A/N: Thank you so much for over 300 favourites, and almost 400 follows. I really appreciate it, and I hope you guys continue to stick around.

In response to a review on Chapter 39: I don't know what you want me to do. If you want the good guys to kill people… well, that's already going to be happening. If you don't want them to kill people then the later parts of this story probably won't be for you.

In response to another review on Chapter 55: I've already responded in a PM, and it's almost the same message I sent the user, but I'm mentioning this here for those who are confused.

Harry and Ginny's character motivation is to do what they think is the right thing to do.

See, in Part IV, their minds are meddled with a lot: Ekrizdis, The Enchantments, The Ice, they all have a go at their minds, and that's why Ginny says she doesn't want any more adventures, and that's also why Harry agrees. And they truly meant it. It's the rock bottom of Arc I for them. And they still don't *want* the adventure. Yet.

Why are they still having more adventures then? Well, as I said, the Right thing part comes into play here. If you know something's wrong, and you suspect someone, you're not just going to sit idly by, are you? No matter what your stance is on going on an adventure.

Also, agreeing to 'helping to get the people out' is a lot different than agreeing to fight the Dragon. Yes, Harry fought, but only because everyone else was taken out.

In the Second Task, Moody didn't ask for help, but Cedric still, obviously needed it. And like I'd already mentioned, they didn't want to leave their friend down there alone. They know they'll have a shot at getting him out. After everything else they've done, they've got to.

Finding the Common Rooms is just them being rule breakers. There's literally no threat there. It's only for shits and giggles.

Breaking into Moody's Office is a bit odd, and I might add a paragraph about their reluctance in the future, but I didn't want to make it repetitive because this Part is the last time that appears. It has no further significance, it's just a phase they go through in Part IV because they've had enough at that point.

Hope that helps!

A Song of Lightning and Fire

Arc I: Magic

Part V: The Triwizard Tournament

Harry and Ginny didn't waste any time to start their journey down to the village to check if the rest of the Merfolk were okay. Harry's heart was in his throat as they went down the hole towards the village.

On their way down, however, they saw several of the Mer swimming upwards. Harry and Ginny cancelled their Propelling Charms as the Mer scrambled away to the side.

"You are unharmed!" Thaddeo cried, swimming towards them.

"Yeah," Harry said as Ginny nodded.

"What of the Leviathan?" He asked. "Did you calm it down?"

Ginny blinked. "We… er, we killed it," she said softly, biting her lip.

The Mer exchanged slack jawed looks of awe, causing Ginny to shift uncomfortably in the water. "What is it?" Harry asked.

"Forgive us," one of them said. "The mind of a Leviathan is formidable. To kill it using this Trident is… unheard of since the days of the Founders."

"Have you had any training in the Mind Arts?" Thaddeo asked them.

Harry and Ginny shook their heads. "What's the big deal about this Trident?" Ginny asked. "How does it let us go into its mind?"

" That, my dear, is the Trident of Rowena Ravenclaw," Thaddeo explained, causing their jaws to drop open. "She had a strong love for the sea, and a deep hatred for anything that harmed it. Thus, she created a weapon that she could use to control the Beasts that lurk in the water. So, Leviathans, Krakens, and the like. The thing is, it works on any being with a lesser intelligence than that of a Human, or a Mer."

"The Trident can only be wielded by someone who has been chosen by it," Thaddeo continued. "It chooses someone who can use its Power safely. Someone whose mind and Magic won't fall in on itself. The Trident chose you as its guardian at that moment, Ginny, and it will continue to be with you until you die, or pass it onto your kin."

"I can't take it," Ginny protested. "I-"

"It does not matter," Thaddeo interrupted. "It chose you. You have to keep it."

"Oh, so I don't have a choice?" Ginny snapped.

"You made your choice when you accepted the Trident's bond," Thaddeo explained. "I am not asking you to give your life to protect it. I do not care if you stash it in your trunk and forget about it. But I cannot take it. It is yours. It would just find a way back to you even if I did take it."

"Then destroy it!" She exclaimed. "I'm not keeping another Magical Object on me. Not again."

Harry winced at the reminder of the Bottle. That one had fucked up their minds far too much.

"I have tried," Thaddeo said with a sigh. "But whatever means I use are rebuffed. The Trident will not break."

"Can't someone else take it?" She asked. "Harry used it back when we fought the Leviathan. He helped me kill it. Surely, there's someone else who it can choose as well?"

"Harry was able to use the Trident because you allowed him to, either subconsciously or consciously," Thaddeo said. "The Trident is still yours. I have studied this weapon for a long time. If I knew of a way, I would keep it out of the hands of any Human. No offence."

Ginny closed her eyes and swore. "Is it Dark Magic?" She asked, holding up the Trident.

"No," Thaddeo replied. "It seems Dark. But it isn't."

Ginny sighed. "Okay, fine," she said reluctantly. "I'll keep the Trident."

"Thank you," Thaddeo said with an apologetic smile. "To be honest, I feel it is a blessing that it chose you instead of a Dark Wizard. I shudder to think of the creatures one could create with this."

Harry and Ginny nodded in understanding. "What of the others… are they…?" Harry trailed off.

"The others are fine," Thaddeo replied. "The Leviathan saw you and charged after you. We came to help after we healed everyone. You must head up now. The Humans will come to look for you soon."

They weren't able to refute that, so they turned around and swam up. "Wait!" Thaddeo's voice called after them.

They stopped and turned around as Thaddeo took one of their hands into his. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

Harry and Ginny nodded and Thaddeo bid them goodbye as they made their way to the surface, avoiding the sinking body of the Leviathan.

They reached land a bit far away from where they'd entered the Lake and Harry felt the gills, and the webs, and the flippers, start to disappear.

"Guess I have a Trident now," Ginny muttered, dropping the weapon on the ground as she dried herself.

"Yeah," Harry said. "It'll be okay, you know. This doesn't seem like… like the Bottle."

"I know," she said. "But that doesn't mean I should like it, right?"

"No. It doesn't," Harry replied.

"Should we head back?" She asked a few moments later after they'd dried themselves completely.

Harry grimaced. "Do we really have to?" He asked as she smiled in amusement. "Let's just stay here. Please?" He asked, dropping to his knees and hugging her knees as he gave her his best puppy dog look.

She placed her hands on her hips, trying to be stern, so he cocked his head, trying to be as cute as possible. "This is not fair," she said with a huff.

"You love it, though," Harry responded, kissing her stomach.

"Oh, fuck me. I do," she replied as he kissed his way up her body, stopping at her lips. Her arms came around him as she kissed him back, and he thought they might just be able to stay here forever.

So, of course, someone had to interrupt their little private time. "HARRY! GINNY!" He heard someone call in the distance.

The couple in question broke apart, lips still lingering against each other. "I hate people," Harry said, causing her to snort. They seperated and took a deep breath.

"WE'RE OVER HERE!" They yelled.

It had been over a month since the Second Task, and Harry and Ginny had managed to land themselves in the spotlight once again. The Leviathan's Death had remained a mystery to many, but with the disappearance of Harry and Ginny at the same time, it didn't take long for the Hogwarts Rumor Mill to start churning out stories, each more ludicrous than the last.

The plus side of this was that it became easier to make an excuse whenever they wanted some time alone with each other, either to talk, or snuggle, or snog… whichever suited them the best.

Now, after three months from the day they'd gotten together, Harry couldn't help but be amazed at the fact that he was just as content to hold her as he was to snog her. He reckoned it was a good thing, but he couldn't be sure.

He was basing the good and bad over how he'd seen Mr. and Mrs. Weasley interact with each other. The two of them had seven children and had been happily married for… well, he didn't know how long exactly but it had to have been at least 27 years, considering Bill's age. And if they were married for that long, they must have done it right.

It was also Ginny's birthday today, and he was planning on surprising her by taking her to Muggle London, where he'd also managed to find the Star Wars Movies. He just hoped she liked his little plan.

His thoughts were cut off when the girl in question came down the stairs to the corridor outside the Great Hall. She was wearing a pair of jeans and had a black sweater on. His mind flashed back to the time she'd worn the black and gold dress to the New Years Eve Ball, and he couldn't help but lick his lips, hopefully discreetly.

"Looking good, birthday girl," he said with a smile, giving her a kiss.

"Thanks," she said, smiling as they broke apart. "Do I get to know where you're taking me now?"

"I might need more convincing," Harry replied, tapping his chin.

"Will a kiss do the trick?" She asked with a smirk.

"A kiss?" He repeated incredulously. "I am not swayed by such petty favours," he added pompously.

"You're not?" She raised an eyebrow, leaning closer. "See, I think you can be quite swayed by a kiss."

"Okay, so maybe I can be," he admitted. Really, who was he even kidding with that. "But not this time."

"Alright," she conceded, arms around his neck. "What do you want, Potter?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked Weasley," he replied, hugging her waist and touching their foreheads. "I would like a full body massage, and a full breakfast tomorrow with tea-"

"And how about you go fuck yourself while you're at it, hmm?" She asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

He couldn't stop the laugh that came out of him. "I'm taking you to the last two movies of Star Wars," he answered her original question.

Her mouth fell open and she grinned at him. "When do we leave?" She asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet and making him move along with her.

"As soon as it stops raining," he grumbled. "The show's in the evening so we've got time. I was thinking I'd surprise you with a date, but now…"

She grinned. "Well, I am definitely surprised," she said, kissing him again. "And grateful," she added when they broke apart.

He smiled at her as she leaned into him. He wasn't worried about being discovered. No one in their right mind would ever be out in such a cold when they could be in their Common Rooms.

Suddenly, thunder cracked above them, and he and Ginny sprang apart. It took him a moment to realize the implications of the thunder, but when he did, he couldn't stop his jaw from dropping open.

It was an electric storm.

"I reckon we can delay the date," Ginny said, mirroring Harry's thoughts.

It didn't take long for the two of them to run out of the Entrance Hall and into the Forbidden Forest, heading deep into the Forest to the spot where the Tower was located.

They finally reached the Tower as thunder cracked above them again. Good, Harry thought. It meant that they still had time. The Tower could also be useful for transforming right there because Harry doubted either of them could hurt the other, or themselves, in there.

Harry opened the door and entered the Tower, Ginny following in behind him. He reached out with his Magic and levitated a tile of the floor aside, revealing a small hole in which two phials filled with a Blood-Red liquid were hidden.

The Potion had worked.

They'd labelled the phials to avoid confusion, so Harry was able to quickly grab his and give Ginny hers. The two of them climbed up the ladder and onto the Second Floor, where Harry carefully Transfigured a mattress.

"You go first," she said, sitting down in a corner. "You've wanted this for ages."

Harry was about to argue that she should go first, but then thunder struck above them again, so he just nodded and sat on the mattress as he uncorked the phial.

He and Ginny had a plan for this. One of them would go first while the other would keep watch. It was highly unlikely that anything, or anyone, would come here, but having both of them in an Animal form would not help them. The instructions did say that the Potion took only three minutes to work in the real world, no matter how long one spent in their minds, bonding with their animal.

He drew out his Wand and pointed it over his heart. "Amato Animo Animato Animagus," he said before drinking the Potion and lying on his back, the phial and Wand rolling off his fingers as he was pulled into a temporary, yet deep, trance.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying down with his back to the ground. He turned his head to the side, and saw that he was in a forest of some sort, one that looked very similar to the Forbidden Forest, only without the darkness that was there.

It was still dark here, but that was because of the fog, and the visibility here was a lot more than that in the Forbidden Forest. He got up onto his feet and spun around in a slow circle, trying to see what he was supposed to become.

There was a dense grove of trees up ahead, and Harry thought he could see a lake over there, so he decided to go there, hoping to find something.

As he reached the Lake, he came upon a Falcon resting high on top of one the branches of a tree. A pigeon was perched up higher on the same tree, and Harry saw a Black Owl gaze down upon him from inside another tree.

Harry approached them, but they didn't seem like they wanted him to, so he slowly backed away, sighing in relief when they relaxed a little. "Sorry," he whispered in a barely audible voice.

He decided to see if his creature was aquatic and peered into the Lake, but it was empty, and Harry couldn't see his reflection in it. Like, at all. It was almost as though a Human was never meant to be here…

Suddenly, he heard a growl behind him. It was quite faint, though, like it was coming from a far away distance. He turned back and saw that there was a large wolf standing on a small hill, gazing at him with a cocked head.

Somehow, he knew that this was his form. It felt like something very deep inside him had come alive when he laid his eyes on the creature. Harry stepped forward and the Wolf turned and ran away.

Harry blinked and stayed still for a second before he took off running after the wolf. He ran up the hill and saw that the wolf wasn't far. It was just sipping water near a Lake, but it was alone. He was expecting there to be a pack of them at least. Maybe there was only one of every animal here?

Either way, Harry didn't stare at the creature for long before he made his way towards it. It was large enough that Harry didn't need to crouch down to be on eye level with it, so he slowly approached the wolf, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace.

The wolf just gazed at him steadily, and after Harry took a few more steps, it took one of its own. Slowly, they moved towards each other, meeting in the middle. Harry scratched it below its chin, and the wolf rolled over on its back. A few moments later, the wolf was on all fours again, and Harry looked into its milky white eyes.

That was when he knew that it wasn't a wolf.

It was a Grim.

Harry couldn't stop his jaw from dropping open, nor could he stop the incredulous laugh that he let out when the Grim licked his face and sat down in front of him, happily wagging its tail.

He didn't mind the Grim as an Animagus form if he was honest. It was just… unusual. People didn't get Magical creatures for Animagus forms often, so it would be quite exciting if he could pull it off.

Besides, the pranks he could pull with this could be incredible.

Grinning at the wolf, he reached out a hand and started petting its neck. That was when he felt an incredible sensation all over his body, and he knew it was his Magic reacting to the Grim, and just like the instructions said, it was blissful, and indescribable, but it was so good.

All too soon, the feeling ended, and Harry felt his eyes pop open in the tower. That was also when he felt a fiery pain overcome his body. He screamed as his limbs lengthened, and his body stretched, a tail forming at the end of his spine. His face started elongating and he felt his teeth start to morph as well. His body started growing fur, and he could suddenly hear and smell a lot better than he could before.

The pain ended pretty soon, and his body was feeling different, far too different from the somewhat broad shouldered fourteen year old that he was supposed to be. He felt animalistic, he felt more free than he ever had before, and he felt like he was invincible.

"You did it!" He heard a voice cry, causing him to jump back in fright and growl a warning.

"It's me," he saw a human girl with red hair holding her hands up. "Just me. Remember me?"

He nodded in recognition. She was Ginny. His girlfriend and best friend. She wouldn't hurt him. He whined apologetically as he took a step towards her-

-and promptly lost balance, falling on his side.

"Easy," Ginny gently chastised him, helping him up as she ran her hands through his fur. He licked her face as a thank you, causing her to giggle. "You're beautiful," she said, and he snuggled in closer to her.

"Can you turn back?" She asked him with a smile as thunder cracked above them again.

It was then that Harry remembered that she also needed to transform before the storm passed, so he focused on his Magic, trying to turn himself Human again, which he succeeded in doing after about half a minute.

"Hey," Harry said.

"How are you?" Ginny asked loudly

"Bloody hell," Harry cried, covering his ears. "Speak a bit slower would you?"

"I wasn't- oh, Fuck," she swore softly. "I forgot about your hearing increasing."

"That's okay," Harry replied, realizing what had happened. "I'm fine, by the way. I feel better if anything."

"Good," she said, smiling. "I'm going now."

He grinned, excited to see what she would turn into. His bet was on a Fox or a Falcon. "Good luck," he told her, giving her a brief peck on her lips.

"Thanks," she said, sitting on the mattress and taking her Wand out. She placed it over her heart. "Amato Animo Animato Animagus," she cast before she drank the Potion and lay on her back. Her Wand and phial rolled off her fingers and he summoned them to him, placing them on a table where she'd placed his.

Three minutes later, Ginny's body arched and she let out a scream as she began transforming. It was the most horrible sound he'd ever heard, mostly because he couldn't do anything to ease her pain.

White and red fur began growing over her body and limbs respectively, and several tails started sprouting from her lower back. Her limbs lengthened and her face elongated into a snout and she let out a roar that turned into heaving pants.

She had turned into a Nine Tailed Fox, he realized. He didn't know much about it other than what he'd read in a Muggle Library as a child, hell, he didn't even know that the creature was real.

The Fox had white fur over her main body, and her limbs had red fur that faded upwards into white as the limbs connected to the body. She had nine thin, long tails that looked like they were made up of fire, and the eyes were brown, the same shade as Ginny's.

"Gin?" He whispered in a barely audible voice.

The Fox snapped her head up and peered at him closely, letting out a bark in warning as he came closer. He held his hands up until her eyes widened in recognition.

Before he could do anything, she jumped on top of him and started licking his face in excitement. He laughed and pushed her off, getting on his hands and knees as he faced the Fox in front of him. Her nose had white spatterings on it, and it took him a moment to realize what they actually were.

He burst out laughing, causing Ginny to cock her head at him. "You've got freckles," he gasped out, pointing at her nose before the laughter overtook him again.

He heard a grunt and knew that Ginny was transforming back so he fought to get his laughter under control. "I do not have freckles," she said when she was able to transform back half a minute later, crossing her arms.

"You do," he said, grinning. "I'll conjure you a mirror when you transform next."

She groaned. "Why are they there in my Animagus form?" She asked, looking up at the sky.

"Probably your identifying characteristics," Harry replied.

"The hair and the eyes aren't enough?" She asked incredulously.

"Well, okay, I kind of see your point," he admitted. "But still," he continued with a smile, giving her a tight hug. "It's a great form. It suits you."

"Yours suits you too," she said, grinning into his shoulder. "A Grim and a Nine Tailed Fox… who would've thought, eh?"

"Definitely not me," he replied as they seperated.

"I can't believe we actually did it," she said a few moments later when they were walking back to the School.

"Well, we haven't actually done it," Harry replied. "We've still got to learn to transform instantly."

"Yeah, but we've got our forms, haven't we?" She asked. "We've pretty much done it."

Harry shrugged. He thought they still needed to do more, but oh well, they had a lot of time to do that. Today, he was just going to enjoy her birthday with her.

Two months had passed since Harry and Ginny had become Animagi, and Harry felt that he and Ginny finally had a good grasp on the Transformation.

They could now transform on will, and they could choose what they wanted to keep on themselves, and what they wanted to discard. They could choose what clothing or jewellery they wanted, and they could choose to transform only a part of their bodies.

Their senses had also increased quite a bit. It happened right after their first transformation, but it took some effort to control it properly. Right now, Harry reckoned their skills with their senses were… decent. Not that good, mind, but not terrible either.

Of course, they were also reading up on their animals, and they'd found loads of stuff.

Ginny's Nine Tailed Fox was a nearly extinct creature, and was found only in Japan nowadays. It was known as a Kitsune there, and Magicals either worshipped it, or called it evil. The creature was known to be able to channel fire in large quantities, and it was quite formidable.

Harry had found out that the Grim was also similarly endangered, and it was only found in Egypt, or France nowadays. It could channel lightning. How much? Well, that depended on how Powerful the Grim was. The Grim's roar could also repel spirits, something he was quite eager to learn.

They hadn't started learning their Magical abilities, but they knew it was possible to learn them. They'd just wanted to get the transformations first, choosing to leave the rest for the summer.

Currently, they were headed back from the Forbidden Forest towards the castle. Their exams had finished a few days ago, and Harry and Ginny were eager for some time alone that didn't involve studying.

They'd snogged a lot, exploring each other's bodies as they went, and when it was nearly time for Dinner, they decided to make their way back to the Castle.

They'd just reached the edge of the Forest near the Black Lake when Harry smelled some mud and blood to their right. It was a strong scent, and when Harry focused on the area, he could hear footsteps.

Footsteps that were coming towards them…

Harry grabbed Ginny and dived to the side as a man jumped out of the bushes and landed face first on the floor. Harry and Ginny got to their feet, and the man whirled around on the ground.

It was Barty Crouch.

He looked as though he had been travelling for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and grey with exhaustion. His neat hair and moustache were both in need of a wash and a trim. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving.

Harry opened his mouth to ask him if he was alright, but the man just sprang up and started talking to someone that only he could see, which struck Harry as decidedly odd because there weren't any spirits around, his breath would've been misty if that were the case.

"Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be thirty- " he was muttering

"Mr. Crouch?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"- and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's increased his… do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will- "

Mr. Crouch's eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees.

"Mr. Crouch?" Harry said loudly. "Are you all right?"

Crouch's eyes were rolling in his head. Harry looked at Ginny. "Send a Patronus to Dumbledore and Pomfrey," he told her.

Ginny nodded and drew her Wand, but she pointed it at Crouch when he grabbed Harry by his robes, pulling him closer to his face.

"Dumbledore!" He gasped. "My fault. All my fault."

"What's your fault?" Harry asked. He turned to Ginny. "Patronus," he said.

Thankfully, she seemed to understand, and went a little further behind so that she was out of view of Crouch. Harry turned back to the man as he began speaking again.

"Dragon," Crouch said. "Leviathan… Champions… all my fault. I need to see Dumbledore… Need to warm him…"

"Okay," Harry said, "if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-"

"I've done… stupid… thing… " Mr. Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. "Must… tell… Dumbledore… "

"Get up, Mr. Crouch," Harry said loudly and clearly as two Silvery horses flew over their heads and Ginny came back beside Harry. "Get up, I'll take you to Dumbledore!"

Mr. Crouch's eyes rolled forward onto Harry and Ginny, the latter looking extremely confused.

"Who… you?" he whispered.

"We're students at the school," Harry said

"You're not… his?" Crouch whispered, his mouth sagging.

"No," said Harry, not knowing what Crouch was talking about.

"You're… Dumbledore's?" He asked

"That's right," Harry said.

Crouch nodded, and let out a breath. "Go," he told them. "Warn… Dumbledore."

The Headmaster apparated there just a few seconds after that, though, much to Harry's relief. "What on earth is happening here?" Dumbledore asked.

A/N 2: And that's Chapter 56 done! I hope you enjoyed it.

I know that a Nine Tailed Fox is from Japanese culture and it probably shouldn't be Ginny's animal, but you know what? It works in my story so I'm keeping it.

The Grim being able to channel lightning is something of my own that I've added. It's not from canon.

Also, the whole dialogue between Crouch, Harry, and Ginny is copied straight from my e-copy of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

As always, please leave a review if you find the time, and enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you in the next one!

Byee!!