Chapter 7 The First Task and Christmas with Dad

AN: Thanks to my betas, poisonivy9675, darrelldeam and alix33, for looking this over. All mistakes are my own.

AN: I am not an action writer, so the tasks might be a little lame for you guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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Sirius figured out rather quickly that Harry made a wish to a vengeance demon. One day, a week before the first task, he confronted the boy. "Harry," the grey-eyed man called, "stay after class." He wasn't upset by any means; after all, it got him out of running from the Aurors and captured that traitor Wormtail. However, he did want to make sure the wish didn't come back and bite his godson.

"Ummm, okay, Professor," Harry answered, confused.

After everyone else left Sirius sat at the teacher's desk and motioned for his godson to take a seat. "So are you going to tell me just exactly how your mum and I came to be here in the castle?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Well, you see, ummm, didn't Mum tell… do I have to?" the dark-haired boy hedged. Hallie never said he couldn't tell anyone, but he didn't want people blaming him for the sudden turnaround.

"Yes," came the succinct answer.

Harry let out and explosive sigh. "Fine, but I don't want you or Mum yelling at me," he said, folding his arms defensively. He then explained how the wish came about and what the wording was.

"So, we're here to treat Snivellus the same way he treats you? I had wondered why I had to take that stupid vow that Headmaster Flanagan made me take." The Animagus rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I can't fault you for making that wish. Merlin knows, I wanted to do the same when I was a kid. That demon, Halfrek, actually came to me when I was younger, but my parents put a good fear of vengeance demons in me. They practically beat it into me that those types of wishes never worked out well for the wisher. You're just lucky you worded it the way you did."

"Believe me, I know. Hallie was actually impressed with my wording. As for why you had to take the vow, Mum said that if you and Dad ganged up on Snape it would do more harm than good. She said that pranking wasn't something he does to me, so you can't do it to him. I'm pretty sure that it is all in the wording of my wish," Harry said with a lift of his shoulder.

"Okay, so tell me exactly how that man treats you. Start from the first time you saw him until now," Sirius said firmly. He knew the greasy-haired git was harsh, but he needed to know how cruel to get him back for his godson.

So a reluctant Harry told him about the first time he saw the Potions Master at the beginning of his first year. He went on to tell about his first class and all the times the dungeon bat took points off for things like breathing too hard. The green-eyed teen lamented about all the under graded assignments and all the times Snape vanished his perfectly good potion. He let his godfather know just who Snape was hard on and who he wasn't.

As Harry talked Sirius got more and more angry. He knew in retrospect that he and James were bullies in school, but they never took it out on someone younger than them. Everyone they pranked had been their equal, except it had been four to one when it came to Snivellus. However, Snape would retaliate with Dark Arts. Sirius also now understood just how much Dumbledore influenced the road Severus headed down. The Animagus felt he did his time in prison for the attempted murder of the greasy-haired bat, however, the then Headmaster should have never swept it under the rug.

"That slimy bastard," he exploded when Harry finished. "I knew he was a prat, but I didn't think he was that big of an arsehole to hold a grudge against a child. Don't you worry, Harry, I'll make sure he starts treating you right. Have you told your mum everything?" Sirius asked suddenly; noting the blush on his godson's face, he took it as a no.

"I figured they let her know when they made her portrait," he tried to wave it off as unimportant.

"I'll tell her and we'll be a bit stricter on poor old Snivellus," the new History professor mocked sarcastically.

The two adults must have gotten together and made plans, because Lily's tirades became harsher and Sirius never left the greasy-haired git alone during mealsHe was always there taunting and criticizing his teaching methods, letting the Potions Master know that the only way it would stop is if he started treating everyone the same.

Snape's job was already on the line; Headmaster Flanagan was going over his points' record and informed him that if he continued then he was gone.

It was finally the day of the first task, and Harry was ecstatic that he wasn't in the champions' tent. Hagrid had let it slip to Harry what the champions would be facing and he, of course, told the other three. They plotted ways to get around the dragons without hurting them. It took a bit of talking to get Krum, whose learning was a bit more violent than theirs, to change his strategy, but they finally did.

The stadium was huge and the audience was plenty. The entire student body, the staff and the visitors of all three schools made for thousands of viewers. Not quite as many as the Quidditch World Cup, but enough that you could barely hear yourself think. Harry was sitting with Neville, Susan, Luna and Hermione in the middle of the stands. You could hardly make out the arena from there. The dark-haired teen was glad he had his Omnioculars, which he was more than willing to share. Hermione still had hers as well.

The dragon handlers brought in a Swedish Short-Snout, which was roaring and breathing fire at the spectators, causing many people to scream. Once they got the dragon tied down, the handlers left to the side of the arena. Ludo Bagman called out Cedric's name, and the seventh year Hufflepuff sprinted from the tent.

He stopped at the line drawn at the entrance and lifted his wand. Soothing music started to play, and a mist formed around the dragon's eyes. No matter where the nesting mother turned her head the mist stayed. Cedric nodded, and then turned his wand to the rocks and transfigured three of them into large sheep. He jerked his wand, making the figures go towards the dragon. The music lulled the dragon to compliance and the mist blocked its view. When she smelled the sheep, she lowered her head, opened her mouth and fired on the blurs in front of her.

Cedric was sneaking around the outside of the arena, keeping behind the rocks and finally got to the nest. He lifted the prize and when he saw the dragon had run out of sheep he transfigured more. Carefully he made his way back to the entrance and held up the golden egg.

The crowd went wild, causing the dragon to snap out of its stupor and roar again. It didn't matter though, because the task was complete. The other two champions would be doing something similar. Fleur would be using her Veela charm and Viktor would be using a sleep spell (which would only cause the dragon to become drowsy, hopefully, making its eyes droop). The crowd was a bit disappointed with the lack of bloodshed, but the champions didn't care; they were alive and unharmed.

Then came Crouch Jr's turn. The spectators booed and hissed at him. The deranged man stepped into the arena, lifted his wand and started to shout the Killing Curse. The handlers who already had their wands trained on him to stun him if necessary. The second he uttered the 'Av' of the curse they fired. He got halfway through it when one of the stunning spells hit. He fell to the ground and the Hungarian Horntail ate him. He had crossed the line and was too close.

The crowd was silent, except for Crouch Sr. who cursed the loss of the last of his family. The rest of the audience couldn't make up its mind whether to cheer that the criminal was gone or mourn the death of the man. Ludo could be heard stuttering into the mic, and the judges were gobsmacked.

Harry was smiling inwardly. He wasn't a cruel person, but that man had been trying to kill him or use him to raise the Dark Lord, who would then kill the teen. He had very little sympathy.

The dragon was taken away and Ludo tried to brush it all off by going on to who was in first place. Cedric was ahead by two points, then Fleur by one point and then Viktor.

Harry clapped loudly for all three champions. He was glad they decided to pool their resources. It was Cedric's idea for the sheep (he was going to go with dogs, but they talked him into a food source), Fleur's for the calming spells and Viktor's for the obstruction of the eyes. Harry was the one who suggested they do all three (he also had their brooms at the side of the tent, in case they needed them).

Parties were aplenty that night as Hogwarts celebrated their lead. Fred and George, of course, supplied the Gryffindors with butter beer and snacks.

It was halfway through the festivity when Ron approached Harry.

"Harry," the redhead started sheepishly, "I wanted to apologize for doubting you." He rubbed his hand over his face and continued, "I understand now; all the complaining you did. I don't like all the fame I've been getting or all the people doubting me. It feels like what happened to you in second year. And I figured that Crouch guy was trying to do you in." There was a sincere look in the boy's eyes, more serious than Harry had seen in a long time.

Harry nodded sagely at his friend; it was the whole point of the wish, to make them understand how he felt. "So, you finally figured it out? Do you really understand?" he asked, with all seriousness.

"Yeah, mate, I get it. I've been a right prat to you all year. When my family didn't believe that I didn't enter that contest— it hurt. Fred and George haven't let up since. Now I understand what you've been trying to tell me for years," Ron said, sitting in front of his hopefully soon to be friend again.

"Let me think about it," Harry said. "Your turning on me was pretty painful. I thought you'd always stand by me, so when you turned your back it was like being stabbed in the heart. I can't just brush it off like nothing. I'll let you know when I get back from break." And he got up and joined the other Gryffindors in celebration.

Ron hung his head, for now he truly knew what it was like to have a friend turn on you. He was hopeful, though, because Harry was a good bloke.

The next day Harry was talking to a girl from Durmstrang, and she was telling him about her family; they were gypsies. She was a member of Clan Kalderash and she knew of a family curse that would ensoul the dead. And for a price she would perform it. They would have to work out an additional spells to go with it, because Voldemort was Dark even with his soul and making his soul rejoin might not be enough. Kala said that she would need to get the ingredients and could do the curse after the break.

That night, while Harry was once again on his boulder, Hallie appeared. "Hey, cutie, everything working out for you?" she asked. She was in her human guise so she wouldn't frighten the boy.

"Ummm, hi, Halfrek," Harry said a little nervous, he hoped this was a pleasant visit and that she wasn't going to put everything back the way it was.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I like where this wish has gone. True, I usually just maim and kill people, but all this angst works just as well. I just wanted to let you know that after you do the gypsy curse, I'm going to do something that will make Voldemort wish he never wanted immortality," she explained with a wicked grin on her face.

"Is that part of my wish?" Harry asked, confused.

"Nope," the demon said, still smiling that devious smile. "This is for all the kids he and his minions killed before you were ever born. I can't stand child killers." Her face morphed into her demon visage.

Harry backed up as far as the boulder allowed and asked in a frightened voice, "Ummm, what are you going to do with him?"

"Tell you what, cutie, you do the ritual and I'll do the whole villain dialogue with him when you're done." She smirked; she always liked doing that to her victims. "I'll even supply the vampire you're going to need."

"Oh, okay, that's great, I guess," Harry hedged. He didn't know they were going to need a vampire. They were going to use another construct. He'd have to tell Kala about it in the morning.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I've got it covered." The demon winked at him (and wasn't that a scary sight) and then disappeared.

The next evening the Yule Ball was announced, the Headmaster stated that only those who wanted to had to stay. Sirius and Harry made plans to visit the Potter Manor so that Harry could get to know his dad.

Harry talked to Kala and they changed their plans to fit Hallie's additions.

For the first time since he set foot in Hogwarts, Harry had somewhere to go for Christmas. He made sure to get gifts for all his new friends, via owl order, and left with his godfather. The train ride was cheerful and peaceful. Malfoy was staying at the school for the ball, so there were no interruptions.

The blond Slytherin was having a bad time of it. Though he was never nice to Harry, he did pull him aside and confess that he now understood what his enemy felt. They would never be friends, but they would stop hexing each other in the halls. It was about that time his House finally stopped shunning him. He wasn't the prince he was before, but he wasn't an outcast.

"Aren't you going to be disappointed you missed the ball?" Sirius asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"Not really. I mean, yeah it would have been nice and Fleur asked me to be her date, but I can't give up the opportunity to meet my dad," Harry said. He had been shocked when the older girl asked him to escort her. They had been getting along great with all the training and mild flirting, but he never knew she was serious. She was quite beautiful and the hormonal teen had a hard time turning her down. When Harry explained that he just found out about his dad's portrait and he wanted to get to know the man, she said she understood and suggested they go to Hogsmeade when he got back.

"Oh, a Veela. That's my godson," Sirius crowed, rubbing Harry's already messy hair. "Going for the older, unreachable, ladies," he said slyly. "I'm so proud."

"Back off, Padfoot, it's not like that, well, yet," the dark-haired teen said as he swatted away the other man's hand. He tried to pat his hair down and then gave it up as a lost cause.

Sirius just gave him a wink and then started regaling him with stories about how he and Lily were taming Snape, causing Harry to grin at the turnabout the Potions Master had done. Yet that niggling feeling that something was missing was still there.

They got off the train and Sirius Disapparated them to the outside of the Manor's ward lines "You have to claim the wards before we can go in."

"How do I do that?" Harry asked, taking out his wand and looking about.

The Manor was huge, there were at least five stories and possibly a basement. It was a square shape with a large front porch. The lawns were overgrown and Harry could tell where Dobby had tried to get them under control. The outside of the manor looked sparkling clean, so he knew that his little friend had worked hard on restoring it.

"You just hold up your wand, state who you are and claim the wards; magic will do the rest," Sirius said, breaking Harry out of his musings.

"I, Harry James Potter, the son of James Charles Potter, do hereby claim this house and its wards as my own," Harry incanted.

His wand flashed and the gate creaked open. They made their way up the weed free path to the large front doors. Harry tapped his wand on the handle, as per Sirius's instruction. The inside to the house was worn but clean, you could tell no one had lived here in quite a while. Dobby was certainly earning his keep. The two males made their way down the corridor and to the living room, off to the right.

It was an elaborate room, done in Victorian furniture, which was a little faded, but otherwise in good condition. There was a large fireplace, which Harry figured was the Floo. Pictures of past Potters hung on the walls. One of them spoke.

"Padfoot, you old dog, it's good to see you again," came the voice of a man who looked remarkably like Harry, only with hazel eyes.

"Prongs," Sirius said, turning to the portrait in question. "Good to see you too, mate. And here is Harry." He gently guided the teen in front of him.

"Hi, Dad," Harry said, a little overwhelmed at the likeness. He had always been told he looked just like his dad, but to see it…

"Harry," James' voice softened as he looked over his son. "You look all grown up. Got a girlfriend yet?"

"He was asked out by a Veela," Sirius said proudly.

"A Veela," James exclaimed loudly, you could see the pride in his eyes.

The green-eyed teen blushed and started to stutter his protest that it was no big thing. "So, ummm, Dad, what have you been doing?" Harry asked, quickly changing the subject. The two older males winked at him and let him.

"Mostly catching up with gossip," James said nonchalantly. "Your house elf is very talkative. He is also extremely fond of you. What did you do to inspire such dedication?" his dad asked as he settled in the painted chair behind him.

Harry and Sirius pulled up two chairs and got comfortable then started telling James about the young man's life. They talked into the wee hours of the morning, only stopping for dinner and loo breaks.

Christmas was fun. Dobby, Harry and Sirius decorated the Manor in festive garnishing. They went for the tackiest they could find, like orange and lime green. The tree was decked out in prank items, and after Sirius gave Harry joke items as a present, they took the day to have a prank war.

"It's too bad Mum isn't here," Harry said after the war was fought; Sirius won.

"I know, son, but remember she was brought here to makes Snivellus's life hell. Like you and Sirius said, there is something he is holding back and she needs to find out what it is," James said, looking at his son.

"I wonder what it could be," Harry mused. He couldn't recall anyone saying anything that would make Snape feel the guilt the teen could see plainly on the professor's face.

"Don't worry about it, pup, your mum will figure it out," Sirius said, clapping Harry on the back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Harry said thoughtfully, though, he was still confused. "Hey, Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," James deadpanned, and then smiled. "What's up, son?"

"When you went into hiding, why didn't you stay here? I mean, the wards are strong, wouldn't that have made more sense?" Harry asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"When we heard Voldemort was gunning for us we were going to hide here," James started, pacing back and forth as he continued, "but Albus said we would be safer under the Fidelius charm. The manor is too big for that, so we chose the house in Godric's Hollow."

"Oh, do we have other houses?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, get Padfoot to take you to Gringotts. There are a few other houses, but Godric's Hollow was closest to here. I, well we, wanted to stay close to my parents," he said sadly. "I begged them to go into hiding with us, but they were quite old and set in their ways. So they stayed here, and Voldemort found them. The wards didn't keep him out."

"Sorry," Harry said, hanging his head a bit.

"It's okay, Prongslet, I saw them in the beyond. They're quite content with the lives they had," James said, smiling, though his eyes were a bit shiny with the memory. He shared a look with Sirius, which said 'cheer him up'.

"How about you and me go out and have a snowball fight," Sirius suggested, changing the subject. "No more dreary talk on the Holidays."

Harry nodded enthusiastically; Sirius was great fun in snowball fights. He would change into Padfoot and Harry would be hard-pressed to catch him. Dobby joined the fun and soon his tower of hats came tumbling down.

Soon enough it was time to go back to Hogwarts. When they returned to the castle they heard all about the ball. Ron wound up going stag, since he didn't want to encourage all the girls chasing him. Most of them were Slytherin, which confused and infuriated the diehard Gryffindor.

Cedric went with Cho, and Fleur went with Viktor. It was said that a good time was had by everyone, except Ron, who got into a fight with Hermione, because she wouldn't go with him and went with Dean instead.

A few days after the break, Ron came to Harry again.

"So," the redhead said, blushing with embarrassment. He was still feeling guilty about not trusting the one true friend he had.

"So," Harry echoed, waving to the seat in front of him. "I thought about it and decided that everyone deserves a second chance, but, Ron, if you ever turn you back on me again it will be the last time," he said with great conviction.

Ron nodded quickly and said, "I promise, Harry, mates to the end." He held up his hand in a swearing motion.

They talked for a bit and soothed things over, somewhat. There was still tension in the air that they couldn't seem to get over.

That night Harry dreamed. He was in the snake again, and Voldemort was with him. The two souls seemed to be arguing about what to do now. Nagini wanted to go back to Albania, the Dark Lord wanted to try and find some poor soul to possess. They must have been having this argument since the last time Harry dreamed.

The two Dark creatures battled internally, until the snake lost and hid in the back of its mind. Voldemort crowed in triumph, but couldn't seem to get the body of the snake to move how he wanted it to. Just as he got it to go in the correct direction, a huge horn owl came from the sky and snatched him up. Not knowing how to move as a snake, Voldemort could do little to stop it.

The owl had its foot clamped around the neck, leaving the body limp under it. It flew to a nearby branch and just before Nagini was about to die, Voldemort's main soul fled and Harry was thrown back into his own head.

The dark-haired teen really hoped this was the last time he had to go through this. It was a good thing they had a plan.