PART ONE

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FIRST TASK

Two days before the first task, Harry and Ginny found Neville in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for the third time of the week. He was bent over the u-bend, looking very pale, almost green.

"I'm going to be sick," he said.

And he was indeed sick. Myrtle was the only one to find it funny.

That night, Harry had a strange dream. He was in the castle, on the stone floor, then outside on the castle ground, very low on the grass and moving very fast among the trees and plants. Then he was in the stadium, the one that had been put up the very same day for the upcoming first task. Harry could recognise the rocks and the smell of smoke. There was like a thunder above him. He looked up and saw three monstrous dragons tied to the ground with a huge metal harness. One of the dragons was grassy green and had shiny scales, a Welsh Green. Harry felt very small from his point of view. The dragon was pulling violently at its harness. Suddenly, a ring of the harness snapped. It had broken. With one loud roar, the dragon soared in the night sky.

Harry woke up with a start. He was panting slightly. His scar was burning again. It was happening more and more often, at least once a week. Was it hurting that often the last time? Harry was not sure. He couldn't remember.

"Not my scar," he thought, rubbing his forehead and wiping the sweat from his eyes. "I don't have a scar. It's just a bad dream."

But Harry couldn't help to think that his dragon, the Horntail, had been able to break free of its restraining chain, just like the dragon in his dream. If whatever dragon Neville picked broke free this time too, then Neville would really be in danger.

"Why would it break free, though? You don't think…" said Ginny in a squeaky voice.

It was the morning of the first task. Harry looked down at his bowl of cereals and said nothing. Ginny continued to stare at him with a horrified expression. She was taking this last dream very seriously.

"It's just what I saw," Harry said quietly so that no one but Ginny would hear. Neville had given up eating the day before and was probably locked up in Myrtle's cubicle at this hour of the day.

Ginny was looking utterly put out.

"What can we do?" she breathed out. "The task is a couple of hours away. What will happen to Nev?"

Harry's mind was racing. He was looking for a solution, but it always came back to the same idea: flying.

"You're sure that Nev's flying isn't up to it?"

Ginny looked up to him, but what Harry saw in her face wasn't very hopeful.

"He's afraid of height, Harry. By the time he makes up his mind to mount a broomstick, the dragon will be sucking on his bones."

But Harry was still convinced that it was the best way to beat the dragon and win the task, and also Neville's best chance to survive if anything unexpected should happen. As soon as they had finished breakfast, he told his plan to Ginny and he put her in charge of making sure that Neville could perform a Summoning Charm. She immediately headed to the girl's bathroom although she repeated that Neville's toad was probably better at handling a broomstick.

After first glancing at the clock and evaluating how much time he had, Harry dashed towards the Quidditch store room and pulled out the best broom that he could find and borrow without anyone taking notice. He chose a Cleansweep. It was in good order, not as fast as the Nimbus Two Thousands and Ones belonging to the Slytherin team, but it was still a good broom by normal standards. Besides, he was sure that the Slytherin's brooms were protected against anyone touching them, least of all borrowing them. Also he was realising that he no longer had a Firebolt. The thought caused his stomach to momentarily tighten, but he quickly shook the memory out of his waking thoughts. There was a task more important to be done. He couldn't linger on the things that he was missing.

As he was walking in the corridors to bring the broomstick to the top tower, his forehead seared with pain and he swayed on the spot. He had to lean on the cold stone wall for a second before continuing his walk. The pain had been very sharp and sudden. As he started to walk again, he thought of Neville. Did the pain in his forehead mean that Neville was in danger? Was he to trust such an elusive feeling? There was another solution for the first task. It was so wild that Harry had only scarcely thought about it. Yet as he was speeding along the corridors, the idea seemed more and more like the right course of action. He wasn't going to let Neville die. There was still time, and Snape's Potion classroom was only a few stairs away.

In the meanwhile, the first task had started. Viktor Krum had received his score and Fleur Delacour was walking out unto the stadium. When Harry reached the champion's tent, it was deserted except for Neville who was sitting on a chair, looking really sick and about to faint.

He had decided that it would be better to suggest first to Neville the option of using the broomstick as he wasn't sure how Neville would react to the other idea.

"Ginny told me about the broomstick. Where is it, Harry. I'm not very good at Summoning. I'm not very good at flying either, in fact."

"It's in the top tower. You can see it from the stadium. The key is to concentrate. It's a good broom and…"

But Neville cut him short.

"It's no use, Harry. My flying days ended when Hagrid signed me up for a ride with the Hippogriff and lightening hit me. Thanks anyway, mate."

Harry felt very sorry. It was his fault somehow that Neville was caught in this situation. He had to go to plan B. There was no other option available.

Quickly, he pulled out a few of Neville's hair and sprinkled them over the cup that he was holding behind his back.

"What are you going? What's that?"

"Polyjuice Potion," said Harry matter-of-factly. "I'll take you place. The effect will last exactly one hour. It will be long enough for me to slay the dragon and get back here. You get it?"

Neville was speechless, but the color was coming back to his face.

"You would? They'll notice, Harry."

"No, they won't. They'll just think you're not a bad flyer. Hurry up and give me your cloak. Fleur must be nearly finished with the Welsh Green."

Neville didn't argue. Seconds later, Harry was wearing the black and red cloak over his normal black shirt. The cloak had 'Longbottom' written on the back. Neville wrapped himself on a blanket and shivered as Harry drank the potion. The effect of the Polyjuice was almost instantaneous.

Harry was stuffing his glasses in the pockets of his pants when Dumbledore's voice boomed throughout the stadium: "Now, our third and last champion: Neville Longbottom!"

"This is mad," Neville said. His voice was barely shaking now, which was an improvement. "I'm looking at myself, but it isn't me. How do you feel?"

Harry was certain that his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He took two long breathes and pulled out his wand. It was weird to be Neville, to have longer arms and no glasses, but he had no time to linger over such details. Outside of the tent, the dragon was roaring, and so was the crowd.

"Stay hidden," murmured Harry, moving closer to the doorway of the tent and towards the cheers and applause.

Neville did not say good luck, or if he did, Harry did not hear it. He had just walked into the stadium and the crowd was absolutely wild. All the Hogwarts students were shouting in unison: "Nev! Nev! Nev!" The first thing that came to Harry's mind was "I can't believe that I'm actually doing this again".

He did not let the dragon startle him this time. He hurried behind the first big rock to his right, thinking that the Horntail, or whatever dragon he was fighting, would not be able to reach him there with its fire or its tail. But instead of a great roar and crashing noise, he heard the crowd laughing.

Slowly, he raised his head from behind the rock. The dragon was wrapped around the egg, in the middle of the stadium, and it didn't look about to get up to chase after Harry.

"Not a Horntail," Harry whispered to himself.

The dragon was a long white reptile with small legs at both ends of its slender body. It had a yellowish moustache and pink whiskers around its very large mouth. Its pearl coloured skin was shimmering in the sunlight and Harry could distinctively see fine black spikes on its back like thin hair.

Harry had seen a picture of this dragon before. It was in a book. There had been Chinese writings around it. Now would be a good time to remember what he had read about that dragon, but his mind was totally blank. All he could think about was Viktor Krum. Krum's dragon had been a Chinese Fireball the last time. Yet this dragon didn't look like a fireball; it looked like a white snake with the face of an old man.

Presently, the dragon was looking up at him. Harry was peering from behind the rock. He thought about the broomstick in the top tower, but this dragon had no wings. His plan to fly around the dragon was useless if he was the only one in the air.

Slowly, he decided to get closer to the dragon, wishing that he had the Invisibility Cloak, but the cloak as locked away in the Gryffindor dormitory therefore he couldn't summon it.

The dragon was eyeing him suspiciously. It didn't look angry at him as the Horntail had. It had all the appearance of being poised, almost relaxed. Harry thought that if he could get close enough to it then he might be able to sneak pass it.

He made his way among the rocks until he was behind the dragon. Then he started to approach the creature slowly. He could almost touch the dragon. It was a beautiful beast, really. Harry had never seen scales like this. He could almost see his reflection in the dragon's skin. But then he realised that it was not his reflection; he was looking at the face of Neville Longbottom.

Someone screamed. Then the whole crowd began to shout at him. Only, they were shouting "Nev!" instead of his name. Before he could realise what was happening, Harry was swept off his feet and sent crashing into the rocks. Every breath was knocked out of him by the strength with which the dragon's tail had pushed him backwards. He tried to crawl away from the next attack, but he was too slow. He felt the dragon's spike behind his left shoulder and a stinging pain in his upper back. With his right hand, he pointed his wand at the dragon's body and said: "Stupefy!" It had happened so fast that he was not even sure which part of the dragon's body he had hit, but the dragon recoiled in pain. Its long white body swirled back into its nesting position. Now the dragon's eyes were fixed on Harry. It was drawing its breath for fire.

Harry looked around him and realised that he was out in the open with no place to take cover. He lurched himself face forward on the ground, hoping to avoid the beam of fire that was directed at him. However, when he looked up, he saw that something else had come out of the dragon's mouth. Two large flaming balls were spinning around the stadium madly like two Rogue Bludgers. And they were coming his way.

Harry ran towards the spot where he had entered the stadium hoping that he would find shelter behind the bigger rocks. It was useless. The fireballs were coming towards him fast and he could not escape. It was as though they were actually searching for him.

Harry raised his wand, bracing himself for the blow, and shouted the first spell that same to his mind.

"Immobilis!" he said as strongly as he could.

It was enough. The two fireballs stopped in midair, hovered gently for a few seconds, then the flame died out and the fireballs vanished. Harry could hear the crowd cheering. There was no time to waste; the dragon was drawing its breath again. He needed the broomstick now. He needed to fly or the fireballs would catch him.

"Accio Cleansweep!" he said, every part of his brain concentrating on the spell.

The broom appeared seconds later. Harry jumped from the top of a rock and unto the broomstick. Once in the air, he felt a lot safer. The fireballs that the dragon was throwing at him were nothing more than Bludgers. The dragon was not so tall from high above. He could see the egg clearly, glittering in the sunlight, an easy target, like an overlarge Golden Snitch. He started to circle around the dragon just like he had done with the Horntail. He could hear from the cheers in the crowd that it was coming as a surprise that Neville was a good flyer.

It would have been an easy task if the dragon had not been able to fly. A wave seemed to go through its body and slowly, as though it was swimming, the dragon rose into the air. It was now hovering slightly above the ground, swirling like a ring of smoke around the egg. There was an apprehensive sigh from the crowd, but Harry was not discouraged at all really. If the dragon could fly even though it did not have wings, then it would follow him up and off the ground, and leave the egg relatively unprotected.

Harry continued his circling around the dragon restlessly. The swirling movement of the dragon's slender body reminded him of a graceful sea-creature.

It was pulling hard at its chain now. Harry thought quickly that he should make for the egg as soon as possible. He rose as high as he could so that he might take the dive and cease the price. The Cleansweep was slower than the Firebolt therefore he needed more height. The dragon was angry at him now and trying to snap him with its large mouth as though he was an annoying bud.

Still, Harry climbed unto the sky. And then it happened just like he had feared; the chain broke. Harry heard the click and the snap and the roar of the dragon as it seared into the air. Its body was like a ripple in the water, and it was coming towards Harry very quickly.

Harry had to wheel around to avoid crashing into the dragon's head. The dragon was coming at him swiftly and faster than the Cleansweep could go. Harry tried circling around the stadium, but the dragon had a very flexible body and flying in circle seemed to be easier for it than it was for Harry on the Cleansweep. Harry had no choice; he had to get away from the stadium. He could loose the white dragon on Hogwarts' ground just as he had out flown the Horntail.

Pulling the broomstick upwards, he set his course towards the castle towers, pass the staring crowd. It was working: now free of its chain, the dragon was following him. With a glance back, he saw that the creature actually could not fly in straight lines at all. It was slithering in the sky just like a snake would have on the grass. This gave Harry the advantage of speed.

He made for the bridges, holding on tight to the broomstick's handle, trying to keep it going in a steady straight line. His shoulder was numb and this was affecting his left hand and stirring of the broom. There was no pain, though. In fact, there was no feeling in his left arm at all.

Suddenly, two fireballs flew past him. He avoided them by wheeling to the right and around the Astronomy tower. The dragon was fiercely throwing balls of fire at him. There were four flaming balls following him now.

"He's trying to make me fly in curves," thought Harry. "Can it be that smart?"

The dragon was gaining on him as more fireballs brushed the tail of his broom. He had no choice. He could no longer maintain a straight line.

The bridge leading to Hagrid's hut was close. He directed the broom in a downward curve towards it. The dragon was still tailing him. He saw the small openings windows on the bridge. The Cleansweep was not as steady as the Firebolt but he knew that he could manage to get through a window. And he did. But so did the snake-like dragon.

Harry looked around and saw that it was still following him. More fireballs were coming after him, crashing occasionally on the castle's walls or into a tree or simply dying out. He was managing to stay clear of the fire, but only barely. He pulled the broomstick into a dive towards the school grounds. If he could not loose the dragon in the towers and bridges, perhaps he would manage it among the trees and archways.

Flying on the school grounds as low as he was and on a Cleansweep was not easy. The dragon was gaining on him still, swirling around the trees and doorways and arches as though it was sea grass. They went pass the clock tower and the dragon was almost at level with him. Then he saw it. In front of him was the only tree that could help him.

Harry wheeled around and set his course towards the Whomping Willow. If no students could not get pass those branches, then the dragon would not either.

The first branch that hit Harry threw him off his broom and he landed on his side on the hard and cold ground. Harry looked up just in time to see the dragon being knocked on the head and fall exactly where he had fallen. He rolled over quickly and the dragon missed him only by a few inches as it landed on its belly. The sound of the crashing dragon and its roar were like roll of thunder that shook the entire castle grounds.

Harry struggled to his feet, wand firmly in his right hand. They had both fallen out of reached of the Whomping Willow. The tree was shivering but at least it would not be attacking them. The dragon lay motionless on the ground. Its breathing was uneven, and it long body was circling Harry completely.

Harry looked around. The dragon was around him like it had been around the egg. Its body had become a three-feet-tall fence. The stadium was no longer in sight, and neither was the broomstick. Harry could not do the Summoning Charm if he didn't know where the broom was. The broom could very well have been smashed into pieces by the Whomping Willow just like his Nimbus Two Thousand had been. The monster did not seem conscious, but Harry was trapped. He could not escape.

He was staring into the dragon's face when the creature's eyes snapped opened. The dragon raised its head slightly but kept his entire body on the ground. Harry looked around for an exit, but there was none.

He was hardly aware of what happened next. A murmur started to fill his mind. It soon became so overwhelming that it was blocking out his knowledge of everything else around him. His vision was becoming foggy. Was he having a dream, a waken nightmare? What was happening to him?

"You cannot fool me," whispered the voice.

Harry put his hands over his ears, but he could not block the voice. It was inside his head.

"You are not what you seem," said the voice again.

It was becoming clearer. It was all around him.

"The massster wantsss him," hissed another voice close to Harry.

This time, it was not inside his head at all. It was a familiar hissing sound. Harry shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had fallen like a blind over his eyes. He looked at his feet and saw the shadowy form of a small snake, slithering slowly around him.

"Takesss him!" said the snake impatiently. "The masster awaitsss."

WHAM!

The dragon had slammed its enormous scaly paw on the ground, inches from where the snake was. Its three marble coloured claws clenched at the earth.

"I am not one of the worthless slime that your master can command," said the voice in Harry's head.

Then he realised that it must be the dragon speaking. Only, it wasn't moving its lips. It was speaking in his head, like telepathy.

"But can he hear my thoughts too?" wondered Harry silently. He had said the words in his head, concentrating very hard.

"Traitorsss!" shouted the snake with its tongue hissing out of its mouth. "The massster will punisssh the betrayersss."

"I swore no allegiance to your master," said the dragon sternly. "I shall decide on the fate of the boy. Now run to your master and tell him what choice I have made."

The snake circled around Harry once, muttering to itself. It seemed hesitant to leave him, but what other choice did it really have against a dragon? Harry took a step back, trying to put some distance between himself and the snake. His vision was clearer now, the fog was almost gone. His wand was firmly in his hand. He knew one good spell to get rid of snakes and he was ready to use it. But before he had time to decide, the dragon had lifted its tail and the snake was sliding away under it and then it was out of sight.

Harry looked at it furiously as it was slithering out of sight. He wanted to go after it, but the dragon quickly brought its long tail back unto to rest on the ground.

"Let it go," said the voice in his head.

Harry was alone with the dragon, still trapped, and hearing a voice in his head.

"Are you going to kill me?" asked Harry defiantly.

The words had come out of his mouth this time. He was clutching his wand very tightly. He was ready to use it.

The dragon raised its head high, withdrawing its tail as it did so in order to pull itself off the ground. It was no longer forming a circle around Harry. It was not attacking him. Was it just letting him go? Was it another trap?

"Kill you?" said the dragon softly, its voice (inside Harry's mind) sounded less fierce now that the snake was gone. "Such strong words for so young a soul."

Harry had almost forgotten about the tournament or about the Polyjuice Potion. The dragon had saved him from the snake, then, he concluded in his mind. A dragon had refused to take him to Voldemort. "No," he corrected himself, "the dragon refused to take Neville to Voldemort." But why? He wanted to understand…

"You are not what you seem," repeated the dragon in Harry's head. "You cannot fool me with your spells and potions, young wizard. I can see your mind."

Harry wasn't sure if he should answer back in English or Parselmouth. He didn't know if he should be speaking in his mind only, either. It was all very confusing. "How does one talk to a dragon?" he wondered.

"Parseltongue we understand," said the dragon's voice in his head. It was a really cavernous sound, like a low-pitched strong being plucked. "At least, some of us among the elders do. We do not speak it. We leave that to the Fork Tongues. But you have a gift of another kind."

Harry was puzzled, and then he remembered the fog that he almost blinded him. It was still clouding everything around him. The castle was like a grey ghost in the background. The Whomping Willow was a shadow moving gently against the white sky. The dragon was the only distinctive form that he could see. Was the dragon doing something to him?

"In dreams we hold," was the only explanation that the dragon gave him.

Harry was trying to form a question to ask in Parseltongue when something shinny caught his eyes. There was a dark spot on the dragon's neck. Blood was dripping on the grass. Harry realised in alarm that his spell must have hit the creature where the scales did not protect its skin. Harry was now staring at the dark spot and pointing at it with his left hand.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said. He was trying to speak snake language but he wasn't sure if he had achieved it.

"So there is another Master of Snakes," said the dragon mysteriously. "That is news indeed. But you are not aware of all your powers."

"I've never talked to a dragon before," said Harry. He felt that being honest was his only option since the dragon could read his mind.

The dragon was eyeing him searchingly. It made Harry very uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how much of his mind the dragon could see. Did the creature know that he had changed time? He tried very hard not to think about that, but it was too late.

"I see," said the dragon conclusively. "I shall keep an eye on you, young Master of Snakes."

Harry shifted on the spot. The dragon knew about the spell. Was he going to turn him in? Harry couldn't see how a dragon could do that. How many people in the wizard world could speak to dragons?

"Your secret is safe," said the dragon in reply to Harry's thoughts. "You have freed me. I am in debt to you."

The huge creature shook its head and Harry heard the clicking sound of metal. The dragon still had a piece of the harness attached to its long neck, just below the spot of blood that was a result of Harry's spell.

Then Harry understood. This dragon was not his enemy. It was not going to hurt him or turn him to Voldemort. Moreover, they were connected now because they had saved each other. Dumbledore had said something like that, something about being in mutual debt creating a bond between two people…

Slowly, tentatively, he took a few steps closer to the beast. The dragon did not make any move against him, nor was it trying to fly away. It was merely resting on the cold dirt. Harry reached out with his left hand timidly. The dragon seemed to give him leave. With the tip of his fingers, he touched the dragon's scales slowly and delicately. He could see the chain and it was well within his reach.

In slow motion, he raised his wand and said "Reducto!" There was a cling and the chain fell into the ground. No words were spoken, but Harry felt instantly the dragon's gratefulness. It was like a warm breeze in his mind and chest.

As he was felling much more comfortable in the presence of the dragon, his brain was already growing uneasy again. The hour was drawing to its end. Soon, Charlie and the other dragon keepers would start looking for the beast and he, Harry, would loose the appearance of Neville Longbottom.

"You are right, we must hurry," said the dragon.

Harry felt the sweep of the wind as the dragon rose into the air, hovering gently around him and over his head.

"I wish I could tell you that they will not find you," said Harry. "I'm afraid your freedom won't last very long."

"They do not know this part of the world as I do," said the voice. Harry instantly felt reassured. Perhaps the dragon has a chance after all.

He couldn't really explain why but he felt aggrieved that the dragon was leaving him. He had a feeling that they could learn a lot about each other, even be friends. It was a very odd idea to have. How could he possibly hope to befriend a dragon? And if Voldemort rose again, if the Dark Lord came back, would the dragon still be his friend?

"Do you think that you have claim over us?" asked the dragon sharply. The voice echoed in Harry's head like a drumbeat.

"No!" said Harry hurriedly. "I only meant…"

Harry stopped. He didn't want the dragon to think that he was like Voldemort because he was a Parselmouth.

"I need to ask you this," Harry said resolutely. "If Lord Voldemort was to rise again, would the dragons join him? Would you take his side?"

A wave went through the dragon's body as it circled once around him. Harry forced himself to stay still. He did not want to show that he felt threatened.

"As I said," Answered the dragon, "I shall be watching you."

The dragon wheeled around, closing in on Harry. Still, Harry did not move. The white creature was face to face with him. It turned its head to the left, revealing the dark spot on the right side of its neck, just below the whiskers. Blood was still dripping along the scales.

"You have marked me as I have marked you," said the dragon.

Harry reached to his left shoulder with his right hand. When he withdrew it, there was blood on his finger tips. He was not feeling any pain, just numbness throughout his left arm, but there was a wound. The dragon's spike had more than brushed him. It had definitely cut him through his skin.

"There is powerful magic in marks such as these, as I am sure you are well aware of."

Harry instinctively thought of his forehead. The scar was there, but only because he was in the body of Neville Longbottom. Yet it did feel like it was always there, as though it was more than just a mark but a part of him as well.

"What do they call you? What's your name?" Harry asked.

"You will not be able to say it. Among dragons, it means 'wise like the water'," he said as he began to rise.

He was now well above Harry's head.

"Can I call you Leo?" yelled out Harry so that the dragon could hear him.

He heard the reply only in his head. The dragon was already disappearing out of sight, a white thread in the blue autumn sky.

"I shall be Leo to you, Harry Potter."

Harry smiled. The name had come to him automatically, like something out of his childhood. He was glad that the dragon knew his real name and would not get him confused with Neville.

The next step was like coming out of a dream. Harry realised that he was taking too long to complete the task. He had to move now, fast. The Polyjuice Potion would start to wear off very soon now. Someone would notice that the dragon was escaping.

He looked around for the broomstick. It was lying on the ground. Harry shouted "Accio Cleansweep!" and soon he was in the air again, rushing towards the stadium. When he appeared, the crowd roared with applause. He ceased the egg with his right hand and wheeled around the stadium once before turning his broom towards the entrance of the tent. He had very little time now for that last part of the plan.