Chapter 2

"Sir Cedric," started Sir Harry uncertainly. He was slightly intimidated by the greatness that was Sir Cedric. "Do you have any idea where to find a Hungarian Horntail?"

"I'd say Hungary," replied Sir Cedric in a very dashing voice because he was a very dashing man, even though his answer was obvious and insipid.

"I don't think so," frowned Sir Harry, "The dragon only exists in myths and legends! I'm sure it can't be found in a place so ordinary!"

"I shall check out Hungary beforehand anyway," nodded Sir Cedric firmly. The wind blew his silky hair about, and the setting sun set off his noble profile becomingly so that he looked absolutely princely.

He'll probably look really good next to Princess Cho, thought Sir Harry ruefully.

"I'm going to do some research first," declared Sir Harry courageously, trying to be dashing like Sir Cedric. He even struck a small pose so that the setting sun could set off his profile becomingly too. Unfortunately, his heroic stance and voice were wasted.

"That's nice," muttered Sir Cedric, not really listening. He swung himself onto his broom, and zoomed away, eager to get a head start on the quest. Poor, pathetic Harry was left coughing in the clouds of dust billowing charmingly after Cedric. Sir Harry was a little perturbed by this, but he let it go. He'd show pretty boy Cedric and the beautiful Princess Cho how great he could be!

Sir Harry decided to start gathering information with a woman named Lady Hermione. She was the most knowledgeable person he knew, and an excellent sorceress to boot.

"Come, my trusty broom, let us begin on our journey," muttered Harry to his faithful besom, Firebolt. Harry zoomed off into the darkness as well.

:x:

It was midnight when Sir Harry finally reached Lady Hermione's abode. She lived in a modest castle on the banks of a large and rushing river. Sir Harry banged loudly on the castle doors.

"Who is it to call so late at night?" came a familiar voice from behind the door.

"Ron?" gasped Harry, surprised, "It's me! Harry! What are you doing in Hermione's home?"

"So you say you are Sir Harry," shouted the voice from inside, "Prove it!" Harry sighed.

"Just open up Ron!" screamed Harry impatiently. The door slowly creaked open. A long nose stuck out, and two eyes peered out at Harry from under a shock of scarlet hair.

"Hey mate," greeted Ron cheerfully. Harry looked at his gangly red haired friend and grinned.

"What's with all the security?" asked Harry. Ron lowered his voice.

"I'll tell you about it later. Get inside first." Harry entered the castle, and the door shut behind him with a tremendous groan, which echoed spookily down the deserted corridors. Sir Harry always marveled how Lady Hermione could live alone in such a creepy, lonely place, but she had refused the company of house elves. According to her, house elves were "slave labor" and she disapproved of Harry and Ron, who both had house elves working in their castles. Sir Harry followed Sir Ron through the corridors of Lady Hermione's castle until they reached a lovely little room with a nice bright fire burning.

"Hey Hermione!" grinned Harry at the bushy-haired woman sitting next to the flickering fire. She appeared to be obsessively knitting a purple woolly bladder, and did not even look up as Harry entered the room.

"Harry! You're back," muttered Hermione, her eyes still fixed on her horrendous knitting. Harry noticed a large pile of some finished woolly bladders in various colors sitting next to her, and wondered what she was up to now.

"So," began Harry, "Care to tell me why Ron's here? What's going on?"

"Well Harry," answered Ron, "You may have heard that not many people are pleased with His Majesty, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, these days. Secret organizations have been formed to oppose him."

"Oh yes! Harry!" spoke up Hermione from her seat, "Didn't you vow to avenge your parents' deaths and kill You-Know-Who? What became of that quest?" Ron glanced at Hermione with an annoyed expression on his face for being interrupted.

"Oh, I forgot about that one. I have a different quest now, that's why I'm here," replied Harry.

"ANYWAY," continued Ron loudly, "Hermione and I have joined the Order of the Phoenix, a rebel group dedicated to the overthrowing of Lord Voldemort! And the Order has decided to allow you to join as well!"

"What's your quest?" inquired Hermione, still on a separate topic.

"I'm looking for a Hungarian Horntail so I can steal a golden egg!" responded Harry.

"Do you want to join or not?" demanded Ron loudly.

"Hungarian Horntail! But that's dangerous! Not to mention completely impossible!" cried Hermione, horrified. She finally tore her eyes away from her knitting, and looked up at Harry anxiously.

"You really should join. The Dark Lord has killed too many innocents these days," said Ron, ignoring Hermione.

"Where are you going to look for one? They only exist in legends!"

"Er…" wavered Harry, "I'll be happy to join the Order of the Phoenix. And I was hoping you knew that, Hermione."

"Excellent mate!" exclaimed Ron.

"Let me check my library," muttered Hermione. She put down the woolly bladder and stood up, and then headed out of the room. Ron and Harry followed as well. As they walked down the deserted corridors with their footsteps resounding in the emptiness, Ron and Hermione began to question Harry about his recent adventures.

"How'd you get tied up with this new quest? Why'd you drop the old one? Killing You-Know-Who sure would have been useful for the Order of the Phoenix," interrogated Ron.

"Well, me and Cedric—" started Harry.

"Cedric and I," corrected Hermione, as if she were Harry's mother.

"Well, Cedric and I were riding toward Voldemort's (Ron and Hermione flinched at the name) castle to kill Voldemort (another flinch) when we heard a—"

"You mean you just decided to walk straight up to the Dark Lord and kill him without any plan whatsoever?" interrupted Hermione, shocked. She could not comprehend the stupidity of people with XY chromosomes sometimes. Ron growled in annoyance.

"Shush! Let Harry continue!"

"ANYWAY," continued Harry, "We heard someone singing so we decided to investigate. Turns out, it was just some princess locked up in a tower in the castle who was making that sound, so well… er… I… well…" stammered Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes knowingly at him.

"Let me guess," snorted Lady Hermione in a very unladylike manner, "You and Cedric asked her for her hand in marriage."

"No way!" guffawed Ron, "Harry wouldn't do something stupid like that!" He choked with laughter at the thought. Hermione glared at Ron.

"Er… well… I… er…" stuttered Harry. Ron looked at him with eyes as round as saucers. He gaped like a chainsaw wound. Harry could almost peer down his throat and into his stomach.

"You don't mean…!" yelped Ron in surprise. He clutched his heart dramatically, and pretended to have a seizure.

"Typical," muttered Hermione. She snorted again, and sounded very much like a donkey with bogies.

"Well I did," sighed Harry, despondent and embarrassed. He could feel a flushing rising at an alarming rate from his toes to his scalp.

"What's her name? Is she pretty?" grinned Ron teasingly. "Nice figure?" Hermione scowled furiously at him.

"And then what happened?" demanded Hermione impatiently, still fuming at Ron for no reason whatsoever.

"Well me and Cedric—"

"Cedric and I."

"Cedric and I decide to go see Voldemort (flinch) to ask for her hand in, uh, m- marriage." The m-word was hard to spit out. Harry could not imagine himself as a married man, with children and having to support a family. He was beginning to regret his rash decision, and he could not really picture Princess Cho that clearly in his mind anymore. He had only seen her for about five minutes, and all he remembered was that she had black hair, shining dark eyes, and a lovely voice. I should have thought a little more about asking someone for her hand in marriage! Marriage! I've never even contemplated the idea! thought Harry a little sadly.

"So let me get this straight," groaned Ron, "Instead of killing You-Know-Who, you go up to him and ask him for the hand in marriage of some girl you only just met?"

"Well, yeah," mumbled Harry a little sheepishly. It sure sounded unbelievably foolish when Ron phrased it like that. Come to think of it, he didn't even know Princess Cho Chang's likes or dislikes, and whether she was a timid, obedient woman, or a loud-mouthed, brash virago.

"So what does this have to do with the quest?" asked Hermione.

"Voldemort (flinch) decided to give us three tasks, and whoever completes them will win her hand in marriage. The loser will be sentenced to death," explained Harry, who once again realized how idiotic he was. For Merlin's sake, his life was at stake for a woman with whom he had barely exchanged two words!

"So now your quest is to look for some dragon that went extinct hundreds of years ago, and to get a golden egg from it?" needled Hermione dryly.

"Yeah," sighed Harry miserably.

"How about you just go up to You-Know-Who, kill him, take the girl, and forget about this quest?" suggested Ron.

"I already gave Voldemort my word of honor," muttered Harry. His main reason, however, was that he wanted to show Cedric and Princess Cho that he wasn't as pathetic as he looked. If he backed out now, well, he'd never be able to look Cedric or Princess Cho, in the eye again. It would be too shameful.

"Okay, well here's the library," announced Lady Hermione, "I can probably find some information on the Hungarian Horntail. But I haven't really updated my library in a while, so there might not be much."

:x:

A few hours later…

There really wasn't much. In fact, there wasn't ANYTHING! There was nothing at all! Hermione looked a bit put out.

"My library has never failed me before!" she moaned. Her lips were pouting slightly. It seemed to be a personal insult to her that her beloved library had not provided any knowledge on the Hungarian Horntail's whereabouts.

"That's alright," sighed Harry through red-rimmed eyes. The best they could find was useless information on how NOT to meet a Hungarian Horntail, and they were trying to do the opposite. In addition, the writing in all of the books he had looked through had microscopic script. No wonder Lady Hermione's hair was so bushy! The miniscule font of the texts must have frazzled her eyes and caused her hair to grow like that!

"There must be another way!" grumbled Ron sourly. He wasn't the bookish type. Suddenly, his face lit up. "I know! Let's go consult an oracle!"

"That is the stupidest idea that I have ever heard!" scowled Hermione, "Everyone knows that they're all a bunch of old frauds!"

"Oooo, Don't say that," warned Ron, "They're could be watching us right now with their crystal balls, and they probably have the power to doom you to a life of tragedy and despair!"

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Hermione disdainfully.

"Let's just try it out," exhaled Harry wearily. He was sooo tired that he was willing to try ANYTHING.

"Tomorrow," muttered Ron, slumping back into his chair. His head fell onto a dusty old tome with a thunk, and he was soon snoring away.

"It is tomorrow," groaned Hermione, "We've been up the whole night! The sun's rising!"

"In the afternoon then," gurgled Ron through a puddle of spit. The other two fell asleep in their chairs as well, as they were absolutely jaded from a night of continuous research. The slept soundly.

:x:

After Ron, Hermione, and Harry had awoken and had some lunch, they decided to go see the oracle.

"I heard from Sir Neville Longbottom that there is a fairly accurate Seer living in a forest near Hogwarts castle," remarked Ron helpfully, "But of course, Sir Neville is quite gullible and would believe anything."

"We might as well give it a try," said Harry. He was beginning to feel a bit apprehensive about his quest, and the second and third tasks seemed such a long way off. He did not really believe that he would ever fight a Hungarian Horntail.

"She's probably an old fraud. Sir Neville is too easily intimidated, so he isn't exactly a reliable source," snorted Hermione.

"I think her name is Madame Trelewney," continued Ron, ignoring Hermione, "And Lady Lavender and Lady Parvati consult her often. She seems to have quite a reputation. Did you know she's descended from that famous seer, Cassandra?"

"At least she sounds qualified," remarked Hermione. "But Lavender and Parvati are silly girls. I don't exactly trust their judgment!"

"Let's go," commanded Harry. The trio swung onto their brooms and kicked off.

:x:

"I think this place is it," whispered Ron, as he, Hermione, and Harry landed in front of the oracle's frightful abode. The place was really scary! It was a dark, ominous cave located in the middle of an equally dark, ominous forest, and the place smelled like too much perfume. A mysterious heat radiated from the gaping mouth of the cavern.

"Suddenly, I feel hot," muttered Hermione.

"I'm feeling really sleepy," mumbled Harry drowsily.

"It's a spell…" murmured Ron incoherently. All three of their eyelids began to droop, and they had to stagger to stay upright. They gazed through filmy eyes into the artificial night of the grotto. Suddenly, two gleaming green orbs became apparent in the darkness. Harry's disillusioned mind managed to recognize them as eyes. Then, his senses snapped awake when he realized that it was a MASSIVE GRASSHOPPER EXITING THE CAVE!

No wait—it was a skinny, homely woman covered in gaudy jewelry and draped in an excessive amount of scarves. Her huge glasses looked like insect eyes, and her bony face had a praying mantis-like quality to it.

"I've been expecting you," breathed the bug-woman mystically.

"Exshpeshing ush?" gibbered Ron. He looked like he had fallen asleep standing up, and to Harry's disgust, he could detect a sliver of spit hanging from Ron's half-open mouth.

"Madame Trelewney I suppose?" stated Hermione in a hushed voice. Her senses seemed to be the most alert of the three.

"Yes," exhaled the mystic ethereally, "The Inner Eye has alerted me of your arrival. Please, do come in." With a very slight jangling of jewelry, the psychic turned around and reentered the darkness. Ron, Harry, and Hermione followed.

The skinny bug-lady led them through a tunnel connected to a cavern. This seemed to be her living quarters. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were extremely shocked when they saw what was inside. It looked like an incongruous little antique teashop! Funny finding a place like that here! There were cushions in garish colors scattered about, and a few armchairs sported limp old doilies. A multi-colored fire burned brightly on one side of the room, and it emitted the sickly-sweet smell that they had detected earlier. It was the source of their sleepiness. Their minds were still a bit clouded, and they could not think too clearly. Madame Trelewney seated herself beside a frilly hot pink table, and peered into the crystal ball sitting upon it.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched in awe as she began to wave her arms mysteriously over the glass sphere. She muttered strange words that sounded like incantations, and her eyes suddenly gleamed with comprehension. The three friends held their breaths in anticipation as she looked up with a very unfathomable expression on her skinny face.

"Ah…" whispered insect woman, "I see… I see…that the purpose of your coming here…you wish to know… to know your future!" Hermione and Harry stared at her in disbelief, while Ron appeared amazed.

"That's a given," snorted Hermione contemptuously. Trelewney turned and scowled at Hermione. She seemed to take an instant disliking toward the girl. She clutched her scarves tighter around her shriveled body and glared beadily at Hermione, while shaking with anger.

"You! Girl with the bushy hair!" shot Trelewney rudely at Hermione, and losing the other worldly quality in her voice, "By peering through the mists of time, my Inner Eye can detect that you will die brutally under the scum of a giant rampaging flobberworm!" Hermione seemed unfazed by this distressing forecast, however. She rolled her eyes.

"That's completely preposterous! Obviously, this woman is a charlatan! Let's go now!"

"No wait!" gasped Ron, "I think this woman has been pretty accurate so far!"

"She's only made about, two predictions! Do you seriously believe the second prediction will EVER happen?" demanded Hermione in anger.

"Well, you never know," replied Ron cryptically. "Just the other night, I had a dream that you and Harry turned into a bowl of cereal, and a talking carrot came and gobbled you two up!"

"What does that have to do with this?" snarled Hermione in exasperation.

"This boy appears to have the Inner Eye as well," cut in Madame Trelewney mystically. "Often, flashes of foresight grace the most unlikely vessels, and offer a brief, clarifying glimpse into the future."

"Tell me," continued bug woman huskily, "What else have you seen boy?" Ron complied and launched into an enthusiastic account of his bizarre dream the night before, involving a tap-dancing hippogriff and a toenail disguised as a stage. Madame Trelewney nodded in approval at the clairvoyant boy, and listened intently. Hermione rolled her eyes angrily, and stomped irritably out of the cave. Boys could be sooooooo idiotic sometimes!

"Anyway," interrupted Harry after Ron had finished his vivid retelling of his dreams, "We've come to ask you if you might know where the Hungarian Horntail resides."

"Hungarian Horntail?" gasped the oracle in horror, "That dragon exists only in myths and legends!"

We already know that, thought Harry privately. This woman really is an old fraud!

"Well, we think that one may exist somewhere in the world and we're seeking it out," explained Harry. "We were hoping that you might able to find out where it is with your Inner Eye."

"Let me try," muttered Madame Trelewney, peering intently into the crystal ball. She waved her hands and swayed her body theatrically. "Ahhh…" she hissed softly, and her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Harry. "There… I see your future…it is not a happy one…"

"What is it?" questioned Harry warily.

"An angry Hungarian Horntail will crush you under one of its foul claws and dismember you limb by limb!" cried the psychic, "And as for your red headed friend here…" Trelewney turned her gaze on Ron, who flinched. "He will escape unscathed and live to be one hundred years old and have twenty children who will all become kings and queens!"

"Wow!" gasped Ron in delight, "Can you tell me more?" Harry groaned in distress. Time was running out! For all he knew, Cedric could probably be returning with a golden egg already. He had to hurry!

In the end, Harry had to forcefully drag Ron out of the cave. They met up with Hermione, who was waiting outside.

"Did she tell you anything important?" asked Hermione sarcastically.

"No…" said Harry.

"Yes!" said Ron at the same time.

"I don't want to know," muttered Hermione, turning away. "Anyway, any other ideas Harry?"

"No…" replied Harry yet again. "If only there was someone who knew every animal in the world, especially large, dangerous, fearsome creatures, and could tell us where the Hungarian Horntail is!"

The three friends stared at each other as the same thought crossed their minds.

"HAGRID!"

To Be Continued...

I hope you all enjoyed my story so far! Please review! I really appreciate it:)