Disclaimer is in chapter 1.
Xander was surprised when Wednesday came to him, just a few days before the First Task and presented him with a book.
"What's this?" he asked, looking at the cracked leather cover.
"An Addams family tome on advanced Legilimency." She replied evenly, "You'll find the spells I spoke of for Harry within."
Xander swallowed, eyeing the book a little closer. It was thick, probably four inches of stacked parchment bound into the leather. Given the age involved, it was almost certainly hand written, and that mean valuable as all hell.
"You could have just copied the spells Harry needed," Xander said softly.
"I could." She nodded, "However I believe that you may enjoy the book yourself. It has been several generations since an Addams practiced either Occlumency or Legilimency, and that book has not been opened in nearly as long."
Xander nodded slowly, but was puzzled. "But… why?"
"Why what?"
"Why haven't any Addams used these skills? They're powerful…" Xander said, half smiling, "even if I'm not, I can recognize that."
Wednesday sat down carefully in front of him, settling her hands in her lap as she considered her answer. "It's complex. For one thing, few beings on this planet are fool enough to tread on the mental ground of an Addams…"
Xander snickered, "I believe that."
She glowered at him, but without real bite. "However, beyond that, there is an element of laziness involved. Without the need for the more obvious benefits, few have been interested in the years of work needed to achieve its full benefit. Particularly since we Addams have integrated many of the skills within into our natural bloodline."
Xander frowned now, puzzled, "What… but how?"
She smiled slightly, "Check the author's name, cover page."
Xander opened the book and swallowed, suddenly having an idea of what she was talking about.
Arts quod Castrensis of Sententia Venificus, Jetta Lavelle Addams, Anno Dominae 968
His Latin had improved enough that he didn't even need to sound out the words anymore, but Xander's lips trembled as he read those lines.
The Arts and Disciplines of Thought Magic, by Jetta Lavelle Addams, in the Year of Our Lord 968.
"Lavelle?" Xander blinked, looking up eyes shocked.
"Of your clan," Wednesday confirmed, "I checked into it the first year we met, which is how I knew about this book. The Lavelles were masters of Thought Magic, which became known as Legilimency and Occlumency in later years. Black Addams, as she was known, was one of the foremost masters of your clan until she married into my clan. This was her life's work, honestly I'm not certain it was ever completed… though, true master works rarely are."
Xander's hands actually trembled as he held the book, eyes scanning the first few pages intently before rising to look at Wednesday again.
"There are those who would kill for that book, Alexander." She said seriously, "Beginning with many of the Lavelle Clan, and continuing on to practically every practitioner of mind magic alive today, barring a precious few who cling to their 'morals'. I would advise that you NOT share the book with anyone, but study it yourself and coach Harry on what he needs and only what he needs."
Xander nodded, still basically in shock. He was holding a book that all the money he had made with his potions accident couldn't buy, not if he had a hundred times as much… and it had been handed to him freely.
He almost missed Wednesday as she left.
"Wens." He croaked out, throat muscles not entirely within his control.
She paused, half looking back.
"Thank you."
She nodded simply, then left the library. Xander stared for a while longer, then snapped out of it and shut the book abruptly, as he looked around. He tucked it under his arm and walked out as casually as he could, heading for the Room of Requirements.
Translating the book was a bit of a chore, especially since Jetta 'Black' Addams may have been a genius but the woman apparently couldn't organize her thoughts to save her soul. The sections Wednesday thought Harry might be able to use were all over the place, and weren't really anything to do with Parseltongue.
It had taken him a couple hours to realize that the magic in question was actually based on Jetta's experience with the Addam's bloodline, and the bizarre form of polyglot the family enjoyed. An Addams was born with the ability to understand any language, and make themselves understood in any language, something that just blew Xander's mind every time he tried to work out how it might work.
Originally He'd supposed it was some form of Legilimency, but apparently it wasn't according to the notes he was reading. One of the sacrifices the talent extracted was the ability to actually *learn* languages. An Addams learned only one language in their life, and spoke it unto the death. Which, from what Xander could make out, was perhaps a fair trade but it did have consequences. Nuance was often lost to an Addams, and sarcasm was right out the window. Often even in their own birth language, they relied so strongly on their bloodline that entire volumes of communication was lost to them.
It explained some things, Xander supposed.
What Jetta Addams had determined was that the Addams Polyglot, like other forms of magical tongues, encoded itself directly into the magical core of the individual. On a magical level, it was identical to the natural magic of the targeted speaker. It was that element that had attracted Wednesday's attention, though Xander realized that Wednesday must have read the whole book as well, otherwise she could never have made the connections she had.
The Legilimens spell overlaid thought onto a magical template, projecting it at the target. The template, however, was limited to what the caster was capable of 'emoting', so to speak. So, for most people, it was limited to the languages they could speak for obvious reasons.
For an Addams, however, the Legilimens took on the same impression as their natural polyglot. It wasn't actually a terribly useful fact, not for an Addams at least, since it didn't really enhance their own natural abilities significantly. All it meant was that they could mind speak the same way the voice spoke, which wasn't actually as impressive as it sounded.
For certain types of magical speech, however, the implications were somewhat more impressive. And it was here that Xander finally understood how it could help Harry. Snake speech was, magically, identical to all 'serpents', which included Draconic Breeds.
Normally this did nothing, however, because the two animals used *entirely* different physical speech processes. Dragons roared, snakes hissed. They simply couldn't possibly understand one another. Beneath the crude physicality, however, the… Xander scowled, looking for a word to describe it and finally settled on 'syntax', the syntax was identical.
So Harry could project his thoughts in a form a dragon could understand.
Right.
Xander closed the book, checked his notes, and grabbed his Map. It was time to bring Harry into the loop.
"Wait. I'm not sure I get it. I can think at a Dragon, and it'll think back?" Harry asked, skeptically.
Xander didn't really blame him, but he grinned anyway as he nodded. "Oh yeah. Be careful, though, there are some dangers."
Hermione, who had insisted on joining them when Xander shanghaied Harry in the hall, looked worried. "Dangers?"
"Well, not physical ones… or even serious mental ones I guess," Xander said, frowning, "it's more like… you have to understand, even Dragons aren't much smarter than, say, dolphins or so from what I can gather. Snakes are dumber than that by far…"
"But, I've talked to a snake… it told me it wanted to go home to the jungle…" Harry objected, "It called me amigo!"
"Amigo?" Hermione blinked. "Really?"
Harry nodded.
Xander looked a little perplexed, "that is a little odd. Uh, did you read anything with that word in it around that time?"
Harry frowned, "I don't remember… maybe, I was in school after all."
"Well, the thing is, from what I can tell your own mind is prone to fill in the details big time." Xander said, "So what the snake actually said was probably more like, 'home good, friend'. And you filled in the grammar and all in your head. Well, really the snake projected emotions and desires that you translated into words in your head. You'll do the same thing if you try and mindspeak a dragon, and that can get you in trouble."
"How so?" Harry frowned, wrapping his head around the fact that his mind apparently thought that snakes should talk in cheerful foreign accents and call him 'Amigo'.
"Well, the biggest thing is that dragons are predators. I mean, real deal apex predators…" Xander said, "Like Great White Sharks, get it?"
Harry shook his head.
"Harry, if you ask a Great White Shark the definition of 'Good' it would probably answer 'a full stomach'. " Xander said, "and 'Evil' would probably be an empty stomach."
"You're saying that Harry might misunderstand the dragons?" Hermione asked nervously.
"More or less, yeah." Xander nodded, "your Parseltongue ability will translate their thoughts directly and accurately, but you still have to make sense of it… and you're NOT a Dragon, right? You've got an entirely different set of priorities. I hope you do anyway."
Hermione and Harry ignored the dry sarcasm of the last bit, but nodded in understanding.
Hermione for one was hopping, "But that makes so much sense! Honestly, Harry, I never really understood how magical languages worked, but this explains everything!"
"I'm glad it does for you…" Harry looked confused.
"Oh, don't you see? It communicates concepts, thoughts, impressions…" Hermione said, excited, "but we all evaluate the world based on our experiences! A snake might describe a hugely detailed picture, with most of the details being heat and smell, but you wouldn't understand all that! You don't have the conceptual framework for it! So of COURSE your mind would convert it all to something you understand…"
Hermione frowned suddenly, sitting down. "Merlin, Harry… the details you must lose."
"Part of the cost," Xander shrugged, "though, if Harry were to become a snake Animagus he could probably get a LOT better at Parseltongue."
Hermione nodded seriously, "true. Do you suppose he could?"
"His dad was a stag Animagus, so yeah he's got a shot." Xander shrugged.
"Do you get to pick your form?" Harry asked, very interested in the new direction the conversation had taken.
"No." Hermione answered.
"Maybe." Xander said at the same time.
Hermione looked at him, incredulously. "It says right in the transfiguration text that a person's animal form is inherent and unchangeable."
"Yeah, but it depends on the method of transformation," Xander countered. "The Egyptians used rituals for both cat and snake transformations, and from some of the texts I've read the Hindu magical tradition has several specific rituals to become different forms."
"Where did you read about those?" Hermione frowned, confused.
"The history of the second world war, magical fronts." Xander said. "Grindlewald was a master of lost Egyptian rituals, and a snake Animagus. It's one of the reasons they still haven't found all his stolen properties and loot, the bastard hid them so well that Gringotts has been sending almost all their curse breakers to Egypt for training in the hopes of finding just a portion of what he stole and hid."
"Really?" Hermione frowned, "That seems wasteful…"
"Hermione," Xander shook his head, "The dude was so good at it that the Goblins STILL haven't been able to locate Gringotts Berlin."
The day of the first task brought Xander to the stands with the rest of the school, Wednesday at his side as they waited for the champions to take the field. He could feel Wednesday's irritation at his side as the first of the dragons was brought forward.
"What's wrong?" he asked, glancing at her in surprise.
While it was true that Wednesday was of a decidedly 'dark' persona, she was rarely irritated or angry. Normally her emotional sense was almost purely neutral, chilling in its indifference. The few emotional queues Xander recognized from her were mostly mischievous humor and the like, or mock anger and joy intended to intimidate.
"Those are the Dragon's clutch." She whispered, eyes not leaving the field.
Xander whistled slowly, eyeing the eggs on the ground with new eyes. "Damn. That's taking some chances, isn't it?"
Wednesday didn't bother to dignify the comment, her eyes on the sleeping beast as it was deposited in the field by the handlers. She noted the golden egg being placed in the 'nest', and raised her eyebrows.
"I suppose we now know the task."
Xander nodded, "Grab the egg. You think Harry can summon it?"
Wednesday watched them cast spells over the golden object and shook her head, "No. That Accio isn't a common spell for his year to know, but fifth years learn it. It would hardly be a challenge if they left that hole open."
"Too bad."
Bagman stepped up as the field was readied and told them what they had already figured out, that the challenge was the retrieve an egg from the mother dragon, and shortly after he announced the first competitor.
Diggory came out, looking a little ashen to be sure, but at least he wasn't shaking as he faced off against the Swedish Short Snout. They were treated to a rather impressive display of transfiguration as he sent some rocks, changed to resemble dogs, in to baffle the beast.
Xander winced as the dragon made short work of the dogs, chomping them down in one bite each. Fenrir whined under his seat, the pup ducking its head and covering its eyes with its paws.
"It's ok, boy. They weren't real dogs." Xander said softly, shaking his head. "Still, pretty gruesome stuff."
Wednesday was unmoved as she watched, the magical trickery permitted Diggory to bolt across to the nest and retrieve the egg. He almost made it back before the dragon finished off his dogs, but almost wasn't good enough. The crowd gasped in shock as the plume of flame caught him along one side, sending Cedric sprawling to the ground and barely over the line that marked the finish.
Wizards rushed in to put the flames out, even as a team of Dragon Handlers swarmed the short snout. Xander winced as Wednesday's hand gripped his arm and the girl squeezed as the dragon went down to the stunners and binding hexes.
"Ow! Geeze, Wens…"
She didn't say anything, but did relax her grip.
Neither of them paid much attention to the scores as they watched the next nesting dragon being brought forward. When the field was ready, the next champion was announced and Fleur Delacour came to the field.
Xander threw up his Occlumency shields when her name was announced, but like at the introduction feast her allure was a soft caress against his shields and he relaxed them enough so he could pay attention.
There wasn't much to see, though. Fleur went to action casting a complicated, possibly ritualized, sleeping enchantment that had the dragon snoring softly where it lay in no time. She then simply waltzed over to the nest and plucked up the egg.
There was a bit of excitement as she was coming back, the dragon snorted in its sleep and a puff of flame caught her robes on fire. The Veela calmly doused them with a spray of water from her wand, however, and headed back across the line.
"Nice spell work, was that a ritual enchantment?" Xander asked softly, glancing over to Wednesday.
The Addams scion nodded, "Yes. Quite powerful, mostly forgotten now. As with almost all rituals, it's considered borderline dark in many countries, however it's obscure enough that I doubt those fools recognized what they saw."
Xander glanced to where the points were being awarded, and his eyes fell on Dumbledore. "Oh, I think at least one did."
Wednesday nodded her concession. "Agreed, however I doubt he'll make a fuss."
"Granted."
The clean-up was quick and practiced, and the next dragon came forth so that within just a few minutes the next champion was announced and Viktor Krum strode out.
"Krum! Krum! Krum!"
The droning call from the Durmstrang contingent drowned out the sonorous boosted voice of Ludo Bagman for a time, but things were quickly underway.
Krum was practically a studied antithesis of Delacour. Where she was soft and subtle, he simple strode in with wand blazing. A Conjunctivitis curse blinded the dragon in the early moments of the challenge, and he rushed in to the nest to fetch the golden egg.
Unfortunately, as he did, the sound of his movements announced his intent to the dragon and the beast reared up and attacked blindly. Flames washed out parts of the field, stopping at the ward wall before they could roast the spectators, and the Chinese Fireball reared again and stumbled around blindly in its attempt to get at its target.
Xander bit his lip as Wednesday's nails dug into his arm, hissing in pain as he watched the dragon smash through its own nest and pulverize easily half its eggs. He was pulled to his feet as Wednesday snapped up, but pulled her back by the shoulder.
"Easy!" He hissed, "There's nothing to do. Look, the handlers are already moving to save the rest of the nest…"
It was then that Xander saw something he'd never imagined to see, not in all the time he'd known his friend. Tears were welling in Wednesday Addams eyes as she stared down at the carnage below them. He started to say something, but was shocked again when she leaned into him and clutched at his robes.
He hesitantly put an arm around her, hugging her closely, and turned his own eyes back down to the fracas below.
The handlers were cleaning up the mess, and Xander could almost swear that some of them were in nearly as bad a state as Wednesday was. They moved fast, scouring the nest for anything they could save, and quickly transported the undamaged eggs out with immense care.
"The poor thing didn't deserve that."
Wednesday's voice was soft, more childlike that he'd ever heard from her, and so all Xander could do was squeeze a bit more and agree with her.
"I know."
"If Potter harms his dragon, I'll make him wish the dragon finished him off." She promised darkly.
Xander chuckled.
Now THAT was the Wednesday he knew.
Getting Krum's mess cleaned up took a bit longer than the others, but the delay was minimal and soon Bagman announced the final task. Xander could feel the energy change in the audience, it was clear that many of them had come to see Harry and that everything else was just a sideshow.
When they brought out Harry's Dragon, Xander started to wonder if someone else thought much the same. The Horntail was the largest, and apparently meanest, dragon yet. Two teams of Handlers were controlling it, while another moved its nest.
"Oh lord," Xander hissed, "Someone is so trying to do Harry in."
Wednesday, now recovered a bit, nodded in agreement. "No doubt. What do you think he'll do?"
Xander shrugged, "Don't know. He has options, his plan A was to use his broom and invisibility cloak. Not sure if he'll switch up plans now that he knows the task. I doubt he will."
"Why?"
"Look at that thing," Xander said, "It ain't in a talking mood."
Wednesday eyed the horntail carefully for a moment, then nodded. "You are correct. I wonder…"
"Well, we're about to find out. Here he comes."
Harry came out tentatively, eyeing the crowd first and the dragon shortly after. Xander had to smirk, Harry looked far more afraid of the crowd.
Bagman announced the task, and Harry drew his wand as he readied himself. When the time was started, he immediately summoned his Firebolt and rolled clear as the Horntail send a gout of flame his way.
Bagman was chattering incessantly, as was his wont, but no one was listening as all eyes were glued to Harry Potter. His wand flicked out again, and Xander knew that his invisibility cloak was on the way now as well, and then a shield charm flash into place as Harry was swallowed by dragon fire.
The crowd gasped, but cheered a moment later when the flames went down and Harry was alive and well within his shield. Harry bolted as the dragon started to breathe again, jumping into the air as a gout of flame roared at him again. This time, before it reached him, a broomstick rocketed into the field and Harry grabbed it with his free hand, mounting the broom in midair. The racing broom blasted clear of the flames, and Harry took to the air above the dragon.
"Damn, he can fly." Xander grinned widely.
Wednesday nodded in agreement beside him, eyes on the nest and the clutch of eggs more than the growing drama between human and dragon.
The moment he felt the power of the broom yank him into the air, Harry finally relaxed. He felt the flames licking at his wake, the heat washing over him, but none of that mattered. He was in his element, planning literally on the fly as it were.
Harry grinned, jamming his wand into his belt as he looped the broom around the next plume of flames, and extended his hand just as the silken folds of his cloak flew up to meet him.
He rolled left, into the cloud, and let it cover him naturally as the wind pushed it over him. The crowd below gasped in shock as he vanished from sight, but he didn't really care about them. With the cloak in place he didn't have to worry as much about people seeing what he was doing, and so he drew his wand again and swept in an easy orbit around the dragon's head as he flicked it calmly.
"Legilimens." He hissed softly, eyes looking deep into the orbs of the Dragon's own.
The Dragon reared in response, roaring into the sky as it felt his mental touch and rebelled against it.
'Easy Great Mother.' He hissed mentally, 'I mean no harm.'
The dragon settled down quickly, looking straight at him now. ' Speaker. Why do you torment me? '
'I'm sorry, Great Mother. That is not my intention.' Harry apologized. 'I am forced into a competition with others of my people. My task is to retrieve one of your eggs…'
'NEVER!'
'Easy! Easy, Great mother.' Harry hissed urgently in his mind. 'The egg I seek is false, a plant not one of your own. See the gold colored one behind you.'
The Dragon looked at the clutch and, for the first time noticed that there was indeed a foreign egg in the nest. She hissed in annoyance, plumes of smoke coming from her nostrils.
'And if I give this to you?'
'Then the task is complete, I move on, and you are sent home.' Harry responded.
The dragon considered for a long moment, then seemed to nod with a sharp jerk of her head. 'You may have it.'
Harry hissed his thanks and dove down to the clutch, his hand reaching out from under his cloak as he passed over the egg, and then he was off with it tucked in under his arm.
When he appeared from thin air on the point he started from, the crowd broke out in stunned cheers. Harry, however, ignored them as he looked back at the great dragon that was eyeing him steadily.
Harry brought his wand up in front of his face in salute, and nodded as the Dragon lifted its head skyward and let out a roar that rattled the grandstands and a plume of flame that went up over a hundred feet into the air.
Harry grinned, spinning on his heel and tossing his broom over one shoulder as he held his cloak and the egg under the other arm.
One task down.