November, 1994
Harry couldn't believe he was doing this. He promised Hestia that summer that he would try to sneak out less, but it didn't look like fate wanted that to happen. So, here he was, under a cloak of invisibility, following Hagrid through the dark. He could hear the sound of roaring and he prayed he wasn't correct in his assumptions. He'd known Charlie Weasley long enough to know when he was hearing a dragon.
"Dragons, Hagrid? Really?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, isn't it great?" Hagrid gushed.
"No! It's not great! It's life threatening!" Harry whisper-shouted.
"You've had 'xperince with dragons 'fore, haven't ya? Ya got that on the others," Hagrid said in a comforting manner.
"That was a baby, Hagrid! Your baby! Not a full grown, Oh Merlin, are those females?" Harry asked, getting a good look at the dragons.
"'Course they are. Can't steal eggs from males," Hagrid shrugged his great shoulders.
"Can't steal… Shit, Hagrid! Are they trying to make sure we die?" Harry's voice cracked as he panicked.
"Now, 'Arry, you'll be fine. You've got his handled," Hagrid reassured. Then, he stopped paying attention and started straightening his tie and hairy suit jacket. Harry was about to ask what he was doing, but at the last second he caught sight Madame Maxime.
"Is this a date? Are you taking me on a date with you?" Harry asked, but Hagrid just ignored him. "Great, I'm an accessory to his date."
Harry took a gander around. He saw Charlie Weasley and his buddies unloading the dragons and getting them set up in pins. He saw the calculating look in Madame Maxime's eyes, and he knew enough from growing up with two of the three Black sisters that she would be using this information to secure a win for her champion. He barely caught sight of Karkaroff slinking through the forest, so that meant Krum was covered. All that left was Dumbledore. Why wasn't Dumbledore here? Was he honestly going to 'follow the rules' this one time?
Harry stomped his feet too keep the cold night air away. For covering him head to toe, the invisibility cloak was surprisingly not very warm. He wondered how long he had to stand here and if he could sneak away. He didn't, however, because Hagrid was the one adult he would feel guilty about missing him. Hagrid was his friend, more of a giant buddy than an authority figure. So he stood, freezing, watching his friend awkwardly flirt with Madame Maxime for the next thirty minutes. Because that's what friends do.
"How the hell am I going to beat a dragon?" Harry ranted, throwing his arms in the air. Ginny, Luna, and Hermione just stared at him.
"You could try shifting into your animagus form." Ginny suggested.
"Oh, yeah, because that's going to help so much. Beware of the vicious herbivore." Harry deadpanned, causing Ginny to roll her eyes and Luna to laugh.
"You could always just fly away," Hermione suggested. "It seems to be the only thing you actually show an interest in."
"Mione! You're brilliant!" Harry said, hugging her. "An Accio charm! That'll work."
"You're not going to fly a Firebolt at a dragon, you moron!" Ginny screeched. "They're too expensive! Get Sirius to send up one of the old Nimbus 1999s you've got lying about the broom shed at Potter manor! They'll beat a dragon and they're replaceable."
"How do you know that a Nimbus 1999 will out fly a dragon, Ginevra Weasley?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raised and hands on hips.
"Because, Hermione Granger, I out flew a dragon on one when I was staying with Charlie." Ginny smirked, copying Hermione's stance.
Hermione's shoulders dropped and she visibly deflated. "We still have to research something. You need defense skills in case it actually gets your broom and destroys it. Ginny, Charlie's here and he's staying in Hogsmeade. Do you think you can meet up with him and sweet talk him into telling you what we're dealing with?"
Ginny nodded, happy to do her part to make sure Harry survived.
"Luna, you research the dragons: their hides, their teeth, anatomy and physiology. We need to know all their weak points, all the breeds you can find. Narrow it down after Ginny talks to Charlie. Harry, you and I are going out to run drills. The ones Mr. Padfoot and Mr. Moony make you run over the summers. Those are our best bets for basic ground work. Remember, team, if we're stuck in this, we may as well go for the win."
The group of four broke up and took care of their assigned tasks. They were going to help Harry win this if it killed them.
"Diggory!" Harry shouted, catching his rival's attention. Dumbledore hadn't approached him and he'd noted the smug and relieved faces of his foreign rivals. He couldn't just leave Diggory out to dry. "Hey, Diggory!"
"Potter, what?" Cedric answered, sending his adoring fans on. Once they were alone, he added, "Look, I'm trying to get them to lay off on the whole button campaign, but they won't. I apologize for their behavior."
"It's okay. That's not really my biggest worry right now." Harry shrugged him off.
"What's your biggest worry?" Cedric asked, and Harry cursed him for sounding so genuinely concerned.
"Look, I've been trying to be less of wanker than I have been in the past. In order to do that, there's something I have to tell you. I hope you already know, but I seriously doubt it, since Dumbledore seems intent on playing by the rules, no matter how many students die." Harry started, rambling. "That's not the point. The point is, the first task is dragons. You've got to steal something from a dragon. Fleur and Viktor already know, Maxime and Karkaroff were out watching Charlie Weasley and his dragon tamer buddies bring them in. I didn't want you to be the only one out of the loop."
"That's- wow. Thank you, Harry. That was very courageous of you to tell me. You could have just chosen to eliminate me as a competitor, like Fleur and Krum will." Cedric said. "I'll revise my studies. You should, too."
"Yeah," Harry said as Cedric walked away. "I'll just do that."
Ginny went into the Hog's Head, and was lucky enough only to turn a few heads. She smiled gently at the bartender before sliding into the booth.
"I thought you were supposed to be tucked away in your bed," Charlie said with a small smile.
"I've never been one to do what is expected of me," Ginny smiled at her brother.
Charlie couldn't help but give his only sister a small smile. "So I've learned."
"I have a proposition for you," Ginny said looking into her brother's cup. Yup. Not Butterbeer. "Since you told my brothers that you would be here and not me, you owe me."
Charlie gave his sister another pointed look. He was, after all, eight years older than her.
"Since I know your lifestyle, having lived it with you for a few months, I feel as though I can ask you this, ever fantasized about being with a Veela?"
Charlie choked on his firewhiskey, feeling the burn through his sinus cavities. "What?"
"I didn't stutter," Ginny said leaning against the table. "I know someone, one of the Champions, who may or may not be interested in you. I'll set you up if you can give me some information about the first task."
"Is it Krum? Because I'd say yes?" Charlie said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Close," Ginny nodded, "but not Veela."
"Veela would do." Charlie said, finishing his drink. "What do you want to know?"
Harry paced around the common room, waiting for Ginny to return. She had left over two and a half hours ago. Everyone else had gone to bed, anticipating the next day. But not Harry.
Finally, when he heard the portrait swing open he saw Ginny in her cloak walking to him.
"Finally!" Harry said running over to her and pulling the parchment out of her hand. He read the first two sentences and then looked back at her. "This is a letter for Krum…"
"Oh, sorry!" Ginny said, pulling out two other pieces of parchment. "That one is for someone else." She pulled out a smaller piece of parchment, this one written in her own hand writing.
Harry read the parchment three times to gather an idea of what he would be facing. Swedish Short-Snout: that was a relatively tame breed. Common Green Welsh: he could think of several ways to beat that particular breed. Chinese Fireball: low slung, but flexible, difficult but not impossible. Finally, the Hungarian Horn-Tail, but there was no way. They didn't hate the students so much that they would pick three easy breed and a monster. What were these people thinking?
"Did it take a lot of convincing?" Harry asked.
"No," Ginny huffed. "It's Charlie. We talked."
"And you left me here waiting!" Harry hissed.
"A 'thank you, Ginny,' would be nice," She huffed.
"I'm sorry," Harry said putting his hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for probably saving my life."
"I guess that makes us even then," Ginny said sitting in one of the chairs.
"You could forgive Draco for accidentally giving you a diary that tried to kill you, but you won't forgive me for a comment?" Harry asked, changing all of the tension in the room.
For once, Ginny Weasley was speechless.
"Look," Harry said kneeling down and taking her hand. "I know that I hurt your feelings, I didn't mean to. Your family is like my family. Ron is my best friend and you...your…"
"Your what?" Ginny whispered.
"You're-you're my Ginny," He said, leaning forward, planting his lips on hers. He waited for her to move push him away, but she didn't.
November 24, 1994
The morning of the first task beamed bright, crisp, and clear. Harry was awed at the fact that he was expected to complete a full morning of classes before facing his impending demise. It was like the contest administrators had forgotten the champions were still schoolchildren who had lessons. Why, Harry thought to himself, couldn't these things be held on Saturdays? Fortunately, History of Magic didn't require much thought, so he was free to imagine all the creative ways he could end up dead.
He reflected, over breakfast, that his conversation the night before with Sirius had been useful. Sirius fully supported his idea to fly his broomstick, and had promised to smuggle it into the games. Harry worried that Hestia would kill them for cheating, but it wasn't really cheating if all of the champions knew about the 'unknown' task before hand. He'd seen Krum practicing spells the day before and, if the girls were to be believed, Fleur wasn't a slouch either. If only the day would hurry up and end so he knew the outcome.
At that moment, Ginny Weasley walked into the Great Hall and walked straight up to Viktor Krum. He smiled at the girl like he would a fan. Draco and Harry's mouths dropped as Ginny held out a note. The entirety of the Great Hall stopped and stared at the two. Most students, excluding Ron, were over the fact that Krum was famous.
Ginny cleared her throat, and spoke loudly. "This is for you, from someone who is much hotter than me." She said with a coy smile. The commotion in the room started up again as Ginny spoke softly just to Krum. "I hope to see you wink."
Fred and George were taking bets. They were actually taking bets on the outcome of the task. It wouldn't have been so insulting, except they knew the girls had helped train Harry, but they still set the odds 2:1 he'd lose. Hermione was angry, but Ginny beat her to them.
"Why are you two so cruel?" Ginny asked, glaring at her brothers before walking away. Hermione and Luna followed, heading to what would be the Gryffindor stands, had the Quidditch pitch not been destroyed in favor of a five-hour competition to see which teen could piss a dragon off without getting fried. The twins, meanwhile, shrugged Ginny's comment off and accepted a generous bet on Harry and Fleur tying from one Sirius Black. The odds against that were so high that the twins were concerned that they'd seriously underestimated the only female competitor.
"I'll bet she'll charm it with her veela powers, then waltz around it," an unknown Ravenclaw commented, trying to out-strategize his friends. Unfortunately for him, Hermione overheard.
"This is exactly why a Ravenclaw isn't competing, even if it would make the most sense!" Hermione exclaimed, turning on the unsuspecting sixth year Ravenclaw boys. "If you haven't noticed, genius, those are female dragons. Do you know what happens when a female veela is near any other female? Well, answer me!"
They stuttered and stumbled a bit, but couldn't find an answer.
"They attack, you nitwits!" Hermione exclaimed again, smacking the commentator out of habit. "Females, of all species, hate prettier females! They're a threat to the mating ritual. Of course, none of you would know that because you're all greasy, unbathed, misogynistic pigs! She's at greater risk than even Harry, because at least the dragon is only going to try to kill the male competitors. That dragon is going to attempt to obliterate Fleur, leaving not even a strand of hair to make her sister a wand with after she's gone! Do you understand the risk they've put on the only female champion! It's like they are trying to kill her early and remind her where her place is! Which, according to all the wizards here, is in the stands while the menfolk do the daring dos!"
The Ravenclaw held very still as if the fourth year Gryffindor were a predator and they were her prey. Her glare had several of the nearby wizards looking uncomfortable and a bit guilty.
"Well said, Hermione. Right on point. Now, Fleur is about to compete and she'll be upset if her greatest champion isn't paying attention." Hestia Black said as the Black family, and Remus, trooped into the students section of the stands.
"Padfoot!" Ginny exclaimed, wrapping him in a hug. "Where have you been? You missed Cedric take on the Swedish Short-Snout. Clever trick, transfiguring that boulder, but honestly, he should have went with something a little tastier looking than a labrador."
"We were in the parents' section, just over there, but everyone knows the student section is where the entertainment is at," Remus answered, looking at Padfoot in a meaningful way.
"Oh no," George said, looking at the adults. "What did Mum do?"
"You're mother didn't do anything. It's everyone else who puts too much stock in Rita Skeeter," Hestia explained as little Adara climbed into Fred's lap to finish watching the tournament.
"Oh good, she got the Common Green Welsh. At least that breed is laid back enough to just kill her and eat her outright, instead of playing around first." Ginny commented, turning to glare at the sixth year Ravenclaws that hadn't had the decency to move. "At least I've done enough research to understand that much."
The Ravenclaws looked ashamed and sat quietly for the remainder of Fleur's turn. Fleur understood what she was facing the minute she stepped out of the champions' tent. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna sat on the edges of their seats, waiting to see what happened. Surveying the situation, she came to a conclusion and nodded. Decision made, Fleur did some neat wand work and distracted the dragon long enough to hit her in a soft spot with an auror level stunner. Then, she waltz passed the dragon and grabbed her golden egg without problem.
"Yeah! She did it!" Hermione screamed. Ginny was wildly gesturing at Fleur as she screamed her cheer. Charlie Weasley could barely be seen violently dragging his hand across his throat with one hand while giving her a thumbs up with the other.
"YES!" Ginny screamed for a whole different set of reasons.
"That's not going to work out," Ron said, catching what his siblings were doing. "She's too pretty and he's too horny."
Hestia smacked Ron over the head as the girls gasped and Padfoot tried to high five him.
Remus smacked Sirius, which helped defuse the tension. Fleur made a neat little bow to the crowd as she left the stadium.
"I'm going to be her when I grow up." Adara announced, rolling her head back to look at Fred. "How do you feel about strong, powerful witches that look pretty, Freddie?"
"Uh…." was all Fred could manage before Viktor Krum and the Chinese Fireball were announced and everyone's attention was turned back to the ring.
Krum's fight with the dragon was insanely short. He strutted out of the tent, shot Charlie Weasley a wink, blasted the Chinese Fireball with a Conjunctivitis curse, and went for the egg. Unfortunately for him, the curse caused the dragon to rear back and trample several of her own eggs and narrowly missed his golden one. Krum waited until the creature settled, then swaggered to the golden egg and held it aloft for all to see.
"That was quick. Really quick." Ginny said in awe.
"But he broke all those poor eggs," Luna pouted a bit.
"It'll be alright, Lu, just wait till they leave him alone with Charlie. He'll get what's comin'." Ron said, surprisingly comforting.
"That's true." Luna said, shrugging her shoulders.
"What was that spell he used? What did it do?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Conjunctivitis. I'll send you a couple of books so you can read up on it." Remus offered.
"Don't do that!" George exclaimed.
"She'll use on us!" Fred finished, covering Adara's ears.
"Not until I learn how to perform it, I won't." Hermione said, glaring at the twins.
"That should give you about three days after she receive the book to figure out that Protego you've been having trouble with." Ron said.
"Why are you so talkative today?" Sirius asked, glaring at the youth. "I thought you were meant to be throwing a bitch fit about how stupid and Slytherin Harry is with his betrayal of you."
"Sirius, shut your mouth. Ron, we're happy you're here. Don't listen to my idiot husband. He's had trust issues since 1981." Hestia said, sending Sirius a mild stinging hex to remind him of his manners.
"If that's how everyone is going to treat me, I'm just going to head to the loo." Sirius storming away.
"He's going to miss Harry's turn." Hermione commented, watching the older man barge through the crowd.
"Knowing him, he'll catch every second of it. But he'll have to be far from here, away from everyone he knows so we don't make fun of him for worrying." Hestia said, watching her husband as well. She was confused when it looked like Sirius was actually heading to the loo, but she brushed it off.
Harry walked out, peaky looking. Hestia worried that Harry would die here.
"If Voldemort couldn't manage it, I doubt that an angry Hungarian Horn-Tail will do the trick," Remus commented lightly.
"I so hope you are right," Hestia said, nibbling on her thumbnail.
"Mum, don't do that," Adara chastised. "You'll ruin your nails."
"Yeah, Mum, wouldn't want to ruin your nails." Rigel mocked. "Stop being weird, Dar."
"Stop being a boy, Ri," Adara shot back.
"Hush, Harry's about to fight for his life," Hestia said, hushing the kids.
Hestia didn't catch what Harry said, but it became apparent when a broom came zooming from where Sirius had just disappeared. A Nimbus 1999, of course. Of course those two.
"Looks like they went Plan Q," Hermione muttered.
"What, exactly, is Plan Q?" Hestia asked, turning her evil on the teen girls.
"You're looking at it," Hermione answered. "Con Sirius into bringing a broom then Accio it out and outfly a freaking dragon."
"That is…" Hestia started.
"Working," Ginny said as Harry shot out over the crowd. Fred protected Adara as he and George cheered the dragon as it tried to take out the teachers' stand.
Harry did some neat tricks on his broom, wearing the angry dragon down. Finally, after destroying part of the castle and an assassination attempt on the judges, Harry dove for the golden egg in a move that would have made even Krum jealous, if he could have seen it. Charlie Weasley and his crew started to subdue the angry Horn-Tail so that Harry could safely make it to the ground.
Sirius returned to his wife as the judges conferred on the scores. Hestia gave him a look that promised hell if Harry lost after this stunt. Sirius refused to feel guilty because the plan worked. Finally, the judges called for the champions to join the crowd in the ring. The dragons were wrangled back into their holding pins and the judges were ready to announce their results.
"The results for today's event are: in third place with 90 points for destruction of eggs, Viktor Krum. In second place with 95 points for burns to self, Cedric Diggory. And tied for first, Fleur Delacour and Harry Potter at a full 100 points for savvy, style, and lack of destruction or injury. Remember all, the Golden Egg from this event holds the key to the next event. The Second Task will be held after Christmas Hols. Thank you all and have a safe trip home." Barty Crouch announced to the gathering before leaving the arena.
"I… I won?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. He stood in shock as Sirius was the first person to bound down the stands and gather him in a celebratory hug. Not to be outdone, Remus joined them moments later. Hestia, her twins, and his friends joined the merry fray, cheering his unlikely win. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were notable by their absence in the crowd, though. They had run straight to Fleur and were congratulating her superb skills and demanding lessons through their laughter. Fleur smiled beautifully and requested a short reprieve, to which the girls agreed and ran to hug Harry.
Celebrations in the arena spilled into celebrations in the Gryffindor common room. Someone called for Harry to open the egg and find out the next clue. No one was prepared for the shrill noise that came out of it. The mood was dampened but still jovial, until one Ronald Weasley showed up and stared at the crowd.
"Go on back to your knitting, the lot of you," Fred shooed the majority of the lions out the common room.
"This'll be unpleasant enough without you lot watching," George said, shooing the remainder of the students away.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked guarded.
"I just… That event was so dangerous, I figured there was no way you did that to yourself on purpose. You're not like the suicide twins over here," Ron said, gesturing to his brothers.
"Oi, Ronnie," Fred exclaimed.
"We still know where you sleep," George threatened.
"Figure it out all by yourself, did you?" Harry asked.
"I'm sorry, mate. I should learn to listen to you sometimes." Ron shrugged.
"Yeah, you…" Harry started, but he shook his head as he heard Moony's voice in the back of his mind. "I accept your apology. This tournament is too exhausting to go on fighting with everyone I know."
"That's the spirit!" The twins yelled. Then, magically, they got all the students back into the common room and started the party all over again. Everyone pretended, for that night, that there was no death tournament, no crazy wizards, and no homework due in the morning. For that night, they pretended life was perfect.
Gabs: So, it's a bit long and that's my fault. I talk a lot. Also, name change!
Kat: Yes, you do, but I also got a little wordy. But there was a Hinny scene!
Gabs: Thanks for all your lovely reviews! We love them.
Kat: We own nothing, all goes to the queen. By the way, notice the name change? Review and let us know how you feel about it!
XOXO
Gabs & Kat
