Chapter 63
The second term of school began with little fanfare. After the night of the Yule ball, Harry and Daphne finally admitted their feeling for each other and began dating. However, a few cons stood in the way. One is that the masses, both in and outside of school, will demand to know every bit about their relationship. What are the opinions of their guardians? When did they begin dating? How long have they had feelings for each other? Among other questions. The second issue would come from Albus too many names Dumbledore as the old goat was still trying to get him and Ginny Weasley together. It wasn't that Harry would ever fall for her, but Dumbledore would likely do something underhanded and force him to be with the young redhead. So, the two of them decided to act like they usually did in public, but when they're behind closed doors, they could actually act like a couple. The only people who knew about the change in their relationship were Severus, Daphne's parents, Astoria, and Emily.
Speaking of Severus, not too long before the new term. He explained that Dumbledore had summoned him to his home in Godric Hollow. Severus could immediately see that Dumbledore had been traveling, looking for ways to try and get Harry under his control. It came to no surprise that he asked (well, more demanded) a report about what Harry's been doing. Whenever Albus tried to schedule an audience with either Lord Black Sirius or Lord Stevenson, they would outright refuse. Having anticipated the discussion, Severus gave vague answers. The boy only attended his classes to complete exams; other than that, he was hardly ever seen except when it was mealtime or by the great lake. Throughout his time in Albus's presence, Severus looked like he wanted nothing more than to curse the man into oblivion. Though, due to his mastery in the mind arts, he could keep his true emotions at bay.
The only thing that brought him delight in meeting with Dumbledore was that the man couldn't get out of his suspension quicker. Despite all the political favors owed to him and the amount of money in his vault, he'd been effectively blocked. Severus, of course, knew that Jack, Alex, and Arcturus had a hand in that as they wanted to prove that not even Dumbledore could get anything he wanted. It was also a bonus to see how unbalanced the old man had become.
Things at Hogwarts were relatively peaceful. The students returned to doing their classes and were once again writing essays. All except for Harry, who spent most of his time in the ROR or in Salazar's chamber. Before school started, he sent some of the orbs to the vampire king to protect his family and citizens. Melchior reported that treatment for the vampires had changed drastically as they were not being seen as mindless bloodsucking monsters. Ragnok and Griphook reported that relations between goblins, witches, and wizards have improved, but the progress was much slower. Ragnok personally visited Harry at Hogwarts and awarded him a medal that said, ''Friend of the Goblin Nation.'' Harry knew it was the highest honor anyone in the magical world could receive from the goblins. Relations with the centaurs had also improved as Chief Magorian bestowed a bow and arrow, which he and his people created for him. Harry thanked them and promised that he would never betray them and always do his best to protect them.
Speaking of Harry, he was currently dueling against twenty of the newest dueling dummies he had created. Unlike the normal ones, these were more advanced as they copied the person's powers and dueling style. In addition, the dummies were capable of producing spells. Not only that, but people could also choose to elevate their powers if they chose to, making the dummies all that more powerful than the caster. This was because if people wanted to increase their magical prowess in combat. If they wanted to defeat them, then they would have to go beyond their limits and think outside the box. At the moment, Harry was sweating profusely as he had them set to level four. Unleashing a battle cry summoned all the magic he had and fired a fiery red-purple energy orb that destroyed them all.
After which, he collapsed to one knee, utterly exhausted. The dummies may not have been alive, but it felt like he was facing an army of himself as their spells hurt a lot. As a precaution, he ensured that they were incapable of using any of the unforgivables or actually killing someone. They were programmed to challenge and harm, not to kill. Byakko came over and licked his companion's face. Suzaku trilled a beautiful melody to relieve the boy's tension.
"Alright, Harry, that's enough for the day." Byakko and Suzaku watched as their companion spent the last four hours facing off against the newly improved training dummies. The boy's body was littered with cuts, bruises, and he was pretty sure he had a couple broken or destroyed bones. Blood was flowing from the cuts around his body.
"Yeah, you're right," struggling to his feet, Harry walked over to one of the medical tubes filled with the potion. After closing the door and casting the bubblehead charm, the potion rose until it completely enveloped him. Twenty minutes later, he stepped out of the tube and went upstairs to grab a shower and change clothes.
Grabbing a quick shower and some new clothes, Harry came back down and flopped on the couch. Suzaku came flying over, nuzzling his head against Harry's face.
"Young one, your new battling style is coming along rather nicely," Suzaku began, "though I cannot fathom as to why you feel the need to create a new one when you already have two." He looked imperiously at him.
Harry understood why he was concerned. While it was true that he had two styles of combat. His primary style was based on him being aggressive; it provided him with both offensive and defensive capabilities, which he wanted to take to the highest levels. It also provided him with the ability to counterattack with great speed. His transitioning skills between both were fluid and swift. Unfortunately, while his timing and other skills were excellent, the style had a major flaw. If he faced off against people who were exceedingly dangerous and highly skilled, he would need a few minutes to recover. At which point, people could attack him while his guard was down. Lightning could rejuvenate his powers, but it will take a lot of volts to do so, and it could leave him exposed to someone's attack.
His next style was used to channel his and opponents' inner darkness and turn them into weapons. While the style provided use of both offense and defense skills. It could potentially leave him drained as he mainly used dark magic to achieve victory, leaving him open to attacks. Another flaw was that it could have a negative effect on his state of mind and spirit if he didn't remain in control. Because if the darkness swallowed him up, then he could potentially become worse than Voldemort or Grindelwald. He wasn't a fool to believe that there was to believe there was only good or evil magic. Magic in its truest form was based on power and intent. That is precisely why Severus, Arcturus, and Cassiopeia made sure to teach him about all the aspects of magic while at the same time making sure that it never corrupted him.
"The new style is to compensate the weaknesses of the others," Harry replied. "As such, I need to be ready for anything. That's where this style comes into play; my other two are effective, yes, but they have their drawbacks," he explained.
"I think I understand what you're talking about," Byakko hopped on the couch next to him. "You want to create a new style that won't drain you as much as the others."
Suzaku's eyes became wide "that's why you were taking so long to defeat those dummies," he said in realization. While observing the boy's duel, he noticed that his focus was mainly on defense and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Suzaku had to admit that it was smart thinking on the boy's part as he wouldn't need to expend so much of his energy. All he would need to do was be patient and observe his opponent's attack patterns, and probe for a weakness in their techniques. "This new style will enable you to outlast your opponents. First, however, your techniques in this style need to improve. To properly master the style, you will need to focus entirely on defense, committing all your mental resources to examine every move the enemy makes. Furthermore, suppose you wish to take this style to its highest level. In that case, you will have to take full advantage of the enemy's most exploitable openings, which will mostly come from physical exhaustion or mental frustration."
"That truly is impressive," he happily commented before changing his voice into a serious one "however, that is not your main priority at the moment. So, which one are you going to use for the second task?"
"I am undecided at the moment," Harry admitted before Byakko could speak. "Gillyweed can provide me with gills and webbed feet, thereby allowing me to move underwater freely. But it will impede my ability to cast spells as the water will limit my speed should I need to cast a spell. On the other hand, the bubblehead charm can only provide me with a limited amount of air, but my movements will be significantly slower."
Leaning back in his seat, he began thinking about what to do. Spending the next few minutes thinking, his eyes snapped open as an idea formed. "I got it. Why didn't I think of this before?" hopping to his feet, he left the gods in utter shock.
Byakko and Suzaku turned to each other. "Do you know what his plan is?"
Suzaku shook his head "your answer is as good as mine."
While the two began theorizing what the boy's plan was. Harry made his way down to the dungeons, where he was sure his dad and Nicole would be. Taking a breath, he arrived at the door. The students turned their attentions away from their potions when the door opened. They were startled to see Harry actually coming into class. Many of them wondered why he would come down here as he is hardly ever seen nowadays.
Ignoring the stares that were being sent, Harry went to the front where Severus was standing in front of his desk. Nicole was walking around evaluating everyone's potions. "Mr. Potter, what are you doing here? I would have thought that you would have been off preparing for the second task," he said in a silk voice. However, on the inside, he was wondering why the boy had come down. "Explain yourself!"
"I'm sorry for interrupting your class, sir, but I figured you could assist me with the second task," Harry responded.
"And pray tell why I should help you," Severus sneered, though Harry could tell it was fake. "Not only that, but the rules stipulate that the champions are not allowed to have any help from the staff."
A tense silence enveloped the room as the Gryffindors, and Slytherins wondered how Potter would respond.
"Be that as it may, the reward will be great if you agree to help me. I'm pretty sure you already know that Maxine and Karkaroff are going to do everything they can to make sure their champions come out on top. As for the second task, I've already deciphered what it will be."
"Then why are you here if you already know what the second task is? Furthermore, you still haven't given me any good reasons as to why I should help you." The students could tell that the atmosphere in the room was becoming tenser but could decide if it was coming from the interactions between Snape and Potter. Or the potions they're brewing.
Professor Snape assigned them the Draught of Rage. A highly volatile potion that, if brewed incorrectly, could potentially kill someone or blow up the room. If brewed correctly, it would intensify the drinker's rage and cause them to lash out.
"Because the task takes place underwater," Harry explained. He made sure his occlumency shields were up as the smell from the Draught of Rage enveloped his nostril. Putting a potion like this in a room full of hormonal students who share a rivalry based on their houses would not end well. "As you are no doubt aware they're only two ways a wizard can function while submerged underwater. The gillyweed and bubblehead charm. Both have been tested and don't have the results I like. That's why I'm here. I would think that such a gifted potion's master like yourself would be interested in taking on a challenge like this."
Severus curled his lips "flattery will not get you anywhere, Potter," he stated. "Also, I do not come cheap, nor do I have any desires to work with you." Draco and his friends started snickering at how their head of house was putting Potter down. However, it slightly irked them when a smirk appeared on his face.
"Well, seeing as that is your final answer, then I'll just find someone else to help me. Such a shame really, this could have been a very profitable business venture for you as I was about to offer a percentage of the basilisk." The students stared with widened eyes at what he said. Basilisk pieces were extremely rare and highly valuable. Harry began walking away, turning on his heels, but Severus quickly grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Wait! Perhaps we should talk business." Severus understood what Harry was doing and had to admit that it was very Slytherin.
Turning back around, a small smile replaced the smirk on Harry's face. "I thought you'd see it my way."
He was, however, cut off as Goyle stood up, nearly knocking his potion over. "Professor, you can't possibly be considering this," he was flabbergasted. "Potter would never honor what he promised. I would even bet-"
Harry cut him off with a booming laugh causing everyone to look at him "that pretty funny coming from a brainless gorilla who does what he is told. Last, I checked the last time you bet on something like this; your father lost a lot of money because of your stupidity. I can only imagine how displeased he was after you lost so much of his money," giving him an imperious look.
Goyle was now very scared and paled significantly as he did remember his father's punishment.
"Ah, judging by your expression, I say you do remember. Well, look at that. It appears that you actually possess a brain in that thick skull of yours. Too bad you don't know how to use it. Still, I'm pretty embarrassed for you, I'll have to admit," his smile morphed into a cruel smirk. "Here we're both heirs to prominent families, and yet you and I are as far apart from each other as the sun to the earth. No, further than that!"
"You got a point their Potter?" Draco gritted his teeth as he was still angry that he was able to become the heir to the House of Black.
"Oh, yes, Draco. You're no different as your just as much of an embarrassment. The only reason why you are still a member of the Blacks is because of your mother." That apparently made the Malfoy heir angry as his face became red. "Whereas you and your lapdogs were given everything on a silver platter. I had to work to get where I am. Not only that, your academics and magical prowess are average at best, an utter embarrassment that a member from the House of Black could even be as weak."
He narrowed his eyes as Crabbe tried to take out his wand. "I suggest you put that wand back in your pocket, Crabbe before you find yourself losing a few parts of your body." Then, to emphasize his point, he flexed his magic that nearly made the overweight bastard pee his pants.
"Misters Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy," Severus began in a cold silk voice. "Need, I remind the three of you that you're still under house arrest!" His black eyes narrowed on the three of them, saying they better shut up. "Now, Potter, before I even consider helping, I want to know how much that basilisk of yours is worth."
Harry reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out an envelope with Gringotts seal on it. "I already asked the goblins to verify its entire worth," handing over the letter. Severus opened it and read over the contents. Quickly skimming through, his eyes became wide as he did a double-take when he saw how much it was worth. "So, do we have a deal?"
Composing himself, he handed the letter back, "come by my office after dinner, and we'll discuss it in more depth."
Taking that as his cue to leave, he turned around and moved toward the door. Just as he was about to exit, the annoying voice of Ronald Weasley came, "hold it, Potter. Just how much is that basilisk worth?"
Harry could hear the jealousy in the boy's voice and had a feeling that his eyes were shining bright. Then, without turning around, he answered, "normally, an entire basilisk is worth around either 42 to 45 million gallons." He was almost positive that Weasley's jaw hit the ground as a few stirring sticks hit the ground. "But that was Salazar Slytherin's true familiar, and considering that it was a female, its age, length, and what Voldemort did to it," the majority of the class gasped at the use of his name.
"Fifteen points from Gryffindor Potter," Snape said.
Shrugging his shoulders, Harry continued. "As I was saying after what he did, the value has increased to 70.32 million galleons." By now, everyone was gaping like a fish. Draco's mind went absolutely blank at how much the basilisk was worth as it far exceeded the amount of gold the Malfoys had. "Oh, Nicole, I'd vanish some of their potions if I were you," was all Harry said before leaving the classroom.
Snapping back into reality, she scanned the area, wondering what he was talking about until her eyes rested on Weasley and Granger's potions. "Everybody get down," she commanded, flickering her wand from its holster to cast some protective enchantments over the boy's potion that looked ready to explode. Everyone hit the floor before the potion exploded. Luckily, the shields covering it kept the blast from spreading, or there would have been a couple of students missing some limbs without them. Adding another wave of her wand, she vanished Granger's potion away.
"What are you doing, Vaisey? Are you trying to sabotage me? You had no rights vanishing my potion away," the fumes radiating from her potion made Hermione forget who she was talking to.
Nicole just glared at the bushy-haired girl. "You'll find that I have every right to vanish a potion that would have caused some unnecessary deaths and that Professor Snape would have failed."
"Impossible. I'm pretty sure I know how to brew something as simple as this," she argued. "You are only trying to be cruel and give me an unfair grade."
"What is going on over here," Snape came over with a sour expression and his usual sneer.
"Snape, Vaisey here tried to sabotage me by vanishing my potion," Hermione blurted out. "I demand that you at least punish her."
The rest of the students knew that she had gone too far. No, one demanded anything from Professor Snape. Instead of retorting, Nicole gathered a sample of Granger's potion in a vial so he could evaluate it for himself.
Severus carefully examined the vial containing the girl's potion, and after a couple of minutes, he waved his hand to vanish it. Then, turning his attention to both Granger and Weasley, "that'll be a week worth of detention and forty-five points from Gryffindor for not only rushing ahead but for endangering the other students. Furthermore, the two of you will be receiving zero's for the day and are required to write a two-parchment essay on how to properly brew the Draught of Rage and the dangers of releasing it into the air. Due by next class. Now get out!" whirling around with his cape billowing, he started walking away.
Unfortunately, Hermione was unhappy and exclaimed, "that's not fair. Can't you for once not be so biased against Gryffindor. Just wait until I tell Professor Vector; she'll set you straight."
This time she definitely stepped over the line as even the Slytherin cringed and backed away after seeing the look on Snape's face. Of course, none of them found it amusing as he literally got in her face, and if looks could kill, then Granger would be six feet under. "You just bought yourself a month of detention, Ms. Granger, and you don't have to worry about seeing Professor Vector as we're going right now. While it would give me great pleasure to punish you further. You're a member of McGonagall's house and therefore under her responsibility," with a wave of his wand, he summoned his patronus and had it deliver a message to Minerva.
"Now follow me! Ms. Vaisey, for the rest of the period, you are in charge," he escorted the insufferable know-it-all and the idiot Weasley boy out of the class.
The rest of the class passed with only a few small annoyances in which Nicole had to dock points and give detentions to Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe, and Parkinson for attempting to sabotage the other students' potions. How these idiots made it this far, she will never know. The three latter's were utterly useless when it came to the subject as their potions were either disgraceful or their essays were subpar. Malfoy's work was average at best, in her opinion. She could always tell that when helping Severus grade papers, he was visibly displeased with what they handed in. Nicole may have been in the same house as them, but she was chosen to be Professor Snape's apprentice, which meant she could punish them in any way she saw fit. From docking points, vanishing their potions, the added detentions with either Filch or Professor Hagrid. The latter was something Severus had come up with as he was sure they would greatly detest having to work with the man in the forbidden forest.
(0^0)
Once classes were finished for the day, the students were free to relax and enjoy themselves. All except for a select few like Ron and Hermione. When they left the potion's classroom with Professor Snape, the two were positive that Vector would at least shorten their punishment. Sadly though, it was not the case. The woman was visibly displeased at having her free time interrupted. When Minerva arrived, they asked why they disturbed them during class hours. The two lions tried to appeal the cases of Professor Snape being unfair to them. Severus explained everything to his colleagues about what transpired in the classroom; needless to say, the two were very unhappy with the two fourth-years and refused to resend their punishments.
Meanwhile, Daphne and Emily were working on their homework assignments with the others in the library. Joining them were the Patil twins, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. Once again, Katie released a sigh at the number of essays and revisions she had to complete.
"Katie, I swear if you don't stop sighing, I'm going to put you under a silencing charm," Alicia groaned, looking up from her charms essay.
"I'm just tired, alright. Classes just resumed, and I already have a lot of homework."
"Agreed," Aaron said equally as exhausted. "I can't wait for these OWLs to be over."
"Would you two please stop complaining already?" Daphne's eyes remained on her book about rituals and their different properties. "Look, we get that you're tired, but whining and complaining won't accomplish anything. Might as well just shut up and deal with it."
"Well, why aren't you complaining? You're also taking your OWLs at the beginning of June." Katie gave her a challenging look.
"True, I am also taking my exams," closing her book, "but I've learned to cope with it. And who says I'm not tired as well? Unlike you guys, I'm taking an additional three exams." Pulling out a quill and some ink to put the finishing touches on her arithmancy charts.
"You are doing additional exams," Katie and the others looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Why would you want to do that? Wait, is that even possible?"
"It is," Daphne answered, "if a person wants to take an exam that is not part of the school's curriculum, then they can. The reason why I'm doing them is because I want to challenge myself."
"That takes a lot of ambition to go beyond what the school is teaching us," Padma said with envy in her voice. "So, what are the other exams you're taking?"
"Dueling, Ritual, and Healing. For the dueling exam, I want a challenge." Looking up from her charts at the others. "While I might not be as skilled in magical combat as Harry, Emily, or their friend Miwa, I'm pretty sure that I can do a decent job."
Aaron, Adrian, and Blaise snorted. "Decent job, my arse," Blaise chuckled "the last time we dueled, you not only froze me and shattered some of my bones. But also nearly cut me to pieces. Damn, you got some serious power; remind me never to get on your bad side."
Daphne gave him an amused look before turning her attention back to her charts while the others chuckled.
"So, other than Daphne outdueling Blaise here. I have to go," Nicole began packing up her things, and with a wave of her wand, banished her books back to where they belonged.
"Where are you headed off to?" Tracey gave her a curious look.
"I have to hand in my report to Professor Snape, and then I'm meeting Viktor near the lake before dinner," she replied, putting her dragonhide jacket on. A few days after the Yule ball, Viktor asked her out. Ever since then, they've been together.
"Ooh, you go, girl, look at you dating a Quidditch superstar." Tracey's eyes became mischievous "hope you've remembered to drink a contraceptive potion. We wouldn't want any little Vaisey kids running around anytime soon."
Nicole's cheeks became pink from what Tracey just implied. The young brunette recoiled after getting an elbow to the stomach courtesy of Daphne. "Thanks, Daphne. It's nice to know that at least someone can be mature," giving Tracey a pointed look. "As for you, Tracey, I am confiscating your dirty books."
Tracey's expression dropped somewhat. But, surprisingly, so did Astoria's "ah man, I was just getting to the good part," which caused everyone to look at her whilst her sister swatted her arm. "Ow, what," she didn't get a chance to say anything else as Daphne sent her a cold glare. "I'll be quiet," she quickly scooted her chair away.
"We are going to have a talk about this later. The three of us," shifting her gaze towards Tracey. "You need to be more discreet where you put your books now and then."
Tracey just looked elsewhere.
"I'll see you guys later," Nicole threw her bag over her shoulder.
"Nicole," Aaron called, causing her to turn around. "If he tries anything funny, Quidditch superstar or not, he's a dead man."
The others looked at Nicole with anticipation as they thought she would ring his ears. But, instead, she walked over and kissed him on the head "thanks, little brother. But there's no need for you to be concerned, and besides, do I need to remind you what happened when I found you and Bell on the fourth floor?"
At that, Aaron and Katie's faces became beet red. Three days ago, they were caught snogging in a broom closet after hours only to be interrupted by Nicole, who was doing her routine patrol. Luckily, she was alone at the time, as it could have been worse. Aaron thought he and Katie would be in the clear, but no. Nicole gave them detention for two nights and sent Katie back to Gryffindor's tower. Nicole rang her brother's ears when she was gone and told him to consider this lenient.
"Aaron, your sister, can really be terrifying when she wants to be," Katie shuddered a bit, remembering the conversation she had with her when they first started dating.
"I know," giving her a small smile, "but she means well." Just as he was about to resume his work Daphne groaned as she began packing up her things.
"What's wrong with you?"
"The annoying Gryffindor trio is making a b-line for us," her shark-like senses enhanced her ability to sense magic. Sharks were capable of feeling the electrical fields generated by all living things.
"Not again," Emily groaned.
Within the next few seconds Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were standing before them. Hermione took notice of the book in front of Greengrass "what book is that? It's not part of the school's curriculum."
"It's my business," picking up the book, Daphne placed it in her bag.
"If it's not part of the school's curriculum, then you shouldn't be reading it," Granger bit back. "Why not let the professors judge whether or not it's safe."
"Unlike you, Granger, I don't live in the library," Daphne coolly began, "and this book is required for my OWLs. Now, is there anything you three want, or are you here just to bug us?"
Hermione glared disapprovingly at her as she didn't like being brushed off. "We were wondering where Harry might be. There's something Ginny would like to discuss with him," gesturing to the younger redhead to her left.
It killed Ginny on the inside to be anywhere near Greengrass, but she was one of the few people who knew where Harry was. Her eyes suddenly fell on the beautiful sapphire necklace around the snake's neck. "Where did you get that necklace from?" Though she had a feeling, she already knew where.
"It was a present."
"From whom?" Ginny narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl.
"Not your concern."
"Did Harry give it to you?" Ginny was feeling her anger boil up inside.
Before Daphne could speak, a familiar voice from behind Weasley came. "And what if I did?" The three Gryffindors turned around to see Harry standing behind them. Harry was taller than them, so he looked down at the trio. "The necklace is her property and doesn't concern the three of you. And haven't you two caused enough trouble for one day?" Giving Ron and Hermione a hard look.
Ron looked like he was about to explode and say something stupid, but Hermione held him back. "We didn't come here to argue with you," she stated but was still fuming after what happened today in potions. "Ginny would just like to ask you something."
"I was wondering if you can help me with my other classes," she looked pleadingly at him. She gave her best puppy dog eyes. "Without a doubt, you're the best student in all of Hogwarts. So, can you please help me?"
Hermione and Emily instantly frowned. Hermione because Ginny said that Harry was the best student in all of Hogwarts. Emily was for two reasons: One, Weasley used puppy dog eyes on him. Only she was allowed to do that with him, and arguably so was Daphne. The second reason was that he had his own problems to deal with.
"Sorry! I can't help you. My suggestion to you is to find one of the professors or prefects."
"Bu- But why not," she took a step forward. "You were so good at teaching arithmancy, and the rumors about you being a scholastic prodigy are well sounded. Even the professors are commenting how skilled and knowledgeable you are."
He was about to protest but stopped when Lilith spoke up. "Harry, I hate saying this. I mean it, I really hate saying this, but she is right. The students older and younger often comment on how well you taught the students who were struggling with arithmancy. And I know for a fact that many are wondering if you can help them with other subjects."
"Lilith does make a point," Emily grudgingly said. "Ever since the end of your tutoring session with Professor Vector, a lot of the students have been wondering if you would start providing help again."
"See, even your sister agrees," Ginny took another step forward, "so what's the harm in helping me and the other students?"
"In case you have forgotten, I have to compete in this tournament, and I'll be taking some of my NEWT exams when I go back to Mahoutokoro," Harry said. "I'm not a muggle machine here."
"Will you at least think about it?" giving him the best pleading look she could muster.
Sucking in a breath, "fine, I'll think about it, but don't hold your breath," he warned.
Ginny immediately wrapped her arms around him in a hug "thank you." When she pulled back, her brown eyes locked onto his green eyes, and she began to stand on her tiptoes.
Harry saw what she was doing and immediately backed away. Casting a quick look behind her, he saw the irritated look on Daphne's face, and if looks could kill then, the Weasley girl would be dead by now. Looking back down, "it would be better if you didn't try that again. You and I are not like that."
"Ready to go? We still have the meeting with Professor Vector and the other champions." Before the start of term, he, Daphne, and the other champions agreed to meet with the Arithmancy professor to discuss the second task.
"Right, come on," picking up her bag, she followed him out of the library while at the same time thinking of what to do about Weasley. How dare she try to kiss her boyfriend.
As the two walked the halls, Harry saw the annoyed expression on her face. Extending his senses to ensure no one was around, he immediately pulled her into an unused classroom and locked the door.
"What are you," Daphne didn't get to finish as he pushed her against the wall and crashed his lips on top of hers. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back while he wrapped his arms around her back. Finally, after a few minutes, they separated "not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"
"What do I need a reason to kiss the beautiful Slytherin Ice Queen," he gave her a cheeky grin.
"That was a bit cheesy, but I'll take it," she mirrored his expression.
"I could tell that you wanted to badly curse Weasley after what she tried to do," he began while the smile on her face faltered a bit. "You have nothing to worry about. There is no way that I'll be interested in a fangirl like her."
"I know. It just ticks me off that she tried to kiss you. That's my job! I still don't like the fact of hiding our relationship, but I know what a certain goat fucking idiot would do once he found out." It was true that Dumbledore would do anything to ensure that Harry would get with the daughter of the Weasley family. Hell, they were some of his most vocal supporters, who worshipped him as the second incoming of Merlin. They'd do anything he said without hesitations. "And I don't feel like sharing you with anybody else."
"Good thing you won't have to because I'm all yours." He took a quick look at his watch before turning back to her. "We still have twenty minutes before we have to meet the others for our meeting with Vector and the others. What would you like to do?"
Daphne bit her lower lip "oh, I don't know. I'm pretty sure we can entertain ourselves," winking at him.
"My, my who would have guessed that the Slytherin's resident Ice Queen likes this sort of thing. I wonder what the school's infamous rumor mill would say about this?"
"Only if it's with you, of course," she replied. "Besides, girls like adventures every now and then. And having you as a boyfriend will no doubt make things interesting. But enough talk, let's enjoy the time we have."
"Way ahead of you," leaning his head down, the two began making out again.
They spent the next fifteen minutes in the abandoned classroom. Then, when it came time for them to leave, they expanded their senses to see if anyone was near. After checking the area to make sure it was safe, they left for the Arithmancy classroom.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the classroom where the others were waiting for them. Cedric was the first to speak, "about time you got here. We were beginning to think that you weren't going to show up?"
"Sorry about that. I had some business to take care of, first," he made sure to keep his facial expression neutral. "Anyway, shall we go?" gesturing to the door.
Viktor grunted before knocking on the door. A moment later, the door opened, and the teens walked in to see Professor Vector at her desk putting away a stack of essays. Hello, everyone. What brings you all here?"
Viktor was the one to respond. "Hello, ma'am, we're sorry for disturbing you this evening, but there's something we need to discuss with you. It concerns the second task."
At hearing his words, she frowned "as you four are no doubt aware, professors are not allowed-"
"Sorry for interrupting, professor, but we are already aware know the rules," Cedric jumped in. "The reason why we're here is that we already know what the second task entails. And we don't like it!"
Septima regarded the young Hufflepuff before shifting her attention to the others. Then, after a moment or two, she grabbed her wand, and with a single wave, closed the door and added an anti-eavesdropping ward. Unfortunately, unknown to her, a water beetle managed to get in before the door closed and rested itself on the chalkboard.
"I'll be honest with the four of you. I only know a little bit about the task." She began before turning to Ms. Greengrass. "If I may ask, what are you doing here, Ms. Greengrass? This conversation is supposed to be for champions only."
"Actually, professor, Daphne's presence is required since she might be one of the two people at the bottom of the lake," Harry stepped in.
"Wait! What?" she was caught off guard by what he said.
"It's true, Professor," Daphne picked up where he left off, "the second task involves the champions having to rescue a hostage from the merpeople's tribe."
By now, she was fuming, "this cannot be right." She mentally cursed Bagman for not telling her he planned to use hostages during the task. "Alright, back up here. Are you four absolutely sure that the second task involves hostages?" They all nodded their heads. "How did you find this out? The other professors and I were only given a general amount of information regarding the second task. The champions would have to go underwater and face some of the obstacles."
"We 'ave researched the 'iztry of the second task," Fleur began a little made given the edge in her tone. "Each time, the judges use live hostages." While she kept explaining the second task and the clue in the egg, Harry kept a discreet eye on the bug that rested on the board. A magical aura surrounded it and was annoyingly familiar. And then, it clicked, the beetle was an animagus, and he had a feeling he knew who it was.
Throughout, the conversation Septima grew more incensed as the students explained more about the next task. After the discussion, she promised them that none of the students from Hogwarts would be used as hostages and to have a few words with the other judges. The only problem was that she didn't have any jurisdiction regarding the students from Beauxbaton or Durmstrang. However, she promised to let Igor and Maxine know that the price would be on their heads if anything happened to their champions or hostages. Accepting her words, they left the classroom.
Walking through the corridors, Harry nudged Daphne's elbow to get her attention, then mouthed, 'you sense that? We're not alone.'
'Yeah, I can feel her presence as well. Got a plan?'
'Follow my lead,' he said before addressing the others. "Hey, guys, they're something me and Daphne need to take care of. We'll meet you in the great hall."
"Alright, see you guys later," Cedric directed Viktor and Fleur away while Daphne and Harry went in the opposite direction.
The two could sense that they were being followed, and that is what they wanted as they entered an abandoned classroom. When Harry was about to close the door, he immediately grabbed the beetle flying through the air and made sure not to crush it. The beetle became frantic and started looking for a way to escape his grasp. Mentally smirking, Harry silently cast a stunning spell to make it stop moving. Now that Skeeter was incapacitated, he placed her on the desk.
"Would you mind conjuring a jar and making it unbreakable?"
Daphne chuckled a bit before flicking her wand out of its holster. With a single wave, a jar was instantly next to the stunned beetle. She then added an unbreakable charm to the glass so Skeeter couldn't break out. But she didn't stop there as she added a dark version of the anti-animagus ward to ensure the bitch couldn't transform back into a human. Finally, she used the levitation charm to place the beetle in the jar and sealed it shut. "Looks like we just trapped ourselves a beetle," quickly reviving the bug, and watched as it tried to break free.
"Save yourself the trouble Skeeter, you don't get out unless we say so," Harry enjoyed how desperate the reporter became. "You know I'm amazed how a worthless bitch like you was able to avoid being put in Azkaban this long. Which is exactly where you're going. You and your boss Cuffe. Prepare to lose everything!"
They could almost see the beetle crying for mercy, though it fell on deaf ears. Both Rita and Cuff were about to get what was coming to them.
"Before we deliver her to the Aurors, I want to have a little chat with her," Daphne said almost sadistically. "And it might be beneficial if we find out what else she knows. Without a doubt, she's made a lot of enemies with those stupid articles of hers. I wonder if she might have information about Malfoy and his lot."
Chuckling a bit, he gave her a quick kiss before looking back at Rita. "You see that? Not only is m girlfriend a pretty face, but she is also very smart and extremely cunning." Then, he turned back to Daphne, "you can have first crack at her."
"Why thank you," she instantly started thinking of ways to curse the annoying gossip columnist. "However, I think we should go to dinner before dealing with this bug."
"But, of course, milady," he gave a mock bow as she put the jar in her bag and walked out of the room.
As they walked to the great hall, they debated about what their next move would be. Eventually, they decided on what the plan would be. Sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, they sat near the end with their friends and the other champions. Halfway through dinner, Harry elbowed Blaise in the arm and whispered, "by the end of tonight, we'll have more than enough evidence to bring down Cuffe and Skeeter."
"Seriously," a hopeful expression appeared on Blaise's face. His mother had been asking when they would finally be able to deal a big enough blow to the owner of the Daily Prophet for weeks now.
"Oh, yeah. The little bint is an unregistered animagus and will likely be staying in Azkaban for several years. Her boss will get an even longer sentence that's a promise. So, tell your mom to be ready to move," Harry advised.
"Where is she now," Blaise was severely torn on the one hand; he wanted to introduce Skeeter to some painful hexes and curses. The ugly reporter had written a couple articles about his mother in the past and questioned whether or not he was truly her son. While on the other hand, he wanted to start break-dancing.
An evil smile appeared on Harry's face "that's the best part the little cunt is trapped in a jar desperately trying to get out," gesturing to Daphne. "But, before you do anything, I already promised Daphne she could have first dibs on her."
"Fine," he inwardly groaned. "I'll wait!"
(0^0)
After dinner, Harry went down to the potion's lab in the dungeons, where he was sure that Severus was waiting with Draco and his cohorts. His assumption was even better than he had hoped as Lord Malfoy himself was present. "A pleasure to see you again, Lord Malfoy. I wasn't aware that you would be coming today," offering a low enough bow.
Lucius regarded him for a moment, then spoke. "Yes, I was notified by Draco saying that you were planning on selling part of the basilisk pieces to Severus. So I came to offer my services in that regard." Basilisk pieces were really valuable and would fetch a high price.
Harry could almost smell the greed coming off of Lucius and decided to play along and turned to Severus. "Shall we conduct business, professor?"
Severus grunted before opening the door and leading them to his office. After getting behind his desk with Lucius by his side, he looked directly at Harry. "So, Mr. Potter, I understand that you wish to purchase my assistance for the second task," he began in a silk voice. "While I'm reluctant to help you in any way, a thousand-year-old basilisk that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin has piqued my interest."
"Hold on, Severus," Lucius spoke, "before we continue, don't you think it would be prudent if we saw the beast before proceeding with these negotiations."
"Of course, Mr. Potter, if you would be so kind? Can you let us see the basilisk?"
"I don't see why not," casually shrugging his shoulders, "but can we have some more room before I have it brought in here?" gesturing to the tables in the room.
Severus took his wand out and started making gestures with it. Soon the tables started piling up on one another, and so did the stools. Then, finally added a shrinking charm to make them shrink.
"That's good enough," Harry commented. "Can a few of the elves from Potter castle come here?" Upon his request, eight of his elves arrived "can you guys bring the remnants of the basilisk here? It's in the dungeons of the castle back home."
They happily complied before popping away. A couple minutes later, they returned with the corpse of the basilisk but needed help from some of the other elves. Harry asked them to remain through the meeting. Meanwhile, Lucius had a strange glee in his eyes as he looked at the basilisk.
Quickly composing himself, he faced Potter. "Um, how much exactly is this snake worth?"
Severus whispered how much the entire basilisk was worth. That included brain tissue, its venom, organs, and its hide. Lucius looked like he was about to pass out after hearing how much the thing was worth. Only to be caught by Severus, who helped him maintain his balance. Then, clearing his throat, "I must say this is truly a rare and valuable specimen you have. I even happen to own a company that specializes in harvesting magical creatures of this magnitude."
"Really? That's good," he curled his lips. "However, there's a bit of an issue that you and I need to address first," he said in a serious voice.
"U-um issue," Lucius turned to Severus, who was also confused. "What kind of issue?"
"Mm, where to begin? Where to begin? How about we start with the way Draco here has been acting? I have tolerated his childish behavior in the past, but it has grown old, and it doesn't look good. Especially not for a member of the House of Black. Where, if Lord Black was here himself, then he would not be as lenient as I am." He watched from the corner of his eye that Draco was getting redder. "This year alone has proven that he still acts like someone who has no proper breeding. Acting like a child in front of so many high-ranking heirs, questioning my rights toward this basilisk, creating those damned badges to discredit me. A five-year-old can do better than that. And then we get to today's debacle about him and his friends questioning me when it comes to honoring my bargains. Do you see the issue here?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. And I cannot express how sorry I am about Draco's actions." He turned to glare at his son, who took a step back in fear. "It would appear that I have been far too lenient with you. I will deal with you later." Draco looked ready to piss his pants.
"Lord Malfoy, I can tell you are a reasonable man. You value hard work and dedication. However, your son's recent actions are beginning to change my perceptions about you. Right now, I am half tempted to call the goblins from Gringotts and have them harvest the basilisk." At that, Lucius's stormy grey eyes became alert. "Though, I am willing to give you a chance to prove me wrong. All I ask is for Draco to grow up. Is that reasonable?"
"It's more than reasonable. Don't worry, I will handle my son."
"See that you do," Harry then turned his head. "Professor Snape, let's continue with our negotiations. I'll make this quick. I would like you to create a potion that will not hamper my speed or affect my spell work while I'm underwater for an hour. In exchange for your services, I'll give you and Lord Malfoy thirty-five percent of the entire basilisk."
"Hmm, thirty-five percent, huh. Let me discuss this with Lucius first. Draco, you come as well; I don't want you to mess anything up," he commanded. He took them inside his office, where he and Lucius spent the next twenty minutes talking. Coming back out, he ordered Draco to remain in the office while he and his father discussed the terms of the agreement.
Inhaling a breath, "alright, Mr. Potter, we have thought about your terms. While thirty-five percent is more than generous. We gave it some thought. To do our absolute best with the limited amount of time we have, which is what we want to do. We're going to need about sixty-five percent. I do have a reputation to uphold, you know!"
"Ooh, sixty-five percent," he groaned a bit. "I don't know if I can spare more than forty on this."
Severus clicked his tongue, "what a shame then. I guess you'll have to find some other way to finish the task, and here I thought you wanted to win the tournament. Lucius, there's something important you and I need to discuss," they began walking back to the office.
"Hey, you guys work as hard as you negotiate?"
A surly smile appeared on Severus and Lucius' faces. "Better!" the former answered.
"Then you got your sixty-five percent," at hearing that, they turned around.
"We get this in writing, correct?" Lucius asked almost too eagerly.
"By two o'clock tomorrow. I'll send Andromeda and my lawyer the paperwork. Also, before I forget, please instruct your son and the rest of his friends not to sabotage the potion."
Severus curled his lips. "One more thing! After the potion becomes a success, how are we going to split its profits?"
"You two can decide that" Harry answered in an uncaring way. "I don't care about making money off a potion like this. So, do whatever you want with it."
A full smile appeared on Severus's face. "Mr. Potter, you just bought yourself a potions master," holding his hand out, to which Harry shook before shaking Lucius's.
"Well, goodnight, everybody. Alright, guys, you can take the thing back to the dungeons; just bring it to Lord Malfoy's house after they've signed the contracts." The elves popped away with the basilisk.
With that done, Harry left the classroom.
(0^0)
On his way to the room of requirement, he expanded his senses to ensure the coast was clear. After a moment, he muttered the password and walked in. His eyes briefly became wide when he saw Daphne standing over a thoroughly beaten Rita Skeeter, who looked like she had seen better days.
"Hey, beautiful, you having fun with our guest?"
"I would be lying if I say I wasn't," she laughed a bit. After dinner, she immediately went to the room of requirement and performed the animagus reversal spell on Skeeter. When the bug-eyed woman was back to her normal form, she was hit with the dark version of the anti-animagus ward. Daphne ensured that all her possessions, including the wand, were out of reach; then began having fun with her.
"Somehow, I always had a feeling she would end up like this," Harry went to stand next to Daphne, wrapping an arm around her waist. Byakko and Kai had returned from hunting and enjoyed the show with Iroh. The three gathered near the couch to watch the show.
Skeeter groaned as she stared at them in both fear and anger. "Potter, if you and Greengrass don't let me go, then I can promise that neither of you will be able to show your faces in public ever again."
Harry and Daphne just laughed at her. "Apparently, you are unaware of the situation you're in, Skeeter," he cooed. "You have been using your animagus form to spy on people and have written bogus lies for a few galleons. I'm pretty sure you already know this, but you've made a lot of enemies and will pretty soon lose everything."
Rita spit out some blood "no one would ever believe you," she said defiantly, "and when I get out of here. The first thing I'm going to do is ruin your bitch of a sister's life, then I'll destroy your slut of a girlfriend's family reputa-" she didn't get to finish as the boy delivered two hard punches to her face breaking her nose and depriving her of some teeth.
When she looked up, the boy was no longer smiling. Instead, he was angry and looked ready to inflict more pain. "You see, your first mistake was calling my sister a bitch. Your second mistake was threatening my girlfriend." He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up so her eyes met his "you of all people should know that I am very protective of my family. While it would please me to no end than to break every bone in your body, I know that it won't be enough to make you stop. But, before I hand you over to the DMLE. You are going to tell me all your dirty secrets."
"The hell I will. I'll never talk," she was hit with a silencing charm courtesy of Daphne.
"Thank you, Daphne," grinning at her before turning back to Skeeter, "and just, so you know. You will talk," pointing his wand at her, "legilimens." Entering her mind was really easy. He saw every misdeed she had ever been involved with, along with her boss and some of Cornelius's friends. Thirty minutes later, after writing up some of the reports, he transformed her back into a beetle and put her back in the unbreakable jar with the anti-animagus ward still on it.
"Time to deliver you to Amelia," stepping into the floo network with the documents in his watch. He grabbed some floo powder "Department of Law Enforcement, Amelia Black's office," throwing the powder down, he was whisked away by the green flames. After a moment of spinning, he arrived in Amelia's office, where she was speaking with Dora and the dark-skinned Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Wotcher Harry, what are you doing here?" Dora enveloped him in a hug which he returned. "I mean, I'm happy to see you but shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?"
"That is exactly what I was going to ask," Amelia said, looking directly at him. Mr. Potter, you can't just leave the school without telling anyone you're bound to get into some trouble."
It wasn't lost on the tone of voice she was using, and he could tell she was in DMLE mode. "My apologies for coming in unannounced, Madam Black, but I came to deliver something to you," placing the jar on her desk.
"And what am I going to do with a beetle?" fixing a glare on him that said this better be important.
A smirk quickly formed on his face "that's not just any beetle. It's an unregistered animagus," he began. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Rita Skeeter in her unregistered animagus form."
Kingsley was impressed with how fast the boy took his wand out. "You're certainly, quick on the draw," he praised. "I have to be," Harry replied in a neutral voice.
Kingsley chuckled a bit before taking his out. He then performed a spell on the beetle "this is definitely an animagus." Casting a stunning spell, the bug stopped flying around. Unloosening the top, he dropped the beetle on the floor and cast the animagus reversal spell returning Skeeter to her true form. "Boss, do you have any magical suppression cuffs?"
Amelia pulled out a pair of cuffs from her desk drawer "well, this explains how Skeeter has been able to get her information. Put her in a holding cell and go get Barnabus Cuffe. This has been a long time coming!" She gave him a warrant for Cuffe's arrest.
"Consider it done," giving a nod, he put the warrant in his pocket before dragging the still stunned Rita out of the room. So, many things were running through his mind as he caught a glimpse of how powerful Potter was. The rumors he'd been hearing from his colleagues in the guild have said that he was a great warrior. Even Alastor would frequently comment on how impressive the boy was. It took a lot to impress Alastor as he wasn't one to lightly give compliments unless he saw greatness.
Back in the office, Harry gave Amelia the reports he got from Skeeter and told her that she would find more than enough evidence to send not only Rita, her boss, and a couple of friends their friends to Azkaban, but also some of Fudge's personal friends. However, she explained that it would be difficult to get them arrested as Cornelius was firmly in Lucius' pocket and would do anything to keep his financial backers out of prison. All he did was smile and say he was counting on that as they would lose some of their resources trying to bribe their way out of prison.
(0^0)
January quickly fell into February, with a lot of things taking place. First, Rita Skeeter and Barnabus Cuffe were put on trial, where Rita acted as the main interrogator. She could barely hold back her joy as she read through each of the charges against them. It turns out that Rita had not only been an unregistered animagus, but she also used her ability to spy on people in the Ministry of Magic, blackmail others into doing what she wanted, and ignored the restraining orders against her. In the end, she was released from every single publication in Britain and Ireland, got twenty-three years in Azkaban, and had to pay a fine of 50,000 galleons. Cuffe got a fifty-year sentence and was fined 150,000 galleons because he not only allowed Skeeter to write those articles. He had also been blackmailing others, embezzled funds from the Daily Prophet, and had some illegal merchandise at home. Like them, some of the other employees at the Daily Prophet lost their jobs and were either forced to pay a heavy fine or received time in prison.
Pretty soon, the entire Daily Prophet suffered when the parents of the champions entered the fray. When it was all set and done, the entire industry was bankrupt and had to be put under new ownership. Fudge tried to ensure that the paper would be under the control of the Ministry but couldn't as he had to keep his "friends" out of prison. So, this led to Cariana buying up all the shares to become the newest owner, much to his annoyance.
When it became time for the second task, Severus and Lucius honored their part of the deal and began harvesting the basilisk pieces and working on the potion. It was a great surprise to them that after they took their various pieces, the hide of the basilisk began to reform. Lucius wanted to harvest more but couldn't as the contract he signed was magically binding. With the organs, brain tissue, and venom out, what was left of the basilisk was returned to Harry. Severus had worked diligently on the potion, Making sure that it indeed worked to perfection. After a few errors, he finally managed to brew the potion without any faults or setbacks.
Harry used the potion twice. The first was to see if he could function underwater without any difficulties, and he had to admit he was impressed. Not only could he cast regularly without difficulty, but his vision also improved, enabling him to see across great distances. In addition, his hearing was also enhanced as he could hear several miles away. Another few enhanced things were his speed as he could swim at Mach 6 and perform a sonic leap capable of propelling himself like a torpedo. Finally, it shocked him that he could actually talk while submerged underwater. The second test run was to locate the merfolk's village, which he found in a half-hour. Luckily, the potion enabled him to stay underwater for two hours, and he got to leave the sea without any drawbacks.
Early during the morning, Harry got up and went to make sure that he had everything before going into a meditative trance, wanting to ensure his occlumency shields were in place. After an hour, he left with Daphne and the gods for the great hall, where they ate a quick breakfast with the others. During the end, Harry saw the frantic look on Fleur's face as it looked like she was desperately searching for someone. The young Veela spoke in rapid French and looked about, ready to destroy the great hall with her magic slowly being unleashed. Harry, however, could understand what she was saying, and there was no doubt that the judges took Gabrielle intending to use her as the thing Fleur would miss the most. On their way to the black lake, the champions huddled together. Harry asked her how long Gabrielle had been missing and how long she could be underwater?
Fleur responded, saying that she's been gone since last night and that she could only be underwater for a few hours. However, since it was cold, the time was shortened. Harry promised her that he would get Gabriel out if she could not retrieve her.
"Did your parents agree to have Gabrielle used as a hostage like this?"
"Non," Fleur violently shook her head. "Maman and Papa would never agree to something like this." She spotted them talking to the judges and could tell they were unhappy.
"If you want to borrow my lawyer, then you can," he suggested. She gave him a nod thanking him. Then, getting into the boat, they made their way to a three-floor platform in the middle of the lake. The judges arrived soon, along with Madam Black, a handful of Aurors, and a few spectators. Up in the air were the viewing crystals, so now the audience could observe for themselves.
"Alright, guys here," handed them some stamps that had matrixes, "these will keep you warm when you're underwater. Just slap them on your swimsuits."
Shedding their robes, they put the matrixes on their swimsuits and instantly felt warmer. It was like the cold air didn't even touch them. So the three of them decided to go in wetsuits while Harry only had a pair of swim trunks. He silently ignored the comments directed at him as he could feel that the females were actively staring at him, admiring his body. From the corner of his right eye, he could see Aunt Sarah coming with Uncle Arcturus.
Not long after, Bagman addressed the crowd, explaining what the second task entailed, and mentioned that there had been a few alterations. First, the champions had to get past the obstacles in the lake and retrieve their hostages in one-hour. While listing their placements in the tournament, Harry took out the potion from his pocket and downed the contents. He and the others immediately dived into the lake when the cannon fired. Pretty soon, gills started growing on his neck, with his hands and feet became slightly webbed.
"Good luck, guys," he said before they separated.
Above the water, the audience watched as the champions used different methods to get around and were awestruck. Bagman's booming voice rang out, "and they're off. Mr. Diggory and Ms. Delacour are using the bubblehead charm; Mr. Krum has performed an incomplete transfiguration on himself, and now the top half of his body is that of a shark. While the transformation may not be complete, it is still impressive. Professor McGonagall as Transfigurations is your forte; I'll get back to you in a moment," he said to her. "As for Mr. Potter, he appears to have taken a potion that grants him the ability to be underwater. But that is impossible as the only way to survive underwater is by casting the bubblehead charm or eating gillyweed. Professor Snape, what are your thoughts on the potion?"
"The potion is of my own creation," Severus said in a silk voice, causing everyone to look at him as they couldn't believe that he would help a Gryffindor, let alone Potter. "Mr. Potter came asking for my help. While I was reluctant to help the boy, he paid me well enough for my time."
"But the rules stipulate that teachers were not allowed to help the champions in any way," Bagman argued, getting a slight glint in his eyes. It didn't take a genius to see what the man was trying to do. The ex-quidditch player was still miffed that Potter had embarrassed in front of everyone. At the Ministry, he was the laughing stock of his entire department and many others.
"That would be the case if he came to me as a student," he drawled. "But he approached me as a member of the International Society of Potioneers. Use your head," sneering at the spineless idiot. "I know you're not very intelligent, Bagman, so I will make this simple for you. Potter paid for my assistance and got a potion for this task."
Back underwater, Harry was swimming through the water with amazing speed, though stopped when he sensed the presence of a powerful ward before him. Beyond that were about eight Aurors. Judging by their magic levels, he would have to guess that they were either low or mid-ranking officers. Truth to tell, he wasn't that impressed as their levels were relatively average at best, nothing extraordinary. He would need to speak with Amelia about them later. Quickly scanning the area for the ward trigger, he found it at the seafloor. Using his wand, he mentally said, "confringo maxima," the orange beam struck the trigger, and the ward came down. With the way clear, Harry cautiously swam forward, there he saw the Aurors coming in the distance.
Taking a breath, he propelled himself forward and began firing spells while at the same time dodging them. Thanks to the potion, he could see them without any issues. Though they were having difficulty making out where he was, they sought to close the distance between them. Unfortunately, that wasn't their only issue as they weren't accustomed to fighting underwater and could barely dodge the boy's attacks. Two of the Aurors tried hitting him with a chain of different spells. All of which were blocked when Potter used the water around him to form a shield. After blocking their attacks, Harry had decided to use his control over water. The shield before him quickly turned into a set of large tentacles that grabbed them. With the Aurors in his grasp, Harry began slamming them against the seafloor and threw them at their colleagues. He followed up by compressing the water around him into several large water balls and sending them. The remaining Aurors tried to shield themselves, but the balls exploded and sent them in different directions with a few broken bones.
Internally laughing, Harry proceeded to dominate them as they were now at his mercy. They should have researched elementals, especially those who could manipulate water. Just because he was underwater, they thought they would have an advantage over him, but it was not to be. In fact, Harry's abilities were much greater being in the water. Pointing his wand straight in the air, he began turning it clockwise; after twirling his wand a couple times, the water around him began spinning until a big whirlpool formed, sucking everything in. Even though the Aurors tried getting away, they couldn't as the whirlpool kept on expanding, eventually sucking them in. Finally, adding a quick gesture with his wand, the whirlpool morphed into a big bubble imprisoning them inside. Now that they were trapped, Harry directed his wand straight up, and the bubble shot up like a rocket sending the Aurors out of the water.
Harry proceeded to the village, encountering one more obstacle. A swarm of grindylows tried to make a meal out of him, but the little buggers never stood a chance as Harry cast a spell, purified the water around him, and sent a burst of lightning, effectively killing them.
At long last, he arrived at the village where he was greeted by the merfolk. The people gave him a respectful bow and led him to where the hostages were. Tied to the rocks were two mannequins, Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, and a male seventh-year from Durmstrang. Harry could tell they were under the suspended animation charm, so they weren't in any danger. At least, the Durmstrang wasn't; Gabrielle was a different story. He decided to wait for the others to come. Then, pointing his wand at his mannequin with the letters 'HP,' he cast the relashio spell at the rope so he could free it. He then tagged it with an animation charm and a rune to make it propel out of the water.
A minute or two after his objective was accomplished, he saw Cedric coming, along with him was the half-shark form of Viktor. Not seeing Fleur anywhere, he swam to them. "Guys, have you seen Fleur anywhere?"
The two shook their heads when he was about to speak. Then, a familiar dolphin-like patronus came. "Harry, Fleur was attacked by a swarm of angry grindylows and was forced to eject from the water. She is becoming frantic and is trying to get back in the lake, but the judges won't let her. Please get her sister out of there!" The patronus then vanished.
Not wasting a minute, Harry directed Cedric and Viktor to retrieve their hostages while he got Gabrielle out. Sending the same spell he used to cut the rope attached to his mannequin, he freed her and pulled the little girl closer. The other two immediately freed their hostages and were on their way to the surface. His special sight told him that she didn't have long as the pressure down here combined with the temperature said it all. Spinning his entire body around, the water started to form a snake-like rotation around his lower body and elevated them to the surface. It didn't take them long enough to burst through the lake in a nine-foot waterspout, much to everyone's surprise (almost everyone). More importantly, his sister and secret girlfriend knew what he was capable of.
Before anyone could celebrate, they got a clear look at the expression on his face and could tell he was pissed. He directed a portion of the water upward to wrap around a terrified Madam Maxine using his free hand. The woman could even reach for her wand as he pulled her closer." You have got some real nerve bitch," was all he said before throwing her across the lake. Then, he directed the spout to take him to the platform, where he leaped off and gave the girl to her parents. Some audience members were shocked to stillness as they couldn't believe what he had just done. A few committee members went to help a spluttering Olympe Maxine out of the lake.
Meanwhile, Fleur was sobbing as she tried to wake Gabrielle up, but the little girl wouldn't wake up. "Maman, papa, she will not wake," she cried. "Someone, please help!"
"Move, Fleur," Harry ordered, crouching next to her. "I may not be a healer, but I might be able to help."
Fleur held her sister's right hand "'Arry, please try," tears flowed down her face.
He could see that Gabrielle was fading fast and knew he had to move as she was dying. Placing his hands on her stomach, he ignited his inner fire covering both their bodies in golden flames. Veela were creatures of fire, so he hoped this would work. The flames subsided after a few minutes, returning her temperature to normal. He could hear her heart beating, which was a good thing. However, the girl still wouldn't wake. Opening her mouth, he pulled the lake water out. When the last of it was expunged from her body, her eyes fluttered open, and she began coughing.
"Oh, thank, Merlin," breathing a sigh of relief. Turning his attention to Sebastian. "Your daughter is safe now. First, though, I'd recommend taking her to Madam Pomfrey for a checkup."
Sebastian didn't need telling twice as he conjured a blanket for her and allowed his wife to escort her back to shore. Fleur followed straight behind, not caring about the various bite mark or cut on her body. The only thing on her mind was making sure Gabrielle was safe.
"Moussier Potter, I do not know how to thank you enough," Sebastian was extremely grateful to the young man who was the same height as him. "You returned my youngest to me. I don't know how I could ever repay you."
"Mr. Delacour, I do not want anything from you," Harry declared "just go be with your family." Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Maxine was back on the platform, "though I would recommend that you deal with her," jabbing his thumb at the Beauxbaton headmistress.
"Oh, I intend to," he seethed with rage and looked about ready to kill Olympe. Then, marching over to where the judges were, he drew his wand and aimed it at her. "Madam Olympe Maxine, you had better pack whatever personal items you have because when we get back to France, then you will be put on trial," he declared.
All of the chatter on the platform died almost immediately after his declaration. The angry expression on Olympe's face quickly changed into one of pure fear. "Moussier Delacour, I do not understand why I 'ave to be put on trial."
She may have been taller than him, but the fire in his eyes made her feel small. "You endangered the life of my youngest daughter by putting her at the bottom of a freezing lake, which would have likely killed her."
"I assure you she was nevair in any real 'anger," she pleaded. "As headmistress of Beauxbaton, I made sure that she was safe."
"She most certainly was not safe," Amelia's voice came as she and two of her Aurors walked up. "The pressure and temperature of the lake would have killed her if she had stayed down there any longer. And Magical Britain would have been at war with Magical France because of your carelessness." Of course, that made everybody freeze, and it wasn't because of the cold weather as they remembered a similar situation with the former Japanese Minister's family being attacked by dementors.
"As for your statement about being the head of the Beauxbaton Academy, let me ask you. Are we in Beauxbaton right now?"
"Yes," she answered.
"No, we are on British soil," Amelia countered, barely able to conceal her ire. "When you're students were in the carriages, then you were in Beauxbaton, the moment you took Ms. Delacour out, you entered Magical Britain. Meaning that you traveled across channels and almost killed an underage child for this blasted tournament. As the Director of the Law Enforcement of magical Britain, I hereby place you under arrest for child endangerment and attempted murder. Aurors cuff her," the Aurors from behind her slapped magical suppression cuffs on the woman's wrist.
"Since you are not a citizen of Britain, you will be returned to France to await your trial. Take her away!" she ordered.
The Aurors did as they were told and escorted the now sobbing soon-to-be ex-headmistress of Beauxbaton to the boats. So that left her aide to handle things in her stead. Then, finally, all the judges convened to decide what to award the champions. Bagman cast the sonorous charm on himself "the placements are as follows. Ms. Delacour used the bubblehead charm but was forced to flee back to the surface after being attacked by the grindylows we award her 41 points," members from Beauxbaton applaud Fleur. "Cedric Diggory also used the bubblehead charm and completed the task but exceeded the one-hour mark. Therefore, we award him 47 points," the students of Hogwarts cheered even louder. "Mr. Krum used an incomplete transfiguration which was nonetheless effective to complete his task, though arrived after Mr. Diggory. For that, we award 44 points," the Durmstrang students jeered at Viktor's score.
"Finally, we come to Mr. Potter, who used a strange potion to finish the task. Even though he was the first to arrive at the village, he decided to wait for the others to arrive. That said, we had to dock some points from him for using excessive force against the Aurors, rescuing another champion's hostage, and coming back late. Therefore he shall receive 50 points." The Hogwarts students cheered again, but some, along with the boy's family and members from Beauxbaton, shot filthy glares at Bagman. "This means that Mr. Potter is in first place, second place goes to Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory is in third, and fourth place goes to Fleur Delacour." He let the spectators digest the information before continuing a minute later "the third task will take place on the 24th of April."
With that done, everyone made their way to the boats to go back to the castle. Many of the girls were actively staring at Harry as he was still only in swimming trunks. Their eyes glistened as they saw his upper body, and they began undressing him with their eyes. Some of them groaned when he put his robes back on, covering his body, and then left.
A/N: I felt that Harry should have another fighting style, and before you say anything yes they're based off the fighting forms in Star wars. Anakin's Djem So, Obi-Wan's Soresu , and Windu's Vaapad. All three of which were some of the most powerful lightsaber users of their time. Anyway back to the point I promised you all that Maxine and Skeeter would get what was coming to them, and I delivered. In my opinion someone should have taken Skeeter out in the beginning because both film and movie the bitch was horrid and deserved whatever punishment she got.
As for the second task I never agreed with the judges using people as hostages. The clue in the egg said "what" not "who." Meaning that they could have used things like broomsticks, treasure chests, wooden dummies, etc. Plus I have never seen nor read that the students actually agreeing to be a part of the task. In Fleur's case her hostage was her sister who should have never been used as something she would sorely miss. I mean come on the girl is what 8 or 9 and they put her in a freezing lake. That would have likely killed her.
Next Chapter: Tragedies and the loss of family members!