is against my nature. It does not help that Harry is as mature as he is. If he was my age, I would tie Harry to my bed until he gave me what I want." This statement didn't elicit the same kind of blush, which Minerva found a little impressive and a little unnerving.
"If Harry tells me he loves me, I will take that final physical step. I won't be able to help myself. And that has little to do with my Veela nature. I've been holding myself back and if Harry tells me he loves me, what little self-control I am exercising will be blown away. I suspect Harry would feel like he is taking advantage of me and would refuse. If Harry told me he loved me and then rejected me at a later time, it might very well break me. And trust me, nobody with a heart would want a broken Veela."
"Well, it seems I was correct," Minerva said after a long pause, considering everything Fleur had told her. "It is indeed complicated dating you." Fleur nodded gratefully. "I will definitely not confront Harry about it. Even if he is unaware of all this, it would certainly be best for him to tell you in his own time."
"Thank you," Fleur told her. "Though a part of me thinks Harry is doing this because he lives his life on a knife's edge. I've been working on it, but perhaps some friendly advice from his grandmother that he should live in the moment, rather than thinking about the consequences of his actions if he dies might help."
"He does tend to brood on what might happen," Minerva agreed. "Sounds like you have your work cut out for you."
"I tend to think of it as a bet," Fleur said with a smile. "I'm betting that the current emotional turmoil I deal with while I wait will be worth it, because I suspect that Harry will make me happy beyond what I believed I might ever have."
"Should I start writing the wedding speech now?" Minerva knew it was a bit of a shot in the dark, but she wanted to know.
"It wouldn't be the worst idea," Fleur responded, shocking Minerva a bit. "That's not to say Harry and I could break up. But I won't let him go without a hell of a fight. Not for anyone." Minerva just nodded dumbly. "With your leave, Professor McGonagall." Fleur left the room, leaving Minerva leaning against her desk, reeling at the implications of the statement.
Daphne was curling her lip in frustration again. The last two attempts had been unsuccessful, but that wasn't really a surprise. In fact, if either of the first two attempts had been successful, it would have unnerved and worried her. But regardless, it would be better than the situation she was facing now. Eventually Daphne screwed up courage, enough that the hat might have placed her in Gryffindor.
"Cedric?" Cedric looked up to see Daphne standing there. Her face was totally blank, something he hadn't seen since the girl had joined his house. He had noticed Daphne before, every red-blooded male in school had, and he had interacted with her a bunch this year through Harry. The cold look in her eyes and the emotionless face scared him. But since February, she seemed at home in Hufflepuff, and Cedric had to admit she looked stunning with a soft smile with Hannah and Susan nearby.
But the girl in front of him was not Daphne, the potions genius who had single-handedly brought up the potions grade of the 4th year Hufflepuffs. It was not the Daphne who took to loyalty like a duck to water. It was the Daphne he noticed last year, a cold look on her face, a freezing spell on her lips for any boy who dared talk to her without her express permission. It was Daphne Greengrass, the heir presumptive to House Greengrass. And while Cedric was a fan of Daphne, he really did not like Daphne Greengrass.
"What's up, Daphne?" Jason said with an easy smile.
"Jason, hey," Daphne said, still not looking at Jason. Cedric's hidden frown grew. "Do you mind if I talk to Cedric alone?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Cedric, could we step outside?" Cedric's curiosity outweighed his concern, and he stepped out of the common room behind her. Since it was near curfew, it wasn't hard to find an empty room quickly.
"So what's on your mind?" Daphne shifted between her feet. It came to Cedric like a thunderbolt. There was an element of the old Daphne, but there was an emotion he hadn't seen before, not when he interacted directly with her. It was nervous, and Cedric knew in an instant why Daphne would be nervous. "Daphne, wait-"
"Cedric Diggory, I ask that you formally acknowledge I owe you a life debt for saving my life," Daphne said, interrupting Cedric. It took all of his self-control to not curse viciously. Two seconds later, he could have forestalled this. But it was out there now, and he had to deal with it.
"Daphne, I formally acknowledge I will consider it." Cedric nervously played with hands. "Can we talk informally now, please?"
"Of course," Daphne said with a gentle smile.
"Why me?" Cedric said. "I assume this would be easier to resolve with Susan or Hannah."
"I tried, believe me," Daphne said. "You know them better than I. Do you think either of them are the type of people to accept it?"
"Yeah, I guess," Cedric replied.
"They both directed me to you. They said when they realized what was going on, Jason said to run for a professor. Instead, you convinced everyone to come with you to defend me. You were in the fight. They weren't throwing stunners. I literally owe you my life."
"You would have handed over the contract. You know Harry doesn't blame you for that. He doesn't really need a contract to cut Malfoy down to size. Not since Bellatrix," Cedric argued.
"Cedric, you know as well as I that with a life debt, we can't play in hypotheticals." Cedric nodded ruefully. "You were directly responsible for saving my life. I know that formally accepting the debt makes you uncomfortable. But in your heart, you know you have to acknowledge it. If you don't, it means you don't value my life."
"Daphne, I don't have a way for you to pay this back. You know I value your life, but a life debt hanging over your head is rough." Daphne stood there unflinching. "You know that your stubbornness is a really unattractive quality." Still nothing. "Fine. I, Cedric Diggory, formally acknowledge the life debt Daphne Greengrass owes me." Magic glowed around them, accepting their words. "This is rough. I'm really sorry Daphne."
"I put this on you. No need to apologize." Daphne nodded and headed towards the door, Cedric still leaning against the teacher's desk.
"Why?" Cedric asked as Daphne opened the door. "I never would have called it in. No one would have. We are Hufflepuffs, for Merlin's sake."
"It's how I was raised-"
"Not good enough," Cedric interrupted. "Tell me why."
"Because it was the right thing to do," Daphne said so quietly Cedric barely heard her. "Whether or not there are strings attached, you saved my life, Cedric. So don't apologize. Thank you. Not for accepting this, which we both knew you would. Thank you for saving my life."
It was still unbearably awkward between them and their respective friends the next morning at the breakfast table. Susan and Hannah were almost accusing in their glares at Cedric. He would have loved to catch up with them quickly, explain everything, but he suspected they would be Daphne's shadows for a while. She looked totally exhausted.
"Ladies, how are you this wonderful Wednesday morning?" Harry appeared at Susan's shoulder.
"Hey Harry!" Hannah was certainly more cheerful at the appearance of her boyfriend and his best friend. "Nev, sweetie, you ok?" Neville seemed to be sporting a black eye.
"Harry caught me flush this morning when I lost concentration." Hannah stood up, clearing building up a head of steam. A hug and quick kiss from Neville calmed her. "Hannah, it's not good training if Harry pulls his punches. Besides, if Harry wanted to he could have taken my head off. It's no big deal."
"Besides telling us you beat Neville up, you here for a particular reason?" Susan was clearly in a bad mood.
"Yeah, I need to talk to Daphne for a bit." The Hufflepuff students in the know froze. "Did I touch a nerve?" Harry looked genuinely surprised.
"Harry, what do you need to talk to Daphne about?" Susan asked. Now it was Harry's turn to freeze.
"I can't tell you that?."
"What?" Susan almost yelled. "Where do you get off with that?"
"Because it's not of your business," Harry stared Susan down. "Back off NOW, Susan." There was an authority in Harry's voice that was almost never there, certainly not when he argued. Harry never commanded people. But his statement towards Susan was not a request. It was a command to be followed. God, the last 12 hours had been horrible.
"Harry, I have transfiguration in 10 minutes-"
"Problem solved." Harry held up a scrap of parchment and handed it to Daphne. "You are excused from her class today under the provision you talk to me in that time."
"This is really serious, huh?" Daphne asked. Harry nodded. "Ok. Let's go talk." Susan and Hannah looked terrified, and Hannah reached for Daphne's hand.
"Daphne you don't have to."
"She does." Again there was a ring of command in his voice. Hannah looked like she was going to protest, but Neville stepped in front of her and shook his head as Daphne followed Harry out of the hall.
"Neville, what Daphne did last night has nothing to do with Harry," Susan hissed.
"Last night?" Neville was baffled. "Uh, I don't know the specifics, but Harry has been planning to speak to Daphne about something since the weekend."
"What?" Hannah stared at her boyfriend.
"This talk has been brewing for a while." Neville looked at his girlfriend curiously. "What happened last night?"
"Forget it, ok?" Cedric said tiredly. "Tell us about that punch that gave you that nasty shiner."
"So, I assume you heard," Daphne stared as Harry closed the door. Harry held up a hand and waved his wand a few times. Daphne wasn't surprised Harry was casting non-verbally, but it annoyed her right now. "What was that?"
"The best anti-eavesdropping spells I know. I saw someone following us. At least I think I did. I'll check my suspicions later."
"What?"
"I think I know how Rita Skeeter is getting her stories," Harry said. He poked the door with his wand. "Yep, I was right. I'll need to talk to Minnie about something else today too." Harry shook himself out of his stupor. "Ok. What was going on this morning? What should I have heard?"
"What happened between me and Cedric last night?" Daphne asked. Harry looked at her oddly.
"Oh did you guys finally hook up?" Harry smiled at her.
"What?" Daphne felt blood rush to her cheeks. "How could you even suggest something like that?"
"Daphne, we broke up, one two three four five months ago. I didn't expect you to take up vows of chastity. Besides, I know you like him. You certainly look at him often enough, especially since the fight."
"I am not some doe-eyed maiden who falls for a pretty boy who protects her from the big bad guys!" Daphne snapped.
"Did I say that?" Harry looked supremely irritated. "What in the world is going on with you, Daphne?" Daphne tried to arrange her words to tell Harry what had happened. "You know what? I don't want to know. Whatever happened between you and Cedric is none of my business, and really has nothing to do with why we were given an entire period to talk. Though you are clearly super stressed right now. So why don't you lecture me about politics in the Wizengamot for 10 minutes."
"What?"
"You love politics, especially in the Wizengamot. Early in the year it was clearly your favorite thing in our Friday meetings. Lecture me about it for a while. We have an hour. Calm down, then I'll say my piece."
"Ok, you asked for it." Daphne divided into the current vacuum left by the Black Seat available, and how after coming close to getting Harry's Wizengamot seat, Malfoy was making a play for a seat. 15 minutes later, Harry held up his hand.
"Feeling better?"
"So much better," Daphne said, unable to hide her smile. "Am I so predictable?"
"In some ways," Harry said. "You seem better since the house switch, but a leopard can't change it's stripes. People tend to see that as a bad thing, but it really isn't. Just be confident in who you are."
"Thanks."
"That what friends are for."
"Are we really still friends?"
"We have done an awful job since our breakup, but never thing I'm not in your corner Daphne." A light of realization shown in his eyes. "Is this about the contract? Daphne you know I don't care about it. I don't need a contract to cut Malfoy down to size, not since Bellatrix. Daphne couldn't help it. She started to laugh. "I fail to see the humor."
"I'm sorry, I am. I know you don't care about the contract, even if I am sad I lost it. It's just the contract came up last night with Cedric, and he said the exact same thing." Daphne composed herself. "What do you need to talk about?"
"I have an odd request for your parents. What's the best way to approach them so that they hear me out, and eventually agree?" Off all the potential topics Harry could want to discuss with her, this would not have cracked the top 100.
"You serious?" Harry nodded. "Is this about politics? I mean I know my dad and mom have influence but you might be better served with Madam Longbottom. But I can't imagine you getting into politics, not now."
"This has nothing to do with politics," Harry confirmed.
"Then…Astoria?" Harry seemed to squirm. "Oh my god, you pervert!" Daphne smacked Harry's arm.
"Woah!" Harry backpedaled. "Where did that come from?" He looked at Daphne, then his body sagged. "Gods Daphne, I didn't accept her marriage proposal. Give me some more credit!" Daphne sagged in relief as well. "But it is about her."
"Is there some secrecy attached to this request?" Daphne questioned. Harry nodded. "Ok. What can you tell me?"
"Your parents are going to have to make a hard decision about Astoria. You think politics were bad before? If they agree with me, you are going to be the smallest fish in the world's biggest pond. Also, I could tell they love you, and from what I can gather, Astoria will be furious if they agree with my idea."
"You are doing a great job selling this," Daphne sarcastically responded.
"Daphne, if they don't agree with me, I realistically only see two outcomes. One, Astoria loses most of her magic. She will barely be better than a squib. And that's the good outcome."
"You're serious."
"Outcome two is death or lifetime slavery."
"Harry, what the hell is going on?" Daphne demanded. "You need to give me more."
"Fine, but promise me never to be alone with Dumbledore, Snape, or any suspicious person for the next two days. This cannot get out, and if they pick it out of your mind, they will meddle and Astoria will be in grave danger. She already is." Daphne nodded.
"You have my word."
"Astoria has become much more cheerful and well adjusted since joining Gryffindor," Harry started. "It allowed a dormant part of her magic to unlock, and along with that unlocking came a remarkable and rare power. She can do something that should be impossible. And if people knew, even good people I know and trust, they would kill or enslave her. If her power got out, Hogwarts would be a battleground in days. That's how rare what she can do is."
"Woah." Daphne felt her legs go out from under her.
"It's a lot to take in, I know," Harry said, sitting across from her. "But luckily, you know me. And I have a way out."
"The option that will make Astoria hate my parents and put us in danger."
"You'll be in a big pond, but I am fairly confident you won't be in danger." Harry seemed to be organizing his thoughts. "There are very few people who would not abuse Astoria's power. Only two types of people come to mind. Hermits who don't care about the world. I only know one of them, and he is a violently unpleasant guy. The other is a genuinely good person whose situation wouldn't be improved."
"People like that do not exist, not if Astoria truly has this power"
"Listen, I know you may believe that, and in most situations you are right. But I know someone who can get me in touch with the one person who checks all the boxes. And your parents only option is to send Astoria with her this summer, for as long as this person needs to train her, and to formally adopt her as an apprentice, giving her and your family protection."
"Who?"
"The name wouldn't mean anything to you or your parents, and they can't sit on this decision. I know that will make them nervous. But this needs to happen soon. This woman will be hard to convince, nigh impossible if she isn't the first one to learn. But if we act now, Astoria will be safe, as will your family."
"Who is the woman? If the name won't mean anything, give me broad strokes."
"She is a tough taskmaster. Astoria seems like a go with the flow person, so she will hate her training. But the woman I'm thinking about… if she eventually takes Astoria on, not only will Astoria be more than able to defend herself, but you don't cross this woman if you want to live. My master called her the most powerful woman in the world, and he doesn't use hyperboles. Doesn't believe in them. And she is a legitimately good person."
"This is the only way?" Harry nodded. "Give me a parchment and quill." Harry obliged, fishing the items out of his back. Daphne grabbed the quill, dipped in once, then wrote a few sentences. She rolled the parchment up and waved her wand over it. "Greengrass family spell. My parents will know if you opened it."
"Neat trick."
"Harry, I can't promise they will do it," Daphne said, "even though I trust you. But give this to them and they will hear you out and take it seriously. Please, if this is crucial, give my parents as much information as they can. If anything happens to my sister…"
"I'm sorry to drop this on you. You seem like you are having a rough day, but it couldn't wait. And here I thought Cedric had finally manned up."
"What do you mean?"
"If you will forgive the nickname, Daph, he really likes you. And I figured after the fight you liked him. Not because he saved you. You are not a damsel in distress, far from it. But because after the fight you gave him a good look, and realized he is a lot more than a pretty boy."
"He really likes me?" Harry nodded. "And you think I should go for it?"
"I can't tell you what to do, Daphne. Never could, won't try to start now. But I would take a killing curse for Hermione. If I let him go out with her and break up with her a few months later without breaking every bone in his body, I obviously think he is a good guy." Daphne nodded her mind whirling in a new direction as Harry left.
She finally came to a decision at night. Again she requested a private word with Cedric. Cedric was obviously aggravated, but let Daphne drag him along to the same empty classroom. Daphne cast a few privacy spells and then stared Cedric up and down.
"Daphne, what in the world-" Cedric was cut off as Daphne rose up on her toes and kissed him. She could tell Cedric was a little stunned, but in only a moment he responded and was kissing her back with feeling. The kiss felt like in went on for hours, and finally Daphne and Cedric broke apart. Daphne put her forehead on his chin, breathing heavily. It had been a remarkable kiss, and her toes were more than a little curled.
"Life changing kiss, right?" Daphne asked. Cedric nodded, clearly a little winded and dazed himself. "Ok. We're even then." She smirked as she walked towards the door.
"You kissed me to get rid of the life debt?" Cedric sounded nearly apoplectic.
"No, I kissed you because I might like you a bit, and I wanted to see if you did too. The physical chemistry was just a bonus. It helps that we are even now. But it's a Hogsmeade weekend this weekend, right? I'll see you in the common room at 9:30 on Saturday." Daphne walked out of the room, hiding her smile. She had missed having Harry as a friend. He gave good advice.
Cedric still had a bit of a stunned look on his face the next night as the four champions were called to the entry hall by Ludo Bagman. Harry and Krum were talking animatedly, but his mind was elsewhere. After a time, he felt a hand smack against his face.
"Hey!" Cedric angrily proclaimed. He turned to see all the other champions looking at him curiously. "Who just hit me?"
"Ced…" Harry started. He just pointed to Ludo Bagman, who was on his way out of the castle. "I have been calling your name for almost a minute. Are you ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, sorry." Cedric shook the cobwebs loose from his head. "My mind was just elsewhere." He trailed behind them as followed the ex-quidditch player. His odd look and glazed eyes returned as his mind once again sent him back to that "life changing kiss." Daphne had made sure they were more than even with that.
Harry closely examined Cedric's zombie-esq behavior and smirked to himself. He had suspected that Daphne might act on his advice, but certainly not in such a way that Cedric walked around totally unaware of his surroundings. Surreptitiously, Harry drew his wand and moved a suit of armor in front of Cedric. The Hufflepuff walked straight into it, even though he had more than enough time to avoid it.
"Ugh. Sorry." Cedric just managed to get himself clear of the armor before the stupid look came back on his face and he continued to shamble down the corridor. Apparently Daphne knocked his brain out of his head. Hopefully Daphne had not done something she regretted, because Cedric was metaphorically brain dead. Then Harry remembered his own stunned mind after Fleur had kissed him for the first time and relaxed.
"Any reason you are assaulting Cedric, my champion," Fleur purred into his ear.
"Just testing a theory, my flower," Harry replied, playing nipping her ear. Fleur smiled and worked an arm around his waist. "If you like, I can tell you later.
"Oh? Does it have to do with the lovesick puppy look on his face?" Fleur asked innocently.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I know who he is thinking of when he gets that look on his face. But he has to chose to tell you. It's not mine to spread around."
"I think I could come up with a way to convince you," Fleur said with a swipe at Harry, who skipped away. He accidentally bumped into Krum, jarring the Bulgarian from his train thought.
"Harry?"
"Hide me from Fleur," Harry joke whispered, and then crouched down behind Krum, still walking alongside him. Krum looked amusedly at Harry. He was remarkably mature for his age, and by far Victor's favorite person he had met at Hogwarts who he did not regularly kiss. But every now and then, although it was less and less frequent, he was reminded that behind the mask of a deadly magical martial artist was a 14 year old kid with severely limited real life experience.
"Yeah sure," Victor deadpanned. "Because she is so dangerous to you." Fleur just laughed but left Harry alone, going ahead to speak to Cedric. "Harry, what is going on with Cedric. He seems awfully distracted these days."
"Eh, you sit at the Hufflepuff table Victor," Harry remarked. "You'll figure it out."
"You tell Fleur but not me?" Victor was a little hurt.
"Victor, I tell Fleur enough so she doesn't feel the need to force it all out of me. You are telling me that if Luna wanted, she couldn't get you to reveal someone else's secret even if they swore you to secrecy?"
"But Luna would never do that-"
"Yet Fleur would," Harry interrupted. "Not to spread it around, mind you. But just to remind me that despite my total lack of interest in her allure, she can still lead me around by my nose fairly often."
"You are whipped, my friend."
"And proud of it," Harry countered.
"Here we are!" Bagman proclaimed as they reached the quidditch pitch. Harry, who had been at the pitch three days ago with Cedric when they saw ministry workers surveying it looked furious. Krum was barely holding his anger in.
"What in Merlin's name is this?" Cedric managed to spit. For the first time since last night the kiss vanished from his mind as he took in the destruction of his quidditch field. It was covered in layers of bushes as far as the eye could see.
"The third task!" Ludo proclaimed. "What do you see?" There was quiet as all four champions took in the sight in front of them. It was just a mass of plants to Cedric, and he didn't understand why they would do it here. Would that mean he was no longer allowed to fly here? Could anyone fly before the task?
"Maze," Victor grunted after a moment.
"Yes!" Ludo said. "You will work your way through the maze, and in the center will be the tri-wizard cup!" The ex-beater said excitedly.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, his voice going cold. "You destroyed our quidditch pitch because of this stupid tournament, to create a maze of plants?" Fleur grabbed for his hand but Harry shook it away, taking two steps towards Bagman, who was unaware of the mortal peril he was in for that statement.
"You'll get your pitch back soon enough, though of course it won't be usable until after the tournament," Bagman relayed. Harry's right arm was literally grabbed by Fleur and Victor, stopping him from grabbing his wand. "It will be filled with some creatures and enchantments and-"
"Any of that in there right now?" Harry asked, his voice still deadly calm.
"No, just the maze at the moment," Bagman replied.
"Good." Harry began to violently shake, and slipped from the hold Victor and Fleur had on him, sending them tumbling to the ground. He stepped past bagman and drew his wand. He slashed ferociously and a piece of the maze fell on the ground. "Almaznyy Rezak!" Harry whipped his wand across his body and a blazing arc of magic raced off his wand.
Everyone watched in shock as the pulse of magic spread in an arc, slicing through the entire maze. Just as the magic reached the edge of the quidditch stadium Harry twisted his arm and the arc of magic disappeared. Everyone was still for a moment, and then the top of all of the maze simply fell to the ground in a massive crash.
"You didn't prepare for a cutter?" Harry asked, his voice poisonous. "Or how about this?" He stabbed his wand at the chaos that was the maze and a decent chunk of it burst into flame. He just stared at Ludo, who had tears in his eyes from the destruction of the maze.
"Harry!" Fleur cried out. Harry showed no sign of ending this spell, simply staring disdainfully at Bagman. "Put out the flames?"
"Huh?" Harry turned and saw most of the maze now on fire. "Oh whoops. My mistake. Harry began to begin swirling his wand over his head. A small disturbance appeared at the top of the quidditch stadium, a few hundred feet above the burning maze. Slowly the flames began to get sucked up along with pieces of the maze, vanishing into the whirlwind Harry was manipulating.
Soon enough there were chunks of burned maze on the field. Harry stopped the whirlwind, and the three remaining champions worked hard to blast the remaining flames as Harry conjured a chair and put his head between his head, more than a little winded from the effort of three incredibly challenging spells. He had really let his anger get the best of him when he saw the maze desecrating his field that held so many of his favorite memories from the first three years of his Hogwarts experiences.
"What do we do now?" Ludo whined. "The maze is ruined!"
"I think I proved it was a fairly poor last task anyways," Harry said through heavy breaths. The specialized cutter and sky whirlwind were two of his toughest spells. "Did you even come up with a way for the students to watch us in the maze?" Ludo's surprised look gave him the only answer he needed. "Go to talk to Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll figure it out." Harry stalked away, anger radiating from his back. The three champions shared a look and raced after Harry, leaving Ludo stunned and alone.
"This cannot stand!" Fudge said to Dumbledore in his office. "He burned the entire maze!"
"Cornelius, Harry had a point. He could have done it during the task," Dumbledore pointed out. "That would have been bad. In many ways, he has done you a favor."
"Perhaps," Cornelius said. "But he is being difficult in other ways. You need to reign him in."
"In that I agree," Dumbledore said with an emphatic nod. Granted, he was probably interested in Harry's growing independence for very different reasons. To see where the Minister of Magic's concern was coming from, one only had to look at the Monday edition of the Prophet. Harry clearly was not above using Rita Skeeter's inflammatory journalism to his benefit, and the headline Lord Peverell Not Impressed with Fudge's DMLE: Who's to Blame showed that Harry was ticked off at Fudge.
Dumbledore had chuckled a little at first when he saw the headline. He and Harry were often at odds now a day, but the 4th year had a point. Dumbledore didn't mind, as it gave him a variety of aurors willing to share information with him, dissatisfied with the ministry and believing Dumbledore was the better option than Fudge when it came to protecting the peace and people.
Harry's anger seemed to be directed in a concerning area. He had called into question the removal of Amelia Bones, citing her excellent record and how she had the rare respect of all three factions in the Wizengamot. Fudge had the power to remove her, but it was extremely rare for a department head to be removed, especially the head of Magical Law Enforcement without some input from the governing body of magical Britain.
What the paper didn't know, couldn't know, was that Amelia Bones took her sabbatical when it came to light that her ex-lover and current fiancé, Sirius Black, was innocent. Before returning, she had told Fudge she would be investigating and bringing Sirius the justice he deserved. Fudge had come running to Dumbledore, who had advised him to call her bluff. He did not need the craziness that came with Sirius Black back in England. At the moment, Sirius owed him. A free Sirius did nothing for him.
So Fudge had told Amelia she would stand down, or he would have the block of people who had no interest in seeing a free Sirius and the Black seat in the Wizengamot restored remove her. Amelia Bones had fought corruption and ministry malfeasance her whole life. To hear it laid out so clearly in front of her… Dumbledore saw something break in her. She refused to resign to spite Cornelius, but she resigned later when she accepted the Black betrothal ring. Rufus Scrimgeour was not a bad man, but apparently Harry didn't care.
"So what do we do now?" Dumbledore was brought rudely back to the present by a raging Fudge.
"Cornelius, allow me to reach out to the EICW and see what we can come up with. I'm sure among our group we can devise another task, including a way for students and foreign dignitaries to view the task. I am sure you want it to reflect well on Britain. I've heard rumors that Harry's participation and connection with the Asian Ministry may bring powerful people here for the final task."
"Hmph. Who cares what connections he has with some backwater nonsense. This is Britain." Dumbledore shook his head ay Fudge's stubbornness. Maybe Harry had the right of it, forcing Fudge's hand. But the headmaster suspected that Harry's statements were more to do with irritation at treatment towards someone he considered family, rather than a clever political move. For now, it was time to placate Fudge.
"Be that as it may, Cornelius, be at ease. My compatriots and I will devise a proper final task." Fudge nodded and soon the floo activated, the minister leaving Dumbledore's office. The headmaster sat at his desk, fingers flexed in silence for a few moments. He turned to the shadows, and Severus Snape stepped into view.
"Were you able to get the memory from Bagman?" Dumbledore asked.
"Not a shred of protection," Snape replied. He placed the wand at his temple and removed a silvery stream. "Fair warning. I was clearly right about the boy." Dumbledore cocked an eyebrow, but dove into the pensieve anyways. Five minutes later they came out, Dumbledore seriously shaken.
"Was I right?" Dumbledore knew Snape would be insufferable, but in this case the potions master was totally right.
"I did not even recognize the cutting spell," Dumbledore admitted. "And the whirlwind in the sky? Sucking up the pieces of the maze and flame? I know for a fact Harry did not learn that spell there."
"Now you will listen to reason? I have investigated this Nambung we continue you hear about, and he is a dangerous man. He clearly taught the Potter brat these spells, things that could ruin your plan for the boy."
"Indeed." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "I will need a way to gauge his strength properly. The final task could be useful in that, but I cannot wait that long." Then an idea struck him, and he smiled. "The tournament has surely been unusual this year, but the champions have all been excellent. What about a chance for them to all show their skills?"
"I fail to see where you are going," Severus drawled.
"A demonstration of fighting prowess!" Dumbledore crowed. "Krum the dark arts master from Durmstrang versus Professor Hayashi. Cedric the transfiguration genius versus Professor McGonagall. And Miss Delacour the Veela charmer versus Flitwick. A third task before the final task."
"And what about Potter?" Severus asked.
"Ah, he can fight anyone, you even," Dumbledore said. "You can let him beat you in 10 seconds. But the real contest will give me a chance to fight him, see his true power. To see if the prophecy is still valid, or if we need to find Voldemort's man sooner."
"I will not submit to Potter quickly," Snape said with a growl.
"Anyone else and it would be suspect," Dumbledore shot back. "You will do as I say. Harry must not know the true purpose of our spar. Though I suspect that Harry will agree to keep our fight secret. I will force him to show all he learns, and perhaps we can put to bed, once and for all, whether Harry is indeed treading down the path of Riddle."
