Chapter Sixteen: The First Task

November 19th, 1984 | Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland

Hermione Granger was very confused. The past week had been filled with speculation and excitement for the upcoming First Task. Many were questioning exactly what the champions would be doing, while most were wondering just how Harry Potter was preparing for the task. But even with the speculation, no one could get a clear answer. The only times anyone saw the mysterious wizard was in the hallways during the morning and night, and when he occasionally sat in on classes. He continued to wear his dragonhide outfit, refusing to show his face to anyone. Many began to guess that he was deformed somehow, and thus wished to remain hidden and protected within the black outfit. But no answers to their questions were ever answered.

But it seemed he was preparing. Harry Potter spent most of his day between the kitchens and the Restricted Section of the library. Hermione hadn't been aware that guests could gain access to such a prohibited area, and she felt envious of the Boy-Who-Lived. All of that knowledge was on his fingertips, and Hermione had nothing but the old books allowed for all students. But she assumed that Dumbledore had allowed it for a reason. Most likely to help Harry catch up to the other champions that were several years older than him. But that brought up more questions. How educated was Harry Potter in magic? Could he perform complex spells? Wordless spells? Had he had private tutors? Or had he been raised by someone knowledgeable in magic?

She and Padma had even gone to Professor Flitwick to ask a few questions. But the professor didn't know anything. He had confessed to them that he knew nothing about Harry Potter besides what everyone else knew. The boy killed You-Know-You at infancy and disappeared. And when they asked any other Professor, they received the same answer. No one knew anything about Harry Potter. And it seemed that the only one who knew even a small amount of information was Professor Dumbledore. Yet even he refused to speak on the subject. It was infuriating.

"Do you mind?" Hermione was yanked out of her thoughts by a gentle voice. She looked up from her transfiguration book and felt her jaw drop by a large margin. It was him. Harry Potter was standing right beside her, motioning to the empty seat towards her right. He was asking to sit by her. Hermione nodded dumbly, trying her best not to look shocked. She wasn't a fangirl. Anything but. But the presence of previously unobtainable knowledge within her grasp causes Hermione to stumble a bit. But then everything calmed. Harry Potter was quiet. He was silently reading an ancient tome on runes he had gotten from the Restricted Section, still covered in dragonhide armor. It was very odd for her.

"What are you reading?" Hermione asked. She immediately wanted to smack herself. Why would she talk? Why would she make things awkward by talking to the one person who clearly didn't want to be talked to?

"A book on runic structures created by Rowena Ravenclaw," he replied. He didn't sound agitated or annoyed. Harry actually seemed happy to answer. Or perhaps he was just in a happy mood. It had nothing to do with her. But then he turned and examined her book. And after a moment, he turned away. And they sat there for almost an hour before Harry got to his feet. "Thank you," And then he walked away, leaving a very confused Hermione in his wake. Why had he thanked her? Because she let him sit beside her? No, nothing that stupid. He was thanking her for something else entirely. If Hermione was to guess, it was that she wasn't asking him a million questions about his past. That was the most reasonable answer. She would have to talk to Padma about this.


Harry was busy. Busier than he had ever been in his time in this universe. He was not only working on his Hawkins Projects - which were now near the end of development - but he was also busy researching everything he could about this version of the wizarding world. But there weren't that many noticeable differences. Everything seemed to match Harry's universe's timeline, with only a few exceptions that didn't really matter. The main one was that things were taking place ten years ahead of time. But this seemed to only affect the wizarding world. The world wars were still in the late 1910s and 1940s, and events in the no-maj world seemed to stay within the old timeline. So there was hardly anything to be worried about. Almost everything was the same.

But he wasn't so much worried about the stability of the timeline as he was worried about something unexpected happening to him or his friends. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect for these versions of the Tasks but was willing to wing it whenever he had to. Harry knew from basic common sense and exploration that the dragons were in the forest, meaning the First Task would remain. But he was unsure if the other tasks would remain the same. Something that bothered him for over a week as he studied in the library, trying his best to ignore everyone that ever came near him. Harry answered no questions asked to him by anyone, and never bothered to open conversations with people from his past, no matter how much it hurt him to do so.

He hated seeing them, knowing that even now he was an outcast to his home. Because this wasn't his home. This was theirs. Harry was just there, pushed into the action by the universe, Voldemort, and Crouch Jr. So he wouldn't talk to his friends. Not when they were so different in this reality. Hermione had gotten into Ravenclaw and was even more fierce in her search for knowledge than the last time around. Ron had been sorted into Gryffindor again, but he was different. He was kinder than Harry's Ron, and he seemed more sure in life. The same was true for Neville. Gone was the round-faced shy boy who had been within Harry's Hogwarts. This Neville Longbottom was tall, growing in muscle, and he was sure of himself. His parents had never been tortured in this universe.

Yet some things seemed too off to be coincidences. Some influential people in the Wizengamot, the ICW, and MACUSA were mysteriously missing from this universe. And in their stead were people Harry had never heard of. There were laws in the ICW that had never been passed or had once been vetoed that were now constitutional. And the Statute of Secrecy was stricter here than it had been in his universe. Over seventy people were arrested by Aurors the night of the Quidditch World Cup following the events of the Death Eater attack. Over seventy more than in his universe. If only he could figure out just what was wrong with this version of history and how the wizarding world had just appeared from thin air then perhaps he could reverse it.

That wasn't necessarily what he wanted to do. But if it came between a safe and stable universe with Hawkins and a crumbling and hostile universe plagued by the addition of the wizarding world, then he would choose Hawkins. But Harry hoped it wouldn't come down to that. He hoped - no, he planned - to completely change the wizarding world. Because his plans wouldn't work if the magical community wasn't behind him when it came to his interest in the human race and exploration. If they went against him, Harry would be forced to break hundreds of laws in order to accomplish what he needed to save everyone. If they followed in his footsteps and removed the Statute, then the No-Maj and Magicals could begin to work on things that Harry and his team at Hawkins had only dreamed of doing. Colonization of planets, intergalactic travel, and limitless energy would be possible in a few years instead of decades if the magical community rejoined the No-Maj population. Together, the two sub-species of humans could do anything they set their mind to.

So Harry devised an entirely new plan sewn from the back of his mind. He would use the hearing against him in one month to claim his Wizengamot seats. And when that was done, he would do anything he could to gain as much favor as he could in the courtroom. Once he did that, he would join the ICW. Harry would then gain favor there, and when he was trusted by all he would begin his plan. Deconstruct the Statute of Secrecy, reveal the magic to the world, and join forces with the no-maj governments to accomplish more than either sub-species could imagine. He had already gained prestige as a magical in the no-maj American government, mostly from President Ronald Reagan. So if he could do so much good as a magical and no-one within the no-maj government care, then Harry could only imagine what the greater wizarding world could do.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry was yanked out of his long-running conversation within his mind by Ludo Bagman. He was in the tent, waiting for the First Task to begin. It wouldn't start for another hour or so, but Harry had decided to come down to the stadium early to prepare. He was waiting for his friends from Hawkins to arrive and was quite annoyed that Bagman was interrupting his important self-conversation. "Yes, Mr. Bagman?"

"Well, son. I'm sure you're ready for whatever is to come. But if you need any assistance in preparing for this task or the next, I'm sure I can find the time in my busy schedule to help," Bagman explained.

"You inquire if I want to cheat?" Harry asked. "It was stated quite evidently in the contract between the Champions and the Goblet of Fire that we are not to ask or accept assistance. If I were to accept your help, I would be signing away my magic and my life. So please do not make a full of yourself, Ludo. Return to the judge stands and wait for the task,"

"Now see here, son -"

"I'm not you're son," Harry's voice had risen drastically. His staff appeared in his hand in a mild light of black and he slammed it into the stone foundation below him. Ludo visibly flinched, before fleeing from the tent. Harry grinned, sending his staff back to his trunk up in the castle. He wouldn't need it for this task. And if he did, then its task would be small. Harry had a backup plan to his backup plans and was ready for anything that might happen within the First Task. He wouldn't do anything as foolish as getting chased by the dragon on his Firebolt this time. No, he would do this easily and without trouble.


The First Task was close. Only ten more minutes, and the task would begin. Harry currently stood outside of the Champion's tent, waiting patiently for the portkey he had given to Hopper a week before to arrive. And when it did, Harry couldn't help but smile. Hopper had collapsed to his knees with his hand on his stomach. Eleven and the other kids had all fallen onto their faces or backs, groaning in pain. Joyce was lying on top of Nancy, and Johnathan and Steve were in a heap off to the side. It reminded Harry of his own first experience with a portkey, only the adults were just as unknowledgeable. Harry stepped forward, helping Johnathan and Steve to their feet as everyone else stood, trying to regain their bearings.

"Well, that was a clusterfuck," Harry commented with a grin.

"You didn't tell us it would feel like going through a two-inch tunnel," Joyce spoke, breathing heavily.

"You also didn't tell us it would rip us away by our stomachs," Hopper added, still clutching his abdomen.

"Good to see you, too," Harry said, pulling Hopper into a hug. He then greeted everyone, being pulled into hugs by Joyce, Nancy, and El while exchanging fist bumps with the others. Harry was halfway through his hug with El when he spoke, pulling away. "I wanted to warn you guys that while I'm planning for my task to be tame and boring, the others won't be. These are dragons we're talking about, so you'll see fire and tail-slamming. I'm warning you ahead of time so that if something happens and my plans fall apart, you won't be too worried,"

"You talking about dragons is making us worried," Max spoke.

"Dragons are real?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. You should have seen the dragon at Gringotts. It was huge," Will replied, grinning.

"Yes, yes. It was quite big, but this isn't the time. The task's going to start in a few minutes, and I need to be in the tent. Your seats are up there," Harry motioned up to the judge's boxes. He had arranged the seating with Dumbledore ahead of time, explaining that his friends were no-maj that were cleared by MACUSA to have knowledge of magic and the tasks. But to avoid any questions, they wouldn't be sitting with the students. "Just...try not to ask too many questions or draw too much attention. People aren't fond of no-maj around here,"

"Right. Purebloods and all," Will concluded.

"Exactly," Harry smiled. The youngest Byers had been reading it seemed. But with another hug from Eleven, the group made their way up the back steps leading to the judge box, taking their seats behind the judging panel. The kids were chatting away, with Mike motioning towards the alcove holding the dragons off in the distance. But Harry couldn't focus on them right now. He needed to watch the others and ensure nothing went wrong. So he spent the next hour doing just that. He was last again, meaning Harry had more than enough time to watch as Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric battled their own dragons. While he hadn't actually washed the tasks himself the last time, Harry couldn't help but question the tactics used by his fellow Champions.

Cedric's tactic was almost laughable, using a stone transfigured into a dog to confuse and distract the dragon. But once Cedric had gotten the egg from the dragon's nest, the Swedish Short-Snout decided it would rather have Cedric than the dog. So Cedric barely made it back to the tent, being covered in burns that had to be healed by Madam Pomfrey.

Then it was Fleur's turn. She put her Common Welsh Green dragon into some sort of bewitched sleep. It was going quite well for her until she reached her own golden egg. It all turned shit from there. The dragon had fallen with its face pointed directly towards the dragon's nest. Then it began to snore. Bursts of flames shot from its snout right at Fleur, whose robes suddenly burst into flames as she rushed for the Champions tent. The damage done to her clothing and skin was much worse than what had happened to Cedric but was equally as curable by Madam Pomfrey.

And Viktor Krum's task was even more of a disaster. He used the Conjunctivitis Curse on his Chinese Fireball dragon in an effort to swell its eyes shut. The spell worked, but only for a minute. The dragon - like all of the others - began to thrash around violently, swinging its tail in massive arcs that resulted in dirt and rock being flung into the stands. Luckily for the students and judges, there were Professors near the front that were able to easily place shields above them to keep the debris at bay. But Viktor wasn't so lucky. While he wasn't injured, the dragon's tail had slammed directly into her own nest, shattering several eggs while sending the golden one flying. Viktor finished by scooping up the egg and running, letting the dragon-tamers clean up his mess.

Before he knew it, it was Harry's turn. "And now for our fourth champion. Harry Potter!" There was a mix of applause and cheering as Harry stepped out of the tent. But everyone soon grew silent as they watched. He wasn't wearing his dragonhide armor anymore. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of jeans and underpants. His bare feet hit the stone below, uncaring of the small stones digging into his heels. His face was revealed for everyone to see, and for some, it was the first time anyone had seen it. Harry didn't care. He wanted to get this done easily and fast. The less time he wasted, the quicker he could move onto the Second Task and the Third. Then he could kill Voldemort and be done with it.

All was silent as Harry carefully step forward. Each step was silent and calculated. The walk to the dragon took a long time, but as he stepped from stone to stone, Harry felt the Hungarian Horntail begin to watch him with interest instead of aggravation. That was good. And when Harry finally reached the dragon, no one expected him to outstretch his hands. Nor did anyone expect him to fall onto his knees. The entire stadium sat in silent fascination as the most vicious of the four dragons slowly stepped towards the Boy-Who-Lived. There were even those who gasped, believing the dragon would lunge forward and swallow him whole. But Harry knew better. He knew there was a chance that this didn't work. But he wasn't planning on allowing that chance to occur.

'I'm not your enemy.' Harry spoke. He spoke in the same way he had with the mysterious voice from the Outside. Only he spoke directly to the dragon. And the dragon seemed to understand him. As if he had spoken in dragon-tongue. 'The golden egg. It doesn't belong,' The Horntail turned its head back towards its nest, examining her eggs until deciding he was right. Its tail - which had once been curled around its nest - suddenly unraveled to reveal the golden egg among many. Harry was given free passage to it, but he wanted to take his time. He cast 'Legilimens' on the dragon, entering her mind with ease. It was a much different experience to the minds he had been in before, but it was possible.

He showed the Horntail memories it had never had before. Dreams of the bright blue sky, to which the dragon could roam free forever. The Hungarian Horntail lowered its head right into Harry's hands, keeping its weight off of him. Harry gently rubbed the dragon's jaw, smiling as it began to purr and growl. They had a mutual understanding now. They were friends. And Harry had made her a promise that he would do his best to keep. But for now, Harry had another task to complete. He stepped away from the dragon, stepping up to the golden egg. He easily picked it up and heard only a few people clapping and cheering for him. Everyone else was silent in stunned shock. No one had ever tamed a dragon like that. But no one was quite as skilled in Legilimency as him either.


Will Byers was excited. He had never seen such a large amount of wizards and witches together in a single place. But it made sense. There was an entire school's population in this stadium, alongside two dozen others belonging to two other schools. But it was still just as spectacular, just like the tasks. He watched the first task with amazement, sitting between Mike and Dustin as they watched the first Champion, Cedric Diggory. Harry had told them all about the boy, who was described as a good, kind, and caring person who deserved a long and good life. Will wondered if Cedric had died in Harry's old universe, but Will didn't have the courage to ask many questions like that. It wasn't kind to remind people of their clearly troubled pasts.

And then Fleur Delacour began her task. But Will didn't focus on her task. He focused on those around him. Almost every boy was leaning forward in their seats to watch her, even Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. But all of the girls were merely watching. Even Harry - who was watching from the Champions tent - wasn't leaning. He looked uninterested. As if he didn't care if she won or lost. Was she using some sort of magic to draw attention to herself? But why would she? Fleur was clearly pretty and well-educated in magic. She didn't need to use magic to attract boys' attention.

"What's wrong with you?" Will heard Max ask Lucas, who looked ready to fall out of his seat.

"I think she's using magic. To draw attention," Will told her.

"Correct, but not quite young man," The old man in front of them had turned in his seat to face them. He had a long grey beard and was wearing spectacles that reflected the sunlight perfectly. This was Professor Albus Dumbledore. "She's part Veela. They possess many great abilities, one of which is an allure. It is used primarily to find a mate, but it is often unregarded by Veela. It seems Ms. Delacour has not fully grasped how to control her own allure,"

"So she's hypnotizing them?" Max asked.

"In a sense, yes. But it is harmless, I assure you. Once she is done, your friend will return to normal," Dumbledore explained. This seemed to calm Max and Eleven, who were both watching Lucas and Mike with attentive glares. Will turned his attention back to the First Task. It was soon Viktor Krum's turn, and he didn't fare much better to Fleur. By the time his task ended, half of his dragon's eggs were destroyed and the entire stadium was in ruins. It was Harry's turn. After several minutes of cleaning up the mess made by Krum, Judge Ludo Bagman spoke. "And now for our fourth champion. Harry Potter!"

Will had expected Harry to come out dressed in full dragonhide armor carrying his broomstick. Maybe he would be flying his broomstick, or flying without the broomstick. But instead, everyone in the stands was given a surprise. Harry stepped out of the tent in nothing but jeans. There were several gasps throughout the stadium as some of the students below them began to gossip. Will ignored them, though he couldn't help but blush when Max spoke. "God, he's hot," He pushed that from his ears and focused on Harry. He had definitely rebuilt his body from scratch. The tiny body that had once been behind large jackets and jeans had been replaced by a tall and muscular body that must have resembled Harry's old one.

There were no scars that were noticeable from this distance, and there wasn't a single marking that might indicate a tattoo of some sort. His skin was clean. Harry walked barefoot towards the dragon, taking careful steps as he reached the dragon and her nest. Will smiled. He was tricking it. When the dragon was sure Harry wasn't a threat, it would assume he was weak and strike. He was trying to make it underestimate him. Will leaned forward in his seat, anxious and excited to see how cool this fight would be. And then there wasn't a fight. Harry didn't pull out his staff and the dragon made no move to attack. Instead, Harry extended his arms and fell to his knees, completely at the dragon's mercy.

"What is 'e doing?" The large french woman in front of them asked.

"I am unsure," Dumbledore replied.

"He's out of his mind," Hopper spoke, before being hushed by Joyce. Every eye was on Harry and the dragon. And then it happened. The dragon's tail slowly pulled away from the nest, and the golden egg was revealed. But Harry didn't go for it. Didn't run. He didn't move. Harry turned his palms up towards the sky, and the dragon leaned forward. 'It's going to eat him.' Will thought fearfully. The dragon's mouth was inches from Harry's face, slowly moving closer...before lowering. The dragon rested its head in Harry's hands and purred. Like some sort of cat. "What the hell?" he heard Steve ask.

It was then that Harry slowly got to his feet, stepping up to the nest. He gently caressed each egg, before grabbing the golden one. The dragon made no move to stop him and even followed let its gaze follow Harry as he made his way back to the tent. His back was to the dragon, and it didn't move. What the hell? People were cheering and applauding in the stands, but Will felt oddly numb. Like something wasn't right. That had been easy. Too easy. Something wasn't right. Something was wrong here. "Mom. Something's wrong," He told Joyce.

"What? He won!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands joyously.

"No...no..." Will spun his head back towards the dragon and winced. His hand reached up to his forehead, feeling for the source of his pain. There was nothing there. Something was wrong. A roar and a burst of flames. Will snapped back and watched as the dragon swept forward at Harry, whose back was still turned. Will winced, the pain returning to his forehead. He couldn't focus. Things were happening all around him, yet Will couldn't see or hear. There was a cloud of black, screaming, yelling, commotion. But Will paid it no mind. He wanted to pass out. To fall to the ground and sleep. His head hurt. "Will! Will!" Will felt someone grab him by the arm and pull, and he let himself be pulled off of the bench and down the steps. Before long, they were in the castle. But he didn't care. His forehead was burning.