SUPRISE! *blows party blowers* I wanted do so something special for Harry James Potter's birthday-the big 36. However, I was stuck on ideas and low on time. So I figure a new update of Stages would work just as well. Forever grateful for JK Rowling for creating such an awesome character and the most precious cinnamon roll

Chapter 30: Veela, Spiders, and Dragons-Oh My

Harry remembered once Remus suggested he take up journaling, owning dozens of his own, saying that writing was the best mediation for stress. Sometimes, not even for stress. Just for fun or relaxation. Harry at first was hesitant about the idea. As much as he loved to read stories and their beautiful words, he wasn't too sure about trying to make his own. After all, it was one thing to write down pages and pages for school. It was another to write down something that wasn't meant to be turned in.

However, on a whim, he decided to take one of the journals Draco bought for him to the library. At first he spent his free period combing through more past tasks for the tournament, but his eyes growing tired reading the vast list of dangerous animals used in the tasks from mutated-hybrid lions, giant squids, and sharks and hearing the fates of Champions that perished in the tournament or lived long enough to recap every horrified ordeal. He needed something to take his mind off things, so he switched from the book to the journal. In the beginning, it was mostly phases and sentences that were random and spoke of nothing, words set here and there, but as he turned over to the second page, the words started to produce, expanding paragraphs and then soon to more pages.

Harry was so engrossed in the words, of watching his thoughts coat the fresh pages with black ink, that he almost lost track of time. By the time he looked up, he realized there were less than fifteen minutes to get to Potions. Snake or not, godson (in a way) or not, Severus didn't appreciate tardiness of any kind.

He gathered up his things and hightailed it to class. He was too busy trying to stuff his textbook into his bag and getting the damn zipper to close to notice someone approaching him. It wasn't until his shoulder knocked into another that he was forced to look up.

Fleur smiled down at him, her deep blue eyes bright with amusement. From the corner of his eye, Harry saw a few students walking by stop in their tracks to stare, gazes locked on the beautiful girl standing in front of Harry. Too bad for them, she was focused on someone else.

"'ello 'arry." she said.

"Hi." he replied.

"I feel so silly. Madame gave us maps of the school but I keep getting lost." She gave a slight shrug and somehow the simple gesture was almost as fluid as a dance step. "My friends wanted to meet at the Great Hall for brunch. Would you be so kind to escort me there?"

"Um…" The look in her eyes made it clear that Fleur never heard a refusal a day in her life and today wouldn't be that day. Harry did quick math in his head. He still had about ten minutes till class, and the Potions classroom wasn't too far from the Great Hall-at least as long as he took the quick route. "Sure."

Fleur's smile dazzled in delight. Harry returned the smile and held out his arm to her. Surprise and approval gleamed in her eyes at the gesture as she linked her arm through his. "Such a gentleman."

Harry tried to brush aside the words with a shrug, but he could feel heat stirring in his cheeks.

Some people stared bewildered as they walked by, most of their shocked stares cast on Fleur. Harry was relieved to have the spotlight focused on someone else, although the flare of the light was softer compared to his own. Fleur, however, paid no mind to it.

"On pourrait penser que quelqu'un ait appris à ces enfants qu'il est impoli de fixer les gens comme ça?" she commented.

You'd think someone would teach these children it's impolite to stare. It was a statement Harry completely agreed with. Someone probably did but they chose to ignore it. He told her as much, saying, "Ça a surement été fait, mais ils ont choisi de ne pas écouter."

Along with personal space, Harry silently added.

Fleur was taken back by the fact he understood what she was saying and responded back in her native tongue, but from the lift of her smile, it seemed to be a pleasant surprise. "You know French?"

"A bit." French was part of the pureblood lessons Aunt Cissa made sure both he and Draco succeeded in. He knew the language, could read and write in it, but Harry wouldn't go as far as to call himself an expert. Draco was the more fluent one, having an ear for language and able to speak back perfectly, nailing the accent just right while Harry was a bit clumsy with the diction and vowels.

Fleur's delight grew.

It dawned on him that while he knew most of Hogwarts were against him, he didn't know about the other schools. Cedric was stunned when he found out he wasn't the only Champion representing their school. One of Victor's brows rose as he gripped his hands tighter. A strange look came over Fleur's eyes, a look that wasn't exactly intimidating but definitely thorough, as if she was looking into him.

The same look that sparked in her eyes as she looked at him now. He opened his mouth to state his innocence, but Fleur beat did him to it. "I know you are not guilty, 'arry."

Harry blinked, stunned. It was one thing to hear it from Draco and Severus. It was another to hear it from a competitor. "I-"

"Your 'eartbeat said it all," Fleur explained. "I was almost scared zat it would fall from your chest."

His heartbeat? Harry knew it was strong during the goblet fiasco. It pounded so loud, so hard, he was sure it'd pop out. But compared to the screams that were going on in the Great Hall, his heartbeat might as well have been a whisper. So how did Fleur hear-Harry got his answer as he looked into her eyes and saw a pale, ice-blue sheer flash through them. "Your Veela senses."

"Very good." she smiled. "Most peopol don't see ze connection until ze wings appear."

Harry had a feeling it wasn't just the wings that hinted at her heritage. There was a strange aura that clung onto her, something other than magic buzzing around her body. The way she held herself, the spark in her eyes and the dazzle of her smile, how grace and elegance gleamed from every step she took and every move she made. She reminded him of the Veelas he saw at the World Quidditch Cup, only less vicious. "Can't take all the credit. A friend may have handed me a clue." Or let the secret out early.

Fleur's left brow draw slightly higher, a hint of amusement leaking onto her smile. "Draco Malfoy."

Harry nodded.

"I was his peer guide at ze retreat. He was very…" Fleur struggled to find the right word that wouldn't be too offensive. "Interesting."

Harry had to bite down his smirk. Interesting was a polite word most people used for Draco. Irritating was another one, said on a mild day. As for the bad? Well, they were the special type of words that shouldn't be repeated in front of a lady.

"You two are close." A statement, not a question.

Harry nodded. "For as long as I can remember."

"Seem very fond of each other."

A steak of warmth flared his face, stirring in his stomach as he remembered how Fleur caught them holding hands, an act that was simply natural to them but may come across as strange to an outsider.

"Best friends." Again, another statement.

Harry nodded back and took note that the strange look glowed brighter, the all-too amusing, almost-knowing glint reminding him of Aunt Cissa.

"I always love stories of ze childhood friends," she said. "Nozing more beautiful."

Unsure how to respond, Harry gave a weak nod. He suppressed a relieved sigh as he noticed the Great Hall was only a few feet away.

"Merci, 'arry." She unwrapped her arm from his and pecked him on both cheeks, the scent of lilac clouding his nostrils. "Draco is very lucky to have you."

Slightly baffled by the statement, Harry pulled back. Fleur's odd smile remained on her face.

"And you him."

"Um…" Harry said, finally popping out an awkward, "Thank you."

With that said, he left for Potions, feeling Fleur's eyes oddly-amused eyes watching him until he made a turn around the corner and disappeared from her sight.

There was a crowd gathered outside the classroom door, most of them Slytherins wearing the Hogwarts True Champion buttons, carrying copies of the Prophet, laughing at the latest story. Draco took notice of Harry and ran towards him, a mischievous smile pulling his lips.

"Have you read the latest-" Draco paused and sniffed the air around him, the smile vanishing from his face as his eyes hardened, narrowing into cold slits. "Why the hell do you smell like Delacour?"

Before Harry could answer, Pansy was by their side, pointing to the left. "Here comes Weasley."

The snickers among the Slytherins heightened as they parted the hall for Ron and Hermione to pass through. Some didn't even bother hiding their snickers, and those who tried to suppress (rather poorly) their chuckles only end up laughing harder. Draco's momentarily annoyance with Fleur and her scent being on Harry was pushed aside as he strolled over to Ron, a smirk slashing across his face. Harry stayed close by, sensing a fight was bound to start.

"Extra, extra," Draco happily cried, waving the paper. "Read all about it."

Ron snatched it from his hands and flipped it open, eyes skimming over the article, narrowing more and more as he read, hands shaking. Harry hadn't been able to the paper himself but had a good guess as to what it could be about, if the picture on the front cover had anything to say about it. A flustered Mr. Weasley was standing across from a man dressed in formal robes with a dumbstruck expression on his face. The Minister was trying to pull the man away while Mr. Weasley was struggling to hold onto his wand that was falling apart in his hands, beams of energy shooting from the splintered cracks. Mrs. Weasley was trying to shield them all from the reporters' eyes, flinging her sweater at their faces.

"Apparently," Draco grinned wickedly like the cat that caught himself the canary, his raised voice bouncing through the walls, reaching people at the far end. "The Ministry is so desperate to clean up their mess, they'll hire just about anyone. Including a moronic buffoon whose failed oblivation spell hit not only several Ministry employees but also an important ambassador who can't even remember his own name."

Ron's hands weren't just shaking; his entire body was quivering in anger. His face was almost as red as his hair.

Draco ate it all up like cake. "Perhaps your daddy, Weasley, should stick to inspecting rubber ducks for Muggle studies and leave important matters such as this to the professionals. Or at least those who knew how to hold a wand."

"Shut your face, Malfoy!" Ron had to scream over the roaring laughter of their peers.

"Tell us, Weaslebee, are you expecting another sibling or does your mother suffer difficulty putting down the fork?"

Hermione latched onto Ron's arm to keep him from charging over to Draco. His face was a mix of embarrassment and anger, as if he didn't know whether he wanted to crawl into a hole or knock every tooth out of Draco's mouth. He shook off Hermione's hold and snarled at him, "At least my mum's not some Death Eater's whore, which is more than what I can say about yours! Tell us, ferret-face. How wide did she have to spread her legs to get those diamonds of hers?"

"RON!" Harry yelled, using half his strength to hold a fuming Draco back, the other half trying not to give into the great urge of hexing the boy into oblivion for that comment.

Draco, stronger and angrier, gave into the urge, taking out his wand and shooting it at Ron. "Densavego!"

"Funnuclus!"

Jets of light shot from both their wands, hit each other midair, and ricocheted at different angles-Ron's hit Goyle in the face, Draco's hit Hermione. Goyle screamed and brought his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were sprouting from the skin. Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth.

"Hermione!" Harry cried.

Ron turned over and dragged Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth-already larger than average-were growing at an alarming rate. She was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, towards her chin. Panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry.

"And what is all this commotion about?" said a soft, deadly voice.

Severus had arrived. The students shouted out various explanations but he silenced them with a glare and a pointed finger aimed at Draco. "Explain."

"Weasley attacked me, sir-"

"He started it!" Ron protested.

"And he hit Goyle! Look!"

Severus examined poor Goyle whose face now resembled something found in the pages of a textbook that covered poisonous fungi.

"Hospital wing, Goyle," Severus said calmly.

Crabbe escorted him there, knocking into Ron's shoulder on the way and shooting him a look that promised vengeance later.

"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!"

He forced Hermione to show Severus her teeth. She was doing her best to hide them with her hands, through that proved to quite a challenge as they now grew past her collar. Behind him, Harry heard Pansy and her friends bursting into laughter. He could picture her leaning against Daphne or holding onto Theo for support to keep from falling over.

Severus looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

Harry's mouth dropped to the ground at the same time Draco's lifted into a cutting smirk.

Hermione staggered back as the laughter grew louder, as if the words were a punch to the gut. Tears filling her eyes, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of the sight.

"You slimy, blood-sucking leech-" Severus cut off Ron's rant with a cool glare.

"Let's see," he said in his silkiest voice. "Ten points from Gryffindor for provoking a student, fifty for dueling on school grounds, and five for verbal assault on a teacher."

"I didn't assault-"

"Which makes a grand total of sixty-five points lost from Gryffindor, along with detention tonight. Now, Weasley, I suggest you hold that tongue, get inside or it will be a week's worth."

Severus strode into the room with most of the students trailing behind him including a reluctant Ron who looked half-tempted to use the same hex that boiled Goyle's face on the Potions Master. Harry, on the other hand, stayed behind, staring at the spot where Hermione ran off to.

His heart went out to her. Hermione has always been sensitive about her teeth. He imagined having teeth like those and dentists for parents weren't the easiest combination to live with. Now, it was worse with Draco's spell turning them into a dental nightmare. Add that to what Severus said-Harry winced, remembering. That was a low blow even for him.

"We have class." Harry didn't realize Draco was still standing there until he spoke.

"Yea, but-" Daphne stepped forward and offered a small smile.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Spells like that don't last long."

"The same," Draco said. "won't be said for you if Severus found out you skipped class."

Another good point. If there was one thing Severus hated more than tardiness, it was absence.

I'll check on her after class, Harry promised as he followed his friends into the classroom.

To his annoyance, Ron glared daggers at them-mostly at Harry and Draco-as they walked in and took their seats. He whispered to Seamus in a non-discreet voice that was loud enough for Harry to hear up front, "Lousy, slimy git of a teacher and lousy, slimy snakes. Why am I not surprised?"

Draco clenched his hands into fists, a growl ripping through his teeth. Yet it was Harry who turned around, rage swelling inside him like a bruise, and cut Ron into ribbons with his sharp glare.

"Better a slimy snake who knows the meaning of loyalty," Harry emphasized, making sure his words hit their mark. "then a spineless, cowardly cub."

"Well said, Potter." Draco smirked.

Luckily for them, before another duel broke out, Severus called the class to order and explained the task at hand. Today, they'd be creating a remedy for people suffering from insomnia. He said that in order for them to create the antidote, they must first conduct a potion that would trigger the disorder, explaining they'd need to see how the disorder worked on the senses so they could create counterattacks against it. He implied that they might experiment the potion on test subjects, his eyes scanning over the Gryffindors as possible victims.

Poor Neville crouched down in his seat when Severus's eyes landed on him.

Harry was about to go to the back shelves for the ingredients until Draco volunteered to do it himself. It was a bit of a eyebrow-raiser since Harry was usually the one to get the ingredients while Draco set up the cauldron, but he didn't question, figuring there was nothing wrong with a change in routine every now and then. As Draco went to the back, Harry pulled out the cauldron and set it on the table. He then took out his textbook and his notes, laying them side by side, and looked through the process of creating the potion.

Draco returned minutes later with the ingredients, setting them down. "Ready to start?"

"Almost," Harry mumbled. "I'm just stuck on something."

"On what?" Draco peered over his shoulder.

"According to the book, we need to fill the cauldron halfway through with lukewater, then cobra saliva. The notes say saliva first, then a quarter of hot water."

Draco took a moment to figure out the answer. "For now, since the book isn't always accurate, go with the notes."

"Salvia and a quarter water it is then."

Draco smiled and gently knocked his shoulder into him.

For a few minutes the sounds of cutting, stirring, and whispered chattering filled the room. The boys had to read over each step of the procedure twice to make sure they weren't making any mistakes. Harry was happy to see their potion was coming along well.

"Hey, Ron, are you okay? You look kinda pale."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Harry looked up. Neville stood beside Ron who leaned over their cauldron, frozen as a statue. Color drained from his face that was being fanned by the fumes billowing from their cauldron, his eyes widening into saucers.

"Are you alright?" Neville took a step closer and placed his hand on Ron's shoulder.

That seemed to be the trigger point for Ron. He stared at the hand as if it were death itself, slapped it away, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "SPIDER!"

Everyone stopped working and looked over to the back. Draco calmly set his stirring rod down, slung an arm around Harry's neck, and leaned into him, a smirk touching his lips.

"Ron, calm down-" Unfortunately for Neville, Ron wasn't in the mood for listening. With one swing of his textbook to the face, Ron sent him to the floor.

Ron jumped over Neville's fallen form to the center of the room, moving around in a circle. His eyes wide in alarm and horror, body jerking frantically as if he were going into shock, hands furiously patting and dusting off his clothes and face and head as if the army of fire ants were crawling on his skin.

"Get them off! Get them off! Get them off!" he screamed.

"It's official," Theo declared. "Weasley has finally lost it."

"Well, he definitely lasted longer than I thought he would." Draco commented.

"And now he's giving a show!" Pansy shrieked in horror as Ron unbuttoned his robes and kicked them aside, still screaming about spiders invading his body, then his fingers dropped to the buttons of his shirt, quickly working to undo them, flashing hints of ghastly-pale skin. She covered her eyes with her hands. "Urgh, I'm blind! Make it stop!"

Her answers were answered in the form of Severus who strode over to Ron, his displeasing scowl growing tighter and tighter. "Weasley, you will cease and desist this nonsense at once or so help me-"

It all happened in slow motion.

One second, Ron turned over to look at Severus, his frantic eyes roaring in fear and panic, as if he were looking into the eyes of the spider king himself. The next, Ron's hands were placed against Severus's chest and pushed hard, sending the man flying across the room, knocking into a table. The collision of the shove caused Neville's cauldron that was still brewing over the fire to leap into the air. The cauldron turned upside-down as it made its way down, the potion spilling, pouring onto Severus's head before the cauldron fell on top of him.

Everything came to a complete halt as the cauldron fell onto Severus's head, the potion spilling onto his black robes and the floor, painting them with hot pink goo that reminded Harry of melted bubble gum.

Ron was the only one brave enough or distracted about to move, shrieking on and on about bloody spiders that were all over him before he ran out of the room. As for everyone one? No one dared move, or even breathe. They were frozen in their chairs, eyes glued to Severus whose head was buried underneath the cauldron, steaks of pink goo running down his clothes, gathering into a puddle at his feet.

It must have been seconds, minutes, even close to an hour before Severus finally lifted the cauldron off his head, releasing the last stream of pink that showered his face. He set the cauldron on the table and wiped the goo off his face, flickering splotches of it onto the ground.

"Five hundred points," he said in a low, tight voice that quivered in barely-suppressed seething rage. "from Gryffindor."

"What?!" Seamus bellowed, the outrage cry that broke through their stunned silence, acting as a match that sparked life back into the room, explosive protests from the Gryffindors that was almost as loud as the uncontrollable laughter bursting from the Slytherins.

"I do hope you lot get the chance to thank your moronic housemate," Severus growled. "Because each and every one of you will be serving a week's detention, starting tomorrow."

That only made the Slytherins laugh harder while the Gryffindors cursed and screamed at Severus, causing them to lose even more points. Blaise laughed so hard that he nearly fell out from his stool. Theo tried to his flushed face by burying it in a book, but Harry could see his body shaking from the chuckles. Draco simply threw his head back and laughed without an ounce of shame, leaning against Harry for support. Harry could feel his own insides aching from so much laughing and tried to breathe, but each poor attempt led to more laughter.

"What-what-" he rasped, taking in a deep breath and trying to get the question out. "What did you do, Draco?"

Draco placed a hand against his chest in an innocent who, me? gesture. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about."

"Really? The look on your face says otherwise. Especially given the smile you're wearing screaming sometimes I'm so clever, I amaze even myself."

Draco tried to play coy, but even he knew when to throw in the towel. Even then, the wicked smile stuck on his face. "I may have slipped a few spider legs into Weasley's potion while I was getting our things."

Ron already made a big mistake leaning over the cauldron while it was heating up, exposing himself to the fumes that weaken the senses, over activating the frontal lobes of the brain, making the person see hallucinations, courtesy of the cobra saliva. Add that to the fact that Ron already held a deep fear of spiders and their parts were added to the potion-"You had him seeing spiders?!"

Draco nodded, all too pleased with himself. "Oh himself, on other people, etc."

Oh dear God.

Draco slung an arm around Harry and reeled him in. "That's what happens to spineless, disloyal cubs who forsaken their friends in their time of need."

A small part of Harry should have been appalled that Draco would go as far to use Ron's own fear against him for revenge, that his little stunt made Severus part of the collateral damage. But the fact Draco did it for him, because of what Ron said after his name was called out…it, well, it was hard to be mad.

Harry shook his head and rolled his halfheartedly, a smile tugging his lips. "You're crazy."

Draco shrugged. "Which is just another word for brilliant."

Harry knocked into his shoulder.

Later on that night, Harry and Draco arrived at Severus's quarters to use the floo. Despite his promise, Harry wasn't able to meet with Hermione. He wasn't able to find her at all. Neville said she locked herself in her room and refused to come out till her teeth went back to normal. It seemed to be the same plan Ron had in mind, making himself scarce. At the end of Potions, practically everyone in the castle heard of his spider fiasco.

Severus was still suffering from that fiasco with dry bits of pink goo still plastered onto his face, streaks coloring his hair.

"If I as so much as hear a snicker," he warned as they came through the door, the sight of their astonished, amused faces curving his face into a scowl. "came out from either one of your mouths, you'll be joining the Gryffindors in detention."

Harry and Draco traded a look, sucked in a breath, and clamped their mouths shut.

Severus rolled his eyes.

When Harry was sure a snicker or-God forbid-another laugh came out from his mouth, he asked, "You're not coming with us?"

Severus shook his head. "Too much work to be done and plans to work out." A dark glimmer sparked in his black eyes. "Some of them for a certain little Weasely the next time I see him."

He grabbed a handful of powder and tossed it onto the fireplace, saying, "Malfoy Manor."

"By the way, Uncle Sev," Draco said. "love the streaks. The pink really brings out your eyes."

Laughing, Harry pushed them into floo before Severus committed first-degree murder for the comment.

Lucius and Narcissa were already waiting for them in the living room, but to Harry's surprise there were other visitors invited for dinner. Sirius and Remus were standing close to the fireplace, smiles lightning their faces.

"Sirius! Remus!" Harry happily cried.

Sirius pulled him into a tight hug while Remus ruffled his hair. He arched an brow as he took in Harry's formal robes. "Geez, kiddo, I didn't know you were off to meet the Queen tonight."

"Very funny," Harry rolled his eyes, smiling just the same. "What are you guys doing here? I thought I wouldn't hear from you till next week."

Sirius shrugged. "Since I already knew you were coming here, thought I surprise you."

Harry's brow rose slightly as he glanced over at his aunt, then back to Sirius. "You two came together and decided this? Peacefully?"

"Well-" Remus stepped forward and cut him off.

"More so Narcissa and I made the arrangements while Sirius," he looked pointedly at him. "sat quietly by the corner and behaved himself."

"Har-bloody-har," he remarked. "Point being, we're here for food. More importantly, we're here for you, kiddo. This tournament business concerns us as much as it does you. And I plan to help you in any way I can."

Harry didn't bother asking the question. The unwavering look in both Paddy and Moony's eyes said it all, showing nothing but their complete fair in him, which touched him deeply.

Lucius directed them to the dining room. Harry took his usual spot next to Draco, though it was a bit odd to see Sirius sitting in Severus's chair while Dobby had to pull up an extra one for Remus. The house-elves filled their glasses with cool, sparkling water and placed a generous amount of salad onto their plates, setting a basket of breadsticks in the center of the table. Sirius's eyes grew more curious, more amused as more dishes were brought out.

"Geez," he said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Queen of England was stopping by."

"Sirius!" Harry hissed in warning.

He winked and took a sip of his drink, not even flinching as Remus dug his elbow into his side, warning him to behave.

"I'd hate to see what fits your idea of a proper dining setting, Sirius," Narcissa commented, her voice cooler than the water. "Paper plates and plastic utensils?"

"Why, dear cousin, don't be ridiculous," Sirius teased. "Why use a fork and spoon when we have our hands?" He held them up, wiggling his fingers for emphasis.

Oh god. Harry buried his face in his hands, missing the ice that frosted over his aunt's eyes as she glared at her cousin.

Luckily for Harry, as if God or Merlin or fate decided to have mercy on him, Sirius managed to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the meal, not saying another peek as more entrees were brought up and conversation began. He only spoke once ideas poured on what to do for Rita Skeeter for her annoying article on Harry. He was all up for biting her. Narcissa thought fighting fire with fire was much better, revealing she had connections that could dig up dirt on the reporter. Lucius's eyes narrowed and Remus's widened when Harry explained that Moody was recruited as the new DADA teacher, signs that warned him not to reveal how the first day of class went. He was still shivering from Moody's demonstration of the Unforgivable curses, the second one that terrified Neville, the last that churned Harry's stomach for the rest of the day. The fact that Lucius pointed out that the boys should take his distance from him only strengthened that point.

They all had themselves a laugh, though, as Harry recapped the adventures of Draco the bouncing ferret.

Draco kept quiet most of the night, other than sneering at Harry for bringing up the incident, elbowing him and demanding that uncle had the man removed from the school. Other than that, he was silent, tapping his foot impatiently against the chair leg, clearly anxious to get to the good part.

Almost as if he could read his thoughts, Lucius wiped his face with a napkin and laid his hands on the table, lacing his fingers together. "As both of you know, this wasn't a mere social call. Last week, I made a personal trip down to the Ministry to look over the contract."

The boys leaned forward in their chairs.

"Almost all contracts are ridden with loopholes," A scowl settled on his face. "Unfortunately, this particular one seems to be the exception." His scowl deepened. "It appears Minister Fudge has finally wised up."

Harry felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs. Draco swore viciously under his breath, glaring at his half-finished plate like it was the Minister's head.

Sirius lifted a brow, disbelief and annoyance flashing in his eyes. "You mean to say the great Lucius Malfoy couldn't bribe his way out of a contract? Pinch me, I'm dreaming."

Remus elbowed him in the side instead, warning him once more to behave.

"Fret not, boys," Narcissa assured, reaching for uncle's hand. "Lucius may not found an invalid clause in the contract, but he did find out, Harry, what you will be up against for the first task."

That restored a bit of Harry's fallen spirits. "What's the first task?" he asked as Dobby popped in to refill his glass. He thanked the tiny creature with a nod and took a sip.

"Dragons." Lucius stated calmly, as if he were talking about the weather.

Draco's jaw smacked onto the ground at the exact moment Harry spat out his drink.

"Dragons?!"