"First Tasks and Fair Maidens: A Harry Potter Fanfiction"
By: TheWonderingWizard
Rated: T
Summary: One-shot Harmony, Fourth Year during the Triwizard Tournament. Found a prompt about this over at the Harmony & Prompt Bank on Tumblr, and thought that I would give it a shot. The originator of the prompt was listed as Anonymous. I hope that if you're the one that submitted it, my story is to your liking. Credit for the prompt goes to Anonymous. JK Rowling came up with the source material and the world I find myself creating in. Standard disclaimer applies. Allons-y.
Dragons...it turned out that the First Task in this bloody tournament had to be bloody DRAGONS. Harry felt a knot of anger, fear, and panic settle in the pit of his gut as he crept back to the castle under his Invisibility Cloak. Knowing that the first task was supposed to test their bravery against the Unknown had been one thing. Now, knowing what the challenge was going to be brought just how dangerous this damned Tri-Wizard Tournament home to roost at the forefront of his mind. He was going to have to train, and train hard, in order to have any kind of fighting chance against a bloody nesting female dragon.
As soon as he got back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry grabbed a pinch of floo powder, and tossed it onto the logs. Harry waited for the flames to turn green, then stuck his head in and called out for his godfather. It was nearly midnight, but Harry knew that Sirius would still be awake. Sirius would help him, Harry just knew it. His godfather was Lord Black, and that put the resources of one of the most ancient and noble houses in Britain into play. Just being able to talk to his godfather would help the fourteen year-old wizard to feel less apprehensive and in less of a state of mortal dread.
"Prongslet, what's wrong" his godfather asked as soon as the floo-call connected. Harry could see worry lines on the normally jovial face of the Marauder. "You look like you've been chased by the Bloody Baron and his cronies."
"Dragons! The first task is dragons, Sirius" Harry stated in a hoarse whisper. "Moody had me use Dad's old cloak and follow him into the Forbidden Forest. 'Bout a mile in, we came to the edge of a large clearing. That's when we saw them. Four of them; one for each of us, I guess. We were near Professor Dumbledore, and he was talking to Charlie Weasley. Sirius, they brought nesting mother dragons. Charlie said that the first one was a Welsh Green, and then they had a Swedish Short-snout next. Next one down the line was a Chinese Fireball. But the meanest and scariest one of the lot is a massive Hungarian Horntail" Harry finished, his eyes brimming with tears.
Sirius was silent for a couple of minutes, his face a mask of composed dignity. Harry knew that his godfather and guardian was internally seething with the rage of a hundred dragons. His training in Occlumency was what kept him composed at the moment, but Harry could tell his godfather was just barely able to keep his anger in check.
"We'll get you trained to face any of them, Harry. You are going to survive this blasted Tournament, I assure you. I'm still of a mind to bring Crouch, Bagman, and Dumbledore in front of the Wizengamot on charges of reckless child endangerment by forcing you to compete. For the time being, we need to start putting our heads together and come up with a strategy that will see you surviving the dragon" Sirius stated. "I'll get Moony to help us as well."
Ever since Harry found his name fluttering out of the Goblet of Fire on that scorched parchment, they had been working on some way to get him out of competing. Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch, and the other judges had all been firm with their decision. When a name was chosen by the Goblet, it represented a binding magical contract. It was either compete, or risk losing your magic. Hermione had looked up the history of the Triwizard Tournament, and what she'd found had scared her into a state of terror that lasted an entire weekend. Sirius and Remus went to the Ministry and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but there was no help there. Harry had to compete, and risk death or serious bodily harm. Or, he could forfeit, and lose his magic and possibly his life. Talk about a bloody catch-22, Harry thought to himself after getting the ruling from the Ministry. Even the International Confederation of Wizards was of the opinion that he had to compete, there was no other way.
Sirius and Moony arrived at Hogwarts the day after finding out about the dragons. Using the tunnel under the Whomping Willow and their Marauders Map, they had arrived with Dumbledore and the other judges none the wiser. A quick word with Professor McGonagall, and they were given access to a disused portion of the castle for lodging and training. The two friends and the Lioness of Gryffindor set up wards around the disused corridor that would assure their utmost privacy and secrecy. Within a matter of a couple of hours, they had everything in place and ready. They brought whole portions of the Black and Potter libraries with them, anything that would help to conquer a dragon. The strategizing began immediately, and a plan was starting to take shape.
Harry and Hermione were busy chasing down leads in the Library at Hogwarts, looking for something that would help. In addition to the dragon care books that they'd seen Hagrid poring over in their First Year, they came across stories of heroes going to face down fierce dragons. Harry read about Sir Percival Godwin, a knight who had become famous as a dragon slayer. It might have been a work of pure fiction, but Harry liked the writing style, and was drawn into the stories of this valiant knight.
Weeks went by quickly, and the First Task was only a couple of days away. The training sessions with Sirius and Remus were starting to pay off, and the group felt the strategy would work. Harry applied himself to his schoolwork with a renewed zeal. He wanted to survive the tournament, he had to survive the tournament. He and Hermione spent hours in the Library and the Common Room in Gryffindor. Harry looked at her while she was going over a translation for Ancient Runes, and noticed that his feelings towards her had changed. Hermione had been his best friend since he'd saved her from a Troll on Halloween. Harry likened this event to some of the stories of Sir Percival, about saving fair maidens in mortal peril. Hermione was his best friend, but she'd become something else as well. Whether she knew it or not, she was the reason that Harry had to survive against the dragons.
The day of the First Task arrived clear and cold. Harry, Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor were gathered in a tent near the arena for the First Task. Ludo Bagman was walking out, having just offered a bag to the Champions, from which they'd drawn a miniature version of their opponent. Harry had reached his hand into the drawstring bag second, and brought up a miniature Hungarian Horntail with a Roman numeral four on a tag in the shape of a golden egg. After all four Champions had drawn their numbers and opponents, Bagman had given them brief instructions. They had to face the dragon, retrieve an object, and make it back to the tunnel leading into the arena.
The Champions had some time to themselves before facing the Task. Harry found himself on a bench near the tent entrance, when Hermione came in. As he stood to greet her, she wrapped him up in one of her famous hugs and held on as though terrified to let him go. Hermione was known for giving solid hugs, but this was not her usual one. The last time she'd hugged him like this was their First Year, after he had saved her from the Troll. She'd been sobbing then, as she was starting to now.
" 'Mione, please don't cry" Harry managed to say. He returned her hug, and started to rub her back to help her. He was a brave knight, about to square off against a dragon. The brave knight in the stories got a kiss from a fair maiden before starting his quest, to fortify his nerve. Harry knew it was now or never. He put a finger under Hermione's chin, and tilted her head up so she could look him in the eyes. Pausing to catch a breath, he kissed her soundly on the lips with everything he had. After the initial shock wore off, she was kissing him back.
Breaking their kiss, but maintaining the embrace, Hermione looked deep into his eyes. "What was that for, Harry" she asked. "I really liked it, but would like to know why you chose to kiss me."
"Because I'm scared, 'Mione. I'm scared about what I have to do, and I'm scared I might not come back. I've been thinking of doing that for weeks now, after reading those Sir Percival stories. I kissed you in case I don't make it, in case I don't get another chance. The knight usually gets a kiss from a beautiful maiden before his quest. You're my beautiful maiden, 'Mione."
Her eyes brimming with tears, Hermione kissed Harry with everything she had. She was clutching his robes tightly as their lips danced together. After a minute or two, Hermione broke the kiss. Looking him in the eye, Hermione summed up her courage. "You listen to me, Harry James Potter. You had better come back to me. Take on that dragon and retrieve what you're being sent in to bring back. You come back to me, Harry. Promise me, Harry. Promise you'll come back."
Harry took her hand in his, and laid it flat on his chest, covering her hand with his. He looked into her deep cinnamon eyes with his emerald ones, and took in a deep breath. " "I, Harry James Potter so swear it upon my life and upon my magic. I solemnly promise to you, Hermione Jean Granger. I swear that I will survive my task and come back to you and be by your side. So I speak it, so I swear it, so mote it be." He brought her hand to his lips, and delicately kissed her knuckles.
Hermione knew that Harry meant his every word. He was her knight in shining armour, her Champion. It was heartbreaking to see him exit the tent and walk towards the arena, his head held high. It was heartbreaking, but his promise was a balm to her. His word was his bond. He'd face dragons for her. He'd faced a Troll, Professor Quirrell possessed by Voldemort, a Basilisk, and a host of Acromantula. He had sworn he would return, and Hermione would hold him to it. She would never let him out of her sight again.