DMN: Hi all! Sooooooooooooooooooooo so sorry for the late update. Been very busy with work, getting married and work and finding out I'm gonna be a dad... That and I keep getting a very bad case of ADOK (Attention Deficit Oooh Kitty) when it comes to ideas. Damn plot bunnies. Anyway, here is Chapter 6 and I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Six
"You know Harry, this is not how I intended to spend my Friday!" Susan yelled as she rolled to the side to avoid a ball of fire thrown from Harry's hand. The fire ball hit the floor where she once stood before dying. The two were currently in Salazar's training room and had been exchanging spells with one another for the last half hour with no clear winner in their mock duel. Susan used her wand to send her own spell at Harry, who summoned a wall of stone with a stomp of his foot. The stone wall took the spell without damage before it broke apart into small pieces and started flying at the strawberry blond slow enough for her to dodge each stone. Harry grinned at the girl.
"You're the one that wanted to spar, Sue." The girl returned the grin placing her palm on the ground.
"Going up, Aqua Laser!" Harry yelped as he jumped to the side as water shot up from the ground where the green eyed teen once stood. Susan had already and very quickly followed up with a stunning spell leaving her wand towards where Harry jumped to.
"Oh son of a," Harry was cut off as the spell collided with him, knocking him out with Susan yelled in triumph.
"Ha! Our score is now thirteen to fifteen in my favor!" Susan walked over and used the enervate spell to wake the boy up. Harry met her eyes with a grin, both teens breathing heavily.
"Nice job Su, I didn't even see you cast the second spell." Susan held out her hand, helping Harry to his feet.
"Well, I did learn that from you after all." The two friends walked over to a nearby bench and each grabbed a towel that was laid upon it. "So, the First Task is next weekend." Harry frowned slightly, grabbing a nearby water bottle for the two of them. "Got your plan figured out yet?" Harry nodded, handing her a bottle.
"I do but I'll have to wait and see what exactly they have planned for us to do. If the task is like we think it is and we have to take something from them then I'll try speaking to it first. If that doesn't work, well I guess I'll have to find a way around the dragon." Susan nodded, taking a drink of water. "What about you? Do you have your plan yet?"
"Kind of." Susan put the cap back on her bottle. "Not too sure on how well it'll work but I'll have to try. I have several ideas, each as unlikely as the last but I will find a way to get through." Harry nodded, putting his bottle down on the table.
"If you absolutely have to, you can try summoning me with the Acio charm. Or even Ron and Malfoy the two of them will be enough of a distraction for the dragon." Susan giggled at the thought.
"That might be a good idea. It'll get them off our backs." Susan watched Harry check the watch Sirius got him.
"Well, lunch is about to start in about twenty minutes. Want to head on down?" the girl shook her head.
"Not with all this sweat, soot and dirt on me. I think a shower is in order." The girl grinned and playfully waved her hand in front of her face. "You could use one too, Harry. You smell dreadful." Harry laughed and tossed his towel at her, hitting her in the face. "Ew, now I got it on me!" The boy laughed harder before running for the door as the reddish blonde chased after him. "Get back here!"
X
"There you are, Harry!" The two teens sighed, turning around as a familiar bushy haired girl came running up behind them as they were on their way to the Great Hall. The girl looked slightly frustrated and was breathing heavily. "Dumbledore has been looking for you since Potions class this morning! He's had the entire staff looking for you and Bones! And what's this I hear about you skipping classes Harry Potter?" Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, both Susan and himself taking note of the slight anger in her voice when she mentioned the fifth champion.
"Hermione, we were training for the first task. We don't have time to sit through some of our classes and train. Now what did Dumbledore want with us?" Hermione put her hands on her hips.
"I don't know what he wanted but it had something to do with the tournament. I volunteered to try and help find you. We've been searching for hours! And you shouldn't be missing classes using this tournament as an excuse! You can learn everything you need from the teachers too!"
"I'm sorry, Hermione, that I'm trying to stay alive!" Harry snapped at her angrily, causing her flinch back. "If it's that much of an issue that I want to come out of this thing alive then this conversation is done!" Harry swiftly turned around and began to quickly walk away in the direction of the Great Hall. Susan gave Hermione one last look of annoyance before turning to walk away herself to catch up to Harry.
"I'll free him from you, Bones." Susan stopped mid stride and looked over her shoulder at the girl with a raised brow.
"What are you talking about, Granger? I haven't done anything to him." The Gryffindor girl glared at Susan, the exiled Hufflepuff easily knowing where this was going.
"I know what you are, Bones, and I intend to free him from you. You have no right to be here with us with what you are." Susan's magic flared dangerously as her glare intensified with each word Hermione spoke.
"You know nothing, witch." With a flick of her hand, Hermione was lifted a foot off the ground, frozen in place. "My time with Harry has changed my mindset on you bigoted vermin. I can and will fight back from now on. I will defend my secret like I should have been doing since it came out at the beginning of summer holidays. I don't know who told you but if you tell Harry, I will kill you myself bitch!"
"Harry is mine you foul creature!" Hermione growled at her only to start grabbing at her neck as if someone was choking her as Susan closed her right hand a little.
"Harry is no ones, little girl, not even mine. He is his own person." Susan turned and started running down the hall, unshed tears could be seen in the corners of her eyes and the bushy brown haired girl blinked before she noticed she was no longer being levitated off the ground nor being choked. 'Stupid girl knows nothing of what it's like to be me.'
'It was an illusion?' The busy haired teen gasped as she rubbed her throat from the phantom pain of having it squeezed.
X
"You alright, Susan?" Harry asked the young girl as she came up behind him, noticing her eyes looked ready to release tears. The girl smiled slightly.
"I'm fine, Harry. Let's go find out what they want." The raven haired teen nodded, not wanting to push the issue as the two entered the Great Hall, the Headmaster walking up to them as soon as they entered.
"Ah, there you are, Ms. Bones, Mr. Potter. If you two will follow me this way, we have the Wand Weighing ceremony to conduct." The two teens followed the old man to the door just behind the staff table. "The two of you have some of us worried. You've been skipping a lot of your classes except your Foreign Magic class and Ancient Runes. Would you kindly explain why you have been doing this? I would have asked earlier but whenever I have the time, you have already disappeared and cannot be found until the next class with our resident Judge or with Professor Babbling."
"We've been training for the tournament, Professor." Susan responded to the Headmaster, the man nodding in understanding seeing that was all he was going to get from the two teens.
"Ah, I guess it can't be helped. I do ask that you make an attempt at attending your classes. I am sure neither of you want to have a visit concerning your grades with me, especially you Ms. Bones as your aunt will not approve of this."
"We'll try, Professor, but I will make no promises. I've already told Sirius about my plans and he supports them." Dumbledore looked at Harry surprised while Susan nodded in agreement.
"My aunt is already aware of this as well and understands my grades will take a dive. While she's against it, she knows that it's necessary since I have no one here that would be willing to help me besides Harry and Judge Magister."
"I see. And what do you know about the escaped convict, Sirius Black?" Susan narrowed her eyes at the Headmaster as Harry shrugged.
"I told her. Now, I believe you were taking us to this stupid ceremony?" Albus looked surprised at Harry. "Honestly, I have no desire to go. I'm only competing to survive not to compete. Is our presence truly needed for this?" Dumbledore blinked in surprise once more, not knowing what to say.
"Um, well I don't…"
"I see then if you don't mind I have a potion I was working on before you decided to interrupt our attempt to have lunch and I would like to return to it. I'm sure Harry also has something he needs to do as well." Harry and Susan swiftly turned around and started walking away. "I suppose we'll grab something from the kitchens later I guess. Good day, Headmaster." The Headmaster stood stunned as he watched the teens walk away.
'What just happened? This isn't going to plan at all.'
X
"Remember, you must keep yourself calm and focused. The slightest change in your emotions and magic could mean the difference between healing and causing harm when using healing spells." Gabranth's voice echoed in the classroom filled with five students and Harry. It was just two days before the First Task and the Judge Magister had separated his classes by magic type to teach the newest spell to the students.
The Potter heir took a deep breath and concentrated on his magic going into his hands. Placing his left hand over the small cut on the right arm of the girl before him, a young teenager with long, silky blonde hair and ice blue eyes wearing Slytherin House robes, he spoke the spells name with calmness and clarity. "Cura!"
The cut that scared the, in Harry's personal opinion, beautiful girl's arm slowly started to close, leaving no scar tissue and removing any evidence of the injury in the first place. The Judge Magister saw this as he inspected the work of his students and spoke up. "Well done, Mr. Potter. It seems you are taking these spells like a sponge to water. Give yourself a few more days and you will most likely have the Cura spell completely mastered and ready to move to its next level." The teen nodded his thanks to the armored man as he looked to the girl. "You chose your partner well, Ms. Greengrass. How is your control with the spell?" The girl replied with a frown and a cool tone.
"I'm still trying to find the right amount of magic to use. I feel that I use too little or too much which causes me to make the wound worse instead of healing it. It frustrates me that after all these weeks I'm still having trouble with the Cure spell." Gabranth rose a brow behind his helmet at the girl's aggravated tone.
'Definitely Anthony's daughter.' "I see. Do you have anything that might help her, Mr. Potter? You were the first of the class to complete the spell when we started it and you're the first to have moved on to its second tier." Harry sat in thought for a moment before nodding.
"I may, your honor, however, I may need to use another spell I have been studying with. With your permission Greengrass I will be able to help." The girl looked at him with a raised brow.
"And what would that be, Potter?"
"It's a spell that will link our minds together temporarily. Using this I should be able to tell what is wrong and how to help. However, she will need another person to use the spell on. I just need to place my hand on your shoulder and it should work." The judge nodded.
"I see you have been learning more than just what you signed into my class for. I hope you are careful with those spells." The boy nodded as the Judge looked around the room. "Ms. Brown, over here please!" Lavender Brown, a fourteen year old girl with long brown hair, light blue eyes and unblemished, slightly tanned skin walked over to the two teens. She wore the standard school attire, minus the robes which sat next to her old partner. The girl smiled slightly towards Harry, sweat on her brow from practicing so much.
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"I need you to help Ms. Greengrass with her spell. I can see that you've already completed your own, judging from the lack of scaring on Mr. Smith. Are you willing?"
"Sure, what can I do?" The armored teacher told her to sit and present her arm. The man drew a metal covered finger over a spot on her arm, causing a cut to appear and bleed without drawing any indication that it hurt.
"Alright, just like your last try, Ms. Greengrass, only I want Mr. Potter to see if he can help you find the answer." The two nodded and the blond sat on her knees next to the girl and Harry placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. Closing his eyes as the young Greengrass girl's hand lit up with a white light, he began to feel her emotions and her magic.
"You're nervous, try to relax." Harry muttered to her, causing her to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Take a deep breath and calm yourself. You have to want to help her. Ignore she's in a different house, she's just a random person who needs help." The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a few minutes of silence the blond placed her hand above the cut, pushing her magic into the wound when Harry spoke again as the area around the cut started to redden and Lavender flinch in pain. "Don't force it, you will only serve to irritate the wound. Place your palm physically on her arm and let your magic guide you." The blond nodded and gently place her palm over the wound, getting a sigh from the teen girl.
"Ok, you can stop." Harry removed his hand from her shoulder as the Slytherin removed her own from his fellow Gryffindor, showing flawless skin where the wound used to be.
"Very good, well done to you both, Mr. Potter, Ms. Greengrass." The Judge looked at a clock on the far wall. "Alright everyone, that is all for today! Your homework is to read everything on the next spell in your healing book before class next week. Don't attempt them just yet as they may be a bit more difficult than you think. You have free time until I dismiss you for your next class." The class started to gather their belongings as the man walked towards the door to the room they were using.
"So Harry, is everything ok? Been a while since you, Sue and I got together for some studying." Lavender asked the green eyed wizard as she came to stand next to him after gathering her belongings. Behind the boy, unseen to the two, the Greengrass girl rose a brow in curiosity.
"Everything's fine, Lavender, we've just been really busy preparing for the upcoming task for this stupid tournament. Besides, you know I refuse to step foot in that tower with those idiots that still think I cheated my way in." The blonde girl frowned.
"So, even your own house doesn't believe you then?" The two looked behind Harry, finding his class partner still behind them. "Even I could tell you and Bones had not put your names in from the looks on your faces that night." Lavender looked at the girl, a narrowed eyed look on her face. "No need to be suspicious, Brown, not everyone in Slytherin is like those fools Malfoy and Weasely." Harry and Lavender grinned slightly.
"Well, nice to see he isn't the prince he thinks he is." Lavender held out her hand towards the girl. "Allow me to properly introduce myself, Lavender Brown." The blond haired girl shook her hand.
"Daphne Greengrass, Heiress of House Greengrass." Harry nodded to her.
"Well, I see the rumors don't do you justice. They have you pegged as a complete Ice Queen that sees everyone beneath you." Daphne nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well, when you have to deal with pureblooded idiots like Malfoy and Nott you tend to do everything you can to keep them away, especially Malfoy. He's got the entire house besides me and a few others catering to his whims because of his father." Harry furrowed his brow in annoyance.
"So, he basically thinks he's the Prince of Slytherin then?" Daphne looked to Harry with a raised brow.
"You make it sound like you know the real Heir of Slytherin." Harry grinned, causing the two girls to look at him
"Oh I am very, VERY familiar with the real Heir of Slytherin and I do not mean Voldemort either."
"Really? Who? It wouldn't happen to be you would it?" Lavender's eyes lit up at the chance for new gossip material while Harry chuckled at the girl.
"I can't say right now. He's asked me to keep it quiet and I will keep that promise until he's ready to show himself." The brown haired girl pouted while Daphne gave a slight smirk.
"Awe come on Harry, tell me! I'll keep it a secret I promise." Harry smiled at her and shook his head.
"Come now, Lav, where would the fun be in that? I promise I'll tell you in due time. After all, it's not going to stay a secret forever and he knows it."
"There you are, Harry." The group of three turned to the voice that spoke up and found Susan walking up to them, her face flushed and panting.
"Oh Susan, how was your class?" The strawberry blond used her sleeve to clean the sweat on her forehead.
"Tiring, but I managed to get the new formula down. Right now I just need to work a little more with it and I'll have a new spell. What about yours?"
"Very good, managed to complete the spell, now I just need to work on my speed and concentration. I should have it mastered before too long, Christmas at the latest I believe."
"I'd say your Cura Spell was very well done, Potter." Daphne spoke up drawing the attention to her. "The first time was a bit choppy but you definitely have a talent in White Magic with how fast you are accelerating through these spells." Lavender smirked.
"That's what I hear about his Black Magic too. Su Li, a friend of Padma and Pavarti is actually jealous of you Harry. I hear she wants to have a duel with you." Harry shook his head.
"Well she'll have to wait. I have a life threatening tournament to survive." The girls all frowned.
"You're right, Mr. Potter." Behind Harry, Gabranth stood tall. "Everyone is dismissed! Mr. Potter, Ms. Bones, please wait." Everyone started moving for the door, Lavender looking over her shoulder.
"Good luck, Harry, Susan. Try and drop by the dorms once in a while ok, Harry? Susan, you're welcome to come too!" Harry nodded as the armored teacher walked over to the desk that stood in the far end of the room.
"Over here please, I have a few things I wish to ask of the two of you." The two teens walked over and sat in the two chairs that were before the desk. "Now, I understand the two of you have been avoiding all your classes except this one and Ancient Runes, is this correct?"
"Yes, You're Honor, we have been pouring all of our attention into training for whatever this first task might be. A majority of the students here are treating us negatively, especially Susan. There are the rare few that know and understand our situation." Gabranth nodded placing his elbows on the desk and intertwining his hands before him.
"I've noticed this as well, as much as it pains me to admit it. Have either of you seen any recent copies of the Daily Prophet?" The two shook their heads. "I see. If, for whatever reason you come across one, don't take it with a grain of salt. Rita Skeeter was very upset she wasn't able to interview you, Mr. Potter and has been spinning tales about the two of you. I have already warned her should she continue to slander anyone here, she will find herself in so much trouble with the Judges that she'll wish she'd been tossed into Tartarus like the Titans of myth."
"I understand the reasons the two of you are skipping certain classes and I'll admit, I'd do the same myself if I was in your shoes. But I must warn you that rumors have been starting to float about, rumors that I, unfortunately, cannot crush to protect the two of you from any type of scrutiny. Ms. Bones, I know of your condition, but I have to tell the both of you to be careful as these rumors have their roots beginning from said condition. I have been in contact with your Aunt and I'm doing everything I can to keep the negativity of the wizarding world away from you." Susan frowned, looking to her feet.
"They believe I have Harry under some sort of spell I take it?" The Judge nodded, causing the girl to ball her fists. "Idiots. I have done nothing to Harry." Said teen raised a brow.
"I take it this is dealing with the secret you do not wish to tell me?" The strawberry blond nodded. "I hope you will trust me enough to tell me, Sue. You're one of the only friends I have here and I would never turn my back on you." Susan nodded keeping her head low.
"Anyway, Ms. Bones, you have nothing to worry about from me. I have seen others like you before and know the look of someone that has been ensnared by them and I can see as plain as day that Harry is in his own state of mind. Also, Mr. Potter, about the issue you brought to my attention regarding Sirius Black." Harry snapped his gaze from his friend to his teacher.
"If you can bring him to me, I promise you on my honor and blood I will give him a fair trial that has been denied. I have taken the liberty of requesting the trial records from Amelia Bones and she has told me that no such record exists. She and I both agree that a great injustice has been done and must be corrected."
"Thank you, Sire. You have no idea how much this means to us." The man waved the boy's concern.
"It's of no trouble, Mr. Potter. This is something that should have happened long ago when he was first caught. I will see justice done and those that were in charge during the time that he should have been tried will find themselves getting their own trial on charges of crimes against innocents. Now, both of you run along. I believe I have taken enough of your prep time for the task." The two teens bowed to the Judge before leaving the room. Once the teens were out of the room, he sighed, resting his helmet covered forehead against his hands.
"I hope one day you can come clean with him, Susan. He's a good man, he would never abandon you, even with who and what your mother was."
X Day of the First Task X
"Good afternoon Champions!" Ludo Bagman called as he entered the tent where the five champions waited for the start of the task. The man had a leather bag in his hand. "I hope you have all prepared yourselves for today. Now, before we begin the actual task, allow me to reveal to you what you shall be doing." He held up the bag for all of them to see. "Inside this bag, is a figurine of what type of creature you will be going up against. I'll come around to each of you and you'll pull one out of the bag. Each one has a corresponding number that will allow us to decide the order in which you will attempt the task."
"We'll start with the ladies, Ms. Delacour if you will." The Ministry official walked over to Fleur and waited as the girl reached in and removed a small, green dragon from the bag. "Ah the Welsh Green. Ms. Bones, your turn." The girl reached in and pulled out a small red dragon figurine. "The Ruby Dragon, very aggressive. You'll want to be careful with that one dear." Susan moved back over to where Harry waited in the corner of the tent. "Mr. Diggory, your turn, lad." The elder Hufflepuff got a silvery blue dragon.
"Swedish Short Snout. Beautiful dragon if I do say so. Mr. Krum, if you will." The Dumstrang champion grabbed a reddish dragon that was more serpent like. "The Chinese Fireball, very nice choice. Your turn Mr Potter." Harry walked over and pulled the final dragon out of the bag. "Oh dear, the Hungarian Horntail. Be very careful Mr. Potter, she'll be the most dangerous of the five." Harry nodded, already moving to stand next to Susan, the young girl staring at her figurine as it glared back as her.
"Now that you know what you are facing, it's time to tell you what you'll be doing. On each of the little figurines you have is a number which will tell you in what order you'll be called, Mr Diggory going first for example since his has the number one. You may only go into the arena with your wand, no other magical items. Once you hear the sound of the cannon, anything goes. Your goal is to steal a golden egg from the nest of," Harry cut the man off with a growl.
"These are nesting MOTHER Dragons?" Bagman nodded to the teen. "Are you an idiot? Who's idea was this? Especially with Susan and I in this damned game of yours. Any one of us are more than likely to be killed trying to steal from a nesting mother!" Susan put a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Harry, calm down, we'll be fine. You're magic is flaring wildly." Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Um, yes, anyway please take this time to prepare. When the cannon goes off, the first champion may exit the tent and begin his task. After you complete your task you will head towards the red tent to be checked by a medic before your scores are announce and will wait there until all have finished." Ludo hurried out of the tent, almost running into Judge Gabranth who watched the man hurry past.
"Everything alright in here?" The judge got nods from everyone as another person entered the tent. A woman with short blonde, average build wearing a monocle walked over to Susan hugged the girl as Gabranth walked towards the other champions.
"It's good to see you, Susan." The older woman whispered into the ear of the young teen who was holding on to the older witch tightly. Harry walked over as Susan moved let go of her aunt after a few minutes.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Madam Bones, I am Harry Potter." The woman looked the teen boy over with narrowed eyes before reaching out to shake his hand.
"Likewise, Lord Potter, I have heard much about you from Susan's letters over this last school year. I'm glad she has found someone to count on." Harry smiled.
"All good things I hope, and please, call me Harry. I have no wish of anyone knowing I'm a Lord just yet." Amelia Bones grinned.
"Now, that would have to remain a secret between her and I, Harry. Please, call me Amelia." The younger Bones girl was smiling brightly at the two before her Aunt looked around the tent and whispered to them once more. "I want the two of you to tell me everything about this task that you know. What exactly did that fool Ludo tell you about the rules for the task?"
Harry took charge and began telling Amelia everything the Ministry official had said, commenting on how foolish he was for the nesting dragons. The older witch nodded, her eyes narrowed as she thought on what Harry was telling her. "I hope the two of you have plans to make it out of this?" Both teens nodded, everyone flinching slightly at the sound of a cannon going off as Cedric made his way out of the tent.
"I'm going to try speaking with it, let it know that one of its eggs is a fake and see if the dragon will allow for me to take it." Harry told her, getting a raised brow.
"Would that work? I didn't know dragons understood Parseltongue." Harry shrugged.
"We'll find out, won't we? All else fails I find another way to do it. He did say anything goes after all." Amelia nodded, looking to Susan.
"What about you?" the strawberry blonde shrugged.
"I was going to just attempt a summoning charm. Other than that, my only other plans are summoning Harry to help me or using everything I have to kill the dragon, the eggs be damned." The DMLE director nodded.
"You both be careful. Something foul is at work and many may profit from your deaths. I have to go." Amelia placed a small kiss on Susan's forehead, whispering into the girl's ear before heading away.
"Now we wait." Harry nodded to his brown eyed friend.
The wait was anything but silent with the roar of the crowd, the various dragons and Ludo Bagman's commentary. One by one the champions walked out of the tent after the firing of the cannon. The raven haired teen's companion looked over to him, her brown eyes showing concern for the boy.
"Harry?" Green eyes looked up at Susan. "Please, promise me you'll be careful, alright?" Harry smiled at the girl.
"Of course, Sue, I'll be fine don't you worry." The sound of the next cannon went off, Harry standing to his feet with Susan as he walked to the exit. Just as he was about to open the flap of the tent, the chocolate eyed girl stopped him, placing a light kiss on his cheek before pulling back with a blush.
"For luck." Harry smiled at the girl pulling her into a hug and placing his own kiss on her cheek.
"Same to you." The raven haired teen ducked out of the tent, leaving a slightly shocked Susan watching him.
The wizard walked into the large arena and spotted the giant, black scaled dragon curled up around several eggs, one of them a metallic gold color. The boy slowly stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the dragon's big amber ones. In the background, Harry could hear the sound of Ludo Bagman, commenting on what was happening. Once Harry felt he was in range, he took a calming deep breath before shocking the crowd by hissing at the dragon in parseltongue.
"Greetings great one, can you understand me?" The dragon rose her head, staring down at the young wizard.
"A speaker. I have not spoken to one of your kind in ages." The dragon raised itself to its feet. "Tell me, speaker, have you come to take my hatchlings away? I will warn you now, I will burn you alive if you threaten them!" Harry shook his head.
"No, great one, I only seek the fake one among your nest. I wish you and your nest no harm." The dragon growled.
"A fake among my hatchlings?" The Horntail lowered her head to the nest taking a sniff before growling. "There is one that smells of metal in my nest. Gold if my eyes are not mistaken."
"Yes, that is the fake that I seek. These humans have decided to play a game with my life by forcing me to steal from you, great dragon. I know better than to intrude on your nest, I would rather leave you be, but they have threatened my life and the life of my friend, who shall enter this arena after me, against another of your kind." The female dragon growled lightly, looking back towards Harry with its narrowed eyes, taking a sniff of the human wizard before her.
"You have a strange scent covering you, Speaker, one I have not smelled in a long time and trust me when I say that I am much older than I seem. Very well, I shall allow you to take the gold egg. Grow strong, speaker, I can smell the potential you possess and you shall rise to even greater heights than I can fly." The horntail gently picked the golden egg out of her nest with her maw, turning and setting it down before the young man. "Take care of your friend, speaker. She will bring out that great potential you have."
"Thank you, Great Dragon. I shall endeavor to do everything in my power to take care of her." Harry bowed as he spoke, the dragon curling up around her nest once more, watching him as he picked up the egg and walked off towards the red tent, the crowd stunned in silence. Just as Harry was exiting the arena, Ludo's voice cut through the air, praising Harry, not that he cared.
"Over here Mr. Potter, I need to check you for injuries." Harry smiled as he walked over to the school healer. The woman started waving her wand, muttering about dragons and old fools as she used spells to check him over. "Amazingly enough, Mr. Potter, you actually made it without a scratch. I was afraid I was going to have to stay in the hospital wing once more." Harry laughed lightly at the medic witch.
"Trust me, Madam Pomfrey, you'll see me in there at some point. I always am." The witch gave a hearty laugh, directing Harry to another entrance to the tent.
"Try to avoid that, Mr. Potter or I'll put a plaque with your name on it over one of the beds for your use till the end of your education here. Anyway, head on through there, you'll receive your scores. I need to be ready for Ms. Bones." Harry nodded, carrying his egg with him back outside.
"And now, for the judges to present their scores for Harry Potter!" Ludo's voice echoed the arena. Harry watched as the judges lifted their wands, a number appearing in a silver color.
The Judge Magistress Alma had a nine floating above her hand, whereas Dumbledore and Crouch had eights above their wands. Ludo and Fudge gave the boy a ten, Maxime an eight while Karkaroff gave him a five.
'Yeah, that's not being biased at all.' Harry rolled his eyes as he turned back to the arena, a new dragon sitting in place of the Hungarian Horntail. The dragon was large with blood red scales and what seemed to be a two black wing like horns emerging from the sides of its head. The cannon went off, Harry watching as Susan came out of the tent, her face set in determination.
Susan looked upon the dragon, studying it and its nest while it glared at her. The chocolate eyed girl raised her wand, casting her spell towards the egg. "Accio Golden Egg." The crowd watched as the egg flew out of the nest, into Susan's arms, the girl sighing in relief. 'Thank Hecate that worked.' Susan began to make her way to the tent, only for a roar to catch her attention as Harry yelled for her to look out from the sidelines.
The strawberry blonde haired teen jumped to the side, avoiding a fireball that would have slammed into her, though she did not make it unscathed, feeling a burning sensation on her leg. Susan looked at the dragon that was stomping towards her, the chain keeping it in place broken. Thinking and acting quickly she began to chant, a blue circle appearing beneath her before throwing her free hand forward.
"Sharpen Fast: Freeze Lancer!" A giant blue pentagram appeared and started to throw ice shards at the dragon rapidly, causing it to roar in pain as each shard impacted its body. The spell didn't last long before the dragon spat a ball of fire at the girl which hit her left leg as she tried to move out of the way. "Ice Pick!" She threw a large spear of ice from her hand, the spear shattering against the dragon's chest and it stumbled back a few steps growling at the girl with its magma red eyes.
On the sidelines, Harry was beating his fists against the barrier that was protecting the crowd from the dangers within the arena. "Susan!" The raven haired teen watched as his friend quickly used a spell, cursing as he ran towards the medical tent, intending on reentering the arena. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Susan dodged a pair of claws before running from its flaming breath.
Up in the judges box, Alma was issuing orders for the dragon handlers to subdue the dragon, the task was completed the moment the egg entered the girl's arms. "What the hell is taking them so long? They should have moved the moment-"
"Milady! The handlers were all found unconscious! Lord Gabranth is heading in to take care of the dragon himself!" An armored man had rushed into the box as Gabranth started to run to the arena from his seat in the audiance.
"Spread out! Find whoever sabotaged the chains and the handlers! I want them in irons!" Alma roared, numerous armored figures around the arena saluting to their leader and began searching as Susan Bones launched another ice spell at the dragon, driving it back from her while Harry Potter entered the arena from the medical tent, a large icicle being thrown from his hand into the dragon's side causing it to roar out in more pain. The Ruby Dragon spun towards the teen boy, its tail smacking Susan aside, the girl biting back a cry of pain from the sound of a few ribs cracking as she was sent crashing into the ground a few feet away from where the dragon smacked her. Alma spotted her strongest Judge enter the arena, "Gabranth, take that dragon down!"
Whether the Judge heard her or not did not matter as he drew his sword from its sheath, his left hand glowing a bright white color as he neared the dragon. "O' power that tries souls shine, Photon!" A glowing yellow sphere formed around the dragon, stopping it in its tracks from clawing at Susan and Harry, who started to pulled the young girl away. The sphere glowed brightly before it imploded, the dragon stumbling to the ground as Gabranth finally reached the dragon, his sword glowing green as he slashed at the dragon's neck, severing its head from the rest of the body.
Harry stopped moving as he watched the Judge Magister deliver a killing blow to the dragon, turning his attention to Susan, who had a few burns on her legs and arms along with several bloody scrapes. The teen's hands started to glow white, placing one over the worst of her burns on her left leg and the other on her left arm. "Cura!"
"Are you alright, Ms. Bones, Mr. Potter?" Gabranth walked over to them kneeling down to the two teens. Susan sighed in content as she felt Harry's magic wash over the wounds, nodding to the judge.
"For the moment yes, sire, Harry's taking care of me. What happen, milord?"
"Someone sabotaged the chain holding the dragon in place. The moment you turned your back on it, it started to charge you. You managed to avoid the worst of its opening attack with Mr. Potter's help. The dragon handlers were knocked out as well, which is why I came in to stop it." The teens nodded in understanding, Harry moving his hands to the next set of burns and cuts once he finished healing another set.
"You have both done well. You're spells were performed very proficiently, even if underpowered since you used the shortened chants, Ms. Bones. Mr. Potter, you're Blizzard spell was very powerful for its level, I would suggest studying up on Blizzara, possibly Blizzaga. I can also see your Cura spell is all but mastered at this point." The two teen blushed slightly at the praise as a man in judge armor ran up to them.
"Milord, is everything ok?" Gabranth stood to his full height, nodding his helmet covered head. "Her Honor Alma, wishes to present the scores for Ms. Bones, shall I ask them to proceed?" The higher ranked Judge looked at the two teens before nodding once more.
"Tell her to proceed as quickly as possible. Ms. Bones seems to be in a lot of pain and I have no doubt her ribs may be cracked, possibly broken from the blow she took. Also, have a team come and clean up the corpse."
"It will be done, My Lord." The man bowed, before rushing back towards the judge's stand, the crowd finally calm after the dragon's death along with those in the judge's stand.
"I'm fine for now, Harry. I'll see Madam Pomfrey about my ribs after I get my scores." The concerned emerald eyed teen nodded, his breathing coming in soft pants as he helped her to her feet, facing the judge's stand as Ludo Bagman's voice echoed the arena once more, the girl wincing with certain movements.
"We will now display the scores for Susan Bones!" The tournament judges lifted their wands, hand in the case of Alma, and numbers started to form. Harry and Susan glared at the judges, all of them giving the girl a one while Dumbledore and Madam Maxine gave her a seven and Alma giving her a nine.
"You prejudice bastards!" Susan growled as she turned and limped away to the medical tent, clenching her side in pain with a slightly panting Harry following right behind her as Gabranth approached the stands, magic rolling off of him in anger.
Bagman, Crouch, Fudge and Karkaroff would not be leaving the stand in high spirits.
Susan stormed into the tent with Harry, Madam Pomfrey already moving to her and directing her to a medical bed with a screen. "Behind the screen if you will Ms. Bones. Mr. Potter, please stay away from the screen while I attend to her. I'll give you another check as soon as I'm done." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Yes, because I have every intention of invading her privacy." Harry earned a stinging hex and a playful, yet still serious glare from the medi-witch. "Alright, alright, it was just a joke." Harry held his hands up in surrender as the school nurse nodded, closing the screen from his view as he walked over and sat down in a nearby chair.
"Harry!" The emerald eyed boy looked to the entrance of the tent to see Hermione rushing over to him. The bushy haired girl wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're alright! You scared the daylights out of me going in to fight that dragon!" Harry gently pushed the girl off him.
"Well I wasn't going to let Susan fight it alone." Harry watched her frown.
"Oh please, she had it under control. I'm sure Bones just did something stupid when she summoned the egg that forced the chain to break." Harry narrowed his eyes at the girl's tone. "That girl has become more trouble than she's worth, Harry. I still don't understand why you stay around her and not return to the dormitories."
"Hermione," The girl stepped back as Harry jumped to his feet, growling at her. "I don't know what the hell your problem with her is, but you would do well, to keep that mouth of yours shut. I don't care what almost everyone has been saying about her, but I can safely say I trust her more than I trust you or anyone else in the school!" Hermione covered her mouth in shock at Harry. "She has done NOTHING to be hated and ridiculed as she has been. I don't know what secrets she's hiding from me, but she is my friend and I will defend her from even you!"
"H-Harry, please, if you knew the truth, then you'd know better that to trust her!" Hermione pleaded with the teen, getting another growl from Harry as his hand sparked with blue electricity. "Please! She's nothing more than a halfblooded demon!" His hand sparked once more, a continuous currant running through his fingers.
"You have five seconds to leave or I will fry you alive." Harry thrust his hand at the girl's feet, a lightning bolt flying from his hand and scorching the ground before her. Hermione didn't bother to wait anymore before running from the tent as Amelia Bones, Lavander Brown and the Weasley Twins walked into the tent.
"Harry, are you alright?" Lavander asked as she walked forward, the raven haired boy glaring past her to where Hermione had run. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath as he tried to calm himself.
"Sorry Lav, Hermione just said some very unkind things about Susan. She's with Poppy now, Amelia." The older woman nodded walking over to the screened bed and went behind it when the nurse called her in. Lavender frowned and tilted her head to the side.
"What do you mean Harry?" Fred stepped up, asking the boy with a raised brow as his twin stood next to him with the same look.
"She called her a demon." The three narrowed their eyes.
"Not very nice of her." George grumbled as his brother nodded.
"Too right brother of mine."
"Not like her at all either."
"Right again. Maybe we should sit her down and have a chat with her, Forge?"
"Maybe, Gred my less handsome twin."
"Don't bother," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "At this point, she's not worth the trouble. She's been acting more and more aggressive towards Susan for a while now and I'm done with it all. Anyway, what brings you all here? I figured you'd be heading up to the castle to party or something." The twins grinned at Harry.
"Why Harrikins, why would we have a party,"
"Without the guests of honor?"
"You and Susan both deserve one."
"Especially for fending off that dragon." Lavender rolled her eyes at the twins with a smile.
"They wanted to drag you and Susan off to a small party with a select group of people. I, on the other hand, wanted to come and see how the two of you were doing. Susan took a nasty hit to the side after all." Harry chuckled.
"Sorry you two, but I'll be heading back to where I'm staying once Susan's been cleared by Madam Pomfrey. Healing her burns took more out of me than I thought it would."
"Pardon, Mr. Potter." The voice of the French champion caught the attention of everyone in the tent as Fleur walked from the bed she had been sitting on, a few red blemishes on her body from burns. The stuck up look she had arrived at Hogwarts with was gone, her voice carried more of a hesitant tone. Fred and George's eyes lightly glazed over but the two managed to shake the Veela's Allure off within seconds, Harry looking at her with a curious gaze, not the least bit affected by her aura.
"Can I help you, Delacour?" The girl bowed her head slightly, speaking in a subdued tone.
"I wish to apologize for my actions, on the night of Halloween. You have proven yourself to be more than a little boy, Ms. Bones as well has proven herself. This does not make up for what I said, but I am sorry. I will be apologizing to Ms. Bones as well, when she is free." Harry stared at her for a moment before nodding.
"I accept your apology, Ms. Delacour, and please, call me Harry. Mr. Potter is my late father." The girl looked at the boy, studying him with an intrigued look in her eyes.
"Thank you Harry. Please, call me Fleur." The girl stared at him, wanting to ask more but just shook her head. "I must go, your nurse may hit me with a stinging hex next if she finds me out of the bed she left me in. I hope to talk to you again soon, Harry. Possibly be introduced to your friends properly, non?" Harry laughed at the thought of Madam Pomfrey coming out and hitting them with the hex.
"Of course, Fleur."
While everything was going on, Madam Pomfrey had Susan sitting on a cot, her school robe and shirt on the chair next to her as the nurse was looking over the places Harry didn't get to or couldn't get to. "Damn that old fool. How dare Albus allow them to use dragons, and nesting mothers at that." The woman muttered angrily as she checked on the burns the girl had. "It seems Harry has taken care of a few of your burns but the rest will need time and just as a precaution, I'm going to give you some healing balm. How are your ribs?" The girl winced as she took a deep breath, her right arm coming across under her bra clad chest and gripping her side in pain.
"It hurts to breathe deeply. I think I did hear some of them crack when the dragon hit me with its tail." The woman frowned.
"Lie down on your back." The girl laid herself down, wincing as she moved. The nurse started to wave her wand, frowning as her magic showed the results of her spell. "Damn this competition. Those fools KNEW that dragon was one of the smarter species. Can you roll over to your front? I need to check your back too."
"What do you mean, what's wrong?" Susan complied none the less, gently rolling herself onto her stomach, her sports bra covering a majority of what seemed to be a tattoo of some kind. Poppy started to use her spell again, cursing at the results. She opened her mouth to speak only to hear the girl's Aunt asking for entrance, the woman granting it.
"Is everything alright, Poppy?" Amelia watched the woman narrow her eyes and cross her arms.
"No, definitely not. That Ruby Dragon she faced lives up to its reputation. Its tail was infused with enough magic that when it hit her, it broke several ribs, none thankfully puncturing her lung, and fractured her right leg but the magic that was in the tail is slowing the healing process as it transferred from the dragon into her body when it hit her. The only way to help the healing is with a paste specially made for this type of situation that must be applied two times a day, eight hours apart."
"Dragic Poisoning. I take it this paste has to be applied to her entire back?" The nurse nodded.
"More like her entire body. The Ruby Dragon's magic is slightly toxic to humans. Regardless of Susan's advanced healing rate she inheirited from her mother, at this time, she'll heal as slow as a muggle would without magic, possibly slower. The Ruby's magic cancels out any other type of healing magic besides the healing paste made from a Ruby dragon's teeth, which actually reverses the magic's toxicity and will allow her natural healing to do its job. Thankfully, I have several jars full already made and under stasis. I'm amazed that Mr. Potter was even able to heal the burns that he did, though those weren't as bad as her broken bones."
"How long will I have to apply it?" Pomfrey looked back at her patient as she moved to sit up.
"You will have to apply the paste for about three weeks and then allow another week for your natural healing to kick in again. Until then, you'll have to remain on bed rest in the hospital wing." Susan shook her head.
"No, that won't work as I have to have access to my potions lab. There is a specific potion I have to brew every three days that requires almost my complete concentration. It takes four hours to make and requires a very, VERY important ingredient that I would rather NO ONE find out what it is." The girl's face was slightly red.
"Susan, what potion are you talking about?" The girl looked to her aunt.
"It's my suppressant potion, Auntie, you know the one." Amelia gained a bit of a sheepish look.
"Right, of course, it was in the instructions your mother left us." Poppy looked back and forth between the two.
"And how important is this potion that it would keep you out of the hospital wing?"
"Poppy, it suppresses her other half." The woman gained an understanding look.
"I see, and this ingredient is just as important?" Susan shook her head.
"More like very embarrassing and very private. The place Harry and I call our dorm is private enough for me to make it without anyone finding out what it is and how it's made. Not even Harry knows about the potion."
"Because you're hesitant to tell him the truth." Amelia concluded.
"Oh I am much more than hesitant, Auntie," Susan looked up at her Aunt and school nurse. "I'm downright terrified. If he rejected me for telling him what I am, I don't know what I'd do. He's the only one that makes me feel safe here."
"But that doesn't help the fact you'll need help to apply your healing paste. I can bring the balm and apply it myself if you wish." Poppy told Susan as the young witch bit her lip in thought.
"I would have to ask Harry. It's a complicated situation I can't risk the school finding out where we are. We've been assaulted several times already from people trying to find where we're staying and if they found out you were coming there they may try to follow you to prepare an ambush for us."
"You're starting to sound like Moody." The nurse got snort from Susan.
"With good reason. Ever since my secret got out this past summer I have been insulted and in some cases physically antagonized. My best friend has abandoned me, my own house attacked me and drove me out of the Hufflepuff tower. Harry is the only one that I would trust everything to but again, I'm afraid."
"Do you have anyone besides Harry that might help you?" Susan shrugged.
"I think so, but I have to run the situation by Harry. While I would be all for him helping me, I don't want to make him uncomfortable nor do I want to risk him asking questions until I'm ready." Poppy sighed.
"Very well, why don't you put your shirt on, and I'll bring Mr. Potter in so you can discuss it? You will have to stay in the hospital wing tonight just as a precaution and so I can keep an eye on your injuries for your first dose of the healing paste." The young teen nodded, her aunt helping her get up and redress. Once Susan had her shirt on the nurse opened the screen and called to Harry who stood talking to Lavender, the Weasley twins having left just moments ago.
"Harry, come over here please." The raven haired teen nodded to the school nurse and walked over to her, his fellow Gryffindor following behind him.
"I hope I'm not invading your privacy, Susan, may I join you?" Susan studied the girl for a moment before nodding.
"Harry," Susan began, looking at her dorm mate. "Thanks to that dragon, I need to use a healing paste for the next two weeks or so and I'll need some help applying it." Harry nodded.
"And to avoid an uncomfortable situation, you want to have someone else come help you with it, which means telling them where our current residence is." Susan nodded as the teen closed his eyes in thought. "Who would be helping you?"
"I don't know. Madam Pomfrey has offered to come by each day but I feel that would be more of an inconvenience to her and any patients she might have. I have to apply it twice-"
"I could help if you'd like." Lavender interrupted the girl. Everyone looked to the brown haired girl, causing her to pinken slightly at the attention. "I mean, I was looking into becoming a medi-witch, and this would be a learning experience for me. Besides, I was hoping to spend more time with the two you. I never get the chance to see you guys outside of Foreign Magics." Harry scratched the back of his head.
"Lav, no offense, but you are a big part of the Hogwarts gossip. We don't want where we're staying to get out to others" Lavender nodded in understanding.
"If it helps I'll swear an oath to keep silent about it." Harry and Susan stared at each other a few minutes in a silent conversation before the young girl turned to Lavender.
"Do you know my secret?" The brown haired teen nodded. "What's your opinion of me?" The female Gryffindor smiled at her.
"You're a young girl who is misunderstood because of her heritage. I don't really care, you're like Professor Lupin, looked down upon because of something outside of your control."
"I believe you can trust her, Ms. Bones, Mr. Potter." Everyone turned to look towards the voice of Gabranth, the armored man standing just behind Madam Bones. "Forgive me for interrupting and eavesdropping but I wished to check on Ms. Bones."
"I'll be fine, Your Honor. Madam Pomfrey has already told me what I'll need to do to get rid of the dragon's magic." The Judge nodded.
"I figured as much, that dragon is notorious for giving Dragic Poison. Ms. Brown has offered to help you apply the healing paste then?" The girls nodded. "I hope everything goes well then, Ms. Bones. You and Ms. Brown will be excused from my class for the next two weeks. I know how… Irritating the paste can become and trust me when I say having someone close by will help you, especially with being on bed rest. I will speak with Minerva to excuse you from your other classes as well."
"Thank you, your honor." The girls spoke together, the judge nodding in acceptance as Madam Pomfrey checked Harry over for any injuries after reentering the arena to help Susan with the dragon. Once she finished she turned to address everyone.
"Ms Brown and Ms Bones will come to the Hospital wing after I have checked with the rest of my patients. I will show you how to apply the paste then and give you a jar to begin your treatments." Everyone nodded to the school nurse as she left to attend to the other champions.
"I must take my leave as well. I must investigate what happened with that dragon." Gabranth left the three teens and ministry director to themselves.
"I don't know about you, Sue, but I'm dead tired. I think I used too much magic today." Harry sat down on the bed before falling onto his back, getting a giggle from the strawberry blonde.
"That's what happens when you try to heal someone with Dragic Poisoning, Harry." Amelia looked at the teen with an amused smile as she spoke. "Dragic Poison causes healing magic to become less effective and forces the natural healing of the body to slow. What would normally take a few minutes to heal could take hours or even days."
"That explains why it took so much from me to heal some of her burns." Harry muttered tiredly.
"Are you saying I'm exhausting to be around, Potter?" Susan playfully glared at the boy next to her, getting a smirk from him.
"Only when you put up a fight when we duel, Bones." Lavender laughed at the two.
"You two are going to be a riot to be around for the next couple of weeks. Maybe you can teach me something new." Amelia watched the three teens continue talking amongst themselves before getting Harry's attention.
"Harry, could I speak to you in private?" Harry nodded following the matron of the Bones family away to a deserted corner of the tent, the older woman throwing up privacy wards and spells. "Harry, I want this conversation to remain between us." Harry rose a brow but nodded. "What is your intent with my niece?"
"Whaaaaaaaat?!"