A cunning plan.
The next day, he had an idea. Another idea, that in a kinder universe, had Harry had any friends, they would have talked him out of.
Voldemort was going to use Harry to do something; probably to come back to life properly.
And would then… get all his Death Eaters to go and take over the country, probably.
If Harry could somehow live through the Voldemort being resurrected bit, not die when Voldemort appeared, then there would be the perfect opportunity to kill all the Death Eaters. To have his revenge. It wasn't the best plan yet, but for a boy who used Dementors to get in touch with his memories of his mother… dying, it was about average. After all, there wasn't anyone who cared about Harry. His 'Aunt' Andromeda was a stranger, and Professor … Mister Lupin was just someone Harry had for a teacher for one year. And hadn't ever looked in on Harry as he was growing up. The only person who'd apparently wanted Harry around… well Harry had killed him.
Harry and everyone else were outside in the cold wind, waiting for the other schools to turn up. The cold had Harry thinking about death. How to survive Voldemort trying to kill him later, so he could kill Voldemort's followers. Obviously killing Voldemort was currently impossible, due to Horcruxes. Harry blinked. That… that was an almost simple solution. He'd need to kill someone he didn't regret killing. Sirius's death was too regretful. Still… Horcruxes worked even if the person was a muggle… so really, some bad person. A contact poison, something to put a Horcrux into… that was hard to destroy. A certain sword came to mind.
A ship had somehow arrived in the lake while Harry was preoccupied, and a giant horse-drawn coach had arrived, and was unloading French students.
The Beauxbatons contingent were wearing brightly printed quilted dresses. Well, the girls were anyway. The boys were all wearing high collared tweed coats and looking both warm and stylish. Harry hated them immediately. Bloody French and their fashionable clothes. Beauxbatons was in Provence, apparently. Understanding French seemed to help today, though some of the Beauxbatons students were already complaining quite rudely in French.
Then the Durmstrang contingent turned up in actual huge fur cloaks, and fur hats which Lilith whispered where wolf-fur. Harry wasn't sure which school to hate more on principle for having a better uniform, as he stood there in the stupid black conical hat and woolly black cloth cone robes.
Granger came with Beauxbatons contingent as a guide. As did Marita Shafiq. Who could be the girl version of Dean Thomas. As far as anyone could tell. Dean Thomas went bright pink.
Nobody stood out as ideal murder victim.
On the way back into the great hall and warmth, a small Gryffindor tried to take Harry's photo again. It's that annoying creepy boy. A volunteer. Caffeine….Harry thinks, will be nice and innocuous.
-==0==-
Colin Creepy was oddly enthusiastic to go off with Harry to a disused classroom.
He twitched rather a lot as he died from the caffeine. The sword of Gryffindor was already practically indestructible. The perfect place to put some life insurance.
The last part of the ritual to make a horcrux was so disgusting, having to eat parts of Colin Creepy, Harry wanted to learn to erase memories, just so he could not know about having done it. Transfiguring Colin to be intact took a long time, but Professor Dumbledore would probably recognise what someone with those organs missing had been used for.
Afterwards, Harry felt very tired, quite irritable and quietly confident that Voldemort was in for a surprise. And he really needed to learn to erase his own memories. Later.
-==0==-
Harry spent time in the restricted section invisible, looking for ways to kill all Voldmort's followers, then realised simply lethal gasses that couldn't be magiced away would do. There was, as the book said, a curse for that. Lethal to Harry too, but he had life insurance, after all. It wouldn't kill Voldemort, but then it didn't have to. He was in St Mungos, stuck to Quirrells' head if Harry remembered correctly.
-==0==-
Stupid Ludo Bagman, fat in Quiddithc robes that no longer fitted, took Harry to the competitor's tent on the day of then first task, and gave him a bag to reach into.
Harry had a miniature dragon model in his hand. It growled and bit. Oh, this was dragons.
Get a golden egg from a Dragon. Harry took a deep breath. He was quite safe, and really all he needed was to give the dragon some food.
That odd lesson in charms… buffalo by mistake, Harry summoned his team broom, flew over the large dragon-pit and using a carefully mis-pronounced charm, dropped buffalo after buffalo into the arena, till the dragon was gorged and sleepy.
Flying past quickly, he got the egg and flew out.
Apparently his use of a mis-cast charm was enterprising.
And the dragon was clearly unhurt, and well-fed. Still, his score was a pitiful eleven. Other judges had wanted to see some impressive magic, apparently.
-==0==-
The requirement to go to the Yule ball resulted in his Aunt Andromeda making herself useful at the next Hogsmeade; she taught him to dance a little over several evenings at the castle.
A month before Yule, many more lessons later, his aunt asked him "Whom are you taking to the ball?"
"I haven't asked anyone yet" admitted Harry. His aunt stared down her nose at him "Unacceptable." she said sternly "A Slytherin gel from your year. Miss Greengrass is an heiress, so she outranks the others. Ask her as soon as you get back to the common rom." said Aunt Andromeda very sternly in clipped vowels.
Harry's stomach felt like he'd swallowed a bludger. "Er" he gasped. "Greengrass the elder has hexed me rather a lot, rather often."
"What did you do to offend her, young man?" asked Aunt Andromeda, frowning.
"She um thought I was saying suggestive things." said Harry "I wasn't." he protested.
"What?" asked Aunt Andromeda.
Harry explained about having to swallow the phoenix tears, and it tasting bad… and swallowing when the Headmaster said to, and that it tasted bad. Aunt Andromeda snorted for some reason.
"You don't know why that is suggestive?" asked Aunt Andromeda.
"No" said Harry.
"Good" said Aunt Andromeda. "You can sort-of dance, and you are fairly innocent."
Harry bit back a retort, fairly sure that having killed three people and made a Horcrux made him about as far from innocent as it was possible to get. Part of his soul was, after all somewhere else. Somewhere safe, but still, not… in Harry anymore.
"So, back to the common room, and ask Miss Greengrass." said Aunt Andromeda.
"But… she'll hex me" said Harry.
"Don't whine. It's unbecoming." said Aunt Andromeda, taking out some parchment and writing on it. "I've written an invitation for you to give miss Greengrass, as you seem unable to talk to the poor girl without getting hexed."
-==0==-
Harry found Greengrass the elder in the common room sitting with Pansy and the rest of her gang.
"Miss Greengrass" asked Harry nervously "Do you have a date for the Yule ball?"
"Yes, and that is really none of your business." said Daphne Greengrass, drawing her wand. Harry nervously pressed the letter on her.
She opened the folded page and read it, and lowered the page, and Harry relaxed, lowered her wand. "You are too late." she said. "Your aunt's reasoning is sound, but you will have to ask someone else. Pansy?"
"Urfaus Kidderminster from Durmstrang" said Pansy.
Tracey spoke up "I think… we all have dates. Potter has left it too late."
Harry had an idea.
Next morning, at breakfast Harry went over to where the Beauxbatons students were sitting and asked Granger. She shook her head "I have a date. Sorry Harry." Harry shook his head "I'll think of something" he said.
As Harry walked away from the Beauxbatons students, someone called out from the Gryffindor table.
"Oy, Potter, Yule ball?" Harry looked over, and Ginny Weasley was standing looking expectant.
Harry nodded. Problem solved.
-==0==-
Harry's dress robes looked pretty snazzy, he thought. He walked up to the great hall, and waited for Weasely. Who turned up in a girly pink sort of dress with a ribbon around her stomach. Harry noticed his female classmates from Slytherin had dressed up and looked quite grown up. Fleur Delacour the Beauxbatons contestant was definitely fully-grown, had a bit of a sheen to her skin, and her hair was silvery-blonde. The Ravenclaw she was with was ogling, and getting little cautionary slaps on the upper arm. Krum from Durnstrang stood around, and then Granger wafted in from outside in a fancy dress, with her hair all done up. She looked pleased with herself, quite the young woman, and hardly limped at all, and Krum took her hand. Oh. She'd gone with Krum.
Ginny Weasley held his hand and walked in, in the last row, over to some the high table. After a stuffed crêpe for dinner that tasted oddly rubbery, the four champions had to open the dance, and fortunately Ginny Weasley could dance decently. She seemed very pleased to be there.
After they'd danced a couple of dances, Harry went off to get a drink, Ginny tagging along.
"You're supposed to hold my hand on the way to refreshments" said Ginny, tolerantly. "You're my date after all."
The nutty thirteen year-old kissed Harry on the lips. Like a proper kiss, at the end of the ball.
Harry wasn't sure he was really interested in kissing. It all seemed a bit pointless.
Harry went back down to the Slytherin dorms, to be confronted by Greengrass the elder.
"You took a Gryffindor." she said. She did not have her wand drawn, he noted. "A third year Gryffindor."
"Weasley the youngest wanted to go." said Harry "And my classmates were all spoken for."
"My Sister could have gone had you taken her" said Greengrass the elder. "She missed out."
"Miss Greengrass, I am far too scared of you to risk asking your sister to anything, ever." said Harry bluntly. Greengrass smirked.
"I could have been reasonable, Astoria would have enjoyed the ball, and you're not that bad a dancer." said Greengrass.
"Miss Greengrass, you hex first and never ask questions. I was at less risk getting treasure from a dragon." said Harry, feeling like being blunt. Greengrass was on the back foot after all.
Obviously in hindsight, she hexed him at that point. Harry's control over his temper snapped and hit her with a knockback jinx that threw her backwards over a couch. She clambered to her feet in her ball dress, her hairdo ruined "You jinxed me" she said indignantly.
"I've had it. You hex me, I'll hex you back." said Harry, wand pointed straight at her. "You really are as annoying as bloody Malfoy was." Harry felt totally furious. Greengrass suddenly squeaked and ran off. Harry felt angry, properly angry, from the tips of his toes to his fingertips, and Greengrass had fled like a mouse. She was just an annoying girl after all.
Harry took a deep breath and walked off to his dorm room. Unhexed, he noticed. Time for a little calming draught?
The golden egg made a terrible racket when opened, sitting on his bed. Harry closed it.
"OY Potter!" complained Theo Nott, and Harry looked over "What?" he asked, still feeling angry.
"It's a bloody racket. Do it somewhere else." said Theo.
"A bath" said Blaise Zabini "Sounds like mermish. Best heard underwater. Can you swim Potter?"
Harry considered that. Swimming lessons hadn't featured in his schooling. "No" he admitted.
"That's going to be a problem. Bet it's underwater." said Blaise.
"You already know" accused Harry.
"Mother mentioned it" said Blaise, smirking.
"What is it?" asked Harry as politely has he could.
"Retrieving a hostage from under the lake" said Blaise "Someone you'll miss."
Harry blinked at Blaise.
"Well, obviously, you probably wouldn't care" admitted Blaise.
Harry smiled thinly "Correct." he said.
Harry put the egg in his trunk and went to leave.
"Where are you going?" asked Blaise bravely.
"To find some magic for travelling underwater" said Harry "Anyone offering suggestions will get on my good side."
Crabbe giggled. "You don' have one" he snorted.
"I'd be hurt by that if I was a weakling like Nott" said Harry. "And before the rumour arrives, I hexed Greengrass the elder. I got sick of her hexing me. She ran off squeaking, and I didn't even turn her into a mouse."
Harry went to the library and asked Madam Pince politely.
"Madam Pince, where would I find a book on magic for travelling underwater?" Harry asked.
She narrowed her eyes "Everyone wants that book today" she said "Fosswickle and Greys magical maritime mechanisms, in the travel section, fifteenth row, northeast corner."
Harry bowed politely and walked off to the northeast corner. Krum was there, looking for a book.
"Krum" Harry said. The Bulgarian nodded, and kept looking for the book.
Harry took the other end of the row and opposite side and started looking. "Illustrated guide to the brothels of Constantinople" seemed an inappropriate book for a school, so Harry had a look. Quite old-fashioned wizarding engravings animated … like five-hundred year-old pornography. Harry was unmoved. Crabbe and Goyle might find it interesting. Harry took a note of it's location.
Night fell, and Harry hadn't got half-way down the row, when the thought of just summoning the book occurred to him. Krum had gone off to eat, Harry supposed. The summoning charm dropped the book into his hand, and he went off to sit at a desk and read it. It was written in a cramped type and like a lot of magical books, had only a quite useless index. Harry got the book issued, and went down to the dungeons, to visit the kitchen for some supper. The food seemed a bit tasteless, though that had been happening a lot since… that spell. The life insurance was worth it, he reassured himself.
Harry checked the egg's message the next day in the bathtub. An hour long event. And if he didn't get the hostage it would be too late. Harry recognised a bluff.